The following is a transcript of a report from “Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson.”
Watch the video by clicking the link at the end of the page.

These are live fire NATO exercises in northeast Poland. It’s rare that journalists are permitted to literally be in the midst to observe.

This spot is chosen for its strategic importance, a mere 37 miles from Russia and not far from a place often called NATO’s weak spot:

The Suwalki Gap in Poland. It’s a 40 mile long stretch of land between a Russian territory and Russian ally Belarus. If Russia were to attack from both sides, it could separate NATO countries Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania from Poland and the rest of Europe.

Patrick Merriss: Kaliningrad, Russia is about 60 kilometers to our, our north.

Lt. Col. Patrick Merriss, from Birmingham, Alabama is commander over this NATO training exercise.

Sharyl: Why is this area important?

Merriss: So, the positioning between Belarus and Kaliningrad is about 160 kilometers wide. It is the only land bridge to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia that exists. So part of our role here is to deter any adversaries from impacting that, that terrain.

Sharyl: Does the fact of simply conducting exercises act as a deterrence?

Merriss: Sure. It’s interacting with multinational forces across NATO, it’s partnering with Polish forces is all an effort to deter any adversaries.

Soldiers from the UK, Croatia and Romania are taking part today, alongside U.S. soldiers.

Juan Mujica, 22, is from Victoria, Texas.

Juan Mujica: I am the gunner on my track

Sharyl: And what does that involve?

Mujica: Pretty much just controlling the gun on top and just shooting the targets, pressing the triggers.

28-year old Staff Sergeant Broderick Perdue is from Omaha, Nebraska.

Sharyl: What would you like people at home to know about something you do they may not know?

Broderick Perdue: I would just like to say that being an armor recruitment is probably one of the best jobs you can have in the army. There’s nothing beat being on an Abrams tank maneuvering and shooting big bullets, like at least almost a mile out.

Sharyl: Do you expect that Russia knows what’s going on today?

Merriss: Absolutely.

Sharyl: How do they watch?

Merriss: From all, all different means, I mean, open source collection, for sure. You know, social media, anything that, that is advertising from the NATO side, we message very well what our capabilities are and how frequently we are practicing them for that purpose.

Another message NATO is delivering to Russia today is that multiple nations are practicing cohesively—and are ready, bridging language barriers and communication gaps.

Col. Alex Gaievskis oversees NATO battlegroups in the region.

He joined Lithuanian fighters for freedom in 1991 when he was 17 and took part in combat operations against the Soviets until they left Lithuania in 1993.

Sharyl: Do you think the Russian threat in some respects focused NATO in a different way that made it stronger or more powerful as a deterrent?

Gaievskis: Yes. NATO is much stronger than it was earlier. I’m very happy what Americans actually bring the knowledge and we are able to share with other all nations, all among us. This is the most important frankly, seeing the support deterrence and trust me, it’s just people around and they see the military uniforms and Americans especially, they’re happy to greet them, to shake their hands

The $175 billion tax dollars the U.S. has designated for Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022, and the lopsided assets the U.S. has to back up NATO are political fodder. The U.S. spends close to a trillion dollars on defense. That’s almost double the other 31 NATO countries combined. And when it comes to NATO’s annual budget, the U.S. and Germany cover 1/3 of the $4.2 billion. 30 other countries contribute much smaller amounts.

At a campaign rally, Donald Trump recounted how, as president, he says he motivated more NATO nations to step up and pay their fair share, using tough talk with the leader of one unspecified NATO country.

Former President Donald Trump (February 10): “Well sir if we don’t pay, and we’re attacked by Russia, will you protect us?” I said, “You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?” He said “Yes, let’s say that happened.” “No I would not protect you. In fact I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they wanted. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills.”

Perhaps no country outside Ukraine counts on U.S. support more than Poland when it comes to the Russia conflict. Poland President Andrzej Duda told me he’s worked successfully with Obama, Trump, and Biden.

