Latest news with #TheFaulknerFocus
Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Health
- Indianapolis Star
RFK Jr. says there may be 'more cavities' under fluoride bans: 'It's a balance'
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Thursday that nixing fluoride from public drinking water may result in more cavities. "It's a balance," Kennedy said during interview on Fox News' "The Faulkner Focus" on Thursday, June 26. "You're going to see probably slightly more cavities. Although in Europe, where they ban fluoride, they did not see an uptick in cavities. The issue is parents need to decide because the science is very clear on fluoride." Fluoridation is not banned in Europe, according to the American Dental Association (ADA). However, adding fluoride to drinking water is not as widespread in European countries as in the U.S. Some European countries fluoridate their water, while others do not and the reasoning and result of those actions varies, according to BBC reporting. USA TODAY has reached out to ADA for more information. Kennedy's response came after anchor Harris Faulkner asked him how removing fluoride from public drinking water would affect children who don't have access to dentists or proper oral healthcare. Kennedy has been pushing to ban fluoride in public drinking water. In April, during a meeting with President Donald Trump, he said that kids get "stupider" the more fluoride they take in. Kennedy's remarks were met with backlash, as the study he pulled from was criticized for inadequate statistical rigor and other methodological flaws. A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson told USA TODAY on June 27 that Kennedy's comments reflect an effort to balance reducing exposure to unnecessary chemicals while maintaining protections, like preventing cavities in children. The Department of Health and Human Services has advised the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to meet with the Community Preventative Services Task Force to study and make a new recommendation on fluoride, the spokesperson added. Fluoride bans: Two states have now passed fluoride bans. These other ones introduced bills. Fluoride is a naturally-occurring mineral found in many foods and water and has been long thought to help prevent tooth decay, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Throughout the day, the protective outer layer of our teeth, called enamel, breaks down. Natural minerals within the enamel are broken down by bacteria, plaque and sugar. This is called demineralization. To gain these minerals back, people must consume food and water that contains chemicals like fluoride, calcium and phosphate, the Cleveland Clinic states. This is known as remineralization. The Cleveland Clinic says with too much demineralization and not enough remineralization, tooth decay may begin. Exclusive: As RFK Jr. targets fluoride, Texas is coming for kids toothpaste In 1945, Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first city to fluoridate its community water, adjusting existing levels in the supply to the therapeutic 1.0 parts-per-million (ppm). Since then, the levels have been adjusted to a maximum of 0.7 ppm or 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water, which is considered optimal for preventing tooth decay. Health risks from exposure to fluoride require a much higher concentration, according to the American Dental Association. To get fluoride toxicity from drinking treated water, a person would have to consume 5 liters of water per kilogram of body weight, meaning the average person would die from drinking too much water before fluoridation of that water could hurt them, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Utah and Florida have banned fluoride from public drinking water – Utah in March and Florida in May. Kennedy has championed these states, and others looking to pass bans, including Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nebraska, South Carolina, North Dakota, Arkansas, Tennessee, Montana and New Hampshire. After Utah passed its fluoride ban in March, the ADA released a statement saying dentists "see the direct consequences fluoride removal has on our patients." "It's a real tragedy when policymakers' decisions hurt vulnerable kids and adults in the long term. Blindly calling for a ban on fluoridated water hurts people, costs money and will ultimately harm our economy," ADA President Dr. Brett Kessler said in a news release. The ADA has also pointed to studies, like one 2024 study conducted by the University of Queensland, which found that children exposed and not exposed to fluoride showed no difference in IQ testing. This story was updated to add more information. Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy and Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
RFK Jr. says 'more cavities' under fluoride bans is 'a balance'
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Thursday that nixing fluoride from public drinking water may result in more cavities. "It's a balance," Kennedy said during interview on Fox News' "The Faulkner Focus" on Thursday, June 26. "You're going to see probably slightly more cavities. Although in Europe, where they ban fluoride, they did not see an uptick in cavities. The issue is parents need to decide because the science is very clear on fluoride." Fluoridation is not banned in Europe, according to a 2018 fact sheet from the American Dental Association (ADA). However, adding fluoride to drinking water is not as widespread in European countries as in the U.S. Some European countries fluoridate their water, while others do not and the reasoning and result of those actions varies, according to BBC reporting. USA TODAY has reached out to ADA for more information. Kennedy's response came after anchor Harris Faulkner asked him how removing fluoride from public drinking water would affect children who don't have access to dentists or proper oral healthcare. Kennedy has been pushing to ban fluoride in public drinking water. In April, during a meeting with President Donald Trump, he said that kids get "stupider" the more fluoride they take in. Kennedy's remarks were met with backlash, as the study he pulled from was criticized for inadequate statistical rigor and other methodological flaws. