Nobel laureate letter opposing RFK Jr confirmation loaded with Dem donors, officials: ‘Thinly veiled attempt’
A letter signed by 77 Nobel laureates opposing the confirmation of Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. being touted as a reason to oppose him is almost entirely composed of political donors, many of them who supported Democrat campaigns. “In view of his record, placing Mr. Kennedy in charge of DHHS would put the public’s health in jeopardy and undermine America’s global leadership in the health sciences, in both the public and commercial sectors,” more than 75 Nobel laureates wrote in an open letter published by the New York Times last month. A Fox News Digital review found that at least 60 of the signatories are political donors, mostly to Democratic campaigns, including Steven Chu, who served as former President Barack Obama’s secretary of Energy. Chu gave $5,400 to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016. Nobel Medicine Laureate Joseph L. Goldstein, who also signed the letter, has donated tens of thousands of dollars to Democrats, including former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, former President Joe Biden and the Democrat-aligned SMP Super PAC. RFK JR.’S PLAN TO COMBAT ADDICTION: ‘WELLNESS FARMS’ American economist George A. Akerlof, who is married to Biden Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, also signed the letter on top of donating $25,000 to Biden in 2020 and $20,000 to the DCCC in 2018. Akerlof signed a letter in June of last year warning of the economic dangers of electing President Donald Trump back into office, which was amplified by the Biden campaign and other Biden surrogates and also littered with signatories who have either donated to Biden or supported him politically in the past. Akerlof, who donated nearly $90,000 to Democrats between the 1990s and 2022, also signed a letter supporting Build Back Better, and signed a letter in 2020 calling Trump’s re-election effort “selfish and reckless.” Louis E. Brus, an American chemist who signed the letter, is a frequent Democrat donor, including sending $2,000 to Biden’s campaign. Chemists Walter Gilbert, Johann Deisenhofer, Alan Heeger and Brian K. Kobilka also donated to Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former Vice President Kamala Harris, Obama, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. HEALTH EXPERTS PREP DEM LAWMAKERS ON ANTI-VACCINE ARGUMENTS AHEAD OF RFK JR’S CONFIRMATION HEARINGS Other signatories include Planned Parenthood donor David Baltimore, John Kerry donor Michael Rosbash, former President Bill Clinton NIH Director Harold E. Varmus and Adam Schiff donor Kip Stephen Thorne. “If there’s one thing Americans should understand about politics, it’s that things are rarely as they seem,” Camryn Kinsey, executive director of Confirm 47, told Fox News Digital. “This letter appears to be nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt by special interests to block a critical Cabinet nomination. The fact that one of the signers is a former Obama Cabinet official, and that the majority are Democrat donors, tells you everything you need to know.” Kennedy is also facing a million-dollar opposition campaign from Protect Our Care, which is backed by the dark money group Sixteen Thirty Fund that is not required to disclose its donors, Politico reported. The dark money fund is a group “committed to tackling society’s biggest social challenges” such as climate change and gun reform, brought in $181 million, spending about $141 million in 2023. Kennedy, who has been criticized by both sides of the aisle for previous positions on vaccines and his stance on abortion, will have his first confirmation hearing Wednesday at 10 a.m. On top of facing opposition from experts in the New York Times letter and other petitions, Kennedy has faced support in the medical community, including an initiative backed by IMA Action, a coalition of over 15,000 healthcare professionals, who are rallying support for Kennedy. “Our coalition is broad, highly active and deeply committed to much needed healthcare reform,” Lynne Kristensen, Communications Director for IMA Action, said in a statement. “We’re going to push back against the falsehoods of the Pharma-financed opposition to RFK Jr., and our healthcare professionals will be exceedingly active with their home state senators, policy makers and public health agencies.” “The Kennedy and other HHS confirmations are about restoring health to America’s healthcare system, and IMA Action is excited for health reform to be at the forefront of the national conversation.”
