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‘Dire Implications’: Trump’s Possible Vaccine Ban Could Spark US, Global Health Crisis

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Over the weekend Donald Trump said he is considering a ban on not just vaccine mandates, but vaccines themselves—an extension of his embrace of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The ex-president also said he is considering RFK Jr.’s declaration that he would immediately ban fluoride treatments in public water, which protect about two out of three Americans, according to the CDC.

NBC News’ Dasha Burns spoke with Trump on Sunday. She reports, “I asked if banning certain vaccines might be on the table. Former President Trump said, ‘I’m going to talk to him,’ meaning Kennedy, ‘talk to other people and I’ll make a decision, but he’s a very talented guy and has strong views.’ So it could really have a massive impact on how our government functions in terms of health should the former president win and give Kennedy a big role here.”

Trump, as of publication time, has a 53-47 chance of winning the White House, FiveThirtyEight reports. He is expected to put RFK Jr., a known AIDS denialist and anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist and purveyor of vaccine misinformation who has likened the use of vaccines to the “holocaust,” in charge of all public health agencies and public health policies, should Trump win election this week.

Kennedy in 2021 said, “I see somebody on a hiking trail carrying a little baby and I say to him, better not get them vaccinated.”

One week ago Sunday, at Trump’s now-infamous Madison Square Garden rally, the ex-president promised to let RFK Jr. “go wild.”

READ MORE: ‘She Kills People’: Trump Amps Up Attack on Cheney After Violent ‘Nine Barrels’ Rhetoric

“I’m gonna let him go wild on health. I’m gonna let him go wild on the food. I’m gonna let him go wild on the medicines,” Trump told supporters. Two days later, Kennedy said: “The key that President Trump has promised me is control of the public health agencies, which are HHS and its sub-agencies, CDC, FDA, NIH, and a few others, and then also the USDA.”

Across the board, modern-day vaccines have eradicated or nearly eradicated diseases that have killed millions. How would putting an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist in charge of determining public health policy for a nation, and the world, work out?

Felix Richter, a data journalist for Statistia in 2022 wrote, “Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows just how effective vaccines have been in all but eradicating major diseases in the United States. In 2021, there were no reported cases of small pox, diphteria and paralytic polio for example, compared to an annual average of 29,005 cases, 21,053 cases and 16,316 cases in the 20th century, respectively.”

“And even though progress in eradicating measles has stalled in recent years (due in part to growing vaccine skepticism), its morbidity is nowhere near the annual case load seen in the 20th century, when half a million people were infected in an average year. Its prevalence has fallen by more than 99 percent due to vaccinations, along with a whole host of other diseases such as pertussis (whooping cough), mumps and rubella.”

Kennedy had a history of gravitating to areas where vaccines have been controversial.

In 2015, The Sacramento Bee reported, “prominent vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arrived at the Sacramento screening of a film linking autism to the vaccine preservative thimerosal and warned that public health officials cannot be trusted.” His appearance came as “lawmakers [were] preparing to vote on a bill blocking parents from skipping vaccinations for their children,” which “was prompted by soaring exemption rates in some schools districts and outbreaks of long-dormant diseases like measles and whooping cough.”

Last year, The Associated Press called Kennedy’s anti-vaccine group, Children’s Health Defense (CHD), “a multimillion-dollar misinformation engine.”

In that deep-dive report, the AP also revealed that “Kennedy’s role in legitimizing anti-vaccine activism has not been limited to the U.S. Perhaps the most well-known example was in 2019 on the Pacific island nation of Samoa.”

READ MORE: ‘Embarrassing’: JD Vance’s Story About How He Responded to Trump Shooting Sparks Concerns

“That year, dozens of children died of measles. Many factors led to the wave of deaths, including medical mistakes and poor decisions by government authorities. But people involved in the response who spoke to AP said Kennedy and the anti-vaccine activists he supported made things worse,” the AP reported. “In June 2019, Kennedy and his wife, the actress Cheryl Hines, visited Samoa, a trip Kennedy later wrote was arranged by Edwin Tamasese, a Samoan local anti-vaccine influencer.”

“Vaccine rates had plummeted after two children died in 2018 from a measles vaccine that a nurse had incorrectly mixed with a muscle relaxant,” the AP noted, but Kennedy “was treated as a distinguished guest, traveling in a government vehicle, meeting with the prime minister and, according to Kennedy, many health officials and the health minister. He also met with anti-vaccine activists, including Tamasese and another well-known influencer, Taylor Winterstein, who posted a photograph of herself and Kennedy on her Instagram.”

“A few months later, a measles epidemic broke out in Samoa, killing 83 people, mostly infants and children in a population of about 200,000. Public health officials said at the time that anti-vaccine misinformation had made the nation vulnerable.”

