Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired back at Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) in the early moments of what turned out to be a very contentious Capitol Hill hearing on Thursday, exclaiming at one point, &#8220;Do I get a reply?&#8221;
Throughout the Senate Finance Committee hearing, Kennedy fielded a number of pointed questions about recent shake-ups at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and his complete overhaul of the panel meant to make recommendations on vaccines — and numerous senators used their time to effectively offer their own testimony in place of his, routinely leaving him barely enough time to answer yes-or-no questions.
Wyden, after using some of his time to complain that Kennedy was &#8220;politicizing&#8221; the committee that recommends vaccines, accused him of compromising children&#8217;s health.
&#8220;[You&#8217;re] enacting an agenda that I think is fundamentally cruel and defies common sense,&#8221; Wyden claimed, before ceding the floor back to the committee chair.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 HOLY CRAP! RFK Jr. just absolutely EVISCERATED Democrat Senator Ron Wyden
&#8220;Senator, you&#8217;ve sat in that chair for how long? 20, 25 years? While the chronic disease in our children went up to 76%. And you said NOTHING. You never ASKED the question why it&#8217;s happening!&#8221;
🔥 <a href="https://t.co/kFDt8ErDS6">pic.twitter.com/kFDt8ErDS6</a>
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) <a href="https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/1963613460236816488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Do I get a reply?&#8221; Kennedy asked then, and after apparently getting the go-ahead to respond, he directed his comments at Wyden. &#8220;Senator, you&#8217;ve sat in that chair for how long? 20, 25 years? While the chronic disease in our children went up to 76%. And you said nothing. You never asked the question why it&#8217;s happening, why is this happening?&#8221;
&#8220;Today, for the first time in 20 years, we learned that infant mortality has increased in our country,&#8221; Kennedy continued. &#8220;It&#8217;s not because I came in here. It&#8217;s because of what happened during the Biden administration that we&#8217;re going to end.&#8221;

HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr Testifies At Senate Finance Hearing

‘Do I Get A Reply?’: Kennedy Steamrolls Democrat In Health Care Hearing Shouting Match

'Do I Get A Reply?': Kennedy Steamrolls Democrat In Health Care Hearing Shouting Match

Health

Health Care

Politics

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

vaccine

A new experimental vaccine has been developed that appears to be successful in preventing recurrences of the deadly colorectal and pancreatic cancers.
A <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-03876-4">study</a> led by the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, tested the ELI-002 2P vaccine on 25 patients previously treated for pancreatic and colorectal cancers.
The vaccine could “help prevent or delay cancer recurrence in high-risk patients whose tumors are driven by KRAS mutations, which are responsible for half of colorectal cancers and more than 90 percent of pancreatic cancers, researchers noted,” The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/5458487-new-vaccine-cancer-recurrence-research/">reported.</a>
The patients were tested a year after the vaccine had been administered, and the average relapse-free survival times were significantly greater than historical norms.
Oncologist Dr. Thomas Marron told <a href="https://www.wane.com/news/promising-vaccine-may-prevent-certain-cancers-from-returning/amp/">NewsNation</a> the results are “extremely promising. Pancreatic cancer and colon cancer are really terrible cancers, and oftentimes even if patients can have curative-intense surgery, unfortunately this cancer tends to come back as microscopic bits of the cancer have already spread. This vaccine is really about teaching patients’ immune system how to recognize and attack those tiny amounts of cancers so that they keep them from coming back, increasing the likelihood that we can cure patients with surgery and chemotherapy or radiation.”
“Vaccines are all about teaching your immune system to recognize and attack something foreign,” he continued. “Oftentimes we catch colon cancer early because of colonoscopies and sometimes we’ll catch pancreatic cancer early enough so we can do a surgery and cut it out but small amounts remain. So the vaccine is really about teaching your immune system what in the cancer is foreign, because cancer is foreign to our body, and teaching your immune system how to hunt down and  eliminate those tiny bits that remain, and that really increases the likelihood that patients go in remission, stay in remission.”
The vaccine induced “persistent T cell responses targeting oncogenic driver KRAS mutations, alongside personalized, tumor antigen-specific T cells,” the study found, adding, “Tumor-promoting driver mutations in KRAS occur in approximately 20–25% of human tumors, including colorectal cancer (CRC) (50%) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) (93%). Despite curative intent, relapses are common following standard locoregional therapy, particularly for resectable PDAC.”
“The long-term follow-up of the AMPLIFY-201 phase 1 study provides evidence that ELI-002 2P induces potent, polyfunctional CD4+ and CD8+ T cell immunity to mKRAS alongside frequent antigen spreading that may delay tumor recurrence,” the study stated.

