US Health Secretary Kennedy fires two top leaders in latest department shakeup

<p>-

  • US Health Secretary Kennedy fires two top leaders in latest department shakeup</p>

<p>July 16, 2025 at 7:38 PM</p>

<p>(Reuters) - U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired two top leaders at the department, chief of staff Heather Flick Melanson and deputy chief of staff for policy Hannah Anderson, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.</p>

<p>Matt Buckham, who currently serves as Kennedy's White House liaison at the HHS, will serve as acting chief of staff effective immediately, the spokesperson said.</p>

<p>In his current role, Buckham oversees the recruitment and onboarding of political appointees across HHS.</p>

<p>Since taking over as health secretary, Kennedy has proposed overhauling the department by reorganizing several HHS agencies and substantially cutting their workforces. This month, a federal judge blocked the proposal to implement the restructuring.</p>

<p>HHS oversees the work of health agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health, whose chief operating officer, Eric Schnabel, was fired on Monday. The Washington Post was first to report Schnabel's firing, which Reuters has confirmed.</p>

<p>Kennedy, who for decades has sown doubt about the safety of vaccines contrary to evidence and research by scientists, in June fired all 17 members of an independent panel of experts that advises the CDC on vaccine policy, and replaced them with seven new hand-picked members.</p>

<p>The firings on Wednesday were first reported by CNN. Kennedy has not decided on permanent replacements to fill these roles, according to the CNN report.</p>

<p>Melanson and Anderson were ousted after only a few months on their jobs, and it was unclear whether there was a single event that prompted the firings, the report said.</p>

<p>An HHS spokesperson declined to provide any additional details about the staff reorganization.</p>

<p>Anderson previously worked as a health policy adviser for the Senate Health Committee. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment on LinkedIn.</p>

<p>Flick Melanson, who held senior positions at the HHS during U.S. President Donald Trump's first term, could not immediately be reached for comment.</p>

<p>Schnabel, a retired Army veteran who joined the NIH in March 2025, most recently worked at a fitness and wellness company, according to his LinkedIn profile.</p>

<p>An NIH staff member with direct knowledge of his departure confirmed Schnabel had left the agency.</p>

<p>The Washington Post linked his departure to a probe of a contract that would have benefited his wife, Trish Schnabel, a licensed therapist who sometimes goes by her maiden name, Trish Duffy.</p>

<p>The NIH source told Reuters Schnabel's wife was intended to serve as an autism consultant as part of a broader $3.3-million contract with Argo Chasing LLC, an advisory firm based in Shreveport, Louisiana, focused on project management services.</p>

<p>According to a review of the non-competitive contract, issued on July 3 through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the grant was for "project coordination and subject matter expert support for high-level strategic research security, counterintelligence, autism and execution service."</p>

<p>Eric and Trish Schnabel did not respond to requests for comment. An HHS spokesperson declined to comment.</p>

<p>(Reporting by Harshita Meenaktshi, Bhanvi Satija and Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago, Michael Erman in New York and Chad Terhune in Los Angeles; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Shinjini Ganguli and Rod Nickel)</p>

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US Health Secretary Kennedy fires two top leaders in latest department shakeup

<p>- US Health Secretary Kennedy fires two top leaders in latest department shakeup</p> <p>July 16, ...

Lightning strike kills Olympic bronze medalist Audun Grønvold. Norwegian skier was 49

<p>-

  • Lightning strike kills Olympic bronze medalist Audun Grønvold. Norwegian skier was 49</p>

<p>Tom Schad, USA TODAY July 16, 2025 at 11:51 PM</p>

<p>Audun Grønvold, a Norwegian skier who won Olympic bronze in ski cross in 2010, died July 15 after being struck by lightning over the weekend. He was 49.</p>

<p>The Norwegian Ski Federation confirmed Grønvold's death in a statement July 16, indicating Grønvold was struck by lightning while on a trip to his family's cabin July 12. He was quickly taken to a hospital to receive treatment, the federation said, but succumbed to his injuries a few days later.</p>

<p>"Norwegian skiing has lost a prominent figure, who has meant so much to both the alpine and freestyle communities," federation president Tove Moe Dyrhaug said in a statement. "... There will be a big void after Audun."</p>

<p>Audun Groenvold, who died July 15 after being struck by lightning, is seen here during the FIS Freestyle World Cup Men's Ski Cross on March 20, 2010 in Sierra Nevada, Spain. He placed second.</p>

