“Real Time” host Bill Maher appeared open-minded about President-elect Trump‘s nominee for Health and Human Services. 

Maher kicked off his interview with physician and author Dr. Casey Means about how people have been “freaking” about Trump tapping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead federal health policies. 

“Well, the system as it is, the way we do health, is already very f—ed,” Maher said Friday night. “So maybe he’ll make it worse. But, like, my head is not exploding about it.”

Means told Maher that she believed Election Day showed that the American people want to address the “chronic disease epidemic” and that RFK Jr. was someone willing to take it on. 

BILL MAHER PANS MEDIA’S EXCUSES FOR KAMALA HARRIS’ DEFEAT: AMERICA JUST ‘DIDN’T LIKE’ HER

The HBO star pointed to Kennedy’s recent comments insisting he wouldn’t ban vaccines.

“If you want them, you have them. It’s not gonna be mandated. I think that’s what a lot of people objected to before,” Maher said. “I mean, I’ve said it many times. There are some pathogens that, if they were going around, I would fight you for the vaccine. And there are others that, you know, I just didn’t want, like the one we just had.”

Means sounded the alarm on how the U.S. is “the sickest of the top 11 high-income countries in the world” and how life expectancy for an American man is at 73, which she noted was ten years lower than Japan and Switzerland. 

BILL MAHER HAS A BLUNT MESSAGE FOR DEMOCRATS IN WAKE OF ELECTION DISASTER: ‘LOSERS LOOK IN THE MIRROR’

“This is something we should all be outraged about,” Means told Maher. “And only one party in our election cycle this year was talking about chronic illness. The words ‘chronic illness,’ as far as I know, never came out of the Harris campaign’s mouth. And I think that was a real misstep because Americans are, I think, tired of being gaslit about the fact that there’s not a problem right now.”

“And Trump has asked RFK to do three simple things. He’s asked to get the corruption out of the US health agencies, produce uncompromised, evidence-based research for our health guidelines, and reverse the trends of the chronic disease epidemic in two years for children and adults so that we can show up for our 250th anniversary of America stronger than ever. That sounds pretty good to me,” she added. 

Former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, shake hands during a campaign rally in Glendale, Ariz., on Aug. 23. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images))

Maher, however, seemed more skeptical about Trump sticking to his campaign promises. 

“Trust me, the first time Trump gets a call from some big mucky muck at the pharmaceutical industry and says, ‘Hey, you’re f—ing with my profits, Trump could easily reverse all of this,” Maher said. 

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST MEDIA AND CULTURE NEWS

Maher acknowledged Robert F. Kennedy has “said crazy s—” but that “we do need shaking up.” (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Means remained optimistic, suggesting the president-elect “has been shown some light from RFK about the monumental nature of the American healthcare epidemic, and it has struck a chord with him.”

“If you want to say he’s a crazy person- he certainly said some crazy s—. He certainly said some crazy s—, but we do need shaking up,” Maher later said. 

Kennedy endorsed Trump after suspending his own presidential campaign, becoming one of Trump’s most prominent surrogates and incorporating the “MAHA” (Make America Healthy Again) movement into his closing argument to voters. 

With Republicans sweeping to a red trifecta in last week’s elections, stunningly capturing the White House and majorities in the House and Senate, Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is cutting a different tone, compared to his pre-election hype where he posited a Democrat win in the Senate and then potentially getting rid of the filibuster, among other radical proposals. 

Ending the filibuster rule – which requires 60 votes to pass bills – would have made it easier for Democrats to supercharge their agenda and essentially railroad any Republican opposition. 

Schumer and the Democrats tried to kill the filibuster in 2022 when they had 50 votes – the vice president could have broken the tie – but Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema refused to toe the Democratic party line. They eventually became Independents.

FILIBUSTER: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE POLITICAL DELAY TACTIC

With Manchin and Sinema leaving the Senate, Schumer was confident of having at least 50 Senate seats after this year’s election with a then-potential Vice President Walz breaking the tie on a filibuster vote. 

“We got it up to 48, but, of course, Sinema and Manchin voted no; that’s why we couldn’t change the rules. Well, they’re both gone,” Schumer told reporters on the Tuesday during the week of the Democratic convention, according to NBC News.

