Latest news with #SenateHomelandSecurityandGovernmentalAffairsCommittee
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Wisconsin doctor makes wild measles claims
Pierre Kory testifies in front of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. | Screenshot via CSPAN This story was published in partnership with the Center for Media and Democracy. Last month, Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary and longtime anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attended the funeral for the second unvaccinated child in Texas to have died in the ongoing measles outbreak. While in Texas, he met with the two grieving families — along with two local doctors promoting unproven measles treatments, whom he called 'extraordinary healers.' Following the first death, Children's Health Defense (CHD), the anti-vax organization Kennedy led until recently, pushed its own narrative claiming that the 6-year-old Mennonite girl did not actually die from the measles. In this effort, CHD has relied heavily on Pierre Kory, a Wisconsin doctor who has both amplified that assertion and claimed that the measles virus has been weaponized by unknown conspirators. Kory is a Kennedy ally who has been widely criticized for spreading Covid misinformation during the pandemic, including pushing the use of ivermectin as a 'miracle drug' for treating that virus. For years, CHD and Kennedy have promoted the debunked claim that the standard measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine given to almost all children in the U.S. is tied to autism. With an upsurge in the pandemic-era, right-wing embrace of the anti-vax movement — and of Kennedy himself — there has been a notable decrease in routine pediatric vaccinations in the U.S. Now that measles immunization rates have fallen below thresholds to maintain herd immunity in certain parts of the country, outbreaks such as the one in West Texas are expected to become more common. In February, Texas reported the country's first measles death in a child in the more than two decades since the disease was classified as eradicated in the U.S. In response to this death, CHD posted a video on March 19 featuring Kory and Ben Edwards, another Texas doctor Kennedy applauded, discussing the girl's medical records, which her parents released to the organization. Despite having no training in pediatric medicine and having had his board certifications in internal medicine and critical care revoked last year, Kory claimed the child's death was due to incorrect antibiotic management of a bacterial pneumonia infection that had 'little to do with measles.' Edwards — a family doctor who has been treating measles-stricken children in Texas with medications not indicated for measles and was accused of seeing pediatric patients while actively infected with measles himself — concurred with Kory. Without being able to examine the medical records themselves, pediatricians consulted for this article were limited in their critique of Kory's assessment. But they did question his understanding of empiric antibiotic recommendations for pediatric pneumonia. Secondary bacterial pneumonia infections following viral diseases are common, and pneumonia is a well-documented complication of a measles infection. These doctors also questioned the strong personal bias underpinning Kory's assessment and pointed to his history of extreme claims about Covid made online and to right-wing media outlets as evidence against his reliability as an 'expert.' Furthermore, Kory has been inconsistent in his messaging around this measles death when addressing various audiences. When Alex Morozov, founder of the counter-misinformation group Eviva Partners, confronted Kory about his statements regarding the young girl's cause of death at the so-called 'Summit for Truth & Wellness' on March 29, the answer he got was very different. At that event, Kory suggested this was a case of the measles being 'weaponized.' In an audio recording of their conversation published by Morozov, Kory said: Do you want to know the real story on this case? Quite a few of us believe that they weaponized the measles virus. And this measles is more. They're doing this on purpose. She got sicker from the measles probably because they monkeyed with the measles virus…. Do you know how many bioweapons labs there are and what they can do? Like the unfounded claim of an error in medical treatment, this 'weaponized measles' narrative has spread rapidly throughout the online crankosphere. However, this conspiratorial rhetoric has not been accompanied by urgent recommendations for increased vaccinations to prevent infection from a supposedly more virulent strain. Kennedy, who promoted pandemic conspiracy theories along with ivermectin as an alternative to Covid vaccines, has called Kory 'honest, brave, and sincere' and 'a brave dissident doctor.' The doctor appeared with him at various campaign-related events in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, both before and after RFK Jr. suspended his own campaign and joined forces with Trump to launch the 'Make America Healthy Again' (MAHA) movement. As ivermectin proved to be ineffective against Covid, Kory turned on the life-saving mRNA vaccines while cozying up to Kennedy and CHD. Kory and the ivermectin group he co-founded — the Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), now called the Independent Medical Alliance following a pro-MAHA rebrand — have rallied with Kennedy and CHD on multiple occasions, including against Covid vaccine mandates during the deadly Omicron wave in late 2021 and early 2022. Kory has not just turned on Covid vaccines, but