Dr. Mehmet Oz, the cardiothoracic surgeon and talk show host, announced this week that he’s officially running for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania as a Republican. Oz joins a crowded race to fill the open seat currently held by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), who is set to retire next year. In the past, Oz promoted the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19, advocated for the reopening of schools...
Supreme Court’s conservative justices sidestep facts in abortion case challenging Roe
On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, the case of Mississippi’s 15-week previability abortion ban. Press coverage seems to have almost unanimously concluded that the Court will take the opportunity to undo one of the central tenets of Roe v. Wade: fetal viability as a determinant of when an abortion can be legally performed. What...
Marco Rubio unilaterally steps in to block ‘must-pass’ military funding
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) unilaterally blocked an agreement to move forward with a must-pass defense bill on Wednesday, obstructing funding and a pay raise for the nation’s military. He is insisting on adding an unrelated amendment that Democrats say could kill the entire package. The Senate is considering the National Defense Authorization Act — the traditionally bipartisan bill passed...
Ron Johnson falsely claims COVID vaccine linked to ‘over 19,000 deaths’
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) on Wednesday falsely claimed that the COVID-19 vaccine had caused “over 19,000 deaths worldwide,” citing the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, a database of raw, unverified information. Johnson made the claim during an appearance on Fox News Radio’s “Brian Kilmeade Show.” “I’ve talked to the vaccine-injured. Vaccine...
West Virginians strongly back paid leave in Biden’s jobs bill, new poll finds
A new poll of West Virginia voters has found overwhelming support for the paid leave provisions in President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better jobs package, but both of the state’s U.S. senators have been trying to stop them from becoming law. The survey, released Tuesday by Paid Leave for All Action, an advocacy group pushing for paid leave policies, and Global Strategy Group, a national...
Republicans in Congress want to shut down the government over vaccine mandate
Some Republican members of Congress want to force a government shutdown to block President Joe Biden’s proposed COVID-19 vaccine and testing mandates for U.S. employers — while other GOP lawmakers have warned that forcing a shutdown could backfire on them. On Wednesday, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) told Politico he would not allow a quick vote on a continuing resolution to keep the government...
Fact check: Rand Paul falsely claims COVID-19 vaccine doesn’t work against variants
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on Monday falsely claimed that current vaccines against COVID-19 do not work on variants of the coronavirus and alleged that “Big Pharma” had a more effective vaccine “sitting on the shelf.” Paul made the allegation during an appearance on Newsmax’s “Spicer & Co.,” hosted by former Trump White House press secretary Sean Spicer...