How Disney’s AI lawsuit could shift the future of entertainment; The Washington Post, June 11, 2025

Tatum Hunter

 and 

Will Oremus

, The Washington Post ; How Disney’s AI lawsuit could shift the future of entertainment

"The battle over the future of AI-generated content escalated on Wednesday as two Hollywood titans sued a fast-growing AI start-up for copyright infringement.

Disney and Universal, whose entertainment empires include Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel and Despicable Me, sued Midjourney, claiming it wrongfully trained its image-generating AI models on the studios’ intellectual property.

They are the first major Hollywood studios to file copyright infringement lawsuits, marking a pivotal moment in the ongoing fight by artists, newspapers and content makers to stop AI firms from using their work as training data — or at least make them pay for it."

Trump, Who Has Likened Himself to a King, Bristles at ‘No Kings’ Protests; The New York Times, June 12, 2025

Chris Cameron, The New York Times ; Trump, Who Has Likened Himself to a King, Bristles at ‘No Kings’ Protests

"President Trump bristled on Thursday at the mention of a series of “No Kings” protests against his administration scheduled for the day of his planned military parade in Washington — coinciding with his 79th birthday...

And the military parade scheduled for Saturday is the latest example of Mr. Trump’s desire to flex military might in openly political displays and surround himself in the pageantry of the armed forces. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump said that any protesters who assembled during the parade would be met with “very big force,”making no distinction between violent confrontations and constitutionally protected peaceful demonstrations.

The organizers of the “No Kings” marches have said that they intentionally had not scheduled demonstrations in Washington, D.C., on Saturday to order to avoid the military parade, instead encouraging demonstrators in the area to join their flagship march in Philadelphia."

What to know about ‘No Kings’ protests against Trump’s policies; AP, June 12, 2025

 LISA BAUMANN , AP; What to know about ‘No Kings’ protests against Trump’s policies

"President Trump bristled on Thursday at the mention of a series of “No Kings” protests against his administration scheduled for the day of his planned military parade in Washington — coinciding with his 79th birthday...

And the military parade scheduled for Saturday is the latest example of Mr. Trump’s desire to flex military might in openly political displays and surround himself in the pageantry of the armed forces. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump said that any protesters who assembled during the parade would be met with “very big force,”making no distinction between violent confrontations and constitutionally protected peaceful demonstrations.

The organizers of the “No Kings” marches have said that they intentionally had not scheduled demonstrations in Washington, D.C., on Saturday to order to avoid the military parade, instead encouraging demonstrators in the area to join their flagship march in Philadelphia."

A senator's warning before his arrest On Sen. Alex Padilla's detention by the Trump regime — and the speech that put him in the crosshairs; The Ink, June 12, 2025

The Ink; A senator's warning before his arrest

On Sen. Alex Padilla's detention by the Trump regime — and the speech that put him in the crosshairs

"This afternoon Donald Trump’s aspiration of a police state came one step closer.

A sitting United States senator, Alex Padilla, Democrat of California, was arrested at a Los Angeles press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

As Noem told the press that the federal government was "going to liberate the city from the burdensome leadership, mayor and governor," Padilla interrupted, saying, “I am Sen. Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary," and was then shoved repeatedly out of the room by plainclothes agents, where he was then dropped to the ground, then handcuffed and detained. He has since been released.

This comes as the White House has increasingly dismissed the authority of Congress, and just a day after New Jersey Congresswoman LaMonica McIver was indicted on charges of “assaulting, resisting, impeding, and interfering” with federal officers as she tried to defend Newark Mayor Ras Baraka during an inspection of an ICE facility. 

And it comes a day after Padilla — the first Latino senator to represent California — delivered a speech calling out and condemning the lawlessness of the federal response in his home state and city — and making it clear why it matters to every American.

These words were the senator’s final warning before the Trump regime arrested him. Because they probably don’t want them to spread, we are printing them in full here."

'Completely inappropriate': Kristi Noem opens up after Democratic senator removed from event; Fox News, June 12, 2025

 Martha Maccallum, Fox News ; 'Completely inappropriate': Kristi Noem opens up after Democratic senator removed from event

[Kip Currier: Kristi Noem is lying when she says Sen. Alex Padilla did not identify himself. Padilla clearly and unequivocally identifies himself. Noem's conduct on Fox News is Orwellian.

