Legislators in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives are considering legislation to stave off America’s fiscal crisis after a last-gasp deal on taxes passed the Senate overnight.
A vote was expected as early as Tuesday as vice-president Joe Biden was dispatched to Capitol Hill to win over reluctant Democrats and Republican House Speaker John Boehner huddled with members of his restive caucus.
The White House and top Republicans struck a deal after dramatic 11th-hour negotiations to avert huge New Year tax hikes and postpone automatic spending cuts that had threatened to send the US economy back into recession.
If the legislation passes the House, it will represent a win for President Barack Obama as it raises taxes on the richest Americans.
***
1st new tb drug in 40 yrs gets nod
Washington, Jan. 1: The US Food and Drug Administra-tion on Monday approved a Johnson & Johnson tuberculosis drug that is the first new medicine to fight the deadly infection in more than four decades.
The agency approved J&J’s pill, Sirturo, for use with older drugs to fight a hard-to-treat strain of tuberculosis that has not responded to other medications. The agency cautioned that the drug carries risks of potentially deadly heart problems and should be prescribed carefully by doctors. One-third of the world’s population is estimated to be infected with tuberculosis.