President Donald Trump is facing pressure to use his executive power to block hospitals from denying organ transplants for people not vaccinated against COVID-19 after reports emerged that Vice President JD Vance’s 12-year-old relative was reportedly denied a heart transplant over her COVID-19 vaccination status
In a letter to President Trump, Rep. Michael Rulli (R-Ohio) alongside Rep. Erin Houchin (R-Ind.) called on Trump to take action. Rep. Rulli said he was partially moved to act after hearing about Vance’s relative.
“Over the past week, it has come to light that multiple desperate Americans have been denied life-saving organ transplants due to their COVID-19 vaccination status,” the letter said. “This outrageous denial of care has affected some of our most vulnerable citizens – including a child from Indiana and a veteran from Ohio.”
Houchin told Fox News, “Patients – especially children – should never be turned away from care due to government-imposed mandates. This effort urges President Trump to take action to ensure no hospital or transplant center can discriminate against patients based on their decision to decline the COVID-19 vaccine.”
“President Trump has done such a great job recently on executive orders,” Rulli told Fox News Digital in an interview. “And I am asking President Trump if he sees this, to please do an executive order… because you could save someone’s life today.”
“The timing is everything. If we don’t get this done, people’s lives could be at risk.”
The girl’s mother, Jeneen Deal, told the Daily Mail that giving her daughter the vaccine would violate the family’s religious beliefs.
Vance said in comments to the Daily Mail that he would try to help.
“I guess it’s been circulating on social media, but I was made aware of a couple days ago, and we’re trying to dig in and trying to help, obviously, as much as possible,” he said.
Outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard shared an encouraging update Thursday on her husband’s battle with a rare form of bone cancer, revealing that a major surgery to remove the tumor was successful.
Gabbard said her husband, Abraham Williams, recently underwent a nearly seven-hour operation after being diagnosed with sacral chordoma, an extremely rare cancer that forms in the bones of the spine and skull base.
“The surgery to remove bone and surrounding tissue lasted almost seven hours and was successful,” Gabbard wrote in a post on X.
“He had a rough night and is in a lot of pain, but is finally home resting.”
The Trump administration official said the family is now focused on the recovery process.
“Now recovery begins. We’re so grateful for the outpouring of prayers and kind messages from all of you. Our hearts are full,” Gabbard added.
My husband Abraham was diagnosed with a very rare sacral chordoma. The surgery to remove bone and surrounding tissue lasted almost seven hours and was successful. He had a rough night and is in a lot of pain but is finally home resting. Now recovery begins. We’re so grateful…
According to Mayo Clinic research, sacral chordoma is a rare, slow-growing bone cancer that most commonly develops along the spine. While considered slow-growing, the disease can be difficult to treat because of its location, and surgery is often the primary treatment option.
Before the procedure, Gabbard shared a heartfelt message thanking supporters for their prayers.
“We are humbled and so grateful to be surrounded by aloha during this really tough time,” she wrote.
The update comes just weeks after Gabbard announced she would step down from her position in the Trump administration to support her husband through the difficult battle ahead. (RELATED:Tulsi Gabbard Resigning As National Intelligence Director)
“My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer,” Gabbard wrote in May. “He faces major challenges in the coming weeks and months. At this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle.”
President Donald Trump praised Gabbard following her resignation announcement, saying she had done “an incredible job” serving in his administration.
Vice President JD Vance also voiced support for the former Hawaii congresswoman.
“I’m sorry to see her go, but certainly understand that family comes first,” Vance said. “She and her husband Abraham will be in my prayers as they face this next challenge together, and she has my gratitude for being a great addition to the administration and a loyal confidante. Godspeed Tulsi!”
Gabbard’s final day in office is expected to be June 30.
The White House has also tapped Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William J. “Bill” Pulte to assume Gabbard’s intelligence role following her departure.
