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‘I’m not an election denier’: Clayton, Trump’s DNI pick, faces tense questions on 2020 election

July 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump’s pick to serve as director of national intelligence, faced repeated questions from Democrats on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday about whether Joe Biden won the 2020 election — with Clayton saying Biden was certified as president, but stopped short of saying he won legitimately.

Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the committee, asked whether Clayton denied that Biden won the 2020 election.

“I’m not an election denier,” Clayton said. “Joe Biden was certified as the president of the United States.

Independent Sen. Angus King later asked Clayton pointedly: “Who won the 2020 election?”

Clayton danced around the answer multiple times — refusing to say outright that Biden won, while reiterating that he believes Biden was certified.

“He went through our processes, and Joe Biden became the president of the United States,” Clayton said.

King responded that “saying Joe Biden was certified is not an answer.”

Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff later said Clayton wasn’t being “honest or forthright” in his responses about Biden’s 2020 election victory.

“You refuse to answer a basic question about who won a presidential election. But you ask to lead America’s intelligence community,” Ossoff said. “Isn’t it humiliating to be unable to answer this question? To have to indulge the president’s delusions? We know, you know, everybody in this room knows the truthful answer to the question. Why can you not give it?”

Both Republicans and Democrats asked Clayton if he were involved in any way with Trump’s primetime address on Thursday that the president said will be a “very big announcement” that will touch on “free and fair elections.” The announcement is based on information he recently received from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence related to the 2020 election, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.

Clayton said he is “not involved in that,” affirming that doing so would violate that understanding that he would take no actions that would presume his confirmation as DNI.

Clayton did say that he thought there was room to improve elections and that he would like to work with the committee to do that.

Questions about subpoenas to journalists

Clayton also faced questions about the subpoenas he issued to several journalists at the New York Times last week after the news outlet reported on security concerns involving Trump’s new Qatari-donated Air Force One.

Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden questioned Clayton about the subpoenas he issued — as U.S. attorney in Manhattan — to the journalists, asking when he was directed to issue the subpoenas and who asked him to do so.

Clayton responded that the subpoenas are in connection with an “ongoing national security investigation” and reiterated that he respects the First Amendment and the role of the press. But he did not directly answer Wyden’s question.

“Those subpoenas are in connection with an ongoing national security investigation. I’m happy to talk to you and this committee about our approach to the First Amendment and our efforts in all cases to limit to the greatest extent possible, any intrusion into the operation of the free press,” Clayton said.

Clayton later added that he consulted with career prosecutors in his office before making the decision to issue the subpoeanas. He added that he is confident that the procedures in place to protect the First Amendment and journalists were followed.

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said the committee was “deeply concerned” with how the process played out, that it “doesn’t sound like the proper independent legal process that we would normally expect for issuance of a subpoena.”

Clayton said that while he understood her concerns, “I want to tell you, I am comfortable with where we are, and I’m comfortable with how we are proceeding from here.”

In a statement on Saturday, a Justice Department spokeswoman said that “reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are.”

Clayton, prior to his role as the U.S. attorney, was also the former chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Apart from the national security cases he oversaw while serving as U.S. attorney, Clayton also lacks experience in intelligence-gathering and national security matters.

Clayton spent the bulk of his career as a corporate attorney, and prior to his appointment as U.S. attorney last year, lacked meaningful experience in criminal matters.

Clayton will replace the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Trump loyalist Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence. Clayton’s hearing came weeks after the president abruptly canceled his previously scheduled confirmation hearing.

Asked about why his hearing was postponed, Clayton said he was “not going to get into private conversations.”

Pulte has been serving as the acting director since June 19. The former DNI, Tulsi Gabbard, announced her intention to resign from the role in May, citing a desire to step away from public service to support her husband following his cancer diagnosis. Gabbard ultimately left the role on June 18, days earlier than planned.

The committee is expected to vote on Clayton’s nomination to be the next DNI some time next week.

Blanche faces grilling on DOJ controversies as he seeks confirmation as AG

July 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday as he seeks confirmation to secure his role on a permanent basis.

Blanche is facing questions over a series of controversies from his time with the Justice Department, including the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and what he says is the now-defunct “Anti-Weaponization Fund” part of a settlement after President Donald Trump sued the Internal Revenue Service for $10 billion.

Formerly Trump’s defense attorney, Blanche faced a relatively smooth glide path to confirmation with unanimous Republican support last year when he was nominated to serve as the department’s No. 2 official.

