Trump reforms migrant program after US loses track of more than 300K children
The Trump administration rolled back a rule at the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) that prevented sharing information on immigration status with authorities. The policy, introduced under President Joe Biden, is being rescinded after officials stated it directly conflicted with federal law and caused critical gaps in child protection.
Rescinding rule to protect migrant children
This change comes as part of efforts to improve the safety and care of unaccompanied migrant children. Many of these children, who arrive without a parent or guardian, have been at risk of falling through the cracks in the immigration system. The new policy change ensures proper placement, care and services for these vulnerable minors.
When unaccompanied minors enter the U.S. illegally, border agents detain them before transferring them to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS then places the children with sponsors, who are not always required to be family members.
Under the new rule, the ORR, HHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will be able to better coordinate efforts to track the status of unaccompanied children.
Inspector general’s findings: Gaps in monitoring
However, between 2019 and 2023, ICE transferred over 448,000 children to HHS, with 32,000 missing their scheduled immigration court hearings, which left them unmonitored and potentially at risk. Additionally, more than 291,000 children had not received a notice to appear in court.
The Office of Inspector General’s report in August 2024 revealed that ICE’s lack of automated processes, poor coordination and resource limitations have resulted in inadequate oversight.
Without proper monitoring, ICE cannot guarantee that these children are safe from trafficking or exploitation.
Investigation into HHS, stronger oversight
In February, Trump administration officials announced that HHS would begin an investigation to locate children who may have fallen into the clutches of human traffickers.
This move follows multiple instances of sexual abuse at 27 shelters operated by the Southwest Key Programs Group, prompting HHS to stop sending unaccompanied children to these facilities in March.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. emphasized the urgency, stating it’s time to end the abuse of innocents and human trafficking.
Along with these updates, the Office of Refugee Resettlement is also implementing stronger vetting procedures for sponsors and creating more robust oversight for unaccompanied minors, aiming to prevent further abuse and ensure children’s safety.
Thousands of doctors sign letter against RFK Jr. becoming health secretary
Doctors across the country are coming together, asking senators to vote against confirming Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as President-elect Donald Trump’s top health official. More than 17,000 doctors signed a letter, initiated by the physicians advocacy group Committee to Protect Health Care, supporting the movement against Kennedy becoming the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
The letter cites his controversial views on several hot button topics, including vaccines and disproven treatments for COVID-19.
“The health and well-being of 336 million Americans depend on leadership at HHS that prioritizes science, evidence-based medicine, and strengthening the integrity of our public health system,” the letter states. “RFK Jr. is not only unqualified to lead this essential agency — he is actively dangerous.”
While his views often draw criticism, he gets support from groups who see him as a champion for health freedom, and an advocate for questioning public health safety with his “Make America Healthy Again” initiative.
“I think he’s gonna be much less radical than you would think. I think he’s got a very open mind or I wouldn’t have put him there,” Trump said.
Kennedy has not commented on the letter against his nomination. He would need all but three Republican votes if all Senate Democrats vote against his confirmation.
A date for his confirmation hearing has not been announced.
Studies link fluoride in water to lower IQ … but is it really harming kids’ brains?
The decades-old controversy over fluoride in drinking water continues, with more people calling for its removal after it was linked in a new study to lower IQs in kids. A report published this week in JAMA Pediatrics showed the more fluoride kids are exposed to, the lower they tend to score on intelligence tests.
To come to that conclusion, researchers looked at the findings of dozens of studies published on the subject since 1989.
Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear. According to the U.S. Public Health Service, since being added to public drinking water in the 1960s, it’s reduced the average number of cavities by 44% in adults and 58% in adolescents.
They say many of the studies used to draw this conclusion were done in places like India and China, where natural fluoride concentrations in groundwater can soar well above the 0.7 milligrams per liter recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service.
However, critics of the practice, like President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said the risk to children’s IQs is worrisome enough to end the practice entirely.
In September, a federal judge ruled the Environmental Protection Agency must strengthen its regulations on fluoride in drinking water based on the findings of the report.
