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Amy Maxmen, PhD

@amymaxmen.bsky.social
37K followers 2.8K following 816 posts

Award-winning public health reporter at KFF Health News. Bylines at Nature, New York Times, National Geographic & more. AmyM@kff.org Signal: AmyMaxmen.25 www.amymaxmen.com & kffhealthnews.org/news/author/amy-m…

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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
Roxanne Khamsi @roxannekhamsi.bsky.social · 1h
The Internet is overflowing with folks hawking peptides. @amymaxmen.bsky.social digs in to the people who have suffered side effects. This read will stick with you: kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...
kffhealthnews.org
People Say These Peptides Hurt Them. Their Stories Are Muffled in MAHA’s Push for Medical Freedom. - KFF Health News
People who have taken experimental peptides, such as BPC-157, complain of migraines, eye pain, fatigue, and more. Learning whether these popular but unproven drugs are to blame may become harder if Ro...
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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 23h
Today @thesicktimes.org: Big feature by @khaoticaa.bsky.social exploring the immense challenges that trans people with Long COVID face in getting healthcare. "Neglect within healthcare and the queer community both contribute to the medical and social erasure of trans people."
thesicktimes.org
Trans people with Long COVID navigate a new “dark age” in trans health - The Sick Times
We spoke with and surveyed dozens of trans people navigating gender-affirming care and Long COVID during Trump’s second term.
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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
Baltimore Banner @thebaltimorebanner.com · 7h
Republican Rep. Andy Harris incorrectly told a reporter they were breaking the law as the reporter and others recorded an exchange with him last night. Harris had just wrapped up a debate with Democratic challenger Dan Schwartz.
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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
Brendan Maher @bmaher.bsky.social · 17h
Great reporting
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 7h
Thank you!
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 18h
But does he seem like a life insurance salesman and a strip-mall wellness shopkeeper? (Props to the illustrator on this piece @bloomberg.com) www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
bloomberg.com
The Making of MAHA’s Biohacking King
Gary Brecka worked in insurance and a strip mall wellness clinic. Now he’s at the center of RFK Jr.’s plan to overhaul the American health system.
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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
Kai Kupferschmidt @kakape.bsky.social · 23h
Hard to find the words tonight. Helen was an amazing journalist, smart, hard-working, clear-eyed. She was also a kind, generous person and a good friend. Sad beyond words.
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 23h
Thank you!
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
I'm stunned by the news of Helen Branswell's passing. She was a force in science journalism. Gone too soon. 💔https://www.statnews.com/2026/10/13/helen-branswell-stat-reporter-obituary/
statnews.com
Helen Branswell, whose reporting on infectious diseases and public health drew acclaim, dies at 69
Helen Branswell, STAT's infectious disease reporter who earned the respect of experts and public health officials with her accessible, prescient dispatches, has died at age 69.
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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Excerpt: "After the third day of squirting an experimental drug up his nose, Dylan Meetze felt horrible." 🙄
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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
Jonathan Jarry @jonathanjarry.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Great piece on the dark side of *injecting yourself with experimental drugs you bought online*, with a very well observed conclusion. 👇
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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Great piece by @amymaxmen.bsky.social on the consequences of the peptide free-for-all going on right now. kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...
kffhealthnews.org
People Say These Peptides Hurt Them. Their Stories Are Muffled in MAHA’s Push for Medical Freedom. - KFF Health News
People who have taken experimental peptides, such as BPC-157, complain of migraines, eye pain, fatigue, and more. Learning whether these popular but unproven drugs are to blame may become harder if Ro...
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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
LizW @cave-malum.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Chat rooms are fine but consumers should know how to report adverse events to FDA. Journalists and public health folks can and should encourage reporting.
accessdata.fda.gov
MedWatch Online Voluntary Reporting Form
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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
Katheryn Houghton @k-hought.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Companies are required to warn that experimental peptides, which haven’t been approved by the FDA, are for research use only. But many companies may soon be permitted to drop the warning because of a push by health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lower barriers to their use.
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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
Bryn Nelson @seattlebryn.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Yikes. Again, this is why we want an intact, functional, and competent FDA.
