Biden administration

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Biden Backs Medicare, Medicaid 'Game Changer' for Obese

Proposal to add coverage of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic for those with BMI of 30+

(Newser) - Millions of Americans with obesity would be eligible to have popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic covered by Medicare or Medicaid under a new rule the Biden administration proposed Tuesday morning, per the AP . The costly proposal from the US Department of Health and Human Services sets the stage...

Frustrated, Qatar Leaves Talks
Frustrated, Qatar Leaves Talks
Nov 9, 2024 12:30 PM CST

Frustrated, Qatar Leaves Talks

Decision could be reversed if Hamas, Israel get serious about a deal, officials say

(Newser) - Qatar has decided to suspend its mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel, officials said Saturday. However, Qatar is highly likely to return to the efforts if both sides show "serious political willingness" to reach a deal on the war in Gaza, said an official with Egypt, the other key...

Johnson Says GOP 'Probably Will' Try to Repeal CHIPS Act

House speaker then tried to walk that back, saying he'd just like to 'streamline' the legislation

(Newser) - House Speaker Mike Johnson said Friday that Republicans "probably will" try to repeal legislation that spurred US production of semiconductor chips, a statement he quickly tried to walk back by saying he'd like to instead "streamline" it. Johnson made the initial comment while campaigning for a vulnerable...

Administration Approves Its First New Lithium Mine

Nevada project faces threat of lawsuit over possibility of wildflower's extinction

(Newser) - For the first time under President Biden, a federal permit for a new lithium mine has been approved. The Nevada project is essential to the president's clean energy agenda, though conservationists promise to sue over the plan they say will drive an endangered wildflower to extinction. Ioneer Ltd.'...

EPA to Set Deadline for Replacing Nation's Lead Pipes

Biden is expected to announce new 10-year EPA rule during stop in Wisconsin on Tuesday

(Newser) - A decade after the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, raised alarms about the continuing dangers of lead in tap water, President Biden is setting a 10-year deadline for cities across the nation to replace their lead pipes, finalizing an aggressive approach aimed at ensuring that drinking water is safe for...

GOP: Biden Picked 'Optics' Over Safety in Afghan Exit

Democrats and White House fire back and pin the blame on Trump

(Newser) - The blame game over the deadly US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 is heating up before the election. Republican members of Congress issued a new report blaming President Biden and VP Kamala Harris for the chaotic exit, one that left 13 US service members dead , while Democrats say Donald Trump'...

Watchdog: We Warned Biden on Gaza Pier, He Did It Anyway

USAID staffers had concerns that pier would undermine convincing Israel on other aid methods

(Newser) - President Biden ordered the construction of a temporary pier to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza earlier this year, even as some staffers for the US Agency for International Development expressed concerns that the effort would be difficult to pull off and undercut the effort to persuade Israel to open "...

Zuckerberg: We Stifled COVID Info at White House's Request

Meta CEO alleges White House turned up heat on his teams to take down certain items on COVID

(Newser) - During the height of the pandemic, Meta scrubbed tens of millions of items on Facebook and Instagram that it said pushed misinformation on COVID-19, vaccinations, and the like, with warnings placed on nearly 200 million more pieces of content. Now, the company's CEO is saying that the Biden administration...

Judge Pauses Biden's 'Keep Families Together' Program

2-week court order could be extended

(Newser) - A federal judge in Texas on Monday paused a Biden administration policy that would give spouses of US citizens legal status without having to first leave the country, dealing at least a temporary setback to one of the biggest presidential actions to ease a path to citizenship in years, the...

Prices Will Be Slashed for These 10 Medicare Drugs

Drug costs to fall up to 79% beginning in 2026: Biden administration

(Newser) - Seniors will save $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs for the 10 costliest prescription drugs under Medicare as a result of the Biden administration's negotiations with drug companies , according to a Thursday announcement. Beginning in 2026, the costs of 10 popular medications will be reduced by between 38% and...

