Happy New Year 2025

Tag: opposing

Nobel laureate letter opposing RFK Jr confirmation loaded with Dem donors, officials: ‘Thinly veiled attempt’

A letter signed by 77 Nobel laureates opposing the confirmation of Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. being touted as a reason to oppose him is almost entirely composed of political donors, many of them who supported Democrat campaigns.

“In view of his record, placing Mr. Kennedy in charge of DHHS would put the public’s health in jeopardy and undermine America’s global leadership in the health sciences, in both the public and commercial sectors,” more than 75 Nobel laureates wrote in an open letter published by the New York Times last month.

A Fox News Digital review found that at least 60 of the signatories are political donors, mostly to Democratic campaigns, including Steven Chu, who served as former President Barack Obama’s secretary of Energy. Chu gave $5,400 to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016.

Nobel Medicine Laureate Joseph L. Goldstein, who also signed the letter, has donated tens of thousands of dollars to Democrats, including former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, former President Joe Biden and the Democrat-aligned SMP Super PAC.

RFK JR.’S PLAN TO COMBAT ADDICTION: ‘WELLNESS FARMS’

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Getty)

American economist George A. Akerlof, who is married to Biden Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, also signed the letter on top of donating $25,000 to Biden in 2020 and $20,000 to the DCCC in 2018.

Akerlof signed a letter in June of last year warning of the economic dangers of electing President Donald Trump back into office, which was amplified by the Biden campaign and other Biden surrogates and also littered with signatories who have either donated to Biden or supported him politically in the past.

Akerlof, who donated nearly $90,000 to Democrats between the 1990s and 2022, also signed a letter supporting Build Back Better, and signed a letter in 2020 calling Trump’s re-election effort “selfish and reckless.”

Louis E. Brus, an American chemist who signed the letter, is a frequent Democrat donor, including sending $2,000 to Biden’s campaign.

Chemists Walter Gilbert, Johann Deisenhofer, Alan Heeger and Brian K. Kobilka also donated to Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former Vice President Kamala Harris, Obama, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

HEALTH EXPERTS PREP DEM LAWMAKERS ON ANTI-VACCINE ARGUMENTS AHEAD OF RFK JR’S CONFIRMATION HEARINGS

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services logo. (AP/Jacqueline Larma)

Other signatories include Planned Parenthood donor David Baltimore, John Kerry donor Michael Rosbash, former President Bill Clinton NIH Director Harold E. Varmus and Adam Schiff donor Kip Stephen Thorne.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. hosts a fireside chat with rapper and producer Eric B. at The Gentleman’s Factory on Feb. 18, 2024. (John Nacion/Getty Images)

“If there’s one thing Americans should understand about politics, it’s that things are rarely as they seem,” Camryn Kinsey, executive director of Confirm 47, told Fox News Digital. “This letter appears to be nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt by special interests to block a critical Cabinet nomination. The fact that one of the signers is a former Obama Cabinet official, and that the majority are Democrat donors, tells you everything you need to know.”

Kennedy is also facing a million-dollar opposition campaign from Protect Our Care, which is backed by the dark money group Sixteen Thirty Fund that is not required to disclose its donors, Politico reported.

The dark money fund is a group “committed to tackling society’s biggest social challenges” such as climate change and gun reform, brought in $181 million, spending about $141 million in 2023.

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Kennedy, who has been criticized by both sides of the aisle for previous positions on vaccines and his stance on abortion, will have his first confirmation hearing Wednesday at 10 a.m.

On top of facing opposition from experts in the New York Times letter and other petitions, Kennedy has faced support in the medical community, including an initiative backed by IMA Action, a coalition of over 15,000 healthcare professionals, who are rallying support for Kennedy.

“Our coalition is broad, highly active and deeply committed to much needed healthcare reform,” Lynne Kristensen, Communications Director for IMA Action, said in a statement. “We’re going to push back against the falsehoods of the Pharma-financed opposition to RFK Jr., and our healthcare professionals will be exceedingly active with their home state senators, policy makers and public health agencies.”