Since Trump’s ouster of Pam Bondi as attorney general in April, Blanche has served in the position in an acting role and Trump formally nominated him in June.

“We are here today with the awesome responsibility of choosing the next attorney general of the United States of America. We’re here because there is a vacancy in the office. The president decided to fire the predecessor of Mr. Blanche after just 14 months on the job after courts and grand juries blocked her from prosecuting the president’s political opponents,” Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin said in his opening statement. “Seemingly, President Trump believes you, Mr. Blanche, will be more successful.”

Blanche’s road to confirmation is further complicated by the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, a veteran of the Judiciary Committee who was expected to be a strong advocate for Blanche with his GOP colleagues. Blanche will likely need the support of every Republican on the committee in order for his nomination to advance to the Senate floor, as all Democrats are expected to oppose him.

It’s not immediately clear when the full Senate would move for a vote on Blanche’s nomination if passed by the committee, though administration officials have said their goal would be for him to be confirmed before the August recess.

Blanche argued Wednesday that his leadership has restored trust that was lost under the previous administration when the Department of Justice prosecuted Trump and many of his supporters.

“In recent years, Americans watched the Justice Department turned against many of you and a former president, and it damaged the public’s faith in justice,” Blanche said. “We are fixing that. Members of this committee — on both sides — have fair questions about the hard debates of this past year, and I welcome them.”

Blanche defends handling of Epstein files
Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the committee, asked Blanche to give his response to allegations that he and other department officials deliberately mishandled the release of millions of files from the Justice Department’s past investigations of Epstein.

As he has in previous congressional testimony, Blanche acknowledged “mistakes” made in the process regarding failures to properly redact certain names of victims, which he said the department immediately sought to fix once they were notified.

“Whenever we learned that any victim’s name had been improperly non-redacted, we immediately took the document down and fixed it as soon as we could,” Blanche said. “That doesn’t excuse the mistakes of which I take full responsibility, but it does mean that we tried to fix them.”

Blanche also used his time to directly address victims of Epstein — several of whom were in the audience — telling them that the department would gladly meet with them and open new investigations of potential co-conspirators of Epstein if they came forth with evidence that would warrant it.

“If we learn today, if we learn next week, if we learn next month, that there’s an individual that we can investigate, indict and prosecute out of the Epstein files, you better believe it we will,” Blanche said.

Asked if he would notify the committee once such a meeting takes place with a victim of Epstein or their counsel, Blanche demurred — drawing a rebuke from Durbin.

“Well, you’re dancing on the head of a pin here,” Durbin said.

“I’m not dancing on any pin,” Blanche replied.

Blanche confirms “Anti-Weaponization Fund” is “dead”
For the first time under oath, Blanche confirmed in an exchange with Republican Sen. John Cornyn that the so-called “Anti-Weaponization Fund” is “dead.”

Cornyn, one of the key Republican votes that Blanche will need to make it out of committee, repeatedly pushed him with specific and detailed questions regarding both the fund and the immunity agreement that would exempt President Trump and his family from IRS audits of their past taxes — which Cornyn described as “unusual.”

Cornyn repeatedly noted that the original settlement that first established the fund has still yet to be formally rescinded.

While Blanche acknowledged that, he also said the Department of Justice would be fine with codifying in some way to assure senators the fund would not move forward.

“It is a moot issue, meaning there is no weaponization fund,” Blanche told lawmakers.

On Monday, a federal judge in Florida issued an extraordinary order that lambasted Trump and the Justice Department for misusing her court to legitimize a “settlement” that she says would never have survived judicial review.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, who had previously been assigned to oversee Trump’s IRS lawsuit, referred Trump’s attorneys for potential sanctions and separately sent her ruling to the State Bar of New York for consideration in potential disciplinary proceedings for Blanche — who Williams said had potentially given “misleading” testimony to Congress about how the settlement was executed.

Blanche, when asked during Wednesday’s hearing about Williams’ order, said he rejected her “insinuations” and said she had never given the Department of Justice a chance to respond in the case before issuing her order. Judge Williams noted in her order that while the department had 109 days to enter an appearance in the case, it never did so.

“I very much disagree with — with the judge’s insinuations about me, and we’re going to do what we can to make that right,” Blanche said.

Woman accused of killing man found in shallow grave still on the run

July 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A Florida woman is on the run as she faces a murder charge in the death of a man found in a shallow grave last month, according to police.

Isabelle Johnson, 38, has been charged with killing 43-year-old Jason Christopher Coulthart, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.

Coulthart was reported missing on May 24 after he was last seen leaving the College Condominiums complex in Florida, according to the sheriff’s office.

