A Judge Strikes Down Kennedy’s Vaccine Policies

Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Newsletter The Evening A Judge Strikes Down Kennedy’s Vaccine Policies Also, Trump raises the possibility of the U.S. “taking Cuba.” Here’s the latest at the end of Monday. Share full article By Matthew Cullen March 16, 2026, 6:09 p.m. ET A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked the Trump administration from implementing a series of vaccine decisions made by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The judge, Brian Murphy, a Biden appointee, suggested in his ruling today that the government did not base its decisions on science. The ruling, which the Trump administration is almost certain to appeal, halted changes Kennedy has set in motion. They includes his decision to cut down the number of vaccines recommended to children and restrict access to Covid vaccines. The judge’s move also reversed, for now, all decisions made by the panelists that Kennedy appointed to the vaccine advisory committee. ( You can read the full decision here .) The ruling came in response to a lawsuit brought by six medical organizations. The groups argued that Kennedy and his appointees had made arbitrary and capricious changes to the childhood vaccine schedule. In other Trump administration news: Susie Wiles, President Trump’s chief of staff, said that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer . The U.S. wants a deal with Zambia for more access to the country’s critical minerals. It’s considering withholding H.I.V. aid to get one . The president ordered officials to remove information at parks and other sites deemed disparaging to the U.S. A review of documents shows little guidance and striking inconsistencies . U.S. allies resist Trump’s demands for help As the war in Iran entered its third week, Trump called on allies to help the U.S. reopen the critical oil choke point known as the Strait of Hormuz. Today, several countries responded with skepticism or outright rejected his demand . Top officials in Japan, Italy and Australia ruled out sending forces; Bri...