Syringe

‘Extremely Promising’: New Vaccine Could Prevent Recurrence Of Deadly Colon, Pancreatic Cancer

Cancer

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Tuesday that his department is canceling 22 mRNA vaccine development contracts, totaling about $500 million.
Kennedy said mRNA vaccines, including the most widely used COVID-19 immunizations, have been ineffective, so his department is instead shifting this funding toward &#8220;safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.”
&#8220;After reviewing the science, and consulting top experts at [National Institutes of Health] and [Food and Drug Administration], HHS has determined that mRNA technology poses more risks than benefits for these respiratory viruses,&#8221; RFK said in a video posted to X.
Kennedy said that mRNA vaccines used during the pandemic &#8220;only code for a small part of the viral protein, usually a single antigen.&#8221;
&#8220;One mutation, and the vaccine becomes ineffective,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This dynamic drives a phenomenon called antigenic shift, meaning that the vaccine paradoxically encourages new mutations and can actually prolong pandemics as the virus constantly mutates to escape the protective effects of the vaccine.&#8221;
Millions of people, RFK noted, caught the Omicron variant, despite being vaccinated. This is due to the nature of the mRNA vaccines. &#8220;A single mutation can make mRNA vaccines ineffective,&#8221; the secretary emphasized.
“Let me be absolutely clear: HHS supports safe, effective vaccines for every American who wants them,&#8221; Kennedy told the public. &#8220;That’s why we’re moving beyond the limitations of mRNA for respiratory viruses and investing in better solutions.&#8221;
Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), an HHS agency, is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments &#8220;because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu,&#8221; a press release from HHS reiterates.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted. BARDA is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu. We’re shifting that funding toward… <a href="https://t.co/GPKbuU7ywN">pic.twitter.com/GPKbuU7ywN</a>
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy/status/1952851097019633766?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
BARDA will now focus on &#8220;platforms with stronger safety records and transparent clinical and manufacturing data practices,&#8221; HHS said. &#8220;Technologies that were funded during the emergency phase but failed to meet current scientific standards will be phased out in favor of evidence-based, ethically grounded solutions – like whole-virus vaccines and novel platforms.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/more-maha-wins-12-states-cutting-soda-candy-from-food-stamps?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=More+MAHA+Wins%3A+12+States+Cutting+Soda%2C+Candy+From+Food+Stamps">More MAHA Wins: 12 States Cutting Soda, Candy From Food Stamps</a>

RFK Jr

RFK Jr. Shuts Down $500M In mRNA Vaccine Research: ‘More Risks Than Benefits’

