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revised cockfighting law of 2020 PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The campus of Butler Hospital is awash in fall colors as the sun moves toward the horizon, on Thursday afternoon, Nov. 7. The shift of nurses, doctors and patients is on the move, the daily changing of the caretakers, as ConvergenceRI struggled on trekking poles to reach the main entrance, on time for an interview with Dr. Linda Carpenter, M.D. One of the pioneering neuroscience researchers at Butler Hospital, Dr. Carpenter is the lead clinical trial researcher on a new, take-home device (Relivion) created by Neurolief to treat major depressive disorder, a chronic and recurring condition that afflicts millions. The interview took place in Dr. Carpenter’s office at Butler Hospital, a portal into a space defined by stylish design and acute attention to detail. Dr. Carpenter is wearing a turquoise scarf that depicts the brain’s synapse structure, replete with dendrites and axons depicted in black. Two days before the interview, former President Donald Trump had been elected the 47th President of the United States, as if the entire nation had been victimized by a mass psychosis where facts no longer seemed to matter. That evening, members of the Rhode Island Senate would convene in a caucus that replicated a medical intervention, as Senators endorsed the continued leadership of Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, despite indications that his chronic health conditions had taken a severe toll. Earlier this summer, ConvergenceRI had conducted an interview with Dr. Carpenter, “Listening to what your brain is telling you,” following her being awarded the Clinical Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Society Gold Medal. Dr. Carpenter serves as director of the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Clinic and Neuromodulation Research Facility at Butler Hospital, a division of Care New England. ConvergenceRI: I am amazed at the latest work, which seems to be just remarkable, in terms of its groundbreaking nature of treatment: The idea that people can have a take-home device that can help them with their treatment of drug-resistant depression. The treatment moves forward in such a way that it may help patients to overcome everything from long-term depression to migraines. CARPENTER: Right. The particular device that we are talking about today which is the subject of clinical trial that we just finished, is the same device that they have already gotten approved for migraines, but the stimulation pattern that it gives for depression is different. You would use this device [taking off her glasses to put on the device to model it], they may look the same, but the stimulation of the prescription , if you will, would be different for migraine than it is for depression. But, it is incredibly exciting, because we don’t yet have any FDA-approved home-use devices for depression. ConvergenceRI: My first question to you is, “How would I be able to get one of these devices?” How would I qualify? Are the clinical trials’ hurdle now over? CARPENTER: The clinical trial was conducted at multiple sites around the country, and I think we also had an Israeli site [the Relivion corporate headquarters are based in Israel with a facility in Florida]. The clinical trial proved the efficacy [of the device] by randomizing people in active or sham, right? The data demonstrated a superior outcome for the people who had active [devices]. At this point, the whole package of results has gone to the FDA, maybe about a month ago. And, they are processing it. Before the FDA started this trial, they gave this company what is known as a “breakthrough designation,” to help them get onto a fast track for going through the regulatory process, because they identified a need for patients with treatment-resistant depression to have [access to a device] at home. Many of [the patients] can’t come to our clinic five days a week for TMS [transcranial modulation stimulation], or they can’t come in for ECT [electro-convulsive therapy]; you would have to have someone drive [the patient] here and then drive them home. The FDA identified the need and put [the firm] on fast track. The company expects, and I don’t work for the company, but I think they expect to receive FDA approval in early 2025. And then, when that happens, they can commercially market the device. Now, how will that work? I don’t know. This is the first of its type, There are a couple different of ways that this can go. It could be that you come to your doctor’s office, they supervise you using it a couple of times until they are confident that you can use it properly. And then you take home the device, use it, come back, check in every two or three or four weeks, something like that. There is also this question of durable medical equipment, which is out of my wheelhouse and how it would work. Which is where you are a clinic and you actually sell the device to the patient. You have a stock of them. I don’t know what the business model will look like. What I do know is that it’s a prescription device . So, you will have to be monitored by a doctor. It doesn’t mean that it has to be a psychiatrist. You could go to a primary care doctor. But, when it first rolls out, because it is FDA-approved for people who have not gotten better with at least one anti-depressant medication, it will b prescribed typically by a psychiatrist at first, I think. And as broadly as it can be disseminated, that would be great. Because the goal would be to reach all of those patients who can’t come to a specialty clinic. And there are a lot of those. If you think about, when we talk about treatment resistant