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House passes bill to limit stock purchases by members of Congress

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House passes bill to limit stock purchases by members of Congress


Washington — The House on Wednesday passed a bill placing some limits on congressional stock trading, but the lack of tougher restrictions and the inclusion of a voter ID provision complicated its support among Democrats. 

Lawmakers approved the bill in a 232 to 198 vote, with 13 Democrats voting with all Republicans in favor. 

The Stop Insider Trading Act, introduced by Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin in January, would prohibit members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children from purchasing publicly traded stocks. It would also require lawmakers to publicly disclose each intended sale of stocks at least seven days in advance to the House clerk or Senate secretary. The penalty for a violation is $2,000 or 10% of the transaction’s value, whichever is greater, as well as the forfeiture of any realized gains from the sale. 

The measure “ensures that lawmakers cannot use their position to profit off insider information they may garner while serving in Congress,” Steil said Monday. 

Republicans combined the stock trading bill with an unrelated provision that requires voters to show photo identification when voting in federal elections, as President Trump pushes for strict new voter-eligibility rules. 

Democrats panned the bill as not going far enough, pushing for an outright ban on members of Congress from owning stocks and for those limits to also extend to the president and administration officials. 

“This bill would, in fact, allow members of Congress to continue to own and trade individual stocks. The bill would let members of Congress keep every single share of stock they currently own. The bill would allow members to liquidate their holdings at any time, profiting off years of ballooning investment portfolios. There is no divestiture required under this bill, and crucially, the bill does nothing to rein in the unprecedented, absurd, and deeply offensive corruption currently taking place in the White House,” Rep. Joe Morelle of New York said Monday. 

Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington called the measure “a fake stock trading ban.” 

There have been various efforts in Congress to pass a congressional stock trading ban, with proponents saying current law does little to discourage public officials from using their positions for personal gain. Under a 13-year-old law known as the STOCK Act, members of Congress, executive branch officials and other federal employees are prohibited from using nonpublic information for their financial benefit. The law also requires officials to disclose stock trades exceeding $1,000 within 45 days. But no member of Congress has ever been prosecuted under the current law, despite violations. 

Late last year, Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida followed through on a monthslong threat to try to force a vote on the bipartisan Restore Trust in Congress Act, which would prohibit members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children from owning or trading individual stocks. But her discharge petition to circumvent GOP leaders and bring the bill to the House floor is still far short of the 218 signatures needed to move forward. 

A discharge petition led by Morelle on a Democratic measure of a similar name, the Restore Trust in Government Act, is much closer to the threshold, but still dozens of names short. The measure would ban members of Congress, the president, vice president and their families from owning or trading individual stocks. 

After Luna filed her discharge petition, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was working with Steil, the chairman of the House Administration Committee, to find other paths to address the issue. Steil’s bill was born of that effort. 

Last year, a bill spearheaded by GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri to ban lawmakers, the president, vice president and their families from owning stocks advanced out of committee, but has since sat idle in the upper chamber. 

GOP Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, the lead sponsor of the Restore Trust in Congress Act, called for Steil’s stock trading bill to get a vote without the voter ID provision in recognition of the bipartisan negotiations that led to Wednesday’s vote. 

“I think we should be having a straight up-or-down vote on the stock trading bill,” Roy said during floor debate Wednesday. “I think my friends that worked in good faith to do that deserve that on both sides of the aisle.” 

“I’m not done this year demanding that we have a straight up-or-down vote on stock trading,” he added. 




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ChatGPT’s medical advice nearly killed a Florida man, lawsuit against OpenAI claims

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ChatGPT’s medical advice nearly killed a Florida man, lawsuit against OpenAI claims


A Florida man sued OpenAI on Wednesday, alleging ChatGPT’s medical advice discouraged him from seeking treatment for symptoms that preceded a life-threatening pulmonary embolism, nearly costing him his life.

Scott Winters, a former pastor, filed suit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman in San Francisco County Superior Court on Wednesday, claiming the chatbot made inaccurate recommendations that imperiled his health. 

Winters argues ChatGPT crossed the line from providing information into practicing medicine without a license, while OpenAI says its chatbot is not intended to replace medical professionals. The lawsuit claims OpenAI prioritized user engagement and profit at the expense of public safety, and that it failed to provide adequate guardrails to protect users from following bad health advice. 

“ChatGPT-4o frequently opined on and evaluated Scott’s physical condition, conveying the authority and confidence of a medical professional rendering a clinical assessment and treatment recommendation, despite not having the qualifications to do so,” the lawsuit claims.

Winters and Tech Justice Law, a nonprofit assisting with his legal defense, also accuse OpenAI of exploiting Winters’ religious beliefs. 

What the lawsuit alleges

In 2025, Winters turned to OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4o model to try to understand what was causing him to regularly feel dizzy. He also told the chatbot that he was experiencing bouts of blood pressure instability.

