(NEW YORK) — A group whose recommendations become the standard medical policy nationwide has issued a recommendation saying all adults under the age of 65 should be screened for anxiety during their lifetime.
The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommendation, issued Tuesday, is the final version of the draft recommendation it issued last year. While the newly issued recommendation is not mandatory for doctors, the task force carries enormous weight in the medical community and its recommendations often change the way doctors practice medicine.
The recommendation suggests that doctors screen any patient who has never before been screened for anxiety during their next doctors’ visit. This could be during a primary care appointment, an OB-GYN appointment or another general practitioner.
It calls on physicians to use standardized anxiety screenings like existing questionnaires to assess whether patients may have some of the signs and symptoms of anxiety. Anyone who screens positive for anxiety should be referred to a mental health professional for a confirmation of their diagnosis and treatment.
Last year, the task force said children ages 8 to 17 should be screened for anxiety. With the adoption of this new guidance, it means that all Americans ages 8 to 64 should be screened for anxiety.
The recommendation comes amid a growing recognition of anxiety disorders in the U.S.
Studies conducted prior to the coronavirus pandemic suggested that around 1 in 5 adults were living with an anxiety disorder, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Anxiety is a feeling evoked when someone experiences fear of something bad happening, and it can lead to avoidance, panic attacks, excessive worrying or other symptoms. Anyone can have anxiety at times, but when anxiety becomes overwhelming to the point that it consistently interferes with daily life, it can be an anxiety disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
The new task force recommendation is intended as one way to help prevent mental health conditions from going undetected, according to Lori Pbert, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School professor, who serves on the task force.
“What we found was that screening for anxiety in adults younger than 65, including people who are pregnant and postpartum, can help identify anxiety early so people can be connected to the care they need,” Pbert told ABC News last year. “This recommendation is specifically for individuals who do not have a mental health diagnosis and are not showing recognized signs or symptoms of an anxiety disorder.”
Anyone with symptoms of anxiety should seek screening immediately, and not wait for their next primary care visit, according to the task force.
What to know about anxiety disorders
Like most mental health conditions, anxiety falls on a spectrum, with differing degrees of severity.
There are four main types of anxiety disorders.
Generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, is described as worrying “excessively about ordinary, day-to-day issues, such as health, money, work, and family,” according to the Office on Women’s Health. Women with GAD may be anxious about just getting through the day, may have difficulty doing everyday tasks and may have stress-related physical symptoms, like difficulty sleeping or stomachaches, according to the Office on Women’s Health.
Panic disorder, also twice as common in women as in men, may see people having panic attacks, described by the Office on Women’s Health as “sudden attacks of terror when there is no actual danger.” People having panic attacks may feel like they’re having a heart attack, dying or losing their minds.
A third type of anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, is diagnosed when people “become very anxious and self-conscious in everyday social situations,” including embarrassing easily, according to the Office on Women’s Health. People with social anxiety disorder can often have panic attack symptoms around social situations.
The fourth type of disorder, specific phobia, is an intense fear of something, such as heights, water, animals or specific situations that possess “little or no actual danger,” according to the Office on Women’s Health.
Each type of anxiety disorder can bring with it different symptoms, but they all involve a “fear and dread about things that may happen now or in the future,” according to the Office on Women’s Health.
Treatment for anxiety disorders often includes a combination of counseling and medication, and both together are often most effective.
When it comes to counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy is often used to help people change thinking patterns around their fears, according to the Office on Women’s Health. With medication, a prescription medication often taken daily to treat and prevent future episodes of anxiety on a long-term basis is different than a medication such as Xanax or Valium that is intended for infrequent treatment of acute anxiety, as they can be addictive.
Other factors such as physical activity, nutrition and mindfulness can also play a role in coping with anxiety, although less is known about the role they play in treating anxiety disorders, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, an entity of the National Institutes of Health.
(NEW YORK) — Grabbing a pack of sausages to throw on the grill may feel like a quintessential start-of-summer move, but if you’re a fan of pork and cheddar links from Johnsonville, check the label to make sure it’s not part of the latest recall.
Last Thursday, Johnsonville, LLC, issued a voluntary recall of “approximately 42,062 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) ‘Beddar with Cheddar’ pork sausage links that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically very thin strands of black plastic fibers,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced.
In a press release about the recall, Johnsonville further described the dinner sausage contaminant as “small, black, flexible thread-like material” that was found in a sausage link by a consumer.
The Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin-based food manufacturer said the “FSIS believes it poses a very low risk for adverse health effects if consumed, but the safety of our consumer is our primary concern, which is why we’re issuing the recall.”
Johnsonville said the total amount of recalled products is “small in scope,” impacting a total of 4,807 cases that were distributed to retail locations in eight states, including Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Texas.
The affected 14-ounce vacuum-packed pork sausage links were produced on Jan. 26, 2023 and more label details from the USDA can be seen here.
The recalled Johnsonville Beddar with Cheddar Smoked Sausage links, made with 100% premium pork, have a Best By date of July 11, 2023, and a C35 code date printed on the back of the packaging.
“The products subject to recall bear establishment number ‘EST. 34224’ inside the USDA mark of inspection,” the FSIS added.
There have so far been “no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of this product,” according to Johnsonville and the FSIS.