Gabbard, a former Democrat congresswoman from Hawaii, became one of the most prominent political converts of the 2024 election cycle when she endorsed Trump’s presidential campaign and later joined his administration.
President Donald Trump said Monday that White House physicians helped treat Rep. Neal Dunn, a Florida Republican, after the congressman received what Trump described as a “terminal” medical diagnosis — an episode Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson framed as a dramatic intervention that helped save Dunn’s life.
The president and Johnson recounted the story during remarks at the White House, saying Dunn had continued working in Congress despite what they characterized as a dire prognosis.
“He would be dead by June,” Trump told reporters, describing the severity of the diagnosis Dunn had reportedly received before receiving treatment.
Johnson said the situation came to Trump’s attention after he informed the president about Dunn’s condition. According to Johnson, Trump quickly suggested involving White House medical staff to evaluate the congressman.
“The man has a new lease on life. He acts like he’s 30 years younger,” Johnson said, describing Dunn’s recovery after treatment.
Johnson explained that White House physicians helped coordinate care for the Florida lawmaker and arranged for him to receive treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the premier military hospital that frequently treats senior government officials and members of Congress.
According to Johnson, Dunn underwent emergency surgery shortly after the White House doctors became involved.
Trump praised the speed and professionalism of the medical team, calling the White House physicians “miracle workers.”
“I said, I have to call them. And I called the two doctors. They’re both great. And they immediately went over to see the congressman, and he was on the operating table like two hours later,” Trump added.
Dunn, who represents Florida’s 2nd Congressional District in the state’s Panhandle, is himself a physician. Before entering politics, he served as an Army surgeon and later worked in private medical practice. His medical background has often shaped his work in Congress, particularly on issues involving healthcare policy and veterans’ services.
First elected in 2016, Dunn has served five terms in the House of Representatives and has been a reliable conservative vote on fiscal issues, national defense, and social policy.
In January, Dunn announced that he would not seek reelection in 2026, signaling the end of his congressional career. At the time, he framed the decision as an opportunity to step away from Washington and spend more time with his family.
“I want to pass the torch to new conservative leaders, return home to Panama City, and spend more precious time with my family and our beloved grandchildren,” Dunn said in a statement announcing his retirement.
He also reflected on his legislative priorities during his time in Congress.
“It has been my greatest honor to fight for lower taxes, our military and veterans, the unborn, healthcare innovation, and policies that empower Americans over bureaucracy and addressing threats from Communist China, Russia and others,” he added.
Dunn’s departure comes during a cycle that is already seeing a significant number of lawmakers opt not to run again. As of mid-March, 60 House members have announced they will not seek reelection in the 2026 election cycle, according to the U.S. House of Representatives Press Gallery’s “Casualty List.”
That total includes 23 Democrats and 37 Republicans.
Several of those lawmakers are leaving to pursue other offices, including gubernatorial and U.S. Senate bids. Others are retiring outright after years in public service.
Among Republicans, some departures have come through electoral defeat. Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas, for example, recently lost his primary race to state Rep. Steve Toth.
While Dunn’s decision to retire was announced before the details of his health episode were publicly discussed, the account shared by Trump and Johnson Monday offered new insight into the medical crisis he faced earlier this year — and the role White House doctors played in coordinating the emergency treatment that both men say dramatically improved his outlook.
Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell was admitted to a hospital Sunday morning, according to his office, marking the latest health-related setback for the 84-year-old Kentucky senator as he prepares to leave public office.
“Senator McConnell was admitted to the hospital this morning. He is receiving excellent care,” a spokesperson said in a brief statement. The senator’s office has not disclosed the reason for his hospitalization or provided details about his condition.
McConnell’s hospitalization comes just four months after he spent more than a week in the hospital for what aides described at the time as “flu-like symptoms.” His office later said he had been discharged and was recovering while working from home.
The Kentucky Republican has faced a series of highly publicized health challenges in recent years, including a concussion and broken ribs after a 2023 fall, multiple additional falls, and several incidents in which he appeared to freeze during public appearances. McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, has also acknowledged mobility issues and has at times used a wheelchair at the Capitol.
