GOP senators rally around effort to end 'radical wokeness' in HHS task force
The "independent" task force is used to determine recommendations of what services health insurance companies in the United States have to cover for free, such as checking for cancer.
"Americans deserve to know health guidelines are based on real science, not radical wokeness. The Task Force needs to get back to its mission of giving clear, evidence-based recommendations people can trust," Sen. Jim Banks, R-Indiana, said in a statement.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Kennedy is considering removing members of the board, and the senators are saying they back any change to veer away from certain DEI tactics employed by the group currently, including the 2023 Report to Congress on High-Priority Evidence Gaps for Clinical Preventive Services and "social justice activism" by people in the group.
"In particular, the USPSTF departed from its proper activities in its December 2023 Health Equity Framework. The framework criticizes 'equal access to quality health care for all' as an inadequate goal of public health and announces that the Task Force will instead use equity as 'a criterion of the 'public health importance' of a topic' for consideration," the letter added.
"Far from simply recognizing health disparities between certain populations, 'health equity' as described by the USPSTF includes 'information on risk factors that intersect with race and/or ethnicity or other disadvantaged populations (e.g., sexual and gender minorities) and that affect prevalence and burden of disease' and 'any inequities in how preventive services are provided, accessed, or received.' These criteria would allow the Task Force to issue recommendations outside its proper purview and impose leftwing ideology," it continues.
Specifically, they said that changes could be needed to fulfill President Donald Trump's Executive Order to scrap DEI efforts within the federal government, along with an EO on "restoring merit-based opportunity" and "ending illegal discrimination."
"Allowing the Task Force to pursue the Health Equity Framework means allowing it to exceed its statutory mission and target social groups that comport with a progressive agenda. It means discounting universally beneficial recommendations as inadequate. It means disregarding statutory limits and instead undertaking a social justice crusade through the lens of critical race theory and gender ideology. This would be a mistake. The result is ineffectiveness, discrimination, and division. The USPSTF should be working for all Americans equally," the letter added.
"No final decision has been made on how the USPSTF can better support HHS' mandate to Make America Healthy Again," an HHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement when asked about the WSJ report.
There has already been some opposition to the possibility of removing the members, including from the American Medical Association.
"USPSTF plays a critical, non-partisan role in guiding physicians' efforts to prevent disease and improve the health of patients by helping to ensure access to evidence-based clinical preventive services," the AMA wrote in a letter to Kennedy. "As such, we urge you to retain the previously appointed members of the USPSTF and commit to the long-standing process of regular meetings to ensure their important work can continue without interruption."
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CNN
35 minutes ago
- CNN
The Manhattan shooter had a previous arrest and 2 psychiatric holds, sources say. How was he able to own a gun?
Crime Gun violence Gun control Mental healthFacebookTweetLink Follow New York City's deadliest shooting in 25 years – in a state with some of the toughest gun laws in the nation – is raising questions about how a gunman with a history of mental health issues was able to obtain multiple firearms and drive undetected across several states to carry out the attack. The gunman who walked into a Midtown Manhattan office building on Monday, M4 assault-style rifle in hand, and sprayed it with gunfire, had a license to carry a concealed weapon in his home state of Nevada, officials said. He also had been placed on psychiatric hold in 2022 and 2024, law enforcement sources told CNN. But that may not have necessarily prohibited him from obtaining his license in 2022 or buying firearms – depending on the circumstances of the holds, according to gun law experts. Shane Devon Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas, killed four people at the 345 Park Avenue office building and injured another before he died by suicide, police said. While public health experts continue to stress that the vast majority of people experiencing mental health challenges are not violent, questions remain about the details of Tamura's psychiatric holds and if they would have shown up in a background check. The case underscores the wide gap in sharing mental health data with the federal government – an issue that can be attributed to inadequate funding to manage or require the data, as well as privacy issues, according to Thomas Chittum, former associate deputy director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Tamura had 'a documented mental health history,' according to New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and a previous run-in with law enforcement. Tamura was arrested and charged with misdemeanor trespassing in 2023 in Clark County, Nevada, after he refused to leave a Las Vegas casino after attempting to cash out about $5,000, according to a police incident report. A court database suggests a district attorney declined to pursue the case, meaning the incident wouldn't have prevented him from obtaining a gun. The