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
As a debate about peptide regulation continues, the use of these drugs is skyrocketing. People told me about terrible migraines, pain & vision problems after taking peptides. Without clinical data, doctors can't help them. My latest: @kffhealthnews.org kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...
kffhealthnews.org
People Say These Peptides Hurt Them. Their Stories Are Muffled in MAHA’s Push for Medical Freedom. - KFF Health News
People who have taken experimental peptides, such as BPC-157, complain of migraines, eye pain, fatigue, and more. Learning whether these popular but unproven drugs are to blame may become harder if Ro...
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Scientists warn that without clinical trial data, side-effects may go overlooked. Especially those that take time to develop. This is Brian Lee, a long-standing member of the FDA advisory committee, at the peptide meeting this summer. He was in the minority who voted against easing restrictions.
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
RFK Jr. promised to make them more accessible. Soon after, HHS appointed people who stand to profit from peptides to a committee that advised the FDA to lower barriers. “If you want to take an experimental drug,” Kennedy has said “you ought to be able to do that.” kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...
kffhealthnews.org
People Say These Peptides Hurt Them. Their Stories Are Muffled in MAHA’s Push for Medical Freedom. - KFF Health News
People who have taken experimental peptides, such as BPC-157, complain of migraines, eye pain, fatigue, and more. Learning whether these popular but unproven drugs are to blame may become harder if Ro...
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Andrew Huberman & many MAHA leaders have promoted experimental peptides. There isn't quality clinical data, so podcasters rely on animal experiments & anecdotes, often with unverifiable numbers. This is MAHA influencer, Gary Brecka, broadcasting from the White House. (Clip from YouTube)
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
RFK Jr. says he's a "big fan" of peptides & his health department has started the process of making experimental peptides more accessible -- even though they haven't undergone clinical trials proving them to be safe or effective. (Clip from YouTube)
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
"This wrecks some of our lives," Dylan told me about his experience w/the peptide BPC-157. He wasn't alone. There are entire chat rooms of people who say they've been harmed. Their voices are muffled in MAHA hype. My latest @kffhealthnews.org / @washingtonpost.com kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...
kffhealthnews.org
People Say These Peptides Hurt Them. Their Stories Are Muffled in MAHA’s Push for Medical Freedom. - KFF Health News
People who have taken experimental peptides, such as BPC-157, complain of migraines, eye pain, fatigue, and more. Learning whether these popular but unproven drugs are to blame may become harder if Ro...
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
🍿🍿🍿🍿
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Russian bioweapon lab-leak pandemic? Nope, for the reasons stated in this oped from biosecurity wiz @ggronvall.bsky.social. But, she writes, there are plenty of related reasons to be worried. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/08/o...
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
"The investigation could have a chilling effect on pediatricians, making them think twice about urging vaccinations."
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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 06/10/2026
I LOVE how @propublica.org dealt with official comment here, editorially and stylistically.
The Trump administration says none of this is happening. 

"DHS is NOT arresting U.S. citizens by mistake." "There are no 'indiscriminate' stops." Allegations of "racial profiling are disgusting, reckless and categorically FALSE." "The pattern is NOT of law enforcement using force." "ICE does not zip tie or restrain children." 

But that is precisely what is happening, and at a far larger scale than previously reported.
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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
ProPublica @propublica.org · 06/10/2026
2/ Federal agents have detained at least 70 children and teens who are American citizens. Some were handcuffed or zip-tied. In one instance, a 15-year-old with disabilities was handcuffed outside a school in Los Angeles when agents mistook him for an alleged gang member.
At least 70 U.S. citizen children detained, some of whom were handcuffed
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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
ProPublica @propublica.org · 06/10/2026
The government *still* isn’t tracking how often immigration agents detain U.S. citizens. We are. 500+ Americans have been handcuffed, held at gunpoint or held against their will in Trump’s second term. Our tally is almost certainly an undercount. THREAD (content warning: violence) ⬇️
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
A breath of fresh air: @saskiapopescu.bsky.social writes about the specific threats of bioweapons AND POLICIES TO REDUCE RISK. A very real threat is distraction. Best thing I've read on this topic. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
AI biohazard hype must not divert attention from the real risks we face now
Twenty-five years after the US anthrax attacks, fears around AI are distracting people from seeing what’s needed to stay safe: a strong, regulated life-sciences sector.
