Latest news with #Fleischman
CNBC
28-05-2025
- Health
- CNBC
Healthy Returns: RFK Jr.'s Covid vaccine recommendation change could threaten health, access
A wave of outrage is sweeping the scientific and medical world after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s decision to stop recommending routine Covid-19 vaccines for healthy children and healthy pregnant women. Kennedy, a prominent vaccine skeptic, on Tuesday said the Covid shot has been removed from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommended immunization schedule for those groups. "Last year, the Biden administration urged healthy children to get yet another Covid shot, despite the lack of any clinical data to support the repeat booster strategy in children," Kennedy said in a video on X. He offered no scientific evidence to justify the change to the recommendations. It's Kennedy's latest move to change and potentially undermine vaccinations in the U.S. since he took the helm at the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the federal agencies that regulate and recommend shots. It comes a week after Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary set stricter standards for approving shots for healthy Americans. Some health experts say the dropped recommendation could have devastating consequences, particularly for pregnant women and their babies. Both are considered to be at higher risk of severe complications from Covid-19 infections, according to the CDC's website. That can include preterm labor and birth, heart injury, blood clots and kidney damage among pregnant women. "As ob-gyns who treat patients every day, we have seen firsthand how dangerous COVID-19 infection can be during pregnancy and for newborns who depend on maternal antibodies from the vaccine for protection," Steven Fleischman, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said in a statement. He emphasized that "the science has not changed." "Following this announcement, we are worried about our patients in the future, who may be less likely to choose vaccination during pregnancy despite the clear and definitive evidence demonstrating its benefit," Fleischman said. Studies have found that Covid-19 vaccination reduces the risk of hospitalization from the virus for pregnant women and infants younger than 6 months. Fleischman and other experts also raised concerns about whether patients will have access to vaccines following Kennedy's decision. The CDC's recommendation is crucial because it guides insurance plans on which shots to cover at no cost to patients. Medicare and Medicaid require that the recommended vaccines are free for patients. The Affordable Care Act requires private insurers to cover all vaccines recommended by the CDC's outside committee of vaccine advisors and director. Children without insurance can get free recommended vaccines through the government-run Vaccines for Children Program. Pfizer and Moderna are charging up to $150 per dose for their respective Covid shots before insurance, according to the CDC's website. "This decision could make it significantly harder for millions of Americans to access vaccines they want for themselves and their families," Tina Tan, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said in a statement. Tan added that process for Kennedy's decision breaks with the precedent of letting federal panels of experts publicly debate scientific evidence and vote on immunization practices. A group of external advisors to the CDC typically gives vaccine advice to the agency's director. Trump's nominee to lead the CDC, acting director Susan Monarez, still needs Senate confirmation. "This decision bypasses a long-established, evidence-based process used to ensure vaccine safety and ignores the expertise of independent medical experts, including members of CDC committees who are examining the evidence regarding the vaccine to make recommendations for the fall," Sean O'Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases, said in a statement. He added that the decision could "strip families of choice," preventing those who want to vaccinate from getting shots. Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Annika at Did you hear that? That was the sound of the digital health sector breathing a collective sigh of relief. Digital physical therapy company Hinge Health debuted on the New York Stock Exchange last week in the sector's first major public exit in several years. The broader tech IPO market has been in a drought since late 2021, when soaring inflation and rising interest rates pushed investors out of risky assets. And within digital health, there's been practically no IPO activity. Hinge, founded in 2014, uses software to help patients treat acute musculoskeletal injuries and chronic pain, as well as carry out post-surgery rehabilitation remotely. The stock opened at $39.25 on Thursday, rising 23% from its $32 IPO price. It closed up 17% at $37.56 a share, bringing its market capitalization to more than $3 billion. As of Wednesday afternoon, shares are trading at more than $41. Prior to its IPO, Hinge had raised more than $1 billion from investors including Insight Partners, Atomico, Tiger Global Management and Coatue Management. Most analysts will officially kick off coverage of the stock around 30 days after its debut. But analysts at Roth shared some initial thoughts about Hinge earlier this month, before it went public. Importantly, they did not participate in the offering, make a recommendation or initiate coverage in their report. "We watched HNGE's IPO roadshow presentation and were impressed by the AI products underpinning the platform and rate of care expansion," including beyond musculoskeletal conditions, the analysts said in a note on May 