CDC Links Vaccines and Autism, Trump's Ukraine Peace Plan, Mamdani Meets Trump

0:28Hey, you're missing out today. It's false. What does this mean for public trust in the CDC? I'm E. Martinez, that's Leila Fadal, and this is Up First from NPR News. President Trump has a new 28-point peace plan to end the war in Ukraine. I've settled eight wars. I have one to go. You know what that one is. I thought that was going to be my easy one. His plan includes making Ukraine give up land Russia took by force, something Ukraine has said it will not do, so can the plan work? And New York City's mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is going to the White House today. He'll be sitting down with the president who's called him a communist, suggested the American citizen is living in the country illegally, and threatened to arrest him.

1:07Will this meeting change the dynamic? Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.

1:26questions and holding every fact up to the light. Coverage that steadies, stories that connect. NBC News, reporting for America. This message comes from Schwab. Everyone has moments when they could have done better. Same goes for where you invest. Level up and invest smarter with Schwab. Get market insights, education, and human help when you need it. This message comes from Comcast. Comcast operates the nation's largest converged network, reaching 64 million homes and businesses. With$80 billion invested to expand broadband infrastructure in the U.S., Comcast is actively supporting the goal of bringing broadband to everyone.

2:08Learn more about how Comcast is bringing high-speed internet to communities across the country at comcastcorporation.com. This message comes from Progressive Insurance. Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try it at Progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. For years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been clear. Vaccines do not cause autism. Well, the agency has changed its position. Now its website says vaccines might cause autism, even though the science says it doesn't.

2:48NPR's Ping Huang is here to explain this about FACE, and she joins me now. Good morning. Good morning. Ping, do we know who made that change? No one is owning up to it yet. So CDC scientists say they did not change the website, and the Department of Health and Human Services wouldn't say who ordered the change. but it is aligned with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who's had a long-held opinion that vaccines are dangerous. This is something that he has written books about, so both critics and supporters of this move think that he's behind it. Here's Mary Holland. She's CEO of Children's Health Defense, which is the anti-vaccine organization that Kennedy used to lead.

3:27Well, I want us to acknowledge that I don't think this would have happened, but for having Secretary of HHS Robert Kennedy in that position. She was speaking in a video on the group's website, and she celebrated and welcomed the change, as do many who are skeptical of vaccines. Okay, Kennedy's skeptical of vaccines, she's skeptical of vaccines, but the science doesn't back that up. Is there any new science to support this claim that vaccines might cause autism? There isn't. People who are steeped in this research say that this is an issue that has been studied exhaustively for many years. Here's Alison Singer with the Autism Science Foundation, which funds research.

4:03The studies are very clear. Vaccines don't cause autism. And we need to turn our attention to studying other causes of autism. Singer says that those other causes include things like genetics, like family history, exposure to certain drugs or air pollution or even illnesses during pregnancy. And Laila, here's another interesting thing. A headline on the CDC's webpage still says, quote, vaccines do not cause autism, but there's a big asterisk next to it. And that leads to an explanation that the reason the CDC is not removing it is because of an agreement with Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who provided a key confirmation vote for Kennedy.

4:44How has Senator Cassidy responded? Well, on X, in a statement, he said that the developments were deeply troubling. He accused HHS of canceling funding for research into other causes of autism and refocusing on vaccines, which he said were, quote, safe and effective and will not cause autism. And this is something that major medical groups are also united in saying. They're saying that this is wrong. Here's Dr. Sean O 'Leary from the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is madness. I'm so sorry that this is going to have an impact on, frankly, the health of children. I fear that it's going to lead to fewer children being vaccinated, children suffering from diseases they didn't need to suffer from.

5:25O 'Leary called it a dark day. He says that he's been dealing with vaccine misinformation for years, but the difference here is that it's now coming from the federal government. I mean, on that point, what does this do to people's trust in the CDC? I mean, this is an agency that's been in turmoil this year. They've lost between a quarter and a third of their staff. One of my sources told me that it's like the Titanic there right now with people wondering when to bail. So even people who are working there say the public should no longer trust some key information from the CDC, especially when it comes to vaccines.

5:58I'd send PR's Ping Huang. Thank you, Ping. You're welcome.

6:09President Trump wants another peace deal under his belt. I've settled eight wars. I have one to go. You know what that one is. I thought that was going to be my easy one because I have a good relationship with President Putin, but I'm a little disappointed in President Putin right now. The comments came just before his chief negotiator presented a new 28-point plan for peace to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. International observers are encouraged that Trump has not given up, but they're also expressing caution about the actual plan's practicality. NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordonez is here.

6:46Franco, tell us about this plan. Yeah, pieces began to start leaking out this week. And yesterday, the White House publicly acknowledged the proposal. Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have been working on it both with Russia and Ukraine for about a month. But she did not release any details on the plan, which she said was still in flux. Yeah, but there is one little detail, right, that actually is a big one, one where Ukraine might actually draw a line in the sand. That's right. And Ukraine has repeatedly said that they will not give up territory to Russia, that it doesn't already control.

7:21And in a statement and his evening address last night, Zelensky said that the plan could activate diplomacy, but he also urged caution, charging that Russia does not actually want peace. Here's more of what he said.

7:38Now he's saying Ukraine has received the American proposal, the American vision, and that Ukraine has one simple position, that Ukraine needs peace, a real peace that will not be broken by another invasion. Yeah, but Ukraine keeps saying they are not giving up territory to Russia. So why does the Trump administration keep bringing it up? Yeah, I mean, I think the simple answer is that Trump is just so focused on getting to yes. I was speaking with Russian analyst Sam Cherub, who is at RAND, a think tank that studies security. And he says the details don't matter as much to Trump, who just wants to stop the fighting.

