Indicted Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick to resign from Congress amid expulsion threat

2026-04-21 2:03pm EDT / Fox News

The Florida Democrat faces a 15-count federal criminal indictment carrying a maximum sentence of 53 years in prison

By Adam Pack Fox News

Published April 21, 2026 2:03pm EDT | Updated April 21, 2026 3:09pm EDT

Democrat faces expulsion vote over alleged $5 million FEMA fraud

Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna joins Kayleigh McEnany to discuss the House’s push to expel Democratic Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick for allegedly misusing $5 million in FEMA funds for a lavish lifestyle. Luna also reacts to former President Donald Trump’s support for attaching a voter ID bill to FISA and his hints at releasing ‘interesting’ UFO documents soon.

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Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., announced Tuesday she is resigning from the House of Representatives after Republicans vowed to force a vote to expel her from the chamber.

“Rather than play these political games, I choose to step away so I can devote my time to fighting for my neighbors in Florida’s 20th District,” she wrote on social media Tuesday afternoon. “I hereby resign from the 119th Congress, effective immediately.”

“This fight is far from over,” Cherfilus-McCormick, who was indicted by a grand jury last year for allegedly stealing COVID-19 emergency funds, added in her statement.

She is facing 53 years in prison as part of a separate criminal indictment.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., resigned from the House of Representatives on April 21, 2026 to avoid a looming expulsion vote.(J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

INDICTED DEMOCRAT SHEILA CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK REFUSES TO RESIGN AS EXPULSION VOTE LOOMS

Cherfilus-McCormick’s abrupt announcement came after Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., pledged to file a motion to expel her, teeing up a vote later this week. It takes two-thirds of the House to remove a lawmaker, but a growing number of Democrats have voiced support for the expulsion effort.

It also came just minutes prior to a House Ethics Committee hearing that was slated to recommend sanctions against her for committing a bevy of violations involving financial misconduct.

House Ethics Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., announced the panel lost jurisdiction with Cherfilus-Mccormick’s eleventh-hour decision to quit Congress.

The committee panel found “clear and convincing evidence” in March that the Florida Democrat misused federal disaster relief money that was improperly paid to her family’s healthcare company, among other misconduct.

Cherfilus-McCormick has denied any wrongdoing and repeatedly rebuffed speculation she would resign if confronted with an expulsion vote.

She slammed the ethics panel’s investigation as a “witch hunt” on social media and claimed a violation of her due process rights, despite the committee granting a request to delay proceedings when she temporarily lost legal representation earlier this year.

Guest vigorously pushed back on that assertion Tuesday, noting that she had repeatedly declined the committee’s request to provide exculpatory evidence.

“The committee has worked diligently to investigate this matter,” he said. “This was not a rush to judgment, as some would claim … this was a very deliberate process to gather information into allegations that were extremely serious, and extremely complicated.”

Guest also thanked committee staff Tuesday who had worked for more than two years and reviewed tens of thousands of documents to probe Cherfilus-McCormick’s alleged misconduct.

She is the third lawmaker to resign from Congress in the past week. Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, stepped down last week to avoid their own expulsion threats related to sexual misconduct allegations.

At least five women have come forward with allegations against Swalwell of sexual assault and rape. Gonzales admitted to sexual misconduct in March with a former aide who later died by suicide.

Former Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, and Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., and Cory Mills, R-Fla., have all been hit with allegations of misconduct during their time in office.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images ; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images ; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

JIMMY KIMMEL IGNORES ERIC SWALWELL RESIGNATION AFTER SAYING IT’D BE ‘SHAMEFUL’ TO AVOID POLITICAL TOPICS

The embattled lawmaker is facing a separate 15-count federal criminal indictment that carries a maximum sentence of 53 years in prison, if convicted. The federal trial is not scheduled to begin until early 2027.

She filed to run for re-election, despite raising just $11,000 in the year’s first fundraising quarter, according to recent Federal Election Commission filings. It is unclear whether she plans to suspend her campaign.

Cherfilus-Mccormick was not present as her resignation announcement was read on the House floor.

A Cherfilus-McCormick aide told reporters that she was with her family in Washington, D.C. as the news broke.

“She’s with her family digesting this development and digesting this decision,” the staffer said. “As you can imagine, this wasn’t what she wanted.”

