More than 750 current and former employees of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have sent a letter to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and members of Congress accusing him of spreading medical misinformation and placing federal health workers at risk. Signatories from the CDC, National Institutes of Health and other HHS units say Kennedy’s rhetoric undermines public trust and contributed to the deadly 8 August attack on the CDC’s Atlanta headquarters. Georgia investigators say the 30-year-old gunman who killed police officer David Rose and fired hundreds of rounds at six CDC buildings held deep grievances about the COVID-19 vaccine. The letter argues that Kennedy’s public doubts about vaccine safety, including his dismissal of mRNA shots as ineffective and his description of the CDC as a “cesspool of corruption,” have intensified harassment of agency staff. The authors call on Kennedy to cease disseminating inaccurate health claims, publicly affirm the CDC’s scientific integrity, and institute stronger security measures—such as enhanced emergency alerts and removal of online “watchlists” that identify employees—by 2 September. They also urge him to rescind recent personnel decisions, including the ouster of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, which they say weakened preparedness. In a separate statement, HHS said Kennedy “stands firmly with CDC employees” and condemned violence against health workers, noting that the secretary traveled to Atlanta after the shooting. Kennedy has not directly addressed the demands laid out in the letter.

A peer-reviewed analysis published in JAMA this week shows reported financial conflicts of interest on federal vaccine advisory committees have dropped to their lowest levels in a quarter-century. The share of members reporting industry ties on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices fell from about 32 % in 2000 to roughly 5 % in 2024, while the Food and Drug Administration’s counterpart panel averaged just 1.9 % since 2016. The findings undercut the rationale Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. offered in June when he dismissed all 17 ACIP members, saying the board was “rife with conflicts.” Kennedy has since replaced the panel with seven new appointees and pared back federal recommendations for Covid-19 vaccines, leaving routine shots only for people aged 65 and older or with underlying conditions. In a separate move that deepens the rift between the administration and medical groups, the American Academy of Pediatrics on 19 August published an independent immunization schedule that calls for vaccinating every child between six and 23 months against Covid-19 and continuing to immunise older children who are at heightened risk of severe disease. The academy cited CDC data showing the under-two age group has the highest paediatric Covid-19 hospitalisation rate. Kennedy responded on the social-media platform X, accusing the AAP of being influenced by large pharmaceutical donors and warning that recommendations outside the CDC list are not protected by the 1986 Vaccine Injury Act. AAP President Susan J. Kressly said the group’s advice is grounded in peer-reviewed science and governed by strict conflict-of-interest rules. The policy fight has also spurred internal dissent. More than 750 current and former employees of the Department of Health and Human Services signed a letter released 20 August urging Kennedy to renounce vaccine misinformation and strengthen security for federal health workers after an Aug. 8 shooting at CDC headquarters. The signatories wrote that eroding trust in public-health agencies “puts lives at risk.”

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced a new initiative to integrate formal nutrition education into medical training programs, including college pre-med curricula, medical schools, and residency programs. The initiative aims to ensure that every future physician masters preventive health strategies, particularly nutrition, before beginning clinical practice. As part of this effort, nutrition education will be rigorously tested, including on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Kennedy emphasized that currently only about 15% of doctors feel competent to provide nutrition advice, despite evidence that dietary changes can reverse up to 50% of diabetes cases. The initiative encourages doctors to prescribe diets alongside or instead of medications to address chronic diseases, marking a shift toward prevention-focused healthcare. This move is supported by the Department of Education and is intended to equip the next generation of doctors with the knowledge to improve national health outcomes.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled a nationwide fitness initiative at the Pentagon this week, challenging Americans to complete 100 push-ups and 50 pull-ups in less than 10 minutes. Branded the “Pete and Bobby Challenge,” the program is the first joint effort by the two departments under President Donald Trump’s Make America Healthy Again campaign. Hegseth, 45, finished the routine in 5 minutes 25 seconds, while the 71-year-old Kennedy completed it 23 seconds later during a demonstration with Marines, sailors and other service-members at the Pentagon Athletic Center. The secretaries urged schools, military recruits and the wider public to post their own times and improve their strength and endurance. Pentagon officials said the effort is aimed at reversing declining fitness levels that leave 78% of Americans aged 17–24 ineligible for military service. Hegseth has ordered a review of existing standards, warning that excess weight and low conditioning threaten force readiness. Kennedy framed the challenge as part of a broader push to curb chronic disease and promote healthier lifestyles across the country. The two cabinet members have already nominated Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to attempt the workout next, and they plan a series of regional events in the coming months. Details on accompanying nutrition and exercise resources will be released by HHS and the Department of Defense later this year.

