President embraces Robin-Hood-in-reverse policies to benefit wealthiest and hurt those earning under $50,000
Last November, Donald Trump made a solemn vow to all Americans: “Every citizen, I will fight for you, your family and your future every single day.” Eight months later, Trump is vigorously backing many policies that will mean pain for millions.
Trump has pushed to enact the Republican budget bill, which would make significant cuts to Medicaid, Obamacare, and food assistance, and would do the greatest damage to those Americans struggling hardest to make ends meet – the 30% of the US population that lives in households earning under $50,000 a year.
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Guardian World News
Mayors sue over Trump’s efforts to restrict Obamacare signups
Democratic mayors challenge new rules that give millions of people less time to enroll in coverage
New Trump administration rules that give millions of people a shorter timeframe to sign up for the Affordable Care Act’s health care coverage are facing a legal challenge from Democratic mayors around the country.
The rules, rolled out last month, reverse a Biden-era effort to expand access to the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance, commonly called “Obamacare” or the ACA. The previous Democratic administration expanded the enrollment window for the coverage, which led to record enrollment.
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US supreme court ruling sets stage for more politicized science under RFK Jr
Experts call decision that found health secretary has power to convene key panel ‘classic good news, bad news’
A US supreme court decision affirming the constitutionality of Obamacare sets the stage for more politicized science in the future, health law experts said about the court’s decision.
The court’s majority opinion in Kennedy v Braidwood Management found that an expert panel – the preventive services taskforce – convened under the Affordable Care Act is under the direct oversight of the health secretary.
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US supreme court ruling sets stage for more politicized science under RFK Jr
Experts call decision that found health secretary has power to convene key panel ‘classic good news, bad news’
A US supreme court decision affirming the constitutionality of Obamacare sets the stage for more politicized science in the future, health law experts said about the court’s decision.
The court’s majority opinion in Kennedy v Braidwood Management found that an expert panel – the preventive services taskforce – convened under the Affordable Care Act is under the direct oversight of the health secretary.
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Trump says supreme court limiting judges’ powers is ‘monumental victory’ as liberal justices dissent – live
Sonia Sotomayor says decision is an ‘open invitation … to bypass the constitution’; joined by Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson
US supreme court limits judges’ power on nationwide injunctions
US supreme court rules key provision of Obamacare constitutional
The Trump administration is readying a package of executive actions aimed at boosting energy supply to power the US expansion of artificial intelligence, according to four sources familiar with the planning, Reuters reports.
US and China are locked in a technological arms race and with it secure an economic and military edge. The huge amount of data processing behind AI requires a rapid increase in power supplies that are straining utilities and grids in many states.
The Israeli-US food distribution scheme in Gaza, Palestine, launched one month ago, is degrading Palestinians by design, forcing them to choose between starvation or risking their lives for minimal supplies.
With over 500 people killed and nearly 4,000 wounded while seeking food, this scheme is slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid and must be immediately dismantled…
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US supreme court rules key provision of Obamacare constitutional
Case challenged how members of an obscure but vital healthcare committee are appointed
The US supreme court has ruled that a key provision of “Obamacare”, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, is constitutional. The case challenged how members of an obscure but vital healthcare committee are appointed.
The committee, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), is a panel of 16 volunteer health experts who determine which evidence-based preventive health services private insurance companies must cover without cost for patients.
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Obama says Republicans are putting millions of Americans’ healthcare at risk
Rare intervention from former president urges people to call their senators to oppose Trump tax bill
Barack Obama has warned that Congress is putting millions of Americans at risk of losing healthcare coverage, in a rare intervention from the former president as the Republican party advances legislation that would gut major provisions of the Affordable Care Act.
“Congressional Republicans are trying to weaken the Affordable Care Act and put millions of people at risk of losing their health care,” Obama posted on social media. “Call your Senators and tell them we can’t let that happen.”
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Xavier Becerra joins crowded California governor’s race amid Democratic shake-up
Former Biden health secretary and state attorney general enters race as speculation swirls over Kamala Harris’s plans
Former Biden administration health secretary Xavier Becerra on Wednesday became the latest Democrat to join the crowded field seeking to become California’s next governor, a contest that could be dramatically reshaped if former vice-president Kamala Harris becomes a candidate.
The Stanford Law School graduate enters the race with a lengthy résumé of government service, including stints as California attorney general, US House member and state legislator. In December 2020, Joe Biden picked Becerra to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, putting a defender of the Affordable Care Act in a leading role to oversee his administration’s coronavirus response.
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Trump signs order on birthright citizenship – as it happened
President pardons 1,500 rioters, launches immigration crackdown, pauses TikTok ban and orders US withdrawal from WHO among other actions
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My colleague Joseph Gedeon in Washington DC also had this look at what Trump might have planned for day one:
In the grand theatre of American politics, presidential inaugurations typically follow a familiar script: the oath, the speech, a few carefully chosen executive orders to satisfy campaign promises. Franklin D Roosevelt used his first day to tackle the banking crisis. Barack Obama moved to close Guantánamo Bay (though it remains open). Donald Trump’s first term began with a single executive order targeting Obamacare. Joe Biden signed 17 executive orders on his first day in 2021.
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Trump’s queasy prescription to ‘make America healthy again’ takes shape
Jumble of proposals include ‘massive reform of Obamacare’ and giving anti-vaxxer RFK Jr the helm of health agencies
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From assertions that America’s highest-profile vaccine critic would lead health agencies to new promises for “massive reform” of Obamacare, the chaotic last week of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign will probably serve as a preview of what “Make America healthy again” could mean should the former president regain power.
The jumble of proposals echoed conservative policy documents, channeled the residual anger of the post-pandemic anti-vaccine movement and alarmed experts who help set the nation’s health policies.
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