GOP senator in brutal primary praised Islamic charity after feds cut terror-scrutinized parent, review finds

May 6, 2026 6:00am EDT / Fox News

State Department cut ties with Islamic Relief Worldwide in 2021 amid concerns including praise of terrorists

By Robert Schmad

Texas Sen. John Cornyn has repeatedly praised the American arm of Islamic Relief Worldwide — a charity the State Department cut ties with in 2021 amid concerns including praise of terrorists and antisemitism.

After the State Department aired its concerns regarding Islamic Relief Worldwide, Cornyn had kind words for its American branch. A Fox News Digital review uncovered two video messages and two letters where Cornyn commended Islamic Relief USA or endorsed the organization’s operations.

“Thanks to my friends at Islamic Relief USA for all their humanitarian work,” Cornyn said in a May 2021 video address to the organization. A year later, the senator wrote a letter to Islamic Relief USA to “recognize and thank” the organization for its “humanitarian efforts across Texas and our nation.” In a 2023 letter, Cornyn again referred to IRUSA as “friends” and commended the group for its “dedication to serving our most vulnerable neighbors.”

Cornyn is locked in a heated Senate primary runoff election against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton has repeatedly questioned Cornyn’s conservative bona fides, while Cornyn has responded by highlighting the attorney general’s corruption scandals. Both candidates have made opposition to what they perceive as radical Islam focal points of their campaigns.

CORNYN WARNS PAXTON WOULD BE ‘KISS OF DEATH’ FOR GOP AS BLOODY PRIMARY RACE RAMPS UP

Sen. John Cornyn speaks to the media in Austin on March 3, 2026.(Jack Myer/AP)

In late 2025, Islamic Relief USA moved to sever ties with Islamic Relief Worldwide, arguing that the conduct of its parent organization has significantly damaged Islamic Relief USA’s reputation.

Leaders at both Islamic Relief USA and Islamic Relief Worldwide historically have maintained ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, a multinational Islamist political movement, and expressed hostility toward Jewish people, according to social media posts and photographs unearthed by the Middle East Forum.Some branches of the Muslim Brotherhood have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the United States.

“As we witness a rise in anti-Semitism in every corner of the globe, it is incumbent on all people of good conscience to stand strong and exhibit zero tolerance for the blatant and horrifying anti-Semitism and glorification of violence exhibited at the most senior levels of IRW,” the State Department wrote in December 2020 of IRW. “We encourage all government bodies currently examining IRW activities and their relationship with IRW.”

Multiple governments and banking entities have cut ties with IRW over terror financing concerns.

Khaled Lamada, the one-time chairman of Islamic Relief USA whose tax documents show he served on the organization’s board until October 2022, circulated text praising the “Mujahidin of Egypt” for “causing the Jews many defeats” through “jihad” in 2014, according to a Facebook post found by the Middle East Forum. The same year, he reportedly reposted messages on social media praising Hamas for inflicting a “huge defeat” against the “Zionist entity.”

Egyptian media and the George Washington University Program on Extremism have identified Lamada as an affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood.

CAIR’S TAX-EXEMPT STATUS TARGETED AS CORNYN MOVES TO STRIP GROUP AFTER TERROR DESIGNATIONS

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, participates in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the Department of Justice in the Hart Senate Office Building on Oct. 7, 2025.(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

Several other Republican lawmakers interacted with Islamic Relief USA after the State Department denounced the organization.

Sens. Ted Cruz and Chuck Grassley, for instance, sent holiday greetings to the group in 2022. Staff working for then-Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Rick Scott met with members of the group to discuss pending public health legislation in March of that same year, according to a social media post. Representatives for Islamic Relief USA were even reportedly invited to a 2025 meeting with Trump administration officials to discuss the future of foreign aid, according to the National Catholic Reporter.

“More than four years ago, members of our healthcare team took a Zoom meeting with constituents who said they had questions about domestic healthcare policy,” a spokesman for Scott told Fox News Digital. “Neither those staffers nor Senator Scott knew that representatives from IRUSA would be joining the conference call. The Senator’s record on combating antisemitism and Islamist threats to American society more than speaks for itself.”

Fox News Digital reached representatives for Cruz, Grassley and Rubio for comment on Friday.

