Latest news with #LoomerUnleashed
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Cats and Dogs Will No Longer Be Used in Navy Research, Secretary Says
The Navy will end all research studies that involve testing on dogs and cats after an intense campaign by activists, influencers and congressional members. Navy Secretary John Phelan announced last week that the service would halt the animal experiments and ordered a review of all medical research to ensure the studies align with ethical guidelines and "scientific necessity." "Today, it gives me great pleasure to terminate all Department of the Navy's testing on cats and dogs, ending these inhumane practices and saving taxpayer dollars," Phelan said in a statement on the social media platform X. Read Next: Hegseth Orders Navy to Strip Name of Gay Rights Icon Harvey Milk from Ship The announcement follows a yearslong campaign by White Coat Waste Project, a nonprofit whose aim is to stop the U.S. government from using animals or funding research that harms animals, and to end several Defense Department studies, including Navy research on erectile dysfunction, constipation and incontinence in humans that used cats as subjects. As recently as last year, the Defense Department funded a research initiative using beagles to test an experimental drug, according to the group. The DoD banned the use of dogs in trauma training and weapons testing in the late 1980s but has used them in limited medical research. White Coat Waste estimates that the federal government spends $20 billion each year on research studies that involve dogs and cats. "We applaud Secretary Phelan, Secretary Hegseth and President Trump for first slashing the U.S. government's largest dog lab and now sending the Pentagon's cat and dog abuse to the litterbox of history. Defunding dog and cat labs has been our top priority for Trump 47," the group's founder and president, Anthony Bellotti, said in a statement. White Coat Waste announced in mid-May that the Pentagon halted funding for the Navy's $10.8 million medical research project on cats. The group credited conservative influencer Laura Loomer, who has called attention to the issue on her "Loomer Unleashed" podcast and social media platforms, and billionaire and presidential adviser Elon Musk for lobbying for change. "We exposed animal testing contracts at the Department of Defense, and @PeteHegseth and Secretary Phelan took immediate action to end these cruel and abusive taxpayer-funded experiments on innocent animals," Loomer wrote on X on May 28. "This is such an amazing victory toward the end of taxpayer-funded animal testing!" Last year, Congress signed legislation to end research at the Department of Veterans Affairs that used cats, dogs and primates. White Coat Waste began lobbying lawmakers to end the VA's use of live animals for experiments in 2017. After Phelan's announcement, the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wrote the Navy secretary and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth thanking them for the change. But they asked that the ban be expanded to include the use of live animals for non-medical research, such as trauma training and weapons experiments. For example, according to PETA, the Navy continues to use mammals for decompression sickness and oxygen tests, while the Army is allowed to use mammals, including primates and marine mammals, in weapons testing. "Pigs, rats and other animals feel pain and fear just as dogs and cats do, and their torment in gruesome military experiments must end," PETA Vice President Shalin Gala said in a statement. "PETA appreciates the Trump administration's decision to stop the Navy's torture tests on dogs and cats, and we urge a broader ban across the Pentagon." PETA also has pressed the Pentagon to halt funding for research that involves animals at foreign institutions. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., reintroduced a bill last month that would end U.S. government funding of research that involves animals in China, including Hong Kong; Iran; North Korea; and Russia. "American taxpayer dollars should never fund dangerous, cruel experiments in animal research labs -- much less in China or other adversarial countries," McClain said in a statement. "This common-sense legislation ensures taxpayer dollars are not wasted on reckless research." "Hard-working taxpayers in eastern North Carolina and across America should not pay for risky experimentation in countries not subject to regular oversight and accountability," Democratic co-sponsor Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina, said in a news release. -- Pentagon reporter Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report. Related: Military Trauma Training on Live Pigs, Goats Sparks New Lawsuit Seeking Details
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Laura Loomer Does U-Turn After Blasting Trump's $400M Plane Grift
MAGA conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer has changed her tune after rebuking President Donald Trump for accepting a $400 million jumbo jet from Qatar. Rumors swirled of an intensifying MAGA civil war when Loomer accused Trump of accepting the jet from 'jihadists in suits' on May 11. However, Loomer told the Daily Mail that her 'special relationship' with the president is now back where it needs to be. According to Loomer, a talk with Trump about the luxurious 'palace in the sky'—which he will use as his new Air Force One before it transfers to his presidential library foundation—brought her back down to earth. 'I did have a conversation with the President, and I now realize that I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions,' she said. The gift of the luxury aircraft has sparked concerns about what Qatar may want in return. Although Loomer does not work for Trump in an official capacity, she has reportedly wielded influence over his administration, playing an integral role in former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz's firing, among other administrative decisions. 'I do my own thing, but I'm not turning against the President,' Loomer told the Mail. 'I get along very well with him.' Loomer hasn't spared other members of Trump's inner circle from her ridicule, dissing Trump's surgeon general nominee, Casey Means, as a 'woman who literally talks to trees,' Reuters reported. She also called Attorney General Pam Bondi a liar over her Jeffrey Epstein file flubs. Yet Loomer dismissed allegations of a fracture between her and Trump as 'fake news.' She said, 'I love Trump. He's my favorite person. I fully support him,' adding, 'I know that he is not going to do anything that's going to jeopardize our national security.' Loomer said she apologized to Trump for 'giving the press more ammunition to attack him. I regret any kind of division that my public criticism caused.' She added, 'The President has been very good to me. He's been a loyal friend. I do feel a bit guilty about it.' Loomer, the host of the twice-weekly Loomer Unleashed podcast, has two failed congressional bids under her belt. Although she has not ruled out another run at politics, Loomer said rumors around her potentially running for president are not true. Loomer claimed she had a private meeting with Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in March 2023, where Trump took the temperature on whether she would be interested in running for the highest office. 'He asked me if I wanted to run again and presented several districts to me that he thought I could win with his support,' she said. 'I said, 'No.' I told him I was more focused on seeing him get back into the White House and getting our country back on track.'
