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Trump explains the “backdoor” to privatize Social Security, Bescent says

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“In a way, it’s a backdoor way to privatize Social Security,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent said of a new $1,000 account for newborns that passed President Trump’s “big beautiful bill.”

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WASHINGTON – Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent has touted a new American baby savings account in President Donald Trump’s recently approved megaville as “a backdoor to privatize Social Security.”

Speaking on July 30 at a policy event hosted by Breitbart, Bessent welcomed the so-called “Trump account” of American newborns who passed Trump’s “big beautiful bill” as an innovative way to help more Americans join the financial system, increase financial literacy and build retirement savings.

Under this program, American children born this year until 2028 are eligible for a one-time donation of $1,000 to mutual funds or index funds related to stock market performance from the federal government per toddler.

“In a way, it’s a backdoor way to privatize Social Security,” Bescent said. “Social Security is a game changer if these accounts suddenly grow and grow in hundreds of thousands of dollars to retire.”

Trump’s Megaville — the president signed the law after the president cleared Congress with Republican support solely — is among new policies that include the “Trump Account” that extends tax cuts in 2017, ends tip taxes, allocates billions in border wall funding, and Medicaid and food stamp benefits.

The new law did not change the social security that the president has vowed to protect.

Democrats have long denounced Republicans for the privatization of Social Security, a new trading-era welfare program that offers benefits to seniors with disabilities and Americans.

In 2005, President George W. Bush proposed a plan to allow Americans to invest a portion of their Social Security Tax payments into the stock market, but the overhaul failed to gain traction in Congress.

The Trump Baby account is expected to be available in July next year. Parents can also contribute up to $5,000 a year to their tax deferred accounts to invest in a variety of funds that track US inventory indexes. Qualified withdrawals including education expenses, qualifications, qualifications, down payments in your first home, or down payments as capital to start a small business are taxed at long-term capital rates.

As long as the child is a US citizen and both parents have a Social Security number, there is no income requirement and everyone is eligible. Money from the “Trump Account” cannot be withdrawn until the beneficiary is 18 years old.

Bessent recently spoke about his discussion with construction workers at a gas station where he has won a $20 lottery ticket.

“I was sitting there – and I tell them – the best thing you can do is save that $20. Now with these (trump) accounts, they can become part of the system.” “If they put that money into S&P or Bitcoin, we’re making people part of the system. We’re increasing financial literacy.”

Reach Joey Garrison with X @joeygarrison.

EPA plans to scrap car emissions may not save Americans money

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Removing new car emission standards will save Americans money when gas prices drop.

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According to a statement from the Environmental Protection Agency, greenhouse gas emission standards for new cars should provide more “affordable choices” for consumers and “regulatory relief” for businesses.

However, the agency’s draft impact analysis shows that the proposal could cost the country more than save money instead. It depends on the broader economic assumptions about what is counting.

“They are trying to cook books to show that what they’re doing saves costs,” said Joseph Goffman, a former assistant manager at the EPA office that oversees air pollution regulations, in an interview.

The agency spokesman agreed that some of the modelled scenarios were “very speculative,” but said they were designed to show the impact of market conditions such as gas prices. One estimate shows that abolishment criteria costing $350 billion a year would be abolished. Another forecast ideal economic situation showed a savings of $490 billion a year. Neither included the costs of the public health impacts of air pollution.

The first details of the proposal to abolish the 2009 danger discovery were released on Tuesday by President Donald Trump’s chosen Lee Zeldin, who leads the Environmental Protection Agency.

“With this proposal, the Trump EPA proposes to end 16 years of uncertainty for automakers and American consumers,” Zeldin said at an Indiana car dealership, calling the greenhouse gas regulations “a real threat to American livelihoods.”

The decline in new vehicle emission standards is one effect of the agency’s plan to abolish “hazard detection” that underpins the federal government’s ability to regulate climate-fueled greenhouse gases.

In 2009, an agency under former President Barack Obama detailed evidence that greenhouse gases, including those released from cars, are harmful to human health.

Last year, President Joe Biden’s administration set rules to reduce the release of these heat-confined gases and other air pollutants. The widely-advertised economic benefits of $99 billion a year included lower fuel and maintenance costs as well as reducing public health costs through cleaner air.

How are costs and profits calculated?

To understand the economic impact of the proposal, the Environmental Protection Agency modeled several different scenarios in its draft report. Part of this involves changing more government policies than others. Some rely on economic factors beyond the direct government control.

For example, one forecast estimates that risk detection will be abolished, with the greenhouse gas auto emissions standard being $300 billion in national net costs. That scenario includes the end of the tax credits for new electric vehicles created by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Other forecasts show that when gasoline gallons are cheaper than previously predicted, abolition will bring overall savings.

Goffman suggested that “unrealistically low prices of gasoline” was the only way the Trump administration could show wide economic benefits to its plans.

An EPA spokesman told USA Today: “These values are examples and show the sensitivity of future gas savings based on different fuel prices. Many actions that affect future gas prices and are based on profits based on future gas prices are very speculative.”

Will the car be cheaper?

When the Biden administration announced car pollution standards in 2024, the EPA explained how rules could change the costs of new cars as part of an 800-page analysis.

Purchase prices were expected to increase from around $900 for sedans to $2,600 for SUVs. However, the agency said consumers will save money in the long term for cheaper maintenance and fuel savings over the lifespan of the vehicle. For example, a sedan and SUV driver would save $4,400.

The expected savings under Biden have grown even more after including purchase incentives in the calculations. But these will be eliminated as a result of Trump’s “big beautiful bill” cuts approved by Congress a few weeks ago. For example, those who buy a new electric vehicle quickly lose access to $7,500 with tax credits.

The draft analysis of the new proposal is much shorter (only 63 pages) and does not predict changes in the cost of a new vehicle. Instead, we estimated the national impact.

Trump administration officials are promoting $54 billion in Americans’ annual savings. An EPA spokesman revealed that the figures include the expected benefits of new vehicle technology, but not the costs such as long-term maintenance. Adding these leads will increase your net cost of $18 billion a year.

How will abolishment affect public health spending?

When Biden’s management set car emissions standards last year, the report calculated that it would save $13 billion per year in public health spending by reducing the amount of particulate matter released in the air. This contamination is associated with premature death and hospitalization due to respiratory and cardiovascular disease.

The report also estimates that limiting greenhouse gas emissions would result in $72 billion in climate benefits per year. This was calculated from the social costs of carbon. This was calculated from a measure that took into account the impact on human health, agricultural productivity, and property damage caused by natural disasters.

The abolition proposed by Zeldin maintains limits on particle pollution, but removes the standard for greenhouse gas emissions. The new estimates did not include public health-like effects on increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

The future of climate change regulation beyond the car

Goffman, a former EPA employee, said elimination of danger detection would have an impact beyond car emissions. Its repeal could limit the federal government’s authority to regulate all greenhouse gas emissions, making future attempts to tackle climate change even more difficult.

“This exceeds discretion to exercise individual control that can be reversed by future administrations,” Goffman said. “They’ve taken themselves to legal shelves, which is only a few millimeters wide.”

This proposed repeal is part of a larger move from the Trump EPA. In June, Zeldin announced its intention to remove and reduce air pollution restrictions at the power plant.

In that news release, the agency said it would save the electricity sector about $1.2 billion a year in regulatory costs. Their cost-benefit analysis did not mention that they found that they would cost $8 billion a year from worsening public health. It means net negative negativity by easing restrictions on these pollution. Businesses save money, but people will spend more on health.

Power generation and transport are the two largest greenhouse gas emission sectors. Together, they make up half of the country’s emissions. Plans to reduce power plants and new vehicle restrictions could have a major impact on global efforts to avoid the impact of climate change.

“Trump’s EPA attempts every trick in the book to deny and avoid their mission to protect people and the environment,” wrote Gina McCarthy, former EPA administrator who currently leads advocacy groups. “Instead of doing their job, this EPA puts the safety of our loved ones at risk.”

Written comments from the public regarding the proposal to abolish the matter can be submitted until September 15th. The agency is scheduled to hold a hearing session next month. For more information, please visit the agency’s website.

Food aid benefits are linked to reduced cognitive decline in older adults, new research suggests

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Participating in food assistance for elderly people who may otherwise be safe for food New research shows that as age decreases, it may be associated with slower cognitive decline.

Compared to eligible people who are not participating in the US Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP participants showed 10 years of cognitive decline, according to a study published Wednesday at the Alzheimer’s Disease Association International Conference in Toronto.

“SNAP was hoping to protect cognitive health based on previous research linking food anxiety to faster cognitive decline. What surprised us, however, was the fact that the effects lasted over a decade and the fact that benefits amounted to maintaining two to three years of cognitive health,” the candidate for the University of Georgia Health Services Study said in an email.

“This study is important as it shows that supporting basic needs like food access can have long-term benefits for brain health. “When we are looking for ways to delay or prevent Alzheimer’s and related dementia, this suggests that public health and social policy can play a role along with healthcare approaches.”

It is estimated that almost 37% of SNAP participants are in households of elderly or disabled people, and on average, SNAP participants can receive $6.16 per person per day with benefits.

SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, helped an average of over 41 million low-income earners in the US in a typical month last year, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.

Now, President Trump’s one big, beautiful bill act has made the biggest cuts to food stamps in the program’s 86-year history, putting aid for millions of people at risk. The Non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the law will reduce federal spending nearly $187 billion over the next decade.