case also throws private gun sales under the microscope. The AR-15 style weapon used in the shooting was legally purchased last year by the gunman's supervisor at the Vegas casino where he worked, two law enforcement officials told CNN. The supervisor then assembled it and sold it to Tamura for $1,400, the officials said, citing an interview with the supervisor who is cooperating with authorities. It's not yet clear whether the private sale between Tamura and the supervisor involved a background check. But the supervisor, who has not been named by authorities, could face legal jeopardy if the investigation reveals the firearm transfer took place in Nevada and the private sale didn't follow a state law requiring background checks for private sales, according to Warren Eller, gun violence expert and associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. As police work to uncover a motive behind the shooting, investigators are digging into Tamura's history and examining are how he obtained multiple firearms and made his way from Las Vegas to New York City with the assault rifle. A search of the gunman's car turned up a host of items, including additional ammunition, another loaded weapon, headphones potentially used for target practice, two cell phones, the antidepressant Zoloft and cannabis, a law enforcement source told CNN. A note found in the gunman's pocket claimed he had CTE, a disease linked to head trauma, one that's often associated with football players, a source told CNN. New York City's chief medical examiner's office will test Tamura's remains for CTE, an office spokesperson told CNN Tuesday. The only way to diagnose the disease is through an autopsy of the brain. As for the psychiatric holds, it's difficult to say without knowing the details whether they would have shown up in a background check or prevented Tamura from purchasing weapons, experts say. 'If you were on a 48-hour hold, if you were released at the end of that, it would not affect your ability to possess firearms under federal law,' Chittum said. Most states barely touch on the area of mental health when a person applies for a gun license due to concerns over privacy issues and stigmatizing people who have mental health issues, according to Eller. One concern, for example, is soldiers who struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, might be reluctant to seek help because they fear their treatment history would deprive them of possessing firearms. 'Between the lack of funding to make sure the background check system is effective for those problems and the legal hang ups with advocacy groups who will challenge this, that's a long road ahead,' Eller said. There's a concerted effort by veterans' groups and advocacy organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union to fight against the sharing of mental health records with the National Crime Information Center and local law enforcement, which most states rely on for background checks, according to Eller. 'Groups have been combating that because simply being mentally ill doesn't mean you're mentally incompetent, nor does it mean you're a danger,' he added. However, in cases where a person was declared incompetent by a court, faced a restraining order, involuntarily committed or deemed a danger to themselves or others due to a mental illness, the federal government restricts firearm ownership and states largely follow federal law with some variations, according to Chittum. 'Even when we have someone who has a mental health issue that prohibits them under the law, the next question is whether the background check identifies that. Historically, mental health records have been some of the hardest for FBI to obtain when doing background checks,' Chittum said, adding there have been efforts to improve the availability of those records in some legislation. As New York homicide detectives work to piece together a timeline of events leading up to the deadly Manhattan attack, the way Tamura obtained the high-powered M4 rifle from an associate and whether Nevada's background check laws were violated will likely come under scrutiny. In Nevada, the private sale of a firearm between two parties requires a federal background check before the transfer is complete. Both individuals must go to a federally licensed firearm dealer, which conducts the background check on their behalf. There are limited exceptions, including firearm transfers between immediate family members, which do not require this process. If the private sale between Tamura and the supervisor did abide by the law and the facts can't prove the supervisor had any knowledge of possible disqualifiers in Tamura's history, including intended use of the firearm, then the seller likely won't be prosecuted, according to Eller and Chittum. Federal law doesn't impose any obligation on private gun sellers to identify the buyer, conduct a background check or keep any record of the sale, Chittum said. The Nevada law enforcing background checks for private sales was implemented in January 2020, closing the so-called 'gun show loophole' that gun safety advocates have long criticized as a means for bypassing records checks that can flag past criminal history. Most states conduct background checks through federally licensed dealers relying on the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), while some states like Nevada have a designated 'point of contact' system that offers access to state criminal history records. Under federal law, an unlicensed person buying a firearm directly from a gun dealer must also undergo a background check, however, those who already have a concealed carry permit – like Tamura had – may be exempt because they would have already undergone a background