TRUMP INTRODUCES CORNYN, PAXTON BUT STAYS MUM ON ENDORSEMENT IN HEATED GOP PRIMARY

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, spoke to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 10, 2026, warning that Democrats’ blockade of DHS funding could affect security preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in the U.S.(Nathan Posner/Anadolu)

Islamic Relief Worldwide has consistently denied having any links to terror organizations.

“Islamic Relief Worldwide operates to the highest standards of governance, compliance and oversight across all our work,” a spokesperson for the organization told Fox News Digital. “We are a purely humanitarian organization, and we stand firmly against all forms of extremism, including antisemitism. Our staff deliver aid in some of the world’s most dangerous places and some of our own colleagues have lost their lives to acts of terror. We have been victims of terrorism, not supporters of it. The leading financial institutions that work with us demand our work to be rigorously audited by governments, institutions and leading accounting firms, which have all confirmed that our funds are used for entirely humanitarian purposes.”

Islamic Relief Worldwide claimed in a 2017 report that, in its various legal battles, “to date there has been no tangible evidence to substantiate any of the allegations made.”

HSBC Bank ended its relationship with Islamic Relief Worldwide in 2016 amid terror financing concerns. Swiss banking giant UBS had done the same four years earlier. Israel, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands and Germany have all taken actions against Islamic Relief Worldwide for its alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.

With Lamada as a leader, Islamic Relief USA was Islamic Relief Worldwide’s largest source of funding, providing its parent organization with tens of millions of dollars per year in cash in 2021 and 2022, according to an Islamic Relief Worldwide financial disclosure.

The entire Islamic Relief Worldwide board resigned in August 2020 following reporting of widespread antisemitism among its senior leadership by The Times of London. One director, for instance, reportedly described Jews as the “grandchildren of monkeys and pigs” in a social media post, while others heaped praise on Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

A few months earlier, in June 2020, Cornyn filmed a video wishing Islamic Relief USA a happy Ramadan, the name for the Islamic holy month marked by fasting and prayer.

TOP GOP SENATOR SAYS CROCKETT ANNOUNCEMENT EXPOSES HOW ‘RADICAL’ DEMS ARE NATIONWIDE

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, are pictured together.(Fox News Digital)

In October 2025, Islamic Relief USA moved to sever its relationship with Islamic Relief Worldwide, stating “certain allegations regarding the conduct of IRW” would “affect negatively IRUSA’s well-deserved good reputation,” according to a legal complaint filed in March.

“IRW has not only refused to cooperate in taking steps to avoid such existential risks but took further steps to increase those risks to IRUSA, which in turn threatened its ability to provide relief to its beneficiaries worldwide,” reads the complaint, filed by Islamic Relief USA.

Tax records show that Islamic Relief USA has provided funding to the East Plano Islamic Center in Texas, the mosque behind EPIC City, a planned Islamic community that has become a flash point in Texas politics. Both Cornyn and Paxton have taken actions to obstruct construction of the community.

Cornyn’s office and Islamic Relief USA did not respond to requests for comment after being reached by Fox News Digital on Friday.

印度越南力争四年内 提升双边贸易额至250亿美元

2026年5月6日 19:00 / 联合早报

越南国家主席苏林（左）星期二（5月5日）开启印度之行，这是他上任以来首次访印。图为苏林星期三（6日）与印度总理莫迪在新德里共同召开记者会。 （彭博社）

印度总理莫迪与到访的越南国家主席苏林会晤后表明，两国计划到2030年将双边贸易额提升至250亿美元（约317亿新元）。

莫迪与苏林星期三（5月6日）在新德里会晤。莫迪过后发表讲话说：“过去10年，印越双边贸易翻了一番，达到160亿美元。今天，我们做出一些重要决定，力争到2030年将双边贸易额提升到250亿美元，并把合作提升到新高度。”