Mayorkas says child trafficking is outside DHS responsibility
Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said Sunday, Dec. 22, that child trafficking is outside the agency’s responsibility. Mayorkas appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” where anchor Margaret Brennan asked him if comments from incoming “border czar” Tom Homan regarding hundreds of thousands of migrant children being unaccounted for and exploited were accurate.
“We certainly have received reports of children being trafficked, even those as to whom we know where they are,” Mayorkas said. “That is outside the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security. What we do is we turn children over within 72 hours, as the law requires, to the Department of Health and Human Services, and then HHS places those children.”
In August, the DHS inspector general released a report blaming Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The report claims ICE is not always keeping track of unaccompanied migrant children released from government custody to sponsors.
The report examined the fiscal years between 2019 and 2023, under both the Trump and Biden administrations. It found ICE transferred 448,820 migrant children. ICE placed them into the care or custody of Health and Human Services or the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
The report also states, “As of May 2024, ICE had not served notices to appear on more than 291,000 unaccompanied children who therefore do not yet have an immigration court date.”
Meanwhile, more than 32,000 unaccompanied children received notices to appear for immigration hearings but failed to do so.
“Of course, we investigate cases of trafficking, but there are children who are reunited with a parent here in the United States or a legal guardian, and they move and sometimes the government loses track,” Mayorkas said. “Individuals do not comply with the reporting obligations or otherwise. I think it is inaccurate to say that all of them are trafficked or victimized.”
A New York Times investigation found that more than 250,000 migrant children crossed into the United States alone. According to the investigation, they are working dangerous jobs, such as in slaughterhouses or operating machinery.
Homan says finding the children is a top priority of the incoming administration.
RFK Jr.’s lawyer: NYT report over polio vaccine petition ‘categorically false’
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s lawyer called a New York Times report “misleading” after it claimed he asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revoke the polio vaccine approval. Attorney Aaron Siri acknowledged filing a “polio vaccine petition” on behalf of a client but denied any involvement from Kennedy.
He said it was an attempt to “derail” Kennedy’s potential confirmation as the Department of Health and Human Services head.
“All of this is intended for one purpose — they are desperately trying to derail Mr. Kennedy’s potential confirmation,” Siri said during an appearance on NewsNation.
Report claims Siri wants polio vaccine removed from market
Siri disputed the Times’ suggestion that he wanted to remove the polio vaccine from the market. The article claimed Siri petitioned the government to revoke the polio vaccine’s approval.
The article shared Siri’s broader campaign against vaccines. It noted that Siri filed petitions to pause the distribution of 13 other vaccines.
Quoting Siri, the article said that while he opposes mandating vaccines, he does not want to take vaccines away from those who choose to receive them.
Siri denies petition claims
Siri denied that his petition, filed on behalf of the Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN), would have resulted in a nationwide halt to the polio vaccine.
“The claim the Times is making, that somehow this petition would have left Americans without a polio vaccine, is categorically false,” Siri said. “They knew it was false when they published it. They intended to mislead the country, and that’s what they accomplished.”
Siri is not directly involved in the polio vaccine petition but serves as legal representation for ICAN.
The petition asked the FDA to “publicly release documentation sufficient to establish that the aluminum content in each ‘subject vaccine’ is consistent with the amount provided in its labeling.”
If the FDA cannot comply, ICAN requested that the administration “pause distribution of each subject vaccine until it can provide the documentation.”
Clarifying the petition’s goal
Siri clarified the goal of the petition was never to remove the polio vaccine from the market.
“ICAN does not want, and never expected, the vaccine to be withdrawn. This is about choice, informed consent. That’s the point,” he said.
Although Kennedy was not involved in the petition, his stance on vaccines has been a focal point of news coverage. Kennedy recently stated that he is not anti-vaccine but has been highly critical of certain vaccines in the past.
Republican senators said Kennedy must address these remarks during his confirmation hearings. Some GOP lawmakers are even calling for Kennedy to fire Siri over the petition’s controversy.
Republicans skeptical of Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s views on vaccines
Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s past statements on vaccines could come back to hurt him. Republican senators say his previous statements are hurting his chances of being confirmed as the next Department of Health and Human Services secretary.
According to reporting in The New York Times, Kennedy has said polio vaccines might have caused a wave of cancers that killed many more people than the virus ever did. He also said the idea that the vaccine caused a drastic decline in cases is “a mythology” and “not true.”
