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EXCLUSIVE: Biden failed to stop China’s toxic nicotine invasion — and your kids paid the price, expert warns
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EXCLUSIVE: Chinese-made nicotine and electronic cigarette products illegally flooded U.S. markets under former President Joe Biden, endangering both adults and children and posing an «urgent threat to U.S. sovereignty, public health, and law enforcement capacity,» according to nicotine awareness activist and former GOP senator Richard Burr.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Burr, who is chair of the Coalition for Smarter Regulation of Nicotine, said that even as the Biden administration cracked down on «reputable» companies like Juul, it took no action to control the flow of off-brand competitor products, most of which were manufactured and exported to the U.S. by Chinese companies through the open borders.
«There was not a policy in the Biden administration to enforce the law at the border. And that’s where the growth really came from,» he explained, adding, «They not only didn’t speak out against them, but they didn’t make any attempt, any attempt, at enforcement.»
According to Burr, Biden’s director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), Brian King, bears special blame for overseeing an agency so crippled by inaction that, Burr said, «most of the products that are on the marketplace today not only are illegal, they have never even attempted to go through an application process at the FDA.»
However, a spokesperson for King vehemently denied Burr’s assertions, telling Fox News Digital that «the claim that there was no attempt at enforcement is not consistent with the facts.»
KAMALA HARRIS BACK IN NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT AS JAMES COMER FLOATS SUBPOENA IN BIDEN ‘COVER-UP’ PROBE
Chinese-made nicotine and electronic cigarette products illegally flooded U.S. markets under former President Joe Biden, endangering both adults and children and posing an «urgent threat to U.S. sovereignty, public health, and law enforcement capacity,» according to nicotine awareness activist and former GOP senator Richard Burr. (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images and iStock)
Burr said that currently approximately 85% of vapor and e-cigarette products sold in the U.S. are either illicit or unauthorized due to the Biden FDA’s failure to enforce the law.
Now, Burr is urging the Trump administration to be proactive in fixing the Chinese nicotine problem unleashed on Americans under Biden.
Burr sent a letter to Trump’s FDA commissioner, Martin Makary, as well as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, urging them to take urgent action to «restore order» to the marketplace by reforming the government’s review process of nicotine and e-cigarette products and then fully enforcing against the entities responsible for growing the illicit market.
In his letter, Burr describes the U.S. as being «in the midst of a crisis created by the free flow of illegal nicotine products into the U.S. marketplace, the majority of which are supplied by Chinese companies that are knowingly breaking U.S. laws.»
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A Border Patrol vehicle sits near border walls separating Tijuana, Mexico, from the United States, Tuesday, June 4, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
«During the Biden Administration, illicit Chinese vaping products, without any regulatory oversight or consumer protections, began flooding our market,» Burr wrote. «Produced overseas without meeting FDA safety standards or common tobacco product manufacturing practices, these illicit vapor products are deliberately avoiding compliance with the law, and many are intentionally marketed to underage users with youth-appealing features, for example, Gummy Bear flavors and gaming device screens.»
Burr further said that manufacturers of illicit vaping products often use fraudulent shipping declarations and misclassified tariff codes to evade U.S. customs and trade laws.
«President Trump has rightfully warned that counterfeit pharmaceutical products, often linked to the People’s Republic of China, threaten the security and safety of Americans,» he wrote. «The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the opportunity to address a similar crisis in the nicotine market by advancing a modern and common-sense approach to regulating nicotine products and effectively enforcing the Tobacco Control Act (TCA) to restore order to the marketplace.»
To this end, Burr urged the FDA to «advance a comprehensive, effective regulatory framework,» which he said consists of streamlining the FDA’s approval process for less harmful smoke-free nicotine products, providing clear regulations to the industry and enforcing the law against companies selling illicit products, providing adult smokers with accurate information on the benefits of switching from cigarettes to FDA-authorized, smoke-free products and using regulation and oversight to drive down underage use.
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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a news conference on the Autism report by the CDC at the Hubert Humphrey Building Auditorium in Washington, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Speaking with Fox News Digital, Burr said that both Kennedy and President Donald Trump «have embraced a healthier America that our kids should be eating healthier, should be actively involved, and we should make sure that anything that’s detrimental to their ability to grow and to grow up healthy should be constricted significantly.»