US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Friday he will not seek the presidency in 2028, declaring in a post that “my loyalty is to President Trump and the mission we’ve started.” The statement ends weeks of speculation that the former vaccine-skeptic campaigner might mount a future White House bid and underscores his intention to remain the public face of the administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda. Kennedy’s announcement coincided with the circulation of a draft White House report, dated Aug. 6 and reviewed by several media outlets, outlining the administration’s forthcoming “Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy.” The 119-page document largely avoids new restrictions on pesticides or ultra-processed foods, instead calling for additional research, voluntary industry guidelines on marketing unhealthy products to children, and an expanded focus on nutrition, fitness and screen-time education. It proposes reviving the Presidential Fitness Test in schools, tightening prior-authorization rules for certain pediatric psychiatric drugs and studying topics ranging from electromagnetic radiation to fluoride levels in drinking water. The draft follows a string of moves that have unsettled parts of the scientific community, including Kennedy’s cancellation last week of roughly US$500 million in federal grants for mRNA-vaccine research and the reinstatement of a childhood-vaccine safety panel long sought by his former advocacy group. Congress has so far shown little enthusiasm for funding the broader MAHA program, leaving key elements to be implemented through agency rulemaking and public-awareness campaigns.

The Annals of Internal Medicine said it will not retract a large Danish study after U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. demanded the journal withdraw the paper, which examined the safety of aluminum adjuvants in childhood vaccines. Kennedy, a longtime critic of vaccination policy, described the research as "deceitful" and alleged methodological flaws. Published in July and funded by the Danish government, the study analyzed health-registry data for more than 1.2 million children over two decades. It found no evidence that cumulative exposure to aluminum-containing vaccines increased the risk of autoimmune, allergic or neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and asthma. Editor-in-chief Dr. Christine Laine told Reuters, "I see no reason for retraction," adding that the journal will address external comments on its website. Lead author Anders Peter Hviid of the Statens Serum Institut defended the work, noting that Denmark’s 2 percent unvaccinated population was too small for meaningful comparison and that individual-level data cannot be released under Danish law. Independent specialists praised the scale and design of the research. Adam Finn called the dataset "massive" and of "high-quality," while Johns Hopkins physician Amesh Adalja said the study’s limitations do not undermine its conclusions. The dispute underscores Kennedy’s broader effort to reassess federal immunization guidance, a stance that continues to draw pushback from mainstream scientific circles.

A federal judge has issued a temporary order preventing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., from sharing Medicaid data with immigration enforcement officials, specifically U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This ruling follows pressure from the Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization co-founded by Kennedy, which recently sued him for failing to establish a legally required task force on childhood vaccines. The judge presiding over the case is identified as Judge Dolly Gee, who has also recently denied a request from the Department of Justice to end the Flores settlement. The Flores settlement, established in 1997, mandates court oversight of government treatment of migrant children in detention. Meanwhile, Kennedy has publicly advocated for tackling obesity and promoting national health improvement under the slogan “Get yourself in shape, let’s make America Healthy Again.” The controversy surrounding Kennedy’s vaccine policies has drawn criticism from public health voices warning of risks to lives amid rising vaccine hesitancy and the resurgence of preventable diseases globally. Additionally, there is a noted recovery in anti-rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin sales following the Covid-19 pandemic, coinciding with an increase in dog bite incidents.

Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, who served under the Trump administration, has publicly criticized Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for halting approximately $500 million in grants and contracts related to mRNA vaccine development. Adams warned that this funding cut could lead to loss of lives, emphasizing that over 2 million lives have been saved due to mRNA vaccine technology. He accused the decision of undermining vaccine development programs and suggested it concedes scientific leadership to China. Kennedy responded by disputing Adams' claims, citing over 5,000 peer-reviewed studies documenting injuries from COVID-19 vaccines. The debate highlights ongoing tensions over U.S. vaccine policy, with concerns raised by public health officials and media outlets about the potential risks of defunding mRNA research. Adams also called out the NIH Director for defending the funding cuts, stating that such actions threaten public health and undermine what he describes as one of President Trump's most life-saving contributions. Meanwhile, broader discussions continue on public health strategies, including Kennedy's focus on obesity and the influence of agricultural and chemical industries on health policy.

