Trump targets high prescription drug prices. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday directing drugmakers to lower the prices of their medicines to align with what other countries pay. Drugmakers will be given price targets within the next 30 days and must make “significant progress” toward lowering prices within six months. Mr. Trump said he was seeking cuts of between 59% and 90%. The United States pays the highest prices for prescription drugs, often nearly three times more than other developed nations. – Reuters
White South African refugees arrive in the U.S. Monday. They were granted refugee status by Mr. Trump on the basis of racial discrimination. Washington has blocked mostly nonwhite refugee admissions from the rest of the world, but is prioritizing Afrikaners, the descendants of mostly Dutch settlers. The move has drawn a mixture of alarm and ridicule from South African authorities, who say the Trump administration has waded into a domestic issue it does not understand. – Reuters
Related Monitor coverage: Donald Trump says white South African farmers are victims of persecution. The reality is more complex.
An Israeli American hostage is freed from Gaza. Hamas released Edan Alexander on Monday, the Palestinian militant group said. Mr. Alexander’s release was presented to Israel as a goodwill gesture from Hamas to Mr. Trump and came as a global hunger monitor said Gaza’s entire population is at critical risk of famine. The release, after four-way talks between Hamas, the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar, could open the way to freeing the remaining 59 hostages held in the Gaza Strip. – Reuters
Albanians appear to favor EU membership. Preliminary results in Albania’s parliamentary election show the ruling Socialist Party leading, with voters supporting the country’s uphill effort to join the European Union and Prime Minister Edi Rama’s bid for a fourth term. Mr. Rama, under whom EU membership negotiations restarted last October, highlighted achievements in infrastructure and justice reform in his campaign. His party also aims to accelerate a tourism boom and increase pensions and pay. – The Associated Press
Gavin Newsom focuses on homeless encampments. The California governor urged its cities Monday to clear homeless encampments. Mr. Newsom’s administration drafted a local law that counties, cities, and towns can directly adopt or modify to achieve the Democratic governor’s goals. He’s also releasing $3.3 billion in voter-approved funds to expand housing and treatment options for homeless residents. “The time for inaction is over. There are no more excuses,” Mr. Newsom said in a statement. More than 187,000 Californians are in need of housing. – AP
Related Monitor coverage: In San Francisco, a nonprofit gives cellphones to people facing homelessness, with a friend on the other end.