RFK Jr’s War on Autistic People is Disgusting, Republican Admits "We're All Afraid" of Trump
PDS Published 04/17/2025
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RFK Jr. had his first press conference as the Secretary of Health and Human Services yesterday, and he used it to spread a ton of misinformation and offensive claims about autism.
Now, of course, this isn’t really surprising — Kennedy has been infamous for making false claims about autism in the past, including that it is caused by vaccines.
But it’s objectively different to use this rhetoric as the nation's top health official instead of a private citizen.
Especially because those remarks directly contradict researchers in his own agency.
Right, this press conference came on the heels of a new CDC report that found that autism rates among children have continued to rise, increasing to 1 in every 31 —
Nearly five times higher than it was in 2000, when the agency first started reporting this data.
Now, as for why we’re seeing this, experts say that there are a number of factors at play, but they widely agree that a main driver here is simply due to increased awareness, screening, and testing within the medical system.
As well as the fact that definitions of autism have expanded to include mild cases.
And that is also something that the CDC appeared to back up in its latest findings.
Noting that some states may have higher rates of autism because they have stronger systems for early detection or more comprehensive insurance programs that increase access to testing.
With the CDC explicitly stating that part of the reason California had the highest rates of autism was because it has a super strong diagnostic program that assesses children as early as possible.
And similarly, the agency also said that Pennsylvania had the second-highest prevalence in part because the state has a Medicaid policy that increases access to screening services for families regardless of income.
Right, so both of those factors seem to fit into the general narrative that we’re not necessarily seeing a massive increase in kids with autism, we’re just getting better at finding cases that were always there and went undetected in childhood.
In fact, one expert even said that pediatricians are “actually encouraged” by the report's finding “because we know that we have gotten so much better at recognizing and identifying autism in children.”
But in his press conference yesterday, RFK Jr. presented the CDC’s findings as this kind of horrible atrocity.
Falsely claiming that the broad consensus among experts was wrong and incorrectly painting it as an inaccurate assumption that has been spread by the media:
“One of the things that I think that we need to move away from today is this ideology that the autism diagnosis, that the autism prevalence increases — the relentless increases — are simply artifacts of better diagnosis, better recognition, or changing diagnostic criteria.” 3:43 - 4:09
“This epidemic denial has become a feature in the mainstream media, and it's based on an industry canard. And I — obviously, there are people who don't want us to look at environmental exposures.” 4:35 - 4:48
“And then there is an individual injury. These are kids that — this is a preventable disease. We know it's an environmental exposure, it has to be. Genes do not cause epidemics — they can provide a vulnerability, but you need an environmental toxin.” 10:50 - 11:07
“The amount of money and resources put into studying genetic causes — which is a dead end — is has been historically 10 to 20 times the amount to spent by NIH and other agencies to study environmental factors, to study exposures to study external factors. And that's where we're going to find the answer.” 11:21 - 11:43
“And within three weeks, and probably, we're hoping, in two weeks, we're going to announce a series of new studies to identify precisely what the environmental toxins are that are causing it.” 20:15 - 20:29
Okay, so, a few things we need to unpack here.
First of all, experts have forcefully pushed back against his claim that autism is “a preventable disease.”
Right, for one thing, autism isn’t considered a disease — it’s a complex disorder, and it is not preventable.
And as Christopher Banks, the CEO of Autism Society of America, explains:
“Claiming that Autism is ‘preventable’ is not science based, and places unnecessary blame on people, parents and families. Autism is not a chronic disease, nor a childhood disease, it is a lifelong developmental condition; it is not an epidemic, nor should it be compared to the Covid-19 pandemic, and using language like that perpetuates falsehoods, stigma and stereotypes.”
With the group also saying that it’s “harmful, misleading, and unrealistic” for Kennedy to promise that the cause of autism will be quickly identified and exposures eliminated.
And that is also something that was echoed by Autism Speaks, which issued a statement saying:
“Autism is not a preventable condition. The suggestion that it is—especially when linked to environmental toxins without scientific evidence—contributes to decades-old misinformation and distracts from the real needs of autistic people and their families.”
