Sen. Alsobrooks calls Kennedy's views on vaccination schedules 'dangerous'
Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., grilled Kennedy about his comments on proposing separate vaccination schedules for Black and white people, calling them "dangerous."
Kennedy has previously proposed giving Black people a different vaccination schedule than white people, because, he claims, "their immune system is better than ours,” according to a report from the Washington Post.
At the hearing today, Kennedy said there are "a series of studies" that show Black people have a stronger immune reaction to different products and Black people "need fewer antigens."
"Mr. Kennedy, with all due respect that is so dangerous. Your voice would be a voice that parents would listen to," Alsobrooks said. "I will be against your nomination, because your views are dangerous to our state and to our country."
Kennedy has fixated on the Black community for years. In 2021, he produced a film promoting false claims that the Covid vaccine was part of a sinister experiment on Black communities. Kennedy has also targeted minority groups as an anti-vaccine activist — holding rallies at Black churches in Harlem, New York, and Somali communities in Minnesota.
The public questioning of Gabbard has ended
The public part of the Gabbard confirmation hearing is over. The committee will resume in closed session to discuss sensitive intelligence matters with her in 30 minutes.
Fact-checking Kennedy's claim that Wi-Fi radiation causes cancer
Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., asked Kennedy whether he stood by past statements that Wi-Fi radiation causes cancer.
“Yes, sir,” Kennedy said. “I won a case in front of the court of appeals against the FCC on that very issue.”
The anti-vaccine group that Kennedy founded, Children’s Health Defense, successfully challenged the Federal Communications Commission’s health and safety guidelines for wireless-based technologies several years ago. But the court determined that the FCC had failed to respond to evidence that exposure to radio frequency radiation — which most electronic devices emit — "may cause negative health effects unrelated to cancer."
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has said that radio frequency electromagnetic fields are possibly carcinogenic, based on limited evidence of a potential increased risk of brain tumors. But the National Cancer Institute says there’s not enough evidence to support that.
Kennedy also told Kim today that radio frequency radiation “changes DNA.” According to the National Cancer Institute and Environmental Protection Agency, this form of radiation isn’t strong enough to damage DNA or cells directly.
Judiciary panel is back with Patel hearing
The Senate Judiciary Committee is back after a lunch break, with Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., kicking off his questioning time to Kash Patel, Trump's nominee to lead the FBI.
With Democrats boycotting, Senate committee advances Vought nomination
While Senate Democrats boycotted the Budget Committee’s business meeting where they voted on Russell Vought’s nomination to be OMB director, Republicans on the committee just voted unanimously, 11-0, to send Vought’s nomination to the full Senate.
Democrats are holding a news conference now about Vought, calling for Trump to withdraw his nomination in light of the federal funding freeze that was rescinded yesterday.
We still do not know when the full Senate will vote on Vought’s nomination.
Sen. Hasssan tests Kennedy's knowledge of Medicare
Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., pointed out Kennedy's multiple stumbles about Medicare and Medicaid during his first confirmation hearing yesterday.
During that hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said Kennedy was “unprepared,” suggesting that he didn’t seem to know the difference between Medicare and Medicaid.
"During yesterday's hearing, you really showed a lack of knowledge about Medicare and Medicaid," Hassan said today.
Hassan then tested Kennedy's understanding of the programs, first on Medicare Part A, which helps pay for inpatient care people get in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities.
She also asked about Medicare Part B, which covers outpatient care, and Medicare Part C, also known as Medicare Advantage, which is coverage provided by private insurers.
"Medicare Part A is mainly for primary care for physicians," Kennedy said.
Hassan said: "No, Medicare Part A is seniors coverage for inpatient hospital care. What's Medicare Part B?"
"For physicians and doctors," Kennedy.
"That is outpatient care and home health," Hassan said. "So, what is Medicare Part C?"
"Medicare Part C is a program, where it's the full menu of all the services, A, B, C and D."
"It is Medicare Advantage, which is the private insurance option for seniors," Hassan said. "So Mr. Kennedy, you want us to confirm you, to be charged Medicare, but it appears you don't know the basics."
Judiciary Committee breaks for lunch
The Senate Judiciary Committee, which is in the middle of Kash Patel's confirmation hearing, is taking a 30-minute break for lunch.
Elise Stefanik's U.N. ambassador nomination advances to the full Senate
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted by voice vote to report Rep. Elise Stefanik’s, R-N.Y., nomination to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations to the full Senate.
A voice vote means that a roll call wasn’t taken, but an aide for the committee’s ranking member, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del.; Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.; and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., were recorded as "no" votes.
It's unclear when the full Senate will vote on Stefanik's nomination. If she is confirmed as expected and leaves the House, the Republicans' majority will temporarily shrink to 217-215.
Murphy to Kennedy: ‘You’re not questioning science. You’ve made up your mind.’
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., sparred with Kennedy over past comparisons that Kennedy made between childhood vaccination programs and Nazi death camps, as well as the Catholic Church’s child sexual abuse cases.
“You said the pedophilia scandal in the Catholic Church is a perfect metaphor for what’s happening in the United States,” Murphy said.
“I think it’s important to question science, but you’re not questioning science. You’ve made up your mind. You’ve spent your entire career undermining America’s vaccine program.”
Kennedy replied that Murphy had made “some grave accusations,” adding: “Show me a single statement I’ve made about science that is erroneous.”
Kennedy has been known to use extreme language and metaphors to amply misinformation about vaccine safety.
Blumenthal presses Patel on his involvement in the Jan. 6 choir
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., pressed Patel on his involvement with the Jan. 6 choir. He raised multiple names to Patel of Jan. 6 defendants who were part of the choir and each time, Patel denied knowing the name of the defendant.
"He's one of the J6 prison choir," Blumenthal said about one of the defendants, who sprayed police officers with pepper spray during the riot at the Capitol.
"You're saying now you don't know who he is. You glorified him and the rest of that choir," Blumenthal told Patel.
The senator was the latest to refer to Patel's role in the 2023 production of a version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" sung by Jan. 6 defendants over the phone from prison.
When the song was released, Patel praised it, writing on Truth Social at the time: “Hello new Music Mogul @realDonaldTrump. We just took a flame thrower to the music industry.”