Short Takes – 12-29-22

FRA: Safety Advisory 2022-02; Addressing Unintended Train Brake Release. FederalRegister.gov notice. Summary: “FRA is issuing Safety Advisory 2022-02 to make the rail industry aware of a recent issue encountered by a train crew that experienced an unintended brake release of a train's automatic air brakes while stopped at a signal, and to recommend steps addressing the unintended release of train air brakes.”

White House to Jim Jordan, James Comer: Sorry, but you have to restart your oversight requests. Politico.com article. Pull quote: “Sauber did not rule out satisfying the requests once the next Congress is sworn in. But his letter nevertheless represents the first volley in what is likely to be a contentious and potentially litigious two years between House Republicans and the Biden White House. More narrowly, it is an apparent effort to shield the administration from a hail of potential subpoenas in early January by describing them as an abuse of the normal process of congressional oversight.” Make headlines not legislation?

Congressional Inquiry into Alzheimer’s Drug Faults Its Maker and F.D.A. NYTimes.cm article. Pull quote: “The congressional report issued three recommendations the F.D.A. should adopt immediately, including proper documentation of its interactions with drug companies and clear protocols for when it can create joint presentations with them. The report also recommended that Biogen and other companies clearly communicate safety and efficacy concerns to the F.D.A. and consider the actual value of a drug when setting prices.”

They Called 911 for Help. Police and Prosecutors Used a New Junk Science to Decide They Were Liars. ProPublica.org article. Pull quote: “Junk science in the justice system is nothing new. But unvarnished correspondence about how prosecutors wield it is hard to come by. It can be next to impossible to see how law enforcement — in league with paid, self-styled “experts” — spreads new, often unproven methods. The system is at its most opaque when prosecutors know evidence is unfit for court but choose to game the rules, hoping judges and juries will believe it and vote to convict.”