White House withdraws nomination of a former Fox News contributor for US surgeon general
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is withdrawing the nomination of a former Fox News medical contributor Janette Nesheiwat for U.S. surgeon general, marking at least the second health-related pick from President Donald Trump to be pulled from Senate consideration.
The withdrawal was confirmed by two people familiar with the matter. Nesheiwat had been scheduled to appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Thursday for her confirmation hearing. The people spoke on condition of anonymity to confirm a decision not yet made public.
Nesheiwat is a medical director for an urgent care company in New York and has appeared regularly on Fox News to offer medical expertise and insights. She is a vocal supporter of Trump and shares photos of them together on social media. Nesheiwat is also the sister-in-law of former national security adviser Mike Waltz, who has been nominated to be Trump's ambassador to the United Nations. FILE - Janette Nesheiwat arrives at the Fox Nation's Patriot Awards, Nov. 16, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
But she has recently come under criticism from Laura Loomer, a far-right ally of Trump who was instrumental in ousting several members of the president's National Security Council. Loomer posted on X earlier this week that 'we can't have a pro-COVID vaccine nepo appointee who is currently embroiled in a medical malpractice case and who didn't go to medical school in the US' as the surgeon general.
CBS News reported last week that Nesheiwat earned her medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in St. Maarten, despite saying that she has a degree from the University of Arkansas School of Medicine.
The surgeon general, considered the nation's doctor, oversees 6,000 U.S. Public Health Service Corps members and can issue advisories that warn of public health threats.
Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Sign up for The Warm-Up
In March, the White House pulled from consideration the nomination of former Florida GOP Rep. Dave Weldon to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His skepticism on vaccines had raised concerns from key Republican senators, and he withdrew after being told by the White House that he did not have enough support to be confirmed.
The withdrawal was first reported by Bloomberg News.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
2 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Georgia state Rep. Derrick Jackson to join 3 other Democrats in run for governor
ATLANTA, Ga. (AP) — Georgia state Rep. Derrick Jackson said Tuesday that he's running for governor next year, joining three other Democrats in a race without a clear frontrunner after two high-profile candidates decided not to run. The metro Atlanta Democrat said he will launch his campaign Friday, emphasizing his work in business and politics and his 22 years of military service. The U.S. Navy veteran was elected to the state House in 2016 and worked as a marketing executive with General Electric. As governor, Jackson said he would 'put Georgia families first,' in part by expanding access to medical care and economic opportunities in rural areas. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'My Republican friends love to tout Georgia as the number one state to do business, but I'm going to campaign on making Georgia the number one place to work, to play, to have a family and for young professionals to realize that regardless of which of the 159 counties they live in, there's going to be opportunity there,' Jackson said in an interview with the Associated Press. He plans to push for stricter gun regulations and to repeal Georgia's abortion law, which took effect in 2022 and effectively prohibited abortions beyond about six weeks of pregnancy. Jackson will join former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Atlanta state Sen. Jason Esteves and Atlanta pastor Olu Brown in the Democratic primary. They will compete for the Democratic nomination in the race to replace the state's popular term-limited Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. Democrat Stacey Abrams, who ran and lost to Kemp in 2018 and 2022, has not closed the door on a third run. Jackson finished sixth in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor in 2022. After losing, he was reelected to the House in 2023 following the death of state Rep. Tish Naghise. He was defeated last year by Rep. Carolyn Hugley after running for House minority leader. Despite past losses, Jackson said his experience campaigning for statewide office will help him pull ahead of his competitors. Inspired by civil rights icon John Lewis, Jackson said he has a 'moral obligation' to run because he saw state and federal policies that were 'not right, not fair, not just.' He wants to help Georgians who could be impacted by President Donald Trump's sweeping bill that Jackson said 'will devastate a lot of families' with provisions such as cuts to Medicaid funds. U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, once the expected frontrunner known for her gun control advocacy, announced in March she wasn't running because she needed to focus on her husband's health after complications from cancer surgery. Former state Sen. Jason Carter, former President Jimmy Carter's moderate grandson and the Democrats' 2014 nominee for governor, said he would not run because his wife was diagnosed with cancer. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ___ Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon. Read more on the U.S. Election at
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Georgia state Rep. Derrick Jackson to join 3 other Democrats in run for governor
ATLANTA, Ga. (AP) — Georgia state Rep. Derrick Jackson said Tuesday that he's running for governor next year, joining three other Democrats in a race without a clear frontrunner after two high-profile candidates decided not to run. The metro Atlanta Democrat said he will launch his campaign Friday, emphasizing his work in business and politics and his 22 years of military service. The U.S. Navy veteran was elected to the state House in 2016 and worked as a marketing executive with General Electric. As governor, Jackson said he would 'put Georgia families first,' in part by expanding access to medical care and economic opportunities in rural areas. 'My Republican friends love to tout Georgia as the number one state to do business, but I'm going to campaign on making Georgia the number one place to work, to play, to have a family and for young professionals to realize that regardless of which of the 159 counties they live in, there's going to be opportunity there,' Jackson said in an interview with the Associated Press. He plans to push for stricter gun regulations and to repeal Georgia's abortion law, which took effect in 2022 and effectively prohibited abortions beyond about six weeks of pregnancy. Jackson will join former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Atlanta state Sen. Jason Esteves and Atlanta pastor Olu Brown in the Democratic primary. They will compete for the Democratic nomination in the race to replace the state's popular term-limited Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. Democrat Stacey Abrams, who ran and lost to Kemp in 2018 and 2022, has not closed the door on a third run. Jackson finished sixth in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor in 2022. After losing, he was reelected to the House in 2023 following the death of state Rep. Tish Naghise. He was defeated last year by Rep. Carolyn Hugley after running for House minority leader. Despite past losses, Jackson said his experience campaigning for statewide office will help him pull ahead of his competitors. Inspired by civil rights icon John Lewis, Jackson said he has a 'moral obligation' to run because he saw state and federal policies that were 'not right, not fair, not just.' He wants to help Georgians who could be impacted by President Donald Trump's sweeping bill that Jackson said 'will devastate a lot of families' with provisions such as cuts to Medicaid funds. U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, once the expected frontrunner known for her gun control advocacy, announced in March she wasn't running because she needed to focus on her husband's health after complications from cancer surgery. Former state Sen. Jason Carter, former President Jimmy Carter's moderate grandson and the Democrats' 2014 nominee for governor, said he would not run because his wife was diagnosed with cancer. ___ Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon.
Toronto Star
2 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Texas considers banning products infused with THC derived from hemp, and retailers are worried
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Walk into enough gas stations and they're likely easy to find: gummies, drinks and vapes infused with THC, the compound that gives marijuana its psychoactive properties. That's given lawmakers across the U.S. headaches over how to regulate the booming market, and it's a conflict now taking hold in Texas, where a proposed ban passed by the Legislature poses another major battle for the industry.
