Politics
President Biden Announces 11 Key Nominations
Published
5 years agoon
WASHINGTON (FNN) – Source: White House // Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate the following 11 individuals to serve in key roles:
- Rahul Gupta, Nominee for Director of National Drug Control Policy
- Gabe Camarillo, Nominee for Under Secretary of the Army, Department of Defense
- Alan Estevez, Nominee for Under Secretary for Industry and Security, Department of Commerce
- Jeff Lane Flake, Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Turkey
- Kent Doyle Logsdon, Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Moldova
- Atul Gawande, Nominee for Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Global Health, United States Agency for International Development
- Lisa Wang, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, Department of Commerce
- Chester John Culver, Nominee for Member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation
- Rich Trumka, Jr., Nominee for Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission
- James A. Diossa, Nominee for Member of the Board of Trustees of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
- Terrence K. Wright, Nominee for Member of the Board of Trustees of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
Rahul Gupta, Nominee for Director of National Drug Control Policy
Rahul Gupta, MD, MPH, MBA, FACP, is the Chief Medical and Health Officer and Senior Vice President at March of Dimes. In his role, Dr. Gupta provides strategic oversight for March of Dimes’ domestic and global medical and public health efforts. He currently also serves as clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine as well as adjunct professor in the Department of Health Policy, Management and Leadership in the School of Public Health at West Virginia University and visiting faculty at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
A practicing primary care physician of 25 years, Dr. Gupta previously served under two Governors as the Health Commissioner of West Virginia. As the state’s Chief Health Officer, he led the opioid crisis response efforts and launched a number of pioneering public health initiatives, including the Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Birthscore program to identify high-risk infants. Dr. Gupta also led the development of the state’s Zika action plan and its preparedness efforts during the Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak.
A national and global thought leader and a driver of innovative public policies on health issues, Dr. Gupta serves as an advisor to several organizations and task forces on local, national and international public health policy. The son of an Indian diplomat, Rahul was born in India and grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. At age 21, he completed medical school at the University of Delhi. He earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of Alabama-Birmingham and a global master’s of business administration degree from the London School of Business and Finance. He is married to Dr. Seema Gupta, a physician in the Veterans Administration for over a decade. They are the proud parents of identical twin sons, Arka and Drew.
Gabe Camarillo, Nominee for Under Secretary of the Army, Department of Defense
Gabe Camarillo is a lawyer who served in various positions in the Department of Defense during the Obama-Biden administration. In 2015, Mr. Camarillo was appointed as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower & Reserve Affairs) overseeing all manpower and reserve component matters affecting over 670,000 military and civilian personnel. From 2012 to 2015, he served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics & Technology), where he helped lead the Army’s research and development and modernization portfolio. From 2010 to 2012, Mr. Camarillo previously served as the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics & Technology).
Mr. Camarillo is currently a Senior Vice President at SAIC and previously held other leadership positions in the company. He has also worked as a lawyer in private practice, specializing in commercial litigation, campaign finance and government ethics. He received his law degree from Stanford Law School and his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University, where he previously served as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Public Policy.
Alan Estevez, Nominee for Under Secretary for Industry and Security, Department of Commerce
Alan Estevez, a recognized leader in the defense and aerospace community, joined Deloitte Consulting as a national security strategy and logistics executive in June 2017 after completing a 36 year career with the Department of Defense. Mr. Estevez served as the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology & Logistics) from 2013 to 2017. Mr. Estevez developed, implemented and managed acquisition, contracting, installation, and logistics programs and policies that increased combat effectiveness as well as the department’s efficiency and buying power.
Prior to his last appointment, Mr. Estevez held several key positions within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, including as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness. In this position, he was responsible for providing world class military logistics support to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. He was the first career Federal official to hold this position. Mr. Estevez also served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Material Readiness. Mr. Estevez has been honored numerous times, including three Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medals and the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal.
Estevez holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Rutgers University and a Master of Science in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at the National Defense University.
