News

Bookings spiked by 1,200 percent post-election, and IUD signups more than octupled.

Summary

The incoming Trump administration plans to deport migrants to third-party countries, such as Turks and Caicos, Panama, and the Bahamas, when their home countries refuse to accept them.

This could leave thousands displaced in unfamiliar regions without legal guarantees or cultural ties.

The policy builds on similar actions during Trump’s first term and aims to expedite deportations within a week of arrest. Mexico is also being pressured to accept non-Mexican deportees.

Critics, including the ACLU, call the policy illegal and dangerous, citing risks to migrants’ safety and rights.

Demand for data centers ballooned in recent years due to the rapid growth of cloud computing and artificial intelligence, and local governments are competing for lucrative deals with big tech companies. But as data centers begin to move into more densely populated areas, abutting homes and schools, parks and recreation centers, some residents are pushing back against the world’s most powerful corporations over concerns about the economic, social and environmental health of their communities.

Tyler Ray, a vocal critic of data centers and leader in the fight against the Virginia project, said the incentives offered are not enough to counteract the consequences of building a facility so close to homes.

“All that we are asking for is, as the county is trying to bring in this data center income, that they are doing it in a way that doesn’t run residents away from their homes,” he said.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bypass_Paywalls_Clean

Summary

Climate change is driving up U.S. home insurance premiums, particularly in high-risk areas prone to floods, fires, and storms.

Counties in the top 20% of disaster risk saw premiums rise by 22% from 2020 to 2023, compared to a 13% national average.

Florida faces a crisis with insurers fleeing due to rising risks. The state’s backstop insurer is strained, and limited flood insurance coverage worsens vulnerability.

Nationally, 10% of homeowners now lack insurance, while rising premiums increase mortgage default risks.

Experts warn insurance costs may deter development in disaster-prone areas, requiring stricter building policies to mitigate future losses.

Summary

Under Elon Musk, X (formerly Twitter) has become a hub for white supremacist content due to reduced moderation.

A Texas Observer investigation identified four neo-Nazi account operators, tied to Texas, New Hampshire, and Virginia, whose content has amassed 500,000 followers and millions of views.

Despite sharing antisemitic and pro-Nazi rhetoric, some accounts received responses from Musk and benefited from ad revenue and verification.

Public figures, including politicians, follow these accounts. Employers and the Navy are investigating the individuals, raising questions about accountability and platform policies.

Summary

A US Department of Justice investigation found the Memphis Police Department routinely violates the rights of Black residents, including excessive force and discrimination.

The inquiry followed the 2023 death of Tyre Nichols, who was fatally beaten by five officers during a traffic stop, sparking national protests and reform demands.

Memphis officials have opposed federal oversight via a consent decree, citing legal concerns and potential costs to the city.

Similar DOJ investigations in other cities have revealed patterns of misconduct and racial discrimination in policing practices.

Summary

Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot in a premeditated attack outside the New York Hilton Midtown before speaking at an investor conference.

The gunman, still at large, fired multiple times, leaving shell casings marked with the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose.”

Authorities suggest Thompson was targeted but remain unclear on the motive. His wife confirmed prior threats against him.

Analysts speculate a possible vendetta tied to his company. The case raises questions about executive security, as Thompson lacked personal protection despite known risks.

Summary

Syracuse City Court Judge Felicia Pitts Davis refused to officiate a same-sex wedding, citing religious beliefs.

Another judge, Mary Anne Doherty, performed the ceremony.

Pitts Davis’ actions, considered discriminatory under New York judicial ethics and the Marriage Equality Act, are under review by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct

Reporting Highlights

• An Insurer Sanctioned: Three states found United’s algorithmic system to limit mental health coverage illegal; when they fought it, the insurer agreed to restrict it.
• A Patchwork Problem: The company is policing mental health care with arbitrary thresholds and cost-driven targets, highlighting a key flaw in the U.S. regulatory structure.
• United’s Playbook Revealed: The poorest and most vulnerable patients are now most at risk of losing mental health care coverage as United targets them for cost savings.

Around 2016, government officials began to pry open United’s black box. They found that the nation’s largest health insurance conglomerate had been using algorithms to identify providers it determined were giving too much therapy and patients it believed were receiving too much; then, the company scrutinized their cases and cut off reimbursements.

By the end of 2021, United’s algorithm program had been deemed illegal in three states.

But that has not stopped the company from continuing to police mental health care with arbitrary thresholds and cost-driven targets, ProPublica found, after reviewing what is effectively the company’s internal playbook for limiting and cutting therapy expenses. The insurer’s strategies are still very much alive, putting countless patients at risk of losing mental health care.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former White House adviser Peter Navarro, who served prison time related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, will return to serve in Donald Trump’s second administration, the president-elect announced Wednesday.

Navarro, a trade adviser during Trump’s first term, will be a senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, Trump said on Truth Social. The position, Trump wrote, “leverages Peter’s broad range of White House experience, while harnessing his extensive Policy analytic and Media skills.”

The appointment was only the first in a flurry of announcements that Trump made on Wednesday as his presidential transition faced controversy over Pete Hegseth, Trump’s choice for Pentagon chief. Hegseth faces allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement, and Trump has considered replacing him with another potential nominee.

As he works to fill out his team, Trump said he wanted Paul Atkins, a financial industry veteran and an advocate for cryptocurrency, to serve as the next chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He wrote on Truth Social that Atkins “recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before.”

Trump also said he was changing course on his choice for White House counsel. He said his original pick, William McGinley, will work with the Department of Government Efficiency, which will be run by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy with the goal of cutting federal spending. Now David Warrington, who has worked as Trump’s personal lawyer and a lawyer for his campaign, will serve as White House counsel.