Andrzej Duda/President of Poland: In the fall of 2015, I first met Barack Obama. The result of our cooperation was that during the NATO summit, a decision was made to expand the NATO presence on NATO’s Eastern flank. And then President Barak Obama gave green light to dispatching 2000 of American soldiers to Poland. And so they have been present ever since on a rotation basis. When I had my cooperation with President Donald Trump, the American presence was enhanced in Poland. And then the presidency of Joe Biden came and Joe Biden, when the Russians were attacking, were on the eve of launching their attack of Ukraine, dispatched here and deployed here top notch American soldiers, to be deployed in the vicinity of the Polish Ukrainian border. So American politics, no matter who is at the helm continues to function in a way that strengthens and solidifies the American Polish relations.

Sharyl: We know or we’ve been told that Russia hasn’t made any moves threatening to go beyond Ukraine’s borders, anything like that. But are there scenarios that we’ve worked out that if that were to happen, this would be or could be a key point?

Gaievskis: Frankly saying, I cannot reveal the whole secrets and so on. We know what enemy potentially can do. So when I can tell on behalf of my division that we are ready actually not only to deter but to defend every inch of the NATO.

Sharyl (on-camera): To reiterate, NATO officials say they would see key signs well in advance if Russia were planning an assault or offensive outside of Ukraine and they say Russia hasn’t made any such threat since its invasion in 2022.

Watch video here.

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House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) have issued a statement regarding recent findings of research falsification at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

“These findings are deeply troubling and worsen an already growing distrust of the NIH’s scientific research. We expect full transparency with Congress and the public regarding the matter. While Republicans have historically championed the NIH, these types of misconduct—coupled with the agency’s lack of cooperation throughout our ongoing investigations—undermine trust in the agency.

The responses to the Committee’s NIH reform framework overwhelmingly agreed that a comprehensive review of NIH is needed. We urge experts and stakeholders to continue engaging in constructive discussion to strengthen the NIH, protect taxpayer dollars, and restore trust in government health agencies.”

Chairs Rodgers, Guthrie, and Griffith

A Science magazine article further details the allegations, which were in part confirmed by the NIH.

In June 2024, Chair Rodgers unveiled a framework that outlines the current challenges facing the NIH and provides recommendations for reform.

Read the one-pager on the framework here or below.

For the full statement, read the original press release here.

Reforming the National Institutes of Health
Framework for Discussion

The American people’s trust in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been broken. Over the past several years, we have witnessed countless missteps throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, along with numerous investigations that have turned up everything from systematic sexual harassment to serious lapses in oversight related to risky research. These matters were made worse by a culture resistant to transparency and accountability to Congress and the public.

Republicans have long been champions of the NIH. The agency is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, and its role is critical to life-saving medical research and innovation. However, it has been nearly two decades since Congress critically evaluated the NIH and advanced structural legislative reforms. Congress has a responsibility to the American people to ensure that the NIH is held accountable and that its mission serves all of our interests. The U.S. became a world leader in biomedical innovation because Americans are resourceful, resilient, and entrepreneurial. Let us continue to build on that legacy and work to ensure the NIH continues to deliver on the promises of hope for those in need.

NIH Mission and Leadership Must Be Accountable, Integrated, and Agile:

• Establish a congressionally mandated commission to lead a comprehensive, wholesale review of the NIH’s performance, mission, objectives, and programs.
• Ensure the NIH is committed to and focused on promoting and bolstering innovation of new treatments and cures, including by encouraging public-private partnerships and collaboration.
• Introduce term limits for IC leadership.
• Eliminate silos by requiring every IC to regularly report how they are utilizing a life-stage approach throughout its activities, grant funding decisions, and research priorities.
• Ensure NIH officials abide by financial transparency requirements and standards.
• Ensure the NIH is implementing policies and procedures that enable full and robust oversight of investigations into allegations of misconduct, including sexual harassment, in both intramural and extramural research programs, as well as ensuring NIH whistleblower protections.
• Consider additional disclosure reporting and transparency requirements for donors, partners, and activities supported by the FNIH.

NIH Funding Mechanisms Must Be Clear, Responsible, and Reflective of Congressional Intent:

• Restore Congress’s role in directing funding by repealing the authorization for the Public Health Service (PHS) Evaluation Set-Aside to ensure transparency and accountability in funding decisions.
• Consider alternative mechanisms to limit indirect, or facilities and administrative, costs.
• Require any entity receiving grants or awards to report publicly and make searchable their indirect facilities and administrative costs, including fixed capital costs, administrative overhead, and labor costs.
• Ensure the NIH is properly accounting for and recovering misused taxpayer dollars.

