As the Senate continues to hold votes on repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), it appears more and more likely that Senate leadership plans to offer a skinny version of ACA repeal as the final version that senators must vote on. This version would reportedly repeal the individual and employer mandates and the medical device tax.

This plan is simply a feigned retreat; the Republican leaderships end game most certainly includes cutting financial assistance for people buying insurance in the individual market, ending the ACAs Medicaid expansion, and capping federal support for the remaining Medicaid program. Both the House-passed American Health Care Act (AHCA) and the Senate-introduced Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) include these draconian changes.

If senators fall for this maneuver and pass the skinny ACA repeal bill, a limited number of senior senators and their counterparts in the House of Representatives would then meet in a conference committee, during which they would make changes to the House and Senate-passed versions of the ACA repeal legislation so that both versions are identical. At that point, Republican congressional leaders could execute their plan to re-insert provisions that lower financial assistance, end the Medicaid expansion, and cap support for the program. The version approved by the conference committee would then be voted on by both the House and the Senate, with no opportunity for further changes or amendments. If the bill passes, it would then go to the president for signature into law.

But the skinny repeal bill alonewithout the reinsertion of provisions from the AHCA and the BCRAwould still have devastating effects on health insurance coverage if it became law. It would jeopardize consumer choice in the individual market by creating chaos and uncertainty for issuers in the marketplace and increasing premiums.

Based on a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis, the Center for American Progress estimates that the so-called skinny bill would raise premiums $1,238 higher than it would otherwise be under current law. The benchmark premium for a 60-year-old, for example, would be about $2,014 higher in 2018 under mandate repeal. Among states, these increases would be highest in Alaska because of its already-high premium levels. (see Table 1)

Consumers who were not subsidized, including those who buy their coverage outside the marketplaces, would pay the full premium increase from mandate repeal. For consumers eligible for subsidies, any 2018 premium increase would largely be mitigated by increased premium tax credits, and therefore borne by taxpayers.

Because insurers must finalize their 2018 rates in just a few weeks, any further changes to the market rules for 2018 could force some to withdraw altogether. The repeal bill poses an even greater risk in states with fewer insurers offering plans in the individual market. In 2017, for example, there was just one insurer offering marketplace plans each county throughout Alaska and Arizona. Many counties in other states, including Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and West Virginia, also have just one insurer. Given the uncertainty created by congressional action on repealing the ACA and the administrations repeated actions to sabotage the law, insurers remain very nervous about participating in the marketplaces nextyear. As of July 26, 2017, four counties in Indiana, 14 counties in Nevada, and 22 counties in Ohio were at risk of having no insurer in the marketplace in 2018.

Voting for the skinny repeal bill authorizes Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and other opponents of the ACA to finalize in secret an ACA repeal bill that will harm millions of Americans. Senators should not fall for this political maneuvering.

Methodology

To estimate what average premiums would be next year, we used information on the 2017 average premium and inflated it to 2018 rates. Among states that reported average 2017 premiums to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the average was $471 per month, or $5,652 annually. To estimate premiums for a 60-year-old, we started with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report on state average benchmark silver plan premiums and then adjusted those averages to reflect premiums for a 60-year-old. Average premium and benchmark premium data were not available for all states.

Under implementation of the ACA, including continued payment of cost-sharing reductions and enforcement of the individual mandate, premium increases next year would reflect mostly increases in medical trend. The consultancy Oliver Wyman predicts that premiums should rise about 8 to 11 percent in 2018. We used the midpoint of this prediction, 9.5 percent, to estimate 2018 average and benchmark premiums. To apply the CBOs estimate that premiums would increase by 20 percent relative to current law, we applied that increase to expected 2018 premiums under the ACA implementation. We estimate that without the mandate, the national average marketplace premium would be $7,427 next year, $1,238 higher than it would otherwise be.

Emily R. Gee is the health economist for the Health Policy team at the Center for American Progress. Maura Calsyn is the managing directorfor the Health Policy team at American Progress.

