What happened
The White House Thursday acknowledged and scrambled to correct problems with the "Make America Healthy Again Commission" report released last week by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The MAHA report's citations "are rife with errors, from broken links to misstated conclusions," NOTUS reported Thursday morning, and several of the cited sources "don't appear to exist at all." Other news organizations identified further errors.
Who said what
Kennedy "repeatedly said he would bring 'radical transparency' and 'gold standard' science to the public health agencies," The Associated Press said, but he has "refused to release details about who authored the 72-page report." Some of the "numerous garbled scientific references and invented studies" meant to "underpin the science" in the report "appear to have been generated using artificial intelligence," The Washington Post said.
The MAHA report was "developed in little more than three months and contained mainstream ideas combined with highly controversial elements," Axios said, "including doubts about the current childhood vaccine schedule." White House and HHS spokespeople said the "transformative" report's minor "formatting" errors did not affect its "substance." Several updated versions of the report were uploaded Thursday.
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.
What next?
The "false references" to "fictitious studies" did "not necessarily mean the underlying facts in the report are incorrect," The New York Times said. But "if these really basic citation practices aren’t being followed," said Columbia University epidemiologist Katherine Keyes, one of the authors cited for a study she did not write, that "makes me concerned about the rigor of the report."
-
A free speech debate is raging over sign language at the White HouseTalking Points The administration has been accused of excluding deaf Americans from press briefings
-
Glinda vs. Elphaba, Jennifer Lawrence vs. postpartum depression and wilderness vs. progress in November moviesthe week recommends This month’s new releases include ‘Wicked: For Good,’ ‘Die My Love’ and ‘Train Dreams’
-
‘The problem isn’t creation itself’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Newsom slams Trump’s climate denial at COP30speed read Trump, who has called climate change a ‘hoax,’ declined to send any officials to this week’s summit
-
UK, Colombia halt intel to US over boat attacksSpeed Read Both countries have suspended intelligence sharing with the US over the bombing of civilian boats suspected of drug smuggling
-
Trump pardons 2020 fake electors, other GOP alliesSpeed Read The president pardoned Rudy Giuliani and more who tried to overturn his 2020 election loss
-
Supreme Court to decide on mail-in ballot limitsSpeed Read The court will determine whether states can count mail-in ballots received after Election Day
-
Democrats split as Senate votes to end shutdownSpeed Read The proposed deal does not extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, the Democrats’ main demand
-
USDA orders states to ‘undo’ full SNAP paymentsSpeed Read The Trump administration is telling states not to pay full November food stamp benefits
-
Senate takes first step to end record shutdownSpeed Read Eight senators in the Democratic caucus voted with Republicans to advance legislation to reopen the government
-
Should the US resume nuclear testing?Talking Points Trump vows to restart testing, but China might benefit most
