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How long will MAHA hold together? That question was posed by science journalist David Wallace Wells to open his recent New York Times article, Has the Maha Movement Given Up? The subtitle frames the question. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And his allies promised public health libertarianism. The idea couldn't survive once they took power. As I've argued since Kennedy was installed as HHS secretary, Maha's promise actually had nothing to do with public health. He's long promoted the idea that individual health creates a strong public, which I guess could make some amount of sense if we lived in an equitable society that took care of all of its citizens. But in America, we most certainly do not and never have. So promise all the libertarianism you want. A strong public health system requires a lot of care, money and expertise, three things Kennedy has actively dismantled over the last year and a half. At present, there is no confirmed head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or of the Food and Drug Administration. There is no Surgeon General and no head of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease, effectively the government's lead scientific position for Anthony Fauci's nearly four decades in the role. There is also no confirmed Boss at the FDA's center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, which regulates vaccines, and none at its center for Drugs Evaluation and Research, which oversees drug therapies. Last year, staffing at the Department of Health and Human Services was reduced by 25%, leaving huge deficits of person and expertise. The agency looks less like an army of acolytes than a barren bureaucracy. This is not an overhaul. It is an evacuation. A disemboweling great, great line there. Thoughtful people who actually cared about public health would consider this sort of criticism. They'd turn it over. They'd look at their own practices and weigh them against what they promised. But MAHA is filled with activists who are anything but thoughtful. Instead, on last week's MAHA Action call, Kennedy's close friend, publisher and main fundraiser Tony Lyons sat at his desk. Kennedy's conspiracy filled book on Anthony Fauci, of course prominently displayed behind him. And he railed against Wallace Wells, calling him an utterly disgraced journalist. That claim stems from a 2017 article for New York magazine that Wallace Wells wrote about climate change that some experts called alarmist back then. And while his predictions were likely overblown, I wouldn't exactly say things are going swell on climate. The very region I was born in, down the Jersey Shore, is currently underwater from torrential rains after experiencing multiple bouts of 100 degree plus weather this summer. I I digress on that front, but MAHA will not. For their weekly MAHA action call, they spent the first 30 or 40 minutes denouncing Wallace Wells, including an appearance by none other than Steve Bannon, who occasionally tags along on the MAHA train wreck. The email promoting this episode, I should note, follows an earlier one last week, demanding that American health care push chiropractors to the front and center of senior care. I mean, what could possibly go wrong? MAHA has always been all marketing, no substance, as Wallace Wells effectively points out. And we know this because every time a public health issue comes up, Kennedy is nowhere to be found. As of July 2, there have been 2,170 measles cases due to 31 outbreaks, which nearly matches 2025's total. And we're just about halfway through the year. 93% of these cases are an unvaccinated or unknown vaccination status, people, I should note. And once again, the country's measles elimination status is at risk. On this last Thursday's episode, I covered all the ways the recent Office of Management and Budget proposal could destroy scientific research in America, which Kennedy and his MAHA team have said nothing about. And then there's the runaway cyclospora outbreak, which has given thousands of citizens in 18 states major cases of diarrhea over the last two months. And that's what I want to focus on today, because the time of warning about the potential damage Kennedy could do is over. The time has now arrived and we're experiencing it, and a whole lot of people are shitting it out. I'm Derek Barris, and you're listening to a Conspirituality Bonus episode. Let's get into it. You've been listening to a Conspirituality Bonus Episode sample. To continue listening, please head over to patreon.com conspirituality where you can access all of our main feed episodes ad free, as well as four years of bonus content that we've been producing. You can also subscribe to our Bonus episodes via Apple Subscriptions. As independent media creators, we really appreciate your support.