Climate reality keeps colliding with denial, erasure, and rebranding — across media, politics, and religion. Temu conspiritualists weave melted stories about the origins of wildfires, while the high-class guys run meditation-and-regenerative-farming spectacle backed by Exxon money. Julian’s on that angle.
Derek will be telling us about how climate journalism is collapsing faster than the climate itself with mass environment reporting layoffs at NPR, CBS, the Washington Post, and the LA Times. Trump gutted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. EPA webpages have been scrubbed of human-caused warming language.
Are religious institutions doing any better? In 2015, five world religions — Jewish, Catholic, Islamic, Hindu, and Buddhist — independently issued climate statements ahead of the Paris COP21 talks. Matthew looks at how they struggled to challenge the global economies they depend on. Interview:
The Trump administration is whitewashing American history in Philadelphia. Federal Judge John E. Jones tells the behind-the-scenes story of the 2005 trial leading to his landmark decision barring “intelligent design” from public school science classes.
The pharmaceutical industry is filled with greedy businessmen getting innocent consumers hooked on their toxic products in order to barely keep them alive. But if you want to actually thrive, an entire array of natural supplements are just a click away.
So goes most every wellness pitch on social media. Mallory DeMille returns to break down the marketing techniques as we dive into the sordid world of supplements and peptide creation, which, in reality, is not dissimilar from pharmaceuticals. In fact, many products use the same manufacturing processes and production plants, as Derek discusses.
In the final segment, Julian revisits Bryan Johnson, the centimillionaire on a quest to live to 200, and what his recent chronic illness diagnosis says about pumping your body filled with experimental drugs. Interview:
With so much emphasis on global politics and the World Cup in recent weeks, we’re going to focus on the somewhat quieter but intensely important bureaucratic dismantling of expertise occurring in health and science.
First, Derek looks into a recent 412-page OMB proposal that hands political appointees veto power over federal science grants, effectively killing peer review, blocking research on health disparities, and walling off American scientists from the rest of the world. Matthew counters with Canada’s own corrosive behavior.
Then we dig into the contradiction of MAHA: the pro-health movement running cover for the EPA quietly approving new forever chemical pesticides mere days after the Supreme Court gutted Americans’ ability to sue Monsanto (by way of their parent company, Bayer). Again, there’s a Canadian parallel: Bill C-30 hands cabinet the power to override Health Canada’s own scientists and approve pesticides they’ve already ruled unsafe.
Finally, Julian removes gravity from the situation by covering congressional UAP hearings where unverified whistleblower claims about alien bodies and secret programs get treated with peer-reviewed science seriousness.
Only, as with everything else in Trump’s America, the science is thin and the theater, thick. Interview:
A controversy at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions sparked national headlines after several prominent diabetes researchers were removed while distributing an editorial criticizing cuts and changes to U.S. biomedical research funding.
Dr. Zachary Rubin and Dr. Melanie Matheu discuss what happened, examine the editorial at the center of the controversy, and explore broader concerns about NIH funding, scientific independence, peer review, and the future of American research.
They also discuss how funding decisions today may impact patient care, medical innovation, and scientific progress for years to come. Interview:
At the 2026 American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions, several prominent diabetes researchers—including current and former ADA leaders—were removed after distributing an editorial published in the ADA's own flagship journal.
In this episode of From Bench to Bedside, Dr. Zachary Rubin, MD, and Dr. Melanie Matheu, PhD, break down:
What happened at the ADA conference
Why researchers were handing out the editorial
The growing concerns about NIH funding and scientific independence
The proposed changes to federal grant review processes
Brain drain and the future of American biomedical research
The role of scientific advocacy in medicine
Why this controversy matters for patients, physicians, and researchers
This conversation goes beyond politics and focuses on a fundamental question:
What responsibility do scientists have to speak out when research is threatened?
📚 Editorial discussed:
"Misguided Brushes of a Pen Continue to Dismantle and Destroy Biomedical Research in the United States. We Can No Longer Afford Complacency and Fear. We Must All Act Now."
Subscribe for evidence-based discussions on medicine, science, public health, and healthcare policy.
00:00 Midwest storms, tornado warnings, and recording delays
02:05 Welcome to From Bench to Bedside
03:10 What happened at the ADA Scientific Sessions?
05:20 What scientific conferences are really like
07:35 The American Diabetes Association and its mission
08:55 Researchers removed while distributing an editorial
11:20 The editorial criticizing NIH funding cuts
14:10 Proposed changes to NIH grant review and peer review concerns
17:15 Brain drain and the future of U.S. biomedical research
19:30 Scientific advocacy versus politics
22:10 Was this really a protest?
24:05 Why research funding matters for patients
25:55 Final thoughts: Why scientists must speak up
27:05 Outro
It’s been a chaotic week in health and science, and a lot of important stories are getting buried.
In Episode 9 of From Bench to Bedside, Dr. Zachary Rubin and Dr. Melanie Matheu break down the health headlines that actually matter: alternative funding programs for medications, ACIP charter changes, the worsening measles outbreak, a polio travel advisory, cuts to rabies and poxvirus testing, and a couple of good-news stories to end on hope.
Let us know what story stood out most, and share this episode with someone who wants clear, grounded takes on science, medicine, and public health.