Despite those concerns, McConnell has remained active in the Senate and continues serving out his seventh term. He announced last year that he would not seek reelection and plans to retire when his term expires in January.
(Nova York - EUA, 24/09/2019) Presidente da República, Jair Bolsonaro, durante encontro com o senhor Rudolph Giuliani, ex-prefeito da cidade de Nova York. .Foto: Alan Santos/PR
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has reportedly left the intensive care unit, according to his spokesperson, after being hospitalized with pneumonia.
Giuliani “will spend some time recovering before leaving the hospital,” spokesperson Ted Goodman said in a statement, adding: “The mayor and his family appreciate the outpouring of love and prayers sent his way.”
Giuliani had been hospitalized in critical condition earlier this week, his spokesperson said Sunday.
Dr. Maria Ryan told Fox News that Giuliani’s condition had deteriorated rapidly after he returned from a trip to Paris, with severe breathing issues forcing doctors to place him on a ventilator. At one point, his situation became so dire that a priest was called to administer last rites.
But by Tuesday, everything changed.
“He’s a fighter — the way he was yesterday in such a critical condition, he did have a priest come anoint him,” Ryan said. “And all the prayers from around — it’s like a miracle. This guy’s got 9 lives, today he’s doing much better.”
Goodman said Giuliani was previously diagnosed with restrictive airway disease, which he said was a result of his proximity to the collapsed World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
“This condition adds complications to any respiratory illness, and the virus quickly overwhelmed his body, requiring mechanical ventilation to maintain adequate oxygen and stabilize his condition,” Goodman said Monday.
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Minnesota Senate Republicans have introduced a bill to define “Trump Derangement Syndrome” (TDS) as a form of mental illness. Senate Bill 2589, which is set to be formally introduced and read on March 17, 2025, igniting significant debate due to the novelty of a politically charged term in the medical lexicon.
The bill, sponsored by Republican State Senators Eric Lucero, Steve Drazkowski, Nathan Wesenberg, Justin Eichorn, and Glenn Gruenhagen, seeks to amend the state’s definition of mental illness by adding a specific reference to TDS. According to the text of the bill, mental illness would include “Trump Derangement Syndrome” or an organic disorder of the brain that significantly impairs an individual’s ability to function in daily life.
The bill describes TDS as “the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J. Trump.” According to the proposal, individuals affected by TDS exhibit symptoms of paranoia and an inability to separate legitimate political disagreements from perceived personal or psychological pathology in Trump’s behavior.
The bill further characterizes TDS as leading to “Trump-induced general hysteria,” where individuals may struggle to distinguish between policy differences and a supposed mental condition in the former president’s actions. These symptoms, the bill argues, can severely impair personal relationships, work, and other aspects of daily living.
The bill has already been logged into the Minnesota legislature’s official website, but it is set to undergo formal introduction on March 17, 2025. Its introduction has garnered widespread attention, with reactions split along party lines.
Supporters of the bill argue that it is a legitimate attempt to address a condition that they believe affects a significant portion of the population, particularly those who strongly opposed former President Trump. By naming and defining TDS, they argue, the bill opens a discussion about how political figures can profoundly affect the psychological well-being of individuals, especially during times of heightened political polarization.
Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News
The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
President Donald Trump has selected Dr. Heidi Overton, a senior White House domestic policy adviser and physician, to lead the Food and Drug Administration as the agency confronts battles over vaccines, drug prices, food additives, and abortion medication.
Trump announced the nomination Wednesday, describing Overton as a trusted problem-solver who would accelerate medical innovation, lower prescription costs, and advance Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.
Overton currently serves as deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, where she has helped formulate and promote several of the administration’s most consequential health initiatives.