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond for additional comment when contacted by USA TODAY on Friday, June 27. Fluoride bans: Two states have now passed fluoride bans. These other ones introduced bills. Fluoride is a naturally-occurring mineral found in many foods and water and has been long thought to help prevent tooth decay, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Throughout the day, the protective outer layer of our teeth, called enamel, breaks down. Natural minerals within the enamel are broken down by bacteria, plaque and sugar. This is called demineralization To gain these minerals back, people must consume food and water that contains chemicals like fluoride, calcium and phosphate, the Cleveland Clinic states. This is known as remineralization. The Cleveland Clinic says with too much demineralization and not enough remineralization, tooth decay may begin. Exclusive: As RFK Jr. targets fluoride, Texas is coming for kids toothpaste Fluoride was first introduced in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1945, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC). Utah and Florida have banned fluoride from public drinking water – Utah in March and Florida in May. Kennedy has championed these states, and others looking to pass bans, including Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nebraska, South Carolina, North Dakota, Arkansas, Tennessee, Montana and New Hampshire. After Utah passed its fluoride ban in March, the ADA released a statement saying dentists "see the direct consequences fluoride removal has on our patients." "It's a real tragedy when policymakers' decisions hurt vulnerable kids and adults in the long term. Blindly calling for a ban on fluoridated water hurts people, costs money and will ultimately harm our economy," ADA President Dr. Brett Kessler said in a news release. The ADA has also pointed to studies, like one 2024 study conducted by the University of Queensland, which found that children exposed and not exposed to fluoride showed no difference in IQ testing. Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund and Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: RFK Jr. on fluoride bans: Probably 'more cavities'
USA Today
a day ago
- Health
- USA Today
RFK Jr. says 'more cavities' under fluoride bans is 'a balance'
"It's a balance. You're going to see probably slightly more cavities," Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Fox News. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Thursday that nixing fluoride from public drinking water may result in more cavities. "It's a balance," Kennedy said during interview on Fox News' "The Faulkner Focus" on Thursday, June 26. "You're going to see probably slightly more cavities. Although in Europe, where they ban fluoride, they did not see an uptick in cavities. The issue is parents need to decide because the science is very clear on fluoride." Fluoridation is not banned in Europe, according to a 2018 fact sheet from the American Dental Association (ADA). However, adding fluoride to drinking water is not as widespread in European countries as in the U.S. Some European countries fluoridate their water, while others do not and the reasoning and result of those actions varies, according to BBC reporting. USA TODAY has reached out to ADA for more information. Kennedy's response came after anchor Harris Faulkner asked him how removing fluoride from public drinking water would affect children who don't have access to dentists or proper oral healthcare. Kennedy has been pushing to ban fluoride in public drinking water. In April, during a meeting with President Donald Trump, he said that kids get "stupider" the more fluoride they take in. Kennedy's remarks were met with backlash, as the study he pulled from was criticized for inadequate statistical rigor and other methodological flaws. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond for additional comment when contacted by USA TODAY on Friday, June 27. Fluoride bans: Two states have now passed fluoride bans. These other ones introduced bills. What is fluoride? Fluoride is a naturally-occurring mineral found in many foods and water and has been long thought to help prevent tooth decay, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Throughout the day, the protective outer layer of our teeth, called enamel, breaks down. Natural minerals within the enamel are broken down by bacteria, plaque and sugar. This is called demineralization. To gain these minerals back, people must consume food and water that contains chemicals like fluoride, calcium and phosphate, the Cleveland Clinic states. This is known as remineralization. The Cleveland Clinic says with too much demineralization and not enough remineralization, tooth decay may begin. Exclusive: As RFK Jr. targets fluoride, Texas is coming for kids toothpaste When was fluoride introduced in the US? Fluoride was first introduced in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1945, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC). Where is fluoride banned in the U.S.? Utah and Florida have banned fluoride from public drinking water – Utah in March and Florida in May. Kennedy has championed these states, and others looking to pass bans, including Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nebraska, South Carolina, North Dakota, Arkansas, Tennessee, Montana and New Hampshire. American Dental Association responds to fluoride bans After Utah passed its fluoride ban in March, the ADA released a statement saying dentists "see the direct consequences fluoride removal has on our patients." "It's a real tragedy when policymakers' decisions hurt vulnerable kids and adults in the long term. Blindly calling for a ban on fluoridated water hurts people, costs money and will ultimately harm our economy," ADA President Dr. Brett Kessler said in a news release. The ADA has also pointed to studies, like one 2024 study conducted by the University of Queensland, which found that children exposed and not exposed to fluoride showed no difference in IQ testing. Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy and Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
University of California now Trump administration target
