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☆ Medicare is barred from paying for weight-loss drugs like Wegovy. Lawmakers just took the first step to change that.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Medicare is barred under a 2003 law from paying for weight-loss medications like Wegovy. Lawmakers on Thursday reintroduced a bill that would expand Medicare coverage to the drugs. A major roadblock has long stood in the way of older Americans getting treatments for obesity: Medicare. But US lawmakers on Thursday took steps to broaden access to weight-loss treatment for seniors. Medicare coverage might prod other health insurers to pay for weight-loss medications, as private health plans tend to follow Medicare's lead.

Persons: Democratic Sen, Tom Carper, Carper, Republican Sen, Bill Cassidy, Raul Ruiz, Brad Wenstrup, Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, Wegovy, Eli Lilly, clamor, Chris Gallagher Organizations: Medicare, Democratic, Republican, California Democrat, Lawmakers, Nordisk's Wegovy, Vanderbilt University, Novo Nordisk, Wall Street Journal, Obesity, Coalition Locations: California, Ohio

☆ Why are people not getting married anymore?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Idil Karsit | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Almost 90% of the world's population now live in countries with falling marriage rates. One major factor is the changing economy," said Brad Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at University of Virginia. "Governments all over the world are worried because of economic implications," said Leng Leng Thang of National University of Singapore. The decline in marriage rates is turning into a demographic crisis for Japan — which is the world's third-largest economy and home to the world's oldest population. Watch the video above to learn what causes increasing number of couples around the world to opt out of marriage.

Persons: Brad Wilcox, Leng Leng Thang, Ye Liu Organizations: University of Virginia, National University of Singapore, King's College Locations: U.S, Asia, Japan, China, King's College London

☆ Some US schools are deploying robots that can surveil campuses and confront intruders
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Some US schools are deploying robots to beef up campus security, The Wall Street Journal reported. Some US schools are turning to robots to help beef up campus security and potentially confront intruders, The Wall Street Journal reported. Last June, the Biden Administration signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which invests millions of dollars into mental health services and school security. It has a speaker system that can allow a remote security team to speak to an intruder. At Wyandotte Public Schools district in Oklahoma, Superintendent Brad Wade told the Journal the district plans to deploy four robots from Stokes Robotics, which sells quadruped and wheeled robots.

Persons: Sen, Ted Cruz of, KRQE, Andy Sanchez, Mario Salbidrez, Salbidrez, Brad Wade, Robert Stokes, he's, Stokes Organizations: Street Journal, New, Santa Fe High School, Robb Elementary School, Biden Administration, Safer Communities, 1st Technologies, Santa Fe High, Team, Santa Fe Public Schools, Wyandotte Public Schools, Stokes Robotics Locations: New Mexico, Santa, Uvalde , Texas, Ted Cruz of Texas, Albuquerque, Oklahoma, disorient

☆ Gwyneth Paltrow compares Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck relationships
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Gwyneth Paltrow discussing who was the better lover – Brad Pitt or Ben Affleck – probably wasn’t on your 2023 bingo card, but here we are. The Oscar-winning actress appeared on the podcast “Call Her Daddy” and dished on her past relationships with the two superstars. “Brad was like the sort of major chemistry, love of your life, kind of, at the time,” Paltrow said. “Ben was like technically excellent.”She still has fondness for both the men it appears, especially Pitt. “He’s a great guy,” Paltrow said of Pitt.

☆ Utah state House Speaker weighs Romney primary challenge
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Bridget Bowman | Bridget Bowman Is A Deputy Editor For Nbc'S Political Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, could face a primary challenge if he decides to run for re-election, with a top state legislator officially exploring a run. Utah state House Speaker Brad Wilson launched an exploratory committee on Thursday as he weighs challenging Romney, telling the Associated Press that the Beehive State needs a "conservative fighter" and referring to Romney as a "professional career politician." I’ll make that assessment over the coming months, and sometime in the spring or summer, I’ll make that decision," Romney said, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. I’ll have the resources, and I believe the people of Utah would be with me." In an interview with the AP, Wilson declined to say if he would seek Trump's endorsement in the race.

☆ Chairman of the House panel probing Covid's origins says lawmakers haven't 'seen all that we want to see' but they're following 'the breadcrumbs'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The US Energy Department reportedly said with low confidence a lab leak likely caused COVID-19. Other agencies have suggested alternative theories caused the virus, including animal transmission. The chair of a House panel investigating Covid's origins said they have more questions than answers. Wrenstrup said it's "important to find the origins of Covid" but the committee is still unclear on the cause, since different agencies have their own theories. "What we are trying to do is to follow the breadcrumbs, if you will," Wrenstrup said.

