Category: RFK Jr.
-
STAT+: TrumpRx’s slow start
STAT+: TrumpRx’s slow start You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Mary Talley Bowden, who spent years in an expensive court battle with the Texas Medical Board over her license for…
-
STAT+: Is RFK Jr. coming for your Dunkin’?
STAT+: Is RFK Jr. coming for your Dunkin’? AUSTIN, Texas — As Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ticked through a list of ways the Trump administration is trying to clean up the nation’s food supply before an appreciative Texas crowd last week, he previewed more to come, including potentially pulling certain ingredients from the…
-
Everything you need to know about RFK Jr., MAHA, and ‘glypho-gate’
Everything you need to know about RFK Jr., MAHA, and ‘glypho-gate’ A recent executive order has put health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a tight spot. The order aims to shore up production of the herbicide glyphosate (better known as the active ingredient in the weed killer Roundup) for “national security and defense reasons.”…
-
Casey Means, a MAHA leader, makes bid to be nation’s top doctor
Casey Means, a MAHA leader, makes bid to be nation’s top doctor The Make America Healthy Again movement, which has turned dissatisfaction with mainstream medicine into a disruptive political movement, was poised on Wednesday to put one of its leading figures, Casey Means, at the top of the U.S. medical system. Means, an entrepreneurial wellness…
-
STAT+: Kennedy says he’ll act on legal challenge to ultra-processed foods
STAT+: Kennedy says he’ll act on legal challenge to ultra-processed foods Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired the starting gun in a challenge to the food industry on Sunday, announcing on CBS’ “60 Minutes” that he plans to act on a plan outlined by former Food and Drug Administration chief David Kessler to overhaul…
-
STAT+: Exit of CDC’s acting director highlights agency’s lack of leader
STAT+: Exit of CDC’s acting director highlights agency’s lack of leader For 28 days last summer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had a director who had been confirmed by the Senate. But in less time than it took Susan Monarez to get approved, she was fired for not kowtowing to her boss, Robert…
-
Major shakeup underway at HHS as White House braces for midterms
Major shakeup underway at HHS as White House braces for midterms WASHINGTON — Two top health officials are leaving their jobs amid a shakeup at the Department of Health and Human Services aimed at refocusing HHS on politically popular aspects of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda in advance of the midterm elections. Deputy…
-
To fix ‘spiritual malaise’ behind addiction, Kennedy announces efforts on homelessness and recovery
To fix ‘spiritual malaise’ behind addiction, Kennedy announces efforts on homelessness and recovery Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday lamented a nationwide “spiritual malaise” as he unveiled new plans to tackle the nation’s addiction and substance use epidemic, casting the initiative as a game-changing effort to align government and recovery organizations. The announcement…
-
STAT+: States are the next vaccine battleground
STAT+: States are the next vaccine battleground You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I’d call it a xeet-down, but I can’t tell who won this heated exchange on X between…
-
HHS appoints 21 new members to federal autism advisory committee
HHS appoints 21 new members to federal autism advisory committee The Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday announced the appointment of 21 new members to a federal committee that advises health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on autism. Many of the new members of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee share a common trait:…
-
Key autism committee is being reshaped to support Kennedy’s vaccine agenda, researchers and advocates fear
Key autism committee is being reshaped to support Kennedy’s vaccine agenda, researchers and advocates fear An influential federal committee that advises the health secretary on all things autism and shapes federally funded autism research and support services held an orientation Thursday for new nonfederal members, according to two sources familiar with the meeting. It was…
-
Tylenol use during pregnancy not linked to autism, new study says
Tylenol use during pregnancy not linked to autism, new study says Acetaminophen use during pregnancy is not likely to raise the risk of having a child with autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability, according to a new study published Friday. Researchers across Europe reexamined evidence from multiple studies investigating the link between these conditions and the…
-
STAT+: Behind new dietary guidelines: Industry-funded studies, opaque science, crushing deadline pressure
STAT+: Behind new dietary guidelines: Industry-funded studies, opaque science, crushing deadline pressure WASHINGTON — In early May, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had good news for the President: updated dietary guidelines, which were due at the end of 2025, would be delivered ahead of schedule. “We are working very, very fast…
-
STAT+: Negotiations over ACA subsidy bill drag on
STAT+: Negotiations over ACA subsidy bill drag on You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Inspirational scribbles from baristas have never inspired me, but HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill was moved…
-
Trump administration cuts up to $1.9 billion from mental health and addiction treatment programs
