Biden, facing roadblocks in Congress, signs executive order on childcare, eldercare

By Nandita Bose and Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden, facing congressional resistance to his “care economy” proposals, on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at advancing free preschool and expanding affordable care for children, older Americans and those with disabilities. Biden signed the order, which includes over 50 specific actions, in the…

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Porn on Amazon’s Kindle app prompts warnings from Apple, Alphabet

By Greg Bensinger (Reuters) – Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc have raised concerns with Amazon.com Inc after learning that sexually explicit photographs could be accessed by children on the popular Kindle app and called on Amazon to strengthen its content moderation. The warnings were sparked by questions posed by Reuters to spokespeople at the three…

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Facing brutal climate math, US bets billions on direct air capture

By Susanna Twidale, Valerie Volcovici, Simon Jessop and Peter Henderson (Reuters) -The world is failing to cut carbon emissions fast enough to avoid disastrous climate change, a dawning truth that is giving life to a technology that for years has been marginal – pulling carbon dioxide from the air. Leading the charge, the U.S. government…

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US Supreme Court weighs key standard in whistleblower fraud cases

By John Kruzel WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday considered a bid by three whistleblowers to revive lawsuits accusing pharmacy operators of pocketing millions of taxpayer dollars by knowingly overbilling government health insurance programs for prescription drugs. The justices heard arguments in an appeal by the whistleblowers of lower court rulings in favor…

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US government watchdog: health chief Becerra violated Hatch Act

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra violated the Hatch Act by expressing support for Democratic Senator Alex Padilla’s re-election at a public event last year, a U.S. government watchdog said on Tuesday. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel report cited Becerra’s comments that he intended to vote for Padilla while speaking…

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US Supreme Court tackles religious bias claim against Postal Service

By Andrew Chung WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared ready to bolster the ability of employees to obtain accommodations at work for their religious practices in a case involving an evangelical Christian former mail carrier’s claim of discrimination against the U.S. Postal Service. The nine justices heard oral arguments in an appeal…

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China ramps up construction on new Antarctic station – report

By Michael Martina WASHINGTON (Reuters) – China is increasing its Antarctic footprint according to new satellite imagery collected by a Washington-based think tank that shows construction has resumed for the first time since 2018 on the country’s fifth station in the southern polar region. Beijing has sought to develop new shipping routes in the Arctic…

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