US and Iran to Hold Direct Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Senior US and Iranian officials were expected to meet in Oman for direct talks amid heightened tensions and fears of a military confrontation between the two countries, according to BBC World. The discussions followed a US military build-up in the Middle East in response to Iran's violent repression of nationwide anti-government protests last month. Human rights groups estimated that the crackdown resulted in the deaths of thousands of people. The US negotiating team was to be led by special envoy Steve Witkoff, while the Iranian team was headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to BBC World. Uncertainty over the location and scope had threatened to derail the talks, which were part of a diplomatic effort by regional powers to de-escalate the situation.
In other news, President Donald Trump unveiled the TrumpRx website on Thursday, which he said would help Americans buy lower-priced prescription drugs, according to ABC News. At an event at the White House, Trump listed 40 drugs at lower costs than previous list prices for patients paying out of pocket, calling the launch part of the "most transformative health care initiatives." He made the announcement alongside Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz and National Design Studio Director Joe Gebbia, according to ABC News. "Starting tonight, dozens of the most commonly used prescription drugs will be available at dramatic discounts for all consumers," Trump said. This announcement comes as polls show that most Americans are concerned about health care costs, according to ABC News.
Meanwhile, Congress approved legislation for a funding fix that fully supports the World Trade Center Health Program and prevents a projected multibillion-dollar shortfall that threatened the program's future, according to ABC News. At a press conference Thursday morning, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., highlighted the action as a critical step toward protecting long-term care for those sickened by toxic exposure after the Sept. 11 attacks. "Fully funding the World Trade Center Health Program honors our promise to never forget 911 survivors and the brave first responders who put their lives on the line for our country," Gillibrand said, according to ABC News.
In the financial sector, Bitcoin's price dropped to its lowest level since before President Trump's election, as the crypto industry faced a slump, according to the NY Times. Bitcoin was trading at less than $64,000, a nearly 50 percent decline from its peak price, which it reached just last October. The prices of two other top coins, Ether and Solana, were both down more than 30 percent over the past week. At the same time, the stock prices of major crypto firms have plummeted. Strategy, a company that buys enormous amounts of Bitcoin, was down 75 percent, according to the NY Times.
In other policy news, the Trump administration finalized a new policy on Thursday that would strip job protections from up to 50,000 federal workers, a move that would make it easier for President Trump to remove or discipline them, in his latest effort to dismantle the federal work force, according to the NY Times. Until now, the roughly 4,000 people appointed by the president, known as political appointees, were the only federal workers who could be fired at will. The policy issued on Thursday allows the administration to expand that number to include career employees whom the administration considers to also have policy-related roles. For these employees, any whistle-blower complaints would now be handled inside their agencies rather than by the independent Office of Special Counsel, as they had previously, according to the NY Times.
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