American imperialism, the threat to safe medicines, and what true health really is#5SmartReads - February 11, 2025
#5SmartReads is a Webby-honored weekly news digest that amplifies underreported news and underrepresented perspectives. My goal is to help you stay informed without being overwhelmed, and to embrace nuance and reflection over picking a side.
Why Trump loves former President McKinley so much (NPR) “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it” is one of Winston Churchill’s more famous quotes - and it’s what drove me to study history in college. I’ve often thought about this quote as my North Star - and I still do. That said, Trump’s second term clearly shows that he has studied imperialism, and is willfully choosing to repeat choices that will result in long-term failure. Why? Because of the short term gains. If you’re trying to make sense of the fire hose of insanity that began on January 20th, you’ll want to study President William McKinley. The 25th President loved tariffs, negotiated what would become the Panama Canal, and was the last president to grow this country’s acreage through the addition of Cuba, American Samoa, Hawaii, and the Philippines as territories. He also was courted by robber barons, who helped swing the election in his favor in 1896. The Gilded Age followed. While this age is romanticized today with a focus on the wealthy few, it glosses over the tragic rise in poverty and economic inequality. In studying McKinley, our current president doesn’t consider the ramifications of the policy, but instead sees a playbook to enrich himself, reward those who helped him win, and willfully ignores everyone else. And that should terrify everyone. It Takes the FDA 46 Months to Withdraw a Failed Drug with Accelerated Approval (Penn LDI) The question that flooded my texts over the weekend was “can he actually do this?” The ‘he’ in question is the recently confirmed HHS Secretary, RFK Jr. The ‘this’ are antidepressants and GLP-1 medicines. Kennedy has falsely claimed that antidepressants are more addictive than heroin, and that a healthy diet replaces the need for GLP-1 medications. Plain and simple - the data (both clinical and real-world data) has proven that these drugs are safe and effective. As someone who takes a mood stabilizer and anti-anxiety medications, I can say that they have saved my life and massively improved my quality of life. GLP-1 medications are safely and effectively managing millions of patients’ diabetes and reducing obesity (with benefits to cardiovascular health), as well as showing significant promise in addiction. To circle back to the original question - can the HHS secretary withdraw approval from these drugs? Even though he oversees the FDA, the agency has a formal process that evaluates data that demonstrates a medication is unsafe or ineffective. Such a process takes anywhere approximately 46 months (and that’s for products that received accelerated approval). The medications that Kennedy has targeted were approved through the traditional approval pathways, which has a longer review process and a higher barrier to meet for a withdrawal to be considered. #5SmartReads is all about helping you feel smarter this week. If you want to feel better but feel overwhelmed on what to do, check out this month’s plan (mindfulness practices, workouts, meals, and more):
Cimeran Kapur On Redefining Success (Thrive Global) If the previous reads left you spiraling, I apologize. Cimeran Kapur Seth’s story, however, is the off-ramp we need. Cimeran is one of the most inspiring women I’ve ever met. Her company, Potion, is rooted in her life experiences of growing up in India, studying and working in medicine and healthcare, and being diagnosed with metastatic cancer at 28 years old. One of my biggest issues with the American healthcare system is the tribalism between Western medicine and ancient medicine systems like Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. The former is focused on diagnosis and treatment, the latter on prevention of disease. One would think the best system would combine both modalities to help us live healthier lives. Cimeran’s company, Potion, is bridging this divide with their immunity potion (the sourcing and production of this product is top-tier for a supplement, from individual ingredients to final manufacturing). More importantly, Cimeran models the life so many of us want to live (while building a growing company without sacrificing her own health and peace - a balance I’m trying to find for myself). There are so many Cimeranisms that I’ve jotted down from this interview, but I’ll leave you with the one that I need to practice more, now:
The NFL Team Run by Women (Wall Street Journal) One of my glimmers from the past two weeks is watching folks flock to the Philadelphia Eagles simply because of the team and players’ values. And, you know, destroying a team whose owner and some players are the polar opposite. That was nice. Aside from our insane fan base (passionate but also can take it too far), there’s a lot to love about the Eagles team and organization. Autumn Lockwood, one of the performance coaches, is the first Black woman coach to win a Super Bowl. Ameena Soliman is the first Muslim woman to be director of football operations and a pro scout of an NFL team (and with a Super Bowl ring to match). And like Jalen Hurts’ all-women management team, over half of owner Jeffrey Lurie’s advisors for the team are women simply because he hired the best candidates possible. For the rest of the league’s teams, women represent only 18% of the senior executive suite. I’ve been an Eagles fan for most of my life. It feels different and more soulful right now, with my fandom extending far beyond the players and into the staff. I can’t wait (and am nauseatingly anxious) for next season.
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American imperialism, the threat to safe medicines, and what true health really is
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