RFK Jr.’s HHS Orders Lab Studying Deadly Infectious Diseases to Stop Research
A research facility within the U.S. National Institutes of Health that is tasked with studying Ebola and other deadly infectious diseases has been instructed by the Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to stop research activities. According to an email viewed by WIRED, the Integrated Research Facility in Frederick, Maryland, was told to stop all experimental work by April 29 at 5 pm.
The facility is part of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or NIAID, and is located at the U.S. Army base Fort Detrick. It conducts research on the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases that are deemed “high consequence” — those that pose significant risks to public health. It has 168 employees, including federal workers and contractors.
The email says representatives from the Department of Homeland Security were padlocking freezers in biosafety-level-4 labs, those with the highest level of biosafety containment used for studying highly dangerous microbes. Only about a dozen BSL-4 labs exist in North America. These labs work with the viruses that cause Ebola, Lassa fever, and Marburg, types of hemorrhagic fevers. The facility’s director, Connie Schmaljohn, has also been placed on administrative leave, according to the email.
RFK Jr.’s Politically Explosive Search for Autism’s ‘Root Cause’
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s pledge to investigate autism’s “root cause” has split advocates for people with the condition: Some, like Kennedy, want to know what’s causing it, while prominent groups think his search could do more harm than good.
Kennedy’s grim depiction of the most profound cases of autism — many “will never use a toilet unassisted,” he said in April — sparked condemnation from several groups devoted to championing autistic people. They said his remarks perpetuate stigmas associated with a condition that has a broad spectrum of manifestations — and, coupled with his well-known vaccine skepticism, color any attempt by the agency he leads, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to conduct further autism research.
But others who say they speak for people with severe autism were heartened that Kennedy is promising to devote HHS’s resources to help them as autism diagnosis rates continue to climb. “America has a big problem, and we have to face up to it,” said one of them, Jill Escher, president of the National Council on Severe Autism.
The divide shows how Kennedy’s search for autism’s source — he’s pledged to have some answers by September — has inflamed a long-simmering debate among people who advocate for those with the neurodevelopmental disorder and suggests that his investigation, whatever its findings, will be politically explosive.
NIH Cancels Participation in Safe to Sleep Campaign That Decreased Infant Deaths
The Trump administration has cancelled federal participation in Safe to Sleep, a 30-year campaign to prevent babies from dying in their sleep, STAT and the Medill News Service have learned. The elimination of the National Institutes of Health’s role in the program, which helped slash infant deaths in the 2000s, comes at a time when sleep-related deaths among infants have increased.
Sudden infant death rates were up nearly 12% between 2020 and 2022, according to the most recent data in a study published in JAMA Pediatrics. “The elimination of this department is absolutely devastating as the rates of sudden unexpected infant death have begun to climb once again,” Alison Jacobson, the CEO of First Candle, a nonprofit organization that worked with the federal government on Safe to Sleep, said in an email.
The federal government started the Safe to Sleep campaign in 1994 alongside other private organizations. Then called Back to Sleep, the campaign first focused on bringing awareness to SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome, a type of infant death whose cause is undetermined.
Trump’s New CDC Pick: A ‘Data-Driven’ Government Insider
After President Trump’s first nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention failed to gain traction with Senate Republicans, he turned to Susan Monarez, a career federal health official who has been leading the agency in an acting capacity since January.
Former colleagues told The Hill that Monarez is an effective leader who has championed data-driven work and diversity, which could make her an awkward fit for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s Jr.’s agency, which has sent mixed messages on the safety of vaccines, gutted diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI programs, and questioned myriad public health orthodoxies.
Monarez is well-respected in scientific circles and unlikely to face any resistance when she goes before the Senate for a confirmation hearing, which has not been announced a month after her nomination. Trump pulled his nomination of former Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.) on March 13.
RFK Jr. Says Diabetes, Chronic Illnesses Pose ‘Existential Threat’ — Not Measles Outbreak: ‘Should Be Getting the Headlines’
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argued Wednesday that the media should pay more attention to diabetes and autism — not measles outbreaks — as an “existential threat” to the nation’s health.
“I want to say this, we’ve had four measles deaths in this country in 20 years. We have 100,000 autism cases a year. We have 38% of our kids now are diabetic or pre-diabetic. That should be in the headlines,” the HHS head said at a NewsNation town hall hosted by Chris Cuomo.
Kennedy said the media “never” covers the rates of autism or diabetes increasing, and they “only want to cover measles.” “What I’ve been saying to people is, let’s pay attention to other illnesses as well, the illnesses that are really, really damaging our country, that are existential for our country.” “Seventy-four percent of our kids cannot qualify for military service, so this is an existential threat to our national security,” the HHS secretary explained of the risks of rising chronic disease.
Louisiana Looks to RFK Jr. For School Lunch Guidelines, Limits on SNAP Purchases
The Louisiana Illuminator reported:
Louisiana lawmakers advanced sweeping nutrition legislation that would regulate purchases of sugary beverages with federal food assistance and limit what ingredients can be served in public school lunches. Senate Bill 14 by Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, cleared the Louisiana Senate Committee of Health and Welfare on a party-line 4-3 vote, with Republicans prevailing.
McMath’s bill is part of a nationwide backlash against “ultra-processed foods,” food dyes, seed oils and certain chemicals in foods that U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has targeted for elimination. Kennedy is the central figure of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement. McMath said he is working with Kennedy on his bill.
“I think, for the first time in a very long time, and perhaps maybe ever, Americans, Louisianians, are paying close attention to what our individual health outcomes are and our individual health outcomes for our children and our grandchildren,” McMath said.
“The types of environments that we’re surrounded by can be pretty toxic,” McMath said. “And while I would love to wave a magic wand and clean up air and water and other things, I think the lowest hanging fruit … is we can start with the food that we’re that we’re putting in our body.”
Texas AG Paxton Launches Investigation Into ‘Big Toothpaste’ Over Fluoride Advertising Practices
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced an investigation into Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive over alleged deceptive advertising practices related to fluoride in children’s toothpaste.
The investigation was prompted by concerns that popular toothpaste brands, including Crest and Colgate, use cartoon characters and vibrant packaging to appeal to children while failing to adequately warn parents about the risks of excessive fluoride exposure. Paxton’s office cited studies suggesting potential links between fluoride overuse and developmental issues, including lower IQ scores in children.
“Parents deserve transparency when it comes to products designed for their children,” Paxton stated. “We will use every tool available to ensure companies are held accountable for misleading advertising that could harm Texas families.”
The Attorney General’s office highlighted discrepancies between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guidelines and the marketing practices of toothpaste manufacturers. The CDC recommends a rice-sized smear of toothpaste for children under three and a pea-sized amount for children aged three to six. However, Paxton alleges that advertising campaigns encourage parents to use larger quantities, potentially exposing children to unsafe levels of fluoride.
