US FDA names Sean Keveney as chief counsel
Keveney most recently served as acting general counsel at the Department of Health and Human Services, where he led legal efforts to implement key administration priorities and regulatory reforms under the Make America Healthy Again agenda.
Before joining HHS, Keveney spent nearly 16 years at the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division.
He replaces Robert Foster, who was serving in an interim capacity following the abrupt resignation of former chief counsel Hilary Perkins, just two days after her appointment was announced.
Perkins stepped down after Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri criticized her selection, describing her as "pro-abortion" and supportive of vaccine mandates.
Foster, who has advised U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on vaccine regulation, will now assume the role of acting general counsel at HHS, the department confirmed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Hegseth ‘has great jeans': Defense Department taps into MAGA's obsession over Sydney Sweeney ad
The Department of Defense tapped into the MAGA movement's obsession with the American Eagle advertising campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney on Monday afternoon, as it shared an image of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's outfit with the caption: '@secdef has great jeans.' Sweeney has faced criticism for the ad campaign, which critics have argued includes racist messaging, provoking outrage from the right in response. Even President Donald Trump jumped into the fray, praising the ad after it was reported that Sweeney is a registered Republican in Florida. Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Vice President JD Vance have also made statements in support of Sweeney. The president addressed reporters on the runway in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Sunday night. 'She's a registered Republican?' Trump asked. 'Now I love her ad.' Trump took to Truth Social on Monday morning to say that 'Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the 'HOTTEST' ad out there.' 'It's for American Eagle, and the jeans are 'flying off the shelves,'' he claimed. Critics of the American Eagle ad campaign have accused the company of spreading 'racist' and 'Nazi propaganda.' Some have argued that it pushes eugenic ideals with its wordplay on 'jeans' and 'genes.' Some of those slamming the ad campaign have argued that the two phrases harken back to the debunked racist theory pushed by the Nazis that the human race can be improved via selective breeding. 'Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color,' Sweeney says in one of the ads. 'My jeans are blue,' she adds, before a narrator says, 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.' ''Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans,' American Eagle said in response to the criticism. 'Her jeans. Her story.' 'We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way,' the statement added. 'Great jeans look good on everyone.' The tweet by the Department of Defense featuring the jeans-clad Secretary of Defense faced mockery on X. 'We're not a serious country anymore,' the group Republicans Against Trump wrote. 'Hey parents, I know your son or daughter maybe in harm's way and doing a lethal job, but triggering the libs is our ultimate goal here at DOD,' said former Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger. 'He'll tell you all about them, along with America's top secret attack plans, on a signal group chat,' said Sarah Longwell of The Bulwark. 'I just want a serious government—and particularly a serious Department of Defense—that doesn't waste time or energy shilling for the egos of its leadership with glam shots like this. Don't you? Surely this isn't an unreasonable expectation,' said Heath Mayo, founder of Principles First.
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
US government proposes easing some restrictions on drones traveling long distances
A new federal rule proposed Tuesday would make it easier for companies to use drones over longer distances out of the operator's sight without having to go through a cumbersome waiver process. The federal government had already approved 657 waivers to allow companies such as Amazon and major utilities to do this in certain circumstances, but the waiver process made it difficult. The industry has long pressed for the rule because being able to operate drones out of sight opens up a multitude of possibilities for their use. Being able to do this enables more use of drones for deliveries, inspecting infrastructure like bridges and power lines and other uses in agriculture over thousands of acres on large farms. 'This draft rule is a critical step toward enabling drone operations that will enhance safety, transform commercial services, and strengthen public safety with drones as a force multiplier," said Michael Robbins, president & CEO of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International trade group. The rule spells out the circumstances drones can be used under while working to ensure they don't disrupt aviation and cause problems around airports, Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford said. 'We are making the future of our aviation a reality and unleashing American drone dominance. From drones delivering medicine to unmanned aircraft surveying crops, this technology will fundamentally change the way we interact with the world,' Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. President Donald Trump issued executive orders in June directing the Transportation Department to quickly get this rule out. The orders also included restrictions meant to help protect against terrorism, espionage and public safety threats. Drones are already used in a variety of ways, including bolstering search and rescue operations, applying fertilizer, inspecting power lines and railroad bridges, and even delivering packages. But the war in Ukraine has highlighted how drones could be used in a military or terrorist attack — a concern as the World Cup and Olympics approach in the U.S. There also have been espionage cases where drones have been used to surveil sensitive sites. And White House officials said drones are being used to smuggle drugs over the border, and there are concerns about the potential for a disastrous collision between a drone and an airliner around an airport.
The Guardian
13 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Trump says treasury secretary Scott Bessent no longer being considered for Fed chair
Donald Trump said he would 'shortly' announce his pick for an open seat on the Federal Reserve's board of governors and possibly his nominee for Fed chair as well, but that he had removed treasury secretary Scott Bessent from consideration since Bessent wants to remain in his current job. In a CNBC interview, Trump called it a 'pleasant surprise' that Fed governor Adriana Kugler had decided to leave her seat now instead of when her term ends in January, a move that appears to have accelerated Trump's decision on who to appoint to an open seat on the Fed board with possible plans to promote that person to the top policymaking role when Fed chair Jerome Powell's term ends in May. 'It'll be one of four people,' Trump said, adding that he considered both current economic adviser Kevin Hassett and former Fed governor Kevin Warsh as 'very good' possibilities. He did not name the other two, but is reportedly considering current governor Christopher Waller, who has advocated rate cuts but not at the pace or extent Trump wants. 'There are numerous people that are qualified,' Trump said. 'I am going to be announcing that very shortly,' the president said of naming a replacement for Kugler. 'A lot of people say, when you do that, why don't you just pick the person who is going to head up the Fed? That's a possibility too,' Trump said. Trump has been critical of Fed chair Powell for not cutting interest rates, even as Fed policymakers balance evidence of both a slowing economy and a weakening job market against the fact that inflation remains well above the central bank's 2% target and is expected to move higher. Whoever Trump names to Kugler's seat will need to be confirmed by the Senate, and it would be for a shortened term of only a few months, and require another Senate vote for a full 14-year term early next year. The nomination for chair of the Fed board would require a separate nomination and Senate confirmation process.
