After decades of investing in life science breakthroughs, from biotech platforms to diagnostic innovations, I’ve seen what’s possible when bold ideas meet real backing. I’ve also seen what happens when bureaucracy gets in the way. Nearly $52 billion flows through the National Institutes of Health each year — taxpayer money entrusted to one of the world’s most important engines of biomedical progress. It begs a tough question: Is the NIH delivering what it promises? In my opinion, not yet.
Discovery today moves faster than ever, but the NIH struggles to keep pace — not from lack of talent or mission, but because of outdated systems, fragmented structure, and a risk-averse culture. This isn’t a partisan issue. It’s not about dismantling anything. It’s about upgrading an essential institution to work the way science works: fast, open, collaborative, and accountable. Under Dr. Jay Bhattacharya’s leadership, with his courage and clear-eyed vision, we’re closer than ever to meaningful reform.
The NIH’s 27 institutes and centers often function in isolation, duplicating work and missing chances to collaborate. In 2024, $9 billion went to indirect costs like admin overhead — paperwork, not pipettes or Petri dishes. Rep. Cathy McMorris proposed streamlining to 15 centers, a plan that ought to be seriously considered. Merging overlapping fields, say, translational medicine and biomedical imaging, would sharpen focus and accelerate progress. It would help the NIH act like a modern, integrated organization, not a loose confederation of silos. Let scientists spend their time in the lab, not in grant-cycle purgatory.
<div id="attachment_946227" style="width: 879px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-946227" class="size-large wp-image-946227" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2214721636-869x576.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 12: National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya speaks alongside President Donald Trump during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on May 12, 2025, in Washington, DC. During the event, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at reducing the cost of prescription drugs and pharmaceuticals by 30% to 80%. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)" width="869" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2214721636-869x576.jpg 869w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2214721636-300x199.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2214721636-768x509.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2214721636.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 869px) 100vw, 869px" />Andrew Harnik/Getty Images</div>
Public funding comes with public accountability, and the NIH has work to do. Concerns over inadequate responses to research misconduct, opaque grant reviews, and questionable international ties — like those linked to risky pathogen studies — damage credibility and slow progress. What’s needed isn’t punishment but clarity. Reforms to tighten oversight, simplify peer review, and flag repeat issues will protect the science and the people behind it. The American public is generous in funding medical research. It’s time to be just as generous with the truth.
In my years as a venture capitalist, I’ve learned that real innovation comes from unexpected places — outsiders, first-time founders, scientists chasing questions no one else asks. But the NIH’s grant system favors the safe route, funding incremental research while visionary proposals, like a novel approach to Alzheimer’s, get passed over. Put more generalists and cross-disciplinary thinkers on peer review panels. Train reviewers to recognize high-risk/high-reward ideas. Carve out funding for newcomers applying for the first time. We can’t solve 21st-century problems if we’re afraid to back 21st-century thinkers.
The scientific landscape has changed — AI decodes protein structures, organ-on-chip tech replaces animal testing, wearables guide patient care. Yet the NIH uses tools and timelines built for another era. The new public access policy, requiring funded studies to be shared freely, is a good start. But modernizing how we evaluate, fund, and share research is overdue. AI-driven grant reviews and real-time data platforms could match the global pace of discovery. If we want to compete with China and Europe, we need to move faster.
Despite its massive budget, the NIH sends disproportionate funding to elite institutions. In 2023, half of all grants went to just 10 states. Great science can come from a fresh PhD in Idaho or a tenured lab in Iowa, but without grant caps, geographic diversity, and fair review standards, those ideas never get a shot. America doesn’t have a monopoly on good ideas. Let’s stop acting like it does.
Are all reform proposals perfect? No. They’ll need input from scientists, policymakers, and patients who count on the results. Ignoring the problem, though, is reckless. This isn’t about tearing down the NIH; it’s about retooling it for today’s challenges. I came to this country believing in what it stood for. I’ve backed companies that pushed the limits of healthcare. I believe American science is the best in the world, but it needs a system that doesn’t hold it back. Let’s build an NIH that earns trust, funds bold ideas, and turns the best thinking into real-world cures. It’s time we let science lead. 
* * *
Guy Paul Nohra is co-founder of Alta Partners, a leading Venture Capital firm in life sciences, funding over 150 companies in the healthcare/life sciences sector since 1996 through eight Venture Capital funds.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

HHS Secretary Kennedy Holds News Conference On Synthetic Dyes In Food Supply

Paperwork And Petri Dishes: It’s Time To Reform The NIH And Let Science Lead

Paperwork And Petri Dishes: It's Time To Reform The NIH And Let Science Lead

Federal Government

Health

Health Care

Jay Bhattacharya

Medical

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

New intel shows Iran’s nuclear capability is “severely damaged” – despite media reports and the Ayatollah’s claims. RFK Jr. pulls funding from a global vaccine group he says is ignoring the science. And New York is still reeling from a political earthquake after a self-styled socialist’s victory in the Democratic primary for mayor.
It’s Friday, June 27, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here: 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="The Ayatollah Speaks &amp; Vaccine Rules Rewritten | 6.27.25" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3UdM6mQTSZw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ayatollah-speaks-vaccine-rules-rewritten-6-27-25/id1576594336?i=1000714781787" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2>Iran Intel &amp; More Peace In Middle East</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-940129" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_00_21_19.Still001-9.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_00_21_19.Still001-9.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_00_21_19.Still001-9-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: New details have emerged on the severity of U.S. airstrikes on Iran, as the White House hints at new peace deals with Middle Eastern adversaries.
Ayatollah Khamenei hadn’t been seen or heard from since before Saturday, as he refrained from any electronic communication for fear of being targeted himself. But on Thursday, he released a video where he struck a defiant tone, declaring victory over the U.S. and Israel and threatening to “take action again” if necessary. Khamenei assured his people that the American strikes “were unable to do anything important” and that President Trump had “exaggerated” their effectiveness &#8212; those claims have been mirrored by some elements of the legacy media.
The war in Iran might have ended, but the fighting is still going on in Washington, with the White House going to battle with the media over the state of Iran’s nuclear program. Knocking out Iran’s nuclear program could end up being one of the president’s signature accomplishments, and he wants credit. Almost immediately after the strikes, which the president said totally obliterated the Iranian nuclear program, the media began reporting otherwise, saying the program had only been set back a few months. A leaked damage assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency reportedly claimed Iran could have their nuclear program up and running by the new year and that the three nuclear sites struck by the United States had potentially sustained only “moderate” damage. Democrats and the legacy media jumped on that report, saying it was proof the strike was actually a failure and that Trump was lying to the public.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://get.dailywire.com/freedom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/freedom/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">JULY 4 SALE: Get Six Months Of DW+ Free</a>
The White House is disputing this, saying the assessment in question was one of multiple preliminary estimates and that newer intelligence from the CIA and others has revealed the damage to be significantly more severe. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the press failed to report that the leaked document reported “low confidence” in its own assessment and had not been coordinated with the intelligence community more broadly.
&#8220;For people with common sense, everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on their targets,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “Complete and total destruction and obliteration.”
On Thursday, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, seemed to agree with the White House, saying Iran’s nuclear program “suffered enormous damage.” According to the agency’s director, “there’s a lot of debate about the degree of annihilation, total destruction, and so on. What I can tell you, and I think everyone agrees on this, is that very considerable damage has been done.”
The president has also suggested that other Middle Eastern countries might join the Abraham Accords and normalize relations with Israel in the coming days.
<h2>RFK Withdraws Funding For International Vaccine Organization</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-940131" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_01_22_04.Still002-2.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_01_22_04.Still002-2.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_01_22_04.Still002-2-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the United States is withdrawing funding for an international vaccine organization that he says has lost the public’s trust.
Gavi is a global vaccine alliance that works to provide vaccinations to low-income people worldwide. It was founded by Bill Gates, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the World Bank back in 2000. Gavi has received more than $8 billion from the U.S. government since 2001 and claims to have vaccinated more than one billion children, saving millions of lives. 
RFK Jr.&#8217;s assessment of the group was not entirely negative: he commended Gavi for some of its work – particularly for keeping medicine affordable – when he announced that the United States would halt its financial contributions until Gavi could prove itself to be science-focused and transparent. Kennedy also stated that Gavi helped censor dissenting voices during the COVID pandemic and “ignored the science.” 

