Free Covid vaccinations for the uninsured following a public well being emergency

A health care worker prepares a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at a immunization clinic at the Peabody Institute Library in Peabody, Massachusetts on Wednesday, January 26, 2022.

Vanessa Leroy | Bloomberg | Getty Images

For now, uninsured Americans will continue to have free access to Covid-19 vaccines even after the US public health emergency has ended.

The Biden administration on Thursday lifted the three-year-old state of emergency that had allowed the government to provide improved welfare benefits and free Covid vaccines, testing and treatment during the pandemic.

But the availability and cost of these vaccines are actually determined by the federal government’s provision of free vaccinations, not the public health emergency.

That means people with or without insurance don’t have to pay for the Covid vaccinations out of their own pocket while supplies last.

According to the Centers for Disease Control Prevention, providers of government-purchased Covid vaccines cannot charge their patients or deny them vaccinations based on a person’s insurance status.

The Biden administration ordered 171 million Omicron Covid boosters last July. Since then, about 56 million Omicron shots have been administered, according to the CDC.

This means that more than 100 million free recordings are available to the public. The government estimates that supplies could last until the fall.

“There are many, many cans left.”. As you know, the uptake of booster shots hasn’t been very good,” said Jen Kates, senior vice president of KFF, a health policy research organization.

CNBC Health and Science

Read CNBC’s latest global health coverage:

But the vast majority of Americans will not have to pay for the Covid vaccines out of their own pockets, even after federal supplies run out.

The government will shift distribution of Covid vaccines to the private market once that stock runs out.

That means vaccine manufacturers Pfizer And Modern will sell their vaccines directly to healthcare providers for around $130 per dose — a nearly five-fold increase from current prices.

Insured Americans can access Covid vaccinations as part of their insurance coverage without having to pay for them out of pocket.

Private insurers and the state Medicare and Medicaid programs are required to cover all CDC-recommended vaccinations.

But for uninsured Americans, federal and corporate programs aim to close the gap.

There are still unanswered questions about what that effort will look like.

Here’s what we know about these programs so far:

Vaccines for Children program.

The CDC Vaccines For Children program is providing free Covid vaccines to children whose families or caregivers cannot afford them after the vaccines make it to the commercial market.

Children 19 and younger who are uninsured, underinsured, or eligible for Medicaid are eligible for the permanent VFC program.

This program already offers free vaccinations for other diseases, like measles and chickenpox.

The CDC’s decision to add Covid vaccinations to the free immunization program will be critical in maintaining access for many children – particularly those who are no longer eligible for other programs.

According to a report by the Department of Health and Human Services last year, up to 5 million children are expected to lose their health coverage through Medicaid or the children’s health insurance program without a public health emergency.

HHS Bridge Access Program

The Biden administration proposed creating a permanent program similar to the VFC for uninsured adults who cannot afford Covid vaccines and immunizations for other diseases. However, Congress has not yet enacted this proposal.

Meanwhile, the government last month launched the “HHS Bridge Access Program,” a temporary measure that will make free Covid vaccinations and treatments available to uninsured Americans once those products hit the commercial market.

Under the agreement, the CDC will continue to buy Covid vaccines at a discount and distribute them through 64 state and local health departments.

This HHS effort will leverage drugmakers’ “public obligations” to provide free Covid vaccines and treatments to uninsured people. As part of these commitments, HHS expects manufacturers to ship syringes directly to pharmacies free of charge.

Kates said HHS appears to be referring to the newly announced patient assistance programs from Pfizer and Moderna, which are committed to providing free Covid vaccines and treatments to uninsured people.

“As far as I know, HHS is essentially saying it will pay pharmacies the cost of administering vaccines and treatments to the public, while manufacturers will provide free vaccines and treatments directly to pharmacies as part of their patient assistance programs,” he said Kate’s to CNBC.

Pfizer and Moderna didn’t say they would supply free vaccines to pharmacies.

Overall, Kates said the Bridge Access Program will “certainly help some uninsured Americans,” but added that it’s still “difficult to estimate” how many people would benefit and how long the program will last.

