Jill Biden was experiencing mild symptoms and recovering at the family home in Delaware, the White House said. President Biden returned to Washington after her diagnosis.Jill Biden, the first lady, tested positive for Covid-19, the White House announced late Monday night, but she is experiencing only mild symptoms and will remain at the family home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., where she and President Biden spent part of the weekend.Mr. Biden tested negative for the virus after the first lady’s diagnosis, a spokeswoman said. The president returned to the White House on Monday evening.Officials said Mr. Biden would continue to test on “a regular cadence” throughout the week and would monitor for possible signs of infection.The first lady’s diagnosis is a reminder that Covid-19 remains a potent virus in the country.In recent weeks, public health authorities have noted an increase in the number of Covid infections around the country, though the total number remains low and experts do not believe the United States will experience a dangerous wave of illness like those during the height of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.Still, scientists have identified new variants of concern, called EG.5 and BA.2.86. EG.5 has become the dominant variant of Covid in the United States and BA.2.86 — while responsible for fewer infections — shows more than the usual amount of mutations from the original coronavirus, a fact that concerns scientists because it could mean it is better at evading vaccines.The effects of Covid-19 on daily life in America have largely receded, though it remains a danger for the elderly and people with compromised immune systems.The number of deaths from the virus is the lowest since the pandemic began, and roughly one-tenth of the levels seen in January of this year. Few people wear masks when they are in public and businesses no longer close for fear of the virus’s spreading.But doctors are still urging people to make sure they get vaccinated. An updated vaccine expected this fall is designed to better protect against some of the newer variants.For Mr. Biden, his wife’s illness is a throwback to the beginning of his administration, when the virus was raging and the economy was reeling from closures.Those days are largely in the past. Mr. Biden rarely mentions Covid or the pandemic in speeches anymore. In Labor Day remarks in Pennsylvania on Monday morning, Mr. Biden only made a glancing reference to the economic effects of the virus.“We’ve recovered all the jobs lost during the pandemic,” he said. “We’ve added millions more.”Mr. Biden spent Saturday with his wife as the couple traveled to Florida to tour damage from Hurricane Idalia. They spent Sunday at their home in Rehoboth Beach.If Mr. Biden does test positive in the next several days, it could jeopardize his plans to travel abroad later in the week. He is scheduled to leave on Thursday for a three-day trip to India, where he is supposed to attend a meeting of the Group of 20 leaders from around the world. He is then scheduled to travel to Vietnam for a day before returning to the United States.

President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act allows Medicare to negotiate some drug prices, a change that the pharmaceutical industry and Republicans have opposed for decades.As he heads toward a re-election campaign next year, President Biden is betting that his success in pushing for policies intended to lower health care costs for millions of Americans will be rewarded by voters at the ballot box.In speech after speech, Mr. Biden talks about capping the cost of insulin at $35, putting new limits on medical expenses for seniors, making some vaccines free and pushing to lower the prices of some of the most expensive drugs in the world.At the White House, Mr. Biden and his advisers have already begun to elevate the issue as a centerpiece of his agenda. And at his campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Del., aides are preparing television ads, talking points and speeches arguing that Mr. Biden’s push for lower health care costs is a stark contrast with his Republican opponents.“The president will have a very strong case to make,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, a member of the president’s national campaign advisory board. “Not only will people want to keep the benefits they have seen, they are going to want to get the benefits that are coming their way.”On Tuesday, the White House announced that the Biden administration will negotiate on behalf of Medicare recipients for lower prices on 10 popular — and expensive — drugs that are used to treat diabetes, heart disease and other chronic illnesses.The move was made possible by passage last year of Mr. Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which for the first time allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices for older adults, a change that has been opposed by the pharmaceutical industry for decades.Republicans also generally oppose giving the government the right to negotiate drug prices. But the candidates for the Republican presidential nomination have said little about the cost of medication, focusing instead on abortion, transgender medical issues and Covid lockdowns.In his speeches, Mr. Biden rails against the industry and his Republican adversaries in Congress, all of whom voted against the law that included the prescription drug provisions. Aides say it is an effective message.“Today is the start of a new deal for patients where Big Pharma doesn’t just get a blank check at your expense,” the president said at a White House event celebrating the change.Since signing the law a year ago, Mr. Biden has repeatedly called it one of his proudest legislative victories. But his approval numbers have hardly budged. And while polls show that the new policy is widely popular among Americans who know about it, they also suggest that far fewer people are even aware that the change was made.That is most likely because prices on just the first handful of drugs are not scheduled to actually drop until 2026 at the earliest, assuming Mr. Biden’s program survives legal challenges. Drug companies have filed numerous lawsuits against the administration that claim the law is unconstitutional. Court cases could drag on for years.In its lawsuit against the administration, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, an industry trade group, called the plan for negotiated prices “a government mandate disguised as negotiation.”Even if Mr. Biden’s plan goes into effect, older adults who have made the choice to ration their drugs will have to continue doing so until more than a year after the 2024 presidential election.Danny Cottrell, 67, a pharmacist who owns his retail pharmacy group in Brewton, Ala., said he regularly advised his Medicare patients on the ins and outs of the government’s prescription program. He welcomed Mr. Biden’s changes, but said it would be up to people like him to explain the complicated process.“I got to remind them, this doesn’t start till 2026,” Mr. Cottrell said. “And then also remind them this thing will change several times between now and then.”Neera Tanden, Mr. Biden’s top domestic policy adviser, said the White House was confident that the plan would survive the legal challenges.“It is absurd to argue that negotiation is unconstitutional,” she said in an interview. “There’s nothing in the Constitution that says Medicare negotiating drug prices is unconstitutional.”But more broadly, Ms. Tanden said that she and the president’s other advisers in the West Wing were determined to make the push for lower health care costs a central part of Mr. Biden’s message to Americans.And next September, just weeks before Election Day, the administration will announce the results of the yearlong negotiations over the first 10 drugs.“We plan to work extensively, to really remind folks of this issue,” Ms. Tanden said.For the people leading Mr. Biden’s re-election campaign, the political benefits of focusing on lower health care costs are clear.Some polls show that 80 percent of Americans support giving the government the ability to negotiate lower prices for Medicare, much the way it already does for veterans and members of the military.Campaign aides said talking about lower costs of drugs or limits on out-of-pocket medical expenses is one way to help Mr. Biden win support among seniors, who traditionally have voted for Republicans in greater numbers. That is especially important in battleground states like Michigan, Arizona, Georgia and Ohio, where increasing support among older adults will be critical in close contests.The campaign’s early television ads have included numerous references to the president’s efforts to lower health care costs. A spokesman for the campaign said the issue of health care would be a central feature of a $25 million ad blitz focusing on what the president has done to lower costs overall and make economic progress.Kate Bedingfield, who served as Mr. Biden’s communications director for the first two years of his presidency, said the issue had political benefits even when it came to appealing to people who do not benefit directly from the specific cost reductions.“It draws a really clear contrast with the Republicans, who have stood in the way and continue to stand in the way of getting more done on this,” she said.Representative Michael C. Burgess, Republican of Texas and a doctor, said Mr. Biden’s drug price negotiations were akin to government-imposed price controls that would lead to drug shortages.