WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday casually lent support to the false claim that fluoride in drinking water may be harming children, echoing the same wholly unscientific nonsense that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is using to justify his efforts to take fluoride out of drinking water nationwide.
“From what I’ve read and from what I understand, it deserves real evaluation,” Johnson told reporters at a Capitol Hill press briefing. “There’s a concern that it may be having a negative effect on the health of children.”
He conceded he doesn’t know much about this subject, but went on to say, “Obviously, we have an obligation at the federal government level to look into that.”
“I don’t have the answers,” Johnson continued. “But I think it’s one that the question has been begged and it needs to be addressed.”
The Louisiana Republican’s comments come a day after Kennedy said he plans to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending that communities put fluoride in their drinking water. He also plans to set up a task force to examine the issue.
Except none of this aligns with what medical experts say, which is that fluoride in drinking water is safe at appropriate levels and good for your health, as it prevents cavities, tooth decay and other health problems. In fact, the addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water is considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last...
Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman on Tuesday accused a Democratic county supervisor of making “false” claims about deputies helping federal immigration authorities round up illegal immigrants. “...