Politics – TheNewsHub https://thenewshub.in Fri, 08 Nov 2024 16:55:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7 Trump calls for investigation of 'rumors' he plans to sell Trump Media stock https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/08/trump-calls-for-investigation-of-rumors-he-plans-to-sell-trump-media-stock/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/08/trump-calls-for-investigation-of-rumors-he-plans-to-sell-trump-media-stock/?noamp=mobile#respond Fri, 08 Nov 2024 16:55:02 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/08/trump-calls-for-investigation-of-rumors-he-plans-to-sell-trump-media-stock/

This photo illustration shows an image of former President Donald Trump next to a phone screen that is displaying the Truth Social app, in Washington, DC, on February 21, 2022.

Stefani Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images

Trump Media shares soared Friday after President-elect Donald Trump reaffirmed he has no plans to sell off his stake in the Truth Social operator, and called on authorities to investigate whoever suggested otherwise.

Trump’s announcement, posted on Truth Social, was his first personally written statement since his stunning victory against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in Tuesday’s presidential election.

DJT shares shot up more than 10% immediately following Trump’s post, triggering a temporary trading halt due to volatility.

“There are fake, untrue, and probably illegal rumors and/or statements made by, perhaps, market manipulators or short sellers, that I am interested in selling shares of Truth,” the Republican said in the post Friday morning.

“THOSE RUMORS OR STATEMENTS ARE FALSE. I HAVE NO INTENTION OF SELLING!” Trump said. “I hereby request that the people who have set off these fake rumors or statements, and who may have done so in the past, be immediately investigated by the appropriate authorities.”

Trump is the majority owner of Trump Media. His stake as of Friday was worth more than $3 billion.

The company on Election Day posted a net loss of $19 million in the last quarter on revenue of just over $1 million. But its stock nevertheless closed higher Wednesday, as Trump’s political triumph buoyed his fans who have bought into the company as a way to support him.

Shares plunged more than 22% on Thursday, undoing some of the company’s gains from a surging rally in the lead-up to the election.

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Trump victory boosts book sales from “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “1984” to “Hillbilly Elegy” https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/08/trump-victory-boosts-book-sales-from-the-handmaids-tale-and-1984-to-hillbilly-elegy/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/08/trump-victory-boosts-book-sales-from-the-handmaids-tale-and-1984-to-hillbilly-elegy/?noamp=mobile#respond Fri, 08 Nov 2024 15:19:29 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/08/trump-victory-boosts-book-sales-from-the-handmaids-tale-and-1984-to-hillbilly-elegy/


11/7: CBS Morning News

20:45

“The Handmaid’s Tale” is selling again.

Since President-elect Donald Trump clinched his return to the White House, Margaret Atwood’s dystopian classic about a country in which women are brutally repressed has been high on the Amazon.com best seller list. “The Handmaid’s Tale” was popular throughout Trump’s first term, along with such dark futuristic narratives as George Orwell’s “1984” and Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451,” both of which were in the Amazon top 40 as of Thursday afternoon. Another best-seller from Trump’s previous time in office, Timothy Snyder’s “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century,” was in the top 10.


Metro Detroit bookstore celebrates resurgence of romance novels

02:20

Pro-Trump books also were selling well. Former first lady Melania Trump’s memoir, “Melania,” was No. 1 on the Amazon list, and Vice President-elect JD Vance’s “Hillbilly Elegy” was in the top 10. Donald Trump’s photo book “Save America” was in the top 30.

At Barnes & Noble, “Fiction and non-fiction books that feature fascism, feminism, dystopian worlds and both right-and-left leaning politics rocketed up our sales charts with the election results,” according to Shannon DeVito, the chain’s director of books. She cited “Melania,” “On Tyranny” and Bob Woodward’s latest, “War,” which covers the responses of Trump and President Joe Biden to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

DeVito also cited “a massive bump in dystopian fiction,” notably for “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “1984.”

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How Trump's victory could change abortion rights in America https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/07/how-trumps-victory-could-change-abortion-rights-in-america/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/07/how-trumps-victory-could-change-abortion-rights-in-america/?noamp=mobile#respond Thu, 07 Nov 2024 20:00:01 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/07/how-trumps-victory-could-change-abortion-rights-in-america/

Anti-abortion demonstrators listen to President Donald Trump as he speaks at the 47th annual “March for Life” in Washington, D.C., Jan. 24, 2020.

Olivier Douliery | Afp | Getty Images

Voters in seven out of 10 states approved ballot measures this week to safeguard abortion rights, a hot-button issue that helped drive Americans to the polls.

But President-elect Donald Trump‘s victory early Wednesday could make access to the procedure more vulnerable and uncertain across the U.S., health policy experts warned, leaving the reproductive well-being of many women hanging in the balance.

Trump has waffled considerably on his position on abortion, most recently saying he would not support a federal ban and wants to leave the issue up to the states. But Trump and his appointees to federal agencies could further restrict abortion on the federal level through methods that won’t require Congress to pass new legislation.

“The more restrictions we see on abortion over the next four years, the worse health outcomes are going to be. People are suffering and dying unnecessarily,” said Katie O’Connor, senior director of federal abortion policy at the National Women’s Law Center.

