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Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday unveiled a collection of internal Health and Human Services emails that he says show HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. intervening in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine policies and communications.

According to Sanders, the emails suggest Kennedy directed the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee to limit vaccine availability, authorized researchers to examine confidential information in an effort to support the disputed claim that vaccines cause autism, and altered federal COVID-19 vaccine recommendations without consulting the CDC.

Another set of emails indicates that Kennedy’s then-chief of staff, Matthew Buckham, contacted then-CDC Director Susan Monarez in August 2025, instructing that major agency actions undergo political oversight before being finalized.

The email stated there was a need for a “political review of major decisions at CDC … to ensure that [the Immediate Office of the Secretary] and the CDC political leadership all have eyes on the decisions for approval/changes before they go into effect.”

Sanders said Monarez was dismissed less than a week later after refusing to endorse recommendations issued by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

In a statement, Sanders called Monarez’s termination “outrageous,” arguing that she lost her position “for her commitment to public health and vaccines.” The Vermont senator urged Congress to conduct a bipartisan investigation into the firing and renewed his call for Kennedy to step down.

The emails also appear to show that Kennedy ordered the cancellation of federal influenza vaccine advertising campaigns. In one message, a CDC employee informed her supervisor that Andrew Nixon, HHS communications director, had instructed her to immediately halt all flu vaccine promotional efforts.

“He said this request came directly from the Secretary,” the staffer wrote. “I noted that these have been paid for and are in flight and he acknowledged and asked that we work right away on things that are on social/online, magazines, and then will eventually need to do items that may be on bus stops or benches (if it includes those type of things).”

A separate email from Nixon, which Sanders also released, reiterated that the directive “was a direct ask from Secretary Kennedy.”

Sanders said the emails were provided to the Senate committee by Dr. Debra Houry, the CDC’s former chief medical officer.

The senator, who serves as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has repeatedly urged Chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to hold hearings examining Kennedy’s statements about vaccines. Kennedy was a longtime vaccine skeptic before being nominated by President Trump to lead HHS, and Sanders has accused him of spreading misinformation while serving as secretary.

In an April letter to Cassidy, Sanders wrote, “The reality is that since Secretary Kennedy has been in office, he has continued his longstanding crusade against vaccines and his advocacy of conspiracy theories that vaccines cause autism — all of which have been repeatedly rejected by scientists,” Sanders wrote in his letter to Cassidy in April.

A federal judge has ordered Tesla CEO Elon Musk to give sworn testimony in two lawsuits accusing him and his political action committee of misleading voters in key battleground states through a high-profile $1 million giveaway ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Hightower of the Western District of Texas ruled Thursday that Musk must appear for a deposition in a lawsuit filed by two Arizona women. The plaintiffs allege that America PAC fraudulently obtained voters’ personal information by promoting a contest that promised to award $1 million each day in the lead-up to Election Day.

The controversy stems from remarks Musk made during an October 2024 town hall event in Pennsylvania, where he announced that participants who signed America PAC’s petition could receive the cash prize.

“The only thing we ask for the million dollars is that you be a spokesperson for the petition,” Musk told a recipient he handpicked from the audience at the time.

According to Reuters, Judge Hightower said there remains a factual question over whether Musk acted recklessly by describing the prize selection as “random.” In her ruling, she cited testimony from America PAC director Christopher Young, who said during a February 2026 deposition that he had been “surprised” by Musk’s characterization of the giveaway.

The plaintiffs, Joy Harvick and Jacqueline McAferty, contend that Musk and America PAC deceived voters in seven battleground states by encouraging them to sign the petition under the impression that winners would be selected at random. They argue that the 19 recipients were instead chosen because, as one of Musk’s attorneys reportedly stated, they would serve as effective spokespeople for the organization.

Musk promoted similar giveaway campaigns in several other states, including Michigan. In October 2025, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner filed suit against Musk and America PAC, alleging the promotions amounted to “illegal lotteries.” Musk subsequently sought to have that case transferred to federal court.

Rick Hasen, a political science professor at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, said federal law draws a distinction between paying someone to sign a petition and paying someone in connection with voter registration.

“If all he was doing was paying people to sign the petition, that might be a waste of money. But there’s nothing illegal about it,” Hasen told the Associated Press in October 2024. “The problem is that the only people eligible to participate in this giveaway are the people who are registered to vote. And that makes it illegal.”

