State Champ Radio health
Peter Dazeley / Tylenol
RFK Jr. and Donald Trump’s headassery claiming Tylenol can be linked to autism in children is beginning to bear dumb fruit in the form of a lawsuit from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Philanderer Ken Paxton is doing whatever he can to keep the focus off his problems, and is now suing the makers of Tylenol on Tuesday, alleging the companies hid the risks of the commonly used drug to the brains of children.
The lawsuit is a direct result of Donald Trump’s baseless claims last month that Tylenol usage during pregnancy can lead to autism.
Per The New York Times:
Mr. Paxton filed the suit against Johnson & Johnson, which sold Tylenol for decades, and Kenvue, a spinoff company that has sold the drug since 2023.
The Texas lawsuit claims that the companies knowingly withheld evidence from consumers about Tylenol’s links to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The suit also claims that Kenvue was created to shield Johnson & Johnson from liability over Tylenol.
The Texas lawsuit marks the first time a state has taken legal action based on Trump’s claims that acetomenaphin, a word he can’t even pronounce, is the cause of neurodevelopmental disorders in children.
Kenvue has defended the safety of Tylenol and has rebuked Trump’s claims that using it during pregnancy leads to autism in children.
“We will defend ourselves against these baseless claims and will respond per the legal process,” Melissa Witt, a spokeswoman for Kenvue, said on Tuesday. “We stand firmly with the global medical community that acknowledges the safety of acetaminophen and believe we will continue to be successful in litigation as these claims lack legal merit and scientific support.”
This Lawsuit Has Only One Goal: Curry Favor With Donald Trump & His Base
The unproven claim has been a longstanding concern among followers of our current head of HHS, and there have been many lawsuits brought by families in state and federal courts claiming the drug has led to their children being diagnosed with autism or ADHD after using the drug.
A U.S. judge in New York dismissed lawsuits making claims about Tylenol, citing the lack of evidence proving the drug’s direct link to autism. The plaintiffs appealed the decision and will participate in a hearing before an appellate panel scheduled for Nov. 17.
As for Paxton, his move can easily be chalked up to a decision to please his orange lord and savior, Donald Trump, and comes as he seeks to unseat the incumbent, Senator John Cornyn.
Paxton has been very pro-Trump, doing ridiculous things like challenging the results of the 2020 election, suing nonprofits that protect immigrants’ rights, and trying to remove Democrats who dared fight for Black and Brown people during partisan redistricting efforts to ensure Republicans stay in control during Trump’s term.
Social media has thoughts on Paxton’s lawsuit; you can see them below.
Jon Dee Graham, the Austin guitarist and songwriter who played in the beloved local punk band True Believers, slipped and fell in 2021, and doctors apparently did not notice a crack in his spine. In early 2024, he had spinal surgery, and a six-month recovery period meant he could not make money from playing gigs. But the procedure didn’t take, and in April, he had another surgery, then developed an infection. Today, Graham, 66, lies in bed for hours every day, taking antibiotics every 12 hours that cause nausea and chills.
“We got a call from the IV company: ‘We need up-front payment in the thousands before we’re able to deliver the medication,’ ” says William Harries Graham, Jon Dee’s son, an architect and singer-songwriter who is overseeing his care.
Trending on Billboard
Jon Dee has Medicare, but there are crucial coverage gaps — because the hospital discharged him, according to William, insurance won’t reimburse medication and other portions of his home care. So the family turned to the most reliable backup plan available to veteran, well-known musicians: fans. Jon Dee is also a painter, and William has been offering his artwork, comics and music through a zine-like Bear Cave Dispatch in exchange for online donations. It’s working — for now. “We were able to cover those initial medical expenses,” he says.
The guitarist’s story remains bleak — sepsis recently set in — but it speaks to the blessing-and-curse health-care reality that working musicians must endure as they age. As gig-economy workers whose incomes fluctuate across decades, independent artists often find themselves with few resources for medical costs beyond those covered by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicare or spouses’ employer plans. And if medical issues prevent touring, artists often have zero income. But musicians such as Jon Dee and rockers Matthew Sweet and Jesse Malin, as well as the late David Johansen and Gang of Four bassist Dave Allen, have recently tapped into loyal, generous fan bases through crowd-sourcing sites like GoFundMe and other grassroots fundraising.