The Pfizer and Moderna programs

Pfizer and Moderna both intend to launch patient assistance programs for their Covid shots, but the companies have shared few details about those efforts.

In patient-assistance programs, pharmacies and other vaccine providers typically pay a company for a drug up front, according to Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers.

She said those providers can then apply to the program for reimbursement of the cost of that drug after administering it to an eligible patient.

Pfizer’s patient assistance program will allow eligible, uninsured Americans free access to its Covid vaccine once the vaccines hit the commercial market, according to a company spokesman. Pfizer already has a support program for its other drugs.

The company will share more information on the utility’s application process and eligibility guidelines as it becomes available, the spokesperson added.

Moderna announced in February that its patient assistance program would go into effect after the public health emergency ends.

The company did not immediately respond to CNBC’s questions about further details of the program.

Lawmakers and health policy experts have strongly criticized patient support programs for being difficult to access and understand.

A 2018 study found that providers don’t always know which patients are best suited for these programs due to a lack of clear information about eligibility and benefits.

Hannan said companies need to ensure people without insurance have easy access to a free Covid shot through their patient assistance programs.

“If you make it challenging and have them jump through multiple hurdles, vaccine uptake probably isn’t going to be what we would like,” Hannan told CNBC.

Debt ceiling defined: What it is best to know

An inverted image of the US Capitol reflected in a puddle on the Eastern Front on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images

The White House and Republicans in Congress are locked in a stalemate over the debt ceiling. Failure to raise or suspend interest rates could result in the US’ first-ever default. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that the US could run out of money to meet its obligations as early as June 1 if Congress doesn’t deal with the matter.

With neither side likely to budge, here’s what you need to know about the situation.

What is the debt ceiling?

This is the maximum amount that Congress can borrow from the federal government to pay its bills. Since the state usually spends more money than it collects in taxes, it has to take on debt to pay its expenses. However, unlike a credit card, spending has already been approved by Congress, so the debt ceiling does not apply to new spending.

The mechanism was created during World War I to make borrowing easier. Before 1917, Congress had to approve additional debt for each new spending measure it passed. Until recently it was a rather routine process. Congress has raised the debt ceiling 78 times since 1960. The debt ceiling was last raised by $2.5 trillion in December 2021, bringing the ceiling to $31.381 trillion.

Unless Congress agrees to raise the debt ceiling, the government will have no money to pay its bills and will not pay its debts. The Treasury Department has already begun taking extraordinary measures to continue funding the government, but Yellen said she expects the funds to be fully depleted by early June.

What happens if the US defaults?

A sovereign debt default would have a devastating impact on the economy and would roil markets around the world. A default on government bonds could send the US economy into a tailspin. When Republicans in Congress last threatened to default in 2011, Standard & Poor’s downgraded the US credit rating from AAA to AA+ for the first time ever.

If the US defaulted, gross domestic product would fall by 4% and more than 7 million workers would lose their jobs, Moody’s Analytics recently predicted. Even a brief default would result in the loss of 2 million jobs, according to the data.

In this scenario, according to Fitch Ratings, US bond ratings would be classified as “limited default” and government bonds would be rated D until the US could resume borrowing. The Brookings Institution found that a default could result in $750 billion in higher federal borrowing costs over the next decade.

Furthermore, a default would shake the US position on the world stage. US Intelligence Director Avril Haines told the Senate Intelligence Committee last week that Russia and China would take advantage of a potential US default. Haines warned the two nations were trying to “highlight the chaos within the United States that we are unable to function as a democracy.”

What about government programs?

Should the US default, it would mean a tens of billions of dollars in pause in payments. The Bipartisan Policy Center estimates that in the first half of June, $50 billion in Social Security benefits, $20 billion in payments to Medicaid providers, $12 billion in veteran benefits, $6 billion in federal salaries and $1 billion -Dollars in SNAP benefits will be removed.

In an interview with CNBC on Monday, Yellen declined when asked how payments would be prioritized.

“There are no good options; every option is a bad option,” Yellen said. “I really don’t want to discuss them and rank them because, as every Treasury Secretary knows, the only option that’s really going to keep our economy and financial system in good shape is to raise the debt ceiling and make it clear that Congress is behind it.” stands.” The rationale is that America pays its bills.”

