Health officials seek new curbs on private Medicare advantage plans
Federal health officials are proposing an extensive set of tougher rules governing private Medicare Advantage health plans, in response to wide-scale complaints that too many patients’ medical claims have been wrongly denied and that marketing of the plans is deceptive. Medicare Advantage is the private-sector alternative to the federal program covering those 65 and older and the disabled. These policies are often less expensive than traditional Medicare and sometimes offer attractive, additional benefits such as dental care. Despite their popularity, the plans have been the subject of considerable scrutiny and criticism lately.
Bond set at $50K for father of July 4 shooting suspect
A judge set bond at $50,000 for the father of an Illinois man charged with killing seven people in a mass shooting at a July 4 parade near Chicago who faces charges himself for allegedly helping his son get a gun license. The judge set bond during an initial appearance Saturday by Robert Crimo Jr., who surrendered to police the day before. His lawyer indicated that Crimo would be able to pay the required bond amount. Crimo looked tired and somber as he appeared via a video link. Lake County Judge Jacquelyn Melius said she accepted an agreement between Crimo’s lawyer and prosecutors that bond be set at $50,000. Among the conditions of his release, the judge told him, was that he turn in any gun licenses, as well as any weapons at his home.
Libya militia held Lockerbie suspect before handover to US
Libyan officials say a powerful militia was involved in the clandestine detention and questioning of a suspect in the 1988 downing of a New York-bound PanAm flight over Lockerbie, Scotland. The alleged bombmaker involved in the attack, Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi, was eventually extradited to the United States earlier this month, under orders from one of two rival governments running Libya. Some have questioned the legality of the extradition because of the involvement of a militia and apparent lack of formal procedures. The White House and the U.S. Justice Department decline to comment. U.S. officials have said privately that they believe this played out as a by-the-book extradition.
Oppenheimer wrongly stripped of security clearance, US says
The Biden administration has reversed a decades-old decision to revoke the security clearance of Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist called the father of the atomic bomb for his leading role in World War II’s Manhattan Project. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on Friday that the 1954 decision by the Atomic Energy Commission was made using a “flawed process” that violated the commission’s own regulations. U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont applauded the reversal, saying the 1954 decision followed a “manifestly unjust and unethical hearing that would be resoundingly condemned today.” A film about the scientist is expected to be released in theaters in July.
Putin makes rare visit to Ukraine war headquarters
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to a command post coordinating the war effort in Ukraine, the Kremlin said Saturday, in a rare demonstration of hands-on involvement in the military campaign’s execution and planning. Putin spent the day Friday at the military headquarters, presiding over a meeting with Russia’s top brass and holding separate ones with various commanders, the Kremlin said. The fact that the meeting was made public meant that the Kremlin wants to send a clear signal that the Russian leader is in charge and is interested in the war’s progress, said Yuri Fyodorov, a Russian military analyst.
A Canadian town famous for xenophobia fell in love with immigrants
For years, the town of Hérouxville in rural Quebec was the embodiment in the province of nativist hostility toward immigrants, once adopting a code of conduct that left no doubt that they, and their perceived customs, were unwelcome. Hérouxville, the code warned, did not tolerate “stoning women to death in the town square” or “burning them alive” or “treating them as slaves.” So it may come as a surprise that Hérouxville is now eager to accommodate them. The shift in this town’s attitude comes as Canada is seeking to open its doors even wider to immigrants as a crucial strategy for its economic vitality.
Tunisia heads for first elections since presidential power grab
Depending on whom you ask in Tunisia, Saturday’s parliamentary elections represent either major progress or a charade. To some, the new electoral law governing the vote is an innovation that will shatter the power of the corrupt political parties that wrecked Tunisia’s economy, subverted justice and made a mockery of the country’s 10-year experiment with democracy. To others, it is the illegitimate brainchild of a president with autocratic aspirations. This will be the fourth time that Tunisians have gone to the polls since overthrowing an autocrat in the 2011 revolt, which inspired the Arab Spring uprisings across the region.
By wire sources
© 2022 The New York Times Company