Unidentified remains were found on a Freeport, Florida, property on June 25 after investigators were able to identify where Coulthart’s body had been buried, according to the sheriff’s office.

On July 9, the sheriff’s office and the Niceville Police Department received DNA confirmation identifying the remains as Coulthart, according to the sheriff’s office.

Investigators have been searching for Johnson, who is wanted on an open count of murder and is believed to be “actively evading law enforcement,” according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office released a last known video of Johnson obtained from a business in Destin days after Coulthart’s remains were found.

Five others have been charged and arrested in connection with the murder, including two people who allegedly helped Johnson evade law enforcement after the alleged murder, the sheriff’s office said.

“Anyone found to have helped or is still assisting Isabelle Johnson avoid arrest will be charged accordingly,” Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson said in a statement Saturday.

“If you give her a place to stay, help her hide, or lie for her, you will face consequences. This is a homicide case. We will not allow anyone to get in the way of this investigation,” he said.

Johnson is described as a white female, approximately 5 feet 3 inches tall and 120 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes.

Johnson may be using multiple identities and is known to use several aliases, including Harley, Jessica Elaine Bowman, Jessica Elaine Thrush, Jessica Dowdy and others, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office said Johnson is considered dangerous and instructed the public not to approach her if she is spotted.

Anyone with information on Johnson’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Walton County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 892‑8111. Anonymous tips may be submitted through Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers at 850‑863‑TIPS (8477). A cash reward may be available for information leading to her location and arrest.

Kathy Ruemmler, former top lawyer at Goldman Sachs, calls Epstein ‘masterful liar’ in House probe

July 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Kathy Ruemmler, who once served as White House counsel for President Barack Obama and later worked as the top lawyer for investment bank Goldman Sachs, on Wednesday told House investigators that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was a “masterful liar,” according to a copy of her prepared remarks reviewed by ABC News.

Ruemmler is appearing Wednesday in a closed-door session with the House Oversight Committee in its ongoing probe of the government’s handling of the investigations into Epstein.

Ruemmler never represented Epstein as an attorney, though documents in the Epstein files suggested she frequently provided legal and public relations advice to him. When Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019, one of the first phone calls he made was to Ruemmler.

“If I knew then what I know now about who Epstein really was, I never would have accepted an initial meeting with him. It was a mistake to deal with him, and I regret it,” Ruemmler told the committee, according to her prepared remarks.

Ruemmler said she never saw any “evidence of ongoing criminal conduct or misconduct of any kind by Epstein” and would have reported him had she seen evidence of abuse. When he was indicted in 2019, Ruemmler said she was “shocked” by the allegations and cut ties with Epstein.

“I was shocked by the indictment, which alleged that Epstein had intentionally enticed and recruited minor girls to engage in sex acts with him in exchange for cash. Those horrific allegations — which covered conduct that had occurred almost 10 years before I met Epstein — contradicted what I had understood about the nature and scope of that prior conduct,” she said.

While she said she was aware of Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea to prostitution-related charges, Ruemmler said she trusted the plea deal was “a proportionate and final resolution of his criminal conduct. She added that the high-profile individuals who she thought were associated with Epstein suggested he was no longer engaging in criminal conduct, adding that he appeared to have “remorse, embarrassment, and regret for his conduct.”

“Epstein was a masterful liar, and he clearly lied to me. I can see now that he used me and other respectable people to legitimize his standing, and I know now that he often exaggerated his relationship with me to others,” she said, according to her prepared remarks. “I understand how frustrating and hurtful it must have been for anyone victimized by Epstein to see him going about his life without facing the type of accountability and consequences that he deserved. I am angry that he hurt so many people, and I regret ever having anything to do with him.”

Ruemmler faced renewed scrutiny over the relationship after the Department of Justice’s release of Epstein files earlier this year showed a trove of emails from 2014 to 2019 between her and Epstein.

In the emails to Epstein — who she occasionally referred to as “Uncle Jeffrey” and compared to an “older brother” — Ruemmler thanked him for lavish gifts, got advice about her career, and lambasted lawyers representing Epstein’s victims.

“Victim’s rights, my ass,” Ruemmler wrote in a February 2015 email about a case related to the Crime Victims’ Rights Act.

Amid the renewed scrutiny, Ruemmler announced plans earlier this year to step down as Goldman Sachs’ chief legal officer and general counsel, and a spokesperson for the bank at the time said she “regrets ever knowing” Epstein.

