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Fewer than half of rural hospitals now have maternity units, prompting government officials and families to scramble for answers. The closures have worsened so-called “maternity care deserts" — counties with no hospitals or birth centers that offer obstetric care and no OB providers. Ultimately, doctors and researchers say, having fewer hospital maternity units makes having babies less safe. “It feels like you’re held in a way.”Some states and communities are taking steps to create more freestanding birth centers. It was a novel and “innovative” idea to request federal nurses to boost staffing at a rural maternity unit, Wyden’s office said.

Persons: Alisha Alderson, ”, Alderson, “, Eric Scott Palmer, It’s, —, Peiyin Hung, Saint Alphonsus, Odette Bolano, Dina Ellwanger, John Tucker, Tucker, we’ve, ’, Lacy Kee, she’ll, She’s, Kee, Henry, Pamela Evans, Evans, she’s, Katie O’Brien, Paris, Bennett —, O’Brien, Corina Fitch, Fitch, Betsy Baarspul, you’re, Ned Lamont, Alecia McGregor, ” McGregor, Tina Kotek, Sen, Ron Wyden, Shane Alderson, Alisha's, ” ___ Rush, Kuna , Idaho . Ungar, Robert Wood Johnson Organizations: OB, Henry County Medical Center, American Hospital Association, University of South, University of South Carolina’s Rural, Minority Health Research Center, Saint, Henry County Medical, Associated Press, Medicaid, Midwifery, Connecticut Gov, Harvard, of Public Health, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, AP, Oregon Gov, U.S . Public Health Service, Corps, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Locations: Oregon, Boise , Idaho, U.S, Tennessee, University of South Carolina’s, Baker City, Paris , Tennessee, Kentucky, Henry County, Summertown , Tennessee, Connecticut, Chan, “, Baker, Baker City , Oregon, Kuna , Idaho

☆ FAA closes investigation into SpaceX Starship rocket that exploded, outlines ‘corrective actions’
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Kristin Fisher | Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday it has closed its “mishap” investigation into the April SpaceX Starship test flight that ended after the rocket exploded over the Gulf of Mexico. The FAA says the investigation “cites multiple root causes” and “63 corrective actions SpaceX must take to prevent mishap reoccurrence,” the agency said in a statement. SpaceX has said it is ready to try to launch Starship again. But the FAA must issue a launch license, and one of the holdups has been the mishap investigation. “You can think about that launch date slipping probably into ’26.”In August, Free told CNN “my level of concern is the same” after a trip to visit SpaceX’s launch site a month earlier.

Persons: Elon Musk, WjENkdudo9 — Elon, Artemis III, Jim Free, he’s, ”, Free Organizations: CNN, Federal Aviation Administration, SpaceX, FAA, Boca Chica, U.S . Export Control, Boca, Fish and Wildlife Service, NASA, NASA’s, Systems, ”, Aeronautics, Space Engineering Board, Space Studies, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine Locations: of Mexico, Boca Chica , Texas, Boca Chica

CNN —Public campaign finance disclosures from Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign reveal numerous payments to individuals and groups whose ideologies differ significantly from traditional Democratic Party politics, a review by CNN’s KFile finds. Kennedy’s campaign paid a litany of prominent activists – which includes some anti-vaccine advocates, public health conspiracy theorists and Republicans, either individually or through their businesses – the filings show. One anti-vax activist, whose company was paid by Kennedy, once famously compared vaccine mandates to prosecution of Jews during the Holocaust. Bigtree, a film producer who also founded the anti-vaccination group Informed Consent Action Network, regularly speaks against vaccination and public health measures. The Kennedy campaign did not respond to CNN’s comment requests.

