CNN Wasted No Time to Make Their News Coverage of RFK Jr. All About Vaccines

EXCERPT:

BROWN: “First to you, Manu. A few weeks ago, it was uncertain whether he would have the votes to get confirmed. He clearly did and now he has been confirmed as HHS secretary.”
RAJU: Yeah. And the one big reason why he was -- there were a lot of questions was just because of all the public statements that he had made questioning vaccines over the years, questioning their safety, suggesting that there was a link to childhood autism, and not accepting the science that debunks that notion that there is a link between the two. But even though he, at his confirmation hearing, struggled on the question of vaccines linked to autism, hedged on that question, and it caused concerns among one key Republican senator, Bill Cassidy, Cassidy ultimately voted yes, despite being a medical doctor, despite having his own reservations, because Kennedy made commitments to him that he would not try to undermine vaccines, that he believed in the safety of vaccines, walking back some of his past statements of sorts. That was enough to win over most Republican senators. That won over Susan Collins of Maine, another swing vote, also Lisa Murkowski, someone who said that she still harbors some concerns about RFK Jr.'s views on vaccines. And we just asked her moments ago, I said, how do you trust her -- him on this issue? He said, by oversight. We're going to oversee what he decides to do here on these issues. He gave her some commitments as well. There was one very significant defection here in the United States Senate. That was Republican Mitch McConnell, the former GOP leader, someone who just put out a scathing statement about RFK Jr.'s views about the issue of vaccine. I'm going to read you part of it, Pamela. He said that -- he noted that he's a childhood survivor of polio. And he talked about how vaccines have saved millions of lives around the world. He said that he will not condone the relitigation of proven cures and neither will millions of Americans. He goes on to say that, referring to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: ‘A record of trafficking in dangerous conspiracy theories and eroding trust in public health institutions does not entitle Mr. Kennedy to lead these important efforts,’ referring to efforts to try to treat illnesses and disease. He goes on to talk about the efforts to try to deliver on vaccines. He says: ‘Mr. Kennedy failed to prove he's the best possible person to lead America's largest health agency.’ Now, McConnell is in the twilight of his political career of sorts, stepping aside from Republican leadership, where he ushered through much of the Trump agenda in his first term. There was a falling out, of course, in the aftermath of January 6. And now he has stepped aside as Republican leader. As a member of the rank and file, he has told colleagues his shackles are off. He has said that to his colleagues, and very clearly, this is the third Trump nominee that he has voted against. He is the only Republican senator to vote against more than one Trump nominee, and the other two ones, of course, Tulsi Gabbard, to be the director of national intelligence, that happened yesterday, and Pete Hegseth to be the secretary of defense. Now, with his opposition to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., that makes him three nominees that he has voted against, a major signal to the Trump administration, but still not enough to stop RFK Jr. from getting this important post. He was just confirmed 52-48, 52 Republicans voting in support of his confirmation, 48 Democrats opposed -- 47 Democrats and Mitch McConnell opposed.”