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☆ Not just Disney: DeSantis brings history of business battles to the presidential campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Ron DeSantis officially launched his presidential campaign Wednesday, putting his blend of pro-business conservativism and culture-war populism to the test at the national level. In the most recent legislative session, DeSantis signed a bill that stopped union dues from being automatically deducted from public employees' paychecks. Ron DeSantis, a critic of environmentally sensitive investing, didn't succeed in protecting his constituents from the ravages of Hurricane Ian, which may have been intensified by global warming. DeSantis signed a bill in early May barring state and local officials from making ESG-based investment decisions. The Disney sagaApparel promoting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sit on a table before a book tour event at the North Charleston Coliseum on April 19, 2023 in North Charleston, South Carolina.

☆ I run a homeschool agency for clients like Kylie Jenner and Khloé Kardashian. Here's what it's like catering to parents for whom price is no object.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Jenny Powers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

In 2013, Tiffany Sorya responded to a Craigslist ad and began tutoring Kylie and Kendall Jenner. I did well in high school, but my freshman year of college was a struggle and my grades plummeted. Now I run Novel Education Group, a homeschooling agency that caters to the children of celebrities, royalty, and ultra-high-net-worth families. After graduating in 2010, I moved to Los Angeles and began tutoring through an agency while homeschooling students on the side. Since 2020, we've also started working with families in Saudi Arabia, some of whom are royalty.

Persons: Tiffany Sorya, Kylie, Kendall Jenner, Sorya, —, Kris Jenner, Kendall, Jenner, haven't, Dre's, Kylie's, Stormi, we've, I've Organizations: Education, Service, Craigslist, University of Southern, NDAs Locations: New York City, Cambodia, France, Portland , Oregon, Los Angeles, Laurel, America, University of Southern California, Caribbean, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh

☆ Medicare is prohibited from paying for weight-loss drugs. These are the 3 potential ways to change that.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

There are three routes lawmakers and regulators could use to add coverage for weight-loss drugs. Older Americans hoping to get their hands on powerful weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy may find it impossible to access them. Should Medicare cover weight loss medication, it could also unlock access for people who have private coverage. "A decision by Medicare to cover weight-loss drugs would put pressure on employers and other private insurers to cover weight-loss drugs too," said Tricia Neuman, a senior vice president at KFF who co-authored a recent brief on the subject. There are three potential strategies that could be used to expand Medicare coverage to weight-loss drugs.

☆ 3 Gen Zers on deciding to become full-time freelancers: ‘I wouldn't go back’ to a corporate job
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Gili Malinsky | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A majority, 70% of Gen Zers consider freelancing to be as viable a career option as a typical office job, according to a February 2023 Fiverr survey of 7,121 Gen Zers from around the world. Gigi Robinson, 24, influencerGigi Robinson, 24, had long struggled with chronic illnesses like Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and endometriosis. When he moved to Boca Raton, Florida, at 15, he started making videos about what it was like for a Brazilian to live in the U.S. And those gained some traction. But though he'd hoped YouTube would become his full-time gig, the channel wasn't making much. He'd also started hiring freelancers to take on some of the work from his clients.

USC, the NCAA and the Pac-12 Conference, which is also named in the complaint, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday. The board in December had said it found merit to charges filed by a group of USC players seeking to be treated as employees, and said it would issue a complaint absent a settlement. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2021 struck down the NCAA's limits on non-cash compensation for athletes, such as scholarships and paid internships. Several states including California have passed laws letting college athletes profit from their name, image and likeness rights. The USC case is the first filed by the board since its top lawyer, in a 2021 memo, asserted that college athletes should be classified as employees because they provide services that generate profits controlled by their schools.

☆ How Reuters pinpointed bat-virus risk zones worldwide
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Areas where conditions are similar are more prone to spillover, scientists say. The Reuters analysis, which assessed spillover risk through 2020, has proven to have some predictive power. Similar statistical models are used widely to analyze data in ecology, and researchers use them to understand spillover risk. More than one of every five people on the planet is living in areas where the risk is highest for spillover. Using epidemic modeling software called GLEAMviz, the news agency simulated a worldwide pandemic originating from the spillover of a theoretical novel virus.