“The World Health Organization and Gavi partnered together during the COVID-19 pandemic to recommend best practices for social media companies to silence dissenting views, to stifle free speech and legitimate questions during that period,” Kennedy said. “When vaccine safety issues have come before Gavi, Gavi has treated them not as a patient health problem, but as a public relations problem.”
Kennedy said Gavi must re-earn the public’s trust before the U.S. financial contribution continues. He advised Gavi to “consider the best science available, even when the science contradicts established paradigms.”
The Gates Foundation, in reaction to RFK Jr.’s remarks, has already pledged to give $1.6 billion over the next five years to support Gavi.
<h2>New York City&#8217;s New Frontrunner</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-940133" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_17_16.Still003-4.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_17_16.Still003-4.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_17_16.Still003-4-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani shocked New York – and many in the Democratic Party – by rising out of seemingly nowhere to win the city’s Democratic primary for mayor.
A left-wing New York assemblyman, Zohran Mamdani, 33, won an upset victory in the NYC Democratic primary against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, 67. Despite recent polling suggesting it would be a close race, Mamdani overperformed in the early returns with a decisive enough lead that Cuomo conceded within hours.
“Mamdani pulled it off by increasing the turnout among mostly white progressives,” Ryan Girdusky, host of the “It’s a Numbers Game” podcast, told The Daily Wire. “Cuomo&#8217;s turnout was not high enough among black voters. And at the same exact time, Mamdani&#8217;s voter turnout was absolutely like general election turnout. And that, along with being able to siphon off support from the Asian community &#8212; he had an immense amount of Asian outreach despite being against SATs. And the growing Muslim population certainly helped him. And then his last part of his coalition was he was able to splinter a sizable chunk of the Hispanic vote who do not live in the Bronx. He lost the Bronx terribly. But among other Hispanic communities, he did very, very well.”
Mamdani is a self-described socialist who has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/nyregion/mamdani-policies-stances.html">campaigned</a> on rent control, government-owned grocery stores, raising taxes on the top 1% of New Yorkers, and offering sanctuary to illegal aliens. He has also been highly critical of the state of Israel, which he has described as “an apartheid state” that committed “genocide” in the Gaza Strip.
While many prominent New Yorkers, from billionaire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/billionaire-pledges-to-bankroll-any-nyc-mayoral-candidate-who-can-beat-zohran-mamdani?author=Nathan+Gay&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Billionaire+Pledges+To+Bankroll+Any+NYC+Mayoral+Candidate+Who+Can+Beat+Zohran+Mamdani">Bill Ackman</a> to rapper <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/im-not-feeling-this-plan-nyc-native-50-cent-says-hell-put-up-six-figures-for-mamdani-to-go-away">50 Cent</a>, have come out against Mamdani since his victory, he remains the favorite to win the general election. While he is not likely to win a majority of voters, Mamdani will likely face off against three other candidates who are likely to split much of the conservative-to-moderate electorate: incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who chose to run as an independent this election after previously being elected as a Democrat, Cuomo, who despite losing the Democratic primary is also registered to run as a third-party candidate, and Republican Curtis Silwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels crime prevention group.
All three other candidates have their own baggage – Governor Cuomo resigned in disgrace after a sexual harassment scandal, Adams was accused of accepting bribes in a federal investigation that has since been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-judge-dismisses-corruption-case-against-nyc-mayor-eric-adams">dropped</a>, and Silwa, a former radio host and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/22/nyregion/curtis-sliwa-mayor-cats.html">eccentric</a> conservative, faces an uphill battle in a city that favored Democrats over Republicans by <a href="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/new-york-city/new-york-city-2024-election-vote-totals/5959798/">more than 2:1</a> in the last presidential election. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PTRLhkPIu0">Adams</a> and <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/06/26/us-news/defiant-gop-candidate-curtis-sliwa-insists-on-staying-in-nyc-mayoral-race/">Silwa</a> are currently set on staying in the race, while Cuomo is presently &#8220;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/andrew-cuomo-zohran-mamdani-nyc-mayor-primary-election/">weighing his options</a>.&#8221;
Girdusky told The Daily Wire that if one or more of the other candidates dropped out and allowed their supporters to coalesce, “they could probably beat him. I don&#8217;t know if anyone&#8217;s ego is small enough to allow that to happen.”

