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BREAKING: RFK Jr. Oversees Mass and Sudden Firings at FDA

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Those escorted out included individuals who had accepted buyouts and retirement packages, leaving them all the more perplexed and concerned about whether the Trump administration will keep its word on the separation agreements.

Published

2 years ago

April 1, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent

Thousands of federal health employees faced sudden job losses Tuesday as mass firings and forced resignations swept through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under a new directive from the Trump administration. According to Endpoints News, some FDA staffers arriving at the agency’s White Oak campus in Maryland discovered their employment had ended when their security badges failed to activate. Guards then escorted them to gather their belongings. Witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described a chaotic atmosphere as longtime employees were abruptly cut loose.

Those escorted out included individuals who had accepted buyouts and retirement packages, leaving them all the more perplexed and concerned about whether the Trump administration will keep its word on the separation agreements. “This is confusing,” said one individual who previously accepted a retirement package and was told their last day would be later in April. “Do I need a lawyer?” the individual wondered. Among the affected was Dr. Peter Stein, director of the Office of New Drugs at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Stein said he was presented with a reassignment to a newly created position in “patient affairs” — or the option to leave. He rejected the offer, calling it “ridiculous,” and was placed on administrative leave.

The sweeping changes will affect roughly 3,500 FDA employees — nearly one-fifth of the agency’s workforce. The Biden-era leadership structure is being dismantled under the direction of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has installed new personnel and removed several high-ranking officials, including those working on cancer therapies and biologics. Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA’s top vaccine official and longtime director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, also resigned. He cited what he described as a dangerous erosion of public trust in science under Kennedy’s leadership. “If Peter Marks does not want to get behind restoring science to its golden standard and promoting radical transparency, then he has no place at FDA under the strong leadership of Secretary Kennedy,” an HHS spokesperson said.

Marks, who led the FDA’s biologics division since 2016, played a central role in the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He oversaw emergency use authorizations for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines and was instrumental in Operation Warp Speed — the Trump administration’s public-private partnership to develop and distribute vaccines. In his resignation letter to acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner, Marks condemned what he called the promotion of misinformation from the agency’s top levels. “Undermining confidence in vaccines is irresponsible, detrimental to public health, and a clear danger to our nation’s health, safety, and security,” he wrote.

Marks said he had initially hoped to collaborate with Kennedy on efforts to improve vaccine transparency but became disillusioned. “It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the secretary,” Marks wrote. “Rather, he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies.” Kennedy, a prominent vaccine skeptic, has questioned the safety of widely used immunizations and filed a 2021 petition to revoke FDA authorization of COVID-19 vaccines, calling them the “deadliest vaccine ever made.” He has also made misleading claims about the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine, telling Fox News host Sean Hannity that it “does cause deaths every year.”

According to the Infectious Diseases Society of America, no deaths have been linked to the MMR vaccine in healthy individuals. The vaccine is not recommended for immunocompromised individuals. Marks’ resignation also pointed to the current measles outbreak in the U.S., which is especially severe in Texas, as a direct consequence of the growing distrust in science. “The ongoing multistate measles outbreak that is particularly severe in Texas reminds us of what happens when confidence in well-established science underlying public health and well-being is undermined,” Marks wrote. “Measles, which killed more than 100,000 unvaccinated children last year in Africa and Asia owing to pneumonitis and encephalitis caused by the virus, had been eliminated from our shores.”

Stacy M. Brown

Posts by Stacy M. Brown

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Smooth Ride! Car Suspension & Comfort Tested #shorts

Smooth suspension meets surprisingly spacious legroom. Experience true comfort on any road!

Published

1 month ago

October 4, 2026

Oakland Post

Car suspension test demonstrating a smooth ride, comfort features, and handling on various terrains.

Experience the difference smooth suspension makes on rough streets. Check out the surprisingly good second-row legroom – test it yourself for true comfort.

Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/l9Z571za5Gc

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61 years since Selma, Houston leaders say the bridge remains to be crossed

61 years after Selma, Houston leaders say the fight for equality continues. The issues that sparked the marches still impact Black Americans today.

Published

1 month ago

October 4, 2026

Oakland Post

Houston leaders discuss the ongoing struggle for civil rights 61 years after Selma, emphasizing the need for continued action.

It has been 61 years since the Selma marches. But political leaders in Houston say that the issues protesters were marching for still plague the lives of Black Americans.

