Sheryl Gay Stolberg, NYT's much acclaimed Washington correspondent on health, speaks to recent work. A visit to the Wisconsin House race between incumbent (now defeated) Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) and his Democrat opponent Rebecca Cooke, (the victor) revealed how health care costs have become major electoral issues, seen quite differently by Rs and Ds. HHS Secretary Kennedy's visit to the NIH hospital to launch a new, unclearly defined investigation of vaccine injuries, sparked controversy. The sustained attacks on Anthony Fauci have become a symbol of the deterioration of public discourse around science and public health that has generated a climate of chaos, fear and mistrust. The new NYT series 'Science Under Siege' explores how the administration's actions have disrupted the critical partnerships among government, industry and universities and puts at grave risk U.S. global leadership. Sheryl's upcoming book, tentatively titled Contagion of Mistrust, scheduled to appear in 2028, takes a sweeping historical look at how science and public health have fallen victim to partisan divides.
