
RFK Jr cancels $500M in vaccine development after ‘listening to the experts'
HHS announced Tuesday it would start winding down its vaccine development projects that use mRNA technology by canceling contracts and pulling funding for some vaccines that are being developed to fight respiratory viruses such as COVID-19 and the flu.
'We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted,' Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, said in a statement.
He said the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, which oversees the vaccine development projects, 'is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu.
'We're shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.'
The projects are being led by some of the nation's leading pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Moderna to prevent flu, COVID-19 and H5N1 infections.
The mRNA vaccines are credited with slowing the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
'Let me be absolutely clear: HHS supports safe, effective vaccines for every American who wants them. That's why we're moving beyond the limitations of mRNA and investing in better solutions,' Kennedy said, without providing details on what those technologies might be.
Shortly after President Donald Trump was elected to his second term Kennedy vowed not to take away anyone's vaccines.
"If vaccines are working for somebody, I'm not going to take them away. People ought to have choice, and that choice ought to be informed by the best information," he told NBC News in November 2024.
During his Senate confirmation hearings, Kennedy reiterated that he didn't want to take vaccines away, but rather wants to make sure Americans are properly informed about them, Politico reported in late January.
'News reports have claimed that I'm anti-vaccine or anti-industry,' he said. 'I am neither.'
The Independent has reached out to HHS for comment.
Kennedy has previously purported claims that vaccines are dangerous, notably falsely claiming childhood vaccines are linked to autism, despite this association being widely debunked.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
10 minutes ago
- BBC News
Suspect in shooting of Israel embassy couple faces hate crime and murder charges
Prosecutors have formally charged a suspect in the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington DC in May with hate crimes and first-degree murder. Along with the nine-count indictment against Elias Rodriguez, 31, the US Department of Justice filed legal findings that could allow the death penalty to be pursued in the case. Prosecutors say Mr Rodriguez opened fire on couple Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, outside the Capital Jewish Museum before shouting "Free Palestine" during his arrest. The defendant - who has been held in federal custody since he was arrested - has yet to enter a plea in court. Prosecutors say Mr Rodriguez, who is from Chicago, had expressed support for violence against Israelis, including in social media posts where he allegedly wrote: "Death to Israel."Prosecutors say he travelled from Chicago to the Washington DC area on 20 May with a handgun. They say Mr Rodriguez researched an event on 21 May at the Capital Jewish Museum. Prosecutors allege he bought a ticket to the event, which was sponsored by the American Jewish Committee and attended by both of the victims. The event was described as a networking opportunity to bring Jewish young professionals and the diplomatic community Mr Lischinsky and Ms Milgrim left the museum, the assailant allegedly fired 20 shots and told police at the scene: "I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza." The Israeli Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, said that Mr Lischinsky had just bought an engagement ring and was planning to propose to Ms Milgrim next week in say Mr Rodriguez wrote a document called "explication" in which he expressed his support for Palestine and claimed Israel was trying to exterminate Palestinians. In the charging documents, prosecutors also detailed Mr Rodriguez's eligibility for the death penalty, including that he was older than 18 years of age at the time of the shooting, that he allegedly intentionally killed the victims and did so after substantial planning.


Reuters
10 minutes ago
- Reuters
Stanford student newspaper sues Trump administration for alleged free speech violations
Aug 6 (Reuters) - Stanford University's student newspaper sued the Trump Administration on Wednesday, arguing it has violated the free-speech rights of foreign students by threatening to deport them for writing stories that it considers "anti-American or anti-Israel." The Stanford Daily and two unidentified students said in the lawsuit, opens new tab, filed in federal court in California against Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, that foreign students at the Palo Alto, California, school have refused to write about the conflict in the Middle East for fear they could be arrested, detained and deported. "This pall of fear is incompatible with American liberty," the lawsuit said. "Our First Amendment stands as a bulwark against the government infringing the inalienable human right to think and speak for yourself." Spokespeople for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "In the United States of America, no one should fear a midnight knock on the door for voicing the wrong opinion,' Stanford Daily attorney Conor Fitzpatrick said in a statement. A spokesperson for Stanford University said the newspaper is an independent organization and that the school is not part of the lawsuit. The Trump administration has attempted to deport students who have expressed pro-Palestinian views, calling them antisemitic and extremist sympathizers whose presence in the country was adverse to U.S. foreign policy. Protesters say that the government wrongly conflates their criticism of Israeli actions in Gaza and advocacy for Palestinian rights with antisemitism and extremism. Judges have ordered the release of some students who the administration arrested and detained without being charged with a crime. The Stanford Daily said in its lawsuit that the administration has caused its foreign writers to self-censor to avoid being targeted. It argued that the administration's threats prevent them from "engaging in protected expression like attending protests, using certain slogans, and publicly voicing their true views about American foreign policy, Israel, and Palestine." The newspaper asked the court to rule that the U.S. Constitution prevents the government from deporting non-citizens for engaging in free speech.


Daily Mail
10 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
I have 'Ozempic penis'. It's a new side effect that men aren't even telling their doctors... but their wives are all discussing it online!
It's the miracle drug known to curb appetite, stimulate weight loss and even help kick unhealthy addictions like smoking. But some men have claimed that taking 'GLP-1' injections, more commonly known by brand names including Ozempic and Wegovy, have brought on another surprising - and welcomed - side effect.