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The DEA relaxed online prescribing rules during COVID. Now it wants to rein them in

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:44 GMT

Arielle Zionts | (TNS) KFF Health NewsFederal regulators want most patients to see a health care provider in person before receiving prescriptions for potentially addictive medicines through telehealth — something that hasn’t been required in more than three years.During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Drug Enforcement Administration allowed doctors and other health care providers to prescribe controlled medicine during telehealth appointments without examining the patient in person. The emergency declaration ended May 13, and in February, the agency proposed new rules that would require providers to see patients at least once in person before prescribing many of those drugs during telehealth visits.Controlled medications include many stimulants, sedatives, opioid painkillers, and anabolic steroids.Regulators said they decided to extend the current regulations — which don’t require an in-person appointment — until November 11 after receiving more than 38,000 comments on th...

The gender pay gap starts even before you get hired

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:44 GMT

Mia Gindis | Bloomberg News (TNS)Nathalie Ramirez Rojas spent the spring of her junior year at Baruch College splitting her time over two equally formidable tasks: acing her exams and scouring job boards for a paid internship in the social sciences.“I actually saw an internship when I was applying that looked perfect but when I took a closer look I realized they wanted an unpaid intern for 40 hours a week,” said Ramirez Rojas, who’s focusing her career toward mental health and hopes to work as a therapist in the future. “I thought that was insane.”Ramirez Rojas’s experience is not unique. Women are consistently overrepresented in unpaid internships, data show. A recent study of students attending four-year colleges and universities in 2022 found that two-thirds of the graduating male respondents received paid internships compared to less than half of women, despite women representing 70% of the 2,140 seniors surveyed. The research, conducted by the National Association of Colleges a...

Petco Park to be featured on episode of "The Bachelorette"

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:44 GMT

SAN DIEGO — If you watch next week's new episode of "The Bachelorette" you may recognize a familiar site.The July 10 episode of the popular reality show will see Bachelorette Charity Lawson go on a one-on-one date at the downtown ballpark, which is home to the San Diego Padres.The details of the date, and who Lawson will be taking along with her, have not yet been revealed. These concerts are coming to Petco Park this summer The Bachelorette is a reality show where one woman is matched with a group of men and gradually narrows the field of eligible bachelors in her search for "the one."Lawson is a child and family therapist from Columbus, Georgia who appeared on season 27 of "The Bachelor" before being selected as the newest Bachelorette.In addition to being the home stadium of the Padres, Petco Park also plays host to major concerts with headlining acts, the Holiday Bowl game, the Holiday Market at Petco Park, The Links at Petco Park golfing experience, Monster Jam and more.

Biden supports Sweden’s NATO bid, hosting prime minister at the White House

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:44 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden welcomed Sweden’s prime minister to the White House on Wednesday in a show of solidarity as the United States ramps up pressure for the Nordic nation’s entry into NATO ahead of the alliance’s summit next week.Biden said it was very important for Sweden to join, something that’s been held up by objections from Turkey and Hungary. NATO requires the unanimous approval of all members to expand. “You are a valued, valued friend,” the president said to Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson during brief public remarks in the Oval Office.Kristersson responded by saying that “we highly appreciate your strong support” for joining NATO.The two leaders were also expected to discuss security cooperation, Russia’s war in Ukraine and matters involving China during their private meeting. Sweden and neighbor Finland ended their longstanding policy of military nonalignment after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Both applied for NATO...

The wealthy should give more to charity, say people who stopped donating, according to a new poll

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:44 GMT

A new poll of Americans found that nearly half of those who stopped giving to charity over the past five years said they did so because they thought wealthier people could afford to give more — and should. Others said they simply could not afford to give.The survey of more than 2,100 adults across the United States, released by the Better Business Bureau’s Give.org, adds to research on the shrinking number of households that contribute to charity each year, dropping from 66% in 2000 to 49.6% in 2018. The impact of the decline became even more clear when a Giving USA report revealed donations from individuals dropped by 13.4% after inflation and led to one of the steepest declines in contributions in recent decades.Art Taylor, CEO of BBB’s Give.org, says that many nonprofits have attracted wealthy donors to their causes, and that is turning off people of more modest means who don’t think their gifts are needed.Taylor says he worries about that trend because he says an overreliance on...

