US politics live: Vaccine meeting descends into chaos over ‘barrage of misleading claims’

Donald Trump’s decision to put an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist in charge of his country’s health system continues to cause drama.

Welcome to our live coverage of US politics. The week is almost over.

Donald Trump’s decision to put anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr in charge of his country’s health system continues to cause drama.

Today officials delayed a vote that could roll back existing recommendations for Hepatitis B vaccines to be given to newborns - that vaccination is routine across the Western world - after a meeting on the matter was hijacked by anti-vaxxers.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices (ACIP) had been due to make a decision. Generally, the committee looks at new vaccines but under US Health Secretary and vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr. it has begun looking at vaccines that have been used for decades with little concern.

Elswhere, Mr Trump oversaw the signing of a peace treaty between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic on Congo on Thursday, US time, burnishing the US President’s eagerness to be seen as a peacemaker.

But peace in Ukraine still seems elusive with Vladimir Putin saying Kyiv will have to give up territory. Ukrainian negotiators are meeting their US counterparts in Florida.

Read on for more updates.

Originally published as US politics live: Vaccine meeting descends into chaos over ‘barrage of misleading claims’