Public Health Watch
@pubhealthwatch
A nonprofit, investigative news organization that focuses on threats to America's well-being. Email news tips and story ideas to [email protected].
Toxic chemical leaks. Devastating hurricanes and floods. Barges loaded with hazardous materials. Welcome to Channelview, Texas — where a group of stubborn Texans are trying to save their working-class community before it’s too late. fumedpodcast.com
Last week President Trump exempted 49 chemical plants from complying with the EPA's HON rule that aimed to reduce cancer risk for millions. 9 of the top 10 emitters of the potent carcinogen ethylene oxide are on that list. More from @pubhealthwatch➡️ publichealthwatch.org/2025/07/21/hon…
Imagine living next to a large chemical plant that's emitting toxic air pollution day in and day out. You might not be able to see it, but sometimes you can smell it or even feel it burning your eyes or throat. Traci Donatto lives near not one but dozens of these plants. 🧵
NEW: Millions of Americans trying to get Medicaid could soon have to navigate byzantine state systems to prove they have jobs. See how Georgia’s system has played out. @renurayasam + Sam Whitehead report. ⤵️ kffhealthnews.org/news/article/g…
The FDA has lost 3,500 employees, or 19% of its workforce, in the last three months. STAT spoke with 15 employees across the agency and found that morale is low, causing a mass exodus of employees in 2025.
Climate change is making natural disasters more frequent & dangerous. So why is Trump gutting weather science programs & reducing disaster response efforts? Insane as it sounds, he’s making the U.S. less prepared to handle disasters. This is a deadly decision.
Breaking News: The EPA said it would eliminate its scientific research arm and begin firing hundreds of scientists, after denying that it intended to do so. nyti.ms/4500xIU
"Americans from across the political spectrum don’t subscribe to the notion of a biased PBS. We found that those who watch PBS trust it immensely, for several complementary reasons." (June 2025) niemanlab.org/2025/06/americ…
NASA website won't publish major climate change reports | AP News apnews.com/article/climat…
Column: So many didn’t have to die. Texas must fix the failures the Hill Country floods exposed houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-t…
Rural America has strongly backed President Trump and the GOP, yet the support is not reciprocated. Trump's Medicaid cuts will close rural hospitals, he cut rural broadband, and the rescissions bill would devastate public broadcasting stations in rural areas. Large parts of rural…
The FAA is considering a plan to hire foreigners to fill vacant air-traffic-controller jobs amid a national shortage, documents obtained by @isaacstanbecker reveal. One official tells him the FAA’s security experts are “losing their minds” over the idea. theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
The Trump admin has ordered 500 tons of emergency food aid—enough to feed 1.5 million malnourished children for a week—to be incinerated rather than be distributed. trib.al/4UicpGd
Vaccine skeptics have long blamed aluminum for various health issues, but a new study of over 1 million people found no link between the ingredient and 50 chronic conditions, including autism, allergies and autoimmune diseases. nbcnews.com/health/kids-he…
Belinda Reininger, DrPH, and Rose Gowen, MD, were interviewed by @pubhealthwatch about the rates of cervical cancer in the Rio Grande Valley. publichealthwatch.org/2025/06/13/rio…
The Medicaid work requirement is going to throw a lot of people, including a lot of working people, off Medicaid. Because most Medicaid recipients already have jobs, whatever social problem this work requirement was supposed to address is fictitious. trib.al/CM4aITZ
A Texas official said “there wasn’t a lot of time” to alert camps of the flood risk. But AccuWeather’s chief meteorologist said warnings gave “plenty of time to evacuate people to higher ground.” “The question is, Why did that not happen?” he said. propublica.org/article/texas-…
#Texasflooding Digital messaging warnings are not enough. We are relying on virtual warning systems that older people may not have, batteries that may not be charged, and people with disabilities. We need to rely on low-tech warning systems, such as very loud audible alarms and…
Working with @RepLloydDoggett Dean of the Texas Congressional Delegation, and @RepEricSorensen, the only meteorologist in Congress, to call for immediate action from federal agencies following catastrophic flash flooding in Kerr County, Texas, that claimed over 100 lives.
Two days after catastrophic floods roared through Central Texas, FEMA did not answer calls from thousands of survivors, documents show. nyti.ms/3GFCIhe
Kerr County leaders delayed critical funds over 'Biden mandates' chron.com/news/article/k…
More than 1,000 U.S. counties — one out of three in the nation — do not have the equivalent of even one full-time local journalist. niemanlab.org/2025/07/new-re…