Progressives erupt as Bari Weiss expected to shake up CBS News in major deal
Liberals are up in arms over reports that independent journalist Bari Weiss is eyeing a top role at CBS News as the new Paramount chief is inching closer to striking a major deal with her.
Puck News reported Wednesday that Paramount CEO David Ellison, who just took over the company last month after his $8 billion merger with Skydance, is at the “one-yard line” with his plans to buy Weiss’ online publication, The Free Press, and appoint her to a top editorial position at the struggling broadcast network.
Weiss, a classical liberal who famously exited The New York Times in 2020 after facing bullying by far-left colleagues, has largely been ostracized by the cultural left for The Free Press’ reporting that challenges DEI, gender ideology and media narratives against Israel during its ongoing war with Hamas.
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Status newsletter author Oliver Darcy lamented the looming deal, calling the reported $100 to $200 million price tag an “absurd sum.”
“David Ellison vowed not to politicize Paramount — yet his first big move at CBS News is a major bet on Bari Weiss, one of the most polarizing figures in media,” Darcy began his newsletter Wednesday night. “Weiss, the stridently pro-Israel, proudly anti-‘woke’ culture warrior, has built her brand on polarizing political commentary — supposedly the type of material Ellison signaled to reporters that he wishes to run away from.”
Darcy warned, “Handing Weiss the keys won’t broaden trust — it will further erode it among the people who actually watch the network, reinforcing suspicions about Ellison’s agenda. In effect, the move will set CBS News on a course to squander its hard-earned credibility with the audience that reveres its history and demands it stand unbowed to power.”
HuffPost similarly branded Weiss the “polarizing editor of The Free Press” in its report and said the pending acquisition “offers a preview of how Ellison, the son of a top Trump ally, intends to shape CBS News moving forward.”
Salon referred to Weiss as “the polarizing editor and founder of conservative outlet The Free Press” and called her a “controversial figure.”
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The far-left magazine The Nation published a piece with a headline decrying “Vile Grifters Are Taking Over Establishment Media.”
“If we lived in a less terrible time and place, Weiss would be dismissed as a crank and a bigot, and never heard from again. But we live in the waking nightmare that is the United States in 2025. So instead, Weiss is being rewarded with a prize that even she must think is kind of wild. That prize? CBS News,” The Nation senior editor Jack Mirkinson wrote Thursday, calling the deal “disturbing.”
“Whatever CBS News currently is, it isn’t just some hate factory pumping out shoddy propaganda 24/7. But now it’s being shipped over to one of the leading hateful propagandists of our time,” he added. “I hope that CBS News staffers resist this attempt to destroy their workplace with everything they have. I hope that Weiss’s tenure atop CBS is short and failed. But mostly, I hope that one day we live in a world where people like Weiss are treated with the contempt they deserve and are hurled into the cultural wilderness where they belong.”
While conservatives and critics of the legacy media have largely welcomed the idea of Weiss leading a CBS overhaul, liberals and anti-Israel commentators slammed the move on social media.
“The right wing grift economy is undefeated,” ex-Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz reacted.
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“finally! a pro israel voice in mainstream media!” progressive Twitch personality Hasan Piker sarcastically exclaimed.
“CBS about to become your go-to news source on keffiyeh-wearing college students, how wokeness is the defining crisis of our times, whatever trans kids are up to, and whatever this is,” liberal writer Jil Filipovic said while sharing a screenshot of a Free Press op-ed penned by conservative commentator Ben Shapiro.
“I don’t hate the Free Press and I think Bari Weiss definitely has a lane. I frankly think it was a mistake to let her go from the Times – there is definitely a demand for anti-woke center-right people on the op/ed pages. But that lane is not running CBS News (!),” Flipovic added.
CBS and Paramount declined to comment. The Free Press didn’t respond to a request for comment.
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Newborn’s autopsy results revealed after athlete accused of stashing body in closet
A coroner revealed Wednesday that the cause of death remains inconclusive for a newborn allegedly hidden in a closet by a University of Kentucky student-athlete.
The Fayette County Coroner’s Office in Lexington, Kentucky, said in a statement that the autopsy on the male infant was completed, but the findings were inconclusive as extensive microscopic analyses are essential to determine the cause and manner of death.
Officers with the Lexington Police Department took the infant’s mother, Laken Snelling, 21, into custody Sunday after the baby was found dead wrapped in a towel inside a trash bag, WLEX reported. The trash bag was reportedly placed inside a closet.
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Snelling, a senior at the University of Kentucky, is charged with tampering with physical evidence, concealing the birth of an infant and abuse of a corpse, according to police.
