Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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Ousted CDC Director Shares Her Take on What Transpired

Susan Monarez says RFK Jr. wanted 'blanket approval' of vaccine changes

(Newser) - Former CDC Director Susan Monarez appeared before the Senate on Wednesday, detailing the circumstances of her unexpected firing less than a month after her Senate confirmation. Monarez testified that she was removed for refusing to follow directives from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., specifically his...

HHS Plans No-Bid Contract on Tying Autism to Vaccines

Kennedy announced definitive research effort though scientists have never found evidence of a connection

(Newser) - Federal health officials intend to award a contract to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to investigate whether there is a link between vaccinations and autism, according to a government procurement notice. The Troy, New York, engineering school was selected for the no-bid contract because of its "unique ability" to link data...

FDA Launches New Probe Into Covid Vaccine Safety Claims

Agency scrutinizes reports involving child deaths, pregnant women after shots

(Newser) - The Food and Drug Administration is taking a closer look at reports of deaths among young people and pregnant women following COVID-19 vaccinations—an inquiry that comes despite years of global research affirming the vaccines' strong safety record, reports the New York Times . The new review appears to reflect...

HHS Report to Tie Tylenol, Low Folate to Autism: WSJ

RFK Jr.-driven report will also highlight folate drug leucovorin as possible autism treatment

(Newser) - A forthcoming report from the Department of Health and Human Services, led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is expected to suggest a possible link between pregnant women's use of Tylenol, whose active ingredient is acetaminophen, and autism, as well as a connection to low folate levels. The...

Kennedy's Biggest Trouble May Come From GOP Senators

They are voicing more and more frustration with his vaccine policies, along with Democrats

(Newser) - That Democratic senators hammered health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at Thursday's hearing was no surprise. But the Hill sees potential trouble for Kennedy in the comments of Republican senators: None have called for his resignation, but they "are sending clear signals of disapproval and unhappiness," particularly...

RFK Jr. Clashes With Senator Over COVID Deaths

Health secretary claims nobody knows how many died from COVID in US

(Newser) - In one of many sharp exchanges with Democratic senators during a Senate hearing Thursday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed nobody knows how many Americans died from COVID-19. "I don't think anybody knows that, because there was so much data chaos coming out of the CDC and there were...

RFK Jr.: Trump Deserves Nobel for COVID Shots

Health secretary has been a critic of the vaccines

(Newser) - Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy fielded a tricky question on Thursday from Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a medical doctor: Does President Trump deserve a Nobel Peace Prize for Operation Warp Speed, the US campaign to roll out vaccines during the pandemic? "Absolutely," responded Kennedy, reports the Washington Post ...

Senator Calls for Kennedy's Resignation During Hearing

Health secretary defends firing at CDC because agency 'failed ... miserably' during COVID

(Newser) - Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended his policies on Thursday morning during a frequently testy Senate hearing. Some early highlights:
  • Kennedy defended mass firings at the CDC in his opening statement, saying the agency has a mandate to protect Americans and "failed that responsibility miserably during COVID,"
...

Ousted CDC Chief Accuses Kennedy of Vaccine 'Sabotage'

Susan Monarez says she was fired for trying to counter attempts to 'compromise science'

(Newser) - Susan Monarez lasted only 29 days in her job as head of the CDC before being fired last week . In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Monarez writes that she lost her job because she refused to go along with health secretary Robert F. Kennedy's plan to "compromise science....

1K HHS Staffers Sign Letter Urging RFK Jr. to Go

The American people have been 'put at risk,' per the letter

(Newser) - Over 1,000 current and former Health and Human Services staffers have signed their names to a letter released Wednesday that calls for HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to go, claiming his leadership endangers public health. In a letter sent to Kennedy and members of Congress, the Hill...

Trump Demands Makers 'Justify Success' of COVID Vaccines

He says RFK Jr., CDC are 'ripping themselves apart'

(Newser) - President Trump took to his social media platform Monday with a question for pharmaceutical companies: can they "justify the success" of their COVID-19 vaccines?
  • "It is very important that the Drug Companies justify the success of their various Covid Drugs," Trump said in a Truth Social
...