“This administration’s approach goes beyond ‘negotiation,’” he said in a statement. “Instead, it holds pharmaceutical companies hostage, jeopardizing their future innovation and the well-being of American patients.”Mr. Biden’s campaign aides said a debate with Republicans about the cost of medical care was one they were eager to have.“MAGA Republicans running for president want to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, which would deliver a massive win for Big Pharma and increase costs for the American people,” said Julie Chávez Rodríguez, the president’s campaign manager, referring to Republicans loyal to former President Donald J. Trump.She said the choice in the election was between Mr. Biden and “a slate of candidates focused on extreme policies that put their wealthy donors first.”Robert Jimison

Supported byContinue reading the main storyBiden Signs Bill to Help Veterans Who Were Exposed to Toxic Burn PitsPresident Biden, who has long advocated the expanded benefits, has speculated that his son Beau developed brain cancer because of exposure to burn pits when he served in Iraq.Send any friend a storyAs a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.President Biden signed a bill that addresses the ailments that some veterans have suffered after being in proximity to trash fires on military bases.Leigh Vogel for The New York TimesAug. 10, 2022, 12:49 p.m. ETWASHINGTON — President Biden on Wednesday signed into law a bill that expands medical benefits for veterans who were exposed to toxins from burning pits of trash on military bases, ending a yearslong quest for support by veterans and their families.The issue is deeply personal for the president, who has long speculated that his son Beau developed brain cancer because of exposure to burn pits when he served in Iraq as a member of the Delaware National Guard. Before signing the legislation, Mr. Biden described the lingering effects of the exposures.“Toxic smoke, thick with poisons, spreading through the air and into the lungs of our troops,” he said. “When they came home, many of the fittest and best warriors that we sent to war were not the same. Headaches, numbness, dizziness, cancer. My son, Beau, was one of them.”In a ceremony packed with veterans and their families in the East Room of the White House, Mr. Biden called the new law progress toward fulfilling “a sacred obligation” to those who defended the nation and their families. The law passed despite a last-minute delay by Republican senators, who blocked its passage but backed down after an intense backlash.“This is the most significant law our nation has ever passed to help millions of veterans who are exposed to toxic substances during their military services,” Mr. Biden said, adding a few minutes later: “This law is long overdue. We finally got it done, together.”The Biden PresidencyWith midterm elections looming, here’s where President Biden stands.A Sudden Shift: With progress on major legislation and falling gas prices, President Biden faces the challenge of making those successes resonate.Struggling to Inspire: At a time of political tumult and economic distress, Mr. Biden has appeared less engaged than Democrats had hoped.Low Approval Rating: For Mr. Biden, a pervasive sense of pessimism among voters has pushed his approval rating to a perilously low point.Questions About 2024: Mr. Biden has said he plans to run for a second term, but at 79, his age has become an uncomfortable issue.A Familiar Foreign Policy: So far, Mr. Biden’s approach to foreign policy is surprisingly consistent with the Trump administration, analysts say.The legislation addresses the effects that some veterans suffer after sleeping and working in proximity to large fires on military bases where trash — including tires, jet fuel, chemicals and other equipment — were burned, creating large clouds of smoke. Research suggests that toxins in the smoke may be responsible for a series of ailments suffered by veterans, including cancer, bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, sleep apnea, bronchitis and sinusitis.The new law, known as the PACT Act, makes it easier for veterans who believe they were exposed to toxins during their service to apply for medical benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The law creates a $280 billion stream of federal funding, making it one of the largest expansions of veterans benefits in American history.In his remarks, Mr. Biden praised the many years of work by family members and activists, singling out Jon Stewart, the comedian, for his impassioned and sometimes angry demands that politicians pass the bill.