Medical Research

Vaccines

The Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine and gene therapy regulator has reportedly been ousted from his position.
Dr. Vinay Prasad, the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, recently came under scrutiny for a request to <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-requests-sarepta-therapeutics-suspend-distribution-elevidys-and-places-clinical-trials-hold">pause</a> shipments of a gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), claiming the genetic treatment is linked to three potential deaths. Earlier this week, the FDA lifted the pause for DMD patients who are still able to walk.
Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for Health and Human Services, confirmed Prasad is no longer with the FDA but did not share details about his departure.
“Dr. Prasad did not want to be a distraction to the great work of the FDA in the Trump administration and has decided to return to California and spend more time with his family,” Nixon said in a statement. “We thank him for his service and the many important reforms he was able to achieve in his time at FDA.”
In a statement issued on July 18, Prasad said the gene therapy &#8212; called Elevidys and made by Sarepta Therapeutics &#8212; needed to be paused for patient safety.
“Protecting patient safety is our highest priority, and the FDA will not allow products whose harms are greater than benefits,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The FDA will halt any clinical trial of an investigational product if clinical trial participants would be exposed to an unreasonable and significant risk of illness or injury,”
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary gave his support to Prasad, seeming to praise the &#8220;swift action.&#8221;
“Today, we’ve shown that this FDA takes swift action when patient safety is at risk,” Makary said. “We believe in access to drugs for unmet medical needs but are not afraid to take immediate action when a serious safety signal emerges.”
Some conservatives criticized Prasad for pausing the therapy. A piece published by RealClearHealth said Prasad was standing with &#8220;progressive health policies,&#8221; and not the president.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
More on the man destroying <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> legacy for helping patients. FDA’s Vinay Prasad Stands with Progressive Health Policies <a href="https://t.co/4wQ3mRuA6U">https://t.co/4wQ3mRuA6U</a>
— Rick Santorum (@RickSantorum) <a href="https://twitter.com/RickSantorum/status/1948769526776025597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;Prasad’s hostility toward breakthrough therapies is not confined to policy memos. He has dismissed Elevidys as &#8216;disgusting&#8217; because of its $3.2 million price tag, decried its &#8216;unclear benefit,&#8217; and labeled it a &#8216;useless drug,'&#8221; the piece said. &#8220;He lumped it together with Sarepta’s earlier exon-skipping therapy Exondys 51, calling its approval the result of &#8216;shenanigans&#8217; and &#8216;FDA politics&#8217; overriding science.&#8221;
In the past, Prasad expressed publicly his skepticism of President Donald Trump&#8217;s &#8220;right to try&#8221; policy.
However, Emily Kopp, an investigative journalist from The Daily Caller, suggested Big Pharma was playing a role in the controversy. &#8220;Hit pieces on FDA’s Vinay Prasad are being fed to the right by pharma company Sarepta, the maker of an experimental drug that just killed an eight year old boy,&#8221; she wrote.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hit pieces on FDA’s Vinay Prasad are being fed to the right by pharma company Sarepta, the maker of an experimental drug that just killed an eight year old boy. <a href="https://t.co/1wCq3ksXWZ">https://t.co/1wCq3ksXWZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/Y8aeRtqBU9">pic.twitter.com/Y8aeRtqBU9</a>
— Emily Kopp (@emilyakopp) <a href="https://twitter.com/emilyakopp/status/1948867147855212627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
Though Prasad was a critic of COVID vaccine protocols and other pandemic-related approaches, his personal politics have also become <a href="https://loomered.com/2025/07/28/exclusive-trump-fda-official-vinay-prasad-once-said-he-stabbed-a-trump-voodoo-doll-to-curse-him/">a topic</a> for some on the Right. Makary, however, recently defended Prasad from attacks. “There’s not a political bone to his body,” Makary <a href="https://www.politico.com/video/2025/07/26/commissioner-marty-makary-defends-fdas-vinay-prasad-1690337">said</a> of Prasad last weekend. “He’s an impeccable scientist, I think one of the greatest scientific minds of our generation.”

