One of the world’s largest confectionary manufacturers has been forced to respond after Australians suddenly struggled to find Starburst lollies on supermarket shelves.
One Sydney TikToker revealed she’d been searching for the lollies everywhere, in a video that has been watched 250,000 times.
“Can someone tell me where these lollies went?” she said, “I’ve been looking everywhere – Big W, Coles, whatever – these lollies don’t exist … did they just stop selling them and no one realized?”
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More than 1000 people agreed, commenting that they, too, had struggled to source the range which includes Starburst Fruit Chews, Gummies, GummiBursts, lollipops and Jellybeans.
“I love those lollies but they stopped selling them like what, why?” one said. Another added: “I’ve been looking for them too.”
While a third person said: “Oh my god my childhood I miss them so much.”
Some Starburst products. Credit: Supplied
A spokesperson for Mars Wrigley, which manufactures Starburst, told 7NEWS.com.au that the reason the popular treats were so hard to find in Australia – is because the brand had been discontinued.
“We regularly review our Mars Wrigley product range to ensure we’re offering our consumers great tasting products that are also great value for money,” the spokesperson said.
“Our STARBURST® products are imported from Europe and like many businesses that are importing products from overseas, the brand has been exposed to supply chain difficulties and rising cost pressures over the last two years.”
The company said that after “reviewing all options”, it had made the “difficult decision” to discontinue the brand in Australia from June 2022. Instead, it will focus on products manufactured locally.
“As a proud Australian manufacturer for more than 60 years, we are taking this opportunity to prioritize and invest in the brands and products we make locally in Australia such as M&Ms, Maltesers, Skittles, Snickers, Extra and Eclipse.”
Director James De Frond, whose previous collaborations with Davis include the spy-thriller spoof Action Team, has a fine command of heist-movie conventions and gives the series a solid visual bedrock underpinned by Marli Wren’s nimble, genre-savvy score. Great stuff.
Uncoupled ★★★ Netflix
Neil Patrick Harris is a New York real estate agent who is devastated when his partner of 17 years suddenly leaves him in Uncoupled.Credit:Netflix
Neil Patrick Harris deserves better than this rotten quasi-comedy from Sex and the City creator Darren Star and modern-family Producer Jeffrey Richman.
Harris plays New York real estate agent Michael, who is devastated when his partner of 17 years, Colin (Tuc Watkins), suddenly leaves him. Michael at least has a support network that includes his business partner (Tisha Campbell) and his lonely best friend (Brooks Ashmanskas), and potentially a rich client played by Marcia Gay Harden (who is great fun but largely wasted in cliche ).
The problem is that Michael’s friends tend not to behave like real people – at least not likeable ones. One immediately pressures Michael to start having random sex while he’s clearly grieving. Another shares some shattering news only for everyone to essentially ignore it and keep obsessing about the will-they-won’t-they between Carrie and Big…sorry, Michael and Colin.
Harris commits completely to his role, delivering a beautifully nuanced performance that far surpasses the material. The cast is full of Broadway stars who don’t get to sing or dance, but it’s progress that gay shows can now be this lame.
The Many Saints of Newark binge
Alessandro Nivola lays down the law in The Many Saints of Newark.Credit:
It’s catnip for fans of The Sopranos as David Chase’s prequel movie fills in the 1960s backstory. Michael Gandolfini, playing the teenage Tony Soprano, is the haunting image of his father, James, in a snapshot of a wilful teenager who does not look like a cold-blooded killer. Alessandro Nivola is brilliant as Tony’s uncle, Dickie Moltisanti, an unstable explosive who didn’t feature in The Sopranos but whose story provides fascinating insights into characters such as Tony’s mother, Lydia (Vera Farmiga). Expect laughs too.
My Life as a Rolling Stone stand*
Charlie Watts (right) died before this documentary was made but his Rolling Stones bandmates Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards are on hand to share joyful memories.Credit:AP
It’s impossible not to skip straight to the Charlie episode of this new four-part biography series made for the Rolling Stones’ 60th anniversary. Charlie Watts died before filming began but Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood are on hand to share joyful memories while archival interviews give Watts a revealing voice in his own story. There’s real insight into his drumming from him too as the likes of the E Street Band’s Max Weinberg explain exactly how he gave the Stones their inimitable sound.