ChatGPT allegedly dismissed both sets of symptoms as relatively minor and suggested he stay home and remain “recliner-bound,”  the lawsuit claims. The chatbot advised that he’d need to experience between eight and 10 more episodes for his condition to be considered serious, advice that Winters followed, the allegations state.

A couple of weeks later, in July 2025, he suffered what the suit describes as a “massive pulmonary embolism” due to blood clots that “brought him to the brink of death.”

One of his doctors even blamed his immobility, recommended by ChatGPT, on bringing about the embolism, according to the lawsuit. 

“Scott Winters nearly died because ChatGPT acted like a medical authority while having none of the responsibility,” Matthew P. Bergman, founding attorney of the Social Media Victims Law Center, said in a statement. “If ChatGPT were a physician dispensing medical advice, it would be guilty of medical malpractice.”

The lawsuit claims that Winters also consulted ChatGPT the day of his medical emergency. Hours before the event, he asked the bot if a tenderness in his groin warranted a trip to the hospital. 

The chatbot drew on Winters’ spirituality in responding, telling him that “God did not design your body to endlessly fail,” the lawsuit alleges.

“It turned out that the pain Scott was feeling in his groin was the onset of the pulmonary embolism that would nearly kill him,” it claims.

ChatGPT not intended for medical care

OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri told CBS News that ChatGPT is not designed to stand in for a healthcare provider.

“ChatGPT is not a doctor and should never be used as a substitute for medical care, diagnosis or treatment,” he said in a statement. He noted that it’s common for people to search the internet for health information and that “AI can make that experience better by helping them find clearer answers, organize their questions and prepare for conversations with medical professionals.”

But he said blaming chatbots alone for mishaps related to one’s own care is misguided, “and risks getting in the way of people accessing powerful new tools that can aid them in their health journey.”

ChatGPT makes clear in its terms that the product is not intended for medical diagnosis or treatment. Its terms of service state: “You accept and agree that any use of outputs from our service is at your sole risk and you will not rely on output as a sole source of truth or factual information, or as a substitute for professional advice.”

James Grimmelann, a professor of digital and information law at Cornell Law School, told CBS News that disclaimers can protect a company from liability — to some extent. 

“Disclaimers in law can be effective, but at some point they give out,” he said. “At some point, the chatbot’s own statements and actions belie any disclaimer.” 

Winters’ legal team is seeking financial damages, and stronger guardrails around ChatGPT dispensing medical advice. They’ve also asked that ChatGPT Health, OpenAI’s service designed to answer health questions, be blocked from operating pending an evaluation of its safety. 

OpenAI has faced additional lawsuits related to users’ health and safety. 

In May, a Texas couple whose son died of an overdose after seeking out information on drugs from ChatGPT, sued OpenAI alleging he’d still be alive if the company had not “bypassed safety guards.” 

Edited by

Aimee Picchi

Emily Pandise

contributed to this report.

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Families in Guyana demand answers as anger grows after 100 drown in ferry accident

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Families in Guyana demand answers as anger grows after 100 drown in ferry accident


GEORGETOWN, Guyana — GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Guyana’s government is under pressure to explain why a state-run ferry sank over the weekend, killing an estimated 100 people, with officials telling an increasingly frustrated population to await the conclusion of an official investigation.

Authorities said that 76 of the 179 passengers believed to have been aboard the ferry survived the South American nation’s worst maritime disaster on record, and that 53 bodies have been recovered as divers searched for 50 more on Wednesday.

Dozens of Guyanese continued to gather in the northern town of Charity, hoping that the bodies of their missing loved ones would be found.

“I know my baby is in that boat,” said Samantha Ramin, who lost two of her three children.

Crews recovered the body of her young daughter, but her baby boy is still missing.

“I know he is down there. I know he is down there,” she said. “I want to see them find my baby.”

The 87-year-old ferry, MV Barima, had set sail on Saturday from the capital, Georgetown, to Port Kaituma when it began taking on water and capsized in Atlantic waters off the Essequibo coast. Though the ship’s manifest listed 116 passengers and 17 crew, authorities believe as many as 179 people were aboard.

A growing number of Guyanese are questioning why it took so long to rescue people, with some survivors telling The Associated Press that they spent hours in the water.

As the search continues, survivors also have complained that the vessel was overloaded with people and cargo, including heavy-duty engines, a few vehicles, large fuel containers, all-terrain vehicles and commercial cargo.

A survivor identified as Leon Murray told reporters that he felt the ferry was overloaded compared with the dozens of other times he traveled on it.

“The people load, load, load the steamer,” he said. “It was packed, packed, packed all downstairs.”

Murray and other survivors have told reporters that the ferry encountered engine problems just hours after its departure but that crews fixed it en route instead of turning back. He also accused crew members of ignoring suggestions that the ferry was taking on water: “They told us this is normal.”