NIH Grant Research Must Protect Against National Security Risks and Threats, and Be Independent, Innovative, Responsive, and Transparent:

• Focus on providing grants and awards only to primary investigators that do not have more than three ongoing concurrent NIH engagements.
• Consider opportunities to continue to bolster and support early-stage investigators, encourage systematic replication studies across research portfolios and fields, and prevent research and data waste, fraud, and misconduct.
• Continue prohibition of risky gain-of-function research, including in countries that have been designated as foreign adversaries.
• Establish an independent review entity for the proposed National Institute on Infectious Diseases.
• Demand accountability from grantees by ensuring they are complying with all requirements to provide access to all relevant documentation related to research being conducted by any foreign subgrantee.
• Require grant recipients conducting research involving potentially dangerous agents to establish community oversight boards.
• Require each IC to report and publicly post on the IC’s website any grant or subgrant occurring in any foreign country.
• Incorporate a national security review into the grant and award process for grants that involve research occurring by, or on behalf of, foreign adversaries.
• Ensure the NIH is appropriately updating, communicating, and implementing conflict of interest policies.
• Provide the HHS Secretary, in consultation with ODNI, permanent authority to immediately suspend, pending investigation, a grant determined to be a threat to national security.
• Require ethical and judicious standards of care, including appropriate transparency measures, for research involving animals both domestically and abroad.

The time is NOW to build a stronger NIH for the FUTURE.

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Maryland is at risk of forfeiting $450 million in federal education funding if the state fails to allocate the remaining funds by Monday’s deadline. This money is part of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund, designed to address educational challenges from the pandemic. Critics say missing this deadline could represent a significant failure in managing taxpayer money meant to help students recover.

The state has already allocated $1.5 billion of its $1.95 billion share from the third round of ESSER funding. To avoid losing the remaining $450 million, Maryland must finalize how these funds will be used by Monday. Contracts can be initiated up until the deadline, and payments can extend into next year.

However, as other states move quickly to commit their funds, Maryland’s slow pace has drawn attention. The failure to allocate these funds could leave schools—especially those struggling the most—without critical resources.

Despite the importance of these funds, Maryland has yet to clarify its plan for fully utilizing the relief money. The situation raises questions about whether state officials are effectively managing the influx of federal aid to support schools and students in need.

Read the full article here.

The post Maryland risks losing $450M in pandemic relief for education appeared first on Sharyl Attkisson.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) has introduced a bill to restrict birthright citizenship in the US. The “Birthright Citizenship Act of 2024” aims to stop granting citizenship to children of illegal immigrants and non-immigrants in the US on temporary visas.

Sen. Graham says birthright citizenship is a “major pull factor for illegal immigration” and a “weakness for our national security.” He points out that the US is one of only 33 countries in the world with no restrictions on birthright citizenship. In 2018, Sen. Graham supported former President Trump’s executive order to eliminate birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants born on American soil.

“It is long overdue for the United States to change its policy on birthright citizenship because it is being abused in so many ways,” says Graham. He mentions “birth tourism” as an example, where wealthy individuals from China and other nations come to the US  specifically to have a child who would automatically gain American citizenship. According to Sen. Graham, birthright citizenship is one of the largest “magnets that draw people to America.”

Graham criticizes the Biden-Harris administration’s catch-and-release policies, stating they have allowed illegal immigration to “skyrocket.” Over the past 3.5 years, there have been more than 8.3 million encounters with illegal aliens at the southern border, according to Graham.

The bill seeks to specify who can receive citizenship by birth in the US . It includes children born to at least one parent who is either:

• A citizen or national of the US,
• A lawful permanent resident of the US, or
• An alien performing active service in the armed forces.

This legislation would apply only to children born after the date of enactment.

You can read the full bill text below or here.

A BILL

To amend section 301 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to clarify those classes of individuals born in the United States who are nationals and citizens of the United States at birth, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Birthright Citizenship Act of 2024.”

