Author: Press Room

CNN  —  Texas filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging guidance issued by the Biden administration in July asserting that federal law does not allow pharmacies to turn away people who have a prescription for a drug that may end a pregnancy. The lawsuit was filed in a division of Texas’ Western District Court, which almost guarantees the case will be before US District Judge David Counts, a Trump-appointed judge. Texas argues that the policy violates the Constitution and federal law by using federal health programs to force pharmacies to carry abortion drugs in states where abortion is banned. “By requiring…

Societe Generale on Wednesday reported a 64% drop in annual net profits for 2022, weighed on by lower activity in its domestic banking unit, currency effects and increased operating expenses.The French bank said net income came in at 1.16 billion euros ($1.24 billion) for the final quarter of 2022, bringing its annual profit to 2.02 billion euros. In comparison, the bank had posted 5.6 billion euros in net profit at the end of 2021.The latest results came in higher than expectations. Analysts had estimated a net income of 905 million euros for the quarter and 1.5 billion euros for the…

CNN  —  Republicans repeatedly heckled President Joe Biden during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, ignoring the occasional shushes from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. In moments throughout the address, Republicans in the House chamber shouted at Biden, protesting his approach to a wide range of issues such as immigration, Social Security and Medicare spending and the debt ceiling. Biden at one point managed to quickly turn heckles in the chamber into a standing ovation from most Republicans, including McCarthy, when he was discussing the debt ceiling and the national debt, along with spending on Social Security and…

The Brazilian president says former leader Jair Bolsonaro ‘actively’ participated in storming of government buildings.Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has alleged that his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro actively participated in planning for his supporters to storm government offices on January 8, as a senator revealed the former far-right president attended an anti-election plot meeting. “Today I am well aware and will say it loud and clear: that citizen [former president Bolsonaro] prepared the coup,” Lula said in an interview with broadcaster RedeTV! on Thursday. Refusing to accept Bolsonaro’s election loss, thousands of his backers broke into the presidential palace,…

Health Minister Mark Butler says it has never been more expensive for Australians to visit a GP.“For the first time in the history of Medicare, the average gap fee for a standard GP consult is now more than the Medicare rebate itself,” he said during parliamentary Question Time.“Our cheaper medicines policy is already making a difference to millions of Australians.” Source: Sky News

CSX Transportation announced Tuesday that it had reached a deal with two railroad unions regarding paid sick leave. The agreement reached between CSX and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division, which represents engineers, and the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, which represents mechanical workers, will provide 5,000 union members employed by CSX with paid sick leave. “CSX is committed to listening to our railroaders and working with their representatives to find solutions that improve their quality of life and experience as employees,” said Joe Hinrichs, president and chief executive officer of CSX. “These agreements demonstrate that commitment and are…

Mary, Queen of Scots was beheaded for treason in the Great Hall of Fotheringhay Castle in England by order of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, on this day in history, Feb. 8, 1587. The Queen of Scotland’s blood-soaked dog refused to leave the top of her torso where her head sat moments earlier, as the executioners cleaned up the gore of her brutal death.”Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit,” the Roman Catholic monarch famously uttered in Latin, her last words before the executioner’s axe slashed through her neck. ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, FEB. 7, 1964, BEATLES ARRIVE IN…

‘You don’t belong here’: See tense confrontation between Romney and Santos Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah told GOP Rep. George Santos of New York: “You don’t belong here,” according to a member who witnessed the tense exchange in the House of Representatives chamber. Source: CNN

President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington, as Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., applaud. Pool | Via ReutersPresident Joe Biden delivered his second State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday night, marking the halfway point of his tenure. It was an opportunity for him to highlight his administration’s achievements to date, as well as set the tone for how he hopes the next two, possibly more, years go.Biden has been upbeat on his economic…

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, in the Republican response to the State of the Union address, accused President Biden of having surrendered his presidency to a “woke mob” who “can’t even tell you what a woman is.”Sanders used her address to compare her age with Biden, given the 40-year age difference between the two and the separate records they have broken.”At 40, I’m the youngest governor in the country, and at 80, he’s the oldest president in American history. I’m the first woman to lead my state, and he’s the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob…