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Key advisers begging Trump to focus on issues, as Trump mulls changes to campaign staff None - Vaughn Hillyard, NBC News Correspondent and Matt Dowd, MSNBC Senior Political Analyst join Nicolle Wallace on Deadline White House with reaction to the scramble inside the Republican party for their candidate to get focused on the issues and policy rather than his undefined and weak attacks of Kamala Harris a candidate he has been unable to define. Aug. 14, 2024
White House says deals struck to cut prices of popular Medicare drugs that cost $50 billion yearly None - The Biden administration is taking a victory lap after federal officials inked deals with drug companies to lower the price for 10 of Medicare’s most costliest drugs WASHINGTON -- The Biden administration is taking a victory lap after federal officials inked deals with drug companies to lower the price for 10 of Medicare’s most popular and costliest drugs, but shared few immediate details about the new price older Americans will pay when they fill those prescriptions. White House officials said Wednesday night they expect U.S. taxpayers to save $6 billion on the new prices, while older Americans could save roughly $1.5 billion on their medications. Those projections, however, were based on dated estimates and the administration shared no details as to how they arrived at the figures. Nonetheless, the newly negotiated prices — still elusive to the public as of early Thursday morning — will impact the price of drugs used by millions of older Americans to help manage diabetes, blood cancers and prevent heart failure or blood clots. The drugs include the blood thinners Xarelto and Eliquis and diabetes drugs Jardiance and Januvia. Medicare spent $50 billion covering the drugs last year. It's a landmark deal for the Medicare program, which provides health care coverage for more than 67 million older and disabled Americans. For decades, the federal government had been barred from bartering with pharmaceutical companies over the price of their drugs, even though it's a routine process for private insurers. “This meant that drug companies could basically charge whatever they want for life-saving treatments people rely on, and all Americans paid the price,” White House adviser Neera Tanden told reporters in a Wednesday night call. The drug deals will become a focal point for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, especially since she cast the tie-breaking vote to pass the law. She will join President Joe Biden Thursday to announce the drug prices, their first joint speaking appearance since she replaced him at the top of the Democratic ticket, as they both struggle to convince voters that costs will trend down after years of above-normal inflation. The pair last appeared publicly together to welcome back to the U.S. Americans detained in Russia who were freed as part of a massive prisoner swap earlier this month. Powerful pharmaceutical companies unsuccessfully tried to file lawsuits to stop the negotiations, which became law in 2022, when a Democratic-controlled Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, overhauling several Medicare prescription drug regulations. But executives of those companies have also hinted in recent weeks during earnings calls that they don't expect the negotiations to impact their bottom line. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversaw the dealmaking, is expected to release the final drug prices later Thursday. The new prices won't go into effect until 2026. Next year, the Department of Health and Human Services can select another 15 drugs for price negotiations. Before the drug prices were finalized, the Congressional Budget Office estimated the negotiations could save the federal government $25 billion in 2031. The official event comes a day before Harris is set to unveil part of her economic agenda on Friday in North Carolina, where she was aiming to roll out other ways she plans to help cut costs and boost incomes for the middle class.