BREAKING: President Trump picks Dr. Heidi Overton, a top White House aide, to lead the Food and Drug Administration. https://t.co/fGVJ7TNQjt
If confirmed by the Senate, she would succeed Dr. Marty Makary, who left the agency in May after a turbulent tenure marked by internal disputes and disagreements over the direction of federal health policy.
Kyle Diamantas, who previously led the FDA’s Human Foods Program, is serving as acting commissioner.
A Physician With Deep White House Ties
Overton is a board-certified physician in public health and general preventive medicine. She earned her medical degree from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and a doctorate in clinical investigation from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
She previously trained as a general surgery resident at Johns Hopkins and advocated for greater price and quality transparency in health care.
During medical school, then-New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez appointed Overton to the University of New Mexico Board of Regents, where she held voting and fiduciary responsibility for the university and its health system.
Overton first entered the Trump White House as a fellow in 2019, working in the Office of American Innovation and on the Domestic Policy Council. Between Trump’s terms, she served as chief policy officer at the America First Policy Institute and helped lead its Center for a Healthy America.
Her biography from the conservative organization emphasizes her work on health-care transparency, fentanyl, public health and policies designed to give patients greater control over medical decisions.
The appointment would place a committed administration loyalist at the head of an agency that regulates products representing roughly one-fifth of American consumer spending.
Overton Helped Shape Trump’s Health Agenda
Overton has appeared alongside Trump during major health policy announcements, including the administration’s efforts to negotiate “most favored nation” agreements with drug companies. The policy seeks to tie American prescription prices to the lower prices paid in other developed countries.
She was also involved in Trump’s controversial effort to revise the childhood vaccination schedule and separate the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine into three individual shots.
Major medical organizations have generally supported the combined MMR vaccine, which has been used for decades and reduces the number of clinical visits and injections required for full immunization. Critics fear that splitting the vaccine could create delays and lower vaccination rates.
Overton’s role in the policy is likely to become a focus of her Senate confirmation hearing, particularly as lawmakers question how she would handle pressure from Kennedy and other administration figures skeptical of established federal vaccine recommendations.
Trump praised Overton as a “rockstar” who would advance medical cures, innovation and lower drug prices.
Kennedy also supports the nomination, giving Overton an important ally inside the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the FDA.
Difficult Issues Await New Commissioner
The next FDA commissioner will inherit an unusually difficult collection of unfinished projects.
The agency continues to face pressure over its regulation of COVID-19 vaccines and other immunizations, including questions about which populations should receive updated shots and what evidence manufacturers must provide.
Medication abortion will present another immediate test. Pro-life organizations want the FDA to impose tighter restrictions on mifepristone, including limits on prescriptions issued through telehealth and pills delivered through the mail.
Overton has previously used the term “teleabortion” when discussing remote access to abortion medication, drawing concern from abortion-rights organizations that expect her to revisit the drug’s rules.
The FDA must also determine how aggressively it will regulate ultraprocessed foods, chemical additives, and synthetic dyes. Those issues are central to Kennedy’s MAHA movement but can conflict with the deregulatory approach traditionally favored by Republican lawmakers and industry groups.
Other pending questions involve flavored electronic cigarettes, peptide treatments, psychedelics, antidepressant warnings, and efforts to shorten the approval process for new drugs.
Overton would therefore have to balance three competing forces: Trump’s desire for faster approvals and lower prices, Kennedy’s campaign against corporate influence in food and medicine, and Republican demands for reduced federal regulation.
Management Experience Likely to Draw Scrutiny
Overton’s supporters point to her medical education, policy background, and proximity to presidential decision-making. They argue that she understands Trump’s priorities and can coordinate more effectively with the White House than an outside nominee.
Critics are expected to focus on her limited experience running an organization comparable to the FDA.
The agency employs thousands of scientists, physicians, inspectors, lawyers, and regulatory specialists. It oversees prescription drugs, medical devices, vaccines, tobacco products, much of the nation’s food supply, and other consumer goods.
