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Trump’s CDC Nominee Praises Vaccines, Without Vowing Independence From Kennedy
Erica Schwartz, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, expressed support for vaccines — including mRNA-based covid shots — in a Senate hearing on Wednesday, though she didn’t dispel concerns the agency has lost any independence from the White House. “I have been vaccinating people throughout my entire career in uniformed services. I believe in vaccines,” Schwartz said at the hearing. “I do believe that mRNA technology is safe and effective.”
Her position contrasts with that of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who ousted Trump’s previous CDC director, Susan Monarez, after she sparred with him over vaccines. Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist, has baselessly called mRNA vaccines the deadliest ever made.
Schwartz “has dedicated her career to protecting the health of the American people.” Emily Hilliard, an HHS spokesperson, said in an emailed statement. “The president nominated her because of that exemplary record, and Secretary Kennedy looks forward to working with her to advance the Administration’s public health priorities.”
Rand Paul on Upcoming Fauci Capitol Hill Appearance: ‘I Don’t Expect Him to Be Honest’
During an appearance on Wednesday’s broadcast of Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said that he expected former Biden health adviser Anthony Fauci would not be truthful during his scheduled appearance before the Senate Homeland Security Committee. According to the Kentucky Republican lawmaker, Fauci’s reported history of destroying records called his honesty into question, especially in this setting.
“So, you’ve been pressing for answers since 2020, and I want to get your take on what you think you can get out of Fauci during this testimony,” host Maria Bartiromo said. “We know what Tulsi Gabbard said — that U.S.-funded research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology contributed to the circumstances that led to COVID-19 and Fauci misled the country, the administration, and the world about his role in it. What are you expecting at this hearing?” Paul replied, “I expect he will not tell the truth. I expect him to dissemble. I expect him to filibuster. But I don’t expect him to be honest.”
RFK Jr. Lauds Tampa General Hospital for Going Healthy With Patient Meals
The food you get while recuperating at Tampa General Hospital might be tasting better these days. At least, it’s likely to be better for you. It’s the first hospital to sign a healthy food pledge that may be adopted by other medical centers. Tampa General officials signed the pledge next to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The hospital hired an executive chef, Geoffrey Zakarian, to totally revamp their menus. Kennedy says hospitals will be asked to serve healthier meals, instead of ultra-processed foods. “We have a template here at Tampa General,” Kennedy said during an appearance Thursday. “We can point to Tampa General, one of the biggest hospital systems in the country, 1,000 beds, soon to be 1,200, eight different hospital systems. And we can say if they did it, you can do it.”
Kennedy says hospitals are a good place to start redoing their menus because four in 10 children in the nation have some kind of food-induced chronic disease. “These are places where people come to get healthy. And we were giving them stuff that is going to actually aggravate and amplify their chronic illnesses,” he said.
Trump EPA Delays Leave 1.5 Million Californians Exposed to PFAS in Drinking Water
As the Trump administration delays regulations on “forever chemicals” that pollute reservoirs, rivers and aquifers nationwide, California officials say they are unsure what the consequences will be for an estimated 1.5 million Californians served by utilities with contaminated sources of drinking water. With uncertainty over when regulations on some of the most common of these cancer-causing pollutants, called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, will take effect in California, lawmakers are floating alternative plans to remove them from the state’s tap water.
Among several forever chemical-related bills in Congress is one that would tax PFAS manufacturers to help utilities pay for expensive treatment technologies. State legislation that could have led to the ban of pesticides containing PFAS has been watered down by lawmakers, but environmental advocates still see the bill as an important first step.
“The corporations that contaminated our water rarely face accountability. My bill changes that by making them cover the cost of cleaning it up,” U.S. Rep. Linda Sánchez, an author of the federal bill, said in an email to Capital & Main. Pico Rivera and Downey are two cities in Sánchez’s Los Angeles-area district that are grappling with PFAS-contaminated water sources.
