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#WhaleWatch RFK Jr. is taking a chainsaw to America’s leading public health organization… as if it were just another large mammal he found on the beach.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once famously sawed the head off a beached whale he discovered on the shore in Massachusetts, before driving the animal’s head home, bungeed to the roof of his car. He’s now taking pretty much the same approach to the nation’s top public health organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in a grisly bureaucratic attack that erupted into public view last night. But this time, RFK Jr.’s hackjob could have life-or-death implications for millions of Americans.
Multiple senior CDC officials quit in protest against his attempt to fire the group’s director, Susan Monarez, following a dispute largely over vaccine policy. Monarez’s lawyers say she’s still the director because Trump didn’t personally fire her (in fact, Trump has stayed mysteriously silent). But the White House is reportedly planning to install one of Kennedy’s deputies, who frequently criticized the CDC during the Covid-19 pandemic, as acting director.
Monarez isn't able to access the agency's systems or office, according to Mark Zaid, one of her lawyers. “They locked her out,” Zaid told What A Day this morning.
Kennedy insists he’s simply carrying out orders: “The agency is in trouble, and we need to fix it and we are fixing it. And it may be that some people should not be working there anymore,” Kennedy told Fox News today. “We need strong leadership that will go in there, and that will be able to execute on President Trump’s broad ambitions for this agency.”
Monarez’s stand is giving some employees hope. “If she gets pushed out for it, I feel like that was worth it instead of her standing by and letting this happen,” a former employee, who’s in touch with current CDC staff, told What A Day. “Because in this next month, there’s going to be so much dismantling.”

Scientists are calling this moment a five-alarm fire for American health.

inue to shun,” Daskalakis continued. “[Kennedy] should not be considered a source of accurate information.”
The nation’s health is at risk because of Kennedy’s actions, several of the officials warned. “We knew ... if [Monarez] leaves, we don’t have scientific leadership anymore, ” Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, who also quit, told the Associated Press today. “We were going to see if she was able to weather the storm. And when she was not, we were done.”
Kennedy’s latest mess is triggering a lot of backlash, even from the Republican lawmaker who was key to his confirmation. Will the GOP find its spine and hold him accountable? Probably not.

WHAT ELSE?

Fed governor Lisa Cook sued Donald Trump today, in the latest escalation after the president fired her from the Fed board. This is the official beginning of an unprecedented legal battle that could shape the independence of America’s central bank. Is Trump… Cooked? (That one’s for the kids.)

The raid of former Trump adviser John Bolton’s home reportedly stems from an investigation started under the Biden administration, which has to do with his alleged mishandling of classified information, according to the New York Times. Even so, it’s hardly being handled in a way that makes Trump’s team look like it was only concerned with the facts and the law — and not aggressively targeting a vocal Trump critic as soon as they had the chance.

Federal agents arrested two firefighters who were in the middle of battling a wildfire in Washington state on Wednesday, for reasons that are still unclear. One of the firefighters said the two men were denied the chance to say goodbye to their crewmates: “You need to get the [expletive] out of here. I’m gonna make you leave,” one of the agents told the crew, according to the firefighter who spoke with the Seattle Times. This is a weird one!

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revoked the security clearance of an experienced U.S. spy and expert on Russia — and published their name online. Apparently, Gabbard didn’t consult the CIA before outing the officer. She also reportedly didn’t know the spy had been working undercover, which really seems like the thing she should know!

Comedian Adam Friedland nearly broke down while interviewing Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) about Israel’s war in Gaza. As Torres — who received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Israeli lobby last year alone — stood strong behind Israel, Friedland dug in: “Listen man, you gotta be, like, a human being about this.”

Climate change is making scary phenomena even more common. Two examples that I didn’t enjoy reading about today: Scientists believe that climate change is making flesh-eating bacteria more common, and massive dust storms (called haboobs) are now possible in California because of the drying environment. No thanks! I don’t need more haboobs in my life!

Former Yankee slugger Mark Teixeira is running for Congress in Texas — to defend Trump’s agenda. As one journalist tweeted, “History alert here: Mark Teixeira could be the first Yankee in 17 years to win something in November.” Or he could keep that losing streak alive!e Neil Young and Jon Batiste collab!

Scientists are using life-like robotic rabbits to lure invasive pythons out of the Everglades, where they’re decimating native species. They’re basically $4,000 toy rabbits retrofitted to warm up and even smell like the real thing, which is kinda bizarre. But hey, whatever works!

One of the largest insect farms on the planet is in France, where some 10 billion maggots squirm around and eat humans’ food waste. The maggot mission is helping to address global greenhouse gas emissions, and the bugs are later turned into protein powder — that could be used in animal feed. Again, this is totally bizarre, but whatever works!

Two red pandas were born at the Knoxville zoo in Tennessee. They both weigh over a kilogram and already seem to like climbing and bamboo. You hear them “huff-quacking” here. Happy birthday!

New Zealand launched a nationwide effort to help a snail named Ned have sex. Why?