White House revokes Trump's CDC pick hours before hearing: 'Big Pharma was behind this'



The White House has reportedly withdrawn Dave Weldon's nomination to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just hours before his Senate hearing Thursday.

Weldon was set to testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Thursday to advance his nomination. However, multiple reports confirmed that the former congressman's nomination was revoked. Weldon has also had a long-standing career in internal medicine and has raised past concerns about certain vaccine side effects, which some outlets have speculated affected his nomination.

'The concern of many people is that big Pharma was behind this which is probably true.'

In a statement issued Thursday, Weldon said his nomination was rescinded because he did not have enough votes in the Senate.

"Twelve hours before my scheduled confirmation hearing in The Senate, I received a phone call from an assistant at the White House informing me that my nomination to be Director of CDC was being withdrawn because there were not enough votes to get me confirmed," Weldon said. "I then spoke to HHS Secretary Bobbie [sic] Kennedy who was very upset. He was told the same thing and that he had been looking forward to working with me at CDC. He said I was the perfect person for the job."

The Senate HELP Committee has a 12-11 partisan split with a Republican majority, meaning Weldon could afford to lose the vote of only one GOP senator on the committee. Weldon said that Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who has voted to tank several of President Donald Trump's picks, ultimately had immovable reservations about the nominee.

"I had a very pleasant meeting with her 2 weeks prior where she expressed no reservation, but at my meeting with her staff on March 11 they were suddenly very hostile — a bad sign," Weldon said in the statement. "They repeatedly accus[ed] me of being 'antivax,' even though I reminded them that I actually give hundreds of vaccines every year in my medical practice."

Weldon also made the assumption that the HELP Committee's chairman, Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, was going to vote against the nominee.

"Ironically, he is also an internist like me and I have known him for years and I thought we were friends," Weldon said. "But he too was also throwing around the claim that I was 'antivax' or that I believed that vaccines cause autism which I have never said. He actually once asked that my nomination be withdrawn."

Although his nomination was revoked due to lack of support, Weldon said the underlying actor was likely Big Pharma.

"The concern of many people is that big Pharma was behind this which is probably true," Weldon said. "They are hands-down the most powerful lobby organization in Washington DC giving millions of dollars to politicians on both sides of the aisle."

"I have learned the hard way," Weldon continued, "don't mess with Pharma."

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Obama's former right-hand man Rahm Emanuel posturing for presidential run: Report



The list of potential Democratic presidential candidates for 2028 continues to grow.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom appears to have aspirations of podcasting his way from his crime-ridden state to the White House. Newsom's fellow governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania is also considered a contender — at least by the Washington Post. Among the numerous other middling prospects keen to throw their hats in the ring is Minnesota's honesty-impaired governor, Tim Walz, who recently indicated that he would run "if the circumstances are right."

Barack Obama's old right-hand man Rahm Emanuel — the Democrat who famously said at the outset of the 2008 financial crisis that "you never want a serious crisis to go to waste" — is apparently now also preparing to run, ready to exploit the crisis in the Democratic Party to distinguish himself from the pack.

Emanuel is a Democratic operative who fundraised for Bill Clinton ahead of the 1992 presidential election, then later served as his adviser, championing NAFTA; represented Illinois for three terms in the House; served as Obama's chief of staff from 2009 to 2010; and served as Biden's ambassador to Japan.

Between his stints with the Obama and Biden administrations, Emanuel served as mayor of Chicago for eight years, during which time he oversaw an explosion in the city's crime and rat infestation rates; secretly used a personal email domain for government work; dropped the ball on affordable housing promises; and saw 60% of his top 103 campaign donors receive city contracts, zoning changes, pension work, business permits, regulatory help, or other consequential benefits, according to a Chicago Tribune analysis.

Emanuel recently told Politico, "I'm not done with public service, and I'm hoping public service is not done with me."

The liberal publication previously propped up by federal subscriptions indicated that Emanuel's behavior since returning home from Japan hints at ambitions of pursuing higher office. He has sought to maximize his visibility, appearing on podcasts, securing a CNN contract, and consistently spilling ink in his Washington Post column.

'He understands how to win.'