SEC. 2. CITIZENSHIP AT BIRTH FOR CERTAIN PERSONS BORN IN THE UNITED STATES.

(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 301 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1401) is amended—

1. By redesignating subsections (a) through (h) as paragraphs (1) through (8), respectively;
2. In the matter preceding paragraph (1), as so redesignated, by striking “The following” and inserting the following:”(a) IN GENERAL.—The following”;
3. By adding at the end the following:”(b) DEFINITION.—Acknowledging the Citizenship Clause in section 1 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, a person born in the United States shall be considered ‘subject to the jurisdiction’ of the United States for purposes of subsection (a)(1) if the person is born in the United States of parents, one of whom is—
   1. A citizen or national of the United States;
   2. An alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States whose residence is in the United States; or
   3. An alien performing active service in the armed forces (as defined in section 101 of title 10, United States Code).”

(b) APPLICABILITY.—The amendment made by subsection (a)(3) may not be construed to affect the citizenship or nationality status of any person born before the date of the enactment of this Act.

(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

1. The Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) is amended—(A) In the undesignated matter following section 308(4)(B) (8 U.S.C. 1408(4)(B)), by striking “301(g)” and inserting “301(a)(7)”;(B) In section 309(a) (8 U.S.C. 1409(a))—(i) In the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking “(c), (d), (e), and (g) of section 301” and inserting “(3), (4), (5), and (7) of section 301(a)”; and(ii) In subsection (b), by striking “301(g)” and inserting “301(a)(7)”; and(C) In section 341(a) (8 U.S.C. 1452(a)), by striking “(c), (d), (e), or (g) of section 301” and inserting “(3), (4), (5), or (7) of section 301(a).”
2. The Act of March 16, 1956 (70 Stat. 50, chapter 85; 8 U.S.C. 1401a), is amended by striking “301(g)” and inserting “301(a)(7).”

The post (READ) Bill would halt ‘birthright citizenship’ for children of illegal immigrants appeared first on Sharyl Attkisson.

The following is a transcript of a report from “Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson.”
Watch the video by clicking the link at the end of the page.

The first thing to you should know is that decongestants with the same brand name may contain two completely different active ingredients. And by nearly every account— one of them doesn’t work.

Leslie Hendeles: It was no different than taking a placebo for a stuffy nose.

To help tell this story, we turn to Leslie Hendeles, a Doctor of Pharmacy, and professor Emeritus at the University of Florida.

The two ingredients we’re talking about are pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine. Most decongestants before 2006 contained pseudoephedrine, which works. But after 2006, most changed to phenylephrine, which doesn’t work, according to experts.

Hendeles’s role in the scandal began more than 30 years ago after he did research for an article on decongestants.

Hendeles: And in that article, I commented that this phenylephrine was not an effective drug.

America’s switch from the ingredient that worked, to the one that doesn’t, was made around 2007 because the original products were being abused by meth users and drug dealers.

Sharyl: So there was a point in time during which the ingredient that is widely agreed upon works well was being abused by people who make illegal meth or methamphetamines?

Hendeles: Correct. So that’s why the Congress passed a law, the “Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act” that requires pseudoephedrine to be behind the counter.

A version of the decongestants remained available on regular store shelves but switched to the allegedly ineffective active ingredient.

Most people probably didn’t know about the switch, but may have noticed their tried-and-true cold medicine no longer worked.

Hendeles: So after, after the law was passed and pharmacists had to move the pseudoephedrine behind the counter, the patients were buying the products that had phenylephrine in it and then complaining to the pharmacist that it didn’t work.

The University of Florida’s drug information center started getting a relative flood of calls from pharmacists and doctors asking about the medicine. Hendeles and a colleague, Doctor of Pharmacy Randy Hatton, collaborated. Hatton got copies of the original studies the FDA used decades ago to approve phenylephrine.

Hendeles: And he analyzed that the data and his analysis showed that it wasn’t effective, even the data that the FDA had.

The pharmacist duo decided something should be done about what they’d discovered.

Hendeles: And we published a paper, we brought this to FDA’s attention. And they ignored it.

Sharyl: What year was that?

