U.S. health officials knew about the risks of myocarditis from COVID-19 vaccines but downplayed the concern and delayed informing the public about the risks of taking the jab — that is according to a new Senate report released by Sen. Ron Johnson Wednesday.  

Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, has been investigating the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. Earlier this year, he subpoenaed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for records relating to COVID-19 vaccine safety data and communications about the pandemic. 

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The interim report, spanning 55 pages, obtained and reviewed by Fox News Digital, revealed that Biden administration officials "withheld crucial health information from the Subcommittee and the public." 

Since 2021, Johnson has sent more than 70 oversight letters, which he says were "either completely ignored or inadequately addressed." 

The report highlights the records Johnson has obtained pursuant to the subpoena from the new, Trump administration-led health agency. Specifically, the report focuses on HHS’ awareness of and response to cases of myocarditis—a type of heart inflammation—following COVID-19 vaccination.

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Johnson’s report says the 2,473 pages of records he obtained "contain evidence of the Biden administration’s efforts to downplay and delay warning the public about the risks of myocarditis associated with the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines." 

The report points to records from May 2021, in which health officials at HHS discussed whether to issue a formal warning about myocarditis.

According to the report, the formal warning about myocarditis was initially going to be distributed nationwide as a Health Alert Network message, which, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is CDC’s "primary method of sharing cleared information about urgent public health incidents with public information officers; federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local public health practitioners; clinicians; and public health laboratories." 

However, Johnson’s report said that health officials at CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) "ultimately decided against issuing a formal HAN and, instead, posted ‘clinical considerations’ on CDC’s website about myocarditis." 

"Based on the subpoenaed records the Subcommittee has received to date, as well as public FOIA documents, this interim report will highlight records and present a timeline showing U.S. health officials knew about the risk of myocarditis; those officials downplayed the health concern; and U.S. health agencies delayed informing the public about the risk of the adverse event." 

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The report also highlights the Israeli Ministry of Health notifying officials at the CDC in February 2021 of "large reports of myocarditis, particularly in young people, following the administration of the Pfizer vaccine." 

The report also highlights documents showing CDC officials discussing "safety signals" for myocarditis with mRNA vaccines in April 2021 based on Defense Department and Israeli data, but "still not taking immediate steps to warn the public." 

Documents obtained by Johnson also show CDC officials communicating with Moderna and Pfizer representatives about the risks. 

Johnson also obtained "draft meeting notes from late May 2021 exchanged between U.S. public health officials which included the question: ‘Is VAERS signaling for myopericarditis now?,’ and the answer: ‘For the age groups 16-17 years and 18-24 years, yes.’" 

"VAERS" is an acronym for the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. 

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"Rather than provide the public and health care providers with immediate and transparent information regarding the risk of myocarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination, the Biden administration waited until late June 2021 to announce changes to the labels for the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines based on the ‘suggested increased risks’ of myocarditis and pericarditis," the report states. "Even though CDC and FDA officials were well aware of the risk of myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccination, the Biden administration opted to withhold issuing a formal warning to the public for months about the safety concerns, jeopardizing the health of young Americans." 

The report added that the Biden administration’s decision "to downplay the COVID-19 vaccine health risks and delay warning the public about cardiac-related adverse events associated with the mRNA vaccines jeopardized the public’s health." 

According to the report, as of April 25, 2025, VAERS reported 38,607 deaths and more than 1.6 million "adverse events worldwide associated with the administration of COVID-19 injections." 

Of the more than 38,000 deaths, the report said 25% occurred on Day 0, 1, or 2 following injection, compared to "2,663 deaths reported to VAERS associated with the flu vaccine over a period of 35 years." 

"No other reports of adverse events associated with any other drug or vaccine even come close to these statistics," the report states. "And yet, those who oversaw the development and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines continue to insist it is safe and effective, without providing the data to prove their claims." 

Johnson’s report demands that the "full extent" of the Biden administration’s "failure to immediately warn the public about all COVID-19 vaccine adverse events must be completely exposed." 

"The American people fund the federal health departments and agencies with their hardearned tax dollars," the report states. "The information developed by these departments and agencies belong to the American people, and should be made fully and transparently available." 

The report states that as "the roadblocks are removed and more documents that have been hidden and withheld for years become available, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations will provide transparency and let the American public see what is their right to see." 

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for allegedly lying to Congress about his decisions made during the COVID-19 pandemic while serving as governor, a source familiar with the probe confirmed to Fox News.

The New York Times first reported that the U.S. attorney's office in Washington opened the inquiry into Cuomo about a month ago after senior officials in the DOJ demanded an indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams for corruption charges be dismissed.

The DOJ declined to comment to Fox News.

The Trump administration is now in an unusual spot of ending a criminal case against Adams while opening a new case into Adams’ main rival within months of each other.

Cuomo is running in the Democratic primary to serve as the next mayor of New York City, while Adams is seeking re-election as an independent candidate.

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"We have never been informed of any such matter, so why would someone leak it now? The answer is obvious: This is lawfare and election interference plain and simple—something President Trump and his top Department of Justice officials say they are against," Rich Azzopardi, Cuomo’s spokesperson told Fox News. "Governor Cuomo testified truthfully to the best of his recollection about events from four years earlier, and he offered to address any follow-up questions from the Subcommittee — but from the beginning this was all transparently political."

The former governor was grilled by Republican lawmakers last year about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. House Republicans subsequently recommended the Justice Department pursue criminal charges against him. They accused him of intentionally lying to Congress during the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the excessive number of nursing home deaths.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., referred Cuomo to President Donald Trump's Justice Department for criminal prosecution. 

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Cuomo – the Democratic scion now considered the current frontrunner in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary in June – was first referred to the Biden Justice Department for criminal prosecution in October 2024. 

Former Rep. Brad Wenstrup, then-chairman of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, said Cuomo made "multiple criminally false statements" to Congress about his handling of the 2020 COVID-19 nursing home death scandal. 

Cuomo, who was governor at the time, issued a March 2020 directive that initially barred nursing homes from refusing to accept patients who had tested positive for COVID-19. The directive was aimed at freeing up beds for overwhelmed hospitals. 

More than 9,000 recovering coronavirus patients were released from hospitals into nursing homes under the directive, which was later rescinded amid speculation that it had accelerated outbreaks. 

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The eight plaintiffs in the case argued that their loved ones contracted COVID-19 in nursing homes and died as a result of the directive. They accused Cuomo and his administration of being civilly liable for their deaths as well as being liable for failing to accurately report the number of nursing home deaths in New York state that resulted from the virus. 

Cuomo has previously said that the directive was based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance at the time.

A report released in March 2022 by the New York state comptroller found Cuomo's Health Department "was not transparent in its reporting of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes" and it "understated the number of deaths at nursing homes by as much as 50%" during some points of the pandemic. 

In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi last month, Comer said "to our knowledge, the Biden Administration ignored this referral despite clear facts and evidence." He requested that Bondi review the referral and "take appropriate action." 

"Andrew Cuomo is a man with a history of corruption and deceit, now caught red-handed lying to Congress during the Select Subcommittee’s investigation into the COVID-19 nursing home tragedy in New York," Comer said in a statement Monday. "This wasn’t a slip-up – it was a calculated cover-up by a man seeking to shield himself from responsibility for the devastating loss of life in New York’s nursing homes. Let’s be clear: lying to Congress is a federal crime. Mr. Cuomo must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The House Oversight Committee is prepared to fully cooperate with the Justice Department’s investigation into Andrew Cuomo’s actions and ensure he’s held to account." 