House Democratic leadership did not publicly weigh in before Cherfilus-McCormick’s resignation announcement, despite the extensive misconduct determined by the House ethics panel.

But the congresswoman appeared to cave to the pressure after a wave of Democrats said they would vote to expel her if a rare removal vote hit the floor.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi notably urged the quick expulsion of the Cherfilus-McCormick during an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, stating, “Let’s just get this over with.”

Pelosi also advocated for the swift removal of embattled Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., who is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for an alleged domestic violence incident, among other misconduct.

“These cases just being out there … they make us look terrible,” Pelosi said.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. did not call on Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick to step down before her resignation announcement.(Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has argued that the Ethics Committee’s investigation into Mills should run its course before lawmakers consider punitive measures.

“I’m confident that they are moving along as quickly as they are able,” Johnson told Fox News. “And when members cooperate, which my understanding is Representative Mills is cooperating, unlike Cherfilus-McCormick, I would expect that the outcome would be much sooner.”

“He’s very upset about some of the allegations that have been made,” Johnson said of Mills. “He says that he wants to prove his innocence, and he has the opportunity to do that.”

Fox News’ Chad Pergram and Kelly Phares contributed to this report.

US at risk of running out of missiles if another war breaks out after depleting stockpile in Iran operations

2026-04-21T17:00:55.135Z / CNN

By Zachary Cohen, Natasha Bertrand

Updated 3 hr ago

Updated Apr 21, 2026, 1:02 PM ET

PUBLISHED Apr 21, 2026, 1:00 PM ET

[image_3]

This image from video provided by US Central Command shows a missile being launched from a US Navy ship in support of Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026.

US Central Command/AP

The US military has significantly depleted its stockpile of key missiles during the war with Iran and created a “near-term risk” of running out of ammunition in a future conflict should one arise in the next few years, according to experts and three people familiar with recent internal Defense Department stockpile assessments.

Over the last seven weeks of war, the US military has expended at least 45% of its stockpile of Precision Strike Missiles; at least half of its inventory of THAAD missiles, which are designed to intercept ballistic missiles; and nearly 50% of its stockpile of Patriot air defense interceptor missiles, according to a new analysis conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Those numbers closely align with classified Pentagon data about US stockpiles, according to the sources familiar with the assessment.

Earlier this year the Pentagon signed a series of contracts that would help expand missile production, but the delivery timeline to replace these systems is three to five years even with the increased capacity, the CSIS experts and the sources said.

In the short term, the US likely maintains enough bombs and missiles to continue combat operations against Iran, in any scenario, should the shaky ceasefire fail to hold. But the number of critical munitions remaining in US stockpiles is no longer sufficient to confront a near-peer adversary, like China, and it will likely take years before the inventory of those weapons returns to pre-war levels, the CSIS analysis concludes.

“The high munitions expenditures have created a window of increased vulnerability in the western Pacific,” Mark Cancian, a retired US Marine Corps Colonel and one of the authors of the CSIS report, told CNN. “It will take one to four years to replenish these inventories and several years after that to expand them to where they need to be.”

In a statement to CNN, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said that the military “has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing.”

“Since President Trump took office, we have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the U.S. military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests,” he said.

The US military has also expended approximately 30% of its Tomahawk missile stockpile; more than 20% of its stockpile of long-range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles; and approximately 20% of its SM-3 and SM-6 missiles, according to the analysis and the sources. It would take around four to five years to replace those systems.

The missile math tracking the depleted stockpile stands in stark contrast to President Donald Trump’s recent claim that that the US is not running short of any weaponry – even as he requested additional funding for missiles due to the Iran war’s impact on existing stockpiles.

“We’re asking for a lot of reasons, beyond even what we’re talking about in Iran,” Trump said last month, referring to the request for additional Pentagon funding. “Munitions in particular, at the high end we have a lot, but we’re preserving it.”

“It’s a small price to pay to make sure that we stay tippy top,” he added.

The Trump administration’s recent agreements with private companies should boost production, but near-term deliveries of these key munitions are relatively low because of small orders in the past, the CSIS report notes.

Before the war began, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and other military leaders warned Trump that a protracted military campaign could impact US weapons stockpiles – particularly those that support Israel and Ukraine, CNN previously reported.

