The Most Extreme Voice on RFK Jr.'s New Vaccine Committee
Robert Malone has a history of arguing against the data. He has called for an end to the use of mRNA vaccines for COVID despite the well-established fact that they reduce mortality and severe illness. He has promoted discredited COVID treatments such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, dismissing studies that show they are ineffective against the coronavirus. Recently, he called reports about two girls in West Texas dying from the measles ' misinformation,' even though the doctors who treated the girls were unequivocal in their conclusion.
Now Malone will have a leading role in shaping America's vaccine policy. He is one of eight new members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, replacing the 17 former members whom Robert F. Kennedy Jr. relieved of their duties on Monday. The re-formed committee will be responsible for guiding the CDC's vaccine policy, recommending when and by whom vaccines should be used. The doctors and researchers who make up the new ACIP are all, to some degree, ideological allies of Kennedy, who has spent decades undermining public confidence in vaccines. And Malone arguably has the most extreme views of the group.
Malone, a physician and an infectious-disease researcher, readily acknowledges that he defies mainstream scientific consensus. Just this week, he wrote in his popular Substack newsletter that readers should embrace the anti-vax label, as he has done, and oppose 'the madness of the vaccine mania that has swept public health and government.' (This was only a day before Kennedy pledged that the new ACIP members would not be 'ideological anti-vaxxers.')
He is also openly conspiratorial. In his best-selling book, Lies My Gov't Told Me: And the Better Future Coming, Malone alleges that the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's grants to news publications (including The Atlantic) were payments 'to smear' vaccine critics, and accuses Anthony Fauci of fearmongering to amass power. Last fall, Malone and his wife, Jill, released a follow-up, PsyWar, making the case that the U.S. government is engaged in a vague but diabolical program of psychological warfare against its own citizens. According to the Malones, the CIA, FBI, and Defense Department, along with a 'censorship-industrial complex,' have granted the U.S. government 'reality-bending information control capabilities.' (They also claim that 'sexual favors are routinely exchanged to seal short-term alliances, both within agencies and between contractors and 'Govies.'') They envision this corruption spawning a postapocalyptic future in which guns, ammo, horses, and 'a well-developed network of like-minded friends' might be necessary for survival. Malone, who lives on a horse farm in Virginia, appears to be already well prepared.
Listen: How fragile is our vaccine infrastructure?
Malone's rise to contrarian glory began in the summer of 2021, when public-health officials were urging hesitant Americans to roll up their sleeves for the new, mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. Back in the 1980s, Malone had conducted research on delivering RNA and DNA into cells, which, he and his co-authors suggested in a 1990 paper, 'may provide alternative approaches to vaccine development.' That early work lent credibility to his dire warnings that the COVID shots hadn't been adequately tested, as perhaps did his grandfatherly beard and professorial demeanor. His popularity grew with appearances on Tucker Carlson's and Glenn Beck's shows, where he questioned the safety and effectiveness of the mRNA vaccines while touting—and, critics said, overstating—his own role in the development of the underlying technology. It was Malone's conspiratorial musings on The Joe Rogan Experience that prompted several famous musicians, including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, to pull their music from Spotify in protest of the platform's contract with Rogan. Today, Malone's newsletter, where he shares his anti-vaccine claims and often praises Kennedy, has more than 350,000 subscribers.
Kennedy and Malone have long been intertwined. Kennedy wrote the foreword to Lies My Gov't Told Me and wrote an endorsement for PsyWar, alleging that the same techniques that the Malones described shaped public reaction to the assassinations of his father and uncle. Kennedy's 2021 book, The Real Anthony Fauci —which alleges that the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases spread corruption and fraud—is dedicated to Malone, among others. Since Kennedy was appointed as Health and Human Services secretary, many of his allies in the anti-vaccine world have accused him of moderating his views to be more palatable to lawmakers. But among anti-vaccine activists, Malone's appointment to the advisory board was taken as evidence that Kennedy remains on their side.
