Analysts say market forces will lower cost of obesity drugs

WASHINGTON — The CEO of Novo Nordisk is set to appear before a Senate panel Tuesday to be grilled on the high cost of Ozempic and Wegovy, the popular drugs used to treat diabetes and obesity.

But health economists say it’s unlikely that congressional pressure will be the driving force to get the prices down.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who chairs the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, has established himself as a perennial critic of pharmaceutical companies during his time helming the committee. He initially had threatened to subpoena the president of Novo Nordisk, Doug Langa, to testify before the committee. The company ultimately agreed to send CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen to field questions on price.

Sanders has repeatedly dug in his heels on what seems like a straightforward question: Why does Novo Nordisk charge so much in the United States but much less in countries like Canada and Germany?

—CQ-Roll Call

Trump says he probably won’t run again in 2028 if he loses to Kamala Harris

Former President Donald Trump says he probably won’t run again in 2028 if he loses to Vice President Kamala Harris in the November election.

Trump brushed off the question about a potential fourth straight run for the White House in a friendly interview over the weekend with Sharyl Attkisson.

“No, I don’t. I think that that will be, that will be it. I don’t see that at all,” Trump said. “I think that hopefully we’re gonna be successful.” Trump is 78 and would be 82 by election day in 2028.

The remark was notable in that Trump rarely responds to questions that consider the possibility of any setback, much less a devastating potential defeat like a second straight White House loss.

—New York Daily News

Muslim mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan, endorses Trump, wants Gaza cease-fire

DETROIT — Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib has endorsed former President Donald Trump in the presidential race, a move the Republican nominee quickly touted on social media.

Ghalib, who is Muslim and a Yemeni immigrant, announced his endorsement on social media Sunday evening and it came less than a week after the two met in Flint at a Trump campaign event. Ghalib said he and Trump met at the Dort Financial Center before Trump addressed the crowd and the former president asked for Ghalib's endorsement.

Among the things the two discussed was a cease-fire in the Middle East and on the domestic front, ways of "breaking the wall between the Republican Party and the minorities," Ghalib said in a video he posted on social media last week. The video is a separate post from the mayor's endorsement that he posted Sunday on Facebook.

"President Trump and I may not agree on everything, but I know he is a man of principles," Ghalib said in the endorsement post. "Though it is looking good, he may or may not win the election and be the 47th president of the United States, but I believe he is the right choice for this critical time."

—The Detroit News

Iran’s president says he’s prepared to ease tensions with Israel

Iran is prepared to de-escalate tensions with Israel as long as it sees the same level of commitment on the other side, President Masoud Pezeshkian said.

“We’re willing to put all our weapons aside so long as Israel is willing to do the same,” Pezeshkian told reporters Monday ahead of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. “We’re not seeking to destabilize the region.”

Pezeshkian is in the U.S. for his first appearance at the U.N.’s annual gathering, where he’s scheduled to speak on Tuesday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to address the same summit two days later, though his travel itinerary hasn’t been finalized.

The Iranian president commented as tensions between Iran and Israel reach new heights after Tehran blamed Israel for being behind a large-scale explosion of pagers and walkie talkies that saw several killed and thousands of people injured in Lebanon — including Iran’s ambassador to Beirut. Iran has threatened to retaliate.

—Bloomberg News