check to get the permit. Hours after the shooting in Manhattan, Las Vegas Police Crimestoppers received a tip from a licensed firearms dealer saying he remembered Tamura sought to buy an aftermarket trigger assembly for an M4 rifle at a Las Vegas gun show in June, a senior law enforcement official told CNN. Tamura returned the trigger assembly the next day, saying he needed the money back to buy 500 rounds of .223 ammunition – the same kind of ammunition used in the New York shooting, according to the official. The gun dealer told police Tamura came back the next day with additional funds and re-purchased the trigger assembly, the official said. Tamura's case calls attention to the 'gray area' in the federal regulation and enforcement of private sales that exists when people buy firearms for cash in a private sale, according to Eller. Because a concealed carry permit would exempt an individual for five years from a background check when buying a firearm from a licensed dealer, it creates a 'nuanced area' where a person could obtain a license to carry and then subsequently be convicted or have a mental health prohibitor and might still be able to use their card to purchase a firearm and avoid the background check, Chittum said. Some states recognize this issue and routinely run background checks on licensed holders to determine if their license is still valid, Chittum said. Red flag laws, including the one in Nevada, aim to keep guns out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves or others. But such laws are only effective if the individual demonstrated warning signs so that others can alert law enforcement and initiate the process of revoking the person's firearm, Chittum said. It's not clear if Tamura demonstrated any warning signs that would trigger the state's red flag law. The style of weapon Tamura used to slaughter four people has commonly been seen in some of the nation's deadliest mass shootings and has prompted renewed calls by progressive lawmakers for increased regulation. 'In the State of New York, you cannot buy one of these,' Gov. Kathy Hochul told CNN on Tuesday, criticizing what she said were 'much looser laws in the State of Nevada than we have here.' Hochul called on federal lawmakers to pass a national assault weapon ban that would limit access to high-powered guns like the AR-15 style rifle used in Monday's massacre and slammed GOP counterparts whom she accused of being 'intimidated by the gun lobby.' 'We need a national awakening here, people need to be talked about this once again and it shouldn't just happen in the wake of a tragedy like this,' said Hochul. CNN's Mark Morales contributed to this report.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
50 Cent Gloats As Trump Nixes Pardon For 'Half-Innocent' Diddy, For Now
Donald Trump believes Sean 'Diddy' Combs is 'half-innocent' out of his sex-trafficking trial, but there will be no presidential pardon right now for the much-accused Grammy winner. And, just two days after Deadline exclusively reported that Trump was 'seriously considering' such a pardon and the White House played its cards close to the chest, Friday's no pardon stance makes Diddy foe 50 Cent very happy indeed. More from Deadline Sydney Sweeney American Eagle Ad Addressed By Clothing Company Amidst Partisan Uproar In Reaction To Dismal Jobs Report, Donald Trump Says He's Ordered Commissioner Of Labor Statistics To Be Fired Corporation For Public Broadcasting To Shut Down Operations After Loss Of Federal Funding 'Can you believe he thought he was getting pardoned,' the Power franchise EP and pro-Trump rapper posted on social media with an AI generated image late Friday after a still grievance fueled POTUS told Newsmax he wasn't inclined to grant Combs a get outta jail card. 'No Sir, you are not. You said very nasty things.' Yet, Trump being Trump, it could all change on a dime. Sticking it to federal prosecutors sweeping case, the eight-men and four-women jury just found Combs guilty of lesser charges of transportation to engage in prostitution on July 2. Though the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York now want self-declared swinger and domestic violence perpetrator Combs to continued to be denied getting out on a $50 million bond and be sentenced to several years behind bars on October 2, the reality is the not guilty decision on the harsh sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges was a serious blow for now fired lead prosecutor Maurene Comey and her team. Part of Trump's public and behind closed door dalliance with a Combs pardon is to stick a knife in the family of ex-FBI Director James Comey. The president also wants to punish what he views as an overreaching and too independent SDNY, sources tell me. Earlier Friday, months after Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson promised he would try to talk Trump out of any Combs pardon, the 'In Da Club' rapper posted a clip from the former Celebrity Apprentice host's sit-down with the fledgling conservative cable newswer where Trump agreed with reporter Rob Finnerty that any pardon for Diddy would 'more likely be a no.' Amidst a clemency campaign from Combs loyalists to the White House and those close to the transactional POTUS and Trump being Trump, the pardon 'no' tonight was qualified. Right after a discussion about a pardon for Jeffrey Epstein's newly cooperative confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, Finnerty asked: 'Sean 'Diddy' Combs. Would you consider pardoning him?' To which, a typically self-centered Trump replied: 'Well, he was essentially, I guess, sort of half innocent. Probably— I was very friendly with him but when I ran for office he was very hostile and it's hard. So, I don't know, it's more difficult.' Espousing ignorance one moment and then intimate knowledge the next about both Maxwell and Combs, Trump was just slightly less inclined towards the latter back in May when he was when asked about a pardon for the now convicted Bad Boy Records founder. 