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Year: 2025

RFK Jr. fires 2 top aides at HHS in staff shakeup

RFK Jr. fires 2 top aides at HHS in staff shakeup

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired two of his top aides.  The biographies of Heather Flick Melanson, his chief of staff, and Hannah Anderson, deputy chief of staff of policy, are no longer pictured on the department’s leadership page.  “Secretary Kennedy has made a leadership change within the Immediate Office of the Secretary,” an HHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Effective immediately, Matt Buckham will serve as Acting Chief of Staff.”  “Mr. Buckham currently serves as the Kennedy’s White House liaison at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he oversees the recruitment and onboarding of political appointees across the agency. He brings valuable experience in personnel strategy and organizational management to this new role,” the spokesperson added.  BIDEN-APPOINTED JUDGE HALTS TRUMP HHS OVERHAUL AFTER DEMOCRAT-LED LAWSUIT  “Secretary Kennedy thanks the outgoing leadership for their service and looks forward to working closely with Mr. Buckham as the Department continues advancing its mission to Make America Healthy Again,” the spokesperson also said.  Melanson is a lawyer who previously served in multiple top roles at HHS during the first Trump administration.  MEDICAL GROUPS URGE KENNEDY, FDA TO REEXAMINE BROAD APPROVAL OF ABORTION DRUGS  She previously was HHS’ acting general counsel before becoming its acting secretary for administration and then eventually a senior adviser to then-HHS Secretary Alex Azar.  Prior to joining HHS for the first time, Flick was an attorney at Dhillon Law Group, a firm founded by Harmeet Dhillon, who Trump has tapped this time around to be his assistant attorney general.  “Heather Flick is outstanding and will most definitely help soon to be Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,” former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn said in a post on X after news of Flick’s new role.  Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report. 

