CDC director: Misinformation 'lead to deadly consequence" in Atlanta
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.
Today I traveled to Atlanta in the wake of the heartbreaking shooting at the CDC's Roybal Campus that took the life of DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose. @POTUS and the entire administration are deeply saddened by this tragic loss. We stand with Officer Rose's wife, his two... pic.twitter.com/PJyNJV2jUu— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) August 11, 2025
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
21 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Map Shows US States Where COVID Cases Are Rising
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. COVID-19 cases are rising in 31 states and "likely growing" in 14 others, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The government agency, which coordinated the national response to the pandemic, said that 45 states were seeing high chances of increased COVID cases, five years after the pandemic began. Why It Matters Since the start of the pandemic, heath authorities have kept an eye on the number of cases across the world. While the development of a vaccine means that increased cases will no longer be met with the same lockdown policies, COVID cases are still a cause for concern, especially for the unvaccinated and immunocompromised. What To Know The number of states in which COVID cases appear to be growing has increased from 27 to 31 since August 5. Most significantly, the data shows that California switched from "likely growing" to "growing," meaning that the most populous state in the union is now measuring an increasing number of COVID cases. Other large population hubs, like Texas, New York and Florida, have stayed in the "growing" category. A majority of the U.S. population lives in a "growing" state. The only states to report no growth in COVID cases were Alaska, Maine, New Hampshire and North Dakota, along with Washington, D.C. A spokesperson for the CDC told Newsweek that "COVID-19 activity is increasing in many Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Southern and West Coast states. The most recent genomic surveillance estimates indicated that the most common variants in the U.S. were NB. 1.8.1 and LP. 8.1 in late June. "Due to low numbers of sequences reported to CDC, precision in the most recent reporting period is low." What People Are Saying Dr. Steven Goldberg, a physician and chief medical officer at HealthTrackRx, told Newsweek: "The current rise in COVID-19 cases is likely multifactorial. Increased summer travel, indoor gatherings due to high temperatures, waning vaccine immunity and the emergence of immune-evasive Omicron subvariants like KP.3 and LB.1 all play a role. "Wastewater surveillance, along with anecdotal reports of increased COVID-19-related ER and urgent care visits, corroborate this increase." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in a statement: "As of August 5, 2025, we estimate that COVID-19 infections are growing or likely growing in 45 states, declining or likely declining in 0 states, and not changing in 5 states." What Happens Next The CDC will continue to monitor any spread of COVID across the U.S.
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
There's a war brewing between medical groups and RFK Jr. It's about to explode.
Dr. Beth Oller is no stranger to answering questions about COVID-19 and flu shots. As a family physician in Stockton, Kansas, she has fielded questions over the years about vaccine safety and effectiveness. But lately there are new questions that stump her: Can I get the shot this fall, and will my insurance cover it? 'I legitimately don't know, and that's why it's so confusing,' said Oller, who is also a clinical instructor at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita. Though Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has changed guidance recommending the COVID-19 shot for healthy people, medical groups representing doctors have publicly rejected those changes. RFK Jr. and ultra-processed foods: What does it mean for your diet? The back-and-forth between the department and the nation's top doctors is creating confusion and sowing distrust among patients and providers, said Dr. Stephen Patrick, chair of health policy and management at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health. As new developments emerge, policies affecting patients and their health care hang in the balance. "At the root level, these actions affect people and children,' Patrick said. 'Each of these things are linked to what we do (as doctors) and often linked to what states do and what insurance companies do, and that's where a lot of these things can be worrisome.' What has happened so far? In the span of just a few months, Kennedy has made monumental changes to a long-standing system that crafts health policy and recommendations. In June, he fired an entire vaccine panel and hired eight new members, including some vaccine skeptics. In its first meeting later that month, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to remove a controversial ingredient that had been largely phased out of influenza vaccines. On July 9, Kennedy postponed another health committee meeting hosted by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, sparking concerns that he may be planning to fire task force members. Medical groups pushed back immediately. The American Academy of Pediatrics refused to attend the ACIP meeting. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists announced it was no longer accepting federal funding. And the American Medical Association sent Kennedy a letter urging him to retain the preventive services task force's original members. Several organizations have sued Kennedy over HHS guidance that no longer recommended the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children and pregnant women, a move that broke with expert guidance and bypassed the normal scientific review process. The Health and Human Services Department also announced Aug. 5 that it was winding down development activities for mRNA, the vaccine technology behind the COVID-19 shot, according to a video posted on X. Liaisons that represented these professional organizations were banned July 31 from ACIP work groups that would typically assist with vaccine reviews and craft recommendation language, according to media reports. What does this all mean? Although many of the policies have yet to take effect, 'all the noise' in Washington has already affected Americans, Patrick said. A new survey from Emory University shows how most of the policy decisions haven't been widely popular and sowed more distrust and doubt in health systems. About 85% of Americans who voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election reported decreased trust from the ACIP firings, while only 34% of those who voted for President Donald Trump reported increased trust, according to the survey published Aug. 6. Similarly, about 65% of Harris voters reported decreased trust because of the COVID-19 vaccine recommendation changes, while only 35% of Trump voters reported increased trust. About half of Trump voters reported that ACIP and vaccine changes did not affect their trust. So, while many of the changes from HHS were made in the name of improving trust and reducing bias, it seems to have had the opposite effect, Patrick said. 'Many of these changes are not rooted in evidence and not rooted in public support, either, and that's worrisome,' he said. Otter urges patients to continue depending on their family doctors for trusted information. She keeps up with the developing news and tries to parse out the 'squabbling' and 'infighting' to help her patients make the best decisions for their health. 'That's the best we can do as medical organizations,' she said. 'Push out there what the truth is and keep encouraging patients when there are things that are confusing.' Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: RFK Jr.'s HHS and medical groups are at war. It's getting messy.
Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
The MAHA wave
Driving the Day IN THE STATES — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again campaign to combat chronic disease is reshaping state legislatures, with hundreds of bills introduced this year echoing his agenda in both red and blue states, POLITICO's Amanda Chu reports. A POLITICO analysis of state legislatures found more than 130 pieces of legislation aimed at limiting access to ultraprocessed foods and improving nutrition, over 60 measures restricting the use of pesticides and other chemicals and more than 130 measures expanding vaccine exemptions or prohibiting mandates were introduced this year. Lawmakers also introduced dozens of bills to promote the use of psychedelics, authorize sales of raw milk and the antiparasitic drug ivermectin and ban the fluoridation of drinking water. The advances seen in state capitols, often considered laboratories for federal rulemaking, offer a glimpse into how a Kennedy-run Department of Health and Human Services might turn MAHA priorities into regulation. The White House is set to release a final MAHA report, which will include recommendations to fight chronic disease. Details: POLITICO tracked nearly 900 measures on MAHA-aligned subjects that were introduced in 50 states this year — a 45 percent increase from the previous year and measures introduced in 2023 among the four states that meet every two years. Measures ranged from banning the use of food dyes to limiting children's access to social media over mental health concerns to restricting the use of mRNA, the technology behind the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines. The surge in state activity underscores the growing political clout of the MAHA base, which cuts across party lines, and offers MAHA supporters a chance to secure policy wins outside a White House navigating competing interests. Following intense pressure from agricultural lobbyists, the Trump administration assured farm groups earlier this summer that the final MAHA report would include no new policy around pesticide use despite linking the chemical to cancer in a May draft report. Bipartisan appeal? Blue states New York and New Jersey led the country in the number of MAHA-aligned measures introduced this year, followed by Republican-led Texas. While some topics, like ending vaccine mandates, were predominantly backed by one party, a few themes had bipartisan traction: Roughly a third of measures to improve nutrition and restrict food additives were sponsored by at least one member of each party this year. 'We see so much state activity. … It's bipartisan. They're tapping into something that most Americans know intuitively. MAHA will persist when Kennedy is gone in the future,' said Joel White, a Republican health care strategist and founder of Horizon Government Affairs, a Washington lobbying firm. WELCOME TO THURSDAY PULSE. Adults in the U.S. are drinking less and worrying more about alcohol's health effects, according to new numbers from Gallup. Send your tips, scoops and feedback to khooper@ and sgardner@ and follow along @kelhoops and @sophie_gardnerj. At the White House PRASAD BACKSTORY — White House chief of staff Susie Wiles advocated to bring back the FDA's top vaccine regulator, Dr. Vinay Prasad, after he was pushed out following social media attacks from MAGA influencer Laura Loomer, POLITICO's David Lim, Dasha Burns and Tim Röhn report. Wiles' decision to advocate on Prasad's behalf, as described to POLITICO by two senior administration officials granted anonymity to discuss sensitive details, came after pleas from both Prasad's boss, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. They insisted that Prasad is part of Kennedy's broader Make America Healthy Again movement to combat chronic diseases and integral to the Trump coalition. Loomer did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The FDA referred questions to the White House. 'Secretary Kennedy and the entire HHS team are doing a terrific job as they deliver on President Trump's mandate to Make America Healthy Again,' White House spokesperson Kush Desai said. 'Scores of prominent restaurant chains and food brands dropping artificial ingredients from our food supply and historic reforms at the FDA to fast-track lifesaving drugs and treatments prove that the entire HHS team is delivering for the American people.' Background: President Donald Trump forced Prasad out of his FDA job less than two weeks earlier after the Cambridge, Massachusetts, pharmaceutical manufacturer Sarepta Therapeutics, joined by GOP allies and Loomer, sought his ouster. He abruptly returned last week. Read the full story here. DRUG STOCKPILE EO — President Donald Trump issued an executive order Wednesday aimed at bolstering the domestic supply of drugs by ordering his health department to fill a drug-ingredient stockpile he established during his first term, POLITICO's Lauren Gardner reports. The directive builds on the Strategic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Reserve that