苏林星期二（5日）开启印度之行。他抵达新德里的总统府时，受到隆重欢迎。莫迪与他并肩站立，检阅仪仗队。

这是苏林首次以越南国家主席身份访问印度，他表明，两国会提升国防和安全合作，也为加强和平稳定的环境做出贡献。

双方会谈重点围绕教育、稀土矿产和数字支付系统等领域展开，莫迪表明，这次会晤体现“印越两国不断加强的全面战略伙伴关系”。

越南一直致力于加强与印度的经济合作。越南电动汽车巨头VinFast等公司，正努力开拓印度市场。

印度媒体还曾暗示，两国领导人的会谈可能包括一项价值7亿美元的印度远程布拉莫斯巡航导弹交易，但莫迪和苏林均未就此发表声明。

结束印度访问后，苏林将在星期四（7日）续程斯里兰卡，展开为期两天的访问。

印度越南力争四年内 提升双边贸易额至250亿美元

2026年5月6日 19:00 / 联合早报

越南国家主席苏林（左）星期二（5月5日）开启印度之行，这是他上任以来首次访印。图为苏林星期三（6日）与印度总理莫迪在新德里共同召开记者会。 （彭博社）

印度总理莫迪与到访的越南国家主席苏林会晤后表明，两国计划到2030年将双边贸易额提升至250亿美元（约317亿新元）。

莫迪与苏林星期三（5月6日）在新德里会晤。莫迪过后发表讲话说：“过去10年，印越双边贸易翻了一番，达到160亿美元。今天，我们做出一些重要决定，力争到2030年将双边贸易额提升到250亿美元，并把合作提升到新高度。”

苏林星期二（5日）开启印度之行。他抵达新德里的总统府时，受到隆重欢迎。莫迪与他并肩站立，检阅仪仗队。

这是苏林首次以越南国家主席身份访问印度，他表明，两国会提升国防和安全合作，也为加强和平稳定的环境做出贡献。

双方会谈重点围绕教育、稀土矿产和数字支付系统等领域展开，莫迪表明，这次会晤体现“印越两国不断加强的全面战略伙伴关系”。

越南一直致力于加强与印度的经济合作。越南电动汽车巨头VinFast等公司，正努力开拓印度市场。

印度媒体还曾暗示，两国领导人的会谈可能包括一项价值7亿美元的印度远程布拉莫斯巡航导弹交易，但莫迪和苏林均未就此发表声明。

结束印度访问后，苏林将在星期四（7日）续程斯里兰卡，展开为期两天的访问。

Affordability beats other top issues for MAHA voters, poll finds

2026-05-06 09:04:36 UTC / Reuters

By Chris Prentice

May 6, 2026 9:04 AM UTC Updated 2 hours ago

节点运行失败

An attendee holds a Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Moms sign at the end of a press conference announcing of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) intent to phase out the use of petroleum-based synthetic dyes in the nation’s food supply, at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 22,… Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tabRead more

• Summary

• KFF poll shows 61% of voters say health costs will have ‘major impact’ on their vote
• Health Secretary Kennedy’s popularity has remained steady
• 42% of MAHA voters prioritize lowering health costs over other health issues

NEW YORK, May 6 (Reuters) – Even for the “Make America Healthy Again” voters who helped usher President Donald Trump back to ​the White House for a second term, affordability will be top of mind when they vote in November’s midterm elections, a ‌new poll found.

Lowering costs is the top health priority for voters across parties who identified as MAHA supporters, with at least half saying that will have a “major impact” on their decision to vote and who they will support, according to a poll from KFF, a nonpartisan health research organization.

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Affordability is proving to be an Achilles’ heel for a president who campaigned ​on the issue. Trump’s approval rating has sunk to a new low as the war on Iran fuels cost-of-living concerns, Reuters previously reported. Gasoline prices ​have surged due to the war and U.S. restaurant sales have dropped.

Those concerns are expected to hurt Republicans’ prospects of ⁠maintaining control of Congress this year.

In the KFF poll, 61% of all respondents said health costs will have a “major impact” on who they vote for in ​November, putting the issue ahead of concerns about food safety and vaccine policy.

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“This poll really shows that the issues the MAHA movement has elevated resonate broadly ​with the American public, but even for voters who support MAHA, healthcare costs are the dominant priority by a wide margin,” said Audrey Kearney, senior survey analyst at KFF.

The survey was conducted April 14-19 online and by telephone among a nationally representative sample of 1,343 U.S. adults. About 500 of those identified themselves as supporters of the MAHA movement, KFF ​said.

KFF found that 42% of MAHA voters said they would choose lowering costs when asked to pick their most important health issue for the federal ​government. That compared with 21% who prioritized restricting chemical additives in food and 10% for reevaluating vaccine safety.

