Latest news with #MakeAmericaHealthAgain
NDTV
3 days ago
- Health
- NDTV
Trump Administration's Health Report Cites Research That Doesn't Exist
Washington DC: The US government's 'Make America Healthy Again' or MAHA commission and its chief Robert F Kennedy Jr, find themselves in an embarrassing situation after a health report it released cited "totally fabricated" research material. The report was about children's health in America. Two versions of the report were released over the last week - the first on May 22 and the revised and updated version on May 29, but upon scrutiny, it was revealed that the studies quoted in the report, upon which their entire findings were based, were completely fabricated. This was highlighted by the academics who were wrongly listed as the authors of those studies. The report, which was focused on the chronic disease crisis among American children, listed its causes in detail and added its findings based on studies which were "fabricated" according to academics. The updated version of the report was also found to have used seven sources which do not even exist, US' digital news outlet NOTUS said. But the Trump Administration tried to downplay the incident by claiming that it was due to "formatting issues". White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the country's top health panel - MAHA - will rework the report and share an update, but did not specify when. Moreover, she did not negate the substance of the report. Make America Health Again was the brainchild of Robert F Kennedy Jr, and is based on Donald Trump's slogan 'Make America Great Again' or MAGA - which the Republican leader used widely during his electoral campaign, and even now as US President. Robert F Kennedy Jr, who is the person in-charge of outlining America's health policy and outlook, is an intensely controversial figure, who has for long, promoted false claims that "autism comes from vaccines". The research behind this week's report was being carried out by Mr Kennedy Jr's panel and was initiated after President Trump signed an executive order to "study the scope of the childhood chronic disease crisis and any potential contributing causes". According to the BBC, the authors quoted in the studies mentioned in the government report have said, that not only have they not written them, but the studies do not even exist, to begin with. One of the named authors, Guohua Li, a professor at Columbia University, spoke with news agency AFP, saying that the study their name is linked to is "totally fabricated" and that the co-author - Noah Kreski - whose name is mentioned along with his, is a person he has never even heard of. When AFP contacted him, Noah Kreski, who is a researcher at Columbia University, also denied being a part of any such study, and said the same about Mr Li. He added that "It doesn't appear to be a study that exists at all." Several other authors named in the MAHA report have similar complaints and are concerned about their names being used over fictitious studies without their knowledge. Citations are a critical part of scientific research and add authenticity and credibility to scientific findings.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
RFK Jr. may stop government scientists from publishing in top journals
May 29 (UPI) -- U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said this week that he may no longer allow government scientists to publish research in top medical journals. Kennedy made the statement on a podcast called The Ultimate Human, on which he called the journals "corrupt" and said they were controlled by drug companies. "We're probably going to stop publishing in The Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA and those other journals," Kennedy said. All three journals are known for publishing peer-reviewed studies and are widely read by health professionals around the world. JAMA and The Lancet each get more than 30 million visits to their websites every year. The New England Journal of Medicine reaches more than 1 million readers weekly, in print and online, The Washington Post reported. None of the journals responded right away to Kennedy's comments. Kennedy said he wants HHS to create its own journals instead. They would "become the preeminent journals, because if you get [NIH] funding, it is anointing you as a good, legitimate scientist." But some public health experts strongly disagreed. "Banning NIH-funded researchers from publishing in leading medical journals and requiring them to publish only in journals that carry the RFK Jr. seal of approval would delegitimize taxpayer-funded research," Dr. Adam Gaffney, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, told The Post. Gaffney also warned that drug approvals rely on science. While saying it's important to guard against commercial interests, he warned that Kennedy's plans - along with funding cuts and anti-vaccine views - could hurt public health. On the podcast, Kennedy also criticized government agencies under HHS, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and Medicare and Medicaid offices. He described them as "sock puppets" for the pharmaceutical industry. The podcast came out shortly after Kennedy announced his department would stop recommending the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children and pregnant women, bypassing CDC guidance. Last week, the administration also released a new "Make America Health Again" report that challenged common views in medicine, including on vaccines. The Post said the report included misleading information and claims not backed by strong evidence. In April, a U.S. attorney sent a rare letter to the journal Chest, questioning its editorial policies. Critics said the move threatened freedom of speech, The Post reported. Meanwhile, NIH funding has dropped by more than $3 billion since January, and many top universities are losing out on funding for research. Kennedy has also led a major staff reduction at HHS, with about 20,000 federal workers cut - affecting almost every part of the agency, The Post said. The cuts and funding freezes have led some U.S. scientists to consider leaving the country for jobs elsewhere. Countries like France, Germany, Spain and China are now actively recruiting American researchers. More information The Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England has more about the role of journals. Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
RFK Jr: Don't take health advice from me
