Tag Archives: anti-vax

The New York Times reports: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is in line to lead the Department of Health and Human Services in the next Trump administration, is well-known for promoting conspiracy theories and vaccine skepticism in the United States. But Mr. Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, has also spent years working abroad to undermine policies that have been pillars of …

The Hill reports: Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the FDA during President-elect Trump’s first term, expressed concerns with his pick of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Humans Services due to his anti-vaccine advocacy. “I think if RFK follows through on his intentions, and I believe he will, and I believe he can, it …

From a Washington Post op-ed: It is certainly possible that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be Health and Human Services secretary, will move to restrict vaccine access. A likely first target is the coronavirus vaccine. Kennedy could instruct the CDC to remove the shot from its recommended list of vaccines, which would mean insurers no longer …

NBC News reports: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a dark view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2019, he called the federal agency’s vaccine division a fascist enterprise and accused it of knowingly hurting children. He also compared what he saw as a widespread conspiracy to hide harms from the child vaccination program to the cover-up of …

Politico reports: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is enlisting associates with close ties to anti-vaccine organizations to help vet and interview candidates for senior roles at the Department of Health and Human Services, even as he publicly seeks to distance himself from the movement he once led. At least three informal advisers connected to the anti-vaccine movement are assisting Kennedy in …

Politico reports: In a flurry of Truth Social posts last night, Trump made a furious pre-holiday-week dent in his list of Cabinet and key sub-Cabinet nominations — naming nine picks in the span of about 70 minutes and ruining happy hour for all the reporters who suddenly had to freshen their pre-writes. Whether by design or by compulsion, the volume …

NBC News reports: The Supreme Court late on Wednesday rejected an attempt by Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine group founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to protect doctors being investigated in Washington state for allegedly spreading misinformation about the Covid-19 virus. The emergency application was denied by Justice Elena Kagan on behalf of the court. “We hope that one day …

“I think that we’re talking about magnitudes of danger beyond erroneously making legal decisions. This is life or death. The HHS affects people from birth to their grave and is intimately connected with every state in the country. “So this could be very dangerous. I think it’s totally disqualifying for anyone who seeks to lead the major health agency in …

Mother Jones reports: Anti-vaccine activist and Donald Trump transition team member Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had said he’d fire and replace 600 people from the National Institutes of Health on “day one” of a second Trump term. The NIH is one of the public health agencies Kennedy loathes the most—and despite still lacking any defined role in a new administration, …

Michael Bloomberg writes for Bloomberg News: Trump should remember that Kennedy spread lies about the Covid vaccine, falsely calling it the “deadliest vaccine ever made.” In any position of influence, Kennedy would jeopardize decades of hard-won advances in public health and put American lives needlessly at risk. Thanks to vaccines, afflictions such as polio are now rare. Smallpox has been …

The Florida Phoenix reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday endorsed his own controversial State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo for a top health care position in the next Trump administration. DeSantis went on social media, where he called on his followers to repost a picture of Ladapo if they want to see him serve as secretary of the Department of Health …

Courthouse News reports: Doctors skeptical of the efficacy of vaccines — represented by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — asked the Supreme Court for emergency intervention Monday to prevent medical boards from punishing health care workers for spreading vaccine disinformation that threatens to erode public trust in the medical profession. “The court should speak clearly and decisively to state actors, professional …

The Associated Press reports: A regional public health department in Idaho is no longer providing COVID-19 vaccines to residents in six counties after a narrow decision by its board. Southwest District Health appears to be the first in the nation to be restricted from giving COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccinations are an essential function of a public health department. Of the more …

The Washington Post reports: Florida’s top health official, whose tenure has been marked by his warnings against vaccines, threats to TV stations for running abortion ads and frequent clashes with public health experts, has emerged as a candidate to run the Department of Health and Human Services in a potential Trump administration. Joseph A. Ladapo is on a list of …

The Louisiana Illuminator reports: Dozens of anti-vaccine bills have died in the Louisiana Legislature since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but ultra-conservative lawmakers are gearing up for another fight. In the process, truth has become a major casualty. In two days of hearings last week on the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the House heard hours of testimony …

The Daily Mail reports: Rob Schneider is drawing backlash for a backhanded tribute to NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo – with the comedian using the former 7-footer’s death to push his anti-vax agenda. Mutombo passed away on Monday at the age of 58 after a long battle with brain cancer – which he went public with back in 2022. But Schneider, …

From the New York State Health Department: The New York State Department of Health today voided pediatric immunization records for approximately 135 children, all school-aged or younger, whose purported vaccinations were found to have been falsified by former Suffolk County nurse practitioner Julie DeVuono who did business as Wild Child Pediatrics. An investigation by the Department of Health’s Bureau of …

The CBC reports: Two men have been sentenced to 6½ years in prison for their roles in the blockade of the Canada-U.S. border crossing at Coutts, Alta. Anthony Olienick showed no emotion while Chris Carbert appeared glum and folded his arms, as the sentence was read out in Court of King’s Bench on Monday. Neither are to serve their full …

PolitiFact reports: The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California ruled in favor of PolitiFact and its parent organization in a lawsuit filed by Children’s Health Defense, a legal advocacy group founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The Aug. 9 ruling affirmed the district court’s dismissal of a complaint brought by the Children’s Health Defense against Meta Platforms and Meta …

Gallup Polling reports: Fewer Americans today consider childhood vaccines important, with 40% saying it is extremely important for parents to have their children vaccinated, down from 58% in 2019 and 64% in 2001. There has been a similar decline in the combined “extremely” and “very important” percentage, which was 94% in 2001 but sits at 69% today. The declining belief …