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GOP doctors call out health task force for ‘woke distractions’ amid major reform push

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EXCLUSIVE: The GOP Doctors Caucus is backing a possible effort to overhaul the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, or USPSTF, an independent task force that’s used to determine recommendations on what services health insurance companies in the United States have to cover free of charge.
A letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., led by Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., and Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., and other members of the caucus expressed concerns that the group may be prioritizing social justice issues over other issues.
«Preventive care should be about keeping Americans healthy, not about checking political boxes,» Harshbarger said in a statement.
«The American people deserve a task force that follows the science, acts with urgency and relies on the expertise of front-line doctors. The USPSTF should be leading the charge in President Trump’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ agenda, not wasting time on woke distractions while chronic disease rates keep climbing.»
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HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., makes his way to the inaugural Great American Farmers Market on the National Mall Aug. 4, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Specifically, the letter asks for «relevant specialists» to be part of the process when making certain recommendations, greater transparency in decision-making and more of a focus on outcomes as opposed to «substantial attention to divisive social issues,» citing «race and gender identity considerations that extend beyond traditional clinical parameters,» according to a news release.
«In 2010, the Affordable Care Act expanded the authority of the USPSTF and tied coverage recommendations to Task Force determinations. However, since the USPSTF’s authority was expanded, the rate of incidence of preventable chronic disease in the United States has only climbed,» the letter states.
The letter was also signed by other members of the caucus, including Reps. Andy Harris, Ronny Jackson, Mike Kennedy, Brian Babin, Sheri Biggs and Bob Onder.
GOP SENATORS RALLY AROUND EFFORT TO END ‘RADICAL WOKENESS’ IN HHS TASK FORCE

Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., speaks during the Republican Study Committee news conference to introduce a «Women’s Bill of Rights» outside the Capitol May 19, 2022. (Getty Images )
Earlier this month, three Republican senators wrote a similar letter raising ideological concerns about the current task force.
«In particular, the USPSTF departed from its proper activities in its December 2023 Health Equity Framework. The framework criticizes ‘equal access to quality health care for all’ as an inadequate goal of public health and announces that the Task Force will instead use equity as ‘a criterion of the ‘public health importance’ of a topic’ for consideration,» that letter stated.
The Wall Street Journal reported that, in July, Kennedy was considering removing members of the board.
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A sign stands at an entrance to the main campus of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File)
«No final decision has been made on how the USPSTF can better support HHS’ mandate to Make America Healthy Again,» an HHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement when asked about the WSJ report at the time.
The American Medical Association has opposed an overhaul of the task force.
«USPSTF plays a critical, nonpartisan role in guiding physicians’ efforts to prevent disease and improve the health of patients by helping to ensure access to evidence-based clinical preventive services. As such, we urge you to retain the previously appointed members of the USPSTF and commit to the long-standing process of regular meetings to ensure their important work can continue without interruption,» the AMA wrote.
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Meanwhile, a group of physicians, including those from the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, America’s Frontline Doctors and the Pennsylvania Direct Primary Care Association, signed another letter in support of possible changes.
The signers wrote that new members should have an «ideological balance to develop recommendations based on facts and science.»
Fox News Digital reached out to HHS for an updated comment.
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Vance warns Hamas as Gaza peace plan’s Civilian Military Cooperation Center opens