Angered by US Sanctions, Paraguay Wants Envoy Out
Paraguay Wants
US Ambassador Out
Aug 8, 2024 5:50 PM CDT

Paraguay Wants US Ambassador Out

Request appears tied to Biden administration sanctions

(Newser) - The government of Paraguay on Thursday effectively ordered the US ambassador to leave the South American nation, escalating tensions between the allies in the wake of the Biden administration's sanctions on a tobacco company linked to the country's powerful former president. In a dramatic statement that took diplomats...

After US Pressure, China Yields on Fentanyl Chemicals

Beijing agrees to crack down on drug's precursors starting Sept. 1

(Newser) - China, one of the largest sources of chemicals used to produce fentanyl, will impose new restrictions on the substances, in a move signaling the Biden administration's pressure campaign has paid off. The administration has for years been pushing Beijing to impose stricter oversight over the production and sale of...

'There Was No Deal to Be Had' Without Vadim Krasikov
'There Was No Deal to Be
Had' Without Vadim Krasikov
the rundown
Aug 2, 2024 7:31 AM CDT

'There Was No Deal to Be Had' Without Vadim Krasikov

A look inside the unprecedented prisoner swap that was months in the making

(Newser) - It was the biggest prisoner swap in recent history , involving 24 people and seven countries. Sixteen journalists, pro-democracy activists, and others held by Russia and Belarus were exchanged Thursday for eight Russians jailed for espionage, murder, hacking, and other crimes in the US, Norway, Germany, Slovenia, and Poland. Here's...

Biden Administration Scores a Supreme Court Win

White House may continue to urge social media companies to take down posts

(Newser) - The remainder of the week will be big in terms of Supreme Court decisions, and Wednesday brought what CNN calls "a technical if important election-year victory" for the Biden administration. In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court said the White House may continue to push social media companies to...

Judges in 2 States Halt Chunk of Biden Loan Forgiveness Plan

Kansas, Missouri earn temporary victory that puts the kibosh on key parts of student loan program

(Newser) - Federal judges in Kansas and Missouri on Monday together blocked much of a Biden administration student loan repayment plan that provides a faster path to cancellation and lower monthly payments for millions of borrowers. The judges' rulings prevent the US Department of Education from helping many of the intended borrowers...

SCOTUS Takes Up Rare Transgender-Rights Case

High court will look at state bans on gender-affirming care for minors

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Monday jumped into the fight over transgender rights, agreeing to hear an appeal from the Biden administration seeking to block state bans on gender-affirming care. The justices' action comes as Republican-led states have enacted a variety of restrictions on health care for transgender people, school sports...

After 10 Days in Service, Doom for Gaza's $230M Pier?

Aid groups say it's been a bust, officials are talking of dismantling it, per 'NYT'

(Newser) - The $230 million pier built to support the delivery of aid to Gaza has been largely ineffective and may now be dismantled some two months earlier than expected, aid groups tell the New York Times . The temporary pier was built on short notice beginning in March amid warnings of famine...

Sources: Biden Gave Secret OK to Ukraine to Use US Weapons

Ukraine can now strike just inside Russia to defend itself using US-made weapons

(Newser) - As Ukrainian forces continue to defend their country's second-largest city, sources tell the AP that President Biden has given the OK to use US-provided weapons to strike inside Russia. The green light is limited strictly in the area surrounding Kharkiv, about 12 miles from the Russian border, and with...

Along the Border, an 'Unexpected Reprieve' for Biden

Illegal migrant crossings have plummeted 54% since December, per government figures

(Newser) - News along the southern border is offering the Biden administration "an unexpected reprieve" as the November election looms. Internal government stats show that illegal migration from Mexico into the US has fallen 54% from December to May, with US Border Patrol officials recording a daily average of 3,700...

160K Student Borrowers Just Got Good News

Biden administration is moving to cancel a new round of student debt

(Newser) - The Biden administration is canceling student loans for another 160,000 borrowers through a combination of existing programs. The Education Department announced the latest round of cancellation on Wednesday, reports the AP , saying it will erase $7.7 billion in federal student loans. With the latest action, the administration said...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>