Latest news with #MichaelBloomberg
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Michael Bloomberg urges Republicans to oust RFK Jr, ‘peddler of junk science'
Billionaire, former New York City mayor and philanthropist Michael Bloomberg is calling on Senate Republicans to oust Robert F Kennedy Jr from his post as Trump's health secretary. Kennedy was arguably the nation's most prominent conspiracy theorist and vaccine skeptic when he was confirmed by the Senate, and he has spent much of his tenure throwing vaccine policy into upheaval amid an historic measles outbreak. 'Kennedy, who has no training in medicine or health, has long been the nation's foremost peddler of junk science and the crackpot conspiracy theories that flow from it,' wrote Bloomberg in an opinion piece for his eponymous news outlet. Kennedy became health secretary after joining the Trump campaign in August 2024, and helping coin the term 'make America healthy again'. Although Kennedy has spent most of his public appearances campaigning for healthier foods, often with a flimsy basis in nutrition science, most of his policy changes have focused on vaccines. He fired all 17 members of a key vaccine advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and reformulated the panel with ideological allies – including advocates directly from the anti-vaccine movement. He also made Covid-19 shots more difficult to access; oversaw the cancellation of research into vaccines and vaccine hesitancy; spread inflammatory information about vaccines and equivocated about their benefits. 'The greatest danger in elevating him to [Health and Human Services] (HHS) secretary was always that he would use his position to undermine public confidence in vaccines, which would lead to needless suffering and even death,' Bloomberg argued. 'And so it has come to pass.' Bloomberg said that Kennedy's actions were predictable, but that Senate Republicans either 'deceived themselves' or 'buckled to political pressure' to confirm Kennedy. He urged Republicans to pressure the White House to constrain Kennedy 'or fire him'. If Americans die unnecessarily, Bloomberg said, Senate Republicans will pay at the ballot box. The upheaval in vaccine policy comes as the CDC is tracking an historic measles outbreak that began in an under-vaccinated community in Texas. More than 1,300 confirmed measles cases have been reported since mid-July – though experts believe the true tally is far higher. That is the worst case count since 1992 at only halfway through the year. Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to medicine. A supremely effective vaccine, preventing 97% of cases with two doses, meant it was nevertheless eliminated in 2000. Experts now believe the US may be entering a 'post-herd immunity' era. Three people have died in the 2025 outbreak, including two healthy children and an adult. All were unvaccinated. Measles kills between one-three children per 1,000 due to respiratory or neurological complications, according to the CDC. The disease can also cause permanent disability due to brain swelling, and weaken the immune system against future infections. 'In the aftermath of the deaths, he did not use his position to urge parents to vaccinate their children, or warn of the dangers of failing to do so, or declare vaccines safe, or allay misplaced concerns about them,' wrote Bloomberg. 'Instead, he did what he has been doing for decades: He presented the safety and efficacy of vaccines as an open question for individuals to decide. Not surprisingly, the outbreak continued – and has worsened,' he wrote. The Guardian has contacted HHS for comment.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Michael Bloomberg urges Republicans to oust RFK Jr, ‘peddler of junk science'
Billionaire, former New York City mayor and philanthropist Michael Bloomberg is calling on Senate Republicans to oust Robert F Kennedy Jr from his post as Trump's health secretary. Kennedy was arguably the nation's most prominent conspiracy theorist and vaccine skeptic when he was confirmed by the Senate, and he has spent much of his tenure throwing vaccine policy into upheaval amid an historic measles outbreak. 'Kennedy, who has no training in medicine or health, has long been the nation's foremost peddler of junk science and the crackpot conspiracy theories that flow from it,' wrote Bloomberg in an opinion piece for his eponymous news outlet. Kennedy became health secretary after joining the Trump campaign in August 2024, and helping coin the term 'make America healthy again'. Although Kennedy has spent most of his public appearances campaigning for healthier foods, often with a flimsy basis in nutrition science, most of his policy changes have focused on vaccines. He fired all 17 members of a key vaccine advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and reformulated the panel with ideological allies – including advocates directly from the anti-vaccine movement. He also made Covid-19 shots more difficult to access; oversaw the cancellation of research into vaccines and vaccine hesitancy; spread inflammatory information about vaccines and equivocated about their benefits. 'The greatest danger in elevating him to [Health and Human Services] (HHS) secretary was always that he would use his position to undermine public confidence in vaccines, which would lead to needless suffering and even death,' Bloomberg argued. 'And so it has come to pass.' Bloomberg said that Kennedy's actions were predictable, but that Senate Republicans either 'deceived themselves' or 'buckled to political pressure' to confirm Kennedy. He urged Republicans to pressure the White House to constrain Kennedy 'or fire him'. If Americans die unnecessarily, Bloomberg said, Senate Republicans will pay at the ballot box. The upheaval in vaccine policy comes as the CDC is tracking an historic measles outbreak that began in an under-vaccinated community in Texas. More than 1,300 confirmed measles cases have been reported since mid-July – though experts believe the true tally is far higher. That is the worst case count since 1992 at only halfway through the year. Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to medicine. A supremely effective vaccine, preventing 97% of cases with two doses, meant it was nevertheless eliminated in 2000. Experts now believe the US may be entering a 'post-herd immunity' era. Three people have died in the 2025 outbreak, including two healthy children and an adult. All were unvaccinated. Measles kills between one-three children per 1,000 due to respiratory or neurological complications, according to the CDC. The disease can also cause permanent disability due to brain swelling, and weaken the immune system against future infections. 'In the aftermath of the deaths, he did not use his position to urge parents to vaccinate their children, or warn of the dangers of failing to do so, or declare vaccines safe, or allay misplaced concerns about them,' wrote Bloomberg. 'Instead, he did what he has been doing for decades: He presented the safety and efficacy of vaccines as an open question for individuals to decide. Not surprisingly, the outbreak continued – and has worsened,' he wrote. The Guardian has contacted HHS for comment.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary warns Gen Z this job is a slow ‘drift into hell' that'll make you unemployable for life
multimillionaire Kevin O'Leary says that two-thirds of his Harvard MBA students are 'lost souls' who want to go into consulting over entrepreneurship. The Executive Fellow teaching at the Ivy League exclusively tells Fortune that each year, he tries to convince Gen Zers to ditch the path of cushy office jobs and 'mediocrity'–or risk being unemployable for life. Many business school students coming out of Stanford University, New York University, and the University of Pennsylvania are already stepping into their swanky Wall Street jobs. But multimillionaire investor Kevin O'Leary is urging his Harvard students to skip the typical consulting track—and build something of their own instead. 'Look, if you want to drift into hell on Earth, stay 24 months in a consulting firm and you are tainted meat for the rest of your life,' O'Leary tells Fortune. 'No one's going to hire you to make a decision because you never have made one.' 'Why would anybody burn all those hours while someone else makes money, and you do nothing of consequence? I respect all the consulting firms that are out there, but I'm going to do my best to keep people from going into that.' O'Leary is an Executive Fellow at the prestigious Ivy League college, teaching an MBA Elective Curriculum course The Founder Mindset. The school has pumped out some of the most successful entrepreneurs, including Michael Bloomberg, Sheryl Sandberg, Jamie Dimon, and Bill Ackman—but the institution's entrepreneurial spirit hasn't rubbed off on all of its students. O'Leary says that when he asks his Harvard cohort who wants to go into consulting, about two-thirds raise their hands. But the $4.2 billion SoftKey Software Products founder has made it his mission to recruit them into entrepreneurial life—even if his lessons require some harsh truths. 'What I try and do is disrupt a few of them in every class that I go into at the beginning of the program saying, 'If I can get four of you to abandon your drift into mediocrity, then I've done a great job here.' Business consultants will 'never be free' O'Leary understands the draw to the consulting world; he notes these jobs can offer $250,000 to $350,000 salaries right off the bat, despite consultants being worked 'like an animal' for the first three years. But sky-high wages and cushy offices might not be worth the price they have to pay: never producing anything of their own, always working for the big man and putting off potential employers, like O'Leary. 'If you're there for more than two than 24 months, you get the virus. You're tainted—your resume says you were someone of no consequence,' the 71-year-old tells Fortune. 'So I always take those resumes of consultants that want to get into the real world, and throw them in the garbage,' O'Leary continues. 'They haven't done anything, they just wrote reports. Didn't matter.' Being worked to the bone for six-figures is still enticing for some professionals, as many log in 100-hour workweeks for much less. But beyond having an underwhelming resume, O'Leary says consultants will never have freedom working under a boss. 'You can go to the soccer games, go to picnics. You can do whatever, and it's a great life. You can provide for a family,' he adds. 'But you'll never be free. You'll never be financially free.' Entrepreneurship may mean no vacations, sharing an apartment with five roommates, and grinding for years—but once you make it, you can call your own shots. This story was originally featured on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Crime-ridden Democrat run cities like Milwaukee should adopt Giuliani model