16. Hinge said that revenue in its first quarter climbed 50% to $123.8 million, up from $82.7 million during the same period last year. The company reported $117.3 million in revenue during its fourth quarter, up 44% from the same period in 2023. The Roth analysts said the company's recent fundamentals are encouraging, including its accelerating revenues and billings as well as its improved operating margins. Some of the risks facing the company include the competitive digital therapy landscape, its reliance on peer-reviewed data and regulatory overhang, they said. After Hinge's debut, another digital health company is preparing to join the fray. Omada Health filed for an IPO earlier this month, though it has yet to share more details about its expected pricing or timeline. Omada offers virtual care programs to support patients with chronic conditions like prediabetes, diabetes and hypertension. As we did with Hinge, we'll be following this offering closely, so stay tuned for updates! Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Ashley at
CBS News
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Juilliard students' musical medicine is helping seniors stay young at heart and mind
Senior citizens are enjoying the benefits of music from Juilliard students Senior citizens are enjoying the benefits of music from Juilliard students Senior citizens are enjoying the benefits of music from Juilliard students When it comes to healthy aging, music can have a big impact. That's why senior centers and renowned institutions like The Julliard School are creating senior-friendly music classes. In the latest part of CBS News New York's Cost of Caregiving series, reporter Jennifer Bisram takes a deeper look at musical medicine. Read more: Geriatric care improvements needed immediately in New York, doctors say "It is a very, very special ingredient for life" Every note evokes emotion and elevates the mood in a room at Sunrise Assisted Living Facility in Manhattan. Some seniors even close their eyes to take in the classical harmony. "I think my mother made a mistake with my birth certificate. I'm really 63, haha," 101-year-old Barbara Fleischman said. She spoke of her secret to aging. "Music is soothing. It's exiting. It makes one think, and it is a very, very special ingredient for life," Fleischman said. The bubbly grandmother, who lives at the senior center, takes music classes every week. "It's very exciting that at this age I still want to learn," Fleischman said. Juilliard students create the soundtracks Students from Juilliard passionately play the instruments. "It's human connection through music. So, we connect with those seniors through this music. We don't even need to talk to each other. Music speaks, itself," Sandro Gegechkori said. "The people listening can really record a memory from my performance and it can also improve their memory," student Zhouhui Shen said. Alyssa Friedman is the program director at the senior center. She has also become a sort of caregiver for the seniors, assisting them with whatever they need on a daily basis. "What's most remarkable for me is being able to see a resident who has dementia come down to a program. Maybe they're nonverbal but sing along," Friedman said. "I was very close with my own grandparents and I think being able to work with seniors is a little piece of that every day." What science says about music and aging According to the National Institute of Aging, music has a positive influence on healthy aging on the brain and body. Studies show it improves memory, enhances emotional health, and triggers heartwarming memories. Experts say more research is needed before it can medically be concluded, but there's growing scientific interest in music's effects as we age. Some aging New Yorkers say it's also helping them keep some of their independence. "I enjoy being with my friends and being with my family, obviously. Going to theatre, going to the opera, taking part in the cultural benefits of the city," Mina Werner said. Read more: What services does NYC provide for aging New Yorkers and their caregivers? Werner is 88 and still going strong. She walks to Juilliard's extension program in Midtown weekly for her musical medicine. In one class, a student guitarist played chords that at times brought her back to her childhood. "I feel very engaged. I guess I'm back at school. I'm learning," Werner said. "I think it's very important to keep your mind going. It's not the same as keeping it young, but keeping it going." Music helps seniors reflect and keep moving forward John-Morgan Busch, the dean of Juilliard's extension program, says 1,300 students are currently in the extension division. Most are 65 and older. "Music and dance and drama as well, it can be a lifeline for people to come together," Busch said. "We believe the performing arts are a way to help combat loneliness, isolation, [and] work with cognitive development." While musical instruments and melodies have been key to their longevity, the thriving seniors say there have been other ingredients to their aging recipe. "I think one thing that is so important is to maintain an interest and a zest for life," Fleischman said. "Looking forward, not backward, I think that's really it," Werner added. They are all living life through music, one note at a time.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New bagel shop to open in former Absolute Bagels location on Upper West Side
UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan (PIX11) — A new bagel shop on Manhattan's Upper West Side is in the works. It's set to replace an iconic business that had been there for nearly 40 years. A steady stream of Upper West Siders walked past the new signage outside the former location for Absolute Bagels with curiosity on Wednesday. Many neighbors say the closure in December left a hole in the community. More Local News 'Best bagel in New York City,' said Upper West Side resident Mark Fleischman. Upper West Side resident Abraham Alvarez said, 'The taste, it had a bit of sweetness, some sourness. A little expensive, but a good size. They were good.' A place so beloved, many customers said they were willing to overlook the slew of health violations the business received from the city before it closed. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State When asked if he was OK with the violations, Alvarez said, 'I did want them to [stay open]. I would check my bagel for bugs.' Fleischman said, 'The health violations were pretty grim, but I was totally fine with it. If they'd kept on making bagels, I would have totally been OK with it.' That's why many people are happy to hear a new bagel shop is opening. But there's a catch. The original business is not back. Rafe Evans is with Walker, Malloy & Company, the broker for the building. Last week, he signed a new lease for the commercial space with new tenants. Evans said the new business owners are a group that already owns a few bagel shops in New York and New Jersey. 'They are going to rebuild it from scratch. They need everything. Floors, walls, ceilings, the works,' Evans said. 'We were surprised to see they're calling themselves the new Absolute Bagels. We do get why they're doing that.' Evans said the new owners have no connection to the family that owned the previous business for 36 years. He doesn't believe the recipes will be similar either. 'Sam, the former owner, was asked if he wanted to sell his recipes, and he said anyone can make a bagel,' Evans said. Regardless, locals said they are excited that there is new life coming to the area. 'The cyclical nature of economic opportunity in New York is pretty much a staple. There's always something opening and closing. When one thing closes, another opens,' one man said. Fleischman said, 'We'll see. If it's anything like Absolute, they'll have my business.' PIX11 News reached out to the new owners of the bagel shop. The group did not want to comment right now, but we're told renovations should take several months. PIX11 also reached out to the original owners of Absolute Bagels but has yet to hear back. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Talent Manager Jake Fleischman Joins Untitled Entertainment
EXCLUSIVE: Jake Fleischman has departed Sugar23 to join Untitled Entertainment. At Sugar23, where he had been for four years, Fleischman represented Gabriel Basso, Lana Condor,Ray Nicholson, Mason Gooding, Edward Bluemel, Charlie Tahan, Annie Hamilton, Dea Kulumbegashvili, Brooklynn Prince, Lino Facioli and Dujonna Gift and Sam Nelson Harris of X Ambassadors. I hear the hope is that most — and possibly all — would follow him to Untitled. More from Deadline BAFTA Nominee Saffron Hocking Signs With Untitled Entertainment The Black List 2024 Scorecards: CAA & Untitled Entertainment Lead The Way In Mentions Grandview Acquired By TPG's Talent Management-Focused Initial Group, Merges With Untitled Entertainment; Combined Leadership Set 'We have been long time fans of Jake's and are thrilled to have him join us,' the Untitled partners said in a statement. Fleischman started his representation career in 2015 as an agent trainee at UTA. He was a manager at Grandview for 2.5 years before joining Sugar23 in March 2021. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys & More 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Internet Is Probably Telling You That Filing A Specific Privacy Complaint Can Wipe Out Your Student Loans. Here's What You Need To Know
If you have federal student loans and aren't a fan of President — oops, I mean "First Buddy" — Elon Musk and the DOGE bros potentially accessing your personal data, chances are you're seeing a lot of posts like this on social media: All over the internet, and especially on TikTok, people are advising student loan borrowers to file FERPA complaints to get their debts cleared. But since TikTok trends and accurate legal and financial advice don't often go hand in hand, I had to learn more about what's really going on here. In a nutshell, the argument goes that Elon Musk and DOGE accessed student loan borrower information without our consent, so people claim that we have the right under FERPA to file a complaint and get our loans wiped away. Separately, the University of California Students Association filed a federal suit to block DOGE from accessing student financial aid data, citing the Privacy Act of 1974. A judge has paused DOGE's access to this data, but the hold is set to end on Monday. Democratic senators have also begun to take some action around this. Last week, 16 senators headed up by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer started a probe into DOGE's access to student loan data. So, does this viral student loan discharge theory hold water? Thankfully, there is someone on TikTok who has the expertise to clear things up. Jay Fleischman (@moneywiselawyer), a lawyer with 25 years of experience in consumer law, is going viral for sharing why he thinks these FERPA complaints won't have the desired effect. In a video that's been viewed over 2 million times as of this writing, he starts by explaining what FERPA even is. "FERPA is short for the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act, which prevents your student information from being disclosed to third parties," Fleischman says. However, he goes on to explain that "There is no private right of action, no right for an individual to sue for violations of FERPA. The US Supreme Court actually decided the case in 2002 in a case called