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Police deny sitting on evidence as Netflix doc brings renewed attention to JonBenet Ramsey's killingFRISCO — The Dallas Cowboys did not play their cleanest game Sunday afternoon, but showed their grit in gutsy victory over the Washington Commanders. Nonetheless, Mike McCarthy's group snapped a five-game losing streak to paint some momentum back onto their season. The latest chapter of this storied NFC East rivalry was a wild one, seeing 41 points scored in the fourth quarter. The collection of points in the final 34-26 score had a great deal to do with special-teams efforts on both sides. This game had plenty of storylines at hand to make it an enticing contest, coming in, but the drama in the aftermath supplanted those points. Here's "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly'' from Dallas' key win over the Washington Commanders. Peter Casey-Imagn Images The Good — Cowboys remain resilient after early mistakes: The way the game started, Dallas would likely find themselves buried against many teams across the league. However, the Cowboys remained steady and would generate key scoring plays to take a 20-9 lead in the fourth quarter. Given all that has gone wrong for this group this season, their resilience in this situation was admirable, especially down the stretch. The Bad — Tanking hopes put on hold: For those hoping the Cowboys would punt away their season, it will take a lot more to force that into existence. Dallas missed a handful of starters offensively and defensively, yet found a way to score a win on the road. The tanking conversation can be analyzed in a variety of ways, but for now the Cowboys have delayed the process of a full-out chase to the bottom of the league standings. By the way, on Monday, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones denied any "mixed emotions'' about winning vs. tanking. “Absolutely not,'' Jones insisted via 105.3 The Fan. "We’ve been very upfront that we want to win football games right now. ... The most important thing right now is to play the people who give us the best chance to win the game.” Related: Ranking Cowboys Upset of Commanders Among Top 10 Wildest Wins The Ugly — An abundance of mistakes nearly force another infamous bungle: Those previously mentioned miscues included a blocked field goal, missed field goal and a fumble all on their first three drives. Even after the Cowboys seemingly cleaned up those mistakes, Jayden Daniels hit Terry McLaurin on an inexplicable scoring play 86 yards out in the final ticks. "We got down to the end there,'' McCarthy said, "and it was just a situational extravaganza, it's like Yahtzee - everything was in there.” Such an assortment of errors have happened on separate occasions for Dallas this season, rendering this a bunch unable to get out of its own way. Systemically, that remains a major flaw with this team. But now 4-7, we suppose the locker room can't be blamed for at least for the moment believing that keys to the "good'' outweigh all the "bad" and the "ugly.'' Related: Micah Parsons Offers Hot Heisman Take on Jeanty vs. Hunter
The Day Assad Fled: Joy, Fear, and the Weight of HistoryBy CHRISTINE FERNANDO CHICAGO (AP) — As Donald Trump’s Cabinet begins to take shape, those on both sides of the abortion debate are watching closely for clues about how his picks might affect reproductive rights policy in the president-elect’s second term . Trump’s cabinet picks offer a preview of how his administration could handle abortion after he repeatedly flip-flopped on the issue on the campaign trail. He attempted to distance himself from anti-abortion allies by deferring to states on abortion policy, even while boasting about nominating three Supreme Court justices who helped strike down the constitutional protections for abortion that had stood for half a century. In an NBC News interview that aired Sunday, Trump said he doesn’t plan to restrict medication abortion but also seemed to leave the door open, saying “things change.” “Things do change, but I don’t think it’s going to change at all,” he said. The early lineup of his new administration , including nominations to lead health agencies, the Justice Department and event the Department of Veterans Affairs, has garnered mixed — but generally positive — reactions from anti-abortion groups. Abortion law experts said Trump’s decision to include fewer candidates with deep ties to the anti-abortion movement could indicate that abortion will not be a priority for Trump’s administration. “It almost seems to suggest that President Trump might be focusing his administration in other directions,” said Greer Donley, an associate law professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Karen Stone, vice president of public policy at Planned Parenthood Action Fund , said while many of the nominees have “extensive records against reproductive health care,” some do not. She cautioned against making assumptions based on Trump’s initial cabinet selections. Still, many abortion rights groups are wary, in part because many of the nominees hold strong anti-abortion views even if they do not have direct ties to anti-abortion activists. They’re concerned that an administration filled with top-level officials who are personally opposed to abortion