Urbex in Beirut shelter
An illuminating documentary that introduces us to a small group of “urban explorers” whose photography is preserving the abandoned, war-scarred buildings of Beirut in all their faded beauty and haunting testimony. There are grand hotels and mansions, a school turned into a sniper’s den, an empty synagogue and even a movie studio where canisters of film lie undisturbed beneath the dust of decades. Campaigners say governments have done little to protect the city’s architectural heritage but some impressive restoration projects show what is possible.
happyish Paramount+
Steve Coogan in Happyish.Credit:Mark Schafer/Showtime
Terrific performances by Steve Coogan and Kathryn Hahn, and the dark, bizarre imagination of series creator Shalom Auslander make this incisive comedy a salty delight. Coogan and Hahn play a creative couple with a young son and a well-earned cynicism about the New York advertising industry, among other things. The dialogue is brilliant, as are the cathartic monologues that end with a hearty “F— you” to such towering historical figures as Thomas Jefferson and Carol Brady from The Brady Bunch. It gets weird.
Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.
The Panthers and Storm have been consistently among the competition’s top teams at this time of the year over the past few seasons, and once again they both sit inside the top four with the Panthers on the cusp of securing their second minor premiership in three years.
Penrith allayed fears that they would go into freefall without halfback Nathan Cleary in their side with a comfortable 26-6 victory over Canberra last week, with the performance showing the depth coach Ivan Cleary has at his disposal.
The Storm continued their return to form with a 32-14 win against the last-placed Titans, led by the brilliance of Cameron Munster, and have kept themselves in the driver’s seat when it comes to the battle for a place in the top four.
Back in May when they last met it was the Panthers who came away with a 32-6 win at Suncorp Stadium as part of the Magic Round.
The Rundown
teamnews
Panthers: Matt Eisenhuth will start in place of the suspended James Fisher-Harris while Viliame Kikau is listed among the reserves as he looks to return from the hip injury which sidelined him last week.
Storm: Cooper Johns looks set for an extended run in the halves, with Jahrome Hughes suffering a partial dislocation of his shoulder last week. Cameron Munster moves back to five-eighth with Nick Meaney returning from the concussion he suffered in Round 19. Powerful center Justin Olam is back from his COVID lay-off so Young Tonumaipe’a goes to the reserves. Tom Eisenhuth will start in place of Felise Kaufusi who will miss the game to be with his family after the passing of his father earlier in the week. Chris Lewis has been added to the bench.
key match-up
Api Koroisau v Harry Grant: A month on from facing off in the Origin arena, the pair clash again at club level with their personal dual sure to be a crucial factor. Grant pushed through the full 80 minutes for the injury-hit Storm last week, topping the game for tackles made with 39 and running for 130 meters. Koroisau meanwhile was crucial to Penrith getting back to winning ways against the Raiders, scoring his side’s opening try in a 74-minute stint. He will again be an important part of the Panthers attack in the absence of Cleary and Jarome Luai.
Stat Attack
Despite both missing key attacking weapons, these sides found their mojo with ball in hand last week following some struggles in recent times. Melbourne’s 32 points scored against the Titans in round 21 was the most they have managed since round 15, while similarly Penrith’s 26-point haul against the Raiders was the most they have registered since round 16. The Panthers and Storm are the two highest scoring teams across the 2022 season, averaging 26.5 and 26.3 per game respectively.
A parliamentary inquiry has found the government agencies in charge of preparing for and responding to major flooding in New South Wales this year failed affected communities.
Key points:
A NSW parliamentary committee has found lead agencies failed to warn and protect communities
It is recommending the SES restructure to harness local knowledge, and that Resilience NSW be abolished
The weather bureau is also being told to consider reviewing its data
Seven people died and thousands of people were displaced or cut off when floodwaters devastated the Northern Rivers region twice since late February.
Despite calls from authorities to stand down, residents took to boats and jet skis to rescue each other from rooftops, and took with them axes and other equipment to cut open roof cavities in which people were stuck.
Led by Labor’s Walt Secord, the parliamentary committee took evidence at a series of hearings across the state’s north as well as Western Sydney, where floods also became deadly.
“The committee found that the [State Emergency Service and Resilience NSW] failed to provide leadership and effective coordination in the community’s greatest time of need,” Mr Secord told parliament as he tabled the report.
