Connect with us

News

‘This Is a Lie’: RFK Jr. Criticized by Experts, Including Trump Surgeon General

Published

on

Medical experts, including Donald Trump’s first-term Surgeon General, are questioning Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘s nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services and urging the Senate to uphold its “obligation” to conduct a thorough vetting process, following resurfaced remarks RFK Jr. made last year about the polio vaccine, suggesting it “killed many, many more people” than polio ever did. Some experts are flat-out accusing Kennedy of promoting “grotesque misinformation” or lies about the polio vaccine.

Before the polio vaccine, thousands in the U.S. died during outbreaks. In the 1916 epidemic, about 5000 people in the U.S. died, including over 2000 in New York City.

In 1952, “during the worst polio outbreak in U.S. history, 57,000 people were infected, 21,000 were paralyzed and 3,145 died, most of them children,” History.com reported. “Pools and movie theaters were shuttered, and panicked parents kept their kids at home, haunted by black-and-white images of toddlers in leg braces and rows of infants sealed in iron lungs.”

The CDC estimates that since 1988, decades after the first polio vaccine was created, “global polio cases have decreased by more than 99%. As a result, an estimated 20 million people who would have been paralyzed by the disease are walking today, and more than 1.5 million lives have been saved.”

READ MORE: ‘Should Be Looked At’: Trump Again Speaks Against Mandates for Childhood Diseases Vaccines

Now, resurfaced video (below) of RFK Jr. from a podcast just last year declaring “there is no vaccine that is, you know, safe and effective,” has gone viral on social media. It was also the subject of FactCheck.org report showing he incorrectly claimed to have never made that statement.

“I have never said that,” Kennedy in a PBS Newshour interview from November, 2023. “You are wrong. And you’re making something up.”

“If you are reading reports about me in the mainstream media, including this network, they’re almost all inaccurate,” Kennedy also alleged, according to FactCheck.org.

Kennedy is an environmental lawyer, an anti-vaccine activist, and has a “history of trafficking in conspiracy theories.” He is not a physician or infectious disease scientist.

The remarks he made just after declaring no vaccine is safe and effective are also concerning medical experts.

FactCheck.org’s report says, Kennedy “misleadingly suggested that the polio vaccines given to his generation caused cancer — despite a lack of evidence that this is true.”

“The polio vaccine contained a virus called simian virus 40, SV40,” Kennedy says in the video. “It’s one of the most carcinogenic materials that is known to man. In fact, it’s used now by scientists around the world to induce tumors in rats and guinea pigs in labs. But it was in that vaccine — 98 million people who got that vaccine, and my generation got it, and now you’ve had this explosion of soft tissue cancers in our generation that killed many, many, many, many more people than polio ever did.”

“So if you say to me, ‘The polio vaccine, was it effective against polio?’ I’m going to say, Yes. And if you say to me, ‘Did it kill more people … did it caused more death than averted?’ I would say, ‘I don’t know, because we don’t have the data on that,'” Kennedy also said, according to FactCheck.org. The organization also determined another statement of his was “incorrect or misleading on several fronts.”

Dr. Angela Rasmussen is a virologist and research scientist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO). Her bio says she focuses “on highly pathogenic emerging viruses that cause the most severe disease, such as Ebola virus, influenza viruses, and SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19.”

Responding to the video of RFK Jr. suggesting the polio vaccine “killed many, many more people” than polio, Dr. Rasmussen declared, “This is a lie. And it’s an abhorrent lie because the goal of this lie is to prevent polio vaccination and kill even more people.”

Dr. Neil Stone, an infectious diseases doctor and clinician-scientist on Tuesday wrote that RFK Jr. claiming that the polio vaccine “killed many more people than polio ever did…is simply not true.”

“Either he grossly misunderstands the topic,” or, “he does understand it and is lying.”

“Either way this is grotesque misinformation,” Dr. Stone concluded.

Dr. Benjamin Mazer is an assistant professor of pathology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, a board-certified anatomic and clinical pathologist, and an editor at the peer reviewed journal BMJ Oncology.

READ MORE: ‘Trump ’28, Come on, Man!’: Bannon Calls for Third Term

Last month at The Atlantic, he wrote that during the COVID pandemic, “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was indeed spreading misinformation with a fire hose. (For example, he has falsely said that the COVID shots are the “deadliest vaccine ever made.”)

And on Monday, responding to a social media post from CNN’s Manu Raju about RFK Jr. telling reporters, “I’m all for the polio vaccine,” Dr. Mazer wrote: “His strategy is to lie.”

“Here’s what he actually said about the polio vaccine: their harms ‘dwarf’ the harms of polio itself. (Obviously not true.) Oh and RFK Jr also suggested that doctors and scientists drummed up the AIDS epidemic because polio wasn’t a problem anymore.”

Dr. Dena Grayson is a physician and researcher with a lengthy medical résumé.

On Friday, not specifying any particular remarks, Dr. Grayson wrote: “In the face of #polio—a virus that can kill you or lead to a lifetime of paralysis—it’s INSANE that RFK Jr wants to ban a safe and effective vaccine.”