Due to concerns that some product may be in consumers’ fridge or freezer, the FSIS urged consumers who may have purchased the products “not to consume them” and throw it away or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.
Johnsonville added in its press release that it is “working with all affected retailers to ensure the recalled product … is removed from store shelves immediately.”
File image of the Titan submersible prior to commence diving. (Ocean Gate)
(NEW YORK) — A submersible carrying five people has gone missing while on a tour of the underwater wreckage of the Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
The deep-sea vessel, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, lost contact about an hour and 45 minutes after submerging on Sunday morning with a 96-hour oxygen supply. The United States Coast Guard, in coordination with the Canadian Coast Guard and the Canadian Armed Forces, immediately launched a search and rescue operation for the 21-foot sealed craft, named Titan.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jun 21, 12:34 AM EDT
USCG: Canadian aircraft detected ‘underwater noises’ but search ‘yielded negative results’
“Canadian P-3 aircraft detected underwater noises in the search area,” the U.S. Coast Guard tweeted early Wednesday morning. “As a result, ROV operations were relocated in an attempt to explore the origin of the noises. Those ROV searches have yielded negative results but continue.”
The data from the P-3 has been shared with U.S. Navy experts for further analysis, the Coast Guard added.
Jun 21, 12:34 AM EDT
Lawsuit alleged flaws with Titanic sub now missing
A former employee of OceanGate alleged in a 2018 counterclaim lawsuit that he was fired for raising concerns about quality control and testing of potential flaws in the same experimental submersible that went missing this week.
David Lochridge, an engineer and submarine pilot, claimed in his counterclaim against OceanGate that he was hired in 2015 by the Everett, Washington, company to ensure the safety of all crew and clients during the submersible and surface operations of the vessel called Titan. But when he expressed concerns about the design and testing of the minisub’s hull, he said he was terminated by the company.
OceanGate had initially sued Lochridge alleging, among other things, breach of contract, fraud and misappropriation of trade secrets — all claims he denied.
In its lawsuit, OceanGate accused Lochridge of breaching his contract by discussing the company’s confidential information with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration “when he filed a false report claiming that he was discharged in retaliation for being a whistleblower.”
Jun 20, 10:15 PM EDT
Latest Coast Guard bulletin spells out timeline for missing sub search
The U.S. Coast Guard sent out its latest release Tuesday night on the search for the missing submersible at the Titanic crash site.
According to the latest release:
Sunday, June 18, 8 a.m. ET: Submersible launches, supposed to resurface at 3 p.m., but an hour and 45 minutes into the dive, it loses contact.
Sunday, June 18, 5:40 p.m. ET: Coast Guard receives report of overdue submersible.
Monday, June 19: Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and C-130 Hercules aircraft, as well as a Canadian P8 aircraft equipped with underwater sonar capability, search for the missing submersible, according to a previous release.
Tuesday, June 20, 7 a.m. ET: Bahamian research vessel Deep Energy arrives.
Tuesday, June 20, 4 p.m. ET: C-130 crew from Air National Guard 106th arrives.
Jun 20, 8:33 PM EDT
Experts expressed Titan safety concerns in 2018 letter
Members of a committee specializing in submersibles expressed “unanimous concern regarding the development” of Titan in a 2018 letter addressed to OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who is one of the passengers aboard the missing vessel.
The letter was obtained by The New York Times and was later authenticated by ABC News.
The letter warned of possible “catastrophic” problems with Titan’s development that could have “serious consequences for everyone in the industry.” The letter goes on to say that OceanGate’s safety claims were “misleading to the public” and insisted Titan be reviewed by a third-party organization.
The letter, which was addressed from the Marine Technology Society, was never approved to be sent to OceanGate though was quickly leaked to its CEO, according to committee chair William Kohnen.
“The letter did represent in 2018 the consensus by many people in the industry that they were not considering following the standard safety protocols and designs that the industry uses,” Kohnen told ABC News.
Though he wishes it was not leaked at the time, nor now to The New York Times, Kohnen said he stands by the letter and its warnings.
“The company had indicated that their state of innovation was beyond, beyond what was allowable within the regulatory standards we have today and that they would proceed without certification,” Kohnen said. “That worried a number of people in the industry.”
Kohnen acknowledged that OceanGate did “heed” some of the comments made in the 2018 letter.
-ABC News’ Amanda Maile and Victor Ordoñez
Jun 20, 6:02 PM EDT
NASA weighs in on missing submersible
NASA released a statement Tuesday on the Titan, saying it remains “hopeful the crew will be found unharmed.”
“NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center had a Space Act Agreement with OceanGate, and consulted on materials and manufacturing processes for the submersible. NASA did not conduct testing and manufacturing via its workforce or facilities,” the agency said.
-ABC News’ Gina Sunseri
Jun 20, 6:17 PM EDT
Search teams have covered 7,600 square miles
Search and rescue teams have now covered 7,600 square miles — an area bigger than the state of Connecticut — as they scour the ocean for the missing submersible, Coast Guard officials said.
A grid depicting the expanding search area is expected Tuesday night, according to a public information affairs lieutenant for the First District of the U.S. Coast Guard.
-ABC News’ Miles Cohen
Jun 20, 3:09 PM EDT
US Navy sending salvage experts, equipment to help with submersible
The U.S. Navy said it’s sending to the search site experts and equipment “designed to provide reliable deep ocean lifting capacity for the recovery of large, bulky, and heavy undersea objects.”
