Live updates: Trump signs executive order on vaccines with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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The order aims to reduce the number of universally recommended vaccines.
What to know today
- VACCINE NEWS: President Donald Trump signed an executive order today that aims to reduce the number of universally recommended vaccines. The order also recommends that the list of diseases that all children should be vaccinated against drop from 18 to 11, according to a White House document.
- PRIMARY RACES: Trump is expected to join a tele-rally for Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C. Her state is one of six that will hold primary elections tomorrow, along with Alabama, Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont and Wisconsin.
- NEW ATTORNEY GENERAL: Todd Blanche was sworn in this afternoon as the 88th U.S. attorney general after the Senate voted Saturday to confirm him. Trump said the controversial "anti-weaponization" fund created by his settlement with the IRS is now in Blanche's hands.
GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy calls Trump's vaccine executive order ‘wrong'
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician and the chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, criticized Trump’s executive order on vaccines in a post on X today.
“I’m a doctor. This executive order is wrong,” Cassidy wrote. “Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines DO NOT cause autism.”
“Parents should listen to their child’s pediatrician about vaccines rather than listening to an inaccurate executive order,” added Cassidy, who was defeated in his primary this year by a Trump-backed challenger.
Cassidy was a key GOP vote in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination last year as health and human services secretary, despite concerns over Kennedy’s past vaccine skepticism. The Senate later confirmed Kennedy to the Cabinet post.
There is no credible scientific evidence that vaccines lead to autism.
Ohio Democrats react to Max Miller's decision to stay in House race
Brian Poindexter, the Democratic nominee in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, weighed in this afternoon on embattled Rep. Max Miller’s decision to not end his campaign before a deadline to replace him on the November ballot.
“As I’ve said before, if the accusations against Max Miller are proven true, he should be in prison, not in Congress,” Poindexter, an ironworker and City Council member in the Cleveland suburb of Brook Park, said in a statement issued by his campaign. "It’s unfortunate that Miller has chosen to keep putting his ex-wife and her family through this nightmare in the public spotlight. But let me be perfectly clear. I got into this campaign to fight for my neighbors and for working people across this district. That continues to be my north star.”
The deadline for Republicans to replace Miller on the ballot was 4 p.m. today. But the process would have required a two-day notice for county party chairs in the district to convene a meeting, meaning Miller would have had to have confirmed plans to drop out no later than Saturday. The chair of the Cuyahoga County GOP told NBC News earlier today that Miller had not done so.
Miller spokesperson Abigail Angelos told NBC News in a statement: “Congressman Miller has represented Ohio’s 7th District for two successful terms, and he will fight for the opportunity to continue representing them in the next Congress. He is invested in every way possible and intends to move forward with the work he started back in 2023.”
Miller has been accused of abuse by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, but has not faced criminal charges related to the allegations, which he has denied. He also has resisted calls from fellow Republicans — including his former father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio — to resign and abandon his re-election campaign.
“Rather than step aside, Miller has chosen to cling to power and put his family and his constituents through a public spectacle of his own making,” Riya Vashi, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a written statement this afternoon. “Let’s be clear: this is the same playbook Max Miller has run before — deny, deflect, and drag his accusers through the mud."
Trump order aims to cut recommended children vaccines from 18 to 11
Trump issued an executive order that aims to reduce the number of universally recommended vaccines for children — a move that reaffirms the dramatic overhaul Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced this year, which has been blocked in the courts.
Similar to that vaccine schedule change, the new order recommends dropping the list of diseases that all children should be vaccinated against from 18 to 11, according to a fact sheet obtained by NBC News. The other shots would be subject to so-called shared clinical decision-making between parents and their children’s doctors.
Sen. Ron Johnson threatens to subpoena Fauci following contempt vote
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., is threatening to subpoena Anthony Fauci if he and his legal team refuse to sit down for a transcribed closed-door interview with the Senate Homeland Security permanent subcommittee on investigations.
In an interview on Fox News today, Johnson, the chairman of the panel, said Fauci owes the American people answers about Covid.
"He’s the only guy that can answer some of these questions," Johnson said.
Johnson said the subcommittee invited Fauci to sit for a transcribed closed-door interview. He warned that if Fauci and his attorneys don’t set up an interview, Johnson “will subpoena him.”
Fauci's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump says he hasn't spoken to Blanche or Pirro about prosecuting Fauci
Trump said he hasn't spoken to Attorney General Todd Blanche or the U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro about prosecuting Anthony Fauci after he invoked the Fifth Amendment during a recent Senate hearing on Covid.
"I have not spoken to him about that, no," Trump told reporters when he was asked whether he has discussed it with either of them.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted last week to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress for repeatedly invoking the Fifth Amendment and declining to answer senators' questions.
Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Thursday that his panel sent the referral for the contempt of Congress resolution to Blanche and Pirro's office that day.
