logo
Ex-Pfizer Doctor Tells Congress He Didn't Delay Covid Shot Data

Ex-Pfizer Doctor Tells Congress He Didn't Delay Covid Shot Data

Bloomberg2 days ago
A former Pfizer Inc. scientist denied an allegation made by House Republicans that he conspired to delay the release of Covid shot data to hurt Donald Trump's 2020 election prospects, the latest twist in a dispute that demonstrates how vaccines are increasingly becoming a political flashpoint.
Philip Dormitzer, a former top official at Pfizer, said the idea that he and his colleagues sought to prevent Trump from winning reelection is a 'false conspiracy theory,' according to a letter to the House Judiciary Committee obtained by Bloomberg.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Poll shows Green's approval rating at 63%
Poll shows Green's approval rating at 63%

Yahoo

time5 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Poll shows Green's approval rating at 63%

Gov. Josh Green has a 63 % approval rating among Hawaii's registered Democratic, Republican and independent voters, placing him in a tie for the fifth most-popular governor in the nation, according to the results of a voter survey released Wednesday by Morning Consult Pro. Green's approval rating among Hawaii voters has increased ahead of the 2026 gubernatorial election, in which no clear challenger with household name recognition has yet to emerge. Green has told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that he intends to seek reelection to a second, and final, four-year term in 2026 but will make a formal announcement during the campaign season. In the fourth quarter of 2024, Green's disapproval rating has fallen from 37 % to now 27 %, according to Morning Consult Pro. Among Hawaii Democrats, Green has a 77 % approval rating, followed by 57 % from independents and a 46 % approval rating among Republicans. Among Republicans, Green has a disapproval rating of 51 %. The survey was conducted from April through June. 'I am extremely grateful to have so much support from our people, and will continue to focus on housing, affordability and keeping our people safe, ' Green wrote in a text to the Star-Advertiser. 'Our team is working as hard as we can to get results for Hawaii.' Morning Consult Pro did not release data on approval ratings of U.S. House members, but U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz ranks the third most-popular among America's senators, with a 63 % approval rating. U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, with a 59 % approval rating, was tied among four senators as the ninth most-­popular U.S. senator with a 59 % approval rating. In 2022, Green won his first term as governor in a landslide following a Democratic Party primary where he first defeated U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele and former first lady Vicky Cayetano, which paved the way for a general election showdown with three-time Republican candidate James 'Duke ' Aiona to become only Hawaii's ninth governor since statehood. The general election wasn't close. Green and his lieutenant governor running mate, Sylvia Luke—outgoing chair of the House Finance Committee—more than doubled the votes cast for Aiona and his Republican running mate, Seaula 'Junior ' Tupa 'i Jr., a Hilo pastor and first-time candidate for state office. Following his electoral victory in 2022, Green told the Star-Advertiser : 'Every day for the next four years, I will work to heal old wounds, unite the people of Hawaii as one ohana and lead us forward to fulfill our commitments to each other, to our islands and to future generations. I'm incredibly grateful for all of this support from across our state, but I don't take it for granted and I'm going to work hard every day to earn it. Whether people cast a vote for me or not, I am going to work just as hard for them and their family.' The biggest challenge of Green's first year in office came in the aftermath of the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires, which killed 102 people, nearly obliterated Lahaina and caused $13 billion in damage. Many controversial decisions had to be made in response to the fires, notably Green's signing of a bill this month—one month before the second anniversary of the wildfires—to approve the state's $807.5 million share of a $4.037 billion settlement that avoids protracted litigation and will resolve an estimated 17, 000 claims. The other parties to the settlement are Hawaiian Electric, Kamehameha Schools, Spectrum Oceanic LLC and Hawaiian Telcom. A Hawaiian Electric power line that blew down in high winds was determined to have ignited the fire on dry, overgrown land owned by Kamehameha Schools, then raced makai to the heart of Lahaina. Hawaiian Electric provided the largest share of the settlement, at $1.99 billion. Green, America's only sitting governor who is also a medical doctor, has testified against the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to become Health and Human Services secretary while privately meeting with President Donald Trump and members of Trump's administration to protect federal funding and support for Hawaii.

Ex-Fed Governor Warsh says new accord between Treasury, central bank needed
Ex-Fed Governor Warsh says new accord between Treasury, central bank needed

Yahoo

time5 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Ex-Fed Governor Warsh says new accord between Treasury, central bank needed

(Reuters) -Former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh, seen as a potential successor to Fed Chair Jerome Powell, said on Thursday there needs to be a new accord between the Treasury Department and U.S. central bank, referencing a 1951 pact that separated federal debt management from monetary policy. Warsh, now a fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, said on CNBC that such an agreement between the two agencies could smooth the process of reducing the Fed's balance sheet by communicating intentions jointly. "If we have a new accord, and ... the Fed chair and the Treasury secretary can describe to the markets plainly and with deliberation this is our objective for the size of the Fed's balance sheet, the Treasury can say this is our issuing calendar, and by the end of, let's say, this administration we'll be at an equilibrium rate on the balance sheet, so that markets will know what is coming," he said. The original accord, struck in March 1951, ended a period when the Fed had committed to a policy of low interest rates at Treasury's request to allow for lower-cost federal borrowing to finance the war effort during World War Two. It is seen by Fed historians as a critical moment that established its practical independence from presidential administrations and laid the ground for how monetary policy would be set in the future. Warsh made his remarks at a time when President Donald Trump is demanding the Fed cut rates, in part to lower the federal government's debt service costs, which topped $1 trillion last year for the first time. Trump has said he will not pick a candidate to succeed Powell who is not on board with the president's desire for rate cuts. The Fed last cut rates in December, before Trump's return to the White House in January. Warsh, who served as a Fed governor from 2006 to 2011, said his idea would not represent a return to the pre-1951 way of operating. "That would not be working in conjunction with the administration," he said. "It would be working with Treasury on goals that the Fed thinks are important to try and pursue and how would you present that to markets, as such, will be in conjunction."

Trump judicial nominee Bove clears Senate panel despite Democratic protest
Trump judicial nominee Bove clears Senate panel despite Democratic protest

Yahoo

time5 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Trump judicial nominee Bove clears Senate panel despite Democratic protest

By Andrew Goudsward WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. Senate panel on Thursday advanced the nomination of Donald Trump's former personal lawyer to be a federal appeals court judge over protests from Democrats, who accuse him of using aggressive tactics to enforce the U.S. president's agenda at the Justice Department. Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously supported the nomination of Emil Bove for a lifetime appointment on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, sending the nomination to the full Senate. Bove currently serves as a top Justice Department official. The hearing devolved into partisan rancor when the panel's Republican chairman, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, cut off debate on Bove's nomination. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, a Democrat, shouted that Grassley was violating the committee's rules as Republicans cast their votes. The other Democrats walked out of the hearing. "This is outrageous that you're not allowing senators to have their fair say," Booker told Grassley. "What are you afraid of?" Grassley accused Booker of "obstruction." Bove's nomination drew fierce opposition from Democrats and many former Justice Department employees, more than 900 of whom signed a letter accusing him of undermining the integrity of the department. Bove's defenders have pointed to his background as a federal terrorism prosecutor in New York and his work countering drug cartels and other threats. Trump named Bove to a senior post at the Justice Department after he helped defend Trump against three criminal cases brought against him during his years out of power. Bove came under scrutiny over his role in firing career prosecutors who worked on cases arising from the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and his order to drop a federal corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams. A former Justice Department lawyer last month accused Bove of suggesting the government may defy court rulings against the Trump administration's deportation efforts. Bove has said he cannot recall making the statement and denied being a Trump "enforcer."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store