Public-health experts, by contrast, are horrified. 'I think that the scientific and medical community won't trust this committee, and for good reason,' Paul Offit, a pediatrician and former member of the advisory group, told me. He's heard from fellow public-health experts who are considering forming their own committees to weigh the evidence, 'because they won't trust the conclusions of these people.' Sean O'Leary, the American Academy of Pediatrics' liaison to ACIP, told me he was 'deeply concerned' with RFK's decision to entirely remake the committee. 'This maneuver really endangers public health. It endangers children,' he said. He worries that it will lead to disease, suffering, and death among adults and children alike. (Neither Malone nor HHS responded to requests for comment. On X, Malone promised to 'do my best to serve with unbiased objectivity and rigor.')
Malone's appointment is perhaps the strongest sign yet of Kennedy's willingness to appoint ideological crusaders into powerful government roles. ACIP's recommendations are nonbinding, but historically, the CDC has almost always hewn to them. The committee's verdicts will help determine which vaccines insurance companies and the federal government pay for, decisions that will inevitably shape countless Americans' immunization habits. Malone's new role requires in-depth, good-faith examinations of scientific evidence. But he has already earned a reputation for rejecting it.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
42 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Trump relishes troops in American streets while shunning conflict overseas
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The seemingly disparate postures of recent days -- strongman at home, peace-seeker abroad -- speak to Trump's complicated relationship with the military. He has ordered more troops to Los Angeles and Washington than he currently has stationed in Syria and Iraq combined. He seems more willing at the moment to use the military against Americans than against Iranians. He celebrates a show of force on U.S. soil even as he denounces 'endless wars' outside its borders. Advertisement Trump has always been a contradictory commander in chief, one unlike any other in American history. A graduate of a high school military academy, he never actually served in the armed forces, avoided being drafted for Vietnam thanks to a dubious bone spurs diagnosis, publicly denigrated Sen. John McCain's wartime heroism and was quoted privately dismissing veterans as 'suckers' and 'losers' (which he denied). Advertisement Yet as president, Trump has used the military to serve his political goals. He surrounded himself with 'my generals' and purged those he deemed insufficiently loyal. He entertained a recommendation to impose a form of martial law to overturn the 2020 election that he lost. In recent days, he has given speeches at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Fort Bragg, North Carolina, that sounded like campaign rallies. Trump enjoys strong support among many active-duty service members and veterans who appreciate his vocal backing and admire his unvarnished bravado, according to polls and analysts. Yet some career officers said the president clearly does not understand the ethos of service or the nonpartisan tradition of the U.S. armed forces. 'As in all things Trumpian, there is a fundamental contradiction in how he looks at the military,' said James G. Stavridis, a retired Navy four-star admiral who served as NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe. 'He loves the uniforms and the pomp and circumstance, and the ability to apply direct power without boundaries,' Stavridis said. 'But he also thinks that those who serve in the military could be making a lot more money and gain more prestige in the civilian world, and I think he wonders what drives their sacrifice.' Advertisement Trump and his aides have long insisted that he has deep respect for service members and contend that his eagerness to showcase hardware and troops marking the Army's 250th birthday -- and, in what they call a coincidence, his own 79th birthday -- demonstrates pride in the history and accomplishments of the U.S. armed forces. 'This parade will honor all of the military men and women who have bravely served our country, including those who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedom,' Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement. 