Government officials have said that the ferry was under capacity in passengers and cargo but stressed that there are too many differing accounts of what transpired to reach a definitive conclusion.

Maritime Agency Director Stephen Thomas told the AP that officials are awaiting a comprehensive investigation that would determine details including the loading of the vessel and the role of supervisory personnel before reaching conclusions.

“We have nothing to hide,” Prime Minister Mark Phillips told reporters late Tuesday. “People will be held responsible based on the outcome, the results and the recommendations of that commission.”

He added: “Where negligence, misconduct or criminal wrongdoing is established, those responsible will face the full force of the law. There will be no exceptions and no tolerance for actions that place innocent lives at risk.”

Police already have detained the rescued captain and at least one other crew member whom they say tested positive for marijuana.

Asked why an 87-year-old ferry was still in service, the government said it was waiting on the completion of a special pier at Port Kaituma to accommodate a new $12.7 million vessel acquired from India in recent months to replace the MV Barima. Work is at an advanced stage.

The MV Barima was last dry docked in 2024 for major repairs and was scheduled for additional work in October.

___

Drake reported from Charity, Guyana.



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France records more than 5,700 excess deaths during historic early summer heat wave

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France records more than 5,700 excess deaths during historic early summer heat wave


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France has recorded more than 5,700 excess deaths during its historic summer heat wave, marking the country’s deadliest heat-related toll in more than two decades, Public Health France announced Wednesday.

Between June 17 and July 2, the agency expected 15,910 deaths but instead recorded 21,674. The difference — 5,764 excess deaths — was 36% higher than what would have been expected.

During the heat wave, temperatures climbed well above 104 degrees Fahrenheit in many parts of the country, Public Health France said.

“This unprecedented event, characterized by its early onset, intensity and duration, exposed almost the entire population to extreme heat during a period that was still largely dedicated to school and work activities,” the agency said.

EUROPE’S FIRES REVEAL DEADLY MIX OF RECORD HEAT, HUMAN ERROR, ARSON AND LAND MISMANAGEMENT

Tourists enjoy cooling off at a public water fountain in Paris, Friday, June 26, 2026. (Christophe Ena)

Deaths from all causes increased across hospitals, private homes and nursing homes during the heat wave.

The agency’s analysis included people ages 15 and older, with mortality increasing beginning at age 45. Adults 75 and older accounted for roughly two-thirds of the provisional death toll, representing at least 3,719 excess deaths.

SCIENTIST CALLS FOR AMERICANS TO CUT OFF AIR CONDITIONING IN SUMMER, CLAIMING IT CAUSES GLOBAL WARMING

The Paris region was hit hardest, recording 1,999 excess deaths, more than 80% above what would have been expected without the heat wave, according to the agency.

Public Health France said 2026 recorded the country’s highest excess mortality linked to a heat wave since 2003. The National Institute of Health and Medical Research estimated that roughly 15,000 more people died compared to the usual mortality for that time of year.  

tourists at a paris water fountain

Tourists cool off at a public water fountain in Paris, Friday, June 26, 2026. (Christophe Ena)

PARIS DEPUTY MAYOR BLAMES UNITED STATES’ CARBON EMISSIONS FOR DEADLY HEAT WAVE

This year, the hottest days occurred on June 24 and June 25, when the national average temperature reached 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Peak temperatures also climbed above 104 degrees in many areas.

More than half of the excess deaths — about 56% — occurred during or immediately after the most intense stretch of the heat wave between June 25 and June 27.

Officials also said more than 10,000 excess deaths were reported across Europe during the peak of the heat wave, though the preliminary figures are expected to be updated in the coming weeks.

People cooling off in the Trocadero Fountain near the Eiffel Tower in Paris

People cool off in a fountain in Paris during a major heat wave. (Abdul Saboor/Reuters)

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According to The Associated Press, funeral directors in Paris said they were inundated by the surge in bodies awaiting burial or cremation, with some mortuaries reaching capacity and turning down new arrivals.

Health officials noted that the excess mortality estimate includes deaths from all causes that occurred during the heat wave. The figures remain provisional and will continue to be refined in the coming weeks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bonny Chu is a Breaking and Trending News Writer for Fox News Digital



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These 2 Stars of ‘The Bear’ Are Close Friends Who Cook Together in Real Life

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These 2 Stars of ‘The Bear’ Are Close Friends Who Cook Together in Real Life


As stars of “The Bear,” a comedy-drama about a fine-dining restaurant in Chicago, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach have learned a lot about friendship and professional kitchens. Their bond extends offscreen, too: The two are close friends and avid home cooks, who, like many of us, rely on a few go-to recipes.

“When I work, I can’t do anything new,” Ms. Edebiri said. One of her big hits? Melissa Clark’s creamy corn pasta with basil.

