White House fires CDC director Monarez after she refuses to resign; 4 top health officials quit

RFK Jr. needs to deal with the CDC's data problem

Last week, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced the closest a Senate hearing can look like a firing squad. Kennedy’s firing of Centers for Disease Control Director Susan Monarez, a month after the Senate had confirmed her, rightly caused some to point out that continuous organizational drama is not the expected metier at the federal health department. His defense, essentially that she had lied to him about her posit…

The gutting of the CDC: Profit over human life

The appointment by President Donald J. Trump of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an avowed anti-vaxxer, to be the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in early 2025 was the beginning of the end to federal support for people’s health in the United States. Kennedy started by slashing f

COVID Hits Black Americans Harder. New Vaccine Limits Increase the Risk

Upheaval at the country’s top public health agency has left millions of Americans uncertain about access to the updated COVID-19 vaccines at a moment when rising case numbers threaten to disproportionately harm Black Americans. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the new shots in August. But it narrowed eligibility to people who are 65 and older and younger people who are considered to be at higher risk of contracting a severe COVID-1…

Former CDC head cites pressure to back RFK Jr.’s vaccine panel

Former CDC director Susan Monarez says she refused to preapprove recommendations made by a vaccine panel appointed by Health Secretary RFK Jr. Read more here.

At CDC, Worries Mount That Agency Has Taken Anti-Science Turn

Public health and access to lifesaving vaccines are on the line in a high-stakes leadership battle at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s push to fire CDC director Susan Monarez is more than an administrative shake-up. The firing marks a major offensive by Kennedy to seize control of the agency and impose an anti-vaccine, anti-science agenda that will have profound effects o…

DeLauro calls for RFK Jr.’s firing amid ouster of CDC director

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro called for the firing of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services this week.