Robert F. Kennedy

Nov. 7 (UPI) — Cornell University on Friday reached an agreement with the Trump administration to allocate $60 million that would end government investigations and restore several hundred million dollars in research funding for the private school.

Cornell has now joined four other elite universities in making deals.

The allegations stem from accusations of anti-Semitism and admissions discrimination. Cornell, located in Ithaca, N.Y., settled after Brown University, Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Virginia.

Cornell reached the deal with the Department of Justice, Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services that “will protect Cornell’s students from violations of federal civil rights laws, including from discrimination based on race, sex, or national origin, and promote America’s hardworking farming and rural communities,” according to a DOJ news release.

The Ivy League school agreed to pay a $30 million fine and to invest another $30 million for programs to improve efficiency and lower costs in agriculture and farming. Cornell is a land-grant school that conducts agricultural research. The money will be spread out over three years.

The Trump administration froze more than $1 billion in research funding at the school.

Cornell’s president, Michael Kotlikoff, during his State of the University address in September, said officials didn’t know how the government reached that figure.

He said Cornell had accounted for “nearly $250 million in canceled or unpaid research funds.”

Kotlikoff had said he didn’t want the government to “dictate our institution’s policies.”

“The months of stop-work orders, grant terminations and funding freezes have stalled cutting-edge research, upended lives and careers, and threatened the future of academic programs at Cornell,” he said in a statement to the Cornell community.

“With this resolution. Cornell looks forward to resuming the long and fruitful partnership with the federal government that has yielded, for so many years, so much progress and well-being for our nation and our world.”

The five-page document reads: “This agreement is not an admission in whole or in part by either party. Cornell denies liability with respect to the subject matter of the Investigations.” The deal goes through Dec. 31, 2028.

“Both parties affirm the importance of and their support for academic freedom,” the agreement said. “The United States does not aim to dictate the content of academic speech or curricula, and no provision of this agreement, individually or taken together, shall be construed as giving the United States authority to dictate the content of academic speech or curricula.”

In the agreement, the school and government “affirm the importance of and their support for civil rights, and Cornell has a “commitment to complying with federal civil rights laws and agrees to include the Department of Justice’s ‘Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding Regarding Unlawful Discrimination.”

Cornell agreed to provide discrimination training to faculty and staff members.

“The Trump administration has secured another transformative commitment from an Ivy League institution to end divisive DEl policies,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said.

“Thanks to this deal with Cornell and the ongoing work of DOJ, HHS, and the team at ED, U.S. universities are refocusing their attention on merit, rigor, and truth seeking — not ideology. These reforms are a huge win in the fight to restore excellence to American higher education and make our schools the greatest in the world.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi also praised the deal, saying, “Recipients of federal funding must fully adhere to federal civil rights laws and ensure that harmful DEI policies [diversity, equity and inclusion] do not discriminate against students.

“Today’s deal is a positive outcome that illustrates the value of universities working with this administration — we are grateful to Cornell for working toward this agreement.”

“The Trump Administration is actively dismantling the ability of elite universities to discriminate based on race or religion,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said. “The DOJ’s agreement with Cornell strengthens protections for students against anti-Semitism and all other forms of discrimination.”

The investigations into Cornell centered on campus demonstrations against Israel in the war with Hamas that began on Oct. 7, 2023, and demands to diversify from weapons manufacturers that supplied the Israeli military.

McMahon had said the protests “severely disrupted campus life” and Jewish students were fearful on campus.

Despite a nearly $12 billion endowment, university officials warned about layoffs and “a comprehensive review of programs and head count across the university.”

In the other deals, Penn and Virginia had no financial penalties, while Columbia agreed to a $200 million fine and Brown committed to spend $50 million on workforce development programs.

Harvard hasn’t reached a deal and individually sued in April. The federal government said it would freeze more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts after Harvard refused to agree to demands, including eliminating DEI programs.

Also, another $1 billion in federal health research contracts to Harvard could be withheld. The IRS is considering rescinding the tax-exempt status of the university. And the administration has threatened Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students.

A Justice Department lawyer told a federal judge Thursday that the University of California system wasn’t close to reaching an agreement. The schools include UCLA.

Nov. 3 (UPI) — The Texas-based Kimberly-Clark Corporation announced Monday it reached a deal to purchase Kenvue — the maker of Band-Aid and Tylenol products — for $48.7 billion.

The combination cash and stock transaction will see Kimberly-Clark acquire all outstanding shares of Kenvue common stock. A news release from Kimberly-Clark said the sale will put 10 billion-dollar brands together under the same company.

Kimberly-Clark’s brands include Kleenex, Cottonelle, Huggies, Poise, Pull-Ups, Scott, Viva and Kotex.

“We are excited to bring together two iconic companies to create a global health and wellness leader,” CEO Mike Hsu said.

“With a shared commitment to developing science and technology to provide extraordinary care, we will serve billions of consumers across every stage of life.”