What is the Republican position?

Republicans are concerned about the rising national debt, which has grown from less than $1 trillion in the 1980s to over $30 trillion today. They refuse to raise the debt ceiling without spending cuts.

Republicans in the House of Representatives passed the Limit, Save and Grow Act last month, outlining the areas they want to limit. The bill would see sweeping cuts in discretionary federal spending, mandate new work requirements for welfare recipients, and expand mining and fossil fuel production — all in exchange for a debt ceiling hike for about a year.

What is the position of the White House?

The White House insists it is Congress’s responsibility to raise the debt ceiling unconditionally, as it has done three times under the Trump administration. President Joe Biden has repeatedly urged House Republicans to pass a clean debt ceiling hike and hold separate talks on budget spending cuts.

The president has asked lawmakers to engage in “normal arguments” rather than ultimatums.

“Like I’ve always said, we can discuss where we save, how much we spend, how we finally redesign the tax system so that everyone pays their fair share, or we can continue on the path we’re on but not below Threat of default,” Biden said on Friday. “Let’s eliminate the risk of default. Let’s argue normally. So we need to openly discuss a budget process for all of you to see.”

What’s next?

Leaders from both parties need to continue talks to reach a compromise before the scheduled June 1 deadline. If not, the Treasury Department must start making decisions about which bills to prioritize before it completely runs out of money, which Yellen has called untenable.

Most People do not get publicity alerts on their cell telephones

In most states, Americans will no longer receive notifications of a Covid infection on their smartphones after the end of the US public health emergency.

As of 2020, almost 30 countries are using a Bluetooth system developed by Apple And Google to track the spread of Covid infections and to send push notifications to all smartphone users who have been in close contact with a person who has tested positive for the virus.

The national server running the system was hosted by the Association of Public Health Laboratories.

On Thursday, the organization said that “a majority of states” stopped using the exposure reporting system after the Biden administration ended the public health emergency on May 11.

APHL added that key components of the system are no longer supported, which should help Millions of Americans are tracking their exposures and making decisions about isolating and testing for the virus.

In a joint statement Apple And Google did not address states’ decisions to stop using the system.

The tech giants told CNBC the system has helped health officials fight Covid in a way that protects privacy, citing how it tracks infections without capturing users’ location or identities.

California, New York, Massachusetts, Washington, Virginia, New Mexico and Colorado are among the states that have said they will stop using the system after the U.S. declaration of emergency ends.

“These systems should be shut down the same day the country’s COVID-19 state of emergency ends,” California’s Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement late Thursday.

Several states used the system to create apps that smartphone users could download, such as CA Notify and WA Notify.

States also provided exposure notifications through a built-in feature in Apple and Google’s operating systems.

This method required state health departments to submit a configuration file to Apple and Google with their contact information and Covid notices. The two tech companies would use the file to set up a feature on phones that users could turn on to receive notifications.

On Friday, some Apple users who opted in for this feature received push notifications informing them that their iPhones “stop logging nearby devices and you won’t be alerted to potential compromises.”

An Apple user shared in a Twitter post that their warning read, “Your public health agency has disabled exposure notifications.”

However, as of Friday afternoon, not all Apple and Google users in states that no longer use the exposure reporting system have received similar warnings.

Neither Apple nor Google addressed why some users received notifications while others did not.

There’s no clear figure on how many Americans have turned on the exposure notification feature on their phones or downloaded apps over the past three years.

Virginia estimates that since the launch of these tools in 2020, more than 3 million users have downloaded the state’s app or used the notification feature.

New Mexico said the “majority” of residents have the notifications feature turned on on their phones. According to the state, more than 1.5 million alerts have been sent to users who may have been exposed to Covid.

Washington said the state has generated more than 2.5 million exposure alerts through its app or alerts feature.

Researchers in Washington found that the state’s notification tools saved an estimated 30 to 120 lives and likely prevented about 6,000 Covid cases in the first four months after their launch in November 2020.

Despite these benefits, some Americans are skeptical about tools used to report Covid exposure.

A 2021 report by the US Government Accountability Office said the public had raised privacy concerns. The report says the public may not trust both local governments and tech companies to handle sensitive health information.

