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Let's check in on what's been happening at the Robert F Kennedy Jr hearing today.

As a reminder, he is Donald Trump’s pick for health secretary.

Kennedy has been criticised for promoting “anti-vaccine” views, and was asked about it repeatedly in his first hearing on Wednesday.

Today, RFK Jr continued to reject accusations that he is against vaccines, but did not respond directly when asked whether he believed some widely-used vaccines were safe and effective.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy asked him to disavow the comments he made linking vaccines and autism so that he could “reassure mothers unequivocally … that the measles and hepatitis B vaccines do not cause autism”.

RFK Jr responded by saying: “If the data is there, I will absolutely do that”.

He faced an emotional questioning round at one point from Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan, who also grilled him on these past comments and criticised him for suggesting that the science on autism was not settled.

Hassan told the committee that her 36-year-old son has cerebral palsy, and that she has constantly questioned whether she has done anything while she was pregnant with him to cause his condition.

“Please do not suggest that anybody in this body of either political party doesn’t want to know what the cause of autism is,” Hassan told RFK Jr.

The Kash Patel hearing has resumed with questions from Senator Cory Booker.

The New Jersey Democrat quizzes Patel on whether there have been any discussions to "punish in any way" personnel associated with investigations relating to Donald Trump.

It follows the Trump administration firing more than a dozen justice department lawyers who worked on two criminal cases against him.

Pushed for a yes or no answer, Patel says he is not aware of any plans or discussions and commits to honouring standard review processes.

Image source, Reuters

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The Tulsi Gabbard hearing is over, and the Kash Patel hearing has just returned from a break.

Before the break, we heard a question about past statements Patel made, where he said he would close the FBI headquarters in Washington DC “on day one”.

“How is that possibly a serious proposal?” Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat asked.

Patel responds by saying that there are thousands of FBI employees working in the National Capital Region alone, making up a third of the workforce.

“I am fully committed to having that workforce go out to the interior of the country, where I live west of the Mississippi,” Patel said

“The American people deserve the resources not in Washington, DC, but in the rest of the country.”

Coons then brought up Patel’s statements saying he would turn the headquarters into a “museum of the deep state”, adding that these comments raise repeated questions and concerns from senators.

Tom Cotton, who leads the intelligence committee, says they have received countless letters "in support of and in opposition to" Gabbard's nomination.

He says those and other questions that senators would like to ask will be added to the record.

He then gives directions on clearing the room and adjourns the meeting.

The committee will now hold a closed session for sensitive intelligence matters.

Phil McCausland
Reporting from New York

Senators who have remained at Gabbard's hearing have been given the opportunity to ask the nominee one follow-up question.

So far the questions have largely returned to her past statements on Snowden, US surveillance, the Middle East, Assad's use of chemical weapons and foreign affairs.

There will be a closed hearing that follows this line of questioning - where senators can ask about more sensitive matters.

Phil McCausland
Reporting from New York

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Gabbard is being asked by Republicans and Democrats about her views of Edward Snowden, a US intelligence whistleblower who is behind one of the biggest leaks in American history.

Materials leaked by Snowden to the media alleged the US was conducting illegal surveillance of its citizens and other nations. Critics said the leaks threatened American national security.

Senators today have largely expressed their view that Snowden, who fled the US for Russia where he now lives, is a "traitor", but Gabbard has refused to voice her opinion. Snowden, meanwhile, is voicing his support for Gabbard's nomination and said he approves of her speaking ill of him.

"Tulsi Gabbard will be required to disown all prior support for whistleblowers as a condition of confirmation today," he posted on X earlier today. "I encourage her to do so. Tell them I harmed national security and the sweet, soft feelings of staff. In DC, that's what passes for the pledge of allegiance."

Phil McCausland
Reporting from New York

Over in the Gabbard hearing, Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi - the head of the Senate Armed Services Committee - asks about Havana Syndrome.

It's the colloquial name for the mysterious health ailments that afflicted American spies, soldiers and diplomats around the world.

She said that it was "deeply concerning" that the "intelligence community still has failed to identify the source and the cause for Havana Syndrome".

She said that she would ensure those impacted would get "the care that they need and deserve" and ensure the US uncovers "how and why this has occurred".

"Based on my understanding, there has not been any definitive reporting from the intelligence community on the source and the cause for these anomalous health incidents," she adds after a follow up.

Wicker appears disappointed, and indicates they should follow up and go over the intelligence regarding it.

