Bill Frist Accepts 2025 TIME Earth Award
Bill Frist on May 10, 2023. Credit - Tom Williams—CQ-Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Senator Bill Frist wants everyone to know that the climate crisis is a health crisis. 'After decades in medicine, in that operating room as a surgeon, and then 12 years in the United States Senate, and then a lot of time as a healthcare entrepreneur, I came to see something fundamental, that the health of our planet and our globe…and the health of the human being himself, we've regarded those as separate, when in truth, they are inseparable,' Frist said at the TIME Earth Awards in Manhattan on April 23.
Frist began his career as a physician and surgeon before joining the Senate in 1995. Since retiring, he's turned his focus to the climate crisis.
Now, he believes that to get people to connect with the climate crisis it has to be made personal. 'No one wants their child to develop asthma from polluted air, no one wants to watch a loved one suffer from a heatwave,' Frist said. 'When we view the Earth's health… through the lens of human health—we touch those individual hearts and minds and move people with that common language.'
Frist said his experience advocating—and seeing meaningful change—on big issues like reducing smoking, controlling HIV, and slashing childhood traffic fatalities, has shown him that climate action is possible—as long as people come together with a shared goal. And the will is there: 70% of Americans recognize climate change as a serious concern.
He urged doctors and nurses to 'be the messengers' of the climate crisis. 'It's those healers and doctors and nurses who are on the front lines. It's them responding to the health impacts of the natural disasters that we know are occurring more frequently and with greater intensity, the spreading of diseases from deforestation and the changing climates that we know all are occurring, and the repercussions of polluted water and soil on health.'
He closed out his speech with a message to 'lead with health.' 'Because in the end, it isn't just about saving the planet.' Frist said. 'It is about saving lives and saving people.'
TIME Earth Awards was presented by Official Timepiece Rolex and Galvanize Climate Solutions.
Write to Simmone Shah at simmone.shah@time.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Opinion - Trump-Musk divorce threatens the president and the entire Republican Party
Few expected the relationship between President Trump and Elon Musk to survive four years, but the spectacular collapse of this partnership has shocked even seasoned observers with its speed and intensity. Now, as two of the world's most powerful men openly clash, there are seismic implications for the country as a whole and the Republican Party specifically. Put another way, not only does this fissure expose cracks in the GOP and MAGA coalition, it's also a considerable threat to Republicans' midterms hopes and Trump's signature legislation. The fight, which began two weeks ago when Musk expressed 'disappointment' with Trump's 'one big, beautiful' bill had initially been confined to disagreements over the legislation, rather than personal attacks. Then, on Thursday afternoon, it escalated in unprecedented, dramatic fashion. Following Trump's recent comment that he would have won Pennsylvania without Musk's help, Musk replied 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.' That was just Musk's opening salvo against the man he spent roughly $300 million to get elected. The tech billionaire then went on a blistering war path. He claimed Trump was on 'the Epstein list,' supported impeachment — a touchy subject for the twice-impeached Trump — and claimed that tariffs would cause a recession. Not content with attacking Trump, Musk has also threatened to fund primary challenges to Republicans who support the bill, and has criticized both Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.). With unprecedented speed, Musk went from the man who could pour hundreds of millions into Republican coffers to Republicans' enemy number one. Influential commentator Steve Bannon pushed for Musk's deportation, claiming he's an illegal alien, and Trump threatened to cancel all government contracts with Musk's multiple companies, saying Musk 'went CRAZY.' Whether or not the rumors of an impending détente between the two is enough to heal the rupture remains to be seen, but it's unlikely that all of the pieces will ever get put back together. Given Musk's deep pockets and control of social media platform X, where he has a cult-like following, Trump and the Republicans now find themselves in a treacherous spot at a precarious time. Indeed, even before the dramatic escalation, Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' was in limbo in the Senate. As Alexander Bolton noted in this publication prior to Thursday's blowup, Trump's bill is 'losing momentum in the Senate in the face of blistering attacks from Elon Musk.' To that end, Musk's criticisms of the bill and threats to primary its Republican supporters has already led two House Republicans who voted for the bill, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and John Rose (R-Tenn.), to come out against some of it. It appears that this fight has brought some Republicans back into Trump's fold. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who had been opposed to the bill prior to its passage in the House, condemned Musk, saying he 'crossed the line.' And Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn), another House conservative, dismissed Musk's influence, saying he is 'just another shiny object.' For their part, Republican senators who may have had doubts about Trump's signature legislation now risk being seen as taking Musk's side and being disloyal to the president. However, it would be a mistake to overlook the implications of the breakup or the dangers for Republicans. If he wants, Musk could very easily fund primaries against vulnerable GOP House members, and his control of X gives him unprecedented influence over the media ecosystem. Further, Musk's influence among the Silicon Valley cohort that moved stridently to the right in 2024 could peel off a new group of Republican voters and donors. In that same vein, there are possible electoral consequences for Republicans, even if tempers between Trump and Musk cool down. Trump was counting on the bill's passage to be a significant political tailwind that would boost his polling numbers and Republicans' midterm hopes, particularly given the ongoing chaos over tariffs and trade policy. Now, whichever version of the bill eventually passes, Republicans look like the party of chaos. It is entirely possible that this ongoing feud dents voters' confidence in Republicans' ability to competently govern, something Democrats are clearly hoping for. As the Wall Street Journal reported, Democrats are 'reveling' about the fight, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) reposting Musk's attacks and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) taking digs at the 'GOP civil war.' To be sure, despite Musk's efforts, it remains likely that a version of Trump's 'one, big, beautiful bill' will still pass, but Republicans now have a bigger headache. Ultimately, divorces are always messy, but the Trump-Musk divorce is unprecedented, and it could not have come at a worse time for Republicans. With razor-thin margins in the House and the absence of Trump's much-touted trade bills, it poses the most significant threat to Republicans' midterm hopes, and by extension, the rest of Trump's term. Douglas E. Schoen and Carly Cooperman are pollsters and partners with the public opinion company Schoen Cooperman Research based in New York. They are co-authors of the book, 'America: Unite or Die.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