Kimberly-Clark said the sale is expected to close in the second half of 2026 upon approval by shareholders of both companies. Upon completion, Hsu will serve as chairman of the board and CEO of the combined company. Meanwhile, three board members from Kenue will join Kimberly-Clark’s board.

In the wake of the news, Kenvue’s shares increased 20% in premarket trading, and Kimberly-Clark’s decreased by 14% Monday, CNBC reported.

Less than a week before the announcement, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he was suing Kenvue and its parent company, Johnson & Johnson, for “deceptively marketing” Tylenol as a safe pain reliever.

The Trump administration announced in September that there was a link between Tylenol and an increased risk of autism, though, on Thursday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy said there wasn’t sufficient evidence to explicitly claim that Tylenol causes autism.

Oct. 23 (UPI) — The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions has scheduled a virtual confirmation hearing for surgeon general nominee Dr. Casey Means five months after she was nominated.

The hearing is scheduled on Oct. 30, and Means, 38, who is pregnant, will be in Kilauea, Hawaii, when she testifies remotely, ABC News reported.

If the committee votes in favor of her recommendation, she then would be subject to a confirmation vote before the full Senate.

President Donald Trump cited her “impeccable” credentials as an advocate for the Make America Healthy Again movement begun by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Means also is an advocate for wearable health devices and co-founded health tech firm Levels, which promotes the use of technology to track individuals’ health information, according to The Hill.

Kennedy, likewise, favors the use of wearable health-tracking devices and wants to make it possible for everyone in the United States to wear one within four years.

Means also is the sister of Kennedy adviser Calley Means.

Trump nominated Means in May after withdrawing his prior surgeon general nomination for Janette Nesheiwat when her qualifications were questioned.

Means obtained her medical training at Stanford University but exited her residency program when she was disillusioned by the financial incentives for and practice of surgical care.

She since has become known for her advocacy for wellness and the roles of diet and nutrition in people’s health.

Means says diet is the root cause of much of the chronic illnesses that people experience.

Her HELP committee confirmation hearing was delayed due to Means not submitting financial and ethics records until recently, according to The New York Times.

Her financial records show Means has turned her support for diet as a root cause of illnesses into a moneymaker by accepting payments from companies that sell dietary supplements, deliver home meals and other revenue sources.

She also receives sponsorship money for her newsletter, which generated about $116,000 in income over a recent 18-month period, according to The New York Times.

Her financial disclosures also show Swiss firm Amazentis contributed another $79,000 in newsletter sponsorship funding and paid $55,000 for Means’ book tour fees.

She also reported earning less than $1 million but more than $100,000 on the sales of her book, “Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health.”

Some of Means’s critics say her health advocacy is not rooted in science and might cause harm.

Sept. 22 (UPI) — President Donald Trump likely will announce Monday that use of Tylenol in pregnancy causes autism, according to media reports.

Trump told reporters Sunday night that he believed Tylenol was “a very big factor” in autism risk, despite a recent study finding that taking acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, during pregnancy was not tied to autism spectrum disorder.

When asked to confirm reports that he planned to tie Tylenol to increased risk of autism, Trump said, “We’re going to see tomorrow. We’re going to do it tomorrow, but I think it’s a very big factor.”

An announcement is scheduled for 4 p.m. EDT with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Tylenol maker Kenvue disputes the tie to ASD.

“We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism,” Kenvue said in a statement. “We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers.”

“The facts are that over a decade of rigorous research, endorsed by leading medical professionals and global health regulators, confirms there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism,” the statement said.

Trump also criticized vaccines.

“Vaccines are very interesting,” Trump told reporters. “They can be great, but when you put the wrong stuff in them, and, you know, children get these massive vaccines, like you’d give to a horse, like you’d give to a horse. And I’ve said for a long time, I mean, this is no secret.”

Autism diagnoses in the United States have increased significantly since 2000. By 2020, the U.S. autism rate in 8-year-olds was 1 in 36, or 2.77%, up from 0.66% in 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Research spanning decades hasn’t found firm answers on what contributes to autism, but many scientists believe genetics and environmental influences play a role. Kennedy has argued the country has an “autism epidemic” fueled by “environmental toxins.”

Sept. 18 (UPI) — The Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday that it will decertify an organ procurement organization following an investigation that found years of unsafe practices in a number of areas.

A report from the HHS found poor training, chronic underperformance, understaffing and paperwork errors.

“In one 2024 case, a mistake led a surgeon to decline a donated heart for a patient awaiting transplant surgery,” a release from the agency said.

The desertification of the Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency, which is part of the University of Miami Health System, is among HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. ‘s reform efforts announced in July.

The investigation found that in one organ recovery program, at least 28 patients may have still been alive while organs were already being prepared for transplant, the release said.

“73 patients showed neurological signs incompatible with donation, and the Biden administration had closed its own investigation without action,” the release continued.