☆ Marvel Studios president says being rejected 'might just be the greatest thing that can happen to you'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Before he became the president of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige was rejected over and over. In fact, it "might just be the greatest thing that can happen to you," he said in a speech. He got his required courses out of the way while continually re-applying to his preferred program, finally getting accepted. Bad luck 'can be a positive'Robert Downey Jr. was not Marvel's first choice for the role of Iron Man. That right choice turned out to be Downey, who played the role of Iron Man in 10 movies spanning more than a decade, including some of the highest-grossing films in history.

☆ Trader Joe's long-time CEO and the brains behind the 19-cent banana announces his retirement
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trader Joe's CEO Dan Bane will retire in July, the grocery store chain said on Monday. "I take great pride that together we have made Trader Joe's the best grocery store in America," Bane said, according to Trader Joe's. With Bane's retirement will come the promotion of Bryan Palbaum to Chairman and CEO and Jon Basalone to Vice CEO, Trader Joe's said. Under Bane, Trader Joe's stuck to a leaner operating strategy than most other US grocery stores. California-based Trader Joe's is owned by the same family who owns Aldi Nord, a German chain of discount grocery stores.

☆ Florida scientist breaks record for time spent living underwater
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Deep Sea has broken the record for the longest time lived underwater. Dituri has been living in Jules’ Undersea Lodge, a steel and glass habitat 30 feet below the surface of a lagoon in Key Largo, Florida. “It is the first and only underwater hotel where scuba diving is the only way to get to your room,” the website reads. According to Guinness World Records, the record for the longest time spent living underwater in a fixed habitat was previously held by two American biologists, Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain, who spent 73 days in the same undersea lodge as Dituri. “It’s all part of his dream to become a civilian astronaut and travel into space by 2026,” Dituri’s website says.

☆ Astronomers spot the biggest cosmic explosion ever seen, and it's 100 times the size of our solar system
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

This enormous fireball, which is about 8 billion light years away, is approximately 100 times bigger than the solar system. While it's not the brightest flash ever seen, it is "by far the most energy released" from a single explosion, Wiseman added. This may be a black hole slurping up a cloud of gas and dustThe world's first picture of a black hole, unrelated to this story. One theory is that explosions could emerge from the black hole to stop gas from falling into the black hole. Right now, the explosion is so bright that it's not possible to see a galaxy around the black hole.

☆ Appeals Court Tosses Convictions of Two Parents in Varsity Blues Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Melissa Korn | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

As part of the largest college-admissions scam ever prosecuted, some parents allegedly paid others to create fake photos of their children as top athletes. WSJ finds out just how easy it is to manipulate photos by asking an expert to combine pictures of Tom Brady and Bradley Cooper. Photos illustration: David StarrA federal appeals court vacated the convictions for two parents who were found guilty of fraud in 2021 as part of the Varsity Blues college-admissions cheating case, highlighting the contentious legal claims underpinning the original charges. A jury ruled in October 2021 that Gamal Abdelaziz and John Wilson were guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to commit bribery involving a school that receives federal funds—in their case, the University of Southern California. Prosecutors alleged they had worked with corrupt college counselor William “Rick” Singer to make illicit payments and pretend their children were star athletes to secure spots for them at top universities.

Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of private equity executive John Wilson and former casino executive Gamal Aziz, the first two people to face trial of the dozens charged in the sprawling "Operation Varsity Blues" probe. All of Aziz's convictions were set aside, and all but one of Wilson's convictions were aside. Wilson and Aziz were the first to go to trial in 2021. A former University of Southern California water polo coach convicted in the second trial later won a new trial, and another parent was acquitted in the third trial. Aziz and Wilson were sentenced in February 2022 to 12 months and 15 months in prison, respectively.