MRN 6.27.25 Thumbnail V1

Morning Brief: Ayatollah Downplays U.S. Strikes, RFK Cuts Funding For Vaccine Org, NYC Mayoral Race

Andrew Cuomo

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Eric Adams

Iran

Israel

Media

Morning Wire

New York City

Politics

Vaccines

Zohran Mamdani

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Wednesday that the United States would not donate to Gavi, a global vaccine alliance, unless and until the organization took steps to &#8220;re-earn the public&#8217;s trust.&#8221;
Kennedy&#8217;s criticism of the <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/25/rfk-vaccine-donations-gavi-00422705" target="_blank" rel="noopener">global body</a> was rooted primarily in its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he made that abundantly clear in a video he sent to the Gavi pledging summit – in which he accused the organization of silencing dissent over the highly controversial COVID vaccines and pushing them despite concerns about their safety, per <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/25/rfk-vaccine-donations-gavi-00422705">POLITICO</a>.
&#8220;When the science was inconvenient, Gavi ignored the science,&#8221; Kennedy said, arguing that if the United States was going to continue funding the organization, they would have to do better in the future. He also accused Gavi of coordinating with the World Health Organization (WHO) to &#8220;recommend best practices for social media companies to silence dissenting views, to stifle free speech and legitimate questions during that period.&#8221;
&#8220;I call on Gavi today to re-earn the public trust and to justify the $8 billion that America has provided in funding since 2001. And I’ll tell you how to start taking vaccine safety seriously: Consider the best science available, even when the science contradicts established paradigms,&#8221; Kennedy declared. &#8220;Until that happens, the United States won’t contribute more to Gavi.&#8221;
The pledging summit, which is being held in Brussels, hopes to raise $9 billion in funding for the next five years — 2026-2030, but the approximately $300 million the United States provides on an annual basis is what is in question.
&#8220;When vaccine safety issues have come before Gavi, Gavi has treated them not as a patient health problem, but as a public relations problem,&#8221; Kennedy said in his video presentation. &#8220;Business as usual is over, unaccountable and opaque policymaking is over. I invite all of you to join us in a new era of evidence-based medicine, old-standard science and integrity.&#8221;
Kennedy&#8217;s announcement follows earlier reports that suggested President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration planned to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/health/usaid-cuts-gavi-bird-flu.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cut funding</a> to Gavi — although they planned to continue funding key grants for things like natural disaster response, HIV, and tuberculosis medications.

RFK Jr. Nixes U.S. Funding For Vaccine Alliance Until It ‘Re-Earns The Public’s Trust’

RFK Jr. Nixes U.S. Funding For Vaccine Alliance Until It 'Re-Earns The Public's Trust'

Health and Human Services

World Health Organization

Trump pressures NATO to increase military spending after mediating the Iran-Israel truce. New Yorkers head to the polls &#8212; will they elect a socialist mayor? And, the United States&#8217; largest medical group doubles down on transgender treatments despite the data.
It’s Wednesday, June 25, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Trump Presses NATO &amp; NYC’s Mayoral Showdown | 6.25.25" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q-VN4KonSVM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trump-presses-nato-nycs-mayoral-showdown-6-25-25/id1576594336?i=1000714474660" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2>War &amp; Peace</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-938999" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_00_22_06.Still002-2.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_00_22_06.Still002-2.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_00_22_06.Still002-2-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: President Donald Trump headed to Europe on Tuesday for high-stakes NATO meetings after he brokered the tenuous ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
Leaders from all 32 members of the NATO alliance and some partner states are attending a two-day <a href="https://www.act.nato.int/activities/nato-summit/">summit</a> in the Netherlands to discuss defense policy and the broader strategy. President Trump’s main goal is to push NATO members to increase their defense budgets. Trump has long lamented that America is being taken advantage of by allies who benefit from our military without paying their fair share. At the moment, NATO members are expected to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense — Trump wants to raise that to 5%. According to Reuters, &#8220;All NATO members have backed a statement enshrining the target, although Spain declared it does not need to meet the goal and can meet its commitments by spending much less.&#8221;
This is also the first large gathering of world leaders since the president’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities on Saturday, and the subsequent ceasefire announced on Monday. On Tuesday morning, hours after the deal went into effect, Iran reportedly launched a series of missiles at Israel, prompting the Israelis to respond with strikes on a radar facility outside of Tehran. For a moment, it looked like the war was back on, but then Trump intervened. With Israeli planes reportedly en route to Iran, the president called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly with what the White House called an “exceptionally firm and direct” warning to abide by the ceasefire. 
Trump also made a <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/trump-i-need-israel-to-calm-down-do-not-drop-those-bombs-bring-your-pilots-home-now/">public appeal</a> on social media, writing, “ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!”
Shortly afterward, Netanyahu said he would refrain from further strikes.
While further escalation was avoided, Trump made it clear that he was unhappy with both Israel and Iran.
“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f*** they’re doing,” Trump <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/1937468807536169315">told</a> reporters bluntly. “[Iran is] not going to have enrichment and they&#8217;re not going to have a nuclear weapon. They&#8217;re going to get on to being a great trading nation.&#8221;
At the summit, Trump also <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2025-06-24/trump-nato-summit-iran-israel-putin">quipped</a> about ongoing tensions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched an invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and has been accused of slow-walking the peace negotiations with the United States. “Vladimir called me up – he said ‘do you need help with Iran?’ And I told him ‘I don’t need help with Iran, I need help with you.”
<h2>Cuomo Concedes NYC Primary To Socialist</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-939001" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_01_21_16.Still003-2.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_01_21_16.Still003-2.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_01_21_16.Still003-2-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: New Yorkers went to the polls on Tuesday to decide the Democratic candidate for mayor.
The New York City Mayoral Democratic Primary took place on Tuesday, and the former frontrunner has already conceded. With 92% of the vote in, Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani had a 7-point lead over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, although neither candidate secured a majority, and the official results won’t be tallied until next week. This kind of wait isn’t unusual — it took two weeks for this primary to be decided in 2021, in a large part because New York City uses <a href="https://vote.nyc/page/ranked-choice-voting">ranked-choice voting</a>.
In a ranked choice election, instead of picking one candidate, voters rank candidates in order of preference – if no candidate receives a majority in the first round, then the candidate who received the fewest votes is eliminated and their supporters&#8217; ballots are added to the tally of the candidate who was ranked as their next most preferred choice – the process continuing until one of the candidates has majority support.
There were 11 candidates on the ballot, but in the end, it came down to three: Andrew Cuomo, the former governor who resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct; New York City comptroller Brad Lander, who received the New York Times’ endorsement; and the apparent rising star of the race, Zohran Mamdani, an state assemblyman from Queens and vocal member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Lander and Mamdani made waves a few weeks ago when they endorsed each other, urging their supporters to put both of them in their top two and not to rank Cuomo.
“We both love New York City, and that’s why it’s so important to not send scandal-ridden, corrupt, Andrew Cuomo to City Hall,” Lander and Mamdani <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYH_zerPE3M">said</a> in a joint statement. “New Yorkers deserve so much better than a disgraced creep. … Brad and I are officially telling our supporters: rank me number one, rank him number two. Let’s send Andrew Cuomo back to the suburbs.”
Cuomo led the pack in almost every <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/polls/nyc-mayoral-primary-election-polls-2025.html">first-round poll</a>, but the most recent Emerson College survey suggested that Mamdani was only a few points behind and would actually beat Cuomo by 4 points in the final count. Despite conceding the Democratic primary, Cuomo is still free to run as a third-party candidate against Mamdani in the general election.
<h2>Trans Medicine &#8212; The Establishment Vs The Evidence</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-939003" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_17_13.Still004.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_17_13.Still004.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_17_13.Still004-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: The nation’s largest medical association is standing by its controversial guidance to promote transgender medical procedures for minors – despite mounting evidence against it and a landmark Supreme Court ruling.
The American Medical Association (AMA) released a statement signaling against the recent ruling in United States v. Skrmetti, which permits states to ban puberty blockers and other so-called gender-affirming procedures on minors – those procedures have been shown to be damaging and often irreversible. The new president of the AMA, <a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/bobby-mukkamala-sworn-ama-president-william-underwood-iii-chosen-president-elect">Dr. Bobby Mukkamala</a>, condemned the decision and said that “all patients deserve access to high-quality, evidence-based medical care.” He added that decisions about medical treatment “must be made through a shared decision-making process between the patient and their physician.”
The AMA has a significant influence in shaping policy and common medical practices – it has long supported trans procedures for minors. In 2023, it passed a resolution to commit to working with legislators to oppose policies that curb access to these treatments or prioritize parental rights. The resolution also promised collaboration with other organizations to “educate the Federation of State Medical Boards about the importance of gender-affirming care.” The AMA also enthusiastically supported Dr. Rachel Levine’s nomination as Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services during the Biden era. Notably, Levine – a man who identifies as a woman – is a proponent of many types of trans procedures for minors.
Other major players in the American medical establishment, including the <a href="https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/25340/AAP-reaffirms-gender-affirming-care-policy">American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)</a>, the <a href="https://www.endocrine.org/clinical-practice-guidelines/gender-dysphoria-gender-incongruence">Endocrine Society</a>, the American Psychiatric Association, the <a href="https://wpath.org/publications/soc8/">World Professional Association for Transgender Health</a>, the American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American College of Physicians are standing behind their position to support trans procedures for minors.
However, individual medical professionals speak out about this – and now organizations are forming that call for evidence-based medicine. One group called <a href="https://donoharmmedicine.org/gender-ideology/?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=20707841002&amp;gbraid=0AAAAAo-mml2sQ9TwnUgwBn1NT5HLq5klM&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwmenCBhA4EiwAtVjzmuvg61iE0bzkY3AdFxTDzjFXzrKJNEneUCsvx5AOfI8JSZ7LRQu5yxoCM_4QAvD_BwE">Do No Harm</a> has 16,000 members, and one of its stated goals is to “curtail the unscientific and individually harmful practice of so-called ‘gender affirming care.’” Another group, called the “Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine,” researches and questions trans procedures for minors. It promotes non-invasive approaches for gender confusion, like psychotherapy.
Since Trump took office, a number of hospitals have announced that they are curtailing or entirely stopping trans procedures for minors. During his second week in office, Trump signed an order saying that the United States would not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support gender transitions for children. Under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., HHS <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocr-rescission-february-20-2025-notice-guidance.pdf">rescinded</a> trans guidance from the Biden administration that promoted these procedures. An April memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi said the DOJ would look at prosecuting doctors for mutilating children under the guise of “trans care.”