could take steps to restrict access to the procedure and funding. After Trump’s ambiguity about abortion during his campaign, “there’s still a lot we don’t know about what policy is going to look like,” said Mary Ruth Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law. That approach may be revealed as the staffs within key departments are announced. Trump announced he would nominate anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services Department, which anti-abortion forces have long targeted as central to curtailing abortion rights nationwide. Yet Kennedy shifted on the issue during his own presidential campaign. In campaign videos, Kennedy said he supports abortion access until viability , which doctors say is sometime after 21 weeks, although there is no defined timeframe. But he also said “every abortion is a tragedy” and argued for a national ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy, a stance he quickly walked back. The head of Health and Human Services oversees Title X funding for a host of family planning services and has sweeping authority over agencies that directly affect abortion access, including the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The role is especially vital amid legal battles over a federal law known as EMTALA, which President Joe Biden’s administration has argued requires emergency abortion access nationwide, and FDA approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. Mini Timmaraju, president of the national abortion rights organization Reproductive Freedom for All, called Kennedy an “unfit, unqualified extremist who cannot be trusted to protect the health, safety and reproductive freedom of American families.” His potential nomination also has caused waves in the anti-abortion movement. Former Vice President Mike Pence , a staunch abortion opponent, urged the Senate to reject Kennedy’s nomination. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the national anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said the group had its own concerns about Kennedy. “There’s no question that we need a pro-life HHS secretary,” she said. Fox News correspondent Marty Makary is Trump’s pick to lead the FDA, which plays a critical role in access to medication abortion and contraception. Abortion rights groups have accused him of sharing misinformation about abortion on air. Russell Vought , a staunch anti-abortion conservative, has been nominated for director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought was a key architect of Project 2025 , a right-wing blueprint for running the federal government. Among other actions to limit reproductive rights, it calls for eliminating access to medication abortion nationwide, cutting Medicaid funding for abortion and restricting access to contraceptive care, especially long-acting reversible contraceptives such as IUD’s. Despite distancing himself from the conservative manifesto on the campaign trail, Trump is stocking his administration with people who played central roles in developing Project 2025. Trump acknowledged that drafters of the report would be part of his incoming administration during the Sunday interview with NBC News, saying “Many of those things I happen to agree with.” “These cabinet appointments all confirm that Project 2025 was in fact the blueprint all along, and the alarm we saw about it was warranted,” said Amy Williams Navarro, director of government relations for Reproductive Freedom for All. Dr. Mehmet Oz , Trump’s choice to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is a former television talk show host who has been accused of hawking dubious medical treatments and products. He voiced contradictory abortion views during his failed Senate run in 2022. Oz has described himself as “strongly pro-life, praised the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade , claimed “life starts at conception” and referred to abortion as “murder.” But he also has echoed Trump’s states-rights approach, arguing the federal government should not be involved in abortion decisions. “I want women, doctors, local political leaders, letting the democracy that’s always allowed our nation to thrive to put the best ideas forward so states can decide for themselves,” he said during a Senate debate two years ago. An array of reproductive rights groups opposed his Senate run. As CMS administrator, Oz would be in a key position to determine Medicaid coverage for family planning services and investigate potential EMTALA violations. Related Articles National Politics | Trump promises to end birthright citizenship: What is it and could he do it? National Politics | In promising to shake up Washington, Trump is in a class of his own National Politics | Election Day has long passed. In some states, legislatures are working to undermine the results National Politics | Trump taps his attorney Alina Habba to serve as counselor to the president National Politics | With Trump on the way, advocates look to states to pick up medical debt fight As Florida’s attorney general, Pam Bondi defended abortion restrictions, including a 24-hour waiting period. Now she’s Trump’s choice for attorney general . Her nomination is being celebrated by abortion opponents but denounced by abortion rights groups concerned she may revive