Chasing Cancer Summit

FDA Shake-Up: The Controversial Ouster Of The Top Vaccine Regulator

Covid vaccine

COVID-19 Vaccine

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

COVID-19

Department of Health and Human Services

Health and Human Services

President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> announced Thursday that he would commute the sentences of around 1500 people, many of whom were moved from prison and placed into home confinement during the height of the COVID lockdowns. 
In addition to those granted clemency, Biden said he was also pardoning 39 people convicted of non-violent crimes, including drug offenses. In total, the White House said that Biden&#8217;s actions “represent the largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history.”
“The President has issued more sentence commutations at this point in his presidency than any of his recent predecessors at the same point in their first terms,” the White House said. “In the coming weeks, the President will take additional steps to provide meaningful second chances and continue to review additional pardons and commutations.”
The White House said that one person he pardoned is &#8220;a decorated military veteran and pilot.&#8221;
“These individuals are parents, veterans, health care professionals, teachers, advocates, and engaged members of their communities. Many of them have used their experiences in the criminal justice system to inspire and encourage others,” the White House said. 
The White House said as his term winds down, Biden would &#8220;continue to review clemency petitions and deliver criminal justice reform in a manner that advances equity and justice, promotes public safety, supports rehabilitation and reentry, and provides meaningful second chances.&#8221;
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
Biden previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-mass-pardon-for-marijuana-possession-likely-benefitting-offenders-guilty-of-worse-crimes-expert-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rolled out</a> a mass pardon for those convicted of simple marijuana possession. That mass pardon was criticized by critics who said it would benefit people who were arrested for more serious crimes but plea-bargained down.
“You are going to have a very large number of people affected by this who were charged with something far more serious so that the government had leverage to get them to cooperate, and then they pled it down to a simple misdemeanor possession,” said Paul Larkin at the time, a senior legal research fellow at The Heritage Foundation.
The White House’s announcement on Thursday comes after Biden was widely criticized for giving a sweeping pardon to his son Hunter after promising not to do so. Hunter was facing potential prison time for gun and tax crime convictions. 
One recent Associated Press—NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that only 22% of Americans approved of the Hunter pardon. While 38% of Democrats supported the pardon, just 12% of independents did, and only 7% of Republicans.

President Biden Speaks At White House Conference On Women’s Health Research

Biden Announces Mass Commutations After Criticism Over Hunter Pardon

Crime

Executive

Joe Biden

Pardon

White House

Vice President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris&#8217;</a> presidential campaign is mandating the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid-19-vaccine">COVID-19 vaccine</a> for those interested in working for her.
On the official presidential <a href="https://kamalaharris.com/work-with-us/">website</a> for Harris and her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, under the option “work for us,” is a list of job opportunities with the campaign.
The individual <a href="https://jobs.lever.co/BFP/a3db8c48-0d22-4863-8ee1-b43b8d0d1a95">jobs</a> pages contain a list of responsibilities and qualifications and underneath those is a paragraph about being vaccinated.
“Harris for President requires all employees to be ‘up to date’ on COVID-19 vaccination status as prescribed by the CDC as a condition of employment, unless otherwise prohibited by applicable law,” the statement read.
“If you seek a reasonable accommodation in relation to the campaign&#8217;s COVID-19 policy, you should speak to the HR Department prior to reporting to an office location,” the statement added.
A message on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/covid/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html">website</a> reads, “CDC recommends the 2023–2024 updated COVID-19 vaccines—Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Novavax—to protect against serious illness from COVID-19.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A vote for Kamala Harris = a vote for endless vaccine mandates. Guys come on, don’t do this. <a href="https://t.co/P36uxxJLtR">https://t.co/P36uxxJLtR</a> <a href="https://t.co/g06kLPVl84">pic.twitter.com/g06kLPVl84</a>
— Kristen Mag (@kristenmag) <a href="https://twitter.com/kristenmag/status/1824308411997327434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
As the campaign stated, “up to date” per the CDC means, “People aged 5 – 64 years. You are up to date when you get 1 age-appropriate updated COVID-19 vaccine.”
And for people aged 65 years and older, it said, “You are up to date when you have received 2 updated 2023–2024 COVID-19 vaccine doses.”
The Daily Wire has reached out to the Harris campaign for information about its vaccine mandate.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1723831707612000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0pyrv88A5nsmWM2F2Wr9As">Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you.</a>
In February, the largest global study to date looked at medical issues among nearly 100 million people who received the COVID vaccine and found a higher-than-expected increase in neurological- and heart-related problems following the shot, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/largest-covid-vax-study-to-date-finds-higher-than-expected-increase-in-heart-and-brain-issues-following-jab">reported</a>.
As the Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/legacy-media-acknowledges-possible-injury-from-covid-vaccine">previously reported</a>, there have been nearly 13,000 claims filed with the vaccine compensation program alleging harm caused by the pandemic response, with more than 10,000 of those claims citing the vaccine as causing injury or death.
In May 2023, the Biden-Harris administration announced an end to the “COVID-19 vaccine requirements for Federal employees, Federal contractors, and international air travelers at the end of the day on May 11, the same day that the COVID-19 public health emergency ends…” a White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/05/01/the-biden-administration-will-end-covid-19-vaccination-requirements-for-federal-employees-contractors-international-travelers-head-start-educators-and-cms-certified-facilities/">press release</a> read.
Zach Jewell contributed to this piece.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/legacy-media-acknowledges-possible-injury-from-covid-vaccine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Legacy Media Acknowledges Possible Injury From COVID Vaccine</a>

