Speculation around the 2028 Republican presidential race is already heating up — and according to CNN senior data analyst Harry Enten, Vice President JD Vance is the man to beat. During a Thursday morning segment on CNN News Central, Enten told anchor Kate Bolduan that early polling shows Vance commanding a dominant 40% of Republican support for the 2028 nomination — far ahead of other potential contenders like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (8%) and Donald Trump Jr. (7%). “You know, I’m gonna quote the esteemed scholar Larry David and say, ‘Pretty, pretty good,’” Enten quipped. “There’s no one even close to him.” While Bolduan noted that 2028 is still years away, Enten pushed back, citing historical trends: since 1980, early frontrunners in wide-open GOP primaries have gone on to win the nomination 63% of the time. “When you’re dealing with fields that are five, six, seven, eight, nine, even twenty candidates, and one person is already breaking away — you have to take that seriously,” Enten said. Enten also noted the unique advantage Vance could hold if Trump throws his full weight behind his vice president. “If Donald Trump decides to get behind his VP, this GOP nomination fight in 2028 is likely, adios amigos — over,” he said. “The polling says it, the history says it — at this point, things all seem to be coming up for JD.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Millions of Americans saving for retirement through 401(k) accounts could have the option of putting their money in higher-risk private equity and cryptocurrency investments, according to an executive order signed Thursday by President Donald Trump that could give those financial players long-sought access to a pool of funds worth trillions. There is no immediate change in how people invest part of their work earnings. Federal agencies would need to rewrite rules and regulations to allow the expanded choices, and that would take months or more to complete. But once done, employers could offer a broader array of mutual funds and investments to workers, according to the White House. New plans could invest in alternative assets, particularly private equity, cryptocurrencies and real estate. The Republican president’s order directs the Labor Department and other agencies to redefine what would be considered a qualified asset under 401(k) retirement rules. Americans’ retirement plans are governed by a law known as the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, better known as ERISA. Employers are required by law to offer retirement options that are in the best interest of their employees, not Wall Street. Most retirement plans for Americans are made up of stock and bond investments, and to a much lesser extent, cash and heavily traded commodities such as gold. Trump’s move rewards both the $5 trillion private equity industry, which for decades has wanted to compete for a role in retirement plans, and the cryptocurrency industry, whose executives strongly supported Trump’s 2024 campaign as they aimed for more mainstream acceptance among Americans. The price of bitcoin was up 2% on Thursday to $116,542 and has nearly doubled since Trump was elected. Under Democratic President Joe Biden, federal regulators were to treat cryptocurrency investments with “extreme care” because of the extreme volatility of crypto. It is not uncommon for bitcoin, ethereum and other big cryptocurrencies to move up or down 10% in a single day, whereas a 2% or 3% single-day move in the stock market would be considered historic. For cryptocurrency companies, which donated millions to Trump’s campaign as well as his inauguration, one goal was to get their industry qualified under ERISA. Coinbase, one of the largest crypto companies in the United States, was also a major donor toward Trump’s military parade in Washington this summer. Under Trump, the Securities and Exchange Commission dropped its lawsuit against Coinbase where the Biden administration said crypto should be treated as a security. Crypto is particularly popular among young Americans. While volatile, bitcoin has generally moved upward since it was created by an anonymous programmer nearly 20 years ago. ““It was inevitable that bitcoin would make its way into American 401(k)s,” said Cory Klippsten, the CEO of Swan Bitcoin. “As fiduciaries realize Bitcoin’s risk-adjusted upside over the long term, we’ll see growing allocations, especially from younger, tech-savvy workers who want hard money, not melting ice cubes.” Private equity firms rely heavily on high-net worth individuals and state and private pension plans, which have extremely long investing timelines. But having access to Americans’ retirement assets would open up a deep pool of cash. Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman has told investors going back to at least 2017 that it was a “dream” of his and the industry to be able to draw upon these retirement assets. Previous […]