Trump established in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic when shortages of medical supplies and devices hampered the pandemic response. The U.S. relies largely on China, India and the European Union for APIs, particularly those that go into commonly used generic medicines like antibiotics and chemotherapies that are manufactured on low margins. Details: The order directs the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response — the HHS agency that focuses on emergency readiness — to develop a list of 'approximately' 26 drugs considered critical to domestic health and security interests. It calls for an accounting of available funding that can be used to open the stockpile and to secure and maintain a six-month supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients needed to make the critical drugs. In Congress PRO MEDICAID CUTS — An influential group of Republicans has invited a key proponent of slashing Medicaid to brief congressional aides as the GOP mulls a potential second reconciliation bill, POLITICO's Benjamin Guggenheim and Meredith Lee Hill report. Brian Blase, president of the conservative think tank Paragon Health Institute, is set to address staff Thursday at a briefing on health care reform hosted by the Republican Study Committee, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO. Blase was allied with conservative hard-liners earlier this year in pushing for significant cuts to Medicaid in the first GOP package. He was the initial author of a letter arguing for 'structural' changes to the program that Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and 19 other hard-right members later sent to their House Republican colleagues. Details: An RSC spokesperson declined to comment on Thursday's briefing. But a person granted anonymity to discuss plans in advance said the meeting is set to cover enhanced tax credits for Affordable Care Act health insurance premiums, which are due to expire at the end of the year, as well as rules governing the percentage of Medicaid expenditures covered by the federal government and reimbursed to states. Not unprecedented: The RSC, composed of 189 House conservatives, has been a key force pushing for a follow-on to President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' that was signed into law last month. The group has invited several conservative experts to address staffers in recent weeks, though it has yet to endorse any specific health care policies for any forthcoming package. Those staff-level meetings continue as House GOP leaders try to plot a way forward amid skepticism over whether another sprawling domestic policy bill is even possible, given the difficulties Republicans had coming to an agreement on the first bill. Looking forward: It's still unclear what health topics a possible second package would address. Some House GOP factions are discussing further slashing Medicaid as well as possibly targeting Medicare funding. AROUND THE AGENCIES MAHA REPORT TIMELINE — The White House told several agricultural industry representatives to expect the latest Make America Healthy Again report to be publicly released in September, according to two people familiar with the conversation, POLITICO's Grace Yarrow reports. Some farm groups were recently invited to the White House and given 20 to 30 minutes to view a hard copy of a draft strategy report, said the two people, who were granted anonymity to share private details. The draft report that groups have seen is roughly 15 pages and has only 'light' mentions of pesticides, one of the two people said. But given that officials plan to wait for weeks before publishing the report, anything could change. Farm groups are crossing their fingers that the MAHA Commission won't scale up plans last minute to crack down on pesticides. 'If the ag community felt like they'd had some success in mitigating some of the worst language, or even taking some of that stuff out, an extra month may not feel like an opportunity,' said one of the people. 'It actually might feel like a bigger risk, because if they're already comfortable with where it sits now, what does an extra month mean?' 'On the other side, the MAHA folks are going to be pushing for more aggressive policy solutions across the board,' the person added. 'Maybe it would have been better for it to just pop out as it is.' Buckle up: Behind the scenes, the White House is taking extra time to review the policy recommendations to 'make sure it's not fucked up like last time,' as one person familiar with the process told our Dasha Burns, referencing the first error-riddled report from the MAHA Commission earlier this year. An HHS official told our Playbook colleagues that 'the team at the White House and HHS is ensuring that whatever is in the report is the best possible product for the American people. If they need more time, they need more time.' WHAT WE'RE READING The New York Times' Roni Caryn Rabin and Irena Hwang report on the Trump administration halting research related to racial and socio-economic disparities.