Some public health experts believe that snap cuts will lead to budget savings, but they are worried that in the long run, it could also result in higher percentages of food insecurity and health outcomes, according to the nonprofit KFF, known as the Kaiser Family Foundation. And some democratic state leaders have warned about potential consequences.

“At a time when many American families are already struggling, food aid programs such as SNAP are more important than ever,” Illinois Gov. JB Pretzker said in a news release Tuesday. “Under the veneer of “cost cuts,” the Trump administration is cutting profits, threatening the well-being of hundreds of thousands of Illinois, putting their health and well-being at risk. Our state deserves better. ”

Researchers from the new University of Georgia study analyzed data on more than 2,000 adults aged 50 and older across the United States. About half of them were registered with SNAP in 2010, and the other half were eligible for SNAP, but did not participate in the program.

Every two years from 2010 to 2020, researchers interviewed study participants and assessed cognitive, memory, and executive functions, including their ability to perform and plan tasks. Each person was given a cognitive score based on the rating.

Assessment that has not yet been published in peer-reviewed journals showed that people enrolled in snaps were slowing down cognitive decline in cognitive, memory, and executive function over the course of 10 years.

“The global cognitive decline was 0.10 percentage points slower for SNAP participants per year compared to non-participants,” the DA said. “It may sound small over a decade, but this is about one whole point of conserved cognition. Clinically, this slow reduction can delay the onset of mild cognitive impairment in almost 10 years for people starting at a healthy cognitive baseline.”

When researchers analysed the data by race and ethnicity, they found that there was a slightly faster reduction in cognition and memory among black and Hispanic adults compared to white adults, but no significant racism differences were observed in executive functioning. However, SNAP participation was associated with much stronger cognitive benefits and reduced declines among white adults.

As a decade of research, the new study covers “length of length” for determining diet and snap benefits associated with cognitive health. Dr. ShaeDatta, a neurologist at NYU Langone Health, said in an email that he is a brand partner at supplement company Qunol.

“Having the means to buy nutritious foods is important to prevent cognitive decline,” says Dutta, who was not involved in the new study. “This study suggested that participation in SNAP, or nutritional support programs, can delay the onset of cognitive impairment or dementia, translates the greater ability to manage and maintain activities of daily life for longer.”

Although new research suggests only a link between SNAP participation and cognitive decline, rather than causality, the researchers highlighted that lack of proper access to food can have a negative impact on cognitive function. SNAP participation may help improve someone’s nutritional intake and thus slow cognitive decline.

“If people don’t have access to healthy nutrition programs, their intake of fish, fish and omega-3 fatty acids may be inadequate intake of fish, fish and omega-3 fatty acids, as well as the director of the Neurology Pastor’s Childcare Therapist, such as fish, lakes, trout, McKelell, herring, alabacol tuna, sardines, wild salmon, and fish, fish, and fish, are not involved in new research.

“Having a balanced diet can neutralize many risk factors associated with the development of cognitive decline. A way to think about this is that Mediterranean-style diets are most evidence-based when it comes to reducing the risk of cognitive decline.” “However, Mediterranean-style diets are rich in green, green vegetables. Vegetables are expensive. Fatty fish are expensive. So nutritional assistance programs can really fill the gap.”

Mediterranean-style diets mainly contain vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, lentils, whole grains, and healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil and avocados. The diet may contain medium amounts of natural cheese and yogurt, but low for lean meat and sugar.

Overall, the potential health benefits of participating in a food assistance program for the elderly, where otherwise food affects it, are based on whether adults are using the program to take other steps to maintain cognitive health, said Isaacson, who founded one of the first Alzheimer’s disease prevention clinics in the United States.

“I don’t think you can eat magic blueberries and will help prevent Alzheimer’s,” he said. “To do healthy nutrition, exercise regularly, and see your doctor regularly to control blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and vascular risk factors — you need to benefit most to do all these different things.”

Arab countries call on Hamas to disarm and abandon their forces in unprecedented moves

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Arab and Muslim states, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, have issued the first joint call for Hamas to disarm and abandon power in the Gaza Strip as part of an effort to end wars on its territory.

A 22 Arab League, the entire European Union and 17 more countries supported the declaration signed at a UN conference co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and France on Tuesday.

The New York meeting aims to address “peaceful settlement of the Palestinian problem and implementation of two-state solutions,” and the declaration introduces the steps signatories think they should take next.

“Governance, law enforcement and security in all Palestine territories must lie only to Palestinian authority with appropriate international support. The joint document “should end control in Gaza and hand arms to Palestinian authority in the context of ending the war in Gaza.”

The text also condemned Hamas’ fatal attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, suggesting an invitation by the PA and a deployment of a “temporary international stabilization mission” “with the support of the United Nations.”

“We welcomed the preparations that some member states have been expressed to serve the military,” it said.

France, who co-chaired the conference, called the declaration “unprecedented.”

Speaking at the United Nations on Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Jean Noel Baro said, “Saudi Arabia, Arab and Muslim countries have expressed their hopes of having a normalized ties with Israel, as well as the terrorist acts of October 7, as well as the hope of having a normalized ties with Israel.”

Both mediators of ceasefire negotiations, Qatar and Egypt, have maintained ties with Hamas and Israel during the war.

The Gaza plan, developed by Egypt in March, excluded Hamas from the governance of the enclave once the war ended, a draft plan obtained by CNN showed.

The plan was discussed by Arab leaders holding a conference in Cairo at an emergency summit, and the Egyptian president proposed a Palestinian committee to temporarily govern Gaza.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly pushed for a revival of solutions in the two provinces.

France has said it will vote in September to recognize the Palestinian state and vote for Israel’s disappointment. The UK also said it would recognize the Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza. Israel and the United States both condemned the statements of France and the UK.

However, Hamas shows no indication of abandoning power on the enclave, but officials within extremist groups have had in the past been given contradictory statements about the role of the movement in postwar Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vehemently opposed the two states’ solutions, claiming it is incompatible with his country’s security.

The Fed will stabilize interest rates. This is when they might lower them

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The Federal Reserve held stable interest rates between 4.25% and 4.5% on Wednesday. This is exactly the same as interest traders’ bets were projected after a policy-making body meeting in June.

Traders’ bets predict that there is a good chance that the Fed could cut interest rates at its September 17th meeting. This means that Americans will not reduce short-term interest rates, which are heavily influenced by the Fed’s decisions, for a few weeks.

Two-thirds of interest rate traders bet on the cut in interest rates in September, ahead of the Fed’s announcement, according to the CME FedWatch tool. Just two hours after the decision, many rate-cut bets shifted to October. The FEDWATCH tool tracks the possibility that the Fed will change federal funding rates based on futures prices.

Will the Fed lower interest rates?

The Fed’s policy making committee has not cut short-term interest rates since its December meeting cut by 0.25%.

Can’t view the graphics? Click here to see them.

In his comments following Wednesday’s meeting, Fed Prime Minister Jerome Powell told reporters that neither he nor the others on the Policy Committee have a pre-determined plan for interest rates following the Sept. 17 meeting.

“We didn’t make a decision about September. We won’t do that in advance,” Powell said, adding that the Fed will receive two rounds of employment and inflation data to inform the assessment ahead of the next meeting.

Will interest rates fall in 2025?

President Donald Trump’s tariff proposal puts the Fed in a difficult position. Inflation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has eased, but consumer prices could rise again. Inflation was marked slightly in May and June. The annual rate rose to 2.7%. Analysts suggest that lower energy prices can help minimize the impact of tariffs.

With many details remaining unresolved, it remains uncertain how many tariffs will raise prices in the coming months. If we lower interest rates before it becomes clear how the Federal Reserve will affect our involvement in the prices we pay, it can unintentionally cause inflation.

The Fed tries to stabilize inflation at around 2% each year while hiring as many Americans as possible. The June employment report showed that the unemployment rate fell to just 4.1%, with the economy adding 147,000 jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics will look at U.S. employment next Friday morning.

Current unemployment rate

Other indicators also suggest that the economy remains relatively strong, but Powell warned after a May meeting that recent inflation and employment data could be indicators of early signs of concern. However, he said the uncertainty surrounding tariffs and the economic impact have led them to avoid changing interest rates.

“I think there’s a lot of uncertainty about tariff policies, for example, that’s calming down,” Powell said. “If they settle down, what will the impact on the economy for growth and employment? I think it’s too early to know.”

Contribution: Bailey Schultz

Drone footage shows the aftermath of a tsunami wave, the Russian earthquake

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Tsunami waves in the Far East Russia leave destruction after a magnitude 8.8 rage, one of the strongest earthquakes in recorded history, is taken away from the country’s Kamchatka Peninsula.

The earthquake that collided on July 29th and urged evacuation, created a tsunami of up to 13 feet in the town, officials said.

The town and fish processing plants have been partially flooded due to the tsunami, causing damage to kindergarten buildings, but no serious injuries have been reported, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Services said.

Drone footage shows the aftermath of the waves after hitting Severo-Kurilsk, a Russian town on the Kamchatka Peninsula in northern Japan.

Tsunami waves also affected parts of the United States

The tsunami wave has also arrived in Hawaii. Hawaii was lifted after the tsunami warning was downgraded to advice, and the evacuation orders were lifted, with overnight West Coast in Alaska, Washington, California and the West Coast.

