Trump picks Dr. Marty Makary as Food and Drug Administration commissioner
President-elect Trump on Friday announced he is nominating Johns Hopkins School of Medicine professor Dr. Marty Makary for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner. “I am very pleased to nominate Marty Makary MD, MPH, FACS, for FDA Commissioner,” Trump said in a statement. “FDA has lost the trust of Americans, and has lost sight of its primary goal as a regulator. The Agency needs Dr. Marty Makary, a Highly Respected Johns Hopkins Surgical Oncologist and Health Policy Expert, to course-correct and refocus the Agency.” Makary’s nomination comes after Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to “Make America healthy again.” TRUMP APPOINTS DR. OZ TO KEY HHS POSITION IN NEW ADMINISTRATION Trump said Makary will “work under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to, among other things, properly evaluate harmful chemicals poisoning our Nation’s food supply and drugs and biologics being given to our Nation’s youth, so that we can finally address the Childhood Chronic Disease Epidemic.” Trump in his statement added that Makary, who was a Fox News medical contributor, is also a “member of the prestigious National Academy of Medicine” and “has devoted his career to improving Medical Quality and lowering Hospital and Drug Costs for all Americans. In addition, Dr. Makary is an accomplished Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, and a leading advocate for Healthcare Transparency. He has authored more than 300 scientific articles and three New York Times bestselling books on Healthcare. TRUMP NOMINATES SCOTT BESSENT AS TREASURY SECRETARY; PICKS RUSS VOUGHT TO LEAD BUDGET OFFICE Trump called Makary a “pioneer in the fields of Public Health, Cancer Care, and Surgery, and a tireless voice for vulnerable populations. He is the recipient of the Nobility in Science Award from the National Pancreas Foundation and numerous teaching awards. Dr. Makary currently leads the Evidence-Based Medicine and Public Policy Research Group at Johns Hopkins.” He added, “I am confident that Dr. Makary, having dedicated his career to High-Quality, Lower-Cost Care, will restore FDA to the Gold Standard of Scientific Research, and cut the bureaucratic red tape at the Agency to make sure Americans get the Medical Cures and Treatments they deserve.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Trump made several other announcements Friday evening as he continues his transition, including Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as surgeon general, and Dr. Dave Weldon to head the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Trump picks Scott Turner as secretary of Department of Housing and Urban Development
President-elect Trump nominated Scott Turner as the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Turner, who is chair of the Center for Education Opportunity and is a former professional football player, previously served as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC). “Scott is an NFL Veteran, who, during my First Term, served as the First Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC), helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities,” Trump said in a Friday statement. “Those efforts, working together with former HUD Secretary, Ben Carson, were maximized by Scott’s guidance in overseeing 16 Federal Agencies which implemented more than 200 policy actions furthering Economic Development. Under Scott’s leadership, Opportunity Zones received over $50 Billion Dollars in Private Investment!” GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR? Turner, a graduate of the University of Illinois, played cornerback for the Washington Redskins before winning a state house race in Texas. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017. “Scott is the Founder & CEO of his Family’s Foundation, Community Engagement & Opportunity Council (CEOC), working to revitalize communities across America through Sports, Mentorship, and Economic Opportunity,” he said. “He is also on the Board of the American Cornerstone Institute, and an Associate Pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church.” “Scott will work alongside me to Make America Great Again for EVERY American,” Trump said. “Congratulations to Scott, his wonderful wife, Robin, and his son, Solomon!”
Trump brings back former aide Sebastian Gorka, ex-State Department official Alex Wong to serve in admin
President-elect Trump on Friday announced that former State Department official Alex Wong will be appointed assistant to the president and principal deputy national security advisor, and that Sebastian Gorka, a former aide, will serve as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism. Both men served under Trump during his first term. Wong served in the State Department as deputy special representative for North Korea, and the deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and pacific affairs. MATT GAETZ SAYS HE WILL NOT SERVE IN THE UPCOMING SESSION OF CONGRESS Gorka, a former Trump aide, previously served as deputy assistant to the president during Trump’s first term. He’s also a former Fox News contributor. “Since 2015, Dr. Gorka has been a tireless advocate for the America First Agenda and the MAGA Movement, serving previously as Strategist to the President in the first Trump Administration,” Trump said. Gorka previously served during the first seven months of the Trump administration as a deputy assistant and strategist focused on foreign policy and national security. He left the Trump White House in 2017. The appointments were part of a slew of announcements from Trump as he begins to shape his cabinet for his second term.
