What happened

The White House last night said it has fired Dr. Susan Monarez, the newly confirmed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, following hours of confusion during which the Health and Human Services Department said Monarez was "no longer director" and her lawyers refuted her dismissal.

Four top CDC officials resigned amid the tumult, accusing HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of "weaponizing public health for political gain" and "putting millions of American lives at risk" by purging CDC staff and undermining vaccines .

Who said what

Monarez, confirmed by the Senate on July 29 and sworn in two days later, was pushed out after clashing with Kennedy "over vaccine policy," The New York Times said. The standoff culminated in a "tense confrontation" Mo

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