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☆ North Carolina lawmakers to vote on overriding veto of 12-week abortion ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Julia Harte | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The legislature in early May passed the measure, which would cut the window for most abortions in the state back from 20 weeks. "If just one Republican keeps that promise made to the people, then we can stop this ban," Cooper said. The bill whizzed through the legislature with a party-line vote in fewer than 48 hours, passing the Senate 29-20 and the House 71-46. That would make it more difficult for women from out-of-state to obtain an abortion in North Carolina. Near-total abortion bans have taken effect in 14 states since the U.S. Supreme Court revoked federal abortion rights in June 2022, according to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights advocacy research group.

☆ North Carolina governor vetoes 12-week abortion ban, override likely
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Julia Harte | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

At a rally in Raleigh, the state capital, Cooper signed paperwork to veto the bill as a crowd chanted "veto." "This bill has nothing to do with making women safer and everything to do with banning abortion," Cooper said, calling on Republicans to reconsider their stance. Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the anti-abortion group North Carolina Values Coalition, criticized Cooper for vetoing the bill and for holding his rally the day before Mother's Day. That would make it more difficult for out-of-state abortion seekers to obtain the service in North Carolina. Near-total abortion bans have taken effect in 14 states since the U.S. Supreme Court revoked federal abortion rights in June 2022, according to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights advocacy research group.

☆ North Carolina House passes 12-week abortion ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

If the state Senate passes the bill on Thursday as expected, Democratic Governor Roy Cooper will almost certainly veto it. Under the North Carolina proposal, elective abortions after the first trimester would be banned except in instances of rape, incest, life-limiting fetal anomalies and medical emergencies. Key to the North Carolina House Republicans' veto-proof majority is former Democratic state Representative Tricia Cotham, who in April changed her party affiliation to Republican. Abortions in North Carolina rose by 37%, more than any other state, in the first two months after the Supreme Court revoked federal abortion rights in June 2022, according to a study by the Society of Family Planning, a nonprofit organization that promotes abortion rights and research. In the six months after the ruling, there were 3,978 monthly abortions on average in North Carolina, up 788 from the average in the two months beforehand, the society said.

☆ North Carolina Republicans reach agreement on 12-week abortion ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Sharon Bernstein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The proposal is the latest effort by lawmakers in Republican-dominated state legislatures to limit abortions after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to end a pregnancy last year. "The bill that has been developed is a commonsense, reasonable approach to restricting second and third trimester abortions," state senate leader Phil Berger said at a news conference. The legislation would limit elective abortions to 12 weeks' gestation, with exceptions for rape, incest, life-limiting fetal anomalies and the life of the mother. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, said on Tuesday he "strongly opposed" the measure. The move by North Carolina Republicans comes days after a far more restrictive anti-abortion bill was successfully blocked in neighboring South Carolina by a group of five women lawmakers, three of them Republicans.

☆ Florida Lawmakers Clear a Potential Presidential Roadblock for DeSantis
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Nicholas Nehamas | Patricia Mazzei | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Although legal opinions varied, it might have compelled Mr. DeSantis, if he became a presidential candidate, to resign as governor in 2025 with two years still left in his term. Democrats countered that Mr. DeSantis was getting special treatment from his legislative buddies. “In November, December and January, Republicans all around the country were looking to DeSantis as the future of the party,” said Alex Conant, a Republican political strategist who worked as communications director for Senator Marco Rubio of Florida during his 2016 presidential campaign. “He was really hot coming off the midterms. But now it’s not so clear that Republican voters are ready to move beyond Trump.”