Axios reported before her selection that some health policy observers worried Overton’s nomination could unsettle FDA career employees and pharmaceutical investors, while other potential candidates possessed more direct executive management experience.
The criticism will likely feature prominently when she appears before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Makary, Overton’s predecessor and a former Johns Hopkins colleague, was confirmed in March 2025 by a 56-44 Senate vote. Overton will seek confirmation from a chamber still controlled by Republicans but divided over the administration’s vaccine policies.
Her nomination signals that Trump wants the FDA led by someone already embedded in his White House rather than an agency insider or pharmaceutical executive.
If the Senate agrees, Overton will take control of one of the federal government’s most powerful scientific agencies — and become responsible for turning the administration’s sprawling health agenda into enforceable policy.
An adviser to President-elect Trump’s campaign, Alex Bruesewitz, passed out and collapsed as he was speaking onstage during a New York Young Republican Club gala Sunday night.
Alex Bruesewitz, 27, was introducing incoming White House senior aide Dan Scavino inside a venue in Manhattan when he began stumbling over his words and fainted, video on social media shows.
Several people quickly rushed to help after his collapse. It was not immediately clear what caused him to faint.
“I talked to our friend Alex Bruesewitz and you know what he said to me? He goes ‘Did I at least look cool?’ I said Alex, you used gravity like I’ve seen nobody use gravity before in their lives,” Kassam said. “But he’s recuperating back there, so give him a big cheer so he’ll hear you.”
Trump also said following the collapse that he believes Bruesewitz will be fine, according to the New York Post.
“I know that Alex is going to be fine because he’s a tough son of a gun,” Trump said. “There’s no doubt about that. So I want to say hello to Alex, because he’s a very special guy.”
Bruesewitz is the CEO of consultancy firm X Strategies LLC, which states its mission to help elect “America First” candidates. Its website says he is “a prominent political consultant and strategist known for his unwavering support of President Donald Trump and the America First agenda.”
Before his collapse, Bruesewitz commended the New York Republican Club for backing Trump’s campaign. He also gave shout-outs to several supporters of the incoming president who were at the event, including former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, who recently resigned from his U.S. House seat.
On the evening of Tuesday, June 17, 2025, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was rushed by ambulance to a Washington, D.C. hospital after suffering what officials described as an allergic reaction. According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Noem was treated “out of an abundance of caution” and remains in stable condition.
The medical emergency drew swift attention — not only because of Noem’s high-profile cabinet role, but also due to the timing. Just one day earlier, she had visited the Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Maryland, a high-security federal lab that handles some of the world’s most dangerous pathogens, including Ebola and SARS-CoV-2. She was accompanied on the tour by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
The Fort Detrick facility has been under scrutiny in recent months. In April, it was temporarily shut down following safety concerns involving possible tampering with personal protective equipment. Though the lab has since resumed operations, the incident left lingering questions about oversight and internal protocols.
While the proximity of Noem’s hospital visit to her tour of the lab has sparked speculation, DHS downplayed any connection. Officials stressed there is no indication the allergic reaction had anything to do with the biohazard site, and current evidence points to coincidence, not causation.
Still, the lack of detail surrounding Noem’s condition — and the decision to visit to a facility recently flagged for a safety lapse — has fueled speculation. Noem has not issued a public statement since the incident, though an official told the Associated Press that the secretary is “alert and recovering.”
Security around the hospital was visibly heightened following Noem’s arrival, with multiple eyewitnesses reporting Secret Service personnel stationed at emergency entrances and perimeter points.
As of now, Noem remains under medical supervision, and DHS has indicated she will resume duties once cleared by her doctors. The department has not disclosed whether additional tests are being conducted to rule out environmental or chemical triggers.
What We Know — and Don’t
The facts are straightforward, even if the full picture isn’t: Secretary Noem had an acute medical event. She had just visited a facility known for housing lethal biological agents. There’s no official link between the two events. But in an era when institutional trust runs thin and information gaps invite conspiracy theories, the sequence of events is likely to keep this story alive longer than a typical health scare.
