How RFK Jr.’s tumultuous past has shaped his convictions

Dec 13, 2025 31 min

About this episode

From <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/apple-news-in-conversation/id1577591053">Apple News In Conversation</a>: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is one of the most influential — and controversial — figures in American public health. And some of the changes he’s pushing, especially around vaccines, have drawn sharp criticism and resistance from many scientific experts. In a recent <a href="https://apple.news/AWoElVDRST3KLOvZt3IkG-Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Atlantic</a> profile, staff writer Michael Scherer examined how Kennedy’s background, including immense privilege and trauma, has shaped the perspective he now brings to his role at HHS. Scherer interviewed and traveled with Kennedy to report his piece. He sat down with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to discuss Kennedy’s worldview and what it could mean for federal public-health policy.

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