☆ In Israel, Ron DeSantis Promotes His Foreign Policy Credentials
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Patrick Kingsley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor and a likely contender for the Republican presidential nomination, expressed strong support for Israel during a brief visit to Jerusalem on Thursday, as he promoted his diplomatic credentials in a country considered crucial to any U.S. president’s foreign policy portfolio. Mr. DeSantis declined once again to confirm his candidacy for the presidential race in 2024, but he used a speech and subsequent news briefing to showcase his experience and interest in Israeli affairs, an issue that his chief rival, Donald J. Trump, once made his own. The governor, a foreign policy novice, stressed his track record of support for Israel and for Floridian Jews, highlighting his efforts to combat antisemitism in Florida and build business ties between his state and Israel. “Maintaining a strong U.S.-Israel relationship has been a priority for me during my time in elective office,” Mr. DeSantis said in speech at a conference hosted by The Jerusalem Post, a right-leaning English-language newspaper. The event was attended by leading right-wing figures, including David M. Friedman, who was Mr. Trump’s ambassador to Israel; and Miriam Adelson, a longtime Israeli American supporter of Mr. Trump.

☆ Irsina, the Italian village being repopulated by Americans
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Silvia Marchetti | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

More than 15 families from the US and Canada have bought old properties in this remote village, known for its premium wheat fields and olive groves. The first foreign “pioneer” to buy a house in Irsina was Sandy Webster, a 63-year-old writer from San Diego. The couple fell in love with the village, bought an old house with thick stone walls, antique furniture and ancient maiolica-tile floors, and spent four years renovating it. “When we got here in 2016, over 80% of the population had fled to the newer district of Irsina, the old Irsina was empty and we loved how it looked. Their house, built into the old village walls, was on sale for 70,000 euros ($77,000).

☆ Lindsey Graham repeats false claim that Democrats support 'abortion at the moment of birth' on CNN
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Graham falsely claimed that Democrats support abortion up until the "moment of birth." Democrats in fact support legislation allowing abortion after viability only when the mother's life and health are at risk. The senator repeated claims that Democrats support elective abortion at birth – a claim that medical experts say is false. Abortion up to the moment of birth, taxpayer-funded," Graham, a Republican, told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union." They introduced legislation that allowed abortion demand with taxpayer-funded – you paying for it, the taxpayer – up to the moment of birth," Graham responded.

Abbott is the second major company to signal a recovery in medical device sales. Medical devices - Abbott's largest segment - clocked an 8.5% rise in sales to $3.90 billion, with $1.2 billion coming from glucose monitoring device Freestyle Libre. I don't think it's a bolus of backlog," Abbott CEO Robert Ford said about the recovery in medical device sales. The stronger outlook for its non-COVID business was the main takeaway as investors had priced in a fall in COVID testing sales, J.P. Morgan analyst Robbie Marcus said in a note. Abbott lowered its outlook for COVID testing sales this year to $1.5 billion from the $2 billion it forecast in January.

☆ Abbott's medical device sales recovery aids quarterly profit beat
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Boxes of Abbott's heart stents are pictured inside a store at a hospital in New Delhi, India, April 27, 2018. REUTERS/Adnan AbidiApril 19 (Reuters) - Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) reported quarterly profit above expectations on Wednesday, underpinned by sales of its diabetes care devices and an improved demand for other devices due to a resumption in non-urgent medical procedures. The upbeat sales of Abbott's medical devices mirror a trend seen by rival Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N), which also posted better-than-expected sales for the business on Tuesday. Sales of medical devices - Abbott's largest segment - grew 8.5% to $3.90 billion, of which $1.2 billion worth revenue was clocked in by glucose monitoring device Freestyle Libre. Abbott, which witnessed first-quarter sales worth $730 million in global COVID-19 test kits, slashed its annual revenue forecast for these devices to $1.5 billion from $2 billion.

☆ I traveled to Mexico for bariatric surgery, and my husband was not happy about it — but I have no regrets
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Jenny Powers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Kasey Spicer traveled to Tijuana for bariatric surgery in 2021 and had a successful experience. Her husband didn't want her to go, but it went so well, he got the same surgery in Mexico in 2022. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kasey Spicer, a 44-year-old school teacher from Lexington, South Carolina, about traveling to Mexico for bariatric surgery. Editor's note: Mayo Clinic research found that bariatric surgery can be a safe option for obese patients with coronary-artery disease. Rob and Kasey before and after their bariatric surgery.