ABC News Suspends Terry Moran After He Posts Online Calling Donald Trump's Adviser a 'World-Class Hater'
ABC News made the decision to suspend their correspondent, Terry Moran, after he shared a critical social media post about President Donald Trump's adviser, Stephen Miller "He's a world-class hater. You can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment," he wrote in the since-deleted post on X White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt asked ABC "how they plan to hold Terry accountable" just before his suspension was handed downABC News reporter Terry Moran has been suspended from the air after sharing an incendiary social media post about one of President Donald Trump's key advisers. In the early hours of Sunday, June 8, the 65-year-old senior national correspondent took to X to share a post about Stephen Miller, the president's homeland security adviser and deputy chief of staff for policy. Moran referred to both Miller and Trump as "world-class hater[s]" in the post, which has since been deleted. A spokesperson for ABC News commented on the post in a statement shared with PEOPLE, noting that Moran "has been suspended pending further evaluation." 'ABC News stands for objectivity and impartiality in its news coverage and does not condone subjective personal attacks on others. The post does not reflect the views of ABC News and violated our standards," their statement noted. Moran took aim at Miller and the president in the post, which was shared shortly after midnight on Sunday. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "The thing about Stephen Miller is not that he is the brains behind Trumpism," Moran wrote. "Yes, he is one of the people who conceptualizes the impulses of the Trumpist movement and translates them into police. But that's not what's interesting about Miller." The reporter continued: "It's not brains. It's bile. Miller is a man who is richly endowed with the capacity for hatred. He's a world-class hater. You can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate." "Trump is a world-class hater. But his hatred is only a means to an end, and that end his his own glorification [sic]. That's his spiritual nourishment," he concluded. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt referred to the post as "a rampage against Stephen Miller" in a response on X. "This is unhinged and unacceptable," she wrote, adding, "We have reached out to @ABC to inquire about how they plan to hold Terry accountable." Vice President J.D. Vance also referred to the message as an "absolutely vile smear" in a message on the social media platform. "It's dripping with hatred. Remember that every time you watch ABC's coverage of the Trump administration," Vance wrote. "As it happens, I know Stephen quite well. And he's motivated by love of country. He's motivated by a fear that people like Terry Moran make rules that normal Americans have to follow, but well-connected people don't."Vance wrote, "It's why he fought so hard to get President Trump elected and why he works so hard to implement the agenda." He further commented that the news network "should apologize to Stephen." Moran's post comes a few weeks after he sat down for an exclusive interview with Trump, marking the end of his first 100 days in office since being inaugurated for a second time in January 2025. During the interview, Trump complained that the reporter was "not being very nice" after Moran informed the president that an image of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a legally protected father who was accidentally deported to El Salvador earlier this year, had been photoshopped. 'I picked you because, frankly, I had never heard of you, but that's okay,' Trump said. Another viral moment from the interview came when Moran asked Trump what the Declaration of Independence meant to him. "Well, it means exactly what it says, it's a declaration. A declaration of unity and love and respect, and it means a lot. And it's something very special to our country," the president replied as Moran stared at him with visible confusion on his face. Miller attracted attention in early May during a press briefing about the Department of Education and schools. Trump's advisor took issue with critical race theory, saying that a nation cannot be "successful" if it "teach[es] its children to hate themselves and their country." "Children will be taught to love America. Children will be taught to be patriots," he said. "Children will be taught civic values for schools that want federal taxpayer funding." Read the original article on People
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Corporation for Public Broadcasting can keep board members despite judge's ruling
By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) -A federal judge said that three board members of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting can keep their seats, even as he denied the nonprofit a preliminary injunction to block U.S. President Donald Trump from removing them. In a decision on Sunday, U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss in Washington, D.C. said the nonprofit recently used indirect authority it obtained from Congress to protect its independence, by changing its bylaws to make it harder to remove directors at will, including by Trump. "The President is not free to remove directors and then unilaterally to appoint their replacements, thereby using his power to remove as an effective tool for altering board policy," Moss wrote. "Rather, the President's appointment authority is tempered by the requirement that he proceed only with the advice and consent of the Senate." Moss nonetheless said the CPB was unlikely to prevail on the merits, and could not show irreparable harm because it could still function and "in all likelihood" has blocked Trump from exercising unilateral authority to remove board members. Created by Congress in 1967, the CPB provides financial support for the Public Broadcasting Service, National Public Radio and more than 1,500 locally managed public radio and TV stations. It sued after Trump fired three of its five directors -- Diane Kaplan, Laura Ross and Thomas Rothman - ostensibly without providing a reason. PBS and NPR are also suing to block the Trump administration from canceling their federal funding. "We are very pleased that the court recognized CPB is an independent, non-profit corporation, free from governmental control or influence," CPB President Patricia Harrison said in a statement. Harrison said the nonprofit looks forward to continuing its work "to ensure accurate, unbiased and nonpartisan public media is available for all Americans." CPB received $535 million of federal funding for its current fiscal year. The White House and many Republicans have argued that the government should not provide funding to support programming that they consider too liberal. A White House spokesperson on Monday said CPB is "creating media to support a particular political party on the taxpayers' dime. Therefore, the President is exercising his lawful authority to limit funding to NPR and PBS." The case is Corporation for Public Broadcasting et al v Trump et al, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia, No. 25-01305.