Fox News anchor Martha Maccallam acquiesces to the inaccurate statement of Noem.

Watch and listen to the recording.

Listen for the person saying "there's no recording allowed in here" while Padilla is handcuffed.]

Senator Alex Padilla Forcibly Removed and Handcuffed After Interrupting Noem; The New York Times, June 12, 2025

Shawn Hubler and Jill Cowan, The New York Times; Senator Alex Padilla Forcibly Removed and Handcuffed After Interrupting Noem

"Gov. Gavin Newsom of California denounced the action. The senator “is one of the most decent people I know,” Mr. Newsom wrote in a social media post. “This is outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful. Trump and his shock troops are out of control. This must end now.”

Word swiftly reached Washington, where Mr. Padilla’s colleagues saw video of the incident.

Senators in both parties raised strong objections to the treatment of Mr. Padilla. “I think it is very disturbing,” said Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, who acknowledged she was unsure what led up to the confrontation. “It looks like he is being manhandled and physically removed. It is hard to imagine a justification for that.”

Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, addressed the Senate floor regarding treatment of Mr. Padilla.

“I just saw something that sickened my stomach,” he said. “The manhandling of a United States Senator. We need immediate answers to what the hell went on.”

Video: U.S. Senator Alex Padilla shoved, handcuffed at DHS Kristi Noem's news conference; Fox KTVU, June 12, 2025

 Fox KTVU; Video: U.S. Senator Alex Padilla shoved, handcuffed at DHS Kristi Noem's news conference

"U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-California) was physically shoved out of the room Thursday during a news conference with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles, where he was also briefly put into handcuffs by the FBI. 

The confrontation was caught on video by dozens of journalists and later took the internet by storm at the sight of a U.S. senator being taken down to the ground by federal agents after asking a question, even if he interrupted Noem as she was speaking.

Padilla, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, was then let go and led to a private room with Noem for 10 minutes, who was in Los Angeles to address the ongoing demonstrations protesting President Donald Trump's immigration policies.

"I will say this, if this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question, you can only imagine what they're doing to workers, to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community and throughout California and throughout the country," Padilla said to reporters at a hastily called news conference of his own."

National Park signage encourages the public to help erase negative stories at its sites; NPR, June 10, 2025

Chloe Veltman , NPR; National Park signage encourages the public to help erase negative stories at its sites

"The Department of the Interior is requiring the National Park Service (NPS) to post signage at all sites across the country by June 13, asking visitors to offer feedback on any information that they feel portrays American history and landscapes in a negative light.

The June 9 memo sent to regional directors by National Park Service comptroller Jessica Bowron and leaked to NPR states the instructions come in response to President Trump's March "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" executive order and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum's follow-up order last month requesting its implementation. Trump's original order included a clause ordering Burgum to remove content from sites that "inappropriately disparages Americans past or living and instead focuses on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people.""

Bragg Soldiers Who Cheered Trump's Political Attacks While in Uniform Were Checked for Allegiance, Appearance; Military.com, June 11, 2025

Konstantin Toropin and Steve Beynon , Military.com; Bragg Soldiers Who Cheered Trump's Political Attacks While in Uniform Were Checked for Allegiance, Appearance

"It was supposed to be a routine appearance, a visit from the commander in chief to rally the troops, boost morale and celebrate the Army's 250th-birthday week, which culminates with a Washington, D.C., parade slated for Saturday.

Instead, what unfolded Tuesday at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, bore little resemblance to the customary visit from a president and defense secretary. There, President Donald Trump unleashed a speech laced with partisan invective, goading jeers from a crowd of soldiers positioned behind his podium -- blurring the long-standing and sacrosanct line between the military and partisan politics...

Internal 82nd Airborne Division communications reviewed by Military.com reveal a tightly orchestrated effort to curate the optics of Trump's recent visit, including handpicking soldiers for the audience based on political leanings and physical appearance. The troops ultimately selected to be behind Trump and visible to the cameras were almost exclusively male.

One unit-level message bluntly said "no fat soldiers.""

Ken Jennings: Trivia and ‘Jeopardy!’ Could Save Our Republic; The New York Times, June 5, 2025

Ken Jennings , The New York Times; Ken Jennings: Trivia and ‘Jeopardy!’ Could Save Our Republic

"How do we understand the seeming anachronism of “Jeopardy!”? In a dark time, my secret optimism is that our viewers’ love for quiz games is a sign of what can eventually save us: a practical belief in fact and error that is more fundamentally American than the toxic blend of proud ignorance and smarter-than-thou skepticism that’s brought us to this point.