“What you’ve done, Jon, matters, and you know it does,” Mr. Biden said to Mr. Stewart, who was in the room for the signing ceremony. “You should know. It really, really matters. You refused to let anybody forget. Refused to let them forget, and we owe you big, man.”Mr. Stewart, who has been lobbying for the bill for years, was particularly vocal last month, when Republican senators abruptly refused to support the measure, citing concerns that it was structured in a way that could create a costly new entitlement. The legislation had passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in the House, and the Republican senators who objected had voiced their firm support only weeks earlier.Appearing on CNN after the Republicans blocked the bill, Mr. Stewart was livid, helping to spur an intense reaction that led to the bill’s final passage days later.“I’m used to lies. I’m used to hypocrisy. I’m used to their cowardice,” Mr. Stewart told Jake Tapper on CNN’s “The Lead” program. “I’m not used to the cruelty, the casual cruelty.”In his remarks on Wednesday, Mr. Biden did not mention the Republican obstruction. Instead, he focused on the bipartisan nature of the agreement, citing its passage as evidence that he has made good on his promise to bridge ideological divides in the nation’s capital to get things done.“I don’t want to hear the press tell me Democrats, Republicans can’t work together,” he said. “We got it done, and we got it done together.”Danielle Robinson, the wife of Sgt. Heath Robinson, who died of lung cancer after serving in Iraq, spent years helping to lead the fight for the new veterans benefits. The legislation was named after her husband.In her own remarks at the White House, Ms. Robinson described how her husband developed cancer a decade after returning from combat. She thanked Mr. Biden and the other activists for pushing lawmakers to pass legislation that will make it easier to receive medical treatment and benefits after similar exposures.“So many veterans are still battling burn pit illnesses today,” she said. “Too many have succumbed to those illnesses as well. And I’m honored to be with the father of another military family that understands the ultimate sacrifice like we do — our commander in chief, President Joe Biden.”Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015.

A White House official said the incursion appeared to be an accident and that there was no threat to the president or his family.WASHINGTON — President Biden was briefly evacuated Saturday from his beach home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., after a small private plane accidentally flew into restricted airspace, according to White House and Secret Service officials.Mr. Biden arrived in Rehoboth Beach on Thursday evening and is scheduled to return to the White House on Sunday. Officials said the president was not in danger during the incident.A White House official told reporters that Mr. Biden and the first lady were briefly evacuated and then returned to their residence.“A small private plane entered restricted airspace, all indications are by mistake, and precautionary measures were taken,” the official said. “There was no threat to the president or his family.”Steve Kopek, a spokesman for the Secret Service, said that the plane entered restricted airspace shortly before 1 p.m. Saturday.“The aircraft was immediately escorted out of the restricted airspace,” Mr. Kopek said in a statement. He did not provide more details, but several people in the area tweeted that they saw two military jets flying overhead around the same time.Officials did not provide details about Mr. Biden’s evacuation. But there were public reports that his motorcade was seen driving into a local fire station Saturday afternoon, and then seen leaving the station about a half-hour later. Rehoboth Avenue, a main commercial artery, was shut down briefly, people said on Twitter.Officials said only that precautions were taken.Mr. Kopek said that it appeared that the pilot of the small plane was unaware of the president’s presence in Delaware and of the airspace restrictions that came along with it.“Preliminary investigation reveals the pilot was not on the proper radio channel, was not following the NOTAMS (Notice to Airmen) that had been filed and was not following published flight guidance,” he said in the statement. “The United States Secret Service will be interviewing the pilot.”Mr. Biden owns a $2.7 million beach home in the North Shores, a wealthy neighborhood one mile north of town. He purchased the home in 2017 and frequently uses it for vacations and for brief weekend visits.