Emanuel has also made his rounds on the lecture circuit, addressing deep-pocketed audiences at the Chicago Economic Club and at the Realtors Political Action Committee President's Circle conference last month. He is apparently set to speak at West Point as part of a broader service academy tour, which will allow him to test the waters with other voter demographics.

Politico suggested that Emanuel's recent efforts to play to opinion polls is further evidence that he is testing the waters. He has embraced popular Republican positions on gender ideology and the need to remedy bureaucratic bloat in the federal government, while criticizing the Democratic Party's leftist fetishes, which helped Kamala Harris lose in November and alienated American voters.

It appears that elements of the Democratic establishment are receptive to the idea of Emanuel as a candidate.

"Who has more relevant experience?" former Obama adviser David Axelrod told Politico. "He understands how to win and speaks bluntly in an idiom that most folks understand."

Axelrod apparently characterized Emanuel as the "remedy, not the replica, of a president with little interest in governance and the chaos that flows from that," according to a paraphrase from Politico.

While Politico appears convinced that Emanuel might try for the top seat, it appears that the 65-year-old Democrat is open to securing power at virtually any level. The Chicago Tribune reported that Emanuel has not ruled out running again for Chicago mayor or seeking the Democratic nomination for Illinois governor next year if Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) does not run again.

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Pro golfer Adam Scott reveals his favorite part about meeting President Trump: 'It was obvious to me'



Professional golfer Adam Scott said he realized at the White House that his golf-related issues were not the highest priority in terms of political problems.

Scott, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, and the legendary Tiger Woods have met with President Trump to discuss operations between the PGA Tour and the LIV Tour. Yasir Al-Rumayyan from the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (LIV's backers) had also reportedly attended the meetings in attempt to mend relationships between the rival companies.

At a recent press conference for the Players Championship, reporter Claire Rogers asked Scott what he felt was the "coolest or most surprising thing" about being at the White House.

'The president had far more important things to focus on.'

Scott immediately revealed that it became rather obvious at the White House that his issues were smaller in comparison to the geopolitics the president was dealing with.

"It was obvious to me, very quickly, when they were setting up for the Israeli delegation right after our meeting and putting the Israeli flag and the U.S. flag and getting that room ready that our conversation was pretty low in importance of what was happening that day," Scott said, per Fox News.

"And really, the president had far more important things to focus on," Scott continued. "I encouraged him to go and do that well for everyone's sake after our meeting."

As the PGA and LIV attempt to repair a fracture in the golfing world, many athletes in the sport have praised Trump for holding meetings at the White House in order to find a solution.

World No. 7-ranked golfer Rory McIlroy said he had learned from his discussion with Trump the tremendous amount of respect the president garners in the Middle East, and in particular with the Saudi officials who govern golf operations.

"It was really good. I thought we had a good discussion. I learned that he's not a fan of the LIV format, which was I was like, 'But you've hosted their events.' He's like, 'Yeah, but it doesn't mean that I like it,'" McIlroy said in February.

In addition to saying he believed Trump is on the PGA Tour's side, the Northern Irishman said the president has the opportunity to be "influential."

"He can be influential. He loves the game of golf; I saw it when I was playing with him ... the respect he has in the Middle East is — I don't think people appreciate how much respect he has there."

Scott, an Australian who is currently ranked No. 77 in the world, had previously described Trump's involvement as "a positive thing," because he "understands some of the challenges facing the professional game at the moment."

"He's a lover of the game," Scott said after the meeting, according to OutKick. "Hopefully [he] will be very helpful for the professional game and help everybody move forward."

The PGA Tour has certainly garnered fascinating and groundbreaking headlines over the past year, from Tiger Woods and his son joining forces on the links to the release of bodycam footage from the arrest of star Scottie Scheffler.

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Fighting Irish: Trump, With Ireland’s Leader in Tow, Takes Aim at EU, Russia, and the Education Department

Most heads of state don’t enjoy an annual invitation to the Oval Office, but Ireland’s does. When prime minister Micheál Martin arrived for this year’s St. Patrick’s Day visit, he was warned about the Donald Trump-sized trap he was walking into. Martin faced a "diplomatic balancing act" in talks with Trump, according to Reuters. Politico was more dire, writing that the meeting, normally a "diplomatic dream," was this year "dangerous for Ireland’s America-fueled economy." Martin, the outlet wrote, would be happy to merely "survive a brush with Trump."