At recent concerts, Gang of Four founding drummer Hugo Burnham has returned to the stage post-encore to request that fans buy merchandise to offset costs for Allen’s family. (Allen died at his home in Portland, Ore., in April at 69 after a long struggle with dementia.) “It’s no secret the cost of medical care in the U.S. is an obscenity,” says Burnham, 69, who fractured a bone in his leg during the tour but is covered through his job as a college professor. “Had he lived anywhere else, there might not have been this terrible burden on the family. We all know the stories of people who have had to rely on raising money based on the kindness of strangers — and it’s not just musicians.”
Outside of the U.S. health-care system, musicians struggling with health care costs can tap into multiple resources — but they rarely come close to providing all the costs needed for severe, long-term health issues. After Chappell Roan demanded “a livable wage and health care” for artists during her acceptance speech at the 2025 Grammy Awards, music-business experts pointed out that musicians signed to major labels could access health-insurance plans provided by the SAG-AFTRA union for premiums comparable to the ACA.
In addition, Sweet Relief provides grants for artists and others in the music industry through fundraising concerts, donations and other resources. The 31-year-old nonprofit is a “stopgap,” according to executive director Aric Steinberg. In 2023, Sweet Relief helped Malin set up an online fundraiser when the veteran punk frontman suffered a paralyzing stroke in his back. “It’s unfortunate we have to exist,” Steinberg says. “Sadly, we’re busier than ever.”
MusiCares, a 35-year-old affiliate of the Recording Academy, raises funds through high-profile events like its Grammy Week Person of the Year benefit, which has recently honored the Grateful Dead, Motown Records’ Berry Gordy Jr. and Smokey Robinson, Joni Mitchell and Aerosmith. It has provided nearly $120 million in health-care assistance to musicians and music-business workers over time, including roughly $10 million overall to 9,000 people during the past year. “It is not unlimited support,” says Theresa Wolters, MusiCares’ interim executive director/vp for health and human services. “However, it is very, very substantial.”
These limits were evident to William, who says he has reached out to MusiCares on Jon Dee’s behalf for health-care funding with “no result.” Russell Carter, Sweet’s longtime manager, adds that MusiCares contributed funds for some early medical costs, but the charity has been “just one piece in the puzzle of solving his financial woes.” (A MusiCares representative says the charity can’t comment on artists it works with. Wolters adds: “We work within the realities of our nonprofit model and our commitment to equitable support across the community. In these instances, MusiCares is one part of the solution.”)
Sweet, 60, suffered a stroke last October while touring in Toronto. After leaving an intensive-care stroke unit in a Canadian hospital, he returned to his hometown of Omaha, Neb., and has received treatment in a rehabilitation program. Although he’s improving, particularly his speech, Sweet’s main issue remains “coordination,” Carter says, and he can’t walk or play guitar or keyboard. He also has vision problems and is “generally wheelchair-bound in his home.” In addition, Sweet’s wife recently broke her leg, forcing the family to hire a full-time nurse — which is not covered through the singer’s ACA insurance or early Medicare.
Since Sweet’s stroke, his GoFundMe has raised nearly $640,000, which, Carter says, “paid for what can only be described as exorbitant medical expenses.”
Sweet and his team view the crowdfunding not as an indictment of the U.S. health-care system but a mass validation of fan loyalty and colleagues’ affection. Sweet may not currently be able to tour, but his decades of touring are paying off. “Don’t dismiss the GoFundMe,” Carter says. “It’s a vehicle for fans to contribute. These are people that would spend $35 to see Matthew if he came through town in a second, and if they can spend $35 to help Matthew — clearly, they did it, instantly. They’re willing to give back. That’s a very positive thing.”
After battling Parkinson’s disease for some time in private, A-ha‘s Morten Harket is now sharing his diagnosis with the public.
By way of a letter written by the band’s biographer, Jan Omdahl, the singer broke the news to fans that he has been receiving treatment for the neurological disorder “in recent years,” undergoing surgeries last June and December to implant symptom-reducing electrodes on both sides of his brain. Harket also said that he’d been having conflicting feelings for quite some time about whether he should go public with his diagnosis.
