CDC director refuses to leave post after Trump admin announces her removal
Longtime government scientist Susan Monarez is refusing to leave her position as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced she had been removed from the role less than a month after she was sworn in.
Attorneys Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell said they are representing Monarez and claimed she “has neither resigned nor yet been fired.”
The attorneys released a statement on social media, claiming HHS and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are weaponizing public health for political gain and putting millions of American lives at risk.
“When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts, she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda,” the statement said. “For that, she has been targeted. Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she has been fired, and as a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign.”
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The Washington Post reported that sources within the CDC, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said HHS leaders, including Kennedy, sought to get Monarez to commit to rescinding approvals for certain COVID-19 vaccines. When Monarez did not immediately commit, she was told by administration officials that she must resign or she would be fired.
Sources also claimed she then attempted to involve the chairman of the Senate’s top health committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La. The move reportedly further angered Kennedy.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the HHS directed Fox News Digital to the agency’s response shared on its official X account.
“Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” HHS said. “We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people. Secretary Kennedy has full confidence in his team at the CDC who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious diseases at home and abroad.”
The White House confirmed to Fox News Digital that Monarez was being removed.
“As her attorney’s statement makes abundantly clear, Susan Monarez is not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement. “Since Susan Monarez refused to resign despite informing HHS leadership of her intent to do so, the White House has terminated Monarez from her position with the CDC.”
Monarez was tapped by the Trump administration to lead the CDC after its initial nominee, Dave Weldon, withdrew from contention in March amid fears he might not garner enough support in the Senate to be confirmed. Shortly after Weldon stepped down, Monarez was formally nominated to be the CDC’s permanent director and was eventually confirmed in the final week of July.
During Monarez’s confirmation hearing, she expressed support for vaccines and told lawmakers she has “not seen a causal link between vaccines and autism.”
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Prior to Monarez’s Senate confirmation, CDC directors did not typically require Senate approval, but that changed in 2022 when Congress passed a law making it necessary. Monarez was the first-ever Senate-confirmed CDC director in the agency’s history.
Monarez was also the first CDC director without a medical degree in more than seven decades. However, she does hold a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology.
After getting her doctorate, Monarez entered the federal government, where she found herself in roles at the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Security Council, the Department of Homeland Security and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). Her biography on the CDC’s website says she worked on “leading efforts to enhance the nation’s biomedical innovation capabilities, including combating antimicrobial resistance, expanding the use of wearables to promote patient health, ensuring personal health data privacy, and improving pandemic preparedness.”
Hours after the news that Monarez would no longer head the CDC, sources confirmed to Fox News Digital that at least three other top CDC officials tendered their resignations, including the CDC’s director of its National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Demetre Daskalakis; the director of the National Centers for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Disease, Dr. Daniel Jernigan; and the CDC’s chief medical officer, Debra Houry.
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Daskalakis posted his lengthy resignation letter on X, citing various reasons for his departure, including “the views” of Secretary Kennedy and his staff.
Daskalakis said he could not continue to work in an administration that treats the CDC “as a tool” to establish policies that “do not reflect scientific reality.” He specifically cited recent changes Kennedy’s HHS has brought to vaccine scheduling for children and adults, arguing it “threaten[s] the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people.”
The former CDC director also cited the administration’s efforts to “erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research.”
Illinois governor warns Trump of ‘response’ if National Guard troops deploy to Chicago
Illinois’ Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said the state “will not stand idly by” if President Donald Trump makes good on his threat to deploy the National Guard to Chicago to respond to crime in the Windy City.
“Unlike Donald Trump, we keep our promises,” the governor wrote Wednesday on X. “We will not stand idly by if he decides to send the National Guard to intimidate Chicagoans.”
“Action will be met with a response,” he continued.
Pritzker’s comments are just the latest in his recent feud with Trump, as the federal government weighs whether to send troops to Chicago.
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Last week, the governor said there is no crime emergency in Chicago and Trump is “attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicize Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he is causing working families.”
“The safety of the people of Illinois is always my top priority,” Pritzker said on Saturday. “There is no emergency that warrants the President of the United States federalizing the Illinois National Guard, deploying the National Guard from other states, or sending active duty military within our own borders. We will continue to follow the law, stand up for the sovereignty of our state, and protect the people of Illinois.”
On Monday, Pritzker said the potential federal deployment is “unconstitutional” and “un-American.”
