Home Blog Page 5

Kennedy Reinstates Childhood Vaccine Safety Panel

vaccine
COVID-19 Vaccine (Photo by Morsa Images/Getty Images)

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Thursday the reinstatement of the Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines—one day before he was due to respond to a lawsuit alleging he failed to create the panel as required by law.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, Congress established the task force to improve the safety, quality, and oversight of vaccines administered to American children. The panel is mandated under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 and must include the directors of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. The law also requires biennial progress reports to Congress.

NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya said the reinstatement “reaffirms our commitment to rigorous science, continuous improvement, and the trust of American families,” adding that NIH is proud to lead efforts to ensure vaccine safety without compromise. The original task force was disbanded in 1998.

Attorney Ray Flores filed suit in May, claiming Kennedy had failed to fulfill the statutory requirement since taking office. The lawsuit noted that in over 35 years, no HHS secretary had reported to Congress on steps taken to improve childhood vaccine safety. Flores argued that Kennedy’s grace period to correct his predecessors’ failures had ended, given that more than 100 days had passed since President Donald Trump appointed him to lead HHS.

Kennedy himself had sought similar records prior to joining the Trump administration, suing in 2018 to obtain task force reports before dismissing the case when HHS said none could be found. Flores indicated Thursday that he expects to seek dismissal of the current case without prejudice if the reinstatement meets agreed terms.

Trump Issues Thanks After Belarus Releases 16 Prisoners

Belarus President
(Photo by Sergey Guneev/Host Photo Agency/Ria Novosti via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump thanked Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko for the release of 16 prisoners, urging him to release an additional 1,300 prisoners.

“I had a wonderful talk with the highly respected President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko. The purpose of the call was to thank him for the release of 16 prisoners. We are also discussing the release of 1,300 additional prisoners,” Trump wrote. “Our conversation was a very good one. We discussed many topics, including President Putin’s visit to Alaska. I look forward to meeting President Lukashenko in the future. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Lukashenko issued pardons for the 16 prisoners in July.

In February, the United States welcomed the release of a U.S. citizen who was “unjustly detained” in Belarus.

“President Trump’s strong leadership has led to the release of an American unjustly detained in Belarus and two political prisoners. I want to particularly thank the Lithuanian government for its cooperation and assistance – they remain a true ally and friend,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the time. “I also want to thank my team in Consular Affairs, the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, and the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs for all the hard work that went into securing these releases. We remain committed to the release of other U.S. citizens in Belarus and elsewhere. We call for the release of nearly 1,300 political prisoners who remain in jail across Belarus.”

The release came as the Trump administration has prioritized securing the freedom of Americans detained overseas.

Federal Workforce Cuts Surge Under Trump

American flag (David Everett Strickler/Unsplash)

The federal government is on track to cut roughly 300,000 civilian employees by the end of 2025, marking a 12.5% reduction in staffing since January, according to Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor. He told Reuters Thursday that 80% of departures are expected to be voluntary, while the remaining 20% will result from firings.

The U.S. civilian federal workforce currently numbers about 2.4 million, excluding 1.3 million active-duty military personnel and approximately 600,000 U.S. Postal Service employees. A 2024 Pew Research report noted that the federal government employed 1.87% of the entire civilian labor force when including postal workers, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

The workforce reduction fulfills a key promise from President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda to streamline government operations. Upon taking office, Trump launched the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed initially by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. The initiative aimed to eliminate waste, cut regulations, and shrink the size of the federal workforce.

Trump compared DOGE’s mission to the “Manhattan Project” in terms of urgency and scale. While Musk originally pledged to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, he later adjusted the goal to $1 trillion. By April, Musk reported that DOGE was on track to save $150 billion. Musk has since left the role following a public dispute with the president.

Some federal employee unions have challenged the cuts in court, arguing they threaten government services and workers’ rights. Several of these disputes remain unresolved. The administration, however, maintains that the reductions are essential to creating a leaner, more effective federal government.

Georgia Shooting with Stolen Guns Sparks Red Flag Push

Police vehicle lights via Canva Pro

Gun control activists are using the August 8, 2025, shooting near Emory University to renew calls for a statewide red flag law in Georgia. The attack, carried out with stolen firearms, left DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose dead before the suspect, identified as Patrick Joseph White, took his own life.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), White allegedly opened fire on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offices near the university campus. GBI Director Chris Hosey stated that the firearms used in the attack were stolen from a safe belonging to White’s father. Investigators believe White broke into the safe before carrying out the shooting.

Despite the fact that the weapons were stolen, some gun control advocates argue that a red flag law—allowing authorities to temporarily seize firearms from individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others—could help prevent similar tragedies. Critics note, however, that such laws generally target legal gun owners and would not prevent someone from stealing firearms from another person, as occurred in this case.