“Part of me wanted to reveal it,” he told Omdahl. “Like I said, acknowledging the diagnosis wasn’t a problem for me; it’s my need for peace and quiet to work that has been stopping me. I’m trying the best I can to prevent my entire system from going into decline. It’s a difficult balancing act between taking the medication and managing its side effects.”
“It used to bother me to think about my sickness becoming public knowledge,” Harket added. “In the long run, it bothers me more to have to protect something that is strictly a private matter by treating it as a secret.”
Trending on Billboard
According to the Mayo Clinic, Parkinson’s is a “movement disorder of the nervous system that worsens over time,” often causing tremors and affecting the motor skills of patients. There is no cure for the degenerative disease, but medicines and surgery can help ease symptoms.
For Harket, both treatment paths have “led to a dramatic improvement in his symptoms,” though he still faces regular exhaustion and strain. He also said that his singing abilities have been affected, but it’s not of primary concern for him right now.
“I don’t feel like singing, and for me that’s a sign,” he told Omdahl. “The question is whether I can express myself with my voice. As things stand now, that’s out of the question … I see singing as my responsibility, and at certain moments I think it’s absolutely fantastic that I get to do it. But I’ve got other passions too, I have other things that are just as big a part of me, that are just as necessary and true.”
Even so, the Norwegian singer has been working on new music throughout his journey with Parkinson’s, revealing that he has “great belief” in the material that’s sprung out of this period in his life. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to finish them for release,” Harket said. “Time will tell if they make it. I really like the idea of just going for it, as a Parkinson’s patient and an artist, with something completely outside the box.”
He also added that — while appreciative of the concern fans will undoubtedly have for him as they learn of the news — he’s already weary from the anticipation of all the messages of sympathy and unsolicited advice headed his way. “Don’t worry about me,” he said when asked what he wants listeners to know at this time. “Find out who you want to be — a process that can be new each and every day. Be good servants of nature, the very basis of our existence, and care for the environment while it is still possible to do so.”
Harket added, “Spend your energy and effort addressing real problems, and know that I am being taken care of.”
Over the past couple of decades, cases of disability and death caused by Parkinson’s have been “rapidly spreading,” according to the World Health Organization. As of 2019, an estimated 8.5 million people had the disease, an ever-growing population that also includes stars such as Michael J. Fox, Ozzy Osbourne, Foreigner’s Mick Jones, Neil Diamond, Linda Ronstadt and Marc Cohn, who have all been open about their diagnoses.
A-ha was one of the defining pop groups of the 1980s, landing three entries on the Billboard Hot 100 in the second half of the decade: “The Sun Always Shines on T.V.,” “Cry Wolf,” and No. 1 hit “Take on Me.” The group is comprised of Harket and friends Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, who formed the group in Oslo in 1982.
When Chappell Roan called on the music industry to pay artists a living wage and give them health insurance during her Grammys acceptance speech in February, she sparked a debate about labels’ responsibility to the acts they sign, including the artist’s potential — and the label’s investment — that is put at risk if mental health struggles take center stage.
Nearly three-quarters of some 1,500 independent musicians reported struggling with mental illness, according to a 2019 survey by the digital distribution platform Record Union. Even among unionized musicians and performers, rates of mental health problems and substance use disorder are higher than among the general population, according to Sound Advice, a book written by music journalist Rhian Jones and performance coach Lucy Heyman.
Trending on Billboard
Over the past several months, Billboard asked more than a dozen artists, managers, financial planners, music executives and therapists about creatives’ single biggest out-of-pocket health care expense, and the answer was consistently the same: therapy.
Sobriety coaches, on-tour therapists and mental skills training offer potentially career-saving — even lifesaving — support for singers battling anxiety so intense it can rob them of their voices.
But they come with eight-to-10-figure medical bills, these sources say. And health insurance, for those fortunate enough to have it, often covers just a fraction of the cost.
