Flesh Eating Flies and Project 2025 "Efficiency" Destroys Science

Flesh Eating Flies and Project 2025 "Efficiency" Destroys Science

Flesh eating flies (disgusting!); Project 2025 budget cuts (despicable!); sterile flies; non-standard healing crystals from a crystal scientist; Hunter Biden is a natural poster Note: * New data [https://ascopubs.org/doi/pdf/10.1200/JCO-26-00835] from ASCO regarding melanoma indicate those with Stage 3b to 4 melanoma had longer time to recurrence and longer time to metastasis * Alyssa accidentally called the screwworm fly as a “screw-tape.” Oops! New World Screwworm Fly * Texas Tribune: What to know about screwworm in Texas [https://www.texastribune.org/2026/06/04/screwworm-texas-united-states/] * Screwworm Lifecycle [https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/newworldscrewwormmyiasis/index.html] * Sterile fly production facilities [https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/stop-screwworm/sterile-fly-production-dispersal-facilities] * How sterile flies are used in mitigation [https://apnews.com/article/fly-factories-cattle-screwworm-texas-baf01b846d38e34d9ff1c1414cd752a4] Disaster OMB Budget Proposal * Summary [https://elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/summary-of-key-changes-in-ombs-proposed] of proposed OMB changes to federal funding * Things to consider [https://elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/what-we-need-to-do-next-ombs-proposed] while writing your comment * regulations.gov [http://regulations.gov], OMB-2026-0034 is where you can enter your comment * Or you can go to StandUpForScience.net [http://StandUpForScience.net] and they have a link as well 💊Take Two and Call Me in the Morning💊 * “Non-standard Healing Crystals” [https://www.instagram.com/p/DWkTG0GDyIf/] * Trad Lifting [https://www.instagram.com/p/DZDfxRBP33E/] * Some Hunter Biden tweets  * Would not [https://x.com/hunterbiden/status/2061514195292573856?s=12] have left his drugs behind * He’s never stolen [https://x.com/HunterBiden/status/2062193611475706197?s=20] an erection * Correcting a bad AI photo [https://x.com/hunterbiden/status/2062574276083888267?s=12] of himself * Hunter Biden campaign slogan [https://x.com/HunterBiden/status/2062177121204617560?s=20] Text us! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2541293/fan_mail/new] Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@thepresentillness/], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thepresentillness/], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ThePresentIllness/videos] @ThePresentIllness Credits * Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa Burgart * Editing by Alyssa Burgart * Music by Joseph Uphoff * Social Media by Arghavan Salles

Pope Leo takes on AI; Ashley St. Clair Spills Hot MAGA Tea

Pope Leo takes on AI in first encyclical; Ashley St. Clair spills hot MAGA tea; UFC fight at the White House; Ronnie Chieng commencement speech * RFK Jr and snakes [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DY22s0zxKY6/] * Preparations [https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/president-trump-politics/white-house-ufc-fight-construction-underway-see-the-towering-claw-in-dc/4109566/] for the UFC fight at the White House * Ebola updates [https://www.notion.so/502922161c4742379e06141b0d81325a?pvs=21] from the WHO * US sends [https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/us-plans-send-americans-exposed-ebola-facility-kenya-rcna347151] exposed citizens to Kenya * Democrats respond [https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5898874-democratic-national-committee-stephen-miller-criticism/] to Stephen Miller Fact check: The study [https://www.brainonllm.com/] Arghavan referenced regarding students learning with AI vs without demonstrated changes in brain connectivity (based on EEGs), not amount of learning.  Pope’s First Encyclical: * Magnifica Humanitas text [https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html], promo video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvU6NFe0z6k] * Arghavan’s Instagram post [https://www.instagram.com/arghavansallesmd/p/DYz2H4jCaQ3/?hl=en] with excerpts from the encyclical * UC Berkeley’s new AI policy [https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2026/05/22/uc-berkeley-law-school-adopts-new-strict-ban-on-ai-use-by-students/] Ashley St. Clair: * Ashley St. Clair’s Tik Tok page [https://www.tiktok.com/@ashstc] * Ashley’s video [https://www.tiktok.com/@ashstc/video/7627136367750876446] about how MAGA campaigns work * Ashley on I’ve Had It News [https://x.com/alluringmedia/status/2059813204952580177?s=12] talking about Stephen Miller * Ashley’s video [https://www.tiktok.com/@ashstc/video/7639031155500518687] about meeting Elon * Ashley’s video [https://www.tiktok.com/@ashstc/video/7641247289259937054] about Elon and the space lasers * Ashley’s video [https://www.tiktok.com/@ashstc/video/7640134711049833758] about Elon after she got pregnant * Alisa Valdes-Rodrigues’ dangerous Epstein reveal [https://alisav.substack.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-was-cia-the-communications] 💊Take Two and Call Me in the Morning💊 * Ronnie Chieng commencement speech [https://www.instagram.com/p/DY4sD21xsCK/] * New Yorker comics [https://www.instagram.com/newyorkermag/p/DY4_lowAccO/] about RFK Jr and SSRIs Text us! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2541293/fan_mail/new] Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@thepresentillness/], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thepresentillness/], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ThePresentIllness/videos] @ThePresentIllness Credits * Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa Burgart * Editing by Alyssa Burgart * Music by Joseph Uphoff * Social Media by Arghavan Salles

