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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Q&A on Changes to Recommendations for Combined MMR and Chickenpox Vaccine

Q&A on Changes to Recommendations for Combined MMR and Chickenpox Vaccine

On Sept. 18, the vaccine advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted to change its recommendation on the combined vaccine for chickenpox and measles, mumps and rubella, called the MMRV vaccine. We spoke to experts about claims made at the meeting as well as the implications of the vote.

Trump Administration’s Problematic Claims on Tylenol and Autism

Trump Administration’s Problematic Claims on Tylenol and Autism

In a Sept. 22 press conference that he had billed as “one of the biggest [medical] announcements … in the history of our country,” President Donald Trump touted an unproven link between autism and the use of Tylenol, or acetaminophen, during pregnancy.

The Facts Behind Claims on Autism, Tylenol and Folate

The Facts Behind Claims on Autism, Tylenol and Folate

News reports have indicated Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may point to Tylenol and folate deficiency in his promised announcement on the causes of autism. But neither Tylenol nor folate deficiency has been shown to cause autism. Some evidence has pointed away from Tylenol as a risk factor.

RFK Jr. Cherry-Picks and Misuses Data on Aluminum-Containing Vaccines

RFK Jr. Cherry-Picks and Misuses Data on Aluminum-Containing Vaccines

A large Danish study recently provided reassurance that aluminum-containing vaccines are not associated with increased rates of chronic health conditions in children, including autism. But Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. misrepresented the study’s findings, claiming that the paper’s supplementary data “shows calamitous evidence of harm.”

Q&A on the Trump EPA’s Effort to Curtail Regulation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Q&A on the Trump EPA’s Effort to Curtail Regulation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The Environmental Protection Agency is holding public hearings this week on its effort to undo the legal foundation for its regulation of greenhouse gases, the heat-trapping gases that cause climate change. In a major policy shift announced in late July, the Trump administration EPA said it would rescind the so-called “endangerment finding,” which allows the agency to regulate such emissions, arguing that legal and scientific developments justify a reconsideration.

RFK Jr. Justifies Cuts to mRNA Vaccine Projects With Falsehoods

RFK Jr. Justifies Cuts to mRNA Vaccine Projects With Falsehoods

In justifying the government’s termination of $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccine projects, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. falsely claimed mRNA vaccines “fail to protect effectively” against COVID-19 and suggested they are unsafe. The mRNA shots saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic and have shown promise against influenza.

Weather Modification Played No Role in Texas Floods

Weather Modification Played No Role in Texas Floods

Unfounded rumors linking an extreme weather event to human attempts at weather modification are again spreading on social media. It is not plausible that available weather modification techniques caused or influenced the July 4 flash flooding along the Guadalupe River in Texas.

Presentation Before CDC Vaccine Panel Misleads About Thimerosal

Presentation Before CDC Vaccine Panel Misleads About Thimerosal

A CDC advisory panel vote to recommend against use of seasonal influenza vaccines containing small amounts of thimerosal followed a presentation that misled on the risks of the rarely used preservative. There isn’t evidence that thimerosal in vaccines is harmful, and studies assessing a variety of health problems, including neurological conditions, have supported its safety.

Unraveling the Big Beautiful Bill Spin

Unraveling the Big Beautiful Bill Spin

As the Republican budget bill, called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, nears the July 4 deadline set by the White House, lawmakers have been ramping up the rhetoric. We referee the claims from both sides.