Trump administration cuts up to $1.9 billion from mental health and addiction treatment programs The federal agency that oversees mental health and addiction treatment on Tuesday made major cuts to programs across the behavioral health field, according to eight sources with knowledge of the decisions. While the exact funding cuts enacted by the Substance Abuse…
-
Kennedy adds two OB-GYNs to vaccine advisory panel amid review of shots for pregnant women
Kennedy adds two OB-GYNs to vaccine advisory panel amid review of shots for pregnant women WASHINGTON — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed two new members to the main federal vaccine advisory board, his latest change to a group that has made a series of controversial recommendations and upended the usual processes for vaccine…
-
STAT+: HHS dismisses member of vaccine injury advisory panel
STAT+: HHS dismisses member of vaccine injury advisory panel WASHINGTON — At least one member of a committee that advises the federal government on its vaccine injury compensation program has had her term prematurely ended, potentially foreshadowing further changes to the federal apparatus that reviews vaccine injuries and compensates patients. Veronica McNally, an attorney who…
-
How saturated fats lost, and won, on new food pyramid
How saturated fats lost, and won, on new food pyramid For months, nutrition experts have been anxiously waiting to see whether the new U.S. dietary guidelines would follow through on health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s pledge to end the war on saturated fat. The guidelines’ longstanding recommendation to cap saturated fat consumption at 10%…
-
STAT’s Helen Branswell on the ‘startling’ new U.S. vaccine schedule
STAT’s Helen Branswell on the ‘startling’ new U.S. vaccine schedule It was, in a word, unprecedented. As Helen Branswell, STAT’s infectious diseases correspondent, explains in this video, Monday’s move by the Department of Health and Human Services — political appointees of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — to unilaterally rewrite the list of vaccines…
-
Dietary guidelines declare war on processed foods and sugar, encourage more protein and dairy
Dietary guidelines declare war on processed foods and sugar, encourage more protein and dairy The Trump administration on Wednesday issued a long-promised revamp of national dietary guidelines, urging Americans to eat more protein and less added sugar and, for the first time, discouraging consumption of highly processed foods. The guidelines, despite widespread expectations, do not…
-
STAT+: Panel behind new dietary guidelines had financial ties to beef, dairy industries
STAT+: Panel behind new dietary guidelines had financial ties to beef, dairy industries A group of researchers that formed the scientific basis of new dietary guidelines included people with financial ties to the beef and dairy industries, as well as food companies and other groups. Meat and dairy products received prime placement in new dietary…
-
Opinion: What I got wrong 33 years ago as a new pediatrician talking to parents about vaccines
Opinion: What I got wrong 33 years ago as a new pediatrician talking to parents about vaccines In 1993, a young couple expecting their first child walked into my office. As the new pediatric residency director at the University of California San Diego, I was eager to help them find the right doctor for their…
-
New vaccine schedule adds near- and long-term risks for children, experts warn
New vaccine schedule adds near- and long-term risks for children, experts warn WASHINGTON — When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. assumed the role of health secretary almost one year ago, he said he had one overriding goal: to improve children’s health. But Kennedy’s sudden, unilateral, and sweeping change to the nation’s childhood vaccine schedule, announced Monday,…
-
Federal health officials slash recommended childhood vaccinations under Trump’s directive
Federal health officials slash recommended childhood vaccinations under Trump’s directive WASHINGTON — Federal health officials are unilaterally reducing the number of recommended pediatric immunizations in response to an order from President Trump, the most significant reshaping of the vaccine schedule since Trump took office and empowered health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic…
-
In 2026, Kennedy’s MAHA vision gets put to the test. Here are 3 issues to watch
In 2026, Kennedy’s MAHA vision gets put to the test. Here are 3 issues to watch In many ways, it’s been a banner year for chronic disease. America’s enduring ailments became a central theme of the Trump administration, with health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wielding his influence over the president. Trump created a commission…
-
Nineteen states, D.C. sue HHS over gender-affirming care crackdown
Nineteen states, D.C. sue HHS over gender-affirming care crackdown WASHINGTON — A coalition of Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia has sued the federal health department, calling a declaration that rejected gender-affirming care signed by health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. an overreach of his authority. The lawsuit, filed by 19 states and D.C.,…
-
STAT+: The 3 biggest issues to watch in vaccine policy in 2026
STAT+: The 3 biggest issues to watch in vaccine policy in 2026 WASHINGTON — Vaccine policy has become a key issue for the Trump administration, especially under the leadership of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who himself once led an anti-vaccine group. In less than a year, Kennedy has bulldozed vaccine policy precedent and…