The release claimed a “disregard for the sanctity of human life” within the transplant system, and said that poses a threat to prospective donors and recipients.

“Nearly 100,000 Americans are currently on transplant waitlists, and an average of 13 patients die each day waiting for an organ, even as more than 28,000 donated organs go unmatched every year,” the release said.

HHS said it aims to restore integrity in the Organ Procurement and Translation Network by preventing line-skipping in organ allocation, creating an independent board to oversee organ procurement and transplant procedures, strengthening the misconduct reporting system by providing a channel for patients and providers to report safety concerns quickly.

It also said a new transparency tool will show when organs are donated outside of a standard match list, and has proposed removing DEI guidelines to ensure fairness.

Sept. 17 (UPI) — Massachusetts says that all citizens should be vaccinated to protect against the COVID-19 virus as the Bay State will now force insurance providers to cover vaccines approved by the state.

On Wednesday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health released its COVID-19 vaccine guidelines through 2026 that suggested all state residents get a COVID-19 shot, including children ages 6, and particularly those at higher risk of exposure, with a weakened immune system or pregnant.

“We are not going to let Donald Trump or Robert Kennedy take away your ability to make your own health care decisions,” said Gov. Maura Healey.

The decision by Massachusetts came as the Food and Drug Administration under U.S. Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. approved in August its most recent round of COVID shots but federally limited their use.

Healey said earlier this month that Massachusetts will begin to require health insurance companies to cover state-recommended vaccines and became the first U.S. state to do so, followed by Illinois in an executive order Friday by Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat.

Executive actions in Illinois and Massachusetts could be the first in a series of other similar acts by governors to create a coalition to set vaccine policy separate of federal authorities.

“Massachusetts will continue to lead with science and protect access to life-saving vaccines,” Healey, 54, said Wednesday in a statement.

Notably, the Healey administration’s plan was backed by the nonprofit entities Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans.

The newly issued state guidelines stand in stark contrast to federal recommendations by the Trump administration and Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.

Massachusetts health officials said the state acted on an “extensive review of current scientific data” consistent with widely respected groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The commonwealth’s Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein reiterated Wednesday that vaccines remain the “most effective public health intervention of the past century,” adding that vaccine use has “saved millions of lives.”

Goldstein stated its guidelines were “grounded in evidence and science, driven by equity and shaped by the lived experiences” of Massachusetts’ 351 communities.

On Monday, Healey called Kennedy a “walking conspiracy theorist who is denying people vaccines and the healthcare they want and need” during a speech to Massachusetts Democrats as she hailed her administration’s new vaccine coverage mandate for insurance conglomerates.

A recent study indicated that in 2022 and 2023 more than 1.5 million “missing Americans” died due to COVID-19 in excessive deaths that could have been averted.

But on Wednesday Healey said the state was taking this action “so the people of Massachusetts know that you will continue to be able to get the vaccines you want and need — no matter what happens at the federal level.”

Also on Wednesday, ex-CDC Director Susan Minaret appeared on Capitol Hill to testify in front of lawmakers over her termination by Kennedy due to allegations that she refused to allow all decisions to be approved by political staff.

Sept. 10 (UPI) — Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez will testify before the Senate about the organization she briefly ran.

Monarez will appear on Sept. 17 before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, along with Deb Houry, the former Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science at CDC. Houry resigned her position to protest Monarez’s termination.

The two are slated to discuss their time at the CDC to offer testimony regarding their take on the state of the agency.

“To protect children’s health, Americans need to know what has happened and is happening at the CDC,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., chairperson of the HELP Committee, in a press release Tuesday. “They need to be reassured that their child’s health is given priority. Radical transparency is the only way to do that.”

“[Susan Monarez] is a public health expert with unimpeachable scientific credentials,” Kennedy had said of her at the beginning of August after she was sworn into her role. “I have full confidence in her ability to restore the [CDC’s] role as the most trusted authority in public health and to strengthen our nation’s readiness to confront infectious diseases and biosecurity threats.”

However, Monarez only held her position at the CDC for about four weeks, before allegedly being pushed out because she wouldn’t echo the agenda of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. or remove scientists from the agency because of his plans.

She was fired after refusing to resign.

“Susan Monarez is not aligned with the president’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement to media in regard to her being axed.

“Since Susan Monarez refused to resign despite informing HHS leadership of her intent to do so, the White House has terminated Monarez from her position with the CDC,” he added.

“Parents deserve a CDC they can trust to put children above politics, evidence above ideology and facts above fear,” wrote Monarez in an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal last week. “I was fired for holding that line.”

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, who formerly led the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and Dr. Daniel Jernigan, who headed the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, also quit the CDC as Kennedy has worked to reshape the vaccine advisory panel to meet his own vaccine policies.

Kennedy, who cancelled approximately $500 million in contracts for mRNA vaccines last month, changed the recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women to receive COVID-19 vaccinations and led the reduction of approval for updated COVID shots this fall to only cover people over 65, or younger Americans with underlying conditions, via the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA.