Abortion access in the U.S. has already been in a state of flux in the two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and ended the federal constitutional right to the procedure — a decision Trump takes credit for since he reshaped the court. As of last year, more than 25 million women ages 15 to 44 lived in states where there are more restrictions on abortion than before the court’s ruling in 2022, PBS reported.

Experts say a further crackdown on abortion by the Trump administration could put the health of many patients, especially those who are lower-income or people of color, at risk.

“As long as we have a government that is not fully committed to abortion access for everyone who seeks it, there is going to be chaos and confusion on the ground around what is legal and what is available,” O’Connor said. “It’s going to contribute to the ongoing health-care access crisis we’re seeing with abortion.”‘

It’s unclear what Trump’s actions around the issue could look like. There is little public support for Congress to pass nationwide bans on abortion, according to a poll conducted in June by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. At least 70% of Americans oppose a federal ban on abortion or a ban on the procedure at six weeks.

If Trump does decide to curb access, experts say, that could include limiting the use of medication abortion, particularly when it is administered through telehealth or delivered by mail. 

Medication is the most common method used to end a pregnancy in the U.S., accounting for 63% of all abortions in the U.S. last year, according to a March study by the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion access. 

Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

he had no plans to enforce the Comstock Act. 

But anti-abortion advocates and people in Trump’s close circle, including his running mate, Vice President-elect JD Vance, have urged the opposite. Some of Trump’s former advisors, writing in the conservative policy blueprint Project 2025, also endorse the use of the Comstock Act to restrict abortion pills. So does every major anti-abortion organization in the country.

There would likely be legal opposition to any effort to enforce it, O’Connor noted. 

That issue could end up at the Supreme Court, whose justices have expressed openness to the idea that the Comstock Act could ban abortion. Earlier this year, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas repeatedly invoked the Comstock Act during oral arguments in a case regarding medication abortion. 

dismissed the challenge to mifepristone and sided with the Biden administration, meaning the commonly used medication could remain widely available.

Mifepristone and Misoprostol pills are pictured Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018, in Skokie, Illinois.

Erin Hooley | Chicago Tribune | Tribune News Service | Getty Images

But Trump’s FDA appointees could push to roll back certain changes made from 2016 to 2021 that expanded access to mifepristone. That could include reinstating requirements that would require mifepristone to be dispensed in person, which would effectively eliminate access to the pill via telehealth. 

Telehealth has become an increasingly common way to access abortion bills, accounting for nearly 1 in 5 of them during the last months of 2023, according to a research project published in May by the Society of Family Planning. 

Restricting telehealth as an option would have an “incredibly chilling effect” on abortion access,” said Alina Salganicoff, a senior vice president and the director of Women’s Health Policy at KFF, a health policy research organization. 

“We will likely see more people in states where abortion is banned having to travel, more delays in getting care and the potential for more of them actually being denied that care due to difficulties related to getting the procedure in person,” she said. 

New FDA leaders could also attempt to use a more extreme approach: rescinding mifepristone’s approval altogether. Either strategy would disregard significant scientific research demonstrating mifepristone’s safe and effective use in the U.S., experts said.

Trump vaguely suggested in August that he would not rule out directing the FDA to revoke access to mifepristone. Just days later, Vance attempted to walk back those remarks. 

Trump’s comments appear to be a shift from his stance in June, when the former president said during a CNN debate that he “will not block” access to mifepristone.

Reviving old rules, gutting Biden’s

At the very least, Trump could reinstate some of the policies implemented during his first term that made abortions harder to obtain and gut some of the efforts that the Biden administration used to expand access. 

Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., left, points out states with restricted reproductive rights as Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, and Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., hold the map during a news conference on reproductive rights in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. 

Bill Clark | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images

Trump could reinstate a so-called domestic gag rule, which he implemented in 2019 and that the Biden administration reversed in 2021.

The rule prohibited providers that are part of the federally funded Title X family program from referring patients for abortion care or providing counseling that includes abortion information. Title X is a decades-old program that provides family planning and preventive health services to patients, especially lower-income individuals. 

Guttmacher’s Baden said the rule “decimated” Title X’s network of family planning clinics and constrained its ability to serve low-income patients. She said those clinics are “still recovering from that.” 

“I see no reason to assume that he wouldn’t go back to reinstating that rule in the first 100 days,” Baden said.

A Trump administration could also quickly nullify some of Biden’s executive orders, memorandums and other efforts that aimed to protect and expand access to reproductive health services, according to Baden. 

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Wall Street expects Trump presidency will unlock deal-making https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/07/wall-street-expects-trump-presidency-will-unlock-deal-making/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/07/wall-street-expects-trump-presidency-will-unlock-deal-making/?noamp=mobile#respond Thu, 07 Nov 2024 17:43:11 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/07/wall-street-expects-trump-presidency-will-unlock-deal-making/

Attendees cheer as a broadcast of former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trum speaking at his Florida election party is shown on a screen at the Nevada GOP election watch party in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 6, 2024. 

Ronda Churchill | Afp | Getty Images

Wall Street dealmakers and corporate leaders expect the flood gates to open on merger and acquisition activity after President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.

And he’ll likely have congressional help. Trump defeated Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, and Republicans claimed a majority of the Senate in elections this week. That red wave is expected to spell loosening regulations on deal-making, with plenty of pent-up demand.