The NSW Parliamentary Flood Inquiry held hearings on the north coast in May.(ABC North Coast: Bruce MacKenzie)
The report found that information from the State Emergency Service (SES) and Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) was “incorrect and out of date”, leaving the community with “no other option but to ignore government advice and save lives”.
It made 37 recommendations, including that the SES, the state’s lead agency in a flood event, undergo a restructure to harness local knowledge and employ more salaried staff.
It urged the weather bureau to review its rain data infrastructure and flood modeling tools.
The report found the state agencies and BOM were “not prepared for, nor did they comprehend the scale” of the floods and that “some agencies were criticized for treating it as a nine to five business operation”.
Lismore resident Billy Curry was one of many in the “tinny army” who took it upon themselves to rescue people the day his home town went under.
He agreed there did not seem to be enough resources to assess and respond to the situation, and that without the impromptu volunteers “the community would have been in a lot of trouble”.
“There were scenes there where you were ducking under power lines and street lights in a boat,” he said.
“We lifted 64 older people from an elderly aged care place into a boat, so that’s something you don’t forget.”
Billy Curry wants a database created to better manage willing and able volunteers.(ABC North Coast: Bruce MacKenzie)
Mr Curry said he wanted the State Emergency Service to adopt a database of volunteers who had lifesaving skills and equipment such as jet skis, who could be quickly briefed via SMS in an emergency.
“Also, there was no management of knowing who was in the water and how many people were volunteering,” Mr Curry said.
“SW [no] database of managing the demand of incidences, that definitely stood out, it was absolute chaos.”
The committee has also recommended the NSW Government consider abolishing Resilience NSW, the disaster recovery agency set up in the wake of the Black Summer bushfires, currently led by former Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons.
The inquiry is separate to an independent report, that the government has received but not made public, which the ABC understands will also recommend dismantling Resilience NSW.
Both the SES and Resilience NSW told the ABC they would consider the findings before responding to parliament.
A spokesman for the NSW Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke said they did not know when the report would be tabled and that the minister would not be able to comment “until the NSW Government actually receives the report and has an opportunity to review and respond”.
The report findings include:
SES and Resilience NSW failed as lead agencies
SES was hindered by centralization and shortage of volunteers
SES issued out of date, inaccurate and confusing messages
Community members had no other option but to ignore government advice and save lives
Grants process was insensitive and compounded trauma
NSW Government agencies lacked coordination, created confusion
Demarcation disputes between NSW Government agencies slowed the roll-out of support
NSW Government failed to adequately prepare effective temporary and long-term housing solutions
Recommendations for NSW Government include:
Consider a restructure of SES to harness local knowledge, coordinate more closely with other rescue agencies, increase salaried staff and drive volunteer recruitment
Consider abolishing Resilience NSW
Appoint a senior police officer to lead recovery efforts
Prioritize the rebuild of Cabbage Tree Island
Significantly increase investment in flood mitigation and preparation
Republican Joe Kent took a 960-vote lead over Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler in ballot returns on Monday, placing him in a likelier spot to advance to the general election for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District.
On Monday evening, Kent had 47,623 votes, or 22.79 percent of the 208,993 votes tallied to date. Herrera Beutler had 46,663 votes, or 22.33 percent of the total. Herrera Beutler led on election night, but Kent has steadily gained ground as more ballots were tallied. On Friday evening, Kent had nearly closed the margin between himself and the incumbent, leaving 257 votes between the two hopefuls for the position.
“We’re going to watch the vote count for one more day before making any declarative statements,” said Craig Wheeler, Herrera Beutler’s campaign manager.
Both Republican candidates are vying for the second position on the November ballot to face Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Skamania. She showed an early lead against the main players and currently has 30.97 percent of the vote. Perez is the most popular candidate in Clark, Pacific and Skamania counties.
Herrera Beutler is up by 303 votes in Cowlitz County, which was previously held by Perez on Thursday. Kent is leading in Thurston and Lewis counties.
There are about 10,000 votes left to count in Clark County, the most populous county in the district. Voter turnout jumped to 40.79 percent as of Monday evening. Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said the remaining ballots should be counted by Tuesday.
Clark County expects to provide an update at 4:30 pm Tuesday, followed by Thurston County at 5 pm Cowlitz County will next update at 5 pm Wednesday. Lewis County’s next ballot count will be on Aug. 15 and Skamania, Pacific and Wahkiakum counties are set for Aug. 16, when the election results will be certified.
