Latest news with #New York Times
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Health
- Washington Post
Organ retrieval reforms ordered after some donors showed 'signs of life'
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced reforms to the nation's organ transplant system Monday, citing recent findings that the process of removing organs has on some occasions begun even when donors showed signs of life. The federally chartered nonprofit groups known as organ procurement organizations (OPOs) that coordinate the donation process will face decertification if they fail to follow protocols that regulate when an organ can be extracted from a dead patient, according to a release from HHS. The announcement, which comes ahead of a House hearing Tuesday morning on safety breaches in the organ donation system, stems from an HHS investigation into reports that workers for OPOs pressured doctors to start procuring kidneys, livers and other organs from patients even as they showed signs of life. It follows a report by the New York Times Sunday about such patients, including one who was presumed to be dead but whose heart was discovered to be beating after a surgeon made an incision in her chest for procurement surgery. 'Our findings show that hospitals allowed the organ procurement process to begin when patients showed signs of life, and this is horrifying,' Kennedy said in a statement. In a March report, HHS looked at 351 cases in which organ donation was authorized but not completed. It found 103 cases with 'concerning features, including 73 patients with neurological signs incompatible with organ donation,' according to Kennedy's statement. At least 28 patients may not have been deceased when organ procurement was initiated, the statement said. HHS also said it found evidence of 'poor neurological assessments, lack of coordination with medical teams, questionable consent practices and misclassification of causes of death.' Kennedy said OPOs will need to adopt a formal process allowing any staff member to halt a donation process if patient safety concerns arise. They also will need to review any failures to follow protocols — including a requirement to wait five minutes after a patient is dead before making an incision — and develop clear policies around who is and isn't eligible for organ donation. The nation's supply of organs — which falls far short of demand — has been boosted in recent years by the practice of removing organs from patients who have experienced 'circulatory death.' Such patients may still show brain activity but doctors have determined they are near death and won't recover. With family consent, life support can be withdrawn and doctors then wait for the heart to stop beating. Most organ donations are still from brain-dead patients, but OPOs in some cases have pressured doctors to move quickly in procuring organs in the short time frame required. HHS launched its investigation after a House committee hearing in September, where the former employee of an OPO revealed that she, a surgeon and other workers refused to procure organs from a patient who was being prepared for surgery but was shaking his head and crying. The procurement organization, Network for Hope, is responsible for coordinating organ donation in Kentucky and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Its officials were not immediately available for comment.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
4 Key Signs Gas Prices Will Spike Due to Shortages in the Middle East
A major barometer for how many Americans feel about the economy is fuel prices. Rising prices at the pump can squeeze an already tight budget. Thankfully, GasBuddy reports that gas prices have been relatively stable in recent months. Read More: Find Out: Rising conflicts in the Middle East may threaten that stability. Recent actions by Israel and Iran could directly impact what Americans pay at the pump. Here are four key signs that gas prices will spike due to shortages by oil-producing countries in the Middle East. Iran Closing the Strait of Hormuz Americans may have heard reports of Iran considering closing access to the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait provides the only route from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean. Iran controls the northern side of the Strait. Closing access to it could have a significant impact on the price of oil. The New York Times indicated why this would be important, noting, 'A quarter of the world's oil and 20 percent of the world's liquefied natural gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz, so mining the choke point would cause oil and gas prices to soar.' While most of the oil going through the Strait goes to Asia, America would feel the impact of a move with increased energy costs. Discover Next: Continued Tensions Any time military action occurs, it can lead to a potential increase in cost, particularly when commodities are impacted. Continued hostilities in the Middle East will only exacerbate the risk of increased oil prices. 'With Israel and Iran trading attacks, oil prices have surged to multi-month highs — setting the stage for additional price hikes at gas pumps across the country. As long as tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate, the risk of further impacts on oil prices remains high,' said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, in an interview with Fortune. De Haan noted Americans can expect prices to increase by $0.10 to $0.20 per gallon in the near term, if not more. 'Motorists should prepare for what will likely be modest price increases, for now, but the situation has the potential to worsen at any moment,' said De Haan. Possible Regime Change Military action typically poses a risk to the price of goods, but regime change can be even more detrimental. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had not been publicly heard from for nearly a week after the United States bombed sites in Iran. Added to that, President Trump hinted at a possible regime change. And historically, regime changes have significantly increased oil prices Regime change could send oil prices significantly higher, particularly if it results in a loss of oil from Iran. 'The main concern is any disruption to energy flows and global confidence. A complete loss of Iranian oil, which accounts for 4% of global production, could push crude to $100 per barrel,' according to J.P. Morgan. OPEC+ Cuts Production OPEC and OPEC+ countries account for roughly 60% of the world's crude oil, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. There have been no indications that nations will cut production in light of recent actions in the Middle East. However, any move to cut production typically results in increased costs at the pump. Worse yet, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is at historically low levels, partly due to actions taken by the Biden administration. Additionally, there are no plans to replenish it. The combination of not refilling the SPR could prove costly if OPEC does reduce production. 'The decision not to refill the emergency reserve is significant for U.S. consumers and energy security. The SPR's depleted status limits the government's ability to intervene during supply shocks or price spikes, potentially leaving American families and industries more exposed to global oil market volatility,' according to Newsweek. While gas prices have been relatively stable of late, activities in the Middle East could cause prices to spike. It's best to stay informed and identify ways to save at the pump for Americans concerned with gas costs. More From GOBankingRates 3 Luxury SUVs That Will Have Massive Price Drops in Summer 2025 6 Popular SUVs That Aren't Worth the Cost -- and 6 Affordable Alternatives 5 Cities You Need To Consider If You're Retiring in 2025 This article originally appeared on 4 Key Signs Gas Prices Will Spike Due to Shortages in the Middle East