“It’s $250 a session for someone who is good and qualified,” says Chief Zaruk, joint-CEO of The Core Entertainment, an entertainment company launched with Live Nation that represents Bailey Zimmerman, Nate Smith, Nickelback and others. “If you’re a beginner artist without a record deal, maybe a publishing deal, you’re making $2,500 a month, and you’re like, ‘Wait, I’m going to take more than a third of that and put it toward a therapist?’ They just can’t do it.”
Zaruk and Core co-founder and CEO Simon Tikhman provide their employees with 10 free sessions with a therapist, a life coach or business coach each year. Tikhman says they extend the service to many of their artists, including those just starting off, because, “If you help yourself now when you are playing in 200-300 person venues, it will give you the tools to help you manage [feelings of] overwhelm when you are in arenas.”
Ariana Grande, who has made millions of dollars of free counseling available to fans through a partnership with app-based therapy company Better Help, called on record labels in February to include therapy coverage in young artists’ contracts.
At least one major music company explored the cost of providing those services, according to a former executive from the company who spoke on condition of anonymity. That former executive, who advocated that the company offer therapy as a recoupable expense, says internal researchers determined around 2020 that coverage was ultimately too costly.
While therapy is expensive, the cost of foregoing needed mental health care is enormous, says Dr. Terry Clark, director of The Conservatory at Canada’s Mount Royal University.
For more than two decades, Clark has studied how mental skills training is used to equip classical musicians and dancers with tools to cope with stage fright and anxiety after failed auditions. Some of the lessons involve setting goals and picturing oneself achieving those goals on stage, like an imaginary rehearsal where the artist can make mistakes and envision how the show could go on.
“Careers can go on a long, long time,” Clark says. “But if you burn yourself out and there isn’t a later, the cost is enormous when you look at what you’ve lost.”
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Lorde described successfully treating her paralyzing stage fright with the psychoactive drugs MDMA and psilocybin, a therapy commonly used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, though that is still awaiting approval for use in the United States.
For others, substance use disorders can be part of their mental health struggles.
Kristin Lee, founder of the Los Angeles-based business management firm KLBM, says her musician clients’ biggest out-of-pocket health care expense is treatment for addiction and substance use disorders.
A number of organizations, including MusiCares, Music’s Mental Health Fund, Sweet Relief and Backline, provide financial assistance to help independent artists pay for mental health care. Lee estimates 35 percent to 40 percent of her clients get subsidized health insurance through SAG-AFTRA, and those who don’t qualify for it often pay $700 to several thousand every month for private insurance for themselves and employees.
“Touring is probably the absolute worst thing to do while you’re trying to be sober. It’s a rigorous way of life with no downtime, and it’s entertainment, so it’s supposed to be fun,” Lee says. She says some of her clients have hired sobriety coaches to go on tour with them at a cost of $70,000 a year.
Sobriety coaches are meant to be a resource a patient needs less over time, and so the cost eventually declines. Regardless, the investment for many is worth it.
“Rehab is expensive, too,” Lee says.
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Getty Images / Donald Trump / Casey Means / Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Donald Trump continues to put on a masterclass in nominating people to positions in the United States government that they have no business being in.
On his mission to “Make America Healthy Again,” Donald Trump is enlisting the best quacks the country has to offer to solicit bad health advice to American people coming off a once-in-a-generation pandemic, and as diseases that were once considered 100% neutralized, like the measles, are on the comeback.
We already have vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in charge of HHS and TV doctor and Oprah’s biggest blunder, Dr. Mehmet OZ, as Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. To make matters worse, Trump has nominated “Dr” Casey Means to take on the role of Surgeon General.
What could go wrong?
Well, a lot.
According to MSNBC, Trump nominated Means after yanking Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a Fox News contributor, ‘s nomination for the position without explaining the move.
The website points to right-wing activist, radical conspiracy theorist, and one of Trump’s closest confidants, Laura Loomer, criticizing Nesheiwat, specifically being BIG MAD about her support for life-saving Covid vaccines.
Trump claims the Nesheiwat will work at HHS in “another capacity,” giving Means the lane to become the nation’s top doctor.
Casey Means Lack of Experience For The Job
The AP went ham in their description of Means and perfectly explained why she is not qualified for the position, calling her just a “wellness influencer. ” They noted that she dropped out of her surgical residency program and has no experience in public health administration, something very much needed for the Surgeon General job.