“The Kennedy and other HHS confirmations are about restoring health to America’s healthcare system, and IMA Action is excited for health reform to be at the forefront of the national conversation.”

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].

January 29, 2025
‘Bumbling idiot’: Freshman GOP senator unleashes on blue city mayor, Dems opposing Trump’s deportations

Ohio GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno ripped Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson as the “worst mayor in American history” and called on liberal mayors across the country to focus on making life better for their citizens, as opposed to blocking President Donald Trump’s education efforts.

“My message to the mayors of those cities is, why don’t you do this for a change, why don’t you actually advocate for the American citizens that live in your communities, help them with better schools, better housing and better security rather than protecting criminal illegals that shouldn’t even be in this country in the first place,” the freshman senator told Fox News Digital. “And I think when the voters of those cities see what these mayors are doing, they’re going to throw them out.”

“The mayor of Chicago is probably the worst mayor in American history,” Moreno continued. “He’s just going for extra credit. The guy is a total and complete bumbling idiot. So, hopefully, the voters of Chicago take care of that pretty quickly.”

Johnson has been one of the more outspoken mayors calling for resistance to Trump’s immigration and deportation efforts, saying recently that his city is “going to protect undocumented individuals” from ICE raids.

INDIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST SHERIFF FOR DEFYING FEDS ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Ohio GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno told Fox News Digital that Democratic mayors should focus on protecting their citizens and not opposing Trump. (Fox News Digital/Getty)

The Chicago mayor’s office acknowledged Fox News Digital’s inquiry by labeling Moreno’s comment “ad hominem criticism,” but did not expand on their response.

Some Chicago residents have voiced frustration with Johnson’s public opposition to Trump, including P Rae Easley, a Chicagoan and host of “Black Excellence Hour,” in an interview with “Fox & Friends First.”

“We understand that we are in the middle of an invasion,” Easley said. “Every single person who came across that border came with an invoice on their back for the Chicago taxpayer.”

Despite calls from Johnson and other mayors pledging to block Trump’s efforts, ICE agents across the country have deported hundreds of illegal immigrants in the first few days of Trump’s administration.

Moreno praised Trump’s efforts and said he anticipates the flurry of immigration moves from Trump in recent days to continue.

“It’s amazing,” Moreno told Fox News Digital. “I mean, President Trump knows the urgency that we need to get safety and security back to our cities. Look, these criminal aliens should never have been allowed to be in this country in the first place. Joe Biden put this country in jeopardy for four years and President Trump’s going to clean it up really fast.”

UP TO 250,000 CHILDREN BORN TO ILLEGAL MIGRANTS IN 2023: PRELIMINARY REPORT

Bernie Moreno, then a Senate candidate, addresses the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 16, 2024. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

The new administration’s efforts to roll back illegal immigration has gained support from Democrats in certain situations, including the passage of the Laken Riley Act, which had the support of 48 Democrats in the House.

Moreno, when asked if that vote shows Democrats are becoming increasingly more open to addressing the illegal immigration issue, said, “Absolutely.”

“I mean, look, this should be an American issue, like we want legal immigrants to come here safely, securely in a way that benefits this country, not by breaking into this country, paying drug cartel members who rape them and beat them along the journey,” Moreno said. “It’s the most disgusting way to welcome migrants to this country, especially fake asylum claims. We have a bill that’s going to stop that.”

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Mayor Brandon Johnson responds to a question during a news conference on Oct. 7, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

“Look, if you’re a true refugee, we’re going to have a safe process for you to come to this country. If you’re an economic migrant, you got to wait in line. You can’t use asylum as a way to skip a line ahead of millions of people, which is fundamentally unfair. And I think a lot of Democrats will come on board with my bill.”

Moreno recently introduced the Refugees Using Legal Entry Safely (RULES) Act, which aims to reform the way asylum seekers enter the United States.

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].

January 27, 2025
Georgia high school basketball player assaults pair of athletes from opposing team, video shows

Tempers flared during a high school basketball game in Georgia this month. The heated moment appeared to spark a physical altercation between players from opposing teams.

