<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/duke-university-hospital-denied-14-year-old-girl-kidney-transplant-over-covid-vaccine-family-says">Yulia Hicks</a>, a child who was reportedly denied a kidney transplant by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/duke-university-hospital-denied-14-year-old-girl-kidney-transplant-over-covid-vaccine-family-says">Duke Children’s Hospital</a> last year, underwent a successful, life-saving kidney transplant at ECUHealth Medical Center on Thursday.
The North Carolina-based hospital stepped up to help Yulia, who has a genetic kidney disorder that requires a transplant, after her family said last year that Duke was refusing to put the teen on its kidney wait-list because she is unvaccinated against COVID. Notably, the family says Yulia had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cdc-study-natural-immunity-beats-vax-against-delta-variant">already recovered from the virus</a>, but such information was unimportant to Duke Children’s Hospital.
Yulia was sent back for surgery at 7 p.m. on Thursday evening, and is currently recovering in the pediatric ICU, Yulia’s mother Chrissy Hicks told The Daily Wire in a phone interview on Friday. The teen&#8217;s surgery went extremely well and relatively quickly. Yulia is expected to leave the hospital on Monday or Tuesday.
&#8220;We found out Friday that we were gonna have surgery this week, and that was just, like, overwhelming because the blessings are just &#8212; it&#8217;s so overwhelming that everything worked out,&#8221; Chrissy told The Daily Wire. &#8220;You know, we had hoped that this would all happen, but then for it to actually happen &#8212; you&#8217;re like, oh my gosh, it really worked, you know?&#8221;
<div id="attachment_558773" style="width: 442px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-558773" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-558773 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/05/Resized_20230526_091607-432x576.jpeg" alt="Yulia Hicks" width="432" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/05/Resized_20230526_091607-432x576.jpeg 432w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/05/Resized_20230526_091607-225x300.jpeg 225w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/05/Resized_20230526_091607.jpeg 756w" sizes="(max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px" />Courtesy of Chrissy Hicks</div>
Yulia&#8217;s donor is a man from Kentucky, who has decided to remain anonymous. The family was told his initials are J.J.
&#8220;If it wasn&#8217;t for the media giving us attention, we would&#8217;ve never found her donor, because he came forward because he saw it in [online],&#8221; Chrissy said. &#8220;He wanted to just test and see if he was a match. We still don&#8217;t know his name, we just know he is from Kentucky and we know his initials are J.J., so he&#8217;s gonna forever be J.J. to us.&#8221;
Chrissy said around 40 people came forward looking to test if they were a match in the wake of conservative media bringing attention to Yulia&#8217;s case.
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The Hicks family asked for prayers for J.J. in an update posted to a <a href="https://www.givesendgo.com/kidneyforyulia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GiveSendGo</a> account for the family. &#8220;Please pray for his recovery. He is a hero,&#8221; it reads.
Chrissy told The Daily Wire that her family is working to get Yulia’s Law passed in North Carolina. The law would bar hospitals from denying people transplants based on their COVID vaccination status. Chrissy would like to see the law go national.
&#8220;It&#8217;s just about medical freedom is what it really comes down to,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And it&#8217;s not just about Yulia. Through this whole thing, we&#8217;ve had about 10 or 15 people contact us privately and we&#8217;ve been able to send them to hospitals that we know will take them without the vaccine. So it is not just about Yulia; it&#8217;s helping other people already and we&#8217;re hoping we can expand that even more.&#8221;
The family is also pursuing a lawsuit against Duke over the hospital allegedly denying Yulia a place on the transplant list over her COVID vaccination status.
&#8220;We are also still raising money for legal fees for our lawsuit against Duke,&#8221; the GiveSendGo account says. &#8220;What they did to our daughter was unconscionable.&#8221;
Chrissy praised the team at ECUHealth for their care and professionalism.
&#8220;We want to thank the entire team at ECUHealth for everything, especially Dr. Leeser, Dr. Romine, Cynthia Stone, and Allyson Ayers.&#8221; the crowdfunding page reads. &#8220;They are the most caring and professional team that we have encountered on this journey.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/duke-university-hospital-denied-14-year-old-girl-kidney-transplant-over-covid-vaccine-family-says">The Daily Wire</a> reported last year that a phone call, the recording of which was <a href="https://alexberenson.substack.com/p/duke-university-surgeons-are-refusing">obtained</a> by journalist Alex Berenson, reportedly revealed a Duke health official telling the Hicks family that Yulia must get vaccinated against COVID before she could become a candidate for the kidney transplant.
“I can’t require you to do anything. I can recommend these things, but if you don’t follow our recommendations, then Yulia can’t be a transplant candidate here,” the Duke Health kidney specialist reportedly said.
Throughout her interview with The Daily Wire, Chrissy repeatedly gushed over everyone who&#8217;s supported and prayed for Yulia.
&#8220;Thank you,&#8221; Chrissy said. &#8220;Just, thank you. We can never &#8212; &#8216;thank you&#8217; will never be enough. Please keep praying for Yulia&#8217;s recovery and for this angel who saved her, J.J.&#8221;
Chrissy extended an invitation for J.J. to reach out to the family if he ever wanted.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mother-of-unvaccinated-girl-denied-kidney-transplant-by-duke-shares-huge-update" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mother Of Unvaccinated Girl Denied Kidney Transplant By Duke Says Daughter Has Secured Kidney</a>

Hicks Family via GiveSendGo

Mother Speaks Out After Yulia Hicks Undergoes Kidney Transplant Despite Alleged Duke Rejection Over COVID Vax

Mother Speaks Out After Daughter Yulia Hicks Undergoes Kidney Transplant Despite Alleged Duke Rejection Over COVID Vax 

