Kennedy tells FDA employees that 'the Deep State is real': report
"President Trump always talks about the Deep State, and the media, you know, disparages him and says that he's paranoid," Kennedy said according to Politico, which reported it obtained an audio recording and transcript of the secretary's remarks. "But the Deep State is real. And it's not, you know, just George Soros and Bill Gates and a bunch of nefarious individuals sitting together in a room and plotting the, you know, the destruction of humanity."
According to multiple reports, Kennedy pointed the finger at "institutional pressures."
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Kennedy also reportedly said the FDA had become a "sock puppet" of the industries it was meant to regulate. NBC News reported that Kennedy said that this was the case with "every agency," not just the FDA.
One area where Kennedy said he has seen this within the FDA is its Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) system, which he says acts as a "loophole" for food companies. In March, Kennedy directed the FDA to reevaluate its policies on food companies obtaining approval before adding new ingredients to their products. He believes that "eliminating this loophole" will not only provide consumers with more transparency, but will be key in improving Americans' health.
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The HHS secretary has not hidden his disdain for the FDA, especially as he spoke throughout the 2024 election cycle about what changes he believes are crucial to improving Americans' health. About a week and a half before the election, Kennedy — who had already endorsed now-President Donald Trump — issued clear warnings on social media to those who "work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system."
He told them to preserve their records and to "pack your bags."
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Kennedy recently embarked on a MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) tour in which he visited Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. According to HHS, Kennedy was set to speak on state laws banning ultra-processed foods and food dyes from school lunches, among other regulations.
Fox News Digital reached out to HHS for comment on the reports outside working hours but did not receive a response for publication.Original article source: Kennedy tells FDA employees that 'the Deep State is real': report
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The Hill
17 minutes ago
- The Hill
Ketanji Brown Jackson turns independent streak loose on fellow justices
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Her stark warning came as Trump's birthright citizenship order split the court on its 6-3 ideological lines, with all three Democratic appointed justices dissenting from the decision to limit nationwide injunctions. Jackson bounded farther than her two liberal colleagues, writing in a blistering solo critique that said the court was embracing Trump's apparent request for permission to 'engage in unlawful behavior.' The decision amounts to an 'existential threat to the rule of law,' she said. It wasn't the first time Jackson's fellow liberal justices left her out in the cold. She has been writing solo dissents since her first full term on the bench. Jackson did so again in another case last month when the court revived the energy industry's effort to axe California's stricter car emission standard. Jackson accused her peers of ruling inequitably. 'This case gives fodder to the unfortunate perception that moneyed interests enjoy an easier road to relief in this Court than ordinary citizens,' Jackson wrote. 'Because the Court had ample opportunity to avoid that result, I respectfully dissent.' Rather than join Justice Sonia Sotomayor's dissent that forewent such fiery language, Jackson chose to pen her own. The duo frequently agrees. They were on the same side in 94 percent of cases this term, according to data from SCOTUSblog, more than any other pair except for Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, the court's two leading conservatives. Sometimes Sotomayor signs on to Jackson's piercing dissents, including when she last month condemned the court's emergency order allowing the Department of Government Efficiency to access Americans' Social Security data. 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I cannot deny the great accomplishments of black Americans, including those who succeeded despite long odds,' Thomas wrote in a concurring opinion. It isn't Thomas's practice to announce his separate opinions from the bench, but that day, he said he felt compelled to do so. As he read it aloud from the bench for 11 minutes, Jackson stared blankly ahead into the courtroom. Jackson's boldness comes across not only in the court's decision-making. At oral arguments this term, she spoke 50 percent more than any other justice. She embraces her openness. She told a crowd in May while accepting an award named after former President Truman that she liked to think it was because they both share the same trait: bravery. 'I am also told that some people think I am courageous for the ways in which I engage with litigants and my colleagues in the courtroom, or the manner in which I address thorny issues in my legal writings,' Jackson said. 'Some have even called me fearless.'


The Hill
32 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump can shatter the abortion pill cartel
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Recent studies have shed further light on the expanded physical and psychological adverse events women are experiencing by taking mifepristone. Women being forced into abortion via the deregulation of the abortion pill are even more likely to experience these dangerous outcomes. The U.S. Code already creates heightened oversight and penalties for importation of controlled substances. If the Trump administration designates the abortion pill as a controlled substance, it will equip the Department of Justice to prosecute members of the cartel — both foreign and domestic — to the fullest extent of the law. Trump must also work alongside the Republican Congress to uphold state laws that prevent abortion pill trafficking. States such as Louisiana and Texas have laws in place that prohibit the abortion pill from being sent women within their borders, but it has been an uphill battle to enforce them, with pro-abortion states enacting shield laws to prevent prosecution of cartel abortionists engaging in pill trafficking. This term, Trump must hold true to abolish cartels — including the ones previous administrations have given free rein within our own borders. If Trump truly believes abortion to be a state issue, he should ensure that states have the power to protect their citizens. Women deserve to live without the paranoia that they might be the next victim of this dangerous cartel. Gavin Oxley is a public relations consultant currently serving at Americans United for Life.


Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
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