Politics
R.F.K. Jr., Trump’s Health Secretary Pick, Is Set to Meet with Lawmakers
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald J. Trump’s choice for health secretary, is set on Monday to begin a series of meetings with Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill to make his case for a spot in Mr. Trump’s cabinet.
Mr. Kennedy will almost certainly be questioned about his longtime anti-vaccine advocacy. He has said that he does not want to take away access to vaccines, but has repeatedly questioned their safety, trying to link them to a rise in autism in children — a debunked theory.
On Friday, The New York Times also reported that a lawyer helping Mr. Kennedy vet appointees for the incoming Trump administration had petitioned the government to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine.
Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader and a survivor of polio, could be a key vote in Mr. Kennedy’s confirmation bid. In a statement Friday that did not name Mr. Kennedy, Mr. McConnell suggested that the petition could jeopardize his confirmation.
“Anyone seeking the Senate’s consent to serve in the incoming administration would do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts,” Mr. McConnell said.
Once nominated by a president, candidates for top-level positions in an administration must be confirmed by the Senate. Republicans will control the chamber, but their 53-47 majority means they can lose only a few votes and still confirm Mr. Trump’s picks.
Mr. Kennedy is set to meet with Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a more moderate Republican, and some physicians in the party’s conference, including Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas.
Mr. Kennedy, who ran for president as a Democrat and independent before dropping out of the race and endorsing Mr. Trump, will probably also be asked about views on abortion access.
Former Vice President Mike Pence has called on Republican senators to reject Mr. Kennedy, citing his record of support for abortion rights.
“On behalf of tens of millions of pro-life Americans, I respectfully urge Senate Republicans to reject this nomination and give the American people a leader who will respect the sanctity of life as secretary of Health and Human Services,” Mr. Pence said in a statement.
Politics
Video: President Trump Says He Will Release His M.R.I. Results
new video loaded: President Trump Says He Will Release His M.R.I. Results
transcript
transcript
President Trump Says He Will Release His M.R.I. Results
President Trump said he would release the results of a recent magnetic resonance imaging scan, which he called “perfect.” When asked what part of the body was scanned, Mr. Trump replied that he didn’t know.
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Reporter: “Governor Walz asked you to release the M.R.I. records.” Reporter: “Will you tell us what it was for?” “Governor Walz? You mean, the incompetent Governor Walz? So, if they want to release it, it’s OK with me to release it. It’s perfect.” Reporter: “Can you tell us what they were looking at?” “For what, releasing?” Reporter: “No, no, no. What part of your body was the M.R.I. looking at?” “I have no idea — it was just an M.R.I. What part of the body? It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and I aced it. I got a perfect mark, which you would be incapable of doing. Goodbye, everybody. You too.” “Thank you, Mr. President.”

By Axel Boada
December 1, 2025
Politics
Radical ‘feminist’ group in the hot seat after anti-ICE ad goes viral: ‘BEYOND evil’
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The Women’s March is facing backlash online for releasing an “insane” ad attacking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including critics suggesting the group has turned its back on its feminist mission.
An ad, released by Women’s March last week, shows a fictional ICE agent returning home and being asked by his daughter, “How was your day?” Scenes of masked agents smashing windows and women and a little girl crying flash across the screen while screams can be heard.
A narrator says, “A mask can’t hide you from your neighbors, your children, from God. They’ll know.”
“You can walk away, before the shame follows you home,” the narrator continues, while text fills the screen, reading, “What will you say?”
SANCTUARY POLITICIANS’ RHETORIC LED TO 1,150% SURGE IN VIOLENCE AGAINST ICE AGENTS: DHS
The Women’s March released an ad encouraging ICE agents to abandon their jobs, saying, “A mask can’t hide your shame forever.” (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
In the video’s caption, Women’s March wrote, “A mask can’t hide your shame forever. ICE agents are being recruited everywhere online and in person. Immigrants are being kidnapped, families are being ripped apart, communities are living in fear. Before you accept the sign-on bonus to terrorize families, ask yourself: When your kids ask what you did at work today, what will you say? When your neighbor is dragged away in handcuffs, what will you say? When you’re asked what you did to protect your community from fascism, what will you say? Because history never forgets. And neither will we.”
The caption also includes a hashtag calling to end ICE.
Conservative commentator Matt Swol ripped into the Women’s March for airing the ad in Charlotte, North Carolina, while ignoring the recent killings of two women, Logan Federico and Iryna Zarutska, in North Carolina.
“This ad is BEYOND evil,” wrote Swol.
“The Women’s March org NEVER ran a single ad after Iryna Zarutska was stabbed to death on the light rail by a repeat offender. Nor did they run a single ad on Logan Federico who was murdered by a man with 39 previous charges,” said Swol.
NOEM SAYS AFGHAN NATIONAL ACCUSED OF SHOOTING NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIERS WAS RADICALIZED IN US
Zarutska was fatally stabbed in the throat three times with a folding knife during what police describe as a random attack on Aug. 22, 2025. (@lucaveros225/Instagram)
“What happened to the feminists? What happened to actually caring about women? I don’t understand,” he added.
GOP operative Sarah Fields pointed to large numbers of arrests of non-citizen sexual predators and the trafficking of women and girls by cartels, saying, “Ironically, this was paid for by Women’s March, a feminist group against s*xual oppression.”
“The Women’s March is running an INSANE ad that demonizes ICE with fictional scenes and emotional manipulation,” wrote California conservative commentator Elizabeth Barcohana.
“Defund the Police and police abolitionism never went away. It just took a new form,” added Barcohana.
“Feminists against those who protect women. Great call, ladies,” commented Los Angeles GOP leader Lisa Cusack.
