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The new vaccines and you: Americans better armed than ever against the winter blechs

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:44:22 GMT

Amy Maxmen | (TNS) KFF Health NewsLast year’s “triple-demic” marked the beginning of what may be a new normal: a confluence of respiratory infections — RSV, influenza, and COVID-19 — will surge as the weather cools each year.Like blizzards, the specific timing and severity of these outbreaks are hard to forecast. But their damage can be limited in more ways than ever before. More protective vaccines against influenza are on the horizon. And new vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, were approved this year, as were updated COVID vaccines. Although the first days of rollout for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines saw hiccups, with short supplies at some pharmacies and billing confusion with some insurers, the shots now are generally available at no cost.What’s more, after enduring the worst pandemic in a century, people are more attuned to protecting themselves and those around them. Wearing face masks and staying home when sick can stop the spread of most respiratory infe...

Belgian police kill Tunisian man suspected of shooting 3 Swedish soccer fans, killing 2 of them

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:44:22 GMT

By LORNE COOK, SYLVAIN PLAZY and RAF CASERT (Associated Press)BRUSSELS (AP) — Authorities in the Belgian capital shot and killed a Tunisian national on Tuesday hours after they say he gunned down three Swedish soccer fans, killing two of them, and posted a video online in which he claimed credit for the attack and said the Quran was “a red line for which he is ready to sacrifice himself.”Investigators are still trying to determine the motive for Monday night’s attack, which happened not far from where Belgium’s men’s soccer team was hosting Sweden in a European Championships qualifier. The match was suspended at halftime and the more than 35,000 fans were kept inside the stadium as a precaution while the attacker was at large.Amateur videos of the attack posted on social media showed a man wearing an orange fluorescent vest pull up on a scooter, take out a large weapon and open fire on people getting out of a taxi. He chased them into a building to gun them down. He was also filmed ...

JetBlue, Uber to offer free rides to passengers facing certain travel disruptions

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:44:22 GMT

Donald Wood | TravelPulse (TNS)Uber for Business and JetBlue announced a new partnership designed to benefit airline passengers impacted by qualifying travel disruptions.As part of the deal, JetBlue would offer complimentary Uber vouchers to its passengers who experience a qualified flight delay or cancellation, with the program currently available across the United States in every city where the carrier operates.Uber and JetBlue also revealed plans to expand the service internationally, beginning with major airports in Paris, London, and Amsterdam.“We always work to give our customers a great onboard experience and get them to their destination safely and on time,” JetBlue President and COO Joanna Geraghty said. “Sometimes travel doesn’t go as planned, and flights can get delayed or cancelled.”“In those cases, when the disruption is due to something in our control, our partnership with Uber for Business will make options for our customers more seamless,” Geraghty continued.For pass...

Shorthanded Patriots down eight starters at Tuesday’s practice

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:44:22 GMT

The New England Patriots have been crushed by injuries this season, and it doesn’t look like this week will bring much relief.Eight starters were missing from Tuesday’s practice, including four each from both the offense and defense.Left tackle Trent Brown, tight end Hunter Henry, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and running back Rhamondre Stevenson were missing from the offense, and cornerback Jonathan Jones, linebacker Josh Uche and defensive linemen Davon Godchaux and Keion White were absent from the defense.Brown (chest), Smith-Schuster (concussion), Godchaux (ankle) and Uche (ankle) were all on the injury report last week, while the other four were banged up on Sunday in Las Vegas, with White leaving during the first defensive series after suffering an apparent head injury.It wasn’t all bad news for the Patriots. Cornerback Jack Jones, who has been sidelined since Week 1 with a hamstring injury, was back on the field, starting his 21-day clock to return to th...

Will artificial intelligence find and cure breast cancer?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:44:22 GMT

Can a machine catch a breast cancer tumor better than a human?Radiologists at Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute at Boca Regional Hospital have been working to find that answer. They began adding artificial intelligence technology to existing 3D mammography for breast cancer screening in 2020. With three years of results, they discovered AI can make a significant difference in finding cancer.Both the radiologists at the Institute (part of Baptist Health South Florida) and the machines read thousands of mammogram results each year. In some instances, AI helped catch cancers before they could be detected by the human eye. Since implementing AI, their detection rate has improved 23%.“In the past, if we found 100 cancers, today with AI we will find 123,” said Dr. Kathy Schilling medical director of Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute.“This is significant, because finding a cancer earlier could mean that a patient may not require chemotherapy or radiation therapy,” she...