“We know kind of where the world is headed in a Trump environment because we’ve seen it before,” said Jeffrey Solomon, president of TD Cowen, on CNBC’s “Money Movers” Wednesday. “I think the regulatory environment will be much more conducive to economic growth. There will be lighter and targeted regulation.”

Solomon added that the scaled-back regulation will be focused on certain areas “of particular interest to the Trump administration,” rather than a broad based reassessment of the entire landscape.

In recent years, there has been greater scrutiny of pending deals by the Biden administration’s Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission, headed by Chair Lina Khan. Some have pointed to that dynamic as a chilling factor on deal flow. High interest rates and soaring company valuations have contributed, too.

Khan said in September that “when you see greater scrutiny of mergers, you can see greater deterrence of illegal mergers.” Her hard line has drawn harsh criticism, but now, there’s optimism around a forthcoming FTC with a lighter hand.

“Assuming interest rates drop and you see corporate tax rates go down, the ingredients are there for a really active M&A market,” said one top dealmaker, who talked to CNBC on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly.

On Wednesday, markets rallied on the Republican presidential win, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average soaring 1,500 points to a new record high.

divest diagnostic test maker Grail after heated battles with the FTC and European antitrust regulators.

Also last year, the FTC blocked Sanofi’s proposed acquisition of a drug in development for Pompe disease, a genetic condition, from Maze Therapeutics. Sanofi ultimately terminated that deal.

“Whether or not Lina Khan is bounced day one is a key consideration, but even if fewer changes at the FTC take place, there is no doubt this administration — at least on paper — will be far more amicable when it comes to business combinations,” Jared Holz, Mizuho health-care equity strategist, said in an email on Wednesday.

One top dealmaker expected an M&A uptick broadly, but agreed that pharmaceuticals and the financial sector were particularly poised for a resurgence. That deal-maker also noted that with the Senate flipping, more outspoken antitrust voices like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., could find it more difficult to push for DOJ or FTC investigations.

In the financial sector regional banks recognize the need for scale, making them likely candidates for consolidation, said one former industry executive, noting that smaller banks had been getting gobbled up for “some time.” That person expects the pace and size of those acquisitions to ramp up under a Trump presidency.

Other industries, such as tech, may still face an uphill battle in getting deals done.

One M&A advisor, who also spoke to CNBC anonymously, noted that Trump’s disdain for Big Tech companies — historically active deal-makers — might keep them on the sidelines. On Wednesday, tech leaders took to social media to congratulate Trump.

Apparent GOP opposition to the CHIPS Act means that semiconductor consolidation might be challenging, the advisor noted, while cautioning it is still too early to know what a Trump presidency would mean. CNBC previously reported that Qualcomm recently approached Intel about a potential takeover.

“I think the simplest way to put it is more deals, less regulation with the administration having its thumb on the scale, perhaps with a willingness to pick winners and losers,” said Jonathan Miller, chief executive of Integrated Media, which specializes in digital media investments.

Kroger’s bid to take over grocery chain Albertsons could have a better chance of getting approved under Trump, as could Tapestry’s proposed acquisition of Capri.

The merger between Kroger and Albertsons is currently under review by a federal judge, while Tapestry is working to appeal a federal order that granted the FTC’s motion for a preliminary injunction against the tie-up.

“The hostile approach of the FTC to mergers and acquisitions will almost certainly be reset and replaced with a worldview that is more favorable to corporate dealmaking,” said GlobalData managing director Neil Saunders. “This does not necessarily mean that big deals like Kroger-Albertsons will be waved through, but it does mean others like Tapestry-Capri will receive a far warmer reception than they have under the Biden administration.”

Meanwhile, ongoing turmoil in the media industry has led many to consider consolidation as the next step for the sector.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav on Thursday highlighted opportunities that could come up if regulations were to loosen, doubling down on comments he made earlier this year at Allen & Co.’s annual Sun Valley conference.

“We have an upcoming new administration. … It’s too early to tell, but it may offer a pace of change and opportunity for consolidation that may be quite different, that would provide a real positive and accelerated impact on this industry that’s needed,” Zaslav said on an earnings call.

Broadcast station group owner Sinclair on Wednesday echoed a similar sentiment.

“We’re very excited about the upcoming regulatory environment,” CEO Chris Ripley said during an earnings call. “It does feel like a cloud over the industry is lifting here.”

Still, the track record between the previous Trump administration and the Biden administration for media industry deals is split.

Trump’s DOJ allowed Disney to buy Fox’s assets, but then sued to block AT&T’s deal for Time Warner.

Under the Biden administration, Amazon’s $8.5 billion deal for MGM and the merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery Communications were both waved through, but a federal judge blocked the $2.2 billion sale of Simon & Schuster to Penguin Random House.

Skydance Media and Paramount Global agreed to merge earlier this year and expect to receive regulatory approval in 2025.

]]> https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/07/wall-street-expects-trump-presidency-will-unlock-deal-making/feed/ 0 What Trump's election to the White House could mean for EVs https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/06/what-trumps-election-to-the-white-house-could-mean-for-evs/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/06/what-trumps-election-to-the-white-house-could-mean-for-evs/?noamp=mobile#respond Wed, 06 Nov 2024 21:19:02 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/06/what-trumps-election-to-the-white-house-could-mean-for-evs/

Production is now set to begin at the former Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, less than two years after GM announced the massive $2.2 billion investment to fully renovate the facility to build a variety of all-electric trucks and SUVs.