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Trump to create task force to plan ‘extraordinary celebration’ for 250th anniversary of America’s independence
EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump will sign an executive order Wednesday establishing a White House task force focused on coordinating the plans and activities surrounding the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence, Fox News Digital has learned. The president’s order will organize a “grand celebration of the semiquincentennial of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence.” The 250th anniversary of America’s founding is July 4, 2026. TRUMP VOWS ‘NEW ERA OF NATIONAL SUCCESS,’ SAYS AMERICA’S ‘DECLINE IS OVER’ IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS The task force, which will be named “Task Force 250,” will “coordinate the plans and activities of federal agencies for an extraordinary celebration of the 250thh Anniversary of American Independence.” Task Force 250 will build upon the U.S. Bicentennial Celebration half a century ago. The White House told Fox News Digital that the celebration “emphasized national renewal of our founding ideals after a period of national unrest and division.” DONALD TRUMP SWORN IN AS 47TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES The order, which Trump is set to sign Wednesday, will also reinstate executive orders from his first administration that would establish the National Garden of American Heroes, a statuary park memorializing 250 historically significant Americans, and commission artists for the first 100 statues. Fox News Digital has learned that the National Garden of American Heroes will honor “American heroism” after dozens of monuments to Americans, including presidents and founding fathers, were toppled or destroyed and never restored. The order also reinstates an order to protect American monuments, memorials and statues from destruction or vandalism. AMERICA WILL BE CELEBRATING ITS 250TH BIRTHDAY AND EVERYONE’S INVITED: ‘BE INSPIRED FOR OUR COUNTRY’S FUTURE’ The White House said America’s 250th anniversary will “afford an opportunity to unite the American people around their shared history and common future as a nation.” The order, according to White House officials, also continues Trump’s “longstanding commitment to honor America’s 250th anniversary and celebrate American history.” During Trump’s first address to a joint session of Congress in February 2017, he cited the upcoming semiquincentennial and noted that “in nine years the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding, 250 years since the day we declared our Independence.” The executive orders that Wednesday’s order reinstates were signed in 2020 and 2021 and were created to protect American monuments during unrest and violence in cities during protests and the COVID-19 pandemic.
DOGE Chair Joni Ernst takes on food stamps in new bill to hold states ‘accountable’
FIRST ON FOX: The chair of the Senate Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) caucus is leading an effort to cut what she says is significant waste in food stamp programs. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, is debuting a new bill on Wednesday designed to tackle overpayments in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), colloquially known as “food stamps.” PETE BUTTIGIEG GIVING ‘SERIOUS LOOK’ TO 2026 SENATE RUN IN TRUMP-WON MICHIGAN “Bureaucratic blunders are leaving billions of dollars on the table as Americans are starved to keep up with the ever-growing $36 trillion debt,” she told Fox News Digital in a statement. “SNAP plays an essential role in helping feed families. That’s why we need to strengthen its integrity by holding states accountable for growing error rates, implementing a zero-tolerance policy, and snapping back overpayments.” GARY PETERS, DEMOCRATIC SENATOR FROM TRUMP STATE, WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION The Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act would charge states with collecting back SNAP overpayments while also requiring states to return what is owed to the federal government. The measure would further hold states accountable for their rates of errors in SNAP payment distribution in order to incentivize finance management. Ernst’s legislation would also require that every error is reported rather than only those that exceed the tolerance threshold of $54. TRUMP’S MOST VULNERABLE NOMINEES RFK JR, TULSI GABBARD GET BACK-TO-BACK HEARINGS Ernst estimated that her bill could reduce spending by about $91 billion over the next 10 years, per her office. DOGE was previously announced by President Donald Trump, who tapped billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the new advisory board looking to cut government waste. However, it was recently confirmed that Ramaswamy is stepping back from DOGE as he plans to run for governor of Ohio. PETE HEGSETH CONFIRMED TO LEAD PENTAGON AFTER VP VANCE CASTS TIE-BREAKING VOTE Shortly after Trump revealed his plan for DOGE, Republicans in the House and Senate formed caucuses by the same name to help facilitate his agenda and cut waste, bureaucracy and spending. Ernst has already introduced several bills aligned with DOGE’s mission.