It stands to reason, then, that making government run more like a quiz show can only be a step in the right direction. In May at a congressional hearing, Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire asked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to define habeas corpus, a bedrock common-law protection under fire from the administration.

Ms. Noem wasn’t even close. “Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country,” she answered.

“That’s incorrect,” noted Ms. Hassan, sounding as much like a quizmaster as a senator.

Later that week on “Jeopardy!” a category, “definitions of legal terms,” happened to pop up in the first round. The game was taped months in advance, so it was by sheer coincidence that one of the five clues concerned the definition of, yes, habeas corpus.

The “Jeopardy!” contestant, you’ll be relieved to hear, responded correctly."

Documentary Producers Alliance Launches Ethics Resource Library; The Hollywood Reporter, June 11, 2025

Mia Galuppo , The Hollywood Reporter; Documentary Producers Alliance Launches Ethics Resource Library

"As non-fiction filmmakers face challenging circumstances, the Documentary Producers Alliance has launched the Ethics Resource Library, an online tool meant to help filmmakers make “ethical choices in all aspects of their work.”

The searchable database includes articles, video presentations, keynote addresses, guidelines, courses, and podcasts, among other sources on subjects that range from minimum wage laws to the filmmaker-participant relationship to on set safety."

Disney, Universal File First Major Studio Lawsuit Against AI Company, Sue Midjourney for Copyright Infringement: ‘This Is Theft’; Variety, June 11, 2025

  Todd Spangler, Variety; Disney, Universal File First Major Studio Lawsuit Against AI Company, Sue Midjourney for Copyright Infringement: ‘This Is Theft’

"Disney and NBCU filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against Midjourney, a generative AI start-up, alleging copyright infringement. The companies alleged that Midjourney’s own website “displays hundreds, if not thousands, of images generated by its Image Service at the request of its subscribers that infringe Plaintiffs’ Copyrighted Works.”

A copy of the lawsuit is at this link...

Disney and NBCU’s lawsuit includes images alleged to be examples of instances of Midjourney’s infringement. Those include an image of Marvel’s Deadpool and Wolverine (pictured above), Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Hulk and more; Star Wars’ Darth Vader, Yoda, R2-D2, C-3PO and Chewbacca; Disney’s Princess Elsa and Olaf from “Frozen”; characters from “The Simpsons”; Pixar’s Buzz Lightyear from “Toy Story” and Lightning McQueen from “Cars”; DreamWorks’ “How to Train Your Dragon”; and Universal‘s “Shrek” and the yellow Minions from the “Despicable Me” film franchise."

Trump administration finalizes plan to eliminate LGBTQ+ 988 crisis services during WorldPride; Advocate, June 9, 2025

Christopher Wiggins , Advocate; Trump administration finalizes plan to eliminate LGBTQ+ 988 crisis services during WorldPride

"As hundreds of thousands gathered in the nation’s capital to celebrate WorldPride, elsewhere in Washington, D.C., the Trump administration quietly made official its plan to eliminate a federal suicide prevention lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Fiscal Year 2026 budget, released Friday, confirms the administration’s intent to eliminate all funding for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ youth specialized services—effective October 1. The move finalizes a draft proposal leaked in April and drew swift condemnation from mental health experts and advocates who say it will endanger the lives of queer and trans youth...

Codified initially into law during Trump’s first term with bipartisan support, the LGBTQ+ youth subnetwork within 988 was launched in 2022 and allows callers to “press 3” or text “PRIDE” to reach affirming counselors. These services, administered through SAMHSA, accounted for more than 1.3 million crisis contacts. The Trevor Project, one of seven centers in the LGBTQ+ subnetwork, directly handled nearly 50 percent of the volume in 2024 and trained more than 250 crisis counselors, the organization states.

“Research and data clearly show that LGBTQ+ youth experience higher levels of distress and risk for suicide. This is why the national 988 Crisis and Suicide Lifeline offers LGBTQ+ specialized services,” said John MacPhee, CEO of The Jed Foundation. “More than one million crisis calls have been routed to these LGBTQ+ focused services since 2022... The current budget proposal to eliminate funding... puts young lives in danger.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt did not respond to The Advocate’s request for comment."

