RFK Jr. pressed on vaccine accessibility. And, a plan for Ukraine's post-war safety

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Today's apical stories

In a Senate proceeding yesterday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced calls to resign from Democrats and disapproval from Republicans. For decades, Kennedy has established a estimation arsenic an anti-vaccine activist. However, erstwhile President Trump was considering him for nan HHS caput role, Kennedy made promises not to forestall group from obtaining vaccines. In nan hearing, he was asked to explain his caller actions regarding vaccines. This included really he went backmost connected his vow not to touch nan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's advisory committee connected immunization practices. He fired each 17 members of nan committee and replaced them pinch group pinch a history of anti-vaccine activism.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arrives to attest earlier nan Senate Finance Committee astatine nan Dirksen Senate Office Building connected September 4, 2025 successful Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images hide caption

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Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

• 🎧 Kennedy insisted that anybody who wants to person nan changeable tin and sewage angry erstwhile he was pressed connected nan topic, NPR's Selena Simmons-Duffin tells Up First. This year, nan Food and Drug Administration approved nan COVID booster, but only for group pinch definite conditions and those complete 65. This determination has caused disorder among doctors, patients and security companies. Simmons-Duffins says it's still chartless what nan CDC's advisory committee connected immunization practices plans to do astir vaccinations. The sheet is group to reappraisal regular puerility vaccines, including nan 1 for measles, mumps and rubella, and Hepatitis B.

D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has revenge a suit against nan Trump administration, stating that nan deployment of nan National Guard successful nan nation's superior is illegal. For nan past 3 weeks, National Guard troops person been operating nan streets of Washington, D.C., pursuing Trump's declaration of a "crime emergency" successful nan city. The president's declare came arsenic D.C. reported a 30-year debased for convulsive crimes. Schwalb says nan subject shouldn't beryllium progressive successful home rule enforcement, and they are untrained successful policing.

• 🎧 Since troops were deployed to Washington, estimates bespeak that crime wide has decreased, says Alex Koma of NPR web position WAMU. Troops are not authorized to make arrests, but tin pass constabulary of a crime. This makes it difficult to measure if they person immoderate direct relationship pinch nan diminution successful crime, according to Koma. D.C. has asked a judge to region nan National Guard troops from nan area immediately. The suit comes 2 days aft a national judge ruled that Trump collapsed nan rule erstwhile he sent National Guard troops into Los Angeles during nan protests against migration raids. This lawsuit is being intimately monitored by cities for illustration Chicago and Baltimore, wherever Trump threatened to deploy national forces.
• ➡️ On Tuesday, nan White House said that 1,669 group person been arrested since Trump's takeover of nan D.C. police. NPR combed done tribunal records and different data. Here's a breakdown of who has been arrested and what charges they're facing.

Europe announced yesterday that it had finalized a scheme to guarantee Ukraine's bid and information aft nan warfare pinch Russia ends. The connection would see troops connected nan crushed successful Ukraine from respective countries from a group known arsenic nan conjugation of nan willing. The conjugation presently includes 35 countries that gathered successful Paris, physically and by video. Representatives from Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Canada besides attended.

• 🎧 Russian President Vladimir Putin warned this greeting that immoderate overseas troops successful Ukraine would beryllium a target. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley says his consequence to nan news isn't surprising. It is besides why French President Emmanuel Macron, says nan backbone of Ukraine's post-war information is a beardown Ukrainian army. Macron stated that this is nan logic they won't beryllium accepting restrictions connected nan Ukrainian army's size and shape.

Living better

Close-up of female pouring a repast replacement shakes into her friend's glass. Horizontal shot. Thomas_EyeDesign/Getty Images/iStockphoto hide caption

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Thomas_EyeDesign/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Living Better is simply a special series astir what it takes to enactment patient successful America.

Creatine supplements person gained fame among societal media influencers who opportunity they tin thief pinch musculus growth, amended diversion capacity and moreover heighten encephalon function. The compound is made from 3 amino acids that service arsenic a root of power for your muscles. While your assemblage people produces immoderate creatine, tin maximizing connected it really present nan benefits influencers are claiming? Here's what nan grounds shows:

• 🥛 Creatine does activity for adding thin musculus mass, but you person to activity retired to use from its effects.
• 🥛 Men who mixed nan supplements pinch guidance training added astir 2 to 3 pounds of thin assemblage mass, according to a reappraisal of 35 studies. This could beryllium important for older men, who thin to suffer musculus wide arsenic they age.
• 🥛 Initial grounds indicates that benefits for illustration regulating humor sweetener successful Type 2 glucosuria and improving representation are not powerfully supported, according to Jose Antonio, an workout and sports subject professor astatine Nova Southeastern University successful Florida.
• 🥛 Vegans and vegetarians are much apt to spot nan benefits from taking creatine, arsenic they astir apt don't get overmuch aliases immoderate of it successful their diet. Creatine comes from reddish meat, chickenhearted aliases fish.

Weekend picks

Daniel Dae Kim plays a spy who faked his ain decease successful Butterfly. Juhan Noh/Prime hide caption

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Juhan Noh/Prime

Check retired what NPR is watching, reference and listening to this weekend:

🍿 Movies: In The Thursday Murder Club a group of retirees stitchery to investigation acold cases to walk nan clip — until a existent execution and a plucky caller personnel show up connected their doorstep.

📺 TV: Daniel Dae Kim stars successful Butterfly arsenic a erstwhile U.S. authorities spy who comes retired of hiding to prevention his long-lost girl from her life arsenic an assassin.

📚 Books: To nan Moon and Back follows Steph Harper, who aspires to go NASA's first Cherokee astronaut. Before she tin execute her dreams, she must flight an abusive genitor and navigate her younker spent connected a preservation while experiencing a queer coming of age.

🎵 Music: Artist Nourished by Time's caller album, The Passionate Ones, is simply a not-so-quiet, yearning and romanticist look that thing tin guidelines successful nan measurement of pursuing love.

❓ Quiz: I person been bested this week. I sewage 7 retired of nan 11 questions right. I cognize you tin do better! Test your memory.

3 things to cognize earlier you go

Amanda Anisimova of nan United States celebrates aft defeating Naomi Osaka of Japan successful 3 sets during their women's singles semifinal lucifer connected Sept. 5, 2025, successful nan Queens borough of New York City. Sarah Stier/Getty Images hide caption

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Sarah Stier/Getty Images

1. American Amanda Anisimova defeated Naomi Osaka of Japan early coming successful nan U.S. Open semifinals. She is expected to compete successful her first U.S. Open finals tomorrow.
2. Giorgio Armani, nan laminitis of nan Italian luxury manner location Armani, died yesterday successful Milan astatine property 91. His designs had a extremity of highlighting nan assemblage arsenic a activity of art.
3. Susan Stamberg, 1 of NPR's "founding mothers," is retiring aft complete 50 years down nan mic. Morning Edition shares a tribute to her legacy.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.