COVID

Duke University

Health

Money

North Carolina

Ozempic is all the rage these days.
The drug semaglutide, sold under the brand names Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, is an antidiabetic medication used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. But it also acts as an anti-obesity medication that can be used for long-term weight management and swift weight loss.
Celebrities jumped on board right away, including weight yo yo Oprah Winfrey. Others include comedian Chelsea Handler, &#8220;The Talk&#8221; host Sharon Osbourne, model Remi Bader and billionaire Elon Musk.
But new reports say the miracle drug brings along some disgusting side effects.
&#8220;I quite literally s*** myself while sleeping. That’s a first. Been tough few days of diarrhea after my first semaglutide injection,&#8221; FriendlyStyle6495 <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Semaglutide/comments/11vpdzk/sleep_shits/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on Reddit.
&#8220;I hate to admit this but you are not alone,&#8221; replied SubjectHonest3109XXX.
&#8220;I have the same issue every time I up the dose. Starts with sulphur burps then s***ting myself by 3am,&#8221; wrote AMRice2006.
jds2001 <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Semaglutide/comments/x16xqa/urgent_side_effects/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> a similar story on a different Reddit thread. &#8220;I was out taking a walk today, and felt I needed to go #2. Figured that I would wait until I got home (which was maybe 10 minutes away by foot) and it started becoming more and more urgent. Suddenly, it just&#8230;.came. Yep, I crapped myself in public,&#8221; the user wrote.
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The drug is injected once a week into the stomach, thigh or arm and works by helping the pancreas release insulin when blood sugar levels are high.
“Semaglutide is produced while we eat; it tells the brain that we are full,” Dr. Katherine H. Saunders, a New York City physician, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/05/24/ozempic-users-report-gross-side-effect-join-the-s-t-the-bed-club/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the New York Post. “It helps people to feel less hungry, to feel full faster, and to stay full longer — but it does so when we are actually less full.”
Other users have complained of the opposite effect: constipation.
“I haven’t pooped in 2 weeks and 2 days,” one user wrote on the Reddit thread. Another said they “couldn’t go for the life of me.”
Angela Adams, a 47-year-old nurse in Florida, told Insider that she didn&#8217;t have a bowel movement for <a href="https://www.insider.com/ozempic-wegovy-semaglutide-weight-loss-drug-side-effects-pooping-pants-2023-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than a week</a>. “It got to the point where it was kind of scary,” the nurse said. “My stomach was hurting, I was in pain.”
She took stool softeners and laxatives. Still nothing. &#8220;You just try to hit it from the top and hit from the bottom, and that&#8217;s when you end up getting in trouble: At some point, it&#8217;s gonna come out, and you don&#8217;t have lot [sic] choice as to when it does,&#8221; Adams said.
Then she joined the &#8220;s*** the bed&#8221; club.
Dr. Eric Goldstein, a gastroenterologist in New York City, told Insider that the reports are likely overblown on social media.
&#8220;What this illustrates is any medication, even when used appropriately, may have other changes or side effects that need to be monitored by the patient and the doctor,&#8221; he said.
He also said the sudden diarrhea may come after trying to correct constipation, dubbing it a &#8220;dam-breaking phenomenon, which is what you’d expect from taking a ton of laxatives.&#8221;
Either way, one Ozempic user says they just don&#8217;t take chances. &#8220;My advice to all is DO NOT I repeat DO NOT FIRE any WARNING SHOTS!! I head to the bathroom for every little toot … just in case,&#8221; the user wrote on Reddit.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

Semaglutide pill, conceptual image

Users Say Ozempic Causing One Really Gross Side Effect

Drugs

U.S.

Superstar <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fans-react-to-celine-dion-being-snubbed-by-rolling-stone-for-200-greatest-singers-list-a-crime-against-humanity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Celine Dion</a> announced Friday that the rest of her &#8220;Courage World Tour&#8221; has been canceled due to complications related to her neurological disorder, but vowed she&#8217;s not &#8220;giving up.&#8221;
The 55-year-old singer posted a message on her <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CstKOQtAJhs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a> revealing that, with &#8220;tremendous disappointment,&#8221; she was canceling the tour due to health concerns after being diagnosed with Stiff-Person Syndrome (SPS).
&#8220;I&#8217;m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again,&#8221; Dion&#8217;s message read. &#8220;I&#8217;m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you&#8217;re 100%.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it breaks my heart, it&#8217;s best that we cancel everything now until I&#8217;m really ready to be back on stage again,&#8221; she added. &#8220;I want you all to know, I&#8217;m not giving up… and I can&#8217;t wait to see you again!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Celine Dion Cancels All Tour Dates Due to Rare Neurological Disorder <a href="https://t.co/EjlilSeihJ">https://t.co/EjlilSeihJ</a>
&mdash; Variety (@Variety) <a href="https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1662095443939975168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The tour included shows in France, Belgium, Denmark, Poland and the U.K. A statement on her <a href="https://www.celinedion.com/news-en/celine-dion-european-courage-world-tour-announces-cancellation-of-remaining-shows-in-2023-and-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> included a message that read, &#8220;We do have every hope that someday soon, Celine will be able to come to all of these cities in Europe to perform for her amazing fans, but that time simply is not now.&#8221;
The website also noted that those who bought tickets for the &#8220;forty-two cancelled dates&#8221; can receive a refund via the original point of sale.
In December, &#8220;The Power of Love&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/celine-dion-reveals-heartbreaking-news-about-her-health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hitmaker</a> revealed the heartbreaking news that she&#8217;s suffering from Stiff-Person Syndrome, a progressive disease that leaves its victims as &#8220;human statues&#8221; who cannot walk or talk, according to the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-12128259/Celine-Dion-CANCELS-World-Tour-amid-battle-neurological-disorder.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Mail</a>.
&#8220;Hello, everyone,&#8221; Dion said at the time. &#8220;I&#8217;m sorry it&#8217;s taken me so long to reach out to you. I miss you all so much and can&#8217;t wait to be on stage talking to you in person. As you know I&#8217;ve always been an open book and I wasn&#8217;t ready to say anything before but I&#8217;m ready now.&#8221;
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&#8220;I&#8217;ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time and it&#8217;s been really difficult for me to face my challenges and to talk about everything that I&#8217;ve been going through,&#8221; she added. &#8220;Recently I&#8217;ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the stiff-person syndrome which affects one in a million people.&#8221;
&#8220;For me to reach you again I have no choice but to concentrate on my health at this moment and I have hope that I&#8217;m on the road to recovery,&#8221; Dion continued. &#8220;This is my focus and I&#8217;m doing everything that I can to recuperate. I want to thank you so much for your wishes and love and support on my social media&#8230;&#8221;