the Comstock Act , an anti-vice law passed by Congress in 1873 that, among other things, bans mailing of medication or instruments used in abortion. An anti-abortion and anti-vaccine former Florida congressman, David Weldon, has been chosen to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which collects and monitors abortion data across the country. Former Republican congressman Doug Collins is Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs amid a political battle over abortion access and funding for troops and veterans. Collins voted consistently to restrict funding and access to abortion and celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade. “This is a team that the pro-life movement can work with,” said Kristin Hawkins, president of the national anti-abortion organization Students for Life.TEXAS, USA — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit accusing a New York doctor of prescribing abortion drugs to a Texas resident in violation of state law. This lawsuit is the first attempt to test what happens when state abortion laws are at odds with each other. New York has a shield law that protects providers from out-of-state investigations and prosecutions, which has served as implicit permission for a network of doctors to mail abortion pills into states that have banned the procedure. Texas has vowed to pursue these cases regardless of those laws, and legal experts are divided on where the courts may land on this issue, which involves extraterritoriality, interstate commerce and other thorny legal questions last meaningfully addressed before the Civil War. In this case, Paxton accuses Dr. Margaret Carpenter of mailing pills from New York to a 20-year-old woman in Collin County. The woman allegedly took the medication when she was nine weeks pregnant. When she began experiencing severe bleeding, the lawsuit says, she asked the man who impregnated her to take her to the hospital. He had not been aware she was pregnant or seeking an abortion, according to the filing. The lawsuit does not say whether the woman successfully terminated her pregnancy or experienced any long-term medical complications. Mifepristone and misoprostol, the medications Carpenter is accused of sending, are more than 95% effective if taken before 10 weeks of pregnancy. Paxton is asking a Collin County court to block Carpenter from violating Texas law, and order her to pay $100,000 for every violation of the state’s near-total abortion ban. Texas’ near-total abortion ban comes with up to life in prison, fines of at least $100,000 and the loss of a provider’s Texas medical license. Carpenter is not licensed to practice in Texas, according to the complaint. She is the founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine, a national group that helps doctors in states with shield laws provide telemedicine consultations and abortion pills to patients in states that have banned abortions. The group was founded after the overturn of Roe v. Wade by Carpenter, Dr. Linda Prine, and Julie Kay, a former ACLU lawyer who successfully argued the case that overturned Ireland’s abortion ban. They support doctors who want to become “shield providers” by advising them on licensure, data security, pharmacy contacts and legality. Carpenter also works with AidAccess, an international medication abortion provider, and helped found Hey Jane, a telehealth abortion provider. Neither Carpenter nor Kay immediately responded to a request for comment. This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/13/texas-paxton-abortion-pill-mail-lawsuit/. The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.
31 crew from Thai boats ‘taken into Myanmar’Google announces quantum computing chip breakthroughThe Saints are making contingency plans to play without QB Derek Carr as they try to stay alivePresident-elect Donald Trump on Saturday nominated Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, as the US ambassador to France, in the latest of several controversial picks. Kushner "is a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker, who will be a strong advocate representing our Country & its interests," Trump said on his Truth Social website, adding that Jared "worked closely with me in the White House." The choice is in keeping with Trump's pattern, so far, of selecting people, often wealthy, who are close to his family or of proven loyalty. Kushner is a multimillionaire real estate executive and former attorney; his son was a senior adviser during Trump's first term. Trump did not mention, however, that the elder Kushner once served jail time -- a two-year sentence, most of it served in a federal prison. Kushner, who is now 70, pleaded guilty in 2004 to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign contributions. The case, which was prosecuted by then US attorney Chris Christie, included sordid details, to which Kushner admitted: that he had hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, a man cooperating in a campaign finance inquiry, and then videotaped the encounter and sent it to the man's wife, Kushner's sister, to dissuade her from testifying against him. Christie, who worked on Trump's first presidential transition team and then opposed him in this year's Republican primary contests, later said Kushner had committed a "loathsome" and "disgusting crime." In 2020, Trump issued a pardon to Kushner, whose conviction had resulted in him being disbarred in three states. Nominees for key ambassadorships are often business associates of a president-elect, or major political donors. But it is rare, if not unprecedented, to name a convicted felon. The first two men to fill the prestigious Paris post were famed inventor and statesman Benjamin Franklin and a future president, Thomas Jefferson. If confirmed, Kushner would succeed Denise Bauer, a former ambassador to Belgium who was a major Democratic fundraiser and donor. md/bbk/md
