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Justice Department uses Maduro case to defend Trump’s use of Alien Enemies Act for deportations

Kraig Pakulski 0 31 Article rating: No rating
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro

By Devan Cole, CNN

(CNN) — Hours after ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was formally charged with narcoterrorism and other offenses in New York, the Justice Department used the indictment at a federal courthouse 1,300 miles away in its effort to defend President Donald Trump’s ability to use a wartime authority to speed up some deportations.

The president invoked the 18th century Alien Enemies Act last March to rapidly deport alleged members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang he designated as a foreign terrorist organization that was acting in concert with Maduro’s government to harm the US.

Pointing to Trump’s comments announcing the arrest of Maduro in Caracas, DOJ lawyers told the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals that the dramatic developments “underscore the Maduro Regime’s control over TdA and TdA’s violent invasion or predatory incursion on American soil.”

“As a result, it is even clearer that the President’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act was part of a high-level national security mission that exists outside the realm of judicial interference,” they wrote in a letter to the appeals court.

The New Orleans-based appeals court is set to hear arguments later this month in a major challenge to Trump’s use of the law.

In invoking the Alien Enemies Act last year, Trump pointed to the US’ yearslong criminal pursuit of Maduro and others, and claimed that the then-Venezuelan leader’s government was directing Tren de Aragua to conduct “irregular warfare” against the US.

It’s unclear what impact, if any, Maduro’s criminal case could have on the Alien Enemies Act challenge pending before the appeals court, legal experts told CNN.

“The allegations in the indictment against Maduro don’t provide any further proof that we’ve been ‘invaded’ by Venezuela or subject to a ‘predatory incursion’ than President Trump’s initial proclamation last March,” said Steve Vladeck, CNN Supreme Court analyst and professor at Georgetown University Law Center.

The 5th Circuit case has long been viewed as the vehicle by which Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act will make it before the Supreme Court for final review.

Last summer, a three-judge panel at the court ruled that Trump was unlawfully using the law, concluding that a “predatory incursion” or “invasion” by members of Tren de Aragua had not occurred in the US, as Trump claimed in March.

At the time, the two judges in the majority said the court did not have the power to review Trump’s claims about Maduro directing the gang’s activities in the US, but rejected the very kind of argument made in Monday’s filing: that federal courts had absolutely no role to play in scrutinizing Trump’s use of the law.

But the panel’s decision was quickly wiped away by the full 5th Circuit when the court, which is stacked with conservative jurists, agreed to take another crack at the cas

Wegovy is now available as a pill. Here’s what you need to know

Kraig Pakulski 0 43 Article rating: No rating

By Tami Luhby, Meg Tirrell, CNN

(CNN) — Americans seeking to lose weight now have a new option – taking Wegovy as a daily pill, rather than a weekly injection.

Patients with a prescription could obtain the starter 1.5 mg dose of the tablet as of Monday, with the higher doses becoming available by the end of the week, according to manufacturer Novo Nordisk.

Being able to address obesity with a GLP-1 pill is a significant advance in weight management. Eli Lilly is expected to receive US Food and Drug Administration approval for its oral medication, which is called orforglipron until it receives a brand name, by summer.

But the arrival of an oral option has also sparked a multitude of questions. Here’s what we know:

Where can I get the Wegovy pill?

The tablet form of Wegovy can be found at pharmacies, including CVS and Costco, certain telehealth providers, such as Ro and LifeMD and Weight Watchers, NovoCare Pharmacy, GoodRx and other locations.

Will it be hard to find?

While overwhelming demand led to initial shortages of the GLP-1 injections, Novo Nordisk said it is confident that it can meet the demand for the Wegovy tablet.

The Danish drug maker noted that it has invested in its manufacturing capabilities for several years. The Wegovy pill is produced entirely in its North Carolina facilities.

How much will the pill cost?

The 1.5 mg starter dose of the pill costs $149 a month for patients who pay cash, as part of a recent deal Novo Nordisk made with the Trump administration. The 4 mg dose costs the same amount until April 15, after which the price will increase to $199.

However, the 9 mg and 25 mg doses cost $299 a month.

That compares to a $349 monthly price tag for the injectable version for self-pay consumers, though new patients can receive two months of the lowest two doses for $199 each until March.

Patients whose insurance plans cover the drug for obesity could pay as little as $25 a month for the pill or injection under a savings program offered by Novo Nordisk.

How is the pill different from the injection?

The pill uses the same active ingredient, semaglutide, as the injection. They’re approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the same groups of people: those with obesity, typically defined as having a body mass index of 30 or higher, and those with overweight, or a BMI of 27 or more along with a weight-related health issue such as high blood pressure.

The main difference between the two is how you take them – as a daily pill versus a weekly shot. The pill also must be taken on an empty stomach, with a small amount of water and no other food, drink or medicines for at least 30 minutes.

The medicine won’t be effective if patients don’t wait 30 minutes to give the tablet time to absorb, according to Novo Nordisk.

How much weight could I lose?

The Wegovy tablet and injection resulted in similar weight loss in clinical trials.

The pill showed average weight loss of 14% over 64 weeks, compared with 2% for a placebo. The injection showed weight loss of 15% in its

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