CDC director Susan Monarez was fired after resisting changes to vaccine policy that were advanced by health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and that she believed contradicted scientific evidence, according to a former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Richard Besser said Monarez told him there were “two things she would never do in the job. One was anything that was deemed illegal, and the second was anything that she felt flew in the face of science – and she said she was asked to do both of those”.
Fellow CDC employees cheered the three departing officials who quit after Monarez’s dismissal as they left the Atlanta campus on Thursday, in a show of defiance toward Kennedy and his unscientific claims about vaccines.
Here is the key Trump administration news of the day.
CDC officials who quit in protest lead call to ‘get politics out of public health’
Senior CDC vaccine research and public health leaders who resigned told hundreds of supporters across the street from campus on Thursday that the Trump administration needs to “get politics out of public health”.
The agency is reeling from the firing of the CDC chief, Susan Monarez. Monarez, who was confirmed as its head just a month ago and has refused to be removed. Four senior leaders – Debra Houry, Demetre Daskalakis, Daniel Jernigan and Jennifer Layden – then resigned in protest, citing the alleged spread of misinformation under the Trump administration and political interference in their work.
White House reportedly picks Kennedy deputy to replace fired CDC chief
The Trump administration has reportedly chosen a deputy of Robert F Kennedy Jr to serve as the acting head of the CDC.
The Associated Press and the Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the decision, that the White House had selected Jim O’Neill, currently the deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The decision would give Kennedy a CDC chief who will be on board with his efforts to overhaul federal vaccine policy, the Post reported.
Trump serious about pursuing a third term, Gavin Newsom warns
The president is gravely serious about running for a third term in violation of the US constitution, California governor Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday, warning Americans to “wake up” to what he described as Trump’s flagrant disregard for democratic norms.
“I don’t think Donald Trump wants another election,” Newsom, a Democrat, said during a live interview at a summit hosted by Politico in Sacramento. “This guy doesn’t believe in free, fair elections.”
White House seeks to use Chicago-area military base for immigration crackdown
The White House has requested that a US military base on the outskirts of Chicago assist with immigration operations as the Trump administration plans a broader takeover of Democratic-run “sanctuary cities”.
On Thursday, the Naval Station Great Lakes confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had reached out for assistance, telling the Associated Press that the DHS had requested “limited support in the form of facilities, infrastructure and other logistical needs to support DHS operations”.
US air force to grant military honors to fatally injured January 6 rioter
The air force will provide military funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt, the rioter fatally shot during the January 6 Capitol attack, marking another step in Donald Trump’s aggressive rehabilitation of the attack.
Fed governor Lisa Cook sues Trump over ‘illegal attempt’ to fire her
The Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook has filed a lawsuit against the US president over his “unprecedented and illegal attempt” to fire her, calling it an effort to undermine the central bank’s independence.
The lawsuit – filed by Cook in federal court in Washington on Thursday – sets the stage for a legal battle over Trump’s extraordinary push for greater control of the central bank.
What else happened today:
A Washington senator has called for the Trump administration to provide “immediate answers” about reports that two firefighters were detained by border agents as they were responding to a wildfire in the state.
How Elon Musk’s billionaire Doge lieutenant took over the US’s biggest MDMA company: Antonio Gracias is part of the growing movement among Silicon Valley’s right wing, enamoured with the therapeutic and commercial potential of drugs like MDMA.
Seven people have arrived in Rwanda as part of a deal to accept deportees from the US, the Rwandan government has said. The Trump administration has been negotiating arrangements to send people to third countries including South Sudan and Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, as part of its wider deportation drive.
The family of 18-year-old Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz was shocked when they found out that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) had discreetly moved him out of California, according to California congresswoman Luz Rivas, who spoke with his relatives and reviewed federal detention records.
Catching up? Here’s what happened 27 August 2025.
