WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House will fix errors in a much-anticipated federal government report spearheaded by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which decried America's food supply, pesticides and prescription drugs.
Kennedy's wide-ranging “Make America Healthy Again” report, released last week, cited hundreds of studies, but a closer look by the news organization NOTUS found that some of those studies did not actually exist.
Asked about the report's problems, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the report will be updated.
“I understand there was some formatting issues with the MAHA report that are being addressed and the report will be updated.” Leavitt told reporters during her briefing. “But it does not negate the substance of the report, which, as you know, is one of the most transformative health reports that has ever been released by the federal government.
Kennedy has repeatedly said he would bring “radical transparency” and “gold-standard” science to the public health agencies. But the secretary refused to release details about who authored the 72-page report, which calls for increased scrutiny of the childhood vaccine schedule and describes the nation's children as overmedicated and undernourished.
Leavitt said that the White House has “complete confidence” in Kennedy.
“Minor citation and formatting errors have been corrected,” HHS Spokesman Andrew Nixon said in an emailed statement. He described the report as a “historic and transformative assessment by the federal government to understand the chronic disease epidemic afflicting our nation's children.”
NOTUS reported Thursday that seven of the more than 500 studies cited in the report did not appear to have ever been published. An author of one study confirmed that while she conducted research on the topics of anxiety in children, she never authored the report listed. Some studies were also misinterpreted in the MAHA report. The problematic citations were on topics around children's screen time, medication use and anxiety.
Kennedy's MAHA report had already been stoking concerns among Trump loyalists, including farmers who criticized how the report characterized the chemicals sprayed on U.S. crops.
The report is supposed to be used to develop policy recommendations that will be released later this year. The White House has requested a $500 million boost in funding from Congress for Kennedy's MAHA initiative.
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Associated Press writer Will Weissert contributed.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks as Education Secretary Linda McMahon listens during a Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission Event in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Chelsea was back on the coaching carousel under its American ownership on Thursday after Enzo Maresca left his position as manager following a reported deterioration in his relationship with the Premier League club’s hierarchy.
There was no immediate announcement regarding the successor to Maresca. The BBC and The Athletic reported that Liam Rosenior, who coaches French team Strasbourg — a club in the same ownership group as Chelsea, is a leading contender.
Maresca was midway through his second year in charge, having won the Conference League and Club World Cup in his first season at Chelsea.
However, the team has endured a turbulent last few months — Chelsea has won just one of its last seven Premier League matches to drop to fifth place — while Maresca publicly expressed his unhappiness at a lack of support at the club in a post-match news conference on Dec. 13, when the Italian said he had just experienced his “worst” 48 hours at Chelsea.
“With key objectives still to play for across four competitions including qualification for Champions League football," Chelsea said in a statement, "Enzo and the club believe a change gives the team the best chance of getting the season back on track.”
Chelsea has advanced to the English League Cup semifinals, where it will play Arsenal over two legs, and begins its FA Cup campaign away to second-tier Charlton on Jan. 10. In the Champions League, Chelsea is in 13th place in the 36-team league, two points off the eight automatic qualification spots with two rounds of matches left.
Chelsea is seeking a fifth full-time manager since the takeover of the club by American investors, fronted by Todd Boehly, in May 2022.
In the past 3 1/2 years, Chelsea has spent hundreds of million of pounds (dollars) in what looked from the outside a chaotic bid to sign players to refresh its squad. It now has one of the youngest and most talented squads in the Premier League, with star players including Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and Estevao, but managers have struggled to get the players to gel as a team after so many changes.
Out of all the managers to have led Chelsea in that period — and they include Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino, the current coaches of England and the United States, respectively — Maresca appeared to have handled the chaos the best.
Yet he reportedly didn’t feel appreciated given the tough working conditions and, according to the BBC, recently switched agents. A few weeks ago, media reports in England linked Maresca with a possible move to Manchester City — where he briefly worked under Pep Guardiola — should Guardiola eventually leave, though Maresca played the reports down.
Chelsea’s results have taken a downturn since a 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League in November.
The team’s only league win in the past month was over Everton, 2-0. There have been draws with Arsenal, Newcastle and Bournemouth (twice) and losses to Leeds and Aston Villa.
Its next game is at plays second-place Man City on Sunday.
Chelsea said its achievements under Maresca “will remain an important part of the club’s recent history, and we thank him for his contributions to the club.”
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FILE - Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca reacts during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Atalanta and Chelsea, in Bergamo, Italy, on Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)
FILE - Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca sits on a bench ahead of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Qarabag and Chelsea in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo, File)
Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca, left, gives instructions to Estevao during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Bournemouth in London, England, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
