Measles Cases Are Rising. Other Preventable Diseases Could Follow | This Crypto Presidency Should Worry Us All | A Flight from the Dollar Could Wreck America’s Finances, and more

This Crypto Presidency Should Worry Us All  (John Reed Stark and Lee Reiners, New York Times)
Cryptocurrency moguls heavily backed Donald Trump’s bid for the presidency, and he has already begun to pay them back by deregulating the crypto industry. Combined with Mr. Trump and his family’s own dive into the market, that may enrich him and his circle. But it may also worsen all kinds of criminal activity and risk the health of our financial markets.
The Securities and Exchange Commission was moving to regulate crypto, recognizing its potential to destabilize traditional finance. Historically, the S.E.C.’s enforcement priorities have shifted only slightly from administration to administration. They are rarely, if ever, abandoned altogether.
Mr. Trump has ended this tradition. The S.E.C. has eliminated its crypto-enforcement program, dismissing, closing or “pausing” nearly every crypto-related lawsuit, appeal and investigation. The S.E.C. has also, among other steps, gutted its Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit, dropping the word “crypto” from its name, slashing its ranks by 40 percent and reassigning its top litigator to the I.T. department.
By directing the S.E.C. to abdicate its critical mission of investor protection, Mr. Trump is unnecessarily endangering our financial system. Whether he is doing so to keep his promise to crypto-donors or in a zeal to cash in (or perhaps even both), that is a troubling development not just for investors and banks, but for all of us.

If You Care About Your Savings, Pay Attention to Trump’s Attack on the Fed  (

Since returning to the White House, Mr. Trump has been laying the groundwork to fire the Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell.
If Mr. Trump succeeds in subjugating the Federal Reserve, the consequences would extend far beyond his term in office. Interest rates would fluctuate with election cycles rather than economic conditions. Inflation expectations would become unanchored, creating the potential for prices to spiral out of control. The dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency — which gives America enormous economic advantages — would be jeopardized.
The Fed’s effectiveness, like that of these other efforts, rests on a shared formula: clear missions, necessary independence and professional leadership insulated from day-to-day political interference. By undermining these principles, Mr. Trump isn’t making America great. He’s dismantling the institutional architecture that made American prosperity possible in the first place.

RFK Jr.’s Cuts to CDC Eliminate Labs Tracking STIs, Hepatitis Outbreaks  (Lena H. Sun, Washington Post)
The only lab in the U.S. capable of testing for and tracking antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea, or “super gonorrhea,” was effectively shut down by layoffs.

Thousands of Urine and Tissue Samples Are in Danger of Rotting After Staff Cuts at a CDC Laboratory  (Caroline Haskins, Wired)
Workers who recently lost their jobs at the National Institute for Occupational Safety say they’re concerned that there’s no plan for managing biological samples tied to research projects.

The CFPB Has Been Gutted  (Makena Kelly, Wired)
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau terminated the positions of 1,400 of the agency’s 1,700 employees; medical debt and student loans will now be deprioritized.

DOGE Cuts Pull AmeriCorps Volunteers Off of Disaster Relief Jobs  (Molly Taft, Wired)
Workers for the National Civilian Community Corps were sent home due to “new operational parameters.” The program’s long-term fate is unclear.

Measles Cases Are Rising. Other Preventable Diseases Could Follow  (Emily Mullin, Wired)
Amid an ongoing measles outbreak, the US is also facing a surge in pertussis, or whooping cough. As vaccine rates drop, other diseases could be next.

‘Stupid and Dangerous’: CISA Funding Chaos Threatens Essential Cybersecurity Program  (Lily Hay Newman, Wired)
The CVE Program is the primary way software vulnerabilities are tracked. Its long-term future remains in limbo even after a last-minute renewal of the US government contract that funds it.