-
Trump administration’s plan to shrink vaccine schedule sends health sector scrambling
Trump administration’s plan to shrink vaccine schedule sends health sector scrambling WASHINGTON — A possible Trump administration effort to change the childhood vaccine schedule has left hospital leaders, health policymakers, and pediatricians scrambling to navigate what could be the most significant changes to the American vaccine program in decades. The administration had planned to announce…
-
STAT+: Kennedy vaccine adviser to take a new role at CDC on children’s health research
STAT+: Kennedy vaccine adviser to take a new role at CDC on children’s health research WASHINGTON — A vaccine adviser at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with ties to health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is being given a new portfolio that will have him overseeing research into adverse childhood experiences, according to…
-
In major effort to end gender-affirming care, Trump administration takes aim at hospitals
In major effort to end gender-affirming care, Trump administration takes aim at hospitals The Trump administration is making its most forceful attempt yet at restricting gender-affirming care for transgender youth in the U.S. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed on Thursday two rules to withhold federal funds in connection with gender-affirming care for…
-
STAT+: Two rare diseases added to newborn screening recommendations
STAT+: Two rare diseases added to newborn screening recommendations Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday added two deadly rare diseases, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), to the list of conditions the government recommends states screen newborns for. The announcement came eight months after Health and Human Services, under Kennedy, disbanded the…
-
Free pass or failing grade for saturated fats? Review sets off scientific and political debate
Free pass or failing grade for saturated fats? Review sets off scientific and political debate Saturated fats are having a moment, one that has ensnared researchers in a political debate they never intended to enter. A new systematic review of 17 randomized clinical trials found that reducing intake of saturated fats reduced the chance of serious cardiovascular…
-
Opinion: RFK Jr.’s vaccine advisory panel is beset by incompetence, bias, and procedural chaos
Opinion: RFK Jr.’s vaccine advisory panel is beset by incompetence, bias, and procedural chaos The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) meetings used to be a geek’s dream: hours of long, maybe dreary presentation of extensive data followed by lengthy discussions that drilled into details of vaccine safety, effectiveness, and the best way to balance…
-
RFK Jr.’s vaccine panel is laying the groundwork for more scrutiny of childhood shots
RFK Jr.’s vaccine panel is laying the groundwork for more scrutiny of childhood shots WASHINGTON — Federal vaccine advisers, through a freewheeling, and at times combative two-day meeting, recommended a major change to childhood vaccinations that runs counter to the medical consensus — and began setting the stage for a larger rethink in the future. …
-
CDC panel recommends delaying birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine
CDC panel recommends delaying birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine A panel that advises on U.S. vaccine policy voted on Friday to recommend a delay in when most babies begin to be vaccinated against hepatitis B, overturning a 30-year-old policy that has contributed to a massive decline in cases of the virus. The Advisory Committee…
-
As vaccine panel prepares hepatitis B review, CDC and industry experts are excluded
As vaccine panel prepares hepatitis B review, CDC and industry experts are excluded WASHINGTON — The federal government’s vaccine advisory panel is scheduled to review the hepatitis B vaccine this week. But experts on the shot — both in and outside of the government — told STAT they’ve been shut out of the process. Makers…
-
RFK Jr. confirms he ordered CDC website changes on vaccines and autism
RFK Jr. confirms he ordered CDC website changes on vaccines and autism Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. personally ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to alter language on a webpage that said vaccines do not cause autism, he told The New York Times in an interview Thursday. The updated CDC website now…
-
STAT+: Cassidy and other Republicans have little to say about change to CDC’s position on vaccines and autism
STAT+: Cassidy and other Republicans have little to say about change to CDC’s position on vaccines and autism WASHINGTON — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. broke another promise to Senate health committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.) this week. So far, there don’t seem to have been any consequences. To secure Cassidy’s decisive confirmation vote,…
-
STAT+: Trump administration lists 16 new CDC initiatives, from hepatitis B testing to bolstering workforce
STAT+: Trump administration lists 16 new CDC initiatives, from hepatitis B testing to bolstering workforce WASHINGTON — Trump administration officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention laid out 16 strategic initiatives this week, many of them bolstering health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s priorities, according to an internal agency memo obtained by STAT.…
-
STAT+: A revelatory profile of RFK Jr.