In March, the House Oversight Committee sent letters to a group of individuals associated with Epstein — including Ruemmler, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, billionaire Leon Black, and others — to request they participate in transcribed interviews as part of their Epstein probe.

“Ms. Ruemmler welcomes the opportunity to appear before the Committee,” Jennifer Connelly, a spokeswoman for Ruemmler, said in a statement following the request. “At the time she interacted with Jeffrey Epstein, she was a practicing criminal defense attorney and shared a client with him. She has done nothing wrong and had no knowledge of any ongoing criminal activity on his part.”

Despite her initial plan to depart from Goldman Sachs by June, Ruemmler continues to advise the bank on its search for a new general counsel. During an interview Monday on CNBC, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said he is “really pleased” and “very grateful that she continues to help the firm.”

“Kathy stepped away because of the noise,” he said. “Kathy has agreed to act as an adviser and help us navigate through until a new general counsel is seated. We’re running a search. We’re deep into that search. We will seat a chief legal officer at some point, you know, in the near term. And once that person is seated, Kathy will move on and do other things.”

Trump overturns temporary pause on ICE traffic stops: Source

July 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump has overturned the temporary pause on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement traffic stops, according to a source familiar with the discussion, allowing the traffic stops to resume.

This comes after Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin gave the directive to halt the traffic stops, a law enforcement source told ABC News on Tuesday.

In an email sent to ICE deportation officers, a senior ICE official wrote that the vehicle stops were paused “immediately,” according to the email reviewed by ABC News.

“All personnel are instructed to prioritize other existing operational methods, outside of vehicle stops, to conduct immigration enforcement activities,” the official wrote.

Multiple sources said the pause was temporary and that ICE officers would receive new training on vehicle stops.

Additionally, one source said that ICE officers can conduct some vehicle stops during the pause but only in the presence of a local law enforcement officer trained to make vehicle stops that partners with ICE under the agency’s 287(g) program.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told ABC News that the agency won’t “disclose or discuss law enforcement tactics,” but added that it’s “always evaluating our procedures to keep our officers safe and criminals off our streets.”

In an interview on Fox News, border czar Tom Homan confirmed the temporary pause and said DHS will review the past few incidents.

“It is not a policy change, it is a temporary pause,” Homan said. “Look – last couple of shootings, ICE leadership along with DHS wants to look at these last couple incidents and look, is there something that could have been done better? Is there any training that could be improved? Or simply is ICE doing their job and bad things happen when people don’t comply with law enforcement officers? I think it going to be a short pause and I am confident that ICE is well trained in vehicle stops and you’re going to see us keep moving forward.”

On Monday, 26-year-old Joan Sebastian Guerrero was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Biddeford, Maine, after agents tried to stop the car he was driving, according to Sen. Angus King, I-Maine.

Guerrero, a Colombian national, was not the target of the operation and ICE agents had been given a final order for another man they were targeting to be removed from the U.S., King told ABC News.

An ICE spokesperson said that the agency was “conducting targeted surveillance on the last known address of an illegal alien with a final order of removal,” and when an “illegal alien departed the residence in a vehicle,” ICE agents “attempted to conduct a vehicle stop.”

“The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and fearing for public safety an officer discharged his weapon,” ICE said.

The Maine Attorney General’s Office said “the suspect attempted to flee in the vehicle in the direction of the officer and was fatally shot.”

Witness Daniel Boucher told ABC News that he watched agents pull the shooting victim from his car and put him on the ground.

“I heard the young man say, ‘I tried to stop.’ I clearly heard him say that,” said Boucher, adding that he overheard one of the ICE agents allegedly say the driver tried to run him over.

4-year-old shoots, kills 2-year-old with gun left unsecured in car: Sheriff

July 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(KISSIMMEE, Fla.) — A 4-year-old boy shot and killed a 2-year-old boy with a gun that was left unsecured in a car, according to authorities in Florida.

Officers responded Sunday afternoon to a home in Kissimmee where they found a 2-year-old boy with a gunshot wound, Osceola County Sheriff Chris Blackmon said at a news conference. The little boy was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, the sheriff said.

The two children were alone in the car when the 4-year-old found an unsecured gun and discharged it, striking the 2-year-old, the sheriff said.

The gun was “literally in the open,” Blackmon said.

“I would think if it’s in a holster, maybe make it harder for the child to manipulate, as well, but it’s literally laying out by itself. So it’s easy to grab, and you pull the trigger. And you can’t recall that, it’s not a video game,” Blackmon said.

The sheriff described the two boys as relatives but not siblings.