[1/3] Students walk past stalls during the orientation week at The University of Sydney, in Camperdown, Australia February 15, 2023. 'BIG RUSH'The shortage has meanwhile jumpstarted one of the few subsets of Australian residential property, the student accommodation sector, that languished during COVID. Before 2020, Chinese students accounted for about 40% of the A$40 billion ($27 billion) Australia made educating foreigners annually. But China's reopening has raised the issue about the availability of beds in a "welcome sign" for investors, said Brad Williams, managing director of AMP Capital's diversified infrastructure trust, Australia's third-largest owner of purpose-built student accommodation. Tomas Johnsson, CEO of UniLodge Australia, the country's biggest operator of purpose-built student accommodation, said some developers were even paying more to speed up construction.

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, on Sunday called for "extensive public hearings" if the U.S. intelligence community conclusively determines that Covid-19 leaked from a Chinese laboratory. The committee is "reviewing the classified information provided," the spokesperson said. "There is a variety of views in the intelligence community. Some elements of the intelligence community have reached conclusions on one side, some on the other. "But right now, there is not a definitive answer that has emerged from the intelligence community on this question."

☆ House GOP asks Fauci and dozens of health officials to testify in investigation into Covid origins
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

House Republicans have asked former White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony to testify before Congress as they launch a new investigation into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. "If there are oversight hearings I absolutely will cooperate fully and testify before the Congress," Fauci told reporters during his final briefing at the White House. He stepped down from his posts at the White House and at the helm of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in December. EcoHealth Alliance provided funding, which originated at NIH, to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to study coronaviruses. About $600,000 of that money went directly to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to study the threat posed by bat coronaviruses.

McCarthy made good on his promise to block former House Intelligence chair Adam Schiff and Rep. Eric Swalwell — both California Democrats — from serving on that panel. In addition to keeping Schiff and Swalwell off the Intelligence Committee, McCarthy previously said he intended to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from the Foreign Affairs Committee. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who backed McCarthy but has caused headaches for GOP leadership in the past, also got a slot on the panel. The coronavirus committeeRep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, will chair the special committee investigating the spread of the coronavirus. Last week, McCarthy named GOP members to a third select committee, focused on competition between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party.

☆ With Great Salt Lake at rock bottom, lawmakers aim for rescue
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Evan Bush | Evan Bush Is A Science Reporter For Nbc News. He Can Be Reached At Evan.Bush Nbcuni.Com. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Water volume on the Great Salt Lake has dropped by more than two-thirds since pioneers once settled the Salt Lake Valley. Much of the lake surface is now exposed. Photographs of empty marinas and the cracking crust of the lake’s surface often illustrate the lake’s decline. The rivers and streams that feed The Great Salt Lake are overallocated, which means farmers and other water users collectively have rights to more water than what typically flows through each year. Spencer Cox last November closed the Great Salt Lake basin to appropriations for new water uses, effectively capping the line of water users wanting to use what flows into the lake.

☆ Mitt Romney could face a 'divisive' re-election campaign in 2024 after backing both Trump impeachments and breaking with conservatives
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Mitt Romney is perhaps the most anti-Trump Republican senator and has often broken with the GOP. Romney voted to convict the former president during both of his impeachments, first on abuse of power charges in 2020 and then incitement of an insurrection in 2021. If Romney chooses to run again, he'll have to explain all of that to Republican primary voters back home. The Utah senator told Insider at the Capitol last month that he had not yet decided whether to run, but was "keeping my options open." In Washington, Romney can count on the backing of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who told Politico that it's "important for the Republican Party and the country" that the Utah Republican seek re-election.

A shopper exits a Party City Holdco Inc. store in New York, U.S., on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018. Party City Holdco released earnings figures on November 8. To manage through the tougher period, Weston told investors in November that Party City would work to cut costs by $30 million. Party City tapped retail consultants AlixPartners in November as its financial advisor. Shares of Party City were up 10% and halted in premarket trading on Wednesday.

“He’s got to say, ‘I messed up, I apologize,’” said Lanny Davis, who handled various investigations as a lawyer in the Clinton White House. The White House didn’t publicly confirm that documents had been found until Monday, when CBS News reported that a review was underway. A statement from a White House lawyer, Richard Sauber, mentioned only classified material found at the center. We respect that process.”Jennifer Palmieri, who served as communications director in the Obama White House, suggested that any White House press secretary in this position would be in a tough spot in terms of what can be disclosed in the briefing room. “The White House should consider appointing a separate spokesperson to handle all questions related to this matter,” said Karen Finney, a Democratic strategist who also served in the Clinton White House.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are sounding the alarm about how a nonfunctional House hurts national security. "If a national security crisis arises, the President of the United States is right down the street," he said. "I'm informed by House Security that, technically, I don't have a clearance," Gallagher, a former Marine Corps intelligence officer, told reporters. "I'm a member of the [House Intelligence Committee], I'm on the Armed Services Committee, and I can't meet in the SCIF to conduct essential business." "President Xi says, 'Our system of governance works because democracy don't,'" Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, told reporters.