Results are subject to a machine recount if the difference is less than 2,000 votes and less than .5 percent of total votes for both candidates. A manual recount will occur if the difference is less than 150 votes and less than a quarter of a percent of the total votes cast.
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation has almost doubled its profits in 2021/22 to a record $US760m ($A1.1bn).
The US-listed company owns News Corp Australia, as well as numerous mastheads in the US and UK, alongside book publisher HarperCollins and a majority stake in real estate advertising company REA Group.
Net income increased 95% on the previous year, while revenue for the year ended June 2022 reached another record at $US10.4bn ($A14.9bn), an increase of 11%.
The unprecedented result was driven by the company’s news media division, which saw $US217m ($A311m) profit growth through digital advertising revenue expansion and record digital subscriber numbers.
In an ebullient presentation to investors, the company said it had seen seven years of uninterrupted double-digit growth, which has resulted from acquisitions and digital transformation.
“The business has been fundamentally transformed, we are vastly more profitable and have created a potent platform for even greater growth, to the benefit of all our investors and other stakeholders,” the chief executive, Robert Thomson, said in the results release.
In the most recent quarter, overall revenues were up 7% to $US2.67bn ($A3.83bn), while net income was back in the black at $US127m ($A182m), compared with a net loss in the fourth quarter of the previous year.
Dow Jones, publisher of the Wall Street Journal, achieved the highest revenue since its acquisition, driven by record advertising, and growing digital-only subscriptions.
Fourth-quarter profitability at Dow Jones soared 54% to $US106m ($A152m), leading to a 30% increase for the year to $US433m ($A620m).
Declines in broadcast viewing at Foxtel were offset by streaming revenues from Kayo and Binge, with more than 2.8m streaming subscribers in total.
Digital real estate division revenues, including results for REA Group and Move, grew by a quarter.
The acquisition of HMH books and media saw revenues climb 10% in News Corp’s book publishing division, with consumer spending above pre-pandemic levels.
Rachel and Ryan had a very different weekend in mind when they got they got the late call-up to be contestants on The Block 2022.
The couple were at the pub with their kids and friends when they got the news they were cast on the show after Joel and Elle’s shock departure.
Stream the latest episodes of The Block for free on 9Now.
“We got a call telling us we needed to be at The Block in 30 hours – it was insane, it was madness,” Rachel told 9Entertainment in an exclusive video interview.
Rachel and Ryan jumped at the chance to replace Joel and Elle on the Block. (Nine)
Rachel and Ryan had gone quite far in the casting process for Season 18, but put their hopes of being on The Block behind them when they heard the teams had been selected.
Little did they know, one of those teams suddenly quit just a few days into filming.
READMORE:How teams reacted to Joel and Elle quitting The Block
“We’d kind of moved on with our lives and then to get the call to say ‘We need you here ASAP’ was mind-blowing,” Rachel said.
Ryan added, “Yeah we had to figure out a lot in 30 hours to get down here.”
The parents of three children quickly got things at home organized, and rushed to the building site in Gisborne where they were greeted by host Scott Cam.
Scotty quickly got the pair up to speed on what they’d missed, informing them it was day one and Bathroom Week – which was good news because Ryan is a plumber.
Then he gave them the plans and keys to House 2, which is the house Joel and Elle chose after placing fourth in the House Decider challenge.
READMORE:Darren Palmer on why Aussies love the idea of making a tree change
While Rachel and Ryan had no say in which house they get to renovate, they weren’t worried about the property because “it’s what you do with it” that counts.
Plus Rachel feels like they were destined to renovate that house.
“I personally feel like House 2 chose us,” Rachel said.
READMORE:Why The Block host Scott Cam thinks his dog Frankie will be the star of the 2022 season
Now that they’re ready to get started transforming the historic home, the couple admitted they’re already tired but excited to be on The Block.
“We’re exhausted and we know that’s really funny because we’re coming in to a really exhausting situation, but at the same time this has been… surreal,” Rachel said.
“This was something Rach and I wanted to do together,” Ryan said.
“And it’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” Rachel added.
In Pictures
Scotty’s house renovation so far
Sneak peek at the first three rooms.
