JOHN BIRCH SOCIETY DREAM SINCE 1959
Megan Lebowitz and Erika Edwards and Jason Kane and Erin McLaughlin
Sat, November 2, 2024
WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Saturday that a Trump administration would, on its first day, "advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water."
Kennedy cited linked fluoride to various illnesses, despite major medical associations supporting water fluoridation, which they say is safe and a benefit to public health.
"President @realDonaldTrump and First Lady @MELANIATRUMP want to Make America Healthy Again," the former Democratic presidential hopeful wrote in a post to X, tagging Michael Connett, an attorney who has led litigation that opposed the fluoridation of public drinking water.
Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic who has a history of pushing conspiracy theories, is primed to play a key role in a future Trump administration's health policy. Since dropping out of the presidential race and endorsing Trump, Kennedy has frequently appeared on the campaign trail stumping for the former president, and Trump said at a rally this week that if he is elected, Kennedy is “going to work on health and women’s health.”
Trump has embraced Kennedy. In an event in Arizona earlier this week, the former president said that Kennedy "can do anything he wants" in a potential Trump administration.
“He really wants to with the pesticides and the, you know, all the different things. I said, 'He can do it. He can do anything he wants.' He wants to look at the vaccines. He wants —everything. I think it’s great. I think it’s great," Trump had said.
In late October, Trump said that having Kennedy as an ally "is such a great honor," adding that he would let Kennedy "go wild on health."
"I'm going to let him go wild on health. I'm going to let him go wild on the food. I'm going to let him go wild on medicines," Trump had said.
Kennedy, a former independent presidential candidate, has touted widely debunked theories linking vaccines and autism. He also previously said that he would support a national ban on abortion after three months of pregnancy, before quickly walking back his comments.
When reached for comment on Kennedy's proposal, Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez did not commit to backing the plan.
"While President Trump has received a variety of policy ideas, he is focused on Tuesday’s election," Alvarez said in a statement.
Major public health groups such as the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention support water fluoridation, citing studies showing that the mineral helps fight cavities. Health groups also emphasize that the practice is safe.
"Water fluoridation is an equitable and inexpensive way to ensure that prevention of dental disease reaches everyone in a community," the American Academy of Pediatrics' website says.
The academy's Campaign for Dental Health also says on its website that "there is no scientifically valid evidence to show that fluoride causes cancer, kidney disease, or other disorders."
Fluoride helps make teeth “stronger and more resistant to decay,” according to the CDC’s website, and drinking fluoridated water “reduces cavities by about 25% in children and adults.”
"Documented risks of community water fluoridation are limited to dental fluorosis, a change in dental enamel that is cosmetic in its most common form. Changes range from barely visible lacy white markings in milder cases to pitting of the teeth in the rare, severe form," the CDC's website says, noting that most dental fluorosis seen in the U.S. today is "of the mildest form."
Similarly, the American Dental Association says on its website that water fluoridation is "safe and effective."
"Throughout more than 70 years of research and practical experience, the overwhelming weight of credible scientific evidence has consistently indicated that fluoridation of community water supplies is safe," says a fact sheet on the association's website.
Water fluoridation is not ubiquitous, and the CDC does not mandate fluoridation programs. Some cities have worked to end public water fluoridation programs as groups argue that it should be up to them to decide whether they want fluoride in public water supplies.
Opinion
Trump Reaches Next Level of Deranged With Proposed New Gig for RFK Jr.
Hafiz Rashid
Fri, November 1, 2024
At a rally Thursday night in Nevada, Donald Trump pledged to put Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in charge of “women’s health” if he’s elected president.
“He’s going to work on health, and women’s health, and all of the different reasons ‘cause we’re not really a wealthy or healthy country,” Trump told a crowd of supporters.
Kamala Harris had a one-word response.
Kennedy, formerly an independent candidate for president, dropped out of the race in August and endorsed Trump, likely in exchange for a prominent role in a potential second Trump term. Some reports suggest that Kennedy could get a Cabinet position, such as secretary of Health and Human Services, or have a hand in choosing appointees. In fact, Kennedy has already recommended a prominent vaccine skeptic for HHS.