Last year, The Autism Science Foundation (ASF) reported: “There is no correlation between autism and vaccines. This has been confirmed through dozens of scientific studies examining different types of vaccines and different vaccine timing schedules. Researchers have also studied thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used in many vaccines, to see if it had any relation to autism. The results are clear: The data show no relationship between vaccines, thimerosal and autism.”

There are other ways to look at how anti-vaccine polices and beliefs affect populations.

Lat month, The Associated Press reported that “Whooping cough is at its highest level in a decade for this time of year.”

“There have been 18,506 cases of whooping cough reported so far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. That’s the most at this point in the year since 2014, when cases topped 21,800.” In Wisconsin, for example, “there have been about 1,000 cases so far this year, compared to a total of 51 last year.”

An Idaho public health department has banned its practitioners from administering the COVID vaccine.

Last week the AP reported that a “regional public health department in Idaho is no longer providing COVID-19 vaccines to residents in six counties after a narrow decision by its board.”

“Southwest District Health appears to be the first in the nation to be restricted from giving COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccinations are an essential function of a public health department,” the AP added. “Demand for COVID vaccines in the health district has declined — with 1,601 given in 2021 to 64 so far in 2024. The same is true for other vaccines: Idaho has the highest childhood vaccination exemption rate in the nation, and last year, the Southwest District Health Department rushed to contain a rare measles outbreak that sickened 10.”

The UK’s award-wining i newspaper warns if the U.S. bans vaccines, it could spark an international health crisis.

“A US ban on vaccines would have ‘dire implications’ for Americans and could put vulnerable Britons at greater risk of harm, a leading UK-based expert has said.”

“For example, the resurgence of diseases like measles and polio, which had been largely eradicated in the US, could occur. The 2019 measles outbreaks, fuelled by vaccine hesitancy, serve as a stark reminder of this risk,” Kirsty Le Doare, Professor of Vaccinology and Immunology at St Georges University of London, told the i.

“Internationally, countries like the UK could see increased vulnerability. If the US stops vaccinating, it might lead to a rise in infections that could cross borders, impacting global health. For instance, a decline in US vaccination rates could affect herd immunity in neighbouring countries, leading to outbreaks that strain resources and public health systems,” Professor Le Doare added. “A US ban could disrupt supply chains and funding for vaccine research, impacting vaccination efforts in developing nations where access is already limited. This could ultimately stall progress on global health initiatives.”

Banning vaccines and fluoride are just two of the possible looming attacks on Americans’ healthcare under a Trump presidency. Last week, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said he and Trump want to “take a blowtorch to the regulatory state,” and the entire U.S. healthcare system needed to be deregulated, and a “free market” system implemented. When asked by an attendee at a Pennsylvania event for a local GOP candidate if that meant “No ObamaCare?” Johnson replied, “No Obamacare,” explaining how Trump wants to “go big” in removing regulations. He later tried to backtrack, by saying that killing ObamaCare was not what he meant, but Trump has repeatedly not only said he wants to repeal ObamaCare, he has tried several times.

Dr. Syra Madad, an epidemiologist, told CNN putting RFK Jr. in charge of Americans’ health is “dangerous.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: Walz Mocks Trump Not Knowing ‘How a Tariff Works’ as Companies Ready ‘Massive’ Price Hikes

 

 

 

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‘You Answer to Us’: Hegseth Slammed for Saying He Only Answers to Trump, Senators, and God

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15 hours ago

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December 5, 2024

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Donald Trump’s embattled nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, appeared angry and defensive Thursday afternoon in the halls of Congress as he lashed out at reporters, saying he does not answer to them, he only answers to Donald Trump, the U.S. Senators who may vote on his confirmation, and his “lord and savior.” Moments later, he added his wife, who was standing behind him, and his family to the list.

The video (below) of his remarks, which has gone viral with well over a quarter-million views in just two hours, has drawn outrage.

Saying he’s “proud” of what he fought for and is “not gonna back down from them one bit,” Hegseth, a Fox News weekend co-host, snapped at reporters. “I will answer all of these senators’ questions, but this will not be a process tried in the media.”

“I don’t answer to anyone in this group,” he told the press.

“None of you, not to that camera at all,” he said, as he began pointing. “I answer to President Trump, who received 76 million votes on behalf — and a mandate for change. I answer to the 50 — the 100 — senators who are part of this process and those in the committee, and I answer to my lord and savior. And my wife and my family.”

READ MORE: ‘Sympathy for Dictators’: Ex-NatSec Officials Warn on Gabbard, Want Closed Door Hearings

Hegseth has been dogged by numerous allegations of sexual misconduct, sexual infidelity, possible intoxication on the job, “aggressive drunkenness,” sexist behavior, financial mismanagement, and tattoos which suggest an affinity for Christian nationalism.

