Author: potus

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Monday confirmed fossil fuel executive Chris Wright to serve as energy secretary, a key post to promote President Donald Trump’s efforts to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market.Wright, CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He says more fossil fuel production can lift people out of poverty around the globe and has promised to help Trump “unleash energy security and prosperity.”The Senate approved his nomination, 59-38. Eight Democrats — including both senators from Wright’s home state of Colorado — voted…

I swear: My plan was to write about something other than U.S. President Donald Trump this week, but the torrent of bad policies emanating from the White House is impossible to ignore. I’m supposed to write about things that are important, and the foreign policy of the world’s most powerful country is surely one of them, especially when it makes a sudden and far-reaching lurch into the bizarre. So I hope you’ll forgive me if I remain focused on the foreign-policy revolution the Trump administration is attempting to implement. The key issue is the impact that Trump’s imposition of tariffs,…

On a winter day in 1961, a catastrophic plane crash in Belgium claimed the lives of the entire U.S. figure skating team, casting a shadow over the world of sports. As the nation mourned the loss of the 18 athletes, coaches, officials, family members and other passengers and crew, the incident left a lasting impact on the skating community. Background and the CrashJust weeks before the crash, the U.S. figure skating team roster was finalized at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Colorado Springs. On February 14, 1961, the team departed from Idlewild Airport (now JFK) in New York on Sabena…

PANAMA CITY — Panama President José Raúl Mulino said on Thursday the U.S. was spreading “lies and falsehoods” after the State Department claimed U.S. government vessels would be able to pass through the Panama Canal without paying.The comments were likely to exacerbate tensions between the two countries after the U.S. had cited progress on military cooperation and confronting alleged Chinese influence over the canal.Later, Mulino added on social media that he would speak to U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday afternoon.Panama has been in the White House’s crosshairs since Trump claimed the country’s vital waterway had effectively been taken over by China…

(The Center Square) – A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has reintroduced legislation to push the Food and Drug Administration to adopt modern alternatives to animal testing.The bill would require the FDA to speed up its approval of new testing methods that don’t involve animals, such as cell-based research, computer models, and lab-grown organ tissues. These methods are said to be more reliable, cost-effective, and humane.The National Institute of Health, the primary U.S. government agency responsible for medical and health research, spends approximately $5.5 billion annually on taxpayer-funded animal testing, according to documents.U.S. Sen. Corey Booker, D-N.J., the bill’s leading sponsor,…

(The Center Square) – Protection of access to care for Medicare beneficiaries, particularly in rural and underserved areas, has drawn a proposal from a North Carolina congressman in part combatting a 2024 rule finalization from the Biden administration.The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in November finalized the rule implemented Jan. 1, cutting Medicare reimbursement to physicians by 2.83%. The agency projected a 3.6% increase in practice cost expenses in 2025, meaning a 6.43% cut for physicians. U.S. Rep. Dr. Greg Murphy, R-N.C. Murphy.House.gov U.S. Rep. Dr. Greg Murphy, a practicing urologist, says “unprecedented financial viability challenges due to continued…

For over a decade, military veterans employed by the State Department have found kinship in a volunteer resource group where they can connect with mentors, discuss their mental health and other issues, and perform community service activities unique to their experiences.But President Donald Trump’s executive order to end what he says are “discriminatory and illegal” government diversity, equity and inclusion programs and policies has put Veterans@State and dozens of other so-called affinity groups on an indefinite pause across federal departments.”We are required to cancel any planned events, meetings, announcements, or other activities,” the Veterans@State board said in an email last…

More U.S. adults believe it is a good thing than a bad thing for adults to use weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and other brands if they are struggling with obesity or have a health condition tied to weight, but they are not broadly supportive of teens who have obesity using the medications, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. When it comes to ages 12 to 18 who are dealing with obesity, Americans are divided: About one-third say the use of weight-loss drugs in this context is a “very” or “somewhat” good…

The U.S. military will no longer allow transgender individuals to join the military and will stop performing or facilitating procedures associated with gender transition for service members, according to a memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth filed in court on Monday.President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month that took aim at transgender troops in a personal way — at one point saying that a man identifying as a woman was “not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member.”“Effective immediately, all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused,” Hegseth said…

(The Center Square) – The potential legalization of magic mushrooms is heading to Olympia next week as state lawmakers prepare to hear testimony on two bills that could change the landscape of mental health treatment.State legislators have attempted to model a program based on Oregon’s Psilocybin Services Act for the past few years. While Beaver State residents passed a measure in 2020, the Evergreen State has failed to get the ball rolling on its side of the Columbia River since 2022. Oregon’s approval legalized the supervised use of psilocybin for adults over 21 years old. The state program allows trained facilitators to…