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

The Food and Drug Administration is shifting its annual COVID-19 vaccine approval policies to focus on Americans older than age 65 and other "high-risk" individuals, while increasing the standard of evidence to approve COVID vaccines for low-risk individuals. 

"The FDA will approve vaccines for high-risk persons and, at the same time, demand robust, gold-standard data on persons at low risk," FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research chief, Vinay Prasad, and FDA Commissioner Martin Makary, wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine Tuesday. "These clinical trials will inform future directions for the FDA, but more important, they will provide information that is desperately craved by health care providers and the American people." 

Americans over the age of 65 and those considered at high-risk of contracting the virus will be able to receive an annual COVID-19 vaccine this fall, the essay outlined, while vaccines for low-risk Americans will likely face stricter scientific analysis before they are made available to the public. The FDA estimated that about "100 million to 200 million Americans" older than age 65 or considered at high-risk will still have access to vaccines. 

Prasad and Makary said in their essay that the U.S. will move away from a "one-size-fits-all" paradigm that promoted COVID-19 vaccines for the vast majority of Americans, stretching from children to the elderly. The shift, they said, will bring America's policies more in line with guidelines in European nations. 

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"While all other high-income nations confine vaccine recommendations to older adults (typically those older than 65 years of age), or those at high risk for severe Covid-19, the United States has adopted a one-size-fits-all regulatory framework and has granted broad marketing authorization to all Americans over the age of 6 months," the health leaders wrote in the New England Journal. 

"The U.S. policy has sometimes been justified by arguing that the American people are not sophisticated enough to understand age- and risk-based recommendations," they wrote. "We reject this view." 

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The FDA's policy shift will include requiring vaccine manufacturers to gather clinical trial data to justify rolling out new COVID-19 vaccines for Americans at low risk of contracting the virus. 

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Prasad and Makary held a roundtable discussion on the framework outlined in their medical essay Tuesday afternoon to walk Americans through the policy shift. Prasad explained that health officials under the Trump administration are taking into account that Americans have balked at the FDA's guidance under the Biden administration to receive multiple booster shots, while other Americans demand access to the vaccines. 

"We have to admit to ourselves that America is deeply divided on the policy issue of repeat COVID 19 vaccine doses or boosters," he said. "There are some Americans out there who are worried that the FDA has not fully documented and interrogated the safety harms of these products, and they are categorically opposed to these products. There are also some Americans we also have to recognize, who are desperate for additional protection, and they demand these products. But the truth is that most doctors and most of the public are entirely uncertain, and that is reflected in low vaccine uptake of these products." 

The pair added during the roundtable that Americans' trust in the scientific community has cratered since the pandemic. 

"Survey after survey shows trust in institutions like the FDA and scientists in general, it's rock bottom," Prasad said during the roundtable. "I mean, we have lower trust than Congress, and that's saying something, you know. And we need to rebuild that trust. And part of rebuilding that trust is having conversations like this, writing articles like we've done in the New England Journal, and having a common-sense evidence-based framework for rebuilding that trust." 

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The pair cited in their article in the New England Journal that "public trust in vaccination in general has declined," including for "vital immunization programs such as that for measles–mumps–rubella (MMR) vaccination, which has been clearly established as safe and highly effective."

FIRST ON FOX: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sent a fiery prerecorded video to be broadcast before the World Health Assembly, which gathers member states of the World Health Organization, on Tuesday outlining why President Donald Trump is withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO. 

"Like many legacy institutions, the WHO has become mired in bureaucratic bloat, entrenched paradigms, conflicts of interest and international power politics," Kennedy said in a video exclusively shared with Fox News Digital. 

"While the United States has provided the lion’s share of the organization’s funding historically, other countries such as China have exerted undue influence over its operations in ways that serve their own interests and not particularly the interests of the global public."

Kennedy's video aired Tuesday, just after 7 a.m. Eastern Time. Fox News Digital had asked the WHO earlier on Tuesday if the group planned to air Kennedy's video, and was directed to an ongoing livestream of health and foreign leaders addressing the body. 

Video messages from foreign leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte were aired during the meeting Tuesday morning, as well as live remarks from Vice Premier of China Liu Guozhong, according to Fox News Digital’s review of the assembly’s livestream. 

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The World Health Assembly kicked off Monday in Geneva, where the WHO's 194 member states convened its 78th annual meeting. Kennedy's office sent the video to be featured during the assembly's meeting Tuesday morning, alongside other videos of world and health leaders addressing the body. 

This year, the WHO member states are anticipated to sign a "pandemic agreement" that aims "to safeguard the world from a repeat of the suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic," according to the body. 

Kennedy's video addressed the pandemic specifically, saying the World Health Organization's handling of COVID-19 was riddled with "failures" and exposed that the WHO "capitulated" to China. The WHO is a specialized agency focused on international health that is overseen by the United Nations. 

"The WHO, under pressure from China, suppressed reports at critical junctures of human-to-human transmission and then worked with China to promote the fiction that COVID originated from bats or pangolins rather than from Chinese government-sponsored research at a biolab in Wuhan," Kennedy said. 

"Not only has the WHO capitulated to political pressure from China, it's also failed to maintain an organization characterized by transparency and fair governance. … The WHO often acts like it has forgotten that its members must remain accountable to their own citizens and not to transnational or corporate interests," he continued. 

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Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office this year announcing the U.S.' intention to withdraw from the WHO due to its mishandling of the pandemic, as well as a host of other issues the president took issue with, such as "onerous payments" that didn't match contributions from other member states. 

"The United States noticed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020 due to the organization’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states. In addition, the WHO continues to demand unfairly onerous payments from the United States, far out of proportion with other countries’ assessed payments," Trump's EO stated. 

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Kennedy continued in his video that "global cooperation on health is still critically important to President Trump and myself" while knocking the WHO for repeated "failures" during the pandemic that the body has since further embraced through its anticipated "pandemic agreement." 

"It isn't working very well under the WHO. As the failures of the COVID era demonstrate, the WHO has not even come to terms with its failures during COVID, let alone made significant reforms. Instead, it has doubled down with the pandemic agreement, which will lock in all of the dysfunctions of the WHO pandemic response."

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"We're not going to participate in that," Kennedy said. "We need to reboot the whole system, as we are doing in the United States. Here in the United States, we're going to continue to focus on infectious disease and pandemic preparedness, but we're also fundamentally shifting the priorities of our health agencies to focus on chronic diseases, which are prevalent in the United States."

FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) implemented a pause on research at one of the nation's most highly secure research labs, following repeated safety incidents that a source familiar told Fox News Digital have been occurring since the Biden administration.

An HHS official confirmed the pause at Fort Detrick's Integrated Research Facility, which conducts risky research on deadly infectious diseases like SARS-COV-2 and the Ebola virus, began Tuesday at 5 p.m. 

The facility, which is one of only a handful across North America, is part of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and is located at the U.S. Army base Fort Detrick, outside Washington, D.C. The research there studies treatment and prevention of deadly, "high-consequence" diseases such as Lassa Fever and Eastern equine encephalitis.

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According to the HHS official who was willing to speak on the matter under the condition of anonymity, the pause stemmed from a lover's spat between researchers at the facility, which resulted in one of the individuals poking holes in the other's personal protective equipment (PPE). That individual has since been fired, the official indicated. 

The HHS official added that the incident is just the latest example of safety incidents at the high-risk laboratory, which they blamed on a poor safety culture at the lab enabled by the previous Biden administration.

"NIH and HHS take the safety of our facilities and research very seriously," HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said. "As soon as we found out about this incident, we took immediate action to issue the safety pause until we can correct the safety culture at this facility."