And since the start of the conflict, Democrats on Capitol Hill have voiced unease about the amount of munitions used and what it could mean for US defense in the Middle East and beyond.

“The Iranians do have the ability to make a lot of Shahed drones, ballistic missiles, medium range, short range and they’ve got a huge stockpile,” Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly said last month. “So at some point … this becomes a math problem and how can we resupply air defense munitions. Where are they going to come from?”

Ramaswamy pumps $25M of own cash into Ohio governor bid, smashes fundraising records

2026-04-21T14:34:14-04:00 / Fox News

The Trump-endorsed Republican has $30M cash on hand heading into next month’s competitive Ohio primary

By Paul Steinhauser Fox News

Published April 21, 2026 2:34pm EDT

Vivek Ramaswamy says Democrats ‘oppose’ Trump for the sake of opposition

Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy discusses Democrats primarily opposing policies simply because President Donald Trump initiated them on ‘Jesse Watters Primetime.’

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4 min

FIRST ON FOX:Vivek Ramaswamy is putting his money where his mouth is, and the Republican candidate for Ohio governor is fulfilling a campaign pledge he first made last summer.

Ramaswamy, a multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and business leader, invested $25 million of his own money into his gubernatorial campaign so far this year. He first grabbed national attention in the 2024 election cycle by running for the GOP presidential nomination before dropping out and becoming a top surrogate for President Donald Trump.

The investment was included in Ramaswamy’s latest fundraising report, which indicates he has hauled in a record $50 million since launching his campaign last year. That includes $30 million this year — $5 million from donors and Ramaswamy’s $25 million investment.

The fundraising report, shared first with Fox News Digital Tuesday, also highlights that Ramaswamy had $30 million in his campaign coffers at the end of last month. Separately, the Ramaswamy-aligned American Exceptionalism PAC reported $29.5 million in fundraising so far this cycle.

RAMASWAMY REVEALS RUNNING MATE IN BID FOR OHIO GOVERNOR

Vivek Ramaswamy steps on stage at CTL Aerospace Feb. 24, 2025, in Cincinnati. Ramaswamy launched his Ohio gubernatorial campaign during the event.(Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

“No gubernatorial campaign in Ohio history has ever put up numbers like this, and it sends a clear message: Ohioans are fired up for Vivek, our campaign is growing, and we will win big in November,” Ramaswamy’s campaign manager Jonathan Ewing said in a statement.

The report, coming before next month’s Ohio primary, showcases Ramaswamy’s large fundraising advantage over his Democratic rival for governor, Amy Acton, a doctor and researcher who served as director of the state Department of Health from 2019-2020. The winner of November’s election will succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Mike DeWine.

Once a top general election battleground state, Ohio has shifted to the right over the past decade, with Trump carrying the state by 11 points in the 2024 election.

But this year’s race for governor and a battle for a U.S. Senate seat in the Buckeye State are expected to be competitive. The Cook Report, a nonpartisan political handicapper, rates the governor’s race as leaning Republican, which is one step away from being considered a toss-up.

As first reported by Fox News Digital in July, Ramaswamy pledged to infuse up to $30 million of his own money into his bid for governor. His campaign says the $25 million investment so far this year is a large down payment on the pledge.

RAMASWAMY DESCRIBES MAIN LESSON LEARNED BY REPUBLICANS AFTER DEMOCRATS’ BIG WINS ON ELECTION DAY

In a show of solidarity, Ohio gubernatorial hopeful Amy Acton stood alongside striking members of United Steelworkers Local 3057 outside the ArcelorMittal steel plant. Acton had to shout over passing motorists honking their horns and showing support for the steelworkers in Cleveland Feb. 2, 2026.(Jason J. Molyet/News Journal)

Acton’s campaign last week reported that it brought in $9.3 million in fundraising to date, which it highlighted as “the most ever raised at this point in the calendar by a Democratic candidate for governor in the state’s history.”

The campaign also reported more than $4.8 million raked in during the first three months of this year.

Campaign manager Philip Stein said the fundraising “is the clearest sign yet that Ohioans, including independents and Republicans, are excited to elect Dr. Amy Acton to be Ohio’s next governor.”