Kennedy heading up women’s health would be a disaster. Kennedy has a long history of opposing vaccines, and his anti-vax conspiracies even helped spread a measles outbreak in Samoa that killed 83 people, most of them children. Kennedy also supports restrictions on abortion, and blames the rise in mass shootings on antidepressants and video games.
Kennedy has co-opted Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan into his own initiative, “Make America Healthy Again.” But his own health hasn’t been as impeccable as he claims, admitting that a doctor once suspected a worm ate part of his brain and then died inside his head.
His record with women’s issues apart from health isn’t good, either: He has a reputation as a compulsive womanizer, which may have been a contributing factor in the 2012 suicide of his second wife, Mary Richardson. If more recent allegations are to be believed, Kennedy also carried on an affair with journalist Olivia Nuzzi, leading to her losing her job with New York magazine.
Kennedy’s reputation should be toxic enough for the Trump administration in any role, let alone one connected to public health and women. The question is whether this would help Trump attract any voters on the fence, or remind them that the former president’s reputation on public health isn’t so great either.
RFK Jr. Says Trump Administration Would Advise Against Fluoride In Drinking Water
Liz Skalka
Sat, November 2, 2024
Since dropping his own presidential bid, Kennedy has become a top surrogate for Trump. via Associated Press
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a possible candidate for a role in Donald Trump’s cabinet, should Trump retake the White House — claims that a new Trump administration would immediately advise against the use of fluoride in U.S. public water systems.
Kennedy, a former presidential candidate who has endorsed Trump and a prominent vaccine skeptic, suggested this would happen on the first day of a new Trump administration.
For decades, U.S. health regulators have recommended adding a small amount of fluoride to drinking water supplies to prevent tooth decay. Fluoride at such a low dose is generally considered both safe and effective to protect oral health.
“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water. Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease,” Kennedy posted Saturday on X, formerly Twitter.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Kennedy’s remarks.
Trump and Kennedy, an environmental lawyer who tried to walk back his criticism of the COVID vaccine during his presidential campaign, have both floated a health-focused role for him — possibly a post commanding health agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At his rally last weekend at Madison Square Garden, Trump said he would let Kennedy “go wild on health, ... go wild on the medicines.” On Friday in Nevada, Trump said Kennedy would also be “in charge of women’s health.”
Kennedy, according to a video obtained by CNN, told supporters he might be given control of more than one health-focused agency.
“President Trump has promised me ... control of the public health agencies, which are [the Health and Human Services Department] and its sub-agencies ... and then also the [Department of Agriculture], which is key to making America healthy. Because we’ve got to get off of seed oils, and we’ve got to get off of pesticide-intensive agriculture,” Kennedy reportedly said.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says Donald Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water
JONATHAN J. COOPER
Sat, November 2, 2024
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., at a Turning Point Action campaign rally, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, in Duluth, Ga. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., walks on the tarmac as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Romulus, Mich.
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
PHOENIX (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent proponent of debunked public health claims whom Donald Trump has promised to put in charge of health initiatives, said Saturday that Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office.
Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
Kennedy made the declaration on the social media platform X alongside a variety of claims about the heath effects of fluoride.
“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote. Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, “want to Make America Healthy Again,” he added, repeating a phrase Trump often uses and links to Kennedy.
It was not clear if Kennedy discussed Saturday’s post with Trump or his aides. The Trump campaign did not answer directly, and a spokesperson for Kennedy did not respond when asked.
“While President Trump has received a variety of policy ideas, he is focused on Tuesday’s election," Danielle Alvarez, Trump campaign senior advisor, said.
But the sudden and unexpected weekend social media post evoked the chaotic policymaking that defined Trump’s White House tenure, when he would issue policy declarations on Twitter at virtually all hours. It also underscored the concerns many experts have about Kennedy, who has long promoted debunked theories about vaccine safety, having influence over U.S. public health.