MRN 6.25.25 Thumbnail V1

Morning Brief: NATO Commits To Defense Spike, NYC Picks A Socialist & ‘Experts’ Push Transing Kids

American Medical Association

Donald Trump

NATO

Rachel Levine

Transgender

The Trump administration will study the long-term effects on people of chemicals released after the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
Vice President JD Vance, who is from Ohio, joined Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and National Institutes of Health Director Jay Battacharya to announce the new initiative in a video posted to social media.
“I&#8217;ve been to East Palestine a number of times, and they&#8217;re very worried about, what are the long-term impacts of these chemicals in the water, in the air? What effect does it have on their kids and grandkids after 5 years, 10 years, 15 years of exposure?” said Vance.
“The crazy thing is, number one, we didn&#8217;t have a good answer to that question. Science had never actually tried to understand what the long-term exposure of these trace chemicals would do to people,” he continued. “And the second crazy thing is that as much as I tried as a United States senator to work with the Biden administration, they refused to do anything to actually study the effects of these long-term exposures on the people of East Palestine.”
After a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals derailed and dumped its cargo, residents, officials, and investigators who resided or worked close to the spill <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/half-of-u-s-investigators-fell-ill-while-studying-east-palestine-train-derailment-report">reported</a> having symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and dizziness. A controlled burn of the spill sent plumes of black smoke into the air, causing further concerns of what the smoke could do to nearby residents.
“The National Institutes of Health under my direction has launched a 5-year, $10 million research initiative to address health outcomes stemming from this calamity. This is the first large-scale, coordinated, multi-year federal study focused specifically on the long-term health impacts of the East Palestine disaster,” Kennedy said.
Bhattacharya added: “The purpose and goal of the NIH, the mission is to advance the health and well-being of the American people, and this is a concrete way that we&#8217;re going to do that. The NIH is working to ensure that the people of East Palestine and the surrounding communities are listened to, cared for, and they get the answers they deserve.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I&#39;m proud to announce with <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/NIHDirector_Jay?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NIHDirector_Jay</a> that the Trump Administration is launching a program to study long-term health effects of the chemical spill in East Palestine, OH and help residents access the care they need.
East Palestine, we will never forget you. <a href="https://t.co/zjJOnXZgoc">pic.twitter.com/zjJOnXZgoc</a>
&mdash; JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/1935740906533167510?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The East Palestine spill was a calamity for the roughly 5,000- strong community and exploded into national news. The accident inspired rancor against the Biden administration and then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Former President Joe Biden notably stayed away from East Palestine <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-to-visit-east-palestine-one-year-after-train-derailment-disaster">until</a> the one-year anniversary of the disaster.
President Donald Trump, who was campaigning for president at the time, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wednesday-afternoon-update-snow-storm-causes-travel-chaos-trump-brings-supplies-and-morale-to-ohio-vivek-ramaswamy-announces-presidential-run">visited</a> East Palestine within weeks of the disaster, bringing supplies to the reeling community.

Trump Admin Seeks Answers On Long-Term Risks Of East Palestine Train Derailment

Department of Health and Human Services

East Palestine

Executive

JD Vance

Ohio

U.S.

