• La Cámara de Representantes de Estados Unidos aprobó el jueves un proyecto de ley de asignaciones para Homeland Security, despejando el camino para poner fin a un cierre de la agencia de dos meses que había paralizado partes de las operaciones federales de inmigración, fronteras y ciberseguridad.
• El presidente Donald Trump firmó la medida poco después, restableciendo la financiación total para el Department of Homeland Security y evitando posibles interrupciones en la seguridad aeroportuaria, las operaciones de deportación y la aplicación de la ley fronteriza durante el año fiscal.
• El enfrentamiento por el cierre enfrentó a los aliados de Trump con los republicanos centristas y los demócratas por los niveles de aplicación de la ley fronteriza, pero el proyecto de ley final preservó las iniciativas fronterizas centrales de la era Trump mientras suavizaba algunas demandas de gasto de línea dura.
El veto del presidente Lula al proyecto de ley fue revocado por el congreso y el senado de Brasil, lo que significa que ahora espera la confirmación de la corte suprema. El congreso de Brasil, mayoritariamente conservador, ha aprobado un proyecto de ley que reduce la pena de prisión del expresidente de extrema derecha Jair Bolsonaro, quien fue condenado el año pasado por intentar un golpe de Estado. El proyecto de ley había sido aprobado inicialmente por el congreso en diciembre, pero el presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva lo vetó en enero en un movimiento simbólico que marcó los tres años desde que los partidarios de Bolsonaro saquearon la capital, Brasília. Continuar leyendo...
La votación se produce el mismo día en que la US supreme court revoca una disposición clave de la Voting Rights Act. La Florida legislature aprobó un nuevo mapa del Congreso destinado a maximizar la ventaja de los Republicans en el estado como parte de la batalla nacional de redistribución de distritos que Donald Trump inició antes de las elecciones de mitad de mandato de este año. La votación ocurrió solo dos días después de que el gobernador, Ron DeSantis, presentara su propuesta y el mismo día en que la US supreme court revocó una disposición clave de la Voting Rights Act. La decisión podría dificultar que los Democrats impugnen los esfuerzos de los Republicans para rediseñar los distritos del Congreso de manera que se limite la influencia de los votantes de color. Continuar leyendo...
El fabricante de OxyContin será reemplazado por una nueva empresa con el objetivo de combatir la crisis de los opioides al entrar en vigor el acuerdo legal. Purdue Pharma, fabricante de OxyContin, será disuelta y reemplazada por una compañía enfocada en el bien común para finales de la semana, a medida que entra en vigor un amplio acuerdo legal que resuelve miles de demandas. Un juez federal dictó este martes una sentencia penal a la empresa para resolver una investigación del US Department of Justice, un último paso necesario para despejar el camino hacia el acuerdo. Continuar leyendo...
Leaders will discuss how to respond to surging energy prices amid the war in the Middle EastEurope live – latest updatesEU leaders have welcomed the end of diplomatic deadlock over a long-awaited €90bn (£78bn) loan for Ukraine, after the bloc finalised the agreement along with a 20th package of sanctions against Russia.After weeks of delay, the EU signed off on the loan on Thursday, in time for summit talks in Cyprus that are scheduled to begin in the evening and will include talks over a dinner with the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Continue reading...
• The FDA granted accelerated approval to a CRISPR-based gene therapy for severe sickle cell disease on April 20, marking the first approved genetic treatment editing patient blood cells to produce functional hemoglobin.
• Clinical trials demonstrated 95% of treated patients experienced elimination or near-elimination of vaso-occlusive crises within 12 months, with durable responses observed for over two years post-treatment.
• The therapy addresses a disease affecting approximately 100,000 Americans, primarily of African descent, offering potential cure for patients previously reliant on pain management and blood transfusions.
The decision to extend a warrantless security law until 30 April came after 20 Republicans worked with House Democrats to defeat attempts to pass five-year and 18-month renewalsSign up for the Breaking News US emailHello and welcome to our live coverage of US politics.The House of Representatives voted early on Friday to briefly extend an expiring and controversial law that grants the US government sweeping powers for warrantless surveillance.Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon to be followed by a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese leaders next week.Progressive Democrat Analilia Mejia won a New Jersey special election for the US House on Thursday. Mejia, who was endorsed by Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is far more critical on Israel and was the only candidate in the Democratic primary to call Israel’s actions during the war in Gaza a genocide.Todd Lyons, the acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is stepping down after a turbulent year carrying out Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.Donald Trump nominated Erica Schwartz, former deputy surgeon general during his first administration, to lead the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).Schwartz was under immediate pressure from critics of the health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, to oppose his anti-vaccine ideology. At a heated oversight hearing, House Democrats grilled Kennedy over his vaccine rollbacks.Speaking in Las Vegas, Trump told supporters “the war in Iran is going along swimmingly, we can do whatever we want.” He did not explain why, then, the US military has been unable to stop Iran from closing the strait of Hormuz.The US Department of Justice opened an investigation into Eric Swalwell following his resignation from Congress, according to a source familiar with the matter.Police in Illinois responded Wednesday evening to the home of Pope Leo’s brother, John Prevost, after a bomb threat was made, NBC Chicago reported. Continue reading...
Legislative change backed by libertarian president makes it easier to extract metals in frozen parts of the AndesArgentina’s congress has approved a bill promoted by the libertarian president, Javier Milei, that authorises mining in ecologically sensitive areas of glaciers and permafrost, and has outraged environmentalists.The amendment to the so-called glacier law, which was already approved by the senate in February, would make it easier to mine for metals such as copper, lithium and silver in frozen parts of the Andes mountains. Continue reading...
• The FDA granted approval on April 7, 2026, to Moderna's mRESVIA vaccine, an mRNA-based shot targeting respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) for adults aged 60 and older.
• Clinical trials showed 83.7% efficacy against RSV lower respiratory tract disease in the first season, with data from over 37,000 participants across 22 countries including US sites.
• This marks the second mRNA RSV vaccine approved after GSK's Arexvy, aiming to reduce 140,000-160,000 annual US hospitalizations among seniors; CDC review expected soon.
Called Foundayo, the tablet becomes the second one to receive FDA’s green light after Novo Nordisk’s WegovyThe US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the green light on Wednesday to a new oral weight-loss medication developed by the Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly.Known as orforglipron or brand name Foundayo, the once-daily tablet becomes the second GLP-1 drug in pill form to hit the market in a short span of time, arriving after Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill received approval in December. Continue reading...
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