Crescent City, located near the California border in Oregon, about 356 miles northwest of San Francisco, was 3.6 feet tall, according to the National Weather Service. Residents were asked to avoid beaches and harbors.

Despite the downgrade or cancellation of tsunami warnings in much of Alaska, the state was able to sense the effects of the earthquake for the next few days.

For the next area’s currents could become more dangerous for several days after the tsunami.

  • Beach
  • Port
  • Marina
  • Bay
  • Inlet

The Aleutian Islands in Alaska have recorded a tsunami, with the highest of 2.7 feet near Adak Island, east of the Severocryls.

Dinah Voleen Purver. America Todd

Julia is a trend reporter for USA Today. Connect with her LinkedIn, x, Instagram and TiktokPlease email: @juliamariegz or jgomez @gannett.com

The fight for Medicaid funding for abortion

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The conflict over whether Medicaid could pay for an abortion has been raging since the 1970s. However, in recent years, courts have more frequently confronted state constitutional questions about abortion funded by Medicaid. The lawsuits on this question have increased as more state courts discovered as the constitution protects abortion and citizens often pass amendments to abortion rights.

From Hyde’s amendments to Trump’s budget bill

Medicaid is jointly funded by the state and federal governments. Hyde’s amendment passed by Congress in 1976 prohibiting individuals from using federal Medicaid dollars to refund abortions. There were various policies regarding the state dollar. In addition to states where abortion is a crime, another 17 states followed Hyde’s amendments in their own policies. However, anti-abortion groups are pushing to further limit the availability of Medicaid for abortion, earning their recent victory.

One focus is a strategy to reimburse planned parents and other abortion providers by blocking participation in Medicaid, despite these providers being refunded solely for non-abortion services. As part of “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” Congress imposed a one-year ban on Medicaid participation in healthcare providers that primarily provide reproductive care and provide abortion. Following last month’s decision by the US Supreme Court Medinav. Planned Parenthood of South Atlanticstates thought they could exclude planned parents from Medicaid programs without violating federal clauses that provide provider choice for Medicaid patients, so some states could oust planned parent-child relationships from state Medicaid programs.

At the same time, voters passed amendments to protect abortions. The US Supreme Court said there is no federal right to abortion in 2022. Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Agencyvoters in 10 states approved abortion rights initiatives, including conservative states. And many state courts say their constitution offers at least some abortion protections, even without an explicit amendment.

But even states protecting abortions have been featured in books. All over the country, litigators argue that these prohibitions violate the state’s constitutional rights to abortion, privacy and equal rights.

Michigan abortion advocate set

A Michigan judge recently rejected the challenge to the state’s Medicaid abortion restrictions. The lawsuit was filed by the ACLU on behalf of the YMCA in Kalamazoo. It maintains a fund that provides financial support to those seeking abortion. The YMCA argued that Michigan law violated the right to reproductive freedom, disliked abortion, a procedure that was discriminated against on the basis of gender and protected in favor of childbirth.

However, the judges did not reach the constitutionality of the ban. Instead, he decided he was not standing in the YMCA. He rejected the YMCA’s claim that the interests were directly harmed by the statute. Because 77% of the fund wanted Medicaid-eligible abortions, the YMCA argued that it could not support other suitable patients at a cost. The judge said the state amendment was Individual The right to freedom of reproductiveness. The organization may be trying to sue on behalf of individual members, but the YMCA did not have such members. And while this amendment protected businesses and individuals being punished for providing certain types of care, the YMCA was not an abortion provider.

The court also addressed whether the YMCA could rely on the so-called taxpayer status. The court stressed that it could not find an example of a taxpayer standing to enforce the government. spend money. Such readings were incredible, the court reasoned that it opened the door to many challenges to budget decisions.

Privacy-based victory

Michigan courts are not the first to hear of a lawsuit challenging a ban on the use of Medicaid to fund abortions. In March, a Montana district judge issued an injunctive rule prohibiting Medicaid reimbursement for abortion patients unless they are either rape or incest survivors or suffer from a “at risk of death” health. The order also blocked rules that require that only physicians (with other providers) can perform Medicaid abortions, narrowly define the medical necessity of abortion procedures, and required prior permission for such procedures. The judge said the rules violated the state’s equal protection clause – the state has selected abortions to limits that do not apply to other reproductive health services and to protect the privacy of the state’s constitution.

The Montana Supreme Court has long held that the privacy rights in the state constitution protect abortion. The state argued that the privacy rights did not apply to the case as it included state discretion regarding how funds were allocated. The lower court disagreed: Because the state chose to provide funds Some Medicaid services could not deny the benefits of constitutional procedures just because lawmakers disliked them.

The rules already violated the right to abortion, and the courts applied the most demanding form of judicial review, strict scrutiny. The court said that doctor-only restrictions mean little when other providers provided high quality care as well. Similarly, the court said the state had no prior approval to eliminate telehealthcare or evidence that in-person visits would improve patient safety. The court also rejected a strict definition of medical necessity, with no health-based reasons. The state’s flat ban on reimbursement for any incident that does not involve rape, incest, or threats to life, presented an even simpler case.

Equal rights theory

Other cases are developed based on the equal rights argument. In Nevada, an organization that helps to cover abortion costs for low-income patients has sought a mandama warrant to establish that state equal rights amendments to prohibit discrimination based on gender would require a refund of abortion services. Mandamas warrants are an extraordinary remedy and are only available in the absence of an alternative to grant parties a prompt and effective solution. Nevertheless, the court agreed that the warrant would allow state officials to exempt from necessary obligations based on the times and that the state’s actions to refuse refunds were “arbitrarily or whimsical.”

A Nevada court rejected the state’s claim that discrimination based on pregnancy or abortion is not sex discrimination. “Laws like compensation exclusions targeting gender-specific traits for worse treatment are as unfavourable as laws that explicitly target “women,” the court said. Even if there is a clause do not have The court concluded that discrimination based on gender would fail to rational basis. The state could not justify the Medicaid ban on cost reductions, as it is actually more expensive than the alternative.

The court also rejected the state’s argument that the plaintiffs had no position. We reasoned that eliminating compensation exclusions would make a big difference for the organization, as exclusions put a strain on resources and limited their ability to assist clients. The lower court’s decision is standing as the state did not appeal.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court similarly determined last year that state laws that allow Medicaid refunds only in cases of rape, incest, or threats to life are presumably unconstitutional under that state’s equal rights amendment. The plaintiffs argued that Medicaid exclusion was counted as sexism because comparable provisions were not applied to men and because the state chose abortion for exclusion while covering more expensive reproductive services. The justice of the majority of three seemed to find the reasoning to be persuasive, but two of the three reasoned that they had a fundamental right to abortion under the state constitution, and that state Medicaid exclusion discriminated against women who exercised that right. The majority of third justices found that this question was not necessary given the court’s decision on equality arguments. The court remanded the case for further action.

••••

The Medicaid funding lawsuit for abortion is a reminder of how state courts define reproductive rights in a completely different way and in a much broader way than previous federal courts. dobbs It was overturned Roev. Wade’s Abortion Protection, when several state courts find that prohibiting Medicaid refunds for abortion violated the state’s equality clause. today, egg With states no longer amending constitutions to protect reproductive rights, there is a new urgency surrounding questions about whether and how state constitutions protect Medicaid patients seeking abortion.

Mary Ziegler is Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law at the University of California, Davis School of Law. Her new book, Personality: A new civil war over reproductionnow available.

Suggested Quote: Mary Ziegler, The fight for Medicaid funding for abortionsᴛᴛᴇcᴏᴜʀᴛrᴇᴘᴏʀᴛ (July 28, 2025), https://statcourtreport.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/battles-ver-medicaid-punding-abortion

Guest Essay: Big Technology must help stop children’s live streamed abuse

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Editor’s Note: Samson Inocencio Jr. is the national director of the Philippines’ International Judicial Mission (IJM) and regional vice president of IJM’s OSEC hub, and is opposed to online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC). The views expressed in this commentary are the views of the authors only.

On this day in the world against human trafficking, I realized that I myself held two truths in tension. It’s deep despair and deep hope. After more than 20 years fighting human trafficking in the Philippines, I have witnessed both the unthinkable harm that was inflicted on my children and the extraordinary progress made to stop it.

Now, on an astonishing scale, sex offenders around the world conspire online with traffickers from countries like the Philippines to pay livestreams of child sexual abuse as the offenders directed in real time. As part of the International Judicial Mission (IJM), I am committed to leading a team in the Philippines to protect children from this horrific human trafficking. There, young victims are being trafficked to produce child sex abuse material (CSAM).

There is a national director in the Philippines.

At the same time, I am looking forward to seeing incredible success in partnership with the Philippine government to deal with this crime. Since 2011, through IJM-backed cases, Philippine law enforcement has safely led more than 1,470 victims (and at-risk individuals), arrested more than 430 traffickers and convicted more than 265 assailants. In 2016, the US Department of State also recognized this advancement by upgrading the Philippines to Tier 1 in its Human Trafficking (TIP) report. The message was clear. When the judicial system is equipped and accountable, they can stop human trafficking.

However, despite this advancement and commitment from the government, the trafficking enhanced by this particular form of technology continues to destroy communities across the Philippines and around the world. It has become clear that individual governments and bilateral partnership efforts cannot be relied solely on individual governments or bilateral partnership efforts to properly address the tide of violence against children on the Internet. That alone isn’t enough.