Photo by Jeffrey Sauger for General Motors

DETROIT – President-elect Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to send the U.S. electric vehicle industry into a period of uncertainty.

Republicans, led by the former president, have largely condemned EVs, claiming they are being forced upon consumers. Trump has vowed to roll back or eliminate many vehicle emissions standards under the Environmental Protection Agency as well as incentives to promote production and adoption of the vehicles such as the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

Auto industry insiders and other officials have said it would be difficult for Trump to completely gut the IRA, but he could defund or limit EV subsidies through executive orders or other policy actions.

Several people said they would expect Trump to target federal consumer credits that currently offer up to $7,500 for the purchase of an EV rather than target industrial production credits for companies.

“The IRA will probably have some adjustments … I don’t think the IRA will go away,” David Rubenstein, co-founder and co-chairman of The Carlyle Group investment firm, told CNBC on Wednesday. “It has some really good things in it that I think Republicans and Democrats will like.”

Many of the investments into EV production under the IRA having been taking place in Republican states such as Ohio, South Carolina and Georgia.

Automotive executives are also quick to say they don’t base investment decisions on who holds the White House, but there are natural adjustments with new administrations.

“Anytime there’s an administration change, it’s an interesting time for the industry because we have to go through new policies and regulations and have to bring new people up to speed on who we are and what we do,” David Christ, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota Division in North America, said Wednesday during an Automotive Press Association event near Detroit. “Administrations sometimes change every four years, so we don’t really do a lot of modifying the strategy.”

General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler parent Stellantis — would be the biggest winners of a second Trump term and Republican control of Congress.

“We see F and GM as the main beneficiaries from the Trump administration,” BofA Securities analyst John Murphy said in a Wednesday investor note. “The current environmental regime would pressure the core business of legacy [automakers, trucks,] to decarbonize by the end of the decade while shifting quickly to an EV portfolio.”

GM’s aspirations for an “all-electric future” and profitable EV business in the near term are highly reliant on federal tax credits.

Analysts had indicated EV startups such as Rivian Automotive and Lucid Group would benefit more with a Democratic win.

Toyota could also be a winner if EV regulations are reduced or eliminated, as the Japanese automaker has been slow to invest in all-electric models compared to hybrid vehicles.

Shares of GM and Ford closed Wednesday up 2.5% and 5.6%, respectively. Stock prices for Toyota and Stellantis, which is experiencing significant problems in the U.S., were essentially level. Lucid and Rivian were each down, 5.3% and 8.3%, respectively.

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Shares of automakers after President-elect Donald Trump’s victory.

An outlier is U.S. electric vehicle leader Tesla. CEO Elon Musk heavily campaigned in swing states for Trump, who has discussed making the billionaire a government efficiency czar.

Shares of Tesla soared Wednesday by 15% and earlier notched a new 52-week high.

“We see RIVN and LCID challenged, which is largely reflected in the stocks,” Murphy said. “We don’t expect meaningful issues for TSLA since it has already reached profitability and will introduce more entry level products that could be attractive for the larger public.”

Several automakers did not immediately return request for comment after NBC News and several other media outlets called the election for Trump.

Others such as the Detroit automakers and Hyundai Motor congratulated Trump and the newly elected officials across all levels of government.

“We look forward to working with the new Administration and Congress on policies that strengthen the U.S. automotive industry, which supports 9.7 million American jobs and drives more than $1 trillion into the economy each year,” Ford said.

“We congratulate and look forward to working with the President-elect, Congress, and all elected officials to ensure that the U.S. continues to lead the world in technology and innovation, to the benefit of American workers and consumers alike,” GM said.

“Advanced Clean Cars II” regulations of 2022 call for 35% of 2026 model year vehicles, which will begin to be introduced next year, to be zero-emission vehicles. Battery-electric, fuel cell and, to an extent, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles qualify as zero emission.

Before the election, automotive officials said regardless of who won the White House, many automakers will push for the mandates to be postponed.

The California Air Resources Board reports 12 states and Washington, D.C., have adopted the rules; however, roughly half of them did so starting with the 2027 model year. They are part of CARB’s Advanced Clean Cars regulations that require 100% of new vehicle sales in the state of California to be zero-emission models by 2035.

EVs made up 10% or more of local market shares in just 11 states and the District of Columbia to begin this year, according to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade association and lobby group that represents most major automakers operating in the U.S.

Auto executives and industry experts also expect Trump could roll back or freeze the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards for model years 2027-2031.

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]]> https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/06/what-trumps-election-to-the-white-house-could-mean-for-evs/feed/ 0 Trump says he will give RFK Jr. a major health role if he wins the White House. Here's what that means for patients, drugmakers https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/05/trump-says-he-will-give-rfk-jr-a-major-health-role-if-he-wins-the-white-house-heres-what-that-means-for-patients-drugmakers/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/05/trump-says-he-will-give-rfk-jr-a-major-health-role-if-he-wins-the-white-house-heres-what-that-means-for-patients-drugmakers/?noamp=mobile#respond Tue, 05 Nov 2024 20:43:43 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/05/trump-says-he-will-give-rfk-jr-a-major-health-role-if-he-wins-the-white-house-heres-what-that-means-for-patients-drugmakers/

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage at a Turning Point Action campaign rally at the Gas South Arena on October 23, 2024 in Duluth, Georgia. 

Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Donald Trump has made one clear promise about who could help take up the government’s health reins if he wins the presidency: notorious vaccine skeptic and conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

The former president said last week that Kennedy, who ended his own independent White House campaign earlier this year and endorsed Trump, will have a “big role” in health care in his administration. Last month, Trump said he would let Kennedy “go wild” on health, food and drug regulation.

Follow: Election 2024 live updates: Trump and Harris await Presidential election results

It’s unclear what exactly Kennedy’s role would look like, but the possibility is already raising alarm bells in the broader health community. Some health experts said elevating Kennedy, even in an informal Trump administration position, could potentially lead to severe consequences for patients, drugmakers and the nation’s public health overall. 

“I think it would be a world turned upside down,” Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who has been an open critic of Kennedy, told CNBC. “Things would not be grounded in scientific truth, just grounded in whatever he or his acolytes believe. It would be a free-for-all. It would be uncertainty and instability. It would be chaos.” 

He said “chaos” could potentially look like lower vaccination rates, increases in preventable disease and greater distrust in federal health agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

That could exacerbate the nation’s existing public health challenges, such as declining childhood vaccination rates for several preventable diseases, some experts say. The U.S. also has the lowest life expectancy at birth, the highest rate of people with multiple chronic diseases, and the highest maternal and infant death rate among other high-income nations, according to a 2023 report by the Commonwealth Fund, an independent research group. 

Kennedy, who does not have any medical or scientific credentials, believes drug companies and the federal health agencies that regulate them are making Americans less healthy. He has suggested that some vaccines should be taken off the market — a stance that Trump did not rule out Monday

The former environmental lawyer may also bring uncertainty to the pharmaceutical industry, which relies on federal health agencies to greenlight new products, keep old ones on the market, and, in some cases, fund research and development. It will likely be difficult for Kennedy to change the drug approval process, but experts said he could gain a new platform to politicize certain treatments he opposes and tout others that aren’t proven to be safe and effective.

Top leadership roles, such as the FDA commissioner, require confirmation by the Senate, which some experts noted could pose a hurdle for Kennedy. But Kennedy has met with Trump transition officials and could take a broad White House “health czar” position that would not need Senate confirmation, The Washington Post reported Saturday. 

Regardless of what the position looks like, Kennedy will likely gain a “new podium to spread his views,” said Drew Altman, president and CEO of health policy organization KFF. 

“It’s giving one of the chief architects for health misinformation a national podium backed by the president,” Altman told CNBC. “Many more people will hear what he has to say, believe it and act on it. That could pose a risk to their health.”

Kennedy’s team did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Real-world data from the CDC indicates that routine vaccination rates for kindergarten children ticked down during the pandemic and have yet to rebound. If Kennedy manages to push those rates even lower, vaccine-preventable diseases like polio and measles could potentially make a comeback, experts noted. 

For the companies that manufacture shots, an increase in anti-vaccine rhetoric could potentially translate to lower revenue. Drugmakers such as Pfizer and Moderna are still recovering from falling Covid vaccination rates in the U.S., which have dented their profits over the last two years. 

Kennedy may also affect the pharmaceutical industry’s ability to respond to another pandemic if given the power to determine how much federal funding should go toward vaccine development, some experts say. He told NBC News last year that he wouldn’t prioritize the research, manufacturing or distribution of shots if faced with another pandemic, falsely adding that “vaccines have probably caused more deaths than they’ve averted.”

Kennedy’s track record as a vaccine skeptic is extensive: He has long made misleading and false statements about the safety of shots, such as claiming that they are linked to autism despite numerous studies going back decades that debunk the association. Kennedy is the founder of the nonprofit Children’s Health Defense, the most well-funded anti-vaccine organization in the country. 

“He misinforms to the point that children suffer or die, and also stands back and doesn’t take any responsibility for it,” Offit said.

He pointed to Kennedy’s misinformation about the safety of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, which was linked to a severe measles outbreak in Samoa in 2019 that left dozens of children dead.

a post on X that the “FDA’s war on public health is about to end” and hinted at plans to gut the agency of workers who don’t agree with his views. 

He accused the agency of its “aggressive suppression of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, hyperbaric therapies, chelating compounds, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, vitamins, clean foods, sunshine, exercise, nutraceuticals and anything else that advances human health and can’t be patented by Pharma.”

Kennedy has previously claimed that hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin work against Covid, even though several studies say they do not. Hydroxychloroquine is an immunosuppressive drug, while ivermectin is used to treat infections caused by parasites.

“He has embraced a lot of therapies that have been unproven for certain uses and some have been discredited,” Kanter said. 

CDC. More than 40% of school-aged children and adolescents have at least one. Chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity are also a major driver of health-care costs in the U.S., accounting for about 90% of the $4.1 trillion annual health-care expenditure, the CDC said. 

Kennedy could spearhead “Operation Warp Speed for childhood chronic disease” under a Trump administration, sources close to the former president’s campaign told NBC News last week. That refers to the title of the Covid vaccine development and distribution project during Trump’s first term. 