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Here is what you need to know about finding unique white elephant gift ideas that everyone wants to steal

The best white elephant gift ideas are funny enough to get a reaction but useful enough that people actually want to steal them. Look for gifts with a surprise factor, broad appeal, an inside joke, and just enough personality to spark some friendly competition. The wrapping paper comes off, the room goes quiet for half […]

Published

1 month ago

October 4, 2026

Oakland Post

The best white elephant gift ideas are funny enough to get a reaction but useful enough that people actually want to steal them. Look for gifts with a surprise factor, broad appeal, an inside joke, and just enough personality to spark some friendly competition.

The wrapping paper comes off, the room goes quiet for half a second, and suddenly everyone wants the same gift. That is the sweet spot. A great white elephant pick should make people laugh, lean in, and start plotting their next steal before the turn is even over.

Should a White Elephant Gift Be Funny or Useful?

A white elephant gift can be funny or useful, but the strongest choices usually give people a reason to laugh and a reason to keep the item. A practical gift with an odd design, unexpected feature, or playful theme can get a reaction without becoming something the recipient immediately wants to give away.

The right balance depends on the group. Close friends and family members may enjoy a ridiculous gag gift because they already understand one another’s sense of humor.

A workplace exchange, neighborhood party, or mixed-age gathering usually calls for something with broader appeal. In those settings, humor works better when it is built into an item people could still use afterward.

It also helps to think about how quickly the gift will make sense once it is opened. A strangely shaped kitchen tool, oversized mug, quirky desk accessory, or unexpectedly fancy everyday item can create an immediate reaction. Guests understand the joke right away, while the item still has enough practical value to attract a steal.

Pure gag gifts can be harder to pull off. Something that exists only for the punchline may get a big laugh during the reveal and then sit untouched for the rest of the game. If the goal is to bring one of the gifts everyone keeps fighting over, usefulness gives the joke staying power.

Memorable Present Ideas: Creating Inside Joke Gifts

Inside joke gifts can make a white elephant exchange feel much more personal, especially when most of the group shares the same stories. The trick is choosing a reference that people will recognize quickly instead of building the entire joke around something only two guests understand.

You can turn a memorable vacation mishap, office catchphrase, family story, or long-running group joke into the theme of the gift. A personalized comic book can work especially well when it turns familiar people or a ridiculous shared moment into part of the story.

Think carefully about who the joke involves before ordering anything permanent. The gift should make the person feel included in the fun, not singled out for the wrong reason.

Can You Bring Something You Already Own?

Holiday gift exchanges can be a good place to re-gift something you never used, especially if it is unopened and clean.

The following can all work if they still look presentable:

A duplicate kitchen gadget
An untouched game
A decorative item
A sealed gift set
An unopened candle
A new travel accessory

The goal is to give the item a second chance, not use the exchange as an excuse to clear out damaged or unwanted clutter.

Take a close look at the packaging before wrapping it. Faded boxes, missing pieces, visible wear, or anything that looks obviously used can make the gift feel careless.

Wrapping Budget-Friendly Gifts

Wrapping can make gifts more entertaining before anyone even knows what’s inside.

Misdirection works especially well for fun party games. Put a small gift inside a much larger box. Use packaging from an unrelated household item.

Add harmless weight so guests cannot guess what they are holding. The reveal becomes part of the joke without changing the gift itself.

You can also lean into the theme of the exchange. Bright paper, oversized bows, reusable bags, or deliberately over-the-top wrapping can make an ordinary item feel more memorable. If the gift itself is already funny, simple wrapping may work better so the surprise stays hidden until the last second.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Picking Last an Advantage in White Elephant?

Picking last can be an advantage because you get to see almost every gift before making your move. Instead of choosing blindly from the remaining wrapped presents, you can steal something that has already caught your attention if the rules still allow it.

That advantage depends on the house rules. Some games limit how many times a gift can be stolen.

Others lock an item once it reaches a certain number of steals. If the most popular gifts are already unavailable, the final player may have fewer strong options than expected.

The first player can also get another turn at the end in some versions of the game. That rule can balance things out, since the person who started with the least information may get one final chance to steal.

How Do You Plan White Elephant for a Large Group?

For a large white elephant exchange, set a firm spending limit and establish the stealing rules in advance.

Create a clear turn order before the game begins. Drawing numbers as guests arrive can save time once everyone is ready to start.

Keep the number of steals per gift limited so the game does not drag on. It also helps to have one person track which creative holiday presents have been stolen and when they are locked, especially if dozens of people are participating.

Can You Play White Elephant Virtually?

A virtual white elephant exchange can work over a video call, with one person keeping track of the turn order and each steal. Guests can either mail physical gifts ahead of time or use digital gifts that can be delivered once the game ends.

Set the spending limit and stealing rules before everyone joins. It also helps to decide how gifts will be revealed and who is responsible for sending each one afterward so the exchange does not become confusing.