“And as long as Donald Trump wants me in this fight, I’m gonna be standing right here in this fight, fighting to bring our Pentagon back to what it needs to be,” Hegseth vowed.

Fred Wellman is an Army veteran of 22 years who served four combat tours, and is now a political consultant and the host of the podcast “On Democracy.”

“You pointed right at me Pete,” Wellman said in response to Hegseth’s angry remarks. “You answer to us…the American people. We don’t get to ask you questions but the media does. This pompous ass needs to get the f**k out of this game now.”

Political commentator, MSNBC contributor, and New York Times bestselling author Brian Tyler Cohen noted: “Not here to serve Americans, but rather to serve Trump. The perfect encapsulation of MAGA.”

The Bulwark’s Marc Caputo noted, “this is the type of defiant prime-time performance Trump loves.”

Texas Democratic Strategist Olivia Julianna observed, “Actually the entire point of being a public servant is serving the public…”

READ MORE: Pete Hegseth’s Mom Urges ‘Female Senators’ to Ignore Media Reports, Confirm Him as SecDef

The Bulwark’s Joe Perticone appeared to mock Hegseth: “‘I don’t answer to anyone in this group. None of you. Not to that camera at all.’ he says while gesturing to his most recent employer’s camera.”

Carey Lohrenz, whose bio says she is “the first female F-14 Tomcat Fighter Pilot in the U.S. Navy,” and a best-selling author, remarked, simply, “Such hubris.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: Trump May Balk at Hegseth Over Drinking History, Not Sexual Misconduct Allegations: Report

 

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‘Sympathy for Dictators’: Ex-NatSec Officials Warn on Gabbard, Want Closed Door Hearings

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16 hours ago

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December 5, 2024

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Dozens of the nation’s former national security officials say they are “alarmed” about President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Tulsi Gabbard as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), the top official overseeing the entire U.S. Intelligence Community. They are calling for closed-door sessions during the confirmation process so senators can “consider all information available to the U.S. government” regarding the former member of Congress.

The ex-officials cite what they say is Gabbard’s lack of experience and her “sympathy for dictators,” which “raises questions about her judgment and fitness.”

“As the Director of National Intelligence, Ms. Gabbard would be entrusted with oversight of 18 U.S. intelligence agencies, including the identification and protection of human sources working in the most dangerous settings around the world to defend our national security, and the protection of our most sensitive sources and methods of gathering intelligence,” the officials write.

READ MORE: Trump May Balk at Hegseth Over Drinking History, Not Sexual Misconduct Allegations: Report

“In light of this extraordinary responsibility,” they say in the letter published by Punchbowl News’ Andrew Desiderio (below), “Senators must carefully scrutinize her qualifications as an intelligence professional and her record, including her uncoordinated trip to Syria in 2017 to meet with President Bashar al-Assad. Several of Ms. Gabbard’s past actions call into question her ability to deliver unbiased intelligence briefings to the President, Congress, and to the entire national security apparatus.”

The national security experts, nearly 100, warn of Gabbard’s “sympathy for dictators like Vladimir Putin and Assad” and say it “raises questions about her judgment and fitness.”

In their letter, they suggest America’s intelligence partners may be unwilling to continue to share valuable information and assets if Gabbard is confirmed. They also suggest she is not qualified.

“Ms. Gabbard, if confirmed, would be the least experienced Director of National Intelligence since the position was created. Prior directors had executive branch experience working on intelligence matters or served on a congressional intelligence committee. Most have also had significant management experience. The Senate must carefully evaluate whether Ms. Gabbard is equipped to effectively oversee an organizational structure as unique and large as the National Intelligence Program and also the effect of her holding this position on the willingness of our closest allies to share intelligence with the U.S.”

The officials also “ask that the Senate fully exercise its constitutional advice and consent role with respect to this and other nominees, including through appropriate vetting, hearings, and regular order. In particular, Senate committees should consider in closed sessions all information available to the U.S. government when considering Ms. Gabbard’s qualifications to manage our country’s intelligence agencies, and more importantly, the protection of our intelligence sources and methods.”

READ MORE: ‘Perfect RT Talking Head’: Kremlin Propaganda Outlet Influenced Gabbard’s Views, Ex-Aides Say

In 2017, during his first few months in office and just after firing then-FBI Director Jim Comey, Trump threatened America’s relationship with its intelligence partners around the world by handing highly classified information to Russian officials during a closed-door Oval Office meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and then-Russian Ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak. No other Americans were in the room, but a Russian photographer was, and Russian media published his photos.

The letter from the former national security officials is dated Thursday. It is addressed to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, and his incoming Republican successor, Senator John Thune.