Sept. 5 (UPI) — Massachusetts is the first state to force health insurance companies to cover vaccines recommended by the state’s department of public health.

The law will require that insurance companies not solely follow recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has seen recent changes to its vaccine recommendations by Health and Human Services Department Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration narrowed the list of people to whom it recommends the COVID-19 vaccine, drawing criticism from the Senate at Thursday’s hearing questioning Kennedy about that and other decisions.

“Massachusetts has the best health care in the world,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement Friday. “We won’t let Donald Trump and Robert Kennedy get between patients and their doctors. When the federal government fails to protect public health, Massachusetts will step up. The actions we are announcing today will make sure people can continue to get the vaccines they need and want in Massachusetts.”

On Wednesday, a group of states with Democrat governors — California, Oregon and Washington — announced plans to form a public health alliance to offer “evidence-based immunization guidance,” The Hill reported.

Healey said earlier this week that her state will join other Northeastern states to create a similar coalition to set vaccine policy.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans have said they support the action by Healey.

“Today’s action ensures that everyone who should get a vaccine will get one, and their insurance will cover it,” Insurance Commissioner Michael Caljouw said in a statement. “Our collective commitment — state government working with our health insurance companies — is important as we enter the fall season.”

The governor, in the press release, outlined a three-step plan:

The Division of Insurance and Department of Public Health issued a bulletin that requires insurance carriers in Massachusetts to continue to cover vaccines recommended by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

The governor has taken steps to ensure that Massachusetts residents who want the COVID vaccine can get it at pharmacies.

Massachusetts is leading efforts to create a public health collaboration with states in New England and across the Northeast committed to safeguarding public health.

Aug. 29 (UPI) — American nurses are expressing serious concerns over the changes at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the American Nurses Association.

The White House on Thursday named Jim O’Neill, a close ally of top health official Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to serve as acting director of the CDC, according to sources in multiple media reports.

The move came one day after the President Donald Trump administration fired CDC Director Susan Monarez less than one month into the job. Kennedy, secretary of Health and Human Services, had pushed Monarez to resign after she disagreed with his anti-vaccine policies, but she refused.

Four other CDC leaders also resigned Wednesday over frustration about anti-vaccine policy pushed by Kennedy.

“The removal of the CDC director and resignation of key leaders raises serious questions about our country’s ability to respond to a public health crisis if it were to happen today” said ANA President Jennifer Mensik Kennedy in a press release. “There has been a lot of change but not a lot of change management. The amount of change without transparency and clear communication is whipsawing to healthcare professionals and the public at large. Americans deserve steady and consistent leadership at the helm of the CDC to safeguard their health, safety, the economy and national security.”

The press release said that public confidence in federal health guidance hinges on agencies that operate free from political interference and grounded solely in science and evidence-based practice.

“At a time when America faces constant public health threats, these abrupt changes do not further the public’s trust in our health care system and could potentially pose a direct risk to the safety and security of our nation. We are concerned that if a public health crisis were to occur today, our nation would not be positioned to respond effectively,” the release said.

The ANA was removed, along with others, from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which compounds concerns, the ANA said.

“A strong ACIP must be reconstituted to ensure robust and balanced debate. As the largest and most trusted segment of the health care workforce, nurses understand that public health and national security are interconnected as health crises can threaten a nation’s stability, economy and national security. We saw this during COVID. A strong CDC is essential to safeguarding public health,” the release said.

O’Neill, who served as deputy secretary of the HHS, was selected to fill the top CDC post temporarily, unnamed sources told The Washington Post, which first reported the news. Axios and The Hill independently confirmed the appointment.

O’Neill previously served as principal associate deputy secretary of the HHS during the administration of President George W. Bush. He is also the former CEO of the Thiel Foundation, founded by Peter Thiel, a Trump donor.

Monarez has refused to leave her job as head of the CDC and was contesting her ouster, saying only Trump has the authority to fire her. Monarez’s lawyers said Kennedy sought to remove her because she declined “to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives” and she accused him of “weaponizing public health,” according to the BBC.

Aug. 28 (UPI) — The White House chose Jim O’Neill, a close ally of top health official Robert F. Kennedy Jr., on Thursday to serve as acting director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to sources in multiple media reports.

The move comes a day after the Trump administration fired CDC Director Susan Monarez less than one month into the job. Kennedy, secretary of Health and Human Services, had pushed Monarez to resign after she disagreed with his anti-vaccine policies, but she refused.

O’Neill, who served as deputy secretary of the HHS, was selected to fill the top CDC post temporarily, unnamed sources told The Washington Post, which first reported the news. Axios and The Hill independently confirmed the appointment.

O’Neill previously served as principal associate deputy secretary of the HHS during the administration of President George W. Bush. He is also the former CEO of the Thiel Foundation, founded by Peter Thiel, a donor to President Donald Trump.

