Author: potus

(The Center Square) – Federal legislation to increase access to multi-cancer early detection technology for seniors through Medicare coverage is getting another run from two Carolinas congressmen and bicameral colleagues from Texas, Iowa, Alabama, California, Illinois, Idaho, Colorado and Oregon.Medicare coverage, if the proposal is enacted, would cover the screenings once approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It is a complement to existing screening and enhances early detection capabilities.The bill of Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, is the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act. It was introduced in the 118th Congress and made it as far…

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee considered whether to permanently classify fentanyl and its related substances as Schedule I drugs, a move that could have significant impacts on law enforcement, public health and the deadly ongoing opioid crisis.The proposal seeks to extend the temporary Schedule I classification that is about to expire. Schedule I drugs, such as heroin and LSD, are each classified as having no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Fentanyl is currently a Schedule II drug, meaning it is highly addictive but has legitimate medical uses, such as pain management for cancer…

The Trump administration was sued Tuesday in two separate civil complaints related to a request for information about FBI employees who worked on cases involving President Donald Trump and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and a third suit challenging the removal of data from federal health agency websites.The lawsuits are the latest in a growing number of legal salvos seeking to block — or slow down — the rapid-fire series of executive actions Trump and his allies have taken since he returned to the White House on Jan. 20.The three cases were filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.The…

In 1962, nearly a century after the 15th Amendment sought to protect the voting rights of Black men, less than 7 percent of Mississippi’s eligible Black voters were registered to vote, the lowest rate in the country. Even as the civil rights movement gained traction across the South, significant barriers remained in what was considered the nation’s most racially repressive state as voter registration efforts were met with violence. In response, Black activists partnered with white volunteers to organize a major civil rights campaign in 1964. Their work, during what became known as Freedom Summer, aimed to increase Black voter registration and…

(The Center Square) – A new watchdog report highlights the ongoing issues concerning the oversight of foodborne illness in the United States and stresses the need for a national food safety strategy across multiple agencies due to fragmented federal oversight.In 2024, the budget for the Food and Drug Administration was $7.2 billion, which included a $372 million increase from the previous year, of which $133 million went directly to improving food safety, supply chain continuity and addressing food contamination issues.The report from the Government Accountability Office noted that foodborne illness has widespread economic consequences and costs Americans $75 billion annually. The…

(The Center Square) – Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the controversial nominee for U.S. Health and Human Service secretary, will move forward in the confirmation process after advancing through the Senate Finance Committee in a tight vote.The committee voted 14-13 Tuesday to advance Kennedy, with all Democrats in opposition to the candidate whom they see as an unqualified wild card.U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., argued the HHS needs a “serious person at the helm” and said Kennedy “seems more obsessed with chasing conspiracy theories than chasing solutions.”Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, has spent decades calling out industry influence over regulatory agencies like…

(The Center Square) — New York Attorney General Letitia James is pushing back against President Donald Trump’s attempt to stop ‘gender-affirming’ procedures for teenagers, warning hospitals that withholding services from transgender patients could run afoul of state law.In a letter, James told hospital executives that despite Trump’s directive ordering them to stop offering gender care to patients under 19 years old, they are obligated to comply with New York State laws, “including those that prohibit discrimination against individuals based on their membership in a protected class, such as sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation … or immigration status.” “Electing to…

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he will announce reciprocal tariffs this week, as well as a 25% blanket tariff on steel and aluminum imports.”Any steel coming into the United States is going to have a 25% tariff,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One, adding that the same tariff would be applied to aluminum.”Aluminum, too,” Trump added, when a reporter asked him whether it would also be subject to tariffs.Trump said he would most likely make a formally announcement Tuesday or Wednesday about reciprocal tariffs on “every country,” while an announcement about steel tariffs would happen Monday. Reciprocal tariffs…

But Maas knows he’s an outlier, having figured out how to capitalize on a microclimate similar to regions of Japan that have long produced wasabi. The reason the authentic product is imported is because it’s so hard to grow outside its native environment without producing a bitter taste. In fact, most of what’s sold as wasabi to U.S. sushi eaters is a horseradish-based substitute, Maas said.Jeff Roller, who runs Half Moon Bay Wasabi some 30 miles south of San Francisco, agreed that high price tags can make niche farming seem enticing.“They see the dollar signs,” he said of prospective growers,…

NUUK, Greenland (AP) — Greenland’s parliament passed a bill Tuesday that bans political parties from receiving contributions “from foreign or anonymous contributors” after President Donald Trump expressed his wish that the United States take over the vast and mineral-rich Arctic island that belongs to Denmark.The bill is aimed at protecting “Greenland’s political integrity” and will take effect immediately, according to a translation of a parliamentary document in Danish outlining the measure.The bill “must be seen in light of the geopolitical interests in Greenland and the current situation where representatives of an allied great power have expressed interest in taking over…