The equipment, which can lift up to 60,000 pounds, and the experts will arrive in Canada Tuesday night, the Navy said.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said earlier Tuesday that the Navy was”on standby” to help with the search for the missing submersible, because the Navy has “some deep-water capabilities that the Coast Guard wouldn’t necessarily have.”
President Joe Biden is “watching events closely,” Kirby said, adding that Biden and the White House offer their thoughts “to the crew onboard, as well as to the — what is no doubt — worried family members back on shore.”
Jun 20, 1:24 PM EDT
3 Air Force C-17’s transporting equipment to Newfoundland
Three U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo aircraft will be transporting commercial equipment from Buffalo, New York, to Newfoundland, Canada, to help with the search efforts, according to a U.S. official.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Jun 20, 1:16 PM EDT
Search area larger than Connecticut, about 41 hours of oxygen left
Efforts to locate the missing submersible are ongoing, and the “complex” search covers an area larger than the state of Connecticut, Coast Guard Capt. Jamie Frederick said at a news conference Tuesday.
Crews are scouring the ocean 900 miles east of Cape Cod and 400 miles south of St. John’s, Canada, he said.
The missing five-person crew on the submersible has about 41 hours of oxygen left, Frederick noted.
“We will do everything in our power to effect a rescue,” Frederick said.
“We have a group of our nation’s best experts,” he said, and once the sub is located, “those experts will be looking at what the next course of action is” to rescue the crew members.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the crew and their families and their loved ones,” Frederick added.
Jun 20, 12:58 PM EDT
Former ABC News correspondent recounts moment his sub was trapped in Titanic’s propeller
In 2000, Dr. Michael Guillen, then an ABC News correspondent, was filming from the wreck of the Titanic when his vessel became trapped in the propeller.
“When we collided with the propeller, and I started seeing those big chunks of metal raining down on us … the first reaction I had was, ‘This can’t be happening,'” he recalled to ABC News on Tuesday.
“We got caught by this underwater turn and just drove us right into the blades,” Guillen said.
“This voice came into my head and said, you know, ‘This is how it’s going to end for you,'” he recalled. “I’ll never forget those words.”
“I’m very aware of what these poor souls on board the ship the Titan are experiencing,” he said. “I am just heartbroken about it.”
Jun 20, 11:35 AM EDT
French sending assistance
At the request of French President Emmanuel Macron, a French ship named Atalante is diverting to the area of the missing submissive and should reach the area Wednesday night.
The ship has an exploration robot that can dive up to 4,000 meters, according to a spokesman for France’s Ifremer Institute.
Jun 20, 9:04 AM EDT
‘It’s a race against time’
Per Wimmer, an explorer and global financier, told ABC News he was “shocked” and “horrified” to hear of the missing submersible.
“It felt very personal. … I’ve been wanting to go down to the Titanic for more than a decade,” Wimmer said.
He estimated that there’s been between 150 and 200 missions to the Titanic.
There “are very, very few submersibles in the whole world that can go down to the depth of Titanic, which sits at 3,800 meters, or about 12,000 feet,” Wimmer said. “It’s very deep — most submersibles can go down to about 1,000 meters.”
“It’s a race against time, because there’s only 96 hours of oxygen on board. And after that, if you haven’t reached the surface, you starve of oxygen,” he said.
“Our best hope at the moment is that the safety mechanism will be activated,” he said. “It is supposed to be able to float to the surface, little by little, and then they can open the hatch and hopefully get out again. That is the only hope we have, because you do not have enough time to get another submersible that can go that deep.”
Jun 20, 8:19 AM EDT
What to know about the 5 people aboard the missing sub
Renowned explorers and a father-son duo were among the five people aboard a submersible that disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday while touring the Titanic wreckage, ABC News has learned.
ABC News has confirmed and identified four of those on aboard as Hamish Harding, a British businessman, pilot and space tourist; Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French diver and Titanic expert; Shahzada Dawood, a Pakistani businessman, and his son Suleman Dawood.
Jun 20, 7:48 AM EDT
US Coast Guard commander talks search for missing sub
The United States Coast Guard commander leading the search for a missing submersible off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, said Tuesday morning that crews in multiple aircraft have flown over an area of the Atlantic Ocean “roughly about the size of Connecticut” while “looking for any signs of surfacing.”
“As we continue on with the search, we’re expanding our capabilities to be able to search under the water as well,” Rear Adm. John Mauger, commander of the First Coast Guard District, told ABC News’ Robin Roberts during an interview on Good Morning America.
A commercial vessel with remotely operated vehicles is now on scene that will allow rescuers to search underwater, according to Mauger.
“This is a complex case,” he added. “The Coast Guard doesn’t have all the resources to be able to affect this kind of rescue, although this is an area that’s within our search zone.”
In many cases, Mauger said, the Coast Guard’s role is to coordinate all of the assets and technical expertise that can be used in a search, in addition to operating aircraft or ships when necessary.
“In this particular case, we’ve established a unified command with the United States Navy, with the Canadian Armed Forces, with the Canadian Coast Guard and with the private operator OceanGate Expeditions to make sure that we understand what’s needed and deploy all available equipment to the scene that could be used to locate this submersible, whether it’s on the surface or down beneath the surface,” he said.