Monarez has refused to leave her job as head of the CDC and was contesting her ouster, saying only Trump has the authority to fire her. Monarez’s lawyers said Kennedy sought to remove her because she declined “to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives” and she accused him of “weaponizing public health,” according to the BBC.

Four other CDC officials resigned Thursday in protest of Monarez’s firing and in defiance of Kennedy’s anti-vaccine policies.

Aug. 27 (UPI) — The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention left after less than one month on the job, and four top officials with the agencies resigned.

Susan Monarez, 50, the first non-physician to lead the agency in more than 50 years, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 29 in a 51-47 vote and sworn in on July 31. She served as acting director when Donald Trump became president again on Jan. 20 and was nominated for the top job on March 24. Dave Weldon‘s nomination was withdrawn because of the former U.S. House member’s questioning of vaccine safety.

For two years, she was deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, where she applied artificial intelligence and machine learning to health matters.

“Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” a post on the Department of Health and Human Services’ X account said. “We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people.”

The post also said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has “full confidence in his team at @CDCgov who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious diseases at home and abroad.”

NBC reported four other top CDC officials submitted their resignations: Dr. Debra Houry, the CDC’s chief medical officer; Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; Dr. Daniel Jernigan, the director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; and Dr. Jen Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance and Technology.

The CDC, which is part of HHS, had 12,820 employees in September 2024, but the numbers have thinned, including 600 terminated earlier this month. In March, HHS announced plans to cut 2,400 positions.

Monarez received three degrees at the University of Wisconsin: Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and a doctorate.

Just eight days after being sworn in, Monarez was thrust into a tragic situation.

On Aug. 8, a gunman shot at six buildings of the CDC’s headquarters in Atlanta, and one police officer died. The gunman, who died at the scene, had said the COVID-19 vaccine made him sick and blamed the CDC,

Members of the CDC union want lies about the COVID-19 shot’s safety to be strongly debunked.

“We know that misinformation can be dangerous,” Monarez said during a meeting, according to a transcript obtained by NBC News. “Not only to health, but to those that trust us and those we want to trust. We need to rebuild the trust together.”

She was supposed to convene a meeting with CDC staff on Monday about safety concerns and security enhancements.

“Unfortunately, we need to postpone Monday’s event for an HHS meeting that I have been asked to attend in person in DC,” Monarez wrote in an email to CDC staff seen by NBC News.

Sources told The New York Times that Monarez objected to Kennedy replacing all members of the CDC advisory committee on vaccines. He distanced the entire committee of all 17 members, and on June 11 named eight people, including prominent vaccine skeptics and pandemic response critics.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices normally includes pediatricians, geriatricians and other vaccine experts but the new panel includes a psychiatrist, neuroscientist, epidemiologist and biostatistician, and professor of operations management.

The CDC recommends the updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine for everyone 6 months and older based on age, vaccination history and immune status. Patients and their families are urged to consult with their physician.

Earlier Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration approved the latest round of COVID-19 vaccines, but new limits were set on which Americans can get them. The agency ended its authorization for the broad use of COVID-19 shots, clearing them only for patients at higher risk of severe illness, and those age 65 and older — or younger adults with at least one underlying health condition who would qualify.

Last week, HHS confirmed Retsef Levia, a vocal COVID-19 vaccine opponent, was appointed to lead a CDC subcommittee reviewing safety of the shots.

On Aug. 5, Kennedy announced HHS will terminate 22 contracts worth $500 million to develop vaccines for respiratory viruses using mRNA technology, including COVID-19 shots, after officials determined the “technology poses more risks than benefits for these respiratory viruses.”

Aug. 27 (UPI) — The federal government signed-off on the latest round of COVID-19 vaccines, but new limits were set on which Americans can get them after U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fulfilled many of his promises to reshape U.S. vaccine policy.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday ended its authorization for the broad use of COVID-19 shots, clearing them only for patients at higher risk of severe illness, and those age 65 and older — or younger adults with at least one underlying health condition who would qualify.

“The emergency use authorizations for Covid vaccines, once used to justify broad mandates on the general public during the Biden administration, are now rescinded,” Kennedy stated early Wednesday afternoon in a post on X.

Kennedy said the American people “demanded science, safety and common sense,” and he claimed this new framework “delivers all three.”

But this new action is likely to complicate access, observers say, and prompts questions on insurance plan coverage.

According to Kennedy, vaccine shots still will be available for patients but only after they consult with a doctor.

On Wednesday, both Moderna and Pfizer confirmed its vaccines were approved for use in adults age 65 and older and those age 5 through 64 with at least one underlying condition.

However, it remains to be seen how easily it can be obtained for patients without higher risk health factors.

Previous U.S. vaccine policy suggested an annual COVID-19 shot for people age 6 months and older.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the nation’s leading pediatrics association, recently recommended children as young as 6 months old be inoculated against COVID-19 in a departure with Trump administration guidelines.

