AP News in Brief at 12:04 a.m. EST

Trump chooses anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary

NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday he will nominate anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, putting a man whose views public health officials have decried as dangerous in charge of a massive agency that oversees everything from drug, vaccine and food safety to medical research, Medicare and Medicaid.

“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health,” Trump said Thursday in a post on his Truth Social site announcing the appointment. Kennedy, he said, would “end the Chronic Disease epidemic” and “Make America Great and Healthy Again!”

Trump said Kennedy would target drugs, food additives and chemicals.

As one of the most prominent anti-vaccine activists in the world, Kennedy’s nomination immediately alarmed some public health officials.

Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Associated Press, “I don’t want to go backwards and see children or adults suffer or lose their lives to remind us that vaccines work, and so I am concerned.”

___

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a long record of promoting anti-vaccine views

Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was building up a following with his anti-vaccine nonprofit group, Children’s Health Defense, and becoming one of the world’s most influential spreaders of fear and distrust around vaccines.

Now, President-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which regulates vaccines.

Kennedy has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. He has also pushed other conspiracy theories, such as that COVID-19 could have been “ethnically targeted” to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people, comments he later said were taken out of context. He has repeatedly brought up the Holocaust when discussing vaccines and public health mandates.

No medical intervention is risk-free. But doctors and researchers have proven that risks from disease are generally far greater than the risks from vaccines.

Vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective in laboratory testing and in real world use in hundreds of millions of people over decades — they are considered among the most effective public health measures in history.

___

As he fills his new administration, Trump values loyalty above all else

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump spent much of his first term feeling stung and betrayed by those he’d placed in power. This time, he’s not taking chances.

As he works to fill his administration a second time, Trump has turned to a head-spinning mix of candidates. Many of those he’s chosen are personal friends. Others are familiar faces on Fox News Channel or other conservative outlets. Some have extensive experience in the areas they’ve been chosen to lead, while others have seemingly none. Some seem chosen to shock and awe, some to reassure, others to unleash chaos.

Recent converts to his cause are lined up shoulder to shoulder with longtime allies. China hawks could serve in positions of power alongside a peace activist. But whatever the differences in ideology or strength of resume, above all, they will be there to carry out Trump’s will.

In his first term, Trump grated at efforts by aides and advisers to “manage” the newcomer to Washington and grew frustrated by the leaks that emanated from rival factions engaged in ideological warfare and competing for his ear.

Now, aides and allies said, he’s putting loyalty above all else, aiming to cut down on the infighting and maximize his ability to reshape Washington during his second tour in the Oval Office.

___

Biden arrives in Peru for international summit and meeting with Xi as world leaders brace for Trump

LIMA, Peru (AP) — President Joe Biden arrived Thursday in Peru to start his six-day visit to Latin America for the final major international summits of his presidency, even as world leaders turn their attention to what Donald Trump’s return to the White House means for their countries.

The visit to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru and stops in the Amazon rainforest and at the Group of 20 leaders summit in Brazil offer Biden one of his last chances as president to meet with heads of state he’s worked with over the years.

But world leaders’ eyes are firmly affixed on Trump.

They already are burning up Trump’s phone with congratulatory talks. At least one leader, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, is dusting off his golf clubs, in case the chance to bond with the golf-loving Trump should present itself.

White House officials insist that Biden’s visits will be substantive, with talks on climate issues, global infrastructure, counternarcotic efforts and one-on-one meetings with global leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, and a joint meeting with South Korea’s Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

___

How Alex Jones’ Infowars wound up in the hands of The Onion

The purchase of Alex Jones ‘ Infowars at a bankruptcy auction by the satirical news publication The Onion is the latest twist in a yearslong saga between the far-right conspiracy theorist and families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims.

The sale was ordered after relatives of many of the 20 children and six educators killed in the 2012 shooting successfully sued Jones and his company for defamation and emotional distress. Jones repeatedly made false claims on his show that the Newtown, Connecticut, shooting was a hoax staged by crisis actors to spur more gun control.

Here are some things to know about how Jones’ misinformation empire ended up on the auction block.

Fresh out of high school in the early 1990s, Jones, a barrel-chested, gravelly voiced Texas native, started broadcasting on a public-access television channel in the state capital. From the start, Jones promoted conspiracies about the U.S. government and false claims about a secret New World Order.

In 2004, Jones had two employees and a tiny office in south Austin. In 2007, he formed Free Speech Systems, to run his growing media business, according to court records in his bankruptcy cases. By 2010, Jones had over 60 employees.

___

Typhoon Usagi wreaks more damage and misery in Philippines as yet another storm looms

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Typhoon Usagi swamped rural villages in floods, knocked down power and displaced thousands more people before blowing away on Friday from the northern Philippines, which has now been pounded by five major storms in less than a month.

