Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Fought his way through his second Senate confirmation hearing yesterday, defending his views on vaccination during a raucous three-hour session that featured shouting matches, angry accusations and a senator in tears.
In a narrowly divided Senate, Kennedy can afford to lose only three Republican votes if he is to win final confirmation, provided that all Democrats oppose him.
The bulk of the hearing was devoted to whether Kennedy was willing to accept consensus in scientific research.
In separate confirmation hearings, Kash Patel, President Trump’s pick to run the F.B.I., alternated between deference and defiance, and senators questioned Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s nominee to run national intelligence.