It’s unclear what the new program or Kennedy’s role would look like, but the focus on chronic illnesses aligns with his so-called Make America Healthy Again platform.

The initiative — a riff on Trump’s Make America Great Again slogan — aims to remove chemicals from food production, combat the “root” causes of chronic diseases and eliminate conflicts of interest in medical research, among other priorities that largely have bipartisan support. Environmental factors such as air pollution and diet contribute to chronic health conditions, but Kennedy has pushed unfounded claims around certain food ingredients and minerals. 

Last week, Kennedy also proposed advising all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from drinking water, falsely claiming that it is “an industrial waste” linked to several medical conditions, such as thyroid disease and and neurodevelopmental disorders. Trump has since said that idea sounds “OK to me.”

But fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral found in soil, water and plants. Adding low levels of fluoride to drinking water is widely considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century for its role in preventing tooth decay. 

USC’s Kanter also said “there is a danger of oversimplifying complicated health problems” and attributing them to a few “root causes,” especially when they aren’t backed by science. Chronic diseases are complex conditions that can be caused by multiple factors, such as a patient’s genetics and socioeconomic status, according to Kanter. 

Kennedy’s nonprofit falsely links vaccines to chronic diseases, citing misleading articles and studies that show unvaccinated populations have fewer chronic conditions than their vaccinated peers. 

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]]> https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/05/trump-says-he-will-give-rfk-jr-a-major-health-role-if-he-wins-the-white-house-heres-what-that-means-for-patients-drugmakers/feed/ 0 Record numbers of wealthy Americans are making plans to leave the U.S. after the election https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/05/record-numbers-of-wealthy-americans-are-making-plans-to-leave-the-u-s-after-the-election/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/05/record-numbers-of-wealthy-americans-are-making-plans-to-leave-the-u-s-after-the-election/?noamp=mobile#respond Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:19:59 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/05/record-numbers-of-wealthy-americans-are-making-plans-to-leave-the-u-s-after-the-election/

Ferragudo, Portugal.

Gonzalo Azumendi | Stone | Getty Images

A version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide to the high-net-worth investor and consumer. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox.

A growing number of wealthy Americans are making plans to leave the country in the run-up to Tuesday’s election, with many fearing political and social unrest regardless of who wins, according to immigration attorneys.

Attorneys and advisors to family offices and high-net-worth families said they’re seeing record demand from clients looking for second passports or long-term residencies abroad. While talk of moving overseas after an election is common, wealth advisors said this time many of the wealthy are already taking action.

“We’ve never seen demand like we see now,” said Dominic Volek, group head of private clients at Henley & Partners, which advises the wealthy on international migration.

Volek said that for the first time, wealthy Americans are far and away the company’s largest client base, accounting for 20% of its business, or more than any other nationality. He said the number of Americans making plans to move abroad is up at least 30% over last year.

Follow: Election 2024 live updates: Trump and Harris await Presidential election results

David Lesperance, managing partner of Lesperance and Associates, the international tax and immigration firm, said the number of Americans hiring him for possible moves overseas has roughly tripled over last year.

A survey by Arton Capital, which advises the wealthy on immigration programs, found that 53% of American millionaires say they’re more likely to leave the U.S. after the election, no matter who wins. Younger millionaires were the most likely to leave, with 64% of millionaires between 18 and 29 saying they were “very interested” in seeking so-called golden visas through a residency-by-investment program overseas.

Granted, the interest in second passports or residencies has been rising steadily among the American rich since Covid-19. Whether it’s retiring to a warmer, cheaper country or being closer to family abroad, the wealthy have plenty of nonpolitical reasons to want to venture overseas.

The ultra-wealthy also increasingly see citizenship in one country as a concentrated personal and financial risk. Just as they diversify their investments, they’re now creating “passport portfolios” to hedge their country risk. Others want a non-U.S. passport in case they’re traveling to dangerous countries or regions hostile to the U.S.

Yet the elections and the political climate have accelerated and added to the push by wealthy Americans to consider a Plan B abroad. Lesperance said that for more than three decades, his American clients were mainly interested in moving overseas for tax reasons. Now, it’s politics and fear of violence, with next week’s election turbocharging those fears.

“For some of them, the primary thing is ‘I don’t want to live in a MAGA America,'” Lesperance said. Others are worried about violence if Donald Trump loses, or Vice President Kamala Harris’ plan to tax unrealized capital gains for those worth more than $100 million. While tax analysts say the unrealized gains plan has little chance of passing Congress, even with a Democratic majority, Lesperance said it’s still a risk.

“Even if there is only a 3% chance that it happens, you still want to take out insurance,” he said.

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Attorneys say the wealthy also cite mass school shootings, the potential for political violence, antisemitism, Islamophobia and the government’s soaring debts as reasons to leave.

When it comes to destinations, Americans are looking mainly to Europe. According to Henley, the top countries for Americans looking for residency or second citizenships include Portugal, Malta, Greece, Spain and Antigua. Italy has also become popular for Americans.

“The love affair between Americans and Europe has been going on for very long time,” said Armand Arton, of Arton Capital. “It comes with a price, and they are totally fine investing couple hundred thousand dollars or a half million into a property or a fund.”