The COVID-19 vaccine shots must be voted on by a panel of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Earlier this year Kennedy, a known skeptic of long-used and effective vaccines, gutted the CDC panel and named widely-known vaccine critics to sit in place.

On Wednesday the chief of America’s Frontline Doctors, a right-wing group known to spread false and unsubstantiated claims, cheered Kennedy’s actions on the U.S. coronavirus vaccine policy switch.

“Mandates are dead. Freedom wins,” Dr. Simone Gold, AFD’s president, said on social media.

However, a noted television medical analyst offered advice to those still on the fence on getting another COVID-19 shot.

“If you want to know if you or members of your family should get vaccinated, my recommendation is to solicit advice from your doctor, not the federal government,” Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor at the D.C.-based George Washington School of Medicine & Health Sciences and its director of Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories, stated on X.

Aug. 20 (UPI) — Hundreds of staff from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told Congress that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is sharing false health info with the public and called on him to step up protection of public health professionals.

They accused Kennedy of complicity in “dismantling America’s public health infrastructure and endangering the nation’s health.”

More than 750 current and former HHS employees on Wednesday called on Kennedy to stop “spreading inaccurate health information” and prioritize the safety of public servants in the health sector in the wake of this month’s fatal shooting at the Atlanta headquarters of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The attack came amid growing mistrust in public institutions, driven by politicized rhetoric that has turned public health professionals from trusted experts into targets of villainization,” the letter to members of Congress read in part.

“And now, violence,” it added.

The “Save HHS” crew accused Kennedy, 71, of endangering the lives of his HHS employees with his own words and rhetoric, and pointed to multiple specific accusations in the letter of Kennedy doing so in the public square.

According to law enforcement, the alleged shooter was skeptical of the COVID-19 vaccine and assumed he was harmed by it. He fired hundreds of rounds with about 200 striking six different CDC facilities across its Atlanta campus.

CDC Director Susan Monarez told HHS staffers during a 10,000-person virtual call the danger of misinformation had “now led to deadly consequences.”

Kennedy met with Monarez two days after the shooting.

The HHS crew noted the recent CDC attack on Aug. 8, where DeKalb County police officer David Rose was fatally shot was “not random.”

“If the very people that are supposed to be protecting Americans are not safe, then no American is safe,” Dr. Anne Schuchat, former principal deputy director of the CDC, said in a statement.

The letter also noted the HHS workforce wanted to honor Rose and his memory.

But it also pointed to fears of “retaliation” and issues of “personal safety.”

“We sign this declaration in our own personal capacities, on our personal time, and without the use of government equipment, as protected by our First Amendment rights,” they stated.

Health experts and other officials have rung alarm bells over Kennedy’s deployment of health data universally known as false for years, even before U.S. President Donald Trump nominated Kennedy to be the nation’s health chief.

Wednesday’s letter follows a similar letter to Congress in January signed by more than 17,000 U.S. doctors via the Chicago-based Committee to Protect Health Care, which stated Kennedy was a danger to America’s national healthcare system.

Aug. 13 (UPI) — The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told employees about the dangers of misinformation, four days after a suspected gunman shot at the agency’s headquarters in Atlanta, claiming the COVID-19 vaccine made him sick.

On Tuesday, Susan Monarez met with staffers virtually and then sent a note to all 10,000 employees nationwide, obtained by ABC News. Staffers at the headquarters have been working remotely since the attack on Friday.

“The dangers of misinformation and its promulgation has now led to deadly consequences,” she wrote. “I will work to restore trust in public health to those who have lost it — through science, evidence and clarity of purpose. I will need your help.”

The comments were slightly different than those during her staff meeting in which she said: “Public health should never be under attack. We know that misinformation can be dangerous.”

She said the health agency can rebuild trust with “rational evidence-based discourse” with “compassion and understanding.”

Dr. Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania, told NBC News: “The irony is her boss is the biggest spreader of misinformation.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is secretary of the Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC.

In 2021, during the pandemic, Kennedy described the shot as the “deadliest vaccine ever made” after he filed a citizens’ petition requesting that the Food and Drug Administration end emergency authorization.

Last week, Kennedy announced that HHS was moving to terminate $500 million in contracts to develop vaccines using mRNA technology, which was used to develop the COVID-19 vaccine in 2020.

“After reviewing the science and consulting top experts at NIH [National Institutes of Health] and FDA, HHS has determined that mRNA technology poses more risks than benefits for these respiratory viruses,”

The American Medical Association backs mRNA vaccine research and the CDC still says on its website: “During the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 vaccines underwent the most intensive safety analysis in U.S. history.”

Health officials have denounced skepticism of the research, noting the COVID-19 vaccine saved millions of lives in the United States.

“The Covid pandemic showed us what’s possible when science moves fast,” Rick Bright, who directed the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development from 2016 to 2020, told NBC News. “Dismantling that momentum now is like disbanding the fire department because the fire’s out.”

