Trump replaces surgeon general pick with wellness influencer
Casey Means, who describes herself online as a "former surgeon turned metabolic health evangelist", was praised by Trump for her "MAHA" credentials - a reference to the "Make America Healthy Again" slogan.
Her role would see her working under Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, whose own appointment has raised concerns given his past promotion of vaccine-related conspiracy theories.
Trump's previous pick for surgeon general was Janette Nesheiwat, a physician and former Fox News medical contributor, who the president said would instead work "in another capacity" at the health department.
Nesheiwat was due to have her confirmation hearing on Thursday morning.
Trump did not offer a reason for the switch, but US media noted that Laura Loomer - a far-right ally of the president - had complained about Nesheiwat's nomination over her advocacy of the COVID-19 vaccine and other concerns.
Loomer, known for claiming the 9/11 attacks were an inside job, has reportedly been successful in pushing for the firing of other officials, including the head of the National Security Agency in April.
Means holds a medical degree from Stanford University but does not currently practice. She co-authored a 2024 book called Good Energy that focuses on the connection between diet and health.
She wrote the book with her brother Calley, who already serves as an advisor to RFK Jr.
Trump said Means would work with Kennedy to "ensure a successful implementation of our Agenda in order to reverse the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and ensure Great Health, in the future, for ALL Americans".
Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump called her achievements "absolutely outstanding" and said "Dr Casey Means has the potential to be one of the finest Surgeon Generals in United States History".
Surgeon generals are nominated by the US president and can play key roles in communicating public health information, though their actual power is limited.
Previous post holders have promoted health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic and raised awareness on issues such as alcohol intake and the mental health impact of social media among young people.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
35 minutes ago
- Business Times
Trump hopes China will quickly quadruple its US soybean orders
[WASHINGTON] US President Donald Trump said on Sunday (Aug 10) that he hoped China would quadruple its soybean orders from the US adding that it was also 'a way of substantially reducing' Beijing's trade deficit with Washington. 'China is worried about its shortage of soybeans. Our great farmers produce the most robust soybeans. I hope China will quickly quadruple its soybean orders. This is also a way of substantially reducing China's trade deficit with the USA. Rapid service will be provided. Thank you President XI,' Trump said on Truth Social. A tariff truce between Beijing and Washington is set to expire on August 12, but the Trump administration has hinted that the deadline may be extended. China, which takes more than 60 per cent of soybeans shipped worldwide, buys the oilseed mainly from Brazil and the United States. The most active soybean contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) was up 2.13 per cent at US$10.08 a bushel at 0446 GMT, having been little changed before Trump's post. China imported roughly 105 million metric tons of soybeans last year, just under a quarter coming from the US and the remainder from Brazil. Quadrupling shipments would require China to import the bulk of its soybeans from the US. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up 'It's highly unlikely that China would ever buy four times its usual volume of soybeans from the US,' Johnny Xiang, founder of Beijing-based AgRadar Consulting, said. It is unclear if securing China's agreement to buy more US soybeans is a condition for extending the trade truce. China's Ministry of Commerce did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The country has steadily reduced its reliance on US soybeans in recent years, shifting more purchases to South America. Under the Phase One trade deal signed during Trump's first term, China agreed to boost purchases of US agricultural products, including soybeans. However, Beijing ultimately fell far short of meeting those targets. This year, amid Washington–Beijing trade tensions, it has yet to buy any fourth quarter US beans, fuelling concerns as the US harvest export season approaches. 'On Beijing's side, there have been quite a few signals that China is prepared to forego US soybeans altogether this year, including booking those test cargoes of soymeal from Argentina,' said Even Rogers Pay, an agricultural analyst at Trivium China. Reuters previously reported that Chinese feedmakers have purchased three Argentine soymeal cargoes as they aim to secure cheaper South American supplies amid concerns about a possible soybean supply disruption in the fourth quarter. US soybean industry has been seeking alternative buyers, but no other country matches China's scale. Last year, China imported 22.13 million tons of soybeans from the US, and 74.65 million tons from Brazil. REUTERS
AsiaOne
4 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Trump vows to evict homeless from Washington, official says National Guard may be deployed, World News
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump pledged on Sunday (Aug 10) to evict homeless people from the nation's capital and jail criminals, despite Washington's mayor arguing there is no current spike in crime. While details of the plan were unclear, the administration is preparing to deploy hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington, a US official told Reuters, a controversial tactic Trump used recently in Los Angeles to tackle immigration protests over the objections of local officials. Trump has not made a final decision, the official said, adding that the number of troops and their role are still being determined. Unlike in California and every other state, where the governor typically decides when to activate Guard troops, the president directly controls the National Guard in Washington, DC. Past instances of the Guard's deployment in the city include in response to the Jan 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters. "The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. "We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don't have to move out. We're going to put you in jail where you belong." The White House declined to explain what legal authority Trump would use to evict people from Washington. The Republican president controls only federal land and buildings in the city. Trump plans to hold a press conference on Monday to "stop violent crime in Washington, DC." It was not clear whether he would announce more details of his eviction plan then. There are 3,782 single persons experiencing homelessness on any given night in the city of about 700,000, says the Community Partnership, an organisation working to reduce