A new storm in the Pacific could strengthen into a powerful typhoon before hitting the Philippine archipelago on Sunday, according to state forecasters.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the onslaught caused by Usagi, which was blowing toward southern Taiwan on Friday.

In Cagayan province in the northernmost tip of the main Luzon region, a key concrete bridge connecting two towns partly collapsed Thursday after logs swept by rampaging river currents smashed into it. Several other bridges were engulfed in floodwaters and were unusable, provincial officials said.

Usagi made landfall in the northeastern Philippines on Thursday, just two days after the last typhoon, Toraji, exited after setting off floods and forcing more than 82,500 people to flee from their homes in northern provinces.

___

Middle East latest: Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of war crimes in Gaza Strip

Human Rights Watch says Israel is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, including massive forced displacements that amount to ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from parts of Gaza.

Palestinians have been killed while evacuating under Israeli orders and in Israeli-designated humanitarian zones, where hundreds of thousands are crammed into squalid tent camps, according to the report released Thursday by the New York-based rights watchdog.

The report said the widespread, deliberate demolition of homes and civilian infrastructure throughout Gaza, particularly in a military road that cuts Gaza in half as well as a buffer zone along the border, was likely to “permanently displace” many Palestinians.

Israel’s military said the report distorts the facts and leaves out important context, blaming civilian casualties on Hamas operating in residential areas and emphasizing that Israel does not deliberately target civilians.

Israel’s blistering 13-month war in Gaza has killed over 43,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to local health officials who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

___

Australia’s plan to ban children from social media proves popular and problematic

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — How do you remove children from the harms of social media? Politically the answer appears simple in Australia, but practically the solution could be far more difficult.

The Australian government’s plan to ban children from social media platforms including X, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram until their 16th birthdays is politically popular. The opposition party says it would have done the same after winning elections due within months if the government hadn’t moved first.

The leaders of all eight Australian states and mainland territories have unanimously backed the plan, although Tasmania, the smallest state, would have preferred the threshold was set at 14.

But a vocal assortment of experts in the fields of technology and child welfare have responded with alarm. More than 140 such experts signed an open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemning the 16-year age limit as “too blunt an instrument to address risks effectively.”

Details of what is proposed and how it will be implemented are scant. More will be known when legislation is introduced into the Parliament next week.

___

Juan Luis Guerra 4.40 wins album of the year at the 2024 Latin Grammys, a 25th anniversary party

Juan Luis Guerra 4.40 took home the album of the year trophy at the 2024 Latin Grammy Awards for his “Radio Güira,” not long after receiving record of the year for “Mambo 23.”

“Let me share this with all the nominees, it is a great privilege to be with you,” Guerra said onstage, speaking in Spanish. “I love you, I admire you, and after 40 years of (my) career, I feel joyful to be with you,” said Guerra. “The idea of ​​‘Radio Güira’ was from Jesus, completely from Jesus, he gave us wisdom and he gave us understanding so all the glory and honor goes to him.”

It was the performances that stood out Thursday night, and a tribute to salsa really bringing the house down: Marc Anthony and La India powerfully dueted “Vivir Lo Nuestro,” a vivacious set jumpstarted by “De Mí Enamórate,” as performed by Tito Nieves and Christian Alicea. Make no mistake: the Latin Grammy Awards brought the fun on its 25th anniversary, and from the very beginning.

Like with “Si Si Si”! It’s the song that Carlos Vives opened the night with in his medley, and a perfect distillation of the spirit of the event. There was a lot to say “yes” to — especially when he was joined by fellow Colombian musicians Juanes, Sebastián Yatra and Camilo.

He was honored as the Latin Grammys’ Person of the Year at a ceremony the night before, and given his award on stage Thursday night by Jon Bon Jovi. Past winners include Juanes, Laura Pausini, Marco Antonio Solís, Rubén Blades and more.

___

Mike Tyson concedes the role of villain to young foe in 58-year-old’s fight with Jake Paul

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Friendship is at the heart of how a fight came together between 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and much younger YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.

Friction helped build the hype for a bout that is testing the formula for how boxing is delivered to the masses, a first-ever combat sports offering from the streaming platform Netflix rather than pay-per-view or traditional cable.

“I think they’re beloved fans of Mike Tyson,” Paul said, trying to explain the boisterous boos that have greeted him when the two have appeared together in recent months to hype the event.

“And I’m the new kid on the block, the disrupter, loud mouth, polarizing figure,” Paul said. “And I’ve built my career as the heel. Naturally people want to root against me, and that’s great for the sport of boxing.”

Tyson’s first sanctioned professional fight in almost 20 years is set for Friday night at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. A crowd of at least 60,000 is expected while Netflix offers the bout at no additional cost to more than 280 million subscribers globally.

The Associated Press