What happened
Caroline Kennedy, a former U.S. ambassador and the only living child of President John F. Kennedy, urged senators Tuesday not to confirm her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as President Donald Trump's health secretary. In a letter she later read aloud on social media, she called her cousin a "predator" who holds hypocritical and "dangerous" medical views.
Who said what
"I have known Bobby my whole life," and "it's no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because he himself is a predator," Caroline Kennedy said. "His basement, his garage, his dorm room were the centers of the action where drugs were available, and he enjoyed showing off how he put baby chickens and mice in the blender to feed his hawks. It was often a perverse scene of despair and violence."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The siblings and cousins that Robert Kennedy "encouraged down the path of substance abuse suffered addiction, illness and death" while he rebounded to "misrepresent, lie and cheat his way through life," she said. And he is now "addicted to attention and power," profiting off his damaging "crusade against vaccination" even as he vaccinated his own children.
Kennedy is among Trump's "most vulnerable Cabinet nominees," The Washington Post said. Caroline Kennedy's "testimonial may not sway Republicans," but "it could shore up Democrats' opposition."
What next?
Caroline Kennedy's "searing public denunciation of her cousin" was all the more "devastating" because she has "kept quiet" and avoided the spotlight for decades, The New York Times said. Her astute "timing all but ensures her concerns will be aired" in Kennedy's Senate confirmation hearings Wednesday and Thursday.
-
Calls for both calm and consequences follow Kirk killingTALKING POINTS The suspected assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk has some public figures pleading for restraint, while others agitate for violent reprisals
-
Why does Donald Trump keep showing up at major sporting events?Today's Big Question Trump has appeared at the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 and other events
-
‘Democracy is under threat globally’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Former top FBI agents sue, claiming Trump purgeSpeed Read The agents alleged they were targeted by a “campaign of retribution”
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
Judge lets Cook stay at Fed while appealing ousterSpeed Read Trump had attempted to fire Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