☆ A Texas judge tried to school the FDA on the abortion pill. Only problem? He used debunked research and a study based on an anonymous blog to do it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A Texas judge on Friday issued a ruling overturning FDA approval of an abortion medication. The 67-page document, written by right-wing Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, cited Wikipedia and is full of inaccuracies and falsehoods about the health effects of medical abortion, experts told Insider on Friday. Julia Steinberg, an expert on mental health and abortion, told Reuters in 2012 that most women in the study who experienced mental health issues after having an abortion had also experienced them before the abortion. The study also did not note whether or not the abortions had been done for health reasons or were elective abortions. So he is really outside of his lane making, in essence, a medical judgment that was informed by really, really bad information."

It’s something related to insulting someone, basically, in a way that is apparently illegal in India. And he basically is gonna be thrown out of parliament for this and will be ineligible to run for prime minister, because of this. I mean, you know, there’s a very different thing happening in America, and we still, I think, do have an independent judiciary. Like, it’s not as if Trump was convicted of a misdemeanor and then he can’t run for president. But it is interesting to think about the way in which the world is watching us and what lessons will be taken from this episode.

☆ 20-year-old college dropouts explain how they built a 28-unit real estate portfolio with less than $1,000 in savings combined
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Caleb Hommel and Chuck Sotelo didn't have any savings when they decided to invest in real estate. It was during the thick of the pandemic that they started thinking about investing in real estate. If they can invest in real estate, anyone can, emphasized Sotelo: "We had no experience in real estate. We didn't have any credit, we didn't have any money, and we didn't really have any connections before we started networking during junior college. A lot of people are in better spots than that, so I definitely think anybody can get started in real estate.

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☆ Schools want to close the Covid learning gap before federal funds run out — here’s how it’s going
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The pandemic disproportionately impacted the lowest-performance schools and students, the McKinsey report also found, putting them further behind their high-performing peers. "The schools that had the greatest need suffered the greatest losses," Baker said. "Each district is so different," said Kusum Sinha, superintendent of Garden City Public Schools in New York, which is considered high performing. With federal funding, the Garden City school district hired more staff, added before- and after-school tutoring in math and reading, and created an in-person and online summer program. "If we run out of money, we're going to have to figure out a way to continue," Sinha said.

☆ These 13 beaten-down stocks offer a 'margin of safety' from a possible credit shock, according to a top-1% fund manager
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Higher-than-anticipated interest rates could lead to economic pain and even a credit shock. Top-1% fund manager James Abate explained why he hasn't given up on stocks yet. Here are 13 value stocks to buy in this shaky environment, according to Abate. Leading fund manager James Abate isn't predicting a repeat of the financial crisis, but he is worried that banks could get their biggest test in years if interest rates keep rising. While nothing is guaranteed in markets, Abate said that 2023 will provide many opportunities for fund managers like him to outperform.

☆ Medical tourism looking sickly as patients watch their spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Joanna Plucinska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"People are more cautious," Knott told Reuters, staring at the empty building across the street from his existing Kreativ Dental clinic. Rising air fares and fewer flights - and the memory of last summer's travel chaos - are also putting off would-be patients, clinic operators and analysts told Reuters. A hip or knee replacement at Nordorthopaedics in Lithuania is about 15% more expensive now than five years ago, the clinic told Reuters. Lyfboat, an Indian company providing medical services for foreign patients, told Reuters it has collaborated with a fundraising platform called ImpactGuru to help patients pay for essential surgeries. ACUTE VS ELECTIVEThe International Medical Travel Journal, published by market intelligence service LaingBuisson, estimates the medical tourism market is currently worth around $21 billion, less than pre-pandemic, although editor Keith Pollard warned data is poor.

☆ Ramaswamy Reaches for the Presidency
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Donald Trump proved that you don’t need to hold elective office before you try for the Oval Office, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is taking that as inspiration as he announced Tuesday that he’s running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. He has a chance to make a contribution to the race even if he is a long shot. The 37-year-old Ohio native attended Harvard and earned a law degree from Yale, but don’t hold that against him. In 2014 he also founded a biotechnology firm, Roivant Sciences , and served as CEO until 2021. We’ve come to know him over the years through his contributions to these pages, which are provocative and well-wrought even if we disagree.

☆ I'm a plastic surgeon who does Brazilian butt lifts. BBLs are my most popular procedure, but some people shouldn't have it done.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Jen Glantz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Dr. John Paul Tutela has offered Brazilian butt lift surgery since he started his practice in 2014. I started offering the BBL procedure as soon as I opened my practice and it continues to grow in popularity. Getting a Brazilian butt lift requires pretty aggressive liposuction to help sculpt the body's shape. I'd never tell this category of people to gain weight for the surgery, I'd just recommend they don't do it. What is the recovery time for a Brazilian butt lift?

☆ Cleveland Clinic to open its third London facility as Brits flock to private health care
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —US group Cleveland Clinic will open its third London facility this autumn as demand for private health care booms in the United Kingdom — sparked in large part by long wait times to access treatment on the National Health Service (NHS). “We are excited to be expanding our London footprint with a third location, in the heart of the City of London,” said Tommaso Falcone, interim CEO of Cleveland Clinic London. Cleveland Clinic is one of several major private health care providers expanding rapidly in the United Kingdom to keep up with demand from a much broader swathe of the population than ever before. Also building new UK facilities this year are HCA Healthcare — another American group — and private hospital group Spire Healthcare. NHS wait timesThe demand is being fueled by long wait times to access care on the NHS.

☆ James Abate's stock fund has nearly doubled its benchmark over 3 tumultuous years. Here's how he says investors should get ready for potential black swan events that could shape 2023.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Marley Jay | Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Kiplinger rates the fund as the best US large-company stock fund from 2020 to 2022. That's not the most encouraging backdrop for stocks, especially since Abate said investors will be less comfortable taking big risks. He added that while the beginning of 2023 has been the opposite of 2022, that's not going to last. For the first black swan, Abate pointed towards the escalation of the Russian-Ukraine crisis, including the recent increase in air defense activity, ground troops, and the shipment of armored vehicles, tanks, and fighter aircraft. As for the second black swan, Abate also highlighted the Japanese government's "unprecedented" and "unsustainable" buying of the yen to boost the currency against others like the dollar.

☆ Britain’s NHS was once idolized. Now its worst-ever crisis is fueling a boom in private health care
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Private hospital groups flourishTo keep up with growing demand for their services, private health care providers are expanding at a rapid clip. CEO Justin Ash estimates that the market for private health care in the United Kingdom has doubled since before the pandemic to 15 million people. Ash said that appetite for private health care spans a much broader set of ages and incomes than in the past. “We’ve clearly moved into a world in which we’re all NHS patients but have episodes of private care,” he said. There is no universal health care in America and most people have private health insurance because health care is very expensive.

☆ I'm a plastic surgeon. More people are 'bundling' procedures — here's when it's a great idea and when it can get risky.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Dr. Robert Westreich is a plastic surgeon in New York who specializes in facial surgery. Westreich told Insider it seems like bundling surgeries escalated during the pandemic. In the last few years, I've noticed that patients are more interested in "bundling" plastic surgeries than ever before. For it to get risky, the surgery time would have to last longer than six to seven hours, and 90% of the time with plastic surgery, surgery doesn't last that long. For patients who are considering bundling plastic surgery procedures, I would advise taking the time to choose a doctor (or doctors) who fit your case and making sure you really understand the after-care instructions.

☆ I borrowed $50,000 to pay for college 10 years ago — now I owe double. The interest fees are screwing everyone over.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Lisa Sass, 31, took out $50,000 in private student loans to pay for college. At 31 years old, I never thought I'd be nearly $100,000 in debt — and that's just for student loans. Paying half allows me to afford living expenses and other bills, but my student-loan payments only cover the interest. I still owe $95,576 in loans, and it sucks that private loans were left out of President Joe Biden's forgiveness program. I think loans need to get repaid, but I don't think interest rates should be as high as they are.

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