Crews have been working “around the clock” to locate the deep-sea vessel since it lost contact with its operator on Sunday morning, according to Mauger.
In the last 24 hours, a Canadian aircraft has been dropping sonar buoys into the water that can pick up sound the submersible may be emitting. Vessels that have the capability to listen with their own sonar equipment are also on scene, according to Mauger.
“If they are making sound, that’s certainly one of the ways that we’re going to use to locate them,” he said.
Jun 20, 6:18 AM EDT
Missing sub is believed to be deeper than NATO rescue capability
A tourist submersible that disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday is believed to be at depths that greatly exceed the capabilities of the NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS), according to a spokesperson for the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense.
“As the host nation for NATO’s multinational submarine rescue capability, we continue to monitor the incident in the North Atlantic and will guide and assist in any response activity as appropriate,” the spokesperson told ABC News in a statement on Tuesday.
The U.K. has not been approached to offer assistance in the ongoing search for the deep-sea vessel off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, according to the spokesperson.
Initial reports indicate that the depths of water involved greatly exceed that which the NSRS team can safely operate — 610 meters for the NSRS submersible and 1,000 meters for the NSRS remotely operated vehicle, according to the spokesperson.
The NSRS is based at the home of the U.K. Royal Navy Submarine Service in HM Naval Base Clyde, the U.K. Royal Navy’s headquarters in Scotland. Introduced in 2006, the tri-national capability team can respond to a stricken submarine in rescuable water which is capable of mating with the NSRS submarine rescue vehicle, according to the spokesperson.
Jun 20, 5:03 AM EDT
Former Navy sub captain on rescue options
Rescuers racing against the clock to save the five people trapped in a tourist submersible nearly two miles deep in the Atlantic Ocean are facing major obstacles that could make saving the people onboard extremely difficult, according to a former U.S. Navy submarine commander.
Retired Capt. David Marquet told ABC News on Monday that this type of rescue operation is complicated because there aren’t nearby U.S. or Canadian underwater vessels that can go as deep as the Titanic wreckage, which sits 13,400 feet below the ocean’s surface. Also, the ocean is pitch black at that depth.
“The odds are against them,” Marquet said. “There’s a ship in Boston that has this ability to either lower cable and connect to it or have a claw. It’s still a thousand miles away.”
Even if a vessel was able to locate the submersible and lower a cable, it’s extremely difficult to safely navigate the waters and attach it, according to Marquet.
“You’ve got to get it exactly right,” he told ABC News. “It’s sort of like … getting one of those toys out of those arcade machines. In general, you miss.”
Rescuers do have one advantage, Marquet said, as weather conditions off the coast of Newfoundland are not rough and will not disturb any boat or vessel there.
Marquet added that if the five people aboard are still alive, they would be asked to sleep to conserve their oxygen.
“We would put the vast majority of the crew to sleep because that’s when you’re using the least amount of oxygen and you’re expelling the least amount of carbon dioxide,” he said.
Jun 20, 4:27 AM EDT
What to know about the missing sub
A submersible on a tour of the Titanic wreckage was reported overdue by its operator OceanGate Expeditions on Sunday, prompting the United States Coast Guard to launch a search and rescue effort for the 22-foot, 23,000-pound vessel.
Designed with life support to sustain five crew members for 96 hours, the submersible would need to be rescued in three days to save its five passengers, according to the Coast Guard.
Stockton Rush founded Washington-based OceanGate in 2009 to make deep-sea exploration more accessible to scientists and tourists. Fourteen years, more than 200 dives and three submersible designs later, the company now finds itself in a desperate search to recover the submersible carrying five people aboard that’s gone missing off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
OceanGate confirmed Monday it had lost contact with a submersible, saying in a statement: “We are exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely. Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families. We are working toward the safe return of the crewmembers.”
(NEW YORK) — As the search for the missing Titanic tour submersible and its five passengers continues, the dangers of venturing 13,000 feet down to the ocean floor to see the wreckage of the infamous sunken ship are coming to light. A former ABC News science editor knows them all too well after a voyage to the wreckage more than 20 years ago went awry.
In September 2000, Michael Guillen, a trained physicist and then-science editor for ABC News, was invited on an expedition run by a group of Russians to be the first journalist in history to make the journey to report at the wreckage site in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Despite Guillen’s deep fear of water, he felt he could not turn down the monumental assignment, he told ABC News on Tuesday.
After setting sail from Halifax, Nova Scotia, the crew traveled about 2.5 miles to the sunken ship — about a 2.5-hour expedition — when “something happened,” Guillen said.
The submersible started the tour at the bow of the ship, making its way to the stern, toward the propeller that had broken into two pieces when the ship sank in April 1912. As Guillen admired the contrast between the shiny brass propeller and the gray, crumbling ruins surrounding it, the submersible got caught in a high-speed underwater current and slammed right into the propeller blades, he said.
“At first, we sensed the collision,” Guillen said. “There was no doubt about it.”
Guillen was in shock and disbelief as he lay on his stomach in the claustrophobic submersible, witnessing through the porthole giant rusted pieces of the Titanic fall on their vessel.