The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 ‌percentage points.

MAHA ⁠TENSIONS

Trump had said he would let his Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “go wild” on health policy, and the secretary’s actions to cut the number of recommended childhood vaccines and change dietary guidelines have pleased MAHA activists.

But the administration has also disappointed many in the movement with some of its actions, such as a February order to protect domestic output of a widely-used weedkiller, and the April nomination of a former official involved in the U.S. COVID response to lead the Centers ​for Disease Control and Prevention.

“He shook ​Bobby Kennedy’s hand and said he’d ⁠let him go wild. And nothing has been done to reduce our children’s exposure to toxic pesticides,” Zen Honeycutt, who founded Moms Across America, told Reuters.

In fact, the KFF poll found majorities of the public agree there is not ​enough regulation of chemical additives in food or of pesticides in agriculture.

The Trump administration scored low approval ratings on ​two top MAHA ⁠priorities. The KFF poll found 38% of respondents approved of the handling of vaccine policy and 46% approved the handling of food policy.

Kennedy’s approval has remained relatively steady from polls conducted in September and January, with about four in ten voters approving of his job as health secretary, KFF said.

Honeycutt said she remains supportive of Kennedy ⁠and is holding ​out hope the administration will move in a different direction on pesticides.

“This administration has done ​more for health than any other administration ever in recorded history,” Honeycutt said. “It was brilliant of Trump to bring Kennedy on board.”

The health secretary has more recently sought quick wins ahead of the ​midterms after the White House pressed him to back off from vaccine actions that have drawn swift rebukes from major medical groups.

Reporting by Chris Prentice Editing by Bill Berkrot

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

消息说，日本首相高市早苗（图）很可能在本月第四周访韩两天，并与韩国总统李在明会晤。 （法新社）

韩国外交消息人士说，韩国与日本政府正在就日本首相高市早苗5月中旬访韩一事协调沟通。

韩联社报道，韩国外交界消息人士星期三（5月6日）透露这个消息。据悉，高市很可能在本月第四周访韩两天，并与韩国总统李在明会晤。

报道指，如果此访成行，将成为韩日首脑重申继续履行“穿梭外交”承诺、不断加强双边合作的契机。

李在明和高市早苗去年10月借在韩国庆州出席亚太经合组织（APEC）领导人非正式会议之机，首次举行会谈，承诺积极展开穿梭外交。

此后，李在明今年1月访问高市的故乡日本奈良县，再次同高市会谈。

据报道，当前中东危机持续，韩国与日本都面临能源安全危机。若高市访韩，可能就两国目前的类似处境交换意见，并探讨合作方案。

报道说，美国总统特朗普预计下周访华，与中国国家主席习近平会晤，韩日首脑会谈有望在此之后随即举行。美中战略竞争的走向、韩美日深化安全合作的方案，也可能成为高市和李在明的会谈议题。

此外，韩国正在推进加入由日本主导的《全面与进步跨太平洋伙伴关系协定》（CPTPP），双方很可能深入探讨相关事宜。

消息说，日本首相高市早苗（图）很可能在本月第四周访韩两天，并与韩国总统李在明会晤。 （法新社）

韩国外交消息人士说，韩国与日本政府正在就日本首相高市早苗5月中旬访韩一事协调沟通。

韩联社报道，韩国外交界消息人士星期三（5月6日）透露这个消息。据悉，高市很可能在本月第四周访韩两天，并与韩国总统李在明会晤。

报道指，如果此访成行，将成为韩日首脑重申继续履行“穿梭外交”承诺、不断加强双边合作的契机。

李在明和高市早苗去年10月借在韩国庆州出席亚太经合组织（APEC）领导人非正式会议之机，首次举行会谈，承诺积极展开穿梭外交。

此后，李在明今年1月访问高市的故乡日本奈良县，再次同高市会谈。

据报道，当前中东危机持续，韩国与日本都面临能源安全危机。若高市访韩，可能就两国目前的类似处境交换意见，并探讨合作方案。

报道说，美国总统特朗普预计下周访华，与中国国家主席习近平会晤，韩日首脑会谈有望在此之后随即举行。美中战略竞争的走向、韩美日深化安全合作的方案，也可能成为高市和李在明的会谈议题。