“Technology companies must play a pivotal role in preventing victims and vulnerable individuals from being exploited through the use of online platforms and be part of their solutions to combat human trafficking,” according to the 2024 TIP Report. And with many of the world’s largest and most influential technology companies being based in the United States, the US Congress must pass laws to properly encourage this influential sector.

Countries like the United States, where sex offenders who drive the demand for this crime often live, and online platforms, payment processors and money transfer services that make it wrong must take action. This comes at a timely moment for US policymakers who are increasingly paying attention to the crisis of children being exploited online.

It is when the US Congress passes the CSAM Act (HR3921 and S.1829). The momentum of the law was considered at a march hearing before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and advanced bipartisanly by that committee on a unanimous 22-0 vote on June 12th. If enacted, the bill would allow victims to promote or assist in exploitation and seek legal reliance on online platforms that exploit it.

The STOP CSAM Act also helps to improve the quality of reports that online platforms have submitted to the National Centre for CybertiPline of Dead Children by requiring the platform to report specific details of child sexual exploitation. Online platforms must report this form of child sex trafficking under the Reporting Act, passed by Congress and signed into law in May 2024. The STOPCSAM Act strengthens existing reporting obligations and highlights the importance of including certain data points in CybertiPline reports that help you identify or find children, including whether users are actively watching whether they are being exploited or not.

It is a moral obligation to stop the online sexual exploitation of children. And it should be enforced by an increase in legislative measures in the United States.

The work is hard and long, marked by moments of deep fatigue and despair, but hope still wins. Last year, I was recognized as a reporting hero for human trafficking by the US State Department, which gave me a glimpse of this sustained hope. Looking back at the last 20 years of this work, I have undoubtedly witnessed the darkest side of humanity. But my team and I have also experienced deep generosity and care from those who work to combat this crime. And we are supported by the experience of change possible.

Frozen beef is recalled after it is found in Ada Valley products: FSIS

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Ada Valley Meat Company recalls more than 1,000 pounds of frozen ground beef after consumers discovered metal pieces in their food, according to a USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) notification.

“FSI is concerned that some products may be in consumer refrigerators or freezers,” the agency said in a July 29 warning. There was at least one complaint about the contamination, but no injuries were reported, FSI said.

According to Ada Valley Meat and FSIS, 1,065 pounds of recalled ground beef were packaged on May 28th and 30th and distributed to five states. Here’s what you need to know.

Which products do you remember?

The recalled product includes a 20 pound cardboard box case with four 5 pound plastic bags from the “Ada Valley Fully Cooked Ground Beef.” The package has a lot code of 35157 on May 28, 2025 “Pack Date” or 35156 lot code of 30, 2025 and an external label.

The affected products have “Est. 10031” within the USDA inspection mark and have been shipped to distributors and other facilities in California, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

What should I do if I remember meat?

If you have a recalled meat package at home, FSIS recommends throwing it away or returning it to the place you want to buy it. Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Ada Valley Gourmet Foods at gerrit@adavalley.com or the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-674-6854 and mphotline@usda.gov.

Epstein and Gislain Maxwell’s Great Juice Records Cover Only Two Witnesses

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In a recent court application, the Department of Justice indicated that the transcripts of the Great Ju judge linked to Jeffrey Epstein and Gislaine Maxwell might not provide much new information if released.

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According to the Justice Department, President Donald Trump of the Great Ju Court transcript is seeking in New York as he is trying to quell his base’s rage over the White House’s decision not to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein.

The witnesses are FBI agents and detectives at the New York Police Department, DOJ officials said in a July 29 court filing. Both witnesses testified in the Federal University Ju trial case, leading to charges against convicted sex trafficker Gislaine Maxwell, who is currently sentenced to 20 years in prison. Only FBI agents testified before the large ju judge who accused Epstein of sex trafficking in 2019.

The fact that only two members of both enforcement are on the witness list could mean that even if they were released, the transcript may not be revealed. The U.S. District Court for Manhattan is currently deciding whether to seal records for public viewing.

The U.S. District Court for Florida separately ruled on July 23 that Epstein-related records related to the state’s federal ju trial lawsuit must remain personal.

The New York police detective who testified in a Maxwell-related lawsuit in Manhattan was at the time working for the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Trafficking Task Force, according to the Justice Department.

What will be new with the transcript of the Great Jue?

The Justice Department has filed some indications with the latest courts and has submitted signs that the transcript may not reveal much that the public is not yet aware of. Not only does he have two witnesses in the transcript, the court filing suggests that at least a large part of what those witnesses said may have been repeated in the trial by the victims of Epstein and Maxwell. In other words, it is not new information for the public.

“Many of the victims whose accounts related to Epstein and Maxwell are the subject of testimony from the Great Jue testified consistently with accounts explained by FBI agents and detectives,” according to a Justice Department submission. Some of the victims also made public accounts in the context of a civil lawsuit, the department added.

Several witnesses who testified at Maxwell’s one-month trial in 2021 ended with her conviction of seducing minors for illegal sexual activity with Epstein and conspiring to seduce and transport minors to traffic him. Prosecutors said Maxwell hired the Minor Girls from around 1994 to around 2004, helping recruit grooms and abused Epstein.

Does the transcript satisfy the public’s rage over Epstein?

Justice Department officials have asked Trump scripts to be released at Trump’s request. Trump said in his Truth Social Post on July 17th that he made the request based on “an outrageous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein.”

Department officials are seeking to compile their personal identification information if the court approves the records to be made public.

That warning could further disappoint the public who wants the government to release the names of potential Epstein clients suspected of participating in disgrace investors in a ring of sexual personnel. Several officials in the Trump administration have instigated the flames of these plots for years, including FBI director Kash Patel, who told Glenn Beck, the figure of right-wing media in 2023 that President Joe Biden’s FBI director had direct control of the Epstein “The Black Book.”

However, in a memo released on July 7, the Justice Department and the FBI said reviews of government records regarding Epstein failed to list clients and no further disclosure was justified.

The memo led to the introduction of laws that even some Congressional Republicans were seeking release of files or attempting to force the Trump administration’s hand. Republican leaders have so far been blocking the law, and White House officials continue to resist those calls.

Airborne microplastics contaminate homes and cars, according to new research

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Thousands of microplastics that can penetrate deep into the lungs are in the air you breathe in your home or in your car, new research has discovered.

A study published Wednesday in Journal Plos One found that the particles could be the result of degradation of plastic-filled objects such as carpets, curtains, furniture, textiles and plastic parts in car interiors.

“People spend an average of 90% indoors, whether at home, at work, at shops, or in transportation.

“Microplastics in the air, especially indoors, may be an invisible threat that we’re just beginning to understand.”

Sonke is the research director of the National Centre for Science and Research, belonging to the University of Toulouse, France. Yakovenko is a postdoctoral researcher in environmental and geoscience at the university.

Research shows that the indoor air in your home is highly polluted with microplastics.

“Though research is still ongoing, there are concerns that long-term exposure to microplastics and their additives could contribute to respiratory problems, disrupt endocrine function and increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, reproductive birth disorders, infertility, cardiovascular disease and cancer,” the two said.

This study found that adults could inhal 68,000 microplastic particles, ranging from indoor air, ranging from 1 to 10 micrometers per day. This is an estimate of 100 times higher than expected, according to Sonke and his team.

In comparison, red blood cells range from 6.2 to 8.2 micrometers, while E. coli bacteria are 1 to 2 micrometers in length.

“This adds to the body of knowledge that microplastics are everywhere and enters humans in every way,” said Shelley “Sam” Mason, a microplastics researcher who is director of Project Nepse at Ganon University in Ellie, Pennsylvania., in an email. She was not involved in this study. (Neptwne stands for Nano & Polymer Technology for Water and Neural-Networks.)

Scientists have detected microplastics in human testes and penis, human blood, lung and liver tissue, urine and feces, breast milk and placenta. A study in February found microplastics that are almost worth the spoon in human brain tissue. A March 2024 survey found that people with carotid tissue microplastics are twice as likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke or death over the next three years than those who had nothing.

“The size of these particles is particularly concerning because smaller particles have a greater impact on human health,” says Mason, one of the first scientists to measure microplastics in bottled water.

Kimberly Wise White, Vice President of Regulation and Science Affairs at the American Council of Chemistry. plastic The industry has expressed concern about the research methodology.

“The study is based on a very small sample size, and acknowledges a contamination rate of 18%, raising questions about the accuracy of the findings,” White said in an email. “Additional work using validated methods and standardized exposure assumptions is essential before we can conclude on potential health effects.”

To conduct the investigation, Sonke and his team took indoor air samples from their apartments and while driving between French cities. In the US, the AAA Road Safety Statistics Foundation shows that in 2023 the average American spent about 60 minutes a day in a car.

Car cabins are small enclosed spaces filled with plastic-based materials such as dashboards, steering wheels, door handles, seat fabrics, carpets, carpets and carpet liners, making them an important source of microplastic exposure.

“These materials can flow small plastic particles over time, especially through solar radiation, friction, heat and daily use,” they said. “Unlike homes, car cabins often have limited ventilation, allowing microplastic particles to accumulate and concentrate in the air, which allows them to inhale in large quantities during normal commutes or long drives.”

Tests found 2,238 microplastic particles per cubic meter of air inside the car. This is well beyond the 528 particles found in a similar amount of air from the interior home.

“We often link plastic pollution to the oceans and industrial areas,” Sonke and Yakovenko said.