The new United States dietary guidelines, which are expected to be released this month, will remove the daily recommended limit for alcohol consumption.
The new guidelines, drafted by the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services,  “are expected to include a brief statement encouraging Americans to drink in moderation or limit alcohol intake due to associated health risks,” sources told <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-drop-guidance-limit-alcohol-one-or-two-drinks-per-day-sources-say-2025-06-18/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters</a>.
This marks a shift for the guidelines. Since 1990, the daily recommended limits have been no more than one drink for women and up to two drinks for men. It also signals a rebuke of the Biden administration, which took steps to drastically limit the amount of alcohol Americans consume.
In the last month of his term, Biden’s surgeon general expressed a desire to place cancer risk warnings on all alcohol products. Biden had also tapped a secretive board called the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking to revise the alcohol portion of the dietary guidelines.
Sources close to the committee — which contained multiple Canadian citizens —warned it was “close to adopting the World Health Organization’s 2023 <a href="https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/04-01-2023-no-level-of-alcohol-consumption-is-safe-for-our-health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declaration</a>: &#8216;No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health,&#8217;” as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/no-donald-trump-isnt-coming-for-your-tequila-but-kamala-might-be" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously reported</a> by The Daily Wire.
Dietary guidelines are published every five years. The current revision is being led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The intention behind making the change is “to ensure the guidelines reflect only the most robust evidence.”
“The scientific basis for recommending specific daily limits is limited,” one source commented.
The debate surrounding the potential benefits and harms of alcohol is still unsettled. Though some studies indicate an increased risk of <a href="https://ysph.yale.edu/news-article/the-link-between-alcohol-and-cancer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cancer</a>, others show that those who consume alcohol in moderation may have a <a href="https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2024/12/new-report-reviews-evidence-on-moderate-alcohol-consumption-and-health-impacts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lower mortality rate</a>, and possess a lower risk of heart attack and stroke.
Authors of a Harvard <a href="https://harvardpublichealth.org/policy-practice/is-alcohol-bad-for-you-or-is-alcohol-good-for-you-yes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">meta-study</a> concluded that “the data do not justify sweeping statements about the [negative] effects of moderate alcohol consumption on human health.”
&#8220;The hospitality industry has consistently maintained the view that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans should be determined based on a preponderance of sound scientific evidence, free from bias and conflicts of interest,&#8221; Science Over Bias, a coalition of groups involved in the alcohol industry, said in a statement. &#8220;Information on responsible alcohol consumption has been part of the Dietary Guidelines for decades and has provided useful guidance for consumers who choose to consume alcohol and their health care providers.&#8221;

Full Frame Shot Of Alcohol Bottles In Shelf

U.S. Dietary Guidelines Will Scrap Daily Alcohol Limit

Alcohol

Biden Administration

Surgeon General

USDA

Global coffeehouse chain Starbucks will be making changes to its menu to more align with the &#8220;Make America Healthy Again&#8221; agenda, according to the company&#8217;s CEO, Brian Niccol. 
Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in April he&#8217;s phasing out petroleum-based dyes and working with major food companies to voluntarily implement further MAHA changes.
Niccol met with RFK on Tuesday, according to a post from the secretary, and vowed to make the company&#8217;s menu healthier.
&#8220;Yesterday, I met with [Starbucks] CEO Brian Niccol, who shared the company’s plans to further MAHA its menu,&#8221; Kennedy posted to X on Wednesday.
&#8220;I was pleased to learn that Starbucks&#8217; food and beverages already avoid artificial dyes, artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and other additives,&#8221; he added.
Some Starbucks drinks, however, are known to have incredibly <a href="https://www.delish.com/food-news/a62639189/most-unhealthy-coffee-drinks/">large amounts of sugar</a> in them. A grande white chocolate mocha frappuccino, for example, contains <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/menu/product/420/hot/nutrition">46 grams of sugar</a>, while it&#8217;s <a href="https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sugar/how-much-sugar-is-too-much">recommended</a> that individuals consume no more than 25-36 grams of sugar per day, depending on one&#8217;s sex.
Kennedy did not elaborate further on the coming changes.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Yesterday, I met with <a href="https://twitter.com/Starbucks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Starbucks</a> CEO Brian Niccol, who shared the company’s plans to further MAHA its menu. I was pleased to learn that Starbucks&#8217; food and beverages already avoid artificial dyes, artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and other… <a href="https://t.co/F2O9wHpVFW">pic.twitter.com/F2O9wHpVFW</a>
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy/status/1935352690323652691?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
In addition to this vow from Starbucks, cereal company General Mills said this week it will remove artificial dyes from its products within the next two years. Specifically, artificial colors will be removed from all U.S. cereals and all K-12 school foods by the summer of 2026, Fox Business <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/general-mills-latest-us-food-giant-pulling-artificial-dyes-from-products">noted</a>. And by the end of 2027, General Mills plans to be rid of all synthetic colors from its full U.S. retail portfolio.
Moreover, earlier this week, food giant Kraft Heinz announced it will similarly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/another-maha-win-kraft-heinz-to-nix-all-artificial-dyes-in-two-years?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Another+MAHA+Win%3A+Kraft+Heinz+To+Nix+All+Artificial+Dyes+In+Two+Years">remove all artificial dyes</a> from its foods and beverages by the end of 2027, following pressure from Kennedy and his department.
Kraft Heinz said effectively immediately, no new products will contain such dyes, and all products for U.S. consumers will be synthetic dye-free in a couple years.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/another-maha-win-kraft-heinz-to-nix-all-artificial-dyes-in-two-years?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Another+MAHA+Win%3A+Kraft+Heinz+To+Nix+All+Artificial+Dyes+In+Two+Years">Another MAHA Win: Kraft Heinz To Nix All Artificial Dyes In Two Years</a>