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will impose a 100% tariff on computer chips, raising the specter of higher prices for electronics, autos, household appliances and other essential products dependent on the processors powering the digital age. “We’ll be putting a tariff of approximately 100% on chips and semiconductors,” Trump said in the Oval Office while meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook. “But if you’re building in the United States of America, there’s no charge.” The announcement came more than three months after Trump temporarily exempted most electronics from his administration’s most onerous tariffs. The Republican president said companies that make computer chips in the U.S. would be spared the import tax. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortage of computer chips increased the price of autos and contributed to higher inflation. Investors seemed to interpret the potential tariff exemptions as a positive for Apple and other major tech companies that have been making huge financial commitments to manufacture more chips and other components in the U.S.. Big Tech already has made collective commitments to invest about $1.5 trillion in the U.S. since Trump moved back into the White House in January. That figure includes a $600 billion promise from Apple after the iPhone maker boosted its commitment by tacking another $100 billion on to a previous commitment made in February. Now the question is whether the deal brokered between Cook and Trump will be enough to insulate the millions of iPhones made in China and India from the tariffs that the administration has already imposed and reduce the pressure on the company to raise prices on the new models expected to be unveiled next month. Wall Street certainly seems to think so. After Apple’s stock price gained 5% in Wednesday regular trading sessions, the shares rose by another 3% in extended trading after Trump announced some tech companies won’t be hit with the latest tariffs while Cook stood alongside him. The shares of AI chipmaker Nvidia, which also has recently made big commitments to the U.S., rose slightly in extended trading to add to the $1 trillion gain in market value the Silicon Valley company has made since the start of Trump’s second administration. The stock price of computer chip pioneer Intel, which has fallen on hard times, also climbed in extended trading. Inquiries sent to chip makers Nvidia and Intel were not immediately answered. The chip industry’s main trade group, the Semiconductor Industry Association, declined to comment on Trump’s latest tariffs. Demand for computer chips has been climbing worldwide, with sales increasing 19.6% in the year-ended in June, according to the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics organization. Trump’s tariff threats mark a significant break from existing plans to revive computer chip production in the U.S. that were drawn up during the administration of President Joe Biden. Since taking over from Biden, Trump has been deploying tariffs to incentivize more domestic production. Essentially, the president is betting that the threat of dramatically higher chip costs would force most companies to open factories domestically, despite the risk that tariffs could squeeze corporate profits and push up prices for mobile phones, TVs and refrigerators. By contrast, the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act that Biden signed into law in 2022 provided more than $50 billion to support new computer chip plants, fund research […]
The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday terminated a $7 billion grant program intended to help pay for residential solar projects for more than 900,000 lower-income U.S. households, in the latest Trump administration move hindering the nation’s shift to cleaner energy. The funding, part of the Biden-era’s Solar for All program, was awarded to 60 recipients including states, tribes and regions for investments such as rooftop solar and community solar gardens. Solar, a renewable energy, is widely regarded as a way to introduce cleaner power onto the electrical grid and lower energy bills for American consumers. Under Republican President Donald Trump, officials have pursued dozens of deregulatory measures related to federal rules intended to protect clean air and water. Last week, the EPA proposed rescinding the agency’s “endangerment finding” which serves as the scientific and legal basis for regulating planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. The administration has taken steps to bolster fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas as it pursues American “energy dominance in the global market. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement on social media that authority for the solar program was eliminated under the tax-and-spending law signed by Trump last month. It eliminated the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, approved under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, that set aside $20 billion for community development projects to boost renewable energy and an additional $7 billion for the solar program. “The bottom line is this: EPA no longer has the statutory authority to administer the program or the appropriated funds to keep this boondoggle alive,″ Zeldin said. “Today, the Trump EPA is announcing that we are ending Solar for All for good, saving US taxpayers ANOTHER $7 BILLION!” Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, who introduced the Solar for All program to cut electric bills for working families, said Zeldin’s action was illegal. “Solar for All means lower utility bills, many thousands of good-paying jobs and real action to address the existential threat of climate change,″ Sanders said in a statement. ”At a time when working families are getting crushed by skyrocketing energy costs and the planet is literally burning, sabotaging this program isn’t just wrong — it’s absolutely insane. We will fight back to preserve this enormously important program.” Only $53 million of the $7 billion awarded has been spent, according to a tally by the research firm Atlas Public Policy. Several grant recipients this week said their programs were in planning phases. Stephanie Bosh, senior vice president of the Solar Energy Industries Association, said the EPA has no legal authority to terminate grants already appropriated by Congress. “These grants are delivering billions of dollars of investment to red and blue states alike,″ she said. Bosh said solar was one of the cheapest energy sources at a time of growing demand for electricity. “This administration is continuing to dig itself into a hole,” she said. The EPA has argued that the tax and policy law allows the agency to rescind the money it has already obligated. The recipients of that money disagree, saying the bulk of the money had already been disbursed and is not affected by the law. Grant recipients have filed lawsuits challenging the administration’s actions, and a judge ruled in April the EPA cannot freeze the contracts. Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, the top Democrat on […]