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The Senate's Skinny ACA Repeal Shell Game - Center For American Progress

Congressional Republican leaders and administration officials suggested that there would be movement this week in their tax reform talks, but remained tight-lipped about what form that progress could take.

"Wait and see," National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn told reporters Wednesday upon leaving House Speaker Paul Ryan's office after a nearly hour-long meeting.

Cohn didn't rule out that the "Big Six" of congressional GOP leaders and administration officials would release an outline of or guidelines for a tax reform plan this week, a possibility reported by several publications earlier in the day. "We're all on one page, one unified page," he said.

Kevin Brady, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee that has jurisdiction over taxes, indicated that the group would release something this week, but declined to give any indication of what form that update would take.

The "Big Six" comprise Cohn, Brady, Ryan, Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

They have engaged in regular talks at the Capitol to hammer out a unified Republican plan, discussing issues such as the the target for lowering tax rates, which tax breaks to eliminate, and how comprehensive the plan will be. So far, they have kept their deliberations to themselves. On Wednesday evening, they remained discreet, but talked up their progress.

"Excellent meeting. Continue to make a lot of progress," said Mnuchin, breezing past reporters assembled outside Ryan's office.

Republicans have said that their goal is to pass tax reform in 2017.

"We're going to be submitting a tax bill in the very near future," President Trump said earlier in the day at an event at the White House.

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GOP negotiators hint at progress on tax reform this week - Washington Examiner

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States is making progress in talks with North Korean ally China on imposing new United Nations sanctions on Pyongyang over its latest missile test, but Russia's engagement will be the "true test," U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said.

The United States gave China a draft resolution nearly three weeks ago to impose stronger sanctions on North Korea over the July 4 missile launch. Haley had been aiming for a vote by the 15-member Security Council within weeks, senior diplomats said.

"We're constantly in touch with China ... Things are moving but it's still too early to tell how far they'll move," Haley said on Tuesday, adding that she was pleased with China's initial response to the U.S. proposal because it showed "seriousness."

"We know that China's been sharing and negotiating with Russia, so as long as they are doing that, we're going to continue to watch this closely to make sure it is a strong resolution," she told reporters.

China's U.N. Ambassador Liu Jieyi told reporters: "We are making progress, it requires time, but we're working very hard."

Speaking in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said any United Nations' moves should help ensure peace, stability and denuclearization.

"All sides need to maintain pressure, and also work hard to ease the tense situation on the peninsula as soon as possible, creating a beneficial environment and atmosphere for resuming contacts and talks," Lu told a daily news briefing.

Traditionally, the United States and China have negotiated sanctions on North Korea before formally involving other council members, though diplomats said Washington informally keeps Britain and France in the loop. Along with Russia, those five countries are veto-wielding Security Council members.

"The true test will be what (the Chinese) have worked out with Russia (and whether) Russia comes and tries to pull out of that," said Haley.

The United States and Russia have waged rival campaigns at the Security Council over the type of ballistic missile fired by North Korea. Western powers have said it was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), while Russia said the missile fired was only medium-range.

Diplomats say China and Russia only view a long-range missile test or nuclear weapon test as a trigger for further possible U.N. sanctions.

"Everyone that we have dealt with acknowledges that it's an ICBM. Whether they are willing to put it in writing or not is going to be the real question," Haley said.

North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions since 2006 over its ballistic missile and nuclear programs and the Security Council has ratcheted up the measures in response to five nuclear weapons tests and two long-range missile launches.

President Donald Trump's administration has been frustrated that China has not done more to rein in North Korea and senior officials have said Washington could impose new sanctions on Chinese firms doing business with Pyongyang.

When asked how long Washington was willing to negotiate with China at the United Nations before deciding to impose its own secondary sanctions, Haley said: "We're making progress ... We're going to see what the situation is."

"We want China and every other country to see it as serious and we're going to keep moving forward that way," she said.

China's Ambassador to Washington Cui Tiankai said on Tuesday that Beijing objected to secondary sanctions. In June, the United States blacklisted two Chinese citizens and a shipping company for helping North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

"Such actions are unacceptable. They have severely impaired China-U.S. cooperation on the Korean nuclear issue, and give rise to more questions about the true intention of the U.S.," he told the Institute for China-America Studies in Washington.

