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CNN clash over measles
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. clashed with CNN host Dana Bash during CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, as Kennedy pinned blame for pandemic lockdowns on Dr. Anthony Fauci and revived debunked assertions about vaccines, RSV and measles.
““Trump, as you recall, wanted to end the lockdowns. I think the thing that did the most damage to our country was the lockdowns,””
Bash pressed Kennedy on how to prevent the next pandemic and on his vaccine skepticism, while Kennedy told her, “Trump, as you recall, wanted to end the lockdowns. I think the thing that did the most damage to our country was the lockdowns,” during the exchange.
Dr. Ashish Jha, who served as the White House Covid-19 response coordinator under President Joe Biden from 2022 to 2023, pushed back on Kennedy’s claims, saying, “There was a lot of information that Secretary Kennedy said that just isn’t true. It’s just factually not true,” after Kennedy’s appearance.
The dispute unfolded as the US faced its worst measles resurgence in more than three decades, with the Guardian reporting that the US has officially recorded 2,371 confirmed infections so far this year, surpassing 2025’s 2,289.
In the same CNN interview, Kennedy told Bash, “Parents should get their children vaccinated for measles. A measles vaccine is effective, it stops measles in about 97% of the cases. People should get vaccinated.”
Fact-checks and accusations
CNN posted a scathing fact-check immediately after Kennedy’s interview, framing the appearance as one in which the HHS secretary pushed “medical misinformation,” while Dana Bash grappled with Kennedy for 22-minutes about autism, measles, and Covid.
In that post-interview exchange, Jha condemned Kennedy’s claims on-air, saying, “There was a lot of information that secretary Kennedy said that it just isn’t true. Just factually not true,” while Bash pressed Kennedy to address the measles outbreak.
The Independent described Kennedy’s tone as he accused Bash and CNN of “punishing” people during Covid and of “press malpractice,” as the segment shifted from measles urging to a broader fight over pandemic-era guidance and media authority.
Kennedy and Bash also traded direct accusations during the interview, with Kennedy telling Bash, “Because you were part of the problem,” after Bash tried to pivot away from Covid-era guidance.
Bash responded by insisting she would not allow Kennedy to use the interview to say things she believed were untrue, and the Independent reported her question: “Do you want to sit here and attack me or do you want to have a conversation about public health?”
What’s at stake next
The measles surge is tied in the sources to vaccination rates and public messaging, with the Guardian warning that the 37 new measles outbreaks recorded this year put the US in danger of losing measles elimination status held since 2000.
“The 37 new measles outbreaks that have already been recorded this year are putting the US in danger of losing the measles elimination status”
Kennedy told Bash he accepted “Absolutely not” responsibility for the resurgence, while the Guardian reported that he blamed outbreaks on religious communities who eschew vaccines and on global health conditions.
The Guardian also said the incidence of measles crossed a milestone, with the US officially recording 2,371 confirmed infections so far this year, surpassing 2025’s 2,289, and noted the last time a greater number of measles cases were recorded in a single year was in 1991.
Beyond measles, the CNN interview also touched on RSV and gain-of-function research, with Jha telling Bash that “First of all, no, RSV did not come from any gain of function research,” as Kennedy had claimed RSV and Covid came from such research.
For the next steps, the Guardian reported that Kennedy urged parents to vaccinate their children for measles and said, “A measles vaccine is effective, it stops measles in about 97% of the cases,” as the interview continued to draw attention to vaccine hesitancy and public health authority.