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The latest incident, according to HHS, was preceded by a separate incident that occurred as recently as November.

The facility's director, Connie Schmaljohn, was placed on administrative leave following the incident. The HHS official familiar with the matter indicated Schmaljohn did not report the incident up the chain of command immediately, causing a delay in remedying the matter.

During this temporary pause, all research at the facility will come to a halt and access will be limited to essential personnel. 

It is unclear how long the pause will remain in effect.   

FIRST ON FOX: Lawmakers will put forward a bill Monday to put the force of law behind President Donald Trump's executive order prohibiting federal funds from going to colleges that still mandate a coronavirus vaccine jab.

Reps. Mark Messmer, R-Ind., and August Pfluger, R-Texas, will file the No Vaccine Mandates in Higher Education Act, chiefly noting that former President Joe Biden ended the official national emergency for COVID-19 in April 2023.

In comments to Fox News Digital, Pfluger said the pandemic "opened Pandora’s Box to a lengthy list of overreaching policies and mandates from the government, institutions, and companies alike."

"As we work to restore common sense and liberties back to the American people, I am proud to co-lead this legislation to ensure universities can no longer force their students to have the COVID-19 vaccine," he said.

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The bill reads that "no federal funds may be made available to any institution of higher education that requires its students or staff to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of enrollment or employment, or receiving any benefit, service, or contract."

In February, Trump wrote critically that some institutions are "conditioning their education" based on undergoing the COVID jab.

"Parents and young adults should be empowered with accurate data regarding the remote risks of serious illness associated with COVID-19 for children and young adults, as well as how those risks can be mitigated through various measures, and left free to make their own decisions accordingly," Trump wrote in his order.

"Given the incredibly low risk of serious COVID-19 illness for children and young adults, threatening to shut them out of an education is an intolerable infringement on personal freedom. Such mandates usurp parental authority and burden students of many faiths."

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A February survey by Best Colleges listed 15 schools nationwide, particularly in California, Georgia and Pennsylvania, still had their COVID vaccine requirements intact.

During the federal coronavirus emergency, some universities, including Columbia in New York City, required not only the COVID-19 vaccine, but the ensuing boosters as well for at least some portions of their student population.

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In Columbia's case, proof of booster doses were required for study-abroad students, according to a 2022 notice from the Ivy League institution.

Princeton University in New Jersey required boosters for its 2022 on-campus semester.

"Compliance with the vaccine policy is necessary to maintain prox access to campus facilities and to continue student progress to degree," a statement from that semester read.

Weekly PCR testing for COVID-19 was also mandatory for a time at Cornell University in upstate New York.

FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration rolled out a revamped COVID.gov website Friday showing the "true origins" of the coronavirus, while admonishing Democrats and the media for discrediting the theory that the virus leaked from a lab and alternative health treatments, and for imposing strict mandates. 

"This administration prioritizes transparency over all else," a senior administration official told Fox News Digital Friday. "The American people deserve to know the truth about the COVID pandemic, and we will always find ways to reach communities with that message." 

The website, which previously had focused on promoting the coronavirus vaccine to Americans, now walks readers through evidence supporting the lab leak theory, how former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci promoted the idea that COVID-19 originated naturally, former President Joe Biden pardoning Fauci for "any offenses against" the U.S. he may have committed, and providing details on the origin of the "social distancing" rules and mask mandates. 

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"'The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2' publication — which was used repeatedly by public health officials and the media to discredit the lab leak theory — was promoted by Dr. Fauci to push the preferred narrative that COVID-19 originated naturally," the site states, before launching into five bullet points on the origins of the virus. 

The new site outlines that a biological characteristic found in the virus was not found in nature, bolstering the lab-leak theory, while noting that Wuhan, China, where the first coronavirus case was found, is also home to China's "foremost SARs research lab" and that "if there was evidence of a natural origin it would have already surfaced. But it hasn't."

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The Trump administration's CIA reported earlier in 2025 that a lab leak was the likely origin of the COVID-19 virus, which had been passed off by media outlets and scientists as a likely conspiracy theory during the early days of the pandemic. The Department of Energy under the Biden administration and former FBI Director Christopher Wray in 2023 also said evidence indicated that the coronarius was the result of a lab leak. 

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The website also walks readers through the origins of COVID-era rules, such as mask mandates and social distancing. 

"The ‘six feet apart’ social distancing recommendation — which shut down schools and small business across the country — was arbitrary and not based on science," it states. "During closed-door testimony, Dr. Fauci testified that guidance 'sort of just appeared." 

The website says of mask mandates: "There was no conclusive evidence that masks effectively protected Americans from COVID-19. Public health officials flip-flopped on the efficacy of masks without providing Americans scientific data — causing a massive uptick in public distrust." 

The website notes that content on the page was sourced directly from the House Oversight Committee's Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. 

"Public health officials often mislead the American people through conflicting messaging, knee-jerk reactions, and a lack of transparency," the website states under a portion called "COVID-19 misinformation." "Most egregiously, the federal government demonized alternative treatments and disfavored narratives, such as the lab leak theory, in a shameful effort to coerce and control the American people's health decisions." 

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Many media outlets dismissed Trump in 2020 when he said he had seen evidence that the virus originated in a Wuhan, China, lab, before U.S. intelligence officials such as Wray and the Department of Energy reported that the virus likely originated there. 

Many outlets have since published articles showing that the theory is credible, including the New York Times running a March column claiming the scientific community had "badly misled" the public in an effort to suppress the theory, even after the paper's own science writer called the theory "racist." 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC’s) vaccine advisory committee will meet on Tuesday for a two-day session to lay out new recommendations, including a proposal to scale back current COVID-19 vaccine guidelines.

Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos of the CDC is expected to present guidance on COVID-19 vaccine use for 2025–2026 and suggest the department adopt a "narrow" recommendation for it, "and only maintain this series for certain populations within these groups who we determine should be vaccinated."

When polled on April 3, a majority of advisors – 76% – expressed support for a risk-based, rather than universal, COVID-19 vaccination recommendation for the 2025–2026 schedule, up 10% higher from February polling.

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The 70-page presentation outlines three possible policy options for COVID-19 vaccines, including a shift away from recommending annual shots for everyone over 6 months old.

Currently, annual COVID-19 shots are recommended for ages 6 months and older. One proposed policy option would continue the current universal policy, while another would recommend vaccines only for people at higher risk of severe illness, such as older adults, those with underlying health conditions, pregnant women and healthcare workers. 

A third option would blend the two, keeping universal recommendations for people 65 and older but limiting shots for younger groups to those at higher risk.

"When initially presented with 2025–2026 COVID-19 vaccine policy options in November 2024, the Work Group appreciated pros and cons of both risk-based and universal vaccine recommendations," Panagiotakopoulos wrote. "At that time, there was not yet a consensus on what the recommendation for the 2025–2026 COVID-19 vaccine should be. The Work Group requested additional information to help inform the decision-making process on risk-factors for severe COVID-19, transmission and immunity, vaccine implementation and access, and cost-effectiveness."

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The presentation will also propose how to define "increased risk," looking at both health factors and increased exposure, like living in long-term care facilities or working in high-contact jobs.

The two-day meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will examine information for members to vote on as official recommendations, which will then be passed on to the CDC for consideration in June.

The end of the presentation will include discussion questions about the pros and cons of a universal vs. risk-based COVID-19 vaccine recommendation for 2025 to 2026. Key discussion points include whether any groups should be excluded from vaccination, what data is still needed to guide decisions, and whether a risk-based approach makes sense if most people are already considered "at risk."