Trump has flip-flopped on abortion policy. His appointees may offer clues to what happens next
The National Civil Registration Authority of Sierra Leone (NCRA) is reviewing its current civil registration law to identify gaps that need to be filled in line with current changes witnessed by man and technology. The NCRA is the country’s ID management authority, and led a recent workshop attended by local stakeholders and representatives of international partner organizations, according to a by the Authority. These partners include Irish Aid, the European Union (EU), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Focus during the workshop was to discuss possible amendments to the Draft National Civil Registration (NCR) Bill of 2022 and the National Civil Registration Authority Act of 2016. In the course of the four-day workshop, which was held at the instance of Ministry of Internal Affairs, participants shared thoughts on several issues, including how the legal framework for civil registration in the country can be updated to reflect current exigencies. They looked at the gaps and inadequacies which they believe have to be addressed in the exiting legislations as the country moves to strengthen its foundational identity system which is of the government’s digital transformation drive. Speaking during the workshop, the NCRA Director General, Mohamed Mubashir Massaquoi, said in order to modernize the country’s civil registration system and render it more efficient, an update to the legal framework and technological deployment is inevitable. The official noted that a robust CRVS legal framework will not only “strengthen national planning,” but will also enhance “democracy and social protection mechanisms,” reports. UNICEF representative in the country, Rudolf Schwenk, emphasized the importance of birth registration as the foundational layer of legal identity, noting that “every child deserves to have their identity recognized,” and therefore “strengthening civil registration is not only a legal imperative but also a step toward achieving sustainable development goals.” The deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Internal Affairs, Sarty Banya, said amendments to the 2016 legislation would address several challenges brought about by legal, technological and operational changes. Officials say reflections during the workshop will be useful in shaping the trajectory the legislative amendment process will take. | | | | | | | |
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The big picture: TCL, one of the world's largest television manufacturers, has produce five AI-generated short films to air on its free, ad-supported streaming service. The movies, made over a 12-week period, are part of a pilot program meant to normalize AI-created TV shows and movies. While technically impressive at times, the flicks are plagued by the same shortcomings we've seen in other modern AI-generated content. For example, most human characters in the movies exhibit vacant expressions, struggle to vocalize emotion, and move unnaturally. Speech often isn't synched properly with mouth movements. Written words and text are also problematic, usually resulting in in a jumbled mess of undecipherable characters and symbols. And that's just scratching the surface. There are some positives to consider with the current state of AI video – namely, the fact that quality is improving at an impressive rate. As 404 Media highlights , "this is the worst it will ever be" and that's at least something. They were made using a variety of well-known AI tools including Runway, ComfyUI, and Nuke. For its part, TCL didn't simply phone it in. Each film had lots of real people working on them in pre-production and post-production roles. Chris Regina, TCL's chief content officer for North America, told 404 Media that more than 50 people had a hand in creating the content. "These are stories about people, made by people, but powered by AI." Paul Johansson, who directed Sun Day – a film about a girl living on a rainy planet that wins a lottery to see the Sun for the first time, said he understands that technology is coming – fast – and they have to be prepared for it. The fact that humans had a significant role in shaping the films helps push the narrative that AI isn't going to replace real actors in Hollywood – at least, not right away. Assuming AI continues to evolve like it has in recent years, the need for human oversight could taper. The short films, averaging five to 10 minutes in length, are available to view in TCL's streaming app and have also been shared on YouTube.Tesla investor Ross Gerber doesn't think Elon Musk's ties to Donald Trump will benefit the EV