The hottest Government Agencies Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top U.S. Politics Topics

The test of open dialogue

Your Local Epidemiologist • 1393 implied HN points • 25 Feb 26
🏥 Health Politics Government Agencies
  1. Jay Bhattacharya now leads both CDC and NIH, and his tenure will be judged on whether he protects the open scientific debate he once called for.
  2. Respectful, in-person conversations can humanize opponents and help reconcile hard public health trade-offs, even when people still disagree.
  3. Recent moves like limiting public comment, reshaping advisory boards, removing materials, and firings have raised worries about reduced transparency and politicization, and the agencies’ direction will be closely watched.

How America Surrendered Its Weapons in the Information War

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 264 implied HN points • 05 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Agencies
  1. There is a second front — an information war — against Iran and other rivals, and many experts worry the U.S. is ill-equipped to win it.
  2. Rousing public calls for Iranians to rise may not work if U.S. messages can't reliably reach or influence people inside Iran.
  3. The agencies meant to project American information power are in disarray, weakening that capability — for example, USAGM failed an audit because it couldn’t provide proper financial documentation.

Lawler: Update on MBS Yields and Spreads

CalculatedRisk Newsletter • 263 implied HN points • 05 Mar 26
đź’° Finance Government Agencies
  1. Mortgage-backed security yields fell when 10-year Treasuries briefly dropped below 4%, but MBS spreads to Treasuries widened and are now about as wide or wider than before the GSE purchase announcement.
  2. Spreads had narrowed earlier due to very low rate volatility and expectations that GSEs were buying more MBS, yet rising implied and actual interest-rate volatility has pushed spreads wider again as markets reassess how sustainable the tight spreads are.
  3. January GSE holdings rose only modestly (Freddie ~$3.9B, Fannie ~$11.5B), but those monthly figures show settled purchases only and don’t reflect commitments that would mostly settle in February or later, so they don’t reveal the true pace of GSE buying.

CDC Data Reveals Extremely Low Efficacy For This Year’s Flu Vaccine As The Experts Fail Again

Unmasked • 29 implied HN points • 19 Mar 26
🏥 Health Politics Government Agencies
  1. New leaders are running major public health agencies now, with Dr. Jay Bhattacharya in an interim leadership role and Dr. Marty Makary taking a lead at the FDA.
  2. Public health experts have strongly pushed getting both the flu and COVID shots—often at the same visit—and the public health establishment continues to promote those recommendations.
  3. CDC’s latest estimates show this year’s flu vaccine had extremely low effectiveness against the dominant strain.

What’s the “Chevron doctrine,” and why should you want to preserve it?

Robert Reich • 21187 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Agencies
  1. The Chevron doctrine allows agencies to interpret laws to protect the public, but it's under threat
  2. Challenges to the Chevron doctrine could give judges, not experts, power to invalidate regulations
  3. Corporate interests are pushing to end the Chevron doctrine to increase profits and reduce public protections
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

The Bell Finally Tolls for the FBI

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 13359 implied HN points • 02 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Agencies
  1. Kash Patel's nomination raises concerns about the FBI's future and suggests an intention to overhaul its leadership. Many believe Trump needs to take decisive action against the FBI after years of perceived misconduct.
  2. The article criticizes mainstream media, particularly CNN, for their coverage of the Nunes memo and claims they misrepresented facts. It argues that the media's failures blurred the lines between journalism and political agendas.
  3. The discussion emphasizes the importance of accountability in institutions like the FBI and the media. It suggests that changes in leadership could be a necessary step towards restoring public trust.

The FDA’s New “Transparency” Database

Who is Robert Malone • 13 implied HN points • 11 Mar 26
🏥 Health Politics Government Agencies
  1. The FDA launched AEMS to merge seven legacy adverse-event databases into a single, real-time searchable system that should improve access and save money.
  2. Adverse-event reports are early-warning signals, not proof of causation, and the data remain incomplete and noisy, so consolidation may help spot patterns but won’t fix underreporting or data quality issues on its own.
  3. True transparency depends on culture and response—making data visible is useful, but real openness requires that outside researchers can analyze the data freely and regulators honestly investigate and act on safety signals.

Uh, Oh, Again: Homeland Security Role in Bizarre Election Day "Tabletop Exercise" Denied

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 7968 implied HN points • 29 Oct 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Agencies
  1. The Department of Homeland Security's role in a planned cybersecurity exercise on Election Day was denied, creating confusion about their involvement.
  2. Senator Rand Paul raised concerns about the timing of the exercise, questioning why officials would practice cybersecurity on such an important day for elections.
  3. The situation escalated when organizers of the event retracted their statements about DHS/CISA's participation, leading to speculation and fears about election integrity.

