Social issues
Inside the dealmaking that pushed Trump to reclassify pot, expand access
President Donald Trump’s move Thursday to sign an executive order easing federal restrictions on marijuana — and clearing the way for a Medicare pilot program covering CBD — caps a coordinated, yearlong push by the cannabis industry that combined traditional lobbying, sizable political donations, data-driven messaging and direct outreach to the president’s inner circle, industry […]
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UnitedHealth Group commits to improvements after independent audit, patient backlash
UnitedHealthcare sign is displayed at its office building in Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S., Dec. 11, 2025. Tim Evans | Reuters UnitedHealth Group on Friday released the first results from a sprawling independent audit of its business practices and committed to a wide range of steps to track and implement improvements in three specific areas. The health-care […]
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Jeffrey Epstein files hit deadline for ordered release by DOJ on Friday
The Department of Justice faces a legally mandated deadline on Friday to begin releasing its criminal investigative files about the notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The files’ ordered release comes after months of controversy over the Trump administration’s decision to renege on past promises by top law enforcement officials to make the documents and other […]
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Trump signs executive order reclassifying cannabis, opening door to broader weed access
U.S. President Donald Trump sits in the Oval Office to sign executive orders, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Dec. 18, 2025. Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing federal agencies to reclassify marijuana, loosening long-standing restrictions on the drug and marking the most consequential shift in […]
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Four House Republicans force vote on ACA subsidies, bucking GOP leadership
Four moderate House Republicans rebelled against House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday to force a vote on extending key ACA subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. Johnson earlier Wednesday urged his fellow Republicans not to join Democrats in a last-ditch effort to extend key Affordable Care Act tax credits that are due to expire at the end […]
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Healthy Returns: 2026 will be the year of obesity pills from Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly
Daniel Grill | Tetra Images | Getty Images A version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Healthy Returns newsletter, which brings the latest health-care news straight to your inbox. Subscribe here to receive future editions. GLP-1 pills for obesity are closer than ever. 2026 is likely the year that two new oral weight loss […]
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New Trump tariffs collection hits $200 billion, Customs says
President Donald Trump smiles from the field before the 126th America’s Game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Dec. 13, 2025. Patrick Smith | Getty Images The United States has collected more than $200 billion in tariffs this year as a result of new duties imposed […]
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High cost of goods is causing consumers to spend less for the holidays, CNBC survey finds
Inflation looks to be sapping some of Americans’ holiday cheer as they head out to buy gifts this Christmas season, according to the CNBC All-America Economic Survey. The survey found the high cost of goods has emerged as a major factor affecting how much shoppers spend and where they spend, suggesting inflation of the past […]
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FDA approved a $250,000 Singapore work trip during government shutdown, records show
SINGAPORE — Sentosa Island boasts the luxury, five-star Ora and Michael hotels, with palm-tree-lined pools, lobbies flanked with luxury stores, and a casino that adjoins both hotels and buzzes with gamblers. The Singapore resort is also where a group of federal employees from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration were sent for a work trip […]
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MacKenzie Scott announced another $7.1 billion in 2025 charitable donations—she’s now given away $26.3 billion since 2019
Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has unveiled the final tally for her 2025 charitable donations, which totaled $7.17 billion in gifts to roughly 225 organizations, she wrote in a blog post published on Tuesday. “This dollar total will likely be reported in the news, but any dollar amount is a vanishingly tiny fraction of the personal […]
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