White House says deals struck to reduce cost of 10 drugs, saving taxpayers and Medicare recipients billions of dollars None - White House says deals struck to reduce cost of 10 drugs, saving taxpayers and Medicare recipients billions of dollars White House says deals struck to reduce cost of 10 drugs, saving taxpayers and Medicare recipients billions of dollars
Dubai-based port operator DP World's half-year profits fall nearly 60%, in part over Red Sea attacks None - Dubai-based port operator DP World has reported its half-year profits fell by nearly 60%, in part over the ongoing attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels over the Israel-Hamas war that have affected shipping through the Red Sea DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Dubai-based port operator DP World reported Thursday its half-year profits fell by nearly 60%, in part over the ongoing attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels over the Israel-Hamas war that have affected shipping through the Red Sea. DP World reported profits of $265 million this year, down from $651 million the same time last year. DP World Group's chairman and CEO, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, acknowledged that the Red Sea disruptions affected the firm's revenues. “The year 2024 has been marked by a deteriorating geopolitical environment and disruptions to global supply chains due to the Red Sea crisis,” he said in a statement included in the results. “While the near-term trading outlook remains uncertain due to macroeconomic and geopolitical headwinds, the resilient financial performance of the first half ... positions us well to deliver stable full year adjusted" profits. Bin Sulayem did not elaborate on what specific effects the Houthi attacks had been having on DP World, a government-owned shipper that in recent years removed itself from the Nasdaq Dubai stock exchange. The Houthis since November have been targeting shipping through the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. The assaults have disrupted the $1 trillion of goods that flow annually through the region, while also sparking the most intense combat the U.S. Navy has seen since World War II. The rebels maintain that their attacks target ships linked to Israel, the United States or the U.K. as part of a campaign they say seeks to force an end to the war. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict. Shippers have begun going around the Cape of Good Hope off Southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea entirely. The rerouting has affected shipping through Dubai's Jebel Ali Port, the home of DP World and the world's largest manmade harbor. DP World already had faced challenges through the coronavirus pandemic, but the Houthi attacks have seen it affected while the long-haul carrier Emirates, another Dubai government-owned entity, have soared.
Climate activists protest at several German airports None - Climate activists have staged protests at several German airports, forcing a temporary halt to flights at some of them in the latest of a string of similar demonstrations BERLIN -- Climate activists staged protests at several German airports on Thursday, forcing a temporary halt to flights at some of them in the latest of a string of similar demonstrations. The Last Generation group said a total of eight activists were involved in the protests at Berlin, Cologne-Bonn, Nuremberg and Stuttgart airports, which started around 5 a.m. The group is demanding that the German government negotiate and sign an agreement on a global exit from the use of oil, gas and coal by 2030. Flights were suspended at Cologne-Bonn after two people were reported to have attached themselves to the asphalt, but later resumed, German news agency dpa reported. Police said a hole was found in an airport fence. Flights also were halted for about an hour at Nuremberg. At Berlin Airport, two people who had attached themselves to the ground were removed and detained. Last Generation last month staged protests at Cologne-Bonn Airport and Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s busiest, which significantly disrupted passenger flights. Earlier this month, an overnight protest by climate activists at Leipzig/Halle Airport, a major air freight hub, forced a three-hour halt to cargo flights. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wrote on social network X that “these criminal actions are dangerous and stupid” and that protesters “are not just risking their own lives but also endangering others.” She pointed to legislation approved by the German Cabinet last month that would impose tougher penalties on people who break through airport perimeters. The bill, which still requires approval by lawmakers, foresees punishment ranging up to a two-year prison sentence for people who intentionally intrude on airside areas of airports such as taxiways or runways, endanger civil aviation, or enable someone else to. Currently such intrusions only draw a fine.
