CDC on vaccine link to autism; Mamdani to meet Trump : NPR

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website now says a link between vaccines and autism cannot be ruled out. This is a reversal from the agency’s longstanding position that there is no link. This message aligns with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s opinion that vaccines are dangerous.

• 🎧 CDC scientists say they didn’t change their website, and the Department of Health and Human Services wouldn’t divulge who ordered the adjustment to the wording, NPR’s Pien Huang tells Up First. There is no new scientific evidence to support the claim of a link between vaccines and autism. Huang notes that it is interesting that a headline on the CDC’s webpage still states that vaccines don’t cause autism. However, there is an asterisk next to this statement, which explains that the agency will not remove it due to an agreement with Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who provided a key confirmation vote for Kennedy to become the HHS secretary.

President Trump’s chief negotiator has presented a new 28-point plan for peace to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. International observers are encouraged that Trump has not given up on peace between Ukraine and Russia, but the proposal requires major territorial concessions from Ukraine, which the country has repeatedly rejected.

• 🎧 The Trump administration continues to suggest these concessions because the president is focused on getting a yes to his plan, says NPR’s Franco Ordoñez. Russian analyst Sam Charap notes that for Trump, the details don’t matter as much. He simply wants the fighting to come to an end, unlike the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, who are more focused on the details. Russia desires more strategic territory, while Ukraine has been adamant on security guarantees from Washington and its Western allies to ensure this type of invasion doesn’t happen again.

Trump will meet with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House’s Oval Office today. This will mark the first time the two will meet face-to-face. Mamdani, a 34-year-old Democratic socialist, emerged as a national figure after his primary win earlier this year. The president has called Mamdani a “communist” on social media and repeatedly sought to paint him as too radical for the city that elected him mayor.

• 🎧 The meeting is a reminder of the shift Mamdani has to make as he steps into the new role, says NPR’s Elena Moore. The mayor-elect has a background as an activist, but today will be a test for him in balancing his policy priorities and maintaining political diplomacy. As a reminder, Moore says, the president vowed to cut New York’s federal funding if Mamdani won the election, so the meeting comes with real stakes.

State and local voting officials from both major political parties are actively preparing for the possibility of the Trump administration’s interference in the midterm elections, which are less than a year away. The president has consistently spread false claims about voting in the U.S. In the spring, he issued an executive order aimed at imposing significant changes to election systems. Although courts have largely blocked the order, he has hinted at the possibility of taking other executive action as well. The election community is concerned that Trump plans to have a heavy hand in their processes next year. Here are a few things voting officials are watching for.

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