In addition, Trump announced the selections of former Rep. Billy Long of Missouri as IRS commissioner; the CEO of financial technology company Fiserv, Frank Bisignano, as Social Security Administration commissioner; former Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia to lead the Small Business Administration; Daniel Driscoll, an Army veteran who was a senior adviser to Vice President-elect JD Vance, as Army secretary; Jared Isaacman, a tech billionaire who conducted the first private spacewalk on Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket, as NASA administrator; and Adam Boehler, a lead negotiator on the Abraham Accords team, as special presidential envoy for hostage affairs.

SEOUL, Dec 5 (Reuters) - South Korean prosecutors have opened an investigation into President Yoon Suk Yeol, his interior minister, and the now-former defence minister over their roles in an attempt to impose martial law, Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday.

Kim Yong-hyun, who resigned as South Korean defence minister over his involvement in Tuesday's martial law order, also faces a travel ban as prosecutors investigate, Yonhap said. The other two do not face such bans.

MIAMI (AP) — One of Colombia’s legendary drug lords and a key operator of the Medellin cocaine cartel has been released from a U.S. prison and is expected to be deported back home.

Records from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons show Fabio Ochoa Vásquez was released Tuesday after completing 25 years of a 30-year prison sentence.

Ochoa, 67, and his older brothers amassed a fortune when cocaine started flooding the U.S. in the late 1970s and early 1980s, according to U.S. authorities, to the point that in 1987 they were included in the Forbes Magazine’s list of billionaires. Living in Miami, Ochoa ran a distribution center for the cocaine cartel once headed by Pablo Escobar.

Although somewhat faded from memory as the center of the drug trade shifted from Colombia to Mexico, he resurfaced in the hit Netflix series “Narcos” true to form as the youngest son of an elite Medellin family into ranching and horse breeding that cut a sharp contrast with Escobar, who came from more humble roots.

Ochoa was first indicted in the U.S. for his alleged role in the 1986 killing of Drug Enforcement Administration informant Barry Seal — whose life was popularized in the 2017 film “American Made” starring Tom Cruise.

CHICAGO – In an unprecedented move, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield plans representing Connecticut, New York and Missouri have unilaterally declared it will no longer pay for anesthesia care if the surgery or procedure goes beyond an arbitrary time limit, regardless of how long the surgical procedure takes. The American Society of Anesthesiologists calls on Anthem to reverse this proposal immediately.

The District of Columbia sued Amazon on Wednesday, alleging the company secretly stopped providing its fastest delivery service to residents of two predominantly Black neighborhoods while still charging millions of dollars for a membership that promises the benefit. 

The complaint filed in District of Columbia Superior Court revolves around Amazon’s Prime membership, which costs consumers $139 per year or $14.99 per month for fast deliveries — including one-day, two-day and same-day shipments — along with other enhancements. 

In mid-2022, the lawsuit alleges, the Seattle-based online retailer imposed what it called a delivery “exclusion” on two low-income ZIP codes in the district — 20019 and 20020 — and began relying exclusively on third-party delivery services such as UPS and the U.S. Postal Service, rather than its own delivery systems.

A CBS News investigation found dozens of law enforcement leaders — sheriffs, captains, lieutenants, chiefs of police — buying and illegally selling firearms, even weapons of war, across 23 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., from the Deep South to the Midwest, Northeast and California coast.

Summary

Childhood lead exposure from leaded gasoline caused 151 million additional psychiatric illnesses in the U.S. between 1940 and 2015, according to new research.

Peak exposure occurred for Generation X (1966–1986 births) due to widespread use of leaded gasoline before its 1996 ban.

The study links lead exposure to higher rates of depression, anxiety, ADHD, and altered personality traits, including increased neuroticism and reduced conscientiousness.

Lead pollution also caused a collective loss of 824 million IQ points in Americans.

Summary

Trump announced plans to block Nippon Steel’s $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel, drawing backlash from many steelworkers who previously supported him.

While some, including United Steelworkers president David McCall, oppose the deal over concerns about job security and unfulfilled promises, others fear blocking it could harm the struggling U.S. steel industry.

Trump’s stance has been criticized as a “gut punch” by union leaders like Jason Zugai, who had expected him to support the deal after the election.

Critics argue Trump has offered no alternative plan to invest in U.S. steel plants if the deal is blocked.

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UnitedHealth uses AI model with 90% error rate to deny care, lawsuit alleges

https://arstechnica.com/health/2023/11/ai-with-90-error-rate-forces-elderly-out-of-rehab-nursing-homes-suit-claims/

Summary

The Satanic Temple will launch a religious program, HAIL (Hellion Academy of Independent Learning), at Edgewood Elementary in Marysville, Ohio, offering an alternative to the evangelical LifeWise program.

LifeWise, part of a growing "release time" religious instruction trend, removes students weekly for Christian teachings.

Critics argue it alienates non-Christian students and raises concerns about religious pluralism in schools.

The Satanic Temple's HAIL program emphasizes empathy, pluralism, and critical thinking in its program, removing students monthly.

Summary

The Supreme Court appeared likely to uphold Tennessee's 2023 ban on gender-affirming care for minors, citing concerns about evolving medical research and deferring to state lawmakers.

The Biden administration and families argue the law discriminates based on sex and transgender status, violating the Equal Protection Clause. Conservative justices, however, questioned federal intervention in state policies.

The case focuses on whether Tennessee’s law should face heightened judicial scrutiny. A ruling could affect similar bans in 24 states.

A decision, expected by June, will shape the legal landscape for transgender rights and medical care nationwide.