depression, basically about a third of patients don’t get better with standard anti-depressant treatment. And, that’ a huge number; it’s millions of patients, [looking it up on her computer]. There are some 21 million patients with depression, 9 million being treated with anti-depressants, and 3 million meet this criteria for treatment resistant depression if they don’t get better with a standard anti-depressant. We are looking to find and implement a treatment that would be more convenient and accessible – and I am very excited about that. ConvergenceRI: For me as the journalist, the question is: How could I get one of these devices and write about it, and perhaps become part of the follow-up. The goal would be, that as much as a scientific endeavor, I think that for people to understand what is going on, it might be helpful to have a journalist who can write about the experience and share that... CARPENTER: ...It would be fantastic. ConvergenceRI: ...in a comprehensive fashion, I am willing to raise my hand... CARPENTER: ...And volunteer? ConvergenceRI: I would volunteer to become a patient, or whatever is required, to do this, because I think for all the studies you can do, having someone to actually talk about it in a cogent fashion is intriguing to me. CARPENTER : Yes. You can go onto the company’s website and get a prescription for the migraine device. And, I don’t how you do that, I just noticed this (Relivion website for migraine) today, and I think you can purchase it and have it sent to you, and it would be very similar. You would get the experience of what it is like; they have a prescription and then there are accessories. ConvergenceRI: Would that come from through my primary care physician? CARPENTER: I was just looking to see if you could get a prescription under the migraine indication. The trial would go on for 60 days. This is a brand new website, (there is a listing, “Getting started. Telehealth and find a doctor.”) You might b able to interact with this website and get one for a migraine, with a telehealth physician. It looks like they give you ways to do that. ConvergnceRI: I will consider following up with that. From what you have described, it seems like it is a major breakthrough in treatment, with the possibility that this device will be something that will change the way that depression is treated. And perhaps conditions that are linked to depression, such as obsessive compulsive behavior. CARPENTER: Well, we haven’t tested those other indications. But I think you have the right idea. And, in fact, here are a number of devices, if you just Google them, you can find them. But the difference between this and those [other devices] is that they haven’t been put through large, randomized control trials, which takes a lot of time and a lot of money. ConvergenceRI: Have you gone through Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III clinical trials? CARPENTER: The clinical trials design are not the same for drugs as they are for devices. This would be a device that they tested it in an early pilot study. And, they have done all their safety testing before they came to this clinical trial. And, then, I guess, after FDA approval, this is all that will likely be needed according to the FDA to get the clearance. And then, after the clearance, there will be a lot of questions we need to address. We studied this, with people using it every day, active or sham, for a period of eight weeks. And then, what happened in this clinical trial, at the end of eight weeks, you got to crossover and go to active, if you had gotten the sham, and if you had already got active for eight weeks, you could, continue with eight more weeks of active. There were a number of questions built into [the study]. One, if you aren’t all the way better by eight weeks, and you keep going, will you get more people into remission? And, the answer to that question was yes, because more people kept getting better. And the other question was: If you had sham for the first eight weeks, and now you get the real device, can you replicate that the same percent of people were getting better, and we did. But some of the questions we haven’t answered are: OK, we’ve had people using the device for up to 16 weeks, what does the maintenance look like? Do you stop using it? Do you continue to use it? Do you continue to use it less often? How long will it last? Is it something that you are going to pick up when you start to slip and your [depressive] symptoms start to come up again? As soon as the FDA approval happens, then those will be next types of studies that we are doing. And also, we will be doing more mechanism of action studies. To do scans, before and after treatment, to look at how is it changing connections in the brain, and the way it does. ConvergenceRI: How has it changed your life? You have spent a large amount of time working on this, to see it come to creation. To now have a device that is sitting on front of you on your desk, and it seems to work, what is that like for you as a researcher, as a neuroscientist? CARPENTER: It is really exciting. I am very big on “the bench to bedside.” Getting all the way to implementation is something that I really, really enjoy. You know, a few of the hurdles that lay ahead are that this is a small, start-up company that is looking for a big company such as Pfizer to buy them and co-license it to help facilitate the next bunch of clinical trials that need to happen to answer all these additional questions. A lot of this is now in the hands of the device manufacturer, to take the next big steps to help get the device out there. I’m thrilled to be able to talk about it. I am thrilled to know that it works and to recommend it. But, access is so important. And, like