Public Health

Latest California Healthline Stories

On Autism, Kennedy Turns Against Science and Reality

During his first news conference as Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on April 16 ticked off things he thinks kids with autism will never do, including paying taxes, holding a job, and going on a date. Kennedy’s comments go against science and reality.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': On Autism, It’s the Secretary’s Word vs. CDC’s

Tensions between Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his employees at the Department of Health and Human Services are mounting, as he made a series of claims about autism this week — contradicting his agency’s findings. Plus, President Donald Trump unveiled an executive order to lower drug prices as his administration explores tariffs that could raise them. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KFF Health News’ Emmarie Huetteman to discuss these stories and more. Plus, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews two University of California-San Francisco researchers about an upcoming Supreme Court case that could have major ramifications for preventive care.

Beyond Ivy League, RFK Jr.’s NIH Slashed Science Funding Across States That Backed Trump

A KFF Health News analysis underscores how the terminations have spared no part of the country, politically or geographically. Of the organizations that had grants cut in the first month, about 40% are in states President Donald Trump won in November.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Dismantling of HHS

A week into the reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services announced by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the scope of the staff cuts and program cutbacks is starting to become clear. Among the biggest targets for reductions were the nation’s premier public health agencies: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the […]

RFK Jr.’s Purge of FOIA Staff at FDA Spares People Working on Covid Vaccine Lawsuits

A purge of FDA staff spared some people tasked with responding to a judge’s orders to disclose government records on covid vaccines, according to agency employees. The FOIA litigation was brought by Aaron Siri, an ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s who represents anti-vaccine interests.

Tácticas migratorias de Trump obstaculizan esfuerzos para evitar una pandemia de gripe aviar, dicen investigadores

Las agresivas tácticas de deportación han aterrorizado a los trabajadores agrícolas, que son el centro de la estrategia nacional contra la gripe aviar, según afirman trabajadores de salud pública. Los trabajadores de las industrias láctea y avícola han representado la mayoría de los casos de gripe aviar en el país, y prevenir y detectar los […]