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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
Jessica Malaty Rivera, MS @jessicamalaty.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Always a pleasure to talk to my pal @alletson.bsky.social at @revealnews.org
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The Ebola outbreak in Congo is now exploding in North Kivu, where 34% of Ebola patients are being treated in bare-bones health facilities instead of Ebola Treatment Units, according to @msf.org 3,982 confirmed deaths 😔 www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/ebola...
doctorswithoutborders.org
Ebola outbreak spreading like “wildfire” across North Kivu
The province is bearing an increasing share of the Ebola burden in DR Congo, while access to specialized care remains insufficient.
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
And immunocompromised people, including healthcare workers and teachers who will, once again, be on the frontlines of this.
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I feel bad for all the parents of newborns. Really, really tough to worry about this.
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I'm having flashbacks to March 2020, when Trump 1.0 stopped CDC briefings and undermined efforts to contain Covid. Measles isn't Covid, but the suppression of public health info is the same. The piece below is from 2020 but the headline works today. www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020...
washingtonpost.com
Perspective | We ran the CDC. No president ever politicized its science the way Trump has.
The administration is undermining public health.
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
*The CDC has clearly been compromised. Typically, we'd have had several press briefings given the alarming comeback of this preventable disease. Crickets. The CDC dashboard lists 2 deaths this yr, not 5, since they're trying to argue that those with measles died were going to die, anyways.
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Absolutely stunning/horrifying to see a 5th measles death in PA. This means the outbreak is probably far higher than numbers count, seeing as roughly 1-3 people die per 1,000. Many people aren't being tested. Also: I'm going to states now for info, not the CDC* app.powerbigov.us/view?r=eyJrI...
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Do you want to be a science writer? Or just learn more about science writing? This is a fantastic *paid* opportunity to sharpen your skills. @theopennotebook.bsky.social @siricarpenter.bsky.social www.theopennotebook.com/early-career...
theopennotebook.com
Early-Career Fellowship Program - The Open Notebook
Every year, The Open Notebook offers a paid, part-time fellowship program for early-career science journalists. This ten-month program offers fellows the opportunity to explore their career interests and passions and to sharpen their skills as part of a talented, supportive, diverse community of past and present fellows and mentors. This fellowship is made possible through the generous support of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Why don't women report rape? Police dismissed the horrific assault at Cornell because she was conscious. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/n...
Another likely complication was that New York law defines rape narrowly, Ms. Manning said, excluding a person who is subjected to unwanted sex while voluntarily intoxicated unless they are fully unconscious at the time of the assault. The law is one both prosecutors, including Manhattan’s district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, and advocates have called to be amended.

The woman in this case was conscious during much of the assault, finally blacking out at around 5:45 a.m., her lawsuit states.
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
While the news & white papers breathlessly cover the idea of a threat of a future AI bioweapon, an Ebola outbreak is escalating, having killed nearly 4,000 people so far. The Trump admin has diminished US support to control it w/travel bans, an eroded CDC & a hobbled WHO www.who.int/emergencies/...
who.int
Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus - Democratic Republic of the Congo
Since the last Disease Outbreak News was published on 11 September 2026, the Bundibugyo virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has expanded further, with two additional health zones af...
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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
Jared Yates Sexton @jysexton.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Just helping with editing here. These bots aren’t sentient. They’re doing what they’re programmed to do. OpenAI, a private company supposedly bound by laws, committed federal crimes.
Screenshot of BBC article: OpenAI bots (struck through) meddled with multiple US government agency sites
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Six babies born w/measles in PA, a potentially deadly condition. www.nbcnews.com/video/doctor... I spoke with a pediatrician in Utah who pleaded w/parents to give their newborn antibodies - mom had measles. He pushed & pushed & may have spared that baby's life. kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...
kffhealthnews.org
Anguished Parents. Doctors in Tears. Utah’s Long Measles Outbreak Takes a Toll. - KFF Health News
Measles has been spreading in Utah for nearly a year, straining hospitals, schools, and parents. The state’s outbreak provides a glimpse into a new era in America’s health, in which vaccine-preventabl...
