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Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
RFK Jr. silences measles questions during ‘Make America Healthy Again' event in Arizona
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaking at a Make America Healthy Again press conference in the Arizona Senate on April 8, 2025. Screenshot via ACTV/ U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. got an enthusiastic welcome from the Grand Canyon State's Make America Healthy Again crowd during a stop at the Arizona Senate on Tuesday. A small but noisy crowd that gathered in the Arizona Senate building — including comedian and prominent anti-vaxxer Rob Schneider, a Scottsdale resident — cheered and applauded while Kennedy praised two Republican-backed health bills that have already passed through the legislature. One would direct the state to request a federal waiver to ban recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps, from using them to purchase soda. Another, which garnered unanimous support from legislators in both parties, would ban ultra-processed foods from school lunches. 'This is a historic moment of leadership for our state,' Sen. Janae Shamp, R-Surprise, said on Tuesday. 'Arizona is once again proving that we will stand up for what is right, even if we face opposition. We are prioritizing the health of our citizens, our children, over corporate interests. We are choosing science over profit.' But the same crowd that cheered for the Republicans' nutrition legislation booed and yelled insults at a reporter who asked Kennedy about the government's response to a measles outbreak that has killed two children and one adult so far. The outbreak has primarily sickened the unvaccinated, including all three the people who died. 'Let's talk about food!' Kennedy yelled into the microphone as the moderator and crowd shouted down the Associated Press reporter who asked the question. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Kennedy has long been an anti-vaccine activist, but since taking office has given lukewarm support to the MMR vaccine — the inoculation against measles, mumps and rubella — finally saying on April 6 that it's the best way to prevent the measles. Shamp, who is a former nurse, said she was forced out of her previous job because she refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine. House Bill 2164, which would ban 'ultra processed' food from being served at any school that receives federal funding for its meal program, passed unanimously through both chambers of the Arizona Legislature and has a chance of being signed by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. Hobbs is not shy about vetoing legislation that's lacking support from Democratic legislators. For that reason, the other piece of 'MAHA' legislation that Kennedy was there to support, House Bill 2165, is likely headed for a veto. Both measures were introduced by Rep. Leo Biasiucci, R-Lake Havasu City, who said that for too long people talked and worried about what the harmful ingredients in foods are doing to Americans' health, but no one listened until Kennedy started talking about it. It certainly hasn't ever been a priority for Republicans. Michelle Obama's efforts as first lady to reform the school lunch program by making meals healthier and to get kids exercising were met with derision from Republicans, many of whom disagreed with the idea that the government should closely regulate the contents of school lunches. On Tuesday, Biasiucci mentioned the various food dyes and chemicals that are banned in Europe but are allowed in food in the U.S., as well as the country's high rates of obesity and chronic disease. Several of those chemicals are listed in the description of ultra processed foods in his school lunch bill. The SNAP legislation initially would have sought a waiver to ban recipients from using their benefits to purchase candy and soda, but was later amended to include only soda after opponents, including some in the food and beverage industry, argued that it was too difficult to pin down a definition of candy that didn't encompass foods like cereal and granola bars. Democrats didn't support the proposal, arguing that legislators should do more to ensure the people who rely on SNAP, especially those who live in food deserts, have access to healthy foods instead of banning them from purchasing unhealthier options. Kennedy claimed, without evidence, that any politician who voted against the SNAP bill did so because they're taking money from the soda industry. 