HHS Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden were involved in a tense exchange on Capitol Hill where Kennedy accused the senator of intentionally misrepresenting his past comments.

Wyden, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee which held a confirmation hearing for Kennedy on Wednesday, pressed the nominee on comments made on podcasts in recent years. 

During a podcast interview in July of 2023, you said, quote, no vaccine is safe and effective, in your testimony today in order to prove you’re not anti-vax, you note that all your kids are vaccinated, but in a podcast in 2020, you said, and I quote, you would do anything pay anything to go back in time and not vaccinate your kids,’ Wyden said to Kennedy. 

‘Mr. Kennedy, all of these things cannot be true. So are you lying to Congress today when you say you are pro-vaccine or did you lie on all those podcasts? We have all of this on tape, by the way.’

Kennedy took issue with Wyden’s comments and pointed out that the comment about ‘no vaccine’ being safe and effective was said before he was cut off in the interview, with podcaster Lex Fridman, before he could finish. 

Yeah, Senator, as you know, because it’s been repeatedly debunked, that the statements that I made on the Lex Fridman podcast was a fragment of the statement,’ Kennedy responded. 

‘He asked me, and anybody who actually goes and looks at that podcast and will see that he asked me, are there vaccines that are safe and effective? And I said to him, some of the live virus vaccines. And I said, there are no vaccines that are safe and effective and I was going to continue for, every person. Every medicine has people who are sensitive to them, including vaccines.’

Kennedy continued, ‘He interrupted me at that point. I’ve corrected it many times, including on national TV. You know about this, Sen. Wyden, so bringing this up right now is dishonest.’

A transcript from the interview with Fridman shows Kennedy saying, ‘I think some of the live virus vaccines are probably averting more problems than they’re causing. There’s no vaccine that is safe and effective. In fact.’ 

Kennedy is then cut off and the conversation goes elsewhere. 

Kennedy has corrected the record on subsequent shows, including in an interview with HBO’s Bill Maher, where he explained he was interrupted and assured the public, ‘I would never say that.’

Fox News Digital reached out to Wyden’s office but did not immediately receive a response. 

Opposition to Kennedy’s nomination has been fierce, with advocacy groups running ad campaigns urging senators to vote against his confirmation.

‘I want to make sure the Committee is clear about a few things. News reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. Well, I am neither; I am pro-safety,’ Kennedy said in his opening statement in front of the Senate Finance Committee.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report

Two former Trump administration Cabinet secretaries are launching a nationwide coalition to back the president’s ‘energy dominance’ agenda, which aims to boost oil and gas production and scale back climate change policies.

Former U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette and former U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt are launching the Restoring Energy Dominance Coalition on Wednesday, which will rally conservatives behind President Donald Trump’s broad energy approach, a central theme of his 2024 campaign.

According to the nonprofit’s website, the organization is made up of ‘a group of concerned citizens and policy experts who understand that American energy production — of all kinds — is essential for unleashing domestic energy dominance.’

Brouillette said the coalition will ensure Trump garners the support he needs for his all-of-the-above energy agenda, which is ‘essential to lowering costs, creating good-paying jobs, and bolstering America’s national security.’ 

All of the above energy involves a mix of energy sources, like fossil fuels, nuclear energy and renewable energy, to promote energy independence.

‘The first step to improving our economy and lowering the cost of living for American families is to restore our energy dominance,’ Bernhadt said in a statement. ‘President Trump is spot on about needing all forms of energy to meet our current challenges and America’s new golden age will only be possible if we make the president’s energy platform from his 2024 campaign a reality.’

Following Trump’s campaign promise to ‘drill, baby drill,’ Trump issued an executive order on Inauguration Day declaring a national energy emergency, invoking the National Emergencies Act, to bolster domestic energy production and reduce reliance on foreign energy sources. The Trump White House argues it will lower energy costs. 

The order directs federal agencies to ‘expedite the leasing, siting, production, transportation, refining, and generation of domestic energy resources,’ including on federal lands.

‘The policies of the previous administration have driven our Nation into a national emergency, where a precariously inadequate and intermittent energy supply, and an increasingly unreliable grid, require swift and decisive action,’ the executive order reads. ‘Without immediate remedy, this situation will dramatically deteriorate in the near future due to a high demand for energy and natural resources to power the next generation of technology.’

Trump also issued a sweeping executive order rolling back environmental regulations – which sought to reduce emissions 61-66% by 2035 – that the Biden administration created in December. The order reverses several climate-focused policies and prioritizes fossil fuel expansion, mineral extraction and deregulation.

The directive calls for increased oil, gas and coal production on federal lands and waters, while revoking multiple executive orders that supported renewable energy initiatives. It also eliminates the federal electric vehicle (EV) mandate, removes subsidies favoring EVs, and prevents states from imposing stricter emissions standards.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.  

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said in his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday that his objective to making ‘America Healthy Again’ will not include taking food such as cheeseburgers or Twinkies off of the shelves – quipping his boss has a soft spot for fast food. 

