(Natural News) The leading cause of death in the United States today is not heart disease but rather "independent media," according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) chief Dr. Robert Cardiff.

A Joe Biden appointee, Califf claimed during a recent appearance on CNN that independent media outlets must be purged from existence immediately if there is to be any hope of ending the scourge of death throughout the country.

Only corporate-controlled, government-approved fake news outlets like CNN should be allowed to exist and spread information online, Califf maintains. Allowing free speech, he says, will result in "deadly misinformation" spreading and influencing people's health decisions.

Califf admitted during the segment with host Pamela Brown that there is "no way to quantify" any of these claims. He did reluctantly admit as well that heart disease is, in fact, the leading cause of death in the U.S.

At the same time, Califf doubled down on his initial claim, arguing that the growth of independent media over the years has resulted in "an erosion of life expectancy." In his opinion, Americans are now living, on average, lives that are five years shorter than they otherwise would be if their news came exclusively from the likes of CNN.