STAT+: A revelatory profile of RFK Jr. You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I haven’t read Olivia Nuzzi’s new book, but I dare say my favorite line about her relationship…
-
STAT+: GOP ACA proposal complicates negotiations
STAT+: GOP ACA proposal complicates negotiations You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Packing “longevity” items for a flight to a MAHA event in Washington was such a pain that it…
-
Creatine-filled swag bags and an embrace from Vance: MAHA marks its ascendance in Trump’s Washington
Creatine-filled swag bags and an embrace from Vance: MAHA marks its ascendance in Trump’s Washington WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance lauded the Make America Healthy Again movement as an “incredible part” of the Trump administration’s success at a mostly closed-door event at the glitzy Waldorf Astoria on Wednesday. Dubbed the “Official MAHA Summit,” top…
-
STAT+: At ‘hush-hush’ MAHA summit, RFK Jr. and deputies to mix with biotech leaders
STAT+: At ‘hush-hush’ MAHA summit, RFK Jr. and deputies to mix with biotech leaders WASHINGTON — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and many top deputies are scheduled to speak alongside industry executives and health activists at a daylong MAHA event on Wednesday that has not been publicly disclosed by administration officials or event organizers.…
-
STAT+: How Children’s Health Defense plans to cement its agenda beyond RFK Jr.
STAT+: How Children’s Health Defense plans to cement its agenda beyond RFK Jr. WASHINGTON — Children’s Health Defense, the vaccine-skeptical organization once led by now-health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is playing the long game. The group has more power in Washington than the group’s CEO, Mary Holland, imagined possible in her lifetime. In an…
-
STAT+: Kennedy, a longtime pharma critic, embraces Trump deal to expand access to obesity drugs
STAT+: Kennedy, a longtime pharma critic, embraces Trump deal to expand access to obesity drugs WASHINGTON — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was uncharacteristically chummy with pharma executives at the White House on Thursday as he cheered the Trump administration’s plan for lowering obesity medication prices. Kennedy has railed against drugmakers in the past, and…
-
STAT+: Children’s hospital lobby shifts strategy amid MAHA’s rise in Washington
STAT+: Children’s hospital lobby shifts strategy amid MAHA’s rise in Washington WASHINGTON — As long-revered health institutions come under new scrutiny in President Trump’s Washington, one powerful group is shifting its strategy. The Children’s Hospital Association, which represents more than 200 hospitals and spends millions on lobbying each year, announced Tuesday a new messaging approach…
-
Trump says he will help ‘Dilbert’ creator get cancer drug
Trump says he will help ‘Dilbert’ creator get cancer drug WASHINGTON — President Trump said Sunday that he planned to help the creator of the satirical comic strip “Dilbert” get access to a prostate cancer drug. Scott Adams, known for his office humor comic Dilbert as well as his controversial opinions live-streamed on YouTube, wrote…
-
Anti-science bills hit statehouses, stripping away public health protections built over a century
Anti-science bills hit statehouses, stripping away public health protections built over a century More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections — vaccines, milk safety and fluoride — have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year, part of an organized, politically savvy campaign to enshrine a conspiracy theory-driven agenda into law. An Associated Press investigation found that the wave…
-
Government shutdown means many CDC experts are skipping a pivotal meeting on infectious disease
Government shutdown means many CDC experts are skipping a pivotal meeting on infectious disease ATLANTA — CDC researchers are being forced to skip a pivotal conference on infectious disease this week due to the government shutdown, missing out on high-level discussions not long after surges in measles and whooping cough hit the U.S. IDWeek, the largest annual meeting…
-
Opinion: Former acting CDC director calls public health cuts ‘absolutely heartbreaking’
Opinion: Former acting CDC director calls public health cuts ‘absolutely heartbreaking’ Below is a lightly edited, AI-generated transcript of the “First Opinion Podcast” interview with Richard Besser. Be sure to sign up for the weekly “First Opinion Podcast” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Get alerts about each new episode by signing up…
-
Watch: Joe Kennedy III explains his split with his uncle, health secretary RFK Jr.