Trump nominates Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer as secretary of labor
President-elect Trump announced on Friday he is nominating Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., for secretary of labor. “I am proud to hereby nominate Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer, from the Great State of Oregon, as United States Secretary of Labor,” Trump wrote in an official statement. “Lori has worked tirelessly with both Business and Labor to build America’s workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America. I look forward to working with her to create tremendous opportunity for American Workers, to expand Training and Apprenticeships, to grow wages and improve working conditions, to bring back our Manufacturing jobs. Together, we will achieve historic cooperation between Business and Labor that will restore the American Dream for Working Families.” He added, “Lori’s strong support from both the Business and Labor communities will ensure that the Labor Department can unite Americans of all backgrounds behind our Agenda for unprecedented National Success – Making America Richer, Wealthier, Stronger and more Prosperous than ever before!” PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP ANNOUNCES PAM BONDI AS HIS NEW PICK FOR US ATTORNEY GENERAL Chavez-DeRemer was first elected to Congress in 2022, and lost re-election in a close race against Democrat Janelle Bynum earlier this month. Chavez-DeRemer’s candidacy was backed by the Teamsters Union, who Trump allies had been trying to court earlier this year in their bid to broaden the Republican base ahead of the 2024 election. “Thank you @realDonaldTrump for putting American workers first by nominating Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer for US Labor Secretary,” Sean O’Brien, General president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, wrote on X after the announcement. “Nearly a year ago, you joined us for a @Teamsters roundtable and pledged to listen to workers and find common ground to protect and respect labor in America. You put words into action. Now let’s grow wages and improve working conditions nationwide. Congratulations to @LChavezDeRemer on your nomination! North America’s strongest union is ready to work with you every step of the way to expand good union jobs and rebuild our nation’s middle class. Let’s get to work! #TeamsterStrong.” TRUMP’S SPEEDY CABINET PICKS SHOW HIS ‘PRIORITY TO PUT AMERICA FIRST,’ TRANSITION TEAM SAYS Chavez-DeRemer’is the fourth current House Republican selected for the new Trump administration after House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Reps. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. Gaetz withdrew from consideration on Thursday. She previously shared a statement after the Teamsters endorsed her for the role. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I’d be honored to have the opportunity to support President Trump’s mission to empower and grow our nation’s workforce,” she said. “Hardworking Americans finally have a lifeline with the president, and I’d work tirelessly to support his impressive efforts to remake the Republican Party into the Party of the American worker,” she said. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Trump picks former Florida Rep. Dr. Dave Weldon as director of CDC
President-elect Trump announced that former Rep. Dr. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., is his pick as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “In addition to being a Medical Doctor for 40 years, and an Army Veteran, Dave has been a respected conservative leader on fiscal and social issues, and served on the Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, working for Accountability on HHS and CDC Policy and Budgeting,” Trump said in the Friday evening announcement. “Dave also served in a leading role in Government Oversight and Reform Committee Hearings, addressing issues within HHS and CDC. Dave has successfully worked with the CDC to enact a ban on patents for human embryos,” Trump said. Trump said that Dr. Weldon will play a key part in “Making America Healthy Again,” saying that he will work on correcting “past errors.” “Americans have lost trust in the CDC and in our Federal Health Authorities, who have engaged in censorship, data manipulation, and misinformation,” he said. “Given the current Chronic Health Crisis in our Country, the CDC must step up and correct past errors to focus on the Prevention of Disease. The current Health of Americans is critical, and CDC will play a big role in helping to ensure Americans have the tools and resources they need to understand the underlying causes of diseases, and the solutions to cure these diseases,” Trump added. GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR? Trump said that Dr. Weldon “understands American Family Values.” “As a father of two and a husband of 45 years, Dave understands American Family Values, and views Health as one of utmost importance,” he said. “Dave will prioritize Transparency, Competence, and High Standards at CDC. Dave will proudly restore the CDC to its true purpose, and will work to end the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and Make America Healthy Again!”
Trump picks Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as nation’s next surgeon general
President-elect Trump has nominated Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as surgeon general. In a statement on Friday evening, Trump said that Dr. Nesheiwat is a “fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventative medicine and public health.” GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR? “I am proud to announce that Dr. Janette Nesheiwat will be the Nation’s Doctor as the United States Surgeon General. Dr. Nesheiwat is a double board-certified Medical Doctor with an unwavering commitment to saving and treating thousands of American lives,” he said. Nesheiwat is a former Fox News medical contributor. “Dr. Nesheiwat is a fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventive medicine and public health,” he said. “She is committed to ensuring that Americans have access to affordable, quality healthcare, and believes in empowering individuals to take charge of their health to live longer, healthier lives.”