“Ruben Gallego is for it, and we have 51. So, even losing Manchin, we still have 50.”

The result would have essentially meant one-party rule in the Senate, with Schumer also toying with expanding voting rights nationwide by passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. 

He also discussed a potential rule change to codify abortion rights in federal law, a party priority after Roe v. Wade was overturned, which would have faced staunch Republican opposition and lacking a path to 60 Senate votes.

Schumer also posited reforming the Supreme Court by slapping 18-year term limits on justices and touted reversing the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling, which determined that presidents are immune from prosecution for some “official acts.”

He has previously announced his intention to move legislation that would expand the Supreme Court from nine to 13 members.

But this week, he went to the floor of the Senate to tell Republicans to essentially go easy on their legislative colleagues on the other side of the aisle, since Republicans will have a 53-to-47 majority. 

WHAT TRUMP’S REPUBLICAN TRIFECTA IN HIS FIRST ADMINISTRATION ACCOMPLISHED, AND WHERE THEY FAILED: FLASHBACK

President-elect Trump at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida, having won the election. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“To my Republican colleagues, I offer a word of caution in good faith,” Schumer said. 

“Take care not to misread the will of the people, and do not abandon the need for bipartisanship. After winning an election, the temptation may be to go to the extreme. We’ve seen that happen over the decades, and it has consistently backfired on the party in power.”

“So, instead of going to the extremes, I remind my colleagues that this body is most effective when it’s bipartisan. If we want the next four years in the Senate to be as productive as the last four, the only way that will happen is through bipartisan cooperation.”

Schumer’s about face wasn’t lost on Byron York, chief political correspondent for the Washington Examiner and a Fox News contributor.

 Schumer previously announced his intention to move legislation that would expand the Supreme Court from nine to 13 members. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“The short version of that is: Please don’t do to us what we were going to do to you,” York writes in the Washington Examiner. 

“Schumer is obviously concerned that Republicans might embrace a scheme to eliminate the filibuster and pass all sorts of consequential legislation with no Democratic input at all. That wouldn’t be bipartisan!”

“Fortunately for Schumer, Republicans have been more principled than Democrats when it comes to the legislative filibuster, and to the filibuster in general. Republicans realize that even though they will have the majority for the next two years, they might be back in the minority at any time after that. So Schumer will not get it good and hard the way he planned to give it to Republicans.”

York writes that Schumer’s “brand of hypocrisy is particularly egregious” since he was advocating changing Senate rules on a partisan basis to eliminate the minority party’s ability to demand a higher standard of approval for controversial legislation, as opposed to advocating to get a particular bill across the line. 

“He was. And then, when Schumer’s party loses, he instantly turns around and becomes Mr. Bipartisanship. For that, there should be a word that goes beyond mere hypocrisy.”

Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., will replace Schumer as Majority Leader and is planning to make ushering in President-elect Trump’s immigration agenda the first item on his to-do list when he succeeds. He has not indicated that he intended to vote on the filibuster rule.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

He said repairing the economy is also near the top of his list. As crucial elements of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 passed by Trump are set to expire in 2025, Thune said Republicans will take action through the budget reconciliation process to renew them.

The trifecta will make Trump’s agenda easier to pursue without opposition from a Democratic majority. Republicans held a governing trifecta from 2017 to 2019. The GOP achieved much of their agenda, including sweeping tax reform and confirming justices to achieve a conservative majority in the Supreme Court.

But Thune said he would protect the filibuster rule, even if it stands in the way of the Trump agenda it hopes to advance.

Fox News’s Jamie Joseph, Julia Johnson and Tyler Olson contributed to this report. 

Some Democrats are pushing the party to move closer to the center, according to a new report, after President-elect Trump won swing states across the country and even won the popular vote. 

“The progressive wing of the party has to recognize — we all have to recognize — the country’s not progressive, and not to the far left or the far right. They’re in the middle,” Democratic National Committee (DNC) committeeman Joseph Paolino Jr. told Politico. Another Democrat said to the outlet, “I don’t want to be the freak show party.” 

“I’m going to look for a chair who’s going to be talking to the center and who’s going to be for the guy who drives a truck back home at the end of the day,” Paolino said. 

