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"Takeaways from RFK Jr's Senate hearing."

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By Sarah Naffa September 05, 2025

In the news today: Takeaways from a contentious three-hour hearing between U.S. senators and Robert Kennedy Jr.; the showdown over Guatemalan children exposes fault lines in U.S. President Donald Trump’s deportation push; and Putin says foreign troops deployed to Ukraine before any peace deal would be ‘legitimate targets’. Also, the world’s largest and most enduring iceberg is splintering into smaller pieces. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears before the Senate Finance Committee, in Washington, Thursday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) POLITICS Takeaways from RFK Jr.'s contentious hearing before Senate lawmakers A three-hour hearing between U.S. senators and Robert Kennedy Jr. devolved into multiple screaming matches Thursday as the nation’s health secretary fended off accusations about sweeping changes he’s made to vaccines, health care policy and leadership. Read more.

Key points: Democratic senators pressed Kennedy on recent changes narrowing the approval of annual COVID-19 shots. He repeatedly disputed or denied their accusations. “I’m not taking them away from people,” Kennedy said, noting that healthy Americans who want a shot should still be able to get one if a doctor prescribes one. Typically, Americans do not need to see a doctor for annual vaccine updates. Kennedy could not be pinned down on basic facts and statistics, particularly when it came to vaccines and COVID-19. In an exchange with Sen. Mark Warner, Kennedy claimed nobody knows how many Americans have died from COVID-19 because of a lack of government data. Both the CDC and the World Health Organization have concluded that approximately 1.2 million Americans have died from the virus. Vaccine concerns were bipartisan. Senate Republicans were more aggressive with Kennedy than they have been with most of Trump’s top officials, with several asking pointed questions about his efforts to limit access to vaccines.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Operation Warp Speed was one of Trump’s biggest achievements. Then came RFK Jr. and vaccine skeptics FACT FOCUS: A look at false and misleading claims made by RFK Jr. during Senate hearing What polls show about Americans’ views on childhood vaccine mandates POLITICS Chaotic showdown over Guatemalan children exposes fault lines in Trump’s deportation push A reconstruction of the aborted deportation of dozens of Guatemalan children on Labor Day weekend illuminates the latest clash between the administration’s desire for mass deportations and longstanding legal protections for migrants. A middle-of-the-night call to a judge allowed attorneys to block the flights for two weeks, but the episode has raised questions about how truthful the administration was in its initial accounts. Read more.

Why this matters: A Guatemalan government report obtained by The Associated Press says that investigators found families for 115 children, and nearly 50 of them said they wanted their children to remain in the U.S., while 59 refused to cooperate with investigators. That undercuts the administration’s claim that they wanted their children back in Guatemala , believing it would make it more likely their children could remain in the U.S. A 2008 law requires children to appear before an immigration judge with an opportunity to pursue asylum, unless they are from Canada and Mexico. It is unclear how many children who boarded at Texas airports in Harlingen and El Paso over Labor Day weekend were allowed their day in court as required by the 2008 law.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Appeals court panel stops order to wind down operations at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ in Everglades   Justice Department ramping up efforts to target human smuggling at the northern US border   US immigration officers raid Georgia site where Hyundai makes electric vehicles   10 Alaskans born in American Samoa plead not guilty in voting case highlighting citizenship issues   A deadly strike marks a moment in Rubio’s long desire to confront Venezuela   Venezuelan jets fly over US warship in the Caribbean   US designates 2 more gangs in Latin America as foreign terrorist groups   Trump seeks to rebrand the Department of Defense as the Department of War   Judge orders Trump administration to release billions in foreign aid approved by Congress   Justice Dept. probes mortgage fraud claims against Lisa Cook of Federal Reserve, AP source says   Trump administration asks Supreme Court to let him fire member of Federal Trade Commission   Trump’s Fed nominee says he’d keep his White House job even if confirmed by the Senate   FBI seized phones, computer equipment, folders during search of Bolton’s home, records show   World shares climb after another Wall Street record and hopes for cuts to U.S. interest rates   Trump admin ditches Biden-era plan to make airlines pay compensation for flight disruptions   Trump administration targets Boston in latest sanctuary city lawsuit   Trump-backed plan to redraw Missouri congressional districts draws opposition at first hearing   Trump extends his reach into Congress in ways large and small   US considers banning Iranians from shopping at Costco during UN meeting   Demolition for new White House ballroom doesn’t need approval, Trump-appointed commission head says WORLD NEWS Putin says foreign troops deployed to Ukraine before any peace deal would be ‘legitimate targets’ Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine before a peace agreement has been signed would be considered “legitimate targets” by Moscow’s forces. Read more.

Why this matters: The Russian leader’s comments follow remarks from French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday that 26 of Ukraine’s allies have pledged to deploy troops as a “reassurance force” for Ukraine once fighting ends. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was important that security guarantees “start working now, during the war, and not only after it ends.”

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Macron says 26 countries pledge troops as a reassurance force for Ukraine after war ends Trump in ‘Coalition of Willing’ call tells Europe’s leaders to stop buying Russian oil, go after China In ruined Ukrainian cities, residents have tried to cling to hope but eventually they leave ADVERTISEMENT IN OTHER NEWS READ Thailand: Anutin Charnvirakul wins vote to become next prime minister Canada: Suspect among 2 dead in mass stabbing, 8 injured Congo: New Ebola outbreak suspected of causing 15 deaths Former Alaska Airlines pilot: Man accused of trying to cut a passenger flight’s engines reaches plea deals, his lawyer says Civil rights sit-ins: Joseph McNeil, who helped spark a protest movement at a North Carolina lunch counter, dies at 83 New to streaming: ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ ‘The Paper,’ and the MTV Video Music Awards Today in History: In 1972, Palestinian militants attacked the Israeli Olympic delegation at the Munich Games, resulting in 17 deaths WATCH Antarctica: Most enduring and biggest iceberg breaks apart Deep-sea fishing: New Hampshire boy, 13, reels in 177-pound halibut that may be a world record A CHANGE OF PACE A squirrel wraps up a piece of cloth for its drey at a garden in Kolkata, India, in June. (AP Photo/Bikas Das) How to humanely deal with pests without using cruel traps or harmful chemicals It might be tempting when you have insects and “nuisance” animals, like squirrels, bats, and raccoons you don't want in your yard, to reach for a spray can. But there are more humane and effective ways to control them without harming other wildlife, and people too.

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