📌 CMS Head, Ceasefire In Principle, More

Former television host Dr. Mehmet Oz will face questions today about heading the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

After a hearing, the Senate finance committee will schedule a vote on whether to send Oz's nomination to the full Senate, where he is likely to be approved, given the Republican majority. Oz, a former heart surgeon, would oversee nearly $1.5 trillion spent by the federal government on Medicare and Medicaid.

The two health insurance programs for seniors and poor Americans make up over a third of the budget. Medicare covers around 65 million people through programs run by the federal government or contracted to private insurers.

Medicaid supports around 85 million through programs administered primarily by state governments and overseen by CMS. Oz will finalize or abandon major changes to Medicare and Medicaid sought by the Biden administration, like expanding coverage to weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic.

As CMS administrator, Oz will face questions about private health insurance. CMS has proposed shortening the open enrollment period and excluding DACA recipients from coverage. In 2022, Oz said the law ”caused havoc on our health care system,” and he ”wouldn't have voted for it.”

The President's pick to head CMS has earned criticism from some Senate Democrats, who have cited Oz's past embrace of ”alarming pseudoscience,” record of anti-abortion statements and worries over conflicts of interest, which Oz is addressing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he agrees in principle with a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.

But he emphasized that the terms are yet to be worked out and added that any truce should pave the way to lasting peace ”There are issues that we need to discuss … with our American colleagues and partners and, perhaps, have a call with President Trump and discuss it with him,” Putin said in a news broadcast.

President Donald Trump said there have been ”good signals” coming out of Russia and offered guarded optimism about Putin’s statement. He reiterated that he’s ready to speak with Putin and underscored that it was time to end the war.

Putin ”put out a very promising statement, but it wasn’t complete,” Trump said Thursday at the start of a meeting at the White House with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. ”Now we’re going to see whether or not Russia’s there. And if they’re not, it’ll be a very disappointing moment for the world.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Putin is ”essentially preparing to reject” the ceasefire. Putin ”is afraid to tell President Trump directly that he wants to continue this war, that he wants to kill Ukrainians,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address to the nation.

The diplomatic effort coincided with a Russian claim that its troops have driven the Ukrainian army out of a key town in Russia’s Kursk border region, where Moscow has been trying for seven months to dislodge Ukrainian troops from their foothold.

President Donald Trump’s choice for US ambassador to Canada said America’s northern neighbor is a sovereign state.

Former Rep. Pete Hoekstra was asked at his Senate confirmation hearing by Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del. whether he agreed that Canada is a sovereign state and shouldn’t be ”even jokingly referred to as the 51st state.”

”Canada is a sovereign state, yes,” Hoekstra replied. He was questioned shortly before Trump doubled down on his negative views of Canada during an Oval Office appearance with the head of NATO.

Trump has rankled Canadians by insisting that their country become the 51st state. The two countries are also now embroiled in a trade war started by Trump after he slapped tariffs on aluminum, steel and other goods brought in from Canada. In response, Canada is hiking tariffs on American imports.

Hoekstra is a former congressman from Michigan who served as US ambassador to the Netherlands in Trump’s first term. In his opening statement, Hoekstra said that, as someone from Michigan, ”I do have a special appreciation for Canada as a neighbor.”

He said 36 states view Canada as their No. 1 trading partner and that he frequently interacted with Canada on trade and other issues when he was in Congress.

US stocks tumbled on Thursday, deepening losses suffered since the outbreak of President Donald Trump's tariff campaign.

The S&P 500 closed down more than 10% since a peak attained last month, meaning the decline officially qualified as a market correction. It marked the index's first correction since October 2023.

Trading opened minutes after Trump threatened a 200% tariff on champagne and other alcohol products from the European Union, escalating a global trade war that has roiled markets. Hours later, Trump stood firm on his tariff plans. ”I'm not going to bend at all,” he told reporters at the White House.

Tesla, the electric carmaker run by Elon Musk, fell about 5.5% in early trading on Thursday. The decline erased some gains from Wednesday, a day after Trump announced plans to purchase Tesla vehicles at an event at the White House. Tesla's stock value has fallen just over 40% this year.

A continued back-and-forth over international tariffs is hanging over the US economy, along with a looming government shutdown deadline today.

A 32-year-old man was allegedly held captive by his stepmother for 20 years in conditions described as worse than a jail cell.

The man was kept in an 8-foot by 9-foot storage room in Waterbury, Connecticut, without heat or air conditioning and was isolated from the outside world, with only a radio for company.

He was allegedly let out for short periods daily and endured days locked up for 24 hours with minimal food and water. The man was reportedly discouraged from escaping through threats of longer lockdowns and less food.

The conditions were discovered on February 17, when the man started a fire to attract attention, leading to his rescue by firefighters and police. Waterbury Police Chief Fernando C. Spagnolo described the case as the worst treatment of humanity he had ever witnessed.

School officials raised concerns about the man's welfare 20 years ago, but the Department of Children and Families (DCF) did not take action. The man was pulled from school at age 11 and allegedly told to lie to the DCF about his situation.

Kimberly Sullivan, 56 (pictured), was charged with first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons and first-degree reckless endangerment. Sullivan’s attorney said his client ”maintains her innocence” and that she will launch an ”aggressive defense.”

Rodrigo Duterte is expected to make his first appearance at the International Criminal Court (ICC) today.

The former Philippines president faces crimes against humanity charges over his deadly ”war on drugs.” At the hearing, the 79-year-old will be informed of the crimes he is alleged to have committed, as well as his rights as a defendant.

Duterte stands accused of the crime against humanity of murder over his years-long campaign against drug users and dealers that rights groups said killed tens of thousands of people. Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan hailed Duterte’s arrest as a key moment for victims and international justice as a whole.

At the initial hearing, a suspect can request interim release pending a trial, according to ICC rules. Following that first hearing, the next phase is a session to confirm the charges, at which point a suspect can challenge the prosecutor’s evidence.

Only after that hearing will the court decide whether to press ahead with a trial, a process that could take several months or even years. ”It’s important to underline, as we now start a new stage of proceedings, that Mr Duterte is presumed innocent,” said Khan.

In February, President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the court over ”actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.” The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a former defense minister for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza war.

A Pennsylvania man going through security at a New Jersey airport was found to have a live turtle concealed in his pants.

The turtle was detected after a body scanner alarm went off at Newark Liberty International Airport. A TSA officer then conducted a pat-down on the East Stroudsburg man and determined there was something concealed in the groin area of his pants.

When questioned further, the man reached into his pants and pulled out the turtle, which was about 5 inches long and wrapped in a small blue towel. He said it was a red-ear slider turtle, a species that is popular as a pet.

The man was escorted from the checkpoint by police and ended up missing his flight. The turtle was confiscated. It’s not clear whether the turtle was the man’s pet or why he had it in his pants. A TSA spokesman said the incident remains under investigation.

”We have seen travelers try to conceal knives and other weapons … this is the first time we have come across someone who was concealing a live animal down the front of his pants,” said the spokesman. ”As best as we could tell, the turtle was not harmed by the man’s actions.”