As head of the HHS, he has updated COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for the fall to be restricted to older adults and those with underlying health conditions. He also doesn’t want children to get the shots.

On Monday, Kennedy toured the CDC campus in Atlanta and met with the widow of the one person slain in the attack, DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose. He toured with Monarez and HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill.

“He offered his deepest condolences and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to honoring officer Rose’s bravery, sacrifice and service to the nation,” HHS said.

Since the attack, the union representing CDC workers condemned the lack of support from top officials.

“This leadership is critical in reinforcing public trust and ensuring that accurate, science-based information prevails,” the union said Sunday. “This condemnation is necessary to help prevent violence against scientists that may be incited by such disinformation.”

The American Federation of Government Employees Local 2883, which represents more than 2,000 CDC workers, said in a statement Sunday that the attack “was not random and it compounds months of mistreatment, neglect and vilification that CDC staff have endured.”

The union also said: “The deliberate targeting of CDC through this violent act is deeply disturbing, completely unacceptable and an attack on every public servant.”

The father of the suspected gunman, 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White, reportedly told authorities he targeted the CDC over health problems he blamed on the COVID-19 vaccine. He said the shot made him depressed and suicidal.

He was fatally shot by police after around 200 bullets struck the six buildings. Five firearms were recovered.

“All indications are that this was an isolated event involving one individual,” Jeff Williams, the deputy secretary of the CDC’s Office of Safety, Security and Asset Management, said during the staff meeting Tuesday.

Aug. 12 (UPI) — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has visited the CDC headquarters in Atlanta where a police officer was killed in a shooting that is believed to have targeted the national public health agency.

Kennedy was led by CDC security on a tour of the Roybal Campus on Monday, HHS said in a statement, with HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill and CDC Director Susan Monarez in attendance.

Little information about the tour was made public aside from shattered windows across multiple buildings on campus being pointed out to Kennedy.

Kennedy also visited the DeKalb County Police Department, which lost office David Rose in the shooting. The HHS secretary also visited with Rose’s widow, the statement said.

“He offered his deepest condolences and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to honoring officer Rose’s bravery, sacrifice and service to the nation,” HHS said.

Rose was fatally shot while responding to the shooting at the CDC headquarters on Friday.

The suspected gunman, 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White, was shot dead by police at the scene.

At least 180 shots were fired during the incident, hitting at least 150 windows and doors at the CDC headquarters, CBS News reported, citing two people with knowledge of the police investigation.

Authorities believe that White targeted the CDC over health problems he blamed on the COVID-19 vaccine.

The shooting came on the heels of Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, pulling $500 million in funding from developing vaccines using mRNA technology, which was used to develop the COVID-19 vaccine.

Despite support from the medical community for such research and medical therapies, Kennedy claimed “the technology poses more risks than benefits.”

Before his visit, the union representing thousands of workers at the CDC on Sunday called on Kennedy and CDC leadership to make “a clear and unequivocal stance in condemning vaccine disinformation.”

“The deliberate targeting of CDC through this violent act is deeply disturbing, completely unacceptable and an attack on every public servant,” the union said.

“Early reports indicate the gunman was motivated by vaccine disinformation, which continues to pose a dangerous threat to public health and safety.”

Aug. 11 (UPI) — The union representing thousands of workers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is calling on the Trump administration to condemn vaccine disinformation after a gunman killed a police officer in a shooting targeting the CDC headquarters in Georgia.

The suspected gunman behind the Friday shooting was identified Saturday as 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White. He was shot dead by police after opening fire at an Emory Point CVS, with police suspecting he targeted the nearby CDC headquarters over health problems he blamed on the COVID-19 vaccine.

The American Federation of Government Employees Local 2883, which represents more than 2,000 CDC workers, said in a statement Sunday that the attack “was not random and it compounds months of mistreatment, neglect and vilification that CDC staff have endured.”

“The deliberate targeting of CDC through this violent act is deeply disturbing, completely unacceptable and an attack on every public servant,” the union said.

“Early reports indicate the gunman was motivated by vaccine disinformation, which continues to pose a dangerous threat to public health and safety.”

To its members, it said it is advocating for “a clear and unequivocal stance in condemning disinformation” by the CDC and the leadership of Health and Human Services, which is run by vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“This leadership is critical in reinforcing public trust and ensuring that accurate, science-based information prevails,” the union said. “This condemnation is necessary to help prevent violence against scientists that may be incited by such disinformation.”

The shooting occurred just days after Kennedy announced that HHS was moving to terminate $500 million in contracts to develop vaccines using mRNA technology, which was used to develop the COVID-19 vaccine.

COVID-19 vaccines are estimated to have saved more than 2 million lives worldwide.

The American Medical Association supports mRNA vaccine research.

Despite the support from the medical community, Kennedy claimed “the technology poses more risks than benefits.”

“HHS supports safe, effective vaccines for every American who wants them, that’s why we’re moving beyond the limitations of mRNA for respiratory viruses,” he said.