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Vice President JD Vance issued a warning to Hamas on Tuesday while speaking to reporters at the new Civilian Military Cooperation Center (CMCC), which plays a critical role in the historic ceasefire deal.
«The terms of the 20 point plan that the president put out there is very clear. It’s supported not just by Israel, by, but by all of our Gulf Arab friends. It’s that Hamas has to disarm. It’s that Hamas has to actually behave itself and that Hamas, while all the fighters can be given some sort of clemency, they’re not going to be able to kill each other, and they’re not going to be able to kill their fellow Palestinians,» Vance said.
«Right now, where I stand, I feel confident that we’re going to be in a place where this peace lasts, where it’s durable, and if Hamas doesn’t cooperate, then, as the United States has said, Hamas is going to be obliterated,» Vance added.
President Donald Trump urged Hamas to move quickly on a U.S.-brokered peace proposal aimed at ending the Gaza conflict. (Alex Wong/Getty Images; MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images)
The vice president’s warning came after President Donald Trump issued one of his own, saying that if Hamas did not act in accordance with the agreement, the terror organization’s end would be «fast, furious and brutal.»
During a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday, Trump said that Hamas would be eradicated if it did not hold up its end of the deal. The president issued similar warnings since the peace deal went into effect last week.
In addition to his warning to Hamas, Vance scolded the media over its apparent «desire to root for failure,» saying that any setbacks or hiccups did not necessarily mean the end of the deal.
«Every time something bad happens and every time that there’s an act of violence, there’s this inclination to say, ‘oh, this is the end of the ceasefire. This is the end of the peace plan.’ It’s not the end. It is, in fact, exactly how this is going to have to happen when you have people who hate each other, who have been fighting against each other for a very long time. We are doing very well. We are in a very good place,» Vance said before praising the team working to implement the Gaza deal.

Vice President JD Vance speaks during a press conference following a military briefing at the Civilian Military Coordination Center in southern Israel Oct. 21, 2025. (Nathan Howard/Pool via Reuters)
While Vance demanded Hamas disarm in accordance with the deal, he refused to give the terrorist organization an exact deadline, something Trump has not done either.
«The president actually put out a truth this morning that I thought was very instructive. We know that Hamas has to comply with the deal, and if Hamas doesn’t comply with the deal, very bad things are going to happen. But I’m not going to do what the president United States has thus far refused to do, which is put an explicit deadline on it, because a lot of this stuff is difficult. A lot of this stuff is unpredictable,» the vice president said.
The opening of the CMCC is a major milestone in the implementation of the historic deal. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, head of CENTCOM, attended the news conference and said «200 of America’s sons and daughters, who wear the cloth of the nation, have stepped up and are serving here. I just couldn’t be prouder.»
Jared Kushner was also in attendance at the news conference where he spoke about plans for Gaza reconstruction and the efforts currently underway in the ceasefire deal. Kushner noted that there was «surprisingly strong coordination between the United Nations and Israel» on efforts to get aid to Palestinians in the enclave.
Kushner also said that progress was being made towards getting back the remains of all deceased hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
Prior to Vance’s arrival in Israel, several hostages who were freed as part of the historic deal brokered by the Trump administration met with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Kushner. The meeting included Omri Miran, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Yosef Chaim Ohana, Matan Angrest, Bar Kupershtein, Segev Kalfon, Nimrod Cohen and Eitan Horn.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the former hostages thanked Witkoff and Kushner and expressed «profound gratitude to President Trump for making their freedom a top priority and working tirelessly to ensure their release after more than two years in captivity.»
When speaking at the CMCC, Witkoff said the meeting was an «emotional moment» and that he felt «blessed to be in that room.»
«I didn’t see any victims in that room. I saw strong people who have come out under very difficult circumstances. Their families are reunited, and they are so grateful,» Witkoff said.
In his closing remarks, Vance expressed his trust in God’s providence and said he believed the job could be done.
«I know that Christians have many titles for Jesus Christ, and one of them is the Prince of Peace. And I’d ask all people of faith, in particular my fellow Christians, to pray that the Prince of Peace can continue to work a miracle in this region of the world. I think that we have made incredible strides over the past week. We’re going to have to make a lot more. But I think with your prayers, with God’s providence and with a very good team behind me, I think we’re gonna get it done,» Vance said.
The vice president said that while in Israel, he hopes to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which Christians believe is the site where Jesus Christ was crucified.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
world,israel,donald trump,jd vance,middle east
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Blackburn says Trump support was ‘common thread’ among lawmakers reportedly targeted by Jack Smith