The same report also describes her as a snake oil salesman who makes a living selling “dietary supplements, creams, teas, and other products sponsored on her social media accounts.”
Bruh.
When asked why he chose someone with no experience to be the top doctor in the country, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he said, “I don’t know her,” but only picked her because Kennedy “thought she was fantastic.”
What a glowing recommendation. We are being sarcastic, of course.
Social Media Is Freaking Out About Casey Means & Pointing Out How Fringe She Is
Social media has been responding to the latest nomination, and as expected, folks are apprehensive about another fringe doctor pushing bullsh*t health alternatives while disregarding proven medical science.
“Trumps’s new surgeon general nominee is Casey Means withdrew from her medical residency at age 30. She thinks you can stay healthy by focusing on metabolic health?! And Laura Loomer got rid of the original nominee for being too pro-vaccine? We’re living in an SNL skit,” one user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
We are in deep trouble. All folks had to do was vote for the Black lady, but, of course, they couldn’t do that.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
2. Face palm
3. The American Dream has become nothing but just scamming your way to top.
4. Not Dr. Nick, LOL
6. A thread
Tina Knowles has revealed that she recently battled breast cancer — but with Beyoncé and Solange by her side, she had all the support she needed until she finished her treatment.
On the day of her memoir Matriarch‘s launch Tuesday (April 22), Billboard‘s 2025 Mother of the Year exclusively revealed to People that she was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer last July. She received the news after missing a scheduled mammogram two years prior, which could have helped her catch the tumor sooner.
“I forgot that I didn’t go to get my test two years before I thought I had, because COVID came, and they called me and canceled me, and they said, ‘We’ll call you when we start testing again,’” she told the publication. “And I just thought I had done it. So you cannot play around with that.”
Trending on Billboard
“It’s important not to slack on your mammograms,” she added. “I think as women, sometimes we get so busy, and we get so wrapped up and running around, but you must go get your test. Because if I had not gotten my test early, I mean, I shudder to think what could have happened to me.”
To treat the cancer, Knowles underwent surgery late last year to remove a tumor in her left breast. Throughout her treatment, the designer says that her two daughters — plus bonus daughter Kelly Rowland — were unified as her support system, writing in Matriarch, “My girls became my team.”
Knowles also shared in the book how her daughters reacted when she first received her diagnosis. While the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer “took it well, staying positive … I could already feel her mind racing, focusing on this as a task to tackle with precision,” Knowles says Solange told her, “We are going to take care of this.”
Now, the Cécred co-owner tells People she’s “doing great” — “cancer-free and incredibly blessed that God allowed me to find it early” — and enjoying everything that’s happening this month, from the memoir’s launch to the April 28 kickoff of Bey’s highly anticipated Cowboy Carter Tour. She also revealed that she’s currently dating, sharing coyly, “Uh, I … I am spending time with a friend, yes.”
“A very nice gentleman,” added Knowles, who was previously married to Bey and Solange’s father, Mathew Knowles, and Richard Lawson, from whom she split in 2023. “We’ll see what happens.”
Jelly Roll is on a roll when it comes to his health and fitness journey. The country superstar joined Pat McAfee onstage at the latter’s Big Night Ah live show on Wednesday, night (April 9), where he revealed that he lost nearly 200 pounds over the course of his recent weight loss journey. “I started at […]
Prompted by Chappell Roan’s comments about health insurance from the Grammy stage on Feb. 2, over the last several weeks an important conversation has been taking place about financial stability and health among those who work in music. At MusiCares, we celebrate this conversation and want to collectively seize this moment for real change. To do this, we need to go deeper than just a conversation. It is important to understand and focus solutions on data-backed, long-standing issues around fair pay and health in the music community.
In fact, MusiCares was founded with this mission in mind. The Recording Academy formed MusiCares as an independent 501c3 charity in 1989 to be a shared service for the larger music industry because even back then, it was difficult to ensure fair pay across all sectors. As a result, many music people were falling on hard times. Health and welfare problems are exacerbated in low-income environments. This problem continues in music today, even after MusiCares has provided over $118 million in direct assistance to people from every music profession, genre and U.S. state.