The AMA, in response, urged the Trump administration to reverse course, and to continue “vital research to improve mRNA vaccines, not throw the baby out with the bathwater by effectively preventing research from moving forward.”

The union said the shooting had CDC employees, including more than 90 children, trapped in buildings throughout the CDC campus late into Friday.

It said in its Sunday statement that staff should not be required to return to work until the facility is repaired. The CDC campus was reportedly damaged by bullet holes and shattered windows.

“Staff should not be required to work next to bullet holes,” it said. “Forcing a return under these conditions risks re-traumatizing staff by exposing them to the reminders of the horrific shooting they endured.”

Aug. 5 (UPI) — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will begin pulling contracts to develop vaccines for respiratory viruses using mRNA technology, which was used for the COVID-19 shot.

Department Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the move in a video posted to X on Tuesday saying that it will terminate 22 contracts worth $500 million after officials determined the “technology poses more risks than benefits for these respiratory viruses.”

“Let me be absolutely clear,” said Kennedy. “HHS supports safe, effective vaccines for every American who wants them, that’s why we’re moving beyond the limitations of mRNA for respiratory viruses and investing in better solutions.”

The announcement follows other actions by Kennedy, a vocal vaccine critic, to reshape the federal government’s approach to public health in ways that have rankled mainstream health experts. Kennedy has replaced members of a vaccine advisory panel with skeptics and stopped recommending COVID-19 inoculations for healthy children, contradicting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations.

The use of mRNA technology is credited with hastening the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. But its rapid development and the novelty of the technology have left lingering worries over its safety and effectiveness despite reassurances from experts. Like previous moves, Kennedy’s decision to end the contracts has drawn criticism from medical and public health experts.

“I’ve tried to be objective & non-alarmist in response to current HHS actions — but quite frankly this move is going to cost lives,” Dr. Jerome Adams, who served as Surgeon General in the first Trump administration, said in a post on X. “mRNA technology has uses that go far beyond vaccines… and the vaccine they helped develop in record time is credited with saving millions.”

Most vaccines have worked by using a weakened or dead virus to trigger a response in a patient’s immune system. Vaccines that use messenger RNA, or mRNA, instead use a molecule that causes cells to replicate a part of the virus, triggering an immune response. A new flu vaccine developed by Moderna using the technology has shown promise.

Kennedy said in his announcement that mRNA is ineffective and that vaccines using it encourage new mutations of the virus they are intended to target. He suggested the COVID-19 vaccine prolonged the pandemic and that the department would focus on research on “whole virus vaccines and novel platforms.”

Dr. Jake Scott, a clinical associate professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, said in a post on X that “the claim that mRNA vaccine technology poses more risk than benefits is simply false.”

“What poses risk is abandoning the most adaptable, scalable vaccine platform we’ve ever had,” he wrote. “Halting future development undermines pandemic preparedness at a time when we can least afford it.”

July 15 (UPI) — Dozens of U.S. ice cream manufacturers are pledging to eliminate the use of artificial food colors from their ice cream products made with real milk by the end of 2027, the U.S. dairy manufacturing and marketing trade association said.

Announced Monday by the International Dairy Foods Association, the companies have agreed to remove certified artificial colors Red No. 3, Red No. 40, Green No. 3, Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 from their frozen dairy products by 2028.

According to the dairy trade association, the commitment is from companies that together make more than 90% of the ice cream sold in the United States.

“Americans are passionate about their ice cream, and the IDFA Ice Cream Commitment will ensure wholesome, indulgent ice cream products made with real milk from American dairy farmers remain a special part of our lives as state and federal policies evolve,” Michael Dykes, president and CEO of IDFA, said in a statement.

The announcement comes as the Food and Drug Administration has been seeking to remove artificial food colorings from the U.S. market.

During the final days of the previous Biden administration, the FDA announced it had revoked authorization for the use of synthetic food dye Red No. 3 after a linkage to cancer was found in animal studies, with its use to be phased out by 2028.

Under the Trump administration, the FDA announced in April plans to phase out petroleum-based dyes, including those U.S. ice cream makers pledged Monday to eliminate from their products.

“These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children’s health and development,” Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement making the announcement. “That era is coming to an end.”

While phasing out artificial color dyes, the FDA has been approving natural color additives, announcing the authorization of galdieria extract blue, butterfly pea flower extract and calcium phosphate, in May.

The FDA also approved the use of a new blue color additive from the gardenia fruit on Monday.

The IDFA said the Monday commitment from U.S. ice cream makers only applies to products made with real milk sold at food retail and does not apply to products made with non-dairy ingredients or those made in-house by small ice cream shops or restaurants.

On Friday, the Consumer Brands Association announced a voluntary commitment to encourage U.S. food and beverage makers to remove certified Food, Drug and Cosmetic colors from products served in schools nationwide by the start of the 2026-27 school year.