Overview

• Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s audible breathing dominated attention during a Senate Finance Committee oversight hearing.
• An aide leaned in and appeared to urge him to cut his microphone, after which he muted and later unmuted for his answers.
• Sen. Michael Bennet responded to the interruption with the quip, “May I have my time back, Mr. Chairman?” on the committee record.
• Social media users amplified clips with memes and “Darth Vader” comparisons, saying the audio made the session hard to watch.
• Coverage noted Kennedy’s long-disclosed spasmodic dysphonia, as senators pressed him on the ouster of ex-CDC director Susan Monarez, staff layoffs, vaccine-policy changes, and cuts to vaccine research.