A university spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that Snelling is a member of the school’s STUNT team, which the athletics department describes as a “head-to-head competition between two teams that focuses on the technical and athletic aspects of cheer.”
Police said she admitted to giving birth, according to arrest records.
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Snelling was released from jail on $100,000 bond and placed on house arrest, according to court documents.
She pleaded not guilty in court Tuesday, according to a report from KBTX.
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Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn said he understands the community’s concern, noting the death “affects many lives in our neighboring state of Tennessee and as well as those in the Commonwealth.”
“We are currently conducting a thorough and methodical death investigation to ensure all facts are carefully considered,” Ginn wrote in the statement. “Please keep the family and friends as well as the University of Kentucky friends in your thoughts and prayers.”
Ginn added the death investigation remains open pending test results.
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The Lexington Police Department said its special victims section is continuing to investigate.
Eagles’ Week 1 victory marred by spitting incident as player gets tossed vs Cowboys
The first win of the 2025 NFL season goes to the Philadelphia Eagles, who held off the Dallas Cowboys, 24-20, to notch a victory to start the season.
Philadelphia was ecstatic to see Lincoln Financial Field filled with green lights as they celebrated the team’s Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs back in February.
After the banner was raised, it was time to get down to business, and quarterback Jalen Hurts did just that. The Super Bowl MVP scored two touchdowns on the ground to lead his Eagles to the promised land in Week 1.
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This game had virtually everything happen, but it started with a disgusting act as Eagles star defensive end Jalen Carter got ejected after spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott just six seconds into the game.
Carter approached the Cowboys’ huddle after a flag was thrown on the opening kickoff, and Prescott approached him. They exchanged some words before Carter was clearly seen spitting on Prescott, and referees nearby caught it right away and threw him out.
So, the Eagles were without one of its best players before a snap was even made, but this NFC East battle was a back-and-forth offensive showcase. It started with the Cowboys going downfield via the run game, led by Javonte Williams, and Prescott finding his trusty top receiver, CeeDee Lamb, on a 32-yard strike to get into the red zone.
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The first touchdown of the year was bullied into the end zone by Williams, who wouldn’t be done in this game.
Hurts and the Eagles, already down Carter, had to respond and they did so with ease on their first drive of 2025. The Eagles went 10 plays for 70 yards, where Hurts took it into the end zone himself on third-and-goal from four yards out to tie the game after the extra point.
But Dallas was quick to respond, going nine plays and a long 88 yards where Williams fought through the line of scrimmage for the one-yard score.
The Eagles, though, continued to use Hurts and star running back Saquon Barkley to solidify the run game, and Hurts ran one in the end zone from eight yards out for the score.
After a Brandon Aubrey 41-yard field goal on the next drive, the reigning Super Bowl champions were hungry for its first lead of 2025. Who other than Barkley, the league’s ninth-ever 2,000-yard rusher last season, making that happen by weaving through the Cowboys’ defense for a 10-yard score with 51 seconds left in the first half, making it 21-17.
The Cowboys would find their way down the field to allow Aubrey to nail a 53-yard field goal just as the half ended, and it was clear these two rivals were going to have to get a stop or two to secure the win.
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That’s exactly what happened when Miles Sanders, the former Eagles running back, fumbled in the red zone as the Cowboys were driving and second-year cornerback Quinyon Mitchell scooped up the ball to flip the field.
But a lengthy weather delay came right after, stopping play for almost an hour due to lightning and heavy rain in the area.
Once play resumed, the scoring onslaught slowed drastically as both defenses started to get into the backfield. But the Eagles had the edge thanks to a third-quarter field goal by Jake Elliott that made it 24-20.
Dallas had a chance to go down the field after multiple stops on the Eagles’ offense, but crucial drops by Lamb, who is usually as sure-handed as they come in the NFL, halted drives for the Cowboys.
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The Eagles forced a turnover-on-downs after Lamb couldn’t haul a Prescott pass on a diving attempt, and Hurts ran for a first down on third-and-short to ice the game.
Looking at the stat sheet, Hurts went 19-of-23 for 152 yards passing, while rushing for 63 yards on 13 rushes. Barkley also added 60 yards on 18 carries with his touchdown.
Prescott could’ve had more in the passing game, going for 188 yards on 21-of-34 through the air. Lamb finished with 110 yards on seven catches with 13 targets.
Biden undergoes surgery for skin cancer as frail appearance fuels new questions
Former President Joe Biden recently had surgery to treat skin cancer, a revelation that comes after worrying photos and video surfaced showing the 82-year-old with what appeared to be a giant gash on his head.