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«This is at the heart of that,» he said.
In response, a spokesperson speaking on behalf of King told Fox News Digital that «the claim that there was no attempt at enforcement is not consistent with the facts.»
They listed 30 different enforcement actions the agency took under King’s tenure in 2023 and 2024, ranging from sending warning letters to potential violators to denying marketing requests to manufacturers not in compliance.
«Within the past few years, the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products took many first-time compliance and enforcement actions, including setting up a joint interagency task force and conducting multiple targeted enforcement operations against illegally imported e-cigarettes in coordination with US Customs and Border Protection. This was in addition to other first of their kind actions across the supply chain focused on unauthorized products from non-US manufacturers, including monthly retailer blitzes against Elf Bar and other unauthorized disposable e-cigarette brands used by youth,» they said.
«The FDA and other agencies should build on these efforts and take comprehensive enforcement action against illegal e-cigarettes, particularly those popular among youth,» said the spokesperson.
joe biden,border security,donald trump,health,robert f kennedy jr,childrens health,china
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Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening…
-Washington officials blast conservatives for Minnesota-style day care fraud claims in new state
-Hours after taking office, NYC Mayor Mamdani targets landlords, moves to intervene in private bankruptcy case
-Trump says October scan was a CT, not MRI — and he regrets it after giving Dems ‘ammo’ despite healthy results
Israel accuses Mamdani of pouring ‘antisemitic gasoline’ after he revokes Adams executive orders
Israel tore into New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after he revoked a pair of executive orders signed by former Mayor Eric Adams that supported the Jewish state.
«On his very first day as New York City mayor, Mamdani shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel,» Israel’s Foreign Ministry wrote in a post on X.
«This isn’t leadership. It’s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire.»…READ MORE.
Mamdani is sworn in as mayor on a pair of family Qurans. (Amir Hamja/Pool via Reuters)
White House
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World Stage
‘LOCKED AND LOADED’: Iran crackdown rattles Middle East as analysts weigh US options short of military intervention
The military exercises mobilizing the Chinese PLA Navy, Army, Air Force and the Chinese Coast Guards, which are deemed as a punishment to Taiwan’s call for independence. (Daniel Ceng/Anadolu via Getty Images)
WAR GAMES: China’s global aggression check: Taiwan tensions, military posturing, and US response in 2025
Capitol Hill
AGAINST THE TIDE: These House mavericks defied their own parties more than anyone else in 2025
Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat from Georgia, during a news conference following the weekly Senate Democrat policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
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Across America
‘PREPARING FOR JIHAD’: What we know about the ISIS-inspired New Year’s Eve terror suspect
Christian Sturdivant, the 18-year-old suspect charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. At left, according to prosecutors, are a knife and hammers allegedly found in Sturdivant’s bedroom. (United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina/Gaston County Sheriff’s Office)
‘MARTYRDOM OP’: FBI disrupts alleged ISIS-inspired New Year’s Eve attack plot targeting North Carolina grocery store
GLOVES OFF: Bernie Sanders ditches iconic mittens look while swearing in socialist Zohran Mamdani as NYC mayor
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and his wife Jane Sanders attend New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s inauguration ceremony at City Hall in New York on Jan. 1, 2026. (TIMOTHY A.CLARY / AFP via Getty Images)
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Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
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At least seven explosions could be heard in Venezuela’s capital city of Caracas early Saturday morning, according to reports.
Low-flying aircraft were seen flying over Caracas at about 2 a.m. local time on Saturday, according to The Associated Press.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a Notice to Air Missions at 1 a.m. EST on Saturday prohibiting all U.S. aircraft from operating «at all altitudes within Venezuelan airspace.»
NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERT PREDICTS VENEZUELAN LEADER MADURO IS ‘GOING TO BE GONE’ UNDER TRUMP PRESSURE
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro looks on during a meeting at the National Assembly in Caracas, Aug. 22, 2025. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)
The report comes as the U.S. military has been targeting alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said Thursday that his government was open to negotiating an agreement with the United States after months of American military pressure targeting drug trafficking networks tied to his government.