Mongolia is in the tourism spotlight and making it easier to visit. Reindeer sledding, anyone? None - With its reindeer sledding, camel racing and stunning landscapes with room to roam, Mongolia is hoping to woo visitors who are truly looking to get away from it all Mongolia is in the tourism spotlight and making it easier to visit. Reindeer sledding, anyone? ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia -- With its reindeer sleigh rides, camel racing and stunning landscapes with room to roam, Mongolia is hoping to woo visitors who are truly looking to get away from it all. Like most countries, its tourism industry was devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has launched a “Welcome to MonGOlia” campaign to win people back. The government has added flights and streamlined the visa process, offering visa-free visits for many countries. At least 437,000 foreign tourists visited in the first seven months of this year, up 25% over the same period last year, including increasing numbers from Europe, the U.S. and Japan. Visitors from South Korea nearly doubled, thanks in part to the under-four-hour flight. Despite the gains, Mongolia's government is still short of its goal of 1 million visitors per year from 2023-2025 to the land of Genghis Khan, which encompassed much of Eurasia in its 13th-century heyday and is now a landlocked nation located between Russia and China. With a population of 3.3 million people, about half of them living in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, there's plenty of open space for the adventure tourist to explore, said Egjimaa Battsooj, who works for a tour company. Its customized itineraries include horseback trips and camping excursions with the possibility of staying in gers, the felt-covered dwellings still used by Mongolia's herders. There's little chance of running across private property, so few places are off-limits, she said. “You don't need to open a gate, you don't need to have permission from anyone,” she said, sitting in front of a map of Mongolia with routes marked out with pins and strands of yarn. “We are kind of like the last truly nomad culture on the whole planet,” she added. Lonely Planet named Mongolia its top destination in its Best in Travel 2024 report. The pope's visit to Mongolia last year also helped focus attention on the country. Its breakdancers became stars at last year's Asian Games. And some local bands have developed a global following, like The Hu, a folk-metal band that incorporates traditional Mongolian instruments and throat singing with modern rock. Still, many people know little about Mongolia. American tourist Michael John said he knew some of the history about Genghis Khan and had seen a documentary on eagles used by hunters before deciding to stop in Ulaanbaatar as part of a longer vacation. “It was a great opportunity to learn more,” the 40-year-old said. Tourism accounted for 7.2% of Mongolia’s gross domestic product and 7.6% of its employment in 2019 before collapsing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the World Bank. But the organization noted “substantial growth potential” for Mongolia to exploit, with “diverse nature and stunning sceneries" and sports and adventure tourism possibilities. Mongolia tourism ads focus on those themes, with beautiful views of frozen lakes in winter for skating and fishing, the Northern Lights and events like reindeer sledding and riding, camel racing and hiking. Munkhjargal Dayan offers rides on two-humped Bactrian camels, traditional archery and the opportunity to have eagles trained for hunting perch on a visitor's arm. “We want to show tourists coming from other countries that we have such a way of life in Mongolia," he said, waiting for customers by a giant statue of Genghis Kahn on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar. Outside the lively capital, getting around can be difficult in summer as the steppes become waterlogged, and there is limited infrastructure, a shortage of accommodation and a deficit of skilled labor in tourism destinations. It is also easy for foreigners to get lost, with few signs in English, said Dutch tourist Jasper Koning. Nevertheless, he said he was thoroughly enjoying his trip. “The weather is super, the scenery is more than super, it's clean, the people are friendly,” he said. ___ Rising reported from Bangkok.
India's Modi voices concern over unrest in neighboring Bangladesh and attacks on Hindus there None - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed concern over the unrest that led to a change of government in neighboring Bangladesh and the attacks on Hindus and other minorities there India's Modi voices concern over unrest in neighboring Bangladesh and attacks on Hindus there NEW DELHI -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed concern over the unrest that led to a change of government in neighboring Bangladesh and the attacks on Hindus and other minorities there. Modi addressed his nation from New Delhi’s 17th-century Mughal-era Red Fort on its 78th Independence Day and assured Bangladesh that India would continue to support it in developing its economy. "We hope the situation gets normal there soon,” Modi said in a speech broadcast live. Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India on Aug. 5 after weeks of violent protests that prompted her ouster. She is likely to stay in New Delhi until she decides where she will seek asylum. An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power in Bangladesh and is expected to organize fresh elections. During the protests in Bangladesh, many Hindu homes, shops and businesses were attacked. Yunus met with Hindu community leaders earlier this week and assured them of their protection. The student-led protests began in July against a quota system for government jobs that critics said benefitted people with connections to Hasina’s party. The protests morphed into a movement against her government, leaving more than 300 people dead including students and police officers in the ensuing violence. Aug. 15 marks India’s independence from British colonialists in 1947, but it was also the day in 1975 when Bangladesh's first leader after independence, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, the father of Hasina, was assassinated in a military coup. Hasina survived by not being in the country. India gave her refuge, and she lived in Delhi from 1975 until her return to Bangladesh in 1981. Modi said Thursday that India believes in peace and not war, and is on the path of rapid economic development. It aspires to be a developed nation by 2047 when it completes 100 years of independence from British colonialists, he added. In his nearly 90-minute speech, Modi did not refer to India’s tense ties with neighboring Pakistan and China, or any steps to improve relations with them. Wearing a flowing, cream-colored turban printed with small stripes of orange, yellow and black, he said the government over the next five years would focus on driving domestic growth through skill development, job production and the promotion of small businesses. More than a decade after he first took office as prime minister, Modi is under pressure to generate more jobs to help sustain growth. He said India will be guided by the ideals of self-reliance and global partnerships to thrive in science and technology, establish industries, and attain food and energy security. He said India was attracting large investments from abroad that he hoped would turn the country into a manufacturing hub. Modi returned as India’s prime minister for a third five-year term in recent national elections. His Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party failed to win a majority of its own in the 543-member lower house of Parliament, but formed the government with the help of its allies. His government's budget presented to Parliament last month said the inflation rate is stable and moving toward the government’s 4% target, while the economy grew at a sizzling 8.2% rate in the last fiscal year. The 2024-25 budget proposed a $24 billion package for job creation over the next five years, raising spending on loans for small- and medium-sized businesses. It allocated $18 billion to support agriculture and farm technology, such as climate-resilient seed varieties. Modi on Thursday also called for a non-discriminatory uniform civil code that would govern marriage and other aspects of life of all citizens regardless of their religion. Hindus constitute nearly 80%, and Muslims 14%, of India’s 1.4 billion people. They have separate personal laws covering marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption and maintenance.
Wildfires are growing under climate change, and their smoke threatens farmworkers, study says None - As climate change fuels the intensity and frequency of wildfires, it's also driving up the health risks for farmworkers who often have no choice but to continue working amid dangerous levels of smoke LOS ANGELES -- As wildfires scorched swaths of land in the wine country of Sonoma County in 2020, sending ash flying and choking the air with smoke, Maria Salinas harvested grapes. Her saliva turned black from inhaling the toxins, until one day she had so much trouble breathing she was rushed to the emergency room. When she felt better, she went right back to work as the fires raged on. “What forces us to work is necessity,” Salinas said. “We always expose ourselves to danger out of necessity, whether by fire or disaster, when the weather changes, when it’s hot or cold.” As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of wildfires around the world, a new study shows that farmworkers are paying a heavy price by being exposed to high levels of air pollution. And in Sonoma County, the focus of the work, researchers found that a program aimed at determining when it was safe to work during wildfires did not adequately protect farmworkers. They recommended a series of steps to safeguard the workers' health, including air quality monitors at work sites, stricter requirements for employers, emergency plans and trainings in various languages, post-exposure health screenings and hazard pay. Farmworkers are “experiencing first and hardest what the rest of us are just starting to understand," Max Bell Alper, executive director of the labor coalition North Bay Jobs with Justice, said Wednesday during a webinar devoted to the research, published in July in the journal GeoHealth. "And I think in many ways that’s analogous to what’s happening all over the country. What we are experiencing in California is now happening everywhere.” Farmworkers face immense pressure to work in dangerous conditions. Many are poor and don't get paid unless they work. Others who are in the country illegally are more vulnerable because of limited English proficiency, lack of benefits, discrimination and exploitation. These realities make it harder for them to advocate for better working conditions and basic rights. Researchers examined data from the 2020 Glass and LNU Lightning Complex fires in northern California's Sonoma County, a region famous for its wine. During those blazes, many farmworkers kept working, often in evacuation zones deemed unsafe for the general population. Because smoke and ash can contaminate grapes, growers were under increasing