President Donald Trump said Thursday he will nominate a top economic adviser to the Federal Reserve’s board of governors for four months, temporarily filling a vacancy while continuing his search for a longer-term appointment. Trump said he has named Stephen Miran, the chair of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers, to fill a seat vacated by governor Adriana Kugler, a Biden appointee who is stepping down Friday. Miran, if approved by the Senate, will serve until January 31, 2026. The appointment is Trump’s first opportunity to exert more control over the Fed, one of the few remaining independent federal agencies. Trump has relentlessly criticized the current chair, Jerome Powell, for keping short-term interest rates unchanged. Miran has been a major defender of Trump’s income tax cuts and tariff hikes, arguing that the combination will generate enough economic growth to reduce budget deficits. He also has played down the risk of Trump’s tariffs generating higher inflation, a major source of concern for Powell. (AP)
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order mandating a probe into whether banks have discriminated against conservatives and certain industries like gun manufacturers and cryptocurrency companies, invoking the vast powers to go after entities that the Republican president alleges have discriminated against him and his allies. The executive order deals with an issue known as “debanking,” which is when banks close accounts of individuals or declines to go into business with certain industries. Trump has accused JPMorgan and Bank of America of debanking him and his companies in the past, something both banks have denied. Trump ordered federal bank regulators to make sure banks do not discriminate against individuals or companies for their political or religious beliefs. He also ordered bank regulators to probe when banks may have allegedly discriminated and refer the cases to the Department of Justice. The move could open banks to potential civil or criminal investigations, fines or punishments. When Trump and his party discuss debanking, they typically refer to banks closing the accounts of a person or company when they no longer want to do business with them. Banks usually say they close accounts or deny loans because the person or business is deemed too risky. The banking industry has long argued that it has a constitutional right to choose whom they go into business with, if it does not violate laws like the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. Th act, which was part of several pieces of legislation signed during the Civil Rights Movement, bans banks from discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, sex and other protected statuses. Another type of debanking is when government regulators tell banks to avoid doing business with industries or individuals. Democratic President Barack Obama’s Department of Justice told banks to avoid doing business with “high risk” industries, which included payday lenders and firearms manufacturers. This type of government-directed debanking is also known as reputational risk, where the historic reputation of an industry prompts banks to be more careful about banking and lending. Historic examples include entities who did business in high-risk countries, did business largely in cash or were repeatedly flagged by bank regulators. Conservatives have argued that reputational risk has become an umbrella term that allows banks to discriminate. The banking industry insists it does not actively debank and does not target specific industries or individuals. Banks have already been removing any mention of reputational risk from their policies and procedures, particularly since Trump returned to the White House. “We don’t close accounts for political reasons, and we agree with President Trump that regulatory change is desperately needed,” said a spokeswoman for JPMorgan Chase. The Obama administration’s government-directed debanking has been a rallying cry for conservatives. It’s one reason why the cryptocurrency industry backed Trump in 2024. While the Biden administration did not explicitly force banks to debank the crypto industry, Democratic President Joe Biden’s bank regulators did express some public concern about it, a move that was read by banks as a reason to steer away from crypto. That phrasing by the Biden administration was often referred to as “Operation Choke Point 2.0” by Trump and his allies. Republicans have introduced legislation to cut down on alleged acts of debanking as well. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, chair of the Senate Banking Committee, has […]