Watch: Joe Kennedy III explains his split with his uncle, health secretary RFK Jr. BOSTON — Joe Kennedy III didn’t make the decision to split with health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lightly. At the STAT Summit in Boston, Kennedy said he has “great memories” of growing up with his uncle. But the younger Kennedy’s…
-
Doctor groups need to ‘step up to the plate’ as CDC guidance becomes harder to trust, former leaders say
Doctor groups need to ‘step up to the plate’ as CDC guidance becomes harder to trust, former leaders say BOSTON — It’s getting harder to trust guidance coming out of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, creating an opening for physician groups to step up and fill the void, two former top agency officials…
-
‘It’s a massacre’: CDC battered by government shutdown firings
‘It’s a massacre’: CDC battered by government shutdown firings WASHINGTON — The White House’s mass firing of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff on Friday has decimated offices related to injury prevention, respiratory disease surveillance, and chronic disease, according to four people familiar with the cuts. Overall, the White House is expected to cut…
-
STAT+: Coalition for Health AI faces escalating attacks by Trump officials, loss of founding member Amazon
STAT+: Coalition for Health AI faces escalating attacks by Trump officials, loss of founding member Amazon The Trump administration is escalating its efforts to weaken a tech industry-funded group seeking to help shape the nation’s use of artificial intelligence in health care. The Coalition for Health AI, or CHAI, is made up of some of…
-
Opinion: The Trump administration’s Soviet approach to autism policy
Opinion: The Trump administration’s Soviet approach to autism policy When it comes to developmental disability, the Kennedy legacy is as storied as anywhere else. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed the President’s Panel on Mental Retardation (PPMR), a blue-ribbon initiative designed to put forward a national plan of action for what we today refer…
-
Why this week underscores the value of STAT’s journalism
Why this week underscores the value of STAT’s journalism Dear Readers, This week, like so many others, has demonstrated why I think STAT is so essential. Read the rest… Rick Berke Go to statnews
-
STAT+: With Trump’s anti-vaccine comments, Kennedy’s influence grows
STAT+: With Trump’s anti-vaccine comments, Kennedy’s influence grows WASHINGTON — President Trump’s anti-vaccine comments on Monday signal health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s growing influence — and raise new questions about how far the pair may go to upend vaccine policy. Standing with Kennedy beside him at the White House, Trump called the childhood vaccine…
-
Opinion: The U.S. government has jumped the public health shark
Opinion: The U.S. government has jumped the public health shark On Monday, President Trump, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Studies Administrator Mehmet Oz, and other top officials at the National Institutes for Health and the Food and Drug Administration presented their promised conclusions regarding the cause and treatment of…
-
What the evidence tells us about Tylenol, leucovorin, and autism
What the evidence tells us about Tylenol, leucovorin, and autism Could Tylenol, one of the most ubiquitous medicines in the U.S., be linked to some cases of autism spectrum disorder when taken during pregnancy? And could leucovorin, a form of folic acid, improve the verbal ability of some people with autism spectrum disorder? Those are…
-
STAT+: FDA brings back GSK’s leucovorin drug that RFK Jr. touted as autism treatment
STAT+: FDA brings back GSK’s leucovorin drug that RFK Jr. touted as autism treatment In a highly unusual move, the Food and Drug Administration reapproved a drug on Monday that stopped being sold more than 25 years ago, part of a push from the Trump administration to identify the causes of and potential treatments for…
-
Citing possible link to autism, Trump urges limiting use of Tylenol during pregnancy
Citing possible link to autism, Trump urges limiting use of Tylenol during pregnancy President Trump announced on Monday that his administration has concluded that some cases of autism may be linked to pregnant women’s use of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, and said the medication should be used sparingly and only if absolutely needed…
-
In a chaotic meeting, RFK Jr.’s handpicked advisers begin altering the childhood vaccine schedule
In a chaotic meeting, RFK Jr.’s handpicked advisers begin altering the childhood vaccine schedule ATLANTA — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he wants his handpicked panel of vaccine advisers to restore declining public trust in vaccines. What that looked like was on full display on Thursday and Friday: The…
-
Cassidy invites RFK Jr. to testify before Senate health panel
Cassidy invites RFK Jr. to testify before Senate health panel WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Senate health committee, Bill Cassidy (R-La.), on Thursday invited health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to testify before the panel, part of a series of oversight hearings to make sense of the recent upheaval at the Centers for Disease…
