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RFK Jr. pick: Democratic governor ‘excited,’ conservative outlet opposed

November 15, 2024
President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks are dominating the news cycle this week. One of the most anticipated announcements came Thursday, Nov. 14, with Trump nominating Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for secretary of Health and Human Services.

The reaction is mixed and crosses party lines. For instance, a right-leaning news outlet has come out against Trump’s pick, while a Democratic governor has expressed support.

Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colo., posted a message on X, saying he was “excited” that Trump would appoint Kennedy.

“Before you mock him or disagree, I want to share with you some quotes that, if he follows through, show why I’m excited,” Polis wrote.

I’m excited by the news that the President-Elect will appoint @RobertKennedyJr to @HHSGov. He helped us defeat vaccine mandates in Colorado in 2019 and will help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA. I hope he leans into personal choice on vaccines rather than… pic.twitter.com/cILtTYplcn
— Jared Polis (@jaredpolis) November 14, 2024

Polis highlighted Kennedy’s plans to reduce drug prices, overhaul the FDA’s nutrition department and shift away from pesticide-intensive agriculture.

“He will face strong special interest opposition on these, but I look forward to partnering with him to truly make America healthy again,” Polis wrote.

Kennedy thanked Polis for the support, saying he looked forward to working with the Democratic governor.

Some Republican lawmakers, including Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, have praised Kennedy’s potential appointment, calling him “brilliant.”

However, some Democratic lawmakers, including Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, have criticized the nomination, calling it “dangerous.”

Some of the media, both left-leaning and right-leaning, have expressed concerns over Kennedy’s nomination, with coverage centering on his controversial remarks about vaccines.

The Associated Press labeled Kennedy as “an anti-vaccine activist,” while PBS described him as someone who “has promoted vaccine misinformation.”

The AP’s article highlights a podcast interview in July, when Kennedy said, “There’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.” The AP added Kennedy “still believes in the long-ago debunked idea that vaccines can cause autism.”

The New York Post’s editorial board also came out against the nomination, saying, “Putting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in charge of health breaks the first rule of medicine.”

The Post’s editorial reads, “The overriding rule of medicine is: First, do no harm. We’re certain installing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head Health and Human Services breaks this rule.”

In his endorsement of Kennedy, Gov. Polis cautioned Kennedy not to ban vaccines but to “lean into personal choice on vaccines.” In a later interview with MSNBC, Kennedy said, “I’ve never been anti-vaccine” and wouldn’t take vaccines away.

He reiterated in a 2016 interview with NBC that vaccinations should be a matter of personal choice.

The nomination has also affected the stock market. Following the announcement, shares of vaccine makers dropped sharply. Moderna fell 6%, Pfizer dropped more than 4% and Novavax declined by over 2%.
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US pays $72 million to pharmaceutical companies for bird flu vaccine

October 4, 2024
As the number of human cases of H5N1, also known as bird flu, grow, the United States announced on Friday, Oct. 4, that it is providing vaccine manufacturers with $72 million to double their ready-to-use bird flu vaccine stockpile. Manufacturers currently have nearly five million ready-to-use doses and expect to have about 10 million by the beginning of 2025.

The funding from the U.S. Departme n t of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will allow four companies producing the inoculations to bring the vaccine out of a storage stockpile and put them in pre-filled syringes for quick distribution in case of a public health emergency.

Other companies like Pfizer and Moderna are continuing efforts to develop an mRNA bird flu vaccine similar to COVID-19 shots.

The announcement by the U.S. comes as two more farm workers in California tested positive for the virus on Thursday, Oct. 3. They continue to be monitored for symptoms. At the time this report was published, the workers had no respiratory symptoms and only exhibited conjunctivitis or pink eye.

The latest human infections bring the total number of cases in people to 16 in the United States. Currently, there are no recommendations for anyone in the country to get a bird flu shot and health officials maintain that the risk of the virus to humans remains “low.”

DHHS said that its spending on the vaccinations is out of “an abundance of caution” and “is essential in preparing for a public health emergency.”