Beyond that, experts also say Kennedy’s claim that autism is caused solely by an environmental factor can be eliminated rather than genetic factors is flat out wrong.
Right, it is widely agreed on that autism is a complex condition that does not have a single cause, with Zachary Warren, a pediatric psychiatrist and autism researcher at Vanderbilt University, explaining:
“We may have hundreds, if not thousands, of different neurogenetic factors that in combination with complicated environmental interactions influence presentations of autism.”
What’s more, existing research actually shows that autism IS heavily influenced by certain genetic factors — which totally contradicts Kennedy’s claim that studying the role of genes in autism has been a “dead end.”
And while researchers have said that more work needs to be done to study the role environmental factors play, Kennedy’s all-or-nothing approach is fundamentally wrong.
Especially because even if environmental factors do play a role, there is no evidence to support this idea that autism can be prevented or cured.
In fact, some experts say we need to do the exact OPPOSITE of what Kennedy has proposed.
Arguing that instead of looking at environmental components, researchers would be better off doing MORE studies into the genetic factors of autism and funding efforts to develop new services for people with autism.
So, as a result, you have many experts saying that Kennedy is actually hurting people with autism by spreading blatant misinformation to justify a flawed approach that will divert resources from things that could actually be helpful.
Right, and to that point, we’ve also seen many people slamming Kennedy for using rhetoric that is actively harmful to this community:
“Autism destroys families, and more importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children. These are children who should not be suffering like this. These are kids who, many of them were fully functional and regressed because of some environmental exposure into autism when they're two years old. And these are kids who will never pay taxes, they'll never hold a job, they'll never play baseball, they'll never write a poem, they'll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted. We have to recognize we are doing this to our children, and we need to put an end to it.” 11:49 - 12:38
Now, first off, again, I need to clarify that there is no evidence for his claim that many kids who have autism didn’t have it until they were two years old and then suddenly got “infected” by some kind of environmental toxin.
But that claim is super notable here because RFK Jr. has made very similar comments in the past about vaccines causing autism in children who previously had no symptoms.
And while he didn’t directly mention vaccination in the press conference, it’s really important to connect those dots between his past comments and his remarks yesterday about this mysterious environmental toxin that is causing autism.
But, beyond that, others have also accused him of using offensive and inaccurate stereotypes to paint all autistic people as a single group that is totally unable to function in society.
And presenting autism has some sort of horrible affliction that we need to get rid of.
Right, for one thing, autism is an enormous spectrum — there is a huge range of symptoms and severity, but plenty of people with autism live perfectly functional lives.
I mean, just one example that comes to mind here is Elon Musk, who has Asperger's… wonder how he’s taking these comments from Trump’s Health Secretary…
In fact, the same new CDC report Kennedy was talking about here found that fewer than 40% of children with autism were classified as having an intellectual disability.
But even beyond the highly functioning folks, experts also say that it’s harmful for RFK Jr. to be presenting more severe cases of autism in such a negative light, with one expert explaining:
“I am not dismissing the challenges. There are considerable challenges, and a lot of those are barriers to services. We've been doing a parent retreat weekend for 27 years, where we spend a weekend with 60 parents and family members, and we're not meeting with family members and parents who say, 'Autism is just a tragedy and it's hell in our lives.' They talk about the positives and the negatives, the joys as well as the challenges.”
And that’s been echoed by parents of children with autism, like Holly Robinson Peete, who became an advocate after her son was diagnosed, and who wrote on X:
“My 27-year-old son with autism didn't 'destroy our family' — he gave us purpose and unity... oh, and he pays taxes.”[]
But on that note, that’s where I’m gonna end this one.
And with all this, I’d love to know your thoughts in those comments down below — especially if you or a loved one has autism.
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Donald Trump’s showdown with Harvard University has seemingly only just begun –
With him not only holding back funds, but also threatening to effectively ban foreign students from attending and even going after its tax exempt status.
And whatever happens, the future of higher education in the U.S. may depend on it.
