Garbage In, Garbage Out

Fake Studies, and It Could Be Worse

Here's a quick refresher on how to get people to believe in fake studies. First, write a bunch of fake studies. Then refer back to those fake studies as evidence to support your new research. Rinse (facts), and repeat. OK, it's not quite that simple. To really take your phony findings mainstream, you need to be appointed to a powerful position by a someone who is a fan of fake research. Which brings us to RFK Jr's appointment of David Geier as a researcher. "In the scientific community, Mr. Geier is infamous for the deeply flawed studies he conducted with his father, Mark Geier, claiming that vaccines cause autism. Researchers have long called attention to the serious methodological and ethical defects in their work. The Geiers once created an illegitimate review board for their research, composed of themselves, family members and business associates. They also promoted the drug Lupron, used for chemical castration and prostate cancer, as a supposed treatment for autism, charging $5,000 to $6,000 monthly for unproven therapies. As a result, Mark Geier’s medical license was ultimately revoked or suspended by all 12 states in which he was licensed, and David Geier was fined for practicing medicine without a license." Now David Geier is at the forefront of government research to determine (again) whether there's any connection between vaccines and autism. He has some history in this area. Bad history. In the past, "a whopping two-thirds of studies that claimed to have found a link were written by David and Mark Geier. These studies have been heavily criticized for using deceptive research techniques and flawed data." Jessica Steier in the NYT (Gift Article): The Playbook Used to ‘Prove’ Vaccines Cause Autism. (Garbage in, garbage out. It's the story of science under this administration. And it could soon be the story of our bodies.)

+ "A major medical organization is splitting from the federal government in crafting recommendations for Covid-19 vaccinations, an unprecedented move that reflects a growing rift between the scientific community and the Trump administration’s health agencies." National pediatrics group splits with RFK Jr. on Covid vaccinations. Meanwhile, RFK Jr.’s Wi-Fi and 5G conspiracies appear to make it into MAHA report draft. (How will the do your own research crowd do their research without WiFi and 5G?)

+ The manufacturing of false "research" and fake statistics is of course not limited to the health arena. It's central to every move the administration makes. That's why Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics when he didn't like the data. This questioning of real data and pushing of fake data is at the core of nearly all of the administration's moves. Trump brought in the national guard to patrol DC even though crime numbers were down. Now, the Justice Department is investigating D.C. police over alleged fake crime data. From Trump: "D.C. gave Fake Crime numbers in order to create a false illusion of safety. This is a very bad and dangerous thing to do, and they are under serious investigation for so doing! Until 4 days ago, Washington, D.C., was the most unsafe ‘city’ in the United States, and perhaps the World. Now, in just a short period of time, it is perhaps the safest, and getting better every single hour!" After getting bombarded with enough of this twisted data, people don't know what to believe. And that's precisely the goal.

2

Open Your Golden Gates

"As the governor works with legislators this week to finalize a November special election over redistricting, fundraisers are hunting for donors to bankroll the crusade. Newsom is championing the effort as a fight for democracy to counter similar moves in Texas — but even in heavily Democratic California, his success is far from guaranteed." Bloomberg (Gift Article) with an interesting look at Gavin Newsom's efforts to sell a redistricting plan to big donors who have to come to terms with the notion that fighting fire with fire requires a little arson. Newsom Woos California Billionaires in Map Fight Against Trump.

3

Pretty Bad is Pretty Good

From Alexander Vindman to Tom Nichols, there seems to be some consensus that the meeting between Trump, Zelensky, and European leaders could have been a lot worse. Or as Nichols explains: "Alaska is still part of the United States, America is still in NATO, and Kyiv remains free—and in this second Trump presidency, perhaps that counts as a good-enough day."