routine childhood immunizations in line with Kennedy's and CHD's established anti-vax rhetoric as well. In 2023, Kory appeared in an FLCCC webinar about pediatric vaccines titled 'Your Child, Your Choice.' The same year, despite his lack of pediatric credentials, he served as an 'expert' on the issue of childhood vaccinations for Republicans in Wisconsin. That same year, Kory testified at the Wisconsin Capitol as part of a GOP-led effort to block adding the meningitis vaccine as a state requirement for school-aged children, which is required in many other states and has been recommended by the Center for Disease Control's Advisory Council on Immunization Practices since 2005. (While Kory and company were initially successful, the meningitis vaccine was eventually added to Wisconsin's requirements as of the 2023/24 school year.) During this measles outbreak, both Kennedy and Kory have once again promoted 'alternative' treatments. Kennedy has drawn heavy criticism for pushing vitamin A as a treatment for measles while simultaneously failing to provide a sorely needed, full-throated endorsement of the MMR vaccines. Following the second death, while the HHS secretary correctly called the vaccines the 'most effective way' to prevent measles, he quickly undermined his own statement. In his tweet about the funeral, Kennedy included a shoutout to doctors Edwards and Richard Bartlett, his other 'extraordinary healer' from Texas, for their use of unproven treatments on infected children in the local community. On March 31, Kory appeared in another CHD video about the first Texas child's death, claiming she should have received intravenous vitamin C, which is not indicated for measles-related pneumonia. Of note, prior to his co-authorship of questionable papers on the use of ivermectin to fight Covid, Kory co-authored a since-retracted paper on a Covid hospital protocol that featured vitamin C. Given his past statements on Covid and routine pediatric vaccines as well as his ties to Kennedy and CHD, Kory would have a vested interest in distancing himself from children's deaths from vaccine-preventable illness. But this is dangerous, experts warn, during a measles outbreak where vaccines play a vital role in stopping the spread of disease. A representative for the hospital that treated the first child spoke out against 'misleading and inaccurate claims' about this case being circulated online. 'Our physicians and care teams follow evidence-based protocols and make clinical decisions based on a patient's evolving condition, diagnostic findings, and the best available medical knowledge,' the spokesperson said. CHD did not back down in the wake of the second pediatric measles death early last month. The organization requested hospital records for this case while offering a free e-book — featuring a foreword by Kennedy — on 'secrets the government and media aren't telling you about measles and the measles vaccine.' The book accuses the mainstream media of weaponizing outbreaks 'for political gain.' In an email to their followers on April 7 — the day after the second child's funeral — CHD announced an April 17 webinar event called 'Inside the Measles Deception' featuring Kory, Booker, and Edwards. The restricted event was available only to their donors. On April 8, CHD tweeted, 'Our mission hasn't changed. The MMR vaccine is dangerous and has caused more deaths than measles,' a claim that is totally unsubstantiated. The next day, Kory returned for another CHD video claiming to have reviewed the medical records for the second case and, unsurprisingly, again maintained that the 8-year-old girl did not die from the measles. He said: 'This is just getting exhausting, this constant fear-mongering by the media. I've already lost so much trust in the institutions of society. But to see them rampage like this on inaccuracies and peddling falsehoods and just distortions, it's terrible. It's terrible for our health. They are scaring people into getting what I think is a very dangerous vaccine.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The fired inspectors general look a lot better at saving money than Elon Musk
President Donald Trump fired inspectors general across 18 federal agencies in his first week in office, and then another IG in February, in a systematic ousting of the independent watchdogs who monitor the federal government for waste, fraud and abuse. Now a new report released by Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee says the potential savings the IGs had identified before being fired exceeds what Elon Musk claims he has saved with his so-called Department of Government Efficiency. As Musk reduces his involvement in the Trump administration, the report's numbers help hammer home just how poorly and foolishly he has pursued 'efficiency.' He rode into Washington with his DOGE cowboys, confident that their rogue outsider status gave them a unique ability to drain 'the swamp' of excess spending. But they not only failed to come anywhere close to hitting their goals — they may have underperformed compared with the personnel who were already in the government to help them achieve their purported goal. Musk's promised pot of savings began at $2 trillion, before shrinking to $1 trillion and then to $150 billion. His estimated savings have ticked up again slightly to an estimated $170 billion, or 8.5% of his initial promise. The Senate Democrats' report crunched the numbers and found that the 19 fired IGs had identified and recommended $175 billion in potential savings through audits, investigations and efficiency proposals. That's $5 billion more than Musk's estimate after months