But with that, this sort of kicked off last week, when the Trump administration sent a letter demanding that Harvard change its admissions, hiring, and governance practices –
And then also accusing the school’s leaders of failing to keep Jewish students safe and allowing antisemitism on campus –
With one of the related demands being that the university keep out students, quote:
“...hostile to the American values and institutions inscribed in the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence, including students supportive of terrorism or anti-Semitism.” []
Though, notably, of course, it may be the administration’s own actions that are actually “hostile” to the Constitution –
With Harvard’s president, for example, arguing they violate the university’s First Amendment rights, saying:
“No government – regardless of which party is in power – should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”
And with that adding:
“The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.”
Now that said, Education Secretary Linda McMahon fired back at the claim, claiming in an interview on Newsmax that she supported debate and disagreement on campus, and that this is about civil rights and student safety (BROLL).
Though, notably, even if that’s true, the Trump administration may still be breaking the law.
And specifically, it may be defying federal regulations which say the government must identify and list violations, offer a hearing, notify Congress and then wait 30 days BEFORE applying penalties. []
And with that, the faculty union at Harvard is actually suing the Trump administration – as is the one at Columbia University. []
With attorneys in one of the lawsuits writing:
“These procedures exist because Congress recognized that allowing federal agencies to hold funding hostage, or to cancel it cavalierly, would give them dangerously broad power in a system in which institutions depend so heavily upon federal funding.” []
But even while that plays out, the Trump administration has stayed on the offensive.
Right, for instance, it’s now also threatening to take away Harvard’s ability to welcome international students.
With Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reportedly “demanding detailed records on Harvard’s foreign student visa holders’ illegal and violent activities.”
And saying the cost of noncompliance will be the “immediate loss” of the university's Student and Exchange Visitor Program, or SEVP, certification. []
And then, on top of that, she reportedly cancelled $2.7 million worth of grants to the university that she claimed “undermine America’s values and security.” []
Of course, that’s relatively small beans for a place like Harvard, but the possibility of losing out on international students? That could be huge.
Right, the school’s nearly 7,000 international students? They reportedly make up more than a quarter of its enrollment in the 2024 to 2025 academic year .
Although, I will say, it’s not immediately clear how many of those are here on the types of visas that would actually be affected by the loss of the SEVP certification.[]
But either way, a Harvard spokesperson reportedly said the university stands by its previous statement that it “will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.” []
But we’ll have to wait and see if that continues to be the case…
Right, because the Trump administration? It’s not letting up.
With, on top of all that, the IRS now reportedly considering whether to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status.
Which is a big deal because that status not only means the university doesn’t have to pay income and property taxes.
It also means that donations to the university are tax deductible, which helps bring in massive donations from ultrawealthy Americans. []
Now, with that said, there’s a good chance that if this were to happen, Harvard would win in court.
In part because federal law bars the president from either directly or indirectly requesting the I.R.S. to investigate or audit specific targets. []
And that’s exactly what Trump did a couple days ago when he posted on social media that Harvard should lose its tax exempt status and accused the university of “pushing ‘political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness.” []
Though a White House spokesperson has since claimed that the IRS had begun independently investigating Harvard’s tax exempt status before Trump posted about it. []
But with all that, even if this happens and is ultimately shot down in court, you have outlets like the New York Times suggesting that it’s still a big deal, with the Times writing:
“Even an attempt at changing Harvard’s tax status would signify a drastic breach in the independence of the I.R.S. and its historical insulation from political pressure.” []
But that said, we’re just gonna have to keep an eye on this and see where it goes next.
And of course, everything with Harvard? It’s just one small piece of the puzzle.
Right, dozens of universities are being investigated, several have already had funds frozen, and the visas of hundreds of students, faculty and researchers across the country have been revoked.
But Harvard’s defiance has seemingly inspired other universities to stand up against interference from the Trump administration.
So again we’ll have to see where it goes and if you’re someone who’s involved in higher education in any way – as a student, faculty member, or other employee, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Just go to Zocdoc and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Then find and book a top-rated doctor today!
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A federal judge has found probable cause to hold the Trump Administration in criminal contempt.