'There's no reason to vote against this bill except for corruption,' he said. A proposed amendment to HB2165 from Democratic Sen. Theresa Hatathlie, of Coal Mine Canyon, that would have banned legislators from using their travel-expense money to purchase soda failed on the Senate floor when all Republicans voted against it. Biasiucci claimed that legislation like his would 'save the lives' of school children, including a small group of them gathered at the Senate on Tuesday. But neither he or anyone else there to celebrate and prompt the MAHA agenda mentioned that President Donald Trump's administration canceled roughly $1 billion in spending that was already promised for schools and food banks to purchase food from local farmers. That includes $21 million for Arizona, of which more than $13 million was slated for schools for healthier student meals. They also didn't mention that the Trump administration has rolled back pollution regulations, including those for mercury, soot and coal ash. Pollution has a bigger impact on children than it does on adults, according to the Children's Environmental Health Collaborative, and can cause asthma, cancer and have negative impacts on their cognitive abilities. Arizona Democrats held their own press conference on Tuesday, just before Kennedy spoke in the Senate, during which Attorney General Kris Mayes criticized the Trump administration's supposed commitment to Make America Health Again while also canceling hundreds of millions of dollars in grants from the National Institutes of Health to fund medical research in Arizona. Hatathlie, who is Navajo, also criticized the Trump administration for its talk about the importance of health while there are still hundreds of open uranium mines on the Navajo Nation that cause higher rates of cancer and birth defects. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chemtrail believers sway GOP lawmakers to support geoengineering ban
Jodi Brackett speaks to the House Regulatory Oversight Committee on Jan. 28, 2025, alongside pictures of contrails she believes are evidence of "chemtrails" in Arizona. Screenshot via ACTV/ Conspiracy theorists came out in force Tuesday afternoon to support a Republican bill that aims to ban 'geoengineering,' citing the long debunked 'chemtrails' conspiracy theory as evidence that nefarious actors are already turning Arizona's skies into a laboratory and treating its unsuspecting residents as guinea pigs. 'This started when I noticed lines in the sky that did not look normal,' Jodi Brackett told the House Regulatory Oversight Committee. As Brackett stood at the podium in the legislative hearing room, a man held a collage of photos of contrails taken in Arizona. Brackett said she brought the issue to freshman GOP legislator Lisa Fink's attention. Claims that Arizona has seen an increase in contrails left behind by airliners was a major theme among many of the speakers who came to support the bill. 'Whether you know it or not, your body is part of their laboratory,' Crystal Hansen told the committee claiming that the vapor trails left behind by airliners are 'not condensation,' citing a website that has posted altered videos and photos as 'evidence' of the conspiracy. The geography of the Phoenix metropolitan area, where many of those who spoke in favor of Fink's House Bill 2056 said they reside, plays a role in those long-hanging contrails that many see as 'proof' of a larger conspiracy. The region sits basically in a bowl surrounded by mountains, with an inversion above that bowl that traps the air below it. That results in high ozone and other pollutant levels — as well as contrails that linger in the air longer than they do in most other places. 'We, the people, are extremely concerned with all the trails in our skies,' Melissa Price said to the committee, adding that she wants lawmakers to send the bill to the ballot for voters to decide on. But Price did concede that 'even with all the weather modification' she claimed was happening, the state is 'not seeing any rain' and remains facing the effects of a historic drought. Fink's bill would ban geoengineering in Arizona. In simple terms, geoengineering is the practice of intentionally attempting to modify the atmosphere. In recent years, it has been explored as a possible way to combat the increasingly extreme effects of climate change. The field is largely theoretical with only small projects taking place, some of which have faced backlash from local communities. Geoengineering has recently become the focus of groups that have previously pushed unfounded conspiracy theories about vaccines. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration currently monitors the planet's atmosphere for signs of geoengineering programs by other nations or by small venture capitalist backed groups. The emerging field has caused fierce debate among scientists, some of whom see it as a way to combat mankind's impact on the planet, while others see it as another way to create climate chaos. Many refer to the practice as climate intervention, and some scientists have been studying it as a means of combating climate change. These efforts have included studying things like solar radiation modification, a process that aims to decrease surface temperatures by reflecting sunlight away from the planet. Last year, Tennessee lawmakers passed a law that banned geoengineering, with lawmakers during debate alluding to the debunked 'chemtrails' conspiracy theory. Online conspiracy theorists have long pointed to the condensation left behind by airliners as being part of a larger conspiracy to modify the weather or poison the populace, though no evidence of such programs exist and the contrails planes sometimes leave behind are little more than water vapor that has frozen into ice crystals. Other speakers also saw the bill as a way to combat other