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EXCLUSIVE: The Most Explosive Revelations From Jake Tapper's New Book About Biden's Decline (Part 1)

CNN host Jake Tapper was widely denounced last month for promoting his forthcoming book about how former president Joe Biden and his Democratic allies plotted to cover up "evidence of his serious decline" in an ultimately futile attempt to stay in power another four years.  Many pointed out that Tapper and other prominent media figures played a key role in the cover-up. Even though an overwhelming majority of Americans—77 percent, according to an AP poll released in August 2023—thought Biden was too old and incompetent to serve another term in office, those who agreed with them in public were routinely attacked by journalists and other partisan Democrats for promoting right-wing conspiracy theories. Video evidence of Biden's geezerly antics was labeled "misinformation."

We were eager to get our hands on an advance copy of Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, which won't be officially released until May. It wasn't easy, but we managed to do it via means of debatable legality. We were completely blown away by the revelations. Over the next several days, the Washington Free Beacon will be exclusively reprinting the most explosive examples of Biden's decline and the sinister plot to prevent the American people from learning the truth. Enjoy! 

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Philadelphia Eagles accept White House invitation as press secretary says claim of unsent offer was 'fake news'



The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles have formally accepted an invitation to celebrate their win at the White House, press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on Tuesday.

The revelation comes after a weeks-long controversy over whether or not President Donald Trump wanted the Eagles to come to the White House following their win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LIX or if it was actually the case that the Eagles declined an invitation.

"I know there was a lot of fake news about an invitation that wasn't sent or was sent. We want to correct the record. We sent an invitation, they enthusiastically accepted, and you will see them here on April 28," Leavitt said, per ESPN. The outlet also contacted a team spokesperson for the Eagles, who reportedly confirmed that the invitation was accepted.

'I thought it was a great performance by them.'

As Blaze News previously reported, an alleged inside source told outlets in February that the NFL champions had declined an invitation to the White House and did so with a "massive no."

NBC's Pro Football Talk then claimed a source, who allegedly had direct knowledge in the Eagles' decision, said the team would visit the White House if invited. The source also said the team never rejected an invitation and would be honored to accept one if given the chance.

Trump eventually cleared up his side of the matter when he was asked about sending the invitation.

"We haven't yet, but we will be. I thought it was a great performance by them," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "Absolutely they'll be extended that invitation."

The Eagles vs. Trump ordeal dates back to 2018, when the team declined to visit the president following their Super Bowl LII win over the New England Patriots.

The event was reportedly canceled due to how few players wanted to attend. The sentiment against the administration was particularly strong with two Eagles players at the time, safety Malcolm Jenkins and defensive end Chris Long. The players were reportedly focused on the vague stance of social injustice, including national anthem protests before NFL games.

"I don't want to take away from anybody's experience or make it a big distraction. It's a celebratory event, and I want the guys who choose to go or whatever to enjoy that," Jenkins said in 2018. "Me personally, because it's not a meeting or a sit-down or anything like that, I'm just not interested in the photo op."

Trump voiced his opinion at the time and said the Eagles disagree "with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country."

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Trump Admin Halts Funding To Blue State’s Universities Over Gov Allowing Men In Women’s Sports

'Title IX violations'

House Republicans fall in line, narrowly pass Trump-backed funding bill



The House narrowly passed a continuing resolution on Tuesday, just days before the Friday funding deadline. The CR is now headed to the Senate, and it's up to the Democrats to avert a government shutdown.

The CR was passed in almost a party-line vote, 217-213, with Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky the sole Republican holdout. Nearly every single Democrat, with the exception of Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, voted to tank the CR, which was spearheaded by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and President Donald Trump.

With just days until the shutdown deadline, we will see if Democrats would rather vote for the Trump-backed CR or shut down the government altogether.