Scoop: Trump HHS secretary nominee RFK Jr to stress he’s not ‘anti-vaccine’ at confirmation hearing
EXCLUSIVE: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will emphasize that he is not “anti-vaccine” when he appears Wednesday in Congress at the first of two straight days of Senate confirmation hearings. “I want to make sure the Committee is clear about a few things. News reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. Well, I am neither; I am pro-safety,” Kennedy will say in his opening statement in front of the Senate Finance Committee. The statement was shared first with Fox News ahead of the appearance by Kennedy, who, if confirmed, would have control over 18 powerful federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. And Kennedy will emphasize he’s not “the enemy of food producers. American farms are the bedrock of our culture and national security … I want to work with our farmers and food producers to remove burdensome regulations and unleash American ingenuity.” HOW KENNEDY MAY BE TARGETED OVER HIS VACCINE VIEWS The hearing, as well as a Thursday hearing in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (a courtesy hearing as only the Senate Finance Committee will vote on Kennedy’s confirmation), are expected to be contentious because of Kennedy’s controversial vaccine views, including his repeated claims linking vaccines to autism, which have been debunked by scientific research. Kennedy also served for years as chair or chief legal counsel for Children’s Health Defense, the nonprofit organization he founded that has advocated against vaccines and sued the federal government numerous times, including a challenge over the authorization of the COVID vaccine for children. THE TAKE ON KENNEDY’S CONFIRMATION FROM FOX NEWS’ SENIOR MEDICAL ANALYST After Trump’s convincing November presidential election victory, Kennedy has said he won’t “take away anybody’s vaccines.” And in his opening statement at his confirmation hearing, Kennedy will spotlight that “all of my kids are vaccinated, and I believe vaccines have a critical role in healthcare.” But he will also say, “In my advocacy, I have disturbed the status quo by asking uncomfortable questions. Well, I won’t apologize for that. We have massive health problems in this country that we must face honestly.” HHS is a massive federal department, with approximately 90,000 people and an annual budget of roughly $1.7 trillion. And Kennedy has said he wants to shift the focus of the agencies he would oversee toward promotion of a healthy lifestyle and the root causes of chronic diseases, which has garnered some bipartisan support in Congress. Kennedy has said he would aim to overhaul dietary guidelines and take aim at ultra-processed foods, among other initiatives. “American farms are the bedrock of our culture and national security,” Kennedy is expected to say in his opening statement. “I want to work with our farmers and food producers to remove burdensome regulations and unleash American ingenuity.” He will warn that “the United States has worse health than any other developed nation, yet we spend far more on healthcare — at least double; and in some cases, triple.” TULSI GABBARD, RFK JR EXPECTED TO FACE OPPOSITION IN SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARINGS And he will “thank President Trump for entrusting me to deliver on his promise to make America healthy again.” “Should I be so privileged to be confirmed, we will make sure our tax dollars support healthy foods. We will scrutinize the chemical additives in our food supply. We will remove the financial conflicts of interest in our agencies. We will create an honest, unbiased, science-driven HHS, accountable to the President, to Congress, and to the American people. We will reverse the chronic disease epidemic and put the nation back on the road to health,” Kennedy is expected to say. The 71-year-old Kennedy, the longtime environmental activist and crusader who is the scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty, launched a long-shot campaign for the Democrat presidential nomination against then-President Biden in April 2023. But six months later, he switched to an independent run for the White House. Kennedy made major headlines again last August when he dropped his presidential bid and endorsed Trump. While Kennedy had long identified as a Democrat and repeatedly invoked his late father, former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and his late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy – who were both assassinated in the 1960s – Kennedy in recent years built relationships with far-right leaders due in part to his high-profile vaccine skepticism. Trump announced soon after the November election that he would nominate Kennedy to his Cabinet to run HHS. Opposition to Kennedy’s nomination has been fierce, with advocacy groups running ad campaigns urging senators to vote against his confirmation. Kennedy, in his opening statement, will “thank my wife Cheryl, who is with us here today; and all the members of my large extended family, for the love that they have so generously shared. Ours has always been a family devoted to public service, and I look forward to continuing that legacy.” But many members of the Kennedy family were very vocal in their opposition to his primary challenge against Biden as well as his independent White House run. And on the eve of his confirmation hearing, his well-known cousin, Caroline Kennedy, sent a letter to senators on Tuesday that charged Kennedy as one who “preys on the desperation of parents and sick children” and whose actions “have cost lives.” She seemed to be referring to Kennedy’s connection to a measles outbreak in 2019 in the Pacific Island nation of Samoa, where 83 people died. Among those vocal in their opposition to Kennedy is Democrat Gov. Josh Green of Hawaii, a former emergency room physician who traveled to Samoa to help treat the deadly measles outbreak, including vaccinating tens of thousands of individuals. “Our people deserve a Health and Human Services Secretary who champions science, supports vaccines, and is committed to lowering costs
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Senate to kick off RFK Jr, Kelly Loeffler confirmation hearings for top Trump posts
