RFK Jr tells anti-vaccine group they have "a friend at the White House" as measles outbreak deaths rise

US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr addressed the Children's Health Defense conference in Washington, an anti-vaccine group he led for nearly two decades, telling attendees he is their "strong and steadfast friend" in the administration. He said he would have made sweeping changes "on day one" but must follow the law, and urged patience for gradual reform. He mentioned the measles outbreak, which recently killed four people in Pennsylvania, only once, saying the public should care as much about vaccine-injured children as about measles deaths. Polling shows a quarter of Americans now doubt the MMR vaccine, though most disapprove of the administration's handling of the outbreak.