The cases have raised questions about the trajectory of the pandemic, even as the White House has signaled confidence about resuming normal activities.WASHINGTON — A flurry of high-profile coronavirus cases in the nation’s capital — including in people who have been around President Biden — has raised new questions about the trajectory of the two-year-old pandemic, even as the White House has signaled confidence in the country’s ability to resume normal activities.On Thursday, Mr. Biden canceled face-to-face meetings with Prime Minister Micheal Martin of Ireland after the prime minister received a positive result from a coronavirus test during a gala event on Wednesday night that both men attended.In the past week, Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, tested positive for the virus, as did former President Barack Obama. At least nine House Democrats received positive tests this week after a party retreat in Philadelphia and late-night voting at the Capitol.White House officials said Mr. Biden, 79, had not been in close contact with anyone who tested positive and did not appear worried about his safety. They said that the administration was monitoring a highly transmissible subvariant known as BA.2, which is spreading rapidly in parts of China and Europe, but that there appeared to be little reason to think there would be a U-turn back to social distancing and universal mask wearing in the United States.Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said on Thursday that the nation was in a better position to combat the new variant because of the number of people who have been vaccinated and the quality of the vaccines used.“It has been circulating here for some time,” Ms. Psaki said of BA.2. She noted that China had not used mRNA vaccines like the ones made by Pfizer and Moderna, calling it “an important component” of why caseloads are so high there.Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, tested positive for the virus this week.Pete Marovich for The New York TimesBut the recent cases in Washington, and the spread of yet another variant around the world, highlight a challenge for Mr. Biden and his team: how to embrace the country’s desire to move on while being careful not to declare victory over a virus that is still making people sick and killing more than 1,000 Americans each day.“Just because Covid isn’t disrupting some of our lives in certain communities as much as it was a few weeks ago, it doesn’t mean it’s gone,” Ms. Psaki said. “It’s not gone. And I think this variant is an example of that.”The tension over how to approach this juncture of the pandemic was evident in a statement announcing the departure of the president’s coronavirus response coordinator on Thursday.Mr. Biden said the United States had entered “a new moment” in the fight against the virus and acknowledged the pleasure that many people were feeling as they emerged from more than two years of fear and anxiety.“Americans are safely moving back to more normal routines, using the effective new tools we have to enable us to reduce severe Covid cases and make workplaces and schools safer,” Mr. Biden said.But he quickly added, “Our work in combating Covid is far from done.”That work includes persuading lawmakers in both parties to approve billions of dollars to continue fighting the virus. Administration officials say the money would be used to replenish supplies of vaccine, masks and new viral drugs used to treat Covid.Jeffrey D. Zients, the departing coronavirus response coordinator, insisted this week that the additional money for Covid “is not nice to have; this is need to have.” But a bipartisan agreement between lawmakers and the White House to repurpose money that had already been approved for states fell apart when some Democratic lawmakers refused to go along.The difficulty of passing a new Covid spending package underscores how much the national attitude has changed since the pandemic began. A year ago, the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan included more than $178 billion for vaccinations and other Covid-related health care expenditures. Now, Mr. Biden is struggling to make the case for much less.At the White House on Thursday, Ms. Psaki said Mr. Biden tested negative for the virus on Sunday and continues to be tested at least once a week, but had not done so since the disclosure of the Irish prime minister’s test.Daniel Mulhall, Ireland’s ambassador to the United States, confirmed Mr. Martin’s positive test early Thursday.Mr. Biden, who has been vaccinated and received a booster shot in late September, was scheduled to meet with Mr. Martin on Thursday morning at the White House, followed by a luncheon at the Capitol and a shamrock presentation at the White House.Instead, the leaders met virtually, with Mr. Biden seated near a bowl of shamrocks on a table and a television monitor showing Mr. Martin. The president said he was “deeply sorry for the inconvenience” of the virtual format.White House officials said Mr. Biden was not in close contact with Mr. Martin during Wednesday night’s gala, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines as being within six feet of someone for at least 15 minutes.Mr. Mulhall said on Twitter that he had accepted a leadership award for Mr. Martin on Wednesday at the gala for the Ireland Funds in Washington, an event that Mr. Biden and Speaker Nancy Pelosi also attended.