Hendeles: 2006 or 7. When they didn’t do anything, we filed a citizen’s petition and in response to the citizen’s petition, they called their outside advisory committee to look at the data.

The FDA committee recommended studies to see if maybe the decongestants just needed to up the dose of the ingredient that didn’t seem to work.

Hendeles: One of the companies did actually do some studies at higher doses, and they, in a blinded study that looked at various doses, they found that even four times the maximum FDA recommended dose was no difference than placebo.

Meantime, years passed and the FDA didn’t act. Then in 2015, Hendeles and his partner wrote an editorial again questioning the effectiveness of phenylephrine. And they filed a second petition asking the FDA to take it off the market.

Hendeles: And FDA sat on that petition for five or six years before doing anything. And in 2023, they had put together an internal scientific committee within the FDA to look at all of this data. And that committee determined that the drug wasn’t effective and we were right. And so they then called another advisory committee meeting in September of 2023. And these outside advisors with none of them had any conflict of interest judged that we were, that the FDA was correct and we were correct that it was not effective. And, they still haven’t done anything about it.

Hendeles says he personally contacted the FDA to find out why.

Hendeles: I contacted the head of the non-prescription drug division and she gave me ice in the winter. She said that they were looking into it, and, but they haven’t acted. I suspect that there’s a problem ’cause it’s in 261 products. And I think the lobbying group for the manufacturers of non-prescription drugs, probably has pushed back on the FDA’s determination that it wasn’t effective.

The industry lobby group says phenylephrine is a safe and effective decongestant and that the FDA Advisory Committee is “at odds with the numerous clinical trials.”

For now, Hendeles says two things that DO work for cold and allergy stuffiness are nose sprays with phenylephrine or steroids. And if you think your store shelf bought decongestant isn’t working, it’s not your imagination.

Sharyl (on-camera): Hendeles says there are other common non-prescription products with the same MO and that Congress should examine the broken FDA system that allowed them on the market and keeps them there.

Watch video here.

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House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Kentucky) announced an investigation into the Biden-Harris Administration’s use of taxpayer resources to fly Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Pennsylvania. This trip reportedly aimed to support Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign.

Chairman Comer is seeking documents from the White House, Department of Defense, and Department of Justice regarding this use of government resources, which allowed Zelensky to campaign for Harris ahead of the 2024 election. Comer highlighted concerns about foreign interference in the election and potential abuse of power, echoing accusations made during President Trump’s 2019 impeachment.

“This rhetoric from a foreign leader during a U.S.-taxpayer-funded visit about the current Administration’s political opponent is highly concerning,”

Rep. James Comer, (R-Kentucky)

Chairman Comer noted that the investigation seeks information about communications between the Biden-Harris Administration, Pennsylvania’s Office of the Governor, and Zelensky. The goal is to determine if government property was misused to benefit Harris’s presidential campaign.

Chairman Comer has requested all relevant documents, including communication regarding Zelensky’s visit to the US in September 2024.

For more information click here.

Read the full letters below or at the following links:

• Assistant to the President and White House Counsel Edward Siskel
• Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III
• Attorney General Merrick B. Garland

Letter to Mr. Edward Siskel, Assistant to the President and White House Counsel

September 25, 2024

Mr. Edward Siskel
Assistant to the President and White House Counsel
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. Siskel,

In 2019, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives impeached President Donald J. Trump for abuse of power under the theory that he attempted to use a foreign leader—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky—to benefit his 2020 presidential campaign, despite a lack of any evidence of wrongdoing on the part of President Trump. The Biden-Harris Administration recently flew the same foreign leader—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky—on an American-taxpayer-funded flight to Pennsylvania, a battleground state in the upcoming 2024 presidential election, which has been described as the “trickiest battleground for Vice President Kamala Harris to win.” The Committee seeks to determine whether the Biden-Harris Administration attempted to use a foreign leader to benefit Vice President Harris’s presidential campaign and, if so, necessarily committed an abuse of power.