Biden’s spokesperson confirmed to Fox News that he had Mohs surgery to treat skin cancer. It’s unclear what type of skin cancer he had.
Video featured on Inside Edition Thursday showed Biden leaving a church in Rehoboth Beach over Labor Day weekend with the wound on his head.
Biden also appeared frail in the video as he greeted people outside the service Sunday.
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The sighting came a day after Biden was seen in the evening at a local ice cream shop in a baseball cap that seemed to cover the wound.
In late August, Biden was spotted with a giant bandage covering the wound as he attended the funeral of former Delaware Gov. and U.S. Rep. Mike Castle at St. Joseph at the Brandywine Church in Greenville.
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Mohs surgery is an operation that takes off thin layers of cancerous tissue and examines them until it’s certain that no abnormal cells remain.
In 2023, Jill Biden, the former first lady, underwent the same procedure to remove multiple lesions, including one over her right eye.
The latest development adds to Biden’s health struggles. In May, it was revealed he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer that had spread to his bones.
“Cancer touches us all,” former President Biden wrote on social media at the time. “Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places.”
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Doctors classified his cancer as highly aggressive, assigning it a Gleason score of 9 and a Grade Group of 5, the most severe rating.
In 2023, doctors also removed a basal cell carcinoma from his chest. That same year, he was declared cancer-free after treatment but has since been undergoing ongoing care.
Findings made after bones collected in manhunt for dad accused of killing 3 daughters
The FBI said Wednesday that remains discovered during last week’s grid search for fugitive father Travis Decker were reviewed and found to not be human.
Officials recovered bones during their two-day search of Washington campgrounds on Aug. 25-26 as part of the manhunt for Decker, the man accused of murdering his three young daughters. The bones were analyzed and found to not be of human origin, according to a statement Wednesday from W. Mike Herrington, special agent in charge of the FBI Seattle field office.
“During the search, personnel recovered multiple bones, including those that required additional examination to determine if they were animal or human,” Herrington said in the statement. “Central Washington University has reviewed the bones and assessed that they are not human.”
BONES DISCOVERED DURING LATEST MANHUNT FOR TRAVIS DECKER WANTED IN DAUGHTERS’ MURDERS
While the 250-acre search of the Rock Island Campground near Leavenworth did not lead to any direct evidence of Decker’s location, it provided investigators with additional information, officials said.
FBI SEARCHES AREA AROUND CAMPGROUND WHERE TRAVIS DECKER’S 3 DAUGHTERS WERE FOUND DEAD
“While we do not anticipate further updates related to this specific search, the investigation continues,” Herrington said. “This extensive search was just one step in a three-month process by a variety of agencies to locate Travis Decker, discover signs of his whereabouts or find any other evidence of the murder of his three daughters.”
A spokesperson for the FBI Seattle field office told Fox News Digital in an email that, as of Thursday, the agency has “discovered no evidence to indicate that Travis Decker is alive or dead.”
Decker, an Army veteran with survival expertise, has evaded capture for more than three months.
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Authorities began searching for him on June 2, when he failed to return his daughters — Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 — to their mother after a scheduled visitation. The children’s bodies were discovered near Rock Island Campground along Icicle Creek with bags over their heads. Autopsies confirmed they died of suffocation, and their deaths were ruled homicides.
The U.S. Marshals Service is offering up to $20,000 for information leading to the arrest of Decker. Authorities said he should be considered armed and dangerous.
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The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office and the Wenatchee Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Black national anthem performance at Eagles-Cowboys game draws ire from fans
Laurin Talese was tapped to sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” Thursday night ahead of the first game of the NFL season between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
Since the summer of unrest over the death of George Floyd, the NFL has allowed teams to have performers sing the song, known as the Black national anthem.
The song has made appearances at season-opening matchups as well as Super Bowls before kickoffs.
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The NBC broadcast also showed one of the messages in the end zone at Lincoln Financial Field. The message read, “It Takes All of Us.”
Playing the song again before the start of the NFL season sparked fiery reactions on social media.
EAGLES STAR JALEN CARTER EJECTED FOR SPITTING ON COWBOYS’ DAK PRESCOTT BEFORE FIRST SNAP OF NFL SEASON
The NAACP began to promote “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as the Black national anthem in 1917. But it continues to be the source of consternation among fans.
Talese received a standing ovation from those inside the stadium at the time.
She told the Eagles’ website it was her first time inside Lincoln Financial Field, but she has become a big fan of the team over the years.