Trump picks Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as nation’s next surgeon general
President-elect Trump has nominated Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as surgeon general. In a statement on Friday evening, Trump said that Dr. Nesheiwat is a “fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventative medicine and public health.” GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR? “I am proud to announce that Dr. Janette Nesheiwat will be the Nation’s Doctor as the United States Surgeon General. Dr. Nesheiwat is a double board-certified Medical Doctor with an unwavering commitment to saving and treating thousands of American lives,” he said. Nesheiwat is a former Fox News medical contributor. “Dr. Nesheiwat is a fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventive medicine and public health,” he said. “She is committed to ensuring that Americans have access to affordable, quality healthcare, and believes in empowering individuals to take charge of their health to live longer, healthier lives.”
ICE Buffalo official takes shot at NY Gov Hochul after arrest of wanted illegal immigrant
Officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Buffalo, New York, took a shot at Gov. Kathy Hochul’s disastrous immigration policies while announcing the arrest of a wanted illegal migrant. Buffalo Field Office Director Thomas Brophy said that they will continue to protect residents “regardless of what the governor of New York says.” “The men and women of ERO [Enforcement and Removal Operations] will continue to protect our communities from dangerous offenders, regardless of what the governor of New York state says,” he said in a release on Friday. “We will not be deterred by politicians putting votes over protecting the citizens of this nation,” Brophy said. MASSACHUSETTS GOP SLAMS LIBERAL LEADERS AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ACCUSED OF CHILD RAPE ARRESTED BY ICE Brophy’s response came after ICE Buffalo announced the arrest of a Brazilian national who had a slew of local charges as well as charges in his home country of Brazil. The agency said that the unidentified migrant had pending charges for strangulation and endangering the welfare of a child. He was also under investigation in Brazil for several crimes, including homicide. TRUMP CONFIRMS SUPPORT FOR MAJOR STEP IN MASS DEPORTATION PUSH TO ‘REVERSE THE BIDEN INVASION’ “This is the second case in as many days of ERO Buffalo officers arresting a foreign national attempting to outrun his criminal past by illegally entering the United States,” Brophy said. He said that this case is a reminder of the dangers of the state’s sanctuary status for migrants. DENVER MAYOR MIKE JOHNSTON SAYS TRUMP’S MASS DEPORTATIONS WILL CREATE ‘TIANANMEN SQUARE MOMENT’ “These cases highlight the dangers of ‘sanctuary’ jurisdictions and state policies that obstruct law enforcement from cooperating with ERO,” Brophy said. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has said that New York, which has seen over 220,000 migrants arrive in the city since spring 2022, has been “devastated” by the surge of migrants. The New York Times reported that Manuel Castro, New York’s commissioner of migrant affairs, has vowed not to follow “the instructions of the federal government in cases of mass deportations.” Castro’s statement reflects a trend by state and local officials saying they would reject President-elect Trump’s immigration policies. Trump campaigned, in part, on enforcing stringent immigration laws and deporting migrants. ‘SANCTUARY’ CITY MAYOR VOWS SHE WILL DEFY TRUMP’S MASS DEPORTATION PUSH: ‘CAUSING WIDESPREAD FEAR’ In Illinois, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker promised to uphold sanctuary status, boldly declaring, “If you come for my people, you come through me.” In Los Angeles, Democratic Mayor Karen Bass was instrumental in passing a local ordinance limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. “Especially in the face of growing threats to the immigrant communities here in Los Angeles, I stand with the people of this city,” Bass said. “This moment demands urgency. Immigrant protections make our communities stronger and our city better.” In Denver, Democratic Mayor Mike Johnston pledged to resist Trump’s proposed immigration policies, predicting a “Tiananmen Square moment” if federal immigration officials attempted to do their job. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS “More than us having DPD [Denver Police Department] stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there,” Johnston told the Denverite. “It’s like the Tiananmen Square moment with the rose and the gun, right? You’d have every one of those Highland moms who came out for the migrants.” Trump has vowed to initiate deportation efforts on his first day back in office, recently saying he would be open to declaring a national emergency and using the military to make it happen. Trump’s commitment to closing the border was cemented by his pick for “border czar,” Tom Homan, who served as the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the first Trump administration. “If you don’t want to work with us, then get the hell out all the way. We’re going to do it,’ Homan recently said. Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE Buffalo and Hochul’s office for comment.
