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04.09.2025

The day RFK Jr. battled the Senate on vaccines and Trump renamed the Pentagon

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This page is an archive of main headlines from the US for 04.09.2025.

It displays 273 headlines from many sources chronologically, as they appeared throughout the day, accompanied by AI overviews that were written in real time.

04.09.2025 โ‡ข The day RFK Jr. battled the Senate on vaccines and Trump renamed the Pentagon
โŒจUS media extensively covered Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s combative Senate hearing, where lawmakers from both parties rigorously questioned him on CDC turmoil, vaccine policies, and his performance, with calls for his resignation intensifying throughout the day. Concurrently, President Trump's administration continued its legal battle over tariffs, escalating the case to the Supreme Court. Later in the day, a prominent new development emerged as President Trump directed the renaming of the Department of Defense to the "Department of War," signaling a shift in federal posture. Further administrative actions included the Department of Justice suing Boston over "sanctuary city" policies and continued efforts by Republicans to change Senate rules to speed Trump's nominees. Washington D.C. also challenged the administration with a lawsuit over the National Guard's deployment.
04.09.2025
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement experts said theyโ€™re used to dealing with illegal immigrants resisting their own arrest, but said the growth of American saboteurs attempting their own guerrilla war on ICE is a new extreme.
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The president and his sons made $5 billion on paper as their cryptocurrency started trading โ€” highlighting the extraordinary degree to which they are personally profiting from Trump's return to the Oval Office.
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04:47 (08:47)โ‡ขTrump's Tariff Appeal to Supreme Court

โŒจUS media reports extensively on the Trump administration escalating its tariff dispute, asking the Supreme Court to quickly reverse a ruling that deemed sweeping import taxes illegal (Washington Post, AP News, HuffPost). This development continues the legal challenges surrounding presidential authority on tariffs. Separately, national discussions persist regarding the fragmented consensus on vaccine mandates across states (Boston Globe), while President Trump also addressed a Russia-Ukraine peace deal and family crypto earnings (CBS, NPR).
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Democratic lawmakers and more than a thousand current and former HHS staff say Kennedy's actions are endangering America's health. Kennedy says he came to clean house and he's delivering.
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement experts said theyโ€™re used to dealing with illegal immigrants resisting their own arrest, but said the growth of American saboteurs attempting their own guerrilla war on ICE is a new extreme.
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07:25 (11:25)โ‡ขTrump's Assertive Global Posture

โŒจUS media continues to report on the Trump administration's ongoing legal battle over tariffs, with the case now before the Supreme Court as billions in duties hang in balance (Fox News, AP News, Washington Post, HuffPost). Concurrently, President Trump's strong stance on international relations is highlighted, including a warning to Venezuela following a Caribbean strike (NBC News, Common Dreams, The Atlantic) and engagement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict amidst European leader meetings (ABC News, NYTimes, CBS).
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09:36 (13:36)โ‡ขTrump Administration's Legal and Power Moves Dominate

โŒจUS media continues its focus on President Trump's administration, highlighting ongoing legal challenges with the Supreme Court siding with the administration and federal judges expressing safety concerns (Fox News, Reason). Discussions also detail potential permanent power grabs by Trump (MSNBC, The Atlantic) and Republican efforts to change Senate rules for nominees (Newsmax). A significant new development sees RFK Jr. testifying before the Senate amid widespread concern over CDC turmoil and vaccine policy changes, driving a wedge between states (ABC News, CBS, AP News, NPR, Washington Post).
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Donald Trump has offered Eric Adams a job in his administration, apparently to convince him to drop out of New Yorkโ€™s mayoral race. Itโ€™s now official and out in the open: Andrew Cuomo is allying with Trump to beat Zohran Mamdani.
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President Donald Trump said Thursday that Chicago's crime problems could be solved quickly if local officials sought his help, declaring he could "fix it in one month." [Fullย Story]
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10:55 (14:55)โ‡ขRFK Jr. Confronts CDC Chaos

โŒจThe US media is primarily focused on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s heated Senate testimony. He is being grilled over CDC turmoil, defending his actions, and attacking the agency's work and former officials amidst vaccine policy backlash (ABC News, Boston Globe, CBS, The Hill, AP News, USA Today, Washington Post). Concurrently, President Trump's administration faces scrutiny over moves to end TPS for Venezuelans and potential funding cuts for the UC system (Common Dreams, LA Times), while Republicans eye Senate rule changes to speed up his nominees' confirmations (Washington Times).
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12:16 (16:16)โ‡ขRFK Jr. Challenged in Senate

โŒจThe US media's primary focus remains on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s combative Senate hearing. Senators are intensely questioning him regarding CDC turmoil, COVID vaccine policies, and accusations of dishonesty, with some lawmakers urging his resignation (Boston Globe, CNN, Fox News, NPR, Newsweek, The Hill, Washington Post, AP News, USA Today, Washington Times, ABC News, CBS). Meanwhile, federal judges criticize the Supreme Court's handling of Trump cases (NBC News), and President Trump seeks to influence New York City's mayoral election (NY Post, Jacobin).
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13:19 (17:19)โ‡ขRFK Jr. Senate Hearing Intensifies