'I would certainly look at the facts if I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don't like me,' Trump said on May 30 in the Oval Office just a couple of weeks after Combs' eventually eight-week long and often horrifically depraved trial began. Since our story on Combs receiving a possible pardon, MAGA media standard-bearers such as Megyn Kelly have pleaded Trump not to give the one-time mogul a pass. 'MAGA is already upset over elites seeming to cover for each other,' the ex-Fox News host said on July 30. 'This would not help. GOP struggling (with) young female voters, most of whom will hate a Diddy pardon,' Kelly exclaimed in a pretty convincing argument that also served as a warning shot to the transactional and media thin skinned Trump Staring at a maximum of 20 years for the prostitution charges he was found guilty of, Combs remains at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. Diddy has been at the often criticized facility since his arrest last September in a NYC hotel. Trying to quell a MAGA uprising over the withholding of the promised files on the vile Epstein, who died in custody in 2019, Trump has been letting loose even more of a barrage of distractions that usual to direct attention away from his well-known relationship with convicted and well-connected sex offender Epstein and what the files may say about him. To that, just days after being granted immunity in a two-day conversation with a top DOJ official, the 20-year sentenced Maxwell was suddenly moved out of federal prison in Florida to a low-security prison camp in Texas. Maxwell, Combs …nothing to see here. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Emmys, Oscars, Grammys & More
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
US president Donald Trump sacks jobs data chief after dismal employment report
US President Donald Trump on Friday fired the head of the government agency in charge of monthly jobs data after a report showed hiring slowed in July and was much weaker in May and June than previously reported. In a post on his social media platform, Trump alleged that the figures by the Bureau of Labor Statistics were manipulated for political reasons, saying Erika McEntarfer, the director of the agency who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, should be fired. 'I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY,' Trump said on Truth Social. 'She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified.' The US leader later posted: 'In my opinion, today's Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.' While Trump provided no evidence, the charge that the data was faked was seen as an explosive reaction that threatens to undercut the political legitimacy of the US government's economic data. For decades, Wall Street investors and economists have mostly believed the data to be free from political bias. McEntarfer's removal condemned After Trump's initial post, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said on X that McEntarfer was no longer leading the bureau and that William Wiatrowski, the deputy commissioner, would serve as the acting director. 'I support the President's decision to replace Biden's Commissioner and ensure the American People can trust the important and influential data coming from BLS,' Chavez-DeRemer said. But condemnation soon followed. A group that included two former BLS commissioners, including William Beach, who was appointed by Trump to the position, berated McEntarfer's firing. They particularly objected to the charge that the data was altered for political reasons. 'This rationale for firing Dr. McEntarfer is without merit and undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics that are a cornerstone of intelligent economic decision-making by businesses, families, and policymakers,' the statement from the group, the Friends of BLS, said. Beach and former President Barack Obama's BLS commissioner, Erica Groshen, signed the letter. 'Firing the Commissioner ... when the BLS revises jobs numbers down (as it routinely does) threatens to destroy trust in core American institutions and all government statistics,' Arin Dube, an economist at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, said on X. 'I can't stress how damaging this is.' Report shows 73,000 jobs were added in July Friday's jobs report showed that just 73,000 jobs were added last month and that 258,000 fewer jobs were created in May and June than previously estimated. The report indicated that the US economy has weakened significantly under Trump, following a slowdown in economic growth in the first half of the year and a spike in inflation in June, which appeared to be a result of the pressure on prices brought on by the president's tariffs. 'No one can be that wrong? We need accurate job numbers,' Trump wrote. 'She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate; they can't be manipulated for political purposes.' Related Fed's Powell leaves interest rates unchanged despite Trump demands Trump administration partners with Big Tech to launch health data tracking programme Trump has not always been so suspicious of the monthly jobs report and responded enthusiastically after the initial May figures came out on 6 June, when it was initially reported that the economy added 139,000 jobs. 'GREAT JOB NUMBERS, STOCK MARKET UP BIG!' Trump posted at the time. That estimate was later revised down to 125,000 jobs, and then further revised to just 19,000.