Sadly, Milwaukee is becoming a food and pharmacy desert. The businesses give specious reasonings for closing down, but I bet the true reason is crime, especially shoplifting. A lot of large American cities (and counties) are run by Democrats, and the tragedy is they refuse to adopt the Rudy Giuliani model, which is the 'broken windows theory.' Giuliani made New York into a safe city and saved the city from bankruptcy. Tourism exploded. I would love to tell the folks who whine and express anger that they brought their dilemma on themselves via their votes. It's their fault; the businesses are not evil. I can only think of one Democrat that followed the Giuliani model, and that was former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. Crime dropped further. It's an American tragedy that our large cities are crime ridden, fiscal messes and losing population. It doesn't have to be. Earl Orlebeke, Waukesha Letters: Let local school boards handle issue of cellphone use by students Letters: In Trump era of Washington, ignorant are celebrated, not the butt of jokes | Letters Here are some tips to get your views shared with your friends, family, neighbors and across our state: Please include your name, street address and daytime phone. Generally, we limit letters to 200 words. Cite sources of where you found information or the article that prompted your letter. Be civil and constructive, especially when criticizing. Avoid ad hominem attacks, take issue with a position, not a person. We cannot acknowledge receipt of submissions. We don't publish poetry, anonymous or open letters. Each writer is limited to one published letter every two months. All letters are subject to editing. Write: Letters to the editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 330 E. Kilbourn Avenue, Suite 500, Milwaukee, WI, 53202. Fax: (414)-223-5444. E-mail: jsedit@ or submit using the form that can be found on the on the bottom of this page. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Shoplifting real reason why grocery chains leaving Milwaukee | Letters
Fox News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Left-wing critics blame Texas flood devastation on 'climate denialism,' warn more to come unless inaction ends
While debate over why the Texas floods were so deadly has centered around President Donald Trump's cuts to key weather agencies, left-wing critics have also complained that policy inaction and "climate denialism" were major factors. As search and rescue efforts continued after the devastating storm swept through Texas on the July Fourth holiday, former Democratic presidential candidate and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg penned an op-ed arguing that the Texas floods "were made worse by climate denialism." "The latest episode of horrific flooding isn't just about a natural disaster in one state. It's also about a political failure that's been happening in states across the country, and most of all in Washington," Bloomberg wrote. "The refusal to recognize that climate change carries a death penalty is sending innocent people, including far too many children, to early graves." "We are at a crossroads," Ben Jealous, former candidate for Maryland governor andexecutive director at the Sierra Club, wrote in his own op-ed following the tragedy in Texas. "We can double down on denial and let superstorms, heatwaves, droughts, floods and fires determine our fate. Or we can lead — with science, resilience, courage, and a recommitment to our values," Jealous said. Meanwhile, Will Bunch, a national opinion columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer, said that "so many more lives would have been saved if leaders dropped climate denial and believed in government for the public good." In response to these arguments, Steve Milloy, a senior policy fellow at the conservative-leaning Energy and Environment Legal Institute, said it was "sad" to see folks politicizing the tragedy in Texas to advance their agenda. "Just for the record, this area of Texas is known for flash floods," Milloy added. "Extreme rainfall is not correlated with emissions and there hasn't even been any 'global warming' over the past five days." The climate advocacy group Climate Central also added that "it is difficult to directly attribute specific rain events to climate change" in an assessment about understanding the link between the Texas floods and climate change. Milloy said that while the National Weather Service was "sufficiently staffed" in his view, he thinks a preliminary investigation will show the warning system in place needs improvements. In a statement to Fox News Digital, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson called it "shameful and disgusting" to see that in the wake of the environmental tragedy in Texas, people were politicizing it. "The Texas officials who say, 'We couldn'tqaa [sic] see this coming,' are totally oblivious that they should have seen climate change coming, and done something about it. Climate change denial means more torrential rain for Texas, and more flash flooding," former Washington State Democratic Governor Jay Inslee wrote on social media. "North Carolina. Texas. When will floods finally wash away the climate change denial in DC that is now washing away America's economically productive clean energy industries?" Inslee asked in a separate post. One climate group, World Weather Attribution, told Axios it was so confident climate change is what caused the deadly flooding that it does not even plan to study the natural disaster to better understand what caused it. Fox News Digital reached out to the group to understand better why it is so certain of the cause, but did not receive a response. The group investigated the climate change impacts of a July heat wave in Europe as recently as this month, according to the New York Times.