“Donald Trump wants to use the military to occupy a U.S. city, punish its dissidents and score political points,” he said. “If this were happening in any other country, we would have no trouble calling it what it is — a dangerous power grab.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, also a Democrat, has cited data showing that violent crime has declined in the last year, including homicides and robberies dipping by more than 30%, and shootings dropping by nearly 40%. Although, crime is still up compared to 2021, according to statistics posted by Chicago police.
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“The problem with the President’s approach is that it is uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound,” Johnson said on Friday. “Unlawfully deploying the National Guard to Chicago has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement when we know that trust between police and residents is foundational to building safer communities.”
“When we fight back against tyranny, the people united will always prevail,” the mayor later said.
Other Illinois leaders have also made criticisms of the potential move to send troops to Chicago.
Trump responded to Pritzker and Johnson on Tuesday, writing in a social media post that the governor is “incompetent” and the mayor is “no better.”
“A really DEADLY weekend in Chicago,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “6 DEAD, 27 HURT IN CRIME SPREES ALLOVER THE CITY. Panic stricken Governor Pritzker says that crime is under control, when in fact it is just the opposite. He is an incompetent Governor who should call me for HELP. Mayor Johnson is no better. Make Chicago Great Again!”
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This comes after Trump’s move to boost the presence of federal law enforcement in Washington, D.C., in an attempt to reduce crime.
Hundreds of federal agents and National Guard troops have been deployed to the streets of D.C. as part of the federal takeover of the district.
Former Biden official faces backlash for attacking prayer after kids gunned down at Mass
Former Biden administration spokeswoman and current MSNBC host Jen Psaki blasted President Donald Trump’s D.C. anti-crime crackdown and the power of prayer as she reacted to a church school shooting in Minnesota Wednesday.
Authorities said at least two children were killed and more than a dozen were injured after a gunman opened fire during Mass at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.
In the aftermath of mass shootings, Americans often offer prayers for victims, their families and communities. In Catholic and Orthodox traditions, prayers for the dead ask that their souls be received into heaven.
But many gun control advocates deride prayer, arguing it’s is not enough, and government action must be taken to stop mass shootings. Psaki echoed that view in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
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“Prayer is not freaking enough. Prayers does not end school shootings. prayers do not make parents feel safe sending their kids to school. Prayer does not bring these kids back. Enough with the thoughts and prayers,” Psaki said.
Psaki followed up with another tweet, writing, “When kids are getting shot in their pews at a catholic school mass and your crime plan is to have national guard put mulch down around DC maybe rethink your strategy.”
Her comments appeared to reference Trump’s decision to deploy National Guard troops and assume oversight of the Metropolitan Police Department to tackle rising crime in Washington, D.C.
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The suspected shooter, who was found dead at the scene, was identified as Robert or Robin Westman by law enforcement sources.
Court records show that a Minneapolis juvenile named Robert Westman had his name legally changed to Robin in 2019, with one document saying, “Minor child [redacted] identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.”
Some social media users objected to Psaki’s commentary and turned her words back on her.
“I don’t expect a spiritually blind person to understand prayer, but it is real. Today I attended the funeral of a baby, and often when parents are in the depths of grief, Jesus is their greatest comforter. You should investigate why that is, rather than belittling it,” Karen Hamilton, a candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates, responded.
Washington Examiner contributor Kimberly Ross pointed out that Psaki had posted her own message in 2017, saying, “Thoughts and prayers with @SteveScalise and officers shot. And thank you to members, hill staffers for your public service.”
“Your party encourages mental illness in telling men they can be women, then encourages them identify as victims when the world does not indulge their perverse fantasies, and then screams ‘prayers are not enough’ when insane transgenders shoot up schools,” journalist Megan Basham said. “Prayer is vital. So is a mentally balanced populace that recognizes reality.”
“Good of you to point out that the National Guard needs to be deployed to every major Democrat-run city to prevent their mentally ill trans groupies from killing people,” Red State reporter Rusty Weiss wrote.
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American tourist wounded in Germany condemns Europe’s ‘immigration problem’
The American tourist who was stabbed in the face while protecting two women on a tram in Germany is speaking out about what he calls Europe’s “immigration problem.”
In an interview after his release from a hospital, 21-year-old John Rudat told “Fox & Friends First” Wednesday he believes the attack highlights Germany’s failure to address immigration. He said he later learned one of the suspects, a Syrian asylum seeker already known to police, was arrested, released by prosecutors and arrested again. Another suspect remains at large.
