Tuesday, August 11 | By Abigail Walker, Joshua Feldstein and Elliott Davis
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It's Tuesday: And it's shaping up to be a busy one, even with Congress on recess.
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Trump's big move on kid's vaccines: |
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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President Trump on Monday afternoon signed an executive order calling for changes to the childhood immunization schedule and advising that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination should be administered during three separate visits.
He signed the “Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations” order alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya.
“Decades ago, children received only a small fraction of the vaccines required today. In those times, people were much [healthier], and of course, the high rates of autism now observed did not exist,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
💬 Follow today’s live blog
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The new recommendation has been met with concern from several current and former officials.
President, not an MD: “I’m a doctor. This executive order is wrong. The President does not have the expertise to make these changes. Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines DO NOT cause autism,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) posted on X.
Tajikistan?: “No other country does this. No country in Europe does this. Tajikistan used to do this, but they don’t even do that anymore. But I don’t want to be like Tajikistan, right?” Dr. Ashish Jha, the Biden administration’s White House coordinator of the COVID-19 pandemic said in a Monday interview with The Hill’s sister network, NewsNation.
Expert opinion: “There is no new evidence to justify significant changes to childhood immunization guidance,” Dr. Andrew Radine, the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, wrote in a press release. “Dozens of studies involving millions of people show there is no link between vaccines and autism, and yet federal leaders continue to promote this outdated, disproven idea to scare families.”
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The president secretly departed the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, last month using an alternate military aircraft amid security concerns involving Iran, The Washington Post reported on Monday night. Intrigue has ensued.
Trump boarded the old Air Force One jet before he was secretly shuttled to a smaller Air Force C-32A plane while inside a catering truck typically used to transport meals and other supplies, making the old jet a “decoy” with some White House staff and reporters remaining on board.
Has the White House confirmed it?: No. Trump is also mum so far on the report, which The New York Times confirmed.
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➤ HAPPENING TODAY AT THE WHITE HOUSE: |
Actually, Trump today will head to Geneva, Ohio, for the Patriot Games. (Is it fair to ask which plane he's taking? We'll see ourselves out.)
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GOP senators are backing Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) after President Trump declined to support him for another term.
Among those who threw their support behind Thune were Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and John Kennedy (R-La.). It’s worth noting that Scott himself ran for the leadership post in 2024.
Words of encouragement: “There’s a lot of respect for John Thune. There’s a lot of recognition of how he works and how difficult his job is and a belief that he’s doing it really well under difficult circumstances,” said Moran.
Why does Trump potentially want Thune out?: Thune has not met Trump's repeated urging to get rid of the filibuster and advance some of the president’s top priorities, including the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act. Thune has reportedly told the president he doesn't have the votes to do either.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also has stated that Trump’s “patience is running out” with Thune’s performance as Senate majority leader, according to The Hill’s Alexander Bolton.
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Kennedy has more to say, and it's not about Thune: |
Sen. John Kennedy said former Vice President Kamala Harris is “no longer relevant” in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity. These comments were made of Harris’s criticism over the SAVE America Act.
“No disrespect, but Vice President Harris is no longer relevant. She had a shot and she missed,” Kennedy said.
Harris posted a video on the social platform X that went in on Trump’s SAVE America Act attempts, saying “Nineteen states have already passed laws to make it difficult to vote, and the ones that haven’t passed a law are doing it in practice in many places around the country. Why? Because they are scared of you [Trump].”
🔎 Who is the new GOP nominee replacing Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.)?
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Trump defends Infantino (off the pitch): |
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been in the sports spotlight recently over his private funding plan for the World Cup.
The organization eventually backed off the plan, but Infantino has since received many calls to resign.
What does Trump think?: Infantino and Trump established a great relationship during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the president said he believes that replacing Infantino would be a “terrible mistake”
Trump posted on Truth Social saying that “If he is gone, it [the World Cup] will never be as successful or profitable again!”
Why did Infantino’s plan fail?: Top organizations like UEFA and Concacaf, which includes the U.S. National Team, released statements rejecting the plan. UEFA even said that they would boycott future World Cups if the private equity deal went through.
Key investor: Josh Kushner, brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, was originally going to be one of the lead investors in the project.
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— Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) tapped former Mesa Mayor John Giles — a Republican — as her running mate on Tuesday as the first-term Democrat eyes a reelection bid against GOP Rep. Andy Biggs this November.
— A judge in Staten Island, N.Y., late Monday temporarily blocked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s (D) rollout of a new tax on second homes worth more than $5 million. The levy is formally known as a pied-à-terre tax.
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The New York Times: How a Counterintelligence Inquiry Into Trump’s Russia Ties Was Derailed
The Wall Street Journal: University of Michigan Drops First-Semester Grades to ‘Curb Mental Health Crisis’
The Washington Post: In rural Texas, data center opposition is scrambling conservative tradition
Politico: Progressives are on the cusp of a huge win. Their biggest stars are staying away.
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The House and Senate are out. President Trump is heading to Geneva, Ohio, this afternoon to watch the finale of the Patriot Games. 🔎Learn more about the games (All times EDT)
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11 a.m.: Trump started a stretch of policy meetings at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
7 p.m.: Trump attends the Patriot Games Finale.
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🏖️ Celebrate: Today is National Play in the Sand Day!
🏀 The NBA released its Christmas Day schedule: Key games include the Philadelphia 76ers’ LeBron James (!) facing off against his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the defending champion New York Knicks playing the San Antonio Spurs in a 2026 Finals rematch. (Can you tell that a basketball fan took the reins in this section? Muahaha!)
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Because you made it this far, please enjoy a video of this very lazy (and very cute) puppy taking a snooze in a horse's stall, courtesy of Animal Planet.
Can't blame the little pup. Life is hard. Sleep when (and where) you can.
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📺 Miss the previous issue of this newsletter? Catch up with a 1-minute video.
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https://nxslink.thehill.com/oc/6230d8d7b246d104952e4da1rza7q.k7v/a36782bc
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