To measure plastic concentration, the team used a Raman microscope. This is a new and powerful technique that can measure up to about 1 micrometer. This technique is different from the ones that are applied. Previous studies using methods that can only measure large particles up to 20 micrometers, they said.

“Their analysis is healthy,” said Wei Min, a professor of chemistry at Columbia University in New York City. He was not involved in the research.

“They used commercial supplies, but the detection limits are at their best (about 1 micrometer),” Min said in an email. “This allows them to capture (1-10) Micrometer populations remained largely undetectable in previous studies of indoor air. ”

However, this study did not allow measurement of smaller particles, called nanoformers. Nanoplastics were measured in nanometers rather than micrometers. It takes 1,000 nanometers to make one micrometer. By comparison, the average human hair is about 80,000-100,000 nanometers in diameter.

“The current research provides important information, but it also speaks to the need for technological advancements to assess even smaller polymer particles, both in the air and in our bodies,” says Matthew Campen, a microplastics researcher who is a professor of pharmaceutical science and professor of pharmaceutical science at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

Nanoplastics are the most concerned plastic pollution for human health, experts say. This is because very small particles can invade individual cells and tissues of major organs, interfere with cellular processes and deposit endocrine decay chemicals such as bisphenols, phthalates, flamethrowers, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAs, and double stars.

The levels of microplastics in cars were higher than those in households, the study found.

According to experts, there are many steps individuals can take to reduce exposure to plastic and plastic footprints. In February, CNN spoke with Dr. Philip Randrigan, lead author of the March 2023 report on Plastics and Human Health, a global consortium of scientists, healthcare professionals and policy analysts.

The report states that plastics, as determined by the consortium, are linked to harm to human health at every stage of the plastic’s lifecycle.

“I tell people, ‘There are some plastics you can’t get away with, you won’t get a cell phone or a plastic-free computer.” But try to minimize exposure to plastics that you can avoid, especially single-use plastics,” says Landrigan, a professor of biology. He directs the Global Public Health on Planetary Safety at Boston College, as well as the Common Interest and Global Observatory Program.

Landrigans are ubiquitous, so it is difficult to avoid food wrapped in plastic films, but you can remove food from plastic packaging before cooking or putting it in the microwave.

“When you heat plastic, it accelerates the movement of microplastics from packaging into food,” he said.

They will invest in zippered fabric bags and ask dry cleaners to return their clothes instead of thin sheets of plastic, suggests the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group. Bring your travel mug to your local coffee store, bring takeaway and silverware to your office, and cut down on plastic cups and cooking utensils.

“When you go shopping, don’t use plastic bags. Use cloth bags, paper bags and recycled bags,” Landrigan said. “If you can probably do that, try to avoid plastic water bottles.”

a Survey for January 2024 One liter of bottled water was found, equivalent to two standard size bottled water that consumers normally buy, but it contained an average of 240,000 plastic particles from seven different types of plastic. About 90% of them were nanoplastics.

“Use metal or glass drinks instead of plastic cups. Store food in a glass container, not a plastic one,” Landrigan says. “We’re working to ban plastic bags in your community, as many communities in the US do now. There’s so much you can do.”

Inspired by the weekly roundups on living well, which have become simple. Sign up for CNN’s Life, but a better newsletter about information and tools designed to improve your happiness.

The economy grew in the second quarter. What does Fed rate reduction mean?

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President Donald Trump’s world trade war once again distorted the broadest snapshot of the US economy. This time I made a brighter picture.

The economy grew steadily in the second quarter, but forecasters tracked the show to a reversal of a tariff-related import surge that saw its output shrink earlier this year.

Consumer spending and business investments are expected to rise modestly, with growth expected to be even slower later this year as much of Trump’s import fees filter out to retail prices.

Gross domestic product, the value of all goods and services made in the United States, grew at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3% between April and June, the Commerce Department said on July 30. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg predicted a 2.4% increase.

Trump boasted about his post performance on the True Society, saying the Federal Reserve, which meets Wednesday at 2pm, should cut interest rates.

“2Q GDP just goes out: 3%, much better than expected! “Too slow” needs to lower the rate. There is no inflation! Buy it for people. Trump said.

However, the rate is expected to remain stable as the Fed awaits the impact of Trump’s tariffs on inflation. And a strong GDP gain is likely to bolster the Fed’s plan to withstand fees rather than undermine it.

Furthermore, the increase in economic output was artificially driven by a sharp decline in imports, just as a 0.5% drop in GDP in the first three months of the year (the first contraction of the economy in three years) was rooted in a historic surge in foreign shipments.

With Trump’s double-digit tariffs looming, American retailers and manufacturers competed to order foreign goods early in the year before taxation came into effect. It led to an unprecedented flood of imports. This must be subtracted from GDP (products purchased by consumers, businesses and public sector).

As these purchases moved forward, businesses did not have to order many items from other countries in the last quarter, imports plummeted by 30.3%, turning a 37.9% rise, damping output earlier and strengthening US growth. As a result, these foreign shipments added 5.2% points to their growth after deducting 4.7 points from January to March.

A clearer measure of economic health, which removes trade, inventory and government spending, which is gaining consumers and business spending, but called final sales to private domestic buyers, fell 1.2% from 1.9% in the first quarter.

Another way to measure underlying growth is to average outcomes for the first and second quarters, Pantheon Macroeconomics said. This has led to the economy growing just 1.2% in the first half of 2025, down from its near 3% pace in the past two years.

“Due to weak fundamental growth in the second quarter, we took a material step-down in the first half of this year compared to 2024,” Pantheon Macroeconomics economist Oliver Allen wrote in a note to our clients.

Is the economy going well now?

Big picture: Forecasters hope that the economy will slow down in the coming months as Trump’s tariffs rekindle inflation and SAP consumer purchasing power. Economists forecast growth of less than 1% in both the third and fourth quarters, according to a survey by the Wolters Kluwer Blue Chip Economic Indicator.

According to median estimates from the Bloomberg survey, forecasters will announce on August 1 that the Department of Labor added 109,000 jobs in July. That’s down from 147,000 in June, to an average of 130,000 so far this year.

In recent weeks, the White House has attacked trade transactions with countries such as the UK, the European Union, Indonesia, Vietnam and Japan, but US tariff rates have risen by around 20% from under 3% at the start of the year. It would probably push annual inflation from 2.7% to 3% by the end of the year, she said. Without obligation, economists believe inflation has probably returned to its 2% Fed target.

Additional tariffs to further increase inflation could be in effect by the August 1 deadline if administrative authorities do not reach transactions with dozens of countries.

When can we expect the Fed to lower interest rates?

Economists do not expect to move the needle into the Federal Reserve decision on interest rates, which is expected to be released at 2pm.

The Fed is expected to remain stable in the fifth consecutive meeting despite sustained pressure from Trump, despite the futures market bets on interest rate cuts in mid-September.

Typically, robust GDP figures can make the Fed even less likely to lower rates. The Fed will shave fees to support a weak economy, and raise or keep rates high to combat inflation. However, as data is once again skewed by the effects of tariffs, authorities could put low weight on the numbers.

For now, Fed officials are focusing on maintaining a waiting approach to rate reductions when assessing how much inflation the import fees are boosting in the coming months.

Here’s how parts of the economy changed in the second quarter:

Consumer spending

Consumer spending rose 1.4%, continuing to grow just 0.5% in the first quarter, half the pace of last year. Consumption accounts for 70% of economic activity.

This year, Americans’ outlook has been darker this year as the heavy tariff outlook sparked inflationary concerns and the slower labor market tamped down revenue profits.

Business investments will rise slightly

Business investments rose 1.9% after a surge of 10.3% in the last quarter.

The company’s purchases of computers, delivery trucks, factory machinery and other equipment have now reached a rather healthy 4.8%.

However, spending on buildings, oil rigs and other structures plummeted 10.3%.

Business stockpile is a huge resistance to growth

As imports fell, businesses added significantly less to their inventory, with stockpiling down 3.2 percentage points from growth.

Homes begin and renovations decrease

Home construction and renovations fell by 4.6%, marking the fourth decline in the past five months.

Some housing investments have been slowing as builders are worried that tariffs will significantly increase the costs of wood, steel, aluminum and other building materials.

Also, high mortgage fees — the by-product of inflation and the Fed rate hike — have discouraged many potential home buyers.

Government spending has a higher edge

Government spending rose just 0.4%. Federal spending fell 3.7% as government efficiency (DOGE) continued to significantly reduce budget cuts and layoffs.

State and local spending rose 3%.

Contribution: Joey Garrison

“South Park” episode of playing cards again: Watch the teaser

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“South Park” doesn’t end with President Donald Trump.

The Comedy Central Show has dropped a trailer for the upcoming episode. This suggests that the series will continue to laugh at Trump after making waves to chase him in the Season 27 premiere.

The 20-second trailer includes a shot of Trump taking part in dinner, where he sits at the table with Satan. Hearing the speaker talks about celebrating Trump’s courage, the president rubs Satan’s feet under the table, and Satan tells him to stop.

It is unclear whether this scene will air on August 6th in the next episode, or whether it was created just for the trailer. “South Park” is famous for not finishing until the episode airs. Last week’s Comic-Con panel, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone admitted that they created the scene just for use in the season 27 trailer.

But the trailer means that at least his relationship with Trump and Satan will be a continuing storyline throughout the season, rather than a one-off plot.