'No event can fully capture our gratitude for those who have worn the uniform, but this grand parade will ensure our veterans and active-duty service members are recognized with the respect and magnificence they deserve.' This is the day Trump has coveted for years. He wanted a similar display of military might for his first inauguration in 2017, and when that did not work out, he grew even more fixated on the idea later in the year when he visited France for its Bastille Day celebration. But military officers, including his second White House chief of staff, John Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general, resisted, convinced that it was not in keeping with American tradition and would instead evoke the kinds of displays favored in autocratic countries like Russia, North Korea and Iran. Kelly concluded that Trump had a warped view of the military. The president grew frustrated that senior officers were not in his view loyal to him politically and personally. 'Why can't you be like the German generals?' he once asked, referring to Adolf Hitler's generals, according to Kelly. Once, during another trip to France, he skipped a visit to a cemetery for U.S. troops killed in World War I, saying it was 'filled with losers.' Trump denied both accounts. Advertisement In the final year of his first term, he wanted to invoke the Insurrection Act to send active-duty troops into the streets of cities where protests against the murder of George Floyd had become violent, only to be rebuffed by Mark Esper, his defense secretary, and Gen. Mark Milley, his chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After the 2020 election, retired Gen. Michael Flynn and other allies showed up at the Oval Office urging him to order the military to seize voting machines and rerun elections in states where he lost, an idea he considered but did not follow through on, knowing that Milley would resist. Yet while he opted against using the military to reverse the election results, he did not use it to protect them. When a mob of his own supporters rampaged through the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to disrupt the certification of his defeat, Trump did not order the National Guard to respond, according to the bipartisan congressional investigation. Instead, the Pentagon eventually the Guard on its own authority. In this second term, Kelly, Esper and Milley are all gone, and Trump feels freer to pursue his own instincts. In sending troops to Los Angeles, he federalized the California National Guard over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom, the first time any president has done so since the civil rights era. Trump has vowed that he will do the same elsewhere around the country if protests merit it, raising the prospect of a wider military presence in American cities. Advertisement To critics, Trump, who uses words like 'invasion' and 'occupation' to justify the troop deployment to Los Angeles, is manufacturing fake wars at home to suppress domestic dissent, heralding what some fear is a creeping military dictatorship. What is striking is that Trump does not seem to worry about giving that impression. He has done nothing to dispel it or reassure Americans that his use of the military against domestic unrest is a limited effort that should not concern them. 'They say, oh, that's not nice,' Trump said of his critics during his speech this past week at Fort Bragg. 'Well, if we didn't do it, there wouldn't be a Los Angeles.' He added: 'Under the Trump administration, this anarchy will not stand. We will not allow federal agents to be attacked, and we will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy. And that's what they are.' Yet the demonstration of military might on American streets this past week feels jarring coming at the same time as a full-blown Middle East crisis in which the United States has taken a backseat. Trump has been trying to negotiate an agreement with Iran to end its nuclear program peacefully, only to be overtaken by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who decided to take matters into his own hands with a ferocious bombardment. Trump publicly complimented the Israelis on their success Friday but did not endorse further military action, instead reaching out to Iran to resume talks. Some Republican hawks expressed consternation that he would not be willing to more directly support Israel's military campaign. 'Trump is more focused on his birthday parade, or so it seems, than on helping Israel and the West to eliminate a serious nuclear threat,' said Charles M. Kupperman, who served as Trump's deputy national security adviser in his first term. 'Trump can keep mouthing 'peace through strength,' but just mouthing doesn't make it real, and words don't eliminate threats. Actions do.' Advertisement This article originally appeared in
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
What is Graves' disease? All about ‘The Boys' star Erin Moriarty's diagnosis
