MSNBC DAILY

Understand today's news

Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025

THE LATEST

RFK Jr. won't do a thing to help vulnerable Americans get health care

By Ben Burgis

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has his confirmation hearing to be Donald Trump's next head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today.

Opposition to his confirmation will almost certainly be focused on his record of making strange and conspiratorial claims about vaccines and the Covid-19 pandemic. Kennedy's defenders paint him as merely a civil libertarian critic of heavy-handed lockdowns or someone with reasonable concerns about the approval process for the Covid vaccines. But as recently as 2023, he went on "Fox & Friends" and reiterated the long-debunked idea that "autism comes from vaccines." The same year, a video emerged of him speculating at a private event that the coronavirus was engineered as an "ethnically targeted" bioweapon and that this is why it had so little effect on "Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese."

All this is enough to make respectable public health officials shudder. But some critics of America's health care status quo might be inclined to welcome Kennedy's nomination. After all, a great many ordinary Americans are so disenchanted with our health care system that they were willing to openly cheer for the assassination of a health insurance executive on the streets of Manhattan. Clearly, the status quo isn't working. However kooky some of RFK Jr.'s views may be, aren't we overdue for an "anti-establishment" figure to take the helm and shake things up?

This is a preview of Ben Burgis's latest article. Read the full column here.

TOP STORIES

JESSICA LEVINSON

RFK Jr.'s plan for pharma ads would run straight into the First Amendment

Many Americans support prohibiting commercials for prescription drugs on television. But enacting that ban could be complicated. Read more.

HAYES BROWN

Trump is daring anyone to stop his illegal funding freeze

The order to pause any federal funding that might go against Trump's MAGA policies is a blatant violation of the law — and a test of what's to come next. Read more.

MARY ZIEGLER

Trump's 'biological sexes' executive order includes a coded reference

The executive order's references to fetal personhood help anti-abortion activists' master plan. Read more.

JORDAN RUBIN

Pulitzer board invokes Trump's delay argument against him in defamation case

The prize board he sued wants the civil case paused while Trump is in office, citing an argument he has made to halt other litigation. Read more.

TOP VIDEOS

EXCLUSIVE

NY AG Letitia James discusses states' legal fight against Trump's attempt to block aid

WATCH NOW

EXCLUSIVE

'They want to destroy the federal government': Tim Walz reacts to Trump admin's latest actions in an exclusive interview

WATCH NOW

DEADLINE WHITE HOUSE

Nicolle on Trump's funding stunt: 'This is about you, your drugs, your childcare, your food stamps'

WATCH NOW

CHRIS JANSING REPORTS

Trump admin orders CDC to cut communication with WHO

WATCH NOW

MORE FROM MSNBC

Thursday, join Jen Psaki, Symone Sanders Townsend, Jonathan Capehart, and Luke Russert for a virtual forum hosted at Georgetown University. Hear from candidates for Democratic National Committee offices ahead of their leadership elections.

Register for the Live Stream Now

Today, stay with MSNBC for special coverage of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Senate confirmation hearing as President Trump's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Watch today at 10 a.m. ET on MSNBC.

MSNBC INSIGHTS

Have you ever wanted to provide MSNBC with your opinion about their TV programs, documentaries, and digital products, such as MSNBC.com, newsletters, and podcasts? Now is your chance! Join the MSNBC Insights Community.

Download the MSNBC App: