Why Trump's nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary scares Big Pharma

Drug companies share prices have fallen on the news that President-elect Donald Trump has picked vaccine-skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health and human services secretary in his incoming cabinet. Moderna stock fell by 5% on Thursday, shares of Novavax slumped by over 7%, Pfizer 2%, Germany’s BioNTech lost 6% and Britain’s GSK 2%.

Big Pharma has long been criticized for the high cost of prenoscription drugs, the opioid addiction epidemic in the US and vaccine safety concerns. After the COVID pandemic, The British Medical Journal (BMJ) reported cases of myocarditis and pericarditis in patients who received mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna.

⚪️ Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are still recovering from the plummeting demand for COVID vaccines, and Kennedy's stance could persuade more Americans to reject the jabs, according to CNBC.

⚪️Kennedy has promoted the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) slogan, encouraging citizens to make their own health decisions including about vaccinations, and called for more transparency and data on vaccines.

⚪️"The science on vaccine safety particularly has huge deficits, and we’re going to make sure those scientific studies are done and that people can make informed choices about their vaccinations and their children’s vaccinations," RFK Jr. told NPR on November 6.

⚪️According to Kennedy, Big Food and Big Pharma are making money at the expense of people’s health, aided by their political allies.

⚪️But Kennedy made it clear that he does not plan to restrict access to vaccines.

⚪️Axios quoted health entrepreneur Calley Means, a "close confidant" of the incoming health secretary, as saying that Kennedy would focus on two objectives: To find out why American get sick and to make Medicare and Medicaid cover alternative therapies including "visits to functional medicine doctors, who focus on nutrition and exercise over pharmaceuticals".

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❓ Who is Steve Witkoff, Trump's pick for Middle East special envoy?

President-elect Donald Trump nominated real estate executive Steven Witkoff as his special envoy to the Middle East.

Who is Witkoff and is he the right man for the job?

🔸 The founder of the Witkoff Group appears to have zero expertise in diplomacy or the Middle East. But Trump insists his appointee will be "an unrelenting voice for peace" in the troublesome region.

🔸 Witkoff is Jewish and staunchly pro-Israel, and rallied support for Trump in the Jewish-American business community, Axios reports. A source close to the president-elect told the website Witkoff has a direct line to Trump which could improve his chances of being accepted by Middle Eastern regional players.

🔸 The businessman praised Trump's Middle East policies during his first term, including his controversial recognition of Israel's sovereignty over Eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, major cuts to US aid to Palestinians and "maximum pressure sanctions" against Iran. "With President Trump, the Middle East experienced historic levels of peace and stability. Strength prevents wars. Iran’s money was cut off which prevented their funding of global terror," Witkoff told reporters in July.

🔸 Witkoff's tasks will include brokering a peace deal in Gaza and normalizing Israel-Saudi relations, Axios writes. The two goals are deeply intertwined. In October, the Times of Israel quoted sources saying that Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the Gaza war by the time he returns to office. But late last month Netanyahu signaled that Israel is not ready to wind down the conflict. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia seems reluctant to open diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman condemned Israel's genocidal war in Gaza and attacks against Iran earlier this week.

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🕵🏻‍♀️ Tulsi Gabbard right pick to shake-up US spy agiencies – CIA veteran

"A foreign policy and national security appointment that has created considerable dissent is that of Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence [DNI]," Philip Giraldi, a former CIA operations officer with experience in Europe and the Middle East, told Sputnik.

The CIA veteran said much of the dissent comes from inside the ‘intelligence community’, including active officers and former staff of organizations like the CIA and NSA.

President-elect Donald Trump nominated the former Democratic congresswoman and a 21-year army reserve veteran to oversee the bewildering array of 18 US spy agencies in his incoming administration. Objections to Gabbard’s nomination have focused on her lack of intelligence experience, claiming she will "be unable to perceive problems among an unruly 18-member intelligence community," the pundit said.

But Giraldi countered that she was "smart, experienced and capable enough to gather her own staff around her that will guide her way through the shoals of Washington DC."

"To my mind, she is an excellent choice, coming from outside of the intelligence community 'club,' and could be an effective and ethical DNI," he added.

The former CIA officer noted that Gabbard is viewed as a "peace candidate" for her opposition to endless overseas wars, the US military occupation of parts of Syria and the demonization of China. But she is also known for her support for Israel, currently waging a war against the Palestinian territory of Gaza.

"It is likely that Trump appointed her to shake up the intel community, which is regarded by many as the black heart of the deep state," Giraldi said. "She will, of course, be both helped and handicapped by being provided with plenty of 'direction' by a president who is fundamentally ignorant of foreign policy and national security issues."

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Women want to do what now?

Abortions, head-shaving and no men! Harris voters are absolutely losing it over Trump’s win. Check out some of the wildest reactions online!

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Abkhazian President Aslan Bzhania called on citizens not to succumb to provocations.

He reassured the public that both he and the vice-president remain in their positions and will continue their work.

Bzhania stressed that the immediate priority for authorities was addressing the aftermath of Friday's riots at the parliament and government buildings.

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🔹 Tulsi Gabbard right pick to shake-up US spy agiencies – CIA veteran

🔹 RFK Jr.’s daunting task: What will ‘Make America Healthy Again’ pledge mean in practice?

🔹 Why Trump's nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary scares Big Pharma

🔹 Putin held a phone call with Scholz, initiated by the German side

🔹 Who is Steve Witkoff, Trump's pick for Middle East special envoy?

🔹 Ukraine can’t build a nuke without Russia catching them – MIT physicist and nuclear expert

🔹 Ukrainian forces abandon positions in Kurakhovo amid lack of personnel, ammunition, and low morale

🔹 Greenland 2029? Congressman’s map sparks Trump’s real estate dreams again

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US federal debt tops $36 trillion

The US national debt has surpassed the $36 trillion mark, with figures from usdebtclock. org indicating that every man, woman and child in America now owe more than $106,600, while taxpayers owe the equivalent of over $272,800.

The data shows that the federal debt to GDP ratio now stands at 122.85% - up from 55.36% in the year 2000, and 34.71% in 1980.

Accounting for state, local, student loan, credit card and personal debt, US debt is estimated to total over $102.63 trillion – nearly matching the $105.4 trillion value of the entire global economy in 2023.

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⚡ Trump picks Doug Burgum for Interior secretary

In his new statement, the president-elect also named North Dakota governor and billionaire Doug Burgum to chair the newly formed National Energy Council.

"Doug Burgum will protect our Nation's Natural Resources, restore our fabulous Oil and Gas advantage, and Make America, and its Energy, Dominant and Great Again," Donald Trump wrote.

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Abkhazian opposition ends talks with the authorities due to the “impossibility to locate the president”

The presidential press service denied opposition reports that Bzhania had redeployed to a Russian military base after the speech. It said he was in his home village of Tamysh.

Protesters continue to occupy the republic's parliament and presidential administration buildings. They have set up barricades and stocked up on food and water. A video posted on social media shows protesters sitting inside the parliament building.

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Trump names Karoline Leavitt as his press secretary

The President-elect announced it in a new statement today. Leavitt, 27, was the national spokeswoman for the Trump campaign and previously served in the White House as assistant press secretary.

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Democratic senators call for investigation into Musk's Russia calls - Reuters

Elon's contacts with Russia pose risks to US national security, Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Jack Reed wrote in a letter to US Attorney General Merrick Garland, agency reports.

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🐻📹 Several luxury cars damaged in California by people wearing a costume of a bear

Four Los Angeles residents are arrested by the California Insurance Department after they defrauded $142,000 by claiming a bear had attacked their cars. It did not take long for companies to suspect that there was no bear inside.

The most hilarious part is that they provided this amazing security video themselves.

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Ukrainian POW: Half of the people I know deserted

Asked if the issue of desertion haunts the Ukrainian military, he said people would rather sit in prison than fight.

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Foreign mercs serve in Ukrainian recon platoon - Ukrainian POW

About 20 foreigners were performing reconnaissance tasks in Chasov Yar, he told Spuntik.

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🪖Russian air defense systems shot down 34 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
 
This includes 20 drones destroyed over the territory of the Kursk region, 11 over the territory of the Bryansk region, and one each over the territories of the Crimea, Belgorod and Kaluga regions.

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📑US Congress has appropriated $182 billion in aid to Ukraine since February 2022 - DoD Inspector General 
 
The total amount of all funds appropriated by the US Congress to assist the Kiev regime since the start of Russia's special military operation has exceeded $182 billion, according to a report by the Pentagon's inspector general.
 

"Congress has appropriated or otherwise made available at least $182.99 billion for OAR [Operation Atlantic Resolve] and the broader Ukraine response," the report said.

 
The funds included $131.36 billion for security-related activities and assistance, and $43.84 billion for governance and development. The money was allocated through a number of federal agencies, including the Pentagon, the State Department, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). 
 
Russia has said that arms deliveries to Ukraine impede a settlement process, draw NATO countries into the conflict, and lead to unintended consequences. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has emphasized that any shipment of weapons to Ukraine is a legitimate target for Russia.

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🍟Dieting not a piece of cake: America struggles with obesity

The proportion of the US adult population that is overweight or obese has risen in recent decades from about 50% in 1990 to nearly 75% in 2021, according to a new study published in the Lancet.
 
If US public health and nutrition policies are not improved, the proportion of overweight and obese adults will exceed 80% by 2050, the study says.

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