maker. The longtime Tesla bull thinks the car company has a number of problems to sort through. Gerber says Tesla stock should be trading around $200, about 40% lower than current levels. Elon Musk spent immense money and energy helping Donald Trump retake the White House, but the Tesla CEO's new political influence may not do much to boost the fortunes of his carmaker, one of the company's longtime backers said. Ross Gerber, a Tesla bull and the president of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management, thinks the electric vehicle maker faces big challenges ahead, even as optimism about Musk's ties to Trump has excited investors and sparked a sharp rally in Tesla stock since the election. Traders are hopeful that Musk's close ties to the president-elect — which ultimately landed the Tesla CEO a new government role — could sway important policy decisions in favor of Tesla. But that doesn't solve the problems Tesla has been struggling with for years, Gerber said, pointing to concerns surrounding the success of Tesla's car business, and whether its new ride-hailing platform or artificial intelligence projects will amount to much. In Gerber's view, Tesla shares should be trading around $200, implying 40% downside from the stock's closing price of $338.23 on Tuesday. Gerber said his fund, which began cutting its stake in Tesla in late 2023, continues to sell the stock in small amounts, keeping Tesla's concentration in its portfolio to just 2%. The fund sold nearly 16,000 shares in the third quarter, though the total value of its remaining stake rose to $71 million, regulatory filings show. "We're still selling it," Gerber told Business Insider. "I used to have a 10%, 12%, even 20% stake in Tesla at some point in my life where it was like, Tesla was taking us to the moon kind of thing. And I just think its best days are behind it." It's worth noting that Tesla handily beat third-quarter earnings estimates, soothing some investor concerns after a tough start to the year. Countering Gerber's views, some also see Musk's new political influence as a big win for his companies. "The biggest winner from a Trump White House remains Tesla and Musk which made a strategic big bet on Trump that will pay major dividends for years to come," Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives wrote following the election. Skeptical of the tech Gerber believes Tesla's technology has plateaued in recent years, and Musk's ties to Washington won't help that. He pointed to issues with Tesla's full self-driving technology, which he's been using nearly every day for the last three years. "So the ultimate reality for full self-driving is it doesn't work, and the precision isn't good. And vision-only systems have flaws that I don't think Elon wants to admit." Gerber thinks the tech issues will persist, partly because Musk looks poised to devote more of his time to his role in the Department of Government Efficiency. Beginning with the acquisition of X, Gerber, in recent years, has been a vocal critic of what he sees as Musk's neglect of his core companies, primarily Tesla . "He doesn't work at Tesla. I mean, let's be real, "Gerber said. We all know where Elon is right now, and he's at Mar-a-Lago. So he hasn't worked at Tesla for a long time." Gerber is also concerned about some of the projects within the company. He pointed to Tesla's ride-hailing platform, which will be competing with more established companies like Uber and Waymo. "Why does it deserve this premium?" he said of the stock. "I get that Elon is now vice president of the United States, but that doesn't necessarily help Tesla." Trump's transition team has signaled that it would end the $7,500 tax credit for EVs— a move that Musk supports —but even that's unlikely to be a bullish catalyst for the company, Gerber said. Musk has said that repealing the tax credit would be more harmful to Tesla's rivals, but Gerber's firm has estimated that Tesla sales could drop around 25% if the tax credit was no longer available. That would be "devastating" to Tesla's business, he said, given that the company has already slashed prices on some of its models in the face of uncertain EV demand in recent years. "If the EV tax credit goes, that would be an extreme negative I would have to react to," Gerber said, adding that it was his biggest concern at the moment. Previously, Gerber told BI he would consider completely closing his position in Tesla by the end of the year if its business didn't improve, or if Musk didn't refocus his attention on his companies. Gerber has since adjusted his view and said he would continue to hold Tesla as a small investment in his portfolio, mostly out of bullishness on EVs in general. "Certainly if you want to get out of Tesla, it's a great opportunity," Gerber said, later adding that he was in "wait-and-see" mode. "And if you're a buyer of Tesla, boy, you're paying a lot for hope." Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