-
STAT+: HHS abruptly cancels CDC meeting with RFK Jr., anti-vaccine activist as scrutiny mounts
STAT+: HHS abruptly cancels CDC meeting with RFK Jr., anti-vaccine activist as scrutiny mounts A meeting of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., anti-vaccine campaigner David Geier, and leaders of the country’s most robust vaccine safety database was abruptly canceled Wednesday, just hours before they were likely to discuss using the data to investigate whether…
-
3 key takeaways from the Senate hearing on CDC director’s firing and RFK Jr.’s vaccine agenda
3 key takeaways from the Senate hearing on CDC director’s firing and RFK Jr.’s vaccine agenda WASHINGTON — A Wednesday Senate hearing aimed to answer questions about the exodus of top leaders from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month. Instead, it raised a host of new ones. Former CDC Director Susan Monarez…
-
Fear and politics pervade Kennedy’s CDC, former leaders testify
Fear and politics pervade Kennedy’s CDC, former leaders testify The nation’s top health agency is not well, according to a portrait that emerged in testimony Wednesday by two of its former leaders. Susan Monarez, abruptly fired 29 days into her tenure as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Debra Houry, who…
-
STAT+: Surgeon general nominee Casey Means discloses financial ties to supplement industry
STAT+: Surgeon general nominee Casey Means discloses financial ties to supplement industry WASHINGTON — New financial disclosures from surgeon general nominee Casey Means show that she’s made hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting supplements and other health and wellness products, details likely to invite new scrutiny about potential conflicts of interest for the author and…
-
RFK Jr. adds five members to ACIP, key vaccine panel, days ahead of meeting
RFK Jr. adds five members to ACIP, key vaccine panel, days ahead of meeting WASHINGTON — Federal health officials announced the appointment of five new members to a panel of vaccine advisers handpicked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday, just days ahead of the group’s next meeting. They include…
-
STAT+: HHS to have Rensselaer investigate question of autism-vaccine link
STAT+: HHS to have Rensselaer investigate question of autism-vaccine link WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Thursday its intent to fund among the first Trump administration-solicited research on a debunked link between vaccines and autism. The contract — which supports research to “investigate the association between vaccination and autism prevalence”…
-
As U.S. faces deadly week, gun violence experts lament end of prevention research
As U.S. faces deadly week, gun violence experts lament end of prevention research Two violent acts on Wednesday — the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the shooting of two high school students in Colorado — crystallize the threat gun violence poses to public health. Yet the Trump administration just shut down its biggest…
-
STAT+: House appropriators snub Kennedy, include mRNA vaccine funding in spending bill
STAT+: House appropriators snub Kennedy, include mRNA vaccine funding in spending bill WASHINGTON — House appropriators have snubbed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. by including an amendment in their 2026 spending bill that specifically funds continued messenger RNA vaccine research, despite his effort to roll it back. In August, Kennedy announced…
-
STAT+: Kennedy looks to add new members to federal vaccine panel
STAT+: Kennedy looks to add new members to federal vaccine panel WASHINGTON — Federal health officials are planning to add more members to a key panel of vaccine advisers handpicked by health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ahead of a meeting next week, a former government official with knowledge of the situation confirmed to STAT. The…
-
STAT+: Vaccine policy threatens to put Kennedy at odds with Trump
STAT+: Vaccine policy threatens to put Kennedy at odds with Trump WASHINGTON — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s aggressive moves to change U.S. vaccine policy — adopted by leaders at other federal health agencies — may be putting him at odds with President Trump himself. Now Kennedy’s allies are rallying to support him, believing…
-
RFK Jr. ally sets off furor in U.K. with anti-Covid vaccine remarks
RFK Jr. ally sets off furor in U.K. with anti-Covid vaccine remarks LONDON — A British cardiologist who has touted his connections to top Trump administration health officials has set off a furor in U.K. health circles after giving a speech at a political conference in which he made a number of false claims about…
-
Opinion: STAT readers weigh in on fake CPR, a Nobel Peace Prize for Trump and Operation Warp Speed, and more
Opinion: STAT readers weigh in on fake CPR, a Nobel Peace Prize for Trump and Operation Warp Speed, and more First Opinion is STAT’s platform for interesting, illuminating, and provocative articles about the life sciences writ large, written by biotech insiders, health care workers, researchers, and others. To encourage robust, good-faith discussion about issues raised…