There have been some recent assessments by the US intelligence community that Havana Syndrome was caused by a foreign actor's "novel weapon", according to US media reports.

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Kash Patel's hearing is on a short break. So let's take a look at what has happened so far:

• Patel was quizzed on the pardons that President Trump issued for those who were involved in the 6 January riot at the Capitol - he told the Committee he has "always rejected" violence against law enforcement
• Asked about appearances on podcasts with conspiracy and right-wing figures, he denied endorsing their views
• He says he would not use the FBI to pressure social media companies to censor free speech
• Patel was also grilled over his so-called enemies list and conceded re-sharing a social media post depicting him taking a chainsaw to his political enemies

Image source, Getty Images

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, asks Gabbard about her perspective on China's relationship with the US.

Trump's director of national intelligence nominee says it is "complex" given how closely the two countries' economies are entwined, noting there are a "number of challenges and threats that need to be navigated".

Gilibrand brings up the law banning TikTok if the Chinese-owned firm is not sold to a US company. Trump wants to pause this measure for a few weeks. Gilibrand notes that Gabbard has said the TikTok ban violates US civil liberties.

Gabbard replies that her views on the issue were "centered around the protection of Americans' first amendment rights" to free speech, as well as to privacy.

Nadine Yousif
North America reporter

We’re bringing you updates today from three separate Senate confirmation hearings: Kash Patel, the nominee for FBI director, Tulsi Gabbard, the nominee for intelligence chief, and Robert F Kennedy Jr, the nominee for US health secretary.

All three were chosen by President Donald Trump for these key government roles. But under US law, the president’s nominees must undergo questioning and scrutiny by senators before they are confirmed.

It is part of the “advice and consent” role that the Senate plays under the US constitution, which gives the Senate the authority to review - and either approve or reject - the president’s picks.

At the hearings, the nominees are grilled by a group of senators from both sides of the political aisle about their experience and readiness for the role, as well as their views and how they would carry out their responsibilities.

It has been a busy Thursday afternoon for senators - Patel, Gabbard and Kennedy are all sitting before different Senate committees with their hearings being held simultaneously.

Once these hearings are finished, the Senate committees will vote on whether to recommend the nominees to the full Senate. If passed, the nomination moves to the full Senate for debate and a vote, where Senators can confirm or reject the nominee.

A simple majority of 51 votes is usually required. Republicans currently hold the majority of the Senate, meaning Donald Trump’s picks will likely be confirmed if they have his party’s backing.

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Senator Michael Bennet reads Director of National Intelligence nominee Gabbard some of her past comments on Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, including that President Vladimir Putin had "legitimate security concerns" over Nato expansion in Eastern Europe.

The Colorado Democrat confronts her about this remark, as well as her past claim that the Western military alliance was waging a "proxy war" in Ukraine with Russia. He accuses her of agreeing that a "totalitarian state" was "justified in rolling over the peaceful border of Ukraine".

Gabbard implies he has taken her comments "out of context" and that Bennet should also note her past criticism of Putin.

Bennet then notes that Russian state TV aired her comments immediately, calling her "our friend Tulsi". Gabbard says she does not pay attention to "Russian propaganda".

Phil McCausland
Reporting from New York

Senators keep pressing Gabbard on her past support for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. "So is Edward Snowden a traitor?" Senator James Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma, asks.

Gabbard maintains that whistleblowers should know of legal channels to vent any concerns and stresses that she would work to stop future leaks. But when asked a second time whether Snowden is a traitor, she says that she remains "focused on the future".

She is asked a third, fourth, fifth and sixth time by Democratic Colorado Senator Michael Bennet - and deflects each time.

"This is when the rubber hits the road... This is when you need to answer questions of the people whose votes you’re asking for,” Bennet shouts.

Over in the Kash Patel hearing, Republican Senator Josh Hawley has been talking about censorship.

He asks Patel, Trump's pick to be the FBI director, if he thinks it is appropriate for the FBI to pressure social media companies to censor free speech. Kash replies that he will "expose any corrupt activity" the FBI has been involved in, including free speech.

The line of questioning is partly in reference to Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg's comments that he regrets bowing to what he calls pressure from the Biden administration to "censor" content on Facebook and Instagram during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter sent to a US House committee chair, Zuckerberg said some material – including humour and satire – was taken down in 2021 under pressure from senior officials.