Leo Terrell, senior counsel at the Department of Justice and head of its antisemitism task force, singled out the University of California (UC) system on Tuesday as the next target of the Trump administration. There will be 'massive lawsuits against [the] UC system' and other colleges 'on the East Coast, on the West Coast, in the Midwest,' Terrell said in an interview on Fox News's 'The Faulkner Focus.' 'Expect hate crime charges filed by the federal government. Expect Title VII lawsuits,' he added. The Hill has reached out to UC for comment. It is the first indication of where the Trump administration may move next in its higher education fight after escalating its battle with Harvard University to extreme heights. President Trump has taken almost $3 billion in funding from Harvard, threatening $3 billion more, wants to take away the university's ability to have foreign students on campus and has threatened its tax-exempt status. Harvard has sued over the paused funding and order to take away the Ivy League school's ability to admit foreign students. But Terrell said the Trump administration is ready to 'battle in the courtroom,' taking the fight to the highest level it needs. ''If it goes all the way to the Supreme Court, Trump is going to do that,' he said. Massive lawsuits against UC would signal the first major fight against a state public university, with many of the major actions focused on Ivy League schools thus far. 'We have to bring these universities to their knees,' Terrell told Fox News near the end of the interview. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fox News stars want Scott Pelley arrested and ‘60 Minutes' canceled over anti-Trump free speech defense
After spending the past few years railing against the Biden administration for its supposed attacks on free speech and censorship of social media platforms, Fox News is now calling for a CBS News journalist to be locked up and his show canceled for warning college graduates that 'freedom of speech is under attack.' What appears to be most rankling to the conservative news network's stars are Scott Pelley's comments in a commencement speech at Wake Forest that were sharply directed at President Donald Trump. A week after Pelley delivered an impassioned address, clearly targeted at Trump, MAGA world fully melted down over it after clips were shared online by a pro-Trump account. The speech went viral over the Memorial Day weekend as conservatives lashed out in anger and Fox News picked up the mantle after the holiday. 'Does he hate half the country as much as he hates President Trump?' anchor Harris Faulkner huffed on Tuesday morning's broadcast of The Faulkner Focus. 'He never mentions anything about the 76 million people who voted for Trump as being valuable and loved in the country. He goes after the man they voted for.' The portion that specifically incensed conservatives and Trump supporters was Pelley — whose network is currently facing a $20 billion lawsuit from the president over an edited 60 Minutes interview of Kamala Harris in the stretch run of the presidential campaign — having referenced Trump's attacks on the media and the nation's sacred institutions. The longtime 60 Minutes correspondent did not mention the president by name. 'But in this moment, this moment, this morning, our sacred rule of law is under attack. Journalism is under attack. Universities are under attack,' he declared. 'Freedom of speech is under attack. And insidious fear is reaching through our schools, our businesses, our homes, and into our private thoughts. The fear to speak in America.' Noting that 'ignorance works for power,' Pelley also pointed out that they first 'make the truth-seekers live in fear' when they 'sue the journalists and their companies for nothing,' an apparent reference to the president's lawsuit. Paramount, the parent company of CBS, is considering a settlement of that complaint in an effort to coax the Trump administration to approve a mega-merger with Skydance Media. The possibility of settling a lawsuit that legal experts describe as frivolous has resulted in the abrupt resignations of 60 Minutes' executive producer and CBS News' chief, along with Democratic senators suggesting that the company could be breaking anti-bribery laws. Pelley also took aim at the administration's efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. 'With that done, power can rewrite history with grotesque, false narratives,' he stated. 'They can make criminals heroes and heroes criminals. Power can change the definition of the words we use to describe reality. Diversity is now described as illegal. Equity is to be shunned. Inclusion is a dirty word.' Faulkner wasn't done with her hyperbolic and breathless indignation over Pelley's speech. During the midday roundtable show Outnumbered, which she co-anchors, she seemingly accused CBS News of antisemitism while suggesting the White House could soon turn its attention to shutting down the network. 'We know what is happening. They are losing their relevancy and soon will be losing their funding,' she said, perhaps confusing CBS with PBS, which Trump directed to be defunded by an executive order this month. Referencing a previous interview with former Fox News pundit Leo Terrell, who now leads the president's so-called antisemitism task force, Faulkner noted that Terrell told her 'we are not stopping with Harvard' and will be going after other institutions. 'The administration has an answer for this,' she concluded. 'And Scott Pelley – well, I don't know – maybe it won't be 60 Minutes anymore. Maybe he can just go on a speaking tour.' Former Trump press secretary turned Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany went even further during Tuesday's broadcast of top-rated panel show The Five. After the network's resident 'comedian' Greg Gutfeld jokingly brushed off Pelley's warnings by pointing out 'he wasn't arrested after that,' McEnany called for that very thing to happen. 'He should have been, because there was an overt lie,' she exclaimed. 'What do you know about journalism being under attack? What does he know about that? I mean, 60 Minutes should be reduced to zero minutes.' Grumbling that Pelley recently interviewed a Democratic attorney for a segment on Trump targeting law firms, one of several 60 Minutes reports that have drawn the president's ire, McEnany fumed that Pelley knows 'nothing about journalism' and that his commencement speech was a 'load of garbage.' Naturally, the right-wing network's primetime lineup – which includes the president's shadow chief of staff Sean Hannity – kept the outrage flowing through the evening. 'Scott's still a whiny liberal and still bitter,' Laura Ingraham growled during an eight-minute show-opening monologue about Pelley's speech. 'What he will never admit is his own role of tanking the credibility of the press he supposedly is so desperate to save. His influence has waned, the power of his old network is gone. And now he's not shy about showing the rank bias we knew he harbored all along.' Hannity, meanwhile, complained that the former CBS Evening News anchor's address was 'full of rage and anti-Trump rhetoric,' adding that Pelley is a 'biased liberal radical talk show host and here's the proof.' The evidence, according to the Fox News star, was Pelley saying that 'journalism is under attack.'