Ramaswamy, who was endorsed by Trump last year as he launched his campaign, has used his large financial lead over Acton to put up ads statewide in Ohio. The campaign in March launched a $10 million ad buy and pledged to keep running spots through Election Day in November.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6392662680112

Ramaswamy’s campaign noted that “Vivek has already far surpassed all finance benchmarks set in recent gubernatorial campaigns.”

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It also spotlighted the grassroots nature of Ramaswamy’s fundraising, with 392,347 donations from more than 120,000 unique donors and an average contribution of just $63. It also pointed out that donors giving $200 or less accounted for over 98% of individual contributions.

The campaign pointed out that the fundraising drive will continue and shared that Ramaswamy will headline a fundraising event in Columbus on Thursday evening that’s expected to bring in over $1 million.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigns from Congress, moments before Ethics hearing to determine sanctions

April 21, 2026 / 2:46 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida resigned from Congress on Tuesday, moments before the House Ethics Committee was set to determine whether she should be sanctioned for allegations of theft and other misconduct.

Cherfilus-McCormick has been charged with stealing nearly $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds for her campaign and has pleaded not guilty. She was likely to be expelled from the House in the coming days if she had not resigned.

“This was not a fair process,” Cherfilus-McCormick said in a statement. “Rather than play these political games, I choose to step away so that I can devote my time to fighting for my neighbors in Florida’s 20th district. I hereby resign from the 119th Congress, effective immediately.”

Her resignation was read on the House floor shortly after she issued her statement.

The House Ethics Committee chairman, Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, noted that the panel “has now lost jurisdiction in this matter” and there would no longer be a sanctions hearing.

The Ethics Committee released a report on the conclusions of its months-long investigation into Cherfilus-McCormick’s alleged misconduct in January. Committee investigators said they found “substantial evidence of conduct consistent with the allegations in the indictment, as well as more extensive misconduct.”

The report laid out a pattern of inaccurate and incomplete campaign finance reports across several election cycles, including improper contributions falsely reported as personal loans, acceptance of improper contributions and inflated cash-on-hand numbers. Cherfilus-McCormick also allegedly spent the FEMA funds on luxury goods, including jewelry and designer clothing.

Last month, the panel’s adjudicatory subcommittee held a rare public “trial,” determining that all but two of the 27 allegations against Cherfilus-McCormick in the committee’s report “had been proven.”

During the March hearing, Cherfilus-McCormick’s lawyer, William Barzee, argued any action by the committee would jeopardize her right to a fair trial.

“How can she possibly go into court and have a fair trial if her jurors have already heard that she was found guilty by the House of Representatives? It’s an impossibility,” he said.

Barzee told reporters Tuesday that she was “left with no choice.”

“She could go along and allow them to just trample her constitutional rights and her due process rights,” he said. “Instead of allowing that to happen, she decided to step away.”

Cherfilus-McCormick’s federal trial was pushed back earlier this month to February 2027.

The lawmakers said in a statement last month that she was “limited” in what she could address because of the federal case.

“I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight and challenge these inaccuracies, when I am legally able to do so,” she said.

In another statement last week, the Florida Democrat said she had no intention of resigning. But her fate appeared all but certain heading into Tuesday’s hearing.

Republican Rep. Greg Steube of Florida has been holding off on forcing a vote to remove Cherfilus-McCormick from office until after the committee made its recommendation. Her removal would have required a two-thirds vote, meaning at least 70 Democrats would need to support it if all Republicans voted in favor.

Democratic leadership had delayed weighing in on whether they would support her expulsion, and said they would discuss it after the Ethics Committee made its recommendation.

Cherfilus-McCormick is the third member of Congress to step aside over allegations of misconduct in the past week. Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell and Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales both resigned on April 14 ahead of expected expulsion votes.

Patrick Maguire contributed to this report.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/rep-sheila-cherfilus-mccormick-resigns-before-facing-ethics-hearing/

Pentagon makes flu shot optional for troops, rescinding requirement

2026-04-21T16:43:22.798Z / CNN

By Kaanita Iyer

Updated 2 hr ago
Updated Apr 21, 2026, 1:13 PM ET
PUBLISHED Apr 21, 2026, 12:43 PM ET

Vaccines Respiratory viruses Pete Hegseth Federal agencies

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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth looks on during a briefing at the Pentagon, on April 16.