RFK Jr. Conducts His Vaccine Purge: His claims about conflicts of interest proved to be nothing.; Wall Street Journal, June 10, 2025

The Editorial Board , Wall Street Journal; RFK Jr. Conducts His Vaccine Purge: His claims about conflicts of interest proved to be nothing.

"We’d like to conclude we were wrong to oppose Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to run the Health and Human Services Department, but alas, no. The latest evidence is his purge of a vaccine advisory panel."

The Military May Find Itself in an Impossible Situation; The New York Times, June 11, 2025

Joshua Braver. 

Dr. Braver is an assistant professor of law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies civil military relations. , The New York Times; The Military May Find Itself in an Impossible Situation

"Would a military officer disobey a lawful but unethical order — unethical in the sense that it violates the officer’s professional code? We may be on the verge of finding out."

We’re minimizing the horror of Trump’s military birthday parade; The Guardian, May 30, 2025

 Judith Levine, The Guardian; We’re minimizing the horror of Trump’s military birthday parade

"The media has focused on the price tag and potholes. But history may mark 14 June as the ceremonial birth of US fascism"

Global AI: Compression, Complexity, and the Call for Rigorous Oversight; ABA SciTech Lawyer, May 9, 2025

Joan Rose Marie Bullock, ABA SciTech Lawyer; Global AI: Compression, Complexity, and the Call for Rigorous Oversight

"Equally critical is resisting haste. The push to deploy AI, whether in threat detection or data processing, often outpaces scrutiny. Rushed implementations, like untested algorithms in critical systems, can backfire, as any cybersecurity professional can attest from post-incident analyses. The maxim of “measure twice, cut once” applies here: thorough vetting trumps speed. Lawyers, trained in precedent, recognize the cost of acting without foresight; technologists, steeped in iterative testing, understand the value of validation. Prioritizing diligence over being first mitigates catastrophic failures of privacy breaches or security lapses that ripple worldwide."

Trump Declares Dubious Emergencies to Amass Power, Scholars Say; The New York Times, June 10, 2025

Adam Liptak , The New York Times; Trump Declares Dubious Emergencies to Amass Power, Scholars Say

"To hear President Trump tell it, the nation is facing a rebellion in Los Angeles, an invasion by a Venezuelan gang and extraordinary foreign threats to its economy.

Citing this series of crises, he has sought to draw on emergency powers that Congress has scattered throughout the United States Code over the centuries, summoning the National Guard to Los Angeles over the objections of California’s governor, sending scores of migrants to El Salvador without the barest hint of due process and upending the global economy with steep tariffs.

Legal scholars say the president’s actions are not authorized by the statutes he has cited and are, instead, animated by a different goal."

Censorship concerns: As Air Force Academy reviews books for removal, group forms to push back; The Gazette, June 9, 2025

MARY SHINN , The Gazette; Censorship concerns: As Air Force Academy reviews books for removal, group forms to push back

[Kip Currier: I'd like to read even a small part of this article, but unfortunately an absolute paywall prevents even one sentence in this article from being accessed and read.

I understand the idea that subscriptions are key to the business strategies and financial health of newspapers and magazines, as well as subscriptions being integral to the remuneration of the staff members of these media organizations.

However, it also strikes me that if you're a newspaper or a magazine and you're trying to attract new readers, you might want to provide access to at least one sentence.]

Rachel Maddow says Trump is ‘absolutely panicking’ and has ‘no freaking idea’ how to respond to LA protests; The Independent, June 10, 2025

Justin Baragona , The Independent; Rachel Maddow says Trump is ‘absolutely panicking’ and has ‘no freaking idea’ how to respond to LA protests

"“The most important story of our time is this one,” she confidently stated. “What is this country going to allow him to do? This is an attempted authoritarian overthrow of the US Constitution and the US government. The attempted imposition of a dictatorial regime... the question is whether it will work.”"