State decisions to halt Covid exposure reporting are part of a broader shift in how the country is responding to the pandemic.

Health officials have eased Covid restrictions like masking and social distancing over the past year as more Americans have been vaccinated and vaccinated against the virus.

This culminated in the end of the public health emergency, which phased out much of the funding and flexibility that had helped expand Covid testing, insurance coverage and access to healthcare during the pandemic.

Still, more than 1,000 Americans die from Covid every week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

FDA lifts blood donation ban on homosexual and bisexual males

The FDA According to the New York Times, the country has eased much of its long-standing ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood.

Gay and bisexual men – but only those in monogamous relationships – can now donate blood in the United States without having to give up sex.

The FDA is ending the ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood, but some restrictions still apply

Instead, the FDA will now require all potential donors to fill out a form with details of their recent sexual history, the Times reports. This applies regardless of sexual orientation, sex or gender.

These questions will include whether a person has had anal sex in the past three months and whether they have had sex with new or multiple partners in the same period.

However, several prohibitions remain in place for people who have new or multiple sexual partners or have engaged in anal sex in the past three months. The ban also extends to those prescribed oral PrEP to prevent HIV infection.

Meanwhile, blood supply shortages and new donations have prompted the FDA to revise its guidelines, in what critics say is discriminatory.

The FDA’s latest move is to expand donor availability after donations plummeted due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Blood donations fell during and after the pandemic because there were fewer blood drives in schools and offices.

The FDA said the new screening policy adjustments remain in line with regulations in the UK and Canada.

This is the FDA’s latest move to expand donor eligibility and increase donation numbers. The move also comes amid widespread pressure from LGBTQ groups, who say the ban is discriminatory.

Meanwhile, those who previously tested positive for HIV are still unable to donate blood. Anyone who takes medication for HIV prevention through sexual contact remains blocked for up to three months after the last dose.

The federal agency reports that certain HIV medications (PrEP) can often delay detection of the virus on screening tests.

Updated blood donation guidelines were finalized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday, easing restrictions on men having sex with men. pic.twitter.com/AWWjCIKC6p

— CGTN America (@cgtnamerica) May 11, 2023

A history of blood donation restrictions for gay and bisexual men, current screening issues

Each potential blood donor must answer questions about their sex history, drug use (injectable medications), new tattoos, and new piercings.

The blood is then tested for HIV, hepatitis C, syphilis and other infectious diseases before being eligible for donation, according to the Times.

It’s just the FDA’s latest move to adapt to the new societal mores of recent years.

In 2015, the FDA lifted a lifetime ban on men having sex with men before requiring a year’s abstinence, according to NPR.

A few years later, the federal agency shortened the abstinence period from 12 months to three months.

The decline in donations during the COVID-19 pandemic was primarily the trigger for the reduction in abstinence periods.

Years later, regulators said there had still been no negative impact on the blood supply due to the coronavirus.

Tax loophole in Inflation Discount Act encourages leasing

Dave Walters of Orange County, California stands by his newly leased Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric vehicle.

Provided by Dave Walters

Fed up with high gas prices and lured by federal tax breaks, Dave Walters decided to buy an all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 5 for his next vehicle.

The Orange County, California resident initially considered buying a used model until learning he could lease the vehicle and take advantage of a key loophole in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Buying a used Ioniq made in South Korea and Indonesia wouldn’t earn him a $7,500 rebate through a federal tax credit. The vehicle would be leased.

“I ran through the numbers – what it would be without the lease loan and with the lease loan – and it kind of overdid me and that was the main reason I went in that direction,” he said. “It was a few hundred dollars less a month.”

Walters is exactly the type of consumer Hyundai engine and other automakers have begun hiring electric car leases to take advantage of a loophole in the IRA that allows vehicles manufactured outside of North America to qualify for the credits. It’s something lawmakers like U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, DW.V., wanted to block with the rules.

Under the IRA, leasing is categorized as It is a commercial business and is therefore exempt from regulations requiring the vehicle and battery components to be manufactured in North America. Most electric vehicles for sale today are not eligible for the full tax credit due to where the vehicles or components were manufactured.

