7 Aug 2025
This is the audio version of my weekly digest.
Do Not Resuscitate is a weekly look at the news about how we spend trillions of dollars making intermediaries rich instead of making ourselves healthier. This week, I’ll look at some faint but real signs that Trump’s bullying and intimidation is no longer working so well. He needs to browbeat people into submission to prevent things from unraveling on multiple fronts. We will explore various incidents and suggest readings of the tea leaves.
First, a revealing event in late July was the ousting of the FDA’s no. 2 guy, oncologist Vinay Prasad, after only 3 months aboard the Trump train. It’s significant for who he is, the dynamics of his rapid implosion, and the limits Trumpland will impose on any signs of hostility to corporate America, including Pharma. At the same time, a congressional committee pointedly ignored Trump’s wishes on HHS and NIH funding and blew off RFK Jr’s reorganization plans at HHS, both by hefty, bipartisan margins. Given the rickety economic stats, some would call this an “overly dynamic situation.”
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