Erin Moriarty is getting candid about her health — and urging fans to listen to their bodies. The Boys star, 30, revealed on Instagram Thursday that she was diagnosed with Graves' disease last month after initially chalking up her symptoms to 'stress and fatigue.' 'Within 24 hours of beginning treatment, I felt the light coming back on. It's been increasing ever since,' she wrote. 'If yours is dimming, even slightly, go get checked.' 6 Erin Moriarty was diagnosed with Graves' disease in May. Deadline via Getty Images The autoimmune disorder affects about 1 in 100 Americans and can cause everything from anxiety and weight loss to bulging eyes and heart issues. Here's everything you need to know, including how to spot it and what to do next. What is Graves' disease? It's chronic autoimmune disorder that hijacks your thyroid gland, sending it into overdrive and flooding your body with more hormones than it needs, according to the National Institutes of Health. Thyroid hormones control how your body burns energy, impacting nearly every organ. When there's too much of them, it turbo-charges your metabolism and can trigger a wide range of symptoms. 6 The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the front of your neck. Science RF – What are the symptoms of Graves' Disease? Early signs often include heat intolerance, increased appetite, difficulty sleeping, fatigue and nervousness, anxiety or irritability, according to the Mayo Clinic. As the disease progresses, you might experience unintentional weight loss, heart palpitations, trembling hands, frequent bowel movements and shortness of breath. Graves' can also disrupt menstrual cycles, cause erectile dysfunction and reduce libido. 6 Moriarty first assumed her symptoms were caused by stress and fatigue. Erin Moriarty / Instagram Around 1 in 3 people with Graves' have eye problems known as Graves' ophthalmopathy, which can cause: Bulging or puffy eyes Blurred or double vision Gritty, irritated eyes Eye pain or pressure Sensitivity to light In rare cases, patients can develop thickened, darkened skin — usually on the shins or tops of the feet — that looks and feels like orange peel. This comes from a buildup of protein in the skin. It's often mild and painless. What causes Graves' disease? Scientists aren't completely sure. Graves' disease strikes when your immune system goes rogue, overproducing an antibody that prompts your thyroid to flood your body with too many hormones, according to the Cleveland Clinic. 6 Excess thyroid hormones can lead to increased heart rate, irregular rhythms and heart failure. JustLife – Experts say genetics play a major role, with one study estimating that genes account for 79% of the risk. The rest likely comes from environmental triggers like stress, hormonal changes or infections. Who's at risk for Graves' disease? Graves' disease is relatively common, affecting about 1% of people in the US. But it disproportionately affects women, who are five times more likely to get it than men, according to Yale Medicine. Your risk increases if you have a family history of Graves' or other autoimmune conditions like vitiligo, type 1 diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis. Low levels of selenium and vitamin D, along with smoking, may also increase your chances. 6 Smoking is a significant risk factor for Graves' disease. Quitting can help improve patient outcomes. Adobe Stock How is Graves' disease treated? In the US, treatment usually starts with medications like methimazole or propylthiouracil, which work to reduce the production of thyroid hormones, according to ColumbiaDoctors. Most patients start feeling better soon after, but it takes 12 to 18 months to see if the disease goes into remission — meaning the thyroid calms down and antibody levels drop. Up to half of patients achieve remission, but it's not a guaranteed cure. Graves' can flare up again later. 6 Graves' disease is often associated with weight loss despite increased appetite. Prostock-studio – 'For some people, Graves' disease has a clear beginning and end. For others, it's a chronic condition that can be controlled but not cured,' said Dr. Hyesoo Lowe, medical director of the Columbia Thyroid Center. If a patient doesn't go into remission, doctors may recommend radioiodine therapy, which gradually destroys overactive thyroid cells, or surgery to remove the gland entirely. While this can cause hypothyroidism, or too little thyroid hormone, replacement pills are available to keep things balanced. What happens if you don't treat Graves' disease? Ignoring the autoimmune disorder can lead to serious complications. It can cause atrial fibrillation, a dangerous irregular heartbeat that increases the risk of heart failure and stroke. It also weakens bones, raising the chance of fractures. There's a higher risk of thyroid cancer, too. In rare cases, untreated Graves' can trigger a life-threatening thyroid storm — a sudden surge of thyroid hormones. Pregnant women with untreated Graves' risk preeclampsia, miscarriage, premature labor and low birth weight for their babies.