Dem Disorder: DNC squabbles play out in NYC mayoral race for all to see

Dem Disorder: DNC squabbles play out in NYC mayoral race for all to see

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani’s stunning Democratic Party primary victory in the nation’s most populous city appears to be the gift that keeps on giving for Republicans aiming to paint Democrats as extreme radicals. Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley told Fox News Digital this week that Mamdani “is the face of the new Democratic Party” and argued that “everybody who wants to lead that party wants to lead it to the left.” But for Democrats, the capturing of the party’s nomination by the 33-year-old Ugandan-born state assemblyman from Queens is more complicated. The victory by Mamdani, who convincingly topped former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates last month to take a big step toward becoming the city’s first Muslim and first millennial mayor, has put long-standing divisions within the Democratic Party back in the national spotlight. TOP REPUBLICAN CLAIMS MAMDANI ‘FACE OF THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY’ It has reignited ongoing debates within the party between its more moderate and progressive wings, and between outsiders and the establishment, and highlighted the Democrats’ generational divide. And it’s inflamed the debate over whether the party’s policy or messaging was to blame for last November’s election setbacks, when Democrats lost control of the White House and Senate and failed to win back the House majority, and whether the party needs to veer to the left or the center to escape the political wilderness. POTUS PUNDITRY: TRUMP WEIGHS IN ON MAMDANI-CUOMO NYC MAYORAL FACEOFF  Many of those fault lines were rocked earlier this year, as then-Democratic National Committee (DNC) vice chair David Hogg sparked a firestorm within over his efforts to back primary challenges against what he called “asleep at the wheel” older, longtime incumbents in safe, blue House districts. The 25-year-old Hogg, the gun-control crusader who, as a teenager, survived a horrific school shooting in Florida, later stepped down from his vice chair position and left the DNC due to the controversy. “Democrats continue to have a fissure in their own party, which has been made worse by Mamdani’s candidacy,” Wayne Lesperance, a veteran political scientist and the president of New England College, told Fox News Digital. Democratic strategist Lauren Hitt, who worked for Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, served on the Biden-Harris 2024 presidential campaign, and this year helped a super PAC boost Mamdani, told Fox News that his primary victory was a “clear rejection of the old guard.” It’s a similar take from Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. “Zohran Mamdani’s likely victory shows that a new direction for the Democratic Party is possible – a future of dynamic candidates who appeal to young voters and working-class voters with a platform that fights for people, not corporations,” Taylor highlighted. REPUBLICANS RELENTLESSLY USE MAMDANI AS ‘SOCIALIST’ CUDGEL TO BASH VULNERABLE DEMOCRATS Even Matt Bennett, executive vice president for the moderate Democratic-aligned group the Third Way, acknowledged that Mamdani “focused on affordability,” which he said is “great.” Bennett added that Mamdani is “young, charismatic, a great communicator. All that is great. We want to see that.” But Bennett told Fox News “the problem is he has the wrong prescription.” Mamdani’s victory over the 67-year-old Cuomo was also a victory for millennial Democrats against the old guard. “I think there is a definite transition happening in the Democratic Party, perhaps not as quickly as folks would like to see, between the next generation of leaders stepping up,” Democratic strategist Lucas Meyer told Fox News. Meyer, the former longtime president of the New Hampshire Young Democrats, and founder of the advocacy group 603 Forward, spotlighted that “people are looking for that next generation and I think that’s where the energy resides in the party.” And pointing to the next White House race, where the very early moves are underway, he added: “I hope this definitely motivates younger candidates to start looking at the presidential race.” But Mamdani’s victory was not repeated in Tuesday’s Democratic primary in a special congressional election in Arizona, where the 54-year-old daughter of late Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva took a big step toward succeeding her father in Congress. Former Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva convincingly topped four other candidates in the heavily blue district. Deja Foxx, a 25-year-old social media influencer and progressive activist who was hoping to follow in Mamdani’s footsteps by pulling off a stunning, come-from-behind victory, surged in the final weeks of the campaign but came up short. She finished second, ahead of a well-known local lawmaker and two other candidates. Foxx, who grabbed national attention in part for her social media posts, was backed by Hogg, who campaigned with the candidate this past weekend in southern Arizona. Michael Ceraso, a longtime Democratic strategist and veteran of statewide and presidential campaigns, said Mamdani and Foxx are “two very clear examples of the party moving in a direction that the establishment may feel uncomfortable with because they don’t necessarily know how to navigate that.” And he argued that “the electorate is moving in a very particular direction.” Mamdani, meanwhile, is giving Republicans plenty of fodder. He’s proposed eliminating fares to ride New York City’s vast bus system, making CUNY (City University of New York) “tuition-free,” freezing rents on municipal housing, offering “free childcare” for children up to age 5 and setting up government-run grocery stores. Also fueling the Republican attacks are recent news items that have gone viral. They include a 2020 photo Mamdani posted online that shows him flipping off a statue of Christopher Columbus, stories about comments Mamdani made last December when he said as mayor he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his recent comments in a cable news interview that “I have many critiques of capitalism.” Republicans have been relentless in trying to anchor Mamdani to Democrats across the country who are running in competitive races in elections this year and in next year’s midterms. “He certainly is going to fit right into that upper echelon of Democrats who are vying for a lead in that party,” Whatley said of

FIRST ON FOX: Red state investigating M&Ms and Skittles manufacturer for ‘deceptive’ practices

FIRST ON FOX: Red state investigating M&Ms and Skittles manufacturer for ‘deceptive’ practices

Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton is launching an investigation into M&Ms and Skittles manufacturer Mars for alleged “deceptive and illegal practices” regarding the company’s use of artificial dyes in its candies. In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, Paxton’s office tied the investigation to the attorney general’s effort to be a “nationwide leader in fighting alongside” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Donald Trump’s Make America Healthy Again initiative to “help Americans get healthier by holding accountable big food companies who violate the law and deceive consumers about their ingredients.” Paxton’s office is asserting that Mars’ alleged misrepresentation of artificial dyes in some of its candies, including M&Ms and Skittles, constitutes deceptive trade practices that run afoul of Texas consumers’ rights. The attorney general further pointed out that while Mars continues to use artificial colors in its products in the U.S., it has stopped doing so in Europe. AMERICA’S DAIRY FARMERS AND ICE CREAM PRODUCERS AGREE TO QUIT USING ARTIFICIAL COLORS “While we do not comment on active proceedings, all Mars Wrigley ingredients are manufactured in compliance with strict quality and safety regulations established by food safety authorities, including the FDA,” a Mars spokesperson told Fox News Digital. In 2016, Mars committed to removing all artificial colors from all its human food products, which at the time it said was “part of a commitment to meet evolving consumer preferences.” The company said that though it believed “artificial colors pose no known risks to human health or safety,” it was making the change because “consumers today are calling on food manufacturers to use more natural ingredients in their products.” Mars said that “against this backdrop, Mars will work closely with its suppliers to find alternatives that not only meet its strict quality and safety standards, but also maintain the vibrant, fun colors consumers have come to expect from the company’s beloved brands.” In a later update, however, Mars said it had found that “many of our consumers across the world do not, in fact, find artificial colors to be ingredients of concern” and “for that reason, we will continue to prioritize our efforts to remove artificial colors in Europe — where consumers have expressed this preference — but will not be removing all artificial colors from our Mars Snacking portfolio in other markets.” FDA COMMISSIONER BACKS MAHA PUSH TO IMPROVE FOOD SAFETY In Paxton’s statement, his office said that “Mars also falsely claimed that ‘artificial colors pose no known risks to human health or safety,’ which could not be further from the truth as these dyes have been linked to a number of negative health outcomes, including Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism, and even cancer.” The statement said that Paxton has issued a Civil Investigative Demand to obtain documents from Mars as part of the investigation.  “Mars must remove toxic artificial dyes from its U.S. food products not only to honor its public commitment and ensure that it stays on the right side of the law, but also because it’s the right thing to do,” Paxton said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital.   “It’s clear that the movement to remove artificial colorings from our food supply is making incredible progress, and it’s time for Mars to follow the lead of other companies like Nestle and Hershey by removing synthetic dyes from its products,” he went on, adding, “For the health of Texans and all Americans, Mars must fulfill its 2016 pledge to get rid of these toxic ingredients.” WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO REPORTS OF MARS INC PUSHING BACK ON ELIMINATING FOOD DYES White House Senior Advisor on Make America Healthy Again Calley Means has slammed Mars for refusing to remove artificial colors from its products, saying, “this is commonsense” and “these are petroleum-based dyes that have no nutritional value.”  This follows Paxton launching a similar investigation into General Mills, after which the company committed to removing artificial dyes from its products. The Texas attorney general has also targeted Kellogg’s for allegedly violating the state’s consumer protection laws by claiming to have removed dyes in its foods. Paxton is currently running to unseat Republican Sen. John Cornyn. Last week, Paxton’s wife of 38-years, Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton, announced that she had filed for divorce on “biblical grounds.”

Federal housing official submitted Schiff criminal referral to DOJ over mortgage documents

Federal housing official submitted Schiff criminal referral to DOJ over mortgage documents

