At a recent press conference at Mar-a-Lago, President-elect Donald Trump made a bold promise to take on the powerful Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) responsible for inflating prescription drug prices in the U.S. Trump criticized PBMs, calling them a “horrible middleman” that profits by driving up drug costs without adding value. He vowed to eliminate the middleman and reduce drug prices to levels “that nobody has ever seen before.”
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, which killed 103 people and caused an estimated $53 billion in damages, North Carolina has received significant aid for recovery efforts, including over $1.1 billion in state relief and billions more in federal requests. The storm, considered the state’s worst natural disaster, has prompted both state and federal governments to take action, though criticism has followed regarding the adequacy of those efforts.
The FBI reportedly monitored the communications of Kash Patel, a key Trump ally and nominee for FBI Director, according to a Justice Department Inspector General report.
During Thursday's episode of The View, co-host Whoopi Goldberg accused Health and Human Services (HHS) nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of fat-shaming Americans by advocating for healthy lifestyle choices over weight-loss drugs. The exchange followed Kennedy’s comments to CNBC’s Jim Cramer, where he suggested that Americans should prioritize diet and exercise before resorting to GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro.
Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) indicated that she plans to support Pete Hegseth following "encouraging conversations." The move follows speculation that she and other senators expressed doubts about Hegseth's Senate confirmation.
The U.S. House is poised to vote on the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2025, authorizing $895.2 billion for the military, with $849.9 billion allocated directly to the Department of Defense. The 1,813-page bipartisan bill supports service members, defense infrastructure, and U.S. military capabilities.