-
STAT+: RFK Jr.’s sister, nephew call for him to resign from HHS
STAT+: RFK Jr.’s sister, nephew call for him to resign from HHS Kerry Kennedy, sister of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has joined her nephew, former Massachusetts Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III, calling on her brother to resign as President Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services. “Medical decisions belong in the hands of trained and…
-
CDC’s vaccine information no longer entirely trustworthy, former director says
CDC’s vaccine information no longer entirely trustworthy, former director says It pains Rochelle Walensky, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to hear people say that the agency can’t be trusted. But these days, she said, people should be cautious about the vaccination information on its website. “What I can say is…
-
Opinion: The Trump administration’s endless quest for vaccine data is public-health gaslighting
Opinion: The Trump administration’s endless quest for vaccine data is public-health gaslighting The public discourse on vaccines has been distorted by a relentless and misleading demand for data that is already available, impractical, or unnecessary. This strategy is regularly deployed by the Trump administration: insisting that science is incomplete, that manufacturers and past regulators are…
-
New stakes in the vaccine dispute and a boost for biotech
New stakes in the vaccine dispute and a boost for biotech Does President Trump deserve a Nobel Peace Prize for Operation Warp Speed? What will health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tell Congress about the changes at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention? And is biotech back? We discuss all that and more on…
-
The big takeaways from health secretary RFK Jr.’s contentious Senate hearing
The big takeaways from health secretary RFK Jr.’s contentious Senate hearing An archived version of a live blog about the Senate hearing, with more details, can be found here. WASHINGTON — Through shouting matches and gulfs of understanding about basic facts, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vigorously defended his aggressive reform agenda in a remarkable…
-
STAT+: Now, even Senate Republicans are pushing back on Kennedy’s vaccine views
STAT+: Now, even Senate Republicans are pushing back on Kennedy’s vaccine views WASHINGTON — For the first time since health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation in February, visible fractures emerged in Senate Republicans’ united front of support for him. At the heart of the conflict: His stance on vaccines, which some Republicans had determinedly…
-
STAT+: After ousting CDC’s director, RFK Jr. mirrors her ideas to reform the agency
STAT+: After ousting CDC’s director, RFK Jr. mirrors her ideas to reform the agency WASHINGTON — In the days after health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushed out the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he suggested sweeping changes were needed to reform the agency — and that the ouster was part…
-
Washington, Oregon and California governors form a health alliance in rebuke of Trump administration
Washington, Oregon and California governors form a health alliance in rebuke of Trump administration SEATTLE — The Democratic governors of Washington, Oregon and California announced Wednesday that they created an alliance to safeguard health policies, believing the Trump administration is putting Americans’ health and safety at risk by politicizing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.…
-
7 burning questions for RFK Jr. as he faces senators on CDC turmoil and more
7 burning questions for RFK Jr. as he faces senators on CDC turmoil and more WASHINGTON — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to testify before Congress on Thursday as he continues to face a political firestorm that might determine his future in the Trump administration. Senators will have an opportunity to grill…
-
STAT+: House bill cuts HHS budget but excludes RFK Jr.’s reorganization, maintains NIH funding
STAT+: House bill cuts HHS budget but excludes RFK Jr.’s reorganization, maintains NIH funding WASHINGTON — House appropriators will mark up legislation on Tuesday that is a mixed bag for researchers. While the Republican bill rejects President Trump’s proposal to slash the National Institutes of Health budget, it proposes deep cuts to the Centers for…
-
Trump says CDC is ‘being ripped apart’ over Covid products, calls for drugmakers to prove their benefits
Trump says CDC is ‘being ripped apart’ over Covid products, calls for drugmakers to prove their benefits WASHINGTON — President Trump on Monday urged pharmaceutical companies to publicly prove that their Covid-19 products work, saying in a Truth Social post that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is “being ripped apart over this question.” …
-
Crisis within CDC is spilling into real world, experts say
Crisis within CDC is spilling into real world, experts say The implosion of leadership at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention threatens the agency, its mission, and the trust people place in public health, medical experts told STAT Thursday, a day after Director Susan Monarez refused to dismiss top scientists only to be ousted…