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Laura Loomer's private life: Unknown facts about the Trump ally you didn't know
Image credits: X/@pesach_lattin Laura Loomer is a far-right activist and staunch supporter of American President Donald Trump . The media personality has gained popularity over the years for creating eye-catching headlines because of her public actions. Be it handcuffing herself to Twitter's (Now X) New York City headquarters after being banned by the platform or posting anti-Muslim remarks online about popular personalities such as Minnesota Rep. -elect Ilhan Omar or muslim cab drivers, Loomer 's actions are loud and contentious. While she may be popular for her dramatic acts, what she is even more viral about is being an ardent Trump ally , so much so that the President at times considers her advice. In April, she met President Trump in the Oval Office and shared her concerns about staff loyalty with him. Post the meeting, Trump fired numerous administration officials, including at least three senior National Security Council officials. Recently, Loomer is back in the limelight for reacting to former US President Joe Biden's cancer diagnosis with the prediction that "he could die in the next 2 months", which has caused a lot of uproar across media and social media platforms. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like サントリーロコモアが５,９４０→１,０８０円で試せる ロコモア こちらをクリック Undo While much is known about Loomer's political escapades, here are some unknown facts about her personal life that you should know. She was raised in Tucson Image credits: Getty Images Laura was born on May 21, 1993, and, along with her two brothers, was raised in Tucson, Arizona. While her parents are still known to stay in the city, Loomer has long moved to Florida, which is popular for its political and media personalities. She left college as she felt discriminated against Image credits: Getty Images Loomer attended Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts for a semester but left after she felt discriminated against for being a conservationist. She then moved to Barry University in Miami, from where she graduated in 2015 with a degree in broadcast journalism. She was rumoured to be dating Trump Image credits: Getty Images While no confirmed relationships of Loomer's have made it to the limelight, she has been paired with people in her public circles. In 2017, she was alleged to be involved with the alt-right activist Tim Gionet, though Gionet later denied the rumours. Additionally, because of Loomer being a devoted Trump ally, she has been rumoured to have had an affair with Trump that she denied on her podcast "Loomer Unleashed" She is Jewish Image credits: Getty Images Loomer is Jewish, and her heritage is often a part of her activism. She has used her Jewish identity to criticise people, organisations and movements she perceives as anti-semitic. She was once banned by X (formerly Twitter) after she made remarks about Ilhan Omar, the Minnesota Rep-elect. She tweeted that Omar was 'anti-Jewish' and that her religion pushed homophobia and abuse of women. In 2019, Loomer interrupted a speaker at the Women's March in Washington, D.C. calling it a "Nazi" organization and shouting, "What about the Jews?" She has her own media website Image credits: Getty Images Loomer owns her own media website called 'LOOMERED', where she publishes news and features, which are all pro-Trump and anti-his-haters. She also runs a podcast titled 'Loomer Unleashed' where she shares her opinions on current events in the news, giving them her own angle of "investigative journalism" She is popular for public stunts and conspiracy theories Image credits: Getty Images Ever since her college days, Loomer has had a unique penchant for public stunts. During her time at Barry University, she recorded a conversation with the officials on the idea of starting a club for supporting Iraq and Syria, which they suggested should be changed to supporting the Middle East. Loomer shared the video with Project Veritas, who released it and alleged that the university had no problems supporting the idea of an on-campus organisation to support ISIS. While Loomer later got suspended and even sued, the video put her on the internet map. She also trespassed into the home of Nancy Pelosi to protest immigration before being removed by the police. In terms of conspiracy theories, Loomer has many, such as suggesting that the 9/11 attacks were an "inside job."
