AJI science adviser Dr. Dan Wilson takes a look at a Yale study on COVID vaccine syndrome that’s been making the rounds. Dr. Wilson looks at what the study can and cannot tell us, debunking anti-vax misinformation along the way.

Jay Bhattacharya, once a fringe COVID contrarian, is now poised to lead the NIH. His rise—from downplaying the virus, pushing the discredited Great Barrington Declaration, and allying with anti-vaccine extremists—raises urgent concerns about the future of public health. Will his leadership reform science or dismantle it?

In this post mortem, AJI co-founder Walker Bragman and writer Julia Doubleday examine the impact of the pandemic on the 2024 election. President Biden promised to end the crisis—but his rush to move on from it may have paved the way for Trump’s return. With protections abandoned, relief cut, and COVID-19 still wreaking havoc, right-wing forces seized the narrative. Was 2024 the second COVID election?

Dr. Jonathan Howard take a look at how the self-proclaimed free speech champions of the pandemic era, who once decried “censorship” at every turn, are strangely quiet today in the face of Trump’. As public health agencies face unprecedented silencing under the Trump administration, the same voices that once demanded free and open debate are either looking the other way or outright defending what is happening. So, was it ever really about free speech, or just about pushing a narrative?

Dr. Bob Morris exposes red flags in Bhattacharya’s infamous COVID-19 study. From flawed statistical adjustments to ignored selection bias and undisclosed conflicts of interest, the study’s missteps weren’t just errors—they were deliberate choices that helped shape a dangerously misleading narrative. As Trump pushes Bhattacharya for NIH leadership, Morris lays out why his track record of bad science and media manipulation makes him unfit for the job.

Dr. David Gorski outlines how the Trump administration’s sweeping changes at the NIH are already sending shockwaves through the scientific community. With gag orders, canceled grant reviews, and travel bans preventing researchers from presenting their work, biomedical research is grinding to a halt. Scientists warn that these unprecedented disruptions could have long-term consequences, delaying critical discoveries and undermining public health. Meanwhile, RFK Jr. and Jay Bhattacharya are poised to reshape the NIH in their own image—one that deprioritizes infectious disease research and dismantles longstanding health initiatives.