Persons: Robert F, Kennedy Jr, ’, CNN’s KFile, Kennedy, fides, Joe Biden, Del Bigtree, David, Covid, Anne Temple, Zen Honeycutt –, Rachel Carson ” –, Carson, “, Republican Helen Brady, Robert Lucero Organizations: CNN, Public, Democratic, Democratic Party, vax, Network, Covid, Capitol, White, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, F Street Partners, GOP, Partners, Republican, California’s Senate Locations: Medicine, Virginia, “, Massachusetts ’, California’s

☆ Bill would give Biden new powers to prepare for the next pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN Business —The Covid-19 pandemic exposed glaring weaknesses in America’s medical supply chains, causing a frantic scramble for masks, respirators and other gear needed to fight the virus. Now, a bipartisan effort in Congress is attempting to boost medical supply chain resilience and ease the country’s reliance on less friendly nations like China for critical medical supplies – before the next disaster strikes. The bill aims to improve supply chain resilience by giving the White House the ability to diversify and expand supply networks while simultaneously eliminating unneeded trade barriers. Earlier this month, the White House hailed the end of the supply chain nightmare that had sent consumer prices surging and left some store shelves empty. The administration released a scorecard that indicated dozens of recommendations from a 2021 supply chain review have been implemented, including some related to strained medical supply chains.

Persons: Democratic Sen, Tom Carper, Republican Sen, Thom Tillis, Joe Biden, America’s “, “, ” Carper, Tillis, Carper, ” Tillis Organizations: New York CNN Business, Democratic, Republican, CNN, White House, International Trade, Global Competitiveness, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, Reliance, Trade Organization, GE Healthcare, House, Department of Health, Human Services, United States Trade, Trade, Force Locations: China, United States, America, Covid, Mexico, Malaysia, Shanghai

☆ The U.S. Is Running Out of Research Monkeys
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Nidhi Subbaraman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Macaques used in scientific research played an important role in Covid vaccine testing. Photo: kathleen flynn/ReutersAmerica’s monkey shortage is getting worse. The pandemic has exacerbated a continuing supply crunch, throttling research and threatening the country’s ability to respond to public health disasters, including the next pandemic. That is according to a new report published Thursday by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine that noted that new ways of studying biology, using artificial-intelligence models or cells in culture, aren’t ready to replace testing in monkeys.

☆ Swarm of bees delays a Delta flight by three hours
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Marnie Hunter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A swarm of bees touched down on a parked Delta Air Lines aircraft Wednesday, delaying a flight from Houston to Atlanta for about three hours. Delta apologized to customers on the delayed flight. My flight leaving Houston is delayed because bees have congregated on the tip of one of the wings. A swarm of bees delayed an Air India flight in 2019. The airport involved in Wednesday’s bee-related delay hasn’t joined in airport beekeeping efforts – yet.

☆ Opinion | The Renewable Energy Revolution Has a Power Line Problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

But without new power lines, much of that electricity will continue to be generated by burning carbon. The United States needs 47,300 gigawatt-miles of new power lines by 2035, which would expand the current grid by 57 percent, the Energy Department reported in February. To hit that target, the United States needs to double the pace of power line construction. The current power grid was constructed over more than a century. Building what amounts to a new power grid on a similar scale in a small fraction of that time is a daunting challenge.

☆ National Academies Members Demand Answers About Sacklers’ Donations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Christina Jewett | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than 75 members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine demanded on Thursday that the organization explain why it has for years failed to return or repurpose millions of dollars donated by the Sackler family, including some who led Purdue Pharma. The company’s drug, OxyContin, helped set in motion a prescription opioid crisis that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. The New York Times reported this month that even as the Academies advised the government on opioid policy, the organization accepted $19 million from the Sackler family and appointed influential members to its committees who had financial ties to Purdue Pharma. One report issued by the Academies claimed that 100 million, or 40 percent of Americans, were in chronic pain. The figure, later found to be inflated, was cited by drugmakers to convince doctors to write large numbers of opioid prescriptions.

☆ Sacklers Gave Millions to Institution That Advises on Opioid Policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Christina Jewett | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For the past decade, the White House and Congress have relied on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, a renowned advisory group, to help shape the federal response to the opioid crisis, whether by convening expert panels or delivering policy recommendations and reports. The opioid crisis has led to hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths, spawned lawsuits and forced other institutions to publicly distance themselves from Sackler money or to acknowledge potential conflicts of interest from ties to Purdue Pharma. The National Academies has largely avoided such scrutiny as it continues to advise the government on painkillers. “I didn’t know they were taking private money,” Michael Von Korff, a prominent pain care researcher, said. “It sounds like insanity to take money from principals of drug companies and then do reports related to opioids.

