NEW YORK — The outgoing head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday her reasons for stepping down were complicated, driven in part by a desire to take a break from the frenetic pace of the job during a pandemic.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky surprised many in public health circles last month by announcing her departure after two years and five months — one of the shortest tenures for a CDC director in recent decades. She resigned as the pandemic’s national public health emergency was winding down.
“I did what I came to do — which was get us through the darkest days of a pandemic,” she said in an interview.
Walensky, 54, described her time at the agency as intense, but stopped short of saying she was burned out. She said she had looked for a quiet moment to withdraw from a job that gave her a sense of pride and accomplishment but also led to criticism, protests outside her home, and threats of violence.
“That (the threats) wasn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back,” she emphasized. But it also wasn’t something she anticipated when she took the job — her first time running a government public health agency.
“I never expected that when I am trying to run to be an aid to somebody, that they would actually be turned off by my very existence,” Walensky added.
She spent the first year of the pandemic treating COVID-19 patients as an infectious disease doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital. She became CDC director in January 2021, on the first day of the Biden administration. It was near the beginning of a national COVID-19 vaccination campaign that was expected to turn the tide, but saw additional waves of illness and death as new versions of the coronavirus emerged.
There were also a variety of other outbreaks and crises, including an unexpected mpox outbreak last year.
Counting her time at MGH during the pandemic, “it was 3 ½ years at that pace — an extraordinary pace,” she said.
Walensky’s last day at CDC is June 30. She does not have a new job or other role lined up, she said, saying she wanted to spend some time with her family, living at a slower pace.
Walensky said she was extremely proud of what the CDC and other public health workers had accomplished in the last couple of years, citing the 676 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine given to Americans. She also initiated a reorganization of the 12,000-employee health agency in Atlanta.
Last week, the White House announced it had chosen Dr. Mandy Cohen, a former North Carolina health official, to be the next CDC director. Walensky said she has known Cohen for years and has had several conversations recently about the job and the challenges ahead.
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Biden convenes meeting of tech leaders on AI
SAN FRANCISCO — President Biden convened a group of technology leaders on Tuesday to debate what he called the “risks and enormous promises” of artificial intelligence.
The Biden administration is seeking to figure out how to regulate the emergent field of AI, looking for ways to nurture its potential for economic growth and national security and protect against its potential dangers.
“We’ll see more technological change in the next 10 years that we saw in the last 50 years,” Biden said as the meeting with eight technology experts from academia and advocacy groups kicked off.
“AI is already driving that change,” Biden said.
The sudden emergence of AI chatbot ChatGPT and other tools has jumpstarted investment in the sector. AI tools are able to craft human-like text, music, images, and computer code. This form of automation could increase the productivity of workers, but experts warn of numerous risks.
The technology could be used to replace workers, causing layoffs. It’s already being deployed in false images and videos, becoming a vehicle of disinformation that could undermine democratic elections. Governments, as well as the European Union, have said they are determined to regulate and put brakes on AI before it is too late.
Biden said social media has already shown the harm technology can do “without the right safeguards in place.”
In May, Biden’s administration brought together tech chief executives at the White House to discuss these issues, with the Democratic president telling them, “What you’re doing has enormous potential and enormous danger.”
White House chief of staff Jeff Zients’s office is developing a set of actions the federal government can take over the coming weeks regarding artificial intelligence, according to the White House. The administration wants commitments from private companies to address the possible risks from artificial intelligence.
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Senators propose crackdown on retired military work for foreign powers
Two key senators said they will introduce a bipartisan bill Tuesday to clamp down on the secretive practice of retired US service members who cash in their military expertise by working as consultants and contractors for foreign governments.
The bill, cosponsored by Senators Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Charles E. Grassley, an Iowa Republican, would impose an array of new restrictions, including a prohibition on troops negotiating postretirement jobs with foreign powers while still on active duty; a ban on military intelligence personnel working for any countries except for close allies such as Britain, Canada, and Australia; and stiffer financial penalties for those who violate the law.
The proposed legislation would also require the federal government to publicly disclose the names, job duties, and salary details for all retired service members who receive compensation from foreign governments — something the Pentagon and State Department have long resisted.
The senators said they were acting in response to investigations by The Washington Post and the nonprofit Project on Government Oversight, which found that more than 500 retired US military personnel — including scores of generals and admirals — have gone to work for foreign governments since 2015, mostly in countries known for political repression.
Under federal law, retired troops are permitted to work for foreign governments if they first obtain approval from their branch of the armed forces and the State Department. But federal agencies have fought to keep virtually all details about the arrangements a secret.
"The Department of Defense is letting too many retired military officers trade their military service and experience to foreign governments for cash - creating serious risks to our national security," said Warren, who leads the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on personnel. "This system needs serious transparency and accountability."
Officials at the Pentagon and State Department have said that they jointly conduct a thorough review of all foreign employment requests and have wide latitude to deny any applications that "would adversely affect the foreign relations of the United States."
WASHINGTON POST
Trump lawyer is accused of making false claims
Attorney John Eastman, the architect of a legal strategy aimed at keeping then-president Trump in power, concocted a baseless theory and made false claims of fraud in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election, a prosecutor said Tuesday in arguing that Eastman be disbarred.
Eastman’s attorney countered that his client never intended to steal the election but was considering ways to delay electoral vote counting so states could investigate allegations of voting improprieties. Trump’s claims of fraud were roundly rejected by courts, including by judges the Republican appointed.
Eastman faces 11 disciplinary charges in the State Bar Court of California stemming from his development of a dubious legal strategy aimed at having Vice President Mike Pence interfere with the certification of Joe Biden’s victory. If the court finds Eastman culpable of the alleged violations it can recommend a punishment such as suspending or revoking his law license. The California Supreme Court makes the final decision.
The proceedings are expected to last at least eight days. Eastman is expected to testify in his defense.
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