Overview
- The tense interview lasted about 20–21 minutes on Sunday, Aug. 2, when CNN’s Dana Bash pressed HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on pandemic decisions, measles and vaccine safety.
- Kennedy accused CNN of “press malpractice” during COVID-19 coverage and blamed media and pandemic-era disruptions for lower childhood vaccination rates rather than accepting responsibility for the U.S. measles surge.
- Under direct prompting from Bash, Kennedy told viewers parents should vaccinate children for measles and said the MMR vaccine prevents roughly 97% of cases while also saying his department will pursue more study of possible vaccine links to autism.
- Kennedy repeated contested claims linking acetaminophen use in pregnancy to autism, a position at odds with multiple large studies and CDC guidance that find no causal link between vaccines and autism.
- CNN defended Bash’s reporting after the broadcast, public-health officials pointed to 2,371 confirmed U.S. measles cases through July 30, 2026, and the exchange has added pressure on HHS policy and on public trust in vaccine guidance.