@The Blaze
Republican holdout Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said Monday that she would vote to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. Gabbard's nomination appeared to be on the ropes after some Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee grilled her over her support for whistleblower Edward Snowden and questionable comments about the intelligence community. 'Ms. Gabbard shares my vision of returning the agency to its intended size.' Among the swing votes were Collins, who said her concerns were satisfied after she personally spoke with Gabbard and heard that she planned to reduce the size and scale of the DNI office. “After extensive consideration of her nomination, I will support Tulsi Gabbard to be the director of national intelligence,” said Collins in a statement. “The Office of the Director of National Intelligence … has become far larger than it was designed to be, and Ms. Gabbard shares my vision of returning the agency to its intended size.”Gabbard's nomination may come down to Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, who grilled her about Snowden during the hearing. She said unequivocally that she believed Snowden broke the law but would not say whether she still believed he deserved a pardon. Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma said afterward that he was surprised by her response to the line of questioning. "I was surprised because that doesn't seem like a hard question on that," Lankford said Thursday. "It wasn't intended to be a trick question by any means."The committee will likely vote on Gabbard's confirmation on Tuesday. If the committee approves, the entire Senate will vote on the confirmation. "I look forward to working with Ms. Gabbard to strengthen our national security," Collins concluded. Collins came out against the nomination of Pete Hegseth to head the Department of Defense, but he was confirmed in a tie vote that was decided by Vice President JD Vance. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/susan-collins-gabbard-nomination-dni
Republican holdout Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said Monday that she would vote to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. Gabbard's nomination appeared to be on the ropes after some Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee grilled her over her support for whistleblower Edward Snowden and questionable comments about the intelligence community. 'Ms. Gabbard shares my vision of returning the agency to its intended size.' Among the swing votes were Collins, who said her concerns were satisfied after she personally spoke with Gabbard and heard that she planned to reduce the size and scale of the DNI office. “After extensive consideration of her nomination, I will support Tulsi Gabbard to be the director of national intelligence,” said Collins in a statement. “The Office of the Director of National Intelligence … has become far larger than it was designed to be, and Ms. Gabbard shares my vision of returning the agency to its intended size.”Gabbard's nomination may come down to Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, who grilled her about Snowden during the hearing. She said unequivocally that she believed Snowden broke the law but would not say whether she still believed he deserved a pardon. Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma said afterward that he was surprised by her response to the line of questioning. "I was surprised because that doesn't seem like a hard question on that," Lankford said Thursday. "It wasn't intended to be a trick question by any means."The committee will likely vote on Gabbard's confirmation on Tuesday. If the committee approves, the entire Senate will vote on the confirmation. "I look forward to working with Ms. Gabbard to strengthen our national security," Collins concluded. Collins came out against the nomination of Pete Hegseth to head the Department of Defense, but he was confirmed in a tie vote that was decided by Vice President JD Vance. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/susan-collins-gabbard-nomination-dni
The Biden Department of Health and Human Services has extended liability protection to COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers and administrators through Dec. 31, 2029, precluding vaccine recipients who reportedly end up injured or their surviving family members from holding those responsible to account. Kim Mack Rosenberg, general counsel for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Children's Health Defense, called the decision from the outgoing administration "very concerning," not only because it protects pharmaceutical companies and the government but because it "allows for largely unfettered product development." Health Secretary Xavier Becerra suggested in his declaration that continued coverage for the manufacture, testing, development, distribution, administration, and use of FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act "is intended to prepare for and mitigate the credible risk presented by COVID-19." Although the federal public health emergency for COVID-19 expired on May 11, 2023, and the virus has reportedly moved from a pandemic to the endemic phase, Becerra suggested that COVID-19 continues to both "present a credible risk of a future public health emergency" and "cause significant serious illness, morbidity, and mortality during outbreaks." Citing these supposed risks, he suggested that it was necessary to renew liability protection to ensure the continued development and stockpiling of vaccines. 'The only threat is a loss of air-tight liability that leaves the vast majority of victims out of luck.' The Congressional Research Service previously noted that under the HHS declaration, covered persons in most cases cannot be sued for losses — including death, physical or mental injury, and business interruption loss — relating to the use or administration of COVID-19 vaccines. The sole exception to PREP Act immunity is for death or serious physical injury caused by "willful misconduct." To qualify as willful misconduct, the covered person must have "acted (i) intentionally to achieve a wrongful purpose; (ii) knowingly without legal or factual justification; and (iii) in disregard of a known or obvious risk that is so great as to make it highly probable that the harm will outweigh the benefit." The liability protections for the COVID-19 vaccines were first introduced in January 2020. This is the 12th extension. Children's Health Defense CEO Mary Holland suggested the Biden administration was "attempting to tie the hands of the incoming administration in its treatment of emergencies and pandemics. This is not the way elections and transfer of power are supposed to work." Ray Flores, who serves as senior outside counsel for Kennedy's organization, told the Defender, "It is preposterous that HHS extended PREP Act protections based on a no-longer-existing threat. The only threat is a loss of air-tight liability that leaves the vast majority of victims out of luck." Bloomberg Law reported that Becerra's declaration comes amid calls for COVID-19 vaccines to be covered under the HHS' Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. In its notice, the HHS indicated that Americans injured by COVID-19 vaccines will still be unable to seek compensation through the VICP. COVID-19 vaccines are instead