"Today, House Republicans stood for the American people and voted to maintain funding the paychecks for our troops, the agents who secure our borders, the TSA workers responsible for safe air travel, as well as the healthcare and benefits for veterans, and essential services and programs that keep the government operational," Johnson said in a statement Tuesday. "But House Democrats decided to double down on partisan politics."

The CR itself is a clean 99-page funding bill with certain provisions boosting ICE and defense funds. Despite those increases, the bill reduces spending by $13 billion compared to fiscal year 2024. Because of these cuts, several House Republicans who were on the fence were persuaded to pass the bill.

A lot of the legwork was done behind the scenes in the days leading up to the vote. White House officials like OMB Director Russ Vought met with fiscal conservatives and some members of the House Freedom Caucus to pitch the Trump-backed CR, as Blaze News first reported. Trump also met with the same group of Republicans, many of whom have a history of voting against CRs.

Despite their track record, many Republicans got on board with the most recent CR. The House Freedom Caucus, which is largely composed of spending skeptics, endorsed the CR the night before the vote. HFC Chairman Andy Harris (R-Md.) even made a rare appearance alongside the Republican leadership in a presser Tuesday morning.

So while House Republicans fall in line behind Trump and the GOP leadership, the pressure now weighs on Senate Democrats. Republicans adjourned immediately after the CR's passage, leaving the Senate to take up the bill without the opportunity to make any amendments.

The Senate will need at least 60 votes to pass the GOP-led CR. Meanwhile, Republicans hold just 53 seats. Assuming all Republicans back the CR — and there are currently some holdouts — at least seven Democrats will need to reach across the aisle to avoid shutting down the government. So far, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is the only Democrat to have signaled support for the CR.

With just days until the shutdown deadline, we will see if Democrats would rather vote for the Trump-backed CR or shut down the government altogether.

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We Have Four Years To Make Sure Something Like 2020 Never Happens Again

This is the fight of our lives, right here, right now. 2020 showed us the stakes.

2 airplanes venture too close to Trump, Mar-a-Lago for defense agency's comfort



Two aircraft flew too close to President Donald Trump's Florida estate over the weekend, prompting a stern warning from the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

On Friday, Trump left the White House to spend the weekend at Mar-a-Lago in West Palm Beach, Florida, the fifth time he has done so since his second term began in late January. Trump's presence then automatically triggered a temporary flight restriction for the area near Mar-a-Lago, but at least two pilots apparently didn't get the memo.

'Adherence to TFR procedures is essential to ensure flight safety, national security, and the security of the president.'

At approximately 8:50 a.m. on Saturday, one aircraft entered the restricted space. Then a second airplane — described as "a civilian aircraft" — violated the TFR barely 24 hours later, at 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, NORAD said in a statement.

In both instances, an F-16 fighter jet from the Continental U.S. NORAD Region was forced to intervene, and according to NORAD, the second aircraft "was safely escorted out of the area."

During these incidents, flares were also used "to draw attention from or communicate with the pilot," NORAD said. These flares, though highly visible, "burn out quickly and completely" and therefore posed "no danger to people on the ground."

Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of NORAD and the U.S. Northern Command, expressed frustration about the apparent security breaches.

"Adherence to TFR procedures is essential to ensure flight safety, national security, and the security of the president," Guillot said in a statement. "The procedures are not optional."

According to NORAD, fully 20 aircraft have violated TFRs near Mar-a-Lago just since Trump took office a few weeks ago. Guillot placed the blame on pilots, claiming they are not doing their duty and keeping apprised of all notices to airmen, often referred to as NOTAMs, posted for the area, "as required by the FAA."

"Pilots, please check NOTAMs!" NORAD pleaded on X.

— (@)

The news of the apparent TFR violations near Mar-a-Lago comes on the heels of reports of an armed gunman shot by Secret Service agents near the White House early Sunday morning, when Trump was still in Florida. The suspect has been described as emotionally disturbed and possibly "suicidal."

Founded in 1958, NORAD is joint agency between the United States and Canada "charged with the missions of aerospace warning and aerospace control for North America," according to its website. The NORAD leadership team comprises high-ranking members of the U.S. and Royal Canadian Air Forces.

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