Bernie Sanders: RFK Jr. Must Resign
Bernie Sanders:
Kennedy Has to Go
OPINION
Aug 31, 2025 7:41 AM CDT

Bernie Sanders: Kennedy Has to Go

Health secretary is endangering American lives, the senator writes

(Newser) - Bernie Sanders has written a scathing op-ed about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. demanding that the health secretary resign because he is "endangering American lives." In his New York Times piece, the Vermont senator focuses on vaccines. "It is absurd to have to say this in 2025, but...

COVID Vaccine Season Just Got More Complex

Not as many people can automatically go to pharmacies to get their shots anymore

(Newser) - Will you get a COVID-19 vaccine? That's become a complicated question for many people, with the answer depending on one's age, insurance coverage, health, and finding a health care professional to give the shot. A once-straightforward seasonal vaccine process has become muddled this year due to new federal...

Senator Slams RFK Jr. Over Shooting Comments

Health secretary suggests antidepressants to blame, and Tina Smith angrily replies

(Newser) - Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s comments after this week's deadly shooting in Minneapolis have sparked a fierce backlash from Minnesota's senior senator. After the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School, the health secretary said he is investigating whether antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs might help explain violence...

CDC Director Ousted After Vaccine Clash With RFK Jr.
New CDC
Director Is
Out Already
Aug 27, 2025 7:11 PM CDT

New CDC Director Is Out Already

Administration ousts Susan Monarez after clashes with RFK Jr. as it announces restrictions on COVID shots

(Newser) - One month after she was confirmed by the Senate, the Trump administration announced Wednesday that Susan Monarez has been removed as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—a brief tenure that included a fatal attack on the agency's Atlanta campus. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr....

Hundreds of Staffers Losing Jobs at the CDC

Layoffs come amid worker anger at response to shooting at HQ in Atlanta

(Newser) - Two stories in the news suggest that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a tense place to work at the moment:
  • Layoffs: The Washington Post reports that between 500 and 600 CDC staffers received permanent layoff notices this week. The agency has not confirmed the number.
  • Letter to
...

AAP Splits With CDC on COVID Vaccine Guidance for Kids

American Academy of Pediatrics still strongly recommends COVID shots for those up to 2 years

(Newser) - ]For the first time in 30 years, the American Academy of Pediatrics is substantially diverging from US government vaccine recommendations, the AP reports. The group's new COVID-19 recommendations—released Tuesday—come amid a tumultuous year for public health, as vaccine skeptics have come into power in the new Trump...

Cheryl Hines: Caroline Kennedy's Criticism Made Me Angry
Cheryl Hines:
Caroline Kennedy's
Criticism Made Me Angry
in case you missed it
Aug 16, 2025 12:57 PM CDT

Cheryl Hines: Caroline Kennedy's Criticism Made Me Angry

And she's none too happy with Caroline's son, either

(Newser) - Cheryl Hines has mystified many with her transition from beloved star of a show about California liberals to friend of President Trump. The actor delves into her marriage to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and how she feels about all the controversy now surrounding her in an interview with the Wall ...

Children's Health Report May Disappoint Kennedy

Administration draft goes easy on pesticides, ultra-processed foods

(Newser) - Despite Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vocal opposition to pesticides, a leaked draft of Trump administration plans suggests industry interests may prevail—leaving the use of pesticides in food production largely untouched. According to documents reviewed by Politico , an upcoming Make America Healthy Again Commission report...

Shooter Fired 180 Times at CDC Buildings

Kennedy visits agency's campus in Atlanta

(Newser) - The man who attacked the CDC headquarters in Atlanta on Friday fired more than 180 shots into the campus and broke about 150 windows, with bullets piercing "blast-resistant" windows and spattering glass shards into numerous rooms, according to information circulated internally at the agency. It may take weeks or...

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