VAX NOT: A CDC advisory panel today voted to ax the recommendation that all babies get vaccinated against hepatitis B when they’re born — a new high-water mark for the anti-vaccine movement 10 months after one of its champions, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., became HHS secretary. The details: The 8-3 vote, which followed multiple failed attempts and acrimonious debate, “will only go into effect if endorsed by the CDC, and is not expected to affect insurance coverage,” POLITICO’s Sophie Gardner and Lauren Gardner report from Atlanta. The decision now lies with acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill. If he accepts the change, it would upend a recommendation that has been in place for decades, and would defy scientific and public health consensus in the U.S. The vaccine advisers would keep the recommendation in place only for infants whose mothers have hepatitis B or aren’t sure of their status, and encourage other families to wait until babies are at least 2 months old, in consultation with doctors. Anti-vaxxers at the gate: The hepatitis B change is the culmination thus far of Kennedy’s campaign to remake the nation’s approach to vaccines. Advocates for the change noted that most European countries don’t universally recommend the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. Today’s vote came after Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices members didn’t hear from any CDC subject matter experts on the hepatitis B vaccine. Instead they got presentations from top anti-vaccine activists, whose arguments many public health experts said were misleading. The dissenting panelists emphasized that there’s no evidence of the shots causing harm and that they’ve helped drive down cases in babies. The background: Kennedy previously fired all the members of ACIP and replaced some with vaccine skeptics, leading prominent scientists to warn that Kennedy had politicized the body. “A diverse set of viewpoints is good for a robust scientific discussion,” countered HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon. Kennedy and other anti-vaccine leaders have argued that there is very low risk of babies getting hepatitis B unless their mothers have it; that the current recommendation is excessively broad; and that parents should have more choice. But testing moms is imperfect, and babies can contract it — and did, before widespread vaccination became commonplace — from touching the same objects as infected people, as well. Big fears in the public health world: If fewer babies get vaccinated for hepatitis B, medical groups fear that more could accidentally contract it, leading to incurable liver disease. And ACIP is likely to follow in the months to come with a much broader review of — or changes to — other childhood vaccines, led by a presentation today from Aaron Siri. “Today is a defining moment for our country,” public health expert Michael Osterholm told NYT’s Apoorva Mandavilli. “We can no longer trust federal health authorities when it comes to vaccines.” Too little, too late? For Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), this is deeply personal. A liver doctor who has seen lives ruined by hepatitis B, he cast the deciding committee vote for Kennedy’s confirmation despite serious qualms, paving the way for today’s outcome. He posted on X that the ACIP vote “makes America sicker” and urged O’Neill to reject it. Cassidy is also in a politically tricky spot, facing a primary challenge from the right next year, as WSJ’s Liz Essley Whyte and Lindsay Wise note.
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5. FENTANYL FALLOUT: “The ‘Cocaine Superhighway’ Fueled by the U.S. Focus on Fentanyl,” by NYT’s Maria Abi-Habib and José María León Cabrera: “[T]he severity of the switch [to combating fentanyl] gave room for cocaine traffickers, once a prime target of American law enforcement, to thrive — so much that Ecuador nearly collapsed into the grip of criminal groups … Even now, after the United States eventually mustered a response and increased financial aid to help Ecuador’s military fight drug groups, its government is struggling to keep control. Several of Ecuador’s cities now rank among the world’s most dangerous — a situation unthinkable just four years ago.” 6. MUSK READ: The EU fined Elon Musk’s X $140 million for violating its Digital Services Act in failing to control X’s illegal content, calling it a “deceptive design” regarding misleading “blue checkmark” profiles, ads and easy data access for readers, NYT’s Adam Santariano and Kate Conger report. The case has emerged as a flashpoint in U.S.-EU relations, including trade talks earlier this year, and was seen as “a test of European officials’ willingness to aggressively regulate tech companies at risk of antagonizing the Trump administration.” No less than VP JD Vance slammed the bloc yesterday in advance of the decision. 7. ACA LATEST: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is proposing a new approach on enhanced Affordable Care Act credits, Semafor’s Burgess Everett scooped. The compromise would keep the expiring subsidies going for another two years, but also “include a $200,000 income cap and eliminate zero-dollar premium packages.” It’s unclear how much support it could garner. 8. 2026 WATCH: Democrats in New Jersey’s 7th District are centering their 2026 strategy on affordability, arguing rising costs resonate even in one of the nation’s richest congressional seats, POLITICO’s Madison Fernandez reports. New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s recent win has reinforced their belief that pushing for affordability can help unseat Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.). But it won’t be easy: Kean is well-funded, Sherrill won the district by only 1 point, and Kean’s office argues that he has delivered on bringing families financial relief. Cash dash: “New fundraising platform ignites MAGA cash clash,” by Axios’ Alex Isenstadt: “The new platform — called Impact — will clash with the party’s dominant small-dollar fundraising partner, WinRed, for supremacy over the GOP gold mine. … It’s led in part by Alex Bruesewitz, a Trump 2024 aide and conservative influencer. … Chief among Impact’s promises: It will take less of a cut of donor contributions than WinRed does, and provide greater transparency about how donations are being handled.” 9. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Signalgate post-game: Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) spoke about the Signalgate report on this week’s episode of “Ceasefire” with Dasha on C-SPAN (which launched on YouTubeTV yesterday). Bacon, an Air Force veteran, said he was very “frustrated” with DOD’s response and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s claim that he was “completely exonerated.” “That’s what bothers me about this secretary and his team: He doesn’t take responsibility,” Bacon said. “Instead he even denies that he did anything wrong. That’s what bothers me more than the actual violation, this refusal to take responsibility.” Khanna said putting sensitive material on Signal is the “height of naivete.” Watch the clip
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Alexandra Gucci Zarini is putting out a new “UNITY” handbag with her brand AGCF to bolster Melania Trump’s “Fostering the Future” initiative, which will get 20 percent of proceeds. JD Vance seems to have sent out a Christmas-branded Hanukkah reception invite. Usha-JD conspiracy theories about a marriage in trouble? The second couple laughs it off: “We kind of get a kick out of it,” the VP told NBC. “Our marriage is as strong as it’s ever been.” SPOTTED having dinner together last night at the Capital Grille: Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Jason and Julie Chaffetz, and Robert O’Brien. PLAYBOOK CULTURE SECTION — “At the National Archives, a Deep Dive Into the American Story,” by NYT’s Jennifer Schuessler: “A new $40-million exhibit, opening nine months after President Trump fired the chief archivist, uses technology to explore the 13 billion-plus items in its vaults.” OUT AND ABOUT — Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, Pinterest and the Washington AI Network hosted an “AI for the Holidays” reception and podcast taping at her residence last night. SPOTTED: Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) and Heather Obernolte, Malcolm Byrne, Laura Harmon, Ken O’Flynn, Robert Hayes, Seval Oz, Karen Sessions, Malik Ducard, Jeff Harrell, Jasmine Vasquez, Anita McBride, Stephen O’Dwyer, Marco Davis, Julissa Marenco, Ted Johnson, Catherine Valentine, Teddy Schleifer, Katelyn Bledsoe, Cat Zakrzewski, Kathrine Sears, Alex Nason, Ed Reno, John Clary, Sumi Somaskanda, Caitriona Perry, Julian Ramirez, Teddy Schleifer, Colin Moneymaker, Claudia Uceda, Charlotte Smith, Isabelle Rodas, Michael Petricone, Richard Santoro, Ivy Choi, Dawit Kahsai, Clarissa Rojas and Tammy Haddad. — SPOTTED at the Anthropic holiday celebration at Ned’s Club last night: Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), Dario Amodei, Sarah Heck, Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Wyndee Parker, Taylor Stockton, Dean Ball, Andrew Johnston, Stoney Burke, Scott Luginbill, Rayshon Payton, Mitch Landrieu, Zach Graves, Abby Warren, Nicole Varner, Cyrus Artz, Marco Davis, Samir Jain, Vidya Neelakantan, Jed Bhuta and Ike Harris. — SPOTTED at Ford Motor Company’s holiday celebration, just after CEO Jim Farley joined Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy at the White House unveiling the administration’s rollback of fuel economy standards Wednesday: Reps. John Rose (R-Tenn.) and David Kustoff (R-Tenn.) and Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Jon Husted (R-Ohio). — Kieloch Consulting hosted its 21st annual holiday labor luncheon yesterday afternoon at the Palm. SPOTTED: Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Bruce Kieloch, Joe Dennison, Tom Erickson, Ryan Grim, Andrea Hailey, Buck Humphrey, Mike Isikoff, Erica Payne, Christina Sevilla and Steve Rochlin, Lyn Stout, Kimball Stroud, Dane Strother, Craig Purser, Nancy Bagley, Ilyse Hogue and Laurie Knight. — Widehall’s Steve Clemons moderated the daylong inaugural American Growth Summit at the Willard Hotel ballroom yesterday. Fireside chatters included USTR Jamieson Greer, Jarrod Agen, Jacob Helberg, Pierre Yared, Vince Haley, Sens. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Reps. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) and Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Barbara Humpton, Mark Keogh, James Schenck, Neil Bradley, Stephen Moore, Jared Bernstein, Cecilia Rouse, Pat Toomey, Grover Norquist, Afsaneh Beschloss, Bobby Franklin, Steve Case, Javier Palomarez, Joe Lavorgna, Diana Rothschild, Peter Cherukuri, Teresa Carlson, Roger Martella, Greg Degen, Maya MacGuineas and Eric Breckenfeld. — The Recording Academy’s advocacy team hosted a holiday party at their offices in downtown D.C last night. SPOTTED: Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kan.), Harvey Mason Jr., Chelsey Green, Todd Dupler, Michele Ballantyne, Curtis LeGeyt, Graham Davies, Tyler Grimm, Dani Deahl and Taylor Hanson. — The Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the United States hosted the annual Foreign Press Awards Gala last night in the ballroom of the National Press Club. This year’s honors went to NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, FT’s Brooke Masters, ABC’s James Longman, CNN’s Jim Sciutto, Bloomberg’s Tim Stenovec, Fox News’ Trey Yingst, CBS’ Weijia Jiang and WSJ’s Yaroslav Trofimov. TRANSITIONS — Andrew Shaw is now head of research at The Association for Consumer Debt Relief. He previously worked at Booz Allen Hamilton. … Russ Read is now director of government relations for advocacy at Govini. He previously worked at TSA. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Matt Mackowiak, a GOP political and comms strategist and senior adviser to Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-Texas) reelect, and Amy Mackowiak, a speech therapist, welcomed John Lawrence “Jack” Mackowiak on Wednesday. He is named for their fathers. Pic … Another pic Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn’t happen without our deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath. |
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