• Who are the people Trump has picked for key positions in his second administration so far

    Who are the people Trump has picked for key positions in his second administration so far

    Nov 25, 2024 02:35 AM EST

    ... people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines. For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Agriculture Secretary: Brooke Rollins Trump said he will nominate Rollins to be his agriculture secretary. Rollins, 52, was his last announced pick to lead ...

  • Trump names a Fox News personality, a COVID mandate critic and an anti-vaccine doctor to key public health roles

    Trump names a Fox News personality, a COVID mandate critic and an anti-vaccine doctor to key public health roles

    Nov 24, 2024 12:47 AM EST

    ... in the early 2000s, Weldon had a prominent part in a debate about whether there was a relationship between a vaccine preservative called thimerosal and autism. He was a founding member of the Congressional Autism Caucus and tried to ban thimerosal from all vaccines. Kennedy, then a senior attorney for ...

  • What Trump’s latest picks mean for the future of U.S. public health policy

    What Trump’s latest picks mean for the future of U.S. public health policy

    Nov 23, 2024 10:45 PM EST

    ... s Dave Weldon, the former Republican congressman. He's staunchly anti-abortion, skeptical of vaccines, has pushed the debunked idea that preservatives and vaccines cause autism. And he's going to potentially soon be leading the CDC, which is now has to be confirmed by the Senate. Does he fit ...

  • Why health experts are concerned about RFK Jr.'s HHS nomination

    Why health experts are concerned about RFK Jr.'s HHS nomination

    Nov 15, 2024 11:45 PM EST

    ... vaccines. There are worries, too, about his history of false statements and beliefs in debunked conspiracy theories on subjects like HIV and AIDS, antidepressants, and autism. At the same time, he's pushing hard on some major problems that experts say are real, like nutrition, obesity, processed food among them ...

  • A look at RFK Jr.'s record as Trump selects him to lead nation's health agency

    A look at RFK Jr.'s record as Trump selects him to lead nation's health agency

    Nov 14, 2024 11:55 PM EST

    ... foods. But Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has also said a lot of -- spread a lot of conspiracy theories, things like baseless claims that vaccines cause autism. He has blamed school shootings on anti-depressant use. And he's claimed that the FDA is actively suppressing the use of raw milk ...

  • Trump nominates Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has promoted vaccine misinformation, as health secretary

    Trump nominates Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has promoted vaccine misinformation, as health secretary

    Nov 14, 2024 09:15 PM EST

    ... even in a GOP-controlled Senate. Kennedy has espoused misinformation around the safety of vaccines, including pushing a totally discredited theory that childhood vaccines cause autism. He also has said he would recommend removing fluoride from drinking water. The addition of the material has been cited as leading to improved ...

  • Pentagon secrets leaker Teixeira sentenced to 15 years in prison

    Pentagon secrets leaker Teixeira sentenced to 15 years in prison

    Nov 12, 2024 04:34 PM EST

    ... did not suffer from any intellectual disability that would prevent him from knowing right from wrong, adding his post-arrest diagnosis of “mild, high-functioning” autism was of “questionable relevance” to the proceedings. Teixeira, who was part of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts ...

  • Health officials concerned about RFK Jr.'s influence in Trump administration

    Health officials concerned about RFK Jr.'s influence in Trump administration

    Nov 07, 2024 11:25 PM EST

    ... So let's just start with Mr. Kennedy's vaccine skepticism, which is well-documented. In interviews, he's questioned their safety, linked vaccines to autism and to cancer. Do any of those claims have merit? Dr. Richard Besser: Amna, I'm also a pediatrician and practiced pediatrics for more ...

  • Harris warns health care on the line as Johnson eyes 'massive reform' if Trump wins

    Harris warns health care on the line as Johnson eyes 'massive reform' if Trump wins

    Oct 31, 2024 10:55 PM EST

    ... Collins: Kids get them and they're fine. Howard Lutnick: Why do you think they're fine? We all know so many more people with autism than had it when we were young. Oh, come on. Laura Barron-Lopez: Tonight, both candidates head to battleground, Nevada as voters there file ...

  • Prosecutors seek 17-year prison sentence for Pentagon documents leaker Jack Teixeira

    Prosecutors seek 17-year prison sentence for Pentagon documents leaker Jack Teixeira

    Oct 30, 2024 06:51 PM EST

    ... from an intellectual disability that prevents him from knowing right from wrong. They argued that Teixeira's post-arrest diagnosis as having “mild, high-functioning" autism "is of questionable relevance in these proceedings.” “Whatever developmental or social difficulties Teixeira may have experienced, his decision to illegally disclose national defense information ...