Kamala Harris And Tim Walz Campaign In Michigan

Harris Campaign Mandating COVID Vaccine To Work For Her

Elections

Kamala Harris

News

Tim Walz

&#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/yellowstone">Yellowstone&#8221;</a> star Forrie J. Smith said he was kicked off an airplane over the weekend because he refused to sit beside a masked passenger.
In a video posted Sunday on his <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C44RF2Nq3eh/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=7b70c4f6-b2e3-493f-8d29-9389a8bf2b4b">Instagram</a> account, the 65-year-old actor said he was stranded at the airport in Houston, Texas, because he spoke up about another passenger wearing a face covering.
&#8220;I just got kicked off a plane in &#8212; where the hell am I at? &#8212; Houston, Texas, because I told them I didn&#8217;t feel comfortable sitting next to somebody with a mask on,&#8221; Smith told his fans. 
&#8220;I&#8217;ve been sitting in the airport for three hours, yeah, I&#8217;m drinking,&#8221; he added. &#8220;But I ain&#8217;t drunk. But they throwed me off the plane because I&#8217;m drunk because you people won&#8217;t stand up and tell everybody what bulls**t this is.&#8221;
&#8220;I just told them I didn&#8217;t feel comfortable about sitting next to somebody that had to wear a mask,&#8221; Smith continued. &#8220;And I&#8217;m off the plane.&#8221;
At the time of this publication, it is unclear where he was traveling to, what exactly happened on the plane, or which airline allegedly kicked him off the flight.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;Yellowstone&#8221; star Forrie J. Smith took to Instagram to say he was &#8220;kicked off&#8221; a flight and left stranded in Houston after refusing to sit next to another passenger wearing a mask. <a href="https://t.co/UnPSmIpAKR">https://t.co/UnPSmIpAKR</a>
— NBC News (@NBCNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1772281130609221930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2024</a></blockquote>
The star of the Paramount series has been vocal in the past about COVID vaccinations and previously didn&#8217;t appear at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2022 over vaccine requirements, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/yellowstone-star-forrie-j-smith-says-was-kicked-flight-refusing-sit-ma-rcna144887">NBC News</a> noted.
&#8220;I’m not vaccinated, I will not get vaccinated,&#8221; Smith said in a since-deleted Instagram post. &#8220;I believe they compromise your immunities … It’s no offense to anyone.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s just my beliefs,&#8221; he added .&#8221;I just don&#8217;t believe in that stuff.&#8221; 
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The popular Taylor Sheridan-created western drama is coming to an end this year following scheduling conflicts with Kevin Costner. Fans are awaiting the second half of Season 5 when it hits the network in November.  Last year, rumors surfaced that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/reese-witherspoon-has-something-to-say-about-those-kevin-costner-dating-rumors">Costner</a> was leaving the show at the height of its popularity. He recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kevin-costner-talks-leaving-yellowstone-hints-at-possible-court-battle">opened</a> up about what caused his departure from the popular series over a scheduling conflict.
Costner said Paramount &#8220;walked away&#8221; from negotiations. &#8220;We did negotiate. There were issues about creative. I tried to break the log jam. They walked away.&#8221;
&#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/yellowstone-receives-zero-emmy-nominations-while-woke-shows-get-multiple-nods">Yellowstone&#8221;</a> has been nominated for a handful of awards since the show debuted in 2018, with Costner scoring a Golden Globe in 2023, the first <a href="https://www.tvinsider.com/1076577/golden-globes-2023-kevin-costner-winner-best-actor-drama-yellowstone/">major win</a> for the show.

