Garmin Launches $170 Health-Tracking Arm Band for Wear During Sleep
Garmin Ltd. on Wednesday launched an arm band for wear during sleep that can track vital health metrics, stepping up competition with companies like Whoop Inc. and other emerging players.
The company's $170 Index Sleep Monitor — a first for the fitness devices maker — is worn on the upper arm like a blood-pressure cuff and tracks blood oxygen saturation, heart rate variability, respiration rates, breathing patterns and skin temperature. It also provides sleep metrics like hours slept and data on different stages of sleep.
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Bloomberg
16 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Gilead's Twice-a-Year HIV Prevention Shot Wins FDA Approval
By Updated on Save Gilead Sciences Inc. said it won US approval for a drug to prevent HIV that only has to be given twice a year, making it a convenient new way to ward off infection in a wide range of people. In two big international studies published last year, the medicine demonstrated a powerful ability to avert HIV infection. With no vaccine on the horizon, the ultra-long acting shot has been hailed by activists as perhaps the best tool the world has so far to wipe out the virus.
CNN
17 minutes ago
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Social Security won't be able to pay full benefits in 2034 if Congress doesn't act
Social Security will not be able to fully pay monthly benefits to tens of millions of retirees and people with disabilities in 2034 if lawmakers don't act to address the program's pending shortfall, according to an annual report released Wednesday by Social Security's trustees. The combined Social Security trust funds – which help support payments to the elderly, survivors and people with disabilities – are expected to be exhausted in 2034, one year earlier than previously forecast, according to the trustees' annual report. At that time, payroll tax revenue and other income sources will only be able to cover 81% of benefits owed. The deterioration in the forecast stems from several factors, including a law passed by Congress last year that increased benefits for certain workers and the trustees' assumption that it will take longer for the nation's fertility rate to recover from historically low levels. Average earnings are expected to grow somewhat more slowly over the coming decade, according to the report. Medicare's fiscal outlook also worsened. Its hospital insurance trust fund, known as Medicare Part A, is expected to be able to cover scheduled inpatient hospital benefits until 2033, compared to 2036 in last year's report from the program's trustees. At that time, Medicare will only be able to pay 89% of total scheduled Part A benefits, which also cover hospice care, short-term skilled nursing facility services and home health services following hospitalizations. The program's trustees project that Medicare's trust fund will be drained sooner because of increased medical spending in 2024, which also raised the forecast for future expenditures. Plus, the trustees raised their assumed growth level of inpatient and hospice services in coming years. Medicare Part B, which covers physician services and medical supplies, and Part D, which covers prescription drugs, are financed through beneficiary premiums and federal contributions that are adjusted annually to cover costs. Their trust fund is fiscally sound. The Medicare trustees are projecting that the standard monthly Part B premium will jump to $206.50 in 2026, from $185. The amount will not be finalized until later this fall. The driving factor in the quickening of Social Security's trust fund insolvency is Congress' passage late last year of a bipartisan bill that increased benefits for nearly 3 million federal, state and local employees. The Social Security Fairness Act eliminated two policies that had reduced Social Security payments for public sector workers. Experts had warned the measure would hurt the program's finances. It was a 'political giveaway masquerading as reform,' Romina Boccia, director of budget and entitlement policy at the libertarian Cato Institute, said in a statement. 'Instead of tackling Social Security's structural imbalances, Congress chose to increase benefits for a vocal minority — accelerating trust fund insolvency by 6 months in the process,' Boccia said. 'It's a clear sign that populist pressure now outweighs fiscal responsibility and economic sanity on both sides of the aisle.' Looking solely at the trust fund that covers retirement and survivor benefits, Social Security will only be able to afford scheduled payments in full until 2033, three fiscal quarters earlier than last year's projection. At that time, the fund's reserves will be depleted, and continuing income will cover only 77% of benefits owed. The Disability Insurance Trust Fund is expected to be able to cover full benefits at least through 2099, when the projection period ends. Merging the two trust funds would require an act of Congress, but the combined projection is often used to show the overall status of the program. Just over 60.1 million people received Social Security retirement and