Axios

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s handpicked vaccine advisors on Thursday approved limiting the availability of a combined shot for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella, the virus that causes chicken pox.

• The 12-member panel also appeared poised to do away with the recommendation that all newborns receive the Hepatitis B vaccine, but delayed a vote until Friday.

The Trump administration said Thursday it is barring a University of Miami affiliate from the network that distributes donated organs, citing unsafe practices, administrative errors and underperformance.

Why it matters: The action, if completed, would mark the first time an organ procurement organization has been decertified, and the first time federal regulators have used their authority to pull an active contract for such work.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s push to reshape vaccine policy will hit a crescendo on Thursday, when his handpicked advisory panel is expected to consider limiting the availability of MMR, hepatitis B and COVID-19 shots.

Why it matters: The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) traditionally operates on scientific consensus and makes recommendations to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

President Trump is designating the anti-fascist antifa movement as a terrorist organization, according to a post he made during his state visit to the United Kingdom early Thursday U.K. time.

What he's saying: "I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Axios CEO Jim VandeHei writes:

Many Democrats in America, for the first time, feel not merely powerless, but like targeted strangers in an occupied land.

• Many write to us wondering: What can they do beyond protesting government actions they find truly abhorrent and yelling on social media?

Why it matters: If there were simple answers, they wouldn't keep asking the same question. But, conservative New York Times columnist Ross Douthat has offered several worthy thought experiments to help liberals — but really anyone — think more deeply about solutions.

Bank of America said Wednesday that it raised its U.S. minimum hourly wage to $25 an hour, making the starting salary for full-time employees more than $50,000 a year while committing to doubling its hires for community college graduates.

Why it matters: The move is in contrast to the labor market data indicating weaker wage growth and fewer jobs for young people.

Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Susan Monarez got her turn on Wednesday to tell the Senate health committee about the events that led up to her firing in August after less than a month on the job.

• She recalled how she was forced out after refusing to "pre-approve" vaccine recommendations from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s handpicked advisers and to fire career CDC scientists.
• But she also provided a unique lens into the ongoing turmoil at the public health agency — and a few surprises.

Here's what stood out to us:

1. Vaccine recommendations could be further weakened

Monarez raised the alarm that major changes to the childhood vaccine schedule are imminent.

• She said Kennedy told her in an August meeting that changes to the schedule are coming this month, though the substance of the changes is not clear.
• "He did say that he had spoken to the president, he spoke to the president every day about changing the childhood vaccine schedule," Monarez testified.
• An Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson responded that any changes would be based on the "latest available science" and only come after a recommendation from the CDC advisory panel.

2. Cassidy pushes back on hepatitis B vaccine changes

Health committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician who specialized in gastroenterology and liver diseases, spoke about his experience treating patients with hepatitis and warned against a potential weakening of the recommendation for newborns to receive the hepatitis B vaccine.

• Such a change could be made at the CDC advisory committee meeting this Thursday and Friday. One option would be delaying the shots from birth to age 4.
• "This was my practice for 20 years," Cassidy said. "There are people who would otherwise be dead" if not for hepatitis B vaccination, he added, noting cases had plummeted since the recommendation for newborns began in the early 1990s.
• Cassidy did not openly criticize Kennedy during the hearing, but defended vaccinations and said later Kennedy needs to appear before the committee to respond.

3. RFK: safe but wounded

There is no indication that President Trump is going to fire Kennedy or significantly reel in his operations.

• But a growing number of Republicans in Congress believe Kennedy's views are a distraction. The political heat could lead the White House to put some limits on his discretion.
• Cassidy said that he will invite Kennedy to testify at a future hearing and respond to Monarez's allegations, though it is unclear if that will occur.
• A future hearing with Cassidy would keep the pressure on Kennedy. Sen. John Barrasso (Wyo.), the No. 2 Senate Republican, also pressured him against weakening vaccine recommendations at a Senate Finance hearing earlier this month.

4. Kennedy still has his supporters

Several GOP senators on Wednesday aggressively challenged Monarez's truthfulness and portrayed Kennedy as a change agent.

• Sens. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) criticized Monarez for hiring lawyer Mark Zaid to represent her. Banks called Zaid "notorious for his anti-Trump activity."
• Other Republicans suggested the administration was well within its rights to fire Monarez.
• "Would you agree with me though at this point in time that you're not the right person for this job?" asked Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), saying that Monarez's belief that "every child needs every vaccine" is a different mindset than Kenn.

5. CDC staff fear for safety

Some CDC staff are so concerned for their safety that they are no longer putting their names on scientific papers about vaccines, said Debra Houry, the CDC's former chief medical officer, who resigned last month and appeared alongside Monarez.

• Since a gunman opened fire on the agency's Atlanta headquarters in early August, some CDC staff "don't wish to present publicly anymore because they feel they were personally targeted because of misinformation," she said.

Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Susan Monarez told members of a Senate committee Wednesday that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told her to "never" express concerns about HHS policy to Congress.

Why it matters: Monarez's claims that Kennedy tried to limit lawmakers' access to CDC deliberations come just a day before the secretary's handpicked vaccine advisers convene to debate vaccine recommendations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is no longer allowing remote work for employees with disabilities or those with temporary health issues, including those who've requested to work from home since the Aug. 8 attack on the agency's Atlanta headquarters.

Why it matters: The legality of such a move is questionable, and it may violate a law that requires the government to offer reasonable accommodations to those with disabilities.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during an August meeting that the childhood vaccine schedule will be changing starting in September, former Centers for Disease Control director Susan Monarez told a Senate hearing on Wednesday.

Why it matters: Any move to alter childhood vaccine recommendations would be controversial and spark fears about political influence undermining scientific expertise.

Ousted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Susan Monarez is due to face tough questions Wednesday about her truthfulness and loyalty from Republican senators aligned with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., even as she warns of the further erosion of U.S. vaccination efforts.

Why it matters: The career government scientist, who has accused Kennedy of undercutting the agency's expertise, will make a high-profile appearance before the Senate's health committee to tell her side of what happened prior to her firing in August after less than a month on the job.

New polling suggests Republican voters are three times more likely than Democrats to support Florida's move to end vaccine requirements, according to findings first shared with Axios.

Why it matters: "MAHA" supporters have proved to be a powerful new GOP voting bloc. But some Republicans are distancing themselves, warning of party division and the political danger of embracing the vaccine hesitancy of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.