Some of the more well-known officials whose names appear on the letter include Wendy Sherman, former Deputy Secretary of State; Anthony Lake, a former National Security Advisor and Executive Director of UNICEF, Tom Malinowski, a former Member of Congress and Assistant Secretary of State; Daniel Kurtzer, a former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt and Israel; Rose Gottemoeller, a former Deputy Secretary General of NATO; and John Tien, a former Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security.

“The DNI has access to every single secret that the United States has, every single bit of information that we know,” It’s the keys to the intelligence community kingdom,” said U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), The Hill reported last month. A former CIA officer, Congresswoman Spanberger sits on the House Intelligence Committee. She said she was “appalled” by the selection of Gabbard for DNI.

READ MORE: Hawley Throws Hegseth Under the Bus: ‘Not 100% Clear Who Trump Really Wants Right Now’

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Trump May Balk at Hegseth Over Drinking History, Not Sexual Misconduct Allegations: Report

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20 hours ago

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December 5, 2024

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Donald Trump has chosen at least four people to join his administration who have allegations of sexual misconduct in their background, as does Trump himself. But one, Pete Hegseth, his choice to be Secretary of Defense, may have an issue that’s too much for the President-elect: an alleged history of heavy use of alcohol. Hegseth has promised to not drink if confirmed, and says he does not have a problem with alcohol.

“I’ve never had a drinking problem,” Hegseth said Wednesday, according to Newsweek. “No one’s ever approached me and said, ‘You should really look at getting help for drinking.’ Never, never sought counseling, never sought help, but I respect and appreciate people who do. But you know, what do guys do when they come back from war oftentimes? Have some beers. How do you deal with the demons you see on the battlefield? Sometimes it’s with a bottle.”

“This is the biggest deployment of my life, and there won’t be a drop of alcohol on my lips while I’m doing it,” he vowed, Newsweek added.

While he has denied having a problem, he has been open about some of his experience with alcohol.

“By Pete Hegseth’s account, his heavy drinking began after a brush with death when an RPG ricocheted off his vehicle but didn’t explode while he was serving in Iraq with an Army infantry unit,” The Washington Post reported Wednesday evening. “When he returned home to a Manhattan apartment after the deployment ended in 2006, disconnected from the people he served with while his wife at the time worked long hours, he turned to alcohol, he said.”

READ MORE: ‘Perfect RT Talking Head’: Kremlin Propaganda Outlet Influenced Gabbard’s Views, Ex-Aides Say

The Post quoted Hegseth’s remarks from his August 2021 appearance on “The Will Cain Show” podcast.

“I’d look around at 10 o’clock and be like, ‘What am I going to do today? How about I drink some beers? How about I go have some lunch and have some beers? How about I meet my one or two buddies and have some beers?’”

“And one beers leads to many, leads to self-medication, leads to ‘I’ve earned this.’ Like, ‘Don’t tell me I can’t.’”

At a Republican conference in 2017, “Hegseth was so ‘visibly intoxicated’ that it enabled a woman to be the ‘aggressor’ in having sexual relations with him, according to a statement from Tim Parlatore, his attorney — an encounter that the woman later described as a rape to police. Hegseth disputes that claim, saying the encounter was consensual, and prosecutors declined to file charges,” according to The Post.

The Post also details Hegseth’s “reputation as a heavy drinker,” citing “six former Fox News employees.”

“Several years ago, during a St. Patrick’s Day segment on ‘Fox & Friends Weekend,’ support staff at the cable news network set up a display of beers for a holiday segment on the show. After the segment aired, Hegseth walked by the display table and drank each beer, according to two former colleagues who witnessed the incident and spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive episode. The incident struck the colleagues as jarring for two reasons: One, the displayed drinks had been sitting out for hours and were stale and warm; two, the show wraps up at 10 a.m., an early hour for alcohol consumption.”

READ MORE: Hawley Throws Hegseth Under the Bus: ‘Not 100% Clear Who Trump Really Wants Right Now’

The Post explains that Trump himself “has been troubled by the allegations about Hegseth’s excessive drinking,” noting that although he “has stood by numerous aides and appointees accused of sexual assault or indiscretion … he has long disdained the abuse of alcohol by those around him dating back to the death of his brother, Fred Trump Jr., who suffered from alcoholism and died of related diseases at the age of 42.”

On CNN Thursday morning, a panel discussed The Post’s report, and noted that Republican Senators are also uncomfortable with Hegseth’s reported drinking. CNN’s Stephen Collinson said Hegseth should “keep this going” into next year if he wants to be confirmed, and force the GOP Senators to openly defy Trump.

GOP strategist Erin Perrine on CNN described Hegseth as a “test case,” for Trump to see if a nominee can “fight the battle of political opinion in the court of public opinion on media.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: Hegseth: Trump Told Me ‘I’m Behind You All the Way’ But Reports Suggest Otherwise

 

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