homelessness in DC. Most such individuals are in emergency shelters or transitional housing, rather than on the street, it says. A White House official said on Friday more federal law enforcement officers were being deployed in the city following a violent attack on a young administration staffer that angered the president. Alleged crimes investigated by federal agents on Friday night included "multiple persons carrying a pistol without license," motorists driving on suspended licenses and dirt bike riding, a White House official said on Sunday. The official said 450 federal law enforcement officers were deployed across the city on Saturday. The city's police department says violent crime was down 26 per cent in DC in the first seven months of 2025, compared with last year, while overall crime was down about seven per cent. The Democratic mayor of Washington, DC, Muriel Bowser, said on Sunday the capital was "not experiencing a crime spike." "It is true that we had a terrible spike in crime in 2023, but this is not 2023," Bowser said on MSNBC's the Weekend. "We have spent over the last two years driving down violent crime in this city, driving it down to a 30-year low." Bowser said Trump was "very aware" of the city's work with federal law enforcement after meeting him several weeks ago in the Oval Office. The US Congress has control of DC's budget after the district was established in 1790 with land from neighbouring Virginia and Maryland, but resident voters elect a mayor and city council. For Trump to take over the city, it is likely that Congress would have to pass a law revoking the law that established local elected leadership. [[nid:720910]]
AsiaOne
4 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Fistful of dollars and rice for Vietnam farmers displaced for $1.9b Trump golf club, Asia News
HUNG YEN — Vietnamese farmer Nguyen Thi Huong has slept poorly since authorities told her to vacate her farm for a Trump family-backed golf resort, offering just US$3,200 (S$4,106) and rice provisions in return. The golf resort, for which construction is scheduled to begin next month, is offering thousands of villagers such compensation packages to leave the land that has provided their livelihood for years or decades, according to six people with direct knowledge and documents seen by Reuters. The project is the first partnership for the family business of US President Donald Trump in Vietnam, which fast-tracked approvals as it negotiated a crucial trade deal with Washington. Developers are now cutting compensation forecasts from an initial estimate exceeding US$500 million, said one person familiar with the plans who declined to elaborate on reasons for the reduction. The 990-hectare site designated for the golf course currently supports fruit farms growing bananas, longan, and other crops. While some see opportunity, many farmers are elderly and fear they will struggle to find alternative livelihoods in Vietnam's vibrant economy with its largely young demographic. "The whole village is worried about this project because it will take our land and leave us jobless," said 50-year-old Huong, who was told to leave her 200-square-metre (2152.78 square-feet) plot in Hung Yen province near capital Hanoi for less than the average pay for one year in Vietnam. Vietnamese real estate company Kinhbac City and its partners will develop the luxury golf club after paying the Trump Organisation US$5 million for brand licensing rights, according to regulatory filings and a source familiar with the deal. Trump's family business will run the club once completed, but is not involved in the investment and in compensation to farmers. Trump has said his assets in the businesses are held in a trust managed by his children, but disclosures in June showed income from those sources ultimately accrues to the president. Vietnam's agriculture ministry, Hung Yen authorities, the Trump Organisation and Kinhbac City did not reply to questions on compensation rates. Authorities will determine final compensation rates based on land size and location, with formal approval expected next month. Five farmers facing dispossessions said authorities flagged reimbursements worth between US$12 and US$30 per square metre of farmland. They also offered additional payments for uprooted plants and provisions of rice for some months, roughly in line with one document seen by Reuters. The person familiar with the compensation plan said the range was accurate, declining to be named because the information was not public. A local official declined to talk about the compensation but said rates for farmland in the area have usually not exceeded $14 per square metre. They are often higher in other provinces. In Communist-run Vietnam, farmland is managed by the state. Farmers are assigned small plots for long-term use but have little say when authorities decide to take the land back. Protests are common but usually fruitless. Compensation is paid by the state but developers foot the bill. Four of the farmers contacted by Reuters were not happy with the proposed rates because their small plots would produce low payments. Thousands of villagers will be affected, according to a second document from local authorities seen by Reuters, which stated final payment decisions were expected next month. Huong leases a larger plot from other villagers, but can claim land compensation only for the small one assigned to her and for the plants she grows. "What can someone like me do after that?" Rice for land Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said farmers would be reimbursed fairly when he spoke in May at the groundbreaking ceremony for the golf project to an audience that included Trump's son Eric, a senior vice president of the Trump Organisation. "We have no right to negotiate. That's a shame," said Do Dinh Huong, another farmer who was told his plot would be compensated at roughly US$12 per square metre. He said he would have accepted what he believed was a low rate if the land were to be used to build roads or other public infrastructure. "But this is a business project. I don't know how that would contribute to people's life." Authorities have also offered rice as compensation, with provisions varying from two to twelve months, according to one of the documents seen by Reuters. Nguyen Thi Chuc, a 54-year-old farmer who grows bananas in what will become the Trump golf club, was told by authorities she might receive roughly US$30 per square metre for her 200-square-metre plot. "I'm getting old and can't do anything else other than working on the farm," she said. Conversely, lawyers and investors in the province said the golf club would create better jobs and enrich villagers. Le Van Tu, a 65-year-old local who will be compensated for his small plot and owns an eatery in a village that the golf club will abut, said he will upgrade his diner into a restaurant to cater to wealthier clients. Land prices in the village have risen fivefold since the project was announced in October, he said. He was also happy a nearby pig farm will be gone: "It won't be stinky anymore." [[nid:718251]]