“I’ve cooked from so many recipes for so many years,” Mr. Moss-Bachrach said. “But at this point, I’m either too tired or burned out, and I mostly just make the things that I know.” His rotation features easy-to-remember recipes, like Tamar Adler’s crepes and Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce.

Among his favorites is his mother-in-law’s vegetarian borscht, a recipe that holds a lot of meaning in his family.

Two bowls of bright magenta borscht are topped with sour cream and dill.

Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog.

Below or on YouTube, watch Mr. Moss-Bachrach teach Ms. Edebiri his family recipe. (His mother-in-law is Ukrainian, and he even brought his daughters along to the shoot for a little family history lesson.) The actors talk about their restaurant and cooking experiences, both real and fictional.

Here are excerpts from the interview and the outtakes, which have been edited and condensed.

Ebon, can you start off by telling us what borscht is?

EBON MOSS-BACHRACH It’s a dish that is really part of the fabric of Ukrainian culture. Every family makes it, and there’s many, many different iterations of it. Some have meat, some have beans, some have tomatoes. It’s a real staple of Eastern Europe and a real workhorse. Almost like the equivalent of an Italian marinara, where it becomes reflective of the different families in the different regions.

Credit…Victoria Chen

How often did your mother-in-law, Lidia Yemchuk, make this for you?

MOSS-BACHRACH My daughters were raised on this. She lived in L.A., and every time we would get off the plane and we would go to their house, borscht would always be the first thing we would eat.

Ayo, have you had this borscht before?

AYO EDEBIRI I have not had this borscht before.

MOSS-BACHRACH Have you had borscht at all?

EDEBIRI I’ve had borscht before. Beet is not part of my cultural food pyramid, I would say. So, I’m excited to have this borscht.

MOSS-BACHRACH It wasn’t for me either, because a lot of the time, I think in the U.S., borscht becomes like this strange sugared beet thing. It’s in a jar, and that’s not really for me. This is a savory dish. There is some sweetness from the beets, but this is more a cabbage soup. The flavor is more of a cabbage soup than a beet.

Before today, have you both ever cooked together?

MOSS-BACHRACH We’ve cooked together! We’ve gone on vacation together, and Ayo’s come over to the house.

EDEBIRI Lazy stuff. I haven’t really cooked for you properly, I feel like.

MOSS-BACHRACH That’s correct.

EDEBIRI OK. Is that something that probably I should change?

MOSS-BACHRACH Yeah!

Are you often cooking from a recipe or are you usually freestyling?

MOSS-BACHRACH I’ve cooked from so many recipes for so many years, and The New York Times recipe app was riding shotgun with me for a long time. But at this point, I’m either too tired or burned out, and I mostly just make the things that I know. I’m not as adventurous and explorative as I used to be.

EDEBIRI I feel like, when I work, I can’t do anything new.

Do you remember what’s in your recipe box?

MOSS-BACHRACH The first thing that pops into mind is Tamar Adler, she has crepes by like, proportions. I really love that recipe. Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce, but that, I don’t really need to check it, because there’s only three ingredients. It’s just like tomatoes and butter and onion.

EDEBIRI There was this summer corn pasta. You like, cook the corn and then you blend up half of it. That was one of my big hits. Also the Alison Roman shallot pasta.

An overhead image of bowtie pasta topped with herbs.

Credit…Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

What’s the best thing you learned from your time on “The Bear” that you’ve brought into your own cooking or home kitchen?

MOSS-BACHRACH Omelet?

EDEBIRI I can’t eat eggs after that omelet.

MOSS-BACHRACH Oh, really?

EDEBIRI Me and Courtney [Storer, culinary producer on “The Bear”] made that omelet — truly, like, because we made it! We made the recipe, we figured out what chip would go best with it — salt and vinegar — and we ate all of it because we both were like, “We don’t want to waste food.”

MOSS-BACHRACH I stayed for that day. I didn’t shoot that day, but I wanted to because I’ve tried so many times over the years — I watched that Jacques Pépin YouTube of him making the omelets so many times. I just can’t figure it out. So I stayed to watch Coco and Ayo make the omelet.

What cooking skills did you need the most help on before you started “The Bear”?

MOSS-BACHRACH It’s like this [gesturing to Ayo chopping onions], it’s like mise en place. That’s the thing that sells the cooking show. It’s just the drilling of the cutting.

EDEBIRI I think also, in relation to mise en place, just the steps. Like when to do what for efficiency and for cleanliness.

MOSS-BACHRACH One thing I learned on “The Bear” was that when I would cook before, I was like doing this a lot [rapidly stirring the ingredients in the pot]. And then Matty [Matheson] was like: “Just leave the stuff alone. Just let it do its thing. You don’t need to be constantly moving things around. Let them interact with the heat and let some time go by, move it around so their friends can interact with the heat.” I like that philosophy.