Meanwhile, more than 250 herds in 14 states have contracted H5N1 this year including 56 herds in California.

However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asserted that pasteurized milk still safe to drink and it is currently conducting tests on the safety of raw milk for human consumption.
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VP Kamala Harris formally accepts Democratic presidential nomination at DNC

August 23, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris closed out the Democratic National Convention (DNC) by accepting her party’s nomination for president. And one of the largest diamonds ever found was just unearthed in Botswana. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Friday, Aug. 23, 2024.

VP Kamala Harris formally accepts Democratic presidential nomination at DNC

Vice President Kamala Harris has officially accepted her party’s nomination for president. The Democratic National Convention came to a close Thursday night, Aug. 22, after Harris addressed the crowd, laying out more of her policy vision for the nation and going after her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump.

“I want you to know I promise to be a president for all Americans,” Harris said. “You can always trust me to put country above party and self. In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences, but the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious.”

During her speech, Harris vowed to create what she called an “opportunity economy.” She also reiterated her stance that Israel has a right to defend itself but pressed for a cease-fire deal and pledged to reform the U.S. immigration system.

When Harris turned her attention to the former president, she blamed Trump for Republicans voting against a bipartisan border bill, said he sent a mob to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and highlighted his now-criminal record.

Trump reacted to Harris’ speech in a phone interview with Fox News following the close of the convention.

“The biggest reaction is why didn’t she do the things she’s complaining about,” he questioned. “She could’ve done it three and a half years ago. She could do it tonight, by leaving the auditorium and going to Washington D.C. and closing the border. She doesn’t need a bill. I didn’t have a bill; I closed the border. She could still do them. She’s got four and a half to five months left.”

All eyes will be on Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the third-party candidate, on Friday, Aug. 23, as he’s set to hold a press conference. The speculation is Kennedy will be dropping out of the presidential race and potentially endorsing Trump.

Multiple protests on last day of DNC

A few dozen protesters clashed briefly with Chicago police on Thursday, Aug. 22, as Vice President Harris was speaking on the final night of the Democratic National Convention. It was a small group left over from an earlier demonstration.

They had planned to march toward the convention center but were blocked by rows of police in riot gear.

#WATCH : More videos of Massive pro-Palestine protest engulfs DNC convention

Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention, outraged over Dems' backing for Israel in the Gaza war.

Protesters marched across the… pic.twitter.com/ifYfnZyQSN
— upuknews (@upuknews1) August 22, 2024

It also came as delegates from the Uncommitted Movement ended their roughly 24-hour sit-in. They were calling for the DNC to include a pro-Palestinian speaker.

The group of about 40 unconfirmed delegates and supporters spent Wednesday night, Aug. 21, outside the United Center on the sidewalk and remained there until after 8 p.m. Thursday before finally going back inside to the convention.

Supreme Court allows Arizona to enforce proof-of-citizenship law

The United States Supreme Court agreed to temporarily reinstate a portion of a 2022 Arizona law requiring proof of citizenship when people register to vote. In a 5-4 ruling, the high court gave a partial victory to Republicans who have been trying to enforce proof of citizenship as a requirement to cast a vote in November.

While the justices ruled the state can enforce the requirement of proof of citizenship to vote using the state’s registration form, the court turned down other requests that would bar voters who registered using a federal form or by mail unless they showed proof of citizenship.

This is only a temporary ruling while litigation continues. So, it’s unclear as of now if, come November, voters in the state will have to show documentation they’re a legal resident to cast a ballot.

Canadian government orders arbitration to end rail labor dispute

The Canadian government has intervened in a labor dispute involving thousands of freight train workers. The deadlock on workers’ contract negotiations could have led to a major economic disruption, impacting goods coming into the United States.

Canada’s two largest railroads locked out more than 9,000 unionized workers on Thursday, Aug. 22. Within hours, the government ordered the railroads to enter binding arbitration.

The trains are expected to resume running in a few days.