Celine Dion Performs In Macau

‘I’m Not Giving Up’: Celine Dion Cancels Entire World Tour Amid Disorder Battle

'I'm Not Giving Up': Celine Dion Cancels Entire World Tour Amid Disorder Battle

Celebrities

Celine Dion

Entertainment

Music

A combination of physical therapy and neurological implants has restored a man’s control over his lower body after 12 years of paralysis.
Gert-Jan Oskam was living in China in 2011 when he was in a motorcycle accident that left him paralyzed from below his hips. Now, a combination of brain and spinal implants have acted as a &#8220;digital bridge,&#8221; bypassing damaged parts of his spinal cord to help him to stand and walk, even over steep inclines. 
At first, he was walking with the aid of a walker. However, the treatment also seems to have induced neurological recovery — more recently, Oskam has regained the ability to walk with crutches, even when the implant was turned off.
“For 12 years I’ve been trying to get back my feet,” Oskam <a href="https://dnyuz.com/2023/05/24/a-paralyzed-man-can-walk-naturally-again-with-brain-and-spine-implants/">said</a> in a press briefing on Tuesday. “Now I have learned how to walk normal, natural.”
The researchers who made the recovery possible outlined the technology behind the &#8220;digital bridge&#8221; and its limitations in a study published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06094-5">Nature</a>. The brain-spine interface (BSI), which wirelessly connects two implants in the sensorimotor cortex to the spinal implants, used machine learning to translate the electrical signals in Oskam’s brain to the desired movements and sent those signals over the damaged portions of the spine and down to the muscles in his legs.
“We’ve captured the thoughts of Gert-Jan, and translated these thoughts into a stimulation of the spinal cord to re-establish voluntary movement,” Dr. Grégoire Courtine, a spinal cord specialist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, and leader of the research team <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/24/science/paralysis-brain-implants-ai.html">told</a> the press on Tuesday.
The study noted that the BSI could be calibrated within minutes, used independently at home, and had proven reliable over the year. 
“However,” the study noted, “this recovery required wearable motion sensors to detect motor intentions from residual movements or compensatory strategies to initiate the preprogrammed stimulation sequences. Consequently, the control of walking was not perceived as completely natural. Moreover, the participants showed limited ability to adapt leg movements to changing terrain and volitional demands.”
There have been numerous advances in this field in the last few years — in 2016 another team led by Dr. Courtine was able to overcome paralysis to allow monkeys with damaged spinal cords to walk — the same year, another brain implant treatment was able to give a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/14/health/paralysis-limb-reanimation-brain-chip.html">quadriplegic </a>man limited control over one of his hands under laboratory conditions. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0649-2">Another</a> scientific team led by Courtine in 2018 was able to simulate brain signals using electrical-pulse generators to allow partially paralyzed people to walk and ride bicycles, and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35132264/">other procedures</a> in 2022 allowed patients to walk, swim and cycle within a day of treatment.
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The subtleties of some brain signals are still difficult to read, limiting the ability for finer movements, and the researchers do not believe that the technology as it stands now is well suited for treating upper body paralysis. The treatment also requires several invasive surgeries and extensive physical therapy.
That being said, Oskam can now move around his home, enter and exit cars, and stand, resulting in an increased quality of life. Oskam reportedly said that for the first time, he feels like he&#8217;s in control.
The research team is optimistic that further advances will make their treatments more widespread. 
“This is our true objective,” Dr. Courtine said, “to make this technology available across the world for all the patients who need it.”

Robot or human body enhancement concept. Artificial intelligence with face in abstract world

Neural Implants Help Paralyzed Man Walk Again

Artificial Intelligence

Science

Technology

World

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 89, is not OK. The California Democrat missed weeks of Senate votes after contracting shingles, and that led to Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which can cause facial paralysis and hearing loss. She also suffered encephalitis, which is swelling of the brain.
When she finally returned to work two months after holing up in her California mansion, Feinstein was in a wheelchair. But she and her staff claim she&#8217;s just fine — and they&#8217;re going to great lengths to mask her real state of health.
On Wednesday, a staff photographer for the Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/newsletter/2023-05-24/as-staff-shield-feinstein-from-the-press-a-picture-really-is-worth-a-thousand-words-essential-california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> that he was &#8220;shouted at&#8221; when he tried to photograph Feinstein.
&#8220;I photographed the senator as a staff member tried to hide her wheelchair behind a pillar at a low-profile exit last week. A Capitol Police officer shouted at me to move back — despite already being 30 feet away from the senator. Feinstein waved as she was escorted to a waiting vehicle,&#8221; photographer Kent Nishimura wrote.
The photographer also claimed Senate security is going to great lengths to protect Feinstein from the press.
&#8220;For two days in a row last week, the Senate sergeant-at-arms office has said her arrival at the Capitol ‘is closed press,’ shutting doors and using the Capitol police to chase journalists out of hallways and public spaces. This unprecedented act of restricting press freedom only raises more questions,&#8221; he said.
Nishimura wrote that since her return, Feinstein’s &#8220;staff’s efforts to protect&#8221; her from the media have &#8220;ratcheted up.&#8221;
&#8220;(H)er staff have used every trick in the book to stay out of sight and at a distance from the press,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;In committee meetings, her public remarks have been limited and she is always surrounded by staff. They also often form a human barrier between her and the press corps, with one staffer pushing her wheelchair while others shout at photographers to move out of the way.&#8221;
One member of her protective bubble is Nancy Corinne Prowda, the eldest daughter of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). &#8220;Since Feinstein returned to Washington, I’ve found myself regularly watching as Prowda runs interference and shields the senator from reporters, sometimes placing herself between them,&#8221; Nishimura wrote.
And her staff has figured out a way to keep the press from Feinstein. &#8220;These days, the senator is escorted on paths to and from the Senate chamber, where cameras aren’t allowed. POLITICO reported that her office requested that the Capitol Hill security apparatus keep the press as far from her as possible,&#8221; the Times photographer wrote.
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Feinstein’s office denied that it is shielding the senator from the media.
“Our office has not asked photographers to not take pictures of her in her wheelchair,” Feinstein spokesman Adam Russell said in a statement to The Times. “We did ask, and continue to ask for safety reasons, that photographers and reporters give her space, particularly when entering and exiting her vehicle.”
Feinstein&#8217;s mental acuity has been in question since she returned to the Senate. She gave a bizarre answer when asked by reporters about her lengthy absence and how her colleagues reacted upon her return.
&#8220;No, I haven&#8217;t been gone,&#8221; she said, Slate <a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/05/dianne-feinstein-health-return-to-senate.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. &#8220;You should follow the — I haven&#8217;t been gone, I&#8217;ve been working.&#8221;
One reporter asked whether she had been working from home. &#8220;No, I&#8217;ve been here. I&#8217;ve been voting,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Please, you either know or don&#8217;t know.&#8221;
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