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According to the CDC, the vaccine committee's agenda will also include a session about the measles outbreak and an update "on literature related to reduced number of doses for HPV vaccine."

Members of the committee will vote on Wednesday on recommendations for the Meningococcal Vaccines, Meningococcal Vaccines VFC, RSV Adult and the Chikungunya Vaccines.

The meeting comes as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is overseeing a major reorganization of the CDC. Plans include transferring non-infectious disease-related divisions to the Administration for a Healthy America to focus on chronic disease management. This move follows significant downsizing under President Donald Trump's directive, which has already reduced the CDC workforce by roughly 4,000 people.

• The Great Depression was the worst economic crisis in US history when unemployment reached 25%.
• When the pandemic hit in 2020, Americans hadn't felt that level of economic tragedy in a century.
• These photos reveal what life looked like in the bleak 1930s after the stock market crashed.

During the Great Depression, the most tragic economic collapse in US history, more than 15 million Americans were left jobless and desperate for an income.

By 1932, nearly one in four Americans was out of a job, and by 1933, unemployment levels reached an estimated 25%.

For comparison, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the US unemployment rate spiked to 14.7% in April 2020.

President Donald Trump's tariff announcements have prompted concerns about another possible period of economic uncertainty already marked by rising prices and a volatile stock market.

These photos reveal how desolate the country looked during the Great Depression, when food and job lines stretched for blocks.

The Great Depression was the worst economic tragedy in American history.

The crisis resulted in skyrocketing rates of unemployment, hunger, and desperation.

Following a period of booming prosperity in the 1920s, the Great Depression began when the US stock market crashed in 1929.

Known as Black Thursday, the 1929 crash was attributed in part to a vast imbalance of wealth between the rich and poor, a fervent production of goods, little to no wage gains, an increase in personal debt, and government mismanagement.

Over the course of the decade, more than 15 million Americans lost their jobs.

The effects of the Great Depression could be felt into the early 1940s.

The unemployment rate jumped at a shocking speed.

From 1929 to 1930, unemployment rose from fewer than 3 million to 4 million, according to figures cited by the University of Houston's Digital History archive. In 1931, it doubled to 8 million, and by 1932, unemployment levels reached a staggering 12.5 million.

By 1932, one out of every four US workers was unemployed.

Thousands of Americans lost their homes, and hundreds of thousands attempted to travel through the country on foot or by boxcar to find work, according to the Library of Congress.

Those who were fortunate enough to remain working often suffered large pay cuts and decreased hours.

By 1932, 75% of all remaining workers were on a part-time schedule, according to the University of Houston's Digital History archive.

Families who were unable to pay rent were frequently evicted from their homes.

People without homes looking for work on public trains were kicked to the curb.

The struggle for money became so desperate that families across the country often lived in crowded shacks.

Some families inhabited caves or sewer pipes out of desperation.

During the winters of 1932 and 1933, an estimated 1.2 million Americans were homeless.

The population of the US at that time was about 125 million, according to the US Census Bureau.

In an effort to save money, families planted their own gardens, canned foods, bought old bread, sought out soup kitchens, and stopped buying common items like milk.

Many also sacrificed medical and dental care because they couldn't afford it.

Food banks became commonplace.

Lines for food ration programs and free meals exploded across the country.

At the beginning of the Depression, President Herbert Hoover largely dismissed the stock market crash as a "passing incident in our national lives."

Hoover did not believe in offering federal aid to the impoverished or using the power of the federal government to manage prices or currency, according to the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

Americans grew angry, and Hoover became widely blamed for the economic turmoil.

Impoverished people living in shantytowns across the country started referring to them as "Hoovervilles," and empty pockets turned inside out were known as "Hoover flags."

Desperate Americans threatened with hunger and starvation began organizing marches and labor riots.

In 1932, 20,000 veterans of World War I marched to the Capitol to demand the payment of bonuses that they were scheduled to receive in 1945, according to the Library of Congress. The bill to do so did not pass in Congress.

The following year, 10,000 unemployed people joined a "hunger march" in Los Angeles.

The Depression also had a negative impact on family life as many couples delayed their marriages or postponed having children.

Throughout the decade, separation rates grew. By 1940, there were 1.5 million American women living apart from their husbands, according to the University of Houston's Digital History archive.

Children were adversely affected, as well.

An estimated 200,000 vagrant children wandered the streets of America due to the break-up and collapse of their families, according to Virginia Commonwealth University's Social Welfare History Project.

Black and Mexican communities experienced higher rates of unemployment and discrimination during the Depression.

Half of Black workers were unemployed by 1932 compared to the general unemployment rate of 25%, according to the Library of Congress. In Southern states, the percentage of unemployed Black workers was even higher.

Over the course of the Depression, authorities deported an estimated 400,000 Mexican Americans over fears of workplace competition, according to the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Many of those people were American citizens.

The Depression had a significant impact on the psychology of unemployed men.

As men struggled to provide for their families as cultural breadwinners, some turned to alcohol to cope, while others became abusive or gave up hope altogether.

Suicide rates increased during the Great Depression.

Suicide rates peaked when unemployment reached high points in 1932 and 1938, according to the US National Library of Medicine.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected in 1933 and shepherded the New Deal through Congress.

The set of emergency relief programs, work programs, and large-scale government reforms implemented by Roosevelt helped boost the economy. America's entrance into World War II in 1941 jumpstarted American manufacturing.

The Great Depression had lasting effects on the US.

Its aftermath fundamentally changed the relationship between Americans and their government and led to the development of more government programs, responsibility, and involvement.

This story was originally published in May 2020. It was updated in July 2024 and April 2025.

EXCLUSIVE: The respective chairs of the Small Business Committee in both chambers of Congress are unveiling a plan to address the roughly 2 million "likely fraudulent" pandemic aid applications flagged in a recent government report.

Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Rep. Roger Williams of Texas, both Republicans, plan to introduce the SBA Fraud Enforcement Extension Act on Wednesday in hopes of corralling the alleged scofflaws who they say broke the law and prevented untold numbers of legitimate U.S. small businesses from receiving crucial aid.

The bill extends the statute of limitations to 10 years for fraud surrounding the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund relief programs instituted in 2020.

In 2022, Williams, Ernst and other lawmakers sought to do the same to identify potential scofflaw violators of the Paycheck Protection Program.

HOUSE SMALL BUSINESS COMMITTEE RELEASES REPORT ON BIDEN-ERA ELECTIONEERING

A report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Biden-era Small Business Administration (SBA) either signed or guaranteed more than $1 trillion in loans to more than 10 million small businesses.

While it had instituted a four-step process to manage fraud, that plan reportedly faltered when the SBA inspector general was unable to fully probe two-thirds of the risk referrals because the agency didn’t provide either correct or complete information about those cases.

The GAO then made a formal recommendation to the SBA, which, according to the public watchdog’s website, remains "open" – and it appeared no action had at least been recorded.

The GAO also found that the fraud prevention process had not been fully implemented until "more than half" of aid programs’ funding had been approved.

LAWMAKERS SLAM SBA ‘STONEWALLING’ OVER MICHIGAN VOTER MEMO AS ELECTIONEERING CLAIMS SURFACE

"I will not allow criminals to run out the clock and escape justice simply because the Biden administration was asleep at the wheel," Ernst told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

"Thousands of hardworking small businesses were deprived of desperately needed relief because swindlers, gang members, and felons cashing in on COVID drained the programs. Every single con artist who stole from taxpayers will be held accountable."

In Ernst’s home state, 1,800 restaurants reportedly qualified for SBA aid but never received it, prompting critics to question how much funding was diverted to fraudulent applicants instead of family-run eateries.