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
As President Trump goes to G7 summit, other world leaders aim to show they're not intimidated
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has long bet that he can scare allies into submission — a gamble that is increasingly being tested ahead of the Group of Seven summit beginning Monday in Canada. He's threatened stiff tariffs in the belief that other nations would crumple. He's mused about taking over Canada and Greenland. He's suggested he will not honor NATO's obligations to defend partners under attack. And he's used Oval Office meetings to try to intimidate the leaders of Ukraine and South Africa. But many world leaders see fewer reasons to be cowed by Trump, even as they recognize the risks if he followed through on his threats. They believe he will ultimately back down — since many of his plans could inflict harm on the U.S. — or that he can simply be charmed and flattered into cooperating. 'Many leaders still seem intimidated by Trump, but increasingly they are catching on to his pattern of bullying,' said Jeremy Shapiro, research director at the European Council on Foreign Relations. 'In places as diverse as Canada, Iran, China and the EU, we are seeing increasing signs that leaders now recognize that Trump is afraid of anything resembling a fair fight. And so they are increasingly willing to stand up to him.' In the 22 instances in which Trump has publicly threatened military action since his first term, the U.S. only used force twice, according to a May analysis by Shapiro. Ahead of the G7 summit, there are already signs of subtle pushback against Trump from fellow leaders in the group. French President Emanuel Macron planned to visit Greenland over the weekend in a show of European solidarity. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carneyhas said the U.S. is no longer the 'predominant' force in the world after Trump's tariffs created fissures in a decades-long partnership between the U.S. and its northern neighbor. 'We stood shoulder to shoulder with the Americans throughout the Cold War and in the decades that followed, as the United States played a predominant role on the world stage,' Carney said this past week in French. 'Today, that predominance is a thing of the past.' The new prime minister added that with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the U.S. became the global hegemon, a position of authority undermined by Trump's transactional nature that puts little emphasis on defending democratic values or the rule of law. 'Now the United States is beginning to monetize its hegemony: charging for access to its markets and reducing its relative contributions to our collective security,' Carney said. Israel's attack on Iran has added a new wrinkle to the global picture as the summit leaders gather to tackle some of the world's thorniest problems. A senior Canadian official said it was decided early on that the G7 won't be issuing a joint communiqué as it has at past summits — an indication of how hard it can be to get Trump on the same page with other world leaders. The White House said individual leader statements will be issued on the issues being discussed. Speaking last month at a conference in Singapore, Macron called France a 'friend and an ally of the United States' but pushed back against Trump's desire to dominate what other countries do. Macron said efforts to force other nations to choose between the U.S. and China would lead to the breakdown of the global order put in place after World War II. 'We want to cooperate, but we do not want to be instructed on a daily basis what is allowed, what is not allowed, and how our life will change because of the decision of a single person,' Macron said. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba pushed back against Trump's agenda of levying higher tariffs on imported goods, arguing it would hurt economic growth. The Japanese leader specifically called Trump ahead of the summit to confirm their plans to talk on the sidelines, which is a greater focus for Japan than the summit itself. 'I called him as I also wanted to congratulate his birthday, though one day earlier,' Ishiba said. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., the ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said the summit was an opportunity for Trump to 'mend' relationships with other countries so China would be unable to exploit differences among the G7. She said other foreign leaders are 'not intimidated' by Trump's actions, which could be driving them away from tighter commitments with the U.S. 'The conversations that I've had with those leaders suggest that they think that the partnership with the United States has been really important, but they also understand that there are other opportunities,' Shaheen said. The White House did not respond to emailed questions for this story. Having originally made his reputation in real estate and hospitality, Trump has taken kindly to certain foreign visitors, such as U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Starmer has sought to keep Trump in line with Europe in supporting Ukraine and NATO instead of brokering any truces that would favor Russia. He has echoed the president's language about NATO members spending more on defense. But in his Oval Office visit, Starmer also pleased Trump by delivering an invite for a state visit from King Charles III. The German government said it, too, wanted to send a public signal of unity, saying that while Trump's recent meeting with Merz at the White House went harmoniously, the next test is how the relationship plays out in a team setting. There will also be other world leaders outside of the G7 nations attending the summit in mountainous Kananaskis, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom Trump dressed down in the Oval Office. Italy's Meloni has positioned herself as a 'bridge' between the Trump administration and the rest of Europe. But Italy's strong support of Ukraine and Trump's threatened tariffs on European goods have put Meloni, the only European leader to attend Trump's inauguration, in a difficult position. Mark Sobel, U.S. chair of the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum, an independent think tank, said Trump's 'trade policies, backing for right wing European movements, seeming preference for dealing with authoritarians and many of his other actions are alienating our G7 allies,' even if the U.S. president is correct that Europe needs to do more on defense. But even as other G7 leaders defuse any public disputes with Trump, the U.S. president's vision for the world remains largely incompatible with they want. 'In short, behind the curtains, and notwithstanding whatever theater, the Kananaskis summit will highlight a more fragmented G7 and an adrift global economy,' Sobel said.