{Matzav.com}

New York City’s Rent Guidelines Board voted Thursday to adopt Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s proposal to freeze rents for approximately one million rent-stabilized apartments, handing the new mayor one of the most significant policy victories of his administration.

The independent board, whose members are appointed by the mayor, approved the measure by a 7-1 vote. The freeze applies to rent-stabilized units in buildings constructed before 1974, as well as certain properties that receive qualifying tax incentives.

Under the new policy, rents will remain unchanged beginning October 1 and continuing through September 30, 2027.

Rent freezes are not unprecedented in New York City. The board approved similar measures during the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio before later authorizing rent increases under Mayor Eric Adams.

Following Thursday’s vote at El Museo del Barrio in East Harlem, supporters celebrated outside the venue. According to The New York Times, activists marked the occasion with music and pizza, while Queen’s anthem “We Are the Champions” played in the background.

Mamdani hailed the decision as a major milestone in his effort to reduce housing costs across the city.

“I’ll continue working to deliver a more affordable city by building and preserving affordable housing, lowering building operating costs like insurance, and ensuring tenants know their rights,” he said.

Keeping rents frozen was a centerpiece of Mamdani’s mayoral campaign as he sought to address New York City’s escalating housing costs. Throughout the race, he repeatedly criticized Eric Adams for approving annual rent increases during his four years in office.

Research from the nonprofit newsroom Community Service Society found that rent-stabilized tenants experienced a cumulative increase of 12.6 percent during Adams’ tenure—exceeding the total rent hikes approved during Michael Bloomberg’s administration.

The rent freeze has also long been a signature priority of the Democratic Socialists of America, which has argued that preventing rent increases is essential to keeping working-class residents from being priced out of the city.

The board’s vote came just days after a series of candidates endorsed by Mamdani defeated incumbent Democrats in congressional primaries across New York.

Among the victors were Democratic socialist candidates Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier, both backed by Mamdani. Avila Chevalier’s victory drew particular attention after she unseated Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.). Former mayoral candidate Brad Lander, another Mamdani ally, also defeated Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) by a comfortable margin.

Despite those political successes, Mamdani continues to face resistance from several prominent Democratic leaders, particularly lawmakers who are strong supporters of Israel.

Speaking Wednesday on MS NOW, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries acknowledged the ideological divisions within the Democratic Party while urging members to unite after the primary season.

“I think for us as House Democrats, we’re just hopeful that everybody recognizes once we get through this primary season, that the enemy is Donald Trump and MAGA extremism,” Jeffries said on MS NOW.

{Matzav.com}

Iran sharply escalated its rhetoric against Israel on Thursday, with a senior military commander warning that Israeli forces must leave Lebanon immediately or face what he described as a humiliating military defeat.

The warning was delivered by Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, in remarks carried by Iranian state media.

“You must leave all of Lebanon,” Qaani said, adding, “This land is a field of steadfastness and resistance, not a playground for occupiers.”

He went on to warn that Israel’s opportunity to withdraw voluntarily is rapidly disappearing.

“If you do not withdraw of your own accord today, tomorrow you will be forced to flee in humiliation and defeat.”

The Quds Force serves as the primary arm of Iran’s efforts to direct and support allied militant organizations throughout the Middle East. Among its most significant partners is Hezbollah, which receives substantial Iranian funding, sophisticated missile and drone technology, as well as strategic guidance from Tehran. Iran considers the Lebanese terrorist organization a central component of its regional deterrence against Israel.

Qaani’s remarks came as Iran continues to press its demands during ongoing diplomatic negotiations with the United States aimed at bringing the conflict to a permanent end.

After Washington and Tehran recently drafted an interim Memorandum of Understanding, Iranian officials insisted that any final ceasefire arrangement must include a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory. Israeli leaders, however, have resisted that demand, maintaining that a security zone in southern Lebanon remains essential to protect northern Israeli communities.

Qaani assumed command of the Quds Force in 2020 after his predecessor, Qassem Soleimani, was killed in a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport.

Last June, reports circulated claiming that Qaani had been killed by Israel during Operation Rising Lion inside Iran.

Those reports were later contradicted when Iran’s Tasnim news agency released video footage showing Qaani attending a public celebration in Tehran marking what the Iranian regime described as its “victory” over Israel.