Trust in government agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has eroded in recent months, according to a poll from the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.
Dr. Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and former acting director of the CDC, told Cheddar the drop stems from the politicization of public health during the coronavirus pandemic.
"Repeatedly during this crisis, we've seen instances where the political sector has reached in and changed public health guidance from CDC," he said. "That is a real problem."
Indeed, House Democrats are currently investigating whether the Trump administration pressured CDC officials to alter or delay information on the coronavirus.
Besser said one challenge for the CDC is that it doesn't often speak with the public directly.
"There's incredibly important information coming out from the CDC every single day," he said. "Unfortunately the CDC is not in a position where they're talking to the public through the media every day to be able to lift up that information."
Once that information is politically influenced, he added, "then people have to pick and choose and say 'well is this a guidance that's science-based, or is this one that's politically based?'"
Bessner described trust as one of the CDC's most important tools because early on in a crisis the agency depends on people following the advice of experts despite considerable uncertainty.
The Supreme Court will decide whether a disabled activist can file disability rights lawsuits against hotels she doesn't intend to visit.
Massachusetts Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced Monday that she will seek a third term in 2024.
The Biden administration has issued a statement saying it will veto a GOP-led bill aimed at bringing down energy costs by making it easier for energy companies to get permits for domestic drilling.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said lawmakers will move forward with a bill to address national security worries about TikTok.
President Joe Biden’s choice to run the Federal Aviation Administration has withdrawn his nomination, a setback for the administration that comes after Denver International Airport CEO Phillip Washington appeared to lack enough support in the closely divided Senate.
Facing a potential indictment, Donald Trump took a defiant stance at a rally Saturday in Waco, disparaging the prosecutors investigating him and predicting his vindication as he rallied supporters in a city made famous by deadly resistance against law enforcement.
While data privacy still remains one of TikTok's biggest challenges, it may face a larger problem in order to stay in the United States: content moderation.
King Charles III's visit to France was postponed because of ongoing protests.
Governor Spencer Cox signed two measures restricting how easily children in the state can access platforms like TikTok and Twitter, setting the precedent in the U.S.
The California state legislature has proposed a bill banning candies such as Skittles and Nerds due to their containing chemicals linked to increased risk of cancer and behavioral issues in children. The chemicals in questions are brominated vegetable oil, propyl paraben, potassium bromate, titanium dioxide, and red dye no. 3.