此外，韩国正在推进加入由日本主导的《全面与进步跨太平洋伙伴关系协定》（CPTPP），双方很可能深入探讨相关事宜。

俄罗斯5月6日对乌克兰发动袭击。图为救援人员在乌克兰哈尔科夫一处遭俄罗斯无人机袭击的私人住宅现场展开救援行动。 （路透社）

（华盛顿／基辅综合电）美国国务院宣布，已批准乌克兰购买价值3亿7400万美元（约4亿7500万新元）GPS制导炸弹组件。这批组件可加装在500至2000磅非制导炸弹上，并改装为可依靠GPS制导炸弹，射程约72公里。

美国国务院星期二（5月5日）说，公告所列数量与金额为最大规模，最终交易仍需国会审查，并由买方与承包商进一步谈判确定。五角大楼此前已向乌克兰提供同类武器，作为2022年12月总统拨款授权的一部分。

国务院指出，这项采购有助美国国家安全利益，也可提升乌克兰自卫能力与地区防御能力。当前政策也反映特朗普政府的军援方式，即由乌克兰或欧洲国家采购美制武器，而非直接依赖美国纳税人资金。

同日，美国国务卿鲁比奥与俄罗斯外长拉夫罗夫通电话，讨论美俄关系、俄乌战争和伊朗问题。俄外交部形容两人进行了“建设性且务实”的通话，但未公布具体内容。

俄罗斯此前单方面宣布在5月8日至9日停火，以配合二战胜利日纪念。乌方则提出更长期停火方案。

但在停火提议生效前数小时，俄军使用108架无人机和三枚导弹对乌东部发动袭击，造成至少27人死亡、120多人受伤。俄方则指责乌军袭击了克里米亚占科伊地区，导致五名平民死亡。

乌外长瑟比加指责俄罗斯仍持续发动攻击，并加剧冲突；俄外交部发言人则批评乌军袭击是恐怖主义行径。

Ramaswamy advances in Ohio as Trump flexes power in Indiana

2026-05-06T09:00:14.296Z / The Washington Post

Primaries in Indiana and Ohio reinforced President Donald Trump’s power in the GOP and set the stakes for several top-tier midterm races.

May 6, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. EDT Today at 5:00 a.m. EDT

5 min

Summary 29

Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy smiles with his sons during a watch party at a sports bar in Columbus after winning the party’s nomination on Tuesday. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

By Patrick Marley, Hannah Knowles and Erin Cox

Two brand-name politicians advanced in Ohio’s primaries Tuesday, while President Donald Trump flexed his power over Indiana Republicans who defied him.

In Ohio, one-time presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy nabbed the GOP nomination for governor and former senator Sherrod Brown secured the Democratic nomination for Senate. Brown’s race against Sen. Jon Husted (R) is one of the most closely watched contests as Democrats try to take control of the Senate.

In Indiana, seven GOP state senators who helped defeat Trump’s plan to redraw their state’s congressional districts last year faced Republican opponents endorsed by Trump. Most of them lost.

Here are takeaways from the primaries in the two Midwestern states.

Ramaswamy secures GOP nomination for governor

Ramaswamy easily won the Republican nomination for governor and will face Democrat Amy Acton, the former state health director who helped lead Ohio’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The entrepreneur built a political profile with a book attacking “wokeness” in the corporate world and then mounting a longshot bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. Despite running against Trump, he aligned himself closely with the president and became an ally.

He was initially tasked with helping Elon Musk lead the DOGE efforts to upend the federal government but left to run for governor, winning an early endorsement from Trump.

In the primary, Ramaswamy faced Casey Putsch, a political novice who built a YouTube following as “Casey the Car Guy.” Putsch cast himself as the “true American” in the race while mocking Ramaswamy’s ethnicity and Hindu faith. Putsch’s campaign echoed other ugly attacks that Ramaswamy has faced on social media — online vitriol that Ramaswamy has urged his party to draw a hard line against.

“If you believe in normalizing hatred towards any ethnic group — toward Whites, toward Blacks, toward Hispanics, towards Jews, towards Indians, you have no place in the future of the conservative movement,” he told a youth conservative conference last year.