☆ Webb telescope takes striking image of planet Uranus
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a new stunning image of ice giant Uranus, with almost all its faint dusty rings on display. Uranus has 13 known rings, with 11 of them visible in the new Webb image. A November Hubble image of Uranus (left) captured the planet's bright polar cap, while the recent Webb image displayed more detail, with a subtle enhanced brightness at the cap's center. With the exact mechanism behind the haze unknown, scientists are studying the polar cap using telescope images such as this new Webb image. In this new Webb image, similar to other recent images by the Hubble Space Telescope, storm clouds can be seen at the edge of the polar cap.

☆ Some Republicans want Gen Z to retire later to avoid outright cuts to Social Security: 'Does it really make sense to allow someone who's in their 20s today to retire at 62?'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Several Republicans have said recently that they want to raise the retirement age for younger generations. Social Security is rapidly approaching insolvency, with the Congressional Budget Office estimating that the fund will become unable to make all of its payments starting in 2033. Social safety net programs like Medicare and Social Security have been a partisan battleground for Democrats and Republicans for decades now, with Republicans eyeing big cuts for both programs. There are going to be no cuts in Medicare, Social Security." The White House has continued to criticize Republicans for not being publicly consistent about their goals for Social Security and Medicare.

☆ CDC is talking to airlines about wastewater testing in planes. New reports support that strategy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Aria-Bendix-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Aria Bendix | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The U.S. has been monitoring for the coronavirus in wastewater since the CDC launched its National Wastewater Surveillance System in September 2020. But that testing mainly involves wastewater from households or buildings, not samples from airports or planes. Previous Covid-19 wastewater surveillance has shown to be a valuable tool, and airplane wastewater surveillance could potentially be an option," CDC press officer Scott Pauley told NBC News. Politico first reported that the agency is considering airplane wastewater testing. As of October, more than 1,250 sites were conducting wastewater testing across the U.S.

The study participants all had blood-sodium concentrations considered to be within the normal range: 135 to 146 millimoles per liter. Even people with blood-sodium levels above 142 millimoles per liter had elevated risks of developing certain chronic diseases, including heart failure, stroke, chronic lung disease, diabetes and dementia, the study found. Dmitrieva's previous research similarly found that higher blood sodium may be a risk factor for heart failure. But the study authors cautioned that more research is needed to determine whether good hydration can help slow aging, prevent disease or lead to a longer life. The NIH study "doesn’t prove that drinking more water will prevent chronic disease," he said.

☆ Doctors have long been accused of sloppy handwriting. Google is using AI to translate their scribbled notes.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google is working on an AI model to translate hard-to-read handwriting, like on doctors' notes. The company announced it's working with pharmacists on the AI model that will be in Google Lens. Doctors' handwriting can potentially lead to deadly consequences for patients, Time reported, citing a 2006 study from the National Academies of Science's Institute of Medicine. However, a 1996 study published in the National Library of Medicine found that doctors' handwriting is no worse than that of people who aren't doctors. "This study fails to support the conventional wisdom that doctors' handwriting is worse than others'," the study's authors concluded.

Critical shortages of the ADHD drug Adderall and the antibiotic amoxicillin have left families reeling as the medicines their loved ones need become harder to find. In the case of amoxicillin, demand has become particularly acute amid a so-called tripledemic of Covid, respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and the flu that are converging this season. The Food and Drug Administration's website currently lists amoxicillin and Adderall, also known as mixed amphetamine salts, as being in short supply. NBC News reached out to two of the drugmakers responsible for producing both Adderall and amoxicillin. In 2020, Congress passed the Mitigating Emergency Drug Shortages Act, which aimed to address some of these issues.

☆ 5 apps to help you find new people you (and your dog) actually want to meet
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Jen Glantz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But for those resolving to make new friends in 2023, there's help from some new apps and platforms designed to help connect those living near each other with similar interests. The platform, which is free, allows users to create a profile and connect with age-verified people with similar interests living nearby. When you download the app, you're able to chat with other neighbors on the app. Users can download the app, then create a profile for themselves and their dog. 222Perhaps one of the most unique new apps brands itself neither as a dating app nor as a friend-making service.

Nov 17 (Reuters) - Mothers and children who receive benefits from a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition program would be able to spend more money on a wider range of groceries under proposed changes to the program introduced by USDA on Thursday. The agency had committed to updating the foods offered to WIC participants in the White House national hunger strategy released in September. The boost has increased child intake of produce, according to a report by the National WIC Association, a nonprofit. WIC serves low-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, as well as infants and children up to age five. The agency will be collecting comments on the proposed changes until Feb. 21, it said in the release.

