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Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday slammed a New York Times report alleging that some say he appears to be “checked out” from official duties during department meetings and has surrounded himself with political appointees who share his viewpoint. In a post on social platform X, Kennedy said his day-to-day actions are publicly available on his calendar and pointed to an unspecified “unprecedented list of accomplishments” as proof of his success as HHS secretary. (Fields, 6/11)

Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday pointed to his “publicly available calendar” as an example of his commitment to transparency and to beat back unfavorable reporting. But no such calendar, detailing who Kennedy meets with or how he spends his time, has been released by the administration. (Cirruzzo and Payne, 6/11)

President Donald Trump calls Chris Klomp “a real star.” Democrats say he’s Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s babysitter. A health tech entrepreneur, Medicare director and Trump drug-price negotiator, Klomp has overseen all Department of Health and Human Services operations since February, part of a shakeup in which he was promoted, while the former deputy secretary, Jim O’Neill, was pushed out. (Paun, 6/12)

A pledge to “Make America Healthy Again” earned Robert F. Kennedy Jr. his job atop U.S. health agencies a year and some change ago. He’s now had the opportunity to turn his words into action, with mixed results. (Cueto and Parker, 6/11)

When Michigan State University researchers anonymously surveyed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staffers, 99% of respondents said that federal policy changes, dramatic reductions in staff and programs, and unstable or leadership have hobbled the agency’s ability to respond to a pandemic or other public health emergency—and 95% think Americans will die as a result. In total, 624 workers (433 still in their positions, 191 who quit) responded to the survey from February to April. (Van Beusekom, 6/11)

Fruit-flavored e-cigarettes recently authorized by the Food and Drug Administration were not significantly better at helping smokers quit than tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes, according to a new memo that’s likely to stir more questions about the agency’s decision. The FDA last month gave its first OK to fruit-flavored vapes — essentially endorsing them as a less-harmful alternative to traditional cigarettes. The decision came despite the agency’s longstanding position that such flavors appeal to children and must show extra health benefits to warrant approval for adults. (Perrone, 6/11)

A Defense Department spokesman said there was “no hazard” present at the iconic Pentagon building after an air-quality alert earlier on Thursday prompted a shelter-in-place order for part of the iconic building. “Earlier this morning, Pentagon occupants were notified of a potential air quality issue, prompting immediate precautionary safety measures and evaluation,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement on Thursday afternoon. “Subsequent testing confirmed no hazard exists, and normal operations have resumed.” (Capaccio, 6/11)

Federal charges against two virologists have sparked public outcry among scientists concerned about NIH researchers being targeted by the Trump administration. Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced charges against Vincent Munster, PhD, and Claude Kwe, PhD, alleging the pair had transported undeclared inactivated mpox (or monkeypox) virus on a flight into the U.S. and made false statements to federal law enforcement about doing so. (Henderson, 6/11)