In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and continued to promote it even after fluoride toothpaste brands hit the market several years later. Though fluoride can come from a number of sources, drinking water is the main source for Americans, researchers say.
Officials lowered their recommendation for drinking water fluoride levels in 2015 to address a tooth condition called fluorosis, that can cause splotches on teeth and was becoming more common in U.S. kids.
In August, a federal agency determined “with moderate confidence” that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. The National Toxicology Program based its conclusion on studies involving fluoride levels at about twice the recommended limit for drinking water.
A federal judge later cited that study in ordering the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it’s not certain that the amount of fluoride typically added to water is causing lower IQ in kids, but he concluded that mounting research points to an unreasonable risk that it could be. He ordered the EPA to take steps to lower that risk, but didn’t say what those measures should be.
In his X post Saturday, Kennedy tagged Michael Connett, the lead attorney representing the plaintiff in that lawsuit, the environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch.
Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization has a lawsuit pending against news organizations including The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy is on leave from the group but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.
What role Kennedy might hold if Trump wins on Tuesday remains unclear. Kennedy recently told NewsNation that Trump asked him to “reorganize” agencies including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and some agencies under the Department of Agriculture.
But for now, the former independent presidential candidate has become one of Trump's top surrogates. Trump frequently mentions having the support of Kennedy, a scion of a Democratic dynasty and the son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy traveled with Trump Friday and spoke at his rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin.
Trump said Saturday that he told Kennedy: “You can work on food, you can work on anything you want" except oil policy.
PHOENIX (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent proponent of debunked public health claims whom Donald Trump has promised to put in charge of health initiatives, said Saturday that Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office.
Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
Kennedy made the declaration on the social media platform X alongside a variety of claims about the heath effects of fluoride.
“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote. Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, “want to Make America Healthy Again,” he added, repeating a phrase Trump often uses and links to Kennedy.
It was not clear if Kennedy discussed Saturday’s post with Trump or his aides. The Trump campaign did not answer directly, and a spokesperson for Kennedy did not respond when asked.
“While President Trump has received a variety of policy ideas, he is focused on Tuesday’s election," Danielle Alvarez, Trump campaign senior advisor, said.
But the sudden and unexpected weekend social media post evoked the chaotic policymaking that defined Trump’s White House tenure, when he would issue policy declarations on Twitter at virtually all hours. It also underscored the concerns many experts have about Kennedy, who has long promoted debunked theories about vaccine safety, having influence over U.S. public health.
In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and continued to promote it even after fluoride toothpaste brands hit the market several years later. Though fluoride can come from a number of sources, drinking water is the main source for Americans, researchers say.
Officials lowered their recommendation for drinking water fluoride levels in 2015 to address a tooth condition called fluorosis, that can cause splotches on teeth and was becoming more common in U.S. kids.
In August, a federal agency determined “with moderate confidence” that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. The National Toxicology Program based its conclusion on studies involving fluoride levels at about twice the recommended limit for drinking water.
A federal judge later cited that study in ordering the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it’s not certain that the amount of fluoride typically added to water is causing lower IQ in kids, but he concluded that mounting research points to an unreasonable risk that it could be. He ordered the EPA to take steps to lower that risk, but didn’t say what those measures should be.
In his X post Saturday, Kennedy tagged Michael Connett, the lead attorney representing the plaintiff in that lawsuit, the environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch.
Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization has a lawsuit pending against news organizations including The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy is on leave from the group but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.
What role Kennedy might hold if Trump wins on Tuesday remains unclear. Kennedy recently told NewsNation that Trump asked him to “reorganize” agencies including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and some agencies under the Department of Agriculture.
But for now, the former independent presidential candidate has become one of Trump's top surrogates. Trump frequently mentions having the support of Kennedy, a scion of a Democratic dynasty and the son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy traveled with Trump Friday and spoke at his rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin.
Trump said Saturday that he told Kennedy: “You can work on food, you can work on anything you want" except oil policy.
No comments:
Post a Comment