FDA approves updated COVID vaccines

The FDA has approved updated COVID vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. This puts the new shots on track to reach most Americans within days.

Today, we approved and granted emergency use authorization for updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (2024-2025 formula) to include a monovalent (single) component that corresponds to the Omicron variant KP.2 strain of SARS-CoV-2. https://t.co/pul33IEnIw

The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have… pic.twitter.com/HkZlPX8jwW
— U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) August 22, 2024

These shots target a strain called KP.2, which was the dominant COVID strain in May when a summer surge of the virus began, but now only accounts for roughly 3% of all U.S. cases, according to the CDC. Still, Pfizer and Moderna said their KP.2 vaccines can produce stronger immune responses against other circulating sub-variants than last year’s shots.

Second largest diamond ever found is discovered in Botswana

The second largest diamond ever found was just unearthed in Botswana, according to the Canadian mining company that discovered the gem in one of its mines in Africa. The massive, 2,492-carat diamond is the biggest to be found in more than a century and it was located using X-ray technology.

Biggest diamond in over a century found in Botswana — a whopping 2,492 carats https://t.co/08eS4hcifz pic.twitter.com/IB3wLLOrZA
— New York Post (@nypost) August 22, 2024

The mining company presented Botswana’s president with the huge stone on Thursday, Aug. 22. The diamond will be evaluated over the next several weeks and will likely sell for tens of millions of dollars.

The colossal stone is believed to be the biggest one found since a 3,106-carat diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1905 and cut into smaller stones — some of which make up the British royal family’s crown jewels.
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US government to fund Moderna’s mRNA bird flu vaccine trial: Report

May 30, 2024
The United States government is working to fund a human vaccine trial for bird flu in collaboration with Moderna, according to a report by The Financial Times. The H5N1 bird flu virus is currently spreading among wild birds, causing outbreaks in poultry and dairy cows. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has also detected the virus in the nation’s milk supply.

On April 24, the USDA announced a federal order requiring lactating dairy cows to be tested before interstate movement, along with financial assistance for producers with affected herds. Recently, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, R, issued a disaster proclamation for Sioux County, Iowa, where more than 4 million chickens had to be culled due to a bird flu outbreak on a farm.

Although two dairy workers — one in Texas and one in Michigan — contracted the virus in the last two months, they have both recovered. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently assesses the public health risk as “low.” Unlike COVID-19, bird flu is unlikely to become the next pandemic because it does not transmit effectively from person to person.

Pharmaceutical companies are exploring the need to produce more doses of a bird flu pandemic vaccine, while scientists urge caution but not panic. The federal government already maintains a stockpile of a vaccine that could help prevent H5N1 in humans if the virus develops the capability to spread efficiently from person to person worldwide.

Both the United States and European nations are prioritizing vaccination for front-line workers, including poultry farmers and dairy farm workers who may be exposed to bird flu. David Boucher, the director of Infectious Disease at the Department of Health and Human Services, acknowledges that the effectiveness of the current bird flu vaccine is low due to its imperfect match against the circulating strain.

Scientists are actively developing a human mRNA bird flu vaccine because such vaccines can be rapidly produced and tailored to the circulating strain of the virus.

The Financial Times reported that federal funding, potentially several tens of millions of dollars, may come from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) next month to support a late-stage trial for Moderna’s mRNA bird flu vaccine. If successful, BARDA would also purchase a stockpile of vaccine doses. Moderna is expected to release interim trial data soon.
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TikTok CEO to testify, defend app security amid bans: March 23 rundown

March 23, 2023

TikTok’s CEO testifies on Capitol Hill; Wyoming’s abortion ban blocked; and the latest on former President Donald Trump’s indictment. These stories and more highlight the Straight Arrow News daily rundown for Thursday morning, March 23, 2023.