-
STAT+: Amid chaos at CDC, Kennedy consolidates his power
STAT+: Amid chaos at CDC, Kennedy consolidates his power WASHINGTON — In another administration, an exodus of top public health officials would’ve been an earth-shattering crisis for the head of the Department of Health and Human Services. In the age of MAHA, it seems like just another week under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. If…
-
Jim O’Neill to be acting director of CDC
Jim O’Neill to be acting director of CDC WASHINGTON — Jim O’Neill, deputy to health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will become acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after Susan Monarez was suddenly ousted from her role on Wednesday, a White House official confirmed in an email. O’Neill was sworn in as…
-
Cassidy calls for meeting of CDC vaccine advisers to be postponed following agency shakeup
Cassidy calls for meeting of CDC vaccine advisers to be postponed following agency shakeup WASHINGTON — A top Senate leader is calling for next month’s meeting of a federal advisory panel on vaccines to be postponed in the wake of a mass exodus of leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Serious allegations…
-
FDA issues narrower approvals for Covid boosters, revokes emergency authorizations
FDA issues narrower approvals for Covid boosters, revokes emergency authorizations WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved updated Covid boosters, but removed emergency use authorizations for the vaccines, in a set of moves that could make the shots more difficult to obtain for children under 5, in particular. The moves were announced…
-
CDC Director Susan Monarez is ousted as senior leaders exit agency
CDC Director Susan Monarez is ousted as senior leaders exit agency WASHINGTON — Susan Monarez, the first Senate-confirmed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has been ousted after just a month on the job — part of a series of high-ranking exits at the CDC. The Trump administration confirmed her departure but provided…
-
HHS terminates NIH program aimed at diversifying biomedical workforce
HHS terminates NIH program aimed at diversifying biomedical workforce The Department of Health and Human Services is terminating a National Institutes of Health grant program that supports students from marginalized backgrounds in the biomedical sciences. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the elimination of the program — the Minority Biomedical Research Support Program —…
-
STAT+: How Trump may use Democrats’ drug-price negotiation law
STAT+: How Trump may use Democrats’ drug-price negotiation law You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I’m happy to report that Last Week Tonight with John Oliver did a segment on…
-
Draft of major MAHA report calls for more education, less regulation — and offers few policies
Draft of major MAHA report calls for more education, less regulation — and offers few policies WASHINGTON — A much-awaited game plan for how the Trump administration will make Americans healthier largely steers clear of policy recommendations, instead calling for more research on nutrition, agricultural chemicals, and “potential benefits of select high-quality supplements,” among other…
-
Deconstructing RFK Jr.’s explanation for the cancellation of mRNA vaccine contracts
Deconstructing RFK Jr.’s explanation for the cancellation of mRNA vaccine contracts Last week, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the cancellation of $500 million in contracts to help develop RNA vaccines. Kennedy explained his reasoning for the cuts in a video posted to X. The video is only 2½ minutes long, but in that…
-
STAT+: Prasad returns to the FDA, Attack on the CDC
STAT+: Prasad returns to the FDA, Attack on the CDC You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Normally I keep the intro to this newsletter light-hearted. But today I feel compelled…
-
STAT+: Challenges mount for RFK Jr. and his MAHA agenda
STAT+: Challenges mount for RFK Jr. and his MAHA agenda WASHINGTON — A deadly shooting at one of the public health agencies that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vilified during his rise to power is proving to be a unique test of his leadership, at a time when fractures are emerging in his Make America Healthy…
-
CDC leaders attempt to reassure staff after shooting, but meeting is brief
CDC leaders attempt to reassure staff after shooting, but meeting is brief The newly installed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday sought to reassure employees their mission would continue and efforts to ensure their safety would be stepped up following a gunman’s attack on the agency’s headquarters last Friday. The…
-
NIH director: mRNA vaccine contracts were canceled because public lacks trust in technology
NIH director: mRNA vaccine contracts were canceled because public lacks trust in technology The head of the National Institutes of Health has offered a new explanation for why the federal government canceled $500 million in contracts to help develop messenger RNA vaccines, saying the platform is not viable because the public doesn’t trust it. The…