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Men die nearly 6 years before women, as US life expectancy gap widens: Harvard Public Health

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:52:21 GMT

The life expectancy of American women is now 5.8 years longer than that of men, a trend that researchers say is driven by the COVID pandemic and the opioid overdose epidemic.U.S. men dying nearly 6 years before women is now the largest life expectancy gap between sexes since 1996, according to new research led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and UC San Francisco.The life expectancy gender gap of 5.8 years in 2021 was a jump from 4.8 years in 2010, when the gap was at its smallest in recent history.The pandemic, which took a disproportionate toll on men, was the biggest contributor to the widening gap from 2019 to 2021 — followed by unintentional injuries and poisonings (mostly drug overdoses), accidents, and suicide.“There’s been a lot of research into the decline in life expectancy in recent years, but no one has systematically analyzed why the gap between men and women has been widening since 2010,” said first author Brandon Yan, a UCSF interna...

Supreme Court adopts ethics code

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:52:21 GMT

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday adopted its first code of ethics, in the face of sustained criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices, but the code lacks a means of enforcement.The policy, agreed to by all nine justices, does not appear to impose any significant new requirements and leaves compliance entirely to each justice.Indeed, the justices said they have long adhered to ethics standards and suggested that criticism of the court over ethics was the product of misunderstanding, rather than any missteps by the justices.“The absence of a Code, however, has led in recent years to the misunderstanding that the Justices of this Court, unlike all other jurists in this country, regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules,” the justices wrote in an unsigned statement that accompanied the code. “To dispel this misunderstanding, we are issuing this Code, which largely represents a codification of principles tha...

MIAA to study exclusion scheduling

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:52:21 GMT

Scheduling changes may be coming for MIAA member schools.The MIAA Board of Directors on Monday voted unanimously to allow the Tournament Management Committee to examine whether or not exclusionary and endowment games are of use in the future.The Tournament Management Committee (TMC) is expected to recommend a proposal to the Board by its March meeting. Along with exclusion and endowment games, the matter of tournament cutoff dates will also be examined.“We need to look at whether there is still a purpose to the concept of endowment and exclusion games and whether there is a more efficient way to explain scheduling,” TMC liaison Sherry Bryant said.For decades the MIAA has allowed a set list of schools who otherwise struggle to find opponents to be considered “exclusion schools” to allow them to more easily schedule. These games counted for tournament eligibility for the exclusion school but not for the school’s opponent. Since the inception of the MIAA S...

Alaska House Republicans confirm Baker to fill vacancy left when independent Rep Patkotak resigned

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:52:21 GMT

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska House Republicans have confirmed Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s appointment of Republican Thomas Baker to the state House. Baker was sworn in Monday, the Republican-led House majority said. Dunleavy had appointed Baker to replace independent Rep. Josiah Patkotak, who resigned last month after being elected North Slope Borough mayor.Because Patkotak was an independent, Dunleavy was not bound by party affiliation in choosing a replacement, but there were questions around who would be involved in confirming his pick. Dunleavy’s office had said Baker’s name would be sent to Republican House members for a confirmation vote. Provisions of law dealing with vacancies were tweaked under a 2020 ballot measure. Scott Kendall, an attorney and an author of that measure, has said the confirmation should be voted on by members of the House majority, regardless of their party affiliation.Patkotak was one of four rural lawmakers — independents and Democrats — who this year j...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs legislation to sanction Iran, protect Jewish institutions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:52:21 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Monday that puts sanctions on Iran and protects Jewish institutions.Lawmakers were in Tallahassee earlier this month for a special session, just two months before the Legislature’s regular annual session is set to begin. They approved bills to provide $45 million in grants to secure Jewish institutions and other places that could be a target of hate crimes, as well as legislation to strengthen sanctions already in place against companies that do business with Iranian companies.DeSantis also signed measures on Monday to provide hurricane recovery money and expand a program to allow developmentally disabled students attend private school with taxpayer money.DeSantis, who is running for president as a Republican, has campaigned on his support for Israel as it mounts an offensive in Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that killed more than 1,400 people. The Legislature passed the measures Wednesday just hours be...