all these other new treatments, if people can’t afford them, if health insurance doesn’t cover it... There needs to be access. I am just really hopeful that the pieces fall into place and that they are taken care of, because that is not [the focus of] my work. My work is the scientific work. To get it to implementation, so I can see patients using it. And not just in my clinical trials. We want people to be able to be use it; I think that will take some time. To answer your question directly, there is a little bit of antsy-ness about wanting to keep moving forward, and doing the next thing, to get their money and to get their companies and their commercial model all built. But, it’s exciting. It’s exciting to have been a part of designing the trial to help pick the sites, and make sure that it was conducted with scientific rigor. And to have good data. Because, you know, there are a number of devices out there. Congess passed a law in 1972 that said the FDA will regulate medical devices. And, ever since then, all the biomedical devices go through FDA. But, there were a bunch of devices on the market before 1972. And they were grandfathered in. They have been able to market themselves legally, without ever doing clinical trials, So there are all these devices that patients can get that they advertise for depression or for anxiety or pain, or to improve your dreaming, or something. But they just don’t have the science behind them. Psychiatrists and other physicians tend not to prescribe them; patients sometimes find them and ask, “Will you sign this form I got online?” But they haven’t really been incorporated into the mainstream of treatment because they haven’t had the science. So now, we have the first one with the science. And that is really exciting. I would like to see it become used as a regular treatment for depression. ConvergenceRI: What does it feel like for you to be able to help direct the first of its kind device with the promise of something to be so helpful to people, who are often struggling to get by day-today? CARPENTER: It feels great. It feels really great. We all want to do something, you work with patients, and you are experiencing their suffering, and the disabling nature of the depression. And, the problems with side effects. And, the burdens on families and the economy. It feels great to have something. It will feel greater when I can go, here you are. There are so many people who were involved with the device. I didn’t design it; I didn’t invent it. And, the company did really elegant work in putting it together. It has a really elegant interaction with your smart phone that walks you through how to use it, that checks to make sure that the device is on right, and that sends the information to the cloud that I can look at on a dashboard to see if the patient is using the device safely. But, you know, we are not completely at the finish line until it is disseminated. ConvergenceRI: Let me go back and ask about what is actually happening in the brain with the device. And please correct me if I get this wrong. The idea is what you are working with is the way that the brain can reconfigure the way that the synapses and the neurons fire, essentially that there is a learned pattern that takes place, so if you fire the sequence enough times, it becomes the learned pattern in the brain, and it doesn’t go back to all of the intermediate steps. It goes from A to F, without having gone through B, C, D, and E to get to F. What the device seems to be doing is retraining , if that is the right “verb” to use, to get the neurons to fire differently. CARPENTER: Right. ConvergenceRI: To take the “memories” that are contained, if “memory” is the right word, of what gets lost in the translation of the firing of the synapse. Is that accurate? CARPENTER: That’s a good way to think about it. Think about it like a computer. The computer has all these different parts that have to interact and, if one part breaks down, then the other parts might go around that part. This part might have the control of that part, like a circuit board. Think of depression like a circuit board. And just like you said, A, B, C, and D. And the circuits are connected by synapses, neurons and synapses, right? And so, like you said, if the part of the reward center and joy is turned off and not coming on, and the fear center and anxiety is on when it shouldn’t be, and the top control isn’t telling the others this isn’t the time to be anxious. This isn’t the time to be turned off, this isn’t the time to be attending – all those different signals. So, we know that there are these functional changes in the brain when someone is depressed. And, by and large, you can see when people get better, although depression has a lot of different versions, right? There are a lot of different versions of depression. If you look at all the different symptoms, and there are lot of different ways that it can look. But, in general, if you think about circuit pathology , that the circuit Is not working properly... ConvergenceRI: Circuit pathology? CARPENTER: Yes. Again, if I have a lot of anxiety in my depression, then my amygdala, its connections to other things are not being regulated. We want our brain to say, “Oh yes, be fearful,” when it is appropriate to be fearful, when you are in a terribly dangerous situation. But not when you are trying to relax, and your reward center should be able to turn on when you experience certain things. And so, negative old memories should stay put, and not come in and re-evaluate what is happening in the present, The question of how the device’s treatment for depression works to fix that is unanswerable. How does psychotherapy fix that? How does ECT fix that? How does medication fix that? What we know is where the device has its actions. Or where EMS has its actions. Or what Prozac sticks to on the molecule, right? And what we know about this device is that it stimulates some peripheral nerves, branches of nerves called the trigeminal nerve in the front and branches of these nerves in the back, and these are right underneath your skin, these nerves are stimulated in this synchronous way, carrying messages down to the brain stem. And, this goes up through a bunch of connections, the solitary tech nucleus, the hypothalamus, and gets into the nodes, as you will, of the circuit. How that fixes the regulation is the question. ConvergenceRI: Am I asking the right questions? CARPENTER: Oh, yes, I think they are great questions. ConvergenceRI: Thanks. Trying to translate what you are saying into language that people can understand, that’s part of the problem. I think I get some of it. But I am very much in awe of what it takes to translate what is happening, and the way that you then see it. There is clearly a difference between causation and correlation. CARPENTER: Just think about Prozac’s impact on the serotonin uptake inhibitors And people said: It sticks on this little thing on the cell and it causes more serotonin to be in the cell. It’s not like we’re all down a quart of serotonin; it still is changing the circuits and how they talk to each other. And sometimes, we act like we know exactly how a treatment works. How does psychotherapy work? And that is really a retraining right? Forcefully creating new habits. ConvergenceRI: How tied into other senses is this work? With psychotherapy, you have to listen. In terms of drug intake, it is all about modulating how we respond to pleasure, versus things that are not pleasurable, and the wirings that enable that to happen. CARPENTER: That’s the black box, the wiring that enables it to happen. So, that when a pleasant thing happens, joy, dopamine, the reward circuit is firing. You see your grandchild, you see your friend. You have a good thing happen. The common bottom line seems to be getting all those different functional areas of the brain to coordinate properly, particularly with top-down control, turning off things that are not appropriate and allowing things that are. When reward circuits are down, people feel apathetic, they feel no interest in things, no drive to pursue things. The last step is making the symptoms go away. Each of the treatments we talked about has a different way of approaching it.NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A lopsided, shutout loss has left the beat-up New Orleans Saints limping into the final two games of a lost season — and into a rather cloudy future beyond that. Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi figured that a visit to playoff-bound Green Bay would be a tall order for his injury-riddled squad, whose prominent missing players included starters at quarterback, running back and receiver. And when New Orleans’ mostly healthy defensive front struggled against a Packers ground game led by running back Josh Jacobs, the rout was on. Nothing “stuck out on film other than a lack of execution and lack of playmaking,” Rizzi said Tuesday after reviewing video of Monday night’s 34-0 loss at Green Bay . “We played against a playoff team, at their place, that has very few holes on their team,” Rizzi added. “It was a little bit of a perfect storm.” Rizzi, a special teams coordinator who has made no secret that he sees his eight-game interim stint as an opportunity to further his head-coaching ambitions, has two more games left in what has been an up-and-down audition. The Saints are 3-3 on his watch, which includes one of New Orleans’ most lopsided losses since the turn of the century. RELATED COVERAGE Titans QB Mason Rudolph gets another chance at starting, this time against the Jags Texans get visit from longtime foe Derrick Henry when the Ravens visit on Christmas Day Falcons drafting Penix no longer a head-scratcher with rookie QB shining in place of benched Cousins With the playoffs unattainable, and with a lot of reserves pressed into service, the final two weeks will serve primarily as a player-evaluation period heading into the offseason, when there are bound to be myriad changes on the roster and perhaps the coaching staff. Rizzi said the Saints, realistically, have been in evaluation mode “for the last month or so,” but added that there maybe be additional young or practice-squad players getting longer looks in the final two games. “My big thing this week is to see how we can respond,” Rizzi said. “We’re going to find out a lot about a lot of people.” What’s working Of the Saints’ four punts, three were inside the Green Bay 20 and New Orleans did not allow a single punt return yard. The punt team might have been the only unit that executed its job (even the kickoff unit allowed a 38-yard return). What needs help The Saints had trouble protecting the quarterback (three sacks) and protecting the football (two turnovers). They couldn’t run the ball (67 yards). They couldn’t stop the run (188 yards allowed). They couldn’t pass the ball consistently (129 yards) or stop the pass when they needed to. As former Saints coach Jim Mora once said, they couldn’t do “ diddly poo .” Although rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler largely struggled and was responsible for both New Orleans turnovers, he had enough highlights — including a jumping, first-down pass on third-and-long — to keep him penciled in as the starter if the injured Derek Carr remains unable to play, Rizzi said. “It was definitely a performance where we got to take the good with the bad,” Rizzi said. “We’ve got to get rid of those negative plays.” Stock up New Orleans native