In the Season 27 premiere, airing on July 23, “South Park” skewered Trump and literally showed him going to bed with Satan. He was animated using actual photos of the president placed in an animation body, which is roughly the same parody as the 1999 film portrayed Saddam Hussein.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0oj23b_wes

The White House fought back on the episode, with spokesman Taylor Rodgers saying in a statement to USA Today that “South Park” has not been associated with more than 20 years and is stuck on a thread with uninspired ideas in desperate attempts for attention.

One of the main plot lines for the season premiere, entitled “The Sermon of Mount” was Trump suing the town of South Park. By the end of the episode, the town agrees to do pro-Trump messaging as part of the settlement. The show then cut into a fake public service announcement that showed live-action portrayal of Trump undressing him and roaming the desert.

The video was featured in an on-screen graphics with the words “Pro-Trump PSA 01 of 50,” suggesting that it could come more in future episodes.

Last week, in an appearance on the San Diego Comics Scam, Parker and Stone apologised for their sarcasm about the episode. “We’re so sorry,” Parker said jokingly.

During the Comic-Con panel on July 24th, Parker and Stone admitted that they still don’t know what will happen in the upcoming “South Park” episode, given how quickly the episodes are coming together. “I don’t know what the episode will be next week,” Parker said. “It’s very stressful.”

Contribution: Brian Truitt

Abandoned secret nuclear missile base deep in the Lithuanian forest

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The sea of Baltic trees and pine seas of the Baltic Sea sways in the wind as the roads go deep into the forest. In the peaceful depths of Western Lithuania National Park here in Lithuania, a idyllic lake, wetlands, old villages and forest area 30 miles inland from the Baltic Sea, Soviet missile operators were eagerly waiting for the destruction of Western Europe.

Today, the once-classified complex known as the Plokštinė missile base is the Cold War Museum, the park’s most visited attraction. In 2024, 35,000 people from all over the world came to explore this eerie underground world, including underground rooms, passageways and missile silos.

Some lines of barbed wire greet anyone arriving at the facility. Afterwards, four white domes appear, a bunker that once housed weapons of mass destruction, in contrast to the greenery of the forest. The structure stands there like a parasitic mushroom that does not belong to its surroundings.

The history of the base reflects the logic of the Cold War and the nuclear weapons race. Western Lithuania – At the time, some of the Soviet Union’s Soviet Socialist Republics were the best places to store warheads targeting NATO countries.

Lithuania, which faced Scandinavia in the Baltic Sea, was transformed into a highly militarized zone with rocket bases, military towns and risons. Nearby Latvia and Estonia (part of the Soviet Union) suffered the same fate.

Located anywhere, Plokshin Forest provided the ideal conditions for building a secret underground complex. The nearby 4.6 square miles of Plateria Lake provided water for the cooling system, with small populations in the surrounding villages and soft, sandy soils making it easy to excavate.

The Plokštinė missile base was completed in 1962 after two years of construction involving more than 10,000 workers across the Soviet Union. Such immeasurable work was not noticed by the locals.

“People didn’t know what kind of weapons were stored there, but we knew about this place,” says Aušra Brazdeikytė, a guide to the Cold War Museum.

Brazil was born in a village not too far from the base and spent his life in the area.

Soldiers became equipment for local living, and hearing about heavy equipment transporting military equipment was a regular event.

“We worked with various Soviet Republic soldiers on collective farms, but we never discussed military topics,” she recalls. Asking the wrong questions could end tragically in the Soviet Union.

The complex was largely fixed, with two miles of electric fences stretching around the base. The dense forests became even more difficult to reach, so locals refused to access it.

All this secret has been rewarded. The US Intelligence Agency discovered the base through satellite reconnaissance in 1978. By then, the Soviets had abolished the facility as part of the rocket disarmament agreement between the Soviet Union and the US.

The entrance to the facility, as usual, passes through a hole in the ground.

“Please, wipe your feet,” reads the Russian sign in Russian on the sealed door. Cleanliness is important in the workplace, especially if you work in a secret underground facility with a nuclear warhead.

The Plokštinė missile base was an elaborate military project, an exemplary facility of this kind of the Soviet Union. There were also four 100-foot shafts that housed R-12 DVINA surface-to-surface missiles, centered around an underground command center with a corridor network. There were also underground power plants to generate energy in emergencies.

After Lithuania declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1990 and subsequently declared the collapse of the iron curtain, the base was abandoned completely and plundered for metal. Thanks to EU funding, local officials were able to establish an incredible museum that opened in 2012, offering public access to a command center, an electric factory and one silo.

Walking through the dimly lit underground maze gives you a creepy feeling. Especially because it is filled with Soviet tools. Lenin and Stalin statues, military awards, hammer and chicque ceramic and flags. Visitors pass through interactive halls of themes dedicated to different stages of the Cold War and learn about propaganda produced in the second half of the 20th century. All over the place, realistic silicone mannequins of grumpy soldiers send you into the eerie Soviet-style valleys.

The most striking attraction is the abandoned ruins of military technology. The skeletons from the old electric factory are the ideal backdrop for computer games. There is a huge hall where tanks with missile fuel are stored.

However, the highlight is the silo. You will feel a small dizzy at the edge of the 100-foot hole and standing at the edge of the deep by. The missiles left this shaft unattended and did not seed destruction, but they had casualties over the years.

“When his (safe) belt broke during routine service checks, the soldier fell into his death,” says Brazdeikytė, whose words echoing gloomy in the darkness.

“Two other soldiers died during a nitrate spill while trying to refuel the missile,” she adds. The darkness gets thicker.

Scene of an abandoned military town near the Plockstyn missile base.

Apart from the four silos are ghost towns that were never named. Originally it housed around 300 soldiers and officers who worked at missile bases.

Oddly, after the abolition of Plokštinėbase, several management buildings in the town were converted into children’s summer camps. It was called žuvėdra, meaning Segal, and ran from 1979 to 1990. The bus stop just behind the entrance gate features a colorful mural showing the gnome of a mushroom carrying flowers.

There is not much left in the military town today. The most compelling sight is a series of previous storage hangars. Covered with mud and grass, it looks like an ancient pyramid lost in the forest.

Heaven and Hell

Lake Plateria is a heaven for nature lovers.

The juxtaposition of a gloomy abandoned nuclear missile base and the beautiful regions surrounding it could be an all-talk of modern Lithuania.

The country has overcome Soviet decades and transformed the scars of the Cold War into a moment of teaching.

Away from the base, Zematilla National Park is one of the most luxurious places in Lithuania and is filled with attractions. A visit to the park will take you to the heart of Samogitia, a region with a rich local culture. Pagan and Christian traditions coexist here. The land is considered to be the last part of Europe that converted to Christianity in the 15th century.

Samogitia pancakes, o Samogitan pancakes are a local food superstar. These are heartwarming potato pancakes with meat inside. Zeppelins, Potato dumplings stuffed with cottage cheese and ground meat are another comfortable Lithuanian food. And no one leaves without sampling Cold Bouchecold pink beetroot soup.

The town of Plateria, 15 minutes north of the nuclear location, is home to the church of the apostles Peter and Paul, a wooden building that poses awe-inspiring. The town’s restored mansion features the Mardi Gras Museum, with its distinctive wooden mask.

Lake Plateria itself is for nature lovers, with cycling and hiking trails, waterside campsite spots and a scenic restaurant next to the coast.

Once upon a time, Jemaitilla’s greatest secret was the Prockstein nuclear missile base. Today, the region itself is a hidden gem of slow travel in Europe.

Major obstacles to comfortable retirement

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good morning! It’s Daniel de Vis with your daily money.

Want to know that Americans are considering the number one obstacle to a comfortable retirement?

The new Charles Schwab survey provides clues.

The new bill aims to update the “American Dream”

The Senate Committee unanimously approved a major housing bill on Tuesday, informing bipartisan support for the issue plaguing members around the country.

New opportunities for housing from the 2025 American Dream were sponsored by Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat of Massachusetts.

This is what the law does.

Is your private insurance actually Medicaid?

If you sign up for MaineCare or Medi-Cal, you may have a decent idea as to which states will offer health insurance coverage. But what happens if you sign up for a plan under a healthy connection? That’s what South Carolina calls the Medicaid program.

These names are because President Trump’s newly signed tax spending law includes massive Medicaid cuts. Here’s what you need to know.

📰 More Stories You Shouldn’t Overlook 📰

About daily money

Every day, Daily Money will provide you with the best consumer and financial news from USA Today, breaking complex events, providing you with the TLDR version, and explaining how everything from the Fed rate to bankruptcy will affect you.

Daniel de Vice covers USA Today’s personal finances.

Trump said he “had no privilege” to visit the island owned by Epstein.

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  • Former President Donald Trump denied visiting Jeffrey Epstein’s private island and claimed he refused the invitation.
  • Epstein Island, located in the US Virgin Islands, is said to be the location of criminal enterprises that include sex trafficking of minors.
  • Epstein Real Estate settled a lawsuit with the US Virgin Islands in 2022 for $105 million.

President Donald Trump denied visiting the private island of late sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein in one of his “very good moments.”

Trump answered a question from a reporter on July 28th. This is because controversy over the files of criminal cases involving a financial operator who has been charged with sex trafficking continues to spur his administration. Epstein owned a small private island in the US Virgin Islands, where sex trafficking of young girls was said to have occurred.

