In our news wrap Wednesday, the Senate voted to confirm Kevin Warsh as the new chair of the Federal Reserve, the Trump administration is freezing some new Medicare enrollments and health officials in Spain and Italy say at least 17 people have tested negative for possible hantavirus infection.
Geoff Bennett:
The Senate voted to confirm Kevin Warsh as the new chair of the Federal Reserve.
Man:
The eyes are 54. The nays are 45. The nomination is confirmed.
Geoff Bennett:
The vote landed mostly along party lines and comes as the Central Bank faces a difficult economic environment and ongoing challenges to its historic independence. President Trump has been pushing the Fed to cut interest rates, despite rising inflation.
That included frequent criticism of outgoing Chair Jerome Powell, who has said he plans to stay on the Fed’s board after his term ends on Friday.
The Trump administration is freezing some new Medicare enrollments as part of an effort to crack down on what it says is fraud in federal health programs. Vice President J.D. Vance announced the initiative today, warning that states could lose their funding if they don’t cooperate.
Vice President J.D. Vance:
If they do not aggressively prosecute Medicaid fraud, we are going to turn off the money that goes to these anti-fraud units.
Geoff Bennett:
Vance also announced a $1.3 billion deferral in Medicaid reimbursements to California over suspected fraud. California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office pushed back, saying — quote — “We hate fraud, but that’s not what this is.” Newsom says the dispute involves a state program that provides home-based care to low-income and disabled residents, helping keep them out of more expensive nursing homes.
In Louisiana, Republican state senators are pushing forward with a plan that would eliminate one of the state’s two majority-Black districts. The proposed map could help the GOP pick up another seat in Congress in this year’s midterms. It leaves one Democratic stronghold remaining, largely based around New Orleans, and follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down the state’s current House map.
It was a topic of discussion on Capitol Hill today for Republican and Democratic leaders.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY):
It’s disgusting. And Republicans are doing it openly in plain sight, targeting African American communities. This is who they are.
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA):
The ultimate election integrity concern is to ensure that you don’t have an election on an unconstitutional map. And when the highest court in the land says your map is unconstitutional, you cannot proceed. You can’t have an election on an unconstitutional map.
Geoff Bennett:
Also today, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp called lawmakers for a special session next month to redraw maps there. Georgia joins Tennessee, Alabama, and others in reassessing their maps after the U.S. Supreme Court last month gutted the landmark Voting Rights Act and said districts could not be drawn with consideration for race.
Health officials in Spain and Italy say at least 17 people have tested negative for possible hantavirus infection. That means the current number of cases stemming from a cruise ship outbreak stands at 11, with nine confirmed. Meantime, European health officials say a French patient is critically ill and is breathing with the help of an artificial lung.
They also say the outbreak likely started with a single animal-to-human transmission, as is typical for such infections.
Here in the U.S.,
Jake Rosmarin, Travel Blogger:
Good morning, everyone. It is my second day here at the National Quarantine Unit in Omaha, Nebraska, and I just wanted to give you a little tour of my room.
Geoff Bennett:
Travel blogger Jake Rosmarin gave the world a glimpse of life in his quarantine. He’s one of 18 Americans who were brought back home. He’s asymptomatic, but expects to spend more than 40 days in quarantine to be safe.
In the U.K. today, King Charles laid out the government’s legislative agenda, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer fights for his political future. The king’s ceremonial speech is steeped in tradition, but the words themselves are not written by the monarch. They’re written by the government in power.
This year’s address focused on areas like energy policy, defense and national security, but it’s unclear whether Mr. Starmer will be able to see those priorities through. He’s facing growing calls from within his own party to step down and a possible leadership challenge from his health secretary. But Starmer has said he’s not leaving.
In the Philippines, that country’s Senate was thrown into chaos after apparent gunshots erupted inside the chamber during a live session in Manila.
(Gunshot)
(Shouting)
Geoff Bennett:
No injuries were reported. The incident came after a close ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte claimed police were moving to arrest him.
Senator Ronald dela Rosa once led Duterte’s brutal anti-drug crackdown, which rights groups say left thousands dead. Dela Rosa and Duterte are both facing crimes against humanity charges before the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Duterte is already in custody there awaiting trial.
On Wall Street today, stocks ended mixed after another discouraging report on inflation. The Dow Jones industrial average gave back nearly 70 points, but the Nasdaq enjoyed a strong session, adding more than 300 points. The S&P 500 also ended higher on the day.