of chaotic hacking away at the administrative state. (While the offices of inspectors general still exist, the firings of the IGs had a demoralizing and chilling effect on the offices, according to the report, and the main duties of rooting out waste, fraud and corruption appear to have been given to Musk.) Granted, the report's calculation of the IGs' potential savings wouldn't necessarily end up hitting its topline number. But the source of its estimates for cost-cutting is far more reliable than Musk's estimates. Inspectors general are independent, nonpartisan professional watchdogs. They report to respective agency heads, but those agency heads can't alter their reports, which must be shared with Congress. They have a track record of rooting out waste — in fiscal year 2024, all IGs in the federal government had "over $71 billion in combined monetary impact" through their efficiency initiatives, audits and investigations, according to the Democrats' report. These efforts include things like questioning unnecessary spending, finding and cracking down on illegal federal contracts, sniffing out public officials inappropriately using money and tracking down actors trying to defraud the government through illicit procurement schemes. By contrast, Musk's savings estimates aren't trustworthy, given the long record of Musk's exaggerating savings using incorrect calculations, such as double-counting canceled federal contracts, claiming savings over already canceled contracts and not accounting for the added cost of revived contracts. Musk's website for tracking DOGE savings doesn't acknowledge or account for errors when they're identified by the media. Those errors are simply deleted. Moreover, the durability of Musk's cuts is also far more questionable, since they've often been implemented with such brute force and speed that they're often overturned. Many have been reversed by the courts. Others, such as Ebola prevention efforts, were reversed after Musk admitted they were dangerous and 'accidentally' canceled. (Along the way, a number of federal agencies have simply ignored or declined to enforce his efforts to cull employees through efficiency efforts.) Musk also clashed with many of Trump's Cabinet secretaries over cuts that they didn't want to implement. Some watchdog estimates suggest that Musk's efforts might end up costing the federal government more than it saves, in part because of lost productivity, the high costs of rehiring and lost revenue collection capacities. "So it's, like, it's not easy," Musk said when reflecting on his progress after 100 days. Many of Musk's cuts have been so controversial and politically risky — such as his attacks on Social Security and medical research funding — that Republican lawmakers have objected to codifying them into law. Which is to say that many of the savings DOGE has under its belt could be ephemeral and overturned by Congress or another administration. Perhaps more important than comparing the saving numbers is noting how Trump and Musk have tried to sideline effective tools for rooting out waste and good government. As Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the ranking member of the committee that produced the report, said in a statement: 'If the Trump Administration were serious about eliminating waste, it would rely on the proven track record of independent Inspectors General. Instead, President Trump's decision to fire them will not only undermine efforts to reduce waste — it sends a message of intimidation to anyone who wants to hold this administration accountable.' This article was originally published on
NDTV
21-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Migrant Detentions At Guantanamo Bay Cost $100,000 Per Person Daily
Washington: President Donald Trump's use of the Guantanamo Bay naval base to house migrants appears to cost $100,000 per day for each detainee, U.S. Senator Gary Peters said during a hearing on Tuesday, decrying what he described as a prime example of wasteful government spending. Peters, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, questioned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about the high cost, far more than the $165 per day in U.S. immigration detention facilities. Peters also asked why detainees have been sent to the American naval base in Cuba but then shuttled back to the United States at taxpayer expense. "We're spending $100,000 a day to keep someone at Guantanamo," Peters said. "We keep them there awhile, then we fly them back to the United States, or we could keep them here for $165 a day. I think that's kind of outrageous." The White House has requested a huge increase in funding for immigration enforcement as it tries to achieve Trump's goal of mass deportations. The administration asked Congress this month for an additional $44 billion for the Department of Homeland Security in fiscal year 2026, which begins on Oct. 1. Noem, appearing before the committee to defend the budget request, said she did not know the daily cost to house migrants at Guantanamo Bay. Her department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there were roughly 70 migrants currently detained there. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in March to prevent 10 migrants from being transferred to the base. In the suit, ACLU alleged that migrants at Guantanamo had been held in windowless rooms for at least 23 hours per day, subjected to invasive strip searches, and unable to contact family members. Some had attempted suicide, the ACLU said. Senator Rand Paul, the Republican chairman of the committee, also raised concerns with spending for additional barriers at the U.S.-Mexico border since the number of migrants caught crossing illegally has plummeted since Trump took office. A sweeping U.S. House of Representatives budget plan would devote $46.5 billion to the border wall alone. "I'm not saying no new money is needed," Paul said. "I think you need more Border Patrol, and you're going to need more money for that, but I think it should be within reason." (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