The proposed legislation is part of a broader push by national gun control groups to expand red flag laws across the country. Supporters claim the measures give law enforcement a proactive tool to intervene before violence occurs. Opponents counter that red flag laws undermine due process, disproportionately impact lawful gun owners, and fail to address the root causes of violence, especially in cases involving stolen or illegally obtained firearms.

Georgia currently has no red flag law in place. Any proposed legislation would likely face strong opposition from Second Amendment advocates, who argue that existing laws against theft, burglary, and murder already address criminal acts like those committed in the Emory University shooting.

Clinton Open to Nominating Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Vital Voices Global Partnership)

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she would nominate President Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize if he ends the war in Ukraine.

“I understand that [Trump] would very much like to win the Nobel Peace Prize,” Clinton told “Raging Moderates” podcast host Jessica Tarlov. “And honestly, if he could bring about the end to this terrible war where Putin is the aggressor invading a neighbor country, trying to change the borders, if he could end it without putting Ukraine in a position where it had to concede its territory to the aggressor [or] had to, in a way, validate Putin’s vision of greater Russia, but instead could really stand up to Putin…which is something we haven’t seen, but maybe this is the opportunity — to make it clear that there must be a ceasefire, there will be no exchange of territory, and the over a period of [time], Putin should be actually withdrawing from the territory he seized in order to demonstrate his good faith efforts not to threaten European security.”

“If President Trump were the architect of that, I’d nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize,” she said.

Trump has received several nominations for a Nobel Peace Prize, including by Cambodia, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA).

“I write to formally nominate Donald J. Trump, the 47th President of the United States, for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his extraordinary and historic role in brokering an end to the armed conflict between Israel and Iran and preventing the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism from obtaining the most lethal weapon on the planet,” Carter wrote in a June letter to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee.

Sweden Mosque Shooting Injures Two in Gang Feud

Police
Image via Canva

A shooting outside a mosque in central Sweden on Friday left two people injured, with police suspecting the attack was tied to ongoing gang violence. The incident occurred in the city of Örebro in the early afternoon shortly after Friday prayers, according to local authorities. Emergency services responded quickly, and police advised residents to avoid the area while the investigation unfolded.

Authorities have not released specific details about the condition of the injured individuals but confirmed that a preliminary investigation into attempted murder is underway. Officials believe the shooting is connected to local gang conflicts, a problem that has plagued Sweden for years. Police have increased patrols in the area in an effort to prevent further violence and reassure the public.

Örebro, like several other Swedish cities, has faced rising tensions fueled by gang rivalries. According to local news outlet TV4, two rival gangs in the city have been engaged in disputes in recent weeks, heightening the risk of violent confrontations. Investigators are now working to determine whether this latest shooting is a direct result of that feud.

Sweden has struggled with escalating gang-related crime over the past decade, with shootings and bombings becoming more frequent. Many of these gangs recruit teenagers from disadvantaged immigrant neighborhoods, using them to carry out violent attacks. Authorities have warned that such recruitment fuels a cycle of crime that is difficult to break.

The Swedish government has introduced tougher penalties for gang-related offenses and expanded police powers in an effort to combat organized crime. Despite these measures, gang violence remains a persistent threat, particularly in urban areas. The Örebro shooting underscores the challenges facing law enforcement as they try to curb violence and protect communities from further bloodshed.

EU Using Climate Change to Justify Open Borders

AP Photo/Andres Leighton

Danish Member of the European Parliament Anders Vistisen has accused Brussels of merging its climate and migration agendas into a single policy designed to expand migration into the European Union. Vistisen, chief whip for the populist-nationalist Patriots for Europe group, pointed to an EU-funded program titled the “Enhanced Anticipatory Response to Climate-Induced Displacement,” which he says is a tool to bypass border controls under the guise of humanitarian climate action.

The program allocated a grant of DKK 5,215,000 ($818,000) in EU taxpayer funds to the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) to assist migrants allegedly displaced by climate-related factors in resettling within Europe. Vistisen criticized the initiative’s vague language, calling it “another slippery slope” where climate concerns are used as a “moral argument for open borders.”

“This is not about real prevention or adaptation,” Vistisen warned. “It is about moving the migration discussion away from law and border control and into the climate department of emotional politics.” He argued that the EU is using such programs to pressure member states to accept more migrants without proper democratic debate.

The Danish Refugee Council has a long record of helping asylum seekers enter the EU, including legal aid for navigating the asylum process and lobbying governments for more lenient migration policies. Beyond EU funding, the DRC was once heavily supported by U.S. taxpayer dollars, receiving tens of millions annually through the State Department’s USAID program before it was shut down by the Trump administration in February. At that time, U.S. funding accounted for roughly 20 percent of the DRC’s budget, prompting the organization to announce plans to lay off around 2,000 staff.

Vistisen’s comments reflect a broader concern among European nationalists that climate policy is being weaponized to erode national borders and sovereignty. The EU, however, continues to present such initiatives as part of its humanitarian response to global challenges.

Chinese Ambassador Praises Seoul’s Protest Crackdown

LOVE_LIFE/Getty via Canva Pro

China’s ambassador to South Korea, Dai Bing, publicly praised the leftist government of President Lee Jae-myung for targeting conservative and anti-communist voices. Dai’s remarks came after Lee labeled peaceful anti-China demonstrations as “hate rallies” and amid reports that police are investigating conservative activists for political expression.

In a message posted to Twitter—despite the platform being banned in China—Dai applauded Seoul’s “commitment” to taking measures against anti-China protests, claiming such efforts promote “friendly cooperation” between the two nations. He criticized “forces smearing China” but expressed optimism that tensions could be resolved quickly.

South Korea’s political climate has been tense since Lee’s June election victory, which followed the impeachment of conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol. Yoon, a staunch anti-communist, maintained strong ties with the United States while taking a tougher stance on Beijing. Many of his supporters allege Chinese interference in Lee’s rise to power, though the government and international observers have not questioned the election’s legitimacy.

Lee’s cabinet meeting on Tuesday intensified concerns among conservatives. He condemned recent anti-China demonstrations—some of which protested alleged foreign meddling—as “rife with profanity and hateful remarks” that went “beyond freedom of expression.” He linked the protests to broader issues of discrimination and urged officials to take “necessary measures” against such activities.

The remarks follow reports that police have opened an investigation into the conservative group Freedom University, which staged a peaceful anti-communist rally in front of the Chinese Embassy on July 22. The group allegedly tore a Chinese flag depicting Xi Jinping and Ambassador Dai, prompting charges under South Korea’s law prohibiting insults against foreign diplomats—a crime carrying up to three years in prison.

Lee has previously signaled a willingness to curb conservative speech, including criticism of “fake news” on YouTube. His administration has also sought to repair relations with Beijing, with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun emphasizing the need to “seek common ground” with China. Chinese state media outlets such as Global Times have praised Lee’s rhetoric and his condemnation of anti-communist rallies, framing it as a positive shift in Seoul’s foreign policy stance.

Ninth Circuit Overturns California Gun Limit

Illinois

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a decisive mandate overturning California’s “one-gun-a-month” firearm purchase restriction. The August 14, 2025, mandate enforces a prior ruling that found the law unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. This decision marks a significant legal victory for gun rights advocates in one of the most restrictive states in the country.

The case, Nguyen v. Bonta, was brought by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), Firearms Policy Coalition, San Diego County Gun Owners PAC, two licensed firearm dealers, and six private citizens, including lead plaintiff Michelle Nguyen. The challenged law limited law-abiding residents to buying only one handgun or semi-automatic centerfire rifle—or a combination of the two—within a 30-day period from licensed dealers.

On June 20, 2025, a three-judge Ninth Circuit panel affirmed a lower court decision striking down the restriction. Writing for the majority, Judge Danielle Forrest ruled that the “one-gun-a-month” limit violated the Constitution. She stated that both the possession of multiple firearms and the ability to acquire them without undue restrictions are protected by the Second Amendment, and that California’s law lacked historical precedent within the nation’s firearm regulations.

The August 14 mandate now makes that decision enforceable, officially ending the restriction. SAF founder and executive vice president Alan Gottlieb celebrated the ruling, calling it “a huge step forward in one of the most gun-restrictive states in America” and affirming the organization’s commitment to restoring constitutional rights for Californians.

The Ninth Circuit’s action reinforces a growing trend in federal courts to strike down modern gun control measures that cannot be tied to the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. This ruling will likely have ripple effects beyond California, as similar purchase limitations in other states could face fresh legal challenges under the same reasoning.

Newsom Unveils Redistricting Plot

Gavin Newsom
California Governor Gavin Newsom (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) announced that the state will launch a legislative package that will allow it to undertake a redistricting effort.

“Here we are, in open and plain sight before one vote is cast in the 2026 midterm election, and here he is, once again, trying to rig the system,” Newsom said of President Donald Trump. “He doesn’t play by a different set of rules. He doesn’t believe in the rules. And as a consequence, we need to disabuse ourselves of the way things have been done. It’s not good enough to just hold hands, have a candlelight vigil and talk about the way the world should be. We have got to recognize the cards that have been dealt, and we have got to meet fire with fire, and we’ve got to be held to a higher level of accountability. So that’s what this is about. It’s not complicated.”

Newsom announced the outline of a proposed constitutional amendment called The Election Rigging Response Act, which will go before Californians in November. The amendment “retains California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission and declares state policy supporting the use of fair, nonpartisan redistricting commissions nationwide” and “temporarily adopts new California congressional districts for use in congressional elections through 2030,” Newsom’s office said.

The legislative package further includes a bill calling for a special election on November 4, a bill establishing a new congressional map that “could be triggered to take effect under the proposed constitutional amendment if other states engage in redistricting,” the office described, and a bill authorizing “reimbursement of costs to administer the election.”

1...456...3,537Page 5 of 3,537
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2023 American Faith News Media. All rights reserved.