Senator Feinstein Returns To Capitol Hill After Months-Long Absence

Feinstein’s Staff ‘Tried To Hide Her Wheelchair,’ Form ‘Human Barrier’ To Shield Her From Media: Report

Sen. Dianne Feinstein's Staff 'Tried To Hide Her Wheelchair,' Form 'Human Barrier’ To Shield Her From Media: Report

Congress

Dianne Feinstein

Los Angeles Times

Politics

Boxing legend Mike Tyson appears to have revealed the medical emergency that actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jamie-foxx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jamie Foxx</a> recently suffered that landed him in the hospital.
During a recent episode of the PBD Podcast, Tyson, 56, who has been friends with Foxx, 55, for decades, claimed that the “mystery” health emergency was a stroke.
&#8220;He’s not feeling well,&#8221; Tyson <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNeyzh4njt0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;They said a stroke. I have no idea what happened to him.&#8221;
The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/05/23/mike-tyson-reveals-jamie-foxxs-mystery-health-condition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the facility that Foxx has been receiving treatment at specializes in treating adults with “severe complex conditions,” including stroke recovery.
Foxx was hospitalized on April 12 for what was described at the time as being an undisclosed “medical complication,” according to an Instagram post shared by his actress daughter, Corinne.
Foxx suffered the emergency while in Atlanta shooting his newest film “Back In Action” with costars Cameron Diaz and Glenn Close. Some family members flew in from out of town to be with him shortly after the emergency happened.
“From the Foxx Family: We wanted to share that, my father, Jamie Foxx, experienced a medical complication yesterday,&#8221; Corinne Foxx wrote. &#8220;Luckily, due to quick action and great care, he is already on his way to recovery. We know how beloved he is and appreciate your prayers. The family asks for privacy during this time. Much love, The Foxx Family.”
No symptoms or possible diagnoses were mentioned in either Corinne’s post or any subsequent reporting — and no indication was given as to how long the “Any Given Sunday” actor might need to remain under a doctor’s care.
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Virginia Kruta contributed to this report.

Jamie Foxx

Mike Tyson Gives Details About Alleged Health Condition That Jamie Foxx Suffered: Report

Hollywood

Mike Tyson

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) appeared to have no recollection of her recent — and lengthy — <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/feinstein-returns-to-senate-in-wheelchair-needs-lighter-schedule" target="_blank" rel="noopener">absence</a> from Washington, D.C., during a recent interview, scolding a reporter who mentioned her time away and claiming that she had been &#8220;here, voting.&#8221;
Feinstein, 89, was absent from the Senate for nearly three months while she recovered from a bout with the shingles virus — and since her return, she has been using a wheelchair and has kept a more limited schedule than she did prior to her absence.
She had just voted against a measure that would have nullified some D.C. criminal justice reforms and was nearing the elevator in her wheelchair when a reporter approached her, according to a <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-05-16/feinstein-absence-senate-washington-health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> published Tuesday by the Los Angeles Times.
&#8220;Aren&#8217;t you an eager one?&#8221; Feinstein greeted the reporter.
The retiring senator — who announced earlier this year that she would not seek reelection in 2024 — mentioned a problem with one of her legs, but said that she had been feeling better. But when the reporter asked about her recent return to the Senate and whether her colleagues had offered much in the way of well-wishes, the interview took a turn.
&#8220;What have I heard about what?&#8221; Feinstein asked.
&#8220;About your return,&#8221; the reporter prompted.
&#8220;I haven’t been gone. You should &#8230; I haven’t been gone. I’ve been working,&#8221; Feinstein insisted.
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The reporter assumed that the California Senator meant she had been working from home, and said as much — but Feinstein insisted that she had not been gone at all.
&#8220;You’ve been working from home is what you’re saying?&#8221; the reporter attempted to clarify.
&#8220;No, I’ve been here. I’ve been voting. Please, either know or don’t know,&#8221; Feinstein said, and brought the interview to an abrupt close.
Feinstein, at 89, is the oldest member of the Senate — and even before her recent battle with shingles, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/colleagues-say-sen-feinstein-may-be-mentally-unfit-to-serve" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concerns had been raised</a> about her fitness to continue to serve in the deliberating body. Since she announced her diagnosis, those calls <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gop-senators-revolt-against-democrats-bid-to-replace-feinstein-on-judiciary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">grew louder</a> — especially amid concerns that the Senate Judiciary Committee could have trouble advancing President Joe Biden&#8217;s judicial nominees while they were missing a tie-breaking vote.

