A bipartisan group of senators on Monday introduced legislation that would codify the right to an abortion into federal law, but it faces an uncertain future. The bill from Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) comes after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark abortion…
Author: Nathaniel Weixel
White House to launch updated COVID-19 booster campaign in September
The White House is moving ahead with plans to launch a COVID-19 booster campaign in September using a vaccine modified for the omicron subvariants sweeping the country, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Friday. The updated vaccine will specifically target the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of omicron which are currently circulating and fueling a…
House Oversight chairwoman calls on HHS to declare monkeypox a public health emergency
The chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Friday called on the Biden administration to declare monkeypox a public health emergency. “As the monkeypox virus continues to spread across the United States, I urge you to immediately declare a public health emergency so that the federal government can use every resource and tool…
Allergan reaches tentative $2.37 billion settlement on opioid marketing lawsuits
Drugmaker AbbVie on Friday said it has agreed in principle to pay more than $2 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits related to the marketing of opioids by Allergan, a former opioid manufacturer that has since been bought by AbbVie. The complete terms of the settlement have not yet been finalized, and a bipartisan group…
Biden officials remind insurers they must cover birth control for free
Biden administration officials on Thursday reminded insurers that they are legally required to cover contraception services at no cost. The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury issued guidance reminding them of the legal obligation under ObamaCare to provide contraceptive coverage for free. Officials said the guidance was issued in response to increasing…
Top FDA tobacco official leaving for Philip Morris job
A top official in the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) office of tobacco policy is leaving to join Philip Morris International, one of the world’s largest tobacco companies, according to an internal agency memo. Matt Holman, director of the Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) Office of Science, will be leaving the agency effective immediately, according…
White House proposes strengthening transgender health protections
A new proposal from the Biden administration would reverse Trump-era limits on health care protections against discrimination for gay and transgender people. The proposed rule from the Department of Health and Human Services would strengthen ObamaCare’s rules to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity,…
GOP plots Fauci probe after midterms
Congressional Republicans are eagerly floating investigations into Anthony Fauci and the Biden administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic if they win back control of the House or Senate in the midterm elections. “One way or another, if we are in the majority, we will subpoena his records and he will testify in the Senate under oath,” said…
Five takeaways as Biden tests positive for COVID-19
President Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, the latest development in the pandemic that continues to cast a shadow over his presidency. Here are five takeaways: Biden’s age is the biggest risk factor Even though he is up to date on his vaccines, including two boosters, Biden is 79 years old. While deaths from…
Court ruling paves way for Georgia’s six-week abortion ban to take effect
A six-week abortion ban can take effect in Georgia after a federal appeals court ruled that the previously blocked law is allowed to stand. The court on Wednesday issued an immediate stay of a lower court’s injunction, meaning the law can take effect right away. According to abortion rights advocates, the court took this action…