“People have been telling me over the past 10 years [that] it has been getting worse and worse and worse. And, since this incident, thousands of people, especially women, have reached out to me claiming that they haven’t been feeling safe on the trams. They haven’t been feeling safe in their own home city, their own country,” he said.
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“And I feel really bad for them because clearly, as I’m now seeing, it’s not only affecting the German citizens but the tourists going to Germany.”
According to an online fundraiser organized by his brother’s girlfriend, Rudat stepped in when two Syrian men allegedly began attacking women on a tram in Dresden on Sunday. He sustained a stab wound to the face from one of the suspects carrying a six-inch blade, leaving him bloodied and bandaged.
Authorities arrested a 21-year-old Syrian accused of beating Rudat before the stabbing, but he was later released, German outlet Bild reported, according to the New York Post.
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Senior Public Prosecutor Jürgen Schmidt said there were “insufficient grounds for detention” and that the knife attack “cannot be attributed to him.” That decision prompted Rudat to criticize Europe’s immigration policies in an Instagram post.
After new information emerged, authorities arrested the suspect again, according to The Associated Press.
Rudat’s facial wounds were visible during his Fox News appearance, but he said he feels much better since being released from the hospital.
“The unconditional support I’ve seemed to get from the German people has been nothing but refreshing and sustaining for my recovery, and hopefully it’ll be even quicker because of it,” he said.
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His part-time modeling career is on hold because of the wounds, he added.
In a statement, the U.S. Embassy in Berlin condemned the attack.
“While courageously intervening to protect a fellow passenger, he was viciously attacked,” the embassy wrote on X. “We urge German authorities to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice and punish them to the fullest extent permitted by law. Safety is a collective responsibility — no one is safe until all are safe.”
Country star walks off stage after fans cross the line at Oklahoma concert
Country singer Braxton Keith has drawn the line on beer-throwing at his concerts – this time for good.
During an Aug. 22 performance, the rising star abruptly ended the show after concert-goers exhibited some unruly behavior.
In a TikTok video shared by a fan in the crowd, Keith, 25, can be seen stopping his band mid‑set before he snapped at the audience.
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“Y’all, I know that most of y’all are behaving yourselves tonight,” he said. “But there’s a bunch of people up here that are having a good time, and then there’s a bunch of beer‑throwing.”
Keith continued with frustration, “Listen, I don’t come to any of y’all’s jobs and do anything like that to y’all. So until y’all can learn some concert etiquette, my name is Braxton Keith. Thank y’all for coming out to Ardmore, Oklahoma, tonight.”
After his stern announcement, the “Chase You Down” crooner walked abruptly offstage, as he took off his guitar strap and fixed his cowboy hat. The performance ended earlier than fans had anticipated.
Reps for Keith did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
This wasn’t the first time Keith’s concert got interrupted by disruptive beer-throwing.
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In April, during his show in Gilmer, Texas, Keith stopped performing to scold fans who threw beer cans at him and his band while they played “Honky Tonk City.”
Instead of letting the chaos ruin the vibe, he took control of the situation at the time.
“Hey listen up. Pause this s—,” Keith was seen shouting in a video he shared to TikTok. “I didn’t come here to get beer cans thrown at me, all right? This isn’t a godd— Gavin Adcock concert, OK?”
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Keith referred to his fellow country artist, who’s known for throwing drinks at his concerts.
“Don’t be throwing f—ing beers out here,” he continued to yell at his fans as he stopped his performance.
“These people at the front are gettin’ wet up here and it’s gonna p— them off and it’s gonna p— me off.”
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The singer confronted the crowd and pointed out a young fan who was attending her first country show.
“This little girl right here’s never been to a country concert before, and it’s her first damn time, OK? We’re gonna have a good show for her, OK?”
The rowdy audience was heard cheering in the background after Keith’s announcement.
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Carly Pearce opens up about ‘hot and heavy lust’ that led to failed marriage
Carly Pearce admitted she knew immediately that she shouldn’t have married ex-husband Michael Ray.
The country crooner explained the relationship with fellow musician Ray was more about lust than love during an appearance on Bunnie XO’s podcast, “Dumb Blonde.” Despite marrying Ray for the right reasons, Pearce claimed the two weren’t living in reality.
“I thought he was so cute,” she told Jelly Roll’s wife while recalling her short-lived marriage. “I’d heard he’s the nicest guy in the world. I invited him to my (Billboard Country Airplay) No. 1 party for ‘Every Little Thing.’ Looking back on it, it was a hot and heavy lust. It wasn’t love. It was just passionate.”
