RFK Jr.'s Vaccine Panel Purge Shakes Scientists — and Polio Survivors
Hi, it's Jason in Melbourne. Polio survivors' stories resonate deeply with me: My dad and his brother spent weeks isolated in an infectious disease ward after contracting the virus in the 1940s. It caused partial paralysis — and lasting trauma. But before I explain how that ties into the latest news from RFK Jr….
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7 hours ago
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Group's 22-day trip raising awareness of veteran suicide passes through Johnson City
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — An advocacy group named 'Riding 22 in 22' passed through Johnson City on its 22-day motorcycle road trip, aiming to raise awareness of veteran suicide rates. The group gathered at Wrecking Crew Harley-Davidson on Bristol Highway on Wednesday as it worked to pass through 22 states in 22 days. Docs: Plane crash that killed Scott Bloomquist ruled a suicide Event Organizers Jason and Angela White told News Channel 11 that the reason for the trip lasting 22 days is that the average number of veterans who commit suicide each day is 22. On Wednesday, the group was in Tennessee, but left for Kentucky that afternoon. They will end in West Virginia before heading home to Ohio. The Whites said all money raised during the trip is donated to a research institute called STRIVE. 'STRIVE Collaborative is the only research institute in the United States that explicitly focuses on developing and refining treatments for elevated suicide risk, trauma, and gun-related violence,' the initiative's website states. 'STRIVE–the organization that we are raising the funds for–they fly veterans in from all over the United States, put them up in a hotel, provide them with meals, put them through a treatment program,' Angela said. 'And it's all at no cost to the veteran, but the great part is they can typically do that within a few days rather than, sometimes, the weeks or even months that it takes with the VA.' Jason White said the organization plans to host the fundraising and awareness-raising road trip again next year. 'We started it, we wanted it to be a big thing, and it kind of at one point did get its own life,' he said. 'And it's kind of rolled bigger, quicker than what we expected, so we're really excited to continue going and do next year.' For more information or to donate or purchase a shirt, visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
RFK Jr. appoints 8 new members to CDC's vaccine advisory committee, including some critics of shots
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Wednesday eight new members to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's independent vaccine advisory committee, some of whom have been critics of shots -- especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. It comes just two days after Kennedy removed all 17 sitting members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), claiming the panel was plagued by conflicts of interest and was a "rubber stamp" for all vaccines. The ACIP makes recommendations on the safety, efficacy and clinical need of vaccines, and the CDC has the final say on whether or not to accept the recommendations. MORE: What may be next for CDC's vaccine advisory committee after RFK Jr. removed all its members? Kennedy said in a post on X that the new members include "highly credentialed scientists, leading public-health experts, and some of America's most accomplished physicians. All of these individuals are committed to evidence-based medicine, gold-standard science, and common sense." The new members will be at an upcoming ACIP meeting scheduled to be held between June 25 and June 27, according to Kennedy. The meeting is to discuss new recommendations for several vaccines, including the HPV vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine. "The committee will review safety and efficacy data for the current schedule as well," Kennedy wrote in the post on X. The new eight members appear to have strong credentials related to medicine, public health, epidemiology and statistics, but with less of an emphasis on credentials related to immunology, virology and vaccinology in comparison with previous committees. Kennedy told ABC News on Tuesday that the replacements for ACIP would not be "anti-vaxxers." However, some of the new members have previously espoused anti-vaccine sentiments, especially around COVID-19 vaccines and mRNA technology. One of them, Dr. Robert Malone -- who made some early contributors to mRNA vaccine technology -- spread misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming people were "hypnotized" into believing mainstream ideas about COVID-19, such as vaccination. MORE: RFK Jr. has promoted 'freedom of choice' while limiting vaccines, food Retsef Levi, another newly appointed member, has previously published non-peer reviewed research alongside Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo on COVID-19 vaccines, suggesting healthy people have died from the shots. Another of the new members, Dr. Martin Kulldorff, was a co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, along with Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health. Published in October 2020 and named after the Massachusetts town in which it was drafted, the Great Barrington Declaration called for COVID-19 lockdowns to be avoided and a new plan for handling the pandemic by protecting the most vulnerable individuals but allowing most to resume normal activities, achieving herd immunity naturally -- a plan criticized as "unethical" by Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization. At least four of the eight members appear to have been influential to Kennedy's beliefs. Stat News reported that Malone, Kuldorff and two other new members, Vicky Pebsworth and Dr. Cody Meissner, are all listed in the dedication in the secretary's book, 'The Real Anthony Fauci,' which attempts to undermine the former health official's work and questions his motivations before and during the pandemic. It remains unclear if Kennedy plans to appoint any more members to ACIP RFK Jr. appoints 8 new members to CDC's vaccine advisory committee, including some critics of shots originally appeared on
USA Today
8 hours ago
- USA Today
RFK Jr. announces eight new members of vaccine panel after firing all 17 members
RFK Jr. announces eight new members of vaccine panel after firing all 17 members Vaccine experts have warned Kennedy's abrupt moves could create public distrust around the government's role in promoting public health. Show Caption Hide Caption RFK Jr. expels entire CDC vaccine advisory committee Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. removed a 17-member panel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that issues recommendations on vaccines. unbranded - Newsworthy Two days after he fired all 17 members of a committee that advises the federal government on vaccine safety, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced eight new members, including a physician criticized for spreading COVID-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories. Vaccine experts warned Kennedy's abrupt termination of the entire committee on June 9 would create public distrust around the government's role in promoting public health. The new list of members includes scientists, public-health experts and physicians. "All of these individuals are committed to evidence-based medicine, gold-standard science, and common sense," wrote Kennedy in a post on X on June 11. "They have each committed to demanding definitive safety and efficacy data before making any new vaccine recommendations." The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices makes recommendations on the safety, efficacy and clinical need of vaccines to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It comprises medical and public health experts who develop recommendations on the use of vaccines in the civilian population of the United States. "The committee will review safety and efficacy data for the current schedule as well," noted Kennedy, who has a history of controversial views on vaccines. Dr. Paul A. Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the Food and Drug Administration Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, previously told USA TODAY that Kennedy was "fixing a problem that doesn't exist," by overhauling the committee. Picking members for the committee generally involves a three- to four-month vetting process by the CDC. Offit said he would "presumably pick people who are like-minded, and I think that will shake confidence in this committee." The list of appointees includes: Dr. Joseph R. Hibbeln, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist with a career in clinical research, public health policy, and federal service; Dr. Martin Kulldorff, a biostatistician and epidemiologist formerly at Harvard Medical School and a leading expert in vaccine safety and infectious disease surveillance; Retsef Levi, a professor of operations management at the MIT Sloan School of Management who specializes in healthcare analytics; Dr. Robert W. Malone, a physician-scientist and biochemist who claims to be the inventor of mRNA vaccine technology and has falsely claimed spike proteins from COVID-19 mRNA vaccines often causepermanent damage to children's vital organs; Dr. Cody Meissner, a professor of pediatrics at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth; Dr. James Pagano, an emergency medicine physician; Vicky Pebsworth, who holds a doctorate in public health and nursing from the University of Michigan and Michael A. Ross, a clinical professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at George Washington University and Virginia Commonwealth University. and will replace them with new members, a move that the Trump administration's critics warned would create public distrust around the government's role in promoting public health.
