☕ Why your medicine will get cheaper

Good morning!

It’s a big day for Kim Kardashian, who is taking the stand in Paris to testify against the “grandpa robbers” - the group of 10 people accused of stealing $10 million in jewelry from her while holding her at gunpoint in her hotel room in 2016.

Kardashian arrived at court with her mother, Kris Jenner. When asked to introduce herself, she said: “Hi. I'm Kim Kardashian and I just want to thank everyone, especially the French authorities for allowing me to be here and testify today and allowing me to share my truth."

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Some headlines from this morning:

President Donald Trump has begun his trip to the Middle East, marking his second term's first major diplomatic international trip. To start the four-day trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, President Trump met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The administration said it hopes to secure several new trade deals over the week, announcing a $1.4b weapons sale to the UAE. While in Saudi Arabia, the two leaders met with CEOs of major companies, including Amazon, NVIDIA, Google, Boeing and Tesla, over lunch.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has invited President Donald Trump to attend proposed peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkey this week. Putin has not yet responded to Zelenskyy's Sunday invitation to meet in Turkey on Thursday for ceasefire discussions. Trump, currently on a state visit to the Middle East, said he could attend the meeting "if useful." Zelenskyy's proposal for direct peace talks comes after weeks of pressure from the U.S. President to meet with Putin face-to-face.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for an end to the nation's post-Brexit immigration policy, which has contributed to the tripling of immigration to the UK in the past decade. Starmer said tighter immigration rules would be introduced, ending a "failed experiment in open borders" and stopping the UK from becoming an "island of strangers." The announcement comes a week after Starmer's Labour Party lost to the Reform Party, which campaigns strongly against immigration, in multiple local elections across the UK. Starmer has not set a specific migration target, but is expected to announce a reduction of about 100,000 per year.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new medical device called the "Teal Wand" that can screen for human papillomavirus (HPV), offering an alternative to traditional Pap smears. Creator Teal Health said using the device is a "much preferred experience" to the procedure developed in 1943, adding it has been designed with "empathy." Users collect a vaginal sample with a swab, which can then be mailed to a lab for testing. The device has reportedly detected HPV, which is linked to almost all cervical cancers, as accurately as a Pap smear.

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Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, was released from Hamas captivity and reunited with his family in Israel on Monday.

Alexander was handed over to Red Cross workers in Southern Gaza after Israeli forces temporarily halted military operations to facilitate his transfer.

Alexander was serving in an elite Israeli infantry unit when he was taken hostage during Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack, which killed over 1,200 people and saw 251 others abducted.

Edan Alexander

Alexander was among twelve American citizens known to have been taken hostage during the October 7 attacks and the first to be released since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in March.

Seven American hostages have now been released in total, while the remaining five known Americans held by Hamas are believed to be dead, according to officials.

U.S. talks with Hamas

The release followed several days of direct talks between Hamas and U.S. officials, conducted without Israeli participation.

President Trump called Alexander's return a step toward "putting an end to this very brutal war and returning all living hostages and remains to their loved ones."

Hamas stated they released Alexander as a goodwill gesture aimed at securing another ceasefire and the resumption of aid into Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu credited President Trump for the release, while also attributing it to Israeli military pressure, and confirmed military operations in Gaza would continue.

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President Trump signed an executive order Monday directing pharmaceutical companies to lower medication costs within 30 days or face potential government action.

The order threatens legislative and regulatory measures if drug prices don't align with those in other wealthy nations after the 30 days.

The U.S. currently pays significantly more for medications than other developed countries. In 2018, Americans paid 256% more for pharmaceuticals than most other developed nations.

The details

"'Big Pharma' will either abide by this principle voluntarily, or we'll use the power of the federal government to ensure that we are paying the same price as other countries," President Trump said.

The executive order outlines plans for the administration to communicate price targets to pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will create pathways for consumers to purchase medications directly from manufacturers who agree to lower their prices.

If pharmaceutical companies comply with the order, the administration has promised to help them secure higher prices in other countries.

Previous efforts

Lowering prescription drug costs has been a priority for multiple administrations.

During his first term, President Trump implemented a measure requiring certain Medicare-covered pharmaceuticals to match the lowest global price, but courts blocked this action due to procedural issues.

The Biden administration later passed legislation allowing Medicare administrators to directly negotiate medication costs with pharmaceutical companies.

Response

Pharmaceutical companies have warned that forced price reductions could impact research and development of new medications.

A White House official told ABC News: "There will still be plenty of money for research and development purposes, but it's just that the United States alone will not be bearing that cost."

The executive order does not specify detailed enforcement mechanisms, and analysts note that Congressional action may be required for implementation.