Trending on Billboard
We know this because we research it. Financial instability is a major concern for people in music, affecting their household economics, physical well-being and mental health. Our Wellness in Music survey, open to anyone in the U.S. working in music, shows that 69% of respondents cannot comfortably cover their expenses through work in music alone and 47% attribute their stress to financial instability. Furthermore, 65% of respondents are not confident about the trajectory of the industry. These are major red flags for both the well-being of our music community and the sustainability of this industry in its current form.
MusiCares provides customized care, often with substantial financial assistance to cover basic living needs and other expenses, when music people face economic hardship. Many people in music never get guidance on how to manage their money. For this reason, we also focus on the preventive side of financial health, including financial management services and tax support. The tragic fires in Los Angeles and hurricanes in the Southeast demonstrate how perilously close so many people in our community are to financial ruin. While some music people had substantial loss, many of the 5,000+ individuals we supported through our recent disaster relief efforts needed support simply because they lost a gig or two: $200 or $300 in income was often what separated them from security and an inability to pay their basic living costs. Higher wages are essential, but we also need to grow financial safety nets, which include funding and resources to support music professionals through hard times. This requires substantial and ongoing investments from the industry to ensure qualified non-profit organizations can meet the need.
Health insurance has also been a major topic in recent weeks, and it’s an important one. But health insurance alone is not enough. Our Wellness in Music survey consistently shows that 87-90% of music professionals have health insurance, just slightly the below US national coverage. While universal coverage is the goal, the barrier many people in music face is an inability to use the insurance they have. Most MusiCares clients have health insurance but may not use it because they can’t afford the deductible, their provider doesn’t take insurance, or the provider is out of network. Overwhelmingly, music people are not accessing preventive care services, like mammograms, dental cleanings and hearing screenings, at healthy rates. For this reason, we work with a carefully vetted network of hundreds of licensed health providers across the United States and have provided over 45,000 free preventive clinic visits. We need to keep closing the gap in economic and logistical access to essential medical care. This includes access to quality health insurance, additional funding to cover out of pocket costs and dedicated providers who can work with music professionals on their unique needs.
Inability to use insurance affects mental health too. The American Psychological Association estimates that about one in three therapists do not take insurance. Access to care is further complicated because people in music are highly mobile. Licensing regulations may mean people can’t work with their mental health provider or worse, end up receiving care from unlicensed providers. In the absence of access to licensed, affordable care, many music people are vulnerable to unregulated initiatives that have no grounding in science.
Music people in need of substance use treatment often face similar challenges. In-network treatment centers may have no space or it’s not the right fit for their needs. For single parents, highly mobile workers or those who need to keep working, in-patient treatment may not be an option. To get people the care they deserve, we need to expand access to substantial financial assistance for addiction recovery, in addition to tailored and long-term care options, referrals, and placement.
At MusiCares, we’ve provided over $25 million in direct assistance to music people and placed them in therapy and substance use treatment. Currently, MusiCares is the only philanthropic organization that covers the full costs of substance use treatment for music people. While financial support is essential, we find it is only effective because we have specialized providers o meet the needs of music people as well as follow-up care, like sober living, accountability coaching and support for basic living needs during key recovery junctures.
Finally, we need better coordination to create comprehensive support for everyone who works in music. At MusiCares, we have never gone at it alone and have no interest in trying. We need to work in tandem with health care providers, music industry companies and non-profit partners to ensure no one slips through the cracks. Those of us who work in this space have an opportunity for stronger coordination, including sharing our data and best practices, so that we are all making evidence-based investments that address the very real challenges within our community.
We all need music. Music needs a safety net.
Laura Segura is executive director and Theresa Wolters is vice president of health & human services at MusiCares.
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Niall Carson – PA Images / Getty / Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
We are truly in the upside down. Donald Trump said he would let crackpot Health and Human Services head Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “go wild on health,” and he is not letting Orange Mussolini down with his bird-brained idea to tackle bird flu in the country.
Honestly, we wished we were making this up.