Former Fox News reporter says in lawsuit he was fired after challenging Jan. 6 coverage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:52:21 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Fox News reporter says in a lawsuit he was targeted and fired for pushing back against false claims about the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.In the suit filed in federal court Monday, producer Jason Donner said he was part of a “purge” of employees who refused to only report information that would “appease” former President Donald Trump and his supporters. Donner was inside the Capitol when the mob of Trump supporters breached the building. When he heard Fox News reporting that rioters were “peaceful” and “severely disappointed,” he called the control room, using expletives as he said, “you’re gonna get us all killed,” the suit states. A spokeswoman for Fox News did not immediately return an email message seeking comment on the lawsuit.Donner also debunked Tucker Carlson’s “Patriot Purge,” a program on the Fox Nation streaming service that argued Jan. 6 was used as a pretext for persecution of conservative Americans.Fox managers...

South Korea’s Yoon will warn APEC leaders about the risks of a Russia-North Korea arms deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:52:21 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol slammed the purported illicit arms deal between North Korea and Russia, saying he’ll emphasize its far-reaching security implications and discuss international response during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco this week.In written responses to questions from The Associated Press ahead of the APEC meeting, Yoon also said that North Korean provocations will invite immediate retaliation by South Korean and U.S. forces. There are concerns that North Korea might miscalculate and make a move against the South while the world is focused on the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. “An effective way to prevent North Korea from miscalculating is to demonstrate our robust deterrence capabilities and determination towards North Korea based on the solid ROK-U.S. joint defense posture,” Yoon said, using the initials of South Korea’s formal name, the Republic of Korea.“North Korea’s provocations will no...

3 injured in shooting in Grand Crossing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:52:21 GMT

CHICAGO — Three men were hospitalized on Monday evening after a shooting on the city's South Side, police say. According to Chicago police, the shooting happened just before 5:40 p.m. in the 7100 block of South State Street in Grand Crossing. ‘He was a light of sunshine’: Chicago firefighter dies after battling fire in Lincoln Park Police say three men, a 36-year-old, a 62-year-old and a 66-year-old, were standing outside in the area when they were all shot by an unknown individual. Officers say the three men were all then taken to the hospital in good condition and an investigation is underway.According to police, it is currently unclear what led to the shooting and no arrests have been made.  Long-stalled Navy Pier marina gets green light Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call CPD Area One detectives at 312-747-8380.Tips for police can also be filed at CPDtip.com. Tips can be left anonymously.

Alcohol and caffeine together have a surprising effect on sleep: study

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:52:21 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A new study evaluating the combined effects of alcohol and caffeine found that both substances, when used together, have an "unexpected" effect on sleep. Researchers at the University of Washington and University of California-Berkley hypothesized that combining caffeine and alcohol, “the two most popular psychoactive drugs in the world,” would decrease sleep quantity and quality.For six weeks, 17 study participants -- who worked in financial trading -- logged their drink consumption and their quantity and quality of sleep. ‘Superbug’ cases rising in Nevada over past two months: health officials The study, which was published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE, found that on average caffeine reduced sleep quantity by 10 minutes per cup consumed the previous day. Those who drank alcohol the day before reported a 4% decline in their sleep quality on average, according to the study.However, researchers discovered when the participants drank both caffeine and al...

2 men released from custody after initial arrest in the death of Jackson State student

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:52:21 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Two men who were arrested and charged in the death of a college student in Mississippi have been released from custody.Joshua Brown was released Friday from the Hinds County Detention Center after initially being held on a murder charge in the killing of Jaylen Burns, 21, of Country Club Hills. ORIGINAL: Student from Chicagoland killed in shooting at Jackson State University Burns was a student at Jackson State University. Surveillance footage obtained by WLBT-TV appeared to show the 19-year-old Brown out of town when Burns was shot and killed.Jamison Kelly Jr. had been arrested on suspicion of accessory to murder after the fact, but was released from jail Monday after Hinds County Judge James Bell said there wasn’t enough probable cause to charge him.