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A pivotal series of decisions in the next few months will determine the shape of U.S. vaccine policy for years to come — and influence American's perceptions of the shots as a public health tool.

Why it matters: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. came into office promising to restore public trust in vaccines and to scrutinize the medical and pharmaceutical establishment. But his boldest moves have drawn political blowback, along with charges that he's spreading misinformation and debunked theories.

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State of play: Kennedy shook up precedent and touched off a legal firestorm with moves like limiting who is eligible for COVID shots and narrowing the schedule of recommended immunizations for children.

• While some of his most sweeping changes have been temporarily frozen by courts, and the actions of a handpicked group of advisers have been stalled, it's possible that Kennedy will try again by appointing a new panel of advisers.

What we're watching: The administration is sending signals it will dial back some of its toughest anti-vaccine rhetoric as the midterm elections approach, giving less oxygen to the next round of anti-vaccine candidates.

• Meanwhile, a decision is expected by the end of the year in a high-profile case the American Academy of Pediatrics and some other groups brought to overturn the childhood vaccine recommendations.

Trump offered some encouragement to Kennedy late last month, when he unexpectedly issued an order to realign childhood immunization recommendations with what the administration calls consensus among peer nations.

• Trump's continued interest in long-debunked links between vaccines and autism remain a wild card in any federal policymaking.

Between the lines: Despite the setbacks in court, public health experts say the administration's moves are already having a lasting effect on a public that became more skeptical of vaccines during the pandemic.

• School immunization exemptions are up, and vaccine skeptics are trying to carve out more accommodations on religious grounds. Red state legislatures continue to try to do away with vaccine mandates, with mixed success.
• Big majorities of Americans still support vaccines and trust pediatricians over administration officials. But confusion over shifting guidelines, misinformation and fear of side effects are influencing attitudes.
• "A lot of damage has already be done, and it's going to take years to rebuild the trust and integrity that has been destroyed," said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

This story is part of an Axios Deep Dive on the policy debates shaping America's future. Read more in the series:

America's killer app: The dollar as the world's currency

AI oversight gap could leave a lasting legacy

The power decisions that could shape the next century

ABC's FCC battle could redefine press freedom

America's race categories face a stress test

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The next great civil rights battle may be whether America's old racial categories can keep up with its future.

Why it matters: The U.S. is heading toward a more Latino, Asian, Black immigrant and multiracial future — and the rules for counting race will help decide who gets political power, civil rights protections and public resources.

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Zoom in: Two massive generational shifts will redefine the nation...

• Multiracial dominance: Multiracial Americans are on track to likely dominate the population over the next two centuries.
• Trade with Latin America could blur lines of migration and citizenship.

State of play: For decades, federal racial categories have been the foundation for enforcing anti-discrimination laws, drawing political districts and measuring inequality.

• If identity becomes completely fluid, or if old boxes break down, the very legal tools used to protect marginalized communities could weaken.

The bottom line: The question isn't whether America will diversify, but whether a civil rights enforcement system built on 20th-century boxes can govern a 22nd-century nation.

This story is part of an Axios Deep Dive on the policy debates shaping America's future. Read more in the series:

America's killer app: The dollar as the world's currency

AI oversight gap could leave a lasting legacy

The power decisions that could shape the next century

The fight over America's vaccine future

ABC's FCC battle could redefine press freedom

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The outcome of ABC's legal battle with the Federal Communications Commission could set a landmark precedent around press freedom and the role businesses play in supporting American democracy.

Why it matters: The FCC's efforts to target broadcasters deemed critical of the president speak to a broader trend of regulatory agencies losing or conceding power to the executive branch during the Trump era.

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• FCC chair Brendan Carr has suggested his agency isn't independent and that commissioners who are supposed to independently regulate broadcasters are ultimately governed by the president.

State of play: Carr is targeting late-night and daytime talk shows, like ABC's "The View," arguing they shouldn't be exempt from rules that require "bona fide news interview programs" to allot equal air time for competing political candidates.

• In a notable departure from its previous effort to acquiesce to political pressure from the president, ABC has lambasted Carr, arguing his actions threaten to "upend decades of settled law and practice and chill critical protected speech."

Zoom out: The FCC has simultaneously ordered an accelerated review of ABC's local station broadcast licenses as it investigates whether those stations violated rules that are meant to prevent "unlawful discrimination" related to ABC's diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

• ABC called the order "unlawful, arbitrary, and unconstitutional" when submitting the applications the following month.
• The FCC has launched investigations into multiple broadcasters for their DEI practices, including NBC and CBS.