The entire crew immediately knew the kind of peril they were in and fell silent. Guillen said they could see that the pilot was “at the edge of his seat” and kept quiet for the better part of an hour so as not to distract him.
Immediately after the crash, his scientific mind went into overdrive to try to find a solution — a way out.
While there was another submersible in the region, Guillen knew that the likelihood of that vessel being able to pull them out was very low, especially given the hostile environment: pitch-black darkness and pressure that could kill a human instantly.
“It’s not like, you know, they can come and pull you out of some mudslide,” he said.
And then he came to the realization that there was no way out, he said. Terrified he was going to die, he thought of his wife, Laurel, and possibly never seeing her again.
“I remember at one point thinking to myself, ‘You know, for ABC News, I’ve traveled all over the world.’ I think of the North Pole, the South Pole; I covered the Persian Gulf War. I almost got shot during the live shot I was doing. Bullets were flying all over the place, but I had managed to survive all that. I had managed to get away clean. But I realized at that point that this was going to be the end. And I remember very clearly, in fact, that this voice came into my head — and I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life — it said, ‘This is how it’s going to end for you,'” he said.
And then a miracle occurred.
Before, there had been straining in the submersible’s engine. But in the next moment, Guillen described suddenly feeling a sense of buoyancy after the pilot had maneuvered his way out.
“Because you’re down there and it’s pitch-black — unless the pilot has a spotlight on it, it’s pitch-black — and so you’re only going by your senses,” Guillen said, adding he began to have “a floating feeling.”
Guillen then turned to the pilot, a former MiG pilot, who said in a low-pitched Russian accent, “No problem.”
The 2.5-hour journey back to the surface afterward was quite the ordeal, Guillen said.
They later learned that the icy current had wedged the submersible into the blades of the Titanic’s giant propeller.
Experts had trained Guillen on the dangers that exist in waters that deep, but in 2020 when Barbara Walters asked him if he would recommend the voyage to others, he emphasized the “real risk” a trip like that entails — even if it is labeled as a tourist experience.
“This is not Disneyland,” he said. “This is the real world. Mother Nature is very unforgiving.”
Guillen said he believes that there must have been something “catastrophic” to cut off communication from the Titan, the submersible that lost contact on Sunday.
During his own excursion, they communicated with the surface the entire time — not that it did them any good at the time, he said.
The passengers on board the missing Titan include British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, renowned Titanic researcher Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, the operator of the tour.
The Titan, a 21-foot submersible, went underwater Sunday morning, and lost contact about 1 hour and 45 minutes later.
The vessel was designed to have 96 hours of oxygen available for all five passengers and will likely run out of oxygen by 6 a.m. EDT on Thursday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Having gone through his own harrowing experience aboard a submersible, Guillen is anguished over the search for the five crew members aboard the Titan, he said.
“I’m very aware of what these poor souls on board the ship the Titan are experiencing,” he said. “I am just heartbroken about it.”
He added, “I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone.”
(ARKANSAS) — A federal district court judge on Tuesday struck down an Arkansas law that banned gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
The judge said the law violates the constitutional rights of transgender youth, their parents and their medical providers.
“I’m so grateful the judge heard my experience of how this health care has changed my life for the better and saw the dangerous impact this law could have on my life and that of countless other transgender people,” Dylan Brandt, a 17-year-old transgender boy from Arkansas and plaintiff in the lawsuit, said in a statement.
He continued, “Transgender kids across the country are having their own futures threatened by laws like this one, and it’s up to all of us to speak out, fight back, and give them hope.”
At least 17 other states have passed similar laws, several of which are under preliminary injunctions.
The Arkansas law also barred state funds and insurance coverage for gender-affirming care and allowed private insurers to refuse to cover such care for people of any age.
The law was vetoed by then-Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, citing the potentially dangerous consequences for trans youth in the state and calling it “a vast government overreach” and “a product of the cultural war in America.” His veto was overturned by state lawmakers.
Republicans who backed the bill said they want young people to wait until they are older to begin gender-affirming care.
National medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, argue that gender-affirming care is safe, effective, beneficial and medically necessary.
Transgender youth are more likely to experience anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation and attempts, health experts say. Gender-affirming hormone therapy has been proven to improve the mental health of transgender youth, according to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The restrictions were challenged in a lawsuit backed by four families of transgender youth, two doctors, the American Civil Liberties Union and the law firms of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, Gill Ragon Owen and the Walas Law Firm.
(NEW YORK) — The U.S. ranking for gender equality worldwide fell significantly over the past year due to a widening gap in political empowerment and health outcomes between men and women, according to a study released on Tuesday by the World Economic Forum.
The report, which assesses equity between men and women on indexes ranging from economic participation to physical well-being, ranked the U.S. 43rd out of 146 countries studied, ranking directly beneath Colombia and above Luxembourg. Last year, the U.S. ranked 27th.
The World Economic Forum convenes an annual meeting of the global elite in Davos, Switzerland, every January.
The falloff in the U.S. ranking from last year is largely due to a widening gap between men and women in the realm of political empowerment, which measures factors such as the share of women who hold positions in the federal legislature and as heads of state, the study found.
The U.S. also faces a growing gender divide over life expectancy, the study showed. Over the last decade, women’s healthy life expectancy has declined by five years and men’s by close to three years, according to the study.