Epstein plays a starring role in Ohio Senate jockeying

Sherrod Brown decisively defeated first-time candidate Ron Kincaid in the Democratic primary, setting the stage for a pivotal — and costly — general election that will play an important role in determining control of the Senate. Brown, one of the state’s best-known Democrats, ended his 18-year tenure in the Senate when he lost in 2024 by 3 percentage points.

He will face Husted, who was appointed in January 2025 to fill the Senate seat vacated by JD Vance when he became vice president. Husted did not face a primary challenger on Tuesday, and in some ways the general election was already underway. Brown pivoted to attacking Husted well before polls closed Tuesday, releasing his first television ad last week trying to tie Husted to sex trafficker and financier Jeffrey Epstein. Husted also aired his first television ad last week, re-introducing himself to voters, while the Ohio Republican Party started selling tongue-in-cheek merchandise highlighting what it said were Brown donors with ties to Epstein.

The winner in November will serve the last two years of the six-year Senate term that Vance won in 2022.

Both sides view the race as crucial as Democrats try to win a Senate seat in a state Trump won three times, and it’s expected to be expensive. Brown had raised about $26 million as of April 15, more than twice as much as Husted. Last month, the Senate Leadership Fund announced it had set aside $79 million to help Husted.

Former ICE official won’t face Rep. Marcy Kaptur

In Ohio’s 9th House District, Madison Sheahan, a former high-ranking Trump administration immigration official,lost her bid for the Republican nomination in a district that GOP operatives believe offers one of the party’s best chances to flip a House seat.

Sheahan left her job as deputy director at U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement in January, hoping that her background in service of Trump’s top issue would propel her to the nomination. She touted her ICE service at campaign events and in advertisements, but immigration did not play a defining role in the crowded GOP primary as polling shows Trump’s approval on the issue declining.

She lost to Derrick Merrin, the Republican nominee in the district two years ago, who was better known to voters than Sheahan. Immigration could gain more prominence in the fall as Merrin seeks to define himself against Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D), who has held the seat since 1983.

Indiana Republicans faced Trump-backed opponents

Last year, more than half the Republicans in Indiana’s state Senate joined with Democrats to vote down Trump’s plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts, which would have given Republicans a strong shot at winning two more House seats. The effort was part of a nationwide push by Trump to help Republicans keep control of the House this fall in an otherwise unfavorable political environment.

On Tuesday, seven of the Republicans who broke ranks with the president faced well-funded opponents endorsed by Trump. Five of the incumbents lost, one of them won, and one race had not yet been called late Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

Millions of dollars poured into ordinarily sleepy races, giving Republicans across the country that going against Trump can come at a steep cost — even in races that are normally dominated by local issues.

David Nakamura contributed to this report.

俄罗斯5月6日对乌克兰发动袭击。图为救援人员在乌克兰哈尔科夫一处遭俄罗斯无人机袭击的私人住宅现场展开救援行动。 （路透社）

（华盛顿／基辅综合电）美国国务院宣布，已批准乌克兰购买价值3亿7400万美元（约4亿7500万新元）GPS制导炸弹组件。这批组件可加装在500至2000磅非制导炸弹上，并改装为可依靠GPS制导炸弹，射程约72公里。

美国国务院星期二（5月5日）说，公告所列数量与金额为最大规模，最终交易仍需国会审查，并由买方与承包商进一步谈判确定。五角大楼此前已向乌克兰提供同类武器，作为2022年12月总统拨款授权的一部分。

国务院指出，这项采购有助美国国家安全利益，也可提升乌克兰自卫能力与地区防御能力。当前政策也反映特朗普政府的军援方式，即由乌克兰或欧洲国家采购美制武器，而非直接依赖美国纳税人资金。

同日，美国国务卿鲁比奥与俄罗斯外长拉夫罗夫通电话，讨论美俄关系、俄乌战争和伊朗问题。俄外交部形容两人进行了“建设性且务实”的通话，但未公布具体内容。

俄罗斯此前单方面宣布在5月8日至9日停火，以配合二战胜利日纪念。乌方则提出更长期停火方案。

但在停火提议生效前数小时，俄军使用108架无人机和三枚导弹对乌东部发动袭击，造成至少27人死亡、120多人受伤。俄方则指责乌军袭击了克里米亚占科伊地区，导致五名平民死亡。