The Biden White House defended its actions, saying it encouraged "responsible actions to protect public health and safety".

Image source, Getty Images

Phil McCausland
Reporting from New York

Both Democrats and Republicans are asking about Gabbard's views on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. She has previously suggested Nato might be to blame for the war.

Today she tells Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico: "Putin started the war in Ukraine."

Jerry Moran, the Republican senator of Kansas, follows that question up by asking for her views on Russia, how it threatens the US and whether she would give this geopolitical rival "a pass in either your mind or your heart".

She says she is "offended" by the question.

"If confirmed, no country, group or individual will get a pass in my fulfilling that responsibility of providing that full intelligence picture."

While we've been reporting on the confirmation hearings for Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard - Robert F Kennedy Jr has also been facing a confirmation hearing, this time from the Senate Health Committee.

• You can read up on what happened in RFK Jr's hearing from yesterday here.

The Reuters news agency reports Republican Senator Bill Cassidy has raised concerns over RFK Jr's "past of undermining confidence in vaccines".

"News reports and many in the hearing yesterday have claimed that I'm anti-vaccine and anti-industry. Well, I'm neither," Kennedy said, according to Reuters.

The hearing room has seen supporters of Kennedy - kitted out in "Make America Health Again" hats - as well as those opposing him wearing "Reject RFK Jr" stickers.

Our US partner CBS News reports that Kennedy has also faced questions on conspiracy theories - something that has also come up in Patel's hearing today.

Image source, Reuters

Senator Martin Heinrich asks Gabbard about her 2017 trip to Syria, where she met then-President Bashar al-Assad.

"What did you talk about?" the New Mexico Democrat asks, following up with a question about whether she pressed Assad over his alleged use of chemical weapons against his own people.

The former Hawaii congresswoman insists she asked Assad "tough questions about his own regime's actions, the use of chemical weapons".

She is also asked about a meeting with a Muslim preacher who threatened the US with suicide bombers if they attacked Syria. Gabbard says she was not aware of these threats.

Phil McCausland
Reporting from New York

Both Democrats and Republicans press Gabbard to state her support for Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a key statute that allows the American government to spy on foreign people outside the US.

The law is controversial because such warrantless surveillance also sweeps in volumes of Americans' communications, including their phone calls and text messages, as the Brennan Center for Justice, a left-leaning think tank, notes.

As a Democratic lawmaker, Gabbard tried to repeal the surveillance programme in 2020. She has called it government "overreach" and a threat to civil liberties.

She now tells the panel that the programme is essential for American national security and she was only trying to raise awareness about its pitfalls. Senators note that 60% of the president's daily intelligence report is derived from that programme.

Let's check back in with the Kash Patel hearing.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat, brings up comments Patel has previously made. He is asked about a social media post which references an "enemies list" alongside the proclamation "the manhunt starts tomorrow".

Patel's so-called enemies list refers to to a list of people in his book appendix who he says are members of the "deep-state".

The 60-name roster includes former President Joe Biden, former Attorney General Merrick Garland and former National Security Adviser John Bolton, among others.

Whitehouse shows the Committee a social media post - he asks Patel whether he reposted a video depicting him taking a chainsaw to his political enemies.

Patel responds that he had "nothing to do with the creation" of the post but concedes "that's me at the top" - where his account shared the image.

Image source, Getty Images

Collins quizzes Director of National Intelligence nominee Gabbard on her support for a failed bill in 2020, while she was in Congress as a Democrat, to make it harder to prosecute people for revealing classified information - even up to the level of top secret.

"Do you still support providing individuals who have access to top secret information with the ability to make their own decisions?" the Maine Republican asks.

Gabbard says the US "cannot and should not have individual vigilantes" within the intelligence community taking their own "decisions about how and where and when to expose our nation's secrets".

She says her sole focus will be national security and "the security of our nation's secrets", adding that whistleblowers have "numerous legal paths" to vent their concerns.

Image source, Reuters

Going back to the confirmation hearing for the FBI director nominee, Republican Senator Thom Tillis flourished a "Kash bingo card".

"Some may view this as an unserious caricature and not appropriate for this committee. Sadly, I consider this a serious caricature of what I expect to be witnessed today," Tillis says.

He adds that he expects words like "enemies list" and "deep state" - telling the committee he has crossed out four boxes in the opening statements.

"Some people will be here to simply substantiate a false narrative," he says, adding that some half truths have already been dispelled by the chairman.