Economy And Business In Poland

Starbucks Vows ‘MAHA’ Changes To Menu

Food

Starbucks

Food giant Kraft Heinz announced on Tuesday that it will remove all artificial dyes from its foods and beverages by the end of 2027, following pressure from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kraft Heinz said effectively immediately, no new products will contain such dyes, and all products for U.S. consumers will be synthetic dye-free in a couple years.
&#8220;The vast majority of our products use natural or no colors, and we’ve been on a journey to reduce our use of FD&amp;C colors across the remainder of our portfolio,&#8221; Kraft Heinz&#8217;s president of North America operations Pedro Navio <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/kraft-heinz-removing-all-artificial-dyes-from-us-products-end-2027">said</a> in a statement.
About 10% of Kraft Heinz products still contain artificial dyes, according to the company. Flagship products like Heinz Ketchup never had synthetic dyes, and artificial dyes were removed from the ever-popular Mac &amp; Cheese about a decade ago.
The shakeup will mostly affect products from some Kraft Heinz brands, including Crystal Light, Kool-Aid, and Jell-O brands.
Kennedy applauded the move on X, writing, &#8220;Just months after [HHS] and the [FDA] announced it will phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply, [Kraft Heinz] has committed to remove all artificial dyes from its foods by the end of 2027.&#8221;
&#8220;This voluntary step—phasing out harmful dyes in brands like Kool-Aid, Jell‑O, and Crystal Light—proves that when the government sets clear, science-based standards, the food industry listens and acts,&#8221; RFK added. &#8220;I urge more companies to follow this lead and put the well-being of American families first. Together, we will Make America Healthy Again.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Just months after <a href="https://twitter.com/HHSGov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HHSgov</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/US_FDA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@US_FDA</a> announced it will phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply, <a href="https://twitter.com/KraftHeinzCo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KraftHeinzCo</a> has committed to remove all artificial dyes from its foods by the end of 2027.
This voluntary step—phasing out harmful dyes in brands… <a href="https://t.co/SxRNh76QJB">pic.twitter.com/SxRNh76QJB</a>
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy/status/1935011928403071168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/major-food-companies-accelerate-maha-changes-to-recipes">Major food brands</a> have been adjusting their recipes to nix artificial dyes and preservatives since Kennedy was sworn in as HHS secretary. The momentum to implement &#8220;Make America Healthy Again&#8221; changes only hastened after RFK announced in April that he&#8217;s working with businesses to phase out all petroleum-based food dyes.
In May, for example, the CEOs of both PepsiCo and Tyson Foods said they&#8217;ll be ahead of schedule on ridding their products of such dyes. Ramon Laguarta, the head of PepsiCo, for example, said brands like Lay’s and Tostitos will be rid of artificial colors by the end of 2025.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/major-food-companies-accelerate-maha-changes-to-recipes">Major Food Companies Accelerate MAHA Changes To Recipes</a>

USA Grocery Products

Another MAHA Win: Kraft Heinz To Nix All Artificial Dyes In Two Years

Business

WASHINGTON—The Kennedy Center raised $10 million with Thursday evening&#8217;s premiere of &#8220;Les Misérables,&#8221; a star-studded event attended by President Donald Trump and several top government officials.
&#8220;We&#8217;re going to make it incredible,&#8221; Trump said of the Kennedy Center as he walked the red carpet with First Lady Melania Trump. &#8220;We have all the funding. We raised a lot tonight, and we&#8217;ll put in a lot of money to bring it back to the highest level.&#8221; Trump also noted that he and the First Lady &#8220;love Les Mis,&#8221; telling The Daily Wire it was impossible for him to choose a favorite song.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;I love Les Mis. We&#8217;ve seen it many times.&#8221;<a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@MaryMargOlohan</a> asks President Trump his thoughts on the iconic musical during the Kennedy Center’s production of &#8216;Les Misérables.&#8217; <a href="https://t.co/ijwkfeyOgA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pic.twitter.com/ijwkfeyOgA</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1933220763684778233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
&#8220;We raised a little more than $10 million, which is pretty remarkable,&#8221; Kennedy Center Executive Director Ric Grenell told reporters before noting that he hoped to raise even more money in the future. Grenell also said that the Kennedy Center is &#8220;an organization that needs the money right now,&#8221; a reference to the performing arts venue&#8217;s recent financial troubles.
The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-kennedy-center-is-40-million-in-debt-will-make-major-cuts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that The Kennedy Center was $40 million in debt, and that previous leadership had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-kennedy-center-is-40-million-in-debt-will-make-major-cuts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fabricated financials</a> in order to cover massive deficit spending. Grenell touched on the issue Thursday evening, saying &#8220;the people who understand finances know that you can&#8217;t pay staff with debt reserves and pretend like that&#8217;s the right thing to do.&#8221;
Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance also walked the red carpet, the former laughing when asked by The Daily Wire if California Governor Gavin Newsom was &#8220;trying to get arrested&#8221; by defying the White House in Los Angeles.
&#8220;I think probably,&#8221; Vance said. &#8220;It would probably help his 2028 Democratic primary prospects, and that&#8217;s all he seems to think about, is politics.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@MaryMargOlohan</a>: &#8220;Do you think that Gavin Newsom wants to be arrested?&#8221;<a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@JDVance</a>: &#8220;It would probably help his 2028 Democratic primary prospects&#8230; But I really would love for Gavin Newsom just to do his job.&#8221;<a href="https://t.co/VjWpxurJ92" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pic.twitter.com/VjWpxurJ92</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1933230705477300412?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
&#8220;But I really would love for Gavin Newsom just to do his job,&#8221; Vance added.
Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski demurred when asked about Newsom, but noted that &#8220;the last member of Congress who said she wanted to be arrested has now been indicted by a jury of her peers in New Jersey, I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s as much fun as they thought it was going to be,&#8221; a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-indicted-over-ice-facility-clash-faces-up-to-17-years-in-prison" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reference</a> to New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@MaryMargOlohan</a>: &#8220;Do you think [Newsom] wants to be arrested?<a href="https://twitter.com/CLewandowski_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@CLewandowski_</a>: &#8220;The last member of Congress who said she wanted to be arrested has now been indicted by a jury of her peers in New Jersey, I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s as much fun as they thought it was going to be.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/Un4nrbRp2w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pic.twitter.com/Un4nrbRp2w</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1933237944229507177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
Also in attendance were Attorney General Pam Bondi and Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Lindsey Graham (R-GA), who told The Daily Wire that his favorite song from the show was &#8220;the storming of the barricades,&#8221; likely a reference to &#8220;Do You Hear The People Sing?&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
RFK Jr. and Cheryl Hines are here. The HHS Secretary defends shutting down a major vaccine advisory committee, saying the panelists had financial conflicts of interest. <a href="https://t.co/mWPOEWE5Yh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pic.twitter.com/mWPOEWE5Yh</a>
— Tim Rice (@timerice1) <a href="https://twitter.com/timerice1/status/1932927307469234297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">June 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
Some audience members booed the president as he entered the theater, and members <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/several-les-mis-cast-members-045317078.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> chose not to perform in order to boycott Trump. Asked about the boycotts by a reporter on the red carpet, Trump was unfazed.
“I couldn’t care less,&#8221; the president said. &#8220;All I do is run the country well.&#8221;