☆ Is your job ruining your sleep? If so, this may be why
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Experiencing negative changes in workplace leadership and fairness was associated with the strongest long-term impact on a worker's sleep. LumiNola/E+/Getty ImagesSleep problems included initiating or maintaining sleep, poor-quality sleep and daytime tiredness two to four times a week that lasted one month to three months. Within a two-year period of time, over half of the participants (53%) reported changes in their workplace environment. However, if the changes at work were negative, sleep issues increased — in fact 1 in 4 people in the study with a worse job environment developed problems getting enough rest. Having negative changes in the leadership and fairness sector was associated with the greatest long-term impact on sleep, more than negative changes in coworker relationships or collaboration, the study found.

☆ University of Southern California social work students just sued the school, accusing it of 'intentionally' misleading people of color about the program and forcing them into 'massive' student debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Graduates of USC's Master of Social Work program sued the school last week. They accused it of misrepresenting the online program and equating it to the on-campus program. Stephanie Luna, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, graduated the program in 2021 and she paid over $110,000 for the online social work program, according to the lawsuit. She now has $100,000 in student debt and said she would not have enrolled in the program had she known the online program was not the same as on-campus. The lawsuit is seeking an order to prevent USC from misrepresenting the online social work program to future students, along with tuition reimbursement to compensate online students for differences in the online and on-campus degrees.

☆ Do antidepressants prescribed for chronic pain work?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Around one-third of people globally live with chronic pain — pain experienced for more than three months — and millions of people are prescribed antidepressants to relieve the condition. However, a new review of prior research published Tuesday has found that most antidepressants used to relieve chronic pain are being prescribed without sufficient reliable evidence of their effectiveness. The studies mainly investigated three types of chronic pain: fibromyalgia, nerve pain and musculoskeletal pain. The most commonly prescribed antidepressant for chronic pain globally was amitriptyline, the study said. Anyone taking antidepressants for chronic pain relief should speak to their doctor before stopping their medication due to concerns over the new report, the authors stressed.

☆ Bronny James Commits to U.S.C. as Father Dreams of N.B.A. Meet-Up
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Adam Zagoria | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

LeBron James’s immediate goal is to win another N.B.A. championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. But longer term, he wants to play in the league with his older son, LeBron Jr., who goes by Bronny, beginning in 2024. “I need to be on the floor with my boy,” James told ESPN in January, recalling a situation from his childhood in which Ken Griffey and his son, Ken Griffey Jr., played for the Seattle Mariners. He was seated at courtside Saturday night as the Lakers took a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series with the Golden State Warriors.

☆ Can Brandon Presley Help Mississippi Break from the Past? - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( David Firestone | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Mr. Presley, 45, is one of three elected members of the state Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, and is the former mayor of Nettleton, a small town in the bright-red northeast section of Mississippi. His most effective tactic is his unrelenting attack on Mr. Reeves and the welfare scandal that has swirled around him and the previous Republican governor, Phil Bryant. At the same time, the state was rejecting a large majority of requests from families for Mississippi’s meager $170 a month in welfare payments. Mr. Reeves was lieutenant governor when all this was going on, and several people at the center of the scandal have been his friends and supporters. That was all Mr. Presley needed.

☆ Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller says the debt-ceiling crisis pales in comparison to the 'horror movie' of reckless spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"The fiscal recklessness of the last decade has been like watching a horror movie unfold." That's according to billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller, who has been raising the alarm about US deficits for several years. "The fiscal recklessness of the last decade has been like watching a horror movie unfold," he said in a Monday speech at the University of Southern California, according to Bloomberg. To Druckenmiller, spending on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will have to be cut in the future, if not today. Druckenmiller also laid responsibility on the Federal Reserve, as its easy-money policies encouraged market and spending recklessness for over a decade.

☆ Tori Bowie, World Champion Sprinter, Is Dead at 32
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Daniel E. Slotnik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Bowie’s world championship title came the next year in London in a dramatic 100-meter race. Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou sprung into the lead and seemed well ahead of the rest of the pack. But near the end of the race, Bowie accelerated, caught up to Ta Lou and leaned through the finish line ahead of her, then tumbled to the ground. Bowie won another gold at that world championship, in the 4x100 relay. Bowie went to the University of Southern Mississippi, where she became the national champion in the long jump in 2011.

