Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. Is RFK Jr. better on women's health than Newsom? We're about to find out Halle Berry speaks Wednesday during the New York Times DealBook Summit, where she criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom for vetoing a bill that would guarantee access to menopause treatment for California women. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here .

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The vaccine advisory group ACIP, not all members of which seemed to know what the group does, recommended to the CDC that combined MMRV shots not be given before age 4. A federal vaccine advisory committee made of members hand-picked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recommended in an 8-3 vote on Thursday that the combined measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine should not be given before age four, citing long-known evidence that shows a slightly increased risk for febrile seizures in that age group. Experts say that while frightening, febrile seizures--which are uncommon after vaccination--are usually short-lived and harmless, and removing the option for parents could cause a decline in immunization rates against measles, mumps, and rubella, some of the most dangerous childhood diseases. Known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, the group provides recommendations to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine usage. These recommendations are typically adopted by CDC and have an impact on state vaccine requirements for school, insurance coverage of vaccines, and pharmacy access--something at least one member of the panel seemed to be unaware of. Thursday's vote is part of a new shift in vaccine policy being spearheaded by Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist.

Speaking at a WIRED event Tuesday, Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said he was "encouraged" by the company's dialogue with the FDA--but acknowledged recent setbacks. Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel prepares to testify before the Senate on March 22, 2023 in Washington, DC. At the WIRED Health summit on Tuesday, Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said the recent changes to Covid-19 vaccine policy made by Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. are a "step backward." Moderna is one of the manufacturers of mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccines, and last month the company received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for an updated version of the shot . But as part of that approval, the FDA imposed new restrictions on who can receive the vaccine.

Things to Do in L.A. When I got COVID, readers said it proved vaccines don't work. What has RFK Jr. wrought? A nurse prepares a COVID-19 vaccination. Voice comes from the use of AI. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here .

With demonstrations ramping up against the Trump administration, this week was all about protests. With President Donald Trump taking the historic step to deploy US Marines and the National Guard to Los Angeles, we dove into the "long-term dangers" of sending troops to LA, as well as what those troops are permitted to do while they're there. Of course, it's not just the military getting involved in the LA protests against the heavy crackdowns by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). There's also Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which further escalated federal involvement by flying Predator drones over LA. And there are local and state authorities, who've used "nonlethal" weapons and chemical agents like tear gas against protesters.

The annual meeting of the International Society for Autism Research took place in Seattle this week. The field's premiere scientific conference was scheduled to be held in the Emerald City five years ago, until COVID-19 dashed those plans. This time, U.S. autism researchers face a very different kind of crisis: massive cuts to federal funding, Cabinet members making false statements about the complex neurological condition they study, and a series of confusing and potentially worrisome policy announcements about autism research. In April, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services disclosed that it's planning a 50-million "comprehensive research effort aimed at understanding the causes of [autism spectrum disorder] and improving treatments," a department spokesperson said. The effort was spurred by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s stated goal of determining the cause of autism, a neurological and developmental condition whose symptoms cluster around challenges with communication, social interaction and sensory processing.

Fox News correspondent Alexandria Hoff reports on the impact that presidential candidate RFK Jr., could have on the 2024 race on'Special Report.' Republicans are hammering independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over a resurfaced video where he says individuals in red states are more likely to commit heinous crimes and "murder you." In a resurfaced video, posted by former President Donald Trump's MAGA War Room X account Wednesday, RFK Jr. is seen making the disparaging comments about Republicans at a 2005 IdeaCity speech. "Red state people are more likely to murder you, to impregnate your teenage daughter, to commit a violent crime against you, to commit a nonviolent crime against you, to watch Desperate Housewives on TV, to buy pornography, to buy degenerate video games like'Grand Theft Auto,'" RFK Jr. told a crowd. Social media users, including several Republican members of congress, immediately hit back at what they called "divisive attacks."

There was a time before the turn of the millennium when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gave a full-throated accounting of himself and the things he cared about. He recalls his voice then as "unusually strong," so much so that he could fill large auditoriums with his words. The independent presidential candidate recounts those times somewhat wistfully, telling interviewers that he "can't stand" the sound of his voice today -- sometimes choked, halting and slightly tremulous. Spasmodic dysphonia, a rare neurological condition, in which an abnormality in the brain's neural network results in involuntary spasms of the muscles that open or close the vocal cords. My my voice doesn't really get tired. "I feel sorry for the people who have to listen to me," Kennedy said in a phone interview with The Times, his voice sounding as strained as it does in his public appearances.

Exclusive: 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. sits down with'The Story's' Martha MacCallum to discuss his election bid. Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. called on President Biden Wednesday to show the American people he has the "cognitive capacity" and "mental acuity" to lead the nation for another four-year term. "I think he [Biden] needs to come out of the White House and show Americans that he has the cognitive capacity, to, and the mental acuity, to handle this job at probably the most challenging time now, at least in recent American history," RFK Jr. told "The Story." "We're facing issues that are existential. We're involved in two wars. We have AI coming down, which is going to change everything, and there's enormous dangers in it," he continued.