“I’ve got a completely open mind, but that kind of nonsense is not, it’s not helpful,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told reporters Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Sen. Kennedy is one of multiple Republicans who say RFK Jr. will have to explain himself. The two have no relation.
“He should fire his lawyer,” Sen. Kennedy said.
Attorney Aaron Siri is helping RFK Jr. hire senior officials at HHS for the incoming administration. Siri has previously petitioned the government to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine.
Siri has done work on behalf of the Informed Consent Action Network. In addition to his efforts against the polio vaccine, he’s tried to pause the distribution of 13 other vaccines and challenged COVID vaccine mandates, in some cases successfully.
“Call his lawyer up and saying, ‘Look, man, stop dipping into your ketamine stash.’ Polio vaccine has saved hundreds and hundreds of millions of lives in the world,” Sen. Kennedy said.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who had polio as a child and has had physical limitations his whole life as a result, said efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are “uninformed” and “dangerous.”
“Anyone seeking the Senate’s consent to serve in the incoming Administration would do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts,” McConnell said in a statement.
On Monday, Dec. 16, President-elect Donald Trump said he’s a “big believer” in the polio vaccine and expressed support for Kennedy.
“No, I think he’s going to be much less radical than you would think. I think he’s got a very open mind or I wouldn’t have put him there,” Trump said.
Kennedy can be confirmed with an all Republican vote, but he will work to win bipartisan support. Democrats are just as skeptical.
“They’re life and death issues,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told reporters. “Let’s be very serious about this. This is not a political game.”
Republicans will hold a 53-47 seat majority in 2025. So Kennedy could lose three votes and potentially still be confirmed with JD Vance breaking the tie as vice president.
FDA may soon ban artificial red dye used in candy, food and drinks
The Food and Drug Administration will decide whether to ban a common, artificial food dye often used in candy, snacks and beverages. The FDA said it has reviewed the safety of Red Dye No. 3, made from petroleum “multiple times” since its first approval in 1969.
However, there’s a petition asking the agency to investigate the controversial dye once more.
On Thursday, Dec. 5, the FDA’s deputy commissioner told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee it’s hoping to act on the petition within the “next few weeks.”
More than 2,800 products contain the red dye, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. It’s used in popular products advertised for kids, including Fruit by the Foot, Nerds and Peeps.
Red Dye No. 3 doesn’t add any nutritional value to the product. Public health groups also found links to behavioral problems in children, such as hyperactivity.
The FDA banned the dye in makeup and topical drugs in 1990. Researchers found it to be carcinogenic to animals in high doses. Yet, the FDA’s deputy commissioner said the agency believes there’s no risk to humans.
Last year, California banned Red Dye No. 3, along with three other food dyes. Several countries, including the U.K. and Australia, also banned the red dye.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for health secretary, has been critical of food dyes in the past, claiming they cause cancer. It’s uncertain whether he plans to do anything about the dyes should he be confirmed.
Biden admin spent $267 million on ‘misinformation research’: Report
Since President Joe Biden took office, his administration has spent more than $267 million “combating misinformation,” according to a new report from OpenTheBooks, a government transparency watchdog group. This comes as a major initiative under President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration takes shape.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, aims to reduce government waste.
The $267 million spent on combating misinformation went to universities, nonprofits and private companies, according to the report. The largest increase in spending occurred in 2021, with $126 million allocated to “studying and countering COVID-related speech” at a time when public health officials were pushing mandates related to COVID-19.
According to OpenTheBooks, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spent the most money on misinformation research, specifically targeting what it classified as COVID misinformation.
Other federal agencies that reportedly spent millions in grants to fight misinformation include the National Science Foundation, the State Department and the Pentagon.
The report shows that most of the funds were directed to universities. For example, nearly $4 million was awarded to the City University of New York to study how people with anxiety and depression were impacted by vaccine misinformation online. This project is set to conclude in August 2025.
The University of Michigan received $14 million to examine the impact of misinformation on American politics and social polarization.
The federal government also partnered with private companies. According to OpenTheBooks, HHS granted $300,000 to the tech firm Melax Technologies to monitor vaccine misinformation on social media.