‘Most importantly, we need to use, deploy, NIH and FDA to doing the research to understand the relationship between these different food additives and chronic diseases so that Americans understand it,’ Kennedy explained before the committee on Wednesday. 

‘But I don’t want to take food away from anybody. If you like a cheeseburger, a McDonald’s cheeseburger, or a Diet Coke, which my boss loves, you should be able to get them,’ he said, which sparked laughter from the audience. 

‘If you want a Hostess Twinkies, you should be able to do that. But you should know what the impacts are on your family and on your health,’ he explained. 

Trump has long been a well-known fan of Diet Coke and McDonald’s fast food, including re-installing a Diet Coke button on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office to swiftly deliver him the soft drink, and campaigned at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s ahead of the Nov. 5 election. 

Kennedy’s hearing on Wednesday before the Senate Finance Committee is just the first, with the nominee scheduled to again join lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Thursday to appear before the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Kennedy has been at the forefront of ‘MAHA,’ or Make America Health Again, movement within Trump’s orbit. 

Kennedy’s hearing was expected to be fiery, as the son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy has come under fire for his critical stance on vaccines and food additives. Kennedy said in his hearing that he is not ‘anti-vaccine.’

‘I worked for years to raise awareness about the mercury and toxic chemicals in fish. And nobody called me anti-fish. And I believe that… that vaccines play a critical role in healthcare. All of my kids are vaccinated. I’ve read many books on vaccines. My first book in 2014, a first line of it is ‘I am not anti-vaccine’ and last line is ‘I am not anti-vaccine.’ Nor am I the enemy of food producers. American farms are the bedrock of our culture, of our politics, of our national security,’ he said on Wednesday.

‘In my advocacy, I’ve often disturbed this status quo. I am asking uncomfortable questions. Well, I’m not going to apologize for that. We have massive health problems in this country that we must face,’ he added. 

Former Hamas hostage Amit Soussana is sharing more details about her time in captivity, and she says there was another hostage who was instrumental in her survival. Liri Albag, one of the IDF soldiers who was kidnapped on Oct. 7, ‘saved’ Soussana.

Speaking on Israeli TV, Soussana recalled her captors tying her up and beating her, demanding that she admit to being in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Soussana says her hands and feet were bound, and she was beaten with a stick before one of the captors pointed a gun at her and said, ‘You have 40 minutes to tell us the truth, or else I kill you.’

Fellow hostage Albag was apparently able to convince their captors that Soussana was not in fact in the military. Soussana who calls Albag ‘something special, a force,’ believes this act saved her life.

‘I told her when she came back: ‘I don’t know if they would have killed me or not; as far as I’m concerned, you saved my life,’ Soussana said in the interview.

Hamas terrorists kidnapped Soussana from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the brutal Oct. 7 attacks. She was forced to walk barefoot in pajamas from her burning house to the Gaza border, being beaten along the way. Soussana fought her kidnappers in what was called ‘the battle of my life,’ trying to stall them in hopes that the IDF would rescue her before she was dragged into Gaza.

Soussana was released from Gaza in November 2023 after 55 days in captivity as part of Israel’s first hostage deal with Hamas.

In March 2024, Soussana became the first Israeli woman to speak publicly about being sexually assaulted while in Hamas captivity. She recalled the horrifying incident in an interview with The New York Times. Soussana later testified before the UN Security Council in October 2024 about her experience.

During her captivity, Soussana was chained by her ankle, unable to move. ‘I had to ask for permission to use the bathroom,’ she explained, detailing her experience. ‘In that house, I was sexually assaulted by the Hamas terrorist who had guarded me.’

She described the assault, saying, ‘He forced me to go to the shower and entered the room, pointed his gun at me. He was breathing heavily and had a monstrous beast-like face.’ She recalled his intrusive questioning while he sat next to her in his underwear, lifting her shirt and touching her. ‘I knew exactly what he was planning to do, and yet I couldn’t do anything to prevent it. I was utterly helpless.’

Soussana said that after the assault she was not ‘allowed to cry or to be sad.’ She recalled feeling isolated and being ‘forced to act nice to the person who had just sexually assaulted me.’

Israel and Hamas have been engaged in a deadly war for over 15 months following the terror group’s devastating surprise attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas is expected to release Agam Berger, Arbel Yehoud and 80-year-old Gadi Moses on Jan. 30 as part of the current ceasefire deal with Israel.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, was interrupted by multiple outbursts during his hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday morning. 

‘I want to make sure the committee is clear about a few things. News reports have claimed that I’m anti-vaccine or any industry. I am neither. I am pro safety,’ Kennedy said in his opening remarks before a protester shouted at him. 

‘You are,’ the female protester was heard shouting at Kennedy when he said he is not anti-vaccine. 

Minutes later, another outburst erupted in the hearing, sparking Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo to issue a warning to not disrupt the hearing. 

‘To the audience, comments from the audience are inappropriate and out of order. And if there are any further disruptions, the committee will recess until the police can restore order. Please follow the rules of the committee. Mr. Kennedy, you may proceed,’ Crapo said. 