“The family had just arrived and was visiting here from Georgia” for vacation, Blackmon said.

The investigation is ongoing, the sheriff said, noting that charges are likely. Prosecutors said on Wednesday, “Because this is an active and ongoing investigation, we have no information to release at this time.”

ABC News’ Aidan Gellert contributed to this report.

Dr. Erica Schwartz appears before Senate committee for confirmation hearing as next CDC director

July 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — A confirmation hearing began on Wednesday for Dr. Erica Schwartz to be the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Schwartz, a formal deputy surgeon general, was nominated by President Donald Trump in April. Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social, describing Schwartz as “incredibly talented.”

Schwartz is the fourth person named or nominated as head of the CDC since last summer. If confirmed by the Senate, Schwartz will replace Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, who took over as acting CDC director in February.

Schwartz earned a medical degree from Brown University and served in the U.S. Navy until 2005.

She served in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, as the Coast Guard Chief Medical Officer and as Deputy Surgeon General from 2019 to early 2021, during the first Trump administration.

“I was very pleased to see Dr. Schwartz nominated to be the next director of the CDC,” Dr. Richard Besser, former acting director of the CDC during the Obama administration, told ABC News. “What struck me is how refreshing it felt to see someone nominated for this job who actually has deep experience in public health and has the credentials necessary to lead a complex public health organization.”

Besser expressed concern about whether Schwartz, if confirmed, will have the independence from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to make public health recommendations, referencing a previous CDC director: Susan Monarez.

Monarez was confirmed as CDC director in July 2025, but she held the post for less than a month. Monarez was fired by Kennedy for reportedly not rubber-stamping the health secretary’s vaccine agenda or firing high-ranking CDC leaders whom he opposed.

The turmoil led to both Kennedy and Monarez appearing in front of Senate committees to address the ousting.

At a Senate hearing, Kennedy denied telling Monarez to accept vaccine recommendations without scientific evidence and claimed she was fired in part because she told him she was untrustworthy.

Besser said he expects that Schwartz will be asked by members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) about her perspectives on vaccinations, the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the rise of measles in the U.S.

“Those are some of the critical areas I think she’ll be asked about. There are so many other areas that are of concern to those who have relied on the CDC to prevent illness and promote health,” he said.

Sean Kaufman is also appearing before the Senate HELP Committee for his confirmation hearing on Wednesday. Kaufman was nominated to lead the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, which was recently absorbed under CDC as part of an HHS reorganization in 2025.

Kaufman has claimed without evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine caused “excessive death and injury … in the United States and globally.” Health officials have said COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective following clinical trials that involved tens of thousands of people and have since helped save millions of lives.

“What concerns me about Mr. Kaufman is that he has expressed very strong anti-vaccine views, and the ASPR is responsible for the strategic national stockpile,” Besser said. “So, I hope that the committee asks him questions to fully understand the approach that he would take in that role.”

Canadian wildfire smoke descends on US, spreading from Great Lakes to New England

July 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — More than 830 wildfires were burning on Wednesday in Canada, along with more than a dozen in northern Minnesota, near the border, growing with little or no containment and forcing mandatory evacuations.

Some of the largest wildfires are burning in west-central Ontario, and those fires are burning through thick forests, releasing an incredible amount of smoke.

The wind is now directing that very heavy smoke into America, creating dangerous air quality for millions across the upper Midwest and Northeast on Wednesday and through the end of the week

Rain on Friday over the upper Midwest and on Saturday for the Northeast should help disperse smoke.

Very heavy smoke is over Duluth, Minnesota, and Marquette, Michigan, on Wednesday morning, and extreme smoke is over northern Wisconsin.

Some heavy smoke will move over New York State and New England by mid-morning, potentially reaching New York City to Boston by 2 p.m. ET.

By sunset on Wednesday, very heavy smoke may reach from Buffalo to New York City and Philadelphia — streaming through Green Bay, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Detroit and Toronto.

Conditions in New York City are not expected to be as intense as they were in June 2023.

Hazy skies are expected and air quality will likely become unhealthy.

Conditions could, however, be that bad — Mars-like and smelling like a campfire — and some of the worst air quality in the world, on Thursday from Duluth to Green Bay and Marquette through much of northern Michigan.

Cleveland, Columbus, Baltimore and D.C. will likely see heavy smoke on Thursday.

The smoke will be serious for millions and may reach a dangerous level for everyone — not just those with respiratory issues.

Air quality alerts are in place from Minnesota to New York City, including the entire states of Wisconsin and Michigan.