ViewGallery
The Block airs Sunday at 7.00pm and Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm on Nine. Catch up on all thelatest episodes on 9Now.
Sydney Swans champion Josh Kennedy has called time on his illustrious AFL career, days after suffering another hamstring injury.
Key points:
Josh Kennedy injured his hamstring again on the weekend playing for the Swans reserves in the VFL
He has not played in the AFL since round 10, and will finish his career having played 290 games
Kennedy was a three-time All Australian and played in Sydney’s 2012 premiership team
The 34-year-old midfielder will call it quits at the end of the season, and will give an update on his injury when he fronts the media on Tuesday.
Kennedy played in the Swans’ VFL game against North Melbourne on Sunday as he eyed a return to the senior team but walked off the Arden St oval in pain.
Swans coach John Longmire said after the club’s AFL win over the Kangaroos that Kennedy would have scans on his hamstring to determine any damage.
“It was on the other side (the left), it’s not the [right] hamstring he did early in the season,” Longmire said.
The former co-captain tore his hamstring in the Swans’ round 10 game against Carlton and was sidelined for eight weeks.
Kennedy was an unused sub in the thumping Sydney derby win over GWS in round 20.
The veteran, who has played 290 games, will fall just short of reaching the 300-game milestone.
Josh Kennedy parades the 2012 premiership cup.(Getty Images: Mark Metcalfe)
He has played 13 games for Hawthorn, the club his father and grandfather were icons at, but moved to the Swans in 2010 to seek greater opportunities.
The three-time All-Australian has played 277 games for the Swans, including the club’s 2012 grand final win over the Hawks.
It comes after West Coast legend Josh Kennedy played the last of his 292 games on Sunday, kicking eight goals in his farewell match against Adelaide.
Legal advocates say the Northern Territory government has “quietly” wiped $70 million worth of rental debt allegedly owed by remote residents who didn’t know the debt existed.
Key points:
The government has not formally announced the debt waiver and it comes as rents are set to rise
Lawyer Dan Kelly says the saga is evidence remote housing in the NT “isn’t working”
The NT has been embroiled in years-long legal battles over the state of remote housing
The existence of the alleged debt came to light when the Santa Teresa community sued the NT Department of Housing for providing uninhabitable housing stock.
In 2016 the government announced it would countersue the residents taking legal action against them, claiming individual households owed up to $21,000 to the department in unpaid rent.
Australian Lawyers for Remote Aboriginal Rights solicitor Dan Kelly represents the Santa Teresa community and said this alleged debt came “out of nowhere” for residents.
“It was obviously very worrying and distressing,” he said.
“They were under the impression they had been paying their rent as instructed through direct debits.”
Freedom-of-information requests revealed the Territory government alleged the community owed a total of $2 million in unpaid rent but had never pursued the debts.
Annie Young has been part of the years-long legal fight with NT Housing seeking compensation over unsafe housing.(ABC News: Isabella Higgins)
Debt waiver not publicized
Mr Kelly said the wiping of the alleged debt only came to light because a similar countersuit taken out by the government against residents for Laramba was suddenly dropped early this month at the NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NTCAT).
Since 2018, Laramba’s residents have been engaged in legal action against the Department of Housing, arguing they have a right to safe drinking water following revelations theirs contains three times the recommended levels of uranium.
“They announced to the court that the Treasurer has made a determination under the Financial Management Act waiving or writing off any alleged debts,” Mr Kelly said.
“That’s essentially all we know.”
NTCAT heard the decision to wipe the alleged debt was made at the end of June.
In a statement, the government said renters were visited by tenancy officers to advise them historical rental debt up to December 11, 2021 would not be pursued.
The decision to wipe $70 million worth of debt has not been otherwise publicized by the government.
The debt waiver came to light when a countersuit against Laramba residents was dropped.(ABC News: Isaac Nowroozi)
‘Failure system’
Mr Kelly said the government’s countersuit against Santa Teresa residents was eventually unsuccessful because “records were unable to support the fact that the amount was in fact owing”.
Wiping these debts means the government can no longer countersue residents who take them to court in this same way, but Mr Kelly said based on the outcome of the Santa Teresa countersuit, it was “questionable” if any debts would have been probable.
“Their records, I think, have been proven to be unreliable.”
In a statement, the government said the rental system was “antiquated” and “ineffective, confusing for tenants and challenging to administer”.
