Supreme Court preserves key part of Obamacare coverage requirements
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court preserved a key part of the Affordable Care Act's preventive health care coverage requirements on Friday, rejecting a challenge from Christian employers to the provision that affects some 150 million Americans.
The 6-3 ruling comes in a lawsuit over how the government decides which health care medications and services must be fully covered by private insurance under former President Barack Obama's signature law, often referred to as Obamacare.
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Winnipeg Free Press
13 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Netanyahu denounces report that Israeli soldiers have orders to shoot at Palestinians seeking aid
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz emphatically rejected a report in the left-leaning Israeli daily Haaretz on Friday, which claimed Israeli soldiers were ordered to shoot at Palestinians approaching aid sites inside Gaza. They called the report's findings 'malicious falsehoods designed to defame' the military. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded while seeking food since the newly formed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began distributing aid in the territory about a month ago, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Palestinian witnesses say Israeli troops have opened fire at crowds on the roads heading toward the sites. Reacting to the Haaretz piece, Israel's military confirmed that it was investigating incidents in which civilians had been harmed while approaching the sites. It rejected the article's allegations 'of deliberate fire toward civilians.' The foundation, which is backed by an American private contractor, has been distributing food boxes at four locations, mainly in the far south of Gaza, for the past month. 'GHF is not aware of any of these incidents but these allegations are too grave to ignore and we therefore call on Israel to investigate them and transparently publish the results in a timely manner,' the group said in a social media post. Palestinians trying to find food have frequently encountered chaos and violence on their way to and on arrival at the aid sites. Tens of thousands are desperate for food after Israel imposed a 2 1/2 month siege on Gaza, blocking all food, water and medicine from entering the territory pending the setup of the GHF sites. The bodies of eight people who died Friday had come to Shifa Hospital from a GHF site in Netzarim, although it was not immediately clear how they died, Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmyiha, the hospital's director, told The Associated Press. A GHF spokesperson challenged the report, saying they did not know of any incidents at or near their sites Friday. Twenty other bodies his hospital received Friday came from airstrikes across north Gaza, he said. Thousands of Palestinians walk for hours to reach the hubs, moving through Israeli military zones where witnesses say Israeli troops regularly open fire with heavy barrages to control the crowds. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots. Mohammad Fawzi, a displaced man from Rafah, told the AP that he was only able to get empty boxes, not food, from the aid site in the Shakoush area in Rafah when he trekked there early Thursday morning. 'We've been shot at since 6 a.m. up until 10 a.m. just to get aid and only some people were able to receive it. There are martyrs and injured people. The situation is difficult,' he said. The group Doctors Without Borders on Friday condemned the distribution system as 'a slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid' and called for it to be immediately shut down. More than 6,000 people have been killed and more than 20,000 injured in Gaza since the ceasefire collapsed on March 18. Since the war began, more than 56,000 people have been killed and 132,000 injured, according to the health ministry. The Gaza Health Ministry doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants, but has said that women and children make up more than half the 56,000 dead. Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing the militants of hiding among civilians, because they operate in populated areas. The Israel-Hamas war started following the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, when some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage. About 50 of them still remain in captivity in Gaza. The latest deaths include six people killed and 10 wounded in Israeli strikes on a group of citizens near the Martyrs Roundabout in the Bureij Camp in central Gaza Strip, officials at Awda Hospital in Nuseirat said Friday. The United Nations chief meanwhile urged leaders to show 'political courage' and agree to a ceasefire like the one forged between Israel and Iran. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. Secretary-General António Guterres also urged a return to the U.N.'s long-tested distribution system for aid in Gaza, where he said Israeli military operations have created 'a humanitarian crisis of horrific proportions..' 'The search for food must never be a death sentence,' Guterres stressed to U.N. reporters Friday. ___ Shurafa reported from Gaza and Khaled from Cairo. Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer contributed from the United Nations. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at
Winnipeg Free Press
14 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Peru's Amazon communities accuse the state of failing to stop mercury pollution from illegal mining
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Indigenous and rural communities along the Nanay River in Peru's northern Amazon filed a complaint on Friday accusing the government of failing to stop illegal gold mining that is contaminating their water and food with toxic mercury. The complaint was submitted in the country's capital, Lima, to the Secretariat General of the Andean Community, a regional trade bloc that includes Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia. The communities argue that Peru has violated a binding regional policy adopted in 2012 to combat illegal mining. A delegation of 10 leaders and residents from the Peruvian Amazon traveled to Lima for the complaint. 'Peru is not fulfilling its obligations, and that has allowed illegal mining to expand, threatening the lives and rights of Amazonian communities,' said César Ipenza, an environmental lawyer who brought the case forward on behalf of the communities. The Peruvian government did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Mercury levels are too high Mercury, widely used in gold extraction, is polluting fish — a dietary staple — and entering the food chain in areas surrounding the Nanay and Pintuyacu rivers. 'More than 80% of our population is contaminated with mercury in the blood,' said Jhonny Huaymacari Yuyarima, who represents the Ikito Indigenous people and heads a local alliance of 33 communities in the Nanay basin. 