Foster Moreau has emerged as one of the Saints’ most reliable offensive players. The sixth-year NFL tight end made two catches for a team-high 33 yards on Monday night, giving him 25 catches for 335 yards this season. His four TDs receiving entering the game remain tied for the team lead. Stock down Rizzi was riding high after two wins to start his interim term as head coach, but Monday night’s ugly loss is the club’s third in four games and took a lot of luster off his candidacy for a longer-term appointment. Injury report Center Erik McCoy left the game with an elbow injury, while guard Lucas Patrick hurt his knee in the closing minutes. Rizzi said McCoy won’t need surgery but could miss the rest of the season. The coach said Patrick needs more tests but is not expected to play again this season. While the chances of Carr (non-throwing, left hand) or top running back Alvin Kamara (groin) playing again this season appear slim, the Saints have declined to rule that out. Rizzi said Carr is getting closer to being able to play and wants the opportunity to go against his former team, the Las Vegas Raiders. Meanwhile, Rizzi said Kamara “is working his tail off to try to come back” this season. “Alvin told me this morning, in my office, that he really would like to play again,” Rizzi said. Key number 24 — The number of years since the Saints suffered a more lopsided shutout loss, 38-0 against San Francisco in 2002. Up next The Saints’ home finale against lowly Las Vegas will be an anticlimactic affair bound to generate a level of fan interest similar to, if not less than, a preseason game. But the game will be important to the current regime, which needs victories in each of the club’s final two games to avoid the franchise’s worst record since it was displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and went 3-13. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFLAberdeen midfielder Dante Polvara lifts lid on how set-piece coach role helped his rehab from injury nightmare

The holiday season took a turn for the worse for some Nintendo Switch owners as they discovered a number of beloved Cartoon Network games had vanished from the eShop. Titles like Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time, OK K.O.! Let’s Play Heroes, and both Steven Universe RPGs (Save the Light and Unleash the Light) were suddenly unavailable for purchase as of December 23rd, 2024. This digital disappearance follows a similar incident from July 2024 where Adult Swim titles were also delisted. While no official statement has been released by Warner Bros. Discovery, Cartoon Network Games, or Adult Swim Games, speculation abounds. Some theories point to licensing issues, while others suggest it may be related to the recent wave of layoffs and cost-cutting measures at Warner Bros. Discovery. Whatever the reason, the sudden removal has left many fans disappointed and wondering about the future of these games on the platform. The Missing Titles Here’s a rundown of the Cartoon Network games that have been confirmed as removed from the Nintendo Switch eShop: A Growing Trend? This isn’t the first time digital games have suddenly disappeared from online stores. Earlier this month, Sega pulled several of its own titles from various platforms. The increasing frequency of these removals raises concerns about the long-term availability and preservation of digital games. Unlike physical media, digital purchases can be rendered inaccessible due to licensing agreements, server closures, or company decisions, as seen in this instance. What This Means for Players If you already purchased any of these Cartoon Network games, you should still be able to redownload and play them. However, those who were hoping to add them to their collection are now out of luck. The delisting not only limits access for new players but also potentially impacts the games’ communities and future updates. The Future of Digital Ownership The delisting of these Cartoon Network games highlights the ongoing debate surrounding digital ownership in the gaming industry. While digital storefronts offer convenience and a vast library of titles, events like this remind us that our access to these games can be precarious. Many gamers are now advocating for greater transparency and consumer rights when it comes to digital purchases. They argue that companies should provide clearer information about the potential for game removals and offer options for offline play or alternative access in such situations. My Personal Take As an avid gamer and someone who writes about gaming trends, this news is both disappointing and concerning. I’ve always been a fan of Cartoon Network shows, and I enjoyed playing some of these titles on the Switch. It’s frustrating to see them disappear without any clear explanation, especially during the holidays. This situation emphasizes the need for better communication between publishers and consumers. While I understand that licensing and business decisions can be complex, a simple heads-up about upcoming delistings would go a long way in maintaining trust and goodwill with players. Moreover, it raises questions about the longevity of our digital game libraries . Will we still have access to our favorite titles years down the line? Or will they vanish without a trace? These are issues that the gaming industry needs to address as digital distribution becomes the dominant model. Looking Ahead It remains to be seen whether these Cartoon Network games will ever return to the Switch eShop. Perhaps Warner Bros. Discovery will reconsider their decision or offer an alternative way to access them. In the meantime, fans can only hope for more transparency and a greater focus on preserving digital games for future generations.