Mr Kelly said the saga surrounding the unpursued and unproven debts was indicative that remote housing policy was “failing” in the NT.
“It’s a policy that failed because Aboriginal-controlled organizations were not part of the conversation and Aboriginal voices weren’t involved in the policy.
“This was money that should have been fixing up houses and making sure they were at a reasonable and comfortable standard.”
Debt forgiven as rent is raised
The decision to waive the alleged debt comes as the government plans to increase rents for many residents in remote communities and town camps as part of the new remote rent framework.
The way the NT calculates rent for public housing is changing on September 5.(Supplied)
On September 5 the government will abolish income-based rent setting for these properties and introduce pricing schemes that researchers from the Australian National University found would in turn increase rent for 68 per cent of tenants.
The researchers found rent would increase for 80 per cent of renters in Central Australia and 81 per cent of residents in the Barkly.
“Our view on the new rent system is that it’s not going to work again — it’s been designed without the adequate input of Aboriginal organisations,” Mr Kelly said.
In a statement, the Department of Territory Families, Housing and Communities said the new framework was “simple” and “has built-in safeguards to protect people from rental stress should the rent tenants pay exceed 25 per cent of household income”.
“Consultation on the Remote Rent Framework began in 2018 with key stakeholders including a working group with leaders from the housing sector,” it said.
“Tenancy officers have gone door to door across more than 80 communities to provide information to tenants about the new framework.”
The President was joined by Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and received a briefing on the ongoing response efforts to the flooding.
“It’s going to take a while to get through this but I promise you we’re not leaving. The federal government and all its resources — we’re not leaving,” Biden said during the briefing, which took place at an elementary school in Lost Creek. “As long as it takes, we’re going to be here.”
First Lady Jill Biden also traveled to Kentucky with the President. Along with Beshear, Biden was also accompanied by several Kentucky elected officials during her trip, including Kentucky Republican Rep. Hal Rogers. Biden said that he had invited Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to Kentucky, but McConnell did not come.
When asked by CNN if he wished the Kentucky senator had joined him, Biden responded: “No, I don’t think so. I don’t think he has to. He’s got a Senate to run.”
Thousands remain displaced after the flooding swept away entire homes. Many also remain stranded without access to clean water, electricity and critical supplies, as some communities remain impossible to access because of heavily damaged infrastructure. High temperatures, thunderstorms and humidity have been posing challenges to response efforts.
After surveying damage and meeting with families affected by the flooding, the President praised the local community for their “courage” and “stamina.”
“We’re the only country in the world that has come out of every major disaster stronger than we went into it. We got clobbered going in but we came out stronger. That’s the objective here,” Biden said.
He continued, telling the group as they were surrounded by devastation from the floods, “So I don’t want any Kentuckian telling me, ‘You don’t have to do this for me.’ Oh, yeah we do. You’re an American citizen. We never give up, we never stop, we never bow, we never bend — we just go forward. And that’s what we’re going to do here.”
Biden on Sunday made additional disaster assistance available to Kentucky after initially approving a disaster declaration on July 29 to supplement local recovery efforts with federal funding.
Monday’s trip took place shortly after Biden was officially cleared to emerge from isolation after recovering from a rebound case of Covid-19. The President had spent 18 days at the White House because of two back-to-back cases of Covid-19, but then traveled to Rehoboth, Delaware, on Sunday. I tested negative on Saturday but remained in isolation until testing negative again on Sunday.
Up until Sunday, Biden had not left the White House since initially testing positive for Covid-19 on July 21. After taking a five-day course of Pfizer’s antiviral drug, Paxlovid, he tested positive for a rebound case of Covid-19 on July 30 and summarized isolation.
The trip came the day after the Senate passed a $750 billion health care, tax and climate bill, in a significant victory for Biden and his party.
The massive bill — named the Inflation Reduction Act — would represent the largest climate investment in US history and make major changes to health policy by giving Medicare the power for the first time to negotiate the prices of certain prescription drugs and extending expiring health care subsidies for three years. The legislation would reduce the deficit, be paid for through new taxes — including a 15% minimum tax on large corporations and a 1% tax on stock buybacks — and increase the Internal Revenue Service’s ability to collect. The legislation still needs to pass the House of Representatives.
CNN’s Maegan Vazquez and Sam Fossum contributed to this report.