Woman arrested for Toronto retail robberies, threatening people with syringe

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:44 GMT

A woman is facing several charges related to a series of Toronto retail robberies from late 2021 to 2023, during which she allegedly threatened various employees with a syringe.Toronto police responded to five robbery calls in the following areas: Church Street and Carlton Street, Jane Street and Wilson Avenue, Carlaw Avenue and Gerrard Street East, Parliament Street and Winchester Street and Broadview Avenue and Danforth Avenue.It’s alleged that in each incident, a woman would enter a store, select items and place them into bags. Police said she would start to exit the store without paying for the items. If employees approached her, she would produce a syringe and threaten them.No injuries were reported.On July 4, 2023, police arrested 32-year-old Amelia Marie Atwell of no fixed address. She’s been charged with five counts of robbery with an offensive weapon, disguise with intent and three counts of failing to comply with a release order.She appeared in court on July 5,...

Trump posted what he said was Obama’s address, prosecutors say. An armed man was soon arrested there

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:44 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform what he claimed was the home address of former President Barack Obama on the same day that a man with guns in his van was arrested near the property, federal prosecutors said Wednesday in revealing new details about the case.Taylor Taranto, 37, who prosecutors say participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, kept two firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition inside a van he had driven cross-country and had been living in, according to a Justice Department motion that seeks to keep him behind bars. On the day of his June 29 arrest, prosecutors said, Taranto reposted a Truth Social post from Trump containing what Trump claimed was Obama’s home address. In a post on Telegram, Taranto wrote: “We got these losers surrounded! See you in hell, Podesta’s and Obama’s.” That’s a reference to John Podesta, the former chair of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Democratic presidential campaign. Taranto als...

Help arrives to battle wildfire in Washington state near Columbia River Gorge

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:44 GMT

UNDERWOOD, Wash. (AP) — Authorities have more than doubled the number of people battling a wildfire that has burned structures and forced the evacuation of homes in southwestern Washington near the Columbia River Gorge. The blaze that began Sunday in the unincorporated area of Underwood across from Hood River, Oregon, had burned about 546 acres (221 hectares) and was 5% contained as of Wednesday, according to a post on an interagency Facebook page backed by the state Department of Natural Resources.Nearly 375 people are fighting the fire, with more on the way including an elite firefighting crew to work in challenging terrain on the fire’s western edge, according to the post. The National Weather Service’s red flag warning remained for the area through 11 p.m. Wednesday, with hot, dry and unstable conditions that could cause the fire to spread rapidly.Fire activity increased Tuesday afternoon on the western edge of the fire, with helicopters and air tankers helping keep ...

Son of jailed Belarusian presidential hopeful handed 8-year sentence

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:44 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The son of a jailed Belarusian presidential hopeful was convicted and sentenced Wednesday on charges that he and other activists rejected as trumped up.The Minsk District Court sentenced Eduard Babaryka, 34, to eight years in prison for “organizing mass riots” and “inciting hatred” — accusations that he denied. “I have not committed a single crime I am accused of,” said Babaryka, who has been in custody since his arrest more than three years ago. “The investigation did not find a single piece of evidence of my guilt.”He is the son of Viktar Babaryka, an aspiring presidential candidate who sought to challenge Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko in a 2020 election but was denied registration for the race and later handed a 14-year prison sentence.The condition of the older Babaryka hasn’t been known for over two months, and his supporters suspect he was beaten and put in a prison hospital.The August 2020 vote that handed a sixth te...

1 dead, others injured as gunfire erupts at Fourth of July gathering in Englewood

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:44 GMT

CHICAGO — Five people were shot, one fatally, early Wednesday in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood. According to Chicago police, a group was gathering in the 5600 block of South Ada Street Tuesday for what neighbors said was a Fourth of July block party.Police said shots were fired around 4:45 a.m. Wednesday and five people were struck. According to police, a 35-year-old man was shot in the chest and taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. A 21-year-old man was beaten and sustained injuries to his head. He remains in critical condition, following an update from Chicago police. Additionally, police said, a 23-year-old man was struck in the abdomen and was taken to the hospital in critical condition. A 27-year-old man was shot in the leg and taken to the hospital in stable condition.A 21-year-old woman was struck in the leg and taken to the hospital where she was stabilized. A 29-year-old man was stuck in the foot and leg and taken to the hospital where he was stabilized. ...