The rules and costs, however, are changing fast. While mass immigration has become a hot-button political issue across the world, some politicians in Europe have started to push back against golden visas that give the wealthy citizenship or residency purely based on investments.

Portugal, for instance, faced a backlash after a flood of foreigners poured in the Algarve and bought beach properties as part of the golden visa program. With property prices soaring by 15%, the government changed the rules, increasing minimum investment thresholds and removing residential property as an investment category.

Italy this summer doubled its flat tax on the overseas incomes of wealthy foreigners who transfer their tax residency to Italy, to 200,000 euros ($217,000). The change followed a wave of wealthy new migrants who came for the program and drove up Milan property prices.

For now, Malta remains the go-to second passport for the American rich. While expensive, at about $1 million to $1.2 million all-in, Malta’s investment citizenship program offers citizenship and unrestricted travel and residency in Malta and by extension the European Union, according to immigration attorneys. The EU has been challenging the Malta program in court, but most immigration attorneys expect the country to prevail.

The Caribbean is increasingly popular for Americans who simply want a second passport. Buying an approved piece of real estate in Antigua and Barbuda for more than $300,000 puts you on a path for citizenship, which allows freedom to travel to Hong Kong, Russia, Singapore, the U.K. and Europe, among other countries. St. Lucia is also increasingly popular, attorneys say.

Americans with ancestry in Ireland, Italy and dozens of other countries can apply for so-called lineage citizenship, which is typically far cheaper than an investment visa. Some countries, like Portugal, also offer retirement visas, which allow entry and a path to citizenship.

Don’t expect to get any citizenship or residencies right away. With attorneys and countries inundated with so many applications, and so many different background checks and approvals required, the process can take months or even a year or more. And that waiting list could grow longer depending on the election results.

“It’s getting crowded,” Lesperance said. “And I’m sure I’m going to get a bunch more on Nov. 6 or 7.”

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Boeing machinists end strike after approving labor contract with 38% wage increases https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/05/boeing-machinists-end-strike-after-approving-labor-contract-with-38-wage-increases/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/05/boeing-machinists-end-strike-after-approving-labor-contract-with-38-wage-increases/?noamp=mobile#respond Tue, 05 Nov 2024 12:41:06 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/05/boeing-machinists-end-strike-after-approving-labor-contract-with-38-wage-increases/

Boeing machinists approved a new labor deal Monday, ending a more than seven-week strike that halted most of the aircraft production at the company that was already struggling with mounting losses.

Machinists voted 59% in favor of the new contract, which includes 38% wage increases over four years and other improvements.

The approval is a relief for Boeing’s new CEO, Kelly Ortberg, who took the top job in August to steer the company through its safety and manufacturing crises. The company raised more than $20 billion in a share sale last week to weather its financial problems after warning it will likely burn cash through 2025.

Boeing will now be able to resume production, key to its recovery since the bulk of the aircraft price is paid when they are handed over to customers.

“While the past few months have been difficult for all of us, we are all part of the same team. We will only move forward by listening and working together,” Ortberg said after the contract passed. “There is much work ahead to return to the excellence that made Boeing an iconic company.”

President Joe Biden congratulated the union and the company — one of the country’s top exporters — on reaching the deal. Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su had gotten involved with the negotiations, meeting with both sides.

“This contract provides a 38% wage increase over four years, improves workers’ ability to retire with dignity, and supports fairness at the workplace,” Biden said in a statement. “This contract is also important for Boeing’s future as a critical part of America’s aerospace sector.”

walked off the job after overwhelmingly rejecting a proposal promising a 25% raise, far short of the 40% the union sought. They voted down another sweetened proposal late last month.

A union member from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751 counts ballots after a vote on a new contract proposal from Boeing at a union hall during an ongoing strike in Seattle, Washington, U.S. November 4, 2024.

REUTERS/David Ryder

Union urged approval

“This is a victory. We can hold our heads high,” said International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751 President Jon Holden as he announced the results late Monday.

The machinists, who build planes such as the bestselling 737 Max, 777 and 767 aircraft must return to their jobs no later than Nov. 12 the union said. They could return as early as Wednesday.

Boeing said machinist pay will average $119,309 at the end of this contract proposal. The first wage increase will be 13%. The contract also increases 401(k) contributions and a signing bonus of up to $12,000 or a combination of a $7,000 bonus and $5,000 401(k) deposit.

Workers had complained about the skyrocketing cost of living in the Seattle area, where most of Boeing’s aircraft are produced.

But the union had warned that the latest deal, which was proposed last week, might be as good as workers can expect to get.

“In every negotiation and strike, there is a point where we have extracted everything that we can in bargaining and by withholding our labor,” the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751 said in a statement then. “We are at that point now and risk a regressive or lesser offer in the future.”

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]]> https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/05/boeing-machinists-end-strike-after-approving-labor-contract-with-38-wage-increases/feed/ 0 Trump says RFK Jr. plan to remove fluoride from public water 'sounds okay to me' https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/03/trump-says-rfk-jr-plan-to-remove-fluoride-from-public-water-sounds-okay-to-me/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/03/trump-says-rfk-jr-plan-to-remove-fluoride-from-public-water-sounds-okay-to-me/?noamp=mobile#respond Sun, 03 Nov 2024 18:58:44 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/03/trump-says-rfk-jr-plan-to-remove-fluoride-from-public-water-sounds-okay-to-me/

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump attend a campaign event sponsored by conservative group Turning Point USA, in Duluth, Georgia, U.S., October 23, 2024.