In Williams’ Lone Star State, federal aid allowed tens of thousands of restaurants to stay in business, but others told outlets like Houston PBS that such funding ran out before many could get back on their financial feet.

LAWMAKERS DEMAND ANSWERS FROM TOP MICHIGAN OFFICIAL OVER ALLEGED ‘WEAPONIZATION’ OF TAXPAYER FUNDS FOR ELECTIONEERING

The Texas Restaurant Association told the station that 12,000 restaurants found themselves in danger of closing by 2022.

Hollywood celebrities had also received some of the SVOG funds and spent them on private jets and parties or cash for themselves, Business Insider reported.

"The SBA distributes millions of dollars to small businesses in need every year. However, where small business owners found the capital needed to stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, bad actors saw the opportunity to defraud the government," Williams told Fox News Digital.

"It is imperative that every fraudster who stole and exploited taxpayer dollars during our nation’s utmost hour of need be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."

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He added that as March marked five years after the first COVID lockdowns, an extension of the SBA and law enforcement’s ability to pursue fraudsters must be realized.

Fox News Digital reached out to the SBA for comment.

When asked about the discrepancies found in the GAO report, an SBA spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Administrator Kelly Loeffler has already taken action to enhance fraud prevention efforts.

"The SBA fully supports all efforts to crack down on fraud within its loan programs – in stark contrast to the last administration, which failed to investigate or address more than $200B in estimated pandemic-era fraud," Caitlin O’Dea said.

"[SBA] will continue working to hold pandemic-era fraudsters accountable."

U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer announced on Monday that her department will return over $1 billion in unused COVID-era funding back to the taxpayer amid the Trump administration's push for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government.

In a press release, the Labor Department said $1.4 billion of unspent COVID funding will be "returned to taxpayers through the U.S. Department of Treasury’s General Fund" and added that "action" is "being taken to recover the remaining $2.9 billion."

 "The roughly $4.3 billion was intended for states to use for temporary unemployment insurance during the pandemic," the press release states. "Instead, several states continued spending millions of dollars despite no longer meeting necessary requirements, which was uncovered in a 2023 audit conducted by the department’s Office of Inspector General."

The department explained in the press release that the funding originated from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act in March 2020 and that the program was meant to provide expanded unemployment insurance for Americans who were not able to work during the pandemic.

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The program was closed in 2021, the department said, but the 2023 audit "found four states were allowed to access the funding ‘despite not meeting program requirements,’ totaling over $100 million in spending."

"There’s no reason leftover COVID unemployment funds should still be collecting dust," DeRemer told Fox News Digital in a statement. "I promised to look out for Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars, and we are delivering at the Department of Labor."

"Any money still sitting around for pandemic-era unemployment funds is a clear misuse of Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars," Chavez-DeRemer said in the press release, adding that she is "rooting out waste to ensure American Workers always come First."

LABOR SECRETARY CHAVEZ-DEREMER'S FIRST MEMO CALLS ON STAFF TO COMPLY WITH TRUMP POLICIES: 'LET'S GET TO WORK'

Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling said in a statement, "It’s unacceptable that billions of dollars went unchecked in a program that ended several years ago.

"In a huge win for the American taxpayer, we’ve clawed back these unused funds and will keep working to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse."

The announcement comes after DeRemer said in her first memo to the department after taking over last month that she plans to comply with Trump's executive orders and work with DOGE to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse.

"Under the leadership of President Trump, our focus remains on promoting job creation, enhancing workforce development, and ensuring safe working conditions, wages, and pensions so that every American has the opportunity to succeed," DeRemer said to employees in the memo. "I challenge each of you to actively engage with your teams to identify innovative solutions that can help us achieve our goals." 

Chavez-DeRemer said that the Labor Department must align with the priorities of the Trump administration and "must focus on practicing fiscal responsibility, reducing unnecessary spending, and optimizing our resources to ensure that taxpayer dollars are utilized effectively." 

Fox News Digital's Brooke Singman contributed to this report

A federal judge has dismissed a class-action lawsuit accusing former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his administration of being responsible for the deaths of their loved ones in nursing homes during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

U.S. District Court Judge Katherine Polk Failla wrote on Monday that although what happened was heartbreaking, the families’ legal arguments didn’t meet the standard for suing in federal court.

Cuomo, who was governor at the time, issued a March 2020 directive that initially barred nursing homes from refusing to accept patients who had tested positive for COVID-19. The directive was aimed at freeing up beds for overwhelmed hospitals. 

NYC MAYOR SAYS CUOMO SHOULD 'ANSWER' COVID NURSING HOME ALLEGATIONS

More than 9,000 recovering coronavirus patients were released from hospitals into nursing homes under the directive, which was later rescinded amid speculation that it had accelerated outbreaks. 

The eight plaintiffs in the case argued that their loved ones contracted COVID-19 in nursing homes and died as a result of the directive\. They accused Cuomo and his administration of being civilly liable for their deaths as well as being liable for failing to accurately report the number of nursing home deaths in New York state that resulted from the virus. 

Failla, an Obama appointee, said the government wasn’t directly responsible for the deaths, even if its policies had tragic consequences.

"The Court’s sympathy for Plaintiffs and their loved ones simply cannot supplant governing law," Failla wrote.

She wrote that the plaintiffs' arguments did not meet the high bar of "shocking the public conscience" which is needed for this type of lawsuit and that officials acted during a fast-moving crisis.

The family members accused the defendants of violating the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment. They also brought state law claims including wrongful death and gross negligence under New York law.

Failla dismissed most of the claims on jurisdictional grounds and without prejudice.

"The Court does not question the sincerity or depth of Plaintiffs’ loss," she wrote. "But the law, as it currently stands, does not permit recovery against the Defendants for the harms alleged."

She also emphasized that the case was dismissed based on legal standards, not a denial that harm occurred.

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Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi welcomed the ruling and noted it was the second such case to be tossed on similar grounds. 

"Anytime this issue gets taken out of the press or the political arena and into the courts, the truth wins," Azzopardi said.

Azzopardi said the case follows three separate probes by the Justice Department as well as the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

"Once again, justice has prevailed."

Cuomo, who is currently running for New York City Mayor, has previously said that the directive was based on Center for Diseases and Prevention (CDC) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance at the time.

A report released in March 2022 by the New York state comptroller found Cuomo's Health Department "was not transparent in its reporting of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes" and it "understated the number of deaths at nursing homes by as much as 50%" during some points of the pandemic. 

The former governor was grilled by Republican lawmakers last year about following which House Republicans subsequently recommended the Justice Department pursue criminal charges against him. They accused him of intentionally lying to Congress during the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the excessive number of nursing home fatalities.

A state report later commissioned by Cuomo's successor, Gov. Kathy Hochul, found that while the policies on how nursing homes should handle COVID-19 were "rushed and uncoordinated," they were based on the best understanding of the science at the time. 

Cuomo ultimately resigned from office in August 2021 following sexual harassment allegations, which he denies. 

Fox News’ Greg Norman Bradford Betz, Maria Paronich and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Federal law enforcement's hands are tied now that the statute of limitations for prosecuting fraud in COVID-era unemployment programs has expired.

While Congress extended the statute of limitations for pandemic-era business relief fraud in 2022, the window to prosecute fraud in individual relief programs closed Thursday.

"There's huge amounts of fraud that law enforcement officials are still trying to track down," said Andrew Moylan, a public finance policy expert at private philanthropy group Arnold Ventures.

"Every day that goes by from today, we lose the ability to prosecute fraud day by day. That's a huge problem, and this should be something that's an easy fix for Congress."