乌外长瑟比加指责俄罗斯仍持续发动攻击，并加剧冲突；俄外交部发言人则批评乌军袭击是恐怖主义行径。

Exclusive: Deleted tweets reveal new surgeon general pick criticized Trump and RFK Jr. health policies

2026-05-06T09:00:50.996Z / CNN

By Andrew Kaczynski, Meg Tirrell

2 hr ago
PUBLISHED May 6, 2026, 5:00 AM ET

Dr. Nicole Saphier appears on FOX Nation’s “Love, Mom: The Live Show” at Fox News Channel Studios on April 3, 2024, in New York City.

John Lamparski/Getty Images

Just two months before she was selected as President Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, Dr. Nicole Saphier suggested the administration was hiding that measles was spreading widely enough in the United States for the country to lose its “elimination” status until after the midterm elections.

“Seems like they may not want to admit the U.S. Measles elimination status is is (sic) gone until after midterm elections,” Saphier wrote in March.

From Nicole Saphier/X

That post has since been deleted, along with numerous others from Saphier’s X account posted in 2025 and 2026 criticizing the administration’s health policies and attacking Trump personally.

Deleted social media posts reviewed by CNN’s KFile show the then-Fox News medical contributor repeatedly broke publicly with Trump and US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on some of the administration’s most politically sensitive health issues, including vaccines and autism. She also raised questions surrounding Trump’s own health.

Saphier, who also works as a radiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, recently set her X account to private. Her deleted posts are still viewable on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine, and CNN was able to verify they were deleted by viewing her account, which is still visible to followers.

A self-described Trump supporter since his first term, Saphier posted a still-public tweet on Inauguration Day 2025 alongside a photo montage of her with Trump. “It’s been a wild 8 years and I’m grateful to have been a part of it. Repeal & Replace➡️COVID➡️MAHA, I have been privileged to have a front row seat while history is being made. Welcome back, Mr. President @realDonaldTrump — the next 4 years will be busy and I’m ready for it 🇺🇸”

Saphier, 44, is also the author of several books – including “Make America Healthy Again,” published in 2020, and “Panic Attack: Playing Politics with Science in the Fight Against COVID-19,” published in 2021 — and hosts the podcast “Wellness Unmasked.” She is also the founder of DropRx, a supplement company.

She became Trump’s third choice for surgeon general after the White House withdrew the nominations of former Fox News contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat and wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means.

Kush Desai, a White House spokesperson, told CNN, “Dr. Nicole Saphier is an accomplished physician who has practiced radiology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering and has been an outspoken voice on breast cancer prevention, intrusive COVID-19 mandates, the politicization of science, and the federal government’s role in America’s chronic disease epidemic. She will be a powerful asset for President Trump and work tirelessly to deliver on every facet of his MAHA agenda.”

Tweets took aim at Trump

In one deleted June 2025 post during Trump’s public feud with Elon Musk, Saphier mocked the president and Musk as “petty, loud, & obnoxious,” writing that the clash was “like watching two billionaires throw sand in a sandbox.” She added that Bravo host Andy Cohen was likely “salivating” watching “grown adults acting like toddlers in a tiara fight.”

Saphier also repeatedly criticized Trump’s messaging surrounding Tylenol use during pregnancy after the president publicly urged pregnant women to avoid the medication over unproven claims linking it to autism and told women to “tough it out” rather than take it for pain or fever.

“As a mom of 3 kids, I don’t love a man telling me to ‘tough it out’ when it comes to pregnancy. Words matter. Facts matter too,” she wrote in a since-deleted post from September 2025. That same week, Saphier linked in another deleted tweet to a podcast episode calling the science linking Tylenol to autism “far from settled.”

From Nicole Saphier/X

A month later, Saphier criticized a Trump post on Truth Social telling pregnant women not to take Tylenol. “This isn’t the first or second time he has said this. Obviously something was said to POTUS behind closed doors and the public deserves transparency on the data presented to substantiate these statements,” she said in the since-deleted post from October 2025.

Days later, Saphier wrote, “My son has a high fever and I’m angry that I am now questioning giving him Tylenol. Do data exist showing harm to kids that haven’t been shared with the public or is the Tylenol ‘controversy’ purely hyperbolic and conjecture? Needless to say, I’m mad.” That post has also been deleted.