A shooting that injured five soldiers at one of the country’s largest military bases on Wednesday has resurfaced questions about a long-standing army policy that largely prevents service members from carrying personal weapons on military installations. Soldiers in the area who witnessed the shooting at Fort Stewart in Georgia “immediately and without hesitation” tackled the shooter to subdue him before law enforcement arrived, Brigadier Gen. John Lubas said at a news conference Wednesday. But they didn’t have firearms to shoot back because of a policy first enacted decades ago to ensure safety by limiting armed members on army bases to military police. The suspect in the shooting, logistics Sgt. Quornelius Radford, used a personal weapon, Lubas said. Questions about why soldiers didn’t have weapons were buzzing online after at least one video of the incident on social media appears to show service members in uniform running to safety amid a lockdown that lasted about an hour, instead of firing back at the shooter. While some have questioned why many service members in the area during the shooting didn’t use weapons to defend themselves, others have questioned whether existing regulations do enough to prevent shootings on bases. The shooting is the latest in a growing list of violent incidents at American military installations over the years — some claiming upward of a dozen lives. Experts say that there are reasons for long-standing regulations on military bases, despite their limitations. Department of Defense policy in place for decades Department of Defense policy prohibits military personnel from carrying personal weapons on base without permission from a senior commander, and there is a strict protocol for how the firearm must be stored. Typically, military personnel must officially check their guns out of secure storage to go to on-base hunting areas or shooting ranges, and then check all firearms back in promptly after its sanctioned use. Military police are often the only armed personnel on base, outside of shooting ranges, hunting areas or in training, where soldiers can wield their service weapons without ammunition. The federal policy leaves little room for local commanders to use discretion about how the policy is enforced. That means the regulation applies even in Georgia, a state with some of the most lax gun regulations in the country, where Fort Stewart is located. Designed to protect national security Robert Capovilla, a founding partner for one of the largest military law firms in the country, strongly believes in the Second Amendment. But he said that the strict firearm policies on military bases exist for a reason. “A lot of these installations are involved in top-secret operations, dealing with top-secret information, and because of that you need a heightened security,” said Capovilla, a former military prosecutor and defense attorney. “You simply don’t want folks walking around a federal installation with personal weapons.” He said he has traveled to “nearly every single major military installation” in North America for his work. Whenever he visits an installation, he said armed military police have a visible presence almost constantly on base. He added that he doesn’t believe Wednesday’s shooting could have been prevented if military personnel had been armed at the time. Limitations to military gun regulation Firearms on military bases are more regulated than most states in some ways, according to former military prosecutor and defense counsel Eric Carpenter. But […]
South Korea and the United States will launch their annual large-scale military exercise this month to bolster readiness against North Korean threats, the allies said Thursday, in a move likely to irritate Pyongyang amid a prolonged stalemate in diplomacy. The exercise also comes against the backdrop of concerns in Seoul that the Trump administration could shake up the decades-old alliance by demanding higher payments for the U.S. troop presence in South Korea and possibly move to reduce it as Washington puts more focus on China. Ulchi Freedom Shield, the second of two large-scale exercises held annually in South Korea, following another set of drills in March, typically involves thousands of troops in computer-simulated command post training and combined field exercises. The Aug. 18-28 exercise may trigger an angry reaction from North Korea, which calls the joint drills invasion rehearsals and often uses them as a pretext to dial up military demonstrations and weapons tests aimed at advancing its nuclear program. Doubling down on its nuclear ambitions, North Korea has repeatedly rejected Washington and Seoul’s calls to resume diplomacy aimed at winding down its weapons program, which derailed in 2019. The North has now made Russia the priority of its foreign policy, sending thousands of troops and large amounts of military equipment to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine. About 18,000 South Korean troops will take part in this year’s Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson, Col. Lee Sung Joon, said during a joint briefing with U.S. Forces Korea, which did not disclose the number of participating U.S. troops. Both Lee and U.S. Forces Korea public affairs director Col. Ryan Donald downplayed speculation that South Korea’s new liberal government, led by President Lee Jae Myung, sought to downsize the exercise to create momentum for dialogue with Pyongyang, saying its scale is similar to previous years. However, Col. Lee said about half of the exercise’s originally planned 40 field training programs were postponed to September due to heat concerns. The threat from North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile programs will be a key focus of the exercise, which will include training to deter North Korean nuclear use and respond to its missile attacks, Lee said. The