“The Food and Drug Administration approved a daily pill on Thursday that can lower cholesterol levels far below what can be achieved with statins, the cheap cholesterol-reducing pills. The drug, enlicitide, whose brand name is Lipfendra, is made by the pharmaceutical company Merck. Clinical trials have shown that it can bring levels of LDL — the dangerous type of cholesterol — down to 50 or 60 or even lower. Adults not taking cholesterol-lowering drugs usually have levels above 100. It works by inhibiting a protein known as PCSK9.” (07/16/26)
“Argentina face the prospect of disciplinary action from Fifa after their players celebrated the World Cup semi-final win against England with a banner in support of their country’s claims to the Falkland Islands. The defending world champions produced a dramatic late comeback in Atlanta, scoring twice to defeat Thomas Tuchel’s side 2-1 and book a showdown with Spain in Sunday’s final. After the final whistle, Argentina players celebrated while holding a banner reading ‘Las Malvinas son Argentinas’, which translates as ‘The Falklands are Argentine’. The Falklands, a British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic Ocean, remain the subject of a sovereignty dispute between the UK and Argentina. Downing Street backed calls for Fifa to investigate, with the prime minister’s official spokesperson saying: ‘The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are. Our commitment to the Falklands will never waver.'” (07/16/26)
“The Food and Drug Administration is investigating iceberg lettuce supplied to Taco Bells by Taylor Farms as a possible source in an escalating outbreak of cyclosporiasis in four Midwestern states, a stomach bug that causes weeks of severe diarrhea, according to a person familiar with the investigation. Nationwide, nearly 7,000 people nationwide may have been sickened, with 1,645 of those cases confirmed and more than 5,100 still under investigation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No deaths have been reported. Earlier this week, the CDC announced an investigation into more than 400 cases in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky.” (07/16/26)
“Five years ago, revelations of Israeli-made spyware Pegasus, purchased by Morocco, was being used to spy on various high-ranking French officials, including the then defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu. Now Prime Minister, Lecornu is on an official visit to Morocco, where new revelations related to the scandal have come to light. Investigative outlet Forbidden Stories reports a group of representatives of Israeli company NSO spending 10 days in a villa in central Rabat in 2017, long before the two countries had normalised bilateral relations. They wowed Moroccan officials with what Pegasus could do: remotely activating cameras and microphones and extracting text messages or data with a single click. Nearly a decade after, a consortium of 15 news outlets have secured the rare testimony of a whistleblower who was formerly employed by the Moroccan secret services.” (07/16/26)
“President Donald Trump fired the new top US prosecutor in Seattle on Wednesday less than an hour after the attorney was unanimously appointed by the federal judges in the district, highlighting tensions between the courts and the president over the powerful positions. Roger Rogoff, a former judge and veteran state and federal prosecutor, was sworn in as US attorney before 8 a.m. at the courthouse in downtown Seattle. In a phone interview, he said he then went to the US Attorney’s Office and asked to meet with Charles Neil Floyd, whose 120-day interim term in the position ended in February. As he waited in a lobby, Rogoff said, he received an email from the Trump administration informing him he’d been removed. He is consulting with other lawyers about suing over his firing, he said.” (07/16/26)
“South Korea’s central bank on Thursday raised its key interest rate for the first time in more than three years, aiming to tighten money supply to combat inflation worsened by the intensifying war in the Middle East and slow the growth of the country’s high household debt. Following a monetary policy meeting, the Bank of Korea raised its benchmark policy rate by a quarter percentage point from 2.5% to 2.75% in the first hike since January 2023. The bank had kept rates steady or lowered them in recent years despite concerns about soaring household debt and real estate prices, prioritizing support for the country’s trade-dependent economy in the face of geopolitical turmoil and U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff hikes.” (07/16/26)
“The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed this week to its highest level in nearly a year, driving up borrowing costs for prospective homebuyers. The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.55% from 6.49% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the average rate was 6.75%. … Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.” (07/16/26)
“In the 1920s, the hot and arid Elk Hills west of Bakersfield were embroiled in the Teapot Dome oil lease scandal that ultimately tarnished the reputation of President Warren Harding. A century later, controversy over another energy project has returned to the region. California’s first carbon capture and storage facility became operational in Kern County’s Elk Hills oil field in May, with the aim of eventually entombing millions of tons of carbon dioxide deep underground. The California Resources Corporation’s Carbon TerraVault 1 could become the first of many such facilities proposed for the state, including the Bay Area, and is intended to play a major role in California’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. But the project is also facing a lawsuit from local and environmental groups, who are charging the county with failing to address pollution, health and safety concerns before officials allowed the project to move forward.” (07/16/26)
“A White House teleprompter operator who has worked behind the scenes of Donald Trump’s biggest speeches since 2016 is now the subject of a federal investigation into whether he used advance knowledge of the president’s remarks to win more than $100,000 on a prediction market, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to ABC News. Gabriel Perez, a technical assistant who operates Trump’s teleprompter, is reportedly in settlement talks with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission over allegations he placed winning bets on Kalshi’s ‘Mentions’ markets, ABC News reported. Those markets let users bet on whether a speaker will say specific words or phrases during a public address.” (07/16/26)
“The Trump administration said Wednesday it will impose an additional 25% tariff on [American buyers of] many Brazilian goods, escalating a trade fight it says is rooted in Brazil’s treatment of U.S. companies. The new policy includes exemptions for key consumer staples like coffee and beef, suggesting the White House is trying to minimize the inflationary impact on American shoppers even as it steps up pressure on Brazil over disputes involving U.S. tech firms, ethanol and more. A senior administration official says the tariffs are in response to Brazil’s unfair barriers against U.S. technology and payment companies.” (07/16/26)