Saphier also publicly questioned Trump’s own health transparency after he disclosed in October 2025 that he had undergone an MRI without specifying what it was for.

“Lots of people questioning POTUS MRI — I have questions too,” Saphier wrote in one deleted post from October. But she also took aim at some of those raising the questions. “It’s hard to take some of these people seriously as they failed to have questions on Covid natural immunity, vaccines, masking, shutdowns and the fact Biden couldn’t string together a coherent sentence at times.”

A move toward more mainstream nominees

The administration has moved recently to curb some of the chaos emanating from Kennedy’s HHS, particularly around vaccine policy, seen as a politically unpopular issue heading into the midterms. Last month, the White House nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz for director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a more traditional public health pick who satisfied a key criterion a White House official told CNN was necessary: “We just need someone who’s not crazy.”

Means, an ally of Kennedy’s, saw her nomination stall as senators questioned her experience and stance on vaccines. Means didn’t finish her surgical residency and doesn’t hold an active medical license. Saphier’s status as a practicing radiologist focused on breast cancer won her praise after Trump nominated her last week, although some – such as Dr. Jerome Adams, the surgeon general from Trump’s first term – noted, “In 2026, we really shouldn’t have to highlight that.” Still, he called her a “solid pick.”

On the day Kennedy was confirmed as HHS secretary in a 52-48 vote, Saphier attacked Mitch McConnell — the only Republican to vote against him — over his own health.

“Mitch McConnell’s vote against Make America Healthy Again is the ultimate ‘I’m good, thanks’ from a man whose own age and health are waving the white flag of defeat,” she wrote on February 13, 2025, in an undeleted post. “Time to retire, Sir.”

Saphier warned Kennedy-led reforms were creating ‘chaos’

In a series of now-deleted tweets, Saphier also repeatedly criticized Kennedy’s overhaul of federal vaccine policy and messaging, particularly surrounding the CDC and its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, known as ACIP. Kennedy gutted the committee in June 2025 and repopulated it with ideological allies who’ve been accused of spreading false or misleading statements about vaccines.

In a deleted June 2025 tweet citing Sen. Bill Cassidy, Saphier argued that although ACIP needed reform, new appointees lacked key expertise. “The newly appointed members are lacking diversity of thought and areas of expertise, especially in data interpretation,” she wrote.

A federal judge agreed in March, ruling that the replacement of ACIP members didn’t follow federal legal procedures and that “of the fifteen members currently on ACIP, even under the most generous reading, only six appear to have any meaningful experience in vaccines.” A planned March meeting of the group was canceled and hasn’t yet been rescheduled.

That ruling also led to uncertainty over changes the Trump administration made to the childhood vaccine schedule, and that same month, Saphier wrote: “The CDC vaccine schedule is in limbo, the status of ACIP up in the air and no clear path forward. The system needed reform, but not chaos. The pendulum swung too far in the overhaul. Time for a measured reset, with transparency and data driven guidance.”

Saphier criticized Kennedy’s handpicked vaccine advisory group’s decisions in real time. In another deleted post from September 2025, Saphier accused ACIP of acting as a “gatekeeper” around the combined measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox vaccine despite the US Food and Drug Administration continuing to consider the vaccine safe for young children. She warned the conflicting guidance was leaving parents “confused” and children “less protected.”

“Get on the same page FDA/CDC. And they wonder why trust keeps dropping,” she wrote.

From Nicole Saphier/X

In another since-deleted September 2025 post, Saphier commented on the public dispute between former CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez and Kennedy after Monarez alleged that she had been instructed to pre-commit to approving ACIP vaccine recommendations, an accusation Kennedy denied.

“The he said/she said is ludicrous and horrible for our public health,” she wrote.

Other deleted posts showed Saphier publicly urging the administration to revisit repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act rather than focusing on what she described as media-driven messaging from Kennedy’s HHS.

“Plenty of headlines and soundbites coming out of HHS lately, but few will truly move the needle on our nation’s health,” Saphier wrote in August 2025. “When President Trump returns from Alaska, it’s time to revisit repeal and replace—because lasting change comes from policy, not press releases.”

CNN’s Em Steck contributed to this report.