survivors benefits at the end of 2024, while 8.3 million Americans received disability benefits, according to the program's trustees. Some 67.6 million people were enrolled in Medicare. Social Security and Medicare have long been on shaky financial ground, largely because the nation's population is getting older and living longer. The number of beneficiaries is ballooning, but fewer workers are paying into the programs. Also, health care usage and spending are growing. Social Security and Medicare, however, will not run out of money since current workers are paying payroll taxes, which support the programs. The problem is that the revenue will not be enough to fully cover the benefits owed after the trust funds run dry. Still, the trustees' dire warnings are not likely to spur Congress to act any time soon, experts say. GOP lawmakers, who control both chambers, are focused on passing President Donald Trump's agenda bill. The president, meanwhile, has not released any proposals for extending the life of the entitlement programs' trust funds, promising only not to cut Social Security and Medicare as part of his megabill. 'Any politician who doesn't support increasing Social Security's revenue is, by default, supporting benefit cuts,' Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, an advocacy group, said in a statement. The longer lawmakers wait to address the looming shortfall, the fewer options they will have, experts say. 'As the date gets closer and closer, Congress really needs to start getting more focused,' said Bill Sweeney, senior vice president for government affairs at AARP. 'The American public expects them to get focused on this, to protect the money that they've earned.' Options to address Social Security's fiscal issues include raising the payroll tax rate; delaying the ages when people can start collecting benefits or receive their full retirement payments; increasing the amount of income subject to the payroll tax; and curtailing benefits or the rate at which they increase annually, among other proposals. 'Taking action sooner rather than later will allow consideration of a broader range of solutions and provide more time to phase in changes so that the public has adequate time to prepare,' the trustees wrote in a message to the public.
Forbes
17 minutes ago
- Forbes
20 Expert Tips To Avoid Network Automation Pitfalls
Network automation offers the promise of greater efficiency, faster deployments and fewer manual errors—but it's not without its challenges. Many teams dive in with good intentions, only to encounter roadblocks that stall progress, introduce complexity or even create security gaps. The good news is that many common pitfalls are avoidable with the right planning, tools and processes. Below, members of Forbes Technology Council highlight mistakes they've seen in network automation efforts and share practical tips to help your team get it right from the start. A common network automation pitfall is automating without fully understanding existing network workflows. This can cause outages or security gaps. Teams can avoid these issues by documenting processes, validating configurations in a test environment, and involving network engineers early in automation planning. - Sai Shashank Rasamalla, American Express A common pitfall is automating without fully understanding the existing network architecture and dependencies. This can lead to unintended outages or security gaps that keep getting missed because there is no human intervention. - Venkata Thummala, Stanford Health Care Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify? A common network automation pitfall is failing to document configuration changes in real time. This can lead to misconfigurations and delays in troubleshooting. IT teams can avoid this by using tools that automatically track and update network changes, ensuring visibility and control as automation scales. - Douglas Murray, Auvik A common network automation pitfall is ad hoc scripting without standardization. Ad hoc scripts solve short-term problems but create long-term complexity and fragility. Adopting infrastructure as code avoids this by enforcing version control and modularity and ensuring only authorized, trackable changes are deployed, bringing stability, security and team alignment. - Karan Alang, Versa Networks Inc. A common network automation pitfall is relying on code-heavy solutions that only a few engineers can maintain, limiting scalability and resilience. Embracing no-code automation allows more team members to build and manage workflows, reduces reliance on novice coding skills, and ensures consistent, scalable network operations. - Song Pang, NetBrain Technologies A common network automation pitfall is inadequate testing of scripts before deployment, potentially causing outages. To avoid this, teams should create a testing environment that mimics production, use version control for scripts, conduct code reviews, automate testing processes and implement gradual rollouts, like canary releases. Additionally, proper documentation and training on automation tools are needed. - Raghvendra Tripathi Here's one I've seen recently: the use of weak or recycled security