Tag: Newsmax

REPORT: Fauci to Retire by End of Biden’s Term

by Breck Worsham, posted in news, politics

WASHINGTON (Newsmax)– Dr Anthony Fauci, the infectious disease expert who is the chief medical adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden, will retire by the end of Biden’s term, he told Politico in an interview published Monday.

Fauci, 81, has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) since 1984 and became the face of the U.S. government’s efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fauci served on the White House coronavirus task force under former President Donald Trump.

NIAID did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Republicans in Congress are threatening to investigate Fauci and 10 other virologists on their stance on the origins of COVID-19 if the GOP regains control in the upcoming midterm elections.

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REPORT: Military to Offer Free Transgender Surgery Per Biden Executive Order

by Breck Worsham, posted in law

WASHINGTON (Newsmax)– The Department of Defense has confirmed in recent memos that sex reassignment surgery could be provided free of cost as part of the military’s medical benefits package following President Joe Biden’s Jan. 25 executive order.

“America is stronger, at home and around the world, when it is inclusive. The military is no exception,” the White House said in a press release announcing the order. 

“This means no one will be separated or discharged, or denied reenlistment, solely on the basis of gender identity,” the release continued. “Prospective recruits may serve in their self-identified gender when they have met the appropriate standards for accession into the military services.”

“This revised policy will also ensure all medically necessary transitionrelated care authorized by law is available to all Service members,” wrote Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in a memo obtained by the Washington Examiner.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough said the military would “perform an assessment of the necessary steps to eliminate the exclusion of ‘gender alteration’ (gender affirmation surgery) in the medical benefits package.”

He wrote last month, in a memo ordering a review of the department’s policies and practices, that “Every person at VA, whether a customer or member of VA’s workforce, should be treated with respect and dignity. Our success as a team — our ability to deliver world-class care for our veterans — depends on our respect for our fellow VA employees and the veterans we serve and is critical to everything we do.”

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., an Iraq War veteran who says he supports transgender people serving in the military, told the Examiner: “This is radical and new territory for a presidential administration to force taxpayers to fund sexual reassignment surgeries for those in the military. I’m compassionate toward those individuals who want to undergo an elective surgery of this nature, but taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook to pay for it. It’s constitutionally dubious that Congress hasn’t passed these measures, but the administration, in a radical way, is pushing through this agenda. I sit on the committee that should debate these issues.”

Pink News notes that the military’s health insurance provider, TRICARE, already covers the cost of hormone therapy and psychological counseling for gender dysphoria and, while they generally do not cover surgery, they do note that “active-duty service members may request a waiver if their provider deems surgery medically necessary.”

The Pentagon first paid for gender-reassignment surgery for a transgender soldier in 2017, and has paid $8 million to treat 1,525 transgender troops between 2016 and 2019. Most of that cost covered psychological counseling and not surgical operations related to transitioning. A total of 161 surgeries were performed during that time, according to data provided to USA Today in 2019.

REPORT: Ex-Cuomo Aide Tells CBS She Was ‘Groomed’ for Sex

by Breck Worsham, posted in crime, law, politics

NEW YORK (Newsmax) — Charlotte Bennett, 25, a former executive assistant to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, is making her first televised allegations, saying she believes she was being “groomed” for sex.

Bennett’s exclusive interview with Norah O’Donnell on “CBS Evening News” is set to air Thursday.

In a preview posted on Twitter, O’Donnell details how Bennett repeats the claims that Cuomo, 63, “asked her about her sex life” and whether “she had sex with older men” and “told her he was lonely.”

Also, O’Donnell said, Bennett “talks about how she believes that Gov. Cuomo groomed her.

“Ms. Bennett’s concerns were treated with sensitivity and respect and in accordance with applicable law and policy,” Cuomo adviser Beth Garvey said in a statement, according to the New York Post. “She was consulted regarding the resolution, and expressed satisfaction and appreciation for the way in which it was handled.”

Bennett lawyer Debra Katz says the allegations have “derailed her career.”

Bennett left the $55,000-a-year job in the Cuomo administration in November, per the Post.