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., has been referred to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution regarding mortgage documents.  The director of the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in May citing alleged misconduct by Schiff, who owns homes in California and Maryland.  “Based on media reports, Mr. Adam B. Schiff has, in multiple instances, falsified bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms, impacting payments from 2003-2019 for a Potomac, Maryland-based property,” FHFA Director William Pulte wrote in the letter, which Fox News obtained on Wednesday. “As regulator of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks, we take very seriously allegations of mortgage fraud or other criminal activity. Such misconduct jeopardizes the safety and soundness of FHFA’s regulated entities and the security and stability of the U.S. mortgage market.”  On Monday, Pulte received a memo from the Fannie Mae financial crimes investigations concluding that Schiff allegedly engaged in “a sustained pattern of possible occupancy misrepresentation” on five Fannie Mae loans, Fox News has learned.  SCHIFF RESPONDS TO TRUMP ACCUSATIONS, CALLS FOR HIS REMOVAL FROM OFFICE It is unclear if the Justice Department is pursing action against Schiff at this time, but earlier this week, President Donald Trump did demand his longtime foe be brought to justice for the alleged mortgage fraud scheme.  Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department for more information, but they did not immediately respond. Schiff and his wife purchased a home in Potomac, Maryland, in 2003 for $870,000, according to the letter. They entered into a Fannie Mae-backed mortgage agreement for $610,000 at a rate of 5.625% over a term of 30 years, asserting the property would be their primary and principal residence.  The letter said they reaffirmed that the Maryland home was their primary residence in mortgage refinancing filings in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013, despite Schiff being an elected official representing the state of California at the same time.  Fox News obtained a copy of the 2011 affidavit showing Schiff signed certifying that the Maryland house is his primary residence.  Pulte said Schiff and his wife did not list the Maryland home as their secondary residence until 2020.  Over the same time frame, Schiff took a homeowner’s tax exemption on a condo that he owns in Burbank, California, also claiming that home as his primary residence for a $7,000 reduction off of the 1% property tax, Pulte wrote, citing media reports.  In 2023, the letter notes, a spokesperson for Schiff asserted that “Adam’s primary residence is Burbank, California, and will remain so when he wins the Senate seat.” “Primary residence mortgages receive more favorable loan terms, including lower interest rates, than secondary residence mortgages,” the letter said. “Lenders view secondary residence mortgages as significantly riskier, as a borrower is more likely to continue paying off a primary residence mortgage during any financial hardship. Interest rates on secondary residence mortgages are typically between 0.25-0.50% higher than their primary residence counterparts; however, this gap can widen depending on the lender.”  TRUMP ACCUSES ‘SCAM ARTIST’ SCHIFF OF LYING ABOUT MARYLAND HOME TO COMMIT MORTGAGE FRAUD The federal housing official wrote that he believes Schiff’s alleged misconduct could be violations of federal criminal codes banning wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud and false statements to financial institutions.  Schiff “appears to have falsified records in order to receive favorable loan terms, and also appears to have been aware of the financial benefits of a primary residence mortgage when compared to a secondary residence mortgage,” Pulte wrote.  According to the letter, a spokesperson for Schiff in 2023 told CNN that, “Adam’s California and Maryland addresses have been listed as primary residences for loan purposes because they are both occupied throughout the year and to distinguish them from a vacation property.”  Last year, the letter notes, a federal jury convicted Marilyn Mosby of making false statements on a mortgage application for a Florida condominium when she was the Baltimore City state’s attorney.  The letter also cited how a St. Louis man pleaded guilty last month to fraudulently obtaining home mortgages “after the hard work of our agency’s IG and the DOJ.”  “There are unfortunately too many examples of individuals who commit fraud or mortgage fraud,” Pulte wrote. “As always, we look forward to cooperating with the Department of Justice to support any actions that the Department of Justice finds appropriate. U.S. Federal Housing FHFA appreciates the Department of Justice’s support in ensuring the protection of American homebuyers and taxpayers from mortgage fraud and other financial misconduct.” Trump took to social media on Tuesday demanding Schiff be held accountable.  “I have always suspected Shifty Adam Schiff was a scam artist. And now I learn that Fannie Mae’s Financial Crimes Division have concluded that Adam Schiff has engaged in a sustained pattern of possible Mortgage Fraud,” Trump wrote in part on TRUTH Social. “Mortgage Fraud is very serious, and CROOKED Adam Schiff (now a Senator) needs to be brought to justice.”  Schiff, a congressman until his 2024 election to the upper chamber, spearheaded the House Intelligence Committee impeachment inquiry into Trump for requesting that Ukraine investigate Joe Biden, whose son Hunter held a lucrative gig at a Ukrainian natural gas company during his vice presidency. Schiff also issued multiple subpoenas and held multiple hearings alleging Trump “colluded” with Russia.  Schiff released a video statement Tuesday reacting to the mortgage fraud claims, saying Trump has long threatened to prosecute him.  “He’s accused me of treason, he’s also accused me of leaking classified information, he’s accused me of fraud, it’s been basically one thing after another, all baseless, all without merit,” Schiff said. “It’s nothing new – but his attacks on the rule of law are more dangerous than ever.”