Dr. Erica Schwartz to appear before Senate committee for confirmation hearing as next CDC director

July 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Dr. Erica Schwartz is set to appear before a Senate committee on Wednesday for her confirmation hearing as the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Schwartz, a formal deputy surgeon general, was nominated by President Donald Trump in April. Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social, describing Schwartz as “incredibly talented.”

Schwartz earned a medical degree from Brown University and served in the U.S. Navy until 2005.

She served in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, as the Coast Guard Chief Medical Officer and as Deputy Surgeon General from 2019 to early 2021, during the first Trump administration.

The turmoil led to both Kennedy and Monarez appearing in front of Senate committees to address the ousting.

At a Senate hearing, Kennedy denied telling Monarez to accept vaccine recommendations without scientific evidence and claimed she was fired in part because she told him she was untrustworthy.

Sean Kaufman will appear before the Senate HELP Committee for his confirmation hearing on Wednesday. Kaufman was nominated to lead the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, which was recently absorbed under CDC as part of an HHS reorganization in 2025.

US-UK ‘special relationship’ can survive spats with Trump, ex-British PM says

July 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — As Britain prepares for yet another prime ministerial change, a former holder of the office — Theresa May, who led the country from 2016 to 2019 — urged the country’s next leader to focus on shared U.S.-U.K. interests, rather than falling prey to potential personal or political clashes with President Donald Trump.

The U.K. Parliament is expected to anoint the Labour Party’s Andy Burnham as prime minister later this month. Burnham will become the seventh leader to take the reins of the country in 10 years, a reflection of the political and economic turbulence that has beset the country since the Brexit vote in 2016.

Burnham will replace current Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who last month said he would vacate his post following a collapse in support among Labour members of parliament, exacerbated by disastrous local election results in May. Starmer delivered Labour a historic majority in parliament in the 2024 general election, but saw his authority and approval rapidly deteriorate.

Like his predecessors, Burnham will need to juggle domestic discord while navigating a raft of foreign policy demands — among them the cultivation of the so-called “special relationship” between the U.K. and the U.S., which during President Donald Trump’s two terms in the White House has been subject to strategic, ideological and economic headwinds.

Trump has already described Burnham — who until recently was serving as the mayor of Greater Manchester — as “extremely liberal.” During Starmer’s time in office, the president has been scathing toward the prime minister’s policies in areas including energy, immigration, crime and foreign policy.
May, whose time in office overlapped with Trump’s first term, told ABC News last week that institutional transatlantic relationships and shared interests can help Starmer’s successors ease possible interpersonal tensions.

“Keir Starmer, actually, on the foreign policy field, by and large, played a good hand,” May told ABC News on the sidelines of the Chatham House think tank’s conference in London. The outgoing prime minister has been broadly praised for his deft handling of the transatlantic relationship, which included hosting a state visit for Trump to the U.K. in 2025.

Of the special relationship, May said, “We talk about it perhaps slightly more than the U.S. does. But that relationship is built on a whole set of different levels of relationships. So, it’s not just about the prime minister and the president. It’s also about our security relationships, our defense relationships … It’s not just about the two people at the top.”

The same is true of the U.K.’s own political issues, May said, as the nation prepares for the coronation of its next prime minister. “It’s not about individuals. Politics today generally across the globe has become more about individuals and personalities and I think that’s problematic,” she said.

“What matters to people is not the personality at the top. What matters to the people is what they’re doing, what their policies are,” May said.

The recent joint U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has again prompted Trump to strike out at America’s European allies, who refused to join the campaign in support of Washington though expressed willingness to aid security and minesweeping missions in the Strait of Hormuz once the conflict is over.

The U.K. was among the American allies who refusal to assist the U.S. against Iran “greatly disappointed me,” Trump said in March. Starmer’s response in particular, the president said, was “very disappointing.”

Asked whether the Iran war would prove to be a long-lasting blot on U.K.-U.S. relations, May said she was hesitant to comment as the conflict “is not finished.”

Still, she — like many other current and former European leaders — noted that European nations have previously shown their “commitment to the United States,” not least in rallying to the U.S. side after the 9/11 attacks; the only time in NATO history that an ally invoked the Article 5 collective defense clause.

When asked about Trump’s repeated suggestions that the U.S. should be less involved in European security, May replied, “There have been other times when there’s been more of that sense of isolationism,” specifically noting the later American entry into the Second World War in support of the U.K. and its allies.

“But I think, again, the interests that we have together are what combines us,” May said.

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