bogus geoengineering conspiracy theories that have long had a place in the fringes of conspiracy culture. Leslie Forster told the committee that the bill would help protect Arizonans from the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, also known as HAARP, which studies the planet's upper atmosphere. The research project has been accused of causing a litany of weather-related events, despite its inability to impact the weather. Speakers also confused sulfur iodide with sodium iodide, a chemical commonly used in cloud seeding. Cloud seeding eventually became a focus of the committee, as Fareed Bailey, a lobbyist representing the Salt River Project, said the utility was concerned about the bill's ban on it. Fink's HB2056 bill would ban a litany of geoengineering practices, including cloud seeding, deploying aerosol particles in the stratosphere, releasing chaff into the atmosphere, solar radiation modification or any other attempts to modify the weather. Her legislation is similar to several others filed in other states this year. Bailey said SRP has been studying cloud seeding as a possible way to help with the state's water woes, but all research has been theoretical in computer models. SRP has not flown any aircraft to conduct cloud seeding tests, Bailey said. 'We do not want to close the door to this promising technology,' he said, adding that silver iodide, the main chemical used in cloud seeding, has been found to be largely non-toxic. Bailey's claim was met with boos and jeers from many in the audience. The bill initially was written to bar any government agency, research project, university, 'public or private organization' or 'military force' from engaging in geoengineering, with violators facing a $500,000 fine and a felony, with up to three years of prison; the the director of the Department of Water Resources would have been tasked with investigating any claim of geoengineering. But the GOP-led committee amended the proposal to remove those penalties and the responsibility of the head of the water agency, instead allow citizens to bring any geoengineering claims to court, where they'd be awarded injunctive relief if they proved their case. The amendment also adds a ban on universities funding any research into solar radiation modification. One attendee felt the amendment lacked 'teeth' and suggested that the punishment for geoengineering be treason — which is punishable by death — eliciting cheers from the attendees. Others asked members of the committee to 'get on Instagram' to see the evidence of geoengineering that is allegedly happening out of Sky Harbor International Airport. Many cited increased issues with asthma as proof of the geoengineering plot. With the increase in population and heat, the Phoenix metro area has seen a marked increase in the number of high pollution days, which leads to more adverse reactions to those with asthma and other breathing complications. Some in attendance also appeared to believe in other conspiracy theories, sporting t-shirts supporting election reforms based on election fraud falsities and sharing with the committee their belief that a large number of children are being sex trafficked, a core component of the QAnon conspiracy theory. Local election conspiracy theorist Gail Golec also came out to support the bill Tuesday afternoon. The formal GOP platform makes no mention of climate change, greenhouse gases, the environment, pollution, clean air or clean water. It makes a brief mention of conservation in a section on restoring 'American Beauty.' And although there is broad scientific consensus that human activity is causing climate change, and that its effects are becoming more extreme, Arizona Republicans largely reject that it is happening at all. Last year, state Senate Republicans backed a bill to bar state government and universities from spending money to reduce greenhouse gases or research climate change, deeming them both 'Marxist' ideas that are 'anti-God.' Democratic committee members voiced concern that they did not hear from any experts, such as physicians or scientists. When the minority lawmakers said they didn't see evidence of what the bill's proponents were saying, many in attendance booed, leading Republican Committee Chair Joseph Chaplik to threaten bringing in security if outbursts continued. Rep. Rachel Keshel, R-Tucson, who is married to conspiracy theorist Seth Keshel, said she has seen 'adequate research' that the alleged chemicals involved in the fictional geoengineering leads to increased Azlhiemers. And Chaplik said his inability to see individual airplanes flying more than 20,000 feet above Phoenix that are leaving contrails in the sky was concerning enough to support changing Arizona law to ban geoengineering. 'You're seeing these in the sky at nighttime or early morning, you're really not seeing the planes fully flying around the air,' he said, adding that he has been talking with Fink about the issue for 'a few months.' The bill passed out of the committee along party lines, with Republicans voting in favor and Democrats opposing. The bill heads next to the full House of Representatives for consideration. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