00:00 Intro + “it’s been a week”
02:00 Alternative Funding Programs (AFPs): cheaper meds, hidden risks
05:30 Why doctors may not even know patients are using AFPs
08:30 RFK Jr. & ACIP charter changes explained
13:00 Why expertise (actually) matters in vaccine policy
16:30 Measles outbreak update (U.S. data + trends)
20:30 Why teens & adults are driving cases now
23:00 Hospitalizations + who’s at highest risk
24:30 Polio travel advisory (what to know before summer trips)
26:30 Rabies & poxvirus testing cuts: why this matters
28:00 Good news: cancer death rates declining
29:00 Good news: wedding before heart transplant
29:45 Outro
FFRF Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor sit down with evolutionary biologist and psychologist David P. Barash to tackle one of religion’s most enduring claims: the human soul. Drawing from his book "The Soul Delusion," Barash breaks down what people mean when they talk about souls, why the concept persists, and how science explains consciousness without invoking the supernatural.
As part of Pangburn's Anti-RFK tour, I traveled to New York City for a live debate against prominent anti-vaxxers and douchebags supreme, Steve Kirsch and Pierre Kory. Given that they have profited off of human life, nobody in the history of my channel deserves to be exposed more, and I got to do it right to their dumb grifter faces. Aiding me in this endeavor was Dr. Dan Wilson of Debunk the Funk. Between the two of us, these jerks didn't know what hit them, so sit back and enjoy the carnage.
Evolution and some geologic history explained while she counters silly creationism / intelligent design arguments from Doug Wilson and the Answers in Genesis / Ken Ham people.
An important point she makes is that Doug Wilson and his followers not only hold these unscientific beliefs, but that they are actively engaged in building up networks of schools that will indoctrinate children with these beliefs instead of real science.
Did you hear about the pregnant woman who ingested too much Tylenol just to “own Trump” and is now on a ventilator and will likely not wake up, offing both herself and her baby? If you were tapped into social media at all this past week, you likely saw dozens of wellness and right-wing influencers sharing it, each with their own hot take. One problem: there’s still no proof this woman exists.
Mallory DeMille returns to discuss this cursed game of telephone, as well as unpack the mad rush that wellness influencers have been on to sell you their completely legitimate acetaminophen alternatives. Science rocks, y’all. Interview:
This episode of Straight White American Jesus dives into a wide range of pressing issues, from the Trump administration’s controversial advice for pregnant women to avoid Tylenol—driven in part by RFK’s influence despite a lack of scientific support—to the broader political and patriarchal implications for public health.
The hosts examine how the right manipulates media through distraction and “flooding the zone,” using high-profile events like the murder of Charlie Kirk to bury stories such as the Epstein files.
They also unpack the escalation of political violence and rhetoric, highlighting the dangerous labeling of teachers and opponents as “terrorists” by figures like JD Vance, Kash Patel, Kristi Noem, and Steve Bannon. Megan Kelly’s dismissive response to an ICE bribery scandal serves as a window into how loyalty now trumps principles, while the erosion of good faith dialogue underscores the deepening polarization tied to identity and ideology.
Yet, amid the bleak landscape, the episode also points to reasons for hope, from Ryan Walters’ resignation as Oklahoma superintendent to Disney’s challenge of Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, offering reminders that pushback and positive change are still possible.
Trump picked RFK Jr. to take over the Department of Health and Human Services, and chaos has ensued. So far, RFK Jr. is ignoring the advice of experts and bringing along his cronies to push vaccine skepticism. It could have a devastating impact on the health of Americans for years to come.
We’re joined by Former CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden, who currently heads global health organization Resolve to Save Lives, and MSNBC senior enterprise reporter Brandy Zadrozny, who has covered RFK Jr. for over a decade. Together we discuss the dangers that RFK Jr. poses to Americans’ health and how the “MAHA” movement is NOT making America healthy again.
We also talk through Trump and RFK Jr.’s latest announcement declaring Tylenol a contributing factor in the rise of autism, despite numerous studies saying otherwise.
"First it was independent advisory committees and career experts. Then it was the dismissal of seasoned scientists. Now, Secretary Kennedy and HHS have set their sights on weaponizing public health for political gain and putting millions of American lives at risk," her lawyers, Mark Zaid and Abbe David Lowell, said in a statement. "When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts, she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda. For that, she has been targeted."…
Trump Administration officials are gathering to create a strategy for putting the Jeffrey Epstein scandal to rest, ICE is relaxing its recruiting standards, RFK Jr. is cutting funding for mRNA vaccine research, and the president wants to eliminate two satellites responsible for measuring carbon dioxide emissions.
The Trump administration is moving to shut down two NASA missions that monitor a potent greenhouse gas and plant health, potentially shutting off an important source of data for scientists, policymakers and farmers...
Dr. Michael Osterholm: Well, first of all, we have all just been through a pandemic, and we did see what, in fact, the COVID vaccine could do to reduce serious illness, hospitalizations, and deaths.
But the other kind of pandemic that we're very concerned about and you noted in the lead-in with regard to bird flu and the possibility that it could be the next influenza pandemic virus. Right now, globally, we have the ability to make enough vaccine in about 15 months after an influenza pandemic started to actually vaccinate only about one-fourth of the entire world.
We're still using the 1950s process using embryonated chicken eggs to grow the virus in. That would be an utter failure. Now, with the mRNA technology, we believe we could probably have enough vaccine for the whole world within a year, and it would make a big difference.