DEMOCRATS PRIVATELY GRIPE ABOUT PELOSI’S ‘DAMAGING’ POST-ELECTION COMMENTS: ‘SHE NEEDS TO TAKE A SEAT’

A DNC member from Florida told Politico that the Democratic Party is suffering from being portrayed as radicals by the conservatives. 

“I don’t want to be the freak show party, like they have branded us,” the DNC member said. “You know, when you’re a mom with three kids, and you live in middle America and you’re just not really into politics, and you see these ads that scare the bejesus out of you, you’re like, ‘I know Trump’s weird or whatever, but I would rather his weirdness that doesn’t affect my kids.’”

“This is basically a rebuild job from the bottom up,” former DNC chairwoman Donna Brazile said. 

TRUMP, DEFYING MEDIA PREDICTIONS, MAINLY PICKS SEASONED CAPITOL HILL VETERANS SUCH AS MARCO RUBIO

Two sources in the DNC network have previously told Fox News that one of the leading candidates considering a run for the chair of the DNC is Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool, File)

Two sources in the DNC network have previously told Fox News that one of the leading candidates considering a run for the chair of the DNC is Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan and a longtime political operative. Emanuel has reportedly been quietly reaching out to DNC committee members as he contemplates a bid to succeed the current chair, Jaime Harrison, whose term is up early next year. Harrison is unlikely to seek a second four-year posting in the wake of last week’s very disappointing election results for the Democrats, up and down the ballot.

“I do think there’s this whole sentiment that we just went too far out there on identity, and it allowed the Republicans to really attack us at every turn as a result, and that we just essentially did not focus on just the everyday issues of Americans,” a DNC member from California speaking on condition of anonymity told Politico. 

“I’m not interested in anyone who is moving further away from the center,” a Pennsylvania committe member, Cindy Bass, emphasized that the future of the Democratic Party leans away from far-left politics. “The center is where we have to be.”

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Dolly Parton’s older brother, David Wilburn Parton, has died. He was 82. 

“David Parton age 82 of White Pine, formerly of Sevierville, passed away at his home Friday, November 15, 2024,” an obituary stated.

A cause of death was not revealed. 

DOLLY PARTON GREW UP FOCUSING ON ‘GOD, MUSIC AND FOOD’

David’s sister Stella paid an emotional tribute to her brother on social media in a heartfelt post. 

“My brother David passed away peacefully this morning. It’s never easy to say goodbye to a loved one, but he got his angel wings and is now at peace,” Stella shared on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

David’s sister Stella paid an emotional tribute to her brother on social media in a heartfelt post.  (Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

Stella additionally posted on her official Facebook page early Friday morning, “It’s never easy to lose a loved one. My wonderful brother David Parton passed in the early hours of the morning.”

Reps for Dolly, 78, and Stella Parton did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

David was born on March 30, 1942, in White Pine, Tennessee. 

He was preceded in death by his infant son, Donnie; father and mother, Robert Lee and Avie Lee Owens Parton; brothers, Larry, Floyd and Randy Parton.

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Dolly Parton’s older brother, David Wilburn Parton, died at the age of 82. A cause of death was not revealed. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

David was one of Dolly’s 11 siblings born to Robert and Avie Lee Parton. The couple shared six boys and six girls.

At the time of his death, David was a retired bridge builder superintendent for a company called Simpson Construction. He worked on several bridges in the Kingsport, Johnson City and Knoxville areas. David kept mostly out of the spotlight. 

The Parton family includes, in birth order, Willadeene, David Wilburn, Coy Denver, Dolly Rebecca, Bobby Lee, Stella Mae, Cassie Nan, Randel Huston “Randy,” Larry Gerald, twins Estel Floyd and Freida Estelle, and Rachel Ann, according to Dolly’s official website.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

Dolly Parton is pictured wit her family. (Katherine Bomboy/NBC via Getty Images)

Aside from David’s siblings, he was survived by his wife of 45 years, Kay Parton, two daughters, Donna and Dena, and his “nephew/son” Lucas. He had several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In 2021, the Parton family lost Randy after his battle with cancer at the age of 67. Floyd Parton also died in December 2018 at the age of 61. 