New York Times
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Something Only I Can See
On This Week's Episode: When you're the only one who can see something, sometimes it feels as if you're in on a special secret. The hard part is getting anyone to believe your secret is real. In this episode, people try to show others what they see — including a woman with muscular dystrophy who believes she has the same condition as an Olympic athlete. New York Times Audio is home to the 'This American Life' archive. Download the app — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Russia Today
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukraine accuses NYT of spreading ‘Russian propaganda'
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has accused the New York Times of propaganda after its reporter traveled to the part of western Russia which previously came under attack by Ukrainian troops. Kiev took issue with the July 12 story by Times journalist and photographer Nanna Heitmann, who described life in the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine. In August 2024, Ukrainian forces crossed Russia's internationally recognized border and captured the small city of Sudzha and dozens of villages, but were eventually expelled last April. Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky said at the time that the incursion was meant to acquire leverage for future peace talks. 'Whoever at Times thought it was smart to report alongside Russian war criminals made the dumbest decision. This isn't balance or 'the other side of the story.' This is simply letting Russian propaganda mislead the audience,' Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgy Tikhy wrote on X on Saturday. Heitmann, who said she was at times escorted by the Chechnya-based Akhmat unit, took photos of Russian soldiers patrolling the destroyed villages, clearing mines, and helping to evacuate civilians. She spoke to locals whose homes were damaged by the fighting, and visited a shelter for evacuated civilians. The journalist said she observed the bodies of civilians and soldiers, claiming that 'the uniforms visible among the fallen were mostly Russian.' 'Amid shattered homes, other bodies had lain decomposing for months, seemingly untouched, the circumstances of their deaths unknown,' Heitmann wrote. She reported that some locals criticized the government for not evacuating everyone in time, but mentioned that Russian officials denied these claims and said more than 150,000 people were evacuated from the region. Ukrainian troops allowed multiple Western news crews, including CNN, France 24, El Mundo and Deutsche Welle, to accompany them during the incursion and to report from occupied Sudzha. Moscow subsequently charged several foreign journalists with border violations. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the Western media of propaganda on Kiev's behalf and of covering up atrocities. According to Russia, Ukrainian troops massacred civilians in several villages, including Russkoye Porechnoye and Nikolayevo-Daryino.
Telegraph
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
FBI using lie detectors to test Trump administration loyalty
The FBI is reportedly using lie detector tests to see whether officials are loyal to the agency's director, Kash Patel. Marking a significant escalation in the use of polygraph tests, agents are being questioned over their previous statements on Mr Trump's pick for the top job, as well as whether they have leaked information about him to the media. More broadly, the tests are being used to find employees who may have betrayed their country or shown they can't be trusted with secrets. At times during interviews and lie-detector tests, the FBI has asked senior officials whether they have said anything negative about Mr Patel, two people told the New York Times. In one instance, officials were forced to take a lie-detector test as the agency worked to find out who had told the media that Mr Patel had demanded a service weapon, despite not being a field agent. Dozens of officials are thought to have been asked to take lie-detector tests, though it is unclear how many were quizzed about their loyalty to Mr Patel. The FBI confirmed earlier this year that it had begun using polygraph tests to try and source the origin of leaks about the agency. 'We can confirm the FBI has begun administering polygraph tests to identify the source of information leaks within the bureau,' the bureau's public affairs office told Reuters in April. Polygraph tests are not used to uphold evidence in a court of law but are regularly used by national security agencies as part of investigations and background checks. James Davidson, a former agent who spent 23 years at the FBI, said the increasing use of tests to question employee loyalty undermined Mr Patel's credibility as director. 'Loyalty is to the Constitution' He told the NYT: 'An FBI employee's loyalty is to the Constitution, not to the director or deputy director. It says everything about Patel's weak constitution that this is even on his radar.' However, former polygraphers also said the question asking about Mr Patel may have been a 'control question', which is used to provoke a physiological response from the subject, regardless of whether they are being truthful. Mr Patel was installed as the next FBI director earlier this year in a narrow vote in the Senate. He is viewed as a key ally of Mr Trump, having refused to commit that he would not investigate officials he viewed as opponents of the president. The crackdown on leaking is part of a wider trend within the Trump administration, which has taken steps to prosecute those responsible. The US Department of Justice has already made it easier for prosecutors investigating leaks to demand records and testimony from journalists. 'Low confidence' Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, warned former senior advisers could be prosecuted for leaking Pentagon information. Mr Hegseth, alongside the US president, railed against Pentagon officials last month after it was reported that strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities had not been as successful as initially thought. The defence secretary said the Pentagon assessment had been made with 'low confidence' and confirmed that the FBI was looking into the leak. Tulsi Gabbard, the US director of national intelligence, pledged in March to 'aggressively pursue recent leakers' in order to hold them accountable for unauthorised disclosures. Ms Gabbard had also said she was willing to work with the justice department and the FBI 'to investigate, terminate and prosecute' the leakers who she referred to as 'criminals'.