Trump says the 'anti-weaponization' fund is 'up to Todd Blanche'
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that new Attorney General Todd Blanche will determine the fate of the “anti-weaponization” fund.
"That'll be up to Todd Blanche," Trump said at an unrelated event when he was asked whether the fund is still alive.
Though Blanche signed an order killing the fund in an effort to secure his Senate confirmation, Trump could still try to resurrect the payments using several legal methods.
South Carolina GOP voters weigh in on Darline Graham
NBC News spoke with two South Carolina Republican voters who think Sen. Darline Graham lacks the political experience necessary to serve a full term in the Senate.
Ronald Pace, a Republican voter who supports Trump, said he worries that Graham is too much of an unknown quantity.
"I don’t vote for someone unless I know what they are and what they’re about. She has no track record. Can’t vote for someone who has never run a race," he said. “You don’t want someone unknown, because the thing is, you don’t know where their beliefs are.”
Pace plans to research the candidates this evening to decide whom he’ll vote for tomorrow. If Graham wins the nomination, Pace said, he will support her in the general election.
Rick McKenrick, another Trump supporter, said that he thinks Graham was “a great pick to finish out Lindsey’s term” but that because of her lack of experience in government, "she’s certainly not my pick" to fill the seat on a longer-term basis.
“She says she’s going to support Trump at every turn, which I’m a Trump supporter, but I don’t need a senator that blindly supports a party,” he said.
McKenrick is backing former Gov. Mark Sanford.
If Graham were to win the Republican nomination, McKenrick said, he will stay home for the general election.
“I wouldn’t vote,” he said.
Todd Blanche sworn in as attorney general
Todd Blanche was sworn in as attorney general in an Oval Office ceremony, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
The Senate voted to confirm Blanche early Saturday in a mostly party-line vote.
RFK Jr. proposes fix to loophole that allows additives into food. Critics say it doesn’t go far enough.
The Trump administration said it’s taking the first steps in strengthening rules over ingredients food companies have long added to their products with minimal oversight.
Under a proposed rule announced today, manufacturers would have to notify the Food and Drug Administration when they deem additives “generally recognized as safe,” also known as GRAS, as well as provide information about existing additives.
Former Rep. Mark Sanford makes his case for Senate
As part of a campaign swing through South Carolina, former Gov. Mark Sanford went table to table at a restaurant in Columbia today, urging patrons to support his bid to be the Republican nominee for the Senate.
After working the room at The Gourmet Shop restaurant, he fielded questions from reporters outside.
“I’m not running against anybody. I’m running for ideas that I have, in many cases, long believed,” Sanford told NBC News, pointing to his plans to cut government spending and reduce the national debt.
Trump's endorsement of his opponent, Sen. Darline Graham, “doesn’t help” his odds of winning, Sanford said.
“I’d be the first to admit that,” he added. “But you know, again, I think what matters ultimately in every race are the ideas that you’re espousing, the ideas that you’re trying to advance and the degree to which they fit with where people are coming from in life.”
Sanford dodged repeatedly when he was asked whether he thinks Graham is qualified to be a senator and about her policy stances.
“I’m sure y’all will do your homework on, you know, where she has voted or hasn’t voted. Again, that’s for y’all to decide. I’m running on these issues that I believe in, which ultimately ties to affordability for South Carolina every day,” he said.
The Senate’s newest odd couple is raising Republican eyebrows — and Democratic alarms
When John Fetterman and Dave McCormick sat for a Fox News debate last year, the senators went nearly 24 minutes before they expressed a single disagreement. By the time the 33-minute forum wrapped, just one difference between the two had arisen.
Over the last 19 months, Pennsylvania’s most prominent political odd couple has engaged in such a dance when they have taken opportunities to spotlight their budding bromance. Fetterman, the Democrat, and McCormick, the Republican, have promoted domestic and foreign policy initiatives hand in hand — including efforts to combat drug trafficking, antisemitism and even spotted lanternflies — all while insisting they don’t agree on everything yet rarely voicing such disputes.
Trump vows to take ballroom battle to the Supreme Court
Trump’s planned ballroom is in jeopardy after a federal appeals court ruled Congress should have approved the project first. The president is now calling on the Supreme Court to overturn that decision. NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez reports for "TODAY."
Ben Jones, Cooter on ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ and former congressman, dies at 84
Ben Jones, the man known as both Cooter from “The Dukes of Hazzard” television series and a former U.S. congressman from Georgia, died yesterday.
He was 84.
Jones died after a heart attack in his home in Virginia, his wife, Alma Viator, said on Facebook.
Darline Graham has Donald Trump in her corner. Will it be enough to win her brother’s Senate seat?
WASHINGTON — Just days after Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sudden death, President Donald Trump threw his support behind the powerful Republican’s sister, Darline Graham, to run for a full six-year Senate term.