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“I’m feeling so excited and honored,” she said. “I’m really excited to see what it’s going to feel like. … I love feeling the pulse of the city, but I’ve never been to a game. So, this is my entrance. This is my foray into real-life Eagles fandom, and being able to really be a part of it, like, what better way? It’s kind of crazy, actually.”
Luxury yacht tips and sinks minutes after launch, terrified passengers jump overboard
Dramatic video shows a brand-new luxury yacht sinking just minutes after it was launched off the coast of Turkey, forcing its crew to leap overboard.
According to reports, the new $1 million vessel, an 85-foot cruiser named Dolce Vento, was launched Tuesday in the Ereğli district of Zonguldak, a port city on Turkey’s Black Sea.
The amateur video shows the boat being pushed into the ocean down a track on the beach and then swaying within 15 minutes of setting off.
As bystanders watched, the luxury yacht lurched to one side, tilting dangerously before taking on water.
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Chaos erupted as people on board had to scramble onto the sloping deck. As the vessel sank quickly, they were forced to dive into the sea.
One clip shows a man in a dark suit standing on the vessel’s side before springing into the water.
The Turkish Coast Guard and port teams reportedly rushed to the scene, setting up a security perimeter around the capsized craft as it slipped further into the water, per TMZ.
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According to TMZ, a spokesperson for the shipyard hosting the yacht, Med Yilmaz, said the cause of the disaster is under investigation.
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Technical inspections will be carried out to determine whether a construction flaw, balance issue or human error doomed the luxury vessel.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Turkish Coast Guard for comment.
Google to pay $425 million after years of improper spying on smartphone activity
A federal jury ordered Google to pay $425.7 million for invading users’ privacy by collecting data over an eight-year period on millions of people who had turned off a tracking feature in their Google account.
The verdict on Wednesday in San Francisco comes after a trial in a class-action case applying to roughly 98 million users in the U.S. between July 1, 2016, and Sept. 23, 2024. The jury found that the company had been spying on users in violation of California privacy laws.
Google denied that it was improperly accessing devices to collect, save, and use data of people who believed they had protected their online activity with privacy controls.
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“This decision misunderstands how our products work,” Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said in a statement to Reuters. “Our privacy tools give people control over their data, and when they turn off personalization, we honor that choice.”
Castaneda said the company plans to appeal the verdict.
The class action lawsuit was filed in July 2020, accusing Google of continuing to collect data on users who had turned on privacy controls.
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During the trial, Google said the data collected was “nonpersonal, pseudonymous, and stored in segregated, secured, and encrypted locations.”
The company claimed the data was not associated with users’ Google accounts or any user’s identity.
Lawyer David Boies, who represented the users, said in a statement they were “obviously very pleased with the verdict the jury returned.”
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Google has been slapped with other lawsuits for privacy violations, including one earlier this year in which it agreed to pay nearly $1.4 billion in a settlement with Texas over allegations of violating the state’s privacy laws.
Last year, the company agreed to destroy billions of data records of users’ private browsing activities to settle a lawsuit accusing it of tracking people who believed they were browsing privately, including in “Incognito” mode.
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan criticism over CDC director firing and vaccine views
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. found himself in the arena Thursday morning.
Room 215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building is not a conventional “arena.” It’s the hearing room for the Senate Finance Committee, but circumstances converted the room into such a venue.
Kennedy was due to appear before the Senate Finance panel long before August “happened,” but Kennedy’s “August” is what placed special focus on Kennedy’s appearance.
RFK Jr. sacked newly-confirmed Centers for Disease Control Director Susan Monarez – four weeks after senators greenlit her nomination – and issued new, stringent, controversial eligibility guidelines for people to receive a COVID-19 booster this fall.
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The forum was hostile. The hearing for Kennedy quickly devolved into a verbal judo match. He sparred with senators from both parties. They jousted over science and politics, but the heart of the conflict was internal turmoil at the CDC and vaccines.
“Do you accept the fact that a million Americans died from COVID?” asked Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., of Kennedy.
“I don’t know how many died,” answered Kennedy.
Warner was apoplectic.
“You’re the Secretary of Health and Human Services. You don’t have any idea how many Americans died from COVID?” asked an incredulous Warner.
“I don’t think anybody knows because there was so much data chaos coming out of the CDC,” replied Kennedy.
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This bewildered Warner.
“The Secretary of Health and Human Services doesn’t know how many people died from COVID? Doesn’t know if the vaccine helped prevent any deaths. And you are the sitting Secretary of Health and Human Services,” continued Warner. “How can you be that ignorant?”