Jeff Lane Flake, Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Turkey
Jeffry L. Flake is currently a Distinguished Fellow at Arizona State University and a Distinguished Fellow at the Sorensen Center for Moral and Ethical Leadership at Brigham Young University. He also serves on the Senior Advisory Committee at Harvard’s Institute of Politics. Flake was a Member of Congress for 18 years, representing Arizona in the U.S. Senate (2013-2019) and the U.S. House of Representatives (2001-2013), where he served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. A frequent public speaker, he is also a former contributor for CNN and CBS News. Flake is a Director of Taylor Morrison, a home builder in Scottsdale, Arizona, and a former Executive Director of the Goldwater Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. Early in his career, he was Executive Director of the Foundation for Democracy in Namibia. He speaks Afrikaans. He earned a B.A. in International Relations, and an M.A. in Political Science, at Brigham Young University. He is a recipient of the Gold Medal of Honorary Patronage from the University Philosophical Society, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
Kent Doyle Logsdon, Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Moldova
Kent Doyle Logsdon, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, is Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment. Previously, he served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Energy Resources, and was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, Germany, serving as Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. from January 2017 to May 2018. Prior to that, Logsdon was the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, and Deputy Executive Secretary of the State Department. Previous positions include Director of the Operations Center, Director of the Office of Russian Affairs, and Deputy Chief of Mission in Tbilisi, Georgia. Logsdon also served in Kyiv, Ukraine; Bangkok, Thailand; Almaty, Kazakhstan; Islamabad, Pakistan; and Stuttgart, Germany. He holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Virginia and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Notre Dame. The recipient of a Presidential Meritorious Service Award, Logsdon speaks Russian, Ukrainian, Thai and German.
Atul Gawande, Nominee for Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Global Health, United States Agency for International Development
Atul Gawande, MD, MPH, is the Cyndy and John Fish Distinguished Professor of Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Samuel O. Thier Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Gawande is also founder and chair of Ariadne Labs, a joint center for health systems innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and of Lifebox, a nonprofit organization making surgery safer globally. During the coronavirus pandemic, he co-founded CIC Health, which operates COVID-19 testing and vaccination nationally, and served as a member of the Biden transition COVID-19 Advisory Board. From 2018 to 2020, he was CEO of Haven, the Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase health care venture. He previously served as a senior advisor in the Department of Health and Human Services in the Clinton Administration.
In addition, Atul has been a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine since 1998 and written four New York Times best-selling books: Complications, Better, The Checklist Manifesto, and Being Mortal. He is the winner of two National Magazine Awards, AcademyHealth’s Impact Award for highest research impact on health care, a MacArthur Fellowship, and the Lewis Thomas Award for writing about science.
Lisa Wang, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, Department of Commerce
Ms. Wang has been a partner with Picard, Kentz and Rowe LLP since 2016. She specializes in international trade law matters, including antidumping and countervailing duty litigation and trade policy issues. Previously, Ms. Wang was a Senior Attorney in the Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement and Compliance at the U.S. Department of Commerce, and an Assistant General Counsel in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Before that, she spent three years as the Senior Import Administration Officer for the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China, and was an associate with Dewey Ballantine LLP. She earned her JD from the Georgetown University Law Center, and her BS from Cornell University. Ms. Wang is married to Timothy Kovacs, where they reside in Washington, D.C. with their two young daughters.
Chester John Culver, Nominee for Member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation
Chet Culver served as the 40th Governor of Iowa from 2007 to 2011. Under his leadership, Iowa successfully managed a $6 billion annual budget, earned a “Triple A” bond rating, and built up one of the largest budget surpluses in the nation. As governor, Culver led Iowa to become the renewable energy capital of the United States.
A public servant for over 25 years, Culver previously served on the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Board during the Obama Administration. He also served as the Secretary of State of Iowa from 1999 to 2007 and was a former teacher and coach in his community. Culver founded the Chet Culver Group, an energy sector consulting firm, in 2011.
Rich Trumka, Jr., Nominee for Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission
Rich Trumka Jr. is General Counsel & Staff Director of the Economic and Consumer Policy Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Oversight and Reform. In this position, he works on oversight and investigations related to consumer protection, consumer product safety, and public health. Trumka previously served as Assistant Attorney General in the Consumer Protection Division of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General. Prior to that, he was a litigation attorney in private practice.
Trumka received his bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University, and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. After law school, Trumka served as a judicial law clerk to Judge Berle M. Schiller of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Trumka and his wife, Jessica, live in Maryland with their son and daughter.
