When Outside Experts Diagnose Your Problem—and Sell the Solution
Illustration by Ray Dak Lam
In the early 1900s, Britain was taking stock in the aftermath of the Boer Wars. It was one of the most formidable empires on Earth, yet somehow its soldiers had stumbled in battle, and nobody could quite figure out why. Then someone pointed a finger at a surprising culprit: the soldiers' poor health.
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Washington Post
28 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Takeaways from AP's investigation of US death benefits program for public safety officers
A federal program that provides benefits to families of police officers and firefighters who die and become disabled on duty is rapidly growing while facing criticism for increasing delays in deciding claims. Congress created the Public Safety Officers' Benefits program in 1976 to guarantee that the spouses and children of officers who put their lives on the line would receive financial support. But repeated expansions in eligibility approved by Congress, including three passed in the last five years, have made the program more popular and complex to administer. Critics say the program fails some families by taking too long to grant or deny benefits and making inconsistent rulings. An Associated Press analysis found that hundreds of families are waiting years to learn whether they qualify for payments, and more are ultimately being denied. New Jersey widow Sharline Volcy learned this month that she'd been awarded the benefits, more than 3 1/2 years after her husband, Ronald Donat, died while training at the Gwinnett County Police Academy in Georgia. Volcy said she was grateful for the aid, which will provide some financial security and help pay for her two daughters to go to college. But she said the long wait was stressful, when she was told time and again the claim remained under review and ultimately saw her inquiries ignored. 'They told me they didn't know how long it would take because they don't have a deadline. That's the hardest thing to hear,' she said. 'I felt defeated.' She said lawyers didn't want to take the case, and a plea for help to her congressperson went nowhere. She said she'd given up hope and was lucky she had a job as an airport gate agent in the meantime. Volcy's experience isn't unique, and some cases take longer. As of late April, more than 120 claims by surviving relatives or disabled first responders have been awaiting initial determinations or rulings on their appeals for more than five years, according AP's findings. About a dozen have waited over a decade for an answer. The program has a goal of making determinations within one year but has not taken steps to track its progress, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report. But roughly three in 10 cases have not met that timeframe in recent years. As of late late April, 900 claims had been pending longer than one year. That includes claims from nearly every state. Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill to require the program to make determinations within 270 days. Over the last year, the denial rate has increased, with roughly one in three death and disability claims getting rejected. Applicants can appeal to a hearing officer and then the director if they choose, but that isn't common. Many say they can't afford attorneys or want to get on with their lives. Justice Department officials, who oversee the program, say they're making complicated decisions about whether cases meet legal criteria. 'Death and disability claims involving complex medical and causation issues, voluminous evidence and conflicting medical opinions, take longer to determine, as do claims in various stages of appeal,' they said in a statement. The program started as a simple $50,000 payout for the families of officers who were fatally shot on duty or died as a result of other violence or dangers. But Congress expanded the program in 1990 to cover some first responders who were disabled on duty, which made some determinations harder to reach. A 1998 law added educational benefits for the spouses and children of those deceased and disabled officers. Since 2020, Congress has passed three laws making many other types of deaths and disabilities eligible, including deaths related to COVID-19, deaths and injuries of those working rescue and cleanup operations after the September 2001 attacks, and responders who committed suicide under certain circumstances. Annual claims have more than doubled in the last five years, from 500 in 2019 to roughly 1,200 today. While many applicants have criticized the increasing delays, the leading group that represents the relatives of officers who die on duty has been silent. Critics say that's because the group, Concerns of Police Survivors, has a financial incentive not to criticize the program, which has awarded it tens of millions of dollars in grant funding in recent decades. The Missouri-based nonprofit recently received a new $6 million grant from the program to for its work with deceased officers' relatives, including counseling, hosting memorial events, educating agencies about the program and assisting with claims. The group's founder and retired executive director, Suzie Sawyer, said she was warned many years ago that fighting too hard for claimants could jeopardize its grant funding. But current spokesperson Sara Slone said advocacy isn't the group's mission and that it works 'hand in hand' with PSOB to assist applicants and provide education about benefits. Lisa Afolayan's husband died after a training exercise at the Border Patrol academy more than 16 years ago, but she's still fighting the program for benefits. An autopsy found that Nate Afolayan died from heat illness after completing a 1.5-mile test run in 88 degree heat, at a high altitude in the New Mexico desert. The program had awarded benefits to families after similar training deaths, dating back to an officer who died at an academy in 1988. But its independent investigation blamed Nate's death on sickle cell trait, a genetic condition that's usually benign but has been linked to rare exertion-related deaths in police, military and sports training. The program denied Lisa's claim and her subsequent appeals, arguing the death wasn't the result of heat along and didn't qualify. The program stood by its denial in 2024, even after a federal appeals court said it may have failed to adequately consider the weather's role and violated a law barring discrimination on the basis of genetic information. The appeals court is currently considering Lisa's second appeal, even as the couple's two children reach college age.