<p>Grønvold was born in Hamar, a lakeside town about 80 miles north of Norway's capital city, Oslo. He first got his start in alpine skiing, also known as downhill skiing, and established himself a rising talent in one of the country's most popular sports. According to the ski federation, he spent more than a decade on Norway's alpine national team before switching to ski cross, in which skiers race directly against one another through a course with jumps and turns.</p>

<p>Grønvold won bronze in ski cross' Olympic debut at the 2010 Vancouver Games, then went on to become a national team coach and board member for the federation, according to its statement. He also worked as a skiing broadcaster.</p>

<p>Audun Gronvold on the podium during the medal ceremony of the men's freestyle ski cross final of the Vancouver Winter Olympics, on February 21, 2010 at BC Place in Vancouver.</p>

<p>"It's just terribly sad and tragic," Marius Arnesen, who coached Grønvold in the early 2000s, told Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang. "(He was) a thoughtful and wonderful boy who, when it comes to skiing, had a fantastic feeling for the surface in the snow."</p>

<p>Grønvold is survived by his wife, Kristin Tandberg Haugsjå, and three children. According to Norwegian national broadcaster NRK, Haugsjå also confirmed her husband's death in a Facebook post, describing him as "my great love and my best friend for 20 years."</p>

<p>"The loss of you is enormous," she wrote, according to NRK.</p>

<p>Contact Tom Schad at [email protected] or on social media @tomschad.bsky.social.</p>

<p>This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Audun Grønvold, Olympic skier from Norway, dies after lightning strike</p>

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Lightning strike kills Olympic bronze medalist Audun Grønvold. Norwegian skier was 49

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Bradley Beal reportedly reaches buyout with Suns, to sign deal with Clippers

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  • Bradley Beal reportedly reaches buyout with Suns, to sign deal with Clippers</p>

<p>Ryan YoungJuly 17, 2025 at 2:02 AM</p>

<p>Bradley Beal's time with the Phoenix Suns is over.</p>

<p>Beal reached a buyout with the Suns on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Shams Charania, ending his two-season run with the franchise. Beal is now expected to sign a two-year, $11 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers. The deal will include a player option for the 2026-2027 season, which would make Beal one of the top players available in free agency next year.</p>

<p>BREAKING: Three-time NBA All-Star Bradley Beal has agreed to a contract buyout with the Phoenix Suns and plans to join the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year, $11 million deal with a player option after clearing waivers, Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports told ESPN. pic.twitter.com/gxZB0ObSms</p>

<p>— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 16, 2025</p>

<p>Per Charania, Beal's priority was "finding the best basketball situation." In Los Angeles, he'll join James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac and Derrick Jones Jr.</p>

<p>Beal's time with the Suns did not go as planned. He landed with the franchise in 2023 after spending the first 11 seasons of his career with the Washington Wizards. But, despite playing alongside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, the Suns largely struggled to compete in the Western Conference. Durant has since been traded to the Houston Rockets while Phoenix starts to rebuild.</p>

<p>Beal was moved out of the starting lineup last season, too, while he was linked to trade rumors with Jimmy Butler amid his tumultuous exit with the Miami Heat. It marked the first time that Beal had been placed in a reserve role in just shy of a decade. Beal had a no-trade clause in the five-year, $251 million deal he first signed with the Wizards, though, which limited the Suns' options ahead of the deadline last season. Butler eventually went to the Golden State Warriors.</p>

<p>Beal was still owed nearly $111 million on his contract before the buyout. He was earning more than $50 million a season.</p>

<p>Beal averaged 17 points last season, which is his worst output since his rookie campaign. He also averaged 3.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting just shy of 50% from the field. The Suns went just 36-46 last season and missed the playoffs. They parted ways with head coach Mike Budenholzer and have since hired Jordan Ott to replace him. Ott is the franchise's fourth head coach in four seasons.</p>

<p>Even though Beal's time with the Suns didn't go as planned, and there were plenty of rough stretches with the Wizards, the 32-year-old is now getting a fresh start with what will be the third team of his career.</p>

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Gulf Coast braces for flooding as storm system builds into possible tropical depression

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  • Gulf Coast braces for flooding as storm system builds into possible tropical depression</p>

<p>SAFIYAH RIDDLE July 17, 2025 at 1:33 AM</p>

<p>This GOES-19 GeoColor satellite image taken Wednesday, July 16, 2025 at 12:46 EDT and provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, shows a tropical weather system over the Florida Panhandle. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association via AP) ()</p>

<p>The weather system moving across the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday was showing a greater chance of becoming a tropical depression as it moves toward the northern Gulf Coast, according to the National Hurricane Center.</p>