Senator Joe Manchin, DW.V., speaks with other members of the House of Representatives before a joint session of Congress in the U.S. Capitol in Washington April 27, 2023.

Elizabeth Franz | Reuters

But leasing could save motorists thousands, as long as the companies that get the loans pass the savings on to consumers.

“I’m not surprised manufacturers are saying they will offer more leasing,” said Charlie Chesbrough, chief economist at Cox Automotive. “For the IRA to use electric vehicles and allow them to qualify for the $7,500 is truly a game changer and it has a huge impact on our monthly payment.”

Chesbrough estimates that the full $7,500 tax credit for a $50,000 electric vehicle and a 36-month lease equates to a monthly savings of $222 for a consumer.

Auto research firm Edmunds reports that about 37% of electric vehicles purchased in April were leased, up from 25% in the first quarter and 13% last year.

“It kind of creates a loophole for automakers to target more affluent customers who are more likely to be able to afford an EV and actually get approval to buy it,” said Jessica Caldwell, Executive Director of Insights at Edmunds. “It also allows them to level the playing field against the competition, which gets the full tax credit on purchase.”

According to Hyundai Motor America CEO Randy Parker, the percentage of Hyundai Ioniq 5 vehicles leased rose from about 2% earlier this year to over 30% in April. As of this month, the company is offering to lease the vehicle for $499 per month — less than the industry average lease rate of $577, according to Edmunds.

The Kia EV6 will be on display at the April 13, 2022 New York Auto Show.

Scott Mill | CNBC

“We want to continue to push and highlight leasing as much as we can so that we can continue to benefit from the tax credit and consumers can benefit from the tax credit,” Parker told CNBC. “Right now, that’s how the cards are dealt.”

Kia and Ford also say they will look to increase leasing of their electric vehicles to lower prices and increase sales.

Kia expects to increase its leasing share of electric vehicles from under 15% currently to as much as 40% in the coming months, Watson said. Like Hyundai, Kia is offering its EV6 on a $499 lease with a $4,999 down payment.

“Over the next few years, Kia will have to rely heavily on leasing to pass the $7,500 credit on to customers. And that’s what we want to do,” said Eric Watson, vice president of sales operations for Kia Americas.

Prior to the IRA’s passage, Hyundai and Kia, owned by the same South Korean parent company, were second only to Tesla in US electric vehicle sales. But their sales have since lagged behind those of General Motors and Ford, both of which have vehicles that are eligible for some or all of the federal tax credits.

Hyundai and other automakers that were no longer eligible for loans under the IRA opposed the rules, calling for a longer relaxation period for the new rules or broad exemptions based on their U.S. electric-vehicle plans.

“It gives us a lifeline. I wouldn’t call it a level playing field,” Watson said of the lease eligibility for the $7,500 tax credit.

President Joe Biden stands next to a Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV during a visit to the Detroit Auto Show to highlight manufacturing of electric vehicles in America September 14, 2022.

Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

A Ford spokesman said the company’s credit department is working on a leasing strategy for electric vehicles like the Mustang Mach-E, which is made in Mexico and is currently eligible for half the federal tax credit on purchase. The company’s electric Ford F-150 Lightning is eligible for the full $7,500.

“We’re going to be leasing electric vehicles and you’ll be hearing more about that from us soon,” Ford CFO John Lawler said last month.

A spokesman for GM said the company is not changing its electric vehicle leasing strategy because all of its vehicles are eligible for the full tax credit. Only about 3% of GM’s electric vehicles are leased, he said.

While lease terms are typically only a few years, automakers have touted that electric vehicles are attracting new customers to their brands.

“I think the sooner you get these customers on to your brand, especially with the new technology, the better chance you have of retaining them,” Edmunds’ Caldwell said.

And term leasing could be an attractive option for many consumers like Walters, who traded in a Nissan Murano in 2009, as electric vehicles remain an emerging industry with changing technologies and a significant number of new entrants.

“I wanted to check it out and see if I really liked it. It’s only been six weeks but so far it’s been really good.” said Walters. “It’s really fun to drive and I really enjoy not having to pay for gas.”