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“I got married to go the distance. When I married him, it was for the right reasons,” Pearce insisted.
“I think that when you travel like this, I thought I was doing the right thing by waiting to get married till I was 29. But we didn’t have real conversations, and we didn’t really know about each other. We were kind of living this life that wasn’t really reality, now looking back on it. So, I just think we didn’t really know each other.
“I knew the night I got married that I shouldn’t have,” she admitted. “I think the best thing that ever happened to me was COVID because it allowed me to deal with that in private. I think that I probably would have stayed in it longer if I could have avoided it and not had to. … I was embarrassed when it happened … and I had shame around that and was heartbroken.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Ray’s representatives for comment.
Pearce filed for divorce in 2020 after eight months of marriage to the country singer.
“It wasn’t what I signed up for,” she explained. “It just wasn’t the marriage that I know I deserved. I knew that very quickly.
“And I think in the first — we were only married for eight months. Plenty happened to where it was very clear to me this was not, this just wasn’t a marriage.”
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Pearce and Bunnie XO briefly touched on the speculation Ray had cheated on the singer during their marriage.
“People have all their opinions, and, at first, that was so hard for me because I was like, ‘That’s not true, that’s not true, that’s not true. What he’s saying isn’t true.’ But, at the end of the day, like my friends who walked that with me, they know,” she said. “My parents know and God knows, and that is enough. It’s enough.”
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After the hardships Pearce faced during that year of her life, she found happiness after the divorce.
“I am in the happiest season of my life,” the “Should’ve Known Better” singer told Bunnie XO. “I’m — actually if I ever saw him, if he ever watches this, thank you, because you taught me more about myself. You taught me how strong I am. You put me through things that have made me better now. And I don’t wish him evil. I don’t wish anything on him. I’m so glad that I’m not in that anymore.
“I think I was really shown just how much I care about me,” Pearce added. “You know, like, I actually really have a lot of self-worth and that showed me that.”
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Feds take down 27 suspects in small town as Mexican cartel’s deadly pipeline exposed
Federal agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration said Wednesday that 27 people were arrested in Franklin, New Hampshire, in a sweeping narcotics bust that seized fentanyl and methamphetamine tied to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel.
Investigators said the supply chain traced back through Lawrence, Massachusetts, a city long identified as a fentanyl hub for New England.
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“Twenty seven people in Franklin, New Hampshire have just been arrested!” wrote the DEA’s New England office on X. “Fentanyl and methamphetamine sourced from Lawrence, Massachusetts have been seized. The drugs are directly linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. The investigation continues.”
Authorities said the takedown targeted cartel-backed networks fueling the region’s fentanyl crisis. Photos released by DEA New England showed suspects in handcuffs outside a home and bundles of seized cash.
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The Sinaloa cartel has long dominated the fentanyl trade into the U.S., according to federal officials, and Lawrence has repeatedly been flagged as a key distribution point. Fentanyl remains the nation’s leading cause of overdose deaths, with more than 70,000 fatalities a year, CDC data show.
DEA officials stressed that the Franklin investigation is ongoing, with more arrests possible.
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The DEA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Army sergeant who helped thousands of wounded warriors passes away at 40
President Donald Trump is honoring Retired U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Verardo, one of the most catastrophically wounded heroes of the Afghanistan war and a Purple Heart recipient who died at age 40 Tuesday due to complications from injuries sustained on the battlefield.
Trump praised Verardo in a Truth Social post as “a true American Hero” whose courage and sacrifice “will forever inspire us.”
Verardo’s story was not only one of sacrifice for his nation but also of lasting impact. His courage in the face of devastating injuries and the determination of his wife, Sarah, led to the creation of the Independence Fund’s Trackchair initiative for wounded veterans.
With the support of Fox News viewers, more than 2,000 all-terrain Trackchairs were delivered to double, triple and quadruple amputees, the Independence Fund has said. The initiative gave freedom back to wounded veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan and even Vietnam, allowing them to hunt, fish and go off-road with their families.
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On April 24, 2010, while serving in Afghanistan’s Arghandab River Valley, Verardo stepped on an IED.
The blast claimed his left leg, left an arm badly damaged, caused severe burns and inflicted a traumatic brain injury. He flatlined multiple times but survived thanks to medical care and sheer grit. He later explained why he marked April 24 each year as his “Alive Day,” saying he chose to focus not on what he lost, but “on what I have.”
