Latest news with #StuartBurns
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
RFK Jr. is quietly reshaping vaccine policy. This is the man helping him do it.
'Who is Stuart Burns?' a scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention texted me from the organization's all-hands meeting in June, attaching a photo of a man seated in front of his name card. The 60-year-old conservative with a stout build and a boyish haircut was mostly unknown to the doctors, epidemiologists and officials who had gathered to ask questions about what many have described as the gutting of their agency and the threat many believe its new leaders pose to public health. When asked about the researchers and doctors reportedly aligned with the anti-vaccine movement who had replaced the qualified experts on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a federal vaccine advisory committee, deputy director of public affairs Nina Witkofsky opened the floor to Burns, who was seated at a long table with other agency leaders. 'I'll catch the football on that one,' said Burns, who had been recently appointed as senior adviser to the CDC director (a position that is still sitting vacant). 'We've been working really hard over the past few days — over the weekend in particular — to bring on the new ACIP members,' he said with a smile. Burns said he had been on calls with agency staff, working nights and weekends ahead of the July ACIP meeting, to ensure the replacements were in place — new panelists who, critics later said, would bring anti-vaccine views and conflicts of interest to a group once respected for its scientific rigor and independence. 'We're making good progress,' Burns said, according to a recording of the meeting obtained by MSNBC. He added that several agenda items would be delayed while the new panel got up to speed. Though not everyone in the room recognized him, Burns had been named in an April memo from Matt Buzzelli, the CDC's newly politically appointed chief of staff, announcing interim leadership changes after mass terminations and resignations. But among the CDC's longest-serving employees, especially those in offices related to vaccines, Burns was a known entity. He had been a staffer for congressional Republicans since the early '90s — best known as a key operator for the anti-vaccine movement. Originally from Georgia, Burns spent the last three decades in Florida, Texas and Washington, D.C., with his longest tenure, from 1995 to 2008, as legislative director and deputy chief of staff to former Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Fla. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had wanted Weldon as CDC director, but that nomination was pulled over his anti-vaccine views. But because an adviser position doesn't require Senate confirmation, Kennedy got Weldon's number two. Burns is not a doctor or a scientist. An HHS spokesperson declined to be quoted on the record but defended Burns' management of vaccine projects for the agency. The spokesperson said that Burns had worked on health policy as a legislative aide for congressional Republicans. Burns did not respond to MSNBC's requests for comment. Weldon's office was central to the early-2000s push to link vaccines to autism, and Burns was a key operator within the effort, acting as a liaison among activists and researchers. His work as deputy chief of staff in the early 2000s, chronicled in books and news reports from the time, was also described to MSNBC by long-serving CDC employees and three former legislative staffers who served alongside Burns. He was interviewed several times for a sympathetic history of the period's anti-vaccine activism, 'Evidence of Harm.' Burns facilitated dozens of meetings between anti-vaccine activists and government officials, and arranged access to CDC data for Mark and David Geier, father-son researchers who falsely linked autism to vaccines and served as experts in legal cases alleging vaccine injuries. He coordinated press and lobbying strategies with activists, pushed medical journals to publish anti-vaccine research that had been rejected, and asked anti-vaccine activists to advise on government-funded research. He also publicly discounted studies that debunked purported links between vaccines and autism, and was repeatedly described in books, news articles and autism forums as a tireless behind-the-scenes organizer. One source with knowledge of calls between Weldon's office, CDC staffers and anti-vaccine researchers described Burns as 'explosive.' Burns, they said, organized meetings, brought anti-vaccine researchers like the Geiers onto calls without warning, and repeatedly demanded access to databases containing private patient information. They recalled Burns at times screaming and threatening agency funding, as Weldon sat on the House Appropriations Committee at the time. It's not clear what has motivated his passion over vaccines, but one former CDC staffer who interacted with Burns all those years ago described it as something like a 'religious crusade.' Burns is one of dozens of new political appointees across HHS agencies, some with minimal public health experience and others with clear ties to the anti-vaccine movement that Kennedy helped build. In the last six months, Kennedy has dismantled and partly remade the country's largest federal agency, overseeing the firings of thousands of employees and shuttering programs related to issues including mental health, senior care, cancer, and HIV and AIDS. The CDC has been without a director since March, when Trump withdrew Kennedy's pick, Weldon, and nominated Susan Monarez. Leadership roles have been left vacant or filled with political appointees who lack public health experience. Kennedy has also placed anti-vaccine allies in roles that are reshaping vaccine policy — some subtly, others more overtly — both domestically and abroad. And it is Burns who appears to be leading this network of ideologically aligned staff embedded across HHS agencies. According to meeting recordings, internal communications reviewed by MSNBC and three sources familiar with the situation, Burns has become a central figure in subverting vaccine policy under Kennedy. It's unclear from his job title of 'senior adviser' what Burns is officially tasked with, but officials with knowledge said Burns' duties were, in part, specifically