“My brother Randy has lost his battle with cancer. The family and I are grieving his loss but we know he is in a better place than we are at this time. We are a family of faith and we believe that he is safe with God and that he is joined by members of the family that have gone on before and have welcomed him with joy and open arms,” Dolly shared on Facebook at the time.

During excavations amid the early stages of expanding low carbon heating to thousands of homes along Old Kent Road in London, archaeologists found physical evidence of an ancient Roman road. 

Wating Street was built closely following the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43, according to a Wednesday press release from the London Borough of Southwark. 

Prior to this discovery, there was very little evidence to support the exact route of the ancient Roman road.

12-YEAR-OLD-BOY STUMBLES UPON STUNNING ANCIENT FIND WHILE WALKING DOG IN ENGLAND: ‘RELATIVELY RARE’

With the shared characteristic of Roman roads traditionally being straight, archaeologists believed they knew where the ancient road would be. 

Sections of the 2,000-year-old route were uncovered by a team of archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), working on behalf of Veolia and archaeological consultants RPS, A Tetra Tech Company, beneath modern day Old Kent Road, according to the press release.

“The discovery of an intact section of Roman Wating Street directly under the current Old Kent Road has redrawn the Roman road map for Southwark and informs on Roman construction techniques generally. It is a key finding for archaeological research for London,” said Gillian King, director of archaeology at RPS, per the release. 

The ancient road was originally built shortly after Rome’s invasion of Britain in AD 43.  (© MOLA 2024)

RARE TOOL DATING BACK 3,500 YEARS FOUND IN THE UK

The section of the ancient Roman road was well-preserved, with distinct layers observable, helping experts to better understand its construction. 

The road measured 5.8 meters (about 19 feet) wide and 1.4 meters (about 5 feet) high. 

Its construction was completed using a solid foundation of gravel sealed by two layers of chalk, and another layer of compacted sand and gravel on top, according to the press release. 

The ancient road discovered dates back nearly 2,000 years, according to experts.  (© MOLA 2024)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

“It’s amazing this section of road has survived for almost 2,000 years. There has been so much activity here over the past few hundred years, from sewers to power cables, tramlines and of course the building of the modern road, so we’re really excited to find such a substantial chunk of Roman material remaining,” Dave Taylor, MOLA project manager said, according to the press release. 

The discovery will be signified with a sign close to Old Kent Road Bridge. 

Authorities in Washington, D.C., have arrested two teenage boys in connection with a brutal attack and robbery that ultimately left a well-known DJ dead. 

During a news conference on Friday, Metropolitan police Chief Pamela Smith said a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old, who have not been identified, were arrested on Thursday in connection with the death of local DJ and hairstylist, Bryan Smith.

“While nothing can undo this senseless loss, we hope today’s arrest offers some measure of justice and a step toward healing,” Chief Smith said. “We are here to send a very clear message today. If you commit violence in our city, we will find you, and we will hold you accountable.”

Officials believe the suspects attacked and robbed Smith, who was known as “The Barber,” as he walked home after his shift in the early morning hours of Oct. 27. 

FLORIDA POLICE ARREST 3 TEENAGERS ACCUSED OF COMMITTING ARMED ROBBERY AT A MEMORIAL SERVICE

The police chief added that surveillance cameras played a critical role in helping determine who the suspects were.

Smith was found severely injured and unconscious, and was robbed of his phone, wallet and credit cards.

Because of the lack of identification on him, police were not able to identify Smith until later in the day when his family reported him missing.

He died after spending more than a week in a coma. The Northern Virginia Medical Examiner’s Office is working to determine the cause and manner of Smith’s death.

CARJACKINGS SPIKE IN SWING STATE AS CAR THEFTS RISE 38%, JUVENILE SUSPECTS INCREASE 127%: INVESTIGATORS

Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old were arrested on Thursday in connection with the death of Bryan Smith. (Washington Metropolitan Police Dept.)

Lela Sandoval, Smith’s mother, told FOX 5 DC on Friday that a detective had called her in the morning to update her on the case. 

She told FOX 5 in a previous interview that her son fought hard for his life while in the hospital, but a decision was made to take him off life support after problems developed in his lung.

