CHD Defender (@CHD_TheDefender) header
CHD Defender (@CHD_TheDefender) profile picture

Nonprofit news & views website providing fact-based reporting aligned with the mission of Children’s Health Defense.

Joined September 2026
Threats of lawsuits. Demands to preserve records. And allegations that corporate influence helped derail parts of the MAHA agenda. @calleymeans
1
1
33
Former White House adviser Calley Means is standing by claims he made on Joe Rogan’s podcast about lobbyists and corporate interests influencing federal health and food policy.
1
12
90 days. A public promise. Now the deadline has passed. HHS was directed to deliver plans aimed at improving childhood vaccine safety — including stronger safety monitoring, research into alternatives to aluminum adjuvants and options for separate MMR vaccines.
1
1
2
200
The Nov. 8 deadline came and went without a public report or a new timeline. HHS says the task force is still working and that the process requires careful scientific review. For parents waiting to see what changes may come, one question remains:
1
1
15
More than half of U.S. feedlot cattle now receive a drug that critics say deserves far more scrutiny. Experior was approved by the FDA after its manufacturer said it could reduce ammonia emissions from cattle. @IMidwest @ALDF
1
1
1
26
But internal studies also recorded lameness and cases of potentially fatal bloat among treated animals. Since approval, the FDA has received dozens of adverse-event reports involving the drug’s active ingredient — including reports of cattle deaths.
1
1
15
For years, patients reporting suspected vaccine injuries have said they struggled to find doctors willing — or able — to spend the time investigating their symptoms. Now Medicare is changing how that work gets paid.
1
15
Beginning Jan. 1, doctors will have a specific billing code for additional time spent evaluating, treating and counseling patients with suspected vaccine-related adverse reactions. They won’t have to prove a vaccine caused the symptoms to qualify for reimbursement.
1
7
Congenital measles was once considered extremely uncommon. Now doctors are seeing cases again — and the reason may be more complicated than it first appears. @CHDPennsylvania
1
19
The American Academy of Pediatrics says that in the prevaccine era, most pregnant women had already experienced measles in childhood — and congenital infection was historically rare.
1
1
1
11
He’s helping shape America’s AI expansion. His personal investments could also benefit from it. @propublica
1
1
1
58
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is a central figure in the administration’s push to build AI infrastructure — including potential data centers on federally managed public lands.
1
30
Two deaths. The same disease in the headlines. But very different medical details. Wisconsin officials reported that an infant died during the state’s measles outbreak, with the coroner listing measles as the immediate cause of death. @CHDPennsylvania
1
1
1
1
471
In PA, officials reported another “measles-associated” death — involving a woman who died after giving birth at home. Reported complications included postpartum hemorrhage, acute liver failure and multiple organ failure, with suspected measles listed as a contributing cause.
1
35
Farmers Need Honey Bees to Grow Some Foods. This Pesticide Is Killing Them @USRightToKnow @wsubeeguy
1
21
Researchers studying honey bee colonies found what they described as “extreme levels” of dead brood after exposure to buprofezin — an insect growth regulator widely used on agricultural crops.
1
10
No needle. No lipid nanoparticles. But some of the biggest safety questions remain unanswered. Researchers have developed an experimental mRNA vaccine delivered through the skin using a high-pressure liquid jet. @RutgersCancer @sciencetokyo_en @jclinicalinvest
1
2
63
In mice, the approach generated strong immune responses against COVID-19 and flu and produced less inflammation than laboratory lipid-particle formulations.
1
21
Two mRNA vaccines. Nearly 2 million adults. One unexpected difference. @RetsefL @FLSurgeonGen @HealthyFla
1
24
A new peer-reviewed study of FL health records found people who received Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine had a 39% higher risk of death from any cause over the following year compared with closely matched Moderna recipients,
1
18
She asked an AI chatbot about stopping her seizure medication. Her parents allege it told her to hide the plan from her doctor.
1
2
1
73
A new lawsuit against OpenAI says 31-year-old Bowen Wan was given a schedule to taper off her anti-seizure medication — despite no doctor recommending that she stop taking it.
1
1
30
The votes are in, but the message for MAHA and the health-freedom movement is anything but simple. Some endorsed candidates won. Many others lost. Several prominent critics of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s health policies also scored major victories. @brownstoneinst @TrialsiteN
1
2
2
439
Now, with control of Congress changing hands, advocates on all sides are asking what the results actually mean for the future of chronic-disease policy, vaccine debates and medical freedom.
1
15
Before a baby takes its first breath, environmental exposures may already be associated with changes in the developing immune system. @ByondPesticides @Munk_EWG
1
16
Researchers followed 373 mothers throughout pregnancy and found that higher exposure to pyrethroid insecticides was associated with lower levels of several types of immune cells in newborns — and increased lymphocyte cell death.
1
11
How much influence should industry have over public-health policy meant to address chronic disease? @USRightToKnow @StacyMalkan @GlyphosateGirl @thefoodbabe
2
1
3
5
5,265
The first MAHA report raised concerns about glyphosate and atrazine. The final strategy did not. In between, CropLife America mobilized thousands of farmer letters, meetings with administration officials, congressional outreach, paid advertising and a messaging campaign.
1
2
66
“Another death one day after vaccine.” That was the subject line of a 2021 email sent by a New York City deputy chief medical examiner as officials discussed deaths occurring after COVID-19 vaccination
1
38
Newly obtained FOIL records — nearly 2,000 pages of internal emails — show medical examiners debating myocarditis, cardiac abnormalities, causation and what should qualify as “misinformation.”
1
18
A 7-month-old baby is dead. New York officials are calling it a “measles-associated” death. But important questions remain unanswered. A Lewis County coroner confirmed the infant was the child referenced by state health officials and that he was unvaccinated.
2
2
1
3
138
But the coroner declined to disclose what the death certificate lists as the cause of death, whether other conditions were present or other details surrounding the case. For a grieving family, the loss is devastating. For the public, the distinction matters.
1
1
21
The FDA has rejected a citizen petition asking the agency to study LED lighting and report its findings to Congress, saying a new study is “not warranted at this time.” @softlights_org
1
30
The decision comes as researchers continue examining how artificial light affects sleep, circadian rhythms and melatonin — and as LED technology becomes increasingly common in homes, screens, headlights and public spaces. The science is still developing.
1
18
Newly surfaced government documents show former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s team discussed applying “maximum pressure” to social media platforms over health misinformation — while also considering how the effort could extend beyond the pandemic. @emilyakopp
1
28
The records include plans involving tech companies, researchers, media, health professionals and other influential voices.
1
16
“No child’s chance at recovery should depend on their zip code.” For families navigating PANS and PANDAS, getting a diagnosis can be difficult. Getting insurance to cover treatment can be another battle entirely. @NNwppn
1
1
37
Twenty states now have some form of insurance mandate — yet families still report traveling long distances, paying thousands out of pocket or delaying care while trying to find specialists and secure coverage.
1
16