To be sure, the report found that the U.S. gender gap has narrowed in some areas, especially those focused on economic outcomes.
The U.S. has closed almost 80% of the gap between men and women on an index that measures economic opportunity and participation, recovering to a level last seen in 2018, the report said.
On income parity, the U.S. has closed about 67% of the gap between men and women, which continues a trend of gradual improvement over the past several years, the study showed.
Not a single country has completely reached parity between men and women on the study’s overall gender gap index.
Iceland, the report’s top-ranked country for 14 consecutive years, has closed roughly 91% of the divide between men and women on the overall gender gap index.
The group of top-performing countries also featured Norway, Finland, Sweden and New Zealand.
The lowest-ranked countries were Afghanistan, Chad, Algeria, Pakistan and Iran.
(CALIFORNIA) — The largest representative study on homelessness since the mid-90s found the state’s income inequality and high housing costs left people vulnerable to homelessness – particularly older residents and residents of color.
California is home to 30% of the nation’s homeless population and half of the nation’s unsheltered population – despite making up only 12% of the U.S. population – according to the study released Tuesday by the University of California, San Francisco.
More than 171,000 people experience homelessness daily in California, two times more than the next highest state, New York, the report states.
Highlights from the report’s findings
The most frequently reported economic reason was loss of income.
“Participants living on the economic margin, with high housing costs, low incomes and little savings, had little margin for error,” the report said. “Loss of income or decrease in work propelled many living on the economic margins into homelessness.”
The report states that 22% of people reported lost or reduced income was a reason for losing their last housing. Ten percent said that non-housing costs, such as healthcare or food, had increased and left them unable to afford rent. Eight percent noted their rent had increased.
In the six months prior to homelessness, the median monthly household income for the homeless people surveyed was $960. A high proportion of them were burdened by rental costs, paying more than 30% of their income in rent.
However, economic, health and social issues were often intertwined.
Survey participants also reported job loss due to injuries, illness, or the need to provide caregiving to family members. Some reported job loss occurred after contracting COVID without job protections that would allow them to miss work during their sickness or to isolate. Thirteen percent of participants said substance use was their reason for leaving their last shelter, while 11% said someone close to them became sick, disabled or died. Nine percent said they themselves became sick or disabled.
Some say they experienced discrimination in the labor market, based on their disability, race, immigration status, or their language. This led to a lack of employment opportunities, reduced hours or wages, lower pay than promised and more.
One participant, who uses a wheelchair, told researchers it’s been difficult to find a job: “Everywhere I go, I ask. I mean I’ve been all over with employment. It’s difficult, especially with the disability and wheelchair. You know, I can fix and dress myself up nice. But, once they see the [wheelchair] – you know?”
Who makes up the homeless population?
The vast majority of homeless people in the state were Californians, despite myths about homeless migration, according to the report. Ninety percent of participants lost their last housing in California, and 75% of people live in the same county they resided in before becoming homeless, according to the study.
The homeless population in California is also aging – with 47% of the adults surveyed aged 50 or older.
Twenty-seven percent of those surveyed were white, 26% were Black, 26% were Latino and 12% were Native American, Alaska Native, or Indigenous. Black and Native Americans were disproportionately represented among the homeless — the state’s population is 6% Black and roughly 2% Native or Indigenous, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
One in five participants were formerly institutionalized, which can include past incarceration. They say they faced challenges such as barriers to employment and lack of assistance from service providers that left them stuck on the streets.
Sixty-nine percent of participants were cisgender men, and 30% were cisgender women. One percent identified as trans or gender-nonconforming, 90% of participants were single adults, 7% were adults in families and 3% were aged 18 to 24.
Recommendations from the report
Researchers recommend six key policy changes based on the findings in the report.
They urge an increase in affordable housing accessible to extremely low-income households, as well as expanded targeted homelessness prevention efforts, including financial support and legal assistance in places accessible to those vulnerable to homelessness — i.e., jail exits or social service agencies.
“Having experienced homelessness firsthand, I vividly recall the relentless fight for survival, the pervasive shame that haunted me, and my unsuccessful endeavors to overcome homelessness on my own,” said Claudine Sipili, a member of the study’s Lived Expertise Board, in a statement.
Sipili continued, “The study holds great significance for me because it aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of homelessness. I hope it will inform the development of effective strategies, policies and programs, address the issue in a dignifying way and support individuals in their transition from homelessness to housing stability.”
Researchers also recommend providing support to match the behavioral needs of the population, including low barrier mental health services, substance abuse services and harm reduction services.
It is also recommended to embrace household income support through training, as well as outreach on job search and transportation. For those who are unsheltered — or not yet completely homeless but in unstable housing — an increase in racially equitable outreach and services is also recommended.
“As we drive toward addressing the health and housing needs of Californian’s experiencing homelessness, this study reinforces the importance of comprehensive and integrated supports,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, in a statement.
(CALIFORNIA) — The largest representative study on homelessness since the mid-90s found the state’s income inequality and high housing costs left people vulnerable to homelessness – particularly older residents and residents of color.
California is home to 30% of the nation’s homeless population and half of the nation’s unsheltered population – despite making up only 12% of the U.S. population – according to the study released Tuesday by the University of California, San Francisco.
More than 171,000 people experience homelessness daily in California, two times more than the next highest state, New York, the report states.