Senate Intelligence Cmte Holds Hearing For Nat’l Intelligence Director Nominee

Feinstein Doesn’t Recall Being Absent From The Senate. She Was Gone For 10 Weeks.

Feinstein Doesn't Recall Being Absent From The Senate. She Was Gone For 10 Weeks.

Reporters

Senate

Social media users lit up <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> on Tuesday following reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture was weighing a proposal that would ban providing chocolate milk for school kids in the cafeteria.
A headline tweeted by the <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/05/15/usda-weighs-ban-on-chocolate-milk-in-school-cafeterias/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post</a> read, &#8220;USDA weighs ban on chocolate milk in school cafeterias,&#8221; which the piece noted has already been adopted in major cities like San Francisco and Washington, D.C. The proposal would ban the product in elementary and middle school cafeterias across the country, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/got-chocolate-milk-kids-washington-might-take-it-away-in-schools-b4c9b29e?mod=hp_lead_pos2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported.
One official — Erica Lauren Kenney, a public health and nutrition professor at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health — told WSJ, &#8220;From a public-health perspective, it makes a lot of sense to try to limit the servings of these flavored milks because they do have quite a lot of added sugar.&#8221;
Opponents have questioned the ban and noted the ridiculousness of taking a &#8220;product that most kids like and that has nine essential nutrients in it and say, &#8216;You can&#8217;t drink this, you have to drink plain?’”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The USDA is weighing a ban on chocolate milk and other flavored milks in elementary and middle school cafeterias, but critics say it could lead to children drinking less milk <a href="https://t.co/l5ndRDuaN1">https://t.co/l5ndRDuaN1</a>
&mdash; The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/WSJ/status/1658079796448854017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Some on Twitter blew up over the proposal, suggesting that a ban might lead kids to drink less milk, and agreeing that by doing this, the feds may as well &#8220;just ban happiness.”
&#8220;Nanny State wants to suck all the fun out of life,” one person tweeted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Nanny State wants to suck all the fun out of life.
&quot;USDA Wants to Ban Chocolate Milk From Schools Due to Added Sugar&quot; <a href="https://t.co/jnK8orupuI">https://t.co/jnK8orupuI</a>
&mdash; Phineas Fahrquar (@irishspy) <a href="https://twitter.com/irishspy/status/1658473976182767616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Why don’t they serve the children cardboard?&#8221; another added.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Why don’t they serve the children cardboard?<a href="https://t.co/73jNzzpmZj">https://t.co/73jNzzpmZj</a>
&mdash; Legal Insurrection (@LegInsurrection) <a href="https://twitter.com/LegInsurrection/status/1658219955207262213?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Yeah… that is what is causing obesity,&#8221; a third person wrote. “A half pint of milk. Not the lack of movement or added sugar and deadly high fructose corn syrup and additives in everything they eat. Every school day should have at least two exercise periods.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Yeah… that is what is causing obesity. A half pint of milk. Not the lack of movement or added sugar and deadly high fructose corn syrup and additives in everything they eat. Every school day should have at least two exercise periods.<a href="https://t.co/gfgxccWCx8">https://t.co/gfgxccWCx8</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nypost</a>
&mdash; Steve McLaughlin (@SteveMcNY) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveMcNY/status/1658434095498645506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
While another person tweeted simply, &#8220;Just ban happiness, why don&#8217;t cha?&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Just ban happiness, why dontcha?
The USDA weighs a ban on chocolate milk and other flavored milks in elementary and middle school cafeterias, but critics say it could lead to children drinking less milk <a href="https://t.co/khb83rMWnO">https://t.co/khb83rMWnO</a>
&mdash; Tom Gardiner (@Thogar) <a href="https://twitter.com/Thogar/status/1658248892884963330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Another wrote, &#8220;Y’all won’t do s*** about gun violence towards schools… but you&#8217;ll ban the babies from drinking chocolate milk?! Gtfoh&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Y’all won’t do shit about gun violence towards schools… but you’ll ban the babies from drinking chocolate milk?! Gtfoh <a href="https://t.co/mBfxQoTNZc">https://t.co/mBfxQoTNZc</a>
&mdash; Magically_McCrazy (@jordynmccrazy12) <a href="https://twitter.com/jordynmccrazy12/status/1658514295863246857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Finally, another noted the hypocrisy of a ban on &#8220;chocolate milk in schools but not all the overly processed meat they serve? OK.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
They want to ban chocolate milk in schools but not all the overly processed meat they serve? OK.
&mdash; CURVE GOTTI (@ashleyanneb) <a href="https://twitter.com/ashleyanneb/status/1658442584887373828?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A decision on the proposal — which would impact some 30 million students — is expected by next year, and kids affected would be those in school by the 2025-26 school year, the outlet noted.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michelle-obama-takes-candy-away-babies-pardes-seleh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michelle Obama Takes Candy Away From Babies</a>

Chocolate Milk-1

‘Just Ban Happiness’: Twitter Destroys USDA Over School Chocolate Milk Ban Proposal

'Just Ban Happiness': Twitter Destroys USDA Over School Chocolate Milk Ban Proposal