Six states are holding primary elections tomorrow
Primary elections are set in six states tomorrow: South Carolina, Vermont, Connecticut, Alabama, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
South Carolina is holding a special primary election in the race to replace late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. His sister, Darline Graham, was appointed to serve out the rest of his term, which ends in January, but she is also running for another six-year term.
Trump has endorsed Graham in the race. Ten candidates are on the ballot, including Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry, former Gov. Mark Sanford, and businessman Mark Lynch.
Two notable races are expected in Minnesota. MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and state House Speaker Lisa Demuth are leading the crowded GOP primary field for governor. Trump endorsed Lindell in the race, but businessman Kendall Qualls won the state GOP's endorsement at the May convention.
On the Democratic side, the race to succeed Gov. Tim Walz has been dominated by a clear front-runner, Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
In the Senate race to fill retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith's seat, Rep. Angie Craig is running in the Democratic primary against progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who would be the first female Native American senator if elected.
In Wisconsin, the state's Democratic primary for governor has boiled down to state Rep. Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who received a late endorsement from popular, retiring two-term Gov. Tony Evers.
In Connecticut, Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont is running for a third term, and he’s facing a primary challenge from his left from state Rep. Josh Elliot. Democratic Rep. John Larson, who’s served in the House since 1999, is running against a younger candidate, former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin.
A signal that embattled Miller isn't dropping out
The deadline to replace Miller on the ballot in Ohio is today.
But a more technical deadline has already passed, signaling that the embattled congressman will remain listed as the Republican nominee in the state’s 7th Congressional District this fall.
County GOP chairs in the district would have to select Miller’s replacement on the ballot, through a process that would require them to give a two-day notice before meeting to make that selection. That notice would have had to have come Saturday to ensure the meeting and selection occurred before today’s deadline.
No such meeting has been scheduled, Lisa Stickan, the chair of the Cuyahoga County Republican Party, told NBC News this morning.
Miller is facing abuse allegations from his ex-wife, Emily Moreno. He also has faced calls to resign and abandon his re-election campaign from fellow Republicans, including his former father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio. Miller has not faced criminal charges related to his ex-wife’s allegations and has denied them.
Spokespeople for Miller did not respond to requests for comment today. A campaign spokesperson told The New York Times on Saturday that Miller had no plans to drop out of the race.
Democrats have nominated Brian Poindexter, an iron worker and city council member in the Cleveland suburb of Brook Park, for the seat.
Rep. Marcy Kaptur says she's undergoing rehab following a hit-and-run car accident
Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, announced that she was moving to physical rehabilitation after she was hospitalized earlier this month following a car accident.
Kaptur was a passenger in a car that was struck in a hit-and-run crash and sustained non-life-threatening injuries, her office said.
She thanked people for their good wishes after the crash, saying it has "made a huge difference in my very rapid recovery." She also thanked all of the first responders.
"I'm working my way back and am so grateful for all of the help that has been given to me in this effort," she said.
Trump announces staff secretary Will Scharf will be his new White House counsel
Trump announced yesterday that his new White House counsel will be Will Scharf, the staff secretary who as the Trump-appointed head of the National Capital Planning Commission helped secure approval for the $400 million ballroom project.
Trump said that, beginning Sept. 1, Scharf will be replacing David Warrington, who will be leaving the administration to join the private sector. Trump noted that Scharf previously served as a federal prosecutor and represented him in a number of cases, including at the Supreme Court.
Abdul El-Sayed says he hopes to campaign with Obama after ‘warm and inspiring’ call
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan, confirmed yesterday that he spoke with Barack Obama following his primary victory last week and said he hopes the former president will join him on the campaign trail this fall.
“It was a really warm and inspiring conversation,” El-Sayed told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” about his call with Obama.
“I was grateful for his advice,” he added. “It was very warm, very inviting, and I know that he knows the critical role that Michigan is going to play in holding Trump accountable, in winning back the Senate and in building forward the future that we need.”
Sen. Jim Banks says Rep. Max Miller should drop his re-election bid if allegations are true
Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” yesterday that embattled Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, who is facing abuse allegations, should drop his re-election bid and resign “if the allegations are true.”
Miller’s ex-wife, Emily Moreno, the daughter of Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio, accused the congressman of domestic violence. Miller has not faced criminal charges related to the allegations and vehemently denied them and has vowed to stay in the race.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she hasn’t ruled out a potential run for president or Senate in 2028
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said yesterday that she hasn’t ruled out a potential run for president or the Senate in 2028, echoing remarks she has made while campaigning for congressional candidates ahead of November’s midterm elections.
“I’m focused on winning the midterms. I’m running for Congress right now,” Ocasio-Cortez first told ABC’s “This Week” yesterday when asked whether she plans to run for president in two years.