“I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared,” Bennett has claimed, per the report.

In his first public remarks about the allegations of three women, Cuomo gave an apology for “unintentionally” making women feel “uncomfortable,” and said he was “embarrassed,” but he denied “inappropriate” touching.

REPORT: House Cancels Thursday Session Amid Warnings of Capitol Attack Plot

by Breck Worsham, posted in politics

WASHINGTON (Newsmax)– The House of Representatives canceled its planned Thursday session after the Capitol Police warned on Wednesday of a possible plot by a militia group to breach the building, an threat that echoed the deadly Jan. 6 attack.

The House had been scheduled to debate and vote on a police reform bill on Thursday. But a House Democratic aide said that the police warning, based on intelligence that “an identified militia group” could present a security threat, contributed to the change in plans.

Authorities have said right-wing extremists were part of a mob of supporters of former President Donald Trump that stormed the Capitol in January, interrupting the formal congressional certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory.

Thursday marks the date when some right-wing conspiracy theorists have falsely claimed that Trump, defeated by Biden in the Nov. 3 election, will be sworn in for a second term in office.

The Justice Department has charged more than 300 people with taking part in the Capitol siege, in which five people, including a police officer were killed. Among those arrested were members of the right-wing groups called the Oath Keepers, Three Percenters and Proud Boys. The Oath Keepers and Three Percenters are armed militia groups.

“The United States Capitol Police Department is aware of and prepared for any potential threats towards members of Congress or towards the Capitol complex,” it said in its statement.

It said it is working with local, state and federal agencies “to stop any threats to the Capitol,” adding, “We are taking the intelligence seriously.” It did not disclose the nature of the intelligence.

The police statement noted that the department already has made “significant security upgrades” at the Capitol, home to the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.

The Senate had been aiming to debate Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19-relief bill on Thursday. There was no immediate response from Senate leadership officials on whether its Thursday session also would be suspended.

On Tuesday, Acting House Sergeant at Arms Timothy Blodgett notified members of Congress of a possible security threat spanning Thursday through Saturday. It referred to “potential protests and demonstration activity surrounding what some have described as the ‘true Inauguration Day.'”

For nearly a century, U.S. presidents have been inaugurated on Jan. 20, including Biden, who took the oath of office on the grounds of the Capitol. Previously, March 4 had been the swearing-in date.

Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman testified to Congress on Feb. 25 that Trump supporters who launched the Jan. 6 attack have indicated they want to “blow up” the building and kill members of Congress.

Since Jan. 6, National Guard troops have been dispatched to the Capitol grounds and tall fencing has been erected to extend the security perimeter of the Capitol. Blodgett told lawmakers that the Capitol Police department has “enhanced” its security posture for the coming days.

Congress has held a series of hearings on the riot and congressional leaders in the coming days are expected to receive recommendations for new, permanent security measures at the Capitol.

The House impeached Trump on Jan. 13 on a charge of inciting an insurrection, focusing on an incendiary speech he made to supporters shortly before the mob converged on the Capitol, though the Senate acquitted him on Feb. 13.

JENNA ELLIS: ‘No President-Elect Until Electoral College Votes’

by Breck Worsham, posted in Uncategorized

WASHINGTON (Newsmax) — States’ certifications and projections “don’t mean anything” when it comes to who won the Nov. 3 presidential election, because the only thing that really matters is the Electoral College, Jenna Ellis, who is part of the Trump campaign’s legal team, said Monday while discussing the push for state legislatures to appoint electors to determine the race.

“Until the Electoral College actually votes on Dec. 14, we don’t have a president-elect,” Ellis told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo, explaining that the team is working “two parallel tracks to keep up the fight for President Donald Trump’s reelection.”

“First is the litigation strategy, where we’re challenging the fraud and the widespread fraud in court,” she said. “That’s where we are currently in Pennsylvania. We also have a parallel track with state legislatures.”

State lawmakers, she said, can take back their power and appoint electors to determine the race’s winner. 