Children

Education

Twitter

USDA

The director of an Oregon pediatric <a href="https://www.ohsu.edu/doernbecher/doernbecher-gender-services" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gender clinic</a> received thousands of dollars in 2018 from a pharmaceutical company that produces puberty blockers, data reviewed by The Daily Wire shows.
<a href="https://www.ohsu.edu/providers/kara-j-connelly-md">Kara Connelly</a>, the director of the <a href="https://www.ohsu.edu/doernbecher/doernbecher-gender-services">gender clinic</a> at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, has received at least $3,114 from Endo Pharmaceuticals, data from the United States government’s <a href="https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/physician/839798" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Open Payments</a> transparency program reveals. 
Connelly received the sum across nine separate payments for consulting, travel, and lodging. Overall, she received $2,110 for consulting, $815 for travel and lodging, and $189 for food and beverages. Each of these payments occurred in 2018, the most recent year for which data is available. 
Open Payments data reveals that Connelly was compensated for consulting services<a href="https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/payment/2018/General/605954205" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> directly related to Supprelin LA</a>, a product of Endo Pharmaceuticals that is used off-label as a puberty blocker. The Food and Drug Administration has <a href="https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/20636/Risk-of-pseudotumor-cerebri-added-to-labeling-for?autologincheck=redirected" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> that Supprelin LA, which has a <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/02/24/808049526/hormone-blocker-sticker-shock-kids-drug-costs-8-times-more-than-one-for-adults" target="_blank" rel="noopener">list price</a> of $37,000, may carry the risk of causing brain swelling and permanent vision loss. 
An analysis by <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/doctors-prescribe-more-of-a-drug-if-they-receive-money-from-a-pharma-company-tied-to-it/amp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ProPublica</a> found that “doctors who received payments linked to specific drugs prescribed more of those drugs.” The report went on to add that &#8220;On average, across all drugs, providers who received payments specifically tied to a drug prescribed it 58% more than providers who did not receive payments.&#8221;
Franny White, a senior media relations specialist at Oregon Health and Science University, defended Connelly in a statement, saying the collaboration was done in compliance with ethics guidelines and state and federal regulations.
&#8220;As part of its mission to ensure the health and well-being of all patients, Oregon Health &amp; Science University collaborates with a variety of external entities. External collaboration is done in accordance with OHSU’s strict ethical guidelines as well as federal and state regulations. OHSU pediatrician Kara Connelly, M.D., briefly served as a consultant for Endo Pharmaceuticals in 2018, and has not done so since that time,&#8221; White said in a statement to the Daily Wire.
&#8220;OHSU proudly offers gender-affirming health care to patients of all ages,&#8221; White continued, adding that the hospital&#8217;s medical transition of minors &#8220;follows established, evidence-based medical standards, and are offered through a thoughtful, multidisciplinary process that involves both patients and their support systems.&#8221;
Connelly did not respond to a request for comment.
The Doernbecher Children’s Hospital explains that it offers “<a href="https://www.ohsu.edu/doernbecher/doernbecher-gender-services" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pubertal suppression,</a>” which, citing WPATH, it says “gives adolescents time to explore their gender,&#8221; noting that “some teens may go on to transition with hormone therapy or surgery.&#8221;
The hospital even produced an informational <a href="https://www.ohsu.edu/sites/default/files/2020-12/Gender-Clinic-Puberty-Blockers-Handout.pdf">guide on puberty blockers</a>, which refers not to men and women or boys and girls, but “people with testicles” and “people with ovaries.” It also explains that some of the most commonly used puberty blockers are Supprelin LA from Endo Pharmaceuticals and Lupron Depot, from pharmaceutical company AbbVie. 
Meanwhile, Connelly’s <a href="https://www.ohsu.edu/providers/kara-j-connelly-md">profile</a> on the hospital’s website lists the Pediatric Endocrine Society (PES) under “memberships and associations.” PES touts AbbVie’s drug Lupron and Endo Pharmaceuticals’ drug Supprelin LA in its <a href="https://pedsendo.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Pubertal-Suppression-for-Youth-with-Gender-Dysphoria.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">guide to pubertal suppression</a>.
Connelly is just one of numerous children’s gender clinic directors who have <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/health/2022/08/12/puberty-blocker-manufacturers-fund-pro-trans-doctors-medical-associations-activist-organization/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">received funds</a> from pharmaceutical companies that produce puberty blockers. 
<a href="https://www.breitbart.com/health/2022/07/25/puberty-blocker-manufacturer-gave-money-director-boston-childrens-transgender-clinic/">Jeremi Carswell</a>, the director of the Boston Children’s Hospital Gender Multispecialty Clinic, is one such doctor. She received $2,110 from Endo Pharmaceuticals in 2018 for consulting related to Supprelin LA and a total of $3,055 from the company, according to<a href="https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/physician/1167412" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Open Payments data</a>.
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An <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-08381-001" target="_blank" rel="noopener">article</a> co-written by Carswell titled “Pubertal suppression for transgender youth and risk of suicidal ideation” had to be revised to note that Carswell “has received an advisory board stipend from Endo Pharmaceuticals.”
<a href="https://www.breitbart.com/health/2022/07/26/childrens-gender-clinic-founder-was-consultant-puberty-blocker-manufacturers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stephen Rosenthal</a>, the founder and director of the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital’s Child and Adolescent Gender Center as well as a former president of the Pediatric Endocrine Society, took a<a href="https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/physician/1004717" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> total of $16,637</a> from Endo Pharmaceuticals and AbbVie Pharmaceuticals between 2015 and 2018. 
Both<a href="https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/physician/183677" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Maja Marinkovic</a>, the <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/health/2022/07/26/puberty-blocker-company-paid-co-director-childrens-transgender-clinic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">co-director</a> of the Rady Children’s Hospital of San Diego Center for Gender-Affirming Care, and<a href="https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/physician/1251744" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Joshua Safer</a>, the <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/health/2022/07/28/puberty-blocker-manufacturer-paid-director-mount-sinai-transgender-clinic-consulting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive director</a> of the Mount Sinai Center for Transgender Surgery and Medicine, have taken thousands from Endo Pharmaceuticals for consulting services directly relating to the puberty-blocking drug.