Nathan Howard/Reuters/File

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that the US military will no longer require the annual flu vaccine for troops.

“Our new policy is simple. If you, an American warrior entrusted to defend this nation, believe that the flu vaccine is in your best interest, then you’re free to take it. You should,” Hegseth said in a video posted on X, adding, “But we will not force you.”

The move, which takes effect immediately, comes as the flu season has largely ended with cases on the decline, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Related article Signs advertise flu and COVID-19 vaccines at a CVS pharmacy in New York on October 8. Kylie Cooper/Reuters/File Wondering if you should get a flu shot? Here’s what science says 12 min read

Annual flu vaccines are available for people age six months and older and are widely recommended by doctors to reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitalization or death from the flu.

Richard Ricciardi, a veteran and a professor at the George Washington University School of Nursing, said Hegseth’s move “is a serious lapse in judgment.”

“The policy ignores warnings that more flu illness will mean more missed duty days, more hospitalizations and more preventable readiness losses,” Ricciardi said in a statement. He added: “In the military, vaccination is not political theater. It is force protection. Troops live and work in close quarters, where influenza can spread quickly and sideline otherwise healthy service members.”

In the video, Hegseth claimed “absurd, overreaching” medical mandates, like the military’s flu vaccine requirement, “only weaken our war-fighting capabilities.”

“The notion that a flu vaccine must be mandatory for every service member everywhere in every circumstance at all times is just overly broad and not rational,” the defense secretary said.

The military’s first flu vaccine mandate dates back to 1945, according to a 2022 analysis of military vaccine mandates in the United States, due in part to the flu’s “historic damage and threat as a bioweapon.” It was withdrawn in 1949 but later mandated again in the early 1950s.

Hegseth in the video also criticized the Covid-19 vaccine requirement for troops put in place during the Biden administration, which was rescinded in 2023. Shortly after returning to the White House, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reinstate, with back pay, service members, who were discharged for refusing to get the Covid-19 vaccine.

Of the nearly 9,000 service members who were pushed out of the military because they declined to get the vaccine under the prior mandate, about 150 had rejoined as of earlier this year.

Last year, the Pentagon exempted reservists from the flu vaccine requirement. In a memo obtained by the Associated Press, Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg said there are only some circumstances in which the flu shot is required for all service members.

More broadly, the Trump administration, particularly Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has sought to reshape the country’s vaccine policy and cast doubt on certain vaccines.

In July, HHS adopted a recommendation to remove thimerosal from flu vaccines, although it was largely removed from most vaccines about 25 years ago. Kennedy argued that with the move, the agency is putting “safety first,” though there is no clear evidence of harm from the mercury-based preservative, which was used to prevent bacterial contamination in multidose vials.

This story has been updated with additional information.

Trump opposes United–American merger, signals support for Spirit

2026-04-21 1:33 PM UTC / Reuters

By Rajesh Kumar Singh, Jody Godoy and Bo Erickson

April 21, 2026 1:33 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

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Item 1 of 2 A Spirit Airlines flight arrives at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, U.S., September 18, 2025. REUTERS/Quinn Glabicki/File Photo

[1/2]A Spirit Airlines flight arrives at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, U.S., September 18, 2025. REUTERS/Quinn Glabicki/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary
• Companies

• Trump says he does not like the United–American merger idea
• American Airlines not interested in a deal with United
• Trump signals support for Spirit, floats possible federal help

WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he opposes a potential merger ‌between United Airlines and American Airlines, signaling resistance to a deal that would reshape the U.S. airline industry.

“I don’t mind mergers,” Trump said in a CNBC interview, adding he would “love somebody to buy” Spirit Airlines, which is in bankruptcy.

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“But with American it’s doing fine, and United is doing very well. ​I know the United people, they’re doing very well. I don’t like having them merge,” he said.

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Trump’s resistance underscores ​the political and economic risks of backing a deal that antitrust experts say would slash competition ⁠in a market already dominated by four big carriers, giving airlines more power to raise fares and fees.