The Committee seeks to understand the circumstances that led—and any facts that could justify—the Biden-Harris Administration to transport President Zelensky on a Department of the Air Force aircraft to Pennsylvania to introduce government officials to President Zelensky about the Russia-Ukraine war. President Zelensky’s itinerary included a stop in Pennsylvania to meet with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, until recently considered a promising candidate to further Democrats’ hopes to maintain control of the White House. On September 22, 2024, The New Yorker published an interview with President Zelensky, in which he made multiple critical comments about the Trump-Vance ticket. President Zelensky said that President Trump’s running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, is “too radical.” He further stated his belief that President Trump and his administration would not be able to stop the war, despite this being one of President Trump’s main campaign platforms (and the peace in the region under the entirety of the former Trump Administration). This rhetoric coming from a foreign leader released in anticipation of a U.S.-taxpayer-funded visit about the current Administration’s political opponent is highly concerning.

The Committee is investigating any coordination or communication among the Biden-Harris Administration, Pennsylvania’s Office of the Governor, and President Zelensky for use or solicitation of use of government property to politically benefit Vice President Harris’s presidential campaign.

Because the Biden-Harris Administration orchestrated and used government resources to make possible this apparent campaign event that resulted in the potential interference in a federal election, the Committee seeks information from the White House. Specifically, the Committee requests the following relevant documents:

• Any information and communication, both internal and external, about President Zelensky’s visit to the United States during September 2024.

Please provide these documents as soon as possible, but no later than October 2, 2024. To provide documents to the Committee, or if you have questions regarding this request, please contact the Committee on Oversight and Accountability staff at (202) 225-5074.

The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee in the U.S. House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X. Thank you in advance for your cooperation with this inquiry.

Sincerely,
James Comer
Chairman
Committee on Oversight and Accountability

cc: The Honorable Jamie B. Raskin, Ranking Member, Committee on Oversight and Accountability

Letter to The Honorable Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of Defense

September 25, 2024

The Honorable Lloyd J. Austin III
Secretary
Department of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000

Dear Secretary Austin,

In 2019, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives impeached President Donald J. Trump for abuse of power under the theory that he attempted to use a foreign leader—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky—to benefit his 2020 presidential campaign, despite a lack of any evidence of wrongdoing on the part of President Trump. The Biden-Harris Administration recently flew the same foreign leader—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky—on an American-taxpayer-funded flight to Pennsylvania, a battleground state in the upcoming 2024 presidential election, which has been described as the “trickiest battleground for Vice President Kamala Harris to win.” The Committee seeks to determine whether the Biden-Harris Administration attempted to use a foreign leader to benefit Vice President Harris’s presidential campaign and, if so, necessarily committed an abuse of power.

The Committee seeks to understand the circumstances that led—and any facts that could justify—the Biden-Harris Administration to transport President Zelensky on a Department of the Air Force aircraft to Pennsylvania to introduce government officials to President Zelensky about the Russia-Ukraine war. President Zelensky’s itinerary included a stop in Pennsylvania to meet with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, until recently considered a promising candidate to further Democrats’ hopes to maintain control of the White House. On September 22, 2024, The New Yorker published an interview with President Zelensky, in which he made multiple critical comments about the Trump-Vance ticket. President Zelensky said that President Trump’s running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, is “too radical.” He further stated his belief that President Trump and his administration would not be able to stop the war, despite this being one of President Trump’s main campaign platforms (and the peace in the region under the entirety of the former Trump Administration). This rhetoric coming from a foreign leader released in anticipation of a U.S.-taxpayer-funded visit about the current Administration’s political opponent is highly concerning.

The Committee is investigating any coordination or communication among the Biden-Harris Administration, Pennsylvania’s Office of the Governor, and President Zelensky for use or solicitation of use of government property to politically benefit Vice President Harris’s presidential campaign.

Because resources from the Department of the Air Force were used in this apparent campaign event that resulted in the potential interference of a federal election, the Committee seeks information from the Department of Defense. Specifically, the Committee requests the following relevant documents:

• Any information and communication, both internal and external, about President Zelensky’s visit to the United States during September 2024.

Please provide these documents as soon as possible, but no later than October 2, 2024. To provide documents to the Committee, or if you have questions regarding this request, please contact the Committee on Oversight and Accountability staff at (202) 225-5074.