EDEBIRI You know what I — it’s not a skill — but a gadget that I got from “The Bear” that now I love. The scrapers. I love a scraper. Now, I can’t be without a scraper.

Two pictures of Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.

Credit…Taylor Miller for The New York Times

Have you ever cut yourselves while cooking?

MOSS-BACHRACH Oh my God.

EDEBIRI Oh, yeah! What’s your worst one?

MOSS-BACHRACH When I’ve had the mandoline.

EDEBIRI Oh my God, mine is a mandoline, too!

MOSS-BACHRACH Getting cocky.

EDEBIRI My friend came over to make dinner, and I actually was like, this is like fully God acting in my house. I started gossiping, and it was good, too. I remember what it was, it was good, and I was like, “Yeah, girl,” and then — my fingertip changed for a minute. When I had to do TSA PreCheck, it would buffer because it was like, this is not your hand.

Can you tell us about your previous work in the food service industry?

EDEBIRI My first job was as a dishwasher in a nursing home. And then when I was in college, and after college, too —

MOSS-BACHRACH ABC Kitchen, right?

EDEBIRI ABC Kitchen. Started in the reservations office, then we worked up to the host stand, then I got to serving. Then, when V opened, I would be a barista at V. Sometimes, I would have a double-shift day, I would do V as a barista, and then serve at Kitchen. Sometimes I would pop into Cocina to cover. I’ve served a lot of famous people. This is so name-droppy.

MOSS-BACHRACH All right, go go go. We’re done chopping, so the gossip gods are not going to scrape your fingers.

EDEBIRI Steve Buscemi came in and Paul McCartney. They were on a double date, and everyone was so nice.

MOSS-BACHRACH They were together.

EDEBIRI They were together, and then they gave me a hundred-dollar tip. And I was, like, the host. I remember being like, “God will shine upon you forever.”

If you were a food dish, what would you be? Can you answer for each other?

MOSS-BACHRACH My first thing is, she would be a Shirley Temple.

EDEBIRI Thank you so much.

Two shirley temples are photographed from the side against a black background.

Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Victoria Granof.

MOSS-BACHRACH Was that good?

EDEBIRI That was really nice.

MOSS-BACHRACH I know my friend. She’s a sweet fizzy cocktail.

EDEBIRI You could be this borscht, but with a little hot sauce.

MOSS-BACHRACH I got range.

Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest. Get regular updates from New York Times Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice.





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Why spicy and savory cocktails are the hottest drink trend right now

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Why spicy and savory cocktails are the hottest drink trend right now


Spicy cocktails are enjoying a significant moment, evolving far beyond the classic spicy margarita and Bloody Mary. Bartenders are now pushing creative boundaries to craft innovative drinks with a fiery kick.

“The same way that you want to season a steak or a pork chop, you want to add multiple layers. And I think spice does that if you do it the right way,” explains Turner Greaves, a bartender at New York’s Sip and Guzzle.

Among these is Greaves’ Doctor Green, a tequila highball he describes as “super-herbaceous, vegetal, a little bitter.” This unique concoction features tomatillo, green apple, shiso, and horseradish. For those seeking an extra jolt, a serrano pepper can be added, with customers receiving a small spice dropper to customize their drink’s heat level.

The Doctor Green is a tequila highball he describes as ‘super-herbaceous, vegetal, a little bitter’ (AP Photo/Guido Neira)

Cocktail tastes are changing from sweet to savory

James Stevenson, co-founder of Brutes of Mayfair cocktail bar in London, says drinks were very sweet when he started out 20 years ago, and now consumers’ tastes have shifted.

“I think there’s a real movement toward savory cocktails,” he says. “Every drink we put on the menu that is more savory or has a pickled element or spice element tends to be our bestseller.”

Stevenson makes a mezcal-based Bagheera which he describes as a turbo-spiced margarita.

“We juice (blend) rather than shaking the drink, with fresh chile and coriander,” he says. They make a fresh syrup, adding tequila and freshly squeezed lime, and finish off the drink with a house-made tajin salt rim.

Stevenson makes a mezcal-based Bagheera which he describes as a turbo-spiced margarita
Stevenson makes a mezcal-based Bagheera which he describes as a turbo-spiced margarita (AP Photo/Louise Dixon)

Agave spirits are a good match for spicy and savory

It’s no coincidence both bartenders picked agave-based spirits — tequila and mezcal — for their spicy offerings.

Stevenson explains that a lot of the flavor profiles you get from agaves are fresher, more vegetal than other spirits. “They’re just very akin to chiles” he says. Noting that tequila pairs well with salt, he adds, “Spice and savory flavors are just a natural kinship.”

Alex Lyoness, bar manager at London’s FlipDog, makes his Late Night cocktail with a hint of an after-hours kebab and pickles. He uses a white tequila and a Raicilla (an agave similar to mezcal). Soy sauce brings a deep flavor, he says, and a homemade chile tincture spices things up.