Replay: The Professor Will See You Now (If they still have a job)

Replay: Academic freedom under attack; viral case of an Oklahoma pre-med student's targets her transgender professor; Erika Kirk's terrible NYT interview;  Our hosts investigate the alarming trend of politically-motivated complaints against university professors. From Indiana University to Texas A&M, faculty are experiencing acute cases of administrative panic when confronted with student outrage—often resulting in terminal employment outcomes. * Here’s more [https://www.koco.com/article/samantha-fulnecky-oklahoma-ou-student-essay-bible-grade-professor-religious-discrimination/69634277] about Samantha Fulnecky and the story at the University of Oklahoma * Here’s more [https://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2025/11/11/indiana-university-professor-removed-maga-white-supremacy-graphic-complaint-jim-banks-office/87166738007/] about the instructor (Jessica Adams) who was removed from teaching her class at Indiana University * Here’s more [https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/texas-m-fires-professor-gender-identity-lesson-literature-course-rcna230337] about the instructor (Melissa McCoul) who was fired at Texas A&M and the findings [https://www.texastribune.org/2025/11/10/texas-am-mccoul-firing-academic-freedom-council/] of the faculty committee that reviewed what happened * Jennifer Freyd’s DARVO concept - Deny-Attack-Reverse Victim and Offender [https://www.jjfreyd.com/darvo] 💊Take Two and Call Me In The Morning 💊 * Here’s one of Haley Dortch’s videos [https://www.tiktok.com/@haleydortch/video/7571603978819996958]. You’re welcome! * Somebody, Somewhere [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/08/somebody-somewhere-streaming-binge-hbo] on HBO * How I escaped MAGA! Critical thinking woke me up. [https://youtu.be/vXQa7jW_QmY?si=RlIdzXtis9dzET3e] * Nurse Johnn on being unprofessiona [https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTraJvwWg/]l * Here’s Jeff Hiller’s book Actress of a Certain Age [https://bookshop.org/a/101513/9781668031858] Text us! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2541293/fan_mail/new] Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@thepresentillness/], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thepresentillness/], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ThePresentIllness/videos] @ThePresentIllness Credits * Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa Burgart * Editing by Alyssa Burgart * Music by Joseph Uphoff * Social Media by Arghavan Salles

Rich Folks Complain About Helicopters Carrying Sick Kids and Shingles Vaccine May Prevent Dementia

Seattle’s Laurelhurst community vs. Seattle Children’s Hospital; Shingles Vaccine may reduce dementia; Hantavirus scare; American dialects; Zaffron Bloom restaurant * NEJM article [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2009040] on hantavirus (no paywall) Rich Folks Complain About Seattle Children’s Helicopters * Seattle Children’s-Laurelhurst helicopter situation explained [https://www.thestranger.com/news/laurelhurst-community-council-isnt-sure-helicopters-needed-to-land-sick-kids-at-the-hospital/] * Laurelhurst “old money” Seattle neighborhood [https://youtu.be/1AHuxOclXdY?t=417] * 1992 Complaint [https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19920604/1495462/noisy-neighbor----childrens-hospital-should-use-helipads-at-uw-harborview] about “noisy neighbor” * Satirical take on Laurelhurst [https://www.instagram.com/p/DX8ov8QmUvS/] * Helicopter landing data [https://www.seattlechildrens.org/about/facts-and-stats/helicopter-landing-reports/] * Seattle Children’s Statement on Helipad Agreement [https://www.seattlechildrens.org/media/press-releases/statement-on-helipad-agreement/] Shingles Vaccine and Dementia * The three research articles mentioned:  * Nature [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08800-x] * JAMA [https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2833335] * Cell [https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)01256-5?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867425012565%3Fshowall%3Dtrue] * Herpes Zoster explainer video [https://www.osmosis.org/learn/Herpes_zoster_infection_(shingles):_Clinical_sciences] (Osmosis) 💊Take Two and Call Me in the Morning💊 * Rick Aschmann’s North American English Dialect Map [https://aschmann.net/AmEng/#SmallMapUnitedStates] * Matt Forrest’s reel [https://www.instagram.com/reels/DXKrT_ZCdEA/] about the map * Zay [https://www.tiktok.com/@zaydupree] (linguist) on Tik Tok * Pop v Soda Map [https://popvssoda.com] * History of regional words [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/pop-soda-or-coke-a-linguist-explains-the-history-behind-the-various-names-for-the-drink] for carbonated beverages * New York Turk [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXsHrcdjuke/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] visits Zaffron Bloom Text us! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2541293/fan_mail/new] Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@thepresentillness/], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thepresentillness/], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ThePresentIllness/videos] @ThePresentIllness Credits * Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa Burgart * Editing by Alyssa Burgart * Music by Joseph Uphoff * Social Media by Arghavan Salles

