Eli Lilly is lowering the cost of its blockbuster weight loss drug. Kamala Harris’ campaign criticizes Trump on fiscal responsibility. And a new study finds living among trees is beneficial to heart health.
Here’s what to know today.
Eli Lilly announces lower price of blockbuster weight loss drug
Eli Lilly announced today that it would lower the cost of its weight loss drug, Zepbound, in an effort to get the medicine in the hands of more people and ease supply constraints. Now, a month’s supply of a 2.5-milligram dose will cost $349, while a month’s supply of a 5-milligram dose will cost $549. Previously, Zepbound cost $1,059 monthly, regardless of the dosage.
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But two key changes — that users will have to pay for the medicine out of pocket and that it’ll be sold in vials rather than auto-injector pens — might not be appealing to some patients. The company said the lower-cost vials are meant to provide patients another, particularly those without insurance or those whose insurance won’t cover the cost of the drug and others, with another option for securing the drug.
Eli Lilly’s announcement comes amid pressure from President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders and other U.S. lawmakers to decrease the price of the blockbuster weight loss drugs. However, the CEO of Novo Nordisk, which produces Ozempic and Wegovy, defended the drugs’ high cost, saying the price is “helping” obese people save money.
Harris campaign hits Trump on fiscal responsibility
Kamala Harris’ campaign is trying to flip the script on fiscal responsibility by endorsing new tax revenues to fund her new policy plans while attacking Donald Trump’s agenda as “an inflation and deficit bomb.”
According to nonpartisan estimates, Harris is proposing to spend about $2 trillion and raise $5 trillion in tax revenues over a decade. Harris has advocated for lowering the cost of housing, child care and prescription drugs.
Trump is calling for about $5 trillion in tax breaks and spending while raising less than $3 trillion in revenue through tariffs. Trump has called for extending his 2017 tax cuts, eliminating payroll taxes on Social Security, nixing taxes on tips and boosting the child tax credit. When asked last week how he would pay for his plans, Trump responded, “Growth.”
The move by the Harris campaign to attack Trump’s agenda is an effort to appeal to moderate Republicans and center-right voters, particularly in key swing states.
More 2024 election coverage:
- Democrats filed a lawsuit over new election rules in Georgia.
- Donald Trump suggested he might back out he might back out of a Sept. 10 debate on ABC News.
- Beyoncé never showed up, but the Democratic convention still had a surprise guest: Covid.
Russia’s most intense strike in weeks in Ukraine
Ukrainians in the country’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, began their Monday with an ominous text message: “Strategic bombers in the air … go to the shelter when missiles come.” Within minutes, the air raid sirens started blaring, and people rushed into shelters as Russian rockets and drones started to rain down. Similar scenes took place in the capital, Kyiv, in the southern city of Odesa and others across the country, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram.
It was Moscow’s most intense strike in weeks. Yet after two years of war, Ukrainians seem to have grown resilient to this type of attack. Videos and comments on social media, as well as statements from officials, paint a picture of how the day played out.
Oasis announce major reunion tour 15 years after acrimonious split
Oasis are getting back together, after siblings Noel and Liam Gallagher buried a long-simmering feud that split the band known for hits like “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger” 15 years ago.
The band will play 14 shows in the U.K. and Ireland next year, according to the announcement, including four dates in their native Manchester and four at London’s Wembley Stadium.
“The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised,” stated a press release, which added that shows outside Europe will take place next year — a hint that North American gigs could be announced next.
Here’s what to know about the brothers’ famous feud.
Politics in Brief
Immigration: A federal judge in Texas temporarily blocked the Biden administration’s “parole in place” program, which allowed undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens to apply for green cards without leaving the U.S.
Classified docs case: Special counsel Jack Smith asked an appeals court to restore Donald Trump’s classified documents case, pushing back on Trump’s claims that Smith’s appointment violated the Constitution.
Texas raids: The homes of several South Texas Democrats were raided in what state Attorney General Ken Paxton said is an ongoing election integrity investigation, setting off a showdown with the nation’s oldest Latino civil rights group.
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Staff Pick: The trees are giving … heart health?
The first book I remember learning to read on my own was “The Giving Tree,” Shel Silverstein’s parable of a tree that selflessly gave nearly all it had to a selfish boy-turned-man who took all the tree offered. The story tugged at my heart then and still did decades later as I read the book to my daughter. I thought of the story again after reading about a study that found that living in tree-filled neighborhoods may be as beneficial to a person’s heart health as exercise. While previous research has shown green spaces boost mental health, this new study shows the effect of trees on physical health — more proof just how much trees give to humankind. — Richie Duchon, deputy director of platforms
In Case You Missed It
- Travis King, a U.S. Army private who ran into North Korea last year, will plead guilty to desertion as part of a plea deal, his lawyer said.
- Pro wrestling legend Sid Eudy, whose imposing presence as Sycho Sid and Sid Vicious catapulted him to the top of the industry in the 1990s, has died at the age of 63.
- The launch of the SpaceX Polaris capsule, carrying four civilian astronauts to space, was postponed at least another day.
- The captain of a superyacht that sank in a violent storm off Sicily, leaving six people dead, is under investigation on suspicion of manslaughter.
- A “heartbroken” Mariah Carey announced that her mother and sister died on the same day.
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
It’s Tuesday, and that means NBC Select’s editors have rounded up the best sales to shop this week. Plus, Amazon announced its October Prime Day sale is returning. Here are the details so far.
Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.
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