California entrepreneur who led minimum wage measure ‘disappointed’ by defeat, vows to fight for working class
Joe Sanberg, the entrepreneur and anti-poverty advocate who spearheaded a recently defeated state ballot measure to raise California’s minimum wage, said he felt “frustrated and disappointed” by the loss, but vowed to continue advocating for struggling Californians. Proposition 32, which would have raised the state’s minimum wage from $16 to $18 per hour by 2026, narrowly failed at the ballot box 50.8% to 49.2%. The measure was pushed by Sanberg, a progressive business leader, investor and co-founder of the socially-conscious financial firm Aspiration. OPPONENTS OF FAILED CALIFORNIA MEASURE TO RAISE MINIMUM WAGE SAY VOTERS ‘MADE THE RIGHT CALL’ “I thought it was going to pass by a narrow margin,” he told Fox News Digital. “I’m frustrated and disappointed that we lost by a narrow margin. I also recognize that… people are very angry and frustrated about inflation, and they don’t know who and where to blame.” “We should all be able to agree that if you work full-time, you should be able to afford life’s basic needs,” he added. “And there are millions of Californians for whom that is not the case.” Advocates of Prop 32 said roughly 2 million workers, including hotel and grocery store employees, stood to benefit from the measure, The Associated Press reported. In recent years, California has raised its minimum wage in an effort to offset increased costs for housing, gas and other necessities. In April, fast-food restaurants in the state with 60 or more locations were mandated to start paying their employees at least $20 per hour. Business groups, including the California Chamber of Commerce, California Restaurant Association and California Grocers Association, opposed Prop 32, saying high labor costs would hurt small businesses, as well as lead to an increase in prices for customers. “It’s understandable that policymakers, and even many Californians, might be allured and attracted to the concept of a few extra dollars in someone’s pocket, but unfortunately, they did not seem to understand the economic fallout of that kind of concept,” John Kabateck, the California director for the National Federation of Independent Business, told Fox News Digital. GAVIN NEWSOM: CRITICS SAID CALIFORNIA’S MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE WOULD BE A JOB-KILLER. THE OPPOSITE HAPPENED Opponents also argued that raising the minimum wage too fast would result in job losses. “When a worker loses a job, or the company goes out of business, the wage is ZERO DOLLARS PER HOUR,” business leaders wrote in their official ballot argument. Sanberg has spent years advocating for anti-poverty legislation and raising awareness about California’s tax credit that helps lift people out of financial uncertainty. Despite the loss at the ballot box, Sanberg said he remained optimistic. He noted that in Imperial County, which sits east of San Diego on the California-Mexico border, President-elect Trump made significant gains with voters, despite Vice President Kamala Harris winning the overall vote count there. “It’s clear that working-class voters are in favor of raising the minimum wage. To me, that sends a message about how we can get both parties working toward making work pay better,” Sanberg said. Moving forward, Sanberg, who grew up with a single parent who struggled financially, said he plans to keep advocating for better pay for workers so they can at least afford the basics. “I’m open to every approach to get us to that outcome. But that’s the outcome that we ought to pursue. I just can’t imagine that we can be satisfied with anything less than that,” he said. “What is more American than the idea of working full-time and knowing that you can afford your house, your transportation, your food and your health care?” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “That is not some aspiration. That’s a basic covenant that I think all Americans are taught to believe that we have with each other,” he added. “I think that covenant has been broken now for some time for tens of millions of working-class people around the country.”