New York Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Live by the Loomer, Die by the Loomer
Laura Loomer is unhappy. She's unhappy with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — in part, it seems, because of his happiness with the prospect of Dr. Casey Means as the next surgeon general. Loomer has accused Means of witchery. No, not metaphorically. She's unhappy with Pam Bondi — and explained why on a recent edition of the podcast 'Loomer Unleashed,' a misnomer given the lack of evidence that Loomer has ever been leashed. 'She is a full-fledged liar,' Loomer said, referring to Bondi. She also slammed Bondi for being 'on Fox News more than she does her job.' That last part revealed Loomer's lament as pure theater. She surely has enough brain cells to recognize that being on Fox News is a Trump cabinet member's job. I left out House Republicans. Loomer is unhappy with them for entertaining serious cuts to Medicaid, which she deems politically ruinous. (See? There are those brain cells.) She's not thrilled, either, with whoever nudged President Trump toward winged swag from Qatar. 'We cannot accept a $400 million 'gift' from jihadists in suits,' she wrote in a post on X. In another: 'It will be a stain.' So how does that leave Loomer feeling about Trump? She's still professing big love. But it and she are clearly more complicated than many of us realized. And her gripes and infighting with others in the MAGA movement mean trouble for Trump. Loomer exemplifies the danger — to Trump's own fortunes as well as the country's — of how he often sizes up potential allies. He looks not at the quality of their ideas but at the audacity of their provocations, not at how nicely they play with others but at how reliably they rile their followers. That's a fine approach if you're just owning the libs and staging a carnival. But if you mean to govern? The freak show gets in the way. Loomer, 31, apparently drew Trump's eye and kindled his adoration the usual way — with a huge presence on social media, where she slobbered over him and savaged his opponents. She also checked two other boxes: conspiracy theorist (she claimed 9/11 was an inside job) and bigot (the White House would 'smell like curry' with Kamala Harris as president). Is it any wonder Trump was smitten? She has been welcomed at Mar-a-Lago, where, during one event that she attended, Trump told the crowd: 'You don't want to be Loomered. If you're Loomered, you're in deep trouble. That's the end of your career in a sense. Thanks, Laura.' He expressed his gratitude by letting her ride on his 2024 campaign plane, having her accompany him to a 9/11 memorial — yes, a 9/11 memorial — and, just last month, meeting with her in the Oval Office, where she reportedly accused various officials working with the National Security Council of disloyalty to Trump. After that conversation, Trump fired six of them. She has a sway that doesn't seem to be going away. On Tuesday, as I caught up on the news, I couldn't escape her: She was mentioned in several articles in The Times, in an Axios report on MAGA displeasure with that Qatari plane, in a doozy of a column in The Bulwark by Will Sommer that began, 'Right-wing activist Laura Loomer has never had more influence than right now.' Try that with your morning coffee. Sommer's column recalled Loomer's successful attacks on Trump's designee for surgeon general before Means, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, who'd inflated her medical school credentials and, in Loomer's view, was too supportive of vaccines. Trump ditched Nesheiwat. And the column suggested that Loomer is emboldened and branching out ever more widely: She recently questioned Trump's nomination of the defense lawyer Stanley Woodward, whose clients have included the MAGA stalwarts Kash Patel and Peter Navarro, to a senior Justice Department role on the grounds that Woodward's wife has a whiff of liberalism about her. That stance prompted an enraged, obscene response from the political operative Arthur Schwartz, a close associate of Donald Trump Jr.'s. He's not the only Trump supporter disgusted with Loomer; that was the real point of Sommer's column, which noted that 'prominent figures on the right' are asking whether her recent defense of Medicaid and of the oil company Chevron's work in Venezuela were paid for. Loomer firmly denies that. But Sommer noted that she has practice as a pitchwoman — and an odd sort of practice at that: 'After a dog-food company sponsored her online show, Loomer ate the food herself on air.' There's indigestion aplenty in the worlds of MAGA and MAHA (that's Make America Healthy Again, for those who've avoided the acronym or enviably willed themselves to forget it), and that's often overlooked in the facile descriptions of Trump's supporters as a cult. Only a fraction of them speak and act so pliantly; the rest are fractious. Ardent anti-vaxxers stick it to vaccine agnostics. Defenders of Medicaid clash with obliterate-the-welfare-state nihilists. There are the Christian warriors who want to sideline John Reid, who is the openly gay Republican nominee for