Telehealth Abortion under Attack, plus Bedside Betrayal in Canada Court’s Sloka Case

5th Circuit Mifepristone chaos heads to Supreme Court; Canadian judge let’s off doctor for SA; Clit art; Golden Tempo; and bee huts! Hunter Peterson [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DX4XeUWs74B/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] tries to launch Spirit 2.0 Passengers stranded [https://people.com/spirit-airlines-passengers-recall-being-stranded-at-airports-after-airline-s-closure-11965179] after Spirit Airlines shut down Mifepristone * Fifth Circuit Decision Directs FDA to Restrict Mifepristone Access [https://www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2026/fifth-circuit-decision-directs-fda-restrict-mifepristone-access] * Supreme Court puts decision on hold, for now [https://www.npr.org/2026/05/07/nx-s1-5815294/abortion-pill-mifepristone-supreme-court-telemedicine] * “Nuclear option” used to normalize requiring only simple majority to confirm judges - 2013 by Democrats and 2017 by Republicans. * Personhood [https://bookshop.org/a/101513/9780300273045]: The New Civil War Over Reproduction by Mary Ziegler * Fetal personhood [https://msmagazine.com/2022/06/09/birth-control-contraception-roe-v-wade-overturned-fetal-personhood/] and access to contraception * Louisiana law [https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/03/03/louisiana-ivf-embryos-law-alabama/] considers an embryo created during IVF to be a “juridical person.” This has been in place since 1986. * More on Louisiana’s bills [https://lailluminator.com/2025/04/27/louisiana-ivf/] related to IVF * Louisiana legislator’s attempt [https://www.wwno.org/politics/2024-05-29/louisiana-lawmaker-shelves-ivf-protection-bill-leaving-questions-about-legal-challenges] to protect IVF shelved * Why Alabama’s bill [https://www.fertstert.org/news-do/alabama-law-created-more-problems-than-solutions-here-s-we-can-safeguard-access-ivf] was problematic * Fact check: Louisiana law has considered an embryo to be a “juridical person” since 1986, restricting access to IVF in the state. Patients must ship their embryos out of state, yet this is not as restrictive as the law proposed in Alabama in 2024 that specifically referred to embryos as children. Bedside Betrayal: Jeffrey Sloka Canadian physician * Jeffrey Sloka was found not guilty [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/livestory/jeffrey-sloka-sexual-assault-trial-ruling-decision-9.7175767] * Findings [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/former-kitchener-neurologist-jeffrey-sloka-1.5119732] of the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPSO) re: Sloka summarized * CPSO report [https://register.cpso.on.ca/File/download.aspx?Entity=cpso_alert&Attribute=cpso_alertdocument&Id=83b80121-f7f6-eb11-94ef-000d3a09e08c] 💊Take Two and Call Me in the Morning💊 * Sophia Wallace clitoris art [https://www.sophiawallace.art/] * Just Bee Hawai’i [https://www.justbeehawaii.com/] * Golden Tempo [https://www.today.com/news/sports/cherie-devaux-kentucky-derby-win-first-female-trainer-interview-rcna343420] wins Kentucky Derby * Watch Cherie Devaux [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DX22J5CoJ1G/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] react to Golden Tempo’s win Text us! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2541293/fan_mail/new] Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@thepresentillness/], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thepresentillness/], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ThePresentIllness/videos] @ThePresentIllness Credits * Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa Burgart * Editing by Alyssa Burgart * Music by Joseph Uphoff * Social Media by Arghavan Salles