Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired back at Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) in the early moments of what turned out to be a very contentious Capitol Hill hearing on Thursday, exclaiming at one point, “Do I get a reply?”

Throughout the Senate Finance Committee hearing, Kennedy fielded a number of pointed questions about recent shake-ups at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and his complete overhaul of the panel meant to make recommendations on vaccines — and numerous senators used their time to effectively offer their own testimony in place of his, routinely leaving him barely enough time to answer yes-or-no questions.

Wyden, after using some of his time to complain that Kennedy was “politicizing” the committee that recommends vaccines, accused him of compromising children’s health.

“[You’re] enacting an agenda that I think is fundamentally cruel and defies common sense,” Wyden claimed, before ceding the floor back to the committee chair.

WATCH:

🚨 HOLY CRAP! RFK Jr. just absolutely EVISCERATED Democrat Senator Ron Wyden

“Senator, you’ve sat in that chair for how long? 20, 25 years? While the chronic disease in our children went up to 76%. And you said NOTHING. You never ASKED the question why it’s happening!”

🔥 pic.twitter.com/kFDt8ErDS6

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 4, 2025

“Do I get a reply?” Kennedy asked then, and after apparently getting the go-ahead to respond, he directed his comments at Wyden. “Senator, you’ve sat in that chair for how long? 20, 25 years? While the chronic disease in our children went up to 76%. And you said nothing. You never asked the question why it’s happening, why is this happening?”

“Today, for the first time in 20 years, we learned that infant mortality has increased in our country,” Kennedy continued. “It’s not because I came in here. It’s because of what happened during the Biden administration that we’re going to end.”

A 38-year-old Alabama man who traveled to Southern California with a cache of weapons and ammunition, claiming to be the “Angel of Death,” was arrested after threatening a Catholic monastery, according to prosecutors.

Joshua Michael Richardson was charged on Wednesday with felony criminal threats and possession of six high-capacity gun magazines, brass knuckles, and a sword, the Los Angeles Times reported. Richardson sent a disturbing email to St. Michael’s Abbey in Silverado Canyon, California, on August 19, saying that he was “rider of the pale horse,” who personifies death in the book of Revelation, and threatening to “do the Lord’s reaping” at the monastery. He also claimed to be Michael the Archangel, the “Angel of Death,” from the Bible, according to prosecutors.

Silverado Canyon is a small, unincorporated community in eastern Orange County, nestled within the Santa Ana Mountains about 55 miles southeast of downtown L.A.

Along with the high-capacity magazines and sword, investigators also discovered knives, body armor, and a stun gun in Richardson’s truck. It does not appear that the Alabama man had a firearm in his possession when he was arrested.

The L.A. Times reported that Richardson allegedly attended a service at St. Michael’s Abbey on August 26 and then followed the priest into a private area. He told the priest that “he came to do the Lord’s work, to separate the weak from the weeds, and that he rode his white pale horse from Alabama,” prosecutors said.

Richardson reportedly added that he wanted to target St. Michael’s Abbey because it still celebrates Michaelmas, which recognizes St. Michael with a feast on September 29. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department received a report about the threats two days after Richardson attended the service at the monastery, and arrested him. He is being held without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday.

Law enforcement urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.

“While incidents like this can feel unsettling, they also highlight the power of community. If something seems off, say something. Trust your instincts and report suspicious activity, whether it is a strange message, unusual behavior, or something that does not sit right,” the sheriff’s department said.

“No one should have to worship in fear that a stranger would walk through the door with the intent to carry out their own day of judgment and determine who lives and who dies,” added Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “A threat on one house of worship is an attack on every place of worship, and we refuse to allow threats and terror to dissuade any person from practicing their faith without fear.”

Richardson was arrested shortly after a Catholic school in Minneapolis was attacked by a trans-identifying shooter. FBI Director Kash Patel said that the Minneapolis shooter, identified as 22-year-old Robin Westman, held anti-Catholic and antisemitic views. Westman killed two children and wounded more than a dozen others after opening fire at Annunciation Catholic School during Mass last Wednesday.