“They killed my son over a credit card with a very low balance and a cell phone,” Sandoval said last week. “These people have taken away my whole entire life.”

LAPD: PARENTS TURN IN THEIR KIDS FOR FLASH MOB ROBBERIES AT 7-ELEVEN STORES

Bryan Smith was a well-known DJ and hairstylist in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. (iStock)

Metro police believe both teens are also suspects in a series of robbery attempts and assaults that happened on the same day as Smith’s attack.

The weapon used to attack Smith has yet to be recovered, according to police, but the investigation remains active.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

The suspects are charged with three counts of robbery and one count of assault with intent to commit robbery among other lesser charges, but they could soon face additional charges related to Smith’s death, authorities said. 

“My message to young people is … if you commit a violent crime in this city, we will find you and hold you accountable,” Chief Smith said. “If you choose to endanger the safety of our community, you will face the consequences.”

EXCLUSIVE – Author and filmmaker Justine Bateman expressed optimism for the country following President-elect Donald Trump‘s historic victory, saying it felt like a cloud had been lifted.

“I feel good. I feel great, in fact,” Bateman told Fox News Digital in an interview. “I feel like there was this kind of suffocating cloud that was kind of over us… Regular people who had questions about decisions that were being made were threatened subtly or obviously into silence. And I feel like that’s been broken, that sort of suppression has been kind of broken.”

Bateman, best known for playing Mallory Keaton on the hit 1980s sitcom “Family Ties,” recently went viral for referring to the last four years as being “a very un-American period” for free expression and that only “permitted positions” were accepted by the powers that be.  

‘FAMILY TIES’ STAR JUSTINE BATEMAN SLAMS ‘UN-AMERICAN PERIOD’ OVER THE LAST 4 YEARS: ‘COMMON SENSE DISCARDED’

“My belief is that everyone should be free to live their life exactly how they want to live it. But not impinging on somebody else’s ability to also live their life as freely as they want to live it,” Bateman told Fox News Digital. 

“So, what was un-American about the last four years or longer is that one could not even ask a question about something. One could not even engage in a debate about things like trans women playing in sports, about trans women… being in women’s locker rooms or bathrooms or prisons. And to not allow the public to freely engage about the benefits and dangers of these types of decisions, I think that is un-American. The idea that, no, you subscribe to what we’ve said and shut your mouth or we will destroy your career. Or we will destroy you socially,'” she added.

Bateman doesn’t subscribe herself to any political party, but she found the team surrounding Trump “very interesting,” namely Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and what he’ll do with health and environmental issues in the forthcoming administration, and Elon Musk’s effort to make the government more efficient. 

She said their “strong position” on free speech won her over. 

“I’m just one person. This is just my experience. And if someone has a different experience, that is also valid. There’s room for all experiences. There’s room for all opinions. There’s room for all thoughts. That’s my point,” Bateman said. “And it is the American way. And we Americans are going to preserve that. It’s the American way to allow everybody to express themselves. But like I said, you cannot impinge upon somebody else’s ability to also freely express themselves.” 

TRUMP’S VICTORY DOESN’T GO OVER WELL WITH LIBERAL MEDIA: ‘I’M GONNA THROW UP’

Bateman said she felt “great” after the historic victory of President-elect Donald Trump. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The economy was also a motivating issue for Bateman at the ballot box. 

“The economy has gone out of control,” she said. “I mean, the amount of money we printed… anybody who’s ever even sat in the first week of an Econ 101 class learns the lesson of Venezuela… And I’m just baffled as to how a collection of adults would just start printing the volume of money that was printed and think that there wasn’t going to be an issue with that.”

HOLLYWOOD ACTRESS DESPONDENT OVER TRUMP VICTORY FEELS ‘ANXIETY’ FOR PEOPLE STUCK IN AMERICA

Bateman said she was looking forward to seeing what HHS Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will do about addressing health in the Trump administration. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

In addition to filmmaking, Bateman leads The CREDO23 Council, a group of industry professionals combating Hollywood’s growing reliance on artificial intelligence. 

The CREDO23 Council will be hosting its first film festival in the spring featuring films that use zero generative AI.