TOPIC

/ people

Robert F. Kennedy Jnr.

The latest news and top stories on Robert F. Kennedy Jnr, the son of the assassinated former US Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and the 26th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy Jr oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). Formerly an environmental lawyer, he co-founded Riverkeeper and Waterkeeper Alliance. Kennedy is known for his vaccine-sceptic views, challenging established public health policies and advocating for addressing chronic diseases, ultra-processed foods and environmental pollution.

United States

US walks away from WHO, leaving unpaid tab of US$260 million

Without its top donor, the UN health agency’s work to contain diseases like HIV, polio and Ebola is at risk.

23 Jan 2026 - 7:26AMvideocam

United States

Medical groups win right to challenge RFK Jnr’s Covid-19 vaccine policies

7 Jan 2026 - 12:42AM

Obituaries

Tatiana Schlossberg, journalist and JFK’s granddaughter, dead at 35

31 Dec 2025 - 11:52AM

Donald Trump

World-famous Kennedy Centre renamed to honour Trump

The US president says he was ‘surprised’ by the decision from the board, whose members he hand-picked.

19 Dec 2025 - 4:42AM

US President Donald Trump poses for a picture in the presidential box at the Kennedy Centre in March. Photo: Reuters

United States

US vaccine advisers say not all newborns need hepatitis B shot

Scrapping the recommendation for vaccination at birth will reverse decades of public health gains, disease experts say.

6 Dec 2025 - 1:00AM

United States

JFK’s granddaughter says she has terminal cancer, criticises cousin RFK Jnr

On the anniversary of her grandfather’s assassination, Tatiana Schlossberg revealed that her doctors say she may have about a year to live.

23 Nov 2025 - 5:45AM

Environment

No more mercury in your mouth: toxic metal’s use as tooth filling to end by 2034

The move is a win for human health: the WHO lists mercury as one of the top 10 chemical elements of major public health concern.

8 Nov 2025 - 12:20PMvideocam

A man in Bolivia shows off his gold decorated teeth. Photo: AFP

Donald Trump

This Halloween, the scariest thing in Washington is Trump

From an RFK Jnr skeleton to tombstones referring to the president’s aid cuts, anti-Trump messages are on full display in the US capital.

31 Oct 2025 - 7:28AM

Food and Drinks

The dairy product that’s become an unlikely luxury item: super-premium butter

Whether it’s organic, grass-fed or made with an antique churn, once you acquire a taste for fancier, fattier butter, there’s no turning back.

22 Oct 2025 - 2:00PM

United States

Joan Bennett Kennedy, wife of late US Senator Ted Kennedy, dies at 89

Her marriage tied her to an American political dynasty that includes slain US president John F. Kennedy and Trump health chief RFK Jnr.

9 Oct 2025 - 6:11AM

Joan Kennedy, first wife of late former US senator Ted Kennedy, gets a standing ovation as she is recognised at the dedication ceremony for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston in March 2015. Photo: Reuters

Donald Trump

Trump says Pfizer will cut drug prices for tariff relief

The White House is also planning a direct-to-consumer website called TrumpRx for Americans to buy medication.

1 Oct 2025 - 1:52AM

Medicine

Trump ties autism risk to Tylenol as scientists urge caution

The US president urged pregnant women not to take the painkiller over an unproven link to autism.

23 Sep 2025 - 9:28AMvideocam

Donald Trump

Trump calls Charlie Kirk a ‘martyr’ as Kirk’s wife forgives shooter

Erika Kirk remembered her husband in a tearful speech near the end of a service for the conservative activist who was killed on September 10.

22 Sep 2025 - 7:36AM

United States

RFK Jnr’s family members say he’s a threat to Americans’ health

Trump’s health secretary is facing scrutiny over his firing of CDC officials and efforts to pull back Covid-19 vaccine recommendations.

7 Sep 2025 - 3:18AM

US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jnr testifies during a Senate hearing on Thursday. Photo: EPA

United States

RFK Jnr defends CDC shake-up, as Democrats call for his resignation

The firing of director Sue Monarez, several high-level resignations and hundreds of earlier lay-offs plunged the health agency into turmoil.

5 Sep 2025 - 2:14AM

US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jnr testifies before a Senate Finance Committee hearing in washington on Thursday. Photo: Reuters