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
CDC is reporting one US measles death in 2026, but won't say when or where. Pennsylvania clearly reports that four people have died with measles in their state. The obstruction of public health data serves no one (except for an administration hellbent on saving face).
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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
wellbillyboy @wellbillyboy.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
"The Ebola outbreak in the DRC is a stunning indictment of the state of global health security. It should have been containable, yet the outbreak that has killed over 3,500 people since early this year is already the fastest spreading in history. And it is nowhere near being contained."
foreignaffairs.com
Ebola Is Only the Beginning
Congo’s warning for the global health system.
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
RFK Jr's HHS is essentially withholding Covid vaccines from children from poorer backgrounds, amid a Covid wave. Important story from @melodyschreiber.com www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Delays in Covid shots for kids is latest bid by Trump officials to restrict vaccines
Administration is holding back Covid vaccines for all children in at least 11 states and one US territory
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Drones could cloud DC's airspace and um, also, this is a hallmark of an authoritarian leader who uses the military to keep the people in check. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Trump’s plan to militarize proposed arch raises new legal, safety concerns
Aviation safety experts worry about the prospect of drones stored so close to National Airport, while preservationists say a review process can't go forward now.
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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
NEW: @apnews.com confirms that ICE has begun electronically "disappearing" people in the agency's custody who have final orders of removal. As of last week, anyone jailed by ICE with a final order of removal will NOT appear in the ICE Online Detainee Locator System, making them effectively vanish.
apnews.com
AP Exclusive: ICE hides locations of thousands of detainees with final removal orders
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stopped publicly revealing where it is holding most detainees who are subject to final deportation orders, in a move that has made it harder for lawyers an...
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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
Peter Maybarduk @maybarduk.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Trump claims lower GLP-1 prices from his deals. But Lilly’s deal contains a loophole that insulates it from providing a true MFN price point for its GLP-1 drugs. If the loophole is applied to all GLP-1 drugs, it could cost Medicaid $1.7 billion in savings. Analysis: www.citizen.org/article/publ...
citizen.org
Public Citizen FOIA Reveals That Pharma, Not Patients Are Favored In Trump’s Drug Pricing Deals - Public Citizen
Key Takeaways Copies of Pfizer and Eli Lilly’s “most-favored nation” (MFN) agreements obtained by Public Citizen through the Freedom of…
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Reposted by Amy Maxmen, PhD
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The lawyer for the Venezuelan man shot by ICE yesterday says he was discharged from the hospital and transferred to ICE detention while the bullet was still inside of him, and that in Pearsall he's not received any pain meds and was forced to sleep on the floor.
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Another unvaccinated person has likely died of measles. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/w...
nytimes.com
Unvaccinated Woman Likely Died of Measles Complications, Pa. County Coroner Says
The case is the third reported death linked to a rapidly expanding outbreak that has sickened more than 670 people in the state.
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
RFK Jr. & this party are trying to gain political points by playing into parents' concerns for their babies. This comes after two record-breaking years for measles. In addition to 5 deaths, this has costed many millions & put dozens of children in the hospital. kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...
kffhealthnews.org
Anguished Parents. Doctors in Tears. Utah’s Long Measles Outbreak Takes a Toll. - KFF Health News
Measles has been spreading in Utah for nearly a year, straining hospitals, schools, and parents. The state’s outbreak provides a glimpse into a new era in America’s health, in which vaccine-preventabl...
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
RFK Jr. rallies Republicans with rhetoric against vaccines & other public health measures. "The party of my body, my choice," he says of Dems, "silenced the voices of 10s of 1000s of mothers who believe their children had suffered vaccine injuries." www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKMe...
youtube.com
FULL: RFK Jr. speech at 2026 RNC Midterm Convention
YouTube video by FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth
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