Overview

• Jim O’Neill, a Health and Human Services deputy without medical training, was tapped as interim CDC director in a staff message reported by CBS.
• The White House said President Trump fired Susan Monarez after she declined to resign, asserting he has the authority to remove her.
• Monarez’s attorneys contend she refused orders to dismiss senior CDC scientists and approve guidance they describe as reckless, and they are preparing a legal challenge.
• Multiple senior CDC officials resigned following her removal, deepening leadership turmoil before O’Neill’s interim appointment was communicated.
• HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s earlier actions, including firing all 17 ACIP members and cutting roughly $500 million for mRNA vaccine development, have fueled warnings about politicization of public health.