TikTok CEO to testify on Capitol Hill

TikTok’s CEO will testify before a House committee today, March 23, defending his app amid growing calls from Congress to enact a nationwide ban. Shou Zi Chew is expected to be questioned over security concerns related to the app. According to prepared testimony, he will tout that the U.S. has 150 million users and insist their information is stored on American soil and overseen by an American company.

Trump lawyer to testify in docs probe

A federal appeals court has ruled against an attorney for former President Donald Trump, ordering him to comply with a federal grand jury subpoena in its Mar-a-Lago classified documents investigation. Evan Corcoran’s testimony in the probe could come as early as Friday. Corcoran is being asked to provide information about his communications with Trump, something the attorney and trump have argued is protected under attorney-client privilege.

This comes as the nation awaits whether or not Trump will be charged by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. The grand jury is expected to reconvene today, March 23.

Moderna CEO faces Senate questioning

The Senate Health Committee held a hearing Wednesday, March 22, to speak with the Moderna CEO Stephanie Bancel about proposed price hikes for the company’s COVID-19 vaccine. Moderna said it will drastically raise the price once its contract with the government ends in the coming months, going from $26 per dose to $130 per dose. That’s a price increase of 400%. Despite pressure from lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Moderna’s Bancel defended the company’s price hike, predicting a 90% drop in demand for the vaccine.

Judge blocks Wyoming abortion ban

Abortions have gone from legal to illegal and back to legal again in the state of Wyoming. A U.S. district court judge on Wednesday, March 22, temporarily blocked a statewide abortion ban that came into effect over the weekend of March 18-19.

The state’s new law prohibits abortion at all stages of pregnancy except in cases of rape or incest, or to save the woman’s life.

The new law had to define an abortion as “a procedure that is not health care” because the state’s constitution states people have the right to make their own health care decisions.

SEC charges Lohan and other celebrities

U.S. regulators have charged eight celebrities, including actress Lindsay Lohan and social media personality Jake Paul, with participating in an illegal crypto scheme. The stars allegedly used their social platforms to boost two crypto tokens without disclosing they were paid to promote them.

Lohan has more than 8 million followers on Instagram where she called for her followers to invest. The charges were announced by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Lohan and Paul have paid to settle the charges without admitting guilt.
Twitter Files: BioNTech wanted COVID posts censored

January 17, 2023

The Biden administration is not the world’s only government that asked Twitter to censor posts related to COVID-19. According to the latest Twitter Files, Germany did too, in collaboration with BioNTech, one of the pharmaceutical giants behind the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.

This week, the Intercept’s Lee Fang reported the latest findings from the Twitter Files. Fang focused on the email communications of Nina Morschhaeuser, a Twitter lobbyist in Europe.

Fang reports in December of 2020, Morschhaeuser said BioNTech and the German government warned her about an impending online campaign to target pharmaceutical companies developing COVID-19 vaccines. A spokesperson with BioNTech asked Twitter to hide the accounts of certain activists for two days, to coincide with the launch of the impending campaign.

Morschhaeuser said the authorities were worried about a flood of comments that could violate Twitter’s terms of service, and that the personal accounts of vaccine manufacturer employees could be taken over. Fang reports it is unclear what, if any, action Twitter took regarding BioNTech’s request.

Fang did report why the company made the request, however. Fang said the pharmaceutical company didn’t want to share proprietary knowledge that could lead to the development of cheap, generic vaccines. The campaign that BioNTech feared so much, according to Fang, was the launch of an international push calling for the drug industry to share intellectual property and patents associated with the COVID-19 vaccines.

Fang reports the assault on generic alternatives to the COVID-19 vaccines led to record profits for some pharmaceutical companies. Together, in 2021 Pfizer and BioNTech generated $37 billion in revenue from the shared mRNA vaccine alone. Moderna clocked in at $17.7 billion.

Fang said the high cost of vaccines meant countries like the United States, the UK and other wealthy nations got the bulk of the supply while poorer countries had to wait for what was left, which took more than a year in some cases.
Midday rundown: FTX CEO testifies, EU’s first green tariff

December 13, 2022

New FTX CEO testifies before Congress; EU imposes first green tariff on goods; and a vaccine combo that lowers cancer risk. These stories and more highlight the midday rundown, aimed straight down the middle, for Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022.