โŒจUS media continues its extensive coverage of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s heated Senate hearing. Lawmakers from both parties are fiercely questioning him about CDC turmoil, vaccine policies, and accusations of dishonesty, with some outlets highlighting the combative exchanges and calls for his resignation. Separately, federal judges express safety concerns as the Supreme Court sides with the Trump administration, while Washington D.C. challenges the administration over federal presence.
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President Trumpโ€™s effort to get federal employees back into their offices for work is proving to be stunningly effective, with the number of full-time in-office employees nearly tripling over the last six months.
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15:15 (19:15)โ‡ขKennedy's Senate Crossfire

โŒจUS media extensively covers Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s rancorous Senate hearing. Lawmakers from both parties are intensely questioning him about COVID vaccine policies, CDC leadership changes, and his performance, with some outlets highlighting his combative responses (ABC News, AP News, Boston Globe, Breitbart, CBS, CNN, Fox News, HuffPost, The Daily Beast, The Hill, Washington Post, Washington Examiner). Concurrently, Washington D.C. is suing the Trump administration over the National Guard deployment, deeming it federal overreach (Common Dreams, One America News Network).
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The health secretary is showing this week what heโ€™s willing to do with his power.
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16:50 (20:50)โ‡ขRFK Jr. Faces Senate Fury

โŒจUS media largely focuses on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s contentious Senate hearing. Both Republican and Democratic senators rigorously questioned him on his vaccine stance and CDC leadership, with reports detailing combative exchanges and calls for his resignation (MSNBC, NPR, The Hill, One America News Network, Washington Post). Separately, President Trump asserts a claim of power to summarily kill suspected drug smugglers and renews threats regarding state crime crises (NYTimes, Fox News). Massachusetts has also set its own vaccine coverage rules (Boston Globe).
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18:25 (22:25)โ‡ขRFK Jr. Hearing Fallout

โŒจUS media remains fixated on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s contentious Senate hearing, with new coverage detailing bipartisan concerns regarding CDC turmoil and vaccine policies, and offering various takeaways (ABC News, AP News, The Hill, MSNBC, Slate). Simultaneously, President Trump's administration is noted for rebranding the Pentagon (Fox News), his DOJ suing Boston over sanctuary city policies (Boston Globe), and a university ending DEI programs (One America News Network).
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In a dramatic escalation of the federal governmentโ€™s war on transnational drug cartels, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported the seizure of a record-breaking shipment of illicit drug precursor chemicals en route from China to drug cartels in Mexico โ€” before they could be weaponized and unleashed on American streets.
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Newsmax

Trump Will Seek 'Department of War' Rebrand for Pentagon

President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order Friday to rebrand the Department of Defense as the Department of War, his latest effort to project an image of toughness for America's military. [Fullย Story]
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The executive order will instruct Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to propose legislative and executive actions to make โ€œUS Department of Warโ€ the official name of the DOD.
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19:52 (23:52)โ‡ขTrump Orders 'Department of War' Renaming

โŒจUS media continues to report on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s contentious Senate hearing concerning CDC turmoil and vaccine policies (ABC News, AP News, The Hill, NPR). A prominent new development involves President Trump's directive to rename the Department of Defense to the 'Department of War' (Fox News, NY Post, Newsweek, USA Today). Further administration actions include the DOJ suing Boston over 'sanctuary city' policies (Boston Globe) and an escalated federal focus on combating drug cartels (Breitbart).
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A 6.2-magnitude earthquake has struck Afghanistan, bringing the death toll to 2,205 and leaving at least 3,600 people injured. The latest quake follows two earlier tremors that hit the region on Sunday and Tuesday last week.
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Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have long talked about changing the DoD name, and Hegseth even created a social media poll on the topic in March. Since then, he has hinted that his title as defense secretary might not be permanent at multiple events, including a speech at Fort Benning, Georgia, on Thursday. He told an auditorium full of soldiers that it โ€œmay be a slightly different title tomorrow.โ€ [Fullย Story]
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22:35 (02:35)โ‡ขPentagon Becomes Department of War

โŒจUS media maintains its focus on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s contentious Senate hearing, detailing ongoing debates over CDC policies (CNN, ABC News, The Hill, AP News). Meanwhile, President Trump is reportedly finalizing an order to rename the Department of Defense as the 'Department of War' (Newsmax, The Blaze, Fox News, USA Today). Escalating international tensions, Venezuelan fighter jets conducted a "show of force" over a U.S. Navy ship (CBS), amidst reactions to prior U.S. strikes on Venezuelan vessels (MSNBC, Common Dreams).
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On Thursdayโ€™s โ€œAlex Marlow Show,โ€ host and Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow talked about HHS Secretary RFK Jr.โ€™s testimony before the Senate. Marlow said, โ€œ[H]im pointing out that weโ€™ve got chronic disease is a big deal and that is uncomfortable for
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Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. faced bipartisan questioning over recent changes to health agencies, vaccine approvals and other priorities at a contentious three-hour Senate hearing.
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President Donald Trump held a dinner with the CEOโ€™s of big tech companies at the White House.
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