James A. Diossa, Nominee for Member of the Board of Trustees of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
James A. Diossa served two terms as Mayor of the City of Central Falls, Rhode Island. Upon taking office in 2012, James became the youngest mayor in the state’s history and the city’s first Latino mayor. Assuming leadership of a postindustrial urban city in the midst of municipal bankruptcy proceedings, he sought to tackle these challenges head-on. Through hard work and the development of strategic partnerships, James turned Central Falls around, stabilizing the city’s finances and raising its long-term bond rating to investment grade. He also secured millions of dollars in federal, foundation, and private sector funding to improve the city’s quality of life and infrastructure. Most recently, James led efforts to partner with the neighboring city of Pawtucket to create a unified response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which included organizing a volunteer corps and engaging the former head of the Rhode Island Department of Health to serve as the city’s Chief Health Strategist.
James previously served on the Central Falls City Council, where he organized citywide efforts to save the city’s only library from closing and stopped the US Postal Service from closing the city’s only post office. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Becker College. Born and raised in Central Falls, Rhode Island, James is the proud son of Colombian immigrants and a lifelong soccer enthusiast.
James is currently a Senior Advisor at Brown University’s The Policy Lab. His lifelong partner Sandra and James have a beautiful daughter, Arianna Hallel.
Terrence K. Wright, Nominee for Member of the Board of Trustees of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
Terrence K. Wright, of Wilmington, Delaware, is a 1982 graduate of The American University in Washington, DC. From 1982 to 2009, Mr. Wright served in various positions on the staff of United States Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr., both in Washington, DC, and in Wilmington, Delaware.
Upon his retirement from the Senate in 2009, Mr. Wright was appointed by Delaware Governor Jack Markell to the Delaware Heritage Commission, a state agency which promotes the study of the History of Delaware. He has since been reappointed by the current Governor, John C. Carney, Jr., and was Chairman of the Commission’s Observance of the Sesquicentennial of The Civil War. In that capacity, he was the Executive Producer of the Commission educational film, entitled, “Delaware and Gettysburg: The Story of Delaware, Delawareans, and The Battle that Determined America’s Future.”
Mr. Wright in currently serving on New Castle, County, Delaware’s Council Redistricting Commission, which is charged with redrawing the County’s Councilmanic boundaries in light of the 2020 Census. He served in the same capacity after the 2010 Census. Additionally, Mr. Wright is currently the Chairman of the Eastern Brandywine Hundred Coordinating Council, a community organization dedicated to local history and community planning in the communities along the Delaware River in northern Delaware.
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Florida
Trump Plans Fort Myers Rally as Byron Donalds Seeks to Become Florida’s First Black Governor
Published
3 days agoon
October 17, 2026FORT MYERS, Fla. (FNN) — President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a midterm rally in Fort Myers on Friday, Oct. 23, bringing his campaign efforts to the congressional district represented by his endorsed candidate for Florida governor, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds.
Donalds, the Republican nominee, faces Democrat David Jolly in the Nov. 3 election. If elected, Donalds would become Florida’s first Black governor, succeeding term-limited Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds speaks at a Turning Point Action event in Florida. Photo by Roman Garay / Florida National News.
Rally Set for Oct. 23
Trump’s remarks are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., with doors opening at 10:30 a.m., according to the Republican Party’s event registration page. All times are Eastern.
Gulf Coast News reports that the rally will take place at Alico Arena at Florida Gulf Coast University. However, the official GOP registration page still lists the venue as “To Be Announced.” Attendees should check that page for confirmation and updates.
Prominent conservative figures, including Tucker Carlson, then-former President Donald Trump, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds and Megyn Kelly, rallied Republican voters during the Turning Point Action Conference at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, July 15-16, 2023.
Photo by Roman D. Garay / Florida National News.
Trump’s Endorsement Connects President to Historic Bid
Trump has endorsed Donalds, whose campaign lists the president among its prominent Republican supporters. The Fort Myers visit places Trump in Donalds’ Southwest Florida political base during the closing weeks of the election.
Following his primary victory, Donalds acknowledged Trump’s influence among Republican voters.
“Obviously, he has the strongest following of anybody in our party,” Donalds said, according to Associated Press reporting.
A Donalds victory would give Florida its first Black governor and extend Republican leadership in the governor’s office. Trump’s endorsement connects the president to that potentially historic outcome, although the rally announcement does not identify the event as exclusively supporting Donalds.