POLITICAL AND PRICE ​RISKS

A combined United–American would control about 40% of U.S. domestic capacity, and the idea has already drawn pushback from some conservatives and ​Trump-aligned figures — an awkward fit for a White House trying to project a focus on affordability ahead of the midterms.

United CEO Scott Kirby raised the idea of a tie-up with American during a meeting with Trump in late February, sources told Reuters last week. The meeting had been scheduled to ​discuss the future of Washington’s Dulles airport.

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American said on Friday it is not interested in pursuing a merger with United.

Trump’s advisers did not ​support the idea, either. His lack of public backing since that meeting is seen by officials as a strong signal that any deal would ‌face ⁠long odds. The administration is also closely watching rising jet fuel costs and their impact on airfares ahead of peak summer travel.

The idea of a United–American merger comes amid an escalating rivalry between the two carriers, including a battle for flights and market share in key hubs such as Chicago.

A deal would face steep antitrust hurdles because of the airlines’ overlap in major markets, with regulators likely to ​focus on routes and airports ​where the two compete directly.

Including ⁠international flights, United and American were already the world’s two largest airlines by available capacity in 2025, according to OAG data.

United’s shares were up about 1% in morning trading, while American’s fell ​about 1%. Neither airline immediately responded to requests for comment.

SPIRIT A DIFFERENT CASE

Spirit presents a ​different case. The ⁠administration of Joe Biden went to court in 2024 to block JetBlue Airways proposed acquisition of the low-cost carrier, arguing it would eliminate an airline that helped keep fares down.

Since then, Spirit’s financial position has worsened, and the fuel shock is now straining the broader ⁠low-cost airline ​sector.

Spirit and other discount carriers are seeking temporary tax relief from Washington, warning that ​sustained high fuel costs could force them to raise fares and fees.

“It’s 14,000 jobs, and maybe the federal government should help that one out,” Trump said.

Reporting ​by Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chicago, David Shepardson, Bo Erickson and Jody Godoy; editing by Michelle Nichols, Chris Sanders and Nick Zieminski

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Kennedy says he vetted CDC nominee Schwartz on vaccines

2026-04-21 15:20:02 UTC / Reuters

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Item 1 of 2 U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sits on the day he testifies before a House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee on U.S. President Donald Trump’s budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 21, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

[1/2]U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sits on the day he testifies before a House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee on U.S. President Donald Trump’s budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S.,… Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tabRead more

WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) – U.S. Health Secretary ​Robert F. ‌Kennedy Jr. said on Tuesday ​he vetted ​Erica Schwartz’s position ⁠on vaccines ​before she was ​nominated to run the Centers for ​Disease Control & ​Prevention.

Kennedy, testifying before the ‌House ⁠Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee, ​said ​he ⁠had not spoken to ​Trump directly ​before ⁠the president nominated Schwartz.

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Reporting ⁠by ​Ahmed ​Aboulenein in Washington, writing ​by Michael Erman

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U.S. to ask states to revalidate “high-risk” Medicaid providers

2026-04-21 14:03:57 UTC / Reuters

U.S. Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Mehmet Oz speaks during a briefing at the White House, as U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin Makary and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stand behind him, in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 7, 2026…. Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tabRead more

April 21 (Reuters) – Mehmet Oz, who heads the ​agency that runs the U.S. Medicare and ‌Medicaid healthcare programs, said on Tuesday the Trump administration plans to ask all 50 states to revalidate Medicaid ​providers in what he called “high-risk” areas as part of ​an effort to reduce fraud.

Oz, speaking at ⁠Politico’s Health Care Summit in Washington D.C., said ​that the audit will be announced this week ​and that the states will be asked to give the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services a plan to revalidate the ​providers over the next 30 days.

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CMS is ​asking states “to make sure that legitimate providers are providing services ‌that ⁠you’re paying for, and doing it the right way,” Oz said. “These are non licensed individuals – often in unsupervised settings. You have to provide some additional ​level of ​audit to ⁠make sure that this is legitimately a valuable effort.”

He did not provide a ​definition of what he meant by ​high-risk areas.

Earlier ⁠this year, the U.S. paused the payment of $259 million of deferred Medicaid payments to Minnesota following an ⁠audit, ​saying the state allowed the theft of ​federal funds intended for social-welfare programs in the state.