8:14For both Presidents Putin and Zelensky, the details really matter. That's why you have to have them or their representatives in the room working these issues in detail if you want to get something that will stick. And that's why Russia wants more strategic territory. And Ukraine is so adamant about security guarantees from Washington and its Western partners so that this type of invasion doesn't happen again. The thing is, though, President Trump has seemingly gone back and forth when it comes to supporting Russia, then supporting Ukraine. And some people thought maybe that's because maybe he wants to kind of get out of effort to try and resolve this.

8:50So, I mean, what does that say about what this analysis means? Yeah, back in September, Trump stunned much of Washington when he said that Ukraine can win the war and even called Russia a paper tiger. But when that was not followed up with any action, some international observers started to think that Trump was actually looking for an exit ramp because he was also pressing Europe to take more of the lead. So this news of a peace plan, even if it's perhaps not currently feasible, has experts like Cherup encourage. Because the reality is only the U.S. has unique leverage over both Russia and Ukraine.

9:30And without the U.S., it's really hard to see a negotiated end to the war. That's White House correspondent Franco Ordonez. Thanks a lot. Thanks, Sam.

9:46Just weeks after being elected, the next mayor of New York City, Zoran Mamdani, is headed to the White House. The 34-year-old Democratic socialist quickly became a national figure after an upset primary win earlier this year. He's got a lot of fans, particularly among young voters and progressives. But he's also become a foe for many on the right, including President Trump, who he's expected to meet with later today. NPR political reporter Elena Moore will be covering that meeting. Elena, this is one of these meetings where I did not expect these two in the same room together. Yeah, I mean, it's actually a tradition for the incoming mayor-elect to sit down with the president.

10:27Also, New York is an important place. It's the biggest city in the country and President Trump's hometown. He's from Queens, the same borough that Zoran Mamdani represents in the state assembly right now. But despite that connection, A, Trump has been a vocal critic of Mamdani. Ahead of Election Day, he went as far as to endorse Andrew Cuomo, the former Democratic governor of New York who was running against Mamdani. Yeah, and they seem like political polar opposites. So I can kind of see why Trump would be riled up by the new mayor. Well, yeah, Mamdani ran on the Democratic ticket, but he identifies as a Democratic socialist.

11:05And he's made some ambitious campaign promises aimed at tackling the rising cost of living, like freezing the rent for rent-stabilized apartments and creating city-run grocery stores. But his ideas are also ones that conservatives have painted as radical and extreme. And Trump has really taken that up a notch. He's repeatedly called Mamdani a communist. He said he'd arrest him if he didn't cooperate with ICE raids as mayor and suggested that Mamdani isn't living in the country legally, even though he's a naturalized citizen. And what's been Mamdani's response to Trump? He's largely stood his ground.

11:42I mean, Mamdani made a point even to address the president directly in his victory speech, looking into the camera and telling Trump to turn the volume up. Hear me, President Trump, when I say this. to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us. Part of what makes Mamdani so impactful right now is that he's built a large movement, one that a lot of longtime Democrats just don't have at the moment. In the lead up to election day, I talked to voters around the country who said they've been feeling increasingly disappointed by the Democratic Party in recent years, but see Mamdani as a welcome change.

12:21So he is popular. And that's why, you know, partly Trump is paying attention. So what are they going to talk about? New York Knicks basketball? I wish. I mean, speaking to reporters yesterday, Mamdani said that even though he disagrees with Trump a lot, he's willing to work with anyone who wants to make life more affordable for New Yorkers. And as a reminder, I mean, Trump vowed to cut New York's federal funding if Mamdani won. So there are real stakes here. But this isn't just about the dollars. You know, this meeting is a reminder of the big shift that Mamdani has to make in these next few weeks as he takes on this job.

12:59He's got a background as an activist, but being mayor of New York City is a totally different role. So today may be a test for him, you know, on balancing the policy priorities that got him elected and maintaining the political diplomacy required as mayor. That's NPR political reporter Elena Moore. Thanks a lot. Thank you.

13:22And that's Up First for November 21st. I'm Leila Faldin. And I'm A. Martinez. In just three years, ChatGPT has changed the way we think about and interact with artificial intelligence. On college campuses, the impact has been swift, leaving teachers and administrators scrambling. If we're not careful, the presence of AI can poison our relationships with our students. This weekend on The Sunday Story, how is AI changing higher education? Listen to the Sunday story right here on NPR's Up First podcast. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Jane Greenhalgh, Rebecca Metzler, Megan Pratz, Mohamed El-Radisi, and Alice Wolfley.

13:59It was produced by Ziad Butch, Nia Dumas, and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott, and our technical director is Carly Strange. Our executive producer is Jay Shaler. Keep listening. You can find us wherever you get your podcasts. Support for NPR and the following message come from HomeServe. It never happens at a good time. The pipe bursts at midnight. The heater quits on the coldest night. Good thing HomeServe's hotline is available 24-7. Call to schedule a repair and a local pro will be on their way. Trusted by millions. For plans starting at$4.99 a month, go to homeserve.com.

14:38Not available everywhere. Most plans range between$4.99 to$11.99 a month your first year. Terms apply on covered repairs. This message comes from NPR sponsor 1Password. Anyone else feel like 99 % of your emails and texts are password reset codes? Trusted by millions of users and over 175 ,000 businesses, 1Password lets you skip the resets and sign in securely with strong, unique passwords that autofill across all your devices. You can safely share logins, store cards and files, and finally stop using your pet's name as a password. Try it free for two weeks at 1password.com slash NPR.