lieutenant governor in Virginia, and there are the anti-establishment types who admire Reid's truculence and support him. Trump's behemoth of a spending package — which he and other Republicans are actually, sophomorically calling The One, Big, Beautiful Bill — could easily degenerate into one big, beautiful melee, not only because that's the way of Washington but also because discord is what recruits like Loomer live for. Discipline isn't their strong suit. And there are oh so many of them, jostling and jeering. Simba, Bambi and Us In his forthcoming book, 'The Science of Revenge,' James Kimmel Jr. draws a fascinating contrast between two of Disney's most successful and beloved animated films: 'Bambi,' released in 1942, and 'The Lion King,' released in 1994. Both tell the story of a spirited young animal — Bambi in 'Bambi,' Simba in 'The Lion King' — who must overcome the trauma of a parent's murder as he grows older and stronger and claims his mature place in the world. But Bambi doesn't stew in anger and plot payback, while Simba is all about settling scores. 'The Lion King' imparts the lesson that 'when somebody hurts you, hurt them back,' Kimmel, a lecturer in psychiatry at the Yale Medical School, writes in 'The Science of Revenge.' 'Nurture your grudges from childhood into adulthood. Prepare yourself for war. Seek vengeance. Not only will you feel great, but you'll become king.' Does that sound like the arc and credo of any president you know? Kimmel's book, to be published on May 27, presents revenge-seeking as an addiction and Trump as a probable addict in that regard. But it's less about Trump than it is about all of us. What does it mean that Disney went from marketing Bambi's stoicism to selling Simba's fury half a century later? Or that Facebook elevated angry posts and enraged responses to them as a traffic generator? Or that politicians woo supporters by pledging to bring their enemies to their knees? Those questions haunt me. They're at the center of my latest book, 'The Age of Grievance,' which came out this week in paperback, with updated material. I continue to be amazed and alarmed by the degree to which resentments rather than aspirations dominate so many Americans' political conversations. Voters insist on pinning their disappointments on a discrete cast of oppressors and want those villains to suffer. Trump thrives in that context. It's key to his survival. He wins loyalty and gets a free pass for his many unfulfilled promises and countless ethical transgressions because he's holding back all those other awful people and — even better! — tormenting them. He's satisfying a widespread lust for revenge. And as Kimmel can tell you, that's a mighty force. What I'm Reading, Saying and Listening To For the Love of Sentences On Allison Morrow processed Trump's announcement last week about progress in trade talks with Britain: 'OK, so it's more of a concept of a deal. If a trade deal is, like, Michelangelo's David, this is more like a block of marble. Or really it's like a receipt from the marble guy that says we've placed an order for a block of marble.' (Thanks to Daniel Levinson of Montreal for nominating this.) In The Washington Post, Erik Wemple took issue with the frictionless anti-Trump chorus on MSNBC. 'At least CNN viewers get to hear the pro-Trump arguments in all their fact-deprived glory,' he wrote. 'I lean toward the CNN model, but not enough to strain my calves.' (Michael Smith, Georgetown, Ky.) In Golfweek, Eamon Lynch reflected on Trump's grifting: 'There was a time when it would have been scandalous for a sitting U.S. president to use the office to serve his personal business interests, but that was back when America had attorneys general who didn't think an emoluments clause was the disclaimer on a moisturizer.' (Kelly Parden, Wappingers Falls, N.Y., and Ben Scott, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) In The Globe and Mail of Toronto, Tony Keller suggested that Trump's economic and diplomatic dealings amount to 'a failed Hollywood blockbuster' with extravagant special effects but a nonsensical plot: 'It's '2 Fast 2 Furious' with no GPS, a steering wheel facing the rear window and a distracted driver who can't stop going on about his William McKinley decals.' (Nadine Sherwin, Vancouver, British Columbia) On Facebook, the Fear and Loathing: Closer to the Edge page gasped at Stephen Miller's characterization of habeas corpus as a disposable nuisance: 'He's not saying this in secret. He's saying it on national TV. With legal citations. Like a guy doing Yelp reviews of Guantánamo.' (Shelley Murray, Richmond, Va.) In The Times, Maureen Dowd recognized one of the entertainment mogul Barry Diller's less heralded contributions to our culture: 'He took over the USA Network and instructed Dick Wolf to lean into the 'Law & Order' universe, which is how we get to watch Mariska Hargitay say 'Where were you last Tuesday?' pretty much 24 hours a day.' (Peter O'Carroll, Lake Charles, La.) Also in The Times, the performer John Cameron Mitchell recalled what he 'learned from 18 years of military upbringing (socialism for rednecks