Dr. Jerome Adams is a former Indiana state health commissioner who served as President Donald Trump’s Surgeon General from September, 2017 to the end of Trump’s term. He holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of California, Berkeley, with a focus on chronic disease prevention.

On Tuesday Adams made statements responding to the RFK Jr. video, urging the Senate thoroughly vet Kennedy.

“No one is perfect, and as such, every political appointee has pros and cons that the Senate has to explore when considering confirmation. RFK is on the record – a lot. And the Senate will have to determine if someone who has said ‘no vaccine is safe and effective,’ and who doesn’t know ‘if the polio vaccine killed more people than it has saved,’ is qualified and suitable to be America’s secretary of Health,” Dr. Adams remarked.

“I personally like a lot of RFKs talk of improving the safety and nutrition of our food supply. But again the Senate will have to ask themselves if a healthy and respected America can have someone who has said HIV doesn’t cause AIDS leading health policy,” Dr. Adams added, pointing to this video:

Adams concluded, “America voted for Trump- and he has the right to nominate whoever he wants. The Senate has an obligation to vet these nominations before they consent. And as an American citizen and physician, I hope Senators at least ask RFK to explain- on the record- his many concerning past statements that seem inconsistent with making America healthy again. We all deserve that insight and clarity from the confirmation process.”

Over the weekend, without mentioning anyone specifically, Dr. Adams remarked: “In Scotland they’re working on elimination of cervical cancer via vaccines- and they’ve almost achieved their goal. I worry that in America some are working on a reintroduction of polio- and they’ve almost achieved their goal.”

Watch the videos above or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Wants a Global Stage’: Trump’s ‘Power Move’ Fizzles as China’s Xi Blows Off Inauguration

 

Image via Reuters

There's a reason 10,000 people subscribe to NCRM. You can get the news before it breaks just by subscribing, plus you can learn something new every day.
Continue Reading
Click to comment
 
 

Enjoy this piece?

… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.

NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.

Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.

News

Marjorie Taylor Greene Says She’s ‘Done Supporting’ The GOP: ‘Party Betrays Its Voters’

Published

on

Former Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said on Monday that she is “done supporting” her former party—but don’t expect her to join the Democratic party anytime soon.

Greene announced her disillusionment with the GOP on Monday afternoon in a tweet.

“Tucker is not the only one who is done supporting the Republican Party. There is A LOT of us that are absolutely fed up and will not support a party that betrays its voters and country. That does not mean we are turning into Democrats either. But we are DONE with the America LAST Republican Party,” Greene wrote.

She referred to comments made last week by pundit Tucker Carlson. Carlson appeared on the Can’t Be Censored podcast Thursday, saying he would refrain from supporting either major party, and admitted “I’m not sure what I’m going to do.”

READ MORE: ‘Gaslight America’: Marjorie Taylor Greene Blasts Trump Ahead of His Trip to Georgia

“How could I or any American voter support a political party that’s not loyal to the United States. That puts the interests of a foreign country above those of its own citizens. It’s not possible to vote for people like that, and I’m not going to,” Carlson said, according to Mediaite, referring to America’s long-time ally Israel.

Greene famously broke with President Donald Trump earlier this year when she called for the release of the FBI files relating to disgraced financier and sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein. A former staunch ally of Trump, the two started trading barbs. Greene resigned from the House this January. Greene has long called for an isolationist foreign policy, criticizing America’s involvement in Ukraine as well as the current conflict with Iran.

Given that Greene said she has no plans on moving leftward in her politics, it’s unclear if she will refrain from voting or if she’ll throw her lot in with a third party. While American politics are primarily driven by the two major parties, a number of smaller parties also exist.

Greene may find a home in the Libertarian party, the third-largest party by voter registration. The Libertarian party has drifted rightward since its founding in 1971. While initially economically conservative but politically liberal, after 2022, the paleolibertarian Mises Caucus gained control of the party. Paleolibertarianism was developed by anarcho-capitalists, and embraces cultural conservatism. Some of the most widely known paleolibertarians include former Representative Ron Paul and the current president of Argentina, Javier Milei.

Third parties struggle to gain traction in the United States. The closest a third party has come to widespread support was the Reform Party, founded by H. Ross Perot during the 1996 presidential election after he won 18.9% of the popular vote in the 1992 presidential election as an independent candidate. Reform won 8.4% of the popular vote in the 1996 election, but no third-party or independent candidate has been as successful as Perot since.

However, the electoral college makes it difficult for a third-party presidential candidate to be elected at all. Third-party presidential candidates are often seen as spoilers for the major candidates. Perot is often believed to have won votes away from President George H.W. Bush in 1992, giving the election to President Bill Clinton. In 2000, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader was similarly accused of acting as a spoiler for Vice President Al Gore, leading to the election of President George W. Bush.

Third parties, however, have a better track record in down-ballot races. For example, Kshama Sawant won election to the Seattle City Council in 2014 as a member of the Socialist Alternative party. She held office until 2024, when she declined to seek reelection. She is currently running for a seat in the House of Representatives as an independent.