Speaking on Fox News, the white Dr. Sebi suggested a ridiculous idea, with no pertinent data to back him up, that farmers “should consider maybe the possibility of letting it run through the flock so that we can identify the birds, and preserve the birds, that are immune to it,” instead of doing the right thing and humanely killing the diseased birds to keep the contagious virus from spreading.
Letting bird flu spread is precisely the kind of idea from someone who is way over their heads, and that is precisely the case with the former environmental lawyer who made a living peddling junk medical theories.
The New York Times reports that even if Kennedy stupidly pushes this idea to farmers, they don’t have to follow it because he has no jurisdiction over them. To make matters worse, the current and equally unqualified agricultural secretary, Brooke Rollins, believes Kennedy’s dangerous and dumb idea is worth trying.
“There are some farmers that are out there that are willing to really try this on a pilot as we build the safe perimeter around them to see if there is a way forward with immunity,” per the New York Times.
The Real Experts Sound The Alarm
Of course, the real experts all say RFK Jr.’s plan is complete horse sh*t.
“Veterinary scientists said letting the virus sweep through poultry flocks unchecked would be inhumane and dangerous and have enormous economic consequences,” according to the New York Times.
Dr. Gail Hansen, a former state veterinarian for Kansas, sounded the alarm, calling the plan what it obviously is, “a recipe for disaster.”
Per The New York Times:
Every infection is another opportunity for the virus, called H5N1, to evolve into a more virulent form. Geneticists have been tracking its mutations closely; so far, the virus has not developed the ability to spread among people.
But if H5N1 were to be allowed to run through a flock of five million birds, “that’s literally five million chances for that virus to replicate or to mutate,” Dr. Hansen said.
Large numbers of infected birds are likely to transmit massive amounts of the virus, putting farm workers and other animals at great risk.
“So now you’re setting yourself up for bad things to happen,” Dr. Hansen said.
Hilariously, this isn’t the first dangerous idea Kennedy has floated regarding contagious viruses. He also suggested that it was better for people to catch measles instead of getting the highly effective vaccine that helped eradicate the virus in the United States, but he has since made a return as vaccination rates among Americans continue to drop.
We clearly haven’t learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
Ronnie Platt is on the road to recovery after undergoing surgery to treat his thyroid cancer. The Kansas frontman revealed Friday (March 7) that he is currently back home after an operation that went smoothly, writing in a post on Facebook, “The Doctor said my surgery couldn’t have gone any better!!!”
“I felt the power of everyone’s prayers and positive energy!” he continued in the message. “You all have helped me thru this, how do I? or can I? ever thank all of you for that!!!???? Day 1 of recovery here I am!!!”
Platt went on to say that he’s now “looking forward to getting back to what i do best!” “Yes, Singing, but my true job is entertaining you all and helping you at least for a couple hours forget [about] your problems and recharge your batteries,” he added. “I take a lot of pride in that!!!!”
Trending on Billboard
The musician’s update comes about three weeks after he first revealed that he’d been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. “Before everyone gets all excited, it has a 99% survival rate, it has not spread,” Platt wrote on Facebook at the time. “It’s contained to my thyroid. I just have to have my thyroid removed. Go through some rehab time and be right back in the saddle.”
He added, “As it has been put to me, this is just a bump in the road and will be behind me very soon! So everyone please CARRY ON!”
Platt took over as the lead singer of Kansas back in 2014, replacing former frontman Steve Walsh. He’s since carried vocals on the band’s most recent albums: 2016’s The Prelude Implicit and 2020’s The Absence of Presence, both of which entered the Top Rock Albums chart.
The singer also recently celebrated his 65th birthday, an occasion he marked with an introspective Facebook post on Feb. 25. “As I sit here and try to think of something eloquent to write, It’s just simply impossible to convey in any words my thanks to everyone that not only reached out for my birthday but also have sent me well wishes and positive energy and prayers helping me on my path of recovery,” he wrote.
“People I have never met, going above and beyond the call of duty to help me thru this with lightning speed! How are these people even able to walk with hearts so big???” he added. “Thank you for all the nice words and encouragement! I have plans on being back with my KANSAS family (YES FANS ARE FAMILY TOO!!!) very soon!!!”