BONDI DECLARES ‘NEW ERA OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE’ AS FEDERAL AGENTS DEPLOY TO ICE FACILITIES NATIONWIDE
People rally on Boston Common during the National Women’s March, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Boston. (Michael Dwyer/AP Photo)
Founded during the first Trump administration, the Women’s March rose to prominence due to its heavily covered marches in Washington, D.C. On its website, the group says it is working to build a “base of feminists to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.”
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It has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump during his second term, as well as ICE.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Women’s March for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Politics
Trump weighs options on Venezuela strikes amid congressional alarm
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is facing sharp scrutiny this week over its approach to Venezuela after turning its focus to the beleaguered nation, weighing U.S. military strikes against a Latin American state for the first time in more than 35 years.
President Trump scheduled a meeting with top generals and Cabinet officials on the matter at the White House on Monday evening, debating target options now available with the deployment of more than a dozen warships to the Caribbean Sea.
Trump has sent conflicting signals to the country’s dictatorial president, Nicolás Maduro, whose grip on power since 2013 has decimated Venezuela’s economy and prompted a massive migration crisis. Trump warned air traffic away from Venezuelan skies before speaking by phone with Maduro over the weekend, only to caution reporters trying to interpret his actions against predicting his next moves.
Whether Trump will choose to go to war with Venezuela has become a source of alarm on Capitol Hill as new revelations emerge about his team’s tactics for escalating the conflict.
The White House has accused Maduro of driving migrants and drugs across America’s borders, and has begun pressuring his government with military strikes targeting maritime vessels — in international waters, but departing from Venezuela — that the Defense Department claims have been used to smuggle illegal narcotics.
The first of those attacks targeting alleged drug traffickers, conducted on Sept. 2, included a second strike ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “kill them all,” according to a report by the Washington Post.
The Post report has prompted the Republican-led House and Senate committees overseeing the Pentagon to vow “rigorous oversight” of the boat strikes. Trump told reporters Sunday that he “wouldn’t have wanted” the military to launch a second strike to kill those who survived the initial attack.
“The first strike was very lethal, it was fine, and if there were two people around,” Trump said before quickly adding, “but Pete said that didn’t happen. I have great confidence in Pete.”
Yet White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Monday that multiple strikes were authorized by Hegseth against the target that day.
Hegseth authorized Adm. Frank M. Bradley, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, to conduct strikes “well within his authority and the law to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States was eliminated,” Leavitt said at a press briefing.
Trump also confirmed that he spoke by phone with Maduro, but declined to elaborate on what was discussed.
“I wouldn’t say it went well or badly,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “It was a call.”
The disclosure of the conversation came as the administration intensified its pressure campaign on Caracas over the holiday weekend, starting with the president issuing a series of warnings.
Trump warned airlines and pilots on Saturday that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered “CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”
Trump told reporters he made the declaration “because we consider Venezuela not to be a very friendly country.” But when asked whether his warning signaled an imminent U.S. airstrike in Venezuela, Trump demurred, telling a reporter: “Don’t read anything into it.”
There is no guarantee that talks with Maduro will lead to his exit, or that the Trump administration would be satisfied with any other outcome, said Geoff Ramsey, a Venezuela expert at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based research group.
Maduro could pitch Trump on access for U.S. oil companies — possibly at the expense of Russian and Chinese competitors — without any move toward democratization in Venezuela, an outcome that would disappoint many seeking leadership change in Caracas.
“A clear sticking point here is what kind of negotiations that Caracas and Washington want. The Trump administration so far has expressed interest in negotiating which flight Maduro takes out of the country,” Ramsey said. “For Maduro, that’s clearly a nonstarter. So until we see a clear sense of flexibility from Washington and Caracas, I think this stalemate is going to continue.”
Maduro has consistently refused to leave office, despite punishing U.S. sanctions, massive protests, and various offensives during the first Trump administration that Caracas deemed as coup attempts. “The reality is that many previous attempts to condition talks of Maduro’s immediate departure have led nowhere,” Ramsey added.
There are no signs of weakening support for Maduro within the military, nor have there been the kinds of large-scale defections that were seen within his security forces in 2019, when Trump, in his first term, initially sought to oust Maduro. At that time, he refrained from a direct military attack.
A few hours after the president’s remarks, Hegseth posted an altered image of the children’s book character Franklin the Turtle reimagined as a militarized figure using a machine gun firing at suspected drug boats. The mock book cover was titled: “A Classic Franklin Story: Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists.”
Hegseth posted the image on social media with the caption: “For your Christmas wish list … ”
Trump sparked more controversy in the region when he announced Friday his plan to pardon Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras who was convicted last year on cocaine trafficking charges and sentenced to 45 years in U.S. prison.
U.S. prosecutors said Hernández received millions of dollars in bribes to help traffickers smuggle 400 tons of cocaine into the United States. Once, they alleged, the right-wing president bragged about stuffing “drugs up the gringos’ noses.”
Trump said Hernández had been a victim of political persecution, although he offered no evidence of that claim.
News of the pardon shocked many in Latin America and raised new doubts about Trump’s U.S. military campaign in the region, which White House officials insist is aimed at combating drug cartels that they compare to terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda.
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) accused Trump of hypocrisy for freeing a convicted drug smuggler and suggested that the ongoing U.S. military campaign in the region was politically motivated.
“Don’t tell me Donald Trump is killing people in boats in the Caribbean to stop drug trafficking,” Castro said on X.
While Trump’s endgame in Venezuela is unclear, he has made his desires in Honduras explicit.
Ahead of Sunday’s presidential election in the Central American nation, Trump endorsed conservative candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura of the National Party, which Hernández also belonged to. An early vote count Monday showed Asfura with a narrow lead over Liberal Party candidate Salvador Nasralla.
Times staff writers Wilner and Ceballos reported from Washington, Linthicum and McDonnell from Mexico City.
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