That was only part of Democrats unloading on Kennedy.
“You’re so wrong on your facts,” the Secretary charged when tangling with Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.
The Washington Democrat wasn’t having it.
“You’re interrupting me. And, sir, you’re a charlatan,” said Cantwell. “You’re the one who conflates chronic disease with the need for vaccines.”
“You are putting America’s babies’ health at risk. America’s seniors’ health at risk. All Americans’ health at risk. And you should resign,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
At one point, RFK Jr. tussled with Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo.
“You’re evading the question,” Kennedy yelled at the senator.
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Bennet wouldn’t allow the witness to flip the script.
“I’m asking the questions here! I’m asking the questions!” thundered Bennet. “I’m asking the questions on behalf of parents and schools and teachers all over the United States of America who deserve so much better than your leadership.”
But the secretary gave as good as he got.
“You’re making things up to scare people and it’s a lie,” alleged Kennedy when facing questions from Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.
He went on to accuse Hassan of “crazy talk” and claimed she was “just making stuff up.”
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Kennedy’s new COVID jab guidelines roiled the hearing.
He told Warren that “anyone can get the booster.”
“So you’re saying that is now the official rule. Just anybody is eligible to get a booster by just walking into the pharmacy?” queried Warren.
“It’s not recommended for healthy people,” Kennedy said.
“No, no!” retorted Warren. “If you don’t recommend it, then the consequence of that in many states is that you can’t walk into a pharmacy and get one.”
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., is an orthopedist, but even he was vexed by Kennedy’s vaccine vacillation.
“In your confirmation hearings, you promised to uphold the highest standards for vaccines,” said Barrasso. “Since then, I’ve grown deeply concerned.”
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who is no stranger to calling out the Trump administration, warned Kennedy to tread carefully on vaccines.
“We’re playing with fire here,” warned Tillis outside the hearing room. “If the death rates go up for children who aren’t vaccinated, they need to own it. Own it. Don’t say, ‘whoops, we got the science wrong.’”
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Senate Health Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., is a gastroenterologist. He was skeptical of Kennedy’s qualifications for the job – before ultimately voting to confirm him. Cassidy seemed baffled by the secretary’s stance on vaccines.
“Do you agree with me that the president deserves a Nobel Prize for Operation Warp Speed?” asked Cassidy about the Trump administration’s effort to fast-track a COVID-19 shot in 2020.
“Yeah, absolutely, senator. It’s phenomenal,” Kennedy responded.
“But you just told Sen. Bennet that the COVID vaccine killed more people than COVID?” said Cassidy.
“Wait! I did not say that!” Kennedy fired back, but Cassidy wasn’t through.
“It surprises me that you think so highly of Operation Warp Speed, when as an attorney, you attempted to restrict access,” said Cassidy.
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During the hearing, Kennedy claimed on multiple occasions that he canned Monarez as CDC chief because she didn’t tell the truth.
“Are you telling us that the former head of CDC went to you and you asked, ‘are you a trustworthy person?’ And she said, ‘no, I am not a trustworthy person,’” questioned Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
“She didn’t say ‘no. I’m not a trustworthy person.’ She said ‘no,’” said Kennedy.
“Wow!” exclaimed Sanders.
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., who is an OB-GYN, defended the firing – even though President Trump nominated Monarez and Marshall just supported her confirmation in July.
“I voted for her. I made a mistake. I thought she could do the job. But unfortunately, she’s not part of the President’s mission of Secretary Kennedy turning the CDC upside down,” said Marshall.
As we said, August “happened.”
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Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., criticized his colleagues who attacked Kennedy and he noted that each senator only scored five minutes to question the Secretary.
“Thank you for your willingness to serve and for putting up with this abuse,” Johnson said to Kennedy. “Five minutes isn’t even close to refute all of the falsehoods that have been confidently spewed during this hearing.”
Vice President JD Vance also rode to Kennedy’s aid, posting on social media that “Democrats are getting absolutely TORCHED by @SecKennedy.”
He added that Democrats were “full of sh*t and everyone knows it.”
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The turmoil isn’t over. Kennedy told senators he may fire other CDC officials. And one can imagine the questions about COVID-19 which might emerge this fall and winter if there’s yet another surge.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman, Michael Crapo, R-Idaho, granted Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the top Democrat on the panel, a few extra questions at the end of the hearing. Crapo then asked Kennedy if he cared to add any closing remarks.
Kennedy declined the invitation.
“I’ll have mercy on everybody and let us adjourn,” he said.
Until there’s another foray into the arena.