“I filled in for the Taoiseach after he tested positive for #Covid19,” he wrote, using the Irish word for the country’s leader. “I wish the Taoiseach well for his recovery.”Irish journalists traveling with Mr. Martin’s delegation reported that he had attended the early part of the gala, and photos from the event appeared to show him seated next to Ms. Pelosi.The speaker’s office confirmed that Ms. Pelosi, who is vaccinated and boosted, had received a negative P.C.R. test result on Thursday morning, and would continue to test regularly and follow C.D.C. guidelines, though it was not clear which ones. It was also unclear whether the Office of the Attending Physician considered Ms. Pelosi, 81, to be a close contact of Mr. Martin.Ms. Pelosi appeared at her weekly news conference on Thursday, saying that she was tested nearly every day. Mr. Martin remained masked until food was served, she said, and was pulled aside during the appetizer course about his positive test.“We’re very, very sad that on St. Patrick’s Day, the taoiseach has this diagnosis,” she said at her indoor news conference, where she removed her mask to speak and take questions.The scheduled lunch — the Friends of Ireland Luncheon on Capitol Hill — proceeded on Thursday without Mr. Martin. Ms. Pelosi addressed the room, where lawmakers sat at round tables, while introducing Mr. Biden, who sat on a stool a few feet away. Neither wore a mask, and there were few face coverings in the room.“America has been blessed by Irish children, and one of those Irish children is now the president of the United States,” Ms. Pelosi said, just before they shook hands and Mr. Biden took the lectern. He did not stay for lunch.In a tradition going back to 1952, Irish ambassadors or political leaders present the American president with a bowl of shamrocks on or around St. Patrick’s Day, usually in the White House. The tradition is valued in Ireland, and by many Irish Americans, as a sign of the close ties between the two countries.Mr. Martin may now never visit the Oval Office in his official capacity: His first scheduled visit last year was canceled because of the pandemic and, as part of a coalition deal with two other Irish political parties, he is expected to hand over the prime ministership before next March.On Wednesday, Claire Cronin, the U.S. ambassador to Ireland, said on Twitter that she canceled her plans to join Mr. Martin on his trip to Washington because she had tested positive for the coronavirus.Emily Cochrane

WASHINGTON — President Biden on Thursday said he was directing his staff to purchase an additional 500 million coronavirus tests for distribution to Americans, doubling the government’s previous purchase as his administration scrambles to respond to the highly contagious Omicron variant.The announcement, which came when Mr. Biden delivered remarks on the pandemic, brings to one billion the total number of tests to be given away free of charge. “That will mean a billion tests in total to meet future demand,” Mr. Biden said. “And we’ll continue to work with the retailers and online retailers to increase availability.”But it is unclear when the tests will be available. Mr. Biden announced the first batch of 500 million tests just before Christmas, and the first batch from that announcement will not start being delivered until later this month, according to White House officials. Details about how Americans can request those tests, including a government-run test website, are slated to be unveiled on Friday.The president did not say when the new batch of 500 million tests will be manufactured and ready for distribution. But he said the at-home tests — along with more than 20,000 testing sites around the country — will help to meet the surging demand as people try to continue work, school and social life despite the rapid spread of the virus.“We’re on track to roll out a website next week where you can order free test shipped to your home,” he said, adding that people with medical insurance can also soon get reimbursed for the purchase of up to eight tests a month.Mr. Biden said his administration will also be announcing a plan next week to ensure that Americans have access to high-quality masks. Experts have said that KN95 and N95 masks protect better against the Omicron variant than the more common cloth or surgical masks.He did not provide any details about that effort during his remarks.The announcement about tests comes as the president also announced on Thursday that the administration is sending a total of 120 military medical personnel to six states, the beginning of a deployment of 1,000 service members to help hospitals deal with a surge in cases from the Omicron variant, White House officials said.Mr. Biden appeared alongside Lloyd J. Austin III, the defense secretary, and Deanne Criswell, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, at the White House to detail the teams heading to hard-hit communities across the country. Mr. Biden said late last month that he would be tapping the military to help hospitals early in January.Officials said the new teams of doctors, nurses and other medical personnel would begin arriving at hospitals in Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island. They said the teams would help triage patients arriving at hospitals, allowing short-staffed emergency departments to free up space.The Coronavirus Pandemic: Key Things to KnowCard 1 of 4The latest Covid data in the U.S.