Carlos Barria | Reuters

Former president Donald Trump said Sunday that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s proposal to remove fluoride from the U.S. water system “sounds okay” to him, a position that runs counter to the advice of public health agencies.

“Well, I haven’t talked to him about it yet, but it sounds okay to me. You know it’s possible,” Trump said in an interview with NBC News’ Dasha Burns, when asked about Kennedy’s proposition.

Kennedy posted on X Saturday, “On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S​. water systems to remove fluoride from public water.”

Trump also said Kennedy would have a big role crafting public health policy in any Trump administration.

Fluoride is naturally occurring in almost all water sources, and some is added to public water to help prevent cavities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The safety and benefits of fluoride are well documented and have been reviewed comprehensively by several scientific and public health organizations,” reads a post on the CDC website.

The American Dental Association says that 70 years of research backs up the safety and efficacy of adding fluoride to water, a process known as community water fluoridation.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the fluoride remark.

Kennedy is also a well known vaccine skeptic, who has helped spread false conspiracy theories about public health. Asked by NBC News whether “banning certain vaccines might be on the table” if Trump were president and Kennedy was in his administration, Trump left the door open.

“Well I’m going to talk to him and talk to other people, and I’ll make a decision, but he’s a very talented guy and has strong views,” said Trump.

The science on fluoride and water fluoridation is clear. But Trump’s doubts and the questions they could raise for voters about what public health might look like in a Trump White House underscore a serious challenge for the Trump campaign in its final days: Staying on message.

Last weekend, insult comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” which the Trump campaign distanced itself from.

Those comments dominated the news cycle for several days, until President Joe Biden appeared to call Trump supporters “garbage,” before later saying that was not what he meant.

Republicans argue that voters are not paying attention to every controversial statement from Trump and his allies this week, and instead focused on the bigger issues in the race.

“Voters in Michigan and Ohio and Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and Georgia and North Carolina are all talking about crime and unemployment,'” said Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday.

“They’re talking about the border. They’re talking about 70,000 Americans losing their lives to fentanyl. They’re not talking about fluoride.”

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Waqf land issue: BJP's Shehzad Poonawalla slams Karnataka govt, says ‘u-turn experts’ alleges vote bank politics https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/03/waqf-land-issue-bjps-shehzad-poonawalla-slams-karnataka-govt-says-u-turn-experts-alleges-vote-bank-politics/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/03/waqf-land-issue-bjps-shehzad-poonawalla-slams-karnataka-govt-says-u-turn-experts-alleges-vote-bank-politics/?noamp=mobile#respond Sun, 03 Nov 2024 08:45:40 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/03/waqf-land-issue-bjps-shehzad-poonawalla-slams-karnataka-govt-says-u-turn-experts-alleges-vote-bank-politics/

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla has slammed the Congress-led Karnataka government for its moves related to the Waqf land issue, ANI reported.

Speaking to the news agency, Poonawalla jibed at the state government for retracting notices related to the Waqf land issue and called it a “U-turn expert”.

‘U-turn, Vote Bank’

“The Karnataka government has now become a U-turn expert. First, it says that there was no MUDA scam, and then it returns to the land of the MUDA scam. Now Siddaramaiah has ordered that no farmer’s land will be taken,” Poonawalla said.

“But Waqf is not stopping at all, 53 Waqf properties have been identified in Vijayapura and Karnataka. This clearly means that the Congress wanted to give the farmers’ land to Waqf, to its vote bank, in a planned manner. Today, when the process of bringing amendments in Waqf takes place in JPC, the Congress opposes it,” he added.

What Happened?

According to a statement by the Chief Minister’s Office, CM Siddaramaiah on November 2 directed officials to immediately retract all notices sent to farmers concerning waqf land issues, stating that no disturbances should be caused to the farmers.

On the same day, Karnataka Waqf and Minority Affairs Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan slammed the opposition BJP in the state for a row over waqf notice to farmers and alleged that it was “projected differently.”

Speaking to ANI on November 2, Khan said that the notice has been withdrawn for reconsideration. “The temporary notice served to farmers has been made into a big issue by the BJP. They have projected it differently and are giving the wrong message to the country. The CM has decided to withdraw the notice and we are reconsidering it,” he stated.

‘Disturbance of Peace’

The Chief Minister’s directive came after a high-level meeting involving senior officials from the Revenue Department, Minority Welfare Department, and the Waqf Board.

The CM expressed strong dissatisfaction over recent actions taken by certain officials and highlighted that the JD(S) and BJP were allegedly using the Waqf matter for political gain, potentially disturbing peace in the state. He appealed to the public to disregard any misinformation and called on officials to ensure the matter was handled sensitively, as per the report.

Karnataka Legislative Council LoP Chalavadi Narayanaswamy reacted to the withdrawal orders by calling it an “eyewash” to win the local elections. “Now, you’ve given the order to withdraw the notices. But still, in the gazette, it is only Waqf’s property. So this is not a solution at all. I will immediately request CM Siddaramaiah to withdraw the 1974 gazette. Otherwise, it is just an eyewash to win the local elections. This will not bring any relief to the farmers,” he alleged.

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