Robert F Kennedy Jr, Donald Trump's health secretary, has said that people should not come to him for health advice. Speaking at a House select committee hearing on Wednesday morning, Mr Kennedy told lawmakers: 'I don't want to seem like I'm being evasive, but I don't think people should be taking medical advice, from me.' His comments came in response to a question from Representative Mark Pocan, a Wisconsin Democrat, on whether the department of health and human services (HHS) head, would today vaccinate his own children against measles. Mr Kennedy's vaccine scepticism has come under fresh scrutiny in recent weeks as the US faces its biggest measles outbreak in decades, with more than 1,000 confirmed cases and three deaths, according to the Centre for Disease Control. Mr Kennedy said he would 'probably' give his child a measles jab, before stating that his personal views on the matter are 'irrelevant'. He added that he had directed Jay Battacharia, the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to try to 'lay out the pros and cons, the risks and benefits, accurately as we understand them, with replicable studies,' for people to 'make that decision'. 'I think if I answer that question directly, that it will seem like I'm giving advice to other people, and I don't want to be doing that,' Mr Kennedy said, to which Mr Pocan responded: 'That's kind of your jurisdiction.' The health secretary went on to refuse to answer whether he would have his child vaccinated for chickenpox or polio if he had a newborn today. The exchange came during a House appropriations committee hearing where Mr Kennedy was grilled on the fast-growing measles outbreak and cuts to top health agencies. The administration's spending bill plans for 2026 include an $18 billion cut to NIH funding and $3.6 billion from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At the same time, the president's budget aims to funnel $500 million into Mr Kennedy's 'Make America Health Again' initiative geared towards tackling the 'chronic disease epidemic'. Mr Kennedy testified that health agencies are handling the measles outbreak better than other nations and maintained that staffing cuts at HHS have not impacted key health programmes. It comes after Mr Kennedy sparked outrage for going swimming with his grandchildren at a creek in Washington DC's Rock Creek Park, which is known for containing raw sewage. On Sunday, the health secretary shared an image on X of his grandchildren playing in the creek while out on a mothers' day stroll. The National Park Service (NPS) said on its website that 'Rock Creek has high levels of bacteria and other infectious pathogens that make swimming, wading, and other contact with the water a hazard to human (and pet) health'. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
RFK Jr. goes swimming in DC's Rock Creek despite ban over bacteria
(The Hill) – Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed Sunday that took a dip in Washington, D.C.'s Rock Creek with his grandchildren, despite longstanding warnings that the Potomac River tributary isn't safe because of high bacterial levels. 'Mother's Day hike in Dumbarton Oaks Park with Amaryllis, Bobby, Kick, and Jackson, and a swim with my grandchildren, Bobcat and Cassius in Rock Creek,' Kennedy wrote in a post on the social media platform X along with multiple photos, including one of the shirtless 71-year-old Cabinet member submerged in the water. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State According to the National Park Service (NPS), 'swimming and wading are not allowed due to high bacteria levels.' Swimming has been illegal in most of D.C.'s waterways since the 1970s, largely because of contamination from the district's aging sewer system, though there have been recent efforts to roll back the five-decade prohibition and it is rarely enforced. Several signs posted along Rock Creek warn of the potential dangers, and the NPS advises pet owners to keep animals out of the water, as well. HHS didn't immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment on Kennedy's swim or concerns about the water's contamination. Kennedy, whom President Trump appointed to lead health policy in his second term, has drawn considerable attention for his unconventional positions on wellness issues. The Senate confirmed him for the HHS role in February despite hesitations from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. He described himself and his top allies at HHS as 'renegades' and 'juggernauts against convention' in a Fox News interview Thursday. The former presidential candidate and promoter of the Make America Health Again, or 'MAHA', movement previously revealed in court documents that doctors told him in 2010 that a parasite had eaten part of his brain and he also experienced mercury poisoning, likely from eating fish. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
12-05-2025
- Health
- The Hill
RFK Jr. goes swimming in DC's Rock Creek despite NPS guidance on bacteria
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed Sunday that took a dip in Washington, D.C.'s Rock Creek with his grandchildren, despite longstanding warnings that the Potomac River tributary isn't safe because of high bacterial levels. 'Mother's Day hike in Dumbarton Oaks Park with Amaryllis, Bobby, Kick, and Jackson, and a swim with my grandchildren, Bobcat and Cassius in Rock Creek,' Kennedy wrote in a post on the social media platform X along with multiple photos, including one of the shirtless 71-year-old Cabinet member submerged in the water. According to the National Park Service (NPS), 'swimming and wading are not allowed due to high bacteria levels.' Swimming has been illegal in most of D.C.'s waterways since the 1970s, largely because of contamination from the district's aging sewer system, though there have been recent efforts to roll back the five-decade prohibition and it is rarely enforced. Several signs posted along Rock Creek warn of the potential dangers, and the NPS advises pet owners to keep animals out of the water, as well. HHS didn't immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment on Kennedy's swim or concerns about the water's contamination. Kennedy, whom President Trump appointed to lead health policy in his second term, has drawn considerable attention for his unconventional positions on wellness issues. The Senate confirmed him for the HHS role in February despite hesitations from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. He described himself and his top allies at HHS as 'renegades' and 'juggernauts against convention' in a Fox News interview Thursday. The former presidential candidate and promoter of the Make America Health Again, or 'MAHA', movement previously revealed in court documents that doctors told him in 2010 that a parasite had eaten part of his brain and he also experienced mercury poisoning, likely from eating fish.