<p>The system has a 40% chance of becoming a tropical depression as it moves west over the Gulf toward southeastern Louisiana on Thursday, the federal agency said. The severity of its impact will depend on how far it travels offshore, where conditions are ripe for a tropical depression, before reaching Louisiana. The tropical weather will affect Alabama and Mississippi as well.</p>

<p>Regardless of whether the system intensifies, heavy downpours could cause flooding, officials warned.</p>

<p>New Orleans is bracing for 3 to 5 inches (8 to 13 centimeters) of rain through Saturday, but some areas could see as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters), especially near the coast, the National Weather Service said.</p>

<p>"While a tropical depression cannot be ruled out near the coast on Thursday, the main focus remains the heavy rain threat," the agency wrote on X.</p>

<p>Volunteers and local elected officials played music as they shoveled sand into bags to hand out to residents in New Orleans on Wednesday morning at the Dryades YMCA.</p>

<p>"My street flooded just the other day when we got a little bit of rain and so I want to just make sure that I'm proactive," New Orleans resident Alex Trapps said as he drove away with sandbags in his car.</p>

<p>The looming threat in the southeast comes on the heels of a series of lethal floods this summer. On Monday, flash floods inundated New York City and parts of New Jersey, claiming two lives. And at least 132 people were killed in floodwaters that overwhelmed Texas Hill Country on the Fourth of July.</p>

<p>The system percolating over Florida will be called Dexter if it becomes a named storm. Six weeks into the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, there have been three named tropical storms — Andrea, Barry and Chantal — but no hurricanes.</p>

<p>Chantal made landfall in South Carolina last week, and its remnants caused flooding in North Carolina that killed an 83-year-old woman when her car was swept off a rural road.</p>

<p>The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association said in May there was a 60% chance that there will be more named storms this hurricane season than there have been in past years on average.</p>

<p>The currently developing weather system is expected to move fully inland by the end of the week.</p>

<p>Southern Louisiana — a region all too familiar with the potentially devastating impacts of flooding — is expected to be hit hardest Thursday and beyond.</p>

<p>Erika Mann, CEO of the Dryades YMCA, said that local elected officials managed to organize the storm supply distribution within a day after the threat intensified.</p>

<p>"We open our doors and help the community when the community is in need," Mann said.</p>

<p>Some residents who came to get supplies "jumped out of their cars and they helped. And it just represents what New Orleans is about. We come together in crisis," Mann said.</p>

<p>____</p>

<p>Riddle is a corps member for The /Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.</p>

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Mystery shrouds case as American tourist still presumed missing in popular tourist paradise

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  • Mystery shrouds case as American tourist still presumed missing in popular tourist paradise</p>

<p>Peter D'AbroscaJuly 16, 2025 at 11:28 PM</p>

<p>An American man who vanished weeks ago in Turks and Caicos is still presumed missing, despite the fact that a decomposing male body was found in the island paradise 10 days ago.</p>

<p>Brian Tarrence, a 51-year-old business executive from Monroe, New York, went missing in the early hours of June 25 after leaving his rental condo, according to a Facebook post from the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. He was vacationing with his wife Maria at the time.</p>

<p>On the same day, a security guard was killed by a "masked gunman" outside a supermarket about nine miles from where Tarrence went missing. No connection between the alleged homicide and Tarrence's disappearance has been made.</p>

<p>Tarrence, who recently moved from Monroe to Manhattan, arrived in Turks and Caicos with his wife of one year on June 22, and they planned to leave on June 29.</p>

<p>Mystery Deepens As Body Discovered During Search For Missing American In Island Paradise</p>

<p>Search and rescue forces were deployed on July 5, and three hours into the search, the body of a deceased male "in a decomposed state" was found in Grace Bay, Providenciales, the same town where Tarrence and his wife were staying.</p>

<p>According to CBS News, the body of the decomposed male has not been identified since it was found on July 5.</p>

<p>Read On The Fox News App</p>

<p>Fox News Digital reached out to the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force on Wednesday morning, but did not hear back.</p>

<p>Brian Tarrence, 51, was last seen leaving his condo around 3:30 a.m. at the Paradise Inn in Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, according to a missing persons flyer from the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force.</p>

<p>American Tourist Vanishes In Tropical Paradise After Early Morning Walk From Vacation Rental</p>

<p>The family's private investigator, Carl DeFazio, told Fox News Digital that the couple went boating the day before the tech executive went missing.</p>

<p>At around 3:30 a.m. the following morning, Tarrence was caught on security cameras leaving the property. He left the rental with his phone and wallet, but the rest of his belongings were found inside the condo.</p>