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FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., was one of nearly a dozen Senate Republicans allegedly probed by former Special Counsel Jack Smith, an investigation she wasn’t aware of until earlier this month.
She was one of several Senate Republicans that Smith allegedly surveilled as part of his investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots. But it was only revealed earlier this month by the FBI — thanks to an oversight request by Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa — that Smith allegedly requested phone records on her and others.
Blackburn told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that until the documents from Smith’s «Arctic Frost» investigation were revealed, she had no idea that her phone records were being surveilled.
JACK SMITH INVESTIGATORS NEED TO ‘PAY BIG’ FOR JAN. 6 PHONE RECORDS PROBE, WARNS SEN. GRAHAM
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., believed that the «common thread» on former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s alleged spying on congressional Republicans was their support of President Donald Trump. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
She believed the «common thread» behind the former special counsel’s probe, which was carried out in 2023, was because «the eight of us are all Republicans. We all support President Trump.»
Blackburn and Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Bill Hagerty, R-Wyo., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., were all reportedly part of Smith’s investigation.
In response, Blackburn and many of the others that were allegedly surveilled by Smith want to see him disbarred.
«This is about making certain we have one tier of justice, and that we stop this two tiers of justice,» Blackburn said. «And if they can do this to eight sitting U.S. senators, what could they possibly — I mean, think about how, what they must be doing to conservatives in this country.»
Last week, she and Graham, Tuberville, Sullivan and Kelly sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi demanding an investigation into Smith, and that he be referred to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Professional Responsibility.
HAGERTY PRESSES VERIZON OVER FBI’S ACCESS TO HIS PHONE RECORDS DURING JACK SMITH PROBE

Special Counsel Jack Smith delivers remarks on an unsealed indictment including four felony counts against former President Donald Trump in Washington, Aug. 1, 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The end goal of the investigation is to see Smith disbarred from both New York and Tennessee, two states where he holds a license to practice law. Blackburn argued that Smith’s alleged spying on her and others was a «First Amendment and Fourth Amendment violation.»
Her latest push against the former special counsel came on the heels of another letter sent to AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon demanding why the cellphone carriers allegedly allowed Smith and the FBI under the Biden administration to track their communications.
«You would have thought that, because of the Stored Records Act and the First Amendment, the Fourth Amendment and the Speech and Debate Clause, that at least Verizon, who’s my wireless carrier, would have informed me that there was a request on my records,» she said.
JACK SMITH TRACKED PRIVATE COMMUNICATIONS, CALLS OF NEARLY A DOZEN GOP SENATORS DURING J6 PROBE, FBI SAYS

President Donald Trump listens to Argentina’s President Javier Milei (not pictured) in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, Oct. 14, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
«But of course, there was nothing given to us, and it’s the reason that we sent the letter to Verizon and then followed it with a letter … to the DOJ on Jack Smith,» she continued.
Smith is one of a handful of former officials that have been targeted by the DOJ under the Trump administration. He is currently under investigation by the Office of Special Counsel for alleged Hatch Act violations, which bars government employees from participating in political activities.
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Then there are federal indictments against former FBI Director James Comey for allegedly making false statements and obstructing justice, and former National Security Advisor John Bolton for allegedly mishandling classified documents.
Blackburn was one of many Republicans that railed against so-called political witch hunts against President Donald Trump when he was out of office. When asked what the difference between the indictments against Trump and his allies compared to the latest crop of former officials, she said it was about accountability.
«These need to be investigated so that this kind of stuff stops,» Blackburn said. «And one of the differences, I think you see between Democrats and Republicans, is Democrats repeatedly circle the wagons, and they push things under the rug, and then they want two tiers of justice. And with Republicans, the focus is on accountability and transparency, and I think that is a major, major difference.»
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La vida de Joaquín Sabina ya es un cómic

