White House Says 'Errors' In RFK Jr's 'Make America Healthy Again' Report
Washington:
The White House will fix errors in a much-anticipated federal government report spearheaded by US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, which decried America's food supply, pesticides and prescription drugs.
Kennedy's wide-ranging "Make America Healthy Again" report, released last week, cited hundreds of studies, but a closer look by the news organization NOTUS found that some of those studies did not actually exist.
Asked about the report's problems, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the report will be updated.
"I understand there was some formatting issues with the MAHA report that are being addressed and the report will be updated," Leavitt told reporters during her briefing. But it does not negate the substance of the report, which, as you know, is one of the most transformative health reports that has ever been released by the federal government.
Kennedy has repeatedly said he would bring "radical transparency" and "gold-standard" science to the public health agencies. But the secretary refused to release details about who authored the 72-page report, which calls for increased scrutiny of the childhood vaccine schedule and describes the nation's children as overmedicated and undernourished.
Leavitt said that the White House has "complete confidence" in Kennedy.
"Minor citation and formatting errors have been corrected," HHS Spokesman Andrew Nixon said in an emailed statement. He described the report as a "historic and transformative assessment by the federal government to understand the chronic disease epidemic afflicting our nation's children."
NOTUS reported Thursday that seven of the more than 500 studies cited in the report did not appear to have ever been published. An author of one study confirmed that while she conducted research on the topics of anxiety in children, she never authored the report listed. Some studies were also misinterpreted in the MAHA report. The problematic citations were on topics around children's screen time, medication use and anxiety.
Kennedy's MAHA report had already been stoking concerns among Trump loyalists, including farmers who criticized how the report characterized the chemicals sprayed on US crops.
The report is supposed to be used to develop policy recommendations that will be released later this year. The White House has requested a $500 million boost in funding from Congress for Kennedy's MAHA initiative.
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Time of India
15 hours ago
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US COVID vaccine recommendations sow confusion among doctors, insurers
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Time of India
a day ago
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Snacks like M&M's, Skittles, and Doritos ‘Not recommended for human consumption' in US? Here's what the Texas Bill proposes
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First Post
2 days ago
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History Today: How America's Robert F Kennedy was shot dead in Los Angeles
Shortly, after midnight on June 5, 1968, Senator Robert F Kennedy, who was running for president of the United States, was shot dead by a Palestinian in Los Angeles. According to his confession, the 24-year-old shot Kennedy for his pro-Israel stance. On this day in 1967, the six-day war between Israel and its Arab neighbours namely Egypt, Syria and Jordan began read more Robert F Kennedy was delivering a victory speech for winning the California Democratic primary during his campaign for the US presidency when he was shot dead. File image/AP It was a shocking moment as people across the world watched Senator Robert F Kennedy being fatally shot on June 5, 1968. He was assassinated in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. If you are a history geek who loves to learn about important events from the past, Firstpost Explainers' ongoing series, History Today will be your one-stop destination to explore key events. On this day in 1967, the six-day war between Israel and its Arab neighbours namely Egypt, Syria and Jordan broke out. In 1981, the first officially recognised cases of what would later become known as Aids (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) were reported in the United States. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Here is all that took place on this day across the world. Robert F Kennedy was fatally shot US Senator Robert F Kennedy (RFK) was fatally shot on June 5, 1968, shortly after winning the California Democratic primary and delivering a victory speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Exiting through a kitchen pantry, Kennedy was shot multiple times by 24-year-old Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan, who opposed his pro-Israel views. The attack, witnessed by supporters and staff, caused immediate chaos. Critically wounded, Kennedy was rushed to the hospital but died from his injuries on June 6 at age 42. Five others were also injured in the shooting. Although the younger brother of President John F Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy forged his own path in public service, first as US Attorney General and then as a US Senator representing New York. After his brother's 1963 assassination, RFK emerged as a powerful and independent political figure. His 1968 presidential campaign resonated with calls for civil rights, an end to the Vietnam War, economic justice and national reconciliation. His death, in the tumultuous year of 1968, just two months after Dr Martin Luther King Jr's assassination , profoundly shocked the United States. This further undermined public trust in its political institutions and intensified collective sorrow. Following the shooting, Sirhan Sirhan was arrested at the scene and subsequently convicted of first-degree murder. Yet, despite his continued imprisonment, his case consistently sparks debate and a myriad of conspiracy theories. The Six-Day War in West Asia began The famous war of West Asia, the Six-Day War began on June 5, 1967, during which Israel fought its neighbours namely Egypt, Syria and Jordan. The war had been building for months, fueled by border skirmishes, the mobilisation of Arab forces and Egypt's closure of the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping. This blockade was seen by Israel as an act of war. On the morning of June 5, Israel executed Operation Focus, a preemptive airstrike that effectively destroyed most of Egypt's air force before it could take flight. This decisive action secured immediate air superiority for Israel, an advantage further cemented by subsequent strikes against Syrian and Jordanian air forces. The Six-Day War was officially known as Operation Focus. File image/AP In a six-day blitz, Israel seized vast territories, including Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip, Jordan's West Bank and East Jerusalem, and Syria's Golan Heights. The unprecedented speed and decisiveness of this military victory reshaped the regional landscape, astonishing global observers. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The war concluded on June 10 with a UN-brokered ceasefire. Although Israel's landmass more than tripled, the acquired territories simultaneously laid the groundwork for enduring conflict. The mass displacement of Palestinians, the military occupation of Arab lands, and the profound humiliation of Arab nations exacerbated the Israeli-Arab conflict for decades to come. The first case of Aids is reported The first case of what would later turn out to be Aids (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) was reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States on this day in 1981. The report, published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), detailed five cases of a rare lung infection, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), in previously healthy young men in Los Angeles. All five were gay, and the unusual clustering of the illness raised alarms in the medical community. These initial cases provided the first documented evidence of a mysterious immune system collapse, which rendered patients susceptible to unusual infections and aggressive cancers. While the term 'Aids' wouldn't be coined until 1982, this report undeniably signalled the official onset of the Aids epidemic. In its early stages, the condition remained largely unknown, posing a significant medical mystery and escalating concern as similar immune deficiencies surfaced in urban centres like New York and San Francisco. By the close of 1981, 270 cases had been reported, resulting in 121 fatalities. In the ensuing years, scientists pinpointed the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as the causative agent of Aids. The epidemic swiftly transformed into a global crisis, bringing far-reaching social, political, and medical consequences. Simultaneously, public fear and widespread stigma rapidly intensified, disproportionately affecting the LGBTQ+ community, intravenous drug users, and haemophiliacs. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This Day, That Year On this day in 1944, during World War II the Allied forces entered Rome. Absolute monarchy in Denmark was abolished on this day in 1849.
