Seventy-seven Nobel prize winners on Monday sent an open letter to the US Senate opposing the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), citing his "lack of credentials" and anti-vaccine beliefs (…) Kennedy is far from the only Trump cabinet nominee to stir controversy.
Among the most notable is Pete Hegseth, a Fox News anchor tapped to lead the Department of Defense, who has seen his nomination derailed with sexual assault allegations and rumors of excessive drinking.
And Trump's first pick for Attorney General, former US Congressman Matt Gaetz, withdrew after further scrutiny emerged of alleged sexual relations he had with a minor
after scores of Nobel prize laureates "strongly" urged the US Senate on Monday to deny Trump's pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services, former presidential hopeful Robert Kennedy Jr., deriding in an open letter Kennedy's "lack of credentials" and anti-vaccine views.
Donald Trump saw another cabinet pick face strong opposition on Monday
after scores of Nobel prize laureates "strongly" urged the US Senate on
Monday to deny Trump's pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services,
former presidential hopeful Robert Kennedy Jr., deriding in an open
letter Kennedy's "lack of credentials" and anti-vaccine views.
Seventy-seven Nobel prize winners on Monday sent an open letter to the US Senate opposing the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), citing his "lack of credentials" and anti-vaccine beliefs.
"In view of his record, placing Mr. Kennedy in charge of DHHS would put the public's health in jeopardy," concludes the letter signed by 77 Nobel recipients in medicine, chemistry, physics and economics.
Among the signatories is Drew Weissman, who received the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work on developing mRNA vaccines, which was a major breakthrough in the fight against Covid-19.
Kennedy, a nephew of assassinated US president John F. Kennedy Jr., made his own White House run earlier this year before throwing his support behind Trump.
In return, Trump has tapped him to oversee the part of the executive branch in charge of health and medicine -- though his selection must be approved by a majority of the US Senate, as outlined by the Constitution.
An environmental lawyer by trade with no medical background, Kennedy has spent years professing conspiracy theories linking vaccines and autism, and most recently spread misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines.
He has said if he is confirmed for the position he will work to remove fluoride from tap water in the US, despite its addition being considered a major victory against bacteria causing tooth decay.
"In addition to his lack of credentials or relevant experience in medicine, science, public health, or administration," the letter reads, "Mr. Kennedy has been an opponent of many health-protecting and life-saving vaccines, such as those that prevent measles and polio." (Continue)
It has been three years since the continent’s last reported case of the virus. THERE IS NO cure for polio. The virus, which is spread from person to
person, attacks the brain and spinal cord, bending children’s limbs into
horrific spider-like contortions. It has killed or crippled millions,
rich and poor alike (President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously contracted
the disease). Luckily, there is good news. Today marks three years
since Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, reported a case of the
virus (The Economist - 2019)
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the 32nd President of the United States. Not only did he serve an unprecedented four terms in office, but he was also the first president with a significant physical disability. FDR was diagnosed with infantile paralysis, better known as polio, in 1921, at the age of 39. Although dealing with this crippling disease was difficult, many believe that his personal struggles helped shape FDR, both as a man and as a president.
Coming from a wealthy family, FDR was privileged to enjoy his summers at the Campobello Island family cottage that was purchased by his parents in New Brunswick, Canada. It was at this site that FDR manifested the symptoms of “the insidious and deadly enemy” known as infantile paralysis. No one is certain of the circumstances leading to his contraction of polio, many believe he was exposed to the virus at a Boy Scout camp in New York just prior to going to Campobello. (Continue)
"(...) On 1916, an official announcement of the existence of an epidemic polio
infection was made in Brooklyn, New York. Over the course of that year,
there were over 27,000 cases and more than 6,000 deaths due to polio in
the United States, with over 2,000 deaths in New York City alone (...) Wikipedia