Another protester was spotted in the audience holding a sign reading, ‘Vaccines Save Lives, Not RFK JR.’ 

Kennedy’s hearing on Wednesday before the Senate Finance Committee is just the first, with the nominee scheduled to again join lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Thursday to appear before theHealth, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

The nominee has come under fire for his critical stance on vaccines, which he defended in his opening statement.

‘I worked for years to raise awareness about the mercury and toxic chemicals in fish. And nobody called me anti-fish. And I believe that … that vaccines play a critical role in health care. All of my kids are vaccinated. I’ve read many books on vaccines. My first book in 2014, a first line of it is ‘I am not anti-vaccine’ and last line is ‘I am not anti-vaccine.’ Nor I’m the enemy of food producers, American farms and the bedrock of our culture, of our politics, of our national security,’ he said on Wednesday.

‘In my advocacy, I’ve often disturbed this status quo. I am asking uncomfortable questions. Well, I’m not going to apologize for that. We have massive health problems in this country that we must face,’ he added. 

Protesters disrupting Senate hearings for Trump’s administration picks has become a common theme, with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also facing protesters in their respective hearings earlier this month. 

President Donald Trump reportedly fired two of the three Democratic commissioners on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), as his administration continues its pledge to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from government bureaucracy. 

The two now-former EEOC commissioners, Charlotte Burrows and Jocelyn Samuels, said in statements Tuesday that they were fired late Monday night. Both said they were exploring options to challenge their dismissals, calling their removal before the expiration of their five-year terms an unprecedented decision that undermines the agency’s independence.

Burrows, who has been an EEOC commissioner since 2015, said in her statement Tuesday that the dismissal of two Democratic commissioners before their terms ended ‘undermine the efforts of this independent agency to do the important work of protecting employees from discrimination, supporting employers’ compliance efforts, and expanding public awareness and understanding of federal employment laws.’

Samuels, who was appointed by Trump in 2020, and then was nominated by former President Joe Biden for a second term, said her removal ‘violates the law, and represents a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the EEOC as an independent agency – one that is not controlled by a single Cabinet secretary but operates as a multi-member body whose varying views are baked into the Commission’s design.’

‘The President’s action undermines the stability and continuity of the EEOC’s critical work to advance equal opportunity and fair treatment,’ she said. 

In removing her, Samuels said, the White House ‘also critiqued my views on DEIA initiatives and sex discrimination, further misconstruing the basic principles of equal employment opportunity.’ 

The ex-commissioner argued that DEI initiatives ‘protect all people on the basis of race, sex, gender and religious belief, and other characteristics,’ but the Trump administration has contended the so-called protections ushered in by the Biden administration actually veer into discrimination. For example, the EEOC last April published guidance describing how an employer could be found liable for harassment if they mandate an employee use a bathroom that corresponds with their biological sex, prompting backlash. 

‘This Administration’s demonization of transgender individuals is both cruel and inconsistent with the law,’ Samuels wrote Tuesday. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment Wednesday. 

The EEOC was created by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act as a bipartisan five-member panel to protect workers from discrimination on the basis of race, gender, disability and other protected characteristics. The U.S. president appoints the commissioners and the Senate confirms them, but their terms are staggered and are meant to overlap presidential terms to help ensure the agency’s independence.

The two firings leave the agency with one Republican commissioner, Andrea Lucas, who Trump appointed acting EEOC chair last week, one Democratic commissioner, Kalpana Kotagal, and three vacancies that Trump can fill. 

Another Republican commissioner, Keith Sonderling, resigned after Trump appointed him deputy secretary of labor.

Lucas, the new acting EEOC chair, issued a statement last week saying that she would prioritize ‘rooting out unlawful DEI-motivated race and sex discrimination; protecting American workers from anti-American national origin discrimination; defending the biological and binary reality of sex and related rights, including women’s rights to single‑sex spaces at work.’

In contrast, the three Democratic commissioners all issued statements last week condemning a slew of executive orders aimed at ending DEI practices in the federal workforce and private companies, along with ‘protections’ for transgender workers. Their statements also emphasized that U.S. anti-discrimination laws remained intact despite Trump’s orders and that the EEOC must continue enforcing them.

The EEOC panel investigates and imposes penalties on employers found to have violated laws that protect workers from racial, gender, disability and other forms of discrimination. The agency also writes influential rules and guidelines for how anti-discrimination laws should be implemented, and conducts workplace outreach and training.

In recent years, the agency’s Democratic and Republican commissioners have been sharply divided on many issues. Both Republican commissioners voted against new guidelines last year stating that ‘misgendering’ transgender employees, or denying access to a bathroom consistent with their gender identity, would violate anti-discrimination laws. The Republican commissioners also voted against regulations stating that employers must give workers time off and other accommodations for abortions under the new Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

National Labor Relations Board member Gynne A. Wilcox and General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo were also fired late Monday night, the agency confirmed. 

Wilcox was the first Black woman to serve on the Board since its inception in 1935, according to the NLRB website.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.