“In Pennsylvania, we have two pieces pending and primed for the Supreme Court,” said Ellis. “Now we have another case in the 3rd Circuit ready to go to the Supreme Court. We have 10 days from that ruling to appeal it.”

State legislatures, she added, are “vested under the Constitution with election integrity and the ability to select the manner of their electors to move forward. We are taking this very seriously.”

Allowing lawmakers to pick the electors was “built in as a safeguard” so the people’s vote is not disenfranchised when there is “corruption and fraud” in the election, she insisted. 

“The reason for that is to make sure that people’s voice is heard and the correct outcome ultimately happens through the Electoral College,” said Ellis. “President Trump is right. There was widespread fraud, in at least 6 states … the state legislatures must take back their selection of delegates and move forward to choosing the delegates that are preferred by the people we know President Trump won in a landslide.”

Newsmax’s Sandy Fitzgerald contributed to the contents of this report.

NEWSMAX: Fox Suspends Judge Jeanine Show After Discovering Pirro Intended To Expose Biden Voter Fraud

by Breck Worsham, posted in Uncategorized

‘GRIFTERS AND CROOKS’: Trump Puts Bidens On Blast As Election Draws Near

by Breck Worsham, posted in Uncategorized

WASHINGTON (Newsmax) — In an exclusive interview with Newsmax TV’s Greg Kelly, President Donald Trump tore into Joe and Hunter Biden after an in-depth report linked the pair to officials in Ukraine, including at energy company Burisma Holdings.

Trump’s interview will air in full at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday and repeats at 10 p.m. ET on Newsmax TV’s “Greg Kelly Reports.”

Kelly, host of “Greg Kelly Reports,” kicked off the interview by asking Trump about a series of New York Post stories published Wednesday that detailed the Biden-Ukraine connection.

The newspaper reported that Hunter Biden introduced his father, who at the time was vice president, to a top official at Burisma in 2015.

“They’re crooks, they’ve always been crooks. They’re grifters and crooks, and this is what we’re running against,” Trump said. “And it’s a disgrace. It’s a disgrace. Nobody could believe it. It’s turned out to be much worse.

“I give credit to the New York Post, and the mainstream media will try not to pick it up, even though it’s a major scandal. It’s a very sad thing when you look at that. Everywhere he goes, his son goes right behind him and grabs money.”

Hunter Biden landed a lucrative job on the board of Burisma and was paid up to $50,000 a month while his father was in office. Joe Biden is now the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee for next month’s election.

It’s been alleged that the elder Biden played a role in snuffing out an investigation into Burisma’s business dealings when Hunter was on the board.

The Post said it got ahold of emails that were obtained after someone dropped off a laptop with a Beau Biden Foundation sticker at a computer repair shop in Delaware in April 2019. The owner never picked up the computer, and the shop owner eventually contacted the FBI about what he found on it — but not before he made his own copy of the hard drive, which contained emails between Hunter Biden and officials in Ukraine, along with explicit photos and videos.

REPORT: Fmr Republican Presidential Candidate Herman Cain Hospitalized With COVID-19

by Breck Worsham, posted in Uncategorized

WASHINGTON (Newsmax) — Newsmax TV contributor Herman Cain was admitted to a hospital Wednesday and is being treated for COVID-19.

The former Republican presidential candidate is doing well and is not on a ventilator, his staff tells Newsmax.

Cain, who also is a regular guest on “Newsmax Now,” joined Newsmax TV as a contributor in April.

He also hosts “Herman Cain’s America,” a weekend show that airs on Newsmax TV.

Cain had a successful business career, which included a stint as chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, before he announced his candidacy for president in 2011.

He advocacy for a tax reform program he dubbed the “9-9-9” tax plan made his a conservative grassroots star and, at one point, led the GOP primary field for president.

After his campaign, Cain re-established THE New Voice, an organization with a mission to inform and educate the public and advocate for the policy solutions in the areas of tax reform, energy policy, and national security.

In 2006, Cain received a diagnosis of stage 4 colon cancer, which also had spread to his liver. Doctors gave him a 30% chance of survival, but he was able to beat the disease and remain cancer-free.