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Tribune News Service on May 7, 2025

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Trump drops surgeon general pick, taps influencer for job

WASHINGTON — In a last-minute shakeup ahead of a nomination hearing planned for Thursday, President Donald Trump dropped his original pick for surgeon general and selected Casey Means, a health influencer, author and key player in the “Make America Healthy Again” movement.

The announcement comes after Bloomberg reported earlier Wednesday that Janette Nesheiwat, a frequent Fox News medical contributor, was out for the role.

“Casey has impeccable ‘MAHA’ credentials, and will work closely with our wonderful Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to ensure a successful implementation of our Agenda in order to reverse the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and ensure Great Health, in the future, for ALL Americans,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Wednesday afternoon.

In the same post, Trump said that Nesheiwat will serve HHS in “another capacity.” The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee had scheduled to hold a nomination hearing for Nesheiwat and James O’Neill, nominated as deputy secretary of Health and Human Services on Thursday.

—CQ-Roll Call

Economists question the goals, approach of US tariffs

President Donald Trump has said his tariffs on countries around the world will bring “jobs and factories roaring back” to the U.S.

Keith Maskus, professor of economics emeritus at the University of Colorado-Boulder, is among the economists and business representatives who don’t think that will happen. The sweeping tariffs have been slapped on allies and adversaries alike.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce asked the Trump administration for exemptions to help small businesses that import goods and to “stave off a recession.”

“The idea that seems to underlie Trump’s basic objective here in bringing back manufacturing really goes back to the 19th century when a particular product could be produced in one location from beginning to end,” said Maskus, who was the chief economist at the U.S. State Department in the Obama administration and a lead economist at the World Bank.

—The Denver Post

Do US Catholics want a more progressive or conservative pope? What poll finds

As more than 130 voting cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to begin the secret process to elect the next head of the Holy See, a new poll finds that a plurality of U.S. Catholics want Pope Francis’ successor to continue his teachings.

The papal conclave includes the most electors ever — the bulk of them appointed by the late pope — and has no time limit to reach a two-thirds majority vote, CBS News reported.

While Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI were elected on the second day of voting, the longest conclave lasted nearly three years, according to the Vatican News, the official news portal of the Holy See. The election of Pope Gregory X lasted from 1268 to 1271, according to the portal.

Forty-two percent of U.S. Catholics said they wanted whomever is elected to carry on the teachings of Pope Francis, according to a new CBS News/YouGov poll. The survey of 1,298 U.S. Catholics was taken April 30-May 5 and has a margin of error of 3.8 points.

—The Charlotte Observer

Syrian president confirms indirect talks with Israel through mediators

PARIS — Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa revealed on Wednesday that indirect negotiations are taking place between Syria and Israel via international mediators, in an effort to reduce tensions and avoid further escalation.

“There are indirect negotiations with Israel through mediators to calm the situation and prevent the loss of control,” al-Sharaa said during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris following their meeting.

The Syrian leader reaffirmed his government’s commitment to the 1974 disengagement agreement, which governs the ceasefire lines between Syria and Israel in the Golan Heights.

The talks come amid heightened tensions following Israel’s recent military reinforcements in the Golan Heights and ongoing airstrikes on Syrian territories. Earlier, informed sources in Damascus revealed that the Syrian government is open to dialogue regarding a potential peace agreement with Israel.

—dpa