pressure to get workers into fields. The researchers looked at air quality data from a single AirNow monitor, operated by the Environmental Protection Agency and used to alert the public to unsafe levels, and 359 monitors from PurpleAir, which offers sensors that people can install in their homes or businesses. From July 31 to Nov. 6, 2020, the AirNow sensor recorded 21 days of air pollution the EPA considers unhealthy for sensitive groups and 13 days of poor air quality unhealthy for everyone. The PurpleAir monitors found 27 days of air the EPA deems unhealthy for sensitive groups and 16 days of air toxic to everyone. And on several occasions, the smoke was worse at night. That’s an important detail because some employers asked farmworkers to work at night due in part to cooler temperatures and less concentrated smoke, said Michael Méndez, one of the researchers and an assistant professor at University of California-Irvine. "Hundreds of farmworkers were exposed to the toxic air quality of wildfire smoke, and that could have detrimental impact to their health," he said. “There wasn’t any post-exposure monitoring of these farmworkers.” The researchers also examined the county's Agricultural Pass program, which allows farmworkers and others in agriculture into mandatory evacuation areas to conduct essential activities like water or harvest crops. They found that the approval process lacked clear standards or established protocols, and that requirements of the application were little enforced. In some cases, for example, applications did not include the number of workers in worksites and didn't have detailed worksite locations. Irva Hertz-Picciotto, a professor of public health sciences at the University of California-Davis who was not part of the study, said symptoms of inhaling wildfire smoke — eye irritation, coughing, sneezing and difficulty breathing — can start within just a few minutes of exposure to smoke with fine particulate matter. Exposure to those tiny particles, which can go deep into the lungs and bloodstream, has been shown to increase the risk of numerous health conditions such as heart and lung disease, asthma and low birth weight. Its effects are compounded when extreme heat is also present. Another recent study found that inhaling tiny particulates from wildfire smoke can increase the risk of dementia. Anayeli Guzmán, who like Salinas worked to harvest grapes during the Sonoma County fires, remembers feeling fatigue and burning in her eyes and throat from the smoke and ash. But she never went to the doctor for a post-exposure health check up. “We don't have that option,” Guzmán, who has no health coverage, said in an interview. “If I go get a checkup, I'd lose a day of work or would be left to pay a medical bill.” In the webinar, Guzman said it was “sad that vineyard owners are only worried about the grapes” that may be tainted by smoke, and not about how smoke affects workers. A farmworker health survey report released in 2021 by the University of California-Merced and the National Agricultural Workers Survey found that fewer than 1 in 5 farmworkers have employer-based health coverage. Hertz-Picciotto said farmworkers are essential workers because the nation's food supply depends on them. “From a moral point of view and a health point of view, it's really reprehensible that the situation has gotten bad and things have not been put in place to protect farmworkers, and this paper should be really important in trying to bring that to light with real recommendations," she said. ___ The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment.
UK motorists warned of fake parking QR codes being used in ‘quishing’ scams None - Motorists have been urged not to scan QR codes to pay for their parking after a spate of scams that take advantage of the move to mobile payments. The RAC said drivers should be “very vigilant” and pay for their parking with cash, card or via official apps, rather than using a QR code that takes them to a website. In recent months councils around the UK have reported that fake QR codes have been stuck on their parking signs as part of termed “quishing” scams. The codes lead drivers to a fraudulent website where, instead of paying for their parking, the driver actually shares their payment details and information with scammers. The RAC’s head of policy, Simon Williams, said: “Unfortunately, the increasing popularity and ease of using QR codes appears to have made drivers more vulnerable to malicious scammers. For some, this sadly means a Quick Response code could in fact be a ‘quick route’ to losing money.” He added: “As if this quishing scam isn’t nasty enough, it can also lead to drivers being caught out twice if they don’t realise they haven’t paid for parking and end up getting a hefty fine from the council.” Among the councils to have warned of fake QR codes are Barking and Dagenham council in east London, Northumberland and Pembrokeshire. Similar scams have also been reported at electric vehicle charging stations around the UK. Most councils say they do not use QR codes on parking signs, and instead direct drivers towards an app for payment. The RAC said motorists who use a QR code should first check that it has not been stuck over official information – a tell-tale sign that it has been put there later. They should also ensure the URL it takes them to carries the padlock symbol and is for the company they expected. If not, they should not input their details. Williams added: “Many still prefer to pay with cash. Unfortunately, this option – along with payment machines – are being phased out by lots of councils, which a majority of drivers think is a bad idea.”