☆ Tori Bowie: Olympic and world champion has died at age 32, agent tells CNN
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jill Martin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —American sprinter and long jumper Tori Bowie – a three-time Olympic medalist and a two-time world champion in track and field – has died, according to her agent, Kimberly Holland. Holland told CNN on Wednesday that Bowie was found dead at home in Florida and that the cause of death is not known yet. “We’re devasted [sic] to share the very sad news that Tori Bowie has passed away,” an Instagram post from Bowie’s representation and Holland’s company, Icon Management Inc., said. A native of Sandhill, Mississippi, Bowie was a three-time All-American at the University of Southern Mississippi. Her last appearance on the world stage was in 2019 at the world championships in Doha, when she finished fourth in the long jump.

☆ This Supreme Court is slow to issue rulings — glacially slow
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Lawrence Hurley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 19: The Supreme Court of the United States, on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)WASHINGTON — Back in 1923, the Supreme Court had issued 157 rulings by May 1 in a term that started the previous fall. Nevertheless, the slow pace at which rulings have been issued this term has started to attract scrutiny from court watchers. In both 2022 and 2021, the court had decided 25 cases by May 1, according to Feldman. Court experts differed on whether the crunch would have any impact on how the court actually decides cases.

☆ Alzheimer’s patients may wait years to get treated with new drugs, putting them at risk of more severe disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +17 min

But time spent waiting robs early patients of their memory and ability to live independently. This condition is often, though not always, a sign of early Alzheimer's disease. PET scans cumbersomeTwo types of tests can diagnosis Alzheimer's disease: PET scans and spinal taps. Early Alzheimer's disease can also be diagnosed with a spinal tap, in which fluid around the spinal cord is extracted with a catheter and tested. He believes big players like CVS will provide infusions for Alzheimer's disease on a major scale if they see there's a large and stable market.

☆ Study Shows the Staggering Cost of Menopause for Women in the Work Force
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Alisha Haridasani Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Several other studies have arrived at conclusions similar to those of the Mayo Clinic study. A smaller survey by the corporate health benefits provider Carrot Fertility found that roughly 20 percent of women took time off from work because of menopause. (Dr. Williams was not involved with the research.) Women see in their day-to-day lives that their productivity is impacted.”But most Americans don’t have the ability to choose to cut back on work the way some women in the study did, Dr. Williams said. “Many women don’t have the privilege of saying I’m just not going to teach this course — because maybe if you don’t show up, you will not have a job, and that has economic and personal financial impact too.”

The study released on Thursday showed opportunities for women in lead roles, directorial roles and key creative roles have improved. However it also found that Netflix still lacks significant representation of characters with disabilities, gender-balanced storytelling in series, roles for girls and women of color and opportunities for women writers. Despite 27% of the U.S. population identifying as disabled, only 1.1% of all characters in Netflix films and series have a disability, the study released on Thursday found. Only 1.9% of writers for Netflix films have been Latino, the study said. Diversity in casting has improved markedly for Asians, with 41.5% of Netflix series having an Asian lead or co-lead in 2021, compared to only making up 4% of leads and co-leads in both films and series in 2018.

☆ A drug company abandoned a treatment for ‘bubble boy disease.’ After a 5-year fight, this little girl is about to get it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Elizabeth Cohen Lauren Mascarenhas | Elizabeth Cohen | Lauren Mascarenhas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +29 min

The Sulacks weighed their options: Have a transplant with a match that was less than ideal – far less – or wait for gene therapy to become available. The news release didn’t say anything else about the SCID gene therapy. Or was the company abandoning its plans for SCID gene therapy altogether? In February, 2021, the parents of more than 20 children who were waiting for the gene therapy treatment, including the Sulacks, wrote a letter to Gaspar. Insurance companies have sometimes balked at paying for gene therapy, which is typically given in one treatment.

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