Raith Rovers have named Neill Collins’ replacement. And it’s a return to first team management for Barry Robson. Robson, was previously caretaker boss at Aberdeen following Jim Goodwin’s sacking, before being given the role permanently. But it all ended sourly for the former Celtic midfielder as his rein ended at the end of January 2024 after the Dons languished eighth in the Scottish Premiership table. He has now been given the opportunity to work in the Scottish Championship. Raith welcomed the 46-year-old with a social media post on Sunday night, where they confirmed that Robson has penned a two-and-a-half year contract at Starks Park. “It’s a great honour to be appointed as the manager of Raith Rovers, and I’m truly excited about the challenge ahead,” he said. “The club’s potential is clear to see, and the vision shared by the Board of Directors during our discussions made this an opportunity I was eager to be part of.” Read more: Raith Rovers sack Ian Murray after 'falling short of expectations' Scottish Championship club announce surprise managerial departure Raith CEO Andrew Barrowman also commented: “On behalf of Raith Rovers Football Club, I am delighted to welcome Barry Robson as our new manager. “Barry’s wealth of experience, both as a player and a coach, combined with his passion for the game, makes him the perfect fit for the next chapter of our journey. “The Board of Directors and I have every confidence in his ability to lead the team with vision, determination, and professionalism. “Barry’s knowledge around who we are as a club and the expectations that our loyal fanbase crave, separated him from an exceptional list of candidates. “We know that success is a collective effort, and we urge our incredible supporters to rally behind Barry and the squad as we work together to achieve our ambitions. “Your unwavering support makes all the difference, and we’re excited about what lies ahead for Raith Rovers under Barry’s leadership. “Welcome to our club, Barry.”Christopher Nolan’s next film is based on ‘The Odyssey’Ukraine Warns of Russian Tactics at NATO Borders

( ) recently gave back some of its 2024 gains. Investors who missed the rally this year are wondering if Fortis stock is now again and good to buy for a self-directed Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) or Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) focused on and total returns. Fortis stock price Fortis trades near $60 per share at the time of writing. The stock was as low as $51 in April this year and recently ran as high as $63.75, nearly recovering the drop from the $65 it reached in 2022 before interest rate hikes in Canada and the United States put pressure on utility stocks. Fortis operates utility businesses in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. These include power-generation facilities, electricity transmission networks, and natural gas distribution utilities. Investors like these rate-regulated assets for their reliable and predictable cash flow to cover dividend payments and provide funding for capital projects. Growth Fortis grows through a combination of strategic acquisitions and organic developments. The company hasn’t made a large purchase for several years but is working on a $26 billion capital program that is expected to raise the rate base from $38.8 billion in 2024 to $53 billion in 2029. Fortis has other projects under consideration that could be added to the development plan. In addition, a decline in interest rates could spark a new wave of consolidation in the utility sector. Dividends As new assets are completed and go into service, the rise in revenue and cash flow should support steady dividend growth over the next five years. Fortis intends to boost the distribution by 4-6% through 2029. Investors should feel comfortable with the guidance. Fortis increased the dividend in each of the past 51 years. At the time of writing, Fortis provides a dividend yield of 4.1%. Risks The slide in the share price in 2022 and 2023 occurred in step with rising interest rates in Canada and the United States. Fortis uses debt to fund part of its growth program. A jump in borrowing costs puts pressure on profits and cuts into cash that can be used for dividends or debt reduction. The central banks stopped raising interest rates late last year and began to cut rates in the second half of 2024. This is why Fortis investors saw the share price rebound in recent months. Looking ahead, the outlook for interest rates is different in Canada and the United States. The Bank of Canada will likely continue cutting interest rates to support the economy. Unemployment is creeping up, and inflation remains near the central bank’s 2% target. In the United States, however, the story is more complicated. The American economy remains in good shape, and unemployment is very low. At the same time, inflation has increased in the past two months. The Federal Reserve just cut interest rates by another 0.25%, but additional cuts in 2024 might not occur if inflation continues to rise. Donald Trump’s plan to implement new tariffs on all goods entering the United States could create a surge in prices. In the event that the Federal Reserve puts rate cuts on hold or is forced to raise rates again, utility stocks could come under new pressure. Is Fortis a buy now? Income investors should be comfortable owning Fortis at this level. That being said, there could be a better entry point in the coming months, so it might make sense to take a half position and look to add on any additional weakness.