Yellowstone

‘Yellowstone’ Star Says He ‘Got Kicked Off’ Plane For Refusing To Sit By Masked Passenger: Report

‘Yellowstone’ Star Says He 'Got Kicked Off' Plane For Refusing To Sit By Masked Passenger: Report

Airplane

Celebrities

Entertainment

Face Masks

Houston

Texas

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers hit back at journalists who he said are still upset he didn&#8217;t take the COVID-19 vaccine.
During Rodgers&#8217; latest appearance on &#8220;<a href="https://x.com/EricAbbenante/status/1739921138728235027?s=20">The Pat McAfee Show</a>,&#8221; the host <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/rodgers-bawden-roster-criticism-vaccine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> Rodgers about sports journalists calling him out for taking up a roster spot on the team rather than being placed on the injured reserve list [IR] after he tore his Achilles tendon in the first game of the season.
&#8220;The same people who are criticizing me or coming up with these conspiracies about my injury, before they talk, let&#8217;s go back to 2021 and let&#8217;s make people say their vax status to start,&#8221; Rodgers said, adding that it &#8220;would frame all these comments in the right window.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Aaron Rodgers dropped &#8216;Mass Formation Psychosis&#8217; on ESPN 🤣 
&#8220;They&#8217;re still mad I&#8217;m covid MVP. Not just the two MVP&#8217;s that I won but also: I didn&#8217;t bow down to the Medical Industrial Complex and the Mass Formation Psychosis and I decided to make a decision that was in the best… <a href="https://t.co/kyzvm5lrdb">pic.twitter.com/kyzvm5lrdb</a>
— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricAbbenante/status/1739921138728235027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
&#8220;Let&#8217;s have them say, &#8216;Hey, I&#8217;m so-and-so, double vaxxed with Pfizer and triple boosted. And my opinion about this is this guy&#8217;s a bad guy because he just wanted to practice and took money away,'&#8221; he added. &#8220;Then at least you&#8217;d know, and everybody could know at that point that they have their puppet masters who are puppeteering them to say this certain thing about this guy and that they&#8217;re still upset about the fact that I believe in medical freedom.&#8221;
Rodgers said these journalists are &#8220;still mad I&#8217;m COVID MVP. Not just the two MVPs that I won because I didn&#8217;t bow down to the medical industrial complex and the mass formation psychosis and I decided to make a decision that was in the best interest of my health.&#8221;
&#8220;They&#8217;re still trying to get their jabs in,&#8221; he added. &#8220;They&#8217;re still trying to take a victory lap you know that somehow I couldn&#8217;t beat science this time. Take it easy on the victory laps and have another jab while you&#8217;re at it.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aaron-rodgers-takes-another-swipe-at-fauci-amid-talk-about-achilles-injury" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rodgers</a> ended up returning to the practice field in December. He previously talked about the &#8220;newer, innovative&#8221; surgery he had undergone in hopes of returning faster and his hopes of <a href="https://www.newyorkjets.com/news/aaron-rodgers-wants-to-return-2023-season-achilles-injury" target="_blank" rel="noopener">coming back</a> to play this season, but in the <a href="https://www.ksbw.com/article/ny-jets-qb-rodgers-will-return-next-season/46182430#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">end</a>, he didn&#8217;t make it.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aaron-rodgers-says-hes-been-cast-as-the-villain-over-covid-stance">Rodgers</a> made headlines in 2021 when he was accused of misleading comments about his vaccination status, saying he was “immunized.” However, it was later revealed that he had not been vaccinated.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aaron-rodgers-takes-another-swipe-at-fauci-amid-talk-about-achilles-injury" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aaron Rodgers Takes Another Swipe At Fauci Amid Talk About Achilles Injury</a>