HUSBAND OF FORMER ‘SQUAD’ REP. CORI BUSH CHARGED WITH WIRE FRAUD LINKED TO RELIEF FUNDS: DOJ

Despite opposition from 127 House Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the House passed a bipartisan bill earlier this month to extend the statute of limitations for pandemic unemployment fraud from five to 10 years. The move mirrored what lawmakers did for the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury and Disaster Loans program in 2022.

However, the Senate has yet to take up a companion bill needed to cement the extension, leading House lawmakers to call on their colleagues on Capitol Hill to make it a priority. 

"We can’t afford to let these fraudsters get away with the largest heist of tax dollars in American history," Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, said Wednesday. "Not only do we have an obligation to taxpayers to recover as much of this money as possible — up to $135 billion — we also need to send a message that we will never falter in going after criminals who take advantage of our support for those in need. … There is no time to waste."

‘DOGE’ SENATOR SEEKS TO ENSURE FEDS CAN CONTINUE PURSUING COVID FRAUDSTERS, DEBTORS, AS IG SOUNDS ALARM

According to estimates from the Government Accountability Office, as much as $135 billion in pandemic unemployment insurance programs was lost to fraud during the pandemic. So far, only $5 billion, or less than 4%, has been recovered. 

Between the Department of Justice and the Department of Labor, there are more than 2,500 uncharged criminal matters or ongoing field investigations related to COVID-era criminal unemployment fraud, according to a fact sheet released by Smith.

Unless the statute of limitations is extended by Congress, federal law enforcement will be unable to prosecute these cases.

Moylan noted the majority of unemployment fraud during COVID stemmed from "loopholes" so big "you could drive a truck through" them in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. 

THIS LEVEL OF FRAUD CAN ONLY EXIST WHEN GOVERNMENT IS WASTING THAT MUCH MONEY, SAYS VIVEK RAMASWAMY

"They didn't have strict enough paperwork requirements, and, so, basically anybody could apply for it and just attest that they were engaged in self-employed activity … and claim significant amounts of unemployment benefits in the process," Moylan said. He also pointed out how people were applying for financial assistance under the names of dead people or prison inmates.

"In California, about a billion dollars worth of fraud was facilitated by making claims on behalf of prisoners in prisons in California," he said.

This month, GOP lawmakers, including Smith, called on their Senate colleagues to take up the House's legislation to extend the statute of limitations related to pandemic unemployment fraud.

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When asked why he thought the Senate had not yet taken up a bill to extend the statute of limitations for pandemic unemployment fraud, Moylan posited that it was "an attention span thing."

"This hasn't been top of mind the way that nominations have been in the first part of the year for the Senate, or budget resolution, or now tax conversations, or, you know, whatever the scandal of the day may be," Moylan said.

"Those are the things that seem to dominate proceedings in the Senate. We now are in a situation where, if they don't act soon, we're going to lose the ability to prosecute more fraud in this program."

• A norovirus outbreak on the Queen Mary 2, a luxury cruise ship, affected 183 passengers and 14 crew.
• About 7% of passengers on board reported symptoms during the voyage, per the CDC.
• Norovirus is highly contagious, with outbreaks especially common in hospitals and schools.

A norovirus outbreak on a luxury Cunard cruise ship left almost 200 people sick, causing symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vessel Sanitation Program released details on Monday about the norovirus outbreak on the Queen Mary 2.

It said about 183 of the 2,538 passengers on board — about 7% — fell ill during the voyage. It also said that 14 of the 1,232 crew members also reported being sick during the journey.

The ship departed England on March 8, according to CruiseMapper, sailing first to New York before continuing to the eastern Caribbean, with stops in Barbados, St Lucia, and Grenada.

In an email statement to Business Insider, a Cunard spokesperson said a "small number of guests" reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness on the Queen Mary 2.

"We are continuing to closely monitor the guests and, as a precaution, completed a comprehensive deep clean of the ship and immediately activated our enhanced health and safety protocols, which are proving to be effective," they added.

The Queen Mary 2, Cunard's flagship vessel, was the largest passenger ship ever built at the time of its construction. It has 15 restaurants and bars, five swimming pools, a casino, and the first-ever planetarium at sea.

The ship frequently makes transatlantic crossings, with ticket prices starting at around $1,400 per person, and luxury duplex suites upwards of $35,000.

Although norovirus is sometimes referred to as the "cruise ship virus," outbreaks on cruise ships only account for about 1% of all reported cases in the US, according to the CDC.

More common outbreak locations included healthcare facilities, restaurants, and schools.

It's an extremely contagious virus, and is the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea in the US. According to the CDC, there are about 2,500 reported norovirus outbreaks in the US each year.

Norovirus can be spread through direct contact, eating food or drinking liquid contaminated with the virus, or touching contaminated surfaces.

The CDC said that Cunard responded to the outbreak by increasing cleaning and disinfection procedures, isolating sick passengers and crew, collecting stool specimens for testing, and consulting with the Vessel Sanitation Program.

A few days after Cunard reported the outbreak, a smaller norovirus outbreak was reported on a different cruise ship.

According to the CDC, 7 of the 461 passengers and 22 of the 405 crew members reported being ill during a voyage on the Seabourn Encore, which belongs to Seabourn Cruise Line.

Last week, BI reported on how passengers aboard Cunard's Queen Anne were advised to take precautions as the vessel navigated a piracy-prone area in Southeast Asia during its maiden world voyage.

Passengers were told that promenade decks would be closed and only essential open-deck lights would remain on, to minimize the ship's visibility, and that they should keep their curtains drawn.

The Queen Anne is Cunard's fourth luxury cruise ship and can accommodate 2,996 guests, in addition to 1,225 crew.

An eruption of measles is spreading quickly in Kansas, with cases doubling in a week and spreading to three new counties, some with vaccination coverage among kindergartners at pitiful levels as low as 41 percent. Coverage of 95 percent or greater is thought to protect communities from onward spread of the extremely contagious virus.

In an update Wednesday, March 26, Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) reported 23 measles cases across six counties—up from 10 cases across three counties on March 21. The 23 people ill with the dangerous virus are mostly children, including six who are 0 to 4 years old, nine who are 5 to 10, three who are 11 to 13, three who are 14 to 17, and two adults between the ages of 25 and 44. Fortunately, none of the cases have been hospitalized so far, and there have been no deaths.

Twenty of the 23 cases were unvaccinated. One case was "not age appropriately vaccinated," one was "age appropriately vaccinated," and the remaining case's vaccination status is pending.

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Measles has arrived in Kansas and is spreading swiftly in communities with very low vaccination rates. Since last week, the state has tallied 10 cases across three counties, with more pending.

On March 13, health officials announced the state's first measles case since 2018. The case was reported in Stevens County, which sits in the southwest corner of the state. As of now, it's unclear if the case is connected to the mushrooming outbreak that began in West Texas.

That initial case in Kansas already shows potential to mushroom on its own. Stevens County contains two school districts, both of which have extremely low vaccination rates among kindergartners. By the time children enter kindergarten, they should have their two doses of Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine, which together are 97 percent effective against measles. In the 2023–2024 school year, rates of kindergartners with their two shots stood at 83 percent in the Hugoton school district and 80 percent in the Moscow school district, according to state data. Those rates are significantly below the 95 percent threshold needed to block the onward community spread of measles—one of the most infectious viruses known to humankind.

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., declared that U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for COVID-19 vaccines should be yanked, asserting that the jabs "are causing permanent harm and deaths."