Source: President Mahmoud Abbas cancels planned meeting with President Biden after hospital strike

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:44:22 GMT

By NAJIB JOBAIN, SAMYA KULLAB, RAVI NESSMAN and MATTHEW LEE (Associated Press)KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — A senior Palestinian official says President Mahmoud Abbas has canceled his participation in a meeting scheduled Wednesday with President Joe Biden and other Mideast leaders.Abbas was scheduled to join Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi at Wednesday’s summit in Amman, Jordan, where they are to discuss the latest Israel-Hamas war with Biden.But the senior official said Abbas was withdrawing to protest an alleged Israeli airstrike on a hospital in Gaza that Hamas health officials say has killed over 500 people.The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the cancelation has not been formally announced.The Health Ministry run by Hamas said an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday hit a Gaza City hospital packed with wounded and other Palestinians seeking shelter, killing hundreds. If confirmed, the attack would be by far the deadliest Israeli a...

WATCH LIVE: Jim Jordan loses first bid for Speaker on House floor — Live coverage

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:44:22 GMT

NEXSTAR (The Hill) — The House held its first vote Tuesday for a new Speaker, but GOP nominee Jim Jordan (Ohio) didn't have the votes — at least on this ballot.Today's session of the U.S. House of Representatives is being livestreamed above.Jordan gained some major momentum on Monday, picking up endorsements from four key players who had initially said they would not vote for him: House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (Ala.), along with Reps. Ann Wagner (Mo.), Ken Calvert (Calif.) and Vern Buchanan (Fla.). Holdouts could blunt Jordan’s momentum as House braces for Speaker floor vote However when the first vote was held, Jordan only garnered 200 of the needed 217 votes. While all 212 voting democrats voiced support for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), 20 Republicans split ranks and spread their votes over seven other names including majority leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and previous Speaker of the House Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Cali.).Following the first ballot ...

3.0-magnitude earthquake reported off San Diego coast

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:44:22 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 3.0 struck off the coast of San Diego early Tuesday.The quake happened around 1:30 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake was recorded 28 miles northeast of San Clemente Island at a depth of about half a mile.Check back for updates on this developing story.

IRS plans limited rollout of free e-file tax return system with invitations to select taxpayers

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:44:22 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS plans to invite select taxpayers across 13 states to try out the agency’s pilot electronic free file tax return system beginning in January. The agency estimates that hundreds of thousands of taxpayers will participate in the limited rollout of the program for the 2024 filing season. The IRS faces intense blowback from private tax preparation companies that have made billions from charging people to use their software. The introduction of a government-run option could upend the industry and fundamentally change the way taxpayers interact with IRS. All eyes are on the agency to get it right — and avoid a roll-out reminiscent of the disastrous healthcare.gov website rollout a decade ago, when many users encountered challenges accessing and using the website. “The plan is to roll it out in increments that get larger and larger, consistent with how products like this are rolled out in the private sector,” IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said on a call with...

Ukraine claims a major strike on Russian airfields and thanks US for providing long-range missiles

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:44:22 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine on Tuesday claimed to have carried out one of the most destructive attacks on Russian air assets since the beginning of the war, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying the assault used longer-range ballistic missiles donated by the United States.Zelenskyy’s announcement came hours after a U.S. official revealed that the longer-range ballistic missiles sought for months by Kyiv and promised by President Joe Biden had been delivered quietly and are in battlefield use.Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces claimed it destroyed nine Russian helicopters at two airfields in Russia-occupied regions in a nighttime attack on targets in eastern and southern Ukraine.It also hit military equipment, an air-defense system, ammunition warehouses and runways, a statement said. Dozens of Russian military personnel were injured in the attack codenamed Operation Dragonfly, it said.Several U.S. officials said that Washington provided Ukraine with a small num...