AsiaOne
21-05-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Trump migrant detentions at Guantanamo Bay cost $129k per person daily, senator says , World News
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's use of the Guantanamo Bay naval base to house migrants appears to cost US$100,000 (S$129,380) per day for each detainee, US Senator Gary Peters said during a hearing on Tuesday (May 20), decrying what he described as a prime example of wasteful government spending. Peters, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, questioned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about the high cost, far more than the US$165 per day in US immigration detention facilities. Peters also asked why detainees have been sent to the American naval base in Cuba but then shuttled back to the United States at taxpayer expense. "We're spending US$100,000 a day to keep someone at Guantanamo," Peters said. "We keep them there awhile, then we fly them back to the United States, or we could keep them here for US$165 a day. I think that's kind of outrageous." The White House has requested a huge increase in funding for immigration enforcement as it tries to achieve Trump's goal of mass deportations. The administration asked Congress this month for an additional US$44 billion for the Department of Homeland Security in fiscal year 2026, which begins on Oct 1. Noem, appearing before the committee to defend the budget request, said she did not know the daily cost to house migrants at Guantanamo Bay. "President Trump is committed to keeping Americans safe," DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there were roughly 70 migrants currently detained there. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in March to prevent 10 migrants from being transferred to the base. In the suit, ACLU alleged that migrants at Guantanamo had been held in windowless rooms for at least 23 hours per day, subjected to invasive strip searches, and unable to contact family members. Some had attempted suicide, the ACLU said. Senator Rand Paul, the Republican chairman of the committee, also raised concerns with spending for additional barriers at the US-Mexico border since the number of migrants caught crossing illegally has plummeted since Trump took office. A sweeping US House of Representatives budget plan would devote US$46.5 billion to the border wall alone. "I'm not saying no new money is needed," Paul said. "I think you need more Border Patrol, and you're going to need more money for that, but I think it should be within reason." [[nid:718183]]
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Trump migrant detentions at Guantanamo Bay cost $100,000 per person daily, senator says
President Donald Trump's use of the Guantanamo Bay naval base to house migrants appears to cost $100,000 per day for each detainee, U.S. Senator Gary Peters said during a hearing on Tuesday, decrying what he described as a prime example of wasteful government spending. Peters, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, questioned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about the high cost, far more than the $165 per day in U.S. immigration detention facilities. Peters also asked why detainees have been sent to the American naval base in Cuba but then shuttled back to the United States at taxpayer expense. "We're spending $100,000 a day to keep someone at Guantanamo," Peters said. "We keep them there awhile, then we fly them back to the United States, or we could keep them here for $165 a day. I think that's kind of outrageous." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like How long does it take to breakeven on new windows? Eco Experts Undo The White House has requested a huge increase in funding for immigration enforcement as it tries to achieve Trump's goal of mass deportations. The administration asked Congress this month for an additional $44 billion for the Department of Homeland Security in fiscal year 2026, which begins on Oct. 1. Noem, appearing before the committee to defend the budget request, said she did not know the daily cost to house migrants at Guantanamo Bay. Live Events "President Trump is committed to keeping Americans safe," DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there were roughly 70 migrants currently detained there. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in March to prevent 10 migrants from being transferred to the base. In the suit, ACLU alleged that migrants at Guantanamo had been held in windowless rooms for at least 23 hours per day, subjected to invasive strip searches, and unable to contact family members. Some had attempted suicide, the ACLU said. Senator Rand Paul, the Republican chairman of the committee, also raised concerns with spending for additional barriers at the U.S.-Mexico border since the number of migrants caught crossing illegally has plummeted since Trump took office. A sweeping U.S. House of Representatives budget plan would devote $46.5 billion to the border wall alone. "I'm not saying no new money is needed," Paul said. "I think you need more Border Patrol, and you're going to need more money for that, but I think it should be within reason."