Republican Unity and Voter Turnout
Donalds called for Republicans to unite after the primary, telling supporters, “Tonight we are one united Republican Party,” according to the AP.
The Fort Myers rally will provide Trump another platform to address supporters ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The published event announcement confirms his appearance but does not list additional speakers.
Politics
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters Calls Trump an ‘Absolute Machine’ Ahead of Midterm Elections
Published
3 days agoon
October 17, 2026WASHINGTON (FNN) — Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters is urging Republicans to focus on voter turnout ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, praising President Donald Trump’s campaign appearances and arguing that the party’s success depends on getting supporters to the polls.
In a Fox News appearance highlighted in an RNC news release, Gruters described Trump as an “absolute machine” and pointed to the president’s rallies as a central part of Republicans’ election strategy.
Gruters: ‘It’s All About Turnout Now’
Gruters expressed confidence in Republican candidates while sharply criticizing their Democratic opponents.
“We have strong candidates; [Democrats] have incredibly weak candidates. It’s all about turnout now. That’s why the president’s going to all these rallies. He’s an absolute machine, getting the job done,” Gruters said, according to the release.
His remarks emphasized voter mobilization as Republicans seek to protect and expand their congressional majorities.
RNC Chairman Highlights Trump’s Policies
Gruters also praised the administration’s policies, particularly its approach to the southern border, presenting those efforts as reasons voters should support Republican candidates.
“This president deserves a lot of credit. He deserves a lot of praise for all these great things that he has done,” he said.
The release included broader claims about border enforcement and drug trafficking but did not provide supporting data. Those statements represent Gruters’ assessment of the administration’s record.
Florida Connection to National GOP Leadership
Gruters, a former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, now leads the national party’s effort to rally Republican voters. The Florida GOP described him as a longtime Trump ally when announcing his election as RNC chairman.
His national role places a political leader with Florida party experience at the forefront of Republicans’ midterm turnout campaign.
Closing Message: Get Supporters to the Polls
“This race all comes down to turnout,” Gruters said.
He framed the election as a choice about the country’s direction and urged voters to continue supporting Trump and conservative leadership.
“If you believe in the American dream, and you still have hope that you or your children could achieve it, then you’ve got to continue the leadership of the conservative party and this president, Donald J. Trump.”
Central Florida News
Tiffany Moore Russell Plans Orange County Campaign Stops Ahead of Early Voting
Published
3 days agoon
October 17, 2026ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (FNN) — Orange County mayoral candidate Tiffany Moore Russell plans to attend Orlando’s Come Out With Pride celebration and visit churches across the county this weekend as her campaign reaches voters ahead of early voting, according to a campaign announcement.
The Oct. 17-18 stops will give residents opportunities to discuss their priorities with Moore Russell. Candidates, elected officials, community leaders and supporters are expected to join her at various locations, the campaign said.
“This weekend is about traveling across Orange County, meeting residents where they are and hearing directly from them about the future of our community,” Moore Russell said in the announcement. “That is the kind of Mayor I will be — present, accessible and focused on delivering for the people of Orange County.”
Saturday: Come Out With Pride
Moore Russell is scheduled to participate in the Most Colorful Parade at 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, in downtown Orlando, according to her campaign.
The campaign lists the parade’s starting point as Washington Street and Orange Avenue, with the route concluding at Lake Eola Park. Moore Russell’s appearance will highlight her support for Orange County’s LGBTQ+ community, the announcement said.
Sunday: Church Visits Across Orange County
Moore Russell’s community church tour is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, at Saint Mark AME Church, 1968 Bruton Blvd., Orlando.
She will then visit additional churches throughout Orange County to meet with congregations, according to the campaign. The announcement did not identify the other churches or provide a complete schedule.
Affordability, Transportation and Small Businesses
During the weekend stops, Moore Russell plans to discuss housing affordability, transportation connections to jobs, support for small and local businesses, and improvements to county government services.
The campaign described those issues as central to her vision for the county but did not outline specific policy proposals in the announcement.
Early Voting Begins Oct. 19
Early voting in Orange County runs Monday, Oct. 19, through Sunday, Nov. 1, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, according to the Orange County Supervisor of Elections. Registered Orange County voters may cast ballots at any of the county’s 27 early voting locations.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters casting ballots on Election Day must use their assigned polling place.
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