The White House Marching Orders That Sparked the L.A. Migrant Crackdown; The Wall Street Journal, June 9, 2025

Elizabeth Findell

Ruth Simon

  

Michelle Hackman

and 

Tarini Parti, The Wall Street Journal; The White House Marching Orders That Sparked the L.A. Migrant Crackdown

"After deportations fell short of President Trump’s campaign promises, federal agents summoned to a meeting in Washington were told to ‘just go out there and arrest illegal aliens’"

No Kings Day: June 14 protests set to be biggest yet, will counter Trump military parade in locations nationwide. Here’s what to know; Fast Company, June 10, 2025

JENNIFER MATTSON , Fast Company; No Kings Day: June 14 protests set to be biggest yet, will counter Trump military parade in locations nationwide. Here’s what to know

"June 14 is shaping up to be a big day, with millions of Americans expected to take to the streets in an event dubbed “No Kings Day,” which organizers have said will likely be the largest single-day turnout of the anti-Trump, pro-democracy protest movement since President Donald Trump took office for a second term in January.

Organizers expect 1,800 rallies will take place on Saturday for “a nationwide day of defiance” in every state and major city across the country—except Washington, D.C., as to avoid clashes with the Army’s 250th anniversary celebrations, which will be held that day in the nation’s capital (more on that below).

In a statement to Fast Company, the No Kings organizers described their event as “peaceful, organized, and united.” They added: “Make it clear: We don’t do kings in this country.”"

Trump threatens protesters who rain on his military parade Saturday ‘will be met with very big force’; The Independent, June 10, 2025

Andrew Feinberg, The Independent ; Trump threatens protesters who rain on his military parade Saturday ‘will be met with very big force’

"President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to forcibly put down any protests that spoil the military parade he has ordered up for his birthday on Saturday to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army’s founding during the American Revolutionary War.

Speaking in the Oval Office following an impromptu event to discuss forest management ahead of the upcoming summer wildfire season, Trump was riffing on what he described as violent excesses by protesters who’ve been demonstrating against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Los Angeles when he was asked about the possibility of protests against the June 14 parade.

The president said it would be an “amazing day” and cited the “tanks ... planes ... all sorts of things” that will be on display during the spectacle, which is ostensibly meant to mark the Army’s semiquincentennial.

He also compared the parade, which breaks from the American tradition that largely eschews militaristic or jingoistic displays of the sort routinely seen in authoritarian countries, to European celebrations of the end of the Second World War. 

“We won the war, and we're the only country that didn't celebrate it, and we're going to be celebrating big on Saturday. We're going to have a lot of and if there's any protest that wants to come out, they will be met with very big force,” Trump said."

Shoemaker Clarks is turning 200. Its Quaker roots made it a pioneer of ethical business; The Conversation, June 9, 2025

Nicholas Burton, Professor, Department of Leadership and Human Resource Management, Northumbria University, Newcastle , The Conversation; Shoemaker Clarks is turning 200. Its Quaker roots made it a pioneer of ethical business

"The Quakers – more formally known as the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) – have a history of nearly 400 years in Britain and the US. While Quakerism has Christian foundations, Quakers also emphasise moral commitments to peace, truth, integrity, simplicity and equality – the five testimonies in Quaker theology. These came to define how Quakers approach the world, and their businesses.

As early Quakers were deemed radical and challenged the established church, they became persecuted by the state during the 17th century. They were excluded from political and public life, as well as from universities. Perhaps as a direct consequence, Quakers became highly active entrepreneurs and came to dominate many industries through a combination of their testimonies and outward entrepreneurial action. 

This led to the reputation that Quaker firms had for trustworthiness and integrity. Their impact was perhaps so acute as to represent a distinctive form of ethical entrepreneurship."

Getty Images Faces Off Against Stability in Court as First Major AI Copyright Trial Begins; PetaPixel, June 10, 2025

 Matt Growcoot , PetaPixel; Getty Images Faces Off Against Stability in Court as First Major AI Copyright Trial Begins

"The Guardian notes that the trial will focus on specific photos taken by famous photographers. Getty plans to bring up photos of the Chicago Cubs taken by sports photographer Gregory Shamus and photos of film director Christopher Nolan taken by Andreas Rentz. 

All-in-all, 78,000 pages of evidence have been disclosed for the case and AI experts are being called in to give testimonies. Getty is also suing Stability AI in the United States in a parallel case. The trial in London is expected to run for three weeks and will be followed by a written decision from the judge at a later date."

NIH staff and biomedical community sound alarm about agency politicization, funding slowdown; Science, June 9, 2025

 

JOCELYN KAISER, Science; NIH staff and biomedical community sound alarm about agency politicization, funding slowdown

"In an unusual act of public protest, more than 340 scientists and staff at the National Institutes of Health today released a statement charging NIH officials and their superiors with politicizing science. The employees implore their new director to reverse cuts and freezes to external grants touching on topics such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) that President Donald Trump has targeted with executive orders...