"FDA approval for COVID-19 vaccines needs to be pulled and they need taken off the childhood vaccine schedule ASAP," she said Thursday in a post on X. "I’ve been saying this ever since they were created and my personal Twitter account was permanently banned for my outspoken stance against the vaccines until Elon Musk bought Twitter, changed it to X, and restored my account along with thousands of people who were censored and silenced."

The child and adolescent immunization schedule on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website includes COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children 6 months old and above.

FIVE YEARS AFTER COVID LOCKDOWNS: THE 5 MOST BIZARRE ‘STOP-THE-SPREAD’ MOMENTS

Greene contends that the jabs should never have been approved in the first place.

"COVID-19 vaccines should have never received approval and they’ve known the entire time how bad the side effects are and deaths caused by them. It’s time to do the right thing. Stop the COVID-19 vaccines," she declared in her post.

PUBLIC WAS MISLED BY THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY ABOUT COVID ORIGINS, NY TIMES COLUMNIST ARGUES

But the CDC notes, "COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older in the United States for the prevention of COVID-19. There is currently no FDA-approved or FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine for children younger than age 6 months. CDC recommends that people stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccination."

"Cases of myocarditis and pericarditis have rarely been observed following receipt of COVID-19 vaccines used in the United States," the CDC indicates.

"Evidence from multiple monitoring systems support a causal association for mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech) and myocarditis and pericarditis. Cases have occurred most frequently in adolescent and young adult males within 7 days after receiving the second dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech); however, cases have also been observed in females and after other doses."

LINGERING LUNG DISORDERS 5 YEARS POST-COVID: HERE'S WHAT TO KNOW

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Rep. Thomas Massie has also expressed the view that the FDA should nix approval for the COVID-19 vaccines. 

"FDA should immediately revoke approval of these shots," he tweeted last month.

As the U.S. nears the five-year mark since nationwide lockdowns turned toilet paper into a hot commodity, Fox News Digital took a look back at some of the most controversial mandates – those that sparked debate – and, to some, defied logic.

Former NIAID Director Anthony Fauci was a ubiquitous sight throughout the pandemic, during the administrations of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden. 

The octogenarian allergist, who had been with the government since 1968 and appointed head of the NIH’s infectious disease arm by former President Ronald Reagan, was often lambasted for contradictory or questionable medical orders.

Fauci drew heat for apparent contradictions in mask-wearing orders, with critics often locking onto the certainty with which the Brooklynite announced each countervailing development.

In March 2020, Fauci told "60 Minutes" about "unintended consequences" of wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

"People keep fiddling with the mask and they keep touching their face," he said, suggesting germs and viruses could be spread by too much fidgeting.

Soon after, and for most of the rest of the pandemic, Fauci was adamant that Americans must wear masks nearly at all times in public. 

He raised eyebrows further when he told CNBC it might be time to double up on masks – a stance that clashed with claims from right-wing physicians who warned that excessive face coverings could obstruct breathing.

'CUOMO CHIP' LOOPHOLE CRUMBLES AS NY NOW WANTS ‘SUBSTANTIAL FOOD’ SOLD WITH BOOZE

"If you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective," Fauci said.

National Review writer David Harsanyi balked at the order at the time, quipping, "No, thanks, Dad."

Current Secretary of State Marco Rubio also commented at the time about Fauci’s varied orders:

"Dr. Fauci is a very good public-health official. His job is to advise policymakers and inform the public, but his job is not to decide what we can do, where we can go or which places can open or close. His job is not to mislead or scare us into doing the [supposed] right things," the Floridian said.

Pennsylvania’s most visible shutdown-opposing lawmaker, who later ran for governor on a related "Walk as Free People" slogan, regularly quipped in public remarks at people he would see driving alone in their cars on Interstate 81 while wearing a mask.

"You can’t make this stuff up," Sen. Doug Mastriano often repeated.

New York City is known for its pizza, bagels, heros and chopped cheese – but western New York holds another food item just as dear – the Buffalo wing.

The COVID-19 lockdowns proved the love upstaters have for their chicken apps after then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo laid out what "substantive food" a watering hole has to offer in order for patrons to go out for a drink.

"To be a bar, you have to have food available. Soups, sandwiches – More than just hors d'oeuvres, chicken wings; you had to have some substantive food," he said. 

New Yorkers used to sloshing Frank’s Red Hot on their chicken became Red Hot themselves and lambasted the governor for appearing to define their beloved dish as less than a meal.

The outrage led to a New York state communications official later tweeting a diagrammed-sentence breakdown of Cuomo’s comments, seeking to illustrate that the clause "more than just hors d’oeuvres" was an interjection and that "chicken wings" were to be associated with the "soups, sandwiches" mentioned – but the damage had been done.

In return, bars began charging a dollar or so each for a slice of deli meat, a handful of croutons or a single french fry in order to allow their patrons an end-round around the edict and have a cold one.

PENNSYLVANIA GOV. TOM WOLF THREATENS TO WITHHOLD CORONAVIRUS AID TO COUNTIES THAT DEFY LOCKDOWN ORDERS

In neighboring Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf instituted a similar ban – requiring a meal to be purchased before alcohol could be served. The state police’s bureau of liquor enforcement patrolled towns to enforce the mandate and other regulations, warning small-town saloons that their liquor licenses were on the line.

When many restaurants were closed for eat-in dining in Pennsylvania, several lawmakers held a demonstration in Lebanon outside what was then the Taste of Sicily Italian Restaurant.

Several area lawmakers – state Reps. Russ Diamond, Frank Ryan and the late Dave Arnold – joined Mastriano and restaurant manager Mike Mangano to decry "stop the spread" orders that cut off family restaurants’ income.

Flanked by the others, Diamond read from Article I Sec. 2 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, which stated "all power is inherent in the people… and they have at all times an inalienable… right to alter, reform or abolish their government in such matter they see fit."

"That means," he said, "You can exercise your constitutional right to abolish the interminable b---- of this government, which happens to be the governor’s obtuse, stupid and bass-ackward orders."

In Pennsylvania, Wolf and Health Secretary Rachel Levine were ubiquitous on the airwaves with their lockdown provisions and orders – from traffic-light color-coded maps instructing which counties’ residents could have varying levels of freedom, to Levine’s daily warning on TV to "stay home, stay calm, stay safe."

Early in the shutdown period, the Wolf administration utilized a seven-decade-old state law aimed at blunting a syphilis outbreak as legal backing for some of their orders.

In April 2020, a York woman was charged under that statute when she tried to quell her cabin fever with a Sunday drive.

Anita Shaffer told local media at the time she had been returning home from a drive when she passed police parked in the town of Yoe. 

Originally stopped for a broken taillight, Shaffer was ultimately issued a $202 ticket for violating the Disease Prevention and Control Act of 1955, which was described to her as the "stay-at-home-act" in force at the time – to which she pleaded "not guilty."

PENNSYLVANIA LAWMAKER SLAMS PA COVID LOCKDOWNS AS ‘KEYSTONE KOPS’

Current Pennsylvania Attorney General David Sunday – a Republican who was then York County’s district attorney – later expressed opposition to the state’s lockdown orders and told the York Daily Record he wouldn’t prosecute businesses Wolf’s classifications deemed "nonessential" if they opened before Harrisburg said so.

Police said after the incident: "Sunday drives are not essential travel."

Drivers on the state’s highways also encountered other unique COVID order roadblocks.

Mastriano spoke at several demonstrations in Harrisburg, Lancaster and beyond, and recounted some such experiences.

Pennsylvania rest areas were briefly closed to "stop the spread," he noted, adding how incredulous it was to come upon an Interstate 81 rest area on his commute, see it barricaded closed, and then see several big-rigs parked dangerously close to traffic on the shoulder in a line for the ensuing mile.

Republicans in Pennsylvania later drafted a constitutional amendment ballot initiative seeking to claw back some of the restrictions. Some proponents cited what they called a biblical irony in the randomly-assigned bill number – SB 836 – which echoed John 8:36’s admonition "If Christ sets you free, you are free indeed."

Another stop-the-spread order that led to public outcry affected children more than those of-age to travel or drink.

Cities from California to New Jersey began dumping sand into skate parks, playgrounds, and public areas to prevent groups or crowds from the recreation sites.

Tons of sand were dumped into public skate parks in Los Angeles, which enraged professional and amateur shredders alike.

In April 2020, skaters were so fed up with the city of Los Angeles that they brought their own shovels to clear sand from the iconic Venice Beach skate park.

Professional skater Paul Rodriguez told "The Undefeated" at the time that the move was "a little stronger than [the city] needed to do."

"I was like, damn, that’s aggressive… But as a human, I'm like, we're going through a pandemic, I mean, we've got to do what we got to do," Rodriguez said.

CA SKATEPARKS FILLED WITH SAND

Skate "bowls" in San Clemente, California, were also filled in with 37 tons of sand after skaters ignored several "No Trespassing" signs.

In Pittsburgh, skaters climbed over closed fences and cut locks, according to the public works department, when local media asked about its own decision to fill the parks with sand.

In other cities, public basketball hoops were removed from backboards, while 2x4s were nailed to cover other baskets in an effort to prevent people from congregating.

While lockdown policies in many states had either intentional or unintentional consequences on the consumption of alcohol, the Northeast was incongruently affected by such a change in social behavior.

In August 2021, as some states began slowly slackening some of their orders, others retained a tough stance to "stop the spread."

Virginia, Pennsylvania and several other states employ "state stores" or "ABC" outlets to sell alcohol that is effectively solely available from the state government. 

One state that doesn’t is Delaware. With its regional tax-free shopping mecca in Christiana and the availability of liquor in mega-stores like Total Wine, it is often a draw for higher-tax or socially-stricter states around it.

COVID-19 made the First State no different, as Pennsylvania continued to keep its state stores closed, Philadelphians and others tried to find new ways to get their alcohol legally.

Just as Pennsylvania’s side of its state lines is dotted with fireworks outlets geared toward out-of-state visitors, a liquor superstore stands just yards inside Delaware at I-95 and DE-92.

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The store began seeing a major influx of out-of-state patrons who snuck across from Marcus Hook – until Delaware instituted a travel ban and then-Gov. John Carney’s administration gave police authority to pull over any out-of-state-tagged vehicle.

The parking lot of the Total Wine was a hub for such activity, as thirsty Pennsylvanians converged on the market to purchase their drinks of choice and zip home.

DSP Cpl. Michael Austin responded to the situation in a statement to the Delco Times: 

"The primary intent and goal of the Delaware State Police is to uphold their sworn duties by providing information to the public that we serve, in order to gain voluntary compliance with the mandates, and to promote, and further ensure public safety and health."

Similar dynamics occurred across state lines around the country as well, but not to the high-profile nature media-wise of the "Naamans Road checkpoint."

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

As the fifth anniversary of COVID-19 lockdowns approaches, bipartisan lawmakers and medical professionals across the country are rallying behind a bill that would address a growing crisis in the healthcare field.

Dr. Lorna Breen was chief of the ER department at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. Known by colleagues as a tireless worker who cared about patients and protocol, Breen committed suicide while on a short break in Virginia in the midst of the pandemic to get a break from the high-pressure world of emergency medical care.

A New York Times story quoted Breen’s father as calling her death a "casualty" of the pandemic and said she had no history of mental illness, but had seemed "detached" as of late.

Proponents of the Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act told Fox News Digital that the mental strain, burnout, and stress of working in a high-pressure, life-saving field demand stronger support systems.

A recent study from a North Carolina healthcare group showed that more than half of doctor-respondents said they wouldn’t go into the primary care field if they could "do it all over again."

According to its proponents, the Lorna Breen Act provides billions of dollars in resources to help prevent suicide, burnout, and mental and behavioral health conditions among healthcare professionals.

Two longtime ER physicians who are leading the charge on the nongovernmental side of things spoke with Fox News Digital this week.

Dr. Randy Pilgrim – chief medical officer for SCP Health – and Dr. Bentley Tate, the emergency room company’s chief wellness officer – both have decades of experience working in the high-pressure field and said that now, as the U.S. looks back at the COVID-19 pandemic, is the time to bring this issue to the fore.

SCP Health works across 35 states and is a leading voice on mental healthcare for physicians, they jointly said.

Doctor wellness must be a major priority, and is often overlooked, Pilgrim said, noting that patients come to doctors to better their own health, and that it is, rightly for the patient, a one-way street in that regard.

"Patients can't be faulted for the fact that when they come to their clinician, their physician or other clinician, they really are thinking mostly about their own health and how they can improve that," he said.

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"For many, many centuries there has been this phrase ‘Physician, heal thyself’, which is variably interpreted. But in the context of this, it means the healthier the doctor is, the more available they are for the patients themselves."

"So, as mental health issues became more and more prevalent, more and more transparent, and more and more acknowledged that the stresses of the healthcare workforce are significant. It became very clear that destigmatizing that as well as providing resources to help, that was a very real phenomenon," Pilgrim added.

"Patients don't come to us saying, ‘Doctor, are you OK?’ But at the end of the day, they want to know that we are [well] and it's our responsibility to be that way."

Mental health strains on physicians were largely an "underground phenomenon" until COVID-19 put physicians’ well-being into the forefront of the news.

During the pandemic, gurneys were rolled out in front of overburdened urban hospitals, and physicians, both rural and otherwise, were working long shifts, resulting in burnout and strain.

"Physician suicide is the far end and very unfortunate far end of that spectrum," Tate said.

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"But there are so many people who are frustrated, who are weary. And the reality is, we all lose when a physician retires ten years before they thought they were – or 10 years into their career, with so many years of training [goes and] transitions into where they’re not seeing patients directly, but some other aspect of health care because they just got so frustrated or worn down or frankly, in a bad mental state."

When doctors step away from patients for such personal reasons, the entire healthcare system loses, Tate said. When physicians are well and in the right frame of mind, patients benefit.

Pilgrim, who has also worked directly to push for Lorna Breen Act legislation, added that there is bipartisan acknowledgment that U.S. doctors need Congress’ full support.

"At the end of the day, people realize this is about helping clinicians, but mainly so that they can help patients – But this is a patient-centered act. So, that's really easy to unify around," he said.

With the advent of DOGE scrutinizing every dollar the feds spend, there is also a new focus on how to pay for things like this act, Pilgrim added.

"People are looking for relatively small amounts of dollars that will have a relatively large and outsized impact," he said.

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"And this actually is another thing that unifies congressmen and women is that this is a relatively small money in the grand scheme of things. And if you can impact just a single physician and make them him or her better, the hundreds to thousands of patients that benefit from that becomes an exponential impact."

Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va. and Roger Marshall, R-Kan. – a doctor himself – are leading the Senate version of the bill, but did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., who is joined by Reps. Jennifer Kiggans, R-Va., and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., on the House version said Thursday that the act is truly bipartisan and that she will work hard to pass it so that "doctors, nurses, physicians, and all healthcare providers can take care of themselves as they care for their patients."

"Healthcare professionals dedicate their lives to serving their patients, often at the expense of their own physical and emotional well-being, and ensuring they have the resources to stay healthy is one of my top priorities," Dingell said.