Additional reporting by David Brunstrom in Washington and Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by James Dalgleish and Clarence Fernandez

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US says progress with China on North Korea UN sanctions, true test is Russia - Reuters

Barron's

AMD Surges 7%: Bulls Cheer Progress, Bears Think Shares Overvalued Barron's The bulls are delighted with the progress they see with new products such as Ryzen for PCs, and the beginning of revenue for the company's Epyc server chip. Bears confess being impressed, but mostly think the stock is overvalued. Even though the ... and more »

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AMD Surges 7%: Bulls Cheer Progress, Bears Think Shares Overvalued - Barron's

Photo Activists dressed in bridal gowns and veils staged a chain-in in June to protest child marriage in New Jersey.Credit Kyle Oleary

State legislators in the U.S. can no longer plead ignorance about child marriage in America. Not now that research shows an estimated quarter-million children, at least as young as 10, were married in the United States between 2000 and 2010. National and international news outlets arepaying attention.

Yet while several states have moved in recent months to strengthen their laws and raise their marriage age, legal loopholes in all 50 states still allow marriage before 18 and many state legislators remain unconvinced that they need to end child marriage. Some legislators continue to insist that pregnant girls should marry, despite highly publicized cases of such girls who were forced to marry their own rapists and despite research that shows pregnant teenage girls have better long-term outcomes if they dont marry.

Marriage before age 18 has such devastating, long-lasting consequences undermining girls health, education and economic opportunities and increasing their risk of experiencing violence that the U.S. state department considers marriage before 18 a human rights abuse. Furthermore, children can easily be forced into marriage or forced to stay in a marriage before they become legal adults, because they face overwhelming legal and practical barriers if they try to leave home, access a shelter, retain an attorney or bring a legal action. Even in a polarized age, we can all agree on ending child marriage. So whats the holdup?

In New Jersey, a bill to end all marriage before 18 passed both houses of the legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support, before Gov. Chris Christieconditionally vetoed it. Christie is Americas most hated governor, with a 15 percent approval rating, yet legislators have not yet overridden his outrageous veto.

New Yorkreceived accolades for passing a bill ostensibly to end child marriage. But while the new law eliminates marriage for 14- to 16-year-olds, it still allows marriage at 17, when children face the highest risk of forced marriage.

Texasrecently passed a bill, similar to oneVirginiapassed last year, to end most child marriage, but both states still allow emancipated minors to marry. This allows for children to be forced to emancipate so they can be forced to marry. Besides, the many catastrophic impacts of marriage before 18 dont disappear if a child is emancipated.

Legislators inMarylandchose, for the second year in a row, not to pass a common-sense bill that would have eliminated child marriage. Legislators inConnecticutwere uncomfortable with a similar bill; instead, they amended it before they passed it, to be sure 16- and 17-year-olds can still be subjected to this human-rights abuse.

Californialawmakers apparently are not quite ready to follow New Hampshires shameful lead and vote no on ending child marriage, but neither are they ready to vote yes. So California legislators watered down a proposed bill enough that, if it passes, it will accomplish close to nothing.

A bill pending inMissouri, too, is inexcusably weak. The bill offers no protection for those who need it most, 17-year-olds.

However, even these inadequate bills represent remarkable, unprecedented progress toward eliminating child marriage in the U.S. Further evidence of progress lies in the strong bills to end all marriage before 18 that are pending inMassachusettsandPennsylvaniaand a solid bill that was just pre-filed in Florida. Legislators in several other states, including Colorado, Utah and Washington, are considering doing the same.

Clearly, the national movement to end child marriage is growing. Now is the time to convince hesitant lawmakers in every state to end child marriage not just for some children, or for some ages, but for all children. You can help to do this by making sure your legislators and your governor know you want to set the marriage age at 18, without exceptions (details atunchainedatlast.org).

Lets seize on the current momentum. Lets push until legislators in every state finally end child marriage.

Fraidy Reiss (@unchainedatlast) is the founder and executive director of Unