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The White House has withdrawn the nomination of former Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., whom President Donald Trump had chosen to serve as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a senior administration official said.
The development came just before Weldon was set to testify at his Senate confirmation hearing for the role at 10 a.m. ET before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Axios was the first to report the news, citing sources on Capitol Hill.
It wasn’t immediately clear why his nomination was pulled, but Weldon has held some anti-vaccine views similar to those of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Read the full story here.
Trump took to Truth Social this morning to threaten 200% tariffs on all alcohol from countries that are in the European Union, citing the E.U.’s plan to place a new tariff on U.S. whiskey.
“If this Tariff is not removed immediately, the U.S. will shortly place a 200% Tariff on all WINES, CHAMPAGNES, & ALCOHOLIC PRODUCTS COMING OUT OF FRANCE AND OTHER E.U. REPRESENTED COUNTRIES,” Trump wrote. “This will be great for the Wine and Champagne businesses in the U.S.”
He railed against the E.U. in the post, falsely saying that the union was “formed for the sole purpose of taking advantage of the United States.”
Russian forces have retaken the largest town in the Kursk region previously held by Ukrainian troops and expect to soon roll back all of Kyiv’s gains in the area, the Russian Defense Ministry said today.
With the world waiting to see if Vladimir Putin will accept ceasefire plans suggested by the United States and Ukraine, the Russian president signaled the opposite, if anything.
Dressed in military fatigues, Putin visited soldiers in Kursk — the only Russian region in which Ukraine have captured territory. With his forces gaining momentum on the battlefield, Putin did not sound like a man eager for peace.
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The Education Department cut half its workforce amid Trump’s effort to abolish the agency. The president touted the cuts, saying they shift responsibilities away from the federal bureaucracy and back to the states, but critics said the moves will have a devastating impact. NBC News’ Kelly O’Donnell reports.
Dave Weldon, a former congressman from Florida and physician, is set to appear at a Senate confirmation hearing today for his nomination to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unknown to many in the general public, he’s well-known in anti-vaccine circles.
As director, experts say Weldon, 71, could serve as a key ally to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who oversees the CDC and appears to share similar views, particularly on vaccines.
Weldon is expected to face questions today from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee about how he would manage an agency with a $9 billion budget and a staff of more than 13,000, before the Trump administration job cuts.
Weldon served 14 years in the House until 2009, largely staying out of the public spotlight. During that time, however, he attracted the attention of anti-vaccine groups because of his criticisms of the CDC and questions about vaccine safety.
Read the full story here.
Trump’s full-speed-ahead approach to making radical change has forced his allies to fight from a defensive posture — explaining his plans after they have been executed — and raised alarms in his Republican Party that it could all end in a wreck.
The concerns are particularly acute when it comes to the economy, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average having lost about 7% of its value this month and many economists projecting either slower growth or a coming recession. Those fears haven’t deterred Trump from continuing to impose tariffs on foes and friends — which figure to raise prices on U.S. consumers — and slash federal government jobs, grants and contracts.
“There are worries,” said a person who has been involved in discussions about the economy with White House officials. Those effects on the markets and the economy are felt immediately, while policies aimed at spurring growth — including cutting taxes and regulations — will take much longer to implement, this person said.
Privately, officials at the White House’s National Economic Council have indicated fears that it could be difficult to rebound quickly from a downturn, two people familiar with internal White House discussions said.
Read the full story here.
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