featuring free health care), 45 years of theater and film (authoritarianism for liberals with not much health care) and an introduction to queer activism in the time of AIDS (anarchism for all in an attempt to save lives).' (R. Joshua Roche, Twentynine Palms, Calif.) And Kwame Anthony Appiah addressed an urban woman whose spouse thought that they should perhaps arm themselves in case of political violence: 'Maybe there's a 'Last of Us' scenario flickering in your heads, where bandoliered bad guys roam a collapsed society, but even then, I doubt that whatever firearm your husband is contemplating would help. In a world where some are armed to the teeth, being armed to your toes seems unlikely to do anything but escalate the dangers for you.' (Peter M. Handler, Chicago) And in The Los Angeles Times, the columnist Steve Lopez marked his personal milestone of 50 years in journalism by observing that while our profession has been diminished, his love and respect for it have not, and he's staying put: 'I'm here to tell you how lucky I've been for half a century, why I wouldn't change a thing if someone loaded me into a time machine, and why, even though I'm buckled into a seat on the Hindenburg, I still want to order a few more cocktails before we crash-land.' (Lynne Culp, Van Nuys, Calif.) To nominate favorite bits of recent writing from The Times or other publications to be mentioned in 'For the Love of Sentences,' please email me here and include your name and place of residence.
Time of India
11-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Laura Loomer slams Donald Trump surgeon general pick Casey Means as ‘failed doctor'
Laura Loomer slams Donald Trump surgeon general pick Casey Means as 'failed doctor' (Picture credit: AP, X/@LauraLoomer) Far-right activist Laura Loomer has launched a fresh attack on Dr Casey Means , calling US President Donald Trump 's surprise nominee for US surgeon general a 'failed doctor' unfit for the role. In a post on X, Loomer questioned the qualifications of the Stanford-educated physician-turned-wellness influencer, accusing her of misleading the public about her credentials and lacking the legal authority to practice medicine. 'You need a license to cut hair in America, but not to be the US surgeon general?' Loomer wrote, while sharing a clip from her podcast Loomer Unleashed featuring Texas-based ENT specialist Dr Mary Talley Bowden. In the segment, Bowden echoed Loomer's concerns, saying, 'This is an opportunity for the government to help restore trust by sending out a messenger who is credible. And to be credible, you have to be credentialed.' Operation Sindoor Amid flare-up hours after thaw, officials say things will settle down with time Ceasefire on, but pressure stays: Key decisions by India against Pak that still stand 'Will work with India & Pakistan to seek solution on Kashmir': Trump Bowden noted that Means 'did not complete her training' and 'has not maintained her license,' meaning she 'can't write prescriptions' and lacks essential clinical experience. As per the New York Times, Dr Casey Means completed four years of surgical residency but left before becoming a board-certified practitioner. She pivoted to 'functional medicine' and launched a health tech startup , Levels, while building a prominent online presence. She is known for promoting 'natural' health interventions, often criticising traditional medicine and pharmaceutical treatments. Loomer has mocked Means for her unconventional wellness advice, claiming in a separate post that she 'uses shrooms as 'plant medicine' and talks to trees!' and 'doesn't even have an active medical license.' She accused Robert F Kennedy Jr, Trump's health secretary and Means' longtime ally, of pushing 'quackery disguised as cutting-edge health policy.' 'This is nothing more than quackery… Seems like MAHA has been hijacked,' Loomer said, referring to Trump and Kennedy's 'Make America Healthy Again' initiative. Trump chose Means after abruptly withdrawing his first nominee, Dr Janette Nesheiwat, who had faced questions about her medical background. Trump said Means had 'impeccable 'MAHA' credentials' and would help 'eradicate chronic disease.' Kennedy, for his part, has dismissed the backlash as 'absurd,' arguing that Means 'inspires Americans to rethink our health care system.' Her brother, Calley Means, a White House adviser and former food lobbyist, was quoted by the New York Times as saying that Casey left the medical system because she 'had a clear moral insight that her patients were not getting better.' Still, critics say her lack of licensure and embrace of fringe therapies are disqualifying. 'Appointing Casey Means... means a surgeon general that will put a fringe practitioner of unproven functional medicine in charge,' ethicist Arthur Caplan was quoted as saying by the Times, calling it 'irresponsible.' While federal law does not require a practising license for the role, major medical groups have remained silent on her nomination. But as Loomer's attacks grow louder, Trump's latest pick for 'America's doctor' is already facing a fierce political and scientific test.