He then adds an onion and olive brine “like the ultimate dirty martini,” and garnishes with a bright pink pickled turnip.

Looking for a tingly feeling

But chiles aren’t the only way to add spice. Lyoness says you’re looking to create a “mouthfeel.” He uses Sichuan peppercorns and the Timur berry, which he says has a cool, numbing quality. “What you’re looking for is that tingling across the palate,” he says.

Greaves recommends bringing a little classic cooking into your drinks.

“You can add ginger, you can add garlic cloves, and star anise and fennel into these drinks, and it adds so many different elements of pepper, of spice. Go home and then throw cayenne into a margarita,” he says.

How hot is too hot?

To judge the heat, try to read it on your palate, says Greaves: “If it starts creeping all the way down to your esophagus, I think that’s definitely a spice level that you can loosen up a bit.”

A good spicy drink should “give you the itches on the sides of your mouth” but not overwhelm, he says.

And don’t forget that no two chiles are the same.

“It’s all about tasting, trying and tweaking,” Anderson says.

Adding a spicy rim to your glass is an easy way to get extra kick

For a spicy rim, mix any spices from your cupboard with a good rock salt, says Anderson. (You can freshly grind the spices for a more aromatic and vibrant mix.)

He recommends coriander seed for a more citrusy mix, and black pepper or cardamom powder for a savory feel. You can even try adding fruit powders.

“Something like a freeze-dried strawberry, freeze-dried raspberry, with a little bit of spice. It’s great,” Anderson says.

Then, simply run a lemon or lime wedge along the rim of your glass and gently roll it in a shallow plate of the salt mix.

Recipes:

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Late Night – from FlipDog London

Ingredients

1 oz. Tapatio blanco (tequila)

34 oz. La Venenosa Costa Raicilla

34 oz. Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe Fino (dry sherry)

0.66 oz. brine mix (onion, olive, sivri pepper)

2 drops chile tincture(asterisk)

Directions: Stir together all the ingredients with ice. Serve in a chilled martini glass. Add a pickled turnip to garnish

(asterisk)Chile tincture: Submerge chiles in a sealed jar with a high-proof neutral alcohol like vodka (approx. 1-2 small chiles per 3.5 oz. of alcohol) and leave to steep for up to two weeks, shaking the jar occasionally. Then strain and transfer the contents into an eyedropper bottle.

—-

Bagheera – from Brutes of Mayfair, London

Ingredients

1.75 oz. Lost Explorer mezcal

0.75 oz. fresh lime juice

68 oz. Bagheera syrup(asterisk)

Small pinch of salt

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over cracked ice. Rim the glass with Tajin

*Bagheera Syrup:

Ingredients

7.5 oz. simple sugar syrup

½ supermarket bunch of fresh cilantro, including stalks

1 small Thai green chile

3 jalapeño chiles

1/4 teaspoon of ascorbic acid (vitamin C powder), to stop the cilantro from turning brown

1/2 teaspoon green cardamom powder

1 thumb-size piece of peeled fresh ginger

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a large container or blender. Blend until the coriander and chiles have completely broken down and the mixture is well combined. Strain through a fine mesh strainer bag or muslin cloth. Transfer to a clean container and refrigerate.

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Doctor Green – (Sip & Guzzle, New York)

Ingredients

34 oz. green apple juice

34 oz. tomatillo juice

24 oz. green tequila(asterisk)

6 oz. Sauternes

Directions: Juice tomatillo and green apple and whisk in 2 grams ascorbic powder and 4 grams pectinase powder per liter of juice until dissolved.

Rest at room temperature or in the fridge for at least one to two hours until the juice splits into clear liquid and sediment layers. Combine all ingredients and strain through a fine mesh strainer until clear. Carbonate using a specialist drinks carbonator.

*To make the green tequila

68 oz. Patron tequila

0.25 oz. shiso

0.25 oz. fennel

0.25 oz. horseradish

2 pcs star anise

Method: Combine the ingredients and allow to infuse at room temperature for 24 hours.

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5 songs to drink spicy cocktails to:

“Hot Stuff” – Donna Summer

“Hot in Herre”– Nelly

“Spice up your Life” – The Spice Girls

“Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot” – The Merrymen

“Drop it like its Hot” – Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell



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UN rights chief condemns Nicaragua’s decision to abolish elections

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UN rights chief condemns Nicaragua’s decision to abolish elections


UN rights chief condemns worsening repression in Nicaragua, urging the restoration of freedoms and the rule of law.

Published On 22 Jul 2026

The United Nations human rights chief has condemned Nicaragua’s escalating crackdown on civil and political rights, days after President Daniel Ortega announced a plan to block elections and shut out the opposition.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Wednesday that the “latest developments further deepen the severe restrictions on fundamental freedoms, the dismantling of civic space, and the steady erosion of the rule of law” in the Central American country.