The judge here is U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg. (bose-berg)
And last month, the Trump administration continued to send planes of deportees to a prison in El Salvador after Boasberg had ordered the planes to be turned around.[]
The administration defended this action under the Alien Enemies Act, claiming they did this to remove foreign gang members, though analysis has found that the majority of people on the planes did not have criminal records.[][]
But this all brings us to a memorandum that Bose-berg issued yesterday saying that by sending those planes, the government demonstrated:[]
“a willful disregard for [the court’s] Order, sufficient for the Court to conclude that probable cause exists to find the Government in criminal contempt.”
And further adding that the court did not come to this conclusion:
“lightly or hastily; indeed, it has given Defendants ample opportunity to rectify or explain their actions. None of their responses has been satisfactory.”
“The Constitution does not tolerate willful disobedience of judicial orders — especially by officials of a coordinate branch who have sworn an oath to uphold it.”
With Bose-berg saying that officials defied the order “deliberately and gleefully.”
Pointing to the fact that Secretary of State Marco Rubio retweeted a post from El Salvador’s President Bukele that said “Oopsie…Too late 😂” in response to a headline about Bose-berg’s order. []
And the Trump administration is unsurprisingly fighting back here, with a White House communications director tweeting that:
“We plan to seek immediate appellate relief. The President is 100% committed to ensuring that terrorists and criminal illegal migrants are no longer a threat to Americans and their communities across the country.”[]
You also had a DHS spokesperson claiming that this issue was already resolved by the Supreme Court and should make Bose-berg's orders irrelevant. []
This because a little over a week ago, the Supreme Court vacated Bose-berg’s order, allowing deportations under the Alien Enemies Act to continue. []
With the Court ruling that legal challenges to this should take place in Texas, not D.C.
The court did also say that the government should give deportees time to challenge their removal before leaving the country, but it was overall a big legal win for Trump.
But according to Bose-berg’s latest ruling, this Supreme Court decision does not matter.
Writing that even though the court vacated the order a few weeks later, this:
“does not excuse the Government’s violation. Instead, it is a foundational legal precept that every judicial order ‘must be obeyed’ — no matter how ‘erroneous’ it ‘may be’ — until a court reverses it.”[]
Right, basically saying hindsight doesn't count, and just because the Supreme Court came on Trump’s side eventually does not mean his administration should have ignored the court’s ruling at the time it was handed out.
With Bose-berg further writing:
“If a party chooses to disobey the order — rather than wait for it to be reversed through the judicial process — such disobedience is punishable as contempt.”
And this all might prompt you to wonder, what does it actually mean if Trump administration officials are held in criminal contempt?
And there, you had outlets like CBS News saying this could set “the stage for an unprecedented showdown between President Trump and the judicial branch.”[]
A CNN legal analyst also saying:
“Holding federal executive branch officials in criminal contempt is just about unheard of, once in a blue moon. Part of why Chief Judge Bose-berg is moving cautiously is because he’s trying to walk a tightrope, not letting the government off the hook for its misbehavior, but also not provoking pushback from either the DC Circuit or the Supreme Court.”[]
And Bose-berg did offer the administration a way out, saying it could “purge its contempt,” ie, right its wrongs.
Writing that the most “obvious” choice for officials would be to assert custody of those who were deported and give them a chance to challenge their removal.
But what this would look like is unclear, because Bose-berg also said that:
“The Government would not need to release any of those individuals, nor would it need to transport them back to the homeland.”
And Bose-berg also said that officials could propose other methods of coming into compliance.
But say officials don’t purge their contempt, that is when things get hairy.
With Bose-berg saying that the court would then identify those responsible for defying the order.
There could then be hearings and depositions, and the court could even request that those held in contempt be prosecuted.
And if the government declines to prosecute the case, Bose-berg will appoint one himself.
And this is not the first time Trump and Bose-berg have had a run in, right, Trump has made it clear he is not a fan of Bose-berg and controversially called to impeach him.
And this is also not the only current case putting Trump and the courts at odds over deportations.
Because the judge in Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s (Kill-mar, mar like far, Uh-bray-go) case has also indicated that she is considering holding Trump officials in contempt.
Right, Uh-bray-go Garcia was mistakenly deported to prison in El Salvador, we have talked a lot about this whole case.
