PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Texas doctor who has been treating children in a measles outbreak was shown on video with a measles rash on his face in a clinic a week before Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. met him and praised him as an “extraordinary” healer.
Dr. Ben Edwards appeared in the video posted March 31 by the anti-vaccine group Kennedy once led, Children’s Health Defense. In it, Edwards appears wearing scrubs and talking with parents and children in a makeshift clinic he set up in Seminole, Texas, ground zero of the outbreak that has sickened hundreds of people and killed three, including two children.
Edwards is asked whether he had measles, and he responded, “Yes,” then said his infection started the day before the video was recorded.
“Yesterday was pretty achy. Little mild fever. Spots came in the afternoon. Today, I woke up feeling good,” Edwards said in the video.
Measles is most contagious for about four days before and four days after the rash appears and is one of the world's most contagious diseases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Doctors and public health experts said Edwards' decision to go into the clinic put children, their parents and their community at risk because he could have spread it to others. They said there was no scenario in which Edwards' conduct would be reasonable.
Kennedy met with Edwards about a week after the video was posted by Children's Health Defense, the group Kennedy led for years until December. In an April 6 post on X, Kennedy said he “visited with these two extraordinary healers,” including Edwards and another doctor, and praised their use of two unproven treatments for measles.
Even as measles has exploded in Texas and spread across the country, Kennedy, the nation's top health official, has declined to consistently and forcefully encourage people to vaccinate their children and remind them that the vaccine is safe. Kennedy's post drawing attention to Edwards is inappropriate but unsurprising given Kennedy's record, said Dr. Craig Spencer, a medical doctor who is also a professor at the Brown University School of Public Health.
"I think is unfortunately perfectly on-brand for how he thinks that medicine should be practiced," Spencer said. "And that is what makes me remarkably uncomfortable and extremely concerned and scared for the next three-and-a-half years.”
It was unclear whether Kennedy knew that Edwards had gone into his clinic while infected with measles before meeting him. A spokesperson for Kennedy said he is not anti-vaccine and that he is “committed to improving children’s health in America and has re-deployed resources to Texas to help with the current outbreak.” He did not answer why the health secretary chose to meet with and praise Edwards rather than any of the other doctors in West Texas who have been treating children in the outbreak.
Edwards told The Associated Press in an email that he “interacted with zero patients that were not already infected with measles” during the time he was infectious. “Therefore, obviously, there were no patients that were put in danger of acquiring measles since they already had measles.”
But Jessica Steier, a public health scientist, said the video shows Edwards in the room with people who do not appear sick, including parents of sick children and the people who visited the clinic from Children's Health Defense. She also questioned what steps Edwards was taking to confirm people were sick with measles, rather than relying on guesswork.
Steier, who runs the Science Literacy Lab and co-wrote an article about Edwards' conduct, said while there may be some extraordinary emergencies where it would be appropriate for a sick doctor to work, this is not one of those situations because there is no shortage of providers who are not infected. She also pointed out that the video shows Edwards was not wearing a mask.
“You have the HHS secretary lifting him up," she said. "You know, it’s so, so dangerous. I really feel for the people who are on the ground.”
Children’s Health Defense has sued a number of news organizations, among them the AP, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines.
Kennedy's promotion of a doctor who has touted unproven measles treatments is “wholly irresponsible” but is in line with Kennedy's long public record of anti-vaccine views, said Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He said Kennedy has carried those views to his new job as the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
"He’s not the director of Children’s Health Defense anymore. He’s responsible for the health and well-being of children in this country,” Offit said. “It's an emergency, but Kennedy is not treating it that way.”
FILE - Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, stands with Dr. Ben Edwards, left, outside the Reinlander Mennonite Church in Seminole, Texas, on Sunday, April 6, 2025, after a second measles death. (AP Photo/Annie Rice, File)
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., left, stands with Dr. Ben Edwards, right, outside the Reinlander Mennonite Church in Seminole, Texas, on Sunday, April 6, 2025, after a second measles death. (AP Photo/Annie Rice, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — American employers added a surprising 177,000 jobs in April as the job market showed resilience in the face of President Donald Trump's trade wars.
Hiring fell slightly from a revised 185,000 in March, but that is above economist projections of 135,000 jobs. The unemployment rate remained at a low 4.2%, the Labor Department reported Friday.
Trump’s aggressive and unpredictable policies – including massive import taxes – have clouded the outlook for the economy and the job market and raised fears that the American economy is headed toward recession.
Friday's report showed employment, one of the strongest aspects of the U.S. economy, remains solid, yet many economists anticipate that a negative impact from trade wars will materialize this year for American workers and potentially, President Trump.
“Politicians can count their lucky stars that companies are holding on to their workers despite the storm clouds forming that could slow the economy further in the second half of the year," said Christopher Rupkey, chief economist at fwdbonds, a financial markets research firm.