For now, DHS says Noem is recovering and expected to make a full recovery. But until more details emerge — from medical professionals or Noem herself — the story will likely remain a focus of intense public interest.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear escalated pressure on Sen. Mitch McConnell this week, demanding that the longtime Republican lawmaker publicly demonstrate that he remains capable of serving—or resign from office.
In a letter dated Monday and reported Tuesday, the Democratic governor called on McConnell to “directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky” and prove his capacity to continue representing the state.
Beshear’s ultimatum came one day after McConnell’s office released a new photograph of the 84-year-old senator alongside his wife, Elaine Chao, and confirmed that he remains in a rehabilitation facility more than six weeks after being hospitalized.
BREAKING:
A statement from the Office of the Attending Physician says Mitch McConnell "is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office."
“It has now been 43 days since news of your hospitalization,” Beshear wrote, according to Mediaite.
McConnell has missed 38 consecutive Senate votes since his hospitalization, according to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“As Governor of the state you serve, I am calling on you to directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign,” Beshear wrote.
The governor also sent the letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and urged him to investigate McConnell’s ability to remain in office if the senator declines to speak publicly.
Beshear said he would press Thune to report his findings to the American people and begin the process of removing McConnell if an investigation determined that such action was warranted.
“All of this speculation and even this letter could have been avoided with a minimal amount of transparency,” the governor added.
Beshear acknowledged McConnell’s right to medical privacy but argued that elected officials surrender a degree of that privacy when they accept responsibility for representing the public.
The Senate can expel one of its members only with a two-thirds vote. Such action is exceedingly rare: Only 15 senators have been expelled since 1789, with 14 of those removals occurring during the Civil War, according to the Senate Historical Office.
Beshear’s letter represents his second formal request for more information about McConnell’s condition. On July 8, the governor asked the senator to provide Kentuckians with a full health update and clarify whether he remained capable of fulfilling his duties.
McConnell was hospitalized June 14 after suffering a fall at his Washington, D.C., residence that left him briefly unconscious. In a July 12 written statement, the senator said doctors had ruled out a heart attack, stroke, concussion, broken bones, tumors and hemorrhaging. He also disclosed that he had developed a mild case of pneumonia while receiving treatment.
McConnell was eventually transferred from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility, where he has been undergoing multiple physical-therapy sessions each day.
His office released its latest update Monday, accompanied by a photograph that it said was taken July 26 and showed McConnell sitting beside Chao.
The Office of the Attending Physician said McConnell has not been medically cleared to leave the facility and return to his Senate office. Doctors said the lingering effects of the senator’s childhood battle with polio remain a significant factor affecting his mobility.
McConnell said he was still “working hard” to resume his schedule but announced that he would miss Kentucky’s Fancy Farm picnic Saturday. The annual political gathering is a major tradition in the state and one McConnell first attended 42 years ago.
“As always, I appreciate all of your continued well wishes, and I’m looking forward to getting back to the Senate and to Kentucky soon,” McConnell said in the official update.
A spokesman previously said McConnell continued meeting with staff and discussing defense appropriations, foreign policy, the farm bill, constituent services and federal grant requests during his recovery. Republican leaders, including Thune and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming, have also said they spoke with McConnell by telephone.
The senator has not, however, participated in a live video interview or addressed Kentuckians directly since his hospitalization, leaving Beshear and other critics dissatisfied with the written statements and photographs released by his office.
McConnell has experienced several highly publicized health scares in recent years, including falls, two on-camera freezing episodes in 2023 and an intensive-care hospitalization earlier this year for flu-like symptoms.
The seven-term senator has already announced that he will not seek reelection and plans to leave office when his current term expires in January 2027. If the seat becomes vacant before then, Kentucky law calls for a special election to fill the remainder of the term.
