Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the anti–vaccine conspiracy theorist Donald Trump promised would be given free rein over America’s health agencies, has vowed to gut those agencies.
In an interview with MSNBC Wednesday from Mar-a-Lago, Kennedy said he planned to root out “corruption” in U.S. health agencies—by clearing them out.
“In some categories of worker there are entire departments, like the nutrition department and the FDA, that are… that have to go, that are not doing their jobs, they’re not protecting our kids,” Kennedy said, launching into a complaint about the number of ingredients in Froot Loops.
When asked whether he would eliminate the agencies, Kennedy said he couldn’t do anything like that without congressional approval, but that he would go after “corruption.”
Kennedy did offer one slightly less depressing missive: “I’m not going to take away anybody’s vaccines,” he claimed.
The failed presidential candidate has pushed back on the notion that he is “anti-vaccine” but has repeatedly elevated claims that vaccines have been linked to autism. He has also worked with the Children’s Health Defense, a leading anti-vaccine group.
NPR reported that the Trump administration plans to provide “information” to citizens about vaccines, which might repeat and elevate these claims.
That’s not all that Kennedy is planning. He posted on X over the weekend that the Trump White House planned to “advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water” within the first month of a Trump presidency.
Fluoride helps to prevent tooth decay, which can cause life-threatening infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has listed fluoridation as one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century.
To give some idea of what banning fluoride might look like, Calgary, Canada, banned fluoride in 2011. In the eight years after, the need for intravenous antibiotic therapy by children to avoid death from infection skyrocketed 700 percent at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
A top Republican lawyer reportedly being considered for Donald Trump’s next attorney general has named one of his first targets: New York Attorney General and MAGA world villain Letitia James.
James, the lawyer who prosecuted both Trump and the Trump Organization for fraud, on Wednesday outlined next steps for Democratic attorney generals in the wake of Trump’s victory. James noted that they were prepared with “contingency plans.”
“So despite what has happened on the national stage, we will continue to stand tall in the face of injustice, revenge, or retribution,” the New York A.G. said. “We will continue to protect our most vulnerable and marginalized amongst us.… We are prepared, my friends, to fight back.”
This normal statement led right-wing activist and Trump attorney general hopeful Mike Davis to make sexist threats towards James.
“Let me just say this to Big Tish James.… I dare you to try to continue your lawfare against President Trump in his second term. Because listen here sweetheart, we’re not messing around this time,” Davis ranted on a podcast. “And we will put your fat ass in prison for conspiracy against rights, I promise you that.”
This comes just hours after Davis was tweeting about dragging “dead political bodies through the streets.” Davis has also threatened special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the indictments on Trump’s hoarding of classified documents as well as his attempt to overturn the 2020 election, telling him to “lawyer up.”
This isn’t the last we’ll see of Davis. Even if he doesn’t end up getting the attorney general appointment, he will likely still play a crucial, attack dog style role in an administration that has been itching to go on the offensive for four years.
Donald Trump named one of his campaign co-chairs, Susie Wiles, as his White House chief of staff Thursday. But she also witnessed him break the law—and did nothing about it.
According to Trump’s indictment for mishandling classified documents, Trump showed Wiles a classified map during a 2021 meeting where he was discussing a military operation. The indictment didn’t name Wiles, but referred to a “PAC representative.” Later, ABC News, citing anonymous sources, identified Wiles as the representative.
Trump showed Wiles a map of an unidentified country, according to the indictment, while telling her about a military operation that he said “was not going well.” He said that he “should not be showing the map” to her and warned her “not to get too close.” Wiles did not have security clearance.
The indictment also mentioned that Wiles was part of a private chat on the secure messaging app Signal about whether Carlos De Oliveira, the property manager of the Mar-a-Lago estate, was loyal to Trump. De Oliveira was a co-defendant, along with Trump aide Walt Nauta, in the classified documents case for helping to move around and transport documents on the estate.
Wiles didn’t come forward after having seen classified documents that Trump shouldn’t have shown anyone, let alone possessed, calling into question........