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Ortega, a former leftist fighter who has ruled Nicaragua for almost two decades alongside his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, said on Sunday that “there won’t be elections” in the country, a move that would remove any prospect of a challenge to the couple’s rule.

General elections were due in November, but constitutional reforms passed 18 months ago extended the presidential term from 5 to 6 years, pushing the vote back to 2027.

Turk said power in Nicaragua was increasingly being concentrated “under the co-presidency”, with the ruling Sandinista party already holding full control over parliament, all municipalities and the regional councils on the North and South Caribbean Coast.

He called on the authorities to “reopen civic space, and restore the rule of law”, warning that “independent expression of thought or opinion is systematically suppressed”, urging that “people of all political viewpoints must be allowed to vote and run for office, in line with the State’s international human rights obligations”.

The statement also cited the government’s abrupt revocation of several lawyers’ credentials earlier this month, which it said had no legal justification, and noted that at least 46 people remain arbitrarily detained on political grounds.

Turk further raised concern over the treatment of religious groups, pointing to the unclear whereabouts of Bishop Abelardo Mata Guevara, 80, who was detained on June 29, and urged Managua to release all those held arbitrarily “with humanity and dignity”.

Since a deadly crackdown on protests in 2018 – in which more than 300 people were killed, according to UN figures – Ortega and Murillo have tightened their grip on Nicaraguan society.



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Trump plans 100% tariffs on imported generic drugs. Here’s what experts say.

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Trump plans 100% tariffs on imported generic drugs. Here’s what experts say.


Imported generic drugs could face tariffs of up to 100% beginning in 2028 under a plan announced Tuesday by President Trump, who said the measure is intended to push manufacturers to move production to the U.S.

Health policy experts said they are skeptical the tariffs alone would persuade generic drug manufacturers to relocate production to the U.S.

“A tariff can be part of a broader strategy, but is not going to by itself lead to onshoring,” Marta Wosińska, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center on Health Policy, said on Wednesday.

Mr. Trump announced Tuesday the 100% tariffs on generic drugmakers will begin in August 2028 and increase to 200% after one year.

“This is done in order to RESHORE Generic Pharmaceutical Production into America,” the president wrote on Truth Social.

The measure could portend major changes for the generic drug industry, which accounts for 90% of prescriptions filled in the U.S., according to the Food and Drug Administration. Generic medications are manufactured with the same active ingredients as brand-name drugs but typically cost much less. 

Generic drug manufacturing has increasingly shifted overseas during the past decades, with India now supplying more than 50% of the generic prescriptions filled in the U.S., according to a 2025 report by the Senate Committee on Aging.

The U.S. also relies heavily on China, which provides 95% and 70%, respectively, of imported ibuprofen and acetaminophen and as much as 45% of penicillin imports, the Coalition for a Prosperous America, a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying organization, said in a 2023 report.

Mr. Trump’s plan provides a two-year runway for drug manufacturers to reshore production, White House spokesman Kush Desai told CBS News, who pointed to other administration policies such as full equipment expensing as aiding in the transition.

“The President’s resounding success securing firm reshoring plans from global drugmakers as part of our most-favored-nations deals and Section 232 tariff program for branded drugs is proof that this administration has a track record of success to get critical manufacturing back into the United States,” he said in an email.

Here’s what experts say about the tariff’s potential impact.

What would the tariffs mean for drug prices?

Generic drug manufacturers have slim margins, which could limit their ability to absorb the impact of tariffs, said Mariana Socal, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 

“Any changes to the tariff structure are likely to be passed through to the consumer,” she told CBS News.

Still, she added, competition and existing contracts may limit manufacturers’ ability to immediately pass tariff costs on to buyers.

If consumers did see higher prices, the increases would be relatively modest because generic drugs are generally inexpensive, Wosińska said.

Would companies move their manufacturing operations?

The two-year timeline for reshoring generic drug production may be difficult to meet, experts said.

“These are facilities that require very specific equipment and infrastructure and quality standards,” Socal said.

Companies will also need to consider whether the threat of tariffs is enough of an incentive to build manufacturing facilities in the U.S., where production expenses are higher, experts said.

“It is a large expense and manufacturers will weigh the potential upside of making the kind of initial investment versus what kind of profits they are going to make,” Wosińska said. 

The question is whether “a 200% tariff is going to be enough to justify that large of an upfront cost?” she added.

Teva Pharmaceuticals, an Israel-based company that’s one of the world’s largest generic drug producers, declined to comment on whether the company plans to expand manufacturing operations in the U.S. The company said its focus “remains on ensuring patients have access to high-quality, affordable medicines.”

Sandoz, another leading generic drug producer headquartered in Switzerland, said generic medications are necessary for affordable healthcare in the U.S.

“We appreciate the administration’s objective of strengthening domestic production and supply chain resilience for medicines in the United States,” Sandoz CEO Richard Saynor said in a statement to CBS News.