Reporting by ​Michael Erman and Chris Prentice; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama

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瑞典研究：严重不育男性患结直肠癌风险更高

2026年4月21日 23:28 / 联合早报

瑞典研究：严重不育男性患结直肠癌风险更高

研究发现，与自然受孕成为父亲的男性相比，通过辅助生殖技术成为父亲的男性患结直肠癌的风险约为两倍，而患甲状腺癌的风险约为三倍。 （示意图/Pixabay）

瑞典隆德大学一项新研究发现，男性生育能力严重下降与结直肠癌、甲状腺癌患病风险升高之间存在关联。这提示，男性生育能力或可作为反映整体健康状况的早期信号之一。

新华社报道，据隆德大学发布的新闻公报介绍，此前研究显示，男性生育力下降与糖尿病、心血管疾病、代谢紊乱、生殖系统癌症以及预期寿命缩短等存在明显关联。

此次研究人员分析了1994年至2014年间首次生育的110多万名瑞典男性的信息。其中，14540人借助第二代试管婴儿技术（通常用于治疗严重男性不育症的辅助生殖技术）成为父亲。研究人员随后交叉比对这些男性的健康数据与瑞典国家癌症登记系统数据。

结果发现，与自然受孕成为父亲的男性相比，通过这一辅助生殖技术成为父亲的男性患结直肠癌的风险约为两倍，而患甲状腺癌的风险约为三倍。

研究人员强调，并不是辅助生殖技术本身导致了癌症。这种关联背后可能同时涉及基因构成、表观遗传和生活方式等多方面因素。

延伸阅读

高纤饮食非多多益善 怎么吃才安全？多吃蔬果豆类坚果 助降结直肠癌风险

研究人员表示，接受生育能力检测或相关治疗的男性大多集中在30岁至35岁之间，通常在完成生育诊疗后缺乏后续健康随访。未来若能结合生物标记物、基因突变、表观遗传特征以及环境因素等进一步识别高风险人群，将有助于推动相关癌症的早期筛查和预防。

相关研究成果已发表在《欧洲流行病学杂志》上。

Trump says Anthropic is ‘shaping up,’ open to deal with Pentagon

2026-04-21T13:12:07.198Z / Reuters

By Reuters

April 21, 2026 1:12 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

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Anthropic logo is seen in this illustration taken March 1, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Anthropic was “shaping up” in the eyes of his administration, opening the door ​for the AI company to reverse its blacklisting at the Pentagon.

Trump directed ‌the government in February to stop working with Anthropic. The Pentagon followed up by declaring the firm a supply-chain risk, dealing a major blow to the artificial intelligence lab after a showdown ​over guardrails for how the military could use its AI tools.

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The company disputes ​that characterization and filed suit against the Defense Department in March ⁠over the determination.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei met with White House officials last week to ​attempt to repair the relationship. The White House called the meeting productive and constructive.

“They ​came to the White House a few days ago, and we had some very good talks with them,” Trump told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Tuesday. “And I think they’re shaping up. They’re very smart, and ​I think they can be of great use. I like smart people … I think ​we’ll get along with them just fine.”

When asked if a deal was on the horizon with ‌the ⁠Pentagon, Trump said, “It’s possible. We want the smartest people.”

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Anthropic, asked for comment, referred to its Friday statement describing its White House meeting as productive and focused on how the two “can work together on key shared priorities such as cybersecurity, America’s lead in the ​AI race, and AI ​safety.”

The apparent rapprochement ⁠comes weeks after Anthropic unveiled Mythos, its most advanced AI tool, with a potentially unprecedented ability to identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities and devise ​ways to exploit them, experts have said.

Anthropic has said Claude Mythos ​Preview will ⁠not be made generally available. Instead, the company announced Project Glasswing, in which it invited major tech companies, cybersecurity vendors and U.S. bank JPMorgan Chase, along with several dozen ⁠other organizations, ​to privately evaluate the model and prepare defenses ​accordingly.

Anthropic Co-founder Jack Clark said last week the firm was discussing its frontier AI model Mythos with the Trump ​administration without providing details.

Reporting by Jacob Bogage and Alexandra Alper; Editing by David Ljunggren, Rod Nickel

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