
Manchin says he'll vote no on Robert Califf for FDA commissioner
CNN
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia on Monday went to the Senate floor to crystallize his opposition to Dr. Robert Califf's nomination to lead the Food and Drug Administration, pointing to the ongoing opioid crisis that has only grown since Califf first served in this position during the Obama administration.
In the narrowly divided Senate, Manchin's opposition -- which had been widely expected -- means Democrats will have to rely on support from Republican senators to confirm Califf. A number of Republicans are expected to back Califf -- including the top Republican on the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pension committee, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina -- but it still sets up a high-wire act for the Biden administration. The timing for a confirmation vote on Califf's nomination has not yet been finalized.
"I will vote no on Dr. Califf's nomination, and I have never been more profoundly confident of a vote I'm going to cast than I am right now," Manchin said in a speech from the Senate floor Monday, asking his fellow senators to "send a message to this administration, to our President, that we need a new direction at the FDA."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth risked compromising sensitive military information that could have endangered US troops through his use of Signal to discuss attack plans, a Pentagon watchdog said in an unclassified report released Thursday. It also details how Hegseth declined to cooperate with the probe.

Two top House lawmakers emerged divided along party lines after a private briefing with the military official who oversaw September’s attack on an alleged drug vessel that included a so-called double-tap strike that killed surviving crew members, with a top Democrat calling video of the incident that was shared as part of the briefing “one of the most troubling things” he has seen as a lawmaker.

Authorities in Colombia are dealing with increasingly sophisticated criminals, who use advanced tech to produce and conceal the drugs they hope to export around the world. But police and the military are fighting back, using AI to flag suspicious passengers, cargo and mail - alongside more conventional air and sea patrols. CNN’s Isa Soares gets an inside look at Bogotá’s war on drugs.

As lawmakers demand answers over reports that the US military carried out a follow-up strike that killed survivors during an attacked on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, a career Navy SEAL who has spent most of his 30 years of military experience in special operations will be responsible for providing them.