COVINGTON, Ky. — A key part of the White House plan to combat the new House GOP majority was on vivid display Wednesday: President Joe Biden talked about bridges and bipartisanship, while Republicans bickered among themselves. They plan to show him addressing real-world problems that are Americans' top concern while painting congressional Republicans as being focused on raw politics. They are refining plans to pressure House Republicans in swing districts to stop any impeachment votes in committee — before the issue reaches the House floor. The general view inside the White House is that there is little of substance to worry about. There, Barack Obama challenged McConnell and congressional Republicans to “help us rebuild this bridge!” and put unemployed construction workers to work.

☆ Members of congress say they are unable to receive classified information as Kevin McCarthy loses 6th vote to become House speaker in 2 days
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Members of Congress are speaking out about the myriad issues caused by the House speaker vote. Following Rep. McCarthy's sixth failed bid on Wednesday, there are zero sworn members of Congress. There are currently no members of the Congress, as swearing-in ceremonies have been delayed while the quest to elect a House speaker has dragged on. And on Wednesday, several members of Congress said that the procedural hold-up and GOP infighting have restricted their access to classified information and key national security intel. By Wednesday evening, McCarthy had failed in six consecutive bids to become House speaker.

☆ Brad William Henke, ‘Orange Is the New Black’ actor, dead at 56
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Brad William Henke, a veteran character actor known for his work on “Orange Is the New Black” and other series, has died, according to his agent and manager. “Brad Henke was an incredibly kind man of joyous energy. Henke in a secene from "Orange is the New Black." Henke opened an acting studio in Los Angeles in 2000 where he helped to guide the careers of other actors. Henke is survived by his mother Tammy, his sister Annette, his wife Sonja, his stepson Aaden, his stepdaughter Leasa and his grandchild Amirah.

☆ Ohio GOP congressman's niece was among the 154 people killed in a crush of people in South Korea on Halloween weekend
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

At least 154 people were killed after a crowd surge on Saturday in the Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul. Rep. Brad Wenstrup said in a statement that his niece was one of the victims of the crush of people. Rep. Brad Wenstrup said in a press release on Monday that his niece, Anne Marie Gieske, was one of the victims. "Monica and I, and our entire family, are grieving the loss of our niece Anne Marie Gieske," Rep. Wenstrup wrote. Due to privacy considerations, the spokesperson could not confirm if the victims included Gieske.

☆ A camera from a 1937 explorer was discovered on a Canadian glacier. Scientists are trying to develop the 85-year-old film loaded inside.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In August, scientists and adventurers found camera gear abandoned by Brad Washburn, an American explorer, in 1937. By tracing the camera's path, scientists could learn how the glacier has changed over eight decades. "They essentially needed help to figure out how the glacier is moving and what's the best way of finding the cache," Medrzycka told Insider. "It was an amazing feeling, and I felt relief that I didn't fail at finding the cache," Medrzycka said, adding, "It was an epic moment for everyone." The team also retrieved two other cameras, including a DeVry "Lunchbox" model, with film still loaded inside.

LOS ANGELES — Angelina Jolie accused former husband Brad Pitt of choking one of their children during a volatile trans-Atlantic flight in 2016, according to a complaint she filed Tuesday. The filing, seen by NBC News, was a cross-complaint Jolie aimed at Pitt. Jolie maintained in the complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, that she was never under restrictions about whom she could sell the property to. “At one point, he poured beer on Jolie; at another, he poured beer and red wine on the children. “Brad will continue to respond in court as he has consistently done.”Diana Dasrath reported from Los Angeles and David K. Li from New York.

☆ What it's like working for lawmakers whose golden years are clouded by power struggles, rumors of senility, and constant second-guessing
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-13 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

Doug Heye, a Republican strategist, told Insider that some political maneuvering is more tactical. Emanuel, now the US's ambassador to Japan, didn't refute that the exchange took place but told Insider he didn't remember it. It serves the institution," the former GOP aide told Insider, adding that seasoned dealmakers are preferable to partisan bomb-throwers "with some agenda that they're driving." Paul Morigi/Getty ImagesWhite, now the executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation, told Insider his boss always had the final word. 'Preserving their dignity'Convincing career lawmakers to hang it up before they tarnish their respective legacies is tricky business, a veteran GOP leadership aide told Insider.

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