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LiveDeal stock plunges to 52-week low, touches $9.77Put a prize, big or small, in front of some of the world’s most competitive athletes, and they will want to win it. The NBA suspected that when it created the NBA Cup, and that’s been the case for the event now in its second year. Players want to win this event, and it’s showing in the competitiveness of the games. The NBA Cup semifinals are Saturday with the Atlanta Hawks playing the Milwaukee Bucks (4:30 p.m. ET, TNT) and the Oklahoma City Thunder playing the Houston Rockets (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The winners play in the final Tuesday (8:30 p.m., ABC). The East features a matchup of two teams that have begun to turn around their seasons after rough starts, and the West features two of the league's best teams, both young and primed for sustained success. Here’s what you need to know about the NBA Cup semifinals: What’s at stake for Bucks, Hawks, Thunder, Rockets in NBA Cup? Atlanta Hawks The Hawks reached the semifinals by winning the East’s Group C with victories against Cleveland and Boston – the top two teams in the East – and then beating New York in the quarterfinals. Their success in Cup play has reinvigorated a season that opened 4-7. They are 10-5 since, including seven wins in their past eight games, and have moved into seventh place in the East, just 11⁄2 games behind the fourth-place Knicks. That success coincides with Bogdan Bogdanovic’s return from an injury. Eight players score at least 10 points per game led by Trae Young (21 ppg, 12.2 assists per game), Jalen Johnson (19.8 ppg, 10.1 rebounds per game) and De’Andre Hunter (19.6 ppg). Johnson is an emerging star with rookie Zaccharie Risacher (11.2 ppg), and Dyson Daniels (13.5 ppg, 3.0 spg) is delivering what the Hawks expected when they traded Dejounte Murray for him in the offseason. Milwaukee Bucks A month ago, the Bucks were 2-8. They’re now 13-11 with nine victories in their past 11 games. The recent return of Khris Middleton has helped, and the Giannis Antetokounmpo-Damian Lillard combination is flourishing. Antetokounmpo (32.7 ppg) and Lillard (25.8 ppg) are the highest scoring duo in the NBA. Lillard has found a nice rhythm offensively, and the Bucks are building depth beyond Bobby Portis Jr. (13.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg), and Brook Lopez (11 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.1 bpg) with Gary Trent Jr. (9.3 ppg), AJ Green (8.0 ppg) and Taurean Prince (7.9 ppg). Oklahoma City Thunder Even with Chet Holmgren out with an injury, the Thunder are winning – thanks to a deep and talented roster led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (30.2 ppg, 6.3 apg, 5.4 rpg) and Jalen Williams (21.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 5.0 apg). Last season, the Thunder won 57 games and were perhaps a year ahead of schedule, losing to Dallas in the West semifinals. But there’s no doubt the Thunder were headed for success and they’re trying to capitalize on those expectations this season. Playing in a big game is important for the Thunder, who are atop the West at 19-5. Isaiah Hartenstein, Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, Alex Caruso, Ajay Mitchell add to a versatile rotation. The Thunder are No. 8 offensively, No. 1 defensively and No. 1 in net rating at plus-12 points per 100 possessions. Houston Rockets Rockets general manager Rafael Stone deserves credit for putting together this roster – a blend of veterans and young players and those young players (most of them 23 and younger) are talented enough to make the 17-8 Rockets a contender. Jalen Green (19.2 ppg, 1.2 spg) is 22 years old, Alperen Sengun (18.8 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 5.3 apg) is 22, Jabari Smith (11.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg) is 21, Amen Thompson (11.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.1 spg) is 21 and Tari Eason (11.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg) is 23. Reed Sheppard, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 draft, is 20. The Rockets are No. 2 defensively and No. 15 offensively and No. 5 in net rating. Veterans Dillon Brooks, Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams are perfect for one of the league’s most enviable rosters. How to watch the NBA Cup semifinals: Times, TV info Saturday, Dec. 14 Atlanta Hawks vs. Milwaukee Bucks , 4:30 p.m. ET, TNT Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder , 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC NBA Cup semifinal odds, moneyline, over/under Odds are courtesy of BetMGM : Atlanta-Milwaukee Houston-Oklahoma City What is the financial prize pool for the NBA Cup? Players on losing quarterfinal teams: $51,497 Players on losing semifinal teams: $102,994 Players on losing team in championship game: $205,988 Players on winning team in NBA Cup championship game: $514,970 The prize money increased because the players and the league agreed on it in the 2023 collective bargaining agreement as long as basketball-related income grows. 