The Senate will have separate committee hearings for three of President Donald Trump’s administration nominees on Wednesday, including former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is considered one of his more vulnerable picks. At approximately 10 a.m. on Wednesday, hearings for both Kennedy in the Finance Committee and Howard Lutnick in the Commerce Committee will begin. PETE BUTTIGIEG GIVING ‘SERIOUS LOOK’ TO 2026 SENATE RUN IN TRUMP-WON MICHIGAN Trump picked Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), while Lutnick is the president’s choice for Commerce secretary. In the afternoon, Kelly Loeffler goes before the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. The hearing for Trump’s pick to lead the Small Business Administration starts at 3:30 p.m. GARY PETERS, DEMOCRATIC SENATOR FROM TRUMP STATE, WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION Several of Trump’s nominees have already been confirmed, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Transportation Secretary-designate Sean Duffy. While the Hegseth confirmation came down to the wire, with Vice President JD Vance being needed to break a tie in the Senate, there’s been some indication that other Trump nominees such as Kennedy, former Democrat Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and potentially Kash Patel will have their own uphill battles to getting confirmed. TRUMP’S MOST VULNERABLE NOMINEES RFK JR, TULSI GABBARD GET BACK-TO-BACK HEARINGS Gabbard is Trump’s choice to be director of national intelligence, and Patel is nominated to be the next attorney general. While the Finance Committee will ultimately vote on whether to advance Kennedy’s nomination to the Senate floor, he will also have a hearing on Thursday before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions because of the position’s relevance to public health. PETE HEGSETH CONFIRMED TO LEAD PENTAGON AFTER VP VANCE CASTS TIE-BREAKING VOTE Senators on both sides of the aisle in the Finance Committee are expected to ask Kennedy for clarifications on his past statements regarding vaccines and how he would apply his beliefs if confirmed to lead HHS.
Wisconsin mom urges Trump admin to launch ‘pivotal’ probe into alleged race-based discrimination against son
FIRST ON FOX: An official civil rights complaint has been filed to the Trump administration urging action in defense of a Wisconsin mother who alleges her son, who is White, was passed over being given the extra learning attention he needed due to language on the school’s website that says it prioritizes additional help for students based on race. The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) filed a Title VI civil rights complaint on Tuesday with the Department of Education’s Civil Rights office against the Green Bay Area Public School District after Colbey Decker alleged that a “troubling” and “unlawful” policy in the district “explicitly prioritizes reading support resources based on race, thereby violating the U.S. Constitution and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.” “Colbey Decker, a mom from Green Bay, Wisconsin, has a dyslexic son who was denied reading resources because he is white,” WILL said in a press release. “Not only does the GBAPS admit this practice through its ‘School Success Plan,’ which explicitly says it prioritizes some racial groups over others, but this message was conveyed directly to Mrs. Decker by a school principal during an in-person meeting.” “Mrs. Decker’s complaint comes at a pivotal moment because President Trump just ordered the U.S. Department of Education to direct all ‘local educational agencies that receive federal funds’ to implement measures and practices” required to comply with the Constitution’s demand of colorblind treatment of all students. WILL has issued a report and called on the Trump Administration to investigate claims of race discrimination in K-12 schools, and we hope that this is the first case they resolve.” TRUMP ADMIN TO PAUSE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS: REPORT Fox News Digital previously spoke to Decker in December about her experience with the school district. “Any time a parent or a grandparent advocates for a child, I know that their sincere hope is that that child is just treated equally,” Decker said. “And that’s not what’s happening when someone is a priority. If someone is more of a priority than someone else’s child has to be less of a priority. And I don’t think that’s the way most of America wants to move forward with education.” TRUMP PUTS HIGHER EDUCATION ON NOTICE FOR ‘DANGEROUS, DEMEANING, AND IMMORAL’ DEI TEACHINGS “I think everybody wants us to just be completely color-blind and look at children as simply being children. My son is in the 17th percentile in the state for reading, and there are children who are performing at a higher level than him that are more of a priority only because of their skin color. And I don’t think most parents want anything like that to ever happen in any educational setting ever.” The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights told Fox News Digital it “does not confirm complaints.” “Our client’s son continues to lose valuable time in his educational development. It’s time for the GBAPS to adopt a color-blind policy for giving all kids access to important resources,” WILL Associate Counsel Lauren Gruel said in a press release. “We hope our appeal to the federal government will provide the catalyst needed to address this injustice.” The district told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that “we do not feel we are able to comment until we have had sufficient time to review.” The district previously told Fox News Digital that “all District policies must be approved by the Board of Education and no such policy language exists.” The complaint states that the district has “refused to take any action to end its discrimination.” “WILL asks that the Department promptly investigate the allegations in this complaint, act swiftly to remedy unlawful policies and practices, and order appropriate relief,” the complaint states. “Thank you for your prompt attention to this request for investigation and resolution.”