Leqembi might value Medicare $5 billion a 12 months

Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi can be seen in this undated handout picture obtained by Reuters on January 20, 2023.

Eisai | Reuters

New Alzheimer’s antibody treatment Leqembi could cost Medicare up to $5 billion a year, according to a study published this week in a leading medical journal.

Medicare would spend about $2 billion a year if about 85,700 patients tested positive for the disease and were treated with it Eisai And biogenic Product Leqembi, according to the study published Thursday in JAMA Internal Medicine.

According to the study, the program would spend $5 billion for seniors if approximately 216,500 patients are eligible for the breakthrough treatment.

The authors said the estimated costs for Medicare are conservative and that spending on Leqembi could increase more than expected depending on demand and other factors.

The researchers who conducted the JAMA study included physicians and Public health and policy experts. They are affiliated with the University of California Los Angeles, Rand Corporation, Harvard Medical School and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, among others.

Eisai and Biogen have priced the twice-monthly antibody infusions at $26,500 per year.

There are also additional annual costs estimated at $7,300 per patient associated with visits to the neurologist, MRI and PET scans, administration of IV fluids, and monitoring and treatment of possible side effects, according to the researchers.

The study assumed that Medicare would cover 80% of the cost, while patients would have to pay all or part of the remaining 20%, depending on whether they had supplemental insurance.

According to the study, patients could expect an annual bill of about $6,600 per year, depending on which state they live in and whether they have supplemental insurance. Some lower-income people who are eligible for Medicare and Medicaid would not pay anything out of pocket.

CNBC Health and Science

Read CNBC’s latest global health coverage:

The Alzheimer’s Association, which works to help patients with the disease, estimates that Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia will cost the United States $345 billion this year. According to the association, these costs could increase to $1 trillion by 2050.

“This is the case without treatment. Prevention and treatment is the only way to reduce these costs over time,” Robert Egge, the association’s head of public policy, said in a statement.

“But it’s not the cost that should decide whether people have access to life-improving care – it’s the impact on people,” Egge said. “Treatments in early-stage Alzheimer’s disease could lead to a better quality of life.”

Clinical study results published in the New England Journal of Medicine in January showed that Leqembi had a beneficial effect on patients with early Alzheimer’s disease.

The expensive treatment is currently unavailable to the vast majority of patients because Medicare has severely restricted coverage of the antibody.

Medicare has promised to provide broader coverage for Leqembi if the FDA grants full approval for the treatment in July. Leqembi received accelerated approval from the Food and Drug Administration in January.

The Alzheimer’s Association, congressmen and attorneys general are pushing for Medicare to drop its restrictions and give Leqembi full coverage.

Antibody treatment, which targets brain plaques associated with the disease, slowed cognitive decline by 27% in Eisai’s clinical trial.

There are currently no other drugs on the market that have shown comparable effectiveness in slowing down Alzheimer’s disease. Eli Lilly’s Donanemab showed promising clinical trial results earlier this month. The company plans to file for full FDA approval this quarter.

Leqembi and donanemab both carry a serious risk of brain swelling and bleeding.

Biden attracted extra viewers than Trump along with his CNN City Corridor

How much has Donald Trump’s CNN Town Hall failed? In the same format and on the same channel, President Biden attracted more viewers than Trump.

The Washington Post has this interesting little note: “At a time when CNN was struggling to reverse its viewership decline, the show proved a disappointment in ratings, with Nielsen reporting just 3.1 million total viewers.” That was a big gain over CNN’s typical 8 p.m. show, but smaller audiences than CNN’s Town Hall with President Biden last summer (3.7 million) and six previous Trump Town Halls carried by Fox News — reflecting both the appeal of CNN as well as Trump questioned. ”

Which is it? Don’t people want to see CNN, or don’t people want to see Trump?

The answer is that Donald Trump copied the Fox News model of retaining followers. In terms of business structures, Trump and Fox News share the same DNA. The real implication of this dynamic is that a network that decides to host Trump is unlikely to attract as many viewers as Fox News does for the same event.

CNN seems to have many misconceptions about Trump and his supporters.