FTX CEO testimony

“The FTX group’s collapse appears to stem from absolute concentration of control in the hands of a small group of grossly inexperienced and unsophisticated individuals who failed to implement virtually any of the systems or controls that are necessary for a company entrusted with other peoples money or assets,” said John Ray, FTX’s new CEO.

Ray is criticizing the former leadership. While its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, sits behind bars in the Bahamas awaiting expedition to the U.S. Ray accuses Bankman-Fried of gambling with customers money in risky trades.

The new CEO is investigating the ins-and-outs of FTX and predicts it will be a lengthy process. He says his investigation right now is hampered by the lack of financial records and transparency.

EU imposes first global green tariff on goods

The European Union has voted today to implement the first ever green tariffs on imported goods. Items being shipped to the EU will be checked for their carbon output. Items like iron, steel, aluminum and chemicals will be first subjected to the new standard.

Companies, including those in the U.S., that ship to countries in the EU will face tax penalties dependent on the amount of carbon emissions. It’s the first global green tax of its kind.

United Airlines places historic order for Boeing planes

United Airlines is expanding its fleet with a historic purchase of Boeing planes.

They are looking to add 100 of larger Boeing models, with two aisles that are suitable for international flights with another 100 of those planes on hold. United is also buying dozens more of Boeing’s smaller domestic flight models to the same massive order.

The new planes are projected to replace older, less efficient ones.

Study reveals vaccine combo that lowers skin cancer risk 44%

A new medical trial is bringing new hope in preventing skin cancer deaths. The risk of death or recurrence of skin cancer dropped by 44% for patients participating in the study.

The treatment is a combination of an experimental vaccine from Moderna and an immunotherapy drug from Merck. This is the first combination of its kind to fight melanomas.

It’s something Moderna’s chief medical officer called “a new paradigm in the treatment of cancer.”

Mississippi head coach Mike Leach dies

Mississippi State Head Football Coach Mike Leach has died after suffering from heart complications. He was 61 years old.

He leaves behind a long coaching career, spending time at Texas Tech, Washington State and the last three seasons with Mississippi State.

The other part of his legacy comes not on the field, but at the podium. His colorful commentary and sense of humor has entertained fans for years.

“Right now we have the atmosphere of a J.V. softball game. That’s what we are, a J.V. softball game. It’s not whether you win or lose, the team that wins is the one who had the most fun, you know, crap like that,” Leach said, speaking to his players about a poor performance on the field.

Leach was also known for cursing during post-game press conferences.

“It’s like Huckleberry Finn said, ‘some days I just have to swear to get a good taste in my mouth,’” Leach said.
US Air Force criticized over low religious exemption approvals

December 1, 2022

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Ohio sided with around 10,000 service members from the United States Air and Space Forces this week. The ruling protects the service members from disciplinary action for not getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

According to Military.com, when the U.S. Air and Space Forces mandated COVID-19 vaccines for their nearly half million service members, around 10,000 people requested a religious exemption. That was in August of 2021.

Since then, the Air Force has approved only about 135 religious exemption requests. Those requests were only granted to those already planning to leave the service. The 6th Circuit criticized the Air Force for approving so few religious exemptions, while at the same time approving thousands of medical and administrative exemptions.

Court filings show the Air Force issued blanket denials for many seeking religious exemptions. The court also said the Air Force relied too much on its “broadly formulated reasons” to deny requests.

Many people seeking religious exemptions to vaccine mandates object to the use of fetal stem cells in making the shots. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines don’t need fetal cell lines for production, but they were tested for efficacy on a fetal cell line from a fetus aborted in the 1970s. The Novavax vaccine, which was approved in late August by the Pentagon, does not use fetal stem cell lines in its development or testing.

This week’s court ruling could set the stage for either a future trial, or this case appearing before the United States Supreme Court.

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