Here’s how the US and Israel could thwart Iran’s nuclear efforts under a new Trump administration
President-elect Trump will take office just as Iran has the potential to become the world’s 10th nuclear-armed state, and it’s unclear if either side knows how it will approach the other. Judging by Trump’s last time in office, it would suggest he would come out the gate with a combative tone — having instituted a “maximum pressure” campaign to “bankrupt” the regime. His secretary of state pick, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has been an unyielding Iran hawk in the Senate. After the regime fired 200 missiles toward Tel Aviv last month, Rubio said: “Only threatening the survival of the regime through maximum pressure and direct and disproportionate measures has a chance to influence and alter their criminal activities.” That could reinstate — and eliminate — any waivers for oil sanctions. It could mean threatening not to conduct business with countries that buy Iranian fuel products. Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., Trump’s pick for national security adviser, is of a similar mind. Last month, when the Biden administration urged Israel to keep its counterstrikes “proportional,” Waltz slammed President Biden for pressuring Israel “once again to do less than it should.” He suggested Israel strike oil facilities on Kharg Island and Iran’s nuclear plants in Natanz, a move the Biden team feared Iran would deem escalatory. Last month, Trump appeared to rule out the U.S. getting involved in any effort to take out Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameini and his government. “We can’t get totally involved in all that. We can’t run ourselves, let’s face it,” he said. “I would like to see Iran be very successful. The only thing is, they can’t have a nuclear weapon.” Trump has said he does not want Iran to have nuclear weapons, but has not laid out how he would stop it from doing so. “I’m not looking to be bad to Iran, we’re going to be friendly, I hope, with Iran, maybe, but maybe not. But we’re going to be friendly, I hope, we’re going to be friendly, but they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” he said at a New Jersey press conference in August. Last month, Trump suggested Israel strike Iran’s nuclear facilities. Following the Iranian missile attacks, he suggested Israel should “hit the nuclear first and worry about the rest later.” On Thursday, Iran said it was activating “advanced” centrifuges after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors censured it for failing to cooperate with the U.N. nuclear watchdog. Without cooperation, the world is in the dark about how quickly Iran is advancing its technological capabilities to use its uranium fuel for a bomb. “We will significantly increase enrichment capacity,” Behrouz Kamalvandi, Iran’s atomic energy organization spokesman, said after the censure. IRAN HIDING MISSILE, DRONE PROGRAMS UNDER GUISE OF COMMERCIAL FRONT TO EVADE SANCTIONS What’s standing between Iran and a fully formed nuclear weapon is both a political and a technological question. While the nation has enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon, the process of turning that into a warhead could take anywhere from six to 12 months, according to Nicole Grajewski, nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “That’s when Iran would be most vulnerable to attack,” she said. “Iran could probably make a dirty bomb from its current stockpile.” Over the years, Iran’s nuclear progress has been set back by international sanctions, COVID-19, high-profile assassinations of its nuclear scientists and attacks and sabotage on its nuclear facilities led by Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad. And announcing they have a nuclear weapon could threaten Iran’s longtime goal of regional hegemony. “Iran is less isolated than it was four years ago, but it’s still pretty isolated. Announcing they are nuclear would trigger an arms race in the Middle East,” predicted Simone Leeden, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East. “Saudi Arabia and the UAE would decide they will pursue nuclear weapons the minute Iran declares it has its own. Another action they could and would take is deepening ties with Israel.” IRAN VASTLY INCREASED NUCLEAR FUEL STOCKPILE AHEAD OF TRUMP RETURN, UN AGENCY FINDS Iran also understands that producing a nuclear bomb would likely evoke a military response from Israel and the U.S. under Trump. After years of trying to assassinate Trump, the Iranians don’t seem to have figured out whether to approach the U.S. relationship under Trump with a combative or diplomatic tone. Just last month, they told President Biden they would not make any efforts to kill the president-elect going forward. “I think that there’s been a lot of mixed signaling from the kind of Trump transition team is, you know, you see Brian Hook being appointed, who was behind this maximum pressure and sanctions,” said Grajewski. But then, on the other hand, Trump envoy Elon Musk reportedly met with Iranian officials to discuss how the two nations could dial back tensions. “I think that he is being opaque on purpose,” said Leeden. “I don’t think he wants to show his cards as a negotiator.” “In all likelihood, maximum pressure is going to be restored,” said Behnam Taleblu, Iran expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “U.S. partners are asking now, to what end? Is it towards regime collapse? Is it towards a deal? What if the Iranians don’t negotiate in good faith?” Former Israeli officials have suggested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might be emboldened to strike Iranian nuclear facilities with the go-ahead from the Trump administration. But a lot of Iran’s centrifuge and enrichment facilities are deep underground, complicating a bombing campaign against them. To get to them, Israel would need the U.S.’ Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP), or “bunkbuster bombs.” “It would require U.S. involvement — either the direct transfer of this, which is currently not really discussed — that would be pretty escalatory — or Israel getting the United States to also conduct this mission,” said Grajewski. The Trump team will also place a high priority on bringing Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords, solidifying the Sunni Muslim alliance against Iran. But