FDA firing

Dr. Marty Makary, President Trump’s pick as FDA (Food and Drug Administration) Commissioner no doubt understood the importance of the FDA in protecting the American public.

But I think he did not understand his really important role in this administration was protecting and promoting the profit of industries and their owners and most importantly doing what the boss wanted.

In this case, there seemed to be several issues but I think the major one involved authorizing fruit-flavored e-cigarettes. He apparently valued the health and safety of young people over profits and paid the price.

See below if you want to see more about the FDA and the health effects of vaping.

What does the FDA do (in part) :

The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for protecting the public health…

FDA also has responsibility for regulating the manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of tobacco products to protect the public health and to reduce tobacco use by minors.

FDA is responsible for advancing the public health by helping to speed innovations that make medical products more effective, safer, and more affordable and by helping the public get the accurate, science-based information they need to use medical products and foods to maintain and improve their health.

You can read it all here if you want to know more:
https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/what-we-do

CDC on vaping (in part):

Most e-cigarettes, or vapes, contain nicotine, which has known adverse health effects.
Nicotine is highly addictive.

Nicotine is toxic to developing fetuses and is a health danger for pregnant women

Acute nicotine exposure can be toxic. Children and adults have been poisoned by swallowing, breathing, or absorbing vaping liquid through their skin or eyes. More than 80% of calls to U.S. poison control centers for e-cigarettes are for children less than 5 years old. Nicotine poses unique dangers to youth because their brains are still developing.

Nicotine can harm brain development which continues until about age 25.

Youth can start showing signs of nicotine addiction quickly, sometimes before the start of regular or daily use.1

Using nicotine during adolescence can harm the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control.1

Adolescents who use nicotine may be at increased risk for future addiction to other drugs.16

Youth who vape may also be more likely to smoke cigarettes in the future.

You can read it all here if you want to know more:
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/e-cigarettes/health-effects.html

The Promise of America

This collection of essays by various scholars of the founding documents of the United States is highly recommended. It should appeal to a wide audience, including both American citizens and those with an interest in the subject.

The book is “The Promise of America: Reflections On Our Enduring Ideals” and this anthology was assembled by National Constitution Center. But don’t let that mislead since both the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are discussed.

The collection begins with an essay by US Supreme Court Justice (Retired) Stephen Breyer and concludes with one by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. It is a collection of diverse views on these documents which added many details I did not know before.

For example, Benjamin Franklin proposed a change in Thomas Jeffersons’s wording at one point in a draft and it was accepted. Another point of enlightenment for me was the long list of grievances against the King. I did not know why the King was blamed for all (and not Parliament) and I did not know the story behind all the grievances. So now I know a bit more.

I thank Netgalley (https://www.netgalley.com ) for the chance to read this before publication. The book will be published on May 12 2026.