Highlights from the report’s findings
The most frequently reported economic reason was loss of income.
“Participants living on the economic margin, with high housing costs, low incomes and little savings, had little margin for error,” the report said. “Loss of income or decrease in work propelled many living on the economic margins into homelessness.”
The report states that 22% of people reported lost or reduced income was a reason for losing their last housing. Ten percent said that non-housing costs, such as healthcare or food, had increased and left them unable to afford rent. Eight percent noted their rent had increased.
In the six months prior to homelessness, the median monthly household income for the homeless people surveyed was $960. A high proportion of them were burdened by rental costs, paying more than 30% of their income in rent.
However, economic, health and social issues were often intertwined.
Survey participants also reported job loss due to injuries, illness, or the need to provide caregiving to family members. Some reported job loss occurred after contracting COVID without job protections that would allow them to miss work during their sickness or to isolate. Thirteen percent of participants said substance use was their reason for leaving their last shelter, while 11% said someone close to them became sick, disabled or died. Nine percent said they themselves became sick or disabled.
Some say they experienced discrimination in the labor market, based on their disability, race, immigration status, or their language. This led to a lack of employment opportunities, reduced hours or wages, lower pay than promised and more.
One participant, who uses a wheelchair, told researchers it’s been difficult to find a job: “Everywhere I go, I ask. I mean I’ve been all over with employment. It’s difficult, especially with the disability and wheelchair. You know, I can fix and dress myself up nice. But, once they see the [wheelchair] – you know?”
Who makes up the homeless population?
The vast majority of homeless people in the state were Californians, despite myths about homeless migration, according to the report. Ninety percent of participants lost their last housing in California, and 75% of people live in the same county they resided in before becoming homeless, according to the study.
The homeless population in California is also aging – with 47% of the adults surveyed aged 50 or older.
Twenty-seven percent of those surveyed were white, 26% were Black, 26% were Latino and 12% were Native American, Alaska Native, or Indigenous. Black and Native Americans were disproportionately represented among the homeless — the state’s population is 6% Black and roughly 2% Native or Indigenous, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
One in five participants were formerly institutionalized, which can include past incarceration. They say they faced challenges such as barriers to employment and lack of assistance from service providers that left them stuck on the streets.
Sixty-nine percent of participants were cisgender men, and 30% were cisgender women. One percent identified as trans or gender-nonconforming, 90% of participants were single adults, 7% were adults in families and 3% were aged 18 to 24.
Recommendations from the report
Researchers recommend six key policy changes based on the findings in the report.
They urge an increase in affordable housing accessible to extremely low-income households, as well as expanded targeted homelessness prevention efforts, including financial support and legal assistance in places accessible to those vulnerable to homelessness — i.e., jail exits or social service agencies.
“Having experienced homelessness firsthand, I vividly recall the relentless fight for survival, the pervasive shame that haunted me, and my unsuccessful endeavors to overcome homelessness on my own,” said Claudine Sipili, a member of the study’s Lived Expertise Board, in a statement.
Sipili continued, “The study holds great significance for me because it aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of homelessness. I hope it will inform the development of effective strategies, policies and programs, address the issue in a dignifying way and support individuals in their transition from homelessness to housing stability.”
Researchers also recommend providing support to match the behavioral needs of the population, including low barrier mental health services, substance abuse services and harm reduction services.
It is also recommended to embrace household income support through training, as well as outreach on job search and transportation. For those who are unsheltered — or not yet completely homeless but in unstable housing — an increase in racially equitable outreach and services is also recommended.
“As we drive toward addressing the health and housing needs of Californian’s experiencing homelessness, this study reinforces the importance of comprehensive and integrated supports,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, in a statement.
(NEW YORK) — Donald Trump on Monday suggested he had been too “busy” and wanted to be sure he’d retrieved his personal belongings before complying with the federal government’s repeated demands — and, eventually, a grand jury’s subpoena — that he return classified documents he took with him when he left the White House.
In a lengthy interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, which continued to air on Tuesday, Trump staunchly defended the conduct now at the center of an unprecedented, 37-count federal indictment against him.
He pleaded not guilty last week and is tentatively set to go to trial later this year.
He is the first former president to ever face federal criminal charges.
Trump is accused of 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information; one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice; one count of withholding a document or record; one count of corruptly concealing a document or record; one count of concealing a document in a federal investigation; one count of scheming to conceal; and one count of making false statements and representations.
While prosecutors allege the former president illegally held onto national defense information and refused to give it back even after a subpoena, in violation of the Espionage Act, Trump pushed back on the case against him in various answers to Baier.
At the same time, he also appeared to acknowledge that the packing process to leave the White House had been haphazard and that he later resisted turning over everything to the government as quickly as they wanted.
“Why did you have this very sensitive national security defense documents?” Baier asked at one point.
“So, like every other president, I take things out,” Trump said. “And, in my case, I took it out pretty much in a hurry. But people packed it up, and we left. And I had clothing in there, I had all sorts of personal items.”
“I have to go through those boxes,” he said. “I take out personal things.”
Trump also insisted “I have every right to have those boxes” and wrongly said the Presidential Records Act gave him permission to take the government records with him when he left office. (The Presidential Records Act specifically excludes official agency records. Prosecutors wrote in Trump’s indictment that he kept documents from U.S. intelligence agencies.)
