Over-the-counter birth control, Twitter to sue Musk, Biden to visit Saudi Arabia

Headlines for Monday July 11, 2022 include:

Over-the-counter birth control: For the first time, a pharmaceutical company is seeking FDA approval for over-the-counter birth control. HRA Pharma is asking for permission to sell birth control without the need for a prescription. HRA Pharma’s application on Monday sets up a high-stakes decision for health regulators amid legal and political battles over women’s reproductive health. The company says the timing was unrelated to the Supreme Court’s recent decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

Hormone-based pills have long been the most common form of birth control in the United States, used by millions of women since the 1960s. They have always required a prescription, generally so health professionals can screen for conditions that raise the risk of rare, but dangerous, blood clots.

Elon Musk mocks Twitter lawsuit: Tweeting early Monday morning a meme of himself laughing, Elon Musk mocked the idea of Twitter taking him to court after the purchase agreement for Twitter fell through. On Friday, it was announced Musk no longer wanted to purchase the social media platform.

Twitter quickly responded saying it would seek legal action and felt ‘confident’ it would win in the courtroom. Twitter stocks initially reflected a six percent dip after the news of the deal dropping.

President Biden to visit Saudi Arabia: President Joe Biden is set to visit the Middle East and Saudi Arabia as part of a trip that will run July 13-16. The visit has drawn bipartisan criticism. Biden wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post defending his decision to sit down with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his leadership team, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Biden previously denounced Saudi Arabia’s prince after U.S. intelligence announced he was behind the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Energy talks with the oil rich country are expected during the visit. However, the White House has played down the idea of the Saudis agreeing to an increase in oil production.