keys during automated deployments. These systems often don't generate strong randomness, making networks vulnerable. Teams can avoid this by using secure key generators or hardware-based tools that ensure fresh, strong encryption keys every time. - Erick Grau, Chibitek A frequent pitfall is automating overly complex or poorly understood manual processes—essentially, 'paving the cowpath.' Teams create brittle automation, which is a nightmare to maintain. Avoid this by first standardizing and simplifying the target process. Then, automate in small, incremental, well-tested steps. Focus on foundational elements before tackling intricate workflows. - Ashish Bhardwaj, Google Automating outdated legacy networks is like racing with a cracked engine. Without modern foundations, automation amplifies fragility and will lead to further complexities later on. Standardizing configurations and leveraging AI-driven workflows by upgrading ineffective systems will build resilient and intelligent networks. - Savinay Berry, OpenText One network automation pitfall is to simply automate a bad process; it just fails faster. Automation requires rethinking—not just for today, but for tomorrow—in a new, inventive way to anticipate technology growth and changes so that solutions stay relevant longer. - Pam Brodsack, Velera A common network automation pitfall is inadequate data backup verification. Many teams automate backups but don't periodically validate their integrity or restorability—until disaster strikes. Implement regular automated test restorations alongside your backup routines to verify that data can actually be recovered. This ensures your backups will work when really needed. - Chongwei Chen, DataNumen, Inc. A common network automation pitfall is alert overload from static, context-poor data. To avoid this, teams should integrate rich telemetry with AI-driven analysis to provide contextual, actionable alerts. This reduces noise and makes the process of identifying the root cause more streamlined, which ultimately supports more effective and efficient automation. - Judit Sharon, OnPage Corporation One common network automation pitfall is ignoring cross-team collaboration. When networking, security and operations teams work in silos, automation efforts often conflict or fail. To avoid this, build cross-functional workflows early on, ensuring alignment, shared goals and integrated feedback loops for smooth execution. - Rishi Kumar, MatchingFit One of the most frequent mistakes in network automation is rushing to automate processes without a structured plan. Teams often deploy automation tools haphazardly—scripting repetitive tasks or adopting orchestration platforms without evaluating long-term scalability, security or operational dependencies. - Pratik Badri, JPMorgan Chase & Co A common pitfall in network automation is a disconnect among processes, people and technology. Successful implementation requires these elements to work in harmony. Over-automation can alienate those who struggle to keep pace with rapid tech changes. Processes should be designed with adaptability and leverage technology when appropriate, not be dictated by it. - Hari Sonnenahalli, NTT Data Business Solutions Config drift is a major pitfall—manually applied changes bypass automation, causing inconsistencies. Modern teams avoid this by implementing strict automation-only policies, using tools like GitOps for infrastructure as code, and integrating validation checks that detect manual changes. Treating configs as immutable through CI/CD pipelines ensures all changes are tracked and reversible. - Anuj Tyagi One common pitfall is neglecting decommissioning. Automation excels at spinning up, but stale configs, orphaned services and zombie routes linger. Teams must automate clean-up, too—expiry policies, lifecycle hooks and teardown scripts ensure networks stay lean, secure and scalable. Don't just build—declutter. - Roman Vinogradov, Improvado Overlooking scalability is a frequent network automation pitfall; solutions that work for small environments may fail as networks grow. Teams can avoid this by designing automation with scalability in mind from the outset—using modular, reusable code and regularly reviewing automation tools to ensure they can handle increased complexity and volume as the organization expands. - Pradeep Kumar Muthukamatchi, Microsoft A common pitfall in network automation is treating it as tactical 'patchwork' rather than strategic orchestration. Many organizations automate isolated tasks without considering how those actions fit into the broader operational value chain, leading to fragmented solutions. To avoid this, step back and assess the entire operational workflow—identify dependencies, control points and outcomes. - Anil Pantangi, Capgemini America Inc. Skipping rigorous validation is a top network automation pitfall; a single typo or misconfiguration deployed at scale can cascade into massive outages. To prevent this, teams should embed pre- and post-change checks using network simulators, peer-reviewed scripts, automated verification tests and enforced rollback logic, ensuring errors are caught and reversed before they spread. - Sai Sandeep Ogety,