“I refused because I didn’t have the privilege of going to his island, but a lot of people in Palm Beach were invited to his island,” Trump said. “It was one of my very good moments and I refused it. I didn’t want to go to his island.”

Where will the island fit in the Epstein Saga? Here’s what you need to know:

What happened on the island of Epstein?

In January 2020, prosecutors in the Virgin Islands filed a lawsuit against Epstein’s property, alleging that a criminal enterprise had been committed on his property, including sexual abuse of a young girl.

“Epstein owned and arranged private planes, helicopters, boats and cars, providing money to transport the victims from and inside the Virgin Islands and pay these young women and minor girls,” the lawsuit states.

The numerous girls forced by his plan were between 12 and 17 years old, the lawsuit alleges, saying the local government last observed a related event in 2018.

The Epstein-owned company Web, dubbed “Epstein Enterprises” by prosecutors, said, “minors and women have mistakenly seduced the sex trafficking ring with promises of employment, career opportunities and school aid.”

The lawsuit says the 15-year-old girl tried to escape by swimming.

The property settled a lawsuit in the US Virgin Islands for $105 million in December 2022.

Where is Epstein Island?

The island owned by Epstein was in the Virgin Islands, USA.

Epstein also owns properties in New York and Palm Beach, where federal prosecutors also claim sex trafficking occurred.

Gislain Maxwell’s eye tolerance when Magazine seeks Epstein’s transparency

Trump has been dealing with questions and controversy about Epstein for weeks, with members of both parties seeking more transparency into the man’s criminal case.

Trump is seeking more documents to be released, but one federal judge in Florida has already denied the request to establish a transcript for the Great Jue Court.

Also, the backlash led the Justice Department back to Gislaine Maxwell, former partner of Epstein, to help guide the details. She is sentenced to Epstein to 20 years in prison for trafficking minors for sexual abuse. She spoke with DOJ officials over two days last week, and Trump has yet to rule out pardons.

Trump and Epstein have shared friendships for years. They were both communities in Palm Beach, Florida, and the community with Mar-a-Lago.

“He did something inappropriate and didn’t talk to Jeffrey Epstein. …He stole people who worked for me. He did it again and I drove him out of the place,” Trump said, referring to his Mar-A-Lago club and residence. “Persona Non Grata.”

Contributions: Josh Meyer and Aysha Bagchi, USA Today

Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA Today Network. Contact her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and Tiktok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.

Why the Fed is set to stabilize interest rates. Live update.

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The Federal Reserve is expected to stabilize key interest rates after the two-day meeting concludes on July 30th.

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The Federal Reserve is not expected to announce lower interest rates after the July 30 meeting, but all eyes are listed in a statement after the central bank to see if there are any indications of impending cuts in September.

The Fed has been stabilizing key interest rates since late 2024, despite months of pressure being put on by President Donald Trump to cut back on the pressure. Trump had the idea of firing Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, but on July 24, the president retreated his threat after visiting the Fed headquarters.

Trump’s anger stems from the central bank’s decision to wait and see how tariffs affect prices before adjusting fees. After the Fed’s June meeting, Powell told reporters that as long as the economy maintains a solid labor market, decent growth and soft inflation, “We feel that what’s right is where we are, where our policy stance is, and where we learn more.”

Still, Trump updated his demands after the release of the July 30 GDP report, which showed that the US economy had risen 3% in the second quarter. In a post about the truth social, he said Powell “now needs to lower the rate ‘now’.

Follow us for live updates.

On July 30, Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent suggested that the Fed overestimated the impact of tariffs on inflation.

According to the Ministry of Labor, prices rose 2.7% in the 12 months from June to June, the highest annual inflation rate since February. Some data are seen as a sign that Trump’s tariffs are beginning to reach consumer prices. Apparel costs rise by 0.4%, furniture prices rise by 1%, and toys rise by 1.8%.

However, Bessent argued that tariffs should be considered a one-off price adjustment rather than inflation, suggesting that accelerated June inflation could be a “rounding error” due to dollar depreciation.

Bessent doesn’t expect interest rate cuts in July, but he said he hopes the Fed leadership will have a “a bit of imagination” about the impact of tariffs on a moving forward economy.

“They’ll think they’re wrong about tariff inflation,” he added at an event hosted by Breitbart News that “the lack of open mindedness that has frozen the Fed.”

The impact of tariffs on pricing has been mild so far, but economists are hoping for more price increases as businesses pass at least some tariff costs to consumers, primarily as retailers stockpiled goods before new fees came into effect.

-Baily Schultz

Bessent said there is still an opportunity for countries to negotiate a new trade agreement with the United States after the August 1 tariff deadline.

Trump pointed out August 1, and was enacted as a marker of higher tariffs on goods from nearly 180 countries around the world. However, Bessent spoke on July 30 at a policy event hosted by Breitbart, saying the deadline would not close negotiations.

“If there is no transaction by August 1st, I would encourage market participants, corporate America, and even countries to avoid panic because you can still trade,” Bescent said. “We’ll just go back to the mutual tariff levels on April 2nd.”

The sudden “mutual” tariffs Trump originally imposed on April 2 — but shortly after a 90-day suspension amid a market turbulence — was due to return on July 9.

Since April, the Trump administration has imposed a universal tariff of 10% on nearly 180 countries.

– Joey Garrison

Bescent was also pushed back by Trump’s tariff critics who warned inflation would skyrocket in his remarks. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has kept interest rates down despite Trump’s demands due to inflation concerns from tariffs.

“We have moved from Trump Shrinkage syndrome to Tariff Strike syndrome,” Bescent said.

Despite Bessent’s rating, the Labor Bureau said inflation accelerated in June, with prices rising 2.7% over the past 12 months. It marked the highest annual inflation rate since February.

– Joey Garrison

The Fed began raising interest rates in 2022 amid rapid inflation, rising from near zero in July 2023 to 5.25% from a two-year high to 5.5%.

The Fed slowed its speed reduction amid stubborn inflation and strong economic growth, but in 2024, fees began to ease as inflation softened.

– Bailey Schultz

US stocks were mostly open high, but Dow Jones Industrial Average shook a bit as investors focused on a massive flood of technology revenue. The S&P 500 rose 5 points, trading at nearly 6,376 early trading, while the Dow was essentially flat near 44,630. The NASDAQ composite, which consists of many of the high-tech Titans, jumped 48 points (0.2%) to nearly 21,146. Meta, Microsoft and Qualcomm will report quarterly results after the closure bell.

– Andrea Raikier

Future Federal Reserve meetings include:

  • September 16th-17th
  • October 28th-29th
  • December 9th-10th

– Bailey Schultz

According to CME’s FedWatch, there is about a 3% chance that the Fed will announce interest rate cuts in July. This is a tool to measure the expectations of interest traders.

According to FedWatch, the rate cut in September is likely to be at an odds of almost 60%. Investors expect the two rates to decline by the end of the year.

– Bailey Schultz

According to CME’s FedWatch, this is what the interest rates consider to be in the range of the Fed rates after the next five policy setting meetings, and after the next five policy setting meetings. The numbers are accurate as of 5pm on July 29th.

– Jim Sergent

The Fed adjusts interest rates to support the dual mission of stabilizing prices and keeping employment high.

If inflation is high, the Fed can raise interest rates and make borrowing more expensive and cooler economic activity. If unemployment rates are high, reductions can drive economic growth and employment.

– Bailey Schultz

Employers added a solid 147,000 jobs in June, but profits have been focused on healthcare, state and local government, as well as leisure and hospitality over the last few months. Forecasters surveyed by Bloomberg predict that the US will add 109,000 jobs in July.

– Bailey Schultz, Paul Davidson

The economy grew 3% robust in the second quarter, mainly due to a sharp decline in imports following the tariff-related import surge in the first quarter. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg predicted a 2.4% increase.

Forecasters expect the economy to slow down in the coming months as Trump’s tariffs rekindle inflation and SAP consumer purchasing power. According to an economist surveyed by the Wolters Kluwer Blue Chip Economic Indicator, growth is projected to be below 1% in the third and fourth quarters.

– Bailey Schultz, Paul Davidson

The Fed has refrained from cutting rates so far this year as tariffs promote economic uncertainty and increase the risk of inflation.

Previous tariffs had little impact on inflation. This is because businesses stocked imports before higher rates came into effect, but there are signs that China-made products became more expensive in June. Still, many economists say the effects were mild.

– Bailey Schultz, Paul Davidson

Trump reaffirmed on July 30 that he would not be extended.

“The first deadline for August is the first deadline for August. It’s strong and will not be extended. It’s a big day for America!!!” Trump wrote in his morning post on the truthful social of his social media app.

In recent weeks, Trump has written to leaders of several countries warning about new tariff rates on the country’s products that will take effect on August 1. His administration also announced trade deals with the UK, Vietnam, Indonesia and the European Union. On July 30, Trump said he plans to impose a 25% tariff on imports from India and collect a “penalty” from the country to purchase military equipment and energy from Russia.

Trump has taken an on-off approach to his tariff regime, routinely threatening new fees for items he retreats from later on. His past efforts have earned him the nickname among Wall Street financial analysts called “Taco Trade.”

But Trump has insisted he will not be upset since August 1st.

– Joey Garrison

US stock futures rose high before the market opened on July 30th as investors await a massive amount of economic data and corporate profits. The market will obtain information on US GDP, pending home sales and private salaries before the Fed announces its decision early in the afternoon. After the closure bell, tech heavyweights like Meta and Microsoft share quarterly results.