Trump himself isn’t big enough to lure Fox viewers to CNN. This dynamic suggests that CNN destroyed its credibility with an audience that would never come.

None of this explains how Biden was able to attract more viewers than Trump to CNN. There are a significant number of Americans who don’t want to see or hear Trump, and have absolutely no interest in listening to the former President and watching him play his oldies.

The numbers don’t lie, and they tell us that Joe Biden has more appeal on TV than Donald Trump.

For more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter:

Jason is the managing editor. He is also White House press secretary and congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. The focus of his thesis was on public policy with a focus on social reform movements.

Awards and professional memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association

Kendall Jenner shares cheeky bikini photographs from Tropical Getaway

The sun is shining, the rolls out!

Kendall Jenner Soaking up the sun’s rays during a recent tropical vacation with friends. As seen in photos posted to Instagram on May 11, the supermodel worked on her tan in a barely-there black bikini while lounging on a white-sand beach. One picture showed Kendall, who accessorized her cheeky two-piece suit with a bright red baseball cap, playing air guitar in the sun, while another snap showed her cooling off in the water.

Of course, the 27-year-old relaxed with a refreshing drink. She was seen in several pictures with a bottle of her 818 Tequila and a colorful cocktail.

Earlier this week, Kendall captured a shared laugh with the rumored flame bad bunny in a TikTok posted by the photographer Renell Medrano. In a moment that’s hard to miss, the two spent basking in the sun on what appeared to be a tropical golf course.

Neither Kendall nor the “Diles” have spoken publicly about the nature of their relationship, although they have been spotted together several times in recent months.

Washington Commanders to be bought to Josh Harris

A general view of fans in front of the Washington Commanders logo during the first half of the game between the Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles at FedExField on September 25, 2022 in Landover, Maryland.

Scott Taetsch | Getty Images

The NFL’s Washington Commanders have finalized a deal to sell them to a consortium led by private equity financier and professional sports team owner Josh Harris, the two sides announced Friday.

The deal is valued at about $6 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter, who declined to be named because the terms were not made public. While the deal still requires NFL approval, it would surpass last year’s $4.65 billion sale of the Denver Broncos to Walmart heir Rob Walton.

“League officials and the Finance Committee will review details of the proposed Washington transaction,” the NFL said. “Each transaction must be voted on by the entire membership, with 24 out of 32 votes required to approve the sale.”

The deal comes months after team owner Dan Snyder hired investment bankers to look into a sale, CNBC previously reported.

Snyder was not forced to sell the team, despite mounting pressure from other owners to depose him as owner. Snyder and the Commanders have been the subject of recent investigations by both the House Oversight Committee and the NFL related to allegations of sexual harassment and financial misconduct.

Harris said he is determined to bring back a Super Bowl title to the franchise, which has not played in a championship game since 1992. Washington has won three Super Bowls in total, all in the 1980s and 1990s.

“I want to express how excited we are that the NFL will be the next owners of the Washington Commanders and how committed we are to providing this city and its fanbase with a championship-level franchise,” Harris said in a statement on Friday.

Josh Harris, managing partner of the Philadelphia 76ers, stands on the field prior to Game 1 of an NBA basketball first round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, April 15, 2023 in Philadelphia.

Derik Hamilton | AP

Harris, majority owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, works with NBA legend Magic Johnson and Mitch Rales, a longtime business partner.

The deal comes amid calls for more black property from NFL teams.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be a partner in the proposed new Washington Commanders ownership group,” Johnson tweeted on Friday. “Josh Harris has assembled an amazing group that is not only committed to doing great things on the field, but to making a real impact on the DMV community and a loyal fanbase!”

The DMV refers to the greater Washington area, which includes the Districts of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.

Other members of the new ownership group include Michael Sapir, CEO of ProShares, and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. There are other partners in the group not listed in the press release announcing the deal. Harris will be the primary owner.

Read the full press release announcing the deal:

The Washington Commanders and a partnership led by Josh Harris have entered into a purchase and sale agreement, they jointly announced on Friday, May 12.

The purchase and sale agreement provides that Harris and partners will acquire the Washington Commanders from the Snyder family. The agreement is subject to NFL approval and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

Below are statements from Commanders co-owners Tanya and Dan Snyder and Josh Harris on behalf of the Harris Ownership Group.