Transportation and warehousing companies added 29,000 jobs last month, suggesting companies have built up inventory before imported goods are hit with new tariffs. Healthcare companies added nearly 51,000 jobs and bars, restaurants almost 17,000 and construction firms 11,000. Factories lost 1,000 jobs.
Labor Department revisions shaved 58,000 jobs from February and March payrolls.
Average hourly earnings ticked up 0.2% from March and 3.8% from a year ago, nearing the 3.5% that economists view as consistent with the 2% inflation the Federal Reserve wants to see.
Trump’s massive taxes on imports to the U.S. are likely to raise costs for Americans and American businesses that depend on supplies from overseas. They also threaten to slow economic growth. His immigration crackdown threatens to make it more difficult for hotels, restaurants and construction firms to fill job openings. By purging federal workers and cancelling federal contracts, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency risks wiping out jobs inside the government and out.
The drastic changes have shaken markets and consumers. The Conference Board, a business group, reported Tuesday that Americans’ confidence in the economy fell for the fifth straight month to the lowest level since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Still, Bill Adams, chief economist at Comerica Bank, called the jobs report “reassuringly normal. The fears of a softer labor market due to tariff uncertainty went unrealized last month ... There are signs that businesses are reining in plans for hiring and capital spending and that consumers are turning more cautious toward discretionary spending.’’
American workers have at least one thing going for them. Despite the uncertainty about fallout from Trump’s policies, many employers don’t want to risk letting employees go – not after struggling to bring people back from the massive but short-lived layoffs from the pandemic.
“For now, the unemployment rate and the number of people filing claims for jobless benefits every week remain low by historical standards,” Boston College economist Brian Bethune said this week.
The federal government’s workforce fell by 9,000 on top of 17,000 job losses in February and March, The full effect of Musk's DOGE cuts may yet to be seen. Bethune noted job cuts by the billionaire’s DOGE are still being challenged in court. Also, some of those leaving federal agencies were forced into early retirement and don’t count as unemployed.
After the jobs numbers were released, Trump repeated his call for the Federal Reserve to lower its benchmark short-term interest rate, which it raised to combat inflation. Trump said on social media platform Truth Social that there is “NO INFLATION” and “employment strong.”
Yet as long as the job market remains healthy, the Fed will likely stay on the sidelines as it takes time to evaluate the impact of tariffs. Fed chair Jerome Powell has underscored that the duties are likely to push up prices in the coming months, making the central bank wary of the potential for higher inflation.
The Fed typically fights inflation with higher interest rates, so it is unlikely to cut its key short-term rate anytime soon. It may change course if layoffs spike and unemployment rises.
Some U.S. companies stand to benefit from Trump’s protectionist policies.
Allen Jacoby, executive vice president of textile division at Milliken & Co., said that cheap Chinese imports have hurt business at the Spartanburg, South Carolina, manufacturer. His division makes Polartec fabric for brands such as North Face and Patagonia and has closed six plants and reduced its payrolls 12% since 2019.
Trump’s tariffs, he said, could improve Milliken’s sales and hiring. “It’s too early to tell, but there’s more optimism than pessimism,” he said.
Most Americans still enjoy job security, yet many who have lost jobs say that it's now harder to find work.
Jason Schunkewitz, 33, was laid off by a startup that uses virtual reality to train caregivers. Single and debt free, the Denver resident took some time off before beginning the job search in earnest.
He has a background in jobs training and economic development – a field heavily reliant on government grants. Trump spending cuts have eliminated some grants and generated uncertainty about others. Schunkewitz now says many nonprofits have postponed hiring.
“It’s just been silent in some cases,’’ he said. “It’s very tricky to navigate.’’ He's now focusing his job search on private companies, which might be more secure.
Schunkewitz is also developing a business making charcuterie-to-go packs – cured salami, aged cheese, dried fruit – for skiers, hikers and other adventurers. The business is in the early stages, but he said: “I hope it becomes a full-time job.’’
AP Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber and AP Retail Writer Anne D'Innocenzio contributed to this story.
FILE - Employees of Learning Resources, an educational toy company, work at a warehouse in Vernon Hills, Ill., Friday, April 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
FILE - A worker drives a forklift past shelves of Canadian spruce planks, at Shell Lumber and Hardware, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
FILE - A waiter carries drinks, Friday, April 18, 2025, in Miami Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, File)
FILE - Delivery workers carry boxes outside a grocery store in the Chinatown neighborhood, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
FILE - Vehicle assembly technician Kevin Zepernick works on a 2025 Ford Expedition during a media tour to launch the 2025 Ford Expedition at the Ford Motor Company Kentucky Truck Plant, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