This story is part of an Axios Deep Dive on the policy debates shaping America's future. Read more in the series:

America's killer app: The dollar as the world's currency

AI oversight gap could leave a lasting legacy

The power decisions that could shape the next century

The fight over America's vaccine future

America's race categories face a stress test

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The U.S. and Iran, together with Pakistani and Qatari mediators, are expected to hold a virtual meeting on Sunday and electronically sign a memorandum of understanding that will extend the ceasefire by 60 days, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and launch negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.

Why it matters: The pending remote signing is a result of almost three months of negotiations between the U.S. and the Iranian regime, mediated by Pakistan, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey. .

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• The MOU is expected to end the war in the region and potentially stabilize global energy markets.

What they are saying: "We are closer to a peace deal than ever before. With finalization likely expected in the next 24 hours, Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing of the peace deal immediately after, followed by technical level talks next week," Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X on Saturday.

• Shortly after, the Pakistani foreign ministry confirmed that the virtual signing ceremony has been scheduled for Sunday.

Zoom in: "The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL. Our relationship with Iran is a much different and better one than previous Administrations have had," President Trump posted on Truth Social.

• "At the appropriate time, when all is calm, we will go in and get the Nuclear Dust, buried deep under the powerful sunken granite mountains, thanks to our beautiful B-2 Bombers and their brilliant pilots, and downblend and destroy it, whether in Iran, or the United States."
• Trump threatened that if the agreement is not implemented "quickly, easily, and smoothly" he could use military force again.

Behind the scenes: U.S. officials and sources in the mediating countries confirmed that the signing will take place virtually, and claimed it is mainly for logistical reasons.

• One of the main reasons is that Vice President J.D. Vance, who is leading the U.S. negotiations team, wouldn't have been able to go back to the U.S. before President Trump leaves for the G7 summit in France on Monday morning, the sources said.

What to watch: On Tuesday President Trump will hold a meeting in France with G7 leaders, together with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, U.S. officials said in a briefing with reporters.

• A U.S. official said the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed Bin Salman has been invited too, but couldn't join for schedule reasons. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also not expect to attend, the U.S. official said.
• Trump will also hold separate bilateral meeting with the three Arab leaders on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
• The U.S. official said the meeting is expected to focus on the deal with Iran and opportunities in the region after the end of the war.
• Another issue that is expected to be discussed is the Strait of Hormuz, and the international coalition that the UK and France have been working on to clear the strait of mines, the U.S. official said.

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The AI-driven power boom is forcing a once-in-a-generation decision about how America's electricity system should grow.

The big picture: For decades, utilities planned around predictable increases in demand. AI is changing that.

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State of play: Data centers now seek amounts of electricity that used to be associated with entire cities — raising questions about who pays for new infrastructure, who gets access to scarce power and how quickly projects can connect to the grid.

Driving the news: Debates are unfolding at the nation's largest grid operator, PJM, and at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

• Some proposals would allow data centers to connect directly to power plants or generate their own power on site, at least initially operating outside the broader electricity grid.

Zoom out: Those debates reflect a broader question facing regulators across the country: how to handle massive new electricity users.

What we're watching: Multiple decisions will unfold over months and years, with a key decision by the federal agency expected as soon as this month.

• The outcomes will influence electricity prices, reliability and the pace of AI development.

The bottom line: Decisions now being made by regulators, utilities and technology companies could determine whether the AI boom accelerates a historic expansion of the electric grid — or creates a parallel power system alongside it.

This story is part of an Axios Deep Dive on the policy debates shaping America's future. Read more in the series:

America's killer app: The dollar as the world's currency

AI oversight gap could leave a lasting legacy

The fight over America's vaccine future

ABC's FCC battle could redefine press freedom

America's race categories face a stress test

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"Perfect weight, perfect neck stitching width, and they last forever."

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Seattle airport expansion opens just in time to welcome World Cup soccer fans.

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Cavaliers guard James Harden was arrested early Saturday morning in Houston and has been charged with a misdemeanor unlawful carrying of a weapon.

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The USA delivered a historic show for its loyal fans in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup.

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Over 100 people suffered heat-related illnesses on opening day of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at a fan festival held in Texas on Thursday.

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The largest company on public markets now holds bitcoin as a treasury reserve, not as a business model. Its first earnings cycles will test which version of corporate crypto survives a bear market.