TMZ reported that the fight in question happened during a game between Sonoraville High School and Rockmart High School on Jan. 3 in Calhoun, Georgia. Calhoun is located approximately 70 miles from downtown Atlanta.

A video posted to social media appeared to show an unidentified Rockmart player shoving one of Sonoraville’s athletes to the ground. The Rockmart athlete then immediately hit the Sonoraville player in the face immediately after he regained his footing.

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The altercation happened during a basketball game between Sonoraville High School and Rockmart High School in Calhoun, Ga., on Jan. 3, 2025. (Fox News)

The Rockmart player was later seen punching a separate player from the opposing team.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PLAYER JUMPS INTO ACTION TO SAVE OPPONENT’S LIFE AFTER HARROWING ON-COURT COLLAPSE

The second Sonoraville player was hit after he dashed toward the scuffle. Spectators in the crowd could be heard making noises as they reacted to the situation. The video also showed some individuals moving from the stands to the court area to intervene.

The altercation happened during a basketball game between Sonoraville High School and Rockmart High School in Calhoun, Ga., on Jan. 3, 2025.

An incident report from the Gordon County Sheriff’s Office suggested a Rockmart player was provoked by the repeated use of a racial slur by the player from the opposing team.

The teenager who appeared to initiate physical contact during the incident faces two charges of simple battery, per the police report. The brawl broke out during the third quarter of the game.

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Officials from Rockmart High School and Sonoraville High School have yet to offer public comment on the incident.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

January 24, 2025
Pro-lifers pounce on Fetterman for opposing ‘Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act’: ‘Infanticide’

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and all other Senate Democrats blocked the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act” from advancing in the chamber on Wednesday.

The measure would require health care practitioners to seek to save the life of a baby born during an attempted abortion, and ensure that the infant is hospitalized.

“I’ve always stood on the side of Roe and a woman’s right to make her own health care choices. It’s absurd to mandate criminalization because of those choices. Any bill that does so, including the Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act, is a NO from me,” Fetterman declared in a post on X.

JOHN FETTERMAN AND LINDSEY GRAHAM ADVOCATE FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., speaks to reporters as he goes to vote on the Laken Riley Act at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 9, 2025. (ALLISON ROBBERT/AFP via Getty Images)

In a 52-47 party-line vote, 52 Republicans voted to proceed, while 45 Democrats and the two independent senators aligned with the Senate Democratic Caucus voted to block the bill from moving toward a vote.

The text of the measure stipulates that healthcare providers present when a baby is born alive amid an attempted abortion must “exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health care practitioner would render to any other child born alive at the same gestational age” and then “ensure that the child born alive is immediately transported and admitted to a hospital.”

The measure explicitly precludes prosecution of the child’s mother.

“The mother of a child born alive described under subsection (a) may not be prosecuted for a violation of this section, an attempt to violate this section, a conspiracy to violate this section, or an offense under section 3 or 4 of this title based on such a violation,” the text of the legislation reads.

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Pro-lifers decried Fetterman’s position.

“You just voted against medical care for a crying infant, begging for help, struggling to survive after a failed abortion. You have believed the leftist lie that killing babies – in this case now a BORN baby struggling for his life – is ever acceptable. Pure evil,” Lila Rose, president and founder of Live Action, declared in a tweet.

Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins placed the handshake emoji in between the words “Fetterman” and “Infanticide.”

SEN. DAVE MCCORMICK ‘OPTIMISTIC’ ABOUT WORKING WITH SEN. FETTERMAN TO FIND ‘COMMON GROUND’: ‘EMBRACING’ CHANGE

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., speaks to reporters before a Senate luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 12, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

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Katie Glenn Daniel, director of legal affairs and policy counsel for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, wrote in response to Fetterman’s post, “My dude, it’s literally called the Born-ALIVE Abortion SURVIVORS Protection Act. A baby is born, breathing and squirming, and you voted to deny her the life-sustaining healthcare that she would be owed if she was born under any other circumstance.”

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

January 23, 2025