Latest news with #CharlesDharapak
Newsweek
11 hours ago
- Health
- Newsweek
VA Marks Benefits Milestone For Veterans
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced that its mobile app has now accumulated more than 3 million downloads since its launch in 2021. The Health and Benefits app, which has 1.4 million active users, provides veterans access to information on health care and benefits. It allows users to refill and track VA prescriptions, review appointments, review claims and appeals status, submit evidence for claims and appeals, review VA payment and direct deposit information, locate the closest VA facilities, access the Veterans Crisis Line and show proof of Veteran status. VA Acting Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology and Acting Chief Information Officer Eddie Pool said: "VA's Health and Benefits app gives Veterans fast and convenient access to a host of important information, from appointments to prescriptions and benefits. We encourage all VA-enrolled Veterans to stay connected and informed by downloading the app." File photo: the Department of Veterans Affairs building in Washington. File photo: the Department of Veterans Affairs building in Washington. Charles Dharapak/AP This story will be updated.
The Herald Scotland
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Trump signs executive order cutting federal to broadcasters
The White House, in a social media posting announcing the signing, said the outlets 'receive millions from taxpayers to spread radical, woke propaganda disguised as 'news''. The headquarters for National Public Radio (NPR) is seen in Washington (AP/Charles Dharapak) It is the latest move by Mr Trump and his administration to utilise federal powers to control or hamstring institutions whose actions or viewpoints he disagrees with. Since taking office, Mr Trump has ousted leaders, placed staff on administrative leave and cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to artists, libraries, museums, theatres and others, through takeovers of the John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Mr Trump has also pushed to withhold federal research and education funds from universities and punish law firms unless they agree to eliminate diversity programmes and other measures he has found objectionable. The broadcasters get roughly half a billion dollars in public money through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and have been preparing for the possibility of stiff cuts since Mr Trump's election, as Republicans have long complained about them. Paula Kerger, PBS' chief executive and president, said in a statement last month that the Trump administration's effort to rescind funding for public media would 'disrupt the essential service PBS and local member stations provide to the American people'. 'There's nothing more American than PBS, and our work is only possible because of the bipartisan support we have always received from Congress,' she said. 'This public-private partnership allows us to help prepare millions of children for success in school and in life and also supports enriching and inspiring programmes of the highest quality.' The Corporation for Public Broadcasting sued Mr Trump earlier this week over his move to fire three members of its five-person board, contending that the president was exceeding his authority and that the move would deprive the board of a quorum needed to conduct business. Just two weeks ago, the White House said it would be asking Congress to rescind funding for the CPB as part of a 9.1 billion dollar (£6.8 billion) package of cuts. That package, however, which budget director Russell Vought said would likely be the first of several, has not yet been sent to Capitol Hill. The move against PBS and NPR comes as his administration has been working to dismantle the US Agency for Global Media, including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which were designed to model independent news gathering globally in societies that restrict the press. Those efforts have faced pushback from federal courts, which have ruled in some cases that the Trump administration may have overstepped its authority in holding back funds appropriated to the outlets by Congress.