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A custom chip called "Willow" does in minutes what it would take leading supercomputers 10 septillion years to complete, according to Google Quantum AI founder Hartmut Neven. "Written out, there is a 1 with 25 zeros," Neven said of the time span while briefing journalists. "A mind-boggling number." Neven's team of about 300 people at Google is on a mission to build quantum computing capable of handling otherwise unsolvable problems like safe fusion power and stopping climate change. "We see Willow as an important step in our journey to build a useful quantum computer with practical applications in areas like drug discovery, fusion energy, battery design and more," said Google CEO Sundar Pichai on X. A quantum computer that can tackle these challenges is still years away, but Willow marks a significant step in that direction, according to Neven and members of his team. While still in its early stages, scientists believe that superfast quantum computing will eventually be able to power innovation in a range of fields. Quantum research is seen as a critical field and both the United States and China have been investing heavily in the area, while Washington has also placed restrictions on the export of the sensitive technology. Olivier Ezratty, an independent expert in quantum technologies, told AFP in October that private and public investment in the field has totaled around $20 billion worldwide over the past five years. Regular computers function in binary fashion: they carry out tasks using tiny fragments of data known as bits that are only ever either expressed as 1 or 0. But fragments of data on a quantum computer, known as qubits, can be both 1 and 0 at the same time -- allowing them to crunch an enormous number of potential outcomes simultaneously. Crucially, Google's chip demonstrated the ability to reduce computational errors exponentially as it scales up -- a feat that has eluded researchers for nearly 30 years. The breakthrough in error correction, published in leading science journal Nature, showed that adding more qubits to the system actually reduced errors rather than increasing them -- a fundamental requirement for building practical quantum computers. Error correction is the "end game" in quantum computing and Google is "confidently progressing" along the path, according to Google director of quantum hardware Julian Kelly. gc/arp/bjt
Renuka Rayasam | (TNS) KFF Health News In April, just 12 weeks into her pregnancy, Kathleen Clark was standing at the receptionist window of her OB-GYN’s office when she was asked to pay $960, the total the office estimated she would owe after she delivered. Clark, 39, was shocked that she was asked to pay that amount during this second prenatal visit. Normally, patients receive the bill after insurance has paid its part, and for pregnant women that’s usually only when the pregnancy ends. It would be months before the office filed the claim with her health insurer. Clark said she felt stuck. The Cleveland, Tennessee, obstetrics practice was affiliated with a birthing center where she wanted to deliver. Plus, she and her husband had been wanting to have a baby for a long time. And Clark was emotional, because just weeks earlier her mother had died. “You’re standing there at the window, and there’s people all around, and you’re trying to be really nice,” recalled Clark, through tears. “So, I paid it.” On online baby message boards and other social media forums , pregnant women say they are being asked by their providers to pay out-of-pocket fees earlier than expected. The practice is legal, but patient advocacy groups call it unethical. Medical providers argue that asking for payment up front ensures they get compensated for their services. How frequently this happens is hard to track because it is considered a private transaction between the provider and the patient. Therefore, the payments are not recorded in insurance claims data and are not studied by researchers. Patients, medical billing experts, and patient advocates say the billing practice causes unexpected anxiety at a time of already heightened stress and financial pressure. Estimates can sometimes be higher than what a patient might ultimately owe and force people to fight for refunds if they miscarry or the amount paid was higher than the final bill. Up-front payments also create hurdles for women who may want to switch providers if they are unhappy with their care. In some cases, they may cause women to forgo prenatal care altogether, especially in places where few other maternity care options exist. It’s “holding their treatment hostage,” said Caitlin Donovan, a senior director at the Patient Advocate Foundation . Medical billing and women’s health experts believe OB-GYN offices adopted the practice to manage the high cost of maternity care and the way it is billed for in the U.S. When a pregnancy ends, OB-GYNs typically file a single insurance claim for routine prenatal care, labor, delivery, and, often, postpartum care. That practice of bundling all maternity care into one billing code began three decades ago, said Lisa Satterfield, senior director of health and payment policy at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists . But such bundled billing has become outdated, she said. Previously, pregnant patients had been subject to copayments for each prenatal visit, which might lead them to skip crucial appointments to save money. But the Affordable Care Act now requires all commercial insurers to fully cover certain prenatal services. Plus, it’s become more common for pregnant women to switch providers, or have different providers handle prenatal care, labor, and delivery — especially in rural areas where patient transfers are common. Some providers say prepayments allow them