And a U.S. District judge ordered the Trump administration to return him to the U.S. for due process, which the Supreme Court largely upheld, saying his removal was illegal and the government must work to facilitate his return.
But the district judge says she has received no evidence of officials’ efforts to get him back to the states.
We also got more updates to Uh-bray-go Garcia’s case yesterday when officials released documents they say support their case against him and that he was a member of the MS-13 gang.
This including police contacting a reliable source who advised he was an active MS-13 member.[]
DHS also tweeting out documents that say his wife sought a restraining order against him after he attacked her. []
But his lawyers have denied that he was a gang member, and his wife has also fought for his return.
With his wife saying in a statement that:
“After surviving domestic violence in a previous relationship, I acted out of caution after a disagreement with Kilmar by seeking a civil protective order in case things escalated. Things did not escalate, and I decided not to follow through with the civil court process.
“No one is perfect, and no marriage is perfect. That is not a justification for ICE’s action of abducting him and deporting him to a country where he was supposed to be protected from deportation.”
Also yesterday, El Salvador shut down Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen’s efforts to meet Uh-bray-go Garcia.
Right, he visited the country in a high profile trip, telling reporters that:
“President Trump and our attorney general, Pam Bondi, and the vice president of the United States are lying when they say that Uh-bray-go García has been charged with a crime or is part of MS-13. That is a lie.”
But despite the Supreme Court ruling, the Trump administration says they can’t do anything to secure his release. []
So these are two big cases we will be keeping our eyes on, and I would love to know your thoughts on any and all of this here.
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And for your daily dose of good news, I’d like to introduce you to the couple that are being called “angels on Earth.”
Right, this is Caleb and Ruchala (Roo-shell-uh) Bone and their oldest son Griffin was born with a heart condition. [B Roll 0:39-0:45]
At 3 months old, he needed open-heart surgery, and he and his parents spent a lot of time in and out of the children’s hospital during his life. []
And that’s where Caleb and Roo-shell-uh learned about all the kids within the foster system who have complex medical issues.
Kids who, like Griffin, have conditions that force them to spend a lot of time in the hospital but without the support that their son had.
So they decided to become that support.
In 2022, they adopted a little boy named Maurice who needed a kidney transplant. [] [B Roll 0:58-1:01]
And now, in 2025, they just finalized the adoption of 2 year old Isabella - who came to them at 5 months old with a heart condition like Griffin’s.
In fact, by the time she came to live with Caleb and Roo-shell-uh, Isabella had already had an open heart surgery. [B Roll 1:40-1:48]
And they have been there with her as she spent much of her early life in the hospital.
Isabella makes the 4th medically complex child that the Bones have adopted or fostered. [B Roll 0:18-0:25]
Now, if you’re worried about how all these hospital visits are hitting the Bones’ bank account, you can stop.
Because in Tennessee, kids in the system with complex medical situations like this are covered by TennCare - which is the state’s Medicaid program - and they’re still eligible even after adoption. []
And the foster parents even received a stipend and even more assistance available for the more unique needs these kids have.
But for the Bones, it’s about the kids.
With Roo-shell-uh saying,
"There are hard days, and sometimes, at the beginning, it can seem overwhelming. However, the joy and privilege of knowing our kids and getting to walk with them through their hardest days has made it all worth it." []
And according to Suzanne Jones of Youth Villages, finding families for children like this is so, so important - saying,
"We have a lot of children who end up coming to us out of hospitals. Foster parents have to go through training at the hospital, so sometimes that can be daunting. They have to go through the full medical training to know how to care for their medically needy child." []
So Caleb and Roo-shell-uh stepping up is nothing short of extraordinary - with Suzanne adding,
"They are absolutely angels on earth. They are just the best kinds of people." []
But to that, Roo-shell-uh pushed back a little bit - saying,
"I don't know if we'd say we feel chosen or we're the right people, but we said yes.” []
But when you’re talking about kids needing homes and love and support while they endure medical hardship, saying yes is a pretty big deal. [B Roll 2:26-2:32]
So Roo-shell-uh and Caleb are absolutely our BAMFs of the day.
And I would love to know your thoughts about this in those comments down below.