☆ Once a dystopian fantasy, manipulating sunlight to cool the earth is now on the White House research agenda
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

"The stratosphere is calm, and things stay up there for a long time," Parson told CNBC. That sulfur dioxide goes through other chemical reactions and eventually falls to the earth as sulfuric acid in rain. Known risks to people and the environmentThere are significant and well-known risks to some of these techniques — sulfur dioxide aerosol injection in particular. And spraying sulfur in the stratosphere would contribute in the bad direction to all of those effects," Parson told CNBC. His goal is "simply that we learn more and develop better mechanism[s] for governance," he told CNBC.

☆ America's best tool to fight inflation and prevent recessions is facing a dangerous death spiral
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Austin Clemens | Erica Groshen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Threats to truthConsider the many benefits of having a source of trustworthy and publicly available economic data. Of course, private datasets, like those used by Opportunity Insights, the JPMorgan Chase Institute, and Earnest Research, complement federal statistics. In addition to competition from other sources, statistical agencies are facing a lack of money. Sustaining the future of statsThe good news is that statistical agencies are trying to keep up with the times. To continue producing this work, federal statistical agencies need a funding boost.

☆ A CIA doctor investigating the mysterious Havana syndrome says he got symptoms of the illness himself
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A CIA doctor dispatched to investigate the so-called Havana syndrome opened up about his own illness. The anonymous doctor told CNN he started experiencing symptoms of the syndrome himself while in Cuba. Reports of this syndrome, nicknamed "Havana syndrome" because of where it was first reported in late 2016, are officially referred to as "anomalous health incidents" (AHIs). Andrews was awakened by a sudden loud noiseAndrews told CNN that he was in "disbelief" when he started experiencing the symptoms himself. The so-called Havana syndrome has come under intense scrutiny in recent years, as more and more US cases have been reported.

According to a new study, there are estimated to be 2.5 million times more ants on this planet than people. In total, that's 20 quadrillion — or 20,000,000,000,000,000 — ants. Taken together, the total mass of ants on the planet would actually outweigh all of the world’s wild birds and mammals, he added. Jorge Villalba / Getty Images / iStockphotoAnts can be found in nearly all habitats except for polar regions, according to the study. A separate study published in April 2020 in the journal Science found that the planet has lost more than one-quarter of its land-dwelling insects in the past 30 years.

☆ Meet Commander Moonikin Campos, the Artemis I mannequin
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-01 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Rather than astronauts, a mannequin named Commander Moonikin Campos will helm the Orion spacecraft, with two mannequin torsos called Helga and Zohar along for the ride. The mannequin, sporting the Orion Crew Survival System suit, can collect data on what future human crews might experience. Commander Moonikin Campos will test out a flight suit intended for future astronauts. The developers of AstroRad hope that the vest would allow future Artemis crews to continue performing daily activities despite space weather. Combating space radiationDifferent organs have different susceptibilities to space radiation, said Ramona Gaza, the MARE science team lead at Johnson Space Center.

☆ Senate OKs enhanced benefits for vets exposed to burn pits
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-16 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday approved a sweeping expansion of health care and disability benefits for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in response to concerns about their exposure to toxic burn pits. The House in March approved similar legislation that would have cost more than $320 billion over 10 years. And, it would extend Agent Orange presumptions to veterans who served in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Guam and American Samoa. But lawmakers said that stories from constituents tell a different and more definitive tale, and they are reluctant to wait for an irrefutable link between veterans’ maladies and their exposure to toxic burn pits. The Senate version trimmed some of the costs early on by phasing in certain benefit enhancements.

This season, they have gone on 28 flight missions for cloud seeding in Wyoming. This photo shows flares fixed on the aircraft's wing that house the silver iodide used for cloud seeding. Weather Modification International 2022Once the pilot flies into the storm, they ignite the cardboard casings full of silver iodide and “seed” the clouds. Their results, published in 2020 in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, managed to quantify how effective cloud seeding is. The amount of precipitation produced by cloud seeding — up to 10% — isn’t enough at all to quench the drought-stricken West.

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