Finally, futures linked to the S&P 500 increased by nearly 6,415 0.1%, while the Dow Jones industrial average was barely changed at around 44,836. Nasdaq futures earned around 60 points (0.3%), trading at nearly 23,512. In 2010, the Ministry of Finance slid 9 basis points to approximately 4.33%.

– Andrea Raikier

The Federal Reserve holds eight regular scheduled meetings each year to determine monetary policy.

This month’s meeting will be held from July 29th to July 30th, with the Fed announcing its interest rate decision at 2pm on July 30th, followed by a press conference with Powell.

– Bailey Schultz

The benchmark federal funding rate has not changed from 4.25% to 4.5% since December, when the Fed announced a quarter-point decline.

– Bailey Schultz

The Roman Church in Spain may have been a synagogue

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Archaeologists working at the Spanish site say they have revealed evidence that they may have been a synagogue used by the previously unknown Jewish community.

Research released earlier this month showed that experts had unearthed the site, previously thought to be a church that appeared in the fourth century, but experts discovered materials and architectural evidence, leading them to assume that the building is in fact a synagogue.

Artifacts such as oil lamp fragments and menora-decorated roof tiles were discovered during excavations at Castelo, a former Roman settlement in southern Spain, but no material with a clear connection to Christian faith was found on the site.

In contrast, archaeologists have discovered evidence of Christian worship at another site in the town, research author Bautista Seprian and archaeologist for the Casturo Sepharad Primera Ruz Project told CNN on Wednesday.

The building has several characteristics that are not common in synagogues but are common in churches.

The buildings also have a more square shape than the Christian church, which tends to be more rectangular. Archaeologists have discovered the foundations of centrally raised platforms, not common in synagogues but not in churches, he added.

Furthermore, no graves were found in the building. The building was built near an abandoned Roman temple. This would have been feared by Christian inhabitants because of their pagan relations, he added.

“It’s a hidden, modest, isolated place that would not have been frequented by the Christian majority,” Seprian said.

Taken together, this evidence indicates the existence of a previously unknown Jewish community in the town, the research authors argue.

“The reinterpretation of the building from the church to the synagogue followed the process of logical reasoning based on historical and archaeological data we own,” Seprian said.

Fragments of roof tiles decorated with what looks like a menora

Nevertheless, as the study authors acknowledged, the lack of written records of Casturo’s Jewish community is unquestionable.

Speculating about the daily lives of a community is a “very dangerous movement.” Seprian said, but they would have lived with fellow Roman citizens of the town.

The population is thought to have since disappeared. This was not named in anti-Semitic law enacted by Visigoth King Sisebut, so it ruled what is now Spain from 612 to 621, while the Jewish communities in other nearby towns have been specially appointed.

“It’s hard to know,” Seprian said as to what happened to them.

One possible explanation is that Christian clergy feared that locals would convert to Judaism given the “close and friendly relations” between the two groups in the area at the time.

The concerns drove Christian leaders increasingly influenced the Roman Empire and influenced the fear and opposition of the Jewish community, Seprian said.

This peaked in an episode that began around the end of the fourth century, when Jews were pressured to convert to Christianity. He said those who were “friendly and invited” refused to leave their homelands.

Now, the team will strive to protect the site and the excavation will continue, Ceprián said. They aim to make the public visit at some point in the future, he added.

“We cannot rule out the possibility of finding more conclusive evidence that will allow the possible synagogue hypothesis to be updated to the actual synagogue,” he said.

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Palestinian Action co-founders bid to challenge the UK’s ban under the Counter Terrorism Act

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London
–

The founders of the pro-Palestinian activist group have earned the right to challenge the UK government’s decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws.

London High Court Judge Martin Chamberlain said Palestinian Action co-founder Huda ammori granted permission to seek judicial review on Wednesday, saying it was “reasonably controversial,” and that the ban disproportionately obstructed the group’s rights to freedom of expression, assembly and associations under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The UK-based group, which aims to disrupt the operations of arms manufacturers that supply the Israeli government, was banned earlier this month after two Palestinian activists invaded the largest air force base in central England and damaged two military aircraft in June.

The group’s prohibition is illegal under British law, and is either a member of Palestinian actions or invites support, making it equivalent to terrorist organizations such as Hamas, al-Qaeda and ISIS.

The move has been criticized by several human rights groups, including UN Human Rights Chief Vol Cartark, who said on Friday that it raised concerns that UK terrorism law “is applied to conduct that is essentially not terrorists but risks preventing the legal exercise of basic freedoms.”

Earlier this month, the High Court rejected ammori’s application to suspend the ban.

On Wednesday, Judge Chamberlain said that British Secretary of the Interior Yvette Cooper, who filed the ban, may have consulted Palestinian actions before the ban.

The judicial review may take place in September.

CNN reached out to the Home Office for comment.

The news comes as more than 200 people have been arrested in support of the group since July 5, according to the defense of the UK-based nonprofit Ju Court. Many have been arrested on suspicion of terrorist crimes because they displayed posters in support of the group or Palestinian cause.

Demonstrations of Palestinian action took place across the UK, including London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol and Truro.

5 Forms You Should Sign Before Your Kids Go to College

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“Happy 18th birthday, kid! Sign these forms now.”

A birthday party may not be the right moment to broach this issue. However, some time after your child is 18, experts say they need to present a stack of legal and financial documents to sign.

They are still your children. But when they turn 18, they are also adults. And that means that most of their lives are not accessible, at least without their consent.

Your child may head to college this fall. That life change raises a whole new set of potential legal barriers between you and your child.

There is a good chance that your adult child doesn’t want to sign you to their new freedom. Still, experts say you should make an effort. Try printing the form, sitting together and talking to them to sign. I’ll thank myself later. Maybe they will too.

Here are five documents when a child turns 18.

FERPA authorised

The Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act governs access to your child’s education records. When they turn 18, you don’t know most of them without the consent of your child.

FERPA has stopped access to basic information from institutions where many parents are cashing their tuition checks, experts say.

“Even if you’re paying 100% of your child’s education, you don’t have the right to see their transcripts to check for tuition fees,” said Leila Francis, national head of BMO Wealth Management’s Trustee Advisory Services.

Signed FERPA forms allow parents to access all educational documents that the school can use freely, including tuition fees and transcripts.

Without that, you might bind an adult child to go online and deal with complaints of forms, fines and financial aid.

“This will still allow parents to access financial data, performance, schedules and things like that. Importantly, says Ben Rizzuto, wealth strategist at Janus Henderson Investors.

“To be honest, I’m still putting up a large portion of the bill here,” he said. “I have skin in the game, so it’s important for me and other parents to know what’s going on.”

HIPAA authorised

The Portability and Accountability Act of Health Insurance Prohibits health care providers from sharing most medical records with fraudulent people. After your child’s 18th birthday, it means you.

“It’s counterintuitive, but when a child turns 18, parents are not entitled to automatically receive medical information about their child,” says Bobpetics, a senior wealth strategist at Wells Fargo Bank.

The HIPAA release allows parents to access basic information about adult children if they are hospitalized. Though it may be difficult to contemplate, many students are admitted to hospitals or mental health facilities at some point in their college careers.

“Severe things can happen,” Francis said. “Parents definitely have no right to information.”

Pre-order health care instructions

The document “dos two things,” explains Wells Fargo in his primer on legal documents for adults and children. “It appoints agents who can make medical decisions on your child’s behalf when the child is unable to do so, and gives them instructions for care they want to receive in different circumstances.”

Pre-healthcare directives will not be effective unless your adult child is able to make their own decisions. That’s an unlikely scenario, but it’s not impossible.

“Parents don’t want to think that their child is incapacitated or dying, but unfortunately these things happen,” Rizuto said.

The power of a lawyer

The power of lawyers allows you to make decisions and access records on behalf of an adult child. The attorney’s financial strength covers financial records and decisions, while the medical strength of the power of attorney grants access to medical records and decisions.

(The HIPAA release provides access to medical records, but does not allow medical decisions to be made for adults.)

If your child has assets, the financial strength of a lawyer is even more important.

“They were able to own a bank account,” Petix said. “They were able to own an investment account. The ability to name someone who acts on your behalf with regard to your finances is insignificant.”

Simple will

Probate experts say that every adult should have a will.

An 18-year-old may not need will, but documents become important if they have assets to hand over to someone else when they die.

“Does an 18-year-old need a will? Unless you have important assets,” Francis said. “But as they come out, they start building their assets.”

If someone dies without a will, the local court will take over. And probate laws vary depending on the situation.

“If you die without will, the property you own in your name will pass under state law,” Petix said. “And that may not match your wishes.”

How to get your child to sign a form

There’s a difficult part right now. How to convince your 18 year old to sign a form that empowers you no matter their lives.

Children are pleased to have officially entered adulthood and are gaining a measure of freedom from their parents. Convincing them to return some of them is a big question. How do you start a conversation?

One approach is to communicate new adult children that these documents are rites of passage to adults.

Rizzuto says that parents “This is what adults do. We’re not trying to be helicopter parents. We’re trying to make sure you’re set up to become an adult and successful.”

On her 18th birthday, Francis said, “There was a stack of foam underneath the balloons and I sat with my daughter at the dining room table. We made it a big signing ceremony,” she said.

“This is not control,” Francis told her. “It’s about helping you.”

Her daughter signed the form.