Image via Shutterstock

Continue Reading

News

Donald Trump Says Iran ‘Will Agree to Major Weapons Inspections’ to Ensure ‘Nuclear Honesty’

Published

on

President Donald Trump announced on Monday that Iran “will agree” to allow weapon inspectors into the country in a slightly confusing social media post.

“Everybody is fully aware that Iran will agree to have Major Weapons Inspections in order to ensure ‘Nuclear Honesty’ long into the future,” the president wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

Vice President JD Vance has been handling the negotiations with Iran to end the military conflict started by the United States and Israel at the end of February. Vance said earlier today that inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency would be allowed to enter Iran. The inspectors could be in the country as soon as Monday, according to the Washington Post.

READ MORE: Large Majority of Americans Say Iran Conflict Should End, Hasn’t Met Any of Trump’s Goals

Trump’s wording, however, is somewhat hard to parse. When he says “everyone is fully aware,” is Trump referring to Vance’s Monday announcement that had been widely reported? Or is Trump attempting to cast doubt, suggesting Iran may somehow be pulling a fast one, allowing inspections to provide cover for a weapons program?

Either way, the allowing of weapons inspectors into Iran is similar to what former President Barack Obama’s administration negotiated for in 2015. The Obama-era deal called for IAEA inspectors to make sure Iran was complying with the deal, and was not developing nuclear weapons. But in 2018, after Trump ended the agreement, Iran started to block IAEA inspectors from parts of their nuclear program. Since then, IAEA inspectors do not know the status of Iran’s enriched uranium, according to the Washington Post.

One year ago from Monday, the U.S. struck Iranian sites believed to hold stockpiles of enriched uranium. Since then, Trump has claimed that the strike “completely and totally obliterated” the country’s nuclear enrichment facilities, however, this has never been verified. Even at the time, the Pentagon said that Iran’s nuclear program had only been “degraded…by two years.” Trump’s national intelligence director testified prior to the strike that there was no evidence that Iran’s existing nuclear program was meant to build weapons, according to the Military Times.

Iran has long promised not to build or obtain nuclear weapons. In 1970, Iran signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which deemed the country a non-nuclear state.

While Trump has warned that Iran could have a nuclear bomb “within six months,” the first report from the International Atomic Energy Agency since the Iran conflict started says that there has been no major change to the country’s nuclear program, according to Reuters.

Image via Reuters

Continue Reading

News

Federal Judge Quashes ‘Retaliatory’ Subpoenas Against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

Published

on

Six grand jury subpoenas were quashed by a federal judge Wednesday, when it was decided that the subpoenas were filed to retaliate against Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s administration and the city governments of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz of the District of Minnesota made his ruling public on Monday, granting the motion requested by the Minnesota officials to quash grand jury subpoenas related to Minnesota declaring itself to be a “sanctuary” state.

Last December, the Department of Homeland Security deployed over 3,000 agents to Minnesota as part of the largest immigration-related operation in the department’s history, Operation Metro Surge. After the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by DHS agents, the state of Minnesota as well as the twin cities challenged Operation Metro Surge in court, prompting President Donald Trump to rail against the local officials on social media.

READ MORE: Trump Dangles Another Insurrection Act Threat for Minnesota

Days after Minnesota, Minneapolis and St. Paul filed suit, news reports revealed that the Department of Justice had begun to investigate Walz and Minnesota Mayor Jacob Frey. Trump administration officials said that by not supporting the actions of DHS, Walz and Frey were breaking the law.

The Minnesotan officials argued that the subpoenas were “issued as part of an unconstitutional effort to coerce” them into working with DHS and ICE.

Judge Schiltz found that though grand juries traditionally “have broad investigatory powers,” the subpoenas had exceeded those powers. Schiltz agreed that the subpoenas were in violation of the Tenth Amendment, allowing states some degree of autonomy from the federal government.

Schiltz wrote that he had “no doubt” the subpoenas were issued for the “forbidden purposes” of attempting to “harass” or “coerce” Walz and Frey “into taking official action…. a blatantly unlawful and unethical use the grand-jury process.”

“On the one hand, the evidence that the challenged subpoenas were issued for unlawful reasons is overwhelming. On the other hand, the Department has struggled-without success-to identify a single plausible investigatory justification for the subpoenas,” Schiltz wrote, pointing out that the “public record… is replete with direct evidence of the Trump administration—including the highest-ranking officials of the Department—threatening and attempting to punish states and localities that have adopted ‘sanctuary’ policies.”

“To be clear, the Court agrees with the Department that a grand-jury subpoena need not be supported by probable cause. At the same time, a grand-jury subpoena cannot be issued for an improper purpose. The fact that connections between the information sought in the subpoenas and any possible criminal violation range from extremely weak to nonexistent only adds to the overwhelming evidence that these subpoenas were not issued to investigate, but to harass, coerce, and retaliate,” Schiltz added.

Image via Shutterstock

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2026 AlterNet Media.