covered "countermeasures" under the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program. The PREP Act authorizes the CICP to provide some compensation to individuals who suffered serious physical injury as the direct result of the supposedly "safe and effective" COVID-19 vaccines. COVID-19 vaccines have reportedly been shown in some cases to cause significant harm. A study published January in the pharmacotherapy journal Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety indicated that "COVID-19 vaccination is strongly associated with a serious adverse safety signal of myocarditis, particularly in children and young adults resulting in hospitalization and death." In addition to noting the well-documented correlation between the COVID-19 vaccines and increased risk of heart conditions, a study conducted by the Global COVID Vaccine Safety Project — a Global Vaccine Data Network initiative supported by both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the HHS — and published February in the journal Vaccine detailed troubling links between the AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer vaccines and medical conditions such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, brain and spinal cord inflammation, Bell's palsy, and convulsions. Despite suggesting vaccinations were still worthwhile, a 2023 study published in the Elsevier Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences noted that "a survey has found that 65% of participants experience adverse reactions." As of Nov. 1, 13,520 claims were filed with the CIPC. Of the 3,438 decisions made so far, only 65 claims were found eligible for compensation. Of that number, only 18 claims were compensated. The claims cited a wide range of injuries, including blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks. There were also 671 claims stating the COVID-19 vaccines resulted in death. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Lawmakers and the National Football League have reportedly discussed resurrecting the canceled logo of the team formerly known as the Washington Redskins. Montana Sen. Steve Daines (R), a firm believer that the American Indian logo "is a depiction of pride and strength," recently told Fox News' "America Reports" that there are "good-faith negotiations" under way leaning toward the league and the Commanders "allow[ing] this logo to be used again." Leftists embarrassed by American history and grudging of Western greatness committed to a campaign of deracination and iconoclasm in the summer of 2020, digging up graves, toppling statues, renaming animals, switching out historical place names, melting down busts, and knocking out church windows. While the Biden administration and Democratic lawmakers led the way, this was not just a governmental effort. Corporations similarly rushed to break with tradition and sacrifice iconic brands to the woke zeitgeist. The NFL was no exception. Activist investors leaned on major sponsors to threaten to terminate their relationships with the Washington Redskins unless the team, owned by Daniel Snyder, dropped its name. FedEx and other woke sponsors obliged them. Despite vowing "never" to change the name, Synder ultimately caved, and the team announced in July 2020, "We will be retiring the Redskins name and logo." In the woke frenzy, critics and eager iconoclasts appear to have overlooked the history of the logo. Walter "Blackie" Wetzel, an American Indian who served as Blackfeet tribal chairman and president of the National Congress of American Indians, designed the logo. Don Wetzel Jr., Blackie's son, told the Guardian that his father called the logo "his Most Beautiful Chief." 'It is not a caricature.' The circled image of the feathered chief was reportedly a composite of portraits of a Blackfeet chief named Two Guns White Calf. During a hearing earlier this year, Sen. Daines, ranking member of the Senate National Parks subcommittee, explained the state significance of the logo and its history: "In 1971 Blackie met with George Herbert Allen, who was then the head coach and general manager of the Washington Redskins. Knowing that Coach Allen admired and supported Native Americans, Blackie Wetzel encouraged him to replace the team’s 'R' logo with something that represented Indian Country." Cowboy State Daily reported that public opinion polls taken between 2016 and 2020 consistently showed that a majority of American Indians — between 50% and 90% — indicated they were not offended by the Redskins name. "Blackie brought Coach Allen designs based off prominent Native American figures including Blackfeet Chief Two Guns White Calf," continued Daines. "On behalf of the team, Coach Allen adopted the now iconic logo that’s placed prominently on this beautiful helmet that I received from former players. I am proud to display it today. Make no mistake, this logo was inspired and envisioned by Wetzel as a tribute to Native Americans. It is not a caricature. It is a depiction of pride and strength. Of courage and honor." Daines made clear that he doesn't want the name restored but that the "failure to properly honor the pride and history embodied by the iconic logo must be made right by both the new team ownership and the NFL. Doing so would honor the Blackfeet tribe, my constituents, in Montana." An opportunity to pressure the the league and the team came in the form of a piece of legislation that would permit the Washington Commanders to use the federally owned land whereon the derelict Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium now stands as the site for a new stadium. Daines spent months blocking the bill in the Senate, insisting upon the restoration of the logo. On Nov. 19, he changed his tune and voted the bill out of committee. The Montana senator explained to "America Reports" last week why he ultimately supported the bill, signaling optimism that the team might embrace its old logo. 'I think Senator Daines was misled.' "We were calling out leaders in case of, really, woke gone wrong. The irony is that they were canceling Native American culture as the DEI movement went way too far," said Daines. "We have good discussions with the NFL and with the Commanders. There's good-faith negotiations going forward that's going to allow this logo to be used again — perhaps revenues going to a foundation that could help Native Americans in sports and so forth," said the Montana senator. "We're making good progress, and based on the good-faith negotiations, I made a decision to support this bill yesterday in the committee." Daines indicated in a statement that he voted in favor of the bill's passage out of committee "with the condition that the team follows through on the commitments made to the family." "I urge the team to continue their dialogue and reach a conclusion that honors their past, honors Don Wetzel's vision to use the logo to help Indian Country and honors the will of the Blackfeet Tribe to restore the logo to place of honor and prominence," added the senator. The Native American Guardians Association reportedly wanted Daines to see through his blockade of the bill until the team officially restored the logo. NAGA president Tony Henson told the Cowboy State Daily, "Honestly, we were disappointed that Daines did let the legislation go through. I think Senator Daines was misled about the Redskins language." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!