Trump administration live: Kash Patel distances himself from Jan 6 rioters and pardons in contentious confirmation – UK Times

Sen. Maggie Hassan, a New Hampshire Democrat, said questioning whether Kennedy has really changed his anti-vaccine views isn’t political – it has real-world ramifications.

Hassan related the anguish of wondering if she did something during her pregnancy to cause severe cerebral palsy in her now 36-year-old son.

She said Kennedy’s refusal to accept that a 1990s report linking the measles vaccine to autism has now been thoroughly discredited is stumping the search for the real causes of autism and other disorders like her son’s.

“He is re-litigating and churning settled science so we can’t go forward and find out what the cause of autism is and treat these kids and help these families,” she said. “It freezes us in place.”

Two Republican senators used the word ‘pincushion’ to describe kids who get full slates of recommended vaccines.

One even praised Kennedy for raising questions about the number of vaccines children get.

“I’ll have my first granddaughter in the next couple of weeks, and my son and his wife have done their research about vaccines and she’s not going to be a pincushion. We’re not going to allow that to happen. You brought that up,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.

“As a father of six, when my kids come out from getting their vaccines, they look like a freaking pincushion,” added Mullin.

In a final round of questions, Senator Michael Bennet returns to Tulsi Gabbard refusing to call Edward Snowden a “traitor.”

Snowden “did not honor his oath to the constitution,” which, “you said is the most important duty in this role,” Bennet said,

“Why is he being treated as a folk hero by you instead of the traitor he was?” he asked.

Gabbard insisted she would ensure that there would not be a “Snowden-like leak” if she’s confirmed.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urged caution regarding anti-obesity drugs during his confirmation hearing this morning. Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stated that new weight-loss medications, such as Wegovy, are “miracle drugs.”

However, he emphasized that these should not be the first-line treatment for six-year-old children and that prescriptions should include guidance on diet and exercise.

This aligns with the guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which advocates for treating children with lifestyle interventions, including diet and exercise, before considering medications for those as young as twelve and surgery for those as young as thirteen. Similar guidelines are applicable to adults.

With reporting from the AP

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cited the Cass report when Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley asked about gender-affirming care for young people.

The report commissioned by England’s National Health Service and led by retired pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass found “no good evidence on the long-term outcomes of interventions to manage gender-related distress.”

England’s health service stopped prescribing puberty blockers to children with gender dysphoria outside of a research setting, following recommendations from Cass’ interim report.

In the United States, medical experts have criticized the Cass report for relying on flawed evidence reviews. Major medical groups, such as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, support access to such care.

Tulsi Gabbard spoke about former NSA intelligence contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden, who leaked classified documents.

Gabbard wants him to be pardoned: “Edward Snowden broke the law. I do not agree with or support all the intelligence he released nor the way in which he released it … The fact is he also … released information that exposed egregious, illegal and unconstitutional programs within our government.”

Senator Warner is grilling her: “You have celebrated this guy as brave … I cannot imagine a director of national intelligence that would say that kind of behavior is OK.”