to spread out one-time payments over the course of the pregnancy to ensure that they are compensated for the care they do provide, even if they don’t ultimately deliver the baby. “You have people who, unfortunately, are not getting paid for the work that they do,” said Pamela Boatner, who works as a midwife in a Georgia hospital. While she believes women should receive pregnancy care regardless of their ability to pay, she also understands that some providers want to make sure their bill isn’t ignored after the baby is delivered. New parents might be overloaded with hospital bills and the costs of caring for a new child, and they may lack income if a parent isn’t working, Boatner said. In the U.S., having a baby can be expensive. People who obtain health insurance through large employers pay an average of nearly $3,000 out-of-pocket for pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care, according to the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker . In addition, many people are opting for high-deductible health insurance plans, leaving them to shoulder a larger share of the costs. Of the 100 million U.S. people with health care debt, 12% attribute at least some of it to maternity care, according to a 2022 KFF poll . Families need time to save money for the high costs of pregnancy, childbirth, and child care, especially if they lack paid maternity leave, said Joy Burkhard , CEO of the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, a Los Angeles-based policy think tank. Asking them to prepay “is another gut punch,” she said. “What if you don’t have the money? Do you put it on credit cards and hope your credit card goes through?” Calculating the final costs of childbirth depends on multiple factors, such as the timing of the pregnancy , plan benefits, and health complications, said Erin Duffy , a health policy researcher at the University of Southern California’s Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. The final bill for the patient is unclear until a health plan decides how much of the claim it will cover, she said. But sometimes the option to wait for the insurer is taken away. During Jamie Daw’s first pregnancy in 2020, her OB-GYN accepted her refusal to pay in advance because Daw wanted to see the final bill. But in 2023, during her second pregnancy, a private midwifery practice in New York told her that since she had a high-deductible plan, it was mandatory to pay $2,000 spread out with monthly payments. Daw, a health policy researcher at Columbia University, delivered in September 2023 and got a refund check that November for $640 to cover the difference between the estimate and the final bill. “I study health insurance,” she said. “But, as most of us know, it’s so complicated when you’re really living it.” While the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover some prenatal services, it doesn’t prohibit providers from sending their final bill to patients early. It would be a challenge politically and practically for state and federal governments to attempt to regulate the timing of the payment request, said Sabrina Corlette , a co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University. Medical lobbying groups are powerful and contracts between insurers and medical providers are proprietary. Because of the legal gray area, Lacy Marshall , an insurance broker at Rapha Health and Life in Texas, advises clients to ask their insurer if they can refuse to prepay their deductible. Some insurance plans prohibit providers in their network from requiring payment up front. If the insurer says they can refuse to pay up front, Marshall said, she tells clients to get established with a practice before declining to pay, so that the provider can’t refuse treatment. Related Articles Health | Which health insurance plan may be right for you? Health | California case is the first confirmed bird flu infection in a US child Health | Your cool black kitchenware could be slowly poisoning you, study says. Here’s what to do Health | Does fluoride cause cancer, IQ loss, and more? Fact-checking Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claims Health | US towns plunge into debates about fluoride in water Clark said she met her insurance deductible after paying for genetic testing, extra ultrasounds, and other services out of her health care flexible spending account. Then she called her OB-GYN’s office and asked for a refund. “I got my spine back,” said Clark, who had previously worked at a health insurer and a medical office. She got an initial check for about half the $960 she originally paid. In August, Clark was sent to the hospital after her blood pressure spiked. A high-risk pregnancy specialist — not her original OB-GYN practice — delivered her son, Peter, prematurely via emergency cesarean section at 30 weeks. It was only after she resolved most of the bills from the delivery that she received the rest of her refund from the other OB-GYN practice. This final check came in October, just days after Clark brought Peter home from the hospital, and after multiple calls to the office. She said it all added stress to an already stressful period. “Why am I having to pay the price as a patient?” she said. “I’m just trying to have a baby.” ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
