First Thing: RFK Jr condemned as ‘clear and present danger’ after Trump nomination

Experts warn making the anti-vaccine activist health secretary ‘is going to cost lives’. Plus, Paul Mescal interviews Ridley Scott

Good morning.

Donald Trump’s nomination of the anti-vaccine activist and conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr as US secretary of health and human services has been decried by consumer advocacy groups, public health experts and pundits across the political divide, who say his appointment will cost lives.

Trump announced Kennedy’s appointment – the latest in a series of nominations that have prompted outrage, as many of those chosen lack government experience – in a Truth Social post on Thursday. Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy organization, responded: “Robert F Kennedy Jr is a clear and present danger to the nation’s health. He shouldn’t be allowed in the building at the department of health and human services, let alone be placed in charge of the nation’s public health agency.” Others echoed this, including the conservative pundit and lawyer George Conway, and physicians.

Critics said Kennedy’s anti-vaccine rhetoric had had devastating results in Samoa. He has also backed eliminating fluoride, a mineral that strengthens teeth and reduces cavities, from drinking water.

What happened in Samoa? Kennedy and his anti-vaccine nonprofit, Children’s Health Defense, reportedly spread anti-vaccine falsehoods in Samoa after its government had temporarily suspended its MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination program owing to the death of two babies because nurses had wrongly prepared doses. A year later, a measles outbreak killed 83. Kennedy denies responsibility.

Cop summits ‘no longer fit for purpose’, say leading climate policy experts

As Cop29’s first week wraps up, a group of climate policy experts have said the summits are “no longer fit for purpose” andshould be held only in countries that clearly back climate action and restrict fossil fuel lobbying.

“We need a shift from negotiation to implementation,” wrote the influential group, which includes the former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, the former president of Ireland Mary Robinson and the former UN climate head Christiana Figueres, in a letter to UN. The letter also called for meetings to be held more often and for them to give more weight to developing nations.

What is the controversy surrounding host countries? Azerbaijan is a large-scale fossil fuel producer. One of its government organizing members was also recently filmed appearing to offer help with fossil fuel deals.

Is this new? No. Last year’s summit was also held in a petrostate, the United Arab Emirates, while that conference’s president kept his main job of heading the national oil company, Adnoc.

Elon Musk meets Iran’s UN ambassador – report

Elon Musk reportedly met Iran’s UN ambassador on Monday, a day before Trump named him the co-leader of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency.

The meeting, which Musk is said to have requested, reportedly focused on how to de-escalate US-Iranian tensions, two Iranian officials told the New York Times. It comes after Musk reportedly joined a call between Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this month. The Ukrainian leader is said to have thanked Musk for the satellites he had provided to Ukraine.

Trump’s relations with Iran have been difficult, expecially after 2018 – when he withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear deal and reintroduced severe economic sanctions against Tehran. The relationship is further complicated by Trump’s strong backing of Israel.

What could Trump’s powerful Israel support mean? There are fears it could increase the risk of full-scale war between Israel and Iran.

In other news …

Approximately 2,500 children in Gaza need to be evacuated urgently, but humanitarian organizations say Israeli authorities are allowing few to leave.

David Lynch has urged smokers to quit after receiving a diagnosis of emphysema, saying he now needs supplemental oxygen to walk short distances.

The Philippines is reeling after being hit by five major storms in three weeks, as the climate emergency causes violent typhoons to become more frequent.

Stat of the day: Nearly half of those killed by Valencia’s flood were over 70

Almost half of the 216 people confirmed dead in the destructive floods following torrential rain in Spain’s eastern region of Valencia two weeks ago were aged 70 or above, police said. Nine children died in the flood waters.

Don’t miss this: Paul Mescal interviews Ridley Scott: ‘I was so ahead of the game. The Oxbridge lot were aghast’

In advance of the release of Gladiator II, its star, Paul Mescal, sat down with the Oscar-winning director Ridley Scott for a wide-ranging interview spanning Scott’s artistic origins, Blade Runner, Russell Crowe, and even Elon Musk going to Mars. It also features some iconic industry stories, like this one about casting Albert Finney in The Duellists: “I said, ‘I can’t afford him.’ But in the end I got Albert for a crate of red wine. That was it.”

Climate check: More than 1,700 coal, oil and gas lobbyists granted access to Cop29, says report

Concerns have been raised about the fossil fuel industry’s influence over climate summits after a report showed that at least 1,773 coal, oil, and gas lobbyists have been granted access to Cop29. In stark contrast, the 10 nations most vulnerable to the shocks of the climate crisis, have a combined 1,033 delegates at the talks.

Last Thing: Wind power: Australians document their farts in the name of science

Australia’s national science agency has asked people to chart their farts for research, requesting they log frequency, stench, loudness and duration, to give researchers a better understanding of the nation’s gut health. “Everybody farts, right?” said Heather, who is participating in the trial. Darn tootin’!

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