'The fish in our rivers and lakes are also poisoned.' Huaymacari described seeing children with developmental delays, residents with chronic joint pain, skin conditions and intense headaches — symptoms many now associate with prolonged mercury exposure. A recent study by the Center for Amazonian Scientific Innovation, or CINCIA, and the Frankfurt Zoological Society found dangerously high levels of mercury in hair samples taken from 273 residents across six river communities in the region. About 79% of participants had mercury levels above the World Health Organization safety limit of 2.2 milligrams per kilogram. Children up to age 4 had the highest average levels — nearly six times the recommended limit. Fish from the same area had elevated mercury concentrations, particularly in carnivorous species that are commonly eaten. 'Widespread exposure' 'These are not isolated cases. This is widespread exposure,' Ipenza said. 'And we're talking about people who depend on fish as their primary protein source, and on the Nanay River for drinking water — including the city of Iquitos.' Huaymacari says it hurts to think that after more than 20 years of fighting illegal mining, 'the state still doesn't listen to us.' 'The mercury is in our bodies now. We'll have to live with this if the Peruvian state does nothing,' he told The Associated Press, citing the example of Peru's southern region of Madre de Dios, long plagued by illegal mining. Researchers and environmental groups now warn that the sprawling expanse of Loreto — where Iquitos is the regional capital and the home of the Nanay — is becoming the new frontier. A 2023 report by the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project showed growing deforestation and mining activity creeping into Nanay headwaters, even in protected areas. The CINCIA study, one of the first to systematically assess mercury exposure in Loreto communities, found that while most fish samples did not exceed international safety limits, the amount and frequency of fish consumption meant even moderate levels of contamination are a serious risk. Loreto has the highest per capita fish consumption in Peru, with some families along the river eating fish two to three times daily. Beyond the toxic exposure, communities are also reporting serious social and security impacts, including the arrival of armed groups, illegal labor, and sexual exploitation at mining camps. Local leaders say environmental defenders have been threatened and communal governance structures weakened. 'Almost 80% of the people there are foreigners, and more than 60 (gold mining) dredges are operating in the area,' said Huaymacari of the Ikito. In one of their communities, a Colombian flag was raised, he said. 'It no longer feels like Peru.' A call to action Local police and navy posts lack the staff, equipment, and logistical support to confront the spread of illegal mining, Huaymacari said. 'They're trying, but they don't have the tools to fight this plague of illegal mining,' he said. The Andean Policy to Fight Illegal Mining obliges member states to coordinate regionally and curb organized criminal activities linked to illegal extraction. The complaint asks the regional body to formally declare Peru in violation and issue corrective recommendations. While the Andean Community cannot impose sanctions, its rulings are binding under regional law, and a formal declaration could pressure Peru to adopt corrective measures or face reputational and diplomatic consequences. Ipenza said it isn't just about Peru and that wider 'action needs to be taken.' 'Mercury pollution and illegal gold cross borders — and the damage is not just environmental. It's deeply human,' he said. The communities behind the complaint say they are not seeking financial compensation, but urgent recognition of their rights, protection of their territories, and accountability from a state that, they say, has abandoned them. The Andean Community has yet to comment on the case, which could set a regional precedent for holding governments accountable for cross-border environmental harms. 'We, the 33 communities of this basin, are prepared to raise our voices together and say: enough is enough!' said Huaymacari. 'We call on the government to act urgently.' ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Winnipeg Free Press
14 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
A rundown of recent Trump administration vaccine policy changes
The Trump administration continued to reshape U.S. health policy in recent days with several moves that could change what vaccines people can get to protect themselves from common illnesses. Some of the changes are immediate, others are still being discussed, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must still sign off on some. Doctors' groups have expressed alarm at the moves made by Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist, and his appointees, who at times have ignored well-established science. Nearly 80 medical groups, including the American Medical Association, issued a statement backing vaccines against common respiratory ailments as 'among the best tools to protect the public.' 'We come together as physicians from every corner of medicine to reaffirm our commitment to these lifesaving vaccines,' the groups wrote. Here's what to know about some of the recent vaccine policy changes: Flu shots and thimerosal On Thursday, a vaccine advisory group handpicked by Kennedy recommended that just about every American get a flu shot this fall. But the group also said people should avoid shots containing thimerosal, a preservative used only in large multi-dose vials that has been proven to be safe. The ingredient isn't used in single-dose flu shots, the type of syringe used for about 95% of U.S. flu shots last season. Status: Kennedy must sign off on the recommendations. Read more AP coverage here. How to get a COVID-19 shot Universal access to updated COVID-19 shots for the fall remains unclear, even after Kennedy's vaccine advisers were shown data showing how well the vaccines are working. Kennedy changed CDC guidance last month, saying the shots are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women — even though doctors groups disagree. And the Food and Drug Administration has moved to limit COVID-19 vaccinations among healthy people under age 65. Status: Upcoming advisory meetings, regulatory decisions and policies from insurers and employers are likely to influence access. Read more AP coverage here. Expanded warnings on COVID-19 vaccine labels At the request of the FDA, makers of the two leading COVID-19 vaccines on Wednesday expanded existing warnings about a rare heart side effect mainly seen in young men. Prescribing information from both Pfizer and Moderna had already advised doctors about rare cases of myocarditis, a type of heart inflammation that is usually mild. The FDA had asked the drugmakers to add more detail about the problem and to cover a larger group of patients. Status: Labels are being updated now. Read more AP coverage here. Changes considered for the childhood vaccine schedule On Wednesday, Kennedy's vaccine advisers said they would be evaluating the 'cumulative effect' of the children's vaccine schedule — the list of immunizations given at different times throughout childhood. The announcement reflected vaccine skeptics' messaging: that too many shots may overwhelm kids' immune systems. Scientists say those claims have been repeatedly investigated with no signs of concern. The American Academy of Pediatrics said it would continue publishing its own vaccine schedule for children but now will do so independently of the government advisory panel, calling it 'no longer a credible process.' Status: The examination is in its early stages. Read more AP coverage here. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
