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The Biden administration has announced a rule to ban medical debt from credit reports of more than 15 million Americans, with Vice President Kamala Harris saying on Tuesday that the proposed rule would reduce the number of Americans with medical debt listed on their credit reports to zero (down from 46 million in 2020), as well as raise their credit scores by an average of 20 points and lead to the approval of about 22,000 more mortgages annually,

According to a fact sheet from the office of Vice President Harris, the move – taken through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) – would help improve the financial health and wellbeing of millions of Americans. The Biden administration calculates that if implemented, the rule would raise affected individuals’ credit scores by an average of 20 points, and could lead to the approval of approximately 22,000 additional mortgages every year as a result of the cleaned-up credit reports. Following the proposal, the rule will be open to comments until August 12, 2024

CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said in a statement: “The CFPB is seeking to end the senseless practice of weaponizing the credit reporting system to coerce patients into paying medical bills that they do not owe.  Medical bills on credit reports too often are inaccurate and have little to no predictive value when it comes to repaying other loans.”

Harris shared in a separate press release that the administration is also calling on states, local governments and health care providers to take additional steps to eliminate medical debt by using available federal funds to purchase and eliminate medical debt, prevent the further accumulation of medical debt and protect patients from aggressive debt collectors by expanding access to charity care.

According to an April report from the bureau, some 15 million Americans have a total of more than $49 billion in medical debt in collections.  Almost a quarter of middle-class Americans, or 17 million people, had unpaid health care bills in 2020.

00 is no longer included on credit reports.

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After deliberating for three hours, a jury on Tuesday in Delaware federal court found President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, guilty on all three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018. The three felony charges include making false statements in connection to buying a firearm, making a false statement with respect to information required to be kept in records and possession of a firearm by an individual who is an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

Prosecutors argued that Hunter Biden, 54, lied on a mandatory gun-purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs. The case involved allegation that the son of President Joe Biden lied on a federal background form on the topic of drug addiction in order to buy a handgun in 2018. Defense attorney Abbe Lowell argued that at the time Biden filled out the federal form he did not think that he was an addict, and that the federal government failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Hunter Biden willfully broke the law.

After the jury’s decision was announced, President Joe Biden said that said he and the first lady are proud of Hunter, who has been sober since 2019, and he accepts the outcome of the case and “will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal. Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with our love and support. Nothing will ever change that.”

In a statement after the verdict, Hunter Biden said: “I am more grateful today for the love and support I experienced this last week from Melissa, my family, my friends, and my community than I am disappointed by the outcome.”  His attorney, Abbe Lowell, added that they “will continue to vigorously pursue all the legal challenges available to Hunter.”

Biden faces up to 25 years in prison and $750,000 in fines; however, due to the fact he does not have a violent past and is a first-time offender, it is probable he will get a lighter sentence without prison time. Judge Maryellen Noreika did not set a sentencing date.

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The United Nations Security Council has endorsed President Biden’s step-by-step plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. NPR reports that fourteen members of the council voted in favor of the measure and only one — Russia — elected to abstain. Russia is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council with veto power over resolutions. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said: “Today, we voted for peace.”

Nate Evans, spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the United Nations, said in a statement ahead of the vote that the plan would enable a pause in fighting, freeing of a number of hostages and an immediate surge in humanitarian assistance: “Israel has accepted this proposal and the Security Council has an opportunity to speak with one voice and call on Hamas to do the same. Doing so would help save lives and the suffering of civilians in Gaza as well as the hostages and their families. Council Members should not let this opportunity to pass by and must speak with one voice in support of this deal.”

President Biden announced on May 31 that Israel had proposed a three-part plan that would ultimately lead to a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, as well as the release of all hostages who have been held there since Oct. 7.  The plan sets out three phases starting with a six-week cease-fire, in which Hamas releases some hostages and Israel releases Palestinian prisoners. Hamas and Israel would then negotiate phase two — a permanent end to the war and Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Hamas wants a guarantee of a permanent cease-fire now. The third phase is rebuilding Gaza after eight months of war that have left much of the territory in ruins.

Hamas released a statement following the vote saying they “welcome” what was included in the draft resolution “regarding a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.”

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Apple introduced Apple Intelligence on Monday for its devices, including iPhone, Mac, and iPads, along with a much smarter digital assistant app Siri that also utilizes AI by using OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Apple said at the Worldwide Developers Conference hosted at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California that the latest version of Apple’s operating system will deliver customizable tools using generative AI for its devices.  . Language tools will be able to improve or summarize text, and image generators will supplement photos with extra adornment.

CEO Tim Cook said on Monday that Apple Intelligence is the “next big step for Apple,” the advance results from an agreement between Apple and OpenAI, the firm behind popular text bot ChatGPT.  Besides being operational on Apple’s mobile operating system iOS 18, Apple Intelligence will be used on the iPadOS 18 used by iPads, and it will be available in the newest planned release of Apple’s operating system, macOS Sequoia.

AApple released developer versions Monday, and the new operating systems and features will be available for public preview next month. Final versions will launch for everyone once fully finished in the fall. A revamped Siri will carry out extended conversations and aid in intricate tasks, drawing on generative chat technology to improve its language comprehension and retain context from previous requests, the company said. Other AI features include Siri recalling a picture taken years ago on the device or answering detailed questions about the weather, the news or trivia. Over time, Siri could learn the user’ preferences and respond accordingly.

Cook said during the keynote: “As we look to build in these incredible new capabilities, we want to ensure that the outcome reflects the principles at the core of our products, it has to be powerful enough to help with the things that matter most to you. It has to be intuitive and easy to use. It has to be deeply integrated into your product experiences. Most importantly, it has to understand you and be grounded in your personal context, like your routine, your relationships, your communications, and more. And, of course, it has to be built with privacy, from the ground up.”

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