The Department of Homeland Security awarded more than $1 million to Guidehouse, a defense contractor, to analyze “misinformation and disinformation.”
There are significant differences between how the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration view misinformation and the role of government in addressing it.
President-elect Trump has vowed to dismantle what he calls the “censorship cartel” within the federal government. On his first day in office, Trump says he will issue an executive order banning federal agencies from collaborating with outside groups to censor or restrict speech. He has also promised to halt taxpayer-funded misinformation research.
The debate over how to handle misinformation remains divisive. Supporters of regulating misinformation argue it is crucial for protecting the public, while critics say it undermines free speech.
Trump rounds out his cabinet with picks to lead USDA, CDC, FDA
President-elect Donald Trump continued to stock his cabinet in quick fashion over the weekend. And as travel cranks up before Thanksgiving, stormy weather might hamper some people’s plans. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, Nov. 25, 2024.
Trump rounds out his cabinet with picks to lead USDA, CDC, FDA
Over the weekend, President-elect Donald Trump rounded out his cabinet selections. He picked several names to fill key roles in his second administration.
Trump selected Brooke Rollins as the secretary of agriculture. Rollins served under Trump in his first term, first as the Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental and Technology Initiatives and then later as the acting director of the Domestic Policy Council.
Rollins, a Texas lawyer, is currently the president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank consisting of former Trump staff members. As agriculture secretary, Rollins would oversee the 10,000 employees of the USDA and be only the second woman to lead this department.
Trump also chose hedge fund manager Scott Bessent for treasury secretary. Bessent is the founder of investment firm Key Square Capital Management and has recently become one of Trump’s top economic advisers.
He is a former protégé of Democratic donor George Soros and was once the chief investment officer of Soros Fund Management. As treasury secretary, Bessent would oversee Trump’s tax policies and the nation’s sanctions programs.
During Trump’s first term, Turner served as the first executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council. Turner is currently the chair for the Center for Education Opportunity at America First Policy Institute.
President-elect Trump also announced his choices for three top health positions.
Marty Makary, a Johns Hopkins surgeon and a member of the National Academy of Medicine, has been tapped to lead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In this role, Makary would oversee the FDA’s $7 billion budget and report to Trump’s pick for health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Former Florida Congressman Dr. Dave Weldon is Trump’s pick to be director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Weldon is a physician and Army veteran who served in the House from 1995 to 2009.
Finally, Trump picked Dr. Janette Nesheiwat to be the next U.S. Surgeon General. The doctor is a Fox News contributor and the medical director of CityMD, a network of urgent centers in New York and New Jersey.
All of these positions will need Senate confirmation.
Israel and Hezbollah trade attacks as cease-fire deal is in the works
Monday morning, Nov. 25, reports said Hezbollah attacked Galilee from Lebanon, while Israel continued to focus on the Lebanese capital of Beirut.
⭕️ 12 Hezbollah command centers were struck by the IAF in Dahieh, Beirut, including sites used by Hezbollah's Intelligence Unit, coast-to-sea missile unit, and Unit 4400—responsible for smuggling weapons from Iran through Syria into Lebanon.
The latest round of attacks started with an Israeli strike on Beirut Saturday night, Nov. 23, that left more than two dozen people dead, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Hezbollah responded to that strike by launching more than 200 rockets and drones at Israel, marking one of the heaviest bombardments of Israel since fighting intensified in September.
Israel said its goal is to return tens of thousands of people home, who evacuated from the northern part of the country due to rocket attacks by Hezbollah. Meanwhile, Israeli attacks on Beirut have led the Lebanese education ministry to postpone school there until January.
On Sunday, Nov. 24, the European Union’s foreign policy chief said a U.S. cease-fire proposal was awaiting final approval from Israel.
At least 1 killed after cargo plane crashes, skids into home in Lithuania
The flight had taken off from Germany and crashed around 5:30 a.m. local time while approaching its final destination in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Officials said the person who was killed was a member of the flight crew but was not a pilot. Three other people on board were injured. Nobody on the ground got hurt.
Officials said at least 12 people had to be evacuated from the home.