Los Angeles Times
28 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Google's plan to buy security firm Wiz gets antitrust review
Justice Department antitrust enforcers are reviewing whether Google's planned $32 billion acquisition of cybersecurity company Wiz Inc. would illegally limit competition in the marketplace, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Officials in the department's antitrust division, who are probing the deal, have been examining the contours of the Alphabet Inc. unit's plan following its announcement in March, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing a confidential matter. Such inquiries include discussions with the merging companies as well as competitors and customers. The review, which is in its early stages, could last months more. It will ultimately determine whether US officials let the deal proceed. Although full-scale antitrust merger reviews are relatively rare compared to the number of deals announced each year, there are signs that the firms were bracing for scrutiny. Google agreed to pay Wiz a breakup fee of about $3.2 billion, or about 10% of the deal value, if it doesn't close, Bloomberg previously reported. Spokespeople for Google and the DOJ declined to comment on the review. A spokesperson for Wiz didn't respond to a request for comment. Meanwhile, Google has been facing intense antitrust scrutiny from Washington. In the past year, the search engine firm was found by federal judges to have illegal monopolies in online search and some advertising technology markets. Following those two rulings, it is facing a potential breakup of large parts of its business, including its Chrome web browser and some advertising tools used to place display ads around the web. Wiz, which provides cloud security, wouldn't be Google's first purchase of a large cybersecurity firm. In 2022, it bought Mandiant for $5.4 billion. Both deals are meant to bulk up the company's cloud computing business, which has historically lagged its peers, including Microsoft Corp. The DOJ also reviewed the Mandiant deal, but never challenged the transaction. Mandiant and Wiz provide complimentary services, with the former specializing in threat intelligence and cyber breaches. Wiz offers similar capabilities but its tools also work to identify and block threats across organizations' often-complex cloud environments. Wiz also works with competing services from Inc., Oracle Corp. and Microsoft. When announcing the deal, Google said the Wiz acquisition was a way to beef up its cloud security offerings and provide customers with new ways to keep their systems secure in a new era of AI. The companies said Wiz's products will continue to work on major cloud platforms, including competing services. Sisco writes for Bloomberg.
North Wales Live
28 minutes ago
- North Wales Live
I tried an angelic café in North Wales city centre and found a little taste of heaven
Heaven Coffee Shop on Lord Street has become very popular with visitors to Wrexham, since Adam and Malgorzata took over the cafe in 2018. Adam and Malgorzata moved to the UK in 2004 and started their new life together in Wrexham. Malgorzata used to work at the former Lord Street Café and enjoyed it so much, that they made the decision to take over and open the café doors as 'Heaven Coffee Shop'. The café is near the arc sculpture landmark on Lord Street. The statue portrays a miner and a steelworker on brick plinths, feet astride two steel arcs. They are at full stretch, each trying to bend the arc to meet at the top. The statue represents the toil and collectiveness of manual work. With the closures of the mines, these self-sufficient communities had to find a new role in the world. Wrexham has seen a lot of cafes and pubs open up via the leisure industry in the last few years and there are a lot of food and drink options in the area. In 2021, the café was doing so well that they took over the lease of the shop next door to give 'Heaven' more space. Yes, you will always need a bit more space in heaven. This heavenly coffee shop was really busy when we popped in through its pearly gates for a bite to eat. The owners were chatting and hugging a few returning locals, giving the place, a close community feel. Adam and Malgorzata have created a small friendly vibe so that people feel comfortable. They have even added a children's corner, which has been a popular hit with parents. This homely feeling spills out into Lord Street, with outdoor seating areas amid colourful potted plants. The plant theme continues inside the café, with greenery on light fittings with hanging plants draped all over the walls. We chose a spot near the window, the perfect place to people-watch whilst perusing the menu. The coffee shop seems to offer light snacks such as jacket potatoes, sandwiches and sweet and savoury crepes. The dessert menu looked fabulous with sweet waffles and American style pancakes with ingredients such as Nutella, Tutti Frutti and Haribo. No wonder families with children like this place so much. There are a lot of affordable 'meal deals' such as two burgers for £19,99 and all- day breakfasts starting from a small breakfast for £5.50, a large for £7.50 or a big monster fry up, which included three sausages and all the works for £11.50. There were plenty of veggie or vegan options available as well. Of course, the coffee shop has a vast array of drink options such as white-hot chocolate, the usual coffee options along with milkshakes and bubble tea. There was even good old 'Wrexham Lager' on draft behind the counter, if you fancied something a little bit stronger. We decided to take the two paninis for £12 offer as it seemed really good value. I went with one of my favourite simple fillings of brie and cranberry, whilst my wife went for a chicken, cheese, pesto and red onion version. The seared grill marks on the outside of Italian bread, opened up to reveal a gorgeous messy melted cheese. The gooey brie was topped with a tart cranberry sauce, with the toasted bread giving off a satisfying crunch. The Panini was well presented on bakery decorated greaseproof paper with cucumber, tomato and lettuce leaf on the side. My wife enjoyed the contrast of the strong red onion alongside the tang of the pesto and succulent chicken. Her hot-pressed sandwich was accompanied by a small side salad, which had a dark balsamic glaze squeezed artistically over the top. I ordered a super nutritious banana and strawberry smoothie for my drink option, which was thick, fresh and really refreshing. I sipped it slowly through a straw, as we watched the world, slowly drift by outside. My wife washed her tasty chicken panini down with a simple americano with hot milk. When I went over to pay the bill at the counter, I saw some heavenly and devilish looking cakes, such as red velvet, caramel cheesecake and some absolutely huge boulder scones packed with fruit and raisins. We somehow managed not to fall into temptation, but I was thinking about those lovely looking cakes all the way, on my journey home. It's no wonder that the angelic cafe is so busy, with high ratings from the loyal customer congregation, who keep returning for a little taste of heaven on Lord Street. The Facts Price - Panini offer £12, americano £2.50 and smoothie £3.99. The total price of the meal was £18.49 Atmosphere - Community family friendly vibe Car Parking- The island green car park is probably the nearest Service - Order at the counter but try not to look at the cakes