The declaration signers make up a relatively small portion of NIH’s employees, who numbered about 20,000 in January before the layoffs, early retirement offers, and other departures thinned the agency’s ranks by several thousand people. A second letter backing the Bethesda Declaration has so far been signed by 19 Nobel Prize winners and two former NIH leaders, among others. The two statements come as new data suggest NIH funding disbursements for ongoing grants ground to a halt in May, fueling fears that much of NIH’s 2025 budget will go unspent."

RFK Jr. Is as Bad as We All Imagined: If it walks like a quack, talks like a quack, and quacks like a quack.; The Bulwark, June 10, 2025

WILLIAM KRISTOL, 

ANDREW EGGER, AND 

JIM SWIFT

, The Bulwark; RFK Jr. Is as Bad as We All Imagined: If it walks like a quack, talks like a quack, and quacks like a quack.

"In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Kennedy launched his latest offensive against America’s vaccines, announcing he had fired all seventeen members of the Centers for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP). Kennedy, a dyed-in-the-wool anti-vax activist, said in an accompanying statement that the move had been necessary to “reestablish public confidence in vaccine science” and to rid the committee of “any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda.” He said he would appoint replacements, presumably before the ACIP’s next meeting, which is scheduled to begin in two weeks.

The ACIP’s influence on federal health policy is enormous. As the CDC’s institutional brain trust for best-in-class vaccine science, it issues guidance that shapes federal policy for recommended vaccine schedules, including which vaccines should be administered to children. (Notwithstanding Kennedy’s odd assertion that the committee had “never recommended against a vaccine,” the ACIP does not authorize new vaccines for public use, a responsibility that belongs to the Food and Drug Administration.)

How important is the ACIP? Important enough that Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican and a doctor, made it his line in the sand for supporting Kennedy’s nomination as secretary of health and human services—a nomination he could have derailed. In announcing his decision to vote yes on Kennedy, Cassidy said the nominee had committed to him that he would maintain the ACIP “without changes.”

In response to yesterday’s news, Cassidy blandly noted “the fear that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion” and lamely promised to “continue to talk with [Kennedy] to ensure this is not the case.”

RFK Jr. fires CDC’s independent vaccine advisors; The Hill, June 9, 2025

 NATHANIEL WEIXEL , The Hill; RFK Jr. fires CDC’s independent vaccine advisors

"Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he is removing every member of the independent panel advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines, an unprecedented escalation in his quest to reshape the agency.

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed released Monday, Kennedy said the move was necessary to restore faith in vaccines. 

“A clean sweep is needed to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science,” Kennedy wrote. 

“The public must know that unbiased science—evaluated through a transparent process and insulated from conflicts of interest—guides the recommendations of our health agencies,” Kennedy said in a subsequent statement. 

Kennedy said removing every member of the panel will give the Trump administration an opportunity to appoint its own members. Kennedy has long accused ACIP members of having conflicts of interest, sparking concern among vaccine advocates that he would seek to install members who are far more skeptical of approving new vaccines."

This Is What Autocracy Looks Like; The New York Times, June 9, 2025

Michelle Goldberg, The New York Times; This Is What Autocracy Looks Like 

"Yes, America has lurched to the right since Trump’s first term, and he can get away with abuses now that would have set off mass outrage then. Plenty of Democrats, burned by the backlash against Black Lives Matter and large-scale illegal immigration, would rather not have a fight over disorder in Los Angeles. “For months, Democrats scarred by the politics of the issue sought to sidestep President Donald Trump’s immigration wars — focusing instead on the economy, tariffs or, in the case of deportations, due process concerns,” reported Politico.

But there’s no sidestepping a president deploying the military in an American city based on ludicrous falsehoods about a foreign invasion. Indeed, it’s hard to think of a clearer signpost on the road to dictatorship. This Saturday, on Trump’s birthday, he’s planning a giant military parade in Washington, ostensibly to celebrate the Army’s 250th anniversary. Tanks have been photographed en route to the city, the Lincoln Memorial standing tragically in the background, like an image from some Hollywood dystopia.

On that day, there will be demonstrations all over the country under the rubric “No Kings.” I desperately hope that Trump’s attempt to quash protest ends up fueling it. Those who want to live in a free country may be scared, but they shouldn’t be cowed."