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, head of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, resigned effective 28 August, posting a letter that criticized the Trump administration and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for what he called efforts to “erase transgender populations” and dismantle public-health programs. The letter drew notice for its inclusive language, including the phrase “pregnant people,” and for listing Daskalakis’s pronouns. Asked about the departure, the White House press secretary said officials who describe expectant mothers as “pregnant people” are “not someone we want in this administration,” underscoring the administration’s break with the departing scientist. Conservative commentators amplified that view, with GOP analyst Scott Jennings dismissing Daskalakis’s credibility during a CNN panel discussion on Thursday. Daskalakis is among several senior officials who have left or signaled plans to leave the agency after President Trump attempted to remove CDC Director Susan Monarez earlier this month. The departures come as Kennedy presses for sweeping changes at the CDC, stoking concern among former officials that the agency’s ability to respond to future outbreaks could be weakened.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Thursday that the National Institutes of Health is launching a series of studies to determine whether selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and other psychiatric medications contribute to violent behavior. Kennedy’s decision comes one day after a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis in which Robin Westman, a 23-year-old transgender former student, opened fire during a morning Mass, killing two children aged eight and ten and wounding 17 others before dying at the scene. Calling mass shootings a “health crisis,” Kennedy noted that several widely prescribed psychiatric drugs carry FDA black-box warnings for suicidal or homicidal ideation. “We can’t exclude those as a culprit,” he said, adding that the new research will examine prescription records, adverse-event data and medical histories that were previously difficult to access because of privacy rules. The initiative is the first federal inquiry of its kind and could reshape prescribing guidelines for the roughly one in ten American adults who use antidepressants. HHS did not give a timeline for the studies but said findings will be released publicly and inform future mental-health policy.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told President Donald Trump during a 26 Aug. cabinet meeting that his department has identified “certain interventions” that are “almost certainly causing autism” and will publish its findings in September. Kennedy said the announcement would outline both the suspected drivers of the disorder and steps the government plans to take to address them. Citing a 1970 Wisconsin study that put autism prevalence at 0.7 per 10,000 children, Kennedy contrasted that figure with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2022 estimate of one in 31 children nationwide and, in California, one in 12.5 boys. Trump called the surge a “tremendous horror show” and indicated he expects to appear alongside the secretary when the results are unveiled. The forthcoming report is the centerpiece of a $50 million Autism Data Science Initiative launched in April under the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” program. Kennedy did not specify which “interventions” are under scrutiny, but his long-standing skepticism of childhood vaccines has already drawn attention from public-health experts. Researchers contacted by journals such as Nature and PBS NewsHour cautioned that decades of peer-reviewed studies attribute roughly 80 % of autism risk to genetics and find no credible evidence linking vaccines or any single environmental factor to the condition. Many scientists argue that broader diagnostic criteria and greater awareness, rather than a new external trigger, explain most of the reported increase in cases. HHS has yet to release study protocols or data underlying Kennedy’s claim, prompting advocacy groups to demand transparency ahead of the September deadline. The agency says more details will be provided at that time, but outside experts warn that overstating preliminary findings could erode public trust in established autism research and vaccination programs.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing intensified criticism from the medical community after reviving the long-debunked claim that the hepatitis B vaccine increases autism risk. Infectious-disease specialists and pediatric groups pointed to decades of peer-reviewed research showing no link between any childhood vaccine and autism. The backlash came as an associate of Kennedy told the Daily Beast that he and President Donald Trump are discussing removing COVID-19 vaccines from the U.S. market “within months.” Although the administration has not confirmed the plan, the report has alarmed physicians who warn that curbing access could reverse progress against the virus. Doctors and the American Academy of Pediatrics continue to urge parents to follow established immunization schedules as the school year begins, arguing that Kennedy’s rhetoric and reported moves inside HHS risk undermining public confidence and jeopardizing protections against preventable diseases.