exercise will also incorporate lessons from recent conflicts, including Russia’s war in Ukraine and the clash between Israel and Iran, and address threats from drones, GPS jamming and cyberattacks, Lee and Donald said. “We look across the globe at the challenges we may face on the battlefield and incorporate that so we can challenge the participants in the exercise,” Donald said. “We are focused on ensuring the alliance is sustainable and credibly deters aggression from the DPRK and addresses the broader regional security challenges,” he said, using the initials of North Korea’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The announcement of the exercise came a week after the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rebuffed overtures by Lee Jae Myung’s government, saying that Seoul’s “blind trust” in its alliance with Washington and hostility toward Pyongyang make it no different from its hard-line conservative predecessor. Kim Yo Jong later issued a separate statement dismissing the Trump administration’s intent to resume diplomacy on North Korea’s denuclearization, suggesting that Pyongyang — now focused on expanding ties with Russia — sees […]
The U.S. Justice Department is actively considering the death penalty for Elias Rodriguez, the man accused of gunning down two Israeli embassy staffers outside the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., in a calculated antisemitic attack fueled by hatred of Israel. Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, confirmed at a press conference Thursday that the Justice Department is initiating the legal process that could lead to a federal death sentence for Rodriguez, who now faces nine federal hate crime charges. Rodriguez, according to a newly unsealed indictment, “targeted the victims because they were Israeli.” The charges stem from the May shooting that claimed the lives of Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26 — young Israeli staffers who were allegedly planning to get engaged shortly before they were murdered. According to Pirro, Rodriguez left behind a manifesto explicitly stating that he carried out the attack “to demonstrate his hatred for the people of Israel.” Moments after the double killing, he pulled out a red keffiyeh and shouted, “I did it for Palestine,” before fleeing the scene. “This is a weighty decision. It takes time. There will be a rigorous process,” Pirro said of the death penalty deliberations. “We are starting the process. We’ve made no decision yet. The final call will be made by the attorney general.” FBI Special Agent Reid Davis, head of the Washington Field Office Criminal Division, said investigators have determined that Rodriguez acted alone and was “motivated by anti-Zionist and pro-Palestinian ideology.” Pirro directly tied the killing to the broader trend of rising Jew-hatred, warning that federal authorities are ready to prosecute such crimes with maximum force. “We’re going to look for these cases. We’re going to prosecute these cases to the full force of the law,” Pirro said. “It’s a problem, and we’re not going to tolerate it. Antisemitism has historically been one of the biggest scabs in the world that keeps getting picked on. I will go forward with every case with vengeance.” Pirro revealed that she has spoken directly with the grieving families of the victims — two young professionals whose lives were cut short in a matter of seconds. “These are people who are broken because of one man’s actions,” she said. “These are people who should have been in-laws, but because of one man’s actions, they will never be able to celebrate a marriage or the grandchildren that would have resulted.” If convicted of the hate crime charges, Rodriguez could face the death penalty — a rare but possible outcome in federal cases. Prosecutors say the nature of the crime, the targeting of foreign diplomatic staff, and the explicit antisemitic motive all elevate the severity of the charges. The Justice Department has not yet indicated a timeline for its final decision. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The military police arrested another yeshivah bochur overnight Wednesday at his home in Tel Aviv following the arrest of two bochurim earlier this week, also in Tel Aviv. According to reports, he is a bochur “mitchazeik” [someone who lacks a yeshivah background] over the age of 20 who has been learning at a yeshivah in Modi’in Illit for several years.
France is grappling with its worst wildfire in nearly 80 years, with more than 16,000 hectares scorched, one person killed, and dozens of homes destroyed.
Sec. Marco Rubio: “Hamas cannot continue to exist … as long as Hamas exists as an armed group in Gaza there will not be a peaceful future because it’s going to happen again — and this can never happen again.”
Sec. Wright: “We just announced the first licensing we’re going to do to a Tennessee-based company to scale up from bench-scale to producing commercial fuel for nuclear reactors — part of President Trump’s effort to relaunch the American nuclear industry.”
TRUMP: The nuclear arsenal attributed to Iran has been obliterated, paving the way for peace. Let’s unite all Middle Eastern countries under the Abraham Accords.
During recent operations in Gaza City’s Daraj and Tuffah neighborhoods, IDF combat engineers demolished a kilometer-long Hamas tunnel uncovered by troops from the 401st Armored Brigade and the elite Yahalom unit, the military says.
Overnight, IDF forces demolished the home of a Palestinian suspected of assisting two Hamas terrorists in a deadly shooting attack in Tel Aviv on October 1, which killed seven people and wounded 16 others.
HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch sent a personal letter of chizzuk to the two brothers, Rafael and Baruch Yitzchakoff, students of the Maorot HaTorah yeshiva in Kiryat Yearim, who were arrested in the dead of night on Tuesday by military police officers who raided their home in Tel Aviv. It should be noted that the bochur who was arrested overnight Wednesday was sentenced on Thursday to 10 days in military prison. There are currently six bnei Torah in military prison: the three arrested this week and three bnei yeshivos who were arrested at a protest against chillul kevarim about two weeks ago and have been sitting in prison since then. Their detention was extended on Thursday. The letter was delivered by the Rosh Yeshivah, HaGaon HaRav Yehoshua Eichenstein, who went to visit the bochurim in the detention center on behalf of the Ezram U’Meginam organization, which works to assist bnei Torah with legal issues related to the draft. The letter states, “To the esteemed brothers, the sons of the Yitzchakoff family: How fortunate you are that you were ‘caught’ for Torah matters, that you are not afraid to disconnect yourselves from the source of life. This trial is worth sacrificing an hour of life for eternal life, and it will bring you special Siyata Dishmaya.” “You are pioneers at the head of the camp against the actions and harsh decrees against the existence of the Olam HaTorah, which is our entire purpose in life, and its study in taharah is what sustains and protects our existence here in Eretz Yisrael, as the passuk at the end of Kedoshim says, ‘And you shall keep all My statutes, etc., lest the land vomit you out.'” “Let your heart not be faint; do not fear or be dismayed by them; stand strong in your spirit. Hashem is with you, Giborei Chayil. And b’ezras Hashem, we will make every effort to take care of you and the rest of the holy bnei yeshivos, the sustainers of the world.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is vowing to “fix” the federal program for compensating Americans injured by vaccines, opening the door to sweeping changes for a system long targeted by anti-vaccine activists. Health experts and lawyers say updates are needed to help clear a backlog of cases in the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, created by Congress in 1986 as a no-fault payment system for presumed vaccine injuries. But they also worry Kennedy’s changes will reflect his history as a leader in the anti-vaccine movement, which has alternately called for abolishing the program or expanding it to cover unproven injuries and illnesses that aren’t connected to vaccines. Kennedy and other critics believe the program is “too miserly in what it considers to be a vaccine injury,” said Jason Schwartz, a public health expert at Yale University. “That’s created great concern that he could expand what’s included.” Anti-vaccine groups have long suggested a link between vaccines and autism, despite scientific consensus that childhood vaccines don’t cause the condition. Adding autism to the list of injuries covered by the plan “would dramatically increase the number of compensable cases, potentially bankrupting it,” Schwartz said. Program is credited with saving the U.S. vaccine industry Signed into law under President Ronald Reagan, the compensation program is designed to provide quick, efficient compensation to Americans who report known injuries associated with vaccines, such as rare allergic reactions. At the time of its creation, a number of vaccine-makers were exiting the business due to risks of class action lawsuits. In a recent social media post, Kennedy called the program “broken” and accused federal lawyers and adjudicators who run it of “inefficiency, favoritism and outright corruption.” Kennedy didn’t specify the changes he’s seeking. But some of the people he’s enlisted to help have a history of bringing vaccine injury cases. In June, the Department of Health and Human Services awarded a $150,000 contract to an Arizona law firm for “expertise” in the program. The firm’s Andrew Downing, an attorney specializing in vaccine injury cases, was listed in the HHS staff directory for a time. “We just brought a guy in this week who is going to be revolutionizing the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program,” Kennedy told Tucker Carlson shortly after the award. Revamping the program would be the latest in a string of decisions that have upended U.S. vaccine policy, including this week’s cancellation of research funding for vaccines using mRNA technology. Downing and Kennedy have had roles in HPV vaccine lawsuits Downing has had a leading role in lawsuits against Merck alleging injuries from its HPV vaccine, Gardasil, including a rare movement disorder. In a podcast last year for people with the condition, Downing lamented that the injury compensation program “has taken a hard line” against such cases, leading lawyers to file injury lawsuits in civil court. Approximately 70% of the Gardasil cases against Merck started as claims filed by Downing in the federal injury program, according to court records. A judge dismissed more than 120 of those cases, citing “a paucity of evidence” that Gardasil caused patients’ problems. A spokesman for Kennedy declined to comment on Downing’s hiring. Kennedy himself has been involved in the Gardasil litigation, as both an attorney and consultant. Before joining the government, Kennedy received payments for referring potential Gardasil clients to Wisner Baum, one of the law firms suing Merck. Following questions about the agreement during his confirmation hearings, Kennedy […]