Statement from Commanders co-owners Tanya and Dan Snyder:

“We are extremely pleased to have reached an agreement to sell the Commanders franchise with Josh Harris, a local native, and his impressive group of partners,” said Tanya and Dan Snyder. “We look forward to the speedy completion of this transaction and to keeping our fingers crossed for Josh and the team in the years to come.”

Statement by Josh Harris on behalf of the Harris Ownership Group:

On behalf of our entire ownership group — including Mitch Rales, my longtime sports business partner David Blitzer, and Earvin Magic Johnson — I want to express how excited and committed we are to be considered by the NFL as the next owner of the Washington Commanders We are We want to provide a championship-level franchise for this city and its fanbase.

Growing up at Chevy Chase, I witnessed firsthand the excitement surrounding the team, including their three Super Bowl victories and long-term winning culture. We look forward to the formal approval of our ownership by the NFL in the coming months and to the honor of continuing to serve as responsible and accountable stewards of the Commanders franchise.

Many thanks to Tanya and Dan Snyder and the staff at Commanders for their partnership and collaboration throughout the sales process.

In addition to Mitch, David and Magic, our exceptional ownership group includes local business leader Mark Ein, Lee Ainslie, Eric Holoman, Michael Li, owner of Range Group, Morgan family, owner of Morgan Properties, Santo Domingo family, Michael Sapir, among others Co-founder and CEO of ProShares, Eric Schmidt, former CEO and Executive Chair of Google and Andy Snyder. Collectively, these individuals and families have the shared resources and commitment to support our vision for Commanders.

We look forward to leading a world-class organization and making significant investments on and off the field to achieve excellence and have a lasting and positive impact on the community.

In response to the WHO, the outbreak is not a worldwide well being emergency

Pharmacist Uchita Parikh prepares a dose of the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine at a pop-up immunization clinic opened by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health today, August 3, 2022 at the West Hollywood Library in West Hollywood, California.

Mario Tama | Getty Images

The World Health Organization on Thursday declared the global public health emergency over due to the outbreak of the MPOX virus.

“We are now seeing steady progress in controlling the outbreak, based on the lessons of HIV and working closely with the communities most affected,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a press conference in Geneva.

“I am pleased to declare that the MPOX is no longer a global health emergency,” said Tedros.

In the past three months, the number of new Mpox cases has fallen by 90%, he said.

Formerly called monkeypox, the WHO changed the name to MPox last year to reduce stigma.

Mpox, a virus related to smallpox, has so far been mostly confined to Africa.

According to the WHO, the virus spread rapidly around the world last year, resulting in more than 87,000 cases and 140 deaths in 111 countries. It is the largest known outbreak of the virus in history.

CNBC Health and Science

Read CNBC’s latest global health coverage:

Bavarian Nordicwhich makes the MPOX vaccine, recently warned that the global outbreak is a wake-up call for the need to ramp up vaccine production capacity to prepare for a potential smallpox threat.

“If it wasn’t MPoxen it was smallpox, then we’re dead wrong,” Paul Chaplin, CEO of Bavarian Nordic, said in an interview with CNBC last month.

The company’s Jynneos vaccine protects against MPoxen and smallpox.

Mpox spreads primarily through sexual contact, with gay and bisexual men at higher risk of infection.

Although the virus is rarely fatal, infected people develop lesions in sensitive areas that are very painful and may require hospitalization.

Mpox can be fatal to people with severely compromised immune systems, such as people with HIV.

Public health officials dealing with the outbreak have faced a difficult balance between clearly communicating important information about the spread of the virus while not unleashing backlash against vulnerable communities.

“While stigma has been a driving issue in managing this epidemic and continues to impede access to healthcare for MPox, the feared backlash against the hardest-hit communities has largely failed to materialize,” Tedros said Thursday. “We are grateful for that.”

The largest Mpox outbreak occurred in the United States, with more than 30,000 cases and 42 deaths. The Biden administration ended the public health emergency declared in response to MPox in January after cases fell dramatically amid a nationwide public health immunization and information campaign.