Ravens WR Zay Flowers (shoulder) questionable vs. Texans

By Funto Omojola, NerdWallet Mobile wallets that allow you to pay using your phone have been around for well more than a decade, and over those years they’ve grown in popularity, becoming a key part of consumers’ credit card usage. According to a “state of credit card report” for 2025 from credit bureau Experian, 53% of Americans in a survey say they use digital wallets more frequently than traditional payment methods. To further incentivize mobile wallet usage, some credit card issuers offer bonus rewards when you elect to pay that way. But those incentives can go beyond just higher reward rates. In fact, mobile wallets in some ways are becoming an essential part of activating and holding a credit card. For example, they can offer immediate access to your credit line, and they can be easier and safer than paying with a physical card. From a rewards perspective, it can make a lot of sense to reach for your phone now instead of your physical card. The Apple Card offers its highest reward rates when you use it through the Apple Pay mobile wallet. Same goes for the PayPal Cashback Mastercard® when you use it to make purchases via the PayPal digital wallet. The Kroger grocery store giant has a co-branded credit card that earns the most when you pay using an eligible digital wallet, and some major credit cards with quarterly rotating bonus categories have a history of incentivizing digital wallet use. But again, these days it’s not just about the rewards. Mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and PayPal can offer immediate access to your credit line while you wait for your physical card to arrive after approval. Indeed, most major issuers including Bank of America®, Capital One and Chase now offer instant virtual credit card numbers for eligible cards that can be used upon approval by adding them to a digital wallet. Additionally, many co-branded credit cards — those offered in partnership with another brand — commonly offer instant card access and can be used immediately on in-brand purchases. Credit cards typically take seven to 10 days to arrive after approval, so instant access to your credit line can be particularly useful if you need to make an urgent or unexpected purchase. Plus, they allow you to start spending toward a card’s sign-up bonus right away. As issuers push toward mobile payments, a growing number of merchants and businesses are similarly adopting the payment method. The percentage of U.S. businesses that used digital wallets increased to 62% in 2023, compared to 47% the previous year, according to a 2023 survey commissioned by the Federal Reserve Financial Services. Wider acceptance is potentially good news for the average American, who according to Experian has about four credit cards. While that won’t necessarily weigh down your wallet, it can be hard to manage multiple cards and rewards categories at once. Mobile wallets offer a more efficient way to store and organize all of your workhorse cards, while not having to carry around ones that you don’t use often. They can also help you more easily monitor your spending and rewards, and some even track your orders’ status and arrival time. Plus, paying with a digital wallet offers added security. That’s because it uses technology called tokenization when you pay, which masks your real credit card number and instead sends an encrypted “token” that’s unique to each payment. This is unlike swiping or dipping a physical card, during which your credit card number is more directly accessible. And again, because a mobile wallet doesn’t require you to have your physical cards present, there’s less chance of one falling out of your pocket or purse. Funto Omojola writes for NerdWallet. Email: fomojola@nerdwallet.com. The article Activating Your Credit Card? Don’t Skip the Mobile Wallet Step originally appeared on NerdWallet .