Over the next four years, Verardo endured 120 surgeries at Walter Reed and Brooke Army Medical Center. In 2013 he married his high school sweetheart, Sarah Conklin, who had stood by him through his recovery.
At their wedding, Verardo said simply of his bride, “I’ve loved her as long as I’ve known her.” The couple went on to raise three daughters together.
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Sarah has long spoken about the unseen challenges her husband carried after the blast.
“He had poly-trauma, meaning multiple systems suffered catastrophic injury,” she explained in an interview with The Providence Journal, noting that his recovery was never a straight line.
“Wearing our nation’s uniform was the honor of his lifetime, and caring for him is the honor of mine,” she said in the same interview.
Sarah wrote of her husband in a touching Instagram post shared on Wednesday, “It was the honor of my lifetime to be his wife. His person. My heart is broken. He fought the good fight every single day and gave us everything he had. I promised him that I will forever do relentless good in his honor.”
North Carolina honored Verardo by declaring April 24 Wounded Heroes Day. Despite ongoing medical challenges and cognitive difficulties in later years, he remained an example of perseverance and resilience to all who knew him.
Sarah often emphasized that triumph took many forms.
“Some amputees run races on prosthetics, but with others, a victory is simply making it through another day,” she said. “I consider both equally inspiring.”
As CEO of the Independence Fund, Sarah transformed their personal battle into a national movement. She helped launch the Trackchair initiative in partnership with Fox News and its viewers, raising millions of dollars and changing lives. The program later expanded to include Vietnam veterans, ensuring earlier generations of heroes were honored and supported.
“We honor the extraordinary life and service of Retired U.S. Army Sergeant Michael Verardo, a true American Hero, who gave everything for our Nation,” President Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
“After suffering catastrophic injuries from an IED in Afghanistan on April 24, 2010, Michael endured 120 surgeries with unwavering Courage, and the strong support of his incredible wife, Sarah, and three beautiful daughters. Sarah’s tireless advocacy for Wounded Warriors and Military Families exemplifies the Spirit of America. Michael’s Legacy of Resilience, and Sarah’s Selfless Dedication, will forever inspire us. Brave Patriots like Michael, and their families, will never be forgotten. We will cherish them in our hearts, forever!”
Michael Verardo will be laid to rest with full military honors Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, at 11 a.m. at Weddington Methodist Church in North Carolina, according to his family. The community is invited to attend and honor his sacrifice.
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His legacy lives on in every wounded veteran who regained independence through a Trackchair, in every family strengthened by the Independence Fund and in the enduring gratitude of a nation.
Though his battle is over, his story will continue to inspire Americans to honor their heroes not just on the battlefield but in the long journey of recovery.
Chinese national stopped at Texas airport in alleged attempt to steal cancer research
A Chinese doctor was busted in Texas for allegedly trying to smuggle cancer-related research back to China.
Yunhai Li – a 35-year-old employed by the MD Anderson Cancer Center since 2022 – was confronted at an airport by officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection on July 9, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
The office said the authorities working in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations “found evidence Li was attempting to take sensitive medical information abroad during an inspection of his belongings.”
“We were able to detain him as he was trying to get on a flight to China,” Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare told Fox26 Houston. “That intellectual property stays with us, so we can save lives.”
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Li was charged with theft of trade secrets and tampering with a government record. The theft charge carries a penalty of two to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
The Attorney’s Office said Li was staying in the U.S. on a nonimmigrant research scholar exchange visa provided by the State Department. The research he was working on was funded through the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense, it added.
Court documents viewed by Fox26Houston said Li uploaded sensitive data to his personal Google Drive account while working for MD Anderson, and when the institution found out about it and confronted him, he deleted the files.
However, the documents added that Li also uploaded the data to a file-hosting service based on a Chinese server.
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On that storage drive, investigators found “unpublished research data and articles representing trade secrets, including material-restricted confidential research data, writings, drawings and models,” according to Fox26 Houston.
The station, citing the court documents, also reported that Li was receiving grant funding through the National Natural Science Foundation of China and was performing research for The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University before and during his employment with MD Anderson – yet did not disclose the conflict of interest to his U.S. employers.
“I believe I have the right to possess and retain this data,” Li was quoted by Fox26 Houston as saying in a sworn statement contained in the court documents.
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Li has since posted $5,100 bail and bonded out of jail on Monday, surrendering his passport, the station reported.