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events – day 1,070
Here are the key developments on the 1,070th day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Here is the situation on Wednesday, January 29: Fighting Ukraine’s military said it has shot down 65 out of 100 drones launched at Ukraine from Russia overnight. According to the military, 28 drones failed to reach their targets, two returned towards Russia and Belarus, while one remained in Ukrainian air space. Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its forces captured the Dvorichna settlement in eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. The village was under Russian occupation in 2022 but was reclaimed by Kyiv months later. Russian officials and media outlets reported a barrage of Ukrainian drone attacks targeting oil and power facilities in western Russia. No casualties were reported. Debris from a downed drone sparked a fire at an industrial facility in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod, the region’s governor said. Vasily Anokhin, the governor of the Smolensk region in western Russia, said Russian air defence systems destroyed a Ukrainian drone attempting to attack a nuclear power facility in the region. No casualties or damage were reported. Advertisement Military Russian prosecutors began legal proceedings to recover the alleged embezzlement of nearly $33m of funds originally allocated for the defence of western Kursk. The lawsuit names the head of Kursk Region Development Corporation, his deputies and several businessmen as defendants. Ukrainian soldiers of the 28th Infantry Brigade take part in tactical training exercises in a rural area of Ukraine [Jose Colon/Anadolu Agenc] Reuters news agency reported that Ukraine’s government sacked Rustem Umerov, deputy defence minister in charge of weapons purchases, amid infighting over procurement. The move also comes after Umerov criticised Ukraine’s arms procurement efforts saying it failed to deliver results for front-line troops. According to the Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Bureau’s press service, a criminal investigation was opened against Umerov regarding the procurement dispute. The bureau said the probe was launched following an appeal by a civil society watchdog. United States media reports suggest that Washington sent some 90 patriot missiles to Ukraine from Israel via Poland. Russian oil and gas A Kremlin spokesperson said Russia is interested in resuming gas transit via Ukraine. This follows the European Commission’s statement announcing plans to continue talks with Ukraine on natural gas supplies to Europe. Humanitarian aid Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said humanitarian projects in Ukraine suspended operations due to the US putting a hold on foreign aid. He also said Kyiv would partially replace the funds via public financing for the most critical projects. Advertisement Politics and diplomacy Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said there is a legal pathway for Ukraine to negotiate with Russia, but that Moscow sees no willingness on Kyiv’s part. Putin also said talks would not be possible with Zelenskyy, branding the Kyiv leader’s authority “illegitimate”. Putin also said Moscow’s war with Kyiv could end in two months or less if the West stopped supporting Ukraine. “They will not exist for a month if the money and, in a broad sense, the bullets run out,” he said. Zelenskyy responded to Putin and said the Kremlin leader feared strong leaders and engaging in negotiations to end the war. He also accused Putin of doing everything possible to prolong the war. The European Union proposed to add tariffs on additional farm products from Russia and Belarus while sparing agricultural goods bound for third countries. The implementation of these measures is subject to approval from EU member states and the bloc’s parliament. Adblock test (Why?)