President Trump Attends A Performance Of Les Misérables

Kennedy Center Raises $10 Million At Star-Studded ‘Les Miserables’ Premiere

Corey Lewandowski

The Kennedy Center

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has named eight people to serve on the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP), <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rfk-jr-guts-cdc-vaccine-panel-retiring-all-17-members?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=RFK+Jr.+Guts+CDC+Vaccine+Panel%2C+‘Retiring’+All+17+Members" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a highly influential vaccine panel he gutted</a> earlier in the week. 
The new members include Dr. Robert Malone, who worked on early research for mRNA vaccine technology and is a vocal critic of the mRNA COVID vaccines, as well as other medical experts who took dissenting positions from the medical establishment during the COVID pandemic.
Kennedy announced on X Wednesday evening that the eight new members are &#8220;highly credentialed scientists, leading public-health experts, and some of America’s most accomplished physicians.&#8221;
&#8220;All of these individuals are committed to evidence-based medicine, gold-standard science, and common sense,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They have each committed to demanding definitive safety and efficacy data before making any new vaccine recommendations.&#8221;
In addition to Malone, who&#8217;s the most well-known, the other members include Dr. Joseph R. Hibbeln, Martin Kulldorff, Retsef Levi, Dr. Cody Meissner, Dr. Michael A. Ross, Dr. James Pagano, and Vicky Pebsworth.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
On Monday, I took a major step towards restoring public trust in vaccines by reconstituting the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP). I retired the 17 current members of the committee. I’m now repopulating ACIP with the eight new members who will attend ACIP’s…
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy/status/1932899858920120692?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
Kennedy noted Malone&#8217;s work on mRNA vaccine technology, specifically his &#8220;foundational research in the late 1980s on lipid-mediated mRNA delivery, which laid the groundwork for later developments in mRNA-based therapeutics.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Thank you for the honor of serving my country in this way, <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a>. I will do my best to serve with unbiased objectivity and rigor. <a href="https://t.co/mO0a3eGcjb">https://t.co/mO0a3eGcjb</a>
— Robert W Malone, MD (@RWMaloneMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RWMaloneMD/status/1932901388360847477?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
Dr. Martin Kulldorff, another panelist, is an epidemiologist who co-authored the pandemic-era Great Barrington Declaration, which criticizes lockdown restrictions, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-cdc-vaccine-advisory-panel-names/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-cdc-vaccine-advisory-panel-names/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>. Additionally, Dr. Cody Meissner opposed COVID vaccine requirements for children and spoke out against masking them.
Kennedy said the new eight members will attend a scheduled ACIP meeting on June 25, which is set to discuss the COVID vaccine.
Explaining his reasoning for gutting the panel on Monday, Kennedy wrote in the Wall Street Journal that ACIP had lost the trust of the American people, effectively becoming a &#8220;rubber-stamp&#8221; for all vaccines while ignoring safety concerns and conflict of interest rules. 
RFK Jr. wrote that ACIP has “never recommended against a vaccine—even those which were later withdrawn for safety reasons,&#8221; adding that the panel “failed to scrutinize vaccine products given to babies and pregnant women.” 
ACIP is highly influential. The panel meets a few times a year and makes recommendations to the CDC, thereby basically setting the childhood vaccine schedule and other vaccine-related recommendations, like flu shots and COVID vaccines. ACIP also heavily influences which vaccines are covered by both public and private insurance.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rfk-jr-guts-cdc-vaccine-panel-retiring-all-17-members?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=RFK+Jr.+Guts+CDC+Vaccine+Panel%2C+‘Retiring’+All+17+Members" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RFK Jr. Guts CDC Vaccine Panel, ‘Retiring’ All 17 Members</a>

RFK Jr

RFK Jr. Names New Members To Vax Board, Including Critics Of COVID Measures

Covid vaccine

COVID-19

COVID-19 Vaccine

vaccine

California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom moves to block the Marines and National Guard as anti-ICE riots continue in Los Angeles. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ousts an entire vaccine advisory panel, saying they’ve lost the public’s trust. And college athletes will now get paid to play.
It’s Wednesday, June 11, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here: 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Riots Spread &amp; Vaccine Board Fired" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y1arnooNZK8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riots-spread-vaccine-board-fired-6-11-25/id1576594336?i=1000712407855" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
And here&#8217;s a quick programming note: You asked for it, so we’ve brought it back. Morning Wire’s Afternoon Update show is back – with a few slight tweaks. Look for Evening Wire in your podcast feeds on weekdays at 5 p.m. Eastern Time!
<h2>Anti-ICE Riots Spread</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-932549" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_00_21_19.Still001-2.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_00_21_19.Still001-2.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_00_21_19.Still001-2-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: As anti-ICE riots continue in L.A., more violent demonstrations have broken out in cities nationwide.
In the last day, we’ve seen the demonstrations spread. In San Francisco, for example, more than 150 people were arrested after a riot began outside of an ICE office, where cars and city buses were destroyed, storefronts vandalized, and police assaulted. In New York City, at least a dozen protesters were arrested outside Trump Tower after resisting police while attempting to shut down traffic. Anti-ICE organizers say they are planning demonstrations in Chicago, Austin, Dallas, Atlanta, and elsewhere.
But Los Angeles is still the epicenter of the unrest. A section of downtown is cleaning up after stores were looted and the area was vandalized, with a large Apple Store robbed by hundreds of rioters — we also saw jewelry and shoe stores looted as well.
&#8220;This is ridiculous,” one local business owner told <a href="https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1932473175679373387">NewsNation</a>. “This doesn&#8217;t look like they&#8217;re protesting for ICE or anything. &#8230; Just looting the stores.&#8221;
L.A.’s Democratic Mayor Karen Bass continued to downplay the riots, saying on Tuesday that the violence is only taking place in “several isolated streets in downtown Los Angeles. It is not even all of downtown Los Angeles.&#8221; Bass has made clear from the start that she places the blame on the Trump administration, which she says “provoked” unrest with their raids and threat of bringing in the National Guard. Bass has also said that the media has blown the situation out of proportion and that the LAPD has the situation under control.
However, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell <a href="https://x.com/TheChiefNerd/status/1931919309229392192">said</a> earlier this week that his force had been overwhelmed. “Tonight, we had individuals shooting commercial-grade fireworks at our officers. That can kill you. … We are overwhelmed as far as the number of people out there engaged in this activity. … There is no limit to what they are doing to our officers.&#8221;
President Trump has deployed 700 U.S. Marines and 4,000 members of the California National Guard to the area since the unrest began. Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump had a clear message for folks in the rest of the country: the ICE raids will continue, and if you riot, we will respond with force.
Democrats nationwide have continued to push back on Trump’s mobilizing of the National Guard and Marines, saying it is unnecessary and even fascist. Governor Newsom is suing the Trump administration, calling the mobilization of troops an “unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.” On Tuesday, he also filed an <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/newsom-files-emergency-motion-to-block-military-deployment-in-la/">emergency motion</a> requesting a restraining order to block the deployment of Guardsmen and Marines.
<h2>Vaccine Panel Gutted</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-932547" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_01_21_22.Still002-3.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_01_21_22.Still002-3.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_01_21_22.Still002-3-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired all members of a key vaccine advisory panel.
The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, known as ACIP, meets a few times a year and makes recommendations to the CDC; it basically sets the childhood vaccine schedule and makes other vaccine-related recommendations, like flu shots and COVID vaccines. ACIP also heavily influences which vaccines are covered by both public and private insurance.
On Monday, Kennedy announced that he’s “retired” all 17 members. In an op-ed submitted to The Wall Street Journal, Kennedy argued that ACIP had become a rubber stamp for all vaccines, and they weren’t appropriately diving into potential safety risks. He wrote that ACIP has “never recommended against a vaccine—even those which were later withdrawn for safety reasons,” adding that the panel “failed to scrutinize vaccine products given to babies and pregnant women.” Kennedy also highlighted conflicts of interest from ACIP and cited past investigation findings that said ACIP’s enforcement of conflict of interest rules was “weak to nonexistent” and said the panel didn’t offer transparency with their decision-making.
Thirteen of the 17 ACIP panelists were appointed by the Biden administration in 2024. Kennedy said that if he waited for them to serve out what is typically four years on the job, he wouldn&#8217;t be able to get a new panel until 2028, which is part of the reasoning for this swift “clean sweep.”
<h2>College Athletes&#8217; Pay Day</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-932545" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_18_04.Still003-2.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_18_04.Still003-2.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_18_04.Still003-2-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: College athletes can now be paid directly by their schools after a huge lawsuit was settled this week.
A new era has dawned in the world of college sports. Something that was illegal just a week ago – schools paying players – is now the law of the land.
A settlement in the case of House vs. NCAA, a class-action lawsuit which claimed the NCAA was illegally limiting the earning potential of college athletes, has been approved by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken. This agreement ends three separate antitrust lawsuits, and it means schools can now begin paying their athletes directly.
The first checks will be cut on July 1. The settlement doesn’t just affect current and future athletes. The NCAA will pay nearly $2.8 billion in back damages over the next 10 years to athletes who competed in college at any time from 2016 through the present day. The settlement comes with an annual cap, much like a salary cap in professional sports, that is expected to start at roughly $20.5 million per school in 2025-26. It will then increase every year during the decade-long deal. These new payments are in addition to scholarships and other benefits the athletes already receive.
It will be interesting to see how each athletic department allocates that $20.5 million between their various sports, and how each program will continue to incorporate NIL deals on top of the revenue-sharing payments.
“If you’re a fan of a group of 5 school, if you’re a fan of one of these middle schools, get ready for hard times,” sports commentator Paul Feinbaum said in response to the deal. &#8220;Women&#8217;s sports will be hurt, Olympic sports will be crushed, football wins, basketball — other than maybe the Big East — takes a slight back seat.”
NCAA President Charlie Baker was more optimistic and said he believes the settlement will help regulate what has been a very volatile market in college sports. “Opportunities to drive transformative change don&#8217;t come often to organizations like ours. It&#8217;s important we make the most of this one.”

