Trump has nominated Dr. Heidi Overton, an outspoken anti-abortion, anti-vaccine ideologue, to run the FDA, one of the most powerful regulatory agencies in the country. Miles and Dr. Rob dig into Overton’s record, including her celebration of the fall of Roe v. Wade and her history of spreading misinformation about medication abortion. We explain why her appointment could signal a coming fight over mifepristone access and we take a look at soon-to-be-former Senator Bill Cassidy’s tepid, wiggle-room “concerns” about the nomination. We take a look at Cassidy’s track record on RFK Jr. and other controversial picks and whether or not he’ll stand in the way of her nomination.
From there, we turn to RFK Jr.’s latest vaccine falsehood. He cites new research that supports splitting up the MMR shot. The problem is…. He just made the research up. It doesn’t exist.
Plus, we take a look at the Trump administration’s slow and possibly influence-tainted response to a massive cyclospora outbreak, nwhich now tops 27,000 cases. The outbreak has been linked to a Taylor Farms lettuce facility in Mexico that hadn’t been FDA-inspected in seven years. Not to mention the political contributions flowing from Taylor Farms to Donald Trump and his bank accounts.
Finally, Miles and Dr. Rob sit down with William Lawrence, the Democratic nominee in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, fresh off a primary win that outside observers called unprecedented for the region. They talk about his grassroots, organizer-driven campaign; the fight against data center development bulldozing small Michigan towns; the impact of a shuttered Planned Parenthood clinic on over 60,000 district residents; and what Democrats should prioritize in the next two years to set the stage for real healthcare reform in 2029.
LINKS
The Hill: Rubio calls RFK Jr’s meat and sauerkraut menu ‘a crazy diet’
USA Today: RFK Jr. says ‘boxes and boxes’ of McDonald’s travel with Trump
The Washington Post: Trump selects Heidi Overton, White House aide, to lead FDA
Senate Democrats: TRANSCRIPT: President Trump Signs an Executive Order on Vaccination Schedules, 8.10.26
America First Policy Institute: SCOTUS Statements on Roe v. Wade
America First Policy Institute: Who Are the Real Abortion Radicals? A Comparative Perspective
America First Policy Institute: Risking Two lives—The Dangerous Rise of Chemical abortion
Bill Cassidy clutches his pearls about Heidi Overton on X
The Washington Post: Cassidy on Trump’s vaccine overhaul: ‘Crazy, stupid thing’
RFK Jr. cites non-existent study
FactCheck.org: RFK Jr. Falsely Claims New Evidence Supports Splitting MMR Vaccine
The Commonwealth Fund: What Americans Want Fixed in Health Care — and Who They Think Should Do It
The Hill: Warren presses RFK Jr. on Trump ties to lettuce distributor
Sen. Warren’s letter to RFK Jr. about the cyclosporiasis response
The New York Times: Trump Officials Falsely Connect Covid Vaccines to Miscarriage
FactCheck.org: Republicans Revive False Miscarriage Statistic, Twist Fauci’s Texts About COVID-19 Shots
Will Lawrence’s campaign website: WeWill2026.com
Will Lawrence on Instagram
Will Lawrence on Facebook
Will Lawrence on X
Will Lawrence on BlueSky
Will Lawrence on TikTok
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