He added, “To achieve that goal, policymakers and industry must work together to create a sustainable framework that enables long-term investment in generic and biosimilar medicines.”

Experts said uncertainty surrounding U.S. tariff policy could also weigh on manufacturers’ decisions. Trade policy has shifted dramatically over the last year, with the Supreme Court ruling in February that Mr. Trump lacked the authority to impose certain tariffs, invalidating a large portion of the levies he had imposed.

Would this impact drug availability?

The pressure from tariffs could prompt some manufacturers to exit the U.S. market altogether, resulting in supply shortages, Wosińska said. 

She said she’s concerned that “there is not going to be enough of an incentive for them to onshore. There is not going to be enough capacity if the tariffs were to come in, and manufacturers are just going to walk out of the market.”

Those pharmaceutical companies could end up prioritizing other markets that already pay more for the drugs, Socal said. She cited research she conducted showing that manufacturing facilities that produce generic drugs for the U.S. market are, on average, also producing and selling to two additional global markets.

“Some large manufacturers may have the intended response from this policy, but some other manufacturers may simply choose not to sell, and that would be a big problem for us,” she said.

Edited by

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Teenager drops social media addiction lawsuit against Meta

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Teenager drops social media addiction lawsuit against Meta


A Florida teenager who sued Meta claiming that he was addicted to and harmed by his use of platforms, such as Instagram, has dropped his case.

The 15-year-old plaintiff, known by the initials R.K.C., had in recent weeks settled the same claims against TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube, all of which have been accused in a large lawsuit of creating addictive platforms harmful to children.

R.K.C.’s claims were to go before a Los Angeles jury next week as part of court proceedings that have seen Meta and YouTube lose once already.

A Meta spokeswoman told the BBC: “The claims never held up, and this outcome makes clear that we will not back away from defending ourselves against baseless lawsuits.”

Lawyers for R.K.C., Emily Jeffcott and Rahul Ravipudi, told the BBC that the young plaintiff “came into this process wanting to hold social media companies accountable and push for changes to protect young people like himself”.

“He did that,” they added.

The lawyers noted concerns about a jury trial stretching on for weeks and said R.K.C. was “ready to close this chapter and focus on his recovery and engage in therapy as he aspires to have a normal life”.

The Meta spokeswoman said he received no payment for dropping his claims.

R.K.C. had claimed that common social media features such as infinite scroll and autoplay, both of which continuously and automatically show users new content on a platform, drove compulsive use that became a type of addiction.

He argued it caused him anxiety and sleep deprivation, among other issues.

Meta and YouTube faced similar accusations from a young woman during the initial trial.

A jury ultimately found them liable for harming her mental health and were told to pay her $6mn (£4.4mn) in damages.

It was the first time that social media platforms had been held liable for their effects on users.

Both companies have now appealed that verdict.

The Los Angeles Superior Court is overseeing hundreds of lawsuits making similar claims of addiction and harm against social media companies. A small number of cases have been selected to go to trial.

The next one is set to begin in October, according to court records.

Across the US, there are thousands of lawsuits accusing Meta and other major social media platforms of harming young children.

In May, Meta settled for an undisclosed amount with a school district that had sued it for negatively impacting students, so much so that schools incurred costs related to student welfare. The school district had sought $60m in damages.

That settlement came not long after a New Mexico judge told Meta to pay $375m for misleading users on the safety of its platforms for children.



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Karen Carter: Police formally investigate woman after Brit stabbed to death in French village

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Karen Carter: Police formally investigate woman after Brit stabbed to death in French village


A woman has been placed under formal investigation over the death last year in France of a British-South African mother-of-four.

Karen Carter, 65, was found lying near her car with stab wounds by a friend in Trémolat, the Dordogne village where she had lived for over a decade and managed two holiday rental homes.

Prosecutors say the 70-year-old woman was originally taken into custody in 2025 as part of preliminary inquiries before being released.

Jacques-Edouard Andrault, the investigating judge in the case, said in a statement on Wednesday that “the investigations conducted as part of the judicial inquiry opened on 7 May, 2025, have led the investigating judge to formally charge her”.

Being placed under formal investigation in French law means an investigating judge has to decide whether or not there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial.

At the time of the killing in April last year, Karen Carter’s husband, Alan, said that he first heard of her death through a cousin who had read about it on a local community Facebook page.

He said he received confirmation of the death after his assistant phoned local police.

Describing his wife as an outgoing, friendly person who “wouldn’t hurt a fly”, he said her death has been “traumatic” for his family.

“I’m an introvert, and she’s the exact opposite. She’s an extrovert, she loves people, she loves to have fun. People love her, she has a good heart,” he said.

“She’s the one who would bring home the lost dog, or cat, or whatever. She’s that sort of person. Everyone liked her. That’s why I married her. She’s just lovely.”



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