Investigators are looking into the cause of the crash and have not yet ruled out it being an act of terrorism.
Winter storms expected across the U.S. this Thanksgiving week
In California, where two bodies were recovered from floodwaters on Saturday, authorities are bracing for more downpours while still dealing with flooding and landslides from last week’s “bomb cyclone.” On top of that, the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for the Sierra Nevada through Tuesday, Nov. 26, with heavy snow expected at higher elevations and wind gusts potentially reaching 55 MPH. That area is expected to get up to four feet of snow by Wednesday. Nov. 27.
Periods of rain showers are expected for the Valley through Wednesday. 1 to 2 feet of additional snow up to 4 feet at the highest peaks is forecast to fall on the mountains. Make sure to travel safe and visit https://t.co/WjKBsJmSfA for updates! #CAwxpic.twitter.com/QyrmHZJFzR
Forecasters said the Midwest and Great Lakes regions will see rain and snow Monday, while the east coast will feel the effects on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
So far, this upcoming weekend is shaping up to have pretty clear conditions for travelers heading home.
Biden set to issue his final Thanksgiving turkey pardon
President Joe Biden will take part in a Thanksgiving tradition at the White House Monday: his final turkey pardon.
The two lucky birds getting spared this year are Peach and Blossom from Minnesota. They got to live in the lap of luxury at the famed Willard Intercontinental Washington hotel near the White House while waiting for their permanent clemency from becoming a Thanksgiving feast.
The annual pardon of the turkeys will take place at 11 a.m. ET. The birds will then return to Minnesota to live out their days on a farm.
‘Wicked’ has best opening weekend for Broadway to film adaption
It was a magical weekend at the box office as the movie “Wicked” proved to be quite popular with audiences.
The film, based on the Broadway hit about the land of Oz before, during and after Dorothy’s famous visit, was number one in North America. It raked in $114 million, making it the third-biggest domestic opening of the year.
The film, which stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, is now the number one Broadway-to-film adaptation and ranks fourth for the biggest debuts for a musical in history.
Could Sen. Cory Booker join with RFK Jr. to get carcinogens out of food?
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could have an unlikely ally on Capitol Hill: Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. They both said diets and ingredients approved by the FDA are poison and they both agree that the food subsidy system in the U.S. needs to be overhauled.
According to Booker, 93% of food subsidies in the U.S. go to junk food, while only 7% go to healthy foods recommended by nutritionists.
“So I’m ready for a food fight, and I’m going to look to the Trump administration and say, ‘Put up or shut up’,” Booker told reporters.
Diet-related diseases, including heart disease, cancer and diabetes, are the leading cause of death in America. All of those diseases are on the CDC’s top 10 list for underlying causes of death.
Kennedy and Booker are warning Americans about the ingredients in food and pushing for changes at the federal level.
“I’ve been picking on tartrazine today but that’s just one of at least a hundred chemical poisons that our health agencies allow in our children’s food,” Kennedy said in a YouTube video.
“Big, consolidated multinational corporations dictate our food policy and continue to poison us with chemicals that shouldn’t be in our foods or shouldn’t be on our crops that we ingest,” Booker said in his own video.
While Booker hopes to work with Kennedy, he did not say he’s prepared to vote to confirm him as HHS secretary and is skeptical of his views on vaccines. Kennedy says he is not anti-vaccine.
“I’m not gonna take away anybody’s vaccine. I’ve never been anti-vaccine,” Kennedy told NBC News.
“I have real concerns about anybody who is going to put information out there that’s going to undermine the safety of our kids,” Booker said. “I’m going to evaluate every one of their nominees on the merits, but with this as an opportunity for me to hopefully get momentum, because this is a movement.”
“And parents all around the country cannot understand why there are chemicals that are being put into our foods that we’re serving our kids that are banned in other countries,” Booker continued. “Why are we spraying things on crops that we know are known carcinogens, that are hormone disruptors?”
As HHS Secretary, Kennedy would oversee the FDA, which could rescind its approval for ingredients that are proven to be carcinogens or hormone disruptors. As a member of Congress, Booker could promote legislation, including the recurring Farm bill, to redirect subsidies to healthier foods.