Read Online  |  May 3, 2026  |  E-Paper  | 🎧 Listen

“It is the great triumph of genius to make the common appear novel.” 

—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Ivan Pentchoukov
National Editor

Good morning. It’s Sunday. Here are today’s top stories:

• President Donald Trump announced that Medicare patients will soon be able to obtain coverage for weight-loss drugs for $50 per month.
• Budget carrier Spirit Airlines said Saturday it will halt all operations immediately, canceling all flights and beginning an orderly wind-down after a last-minute rescue plan failed to get traction.
• President Donald Trump said on May 2 that he will review a new peace framework submitted by Iranian negotiators, but raised doubts that the latest proposal would provide the basis for a satisfactory agreement.
• The foreign-born population of the European Union exceeded 64 million, or 14 percent of the population, in 2025—a historic high, according to a new report.
• 🍵Health: Try these five beneficial ball exercises you can perform anywhere.

Obesity doctor and consultant Swati Pradhan explaining the Ozempic GLP-1 self-injectable device at her clinic in Mumbai on March 17, 2026. (Indranil Mukherjee/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump Says Medicare Will Soon Cover Weight-Loss Drugs

President Donald Trump announced that Medicare patients will soon be able to obtain coverage for weight-loss drugs for $50 per month.

Speaking at an event in Florida, the president said the coverage for the weight-loss and diabetes medications will begin in July, referencing drugs that contain semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist.

“Today, I’m thrilled to announce that starting on July 1, we will also provide Medicare patients with the coverage for weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Zepbound, Wegovy. Will be available for $50 a month,” he said.

“So if it was $1,300, now it’s $50. And the $1,300 doesn’t cover a whole month. So it’s really even more than that. So it’s now down to $50.”

In December, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced a voluntary model known as Better Approaches to Lifestyle and Nutrition for Comprehensive Health to expand access to GLP-1 medications for weight management and metabolic health, allowing Medicare Part D plans and state Medicaid agencies to cover the drugs while negotiating lower prices.

The model, which would enable CMS to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies for lower prices and standard terms of coverage, was initially expected to launch in January 2027, but officials said in April it would be delayed “pending further evaluation and data collection.” (More)

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at Sovereignty Ranch in Bandera, Texas, on May 2, 2026. (Bobby Sanchez/The Epoch Times)

POLITICS

• Deep in the heart of Texas, regenerative agriculture devotees showed up to hear Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speak about the connection between healthy land and healthy food.
• The Justice Department on Thursday filed a complaint in federal court against a New Jersey law that allows in-state tuition rates and financial assistance to illegal aliens, arguing the measures unconstitutionally discriminate against U.S. citizens and violate federal law.
• In Ohio’s race for governor, the leading Republican and the unopposed Democrat are pitching distinct approaches to address affordability concerns.
• A Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar will temporarily be used as Air Force One starting this summer.

LATEST NEWS

• The man who prosecutors say attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington last weekend is petitioning to be taken off suicide watch, according to a new filing by his lawyers on Saturday.
• U.S. manufacturing activity held steadyin April, despite the war in Iran driving up factory costs, new industry data show.
• General Motors’ and Ford’s recent earnings reports portray a challenging time for Detroit. Both companies are relying more on potential tariff refunds, and service-based revenue—not sales—to support profitability, while electric vehicle losses continue to deplete cash flow.
• Newly disclosed U.S. investigative records are shedding light on the final moments of China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735 in 2022, revealing critical flight data that had not been made public in the four years since the deadly crash.

Bison roam the hills outside of Avalon, Calif., on March 18, 2026. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

MORNING READ: Conservationists tried birth control on a California island’s bison. It went very wrong.

WORLD

• The Trump administration invoked emergency powers to go around congressional review and approve more than $8.6 billion in military sales to Middle East partners, including advanced precision munitions and missile defense systems for Israel, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.
• The governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa has announced a leave of absence as he faces a federal indictment in the United States on allegations of aiding the Sinaloa cartel.

 

OPINION

• The Case for No Sexual Education in Schools, By the Numbers—Jeff Gardner(Read)
• A Distinguished Justice Explains the Perils of Progressivism—by William Brooks (Read)
• How Big Is China’s Real Overall Government Debt?—by Wang He (Read)
• America’s Advantage in the Iran War—by Bryan Brulotte (Read)

🙋Epoch Survey: Readers Weigh In on How DC Lawmakers Managed DHS Shutdown (Results)

🎤 American Thought Leaders: Why a Taiwan Invasion Would Trigger Trillions in Global Losses | Amb. Alexander Yui (Watch)

🎵 Music: Mozart: Serenade No. 10 in B-flat Major (Listen)

🧬 (Sponsored) The Real Reason Skin Starts To Thin After 50 (It’s Not What You Think) — New research points to a common deficiency linked to fragile, thinning skin and dark spots. Most people miss it. Discover what may really be causing it*—and what you can do to support healthier-looking skin.

ARTS & CULTURE

(OR Images/Getty Images)

Here’s to All You Moms: A Bouquet of Quips, Stories, and Jokes for Mother’s Day 

Mother’s Day is threaded through with all sorts of emotions: joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, gratitude, rue, and regrets.

Traditional gifts bestowed on the materfamilias on her special day are sentimental cards, boxes of chocolates, flowers—the carnation, which symbolizes love and gratitude, is the holiday’s official corsage—breakfast in bed, a meal in a restaurant, a phone call, and prayers and sweet thoughts for mothers and grandmothers no longer with us. 

Here at The Epoch Times, we try to bring word bouquets to moms every year. I myself have written columns on the history of Mother’s Day, on famous mothers, and on themes like “the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” 

This year, I thought some laughter might be of use. So here’s my annual floral arrangement to all you moms, made not of carnations, tulips, lilies, and baby’s breath, but of one-liners, jests, and anecdotes, all in hopes of bringing a smile.

The majority of these humorous bits and pieces are commonly found in online articles, social media, and in print. Others I’ve heard over the years and wanted to include here. Enjoy!

Let’s kick off the comedy with some definitions, superpowers, and myths of moms and motherhood.

Motherhood: a fairy tale in reverse. You start in a beautiful gown and end up cleaning everyone else’s messes, doing the dishes, and flopping exhausted every night into bed with your to-do list only half-done.

Motherhood: If it was going to be easy, it never would have started with something called labor.

Mombie: That special state of motherhood, particularly when tending to newborns, when you join the ranks of the walking dead. (More)

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Thanks for reading 🙏

Have a wonderful day!

—Ivan Pentchoukov, Madalina Hubert, and Kenzi Li.

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