Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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Generic Mifepristone Wins OK, Upsetting Trump Allies

Pence calls for firing Kennedy, though agency says it has little leeway on generics

(Newser) - The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new generic version of mifepristone, which was first cleared for use ending pregnancies through 10 weeks in 2000. The FDA notified Evita Solutions on Tuesday, sparking an outcry from abortion rights opponents though the agency noted that it "has very limited...

WHO Begs to Differ With Trump's Tylenol Stance

Agency says there's no scientific proof that acetaminophen during pregnancy causes autism

(Newser) - Add the World Health Organization to those pushing back against warnings from the Trump administration about the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy. President Trump and health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. linked use of the drug—the active ingredient in Tylenol—to autism, but the WHO says "no...

RFK Jr. Orders New FDA Review of Key Abortion Pill

Move could affect access to most common abortion method nationwide

(Newser) - Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced this week that the FDA will launch a fresh review of mifepristone, the primary drug used for medication abortions in the US. The move comes in response to requests from 22 Republican attorneys general, who've raised concerns about...

Trump's 'Tough It Out' Advice to Pregnant Women Questioned

Ignoring a high fever in the first trimester puts the fetus at risk, say critics

(Newser) - During his news conference on Monday, President Trump warned pregnant women not to take Tylenol —and he repeated the warning 10 times by the count of the Washington Post . "Don't take Tylenol, don't take it," Trump said. "Fight like hell not to take it....

Trump Slammed for 'Dangerous' Tylenol Advice

President suggests there is a link to autism, without offering new evidence

(Newser) - "Taking Tylenol is not good," President Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday. "I'll say it. It's not good." The president—flanked by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz, the surgeon general—said that acetaminophen, the active ingredient...

Trump Teases 'Amazing' News About Autism

Administration will reportedly link the disorder to the use of Tylenol during pregnancy

(Newser) - During his speech at the Charlie Kirk memorial on Sunday, President Trump teased what he described as a historic announcement to come on Monday about autism. "I think you're going to find it to be amazing," said the president, per USA Today . "I think we found...

Kennedy's Panel Adds Dose of Confusion on COVID Shots

Advisers drop recommendation for annual vaccination but recommend checking with doctor first

(Newser) - Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s new vaccine advisers on Friday muddied the picture on this fall's COVID-19 vaccinations. The CDC panel declined to recommend the vaccines for anyone, leaving the decision on whether to have the shot up to Americans, the AP reports. At the same...

CDC Panel Plans to Limit MMRV Vaccine for Young Kids

Panel cites seizure risk for kids under 4 in guidance

(Newser) - A CDC advisory panel voted Thursday to alter its stance on the MMRV vaccine, which combines the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine with a varicella, or chickenpox, vaccine. The group suggested that children under 4 should not routinely receive the combo shot due to a slightly increased risk of...

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...

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