Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is in full damage-control mode after causing outrage with his controversial comments about autism during his first official press briefing as health secretary. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic,

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. went on Fox News to try to backtrack the debunked claims he made about autistic people during his first official press briefing as health secretary. RFK Jr. faced some serious pushback after he made several false claims about the disorder.

WASHINGTON -- Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. warned that children in the U.S. are being diagnosed with autism at an “alarming rate,” promising on Wednesday to conduct exhaustive studies to identify any environmental factors that may cause the developmental disorder.