Gonzaga v. Doe. In that case, the US Supreme Court ruled that individuals do not have the right to sue for a violation of FERPA." You can read the Department of Education's page on FERPA here. He concludes the video by saying, "So if you're going to file a lawsuit for violations of FERPA, you're not going anywhere. You're going to waste your time, you're going to waste your money, you're going to get thrown out of court because there's no private right of action, no right for an individual to sue for a violation of FERPA." A lot of commenters were (understandably) like, well, then, what the heck is FERPA even good for?!? So Fleischman made a follow-up video explaining exactly that. "In the case of FERPA, the right to sue for violations and the right to take enforcement actions for violations of FERPA falls to the federal government. So it would be the US Department of Education that would seek to enforce FERPA against an individual or party that violates it, or it would be the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that would seek to enforce FERPA against people who violate it." If you've been paying attention to the news in the last few weeks, you unfortunately know where this is going. He concludes by saying, "Well, with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau basically shuttered, and with the Department of Education being rapidly downsized on the way to the administration trying to shutter it, there's not going to be anybody to enforce your rights. Your consumer protection rights under FERPA do not exist in the absence of a government that is ready, willing, and able to enforce those rights on your behalf." Next, to learn more about what borrowers should actually do right now, I spoke with Natalia Abrams, President and Founder, and Sabrina Calazans, Executive Director, at the Student Debt Crisis Center. The Student Debt Crisis Center is a nonprofit that highlights borrowers' stories and educates borrowers about their options and rights while advocating for the ultimate goal of canceling student debt and ending the student debt crisis. First of all, they agreed that a FERPA complaint is not likely to get rid of your student loans. Abrams said, "We've never seen a claim where there has been debt relief or individualized relief from a FERPA claim." She also pointed me to a recent tweet from the Office of Federal Student Aid assuring borrowers that their data has not been accessed unlawfully. You can read the Student Aid privacy policy, which, as of this writing, was last updated on February 12, 2025, here. Calazans chimed in, saying, "There's a lot of misinformation spreading right now about everything related to the Department of Education. What happens if the Department of Education is dismantled or abolished? What happens to my debt? It does not go away, to our understanding. It just will pass on to either the Department of Treasury or maybe private lenders." So, what should borrowers do right now? Abrams says that the main thing is to keep on top of payments. "We don't want people to miss a lot of payments, thinking that [their debt] is gone and then end up in a worse situation. As much as we want to find that holy grail that cancels all of the debt — we've long fought for that, and we got very close under the last administration — smarter folks than us in terms of attorney groups are looking into every angle they can to pull those levers." Abrams went on to say, "If you're struggling to make your payment, there are what's called income-driven repayment programs that base your payment on your income versus the overall loan amount that can help people that are struggling to make their payment right now." In 2023, the Biden administration introduced a new income-driven plan called the SAVE plan that set certain lower-income borrowers up for $0 monthly payments with no interest accruing. However, that plan has since been tied up in the courts with millions of borrowers still waiting to find out what will happen. Abrams explained, "You can still technically enroll in the SAVE program and then be included in that forbearance. I'd caution a bit, because that could take up to two months, and we don't know where the status will be of the lawsuits in two months." Calazans added that, as of now, enrolling in the SAVE program also halts progress in plans like public service student loan forgiveness, so for that reason, they recommend sticking to other income-driven plans. Calazans added another crucial step for borrowers to take right now. "We've also been encouraging folks to document any information that they have regarding their accounts. So they should log into and they should document what repayment plan they're in, their servicer, and their balance. All of that information is really critical so that you know where things stand. We don't know if the website's going to be pulled down. We don't know what they're going to take off of the website. So, it is important for folks to have that information." Finally, Abrams said, "More chaos is not the answer for student loan borrowers that have been in chaotic times for years now ever since people thought their debt was going to be canceled, and then that was held up in the courts — and then this new SAVE plan and that was held up in the court. Borrowers need clarity and to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And that's really hard when there's so many unknowns." The Student Debt Crisis Center has authored a letter on Action Network that you can use to urge your representatives in Congress to stand with student loan borrowers and defend the Department of Education. Do you have federal student loans, and what do you think about this whole situation? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