The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee in the U.S. House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X. Thank you in advance for your cooperation with this inquiry.

Sincerely,
James Comer
Chairman
Committee on Oversight and Accountability

cc: The Honorable Jamie B. Raskin, Ranking Member, Committee on Oversight and Accountability

Letter to The Honorable Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General

September 25, 2024

The Honorable Merrick B. Garland
Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20530

Dear Attorney General Garland,

In 2019, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives impeached President Donald J. Trump for abuse of power under the theory that he attempted to use a foreign leader—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky—to benefit his 2020 presidential campaign, despite a lack of any evidence of wrongdoing on the part of President Trump. The Biden-Harris Administration recently flew the same foreign leader—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky—on an American-taxpayer-funded flight to Pennsylvania, a battleground state in the upcoming 2024 presidential election, which has been described as the “trickiest battleground for Vice President Kamala Harris to win.” The Committee seeks to determine whether the Biden-Harris Administration attempted to use a foreign leader to benefit Vice President Harris’s presidential campaign and, if so, necessarily committed an abuse of power.

The Committee seeks to understand the circumstances that led—and any facts that could justify—the Biden-Harris Administration to transport President Zelensky on a Department of the Air Force aircraft to Pennsylvania to introduce government officials to President Zelensky about the Russia-Ukraine war. President Zelensky’s itinerary included a stop in Pennsylvania to meet with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, until recently considered a promising candidate to further Democrats’ hopes to maintain control of the White House. On September 22, 2024, The New Yorker published an interview with President Zelensky, in which he made multiple critical comments about the Trump-Vance ticket. President Zelensky said that President Trump’s running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, is “too radical.” He further stated his belief that President Trump and his administration would not be able to stop the war, despite this being one of President Trump’s main campaign platforms (and the peace in the region under the entirety of the former Trump Administration). This rhetoric coming from a foreign leader released in anticipation of a U.S.-taxpayer-funded visit about the current Administration’s political opponent is highly concerning.

The Committee is investigating any coordination or communication among the Biden-Harris Administration, Pennsylvania’s Office of the Governor, and President Zelensky for use or solicitation of use of government property to politically benefit Vice President Harris’s presidential campaign.

Because the Department of Justice (DOJ), at your direction, is highly focused on combatting foreign election interference, the Committee requests DOJ review the Biden-Harris Administration’s coordination with the Ukrainian government regarding President Zelensky’s itinerary while in America. You recently stated DOJ “will be relentlessly aggressive in countering and disrupting attempts by Russia and Iran—as well as China or any other foreign malign actor—to interfere in our elections and undermine our democracy.” The Committee believes no foreign actor—whether or not deemed “malign” by DOJ—should be permitted to interfere in American elections. Thus, the Committee seeks information from DOJ. Specifically, the Committee requests the following relevant documents:

• Any information and communication, both internal and external, about President Zelensky’s visit to the United States during September 2024.

Please provide these documents as soon as possible, but no later than October 2, 2024. To provide documents to the Committee, or if you have questions regarding this request, please contact the Committee on Oversight and Accountability staff at (202) 225-5074.

The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee in the U.S. House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X. Thank you in advance for your cooperation with this inquiry.

Sincerely,
James Comer
Chairman
Committee on Oversight and Accountability

cc: The Honorable Jamie B. Raskin, Ranking Member, Committee on Oversight and Accountability

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Pharmaceutical giant Gilead recalled one batch of its COVID-19 antiviral drug Veklury, the brand name for Remdesivir, after glass particles were discovered in vials of the drug. A company investigation, prompted by a customer complaint, confirmed the presence of glass, according to the company recall notice posted on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website.

Gilead distributed the batch, identified as Veklury lot No. 47035CFA, across the US beginning on July 16. The batch isn’t set to expire until November 2025. If a product containing glass is injected, the company warned in the recall notice, it can potentially lead to serious health issues, including stroke and even death.

This is not the first time glass particles have been found in the COVID drug. In December 2021, Gilead confirmed glass contamination in two lots of Veklury after a similar customer complaint. The repeated contamination incidents have raised concerns about the safety protocols in place for the manufacturing of this widely used COVID-19 treatment.

To read the full article, click here.

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