<p>His wife, who was asleep at the time, did not notice that he had left.</p>

<p>Grace Bay Beach, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, Overseas Dependency of the United Kingdom.</p>

<p>"They seemed to be having a normal couple days, and he ended up walking out of his condo, which is in a very safe place and in the middle of Grace Bay Road," DeFazio said. "And we have him on camera, and he walks into town, and then he basically disappears, and we haven't heard from him since."</p>

<p>Fox News' Adam Sabes contributed to this report.</p>

<p>Original article source: Mystery shrouds case as American tourist still presumed missing in popular tourist paradise</p>

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Mystery shrouds case as American tourist still presumed missing in popular tourist paradise

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Man charged with killing Minnesota lawmaker plans to plead not guilty

<p>-

  • Man charged with killing Minnesota lawmaker plans to plead not guilty</p>

<p>STEVE KARNOWSKI July 17, 2025 at 12:39 AM</p>

<p>Acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, Joe Thompson, speaks to reporters at a news conference on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Minneapolis about the grand jury indictment handed up against Vance Boelter, alleging that Boelter fatally shot former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and seriously wounded a state senator and his wife. (Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via AP)</p>

<p>MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota man plans to plead not guilty to charges he killed the top Democratic leader in the state House and her husband after wounding another lawmaker and his wife, his attorney said.</p>

<p>Vance Boelter, 57, is due in federal court for his arraignment on Sept. 12 under an order issued late Tuesday, hours after a grand jury indicted him on six counts of murder, stalking and firearms violations. The murder charges could carry the federal death penalty.</p>

<p>At a news conference Tuesday, prosecutors released a rambling handwritten letter they say Boelter wrote to FBI Director Kash Patel in which he confessed to the June 14 shootings of Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark. However, the letter doesn't make clear why he targeted the couples.</p>

<p>Boelter's federal defender, Manny Atwal, said in an email that the weighty charges do not come as a surprise.</p>

<p>"The indictment starts the process of receiving discovery which will allow me to evaluate the case," Atwal said Tuesday. She did not immediately comment Wednesday on any possible defense strategies.</p>

<p>At his last court appearance, Boelter said he was "looking forward to the facts about the 14th coming out."</p>

<p>While the scheduling order set a trial date of Nov. 3, Atwal said it was "very unlikely" to happen so soon.</p>

<p>Investigators have already gathered a huge amount of evidence that both sides will need time to evaluate. The scheduling order acknowledges that both sides may find grounds for seeking extensions. And the potential for a death sentence adds yet another level of complexity.</p>

<p>The acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, Joe Thompson, reiterated Tuesday that they consider the former House speaker's death a "political assassination" and the wounding of Sen. John Hoffman an "attempted assassination."</p>

<p>But Thompson told reporters a decision on whether to seek the death penalty "will not come for several months." He said it will ultimately be up to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, with input from the capital case unit at the Department of Justice, local prosecutors and the victims.</p>

<p>Minnesota abolished its state death penalty in 1911, but the Trump administration says it intends to be aggressive in seeking capital punishment for eligible federal crimes.</p>

<p>Boelter's motivations remain murky. Friends have described him as an evangelical Christian with politically conservative views who had been struggling to find work. Boelter allegedly made lists of politicians in Minnesota and other states — all or mostly Democrats — and attorneys at national law firms. In an interview published by the New York Post on Saturday, Boelter insisted the shootings had nothing to do with his opposition to abortion or his support for President Donald Trump, but he declined to elaborate on that point.</p>

<p>"There is little evidence showing why he turned to political violence and extremism," Thompson said.</p>

<p>Prosecutors say Boelter was disguised as a police officer and driving a fake squad car early June 14 when he went to the Hoffmans' home in the Minneapolis suburb of Champlin. He allegedly shot the senator nine times, and his wife, Yvette, eight times, but they survived.</p>

<p>Boelter later allegedly went to the Hortmans' home in nearby Brooklyn Park and killed both of them. Their dog was so gravely injured that he had to be euthanized.</p>

<p>Investigators found Boelter's letter to the FBI director in the car he abandoned near his rural home in Green Isle, west of Minneapolis. He surrendered the night after the shootings following what authorities have called the largest search for a suspect in Minnesota history.</p>

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Man charged with killing Minnesota lawmaker plans to plead not guilty

<p>- Man charged with killing Minnesota lawmaker plans to plead not guilty</p> <p>STEVE KARNOWSKI Ju...

 

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