Steep jumps in health insurance premiums and deductibles are top of mind for many voters heading into midterm elections. KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner explains how rising costs may shape competitive races. She also distills plans from candidates on both sides of the aisle to bring costs down.
KFF Health News•Julie Rovner18 Sept
Washington is preparing for the right war, but in the wrong theater. For years, U.S. strategic thinking has centered on the Indo‑Pacific: the militarized atolls of the South China Sea, China’s churning naval shipyards, and the tense waters of the Taiwan Strait. Yet the next phase of competition will likely play out on the Eurasian landmass, contested through pipelines, swing states, and shifting alignments along routes that overlap with the ancient Silk Road. This is where China is building alternative trade and energy corridors beyond the immediate reach of U.S. military power.Chinese strategists have long worried that, in a conflict
War on the Rocks•William Pazos18 Sept
WASHINGTON: Scientists have identified an inherited genetic mutation that can raise a person’s risk of developing lung cancer by about 25 times, according to a new study of more than 3.3 million people. Among nonsmokers, the increase is even more dramatic, with the gene raising lung cancer risk some 60 times. For the new study, researchers analysed data from more than 3.3 million people who sent off a DNA sample to the ancestry and genetics company 23andMe. The mutation, called eGFR T790M, turned up in about 1 of every 15,850 people. Carriers had roughly 25 times the odds of developing lung cancer compared with noncarriers. The risk was even higher in people who had never smoked, at about 62 times the odds, versus roughly 11 times among those who had ever smoked. "We’ve known about germline eGFR T790M [mutation] from individual patients and families for years, but the mutation is so rare that we needed to study millions of people to quantify just how strong that risk is,” says lead study author Jaclyn LoPiccolo, MD, PhD, an attending physician and lung cancer researcher at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. But Dr. LoPiccolo cautions against reading the odds as a prediction for any one carrier. "It does not mean someone will definitely develop lung cancer. The study does not yet provide a precise lifetime risk,” she says. The mutation occurs in a gene called eGFR, short for epidermal growth factor receptor, which is already known to play a role in many lung cancers, says Goldberg. "What makes this version unusual is that it’s inherited, or ‘germline,’ meaning it’s present in every cell in a person’s body from birth and can be passed down through a family,” she says. Researchers hope the findings could one day help identify people at high risk of lung cancer who don’t fit the traditional profile.
The EU's move to make Canada an "associate member" is being watched worldwide as a new model to attract other democracies in its orbit, but it risks alienating candidate countries and further straining ties with Washington.
Euronews18 Sept
Former prime minister says US would ‘scuttle itself back to San Diego’, leaving Australia to deal with retribution from China Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our new political email , free app or daily news podcast Aukus critic Paul Keating has said the submarine deal is locking Australia in to any future US conflict with China – “a war America would certainly lose” – and making Australia a target for retribution. The former prime minister seized on comments reported out of Washington this week from Republican congressman Michael McCaul – a China hawk and co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Australia caucus – who said “Australia is a target” for enemies of the US already. However, McCaul argued that greater integration with the US military would better protect Australia rather than leaving it more vulnerable. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Ben Doherty18 Sept
The UN mission pointed out the missile strike on a primary school that killed over 150 people, as well as another airstrike which killed 22 civilians.
Most Americans oppose Trump naming buildings after himself while still in office
US President Donald Trump said that Washington and Warsaw were making 'major progress' toward establishing a US military base in Poland, potentially giving the United States a permanent military foothold on NATO's eastern flank even as his administration reviews its broader troop presence in Europe.
Brookings researchers in the US and China are urging Washington and Beijing to agree to keep humans in control of nuclear weapons.
The deal, which needs approval from Congress, comes as Riyadh seeks Washington's help in its war with Yemen's Houthis.
Al Jazeera17 Sept
In a 6-3 opinion, the majority found the 2024 measure violated the state's single-subject requirement. Dissenting justices argued the entire measure should not have been struck down.
An AFP photo of Donald Trump examining a depiction of Washington's Kennedy Center apparently being demolished sparked widespread attention Thursday after the president threatened to tear down the revered arts venue because he has been blocked from renaming it after himself. FRANCE 24's Fraser Jackson reports from Washington.
The work will be unveiled on October 31.
ARTnews•Andy Battaglia17 Sept
A Washington wine retailer argued the Illinois ban on out-of-state retailers from shipping to in-state consumers violates the commerce clause.
India has warned Washington that new measures to levy tariffs over the purchase of Russian oil could impact bilateral ties, the South Asian nation's foreign ministry said on Thursday, hours after the U.S. made a new move to punish such buyers. Earlier in the day, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a sweeping sanctions and tariff bill intended to increase economic pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. FRANCE 24's Emerald Maxwell reports.
US officials met representatives of Yemen's Houthis in Oman over the weekend, five sources familiar with the matter said, days after the Iran-backed militia seized a strategic stretch of the Red Sea coast in a sweeping offensive that routed Saudi-backed forces. U.S. President Donald Trump has so far rebuffed pleas from the Saudis for military support fighting the Houthis. FRANCE 24's Fraser Jackson reports from Washington.
Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday said he has “no plans” to run for president or any other elected office in 2028. During an event hosted by the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., organization chair David Rubenstein pressed Pence about whether he would consider another presidential bid. “What I can tell you is that…
The Hill•Sarah Davis17 Sept
The year 2026 has brought sweeping change to Latin America’s relationship with the United States. Following a major military buildup in the Caribbean and strikes against vessels suspected of drug trafficking, U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3 — unilaterally deposing the country’s leader and making new oil deals with the post-Maduro government. Washington has also intensified economic and political pressure against Cuba, imposed more tariffs across the region, and said it would not renew the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, triggering renegotiations. Meanwhile, Washington has deepened security cooperation with several countries, including shifting some funds from other regions
War on the Rocks•Anya Prusa17 Sept
Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has welcomed the EU’s proposal for Canada to become the bloc’s first ‘associate member’, despite threats from Donald Trump over the plan. The US president said Washington could impose ‘very serious tariffs’ or halt trade if the EU went ahead with the plan. But in a defiant speech to the European parliament, Carney called for ‘deep cooperation’ and said polling showed the overwhelming majority of Canadians supported closer ties with Europe. Lucy Hough speaks to Europe correspondent Jon Henley Continue reading...
The Guardian•Presented by Lucy Hough with Jon Henley ; produced by Angus Neale ; senior producer Ryan Ramgobin ; executive producer Zoe Hitch17 Sept
Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has welcomed the EU’s proposal for Canada to become the bloc’s first ‘associate member’, despite threats from Donald Trump over the plan. The US president said Washington could impose ‘very serious tariffs’ or halt trade if the EU went ahead with the plan. But in a defiant speech to the European parliament, Carney called for ‘deep cooperation’ and said polling showed the overwhelming majority of Canadians supported closer ties with Europe. Lucy Hough speaks to Europe correspondent Jon Henley – watch on YouTube Continue reading...
The Guardian•Presented by Lucy Hough with Jon Henley; producer Angus Neale; senior producer Ryan Ramgobin; executive producer Zoe Hitch17 Sept