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US lawmakers question Health Secretary Kennedy on vaccine settlement disclosures

US lawmakers question Health Secretary Kennedy on vaccine settlement disclosures

By Dan Levine Aug 25 (Reuters) - A group of U.S. senators said Health Secretary Robert F.
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President Trump Administration's Policies on Autism Spark Concern Among Advocates

President Trump Administration's Policies on Autism Spark Concern Among Advocates

President Trump's second administration has brought autism into the national spotlight, marked by an executive order in early August to reduce routine childhood immunizations, falsely linking vaccines to autism. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has also contributed to ungrounded claims regarding autism's causes, including links to childhood vaccines and Tylenol during pregnancy. Concurrently, the administration has implemented significant cuts and reorganizations within federal agencies responsible for protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities. This includes dismantling parts of the Department of Education, closing regional offices of the Office for Civil Rights, and shifting special-education oversight to HHS and the Office for Civil Rights to the Department of Justice. Funding for research into disparities in autism diagnoses and resources, particularly for marginalized communities, has also been significantly reduced.
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President Trump's Executive Order on Childhood Vaccinations Stems from Autism Concerns

President Trump's Executive Order on Childhood Vaccinations Stems from Autism Concerns

President Trump has signed an executive order to reduce the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule, driven by his belief that vaccines contribute to autism. This directive aims to lower the recommended federal childhood immunization schedule from 17 shots to 11 and calls for unbundling the combined measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three separate doses. The order also instructs the Justice Department to challenge state-level vaccination mandates for school entry. Administration officials indicate that President Trump's frustration with the pace of addressing his concerns about autism, particularly from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., contributed to this action. Medical experts and scientists, however, assert that extensive research has disproven any link between vaccines and autism.
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Pennsylvania reports first U.S. measles deaths this year as outbreak grows

Pennsylvania reports first U.S. measles deaths this year as outbreak grows

Aug 25 (Reuters) - Two Pennsylvania residents died from measles, health officials said on Tuesday, the first such deaths this year in the United States, which is contending with the highest number of cases of the highly infectious disease in more than three decades as vaccination rates drop.
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Case map and graphs capture resurgence of disease once eliminated in the US

Case map and graphs capture resurgence of disease once eliminated in the US

Graphics show how measles cases have surged to the highest level in decades
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Trump Administration Cuts Agencies Protecting Autistic Children Amid Focus on Autism

Trump Administration Cuts Agencies Protecting Autistic Children Amid Focus on Autism

The Trump administration has placed autism in the spotlight while simultaneously cutting agencies and research initiatives designed to protect autistic children. President Trump signed an executive order in early August to reduce routine childhood immunizations, falsely linking vaccines to autism. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has also lent credence to ungrounded claims about autism's causes. Concurrently, the administration has dismantled parts of the federal government focused on students with disabilities. This includes closing seven of the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights' 12 regional offices and largely shifting special-education oversight to HHS and the Office for Civil Rights to the Department of Justice. Funding for research on disparities faced by people of color in autism diagnosis and resources has also been slashed.
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Confirmed cyclospora cases surpass 17,000. See map of affected states

Confirmed cyclospora cases surpass 17,000. See map of affected states

Federal health officials are continuing to count cases of the diarrhea-causing parasite, which has now been confirmed in an additional state.
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Trump's frustrations drove order limiting child vaccinations, but MAHA wants more

Trump's frustrations drove order limiting child vaccinations, but MAHA wants more

By Yasmeen Abutaleb and Bo Erickson WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's frustration that his administration was not doing enough to address what he considers a likely contributor to autism drove a U.S. executive order this month that cut back the number of childhood vaccinations,
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Trump, Dr. Oz and the MMR vaccine controversy

Trump, Dr. Oz and the MMR vaccine controversy

President Donald Trump and his head of Medicare and Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz are at odds over the MMR vaccine. Here's what to know.
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Senator Cortez Masto and Senator Booker Introduce Momnibus Act to Combat Maternal Mortality Crisis

Senator Cortez Masto and Senator Booker Introduce Momnibus Act to Combat Maternal Mortality Crisis

U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) have introduced the Momnibus Act, a comprehensive legislative package aimed at addressing the maternal mortality crisis in the United States. This initiative seeks to tackle the disparities in care that contribute to a disproportionately high maternal mortality rate, particularly among Black mothers. Companion legislation has also been introduced in the House of Representatives by Congresswomen Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.-14) and Alma S. Adams (D-N.C.-12). The United States currently has the highest rate of maternal deaths among high-income nations, with Black women facing a pregnancy-related mortality rate more than three times higher than that of White women. The Momnibus Act is comprised of 14 bills designed to invest in social determinants of health, extend the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), increase maternal healthcare funding for veterans, and improve maternal health data collection, am...
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Arizona among lowest in US for kindergarten vaccination rates

Arizona among lowest in US for kindergarten vaccination rates

Only four states in the country had worse kindergarten vaccination rates than Arizona this past school year, a new CDC report says.
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Trump bought shares in Elon Musk's SpaceX in June, financial disclosure shows

Trump bought shares in Elon Musk's SpaceX in June, financial disclosure shows

By Courtney Rozen WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump invested as much as $50,000 in Elon Musk's SpaceX in June, according to a public financial disclosure, giving him a financial stake in a major government contractor run by his former adviser.