RNC chair says ‘big, beautiful bill’ key part of GOP’s strategy to win seats in midterm elections

RNC chair says ‘big, beautiful bill’ key part of GOP’s strategy to win seats in midterm elections

EXCLUSIVE – As he looks ahead to next year’s midterm elections, when the GOP will be defending its House and Senate majorities, Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Michael Whatley is spotlighting the so-called “big beautiful bill.” “It’s our agenda,” Whatley said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, as he pointed to the sweeping Republican-crafted domestic policy bill that President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4. Looking back to last year’s elections, when the GOP won back the White House and control of the Senate and held onto their razor-thin House majority, Whatley said, “We won in 2024 because President Trump said that he was going to rebuild our economy. He’s going to restore our southern border. He’s going to keep our kids in our community safe, and he’s going to make America the strongest country on the planet.” “This bill is the embodiment of that agenda,” he highlighted. FIRST ON FOX: HOUSE REPUBLICANS LAUNCH FIRST ADS TOUTING ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ And Whatley said the tax cuts and spending measure, which narrowly passed the House and Senate two weeks ago along near-party lines, will be the “cornerstone” of RNC messaging going forward. The measure is stuffed full of Trump’s 2024 campaign trail promises and second-term priorities on tax cuts, immigration, defense, energy and the debt limit.  It includes extending the president’s signature 2017 tax cuts and eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay.  By making his first-term tax rates permanent – they were set to expire later this year – the bill will cut taxes by nearly $4.4 trillion over the next decade, according to analysis by the Congressional Budget Office and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.  POLITICAL FIGHT OVER ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’ IS FRONT-AND-CENTER IN KEY SENATE RACE The measure also provides billions for border security and codifies the president’s controversial immigration crackdown. And the new law also restructures Medicaid – the almost 60-year-old federal program that provides health coverage to roughly 71 million low-income Americans.  The changes to Medicaid, as well as cuts to food stamps, another one of the nation’s major safety net programs, were drafted in part as an offset to pay for extending Trump’s tax cuts. The measure includes a slew of new rules and regulations, including work requirements for many of those seeking Medicaid coverage. The $3.4 trillion legislative package is also projected to surge the national debt by $4 trillion over the next decade. Democrats, for months, have repeatedly blasted Republicans over the social safety net changes. And they spotlighted a slew of national polls conducted last month, before the measure was passed into law, that indicate the bill’s popularity in negative territory. “Michael Whatley is spewing complete BS,” Democratic National Committee vice chair Malcolm Kenyatta charged in a statement to Fox News. “Whatley continues to be blatantly dishonest.” Kenyatta noted that “the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects Trump’s bill will kick 17 million Americans off of their health care. Period, end of story. So if you’re not a billionaire, you’re getting screwed over.” And Kenyatta argued that “this betrayal has Republicans running scared and will be the reason why they lose their majority in the midterms.” WHAT’S ACTUALLY IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’ The party in power, currently the Republicans, traditionally faces stiff political headwinds in midterm elections. But Whatley says Republicans are not resting on their laurels following the passage of the domestic policy package. “We’re not just going to take this bill and say, ‘Hey, we’re done.’ We’re not going to pat ourselves on the back or do a victory lap.” He spotlighted the president’s efforts on tariffs and added that “we need regulatory relief at every federal department and agency that is ongoing every single day, and we’re already going to see additional legislation that’s coming out of Congress that’s going to help rein in spending and make sure that we have the rescissions that we need to have as well.” Whatley predicted that “when the American voters can see that President Trump and the Republicans in the House and the Senate are delivering on the promises that they made, and they won with in 2024, that’s going to give us the ability to swim upstream and make sure that we’re going to expand those majorities in the House and the Senate in ’26.” The RNC chair also touted that “we’re seeing very healthy fundraising.” But Whatley reiterated his long-standing caution that “the Democrats are going to raise a ton of money as well. They always outspend the Republicans.” And he touted, “We’re going to win because of the environment. We’re going to win because we’re going to have better candidates running better races.”