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The Associated Press Contributed to this report.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
venezuelan political crisis,world,conflicts
En 1991, U2 presentó “One” como parte del álbum Achtung Baby. La banda irlandesa, integrada por Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton y Larry Mullen Jr., grabó la canción en Berlín, Alemania, durante el proceso de reunificación del país. El tema nació mientras el grupo atravesaba tensiones internas severas y una búsqueda de renovación artística. La primera interpretación pública de “One” ocurrió ese mismo año, en medio de expectativas marcadas por éxitos previos.
En la década anterior, U2 alcanzó reconocimiento mundial mediante álbumes como The Joshua Tree y Rattle and Hum. La banda realizó giras internacionales y obtuvo premios importantes. Sin embargo, de acuerdo con la crónica publicada por American Songwriter, las críticas a Rattle and Hum dejaron al grupo en una situación delicada, con dudas sobre su identidad musical. El ánimo dentro de la banda reflejaba incertidumbre, a pesar del éxito comercial.
Según varios testimonios citados por el medio, U2 eligió Berlín y los legendarios Hansa Studios para iniciar una nueva etapa. Los integrantes pretendían capturar el espíritu del cambio europeo, inspirados por la caída del Muro de Berlín. Pero el ambiente en el estudio era tenso. Bono y The Edge exploraban sonidos nuevos de la escena europea, mientras que Adam Clayton y Larry Mullen Jr. tenían posturas diferentes respecto a la dirección musical.
En el transcurso de una sesión de grabación, el grupo encontró una progresión de acordes diferente mientras trabajaba en otra canción. Ese descubrimiento cambió el clima en el estudio. Impulsados por la inspiración, finalizaron la estructura básica de “One”—acordes, melodía y las primeras letras—en solo quince minutos. Daniel Lanois, coproductor del álbum, colaboró para grabar la primera versión demo del tema.
Brian Eno, otro de los productores participantes, sugirió varios cambios al llegar semanas después. El proceso requirió meses de revisiones antes de obtener la versión finalizada en septiembre de 1991. De acuerdo con American Songwriter, la canción sirvió como punto de inflexión y permitió a la banda reencontrar cohesión artística.
La melodía de “One” alterna un verso melancólico con un estribillo luminoso. Según el análisis de la publicación mencionada, Bono aportó letras que reflejaban emociones contradictorias: resentimiento, dependencia mutua, unidad y desacuerdo. Estas sensaciones estaban presentes tanto entre los miembros del grupo como en la ciudad de Berlín en aquel momento.
Bono declaró a la prensa que el mensaje central de la canción no radica en una unidad idealizada, sino en la necesidad de convivir a pesar de las diferencias. El cantante afirmó: “Es una canción sobre unirse, pero no en un sentido utópico. Expresa que debemos aprender a convivir para sobrevivir, ya que no existe otra opción”.
En el libro autobiográfico del grupo, Bono amplió esa idea. Expresó su frustración porque algunas personas interpretan la frase “we get to carry each other” como una imposición. Explicó que la línea refleja la única salida posible: “La manera de seguir adelante depende de que nos ayudemos mutuamente”.
“One” no solo narra las diferencias que separan a las personas, sino el deber de cooperar para superar desafíos comunes. Estas interpretaciones generaron debate y múltiples lecturas a lo largo de los años. Diversos críticos apuntan que la complejidad emocional de la canción ha favorecido su permanencia en el repertorio de la banda y su vigencia cultural.
La versión definitiva de “One”, incluida en Achtung Baby, es considerada por especialistas como uno de los puntos altos de la discografía de U2. El tema se destaca por una interpretación vocal intensa de Bono, especialmente en el segmento final, cuando alcanza notas agudas características de su estilo.
En 2006, Mary J. Blige realizó una versión que aportó matices distintos. Sin embargo, para la crítica, la grabación original mantiene un lugar privilegiado en la música contemporánea. De acuerdo con American Songwriter, U2 defendió “One” como una declaración sobre la resiliencia colectiva y la importancia de elegir la unidad frente a la adversidad.
La influencia de “One” trasciende su época. La canción permanece como símbolo de reconciliación y entendimiento, atributos reconocidos tanto por la industria musical como por su base de seguidores. U2 consolidó su lugar en la historia del rock con este tema, que nació de la crisis y se proyectó como un himno universal sobre la convivencia.
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