Empty stretcher in a hospital with a Stethoscope

Oregon Child Transgender Clinic Director Took Thousands Of Dollars From Puberty Blocker Developer

Oregon Child Transgender Clinic Director Took Money From Puberty Blocker Developer

Big Pharma

Children's Health

Puberty blockers

Transgender

In the depths of 2020, many Americans couldn&#8217;t wait for the COVID vaccine to hit pharmacies.
Once they got their shot, some couldn&#8217;t wait for their first booster dose — or their second.
Now though, the pandemic has died down, and Americans are exhausted.
Most never bothered getting their second, third, fourth, or fifth boosters, despite <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/04/04/cdc-keeps-pushing-covid-boosters-on-kids-despite-health-risks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aggressive</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne4CfAglWmQ&amp;t=28s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">marketing</a> from the federal government. Those who did get four or five doses have inspired <a href="https://twitter.com/CryptoMo_/status/1473647681314729989" target="_blank" rel="noopener">memes</a> online — portrayed as fearful hypochondriacs still living in 2020 who fell for government propaganda.
Meanwhile, booster dose rates are nearing zero.
Only 16.9% of the U.S. population — about 56.1 million people — have received the updated bivalent booster dose, the latest version of the booster shot, <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations_vacc-people-booster-percent-pop5">according</a> to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Contrast that with the 69.5%, more than 230 million Americans, who got their initial COVID vaccine at some point. About 81.4% received at least one dose of the vaccine.
The CDC <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s1119-booster-shots.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> the first version of the booster dose for all adults in November, 2021. Ten months later in September, the updated bivalent booster targeting the Omicron variant <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/s0901-covid-19-booster.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">became</a> available.
By mid-October, a month and a half into the updated booster rollout, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/15/us/politics/covid-booster-shots.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only 15 million</a> doses of the new shots had been administered to about one in 10 eligible people.
Americans weren&#8217;t as excited as the government hoped they would be.
Most of the vaccinated people who didn&#8217;t get the updated booster shot said they either didn&#8217;t know they were eligible, didn&#8217;t know boosters were available, or believed they still had strong protection against infection, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7203a5.htm?s_cid=mm7203a5_w#suggestedcitation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a November CDC survey.
Shots of the updated booster dose peaked on Friday, October 14 when <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccination-trends" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than</a> 800,000 people across the country went to get their booster dose, according to the CDC&#8217;s tracker.
After that, though, the number of people getting boosters dropped precipitously in early November and has continued to sink since then. The last week of April saw a slight bump, but this month the numbers dropped even lower. According to the CDC, fewer than 8,000 people got a booster dose on May 9th.
Keep in mind, the CDC&#8217;s data only includes first booster doses. The numbers for subsequent boosters are even more dismal.
Enthusiasm for multiple COVID boosters was weak from the start.
By August, 2022, about 58.8 million people 50 or older had <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7135a4.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gotten</a> their original booster shot, but only 20 million had gotten their second booster dose, despite all of them being eligible. The people most likely to skip the second booster were blacks and Hispanics, people in rural areas, people aged 50 to 64, and people who got the Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine.
Currently, the CDC <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html#:~:text=You%20may%20get%20a%20Novavax,any%20other%20COVID%2D19%20vaccine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a> people ages six and up need only one updated booster, while people 65 and up can get a second booster. The agency recommends immunocompromised people get a booster dose every two months.
In other words, a healthy person does not need more than one booster, even by the CDC&#8217;s standards.
Nevertheless, a small <a href="https://twitter.com/Amy_Siskind/status/1567961245889839105" target="_blank" rel="noopener">but</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/richsignorelli/status/1568267364512276481" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vocal</a> group is eager to announce getting their third, fourth, or fifth booster shots on social media, even as serious COVID cases have fallen.
For the most part, however, Americans&#8217; vaccine fatigue does not show signs of letting up, especially as we get further away from 2020.
The national public health emergency around COVID officially expired on Thursday, May 11, more than three years after it began under the Trump administration. This means the government will now treat COVID as any other respiratory illness.
Unless millions of Americans have a sudden change of heart about the booster shot, the anemic tally of those who have taken it is unlikely to change.

Close-up of bottles of COVID-19 vaccine

Vaccine Fatigue: COVID Booster Numbers Are Pretty Sad These Days

COVID-19 Vaccine

Health Care

Pandemic

Readers Pass

Vaccine Mandate

Vaccines

A leftist activist organization teamed up with big pharma to push transgender ideology in American hospitals, a recent <a href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/how-left-wing-activist-group-teamed-up-with-big-pharma-to-push-radical-gender-ideology-on-american-hospitals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> revealed. 
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a leftist organization that supports transgenderism, created a <a href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/healthcare-equality-index" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scorecard</a>, called the “Healthcare Equality Index,” which measures “healthcare facilities&#8217; policies and practices related to the equity and inclusion of their LGBTQ+ patients, visitors and employees.” 
HRC goes on to add that “The HEI 2022 evaluates more than 2,200 healthcare facilities nationwide.” The <a href="https://reports.hrc.org/hei-2022?_ga=2.262789893.849845406.1684178905-454775251.1684178905#lgbtq-patient-and-community-engagement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> discussed a number of different factors, including hospitals’ approach to gender transition attempts and their support for “pro-equality legislation.”
“The Healthcare Equality Index 2022 asked participants a series of questions about LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices,” HRC noted. The report was split up into four criteria, including “Patient and Community Engagement” and “Employee Benefits and Policies,” which includes “Transgender-Inclusive Health Insurance.”
There’s also “Patient Services and Support,” which includes “LGBTQ+ Patient Services and Support” and “Transgender Patient Services and Support.”
A detailed <a href="https://hrc-prod-requests.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/HEI-2024-Scoring-Criteria-Tiers.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criteria list</a> also explains that, in order to receive a higher score, healthcare facilities should offer “certain transgender-specific clinical services” and should also have “an externally promoted multidisciplinary gender clinic for either adults and/or youth.”
A hospital can also lose points if it engages in an activity that HRC considers to be “discriminatory.” Both UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Health in Dallas lost points last year after they stopped administering puberty blockers to children experiencing gender dysphoria. The HRC <a href="https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/two-dallas-hospitals-receive-maximum-penalty-in-healthcare-equality-index-scores" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decried </a>the move as “discrimination against transgender youth.”
HRC notes that their Healthcare Equality Index “was funded in part by grants from PhRMA and Pfizer, Inc.” PhRMA, the Pharmaceutical Researcher and Manufacturers of America, is the <a href="https://phrma.org/en/About" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trade association</a> that “represents the nation’s leading biopharmaceutical research companies.”
Brian Newell, a spokesperson for PhRMA, said in a <a href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/how-left-wing-activist-group-teamed-up-with-big-pharma-to-push-radical-gender-ideology-on-american-hospitals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> that the trade association “was not involved in the development” of the scoring system, also adding &#8220;Our work with the [Human Rights Campaign] has primarily focused on issues impacting patient access and affordability, including for those with HIV.” 
Beth Rempe, who worked as a nurse at Washington DC’s Children’s National Hospital in 2019, explained how transgenderism was pushed at the institution. Rempe noted that doctors started to wear transgender pride flag pins while nurses began asking children their preferred pronouns.
Meanwhile, a mandatory training taught staff how to be “supportive and affirming in working with trans people.”
&#8220;I was concerned that I would eventually have to administer puberty blockers and hormones, not just use the pronouns,&#8221; Rempe <a href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/how-left-wing-activist-group-teamed-up-with-big-pharma-to-push-radical-gender-ideology-on-american-hospitals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remarked</a> before going on to add &#8220;I kept finding myself in situations I wasn’t comfortable with ethically.&#8221;