targeting vaccines. In addition to organizing the destruction and rebirth of the ACIP panel, Burns personally ordered the removal of a webpage that hosted a scientific review on the safety of thimerosal, an ingredient falsely linked to autism by anti-vaccine activists. (The ACIP panel ultimately recommended removing the preservative from influenza vaccines.) The decision to remove the report from the website, made after communication with Kennedy's office, broke from standard practice, which allows such panels to act independently of the agency. An HHS spokesperson defended the removal to MSNBC, saying the report had been posted without permission, but did not address Burns' involvement. Kennedy's sweeping plans for vaccines include the re-examination of settled vaccine safety studies, particularly around autism. Kennedy has said that this fall he will announce preliminary findings from a reanalysis of health data — findings that critics, including those inside CDC, say are preordained and are likely to reignite disproven claims around autism and vaccines. Kennedy's overhaul of vaccine policy is also coming amid a growing number of public health emergencies. Measles outbreaks tore through the country this year, hospitalizing hundreds and killing two unvaccinated children. The country's elimination status is under threat while vaccine hesitancy grows: a recent study found that only 40% of pregnant Americans and parents of young children said they plan to follow the recommended vaccine schedule. Meanwhile, Burns appears to be benefitting from a power vacuum. Two Trump loyalists — Heather Flick Melanson, Kennedy's chief of staff, and Hannah Anderson, a senior policy adviser — were fired this week. Key positions, including CDC director and several division heads, remain unfilled. Nearly a third of top HHS leadership positions currently sit vacant, according to the agency's website. With few career leaders in place, political appointees have been operating with unusual authority. Burns has wielded his new power to realize an old dream. 'He's a senior adviser to the director, but there is no director,' said one official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they aren't authorized to speak publicly about the agency. 'And all that he does, all day long, is work in this covert vaccine space.' Dr. Paul Offit, the inventor of a rotavirus vaccine and a longtime critic of Kennedy and the anti-vaccine movement, suggested that Kennedy's actions are like the dinosaur in 'Jurassic Park,' testing the fence before it breaks through. 'Activists have been shouting from the sidelines for decades,' Offit said. 'Now they are making policy.' This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Record
13-06-2025
- Daily Record
Paint roller thug left man scarred for life after battering him with tool
"Officers found the complainer with blood gushing from his nose and from a large cut to his head. He had a five centimetre cut which was glued." A tradesman left a man scarred for life by attacking him with a paint roller in front of shocked schoolchildren. Neil McCallum, 37, and two colleagues jumped out of their work Transit van to attack Stuart Burns after a stone was thrown at the vehicle. A court heard that Mr Burns was left with blood "gushing" from his nose and from a head wound after he was whacked several times with the extendable paint roller. Fiscal depute Sarah Wilkinson said: "There were a number of pedestrians, including schoolchildren, in Rossie Place, Auchterarder, at 3.45pm on 11 January last year. "A Transit carrying three males turned into the street, where Mr Burns was walking his dog. He was then observed to be In the middle of the road with the three males. "They were all shouting and gesturing at each other. The accused struck the complainer repeatedly on the head and legs with a metal pole, which transpired to be a paint roller. "Police were contacted by observers. Officers found the complainer with blood gushing from his nose and from a large cut to his head. He had a five centimetre cut which was glued. "He refused to go to hospital, but paramedics were of the opinion it would leave scarring. The accused was traced with the help of dashcam footage and arrested." McCallum told police: "I hit a f***ing junkie because he threw a rock at my van. I hit a m****." He admitted leaving his painting equipment at the scene. McCallum, from Woodside, Perthshire, admitted attacking Stuart Burns in Rossie Place, Auchterarder, on 11 January 2024 by repeatedly striking him on the head and body with an extendable paint roller. He admitted causing severe injury and permanent disfigurement. He also admitted breaching the peace by engaging in a stand-up fight with an unknown male in Perth's Mill Street on 27 January last year. In that incident, heavily intoxicated McCallum and another man started arguing at a bus stop, before they started fighting with both ending up on the ground in the middle of the road. Sheriff Alison McKay granted McCallum bail and deferred sentence at Perth Sheriff Court for the preparation of social work background reports. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
BBC News
30-01-2025
- BBC News
Assaulted man found dead in caravan in Colne
Police are trying to find out how a man died after he "had suffered a number of serious injuries during a recent assault".Stuart Burns was found unresponsive at a caravan at Oakfield Lodge, Birchenlee Lane, Colne, at about 19:20 GMT on Tuesday, and was pronounced dead at the scene, Lancashire Police force said a post-mortem examination showed the 52-year-old had been recently assaulted, but the injuries did not cause his death.A 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene initially on suspicion of murder, but is now being held on suspicion of wounding and remains in custody. Further tests Police said an exact cause of death was yet to be established for Mr Burns and further tests would be carried Insp Darren Irving said: "While Mr Burns' death is not being treated as a homicide, we do believe he has been the victim of an assault prior to his death where he suffered a number of injuries, and we are investigating the circumstances. "I would appeal to anyone who has any information which could assist us in our inquiries to come forward and contact police." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