On "Remnants"

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 6117 implied HN points • 10 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Agencies
  1. Michael Caputo is a complicated figure, once known for his work in American aid during the 90s, but later came under fire during the Russiagate investigation. His story raises questions about how political narratives can change perceptions of people's actions.
  2. The Russiagate investigation had real-life consequences, affecting the lives of many individuals, including Caputo, who faced serious personal challenges during this time. It's important to think about the human impact of these political investigations.
  3. There is an ongoing debate about whether it's worth investigating the origins of the Russiagate claims, considering the lives that were affected. Reflecting on stories like Caputo's might help inform that decision.

Does Pharma Still Have Immunity for Vaccine Injuries?

Injecting Freedom • 70 implied HN points • 02 Feb 26
🏥 Health Politics Government Agencies
  1. The 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act bars civil lawsuits against vaccine makers and administrators, but only for injuries tied to vaccines listed on the Vaccine Injury Table.
  2. Only vaccines that are recommended for routine use in children or pregnant women are placed on that table, so changes to the routine schedule affect which vaccines are covered.
  3. The Department of Health and Human Services must amend the Vaccine Injury Table when recommendations change, meaning removing a vaccine from routine recommendation could strip manufacturers of that statutory immunity.

Now The Truth Can Be Told: Media Acknowledges COVID Vaccines May Have Caused Deaths Of Children

Unmasked • 50 implied HN points • 11 Dec 25
🏥 Health Politics Government Agencies
  1. Mainstream media and regulators are said to be acknowledging that COVID vaccines may have caused harm, including deaths, in some children.
  2. Because children faced very low risk from COVID, vaccinating them is argued to have offered minimal benefit while exposing healthy kids to potential side effects.
  3. Public health officials, political leaders, and the media are accused of promoting universal vaccination, dismissing dissenting views, and gaslighting critics, with a recent FDA memo and a large study presented as vindication.

Top Links 599 Growing and shrinking counties. Low electricity prices matter. Starmer's epistemic issue. Why America's federal firearms bureau runs on paper.

Chartbook • 429 implied HN points • 26 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Agencies
  1. Some counties are growing while others are shrinking. This can impact local economies and the job market.
  2. Low electricity prices can be very important for businesses and residents. They can make a big difference in a region's overall financial health.
  3. There's an issue with how the federal firearms bureau in America operates, as it relies on paper rather than modern systems. This could affect efficiency and transparency.

In Fairness, “Reconstitute ICE So That Internal Border Enforcement Can Be Done in a Professional Manner by an Agency That Has the Public’s Trust” Is a Bad Slogan

I Might Be Wrong • 10 implied HN points • 16 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Agencies
  1. Short, pithy political slogans are often vague and easy to use in motte-and-bailey arguments, and social media formats helped make those slogans powerful.
  2. ICE has become a politicized, largely unaccountable force that many people distrust, so serious reform is widely seen as necessary.
  3. Reconstituting ICE may be sensible policy, but it’s a bad slogan and will be a painful process for career agents even if the change is justified.

Are the Changes to the Vax Schedule Finished?

Who is Robert Malone • 9 implied HN points • 10 Jan 26
🏥 Health Politics Government Agencies
  1. HHS revised the childhood and adolescent vaccine schedule on January 5, 2026, cutting routine recommendations from about 17–18 to 11 vaccines and moving others (like flu, COVID‑19, hepatitis, rotavirus, RSV) to high‑risk or shared clinical decision‑making, while keeping all vaccines available and covered by insurance.
  2. The administration ordered more rigorous research—double‑blind, placebo‑controlled trials when ethical and expanded long‑term observational studies—and said advisory committees and agencies will continuously reassess recommendations, so more schedule changes are likely as data emerge.
  3. The move is highly controversial: some medical groups warn it could risk disease resurgence and call placebo trials unethical when effective vaccines exist, while supporters praise greater scientific rigor and parental choice; there are also concerns that CDC management of many trials could introduce bias or face capacity limits.

Why was the US funding LGBT "Pride" marches in Ukraine?

