Weekly civic intelligence report · v2.2
RFK Jr. reiterated unproven claims linking Tylenol and circumcision to autism during a Cabinet meeting, with Trump repeating the claim publicly. This represents promotion of medical misinformation at the highest levels.
A-score (24.1): Institutional capture (4) reflects HHS Secretary promoting medical misinformation through official channels. Civil rights (3) addresses public health endangerment through anti-vaccine adjacent messaging. Rule of law (2) and corruption (2) reflect abuse of official platform for unscientific claims. Information operation mechanism (+25%) and federal scope (+15%) apply. Severity: precedent (1.15) for Cabinet-level pseudoscience, durability (1.1) for embedded anti-vax ideology, reversibility (0.95) as correctable but damaging. B-score (30.8): Layer 1 (16.5/30): High media friendliness (9) for shocking Cabinet claim, strong outrage bait (8), good meme-ability (7), moderate novelty (6). Layer 2 (14.3/25): Pattern match (8) with anti-vax movement, mismatch (7) between evidence standards and claims, narrative pivot (6) toward medical skepticism, timing (5) during confirmation period. Intentionality (9/15): Cabinet platform, presidential amplification, coordinated messaging, policy implications yield 55% intent weight. D-score: -6.7 favors distraction. Classification: List B (B>=25, D<=-10 threshold nearly met, clear distraction pattern from governance failures).
Monitor for: (1) FDA/CDC policy changes on acetaminophen, (2) vaccine hesitancy spillover effects, (3) medical community response coordination, (4) legislative attempts to restrict evidence-based medicine, (5) public health impact metrics on pain medication usage. Track whether misinformation becomes embedded in HHS guidance or remains rhetorical distraction from regulatory capture agenda.