At one point in the interview, Baier referenced the sensitive records that prosecutors say were recovered from Trump, including those about America’s military and nuclear capabilities, a foreign country’s support of terrorism and information on various foreign militaries.
“Why do you want to hold on to those documents after you’re president?” Baier asked.
“I don’t say I do,” Trump said.
The indictment against him describes how he and aides packed boxes to leave the White House that contained hundreds of classified documents — and, back at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, how those same boxes were then carted from room to room around the property, including in areas accessible to others.
At one point, the indictment states, a Trump aide found that some of the boxes had fallen in a storage room, spilling their contents across the floor. Among the papers was a document marked “secret,” according to the indictment.
In the Fox News interview, when Baier said the National Archives had sought for Trump to return what he took, Trump contended that was what he was trying to do — which prosecutors dispute.
The indictment states that starting in May 2021, the archives “repeatedly demanded” that Trump hand back over any presidential records he took with him after office, as required by law — otherwise, the archives warned, they would “refer the matter” to the Department of Justice.
In January 2022, the archives received 15 boxes that Trump sent them, according to the indictment, and found that 14 of the boxes had, in total, about 200 classified documents. The archives referred this to the DOJ.
In March 2022, the FBI began investigating and in May 2022 a federal grand jury issued a subpoena in order to compel Trump to turn over all the classified records he inappropriately had, according to the indictment, which also states that Trump’s attorneys then provided some more classified documents to the government but not all of them. The FBI obtained a search warrant, approved by a judge, to search Mar-a-Lago in August 2022 where they found another 102 documents with classification markings.
On Fox News on Monday, Baier referenced some of this timeline.
“They asked,” Baier told Trump of the archives.
“We were talking. … And I gave them some,” Trump said.
Baier noted the federal grand jury’s subpoena.
“Why not just hand them over then?” Baier asked.
“Because I had boxes. I want to go through the boxes and get all my personal things out. I don’t want to hand that over to [the archives] yet,” Trump said. “And I was very busy, as you have sort of seen. I have been very, very busy.”
“Before I send boxes over, I have to take all of my things out,” he said. “These boxes were interspersed with all sorts of things, golf shirts, clothing, pants, shoes.”
Baier asked if those materials included a potential attack plan on Iran.
“Not that I know of,” Trump said, and he said he no longer has any classified documents in his possession.
Prosecutors wrote in the indictment that in 2021 Trump was allegedly recorded showing off a “secret” government document that he noted was still classified. ABC News has reported that, according to sources, Trump said the document was about attacking Iran.
On Fox News, Trump disputed the account of the recording when Baier raised it, saying, “It wasn’t a document, OK?” Instead, he said he might have been referring in the recording to news clips.
Trump also maintained that he had declassified “everything” with him, which he has claimed before, though he has provided no evidence of doing so before his presidency ended.
He also repeatedly said he was being singled out despite other former office-holders keeping classified records while out of office, including current President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence, both of whom said they promptly returned classified documents after discovering them — unlike Trump.
The Department of Justice investigated but did not pursue charges against Pence. A special prosecutor has been examining Biden’s handling of classified records while out of office. He has pledged to cooperate and said he wants the matter “resolved quickly.”
“When you look at this, other presidents, when they leave, they take the papers,” Trump told Baier.
“They have never treated a president like this,” he said at another point in the interview.
Asked if he was “worried” about the federal case, Trump said, “Based on the law? Zero.”
(NEW YORK) — As college students leave their campuses behind for a much-needed summer rest, some tend to leave behind the remnants of their dorm life.
But those used and worn-out pillowcases, lamps and other trinkets eventually end up in landfills, adding to the already growing waste problems across the globe, according to environmentalists.
A professor at Barnard College and student volunteers, however, are working to give those dorm leftovers a second life.
“We ask them to bring it here and we sort it and we save as much as we can for the fall to sell to the incoming students. And what we can’t save, we donate locally,” Sandra Goldmark, a Barnard professor of sustainability who runs the school’s “Give and Go Green” program, told ABC News.
Goldmark said the students are processing more than 20,000 pounds of used goods and last year they re-sold almost a third of what they collected. The students have sorted, cleaned and in some cases refurbished everything from a microwave to king-size pillows.
Goldmark said her goal is to help the world rethink our relationship to “stuff” and how to create that circle of re-use at home. The school’s program is similar to other circular economy services such as online buy nothing groups and social media forums.
Goldmark noted that buying second-hand items makes a big difference. For example, roughly 12 million pounds of furniture is thrown out annually, and 80% of those discarded items end up in landfills, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“Fifty-five percent of global emissions come from the production and use of everyday items like food and cars and clothes,” she said.
Goldmark also pushes for the repair and restoration of broken objects and giving them to interested users. She runs a design lab for students where they can learn how to fix everything from ceramics to wires to a lamp.
“I think that starting with repair and starting with fixing is a really simple, tangible thing that you can do and that anybody can do at any scale,” Goldmark said.
The professor said she hopes that more campuses and organizations take note of the program and continue to spread the word about the benefits of a circular economy.
“If we could create a system where it was just as easy for you to get used forks and decorative pillows as it is for you to get new ones, that would be a big step forward,” she said.