Aaron Rodgers

‘I Didn’t Bow Down’: Aaron Rodgers Slams Journalists Who He Says Are Still Upset He Didn’t Take COVID Jab

Green Bay Packers

New York Jets

New York Jets quarterback <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/aaron-rodgers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aaron Rodgers</a> took another swipe at Dr. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday amid a discussion about how long his football injury would sideline him following speculation that his rehab could be ahead of schedule.
During Rodgers&#8217;s weekly <a href="https://www.outkick.com/aaron-rodgers-fauci-defying-science-pat-mcafee-show/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appearance</a> on &#8220;<a href="https://x.com/awfulannouncing/status/1714333873625051446?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Pat McAfee Show</a>,&#8221; he was asked about footage showing him throwing a few passes without crutches after he tore his Achilles tendon in the first game of the season.
Rodgers said he tried &#8220;a newer, innovative&#8221; surgery to return faster than others who sustained a similar injury.
Co-host AJ Hawk said that Rodgers does things &#8220;his own way,&#8221; to which McAfee replied, &#8220;This guy does things his own way. He actually defies science.&#8221;
&#8220;If science is Dr. Fauci, you&#8217;re damn right I&#8217;m defying science,&#8221; Rodgers replied, as the hosts laughed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;If science is Dr. Fauci, you&#8217;re damn right I&#8217;m defying science.&#8221;
Aaron Rodgers with another swipe at Dr. Anthony Fauci on The Pat McAfee Show <a href="https://t.co/ul0FRubZus">pic.twitter.com/ul0FRubZus</a>
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) <a href="https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1714333873625051446?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Last week, Rodgers labeled Fauci a &#8220;pharmocrat&#8221; and threw down the gauntlet for a &#8220;duel&#8221; or vaccine debate to Chiefs&#8217; player Travis Kelce, who he&#8217;s nicknamed &#8220;Mr. Pfizer&#8221; after the Kansas City Chiefs tight end appeared in a Pfizer ad campaign.
On the <a href="https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1711807257405509951?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">podcast</a> last week, the hosts talked to Rodgers about <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/travis-kelce-responds-to-aaron-rodgers-calling-him-mr-pfizer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kelce&#8217;s recent comment</a> about getting &#8220;into the vax wars&#8221; with the Jets QB.
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&#8220;Mr. Pfizer said he didn&#8217;t think he&#8217;d be in a vax war with me,&#8221; Rodgers said. &#8220;This ain&#8217;t a war homie, this is conversation.&#8221;
&#8220;But if you want to have some sort of duel, debate, have me on the podcast,&#8221; he added, referencing Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce&#8217;s popular podcast &#8220;New Heights.&#8221;
&#8220;Come on the show!&#8221; Rodgers continued, mentioning McAfee&#8217;s show. &#8220;Let&#8217;s have a conversation. Let&#8217;s do it like in &#8216;John Wick 4,&#8217; so we both have a second, somebody to help us out.&#8221; Rodgers said his &#8220;second&#8221; would be independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and said the Kansas City Chiefs star could have Fauci or &#8220;some other pharmocrat.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aaron-rodgers-says-hes-been-cast-as-the-villain-over-covid-stance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rodgers</a> made headlines in 2021 when he was accused of misleading comments about his vaccination status, saying he was &#8220;immunized.&#8221; However, it was later revealed that he had not been vaccinated.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aaron-rodgers-throws-down-the-gauntlet-for-a-vax-duel-to-mr-pfizer-travis-kelce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aaron Rodgers Throws Down The Gauntlet For A Vax &#8216;Duel&#8217; To &#8216;Mr. Pfizer&#8217; Travis Kelce</a>

Aaron Rodgers. FP

Aaron Rodgers Takes Another Swipe At Fauci Amid Talk About Achilles Injury

Anthony Fauci

COVID

Sports

U.S.