Michael Tracey • 159 implied HN points • 19 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Agencies
  1. The US government has been funding LGBT Pride events in Ukraine through various channels like USAID, which some Americans find surprising or confusing.
  2. There seems to be a cultural shift in US foreign aid, with current political leadership focusing more on traditional values and less on liberal causes in its international programs.
  3. This change might not mean less foreign aid overall; instead, it could lead to a new approach that aligns more with conservative priorities while still trying to promote US interests abroad.

Why pervasive media propaganda is ultimately self-defeating and destructive to the political class that wields it

eugyppius: a plague chronicle • 138 implied HN points • 07 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Agencies
  1. Pervasive media propaganda can actually backfire on those in power. It might stop some dissent, but it can also lead to a loss of trust from the public.
  2. Government agencies like USAID play a big role in funding media, but this could create problems for the political elite. Their support for certain narratives can drive people towards opposing views.
  3. Political chaos, like the situation in Germany, can arise from too much media manipulation. This confusion might drive more voters to support populist movements.

Saturday Commentary and Review #178

Fisted by Foucault • 187 implied HN points • 02 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Agencies
  1. Elections in the USA are more complicated and possibly rigged than people think. There's a lot of doubt about whether they are truly fair and free, especially after events surrounding the 2020 election.
  2. Government agencies can sometimes act in ways that contradict their original missions, such as the case with ICE and drug trafficking operations. This shows a lack of coordination and oversight within government bodies.
  3. The idea of BRICS as a powerful alternative to Western financial systems isn't as strong as it seems. Current economic ties with the US make it hard for developing nations to shift away from the dollar.

Inside the Plot To Kill The Censorship Industrial Complex

Public • 336 implied HN points • 11 Nov 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Agencies
  1. Evidence shows Stanford Internet Observatory demanded censorship of Covid vaccine information and interfered in the 2020 elections
  2. Government agencies like DHS-CISA secretly created the Censorship Industrial Complex, threatening freedom of speech
  3. Efforts are being made to dismantle the Censorship Industrial Complex and turn the tide against censorship advocates

I Want Whatever the BLS is Smoking

startupdreams • 105 implied HN points • 08 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Agencies
  1. BLS job numbers are consistently revised downward after initial high estimates, indicating potential inaccuracies in reporting.
  2. Comparison between BLS and ADP job reports show contrasting trends in new job creation, causing skepticism in the accuracy of BLS data.
  3. Analysis of full-time and part-time job numbers over a year reveals concerning trends, like growth in part-time jobs rather than full-time jobs.

Deep State Deconstruction: USAID

Who is Robert Malone • 28 implied HN points • 06 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Agencies
  1. USAID is a major U.S. agency that provides international assistance but is sometimes linked to the CIA in ways that raise concerns about its true role in foreign affairs.
  2. The agency has funded various programs, including controversial health campaigns and misinformation research, blurring the lines between humanitarian aid and political interests.
  3. There are allegations that USAID has been involved in population control initiatives and has funded vaccines, which raises ethical questions about their impact on global health policies.

Happy Despot's Day

Daniel Pinchbeck’s Newsletter • 16 implied HN points • 17 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Agencies
  1. Hate and division are increasingly visible in society, with some public figures openly embracing extremist ideologies. It's concerning to see how these harmful beliefs are being normalized.
  2. Fascism promotes control and hate rather than community and cooperation. This ideology can damage individuals and society as a whole, pushing people to project their pain onto others.
  3. The rise of hateful rhetoric has pushed previously hidden prejudices into public view. This indicates a collective struggle with guilt and shame about societal injustices, making it hard to understand how we got here.

'Adversarial Actors, Home and Abroad'

God's Spies by Thomas Neuburger • 70 implied HN points • 18 May 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Agencies
  1. Domestic activism like vegan advocacy can be labeled as potential domestic terrorism by security agencies.
  2. There is a tactic called the 'foreign-domestic switcheroo' where attention shifts from foreign threats to domestic targets as a means of censorship and control.
  3. History shows that American security agencies have been involved in regime change internationally and may also wield power domestically.

Welcome back, Polio!

The Cosmopolitan Globalist • 16 implied HN points • 31 Oct 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Agencies
  1. Putting RFK Jr. in charge of health agencies could lead to disaster. He holds extreme views about vaccines and public health that many experts strongly oppose.
  2. While there is a need for reform in health agencies like the CDC and FDA, appointing someone inexperienced could make problems worse instead of fixing them.
  3. Trusting Trump to manage crucial issues could be risky, as he often changes his positions based on what benefits him personally, not what’s best for the public.