Sept. 6, 2025

This week we looked at Trump's MAHA mess, administration officials who wear multiple hats and new job numbers. Plus: Trump blocks groups from registering new voters at naturalization ceremonies

The Big Picture: Careful What You Vote For

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

A congressional hearing this week with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was contentious — with even Republican senators turning on him for his vaccine policies.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician, told Kennedy that his actions would “effectively” deny access to vaccines to many people.

“You’re wrong,” Kennedy said.

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., an orthopedic surgeon, said he had grown “deeply concerned” about Kennedy’s tenure.

“Americans don’t know who to rely on,” Barrasso said as a result of Kennedy firing the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “If we’re going to make America healthy again, we can’t allow public health to be undermined.”

“Americans have lost faith in CDC, and we need to restore that faith, and we’re going to do that by telling the truth and not through propaganda,” Kennedy said, echoing the very criticisms leveled at him.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who is retiring after his term ends, said, “I do also believe that some of your statements seem to contradict what you said in [RFK’s 2024 confirmation hearing]. You said you’re going to empower the scientists at HHS to do their job. I’d just like to see evidence where you’ve done that.”

Thursday’s hearing exposed fissures within the GOP regarding health and Kennedy’s leadership. And that is a headache for the Trump administration, especially considering only 26% in an Economist/YouGov poll out this week said they believe medical advice from Kennedy. And NBC News reported on a survey conducted by GOP pollsters and shown to senators before the hearing that showed a majority of Republicans support vaccines.

But here’s the thing: There’s not much these senators can do about it now short of impeachment — and there’s little appetite to defy Trump in such a drastic way on the GOP side.

All three Republican senators voted for Kennedy, a longtime vaccine conspiracy theorist, to be confirmed to this position — when their opposition would have likely been enough to sink his confirmation, which required only a simple majority vote.

To quote the poet Maya Angelou with her now oft-cited line: When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.

— Domenico Montanaro, NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent

Newsletter continues after sponsor message

ICYMI: Top Stories

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Hats on hats: At least a dozen Trump administration officials wear more than one hat, often doing roles that are not directly related to their original post. Among the many officials with multiple hats, three stand out for their extra-full plates. Read more from NPR’s Tamara Keith.

National Guard threats: President Trump has signaled interest in deploying the National Guard to cities he considers to have a crime problem. Here’s how officials in Chicago, Baltimore and New Orleans are responding to the idea. He’s already placed the Washington, D.C., police under federal control and put the National Guard on the city's streets. NPR’s Ryan Lucas looks at cases of those swept up in the first two weeks of Trump's takeover of D.C. police.

Job hits: U.S. employers added just 22,000 jobs in August, according to the latest report from the Labor Department. It’s the first report since President Trump fired the department official who oversaw the jobs data after similarly sobering numbers. Current employees at the Labor Department are trying to reassure the public that the data can be trusted.

Push to release the Epstein files: Women who say they were victimized by Jeffrey Epstein joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers calling for more transparency from President Trump around the federal investigation into the late convicted sex offender.

Voter registration: Nongovernmental groups are now banned from registering new voters at naturalization ceremonies, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced in a memo.

Tick tock: Congress has about two weeks to pass a new budget bill to avoid a government shutdown. The trick is getting enough bipartisan support.

-- Saige Miller, NPR Politics producer

Did you hear? With federal funding for public media all but eliminated, NPR relies more than ever on support from listeners like you. That’s why we’re inviting you to take part in a special giveaway to help keep public media strong — and maybe win a once-in-a-lifetime trip in the process!

One lucky winner (and their guest!) will visit NPR HQ and see a Tiny Desk Concert live in person — and even get to choose from a lineup of upcoming shows.

It’s free to enter, but when you donate through this giveaway page, you’ll score exclusive, limited-run merch and boost your chances to win.

Donate for Merch & Extra Entries ➔

Enter for Free ➔

Going Deeper: Jeanine Pirro, D.C. U.S. Attorney

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Fox News executives had choice words about one of their former employees turned top D.C. prosecutor.

They described Jeanine Pirro, once a star on the network, as a “reckless maniac” and someone who had a “tendency to find random conspiracy theories on weird internet sites,” reports NPR’s David Folkenflik.

Pirro’s Fox News colleagues made those remarks in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, when Pirro took to the air to amplify baseless claims that victory had been stolen from President Trump. They’re quoted in legal documents made public last month in a defamation lawsuit brought by Smartmatic, a voting technology company, against Fox News. Pirro is named as a defendant.

Folkenflik dives into the lawsuit — and into Pirro’s time at Fox News, before she was tapped to be the public face of Trump's crackdown on crime in the district. Tap to read more.

-- Saige Miller, NPR Politics producer

The Shot: A Spine-Tingling Discovery

Matt Dempsey/The Natural History Museum, London

What is the size of a small car, covered with spikes and once roamed modern-day Morocco? If you guessed a Spicomellus dinosaur, you are correct!

According to reporting by NPR’s Alana Wise, research published last month in the journal Nature shows that the four-legged herbivore is much more elaborately armored than once believed.

"We've never seen anything like this in any animal before," said research co-lead Susannah Maidment.

-- Saige Miller, NPR Politics producer

Listen to your local NPR station.

Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream.

What do you think of today's email?

We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprpolitics@npr.org

Enjoying this newsletter?

Forward to a friend! They can sign up here.

Looking for more great content?

Check out all of our newsletter offerings
— including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more!

You received this message because you're subscribed to Politics emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002

Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy