The Daily Beast Latest Articles | Vape Company Gave Millions to Trump Before Key Decision by Tom Latchem

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A tobacco giant, Reynolds American — maker of Camel cigarettes and Vuse vapes — funneled a $5 million donation through a subsidiary to Donald Trump’s super PAC MAGA Inc. just days before the FDA issued expedited guidance allowing flavored vapes back into the U.S. market, boosting the PAC’s total contributions from the subsidiary to $8 million. The cash followed earlier large gifts, including a $10 million donation to another pro‑Trump super PAC, and was part of a broader tide of tobacco money supporting Trump’s reversal on vaping policy, which had previously raised the smoking age and restricted flavored e‑cigarettes. After the donation, senior Reynolds executives met Trump at his Florida golf club, and the president reportedly called FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and CMS chief Mehmet Oz to express frustration with the agency’s stance; Makary subsequently resigned. While the White House denies any quid‑pro‑quo, the timing of the contribution, the lobbying push by other tobacco firms such as Swisher International, and Trump’s rapid policy shift underscore the influence of industry money on the administration’s evolving vaping regulations.

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/vape-company-gave-millions-to-trump-before-key-decision/

#DonaldTrump #ReynoldsAmerican #MAGAInc #FDA #MartyMakary

The New Republic | Turns Out a Massive Bribe Was Behind the FDA’s Vaping Decision by Finn Hartnett

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The page reports a series of recent controversies surrounding President Donald Trump, beginning with a new investigation that links a $5 million donation from Reynolds American to the FDA’s decision to ease flavored‑vape restrictions—a move critics say benefits the tobacco industry and undercuts youth‑vaping controls. It also details growing Republican backlash against Trump’s proposed “ballroom” at the White House and his $1.8 billion “slush fund,” with senators such as Bill Cassidy publicly questioning the project’s cost, transparency, and the legality of the fund. Additional coverage includes Trump’s inaccurate claims that artificial‑intelligence is creating jobs and that oil prices will fall despite rising gasoline costs, his executive order forcing banks to scrutinize customers’ immigration status, a federal judge’s order enforcing the Presidential Records Act against Trump’s attempts to destroy documents, and a U.S. indictment of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro for alleged 1996 crimes. Together, the articles portray a pattern of Trump‑driven policy shifts, alleged corruption, and mounting opposition from both Democrats and some GOP members.

Read more: https://newrepublic.com/post/210777/massive-trump-bribe-fda-vaping-decision

#ReynoldsAmerican #FDA #MartyMakary #DonaldTrump #politics