Black stethoscope on rainbow flag background, symbol of LGBT pride month  celebrate annual in June social, symbol of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, human rights and peace.

Leftist Activist Organization Allies With Big Pharma To Push Transgenderism In Hospitals

Medical

Senator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sherrod-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sherrod Brown</a> (D-OH) took hundreds of thousands of dollars from three drug companies at the center of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/opioid-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opioid epidemic</a> in the U.S.
According to FEC financial reports cited by the <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/05/05/ohio-democratic-senator-took-243k-from-opioid-giants-fec/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post</a>, Brown raked in more than $200,000 from political action committees associated with Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen since 2003. The three pharmaceutical giants paid out a $26 billion settlement to settle thousands of individual lawsuits from states and local governments. Ohio is also one of the states hardest hit by the opioid epidemic.
According to <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00264697&amp;committee_id=C00331694&amp;committee_id=C00690073&amp;contributor_name=C00108035&amp;contributor_name=C00332833&amp;contributor_name=C00400929" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FEC filings</a>, Brown took in a total of $144,500 in contributions to his campaign and leadership PAC, America Works PAC. He raised $85,000 from Cardinal Health, $56,500 from AmerisourceBergen, and $1,500 from McKesson. The latest donation was a $2,500 donation from Cardinal Health on September 21. The New York Post further reported that he took in $54,100 from lobbyists who worked for the three pharmaceutical distributors, including $5,600, the legal maximum, from a McKesson lobbyist in 2020 and again in 2021.
Separately, individual employees <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00264697&amp;committee_id=C00331694&amp;committee_id=C00690073&amp;contributor_employer=cardinal+health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">donated</a> another $40,025. Cardinal Health Chief Information Officer Mark MacNaughton was a frequent small-dollar donor. Former Cardinal Health CEO George S. Barrett donated a total of $15,400 between 2011 and 2019, all in large amounts. Theodore Frank of McKesson donated $1,000 to his 2018 campaign. Rita Ersfeld Norton of AmerisourceBergen gave him $1,000 in 2017.
Together, Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen account for 90% of the U.S. supply chains for drugs and medical supplies. But the companies have allegedly been complicit in the proliferation of opioids; the New York Post reported that for more than a decade, the three pharma giants failed to track suspicious orders or increases in opioid use among purchasers, in spite of doctors potentially criminally overprescribing the drugs.
The three companies, along with Johnson &amp; Johnson, settled a $26 billion lawsuit with 49 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and thousands of municipalities in February 2022. In a <a href="https://www.mckesson.com/About-McKesson/Newsroom/Press-Releases/2022/Distributors-Approve-Opioid-Settlement-Agreement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joint statement</a> in February, the three companies announced that, beginning on April 2, 2022, they would pay out more than $19.5 billion over the next 18 years: Amerisource is set to pay out $6.1 billion; Cardinal Health, $6 billion; and McKesson, $7.4 billion. The settlement dealt with 46 of the 49 states; Alabama, Oklahoma, and Washington State refused the settlement. West Virginia settled previously. The Cherokee Nation also settled separately, and the remaining Native Americans had reached an agreement in principle at the time.
The New York Post also reported that the Drug Enforcement Administration settled a $150 million payout for violating federal controlled substance laws in 2017, the largest penalty in the DEA&#8217;s history.
Ohio had an estimated 5,068 deaths from drug overdoses in 2021, the fifth-highest in the nation, according to the CDC&#8217;s <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Vital Statistics System</a>. The CDC reported 107,622 deaths from drug overdoses in 2021, the highest number on record, as The Daily Wire reported last year. The New York Times <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/record-number-of-americans-died-from-drug-overdoses-in-2021-cdc-data-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> at the time that synthetic opioids accounted for 71,000 deaths.
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In 2017, Brown himself <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSherrodBrown/status/922482085272674304" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> the opioid crisis “one of biggest public health emergencies in my lifetime [and] all too often addiction starts in [the] medicine cabinet.”
Brown is running for a fourth term in the Senate in 2024. But he faces an uphill battle in a state that is rapidly turning red: former President Trump won the state by eight points in 2020; Republican Senator J.D. Vance won the state by six points in 2022. So far, State Senator Matt Dolan and businessman Bernie Moreno have entered the Republican primary.

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Ohio Democrat Senator Took Thousands Of Dollars In Donations From Pharma Companies At Center Of Opioid Crisis

Ohio Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown Took Thousands Of Dollars In Donations From Pharma Companies At Center Of Opioid Crisis

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