El cantante español Joaquín Sabina ya tiene una novela gráfica sobre su biografía, un proyecto que sedujo a los guionistas Kike Babas y Kike Turrón (los Kikes), que vieron en el artista un personaje de cómic.
“Sabina tiene una vida de cómic y una cantidad de canciones que pueden ser hechas viñetas en cualquier momento”, argumentan.
El primer volumen de Joaquín Sabina. Pasión y Vida (Bao Bilbao Ediciones), que se publica este mes, tiene el acicate de haber agotado ya la primera edición en preventas. Han participado los Kikes y doce ilustradores, que narran “un trozo de su vida” (desde el nacimiento hasta 1995, año del álbum Yo, mi, me, contigo) porque meter a Sabina en un solo tomo resultaba complicado por su prolífica trayectoria.
Kike Babas y Kike Turrón explican que Sabina tiene novela gráfica porque “es un grande, porque es un personaje de cómic y por el empeño de los Kikes desde hace años de dar impulso y respeto a la cultura popular”.
“Siempre hemos envidiado que los países anglosajones rindan homenaje a su cultura popular, que Bob Dylan tenga cátedras en la universidad o que hubiera tomos de cómic sobre The Doors o Janis Joplin, y en España eso no estaba tratado”, dice Babas.
Así que, después de hacer biografías de cantantes y grupos como Manu Chao, Los Rodríguez, Rosendo, Siniestro Total…, pasaron a la novela gráfica con Fito, el humorista Gran Wyoming y ahora le llega el turno a Sabina.
Turrón admite que a la hora de decidirse por el personaje lo principal es que sea relevante y con público suficiente para lanzarse a ello.
Babas va un paso más allá y admite que a la hora de elegir personaje lo que manda es que les guste, pero también que llene plazas de toros o pabellones y que sea personaje de cómic: “Fito es un personaje de cómic, pero Sabina es otro”. Explican ambos que pidieron permiso a Sabina para hacer su biografía, igual que hacen con todos los artistas.

Un año tardaron en montar la biografía, tras obtener el ‘sí’ de Sabina, a través del cantautor Leiva, amigo en común.
La condición que puso Sabina fue que no lo molestaran porque se embarcaba en su gira de despedida y no quería volver a narrar historias que ya había contado en muchas ocasiones.
Babas explica que, en realidad, no necesitaban el relato de Sabina porque su vida está ya en 17 libros y la han interpretado decenas de periodistas. Es decir, solo con esa bibliografía extensa y buscando los libros en mercadillos, era suficiente.
A partir de ese trabajo de documentación, el objetivo era “resumir y resumir y buscar la esencia” hasta tener el guión listo para entregarlo a los ilustradores.

Y en el final del proceso, un audio de Sabina en whatsapp, con esa voz inconfundible y ronquísima, les confirmó que el trabajo estaba bien hecho: “Queridos Kikes, felicidades”, les dijo.
Turrón reconoce que, para dar dinamismo al guión, hicieron un ‘tour’ de ficción que pasaba por Úbeda, su pueblo natal, y por el Madrid antiguo, pero también por entrevistar a algunos personajes, como el que inspiró la canción ‘Juana la Loca’.
En la obra se mezcla la ficción y la no ficción, y algunas entrevistas como al poeta Benjamín Prado y al poeta y director del Instituto Cervantes, Luis García Montero, que han terminando siendo los prologuistas del libro.
Los Kikes están muy satisfechos de haber tenido la responsabilidad de haber puesto imágenes a sus canciones.

Sobre algún apunte oculto que desvele la obra, los Kikes comentan que algunos de los que han leído el libro adquirido en preventas han reconocido que, por ejemplo, “no tenían ni idea de que Sabina había tirado un cóctel molotov a una sucursal bancaria”.
Hay muchos datos en el libro, pero Sabina les reconoció tras leerlo: “Hay cosas que se cuentan mejor de lo que yo recordaba entre sombras”.
Babas destaca que una de los capítulos más atractivos es donde narra la llegada y el triunfo en Latinoamérica: “Como una persona tan andaluz, tan de Madrid, tan castiza y tan ibérica, de repente encuentra en Latinoamérica el triunfo absoluto. La patria es un idioma y Joaquín es un habitante perfecto de esa patria.
Los guionistas han hecho coincidir la publicación de la novela con la gira de Sabina que acaba en el mes de noviembre, y con la que se retira de los grandes recintos.
Fuente: EFE
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