Superstar Jets QB <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aaron-rodgers-season-over-after-tearing-achilles-on-4th-play-for-new-team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aaron Rodgers</a> labeled <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/taylor-swift-announces-eras-tour-concert-movie-coming-to-theaters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Taylor Swift&#8217;</a>s rumored boyfriend — Chiefs tight end <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/travis-kelce-speaks-out-after-taylor-swift-attends-chiefs-game-amid-dating-rumors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Travis Kelce</a> — “Mr. Pfizer&#8221; following New York&#8217;s loss to the Kansas City team on Sunday night.
During <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aaron-rodgers-admits-hes-an-old-guy-reveals-what-motivated-late-career-move-to-ny-jets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rodgers&#8217;s</a> weekly appearance on the &#8220;Pat McAfee Show,&#8221; the NFL MVP took a swipe at Kelce noting that the Jets&#8217; defense kept the team in the game, despite ultimately falling to the Patrick Mahomes-led squad 23 to 20 during &#8220;Sunday Night Football.&#8221;
&#8220;I think there&#8217;s some sentiment that there&#8217;s some sort of moral victory there,&#8221; Rodgers told the host. &#8220;That we hung with the champs.&#8221;
&#8220;And that our defense played well and Pat [Mahomes] didn&#8217;t have a crazy game,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And Mr. Pfizer, we kind of shut him down a little bit. He didn&#8217;t have any crazy impact on the game, other than some yards and stuff.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;Our defense played really well and Mr. Pfizer didn&#39;t have a crazy impact on the game&quot; 😂<a href="https://twitter.com/AaronRodgers12?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AaronRodgers12</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PMSLive?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PMSLive</a> <a href="https://t.co/AGzbcRFjdi">pic.twitter.com/AGzbcRFjdi</a>
&mdash; Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1709275679269716079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The comments left the host busting up laughing, but he attempted to cover up his snickers from disrupting the Jets QB&#8217;s remarks.
&#8220;I felt like for the most part we played really tough on defense the last three quarters and that was important for us,&#8221; he added. Rodgers could hear the laughter coming from the other side of the microphone and was smiling.
The smiling got bigger the more he heard the giggles, but the QB kept his composure noting that &#8220;offensively&#8221; he thought the team had some ways to go.
The clip has since gone viral with more than <a href="https://x.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1709274038516777243?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7 million views</a> and counting. &#8220;Mr. Pfizer&#8221; also began trending on X.
The subtle dig from Rodgers at the Kansas City player comes after Kelce appeared in a recent ad from Pfizer pushing people to not only get their COVID vaccine shot but their flu shot too.
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<a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxgXyUHxv4H/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Travis Kelce (@killatrav)</a>
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&#8220;With my schedule, saving time is key,&#8221; Kelce in the video&#8217;s caption on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxgXyUHxv4H/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=3e241d2d-1392-4096-b220-9e18555ef266" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>. &#8220;The CDC says you can get this season&#8217;s updated COVID-19 shot when you get your flu shot if you&#8217;re due for both. That&#8217;s why I got two shots in one stop!&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aaron-rodgers-says-hes-been-cast-as-the-villain-over-covid-stance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rodgers</a> made headlines in 2021 when he was accused of misleading comments about his vaccination status, saying he was &#8220;immunized.&#8221; However, it was later revealed that he had not been vaccinated.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aaron-rodgers-says-hes-been-cast-as-the-villain-over-covid-stance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aaron Rodgers Says He&#8217;s &#8216;Been Cast As The Villain&#8217; Over COVID Stance</a>

Aaron Rodgers Labels Taylor Swift’s Rumored Boyfriend Travis Kelce ‘Mr. Pfizer’

Aaron Rodgers Labels Taylor Swift's Rumored Boyfriend Travis Kelce 'Mr. Pfizer'

Pfizer

Travis Kelce

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