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Moderna agrees to true placebo-controlled trial of new COVID vaccine, Kennedy says

Moderna agrees to true placebo-controlled trial of new COVID vaccine, Kennedy says

Yahoo2 days ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Tuesday that Moderna has agreed to a true placebo-controlled trial of its new COVID-19 vaccine.
While noting that he was aware of concerns about the Food and Drug Administration's limited approval of the new mRNA vaccine for high-risk populations, Kennedy assured the agency will monitor and collect data throughout the trial for every adverse outcome.

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EU could approve Mercosur deal by summer, agriculture chief says
EU could approve Mercosur deal by summer, agriculture chief says

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EU could approve Mercosur deal by summer, agriculture chief says

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Exclusive-Aide to EU chief joins tariff negotiation team to spur US talks, sources say
Exclusive-Aide to EU chief joins tariff negotiation team to spur US talks, sources say

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time14 minutes ago

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Exclusive-Aide to EU chief joins tariff negotiation team to spur US talks, sources say

By Julia Payne and Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Union has changed its team locked in trade talks with the Trump administration, bringing in a close aide to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to deal more swiftly with political questions arising from the technical negotiations, three sources familiar with the talks said. The move follows frequent outbursts of frustration by U.S. President Donald Trump at what the White House perceives as slow progress in talks with the EU. Late in May he recommended a 50% tariff on most European goods from June, before backtracking. The move to bring more political decision-making to the EU team reflects challenges confronting the bloc as it negotiates a trading relationship with a U.S. president who has said repeatedly the EU was established to screw the United States. It also reflects the difficulties negotiating trade terms in isolation when Trump has sought to fold non-tariff barriers such as digital services taxes and food standards into the talks. "If you are a trade negotiator you need to be sure you have full political backing, so if the top level is there you feel stronger," one of the sources said. The expanded team, which apart from the von der Leyen aide now also includes a cabinet member of Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, was dispatched to Washington this week after a call between Trump and von der Leyen in which they agreed to fast-track negotiations. Following that call Trump agreed to allow more time for talks between Washington and the 27-nation bloc to produce a deal by July 9. "It was a merger of Commission layers to reinforce and act fast," a second of the sources said of the team's expansion, adding the team's shape could change again as talks continue. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said a meeting with Sefcovic in Paris on Wednesday had been constructive and that he was pleased negotiations were advancing quickly. He noted "a willingness by the EU to work with us to find a concrete way forward to achieve reciprocal trade". Sefcovic told reporters that both sides had concluded talks were "advancing in the right direction, at pace," and that high-level contacts would follow shortly. He and Greer had agreed how to "restructure" the focus of negotiations with the United States, he added. Washington was focused on four areas in its negotiations with other countries: tariffs, non-tariff barriers, purchases and economic security, one of the sources said. Trump has already hit Europe with a 50% tariff on steel and aluminium as well as a heightened levy on car imports. The EU is racing to secure a deal before July 9 when "reciprocal" tariffs on most other goods could surge from 10% to as high as 50%. Unlike Britain, the first major economy to reach a narrow trade agreement with the Trump administration, the EU is pushing for a comprehensive deal, with a baseline tariff rate below the 10% now in force. Two of the three sources said additional technical expertise had also been added to the negotiating team, but there had been no changes to the team's leadership. "I think it suits everyone to have the political cover," the first source said.

Trump's Justice Department to investigate Biden pardons, use of autopen
Trump's Justice Department to investigate Biden pardons, use of autopen

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time19 minutes ago

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Trump's Justice Department to investigate Biden pardons, use of autopen

President Donald Trump's Justice Department is examining pardons issued by former President Joe Biden in the final days of his presidency, a move that comes amid an investigation by the House Oversight Committee into the former president's cognitive health and use of autopen, the White House has confirmed. Ed Martin, the Justice Department's pardon attorney, told staff June 2 that he had been directed to investigate clemency and pardons granted by Biden, a Democrat, in the waning days of his presidency to family members and death row inmates, according to Reuters. In an email seen by Reuters, the investigation will focus on whether Biden "was competent and whether others were taking advantage of him through use of AutoPen or other means." An autopen is a device that mechanically replicates a signature. Presidents, including Trump, have used autopens for decades. There is no law prohibiting the use of autopens for pardons, as previous presidents have done. At a news briefing June 3, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the question was not whether the autopen had been used. "It's whether or not the president of the United States knew it was being used, and if not, who was using it in his name, which is clearly, illegal behavior," she said. There is no evidence to suggest anyone used the autopen without Biden's knowledge. On Jan 20, the last day of his presidency, Biden pardoned his siblings and their spouses, saying his family had been 'subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me − the worst kind of partisan politics.' On the campaign trail in 2023, Trump, who was then facing four criminal indictments, vowed to appoint a special prosecutor if he was reelected to 'go after' Biden and his family. The pardons went to Biden's siblings James Biden, Frank Biden and Valerie Biden Owens as well as their spouses, John Owens and Sara Biden. Biden on Dec. 1 pardoned his son Hunter Biden, who had pleaded guilty to tax violations and was convicted on firearms-related charges. A spokeswoman for Biden refused to comment on the development. The 82-year old Democrat announced last month that he had been diagnosed with an 'aggressive' Stage 4 prostate cancer. Questions around Biden's mental health intensified after his presidential debate with then-Republican nominee Donald Trump in June 2024; he ultimately dropped out of the White House race, paving the way for then-Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic nominee. On May 22, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Kentucky, sent letters to Biden's physician and former White House aides demanding they appear for a transcribed interview as part of an investigation into Biden's health and use of the autopen. The investigation's stated purpose is to 'uncover the truth' about Biden's "mental decline and potential unauthorized use of an autopen for sweeping pardons and other executive actions.' Letters seeking testimony have been sent to staffers including Anthony Bernal, former senior adviser to the first lady; former Domestic Policy Council Director Neera Tanden; and former Deputy Chief of Staff Annie Tomasini. Martin, the DOJ official, who wrote the letter to staff, took over as director of the Weaponization Working Group, associate deputy attorney general and pardon attorney after his nomination for U.S. attorney for Washington D.C. was pulled by Trump in early May. Martin failed to get enough Republican support from Capitol Hill because of his championing of the Trump supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an effort to overturn the 2020 election. Last week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt asked former first lady Jill Biden to speak up about her husband's mental health, saying she was 'complicit' in a 'cover-up.' Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justice Department to investigate Biden family pardons, autopen use

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