Top Stories
TOP STORY
TOP STORY
Harris and Trump spar from the start
The two presidential candidates shook hands, got behind lecterns, and assailed each other in Tuesday's widely publicized debate.
They feuded about the economy, abortion rights, immigration at the border with Mexico, the Israeli war against Hamas militants in Gaza, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the January 6, 2021, riot.
The two candidates shook their heads at each other’s comments, with Kamala Harris all but laughing out loud at some of Donald Trump’s remarks. ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis gamely tried to control the flow of the encounter, failing at times.
Trump said Biden and Harris’ handling of the economy has led to the US becoming “Venezuela on steroids.” Harris said Trump’s plan to impose up to 20% tariffs on imported foreign goods would be a “Trump sales tax” for American consumers.
She blamed him for the end of a constitutional right to abortion with his appointment of three conservative justices to the Supreme Court. He said that with the 2022 ruling, voters in individual states could now decide the issue.
National polling shows the contest to be close, adding to the debate's importance. In a snap poll afterward, CNN said its survey showed Harris had won the encounter by 63–37%.
Running Stories
WORLD
WORLD
Blinken arrives in Kyiv in a show of support
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Minister David Lammy arrived in Kyiv today for several meetings.
Blinken has said he wants to hear directly from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and others about Kyiv's war goals and what Washington can do to help achieve them.
Zelenskiy has been pleading for Western countries to supply longer-range missiles and to lift restrictions on using them to hit targets such as military airfields deep inside Russia.
US officials have voiced doubts about such a move amid fears of instigating a direct conflict between the West and Russia. President Joe Biden suggested there was room for compromise.
Biden said his administration was "working that out now" when asked if the US would lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of long-range weapons in its war against Russia.
Russia's lower house of parliament speaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, said today Moscow would consider the US and its allies to be parties to the war if allowing Kyiv to use long-range weapons.
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BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
Hospitals must be candid about prices
Thirty-two economists, academics and business leaders estimate medical price transparency would save patients $1 trillion annually.
The economists argued the cost savings would invigorate the economy, offering savings to workers whose wages have stalled because their employers are paying spiraling healthcare costs.
Vivian Ho, a Rice University economist, said the proposed Health Care Price Transparency Act 2.0 would give employers and consumers price-comparison tools to shop for better healthcare prices.
Hospitals are already obligated to disclose some price information. However, critics say the price estimator tool does not provide actual prices, and the machine-readable files are often incomplete or incorrect.
The proposed bill requires healthcare providers to post files of all rates and prices negotiated with hospitals, health insurance plans, labs, imaging centers and same-day surgery centers.
With 100 million Americans in medical debt, price transparency could assist consumers in shopping for better prices and avoiding big bills, said Ge Bai, a John Hopkins University professor of accounting and health policy management.
SOCIETY
SOCIETY
Record 100 trillion MB of wireless data used
An industry survey says Americans used just over 100 trillion megabytes of wireless data in 2023, up 36% in one year.
The survey says wireless connections rose to 558 million last year, up 6% over 2022. Demand for spectrum use is soaring, driven partly by more wireless use in advancements, including drones, self-driving vehicles, space missions and precision agriculture.
Americans talking on their phones fell slightly from 2.5 trillion in 2022 to 2.4 trillion in 2023, and text messages were about the same at 2.1 trillion in 2023.
The Biden administration announced steps in November 2023 to free up additional wireless spectrum by repurposing spectrum set aside for the federal government, but it has been criticized for not moving fast enough.
CTIA CEO Meredith Attwell Baker said: “To continue to meet the insatiable demand for wireless, drive innovation, and support America’s economic competitiveness, the wireless industry needs access to more full-power, licensed spectrum.”
HEALTH
HEALTH
Daily pill cuts body weight by up to 13%
A Phase 1 clinical trial showed a daily weight loss pill from Novo Nordisk lowers body weight by up to 13% after three months.
Amycretin mimics a hormone that helps reduce food intake and appetite. It also imitates a second hormone, amylin, which can promote a feeling of fullness.
Trial results were based on adults who were overweight or obese and given either Amycretin or a placebo daily for up to 12 weeks. Researchers tested multiple drug doses.
After 12 weeks, participants on the highest dose had lost an average of 13.1% of their body weight, compared with an average loss of 1.1% among those taking a placebo.
A Phase 1 trial aims to assess a drug's safety, including determining what doses work best for patients. Later trials focus on how well the drug works. Novo Nordisk has started a Phase 2 trial in people with Type 2 diabetes.
OTHER NEWS
OTHER NEWS
Wrecks of Nazi ships emerge in River Danube
Sunken Nazi ships have emerged in the River Danube following a blistering summer drought that caused water levels to drop.
The German vessels, still decked out with explosives, were discovered by the Serbian town of Prahovo. Hundreds of miles up the river, receding water revealed four other ships by Hungary's Danube-Drava National Park.
Dozens of scattered ships operated by Nazi Germany's Black Sea fleet appeared in 2022 near Prahovo after water reached record lows. The lowest level recorded in the Danube was 1.3 feet in 2018. On Tuesday, by Budapest, the Danube was 3.8 feet high.
As Nazi troops retreated west, Germany scuttled scores of ships from its Black Sea fleet across the Danube in September 1944. The aim was to slow the Red Army by clogging the river and prevent the vessels from falling into Soviet hands.
A 2022 initiative financed by the European Investment Bank and Western Balkans Investment Framework has provided nearly 30 million euros to oversee a salvage operation to remove the crafts.
OFFBEAT
OFFBEAT
Eagle Scout renovates nun’s food bank
A boy scout and his family were volunteering at a local food pantry when he realized the outdoor seating needed a little TLC.
He was looking for a project to help get him nearer to his title of Eagle Scout, and despite having little experience in carpentry, 14-year-old Simon Starnes got to work.
Sister BJ’s Pantry, run by Sister Barbara Joseph Foley in Oklahoma City, offers free meals to the homeless on Friday and Sunday mornings when the nearest food bank isn't open. They come to sip complimentary coffee and have a long breakfast.
“I saw the tables were in bad shape, and a lot of them were warped and splintering,” Starnes said. “I thought that if I built those (tables), it could make the experience a lot better for them.”
With his father, Scott, a friend, and three troop members, Starnes built four picnic tables to the original dimensions. Foley said, “I love having all of the community support.”
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