+ "Diplomats pointed out that the remarkable spectacle of European leaders ditching their summer holiday plans to rush to Washington was prompted less by a rare opportunity to make peace than by the fear that Mr. Trump might attempt to bully Mr. Zelensky, as he did in a turbulent Oval Office meeting in February. This time, the fear was Mr. Trump would try to force the Ukrainian president into a one-sided, land-for-peace deal with Russia." NYT (Gift Article): Europe’s Leaders Headed Off Giveaway to Putin, but Emerged Without a Clear Path. At one point, speaking about Putin, "Mr. Trump was overheard on an open microphone telling President Emmanuel Macron of France, 'I think he wants to make a deal for me. Do you understand that? As crazy as it sounds.'" (I'm not sure there's a decibel meter on Earth that can measure how crazy that sounds...)

4

Fowl Shots

"As the minutes crawled by, he noticed that the birds were relieving themselves not just frequently, but regularly, each following a personal rhythm. Most of the 15 birds he recorded went every four to 10 minutes — more often than any other seabirds that have been studied." NYT (Gift Article): These Majestic Seabirds Never Stop Pooping. "Streaked shearwaters keep a very regular rhythm throughout their daily foraging flights, shedding about 5 percent of their body mass every hour." (That matches my output when reading the news.)

5

Extra, Extra

White Noise: "The community’s two architects — a classically trained French horn player who has livestreamed his own sex videos, and a former jazz pianist arrested but not charged for attempted murder in Ecuador — say they must personally confirm that applicants are white before they can be welcomed in." The Founders of This New Development Say You Must Be White to Live There. (We're in an era when the worst of the worst feel empowered to publicly celebrate their worseness.)

+ Dead Lines: "The interview triggered a feeling that has become exceedingly familiar over the past three years. It is the sinking feeling of a societal race toward a future that feels bloodless, hastily conceived, and shruggingly accepted. Are we really doing this? Who thought this was a good idea? In this sense, the Acosta interview is just a product of what feels like a collective delusion. This strange brew of shock, confusion, and ambivalence, I’ve realized, is the defining emotion of the generative-AI era. Three years into the hype, it seems that one of AI’s enduring cultural impacts is to make people feel like they’re losing it." Charlie Warzel in the The Atlantic (Gift Article) after watching an interview with a dead person. AI Is a Mass-Delusion Event.

+ Weird Flex, But OK: "Teachers from New York and California who apply to teach in Oklahoma will now have to answer questions meant to screen out “woke indoctrinators” with left-wing views — the latest attempt by Oklahoma officials to push the state’s education system rightward." Oklahoma will test some incoming teachers with ‘America-first’ exam. (Moves like this should help Oklahoma maintain its educational rank among states. It's currently 50th.)

+ Every Cop is a Criminal and All the Sinners Saints: "A Maine police officer arrested by immigration authorities has agreed to voluntarily leave the country, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Monday." (Feel safer?)

+ Error Force: Air Force’s top uniformed officer is retiring early in latest Trump military shake-up. Apparently, being a command pilot with more than 4,600 flying hours is too woke.

+ The Man With the Golden Pen: "Mr. Caroff’s designs were familiar, but his name was not. He did not sign much of his work and largely avoided self-promotion." But from the James Bond logo to posters for hundreds of movies, you definitely know his work. Joe Caroff, Who Gave James Bond His Signature 007 Logo, Dies at 103. From from John Gruber: "Caroff had a remarkably accomplished career. He created iconic posters for dozens of terrific films across a slew of genres. The fact that he created the 007 logo but only earned $300 from it is more like a curious footnote than anything."

6

Bottom of the News

"In a huge multi-decade operation, the whole of the Arctic town is being moved as an iron ore mine operated by the state-owned mining company LKAB weakens the ground, threatening to swallow the town." This sounds like the plot for a particularly bleak Netflix miniseries, but it's real. The ‘big church move’: Swedish town begins to roll historic building 5km.

+ Some photos to finish this edition: Images of community from NPR station photographers. And here are The Ocean Photographer of the Year 2025 Finalists.