Free Republic

The White House said late Wednesday that it had fired Susan Monarez, the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after a tense confrontation in which Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tried to remove her from her position. A lawyer for Dr. Monarez said in response that she was refusing to step down. Dr. Monarez, an infectious disease researcher, was sworn in just a month ago by Mr. Kennedy, but had clashed with the secretary over vaccine policy, people familiar with the events said. Four other high-profile C.D.C. officials quit en masse, apparently in frustration over...

Former President Mike Pence is urging Senate Republicans to block Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination as the Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary. President-elect Donald Trump, Pence's former running mate, announced Kennedy's nomination on Thursday, a decision that has raised concerns from public health experts. Kennedy, a former 2024 presidential candidate who went on to back Trump's campaign, has been incredibly critical of vaccinations, including suggesting that childhood vaccines are linked to autism diagnosis. Pence, however, took a different issue with Kennedy's appointment, saying in a statement Friday that making Kennedy the HHS secretary would be "an abrupt departure from...