"During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump and many of his senior advisers publicly vowed to assert unilateral authority to rescind some federal funds, after Trump’s attempts to block aid to Ukraine led to his impeachment during his first term. - Washington Post

"Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a pledge last month on Fox News: He would get processed food out of school lunches “immediately” if he is given a position in a second Trump administration. - Washpo

"Announcing his choice, Trump said the health department would play a “big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming health crisis in this country”.

The potential ramifications of RFK Jr running the department prompted panic among investors with shares in Moderna, which produces mRNA vaccines, falling 5% on Thursday night and another 8% on Friday trading in New York.

BioNTech, the German drugmaker that helped develop a Covid vaccine with Pfizer, fell 7% on Thursday and a further 5% on Friday. In London, AstraZeneca and GSK shares were down about 3%, placing them among the biggest fallers on the FTSE 100.

Shares in the chemicals firm Croda, which makes ingredients for food products and vaccines, shed more than 3% on Friday. Germany’s Roche has fallen by 2%, while Denmark’s Novo Nordisk – the firm behind Wegovy and Ozempic, which also makes vaccines – has fallen more than 5%.

RFK Jr’s nomination has drawn widespread criticism, with Robert Garcia, California’s Democratic representative, calling it “fucking insane”." - The Guardian


"German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time in nearly two years, as western powers position for an incoming Trump administration that has made ending the Ukraine war a priority.

Scholz’s spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said that in a phone call on Friday the German leader “condemned the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and called on President Putin to end it and withdraw his troops”.

He added that the chancellor also stressed Germany’s “steadfast determination” to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression “as long as is necessary”.

A Kremlin readout of the hour-long call, which it said had taken place on Berlin’s initiative, described it as a “detailed and frank exchange of views about the situation in Ukraine”.

Officials said Scholz and Putin had “agreed to remain in contact”." - Financial Post