MRN 6.11.25 Wed Thumbnail V1

Morning Brief: Anti-ICE Riots Spread, Vaccine Panel Gutted, & College Athletes Get A Big Payday

College sports

Gavin Newsom

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Karen Bass

Los Angeles

NCAA

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Monday that he’s gutting the panel that advises on vaccination safety and efficacy, arguing that it’s another step toward restoring public trust.
Kennedy, whose department has already made <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cdc-stops-pushing-covid-shots-for-healthy-pregnant-women-children-common-sense">several moves</a> to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hhs-investing-500-million-to-develop-universal-vaccines?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=HHS+Investing+%24500+Million+To+Develop+Universal+Vaccines">shake up</a> vaccination research and recommendations, said he’s “retiring” all 17 members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, known as ACIP.
“Today, we are taking a bold step in restoring public trust by totally reconstituting the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP),” RFK <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/rfk-jr-hhs-moves-to-restore-public-trust-in-vaccines-45495112" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal. “We are retiring the 17 current members of the committee, some of whom were last-minute appointees of the Biden administration.”
Kennedy said he had to remove these panel members or the Trump administration wouldn&#8217;t be able to appoint a majority of new members until 2028.
RFK Jr. suggested the panel effectively works as a rubber-stamp and is plagued with conflicts of interest.
ACIP, he highlighted, has never recommended against a vaccination it’s been asked to advise on, even vaccines that were later withdrawn for safety reasons. “It has failed to scrutinize vaccine products given to babies and pregnant women,” he wrote.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=wisepops&amp;utm_campaign=dad&amp;utm_content=fathersdaygiftpopups" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gift Dad an All Access Membership. Use code DAD40 at checkout to save 40%!</a>
“To make matters worse, the groups that inform ACIP meet behind closed doors, violating the legal and ethical principle of transparency crucial to maintaining public trust,” RFK said.
Kennedy cited a 2000 investigation that found enforcement of ACIP conflict-of-interest rules were “weak to nonexistent.”
“Committee members regularly participated in deliberations and advocated products in which they had a financial stake,” he wrote. “The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) issued conflict-of-interest waivers to every committee member.”
Citing a 2009 HHS inspector general report, Kennedy added that not all committee members completed full conflict-of-interest forms, and of the ones who did, it was found that 97% of the forms had omissions. Additionally, the CDC – which is the agency ACIP passes along its recommendations to – “took no significant action to remedy the omissions.”
“The public must know that unbiased science guides the recommendations from our health agencies,” Kennedy said. “This will ensure the American people receive the safest vaccines possible.&#8221;
As previously reported by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hhs-investing-500-million-to-develop-universal-vaccines?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=HHS+Investing+%24500+Million+To+Develop+Universal+Vaccines" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a>, HHS, under Kennedy&#8217;s leadership, is investing half a billion dollars into a project that seeks to develop universal vaccinations for numerous viruses, called &#8220;Generation Gold Standard.&#8221;
Moreover, the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kennedys-cdc-to-reportedly-study-potential-link-between-vaccines-and-autism?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Kennedy’s+CDC+To+Reportedly+Study+Potential+Link+Between+Vaccines+And+Autism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CDC is studying the sharp rise in autism rates</a>, which reportedly includes research on whether there&#8217;s any link between vaccinations and the rise in autism.
And, last month, the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cdc-stops-pushing-covid-shots-for-healthy-pregnant-women-children-common-sense">CDC rescinded guidance</a> that pregnant women and children should receive a vaccine against COVID. “I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that, as of today, the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule,” RFK said at the time.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cdc-stops-pushing-covid-shots-for-healthy-pregnant-women-children-common-sense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CDC Stops Pushing COVID Shots For Healthy Pregnant Women, Children: ‘Common Sense’</a>

RFK Jr. Guts CDC Vaccine Panel, ‘Retiring’ All 17 Members

COVID