Trump's Vaccine Order, High-Profile Primaries & 'Patriot Games' - Tuesday, August 11, 2026

**Erica Mandy** (0:00)
Today is Tuesday, August 11th. We'll tell you about President Trump's new order overhauling the vaccine schedule for kids, from the type of shots to the timing. Also, what's at stake as voters in five states pick their midterm nominees? Plus, oil prices are going up while America's oil reserves are going down. A major music festival was just canceled. It's now dubbed LA's Fire Festival. And all about the Patriot Games now underway. Those stories and even more news to know coming up.
Welcome to The NewsWorthy. All the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this.
President Trump signed a new executive order addressing not only which vaccines kids should get, but how and when they should get them. For starters, the order calls for a revised schedule that would include vaccinations against 11 diseases instead of the 17 that are recommended now.
Remember, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tried to make that same change earlier this year, but a federal judge blocked it. So with this order, the Trump administration is trying again. Plus, the new order recommends spacing the shots out so children get vaccines one at a time during separate doctors' visits. And it would break up the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, or MMR, so instead of one shot, there would be three.
As he signed the order, President Trump claimed the current MMR vaccine could be quite lethal and said spacing vaccines out could lower the risk of children developing autism. But medical and public health communities immediately pushed back, pointing to decades of studies involving millions of people, all showing the current vaccine schedule is safe and effective. They also cited CDC data showing that hundreds of people used to die each year from diseases like measles, and now that number is close to zero. And when it comes to the rates of autism increasing, many doctors largely attribute this to more awareness and diagnoses of the condition. But now, they worry spacing vaccines out just means delaying protection against serious diseases. So the executive order is expected to face legal challenges. Either way, don't expect anything to change right away. It all depends on what states, doctors, insurers, and vaccine manufacturers decide to do in response. And to be clear, even if drug manufacturers, physicians groups and courts all actually embraced these changes, President Trump says parents still have the ultimate choice, meaning if they want to stick to the old schedule, they can't. To be continued.
Today marks another big moment in the midterm election season, with voters in five states picking party nominees for important races this fall. The biggest spotlight is on Wisconsin, since it's considered a battleground state, and the governor's race has drawn attention from all over the country. For Democrats, it's down to two unlikely candidates. There's socialist Francesca Hong, who is known for controversial positions like reducing police funding and abolishing ICE. She's up against Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who actually suspended his campaign and booked a vacation to Jamaica before canceling the trip and rejoining 10 days later with the backing of current governor Tony Evers. Whoever wins will go up against Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany, who's now one of the most conservative members of Congress and is endorsed by President Trump. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, Democrats are having another high-profile fight over the party's direction. In the US Senate race, Democratic voters are choosing between Congresswoman Angie Craig and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. Craig is the more moderate candidate, while Flanagan has support from progressive figures like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Republicans are also picking their Senate nominee with nine candidates in the race. Over in Connecticut, longtime Democratic Congressman John Larson is facing a primary challenge for the first time since he was elected in 1998
He's facing former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, along with two other Democrats. In Vermont, Dems are trying once again to find someone who can unseat Republican Governor Phil Scott. The party has nominated candidates against Scott five times before and lost all five general elections. Voters will also pick a Republican nominee to challenge Democratic Congresswoman Becca Ballant. And then there's South Carolina, where this is not a regular state primary. Instead, Republicans are holding a special election to choose their nominee for the US. Senate seat left vacant by the death of US. Senator Lindsey Graham. And of course, those are just some of the biggest races to watch. Voters in all five states are also picking nominees for Congressional, state and local offices.
President Trump has said he wants to take a low-key approach to the conflict in the Middle East, but at this point, Iran doesn't seem to be letting that happen. As we told you yesterday, Iran is still focused on the Strait of Hormuz that normally carries about a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas shipments. The Iranians say they won't let it fully reopen unless the US agrees to do things like end the naval blockade, unfreeze Iranian assets, and pay Iran damages for the war. Well, Trump has since responded, saying Iran's the one who should pay, that it should compensate families of Americans killed in the region, as well as people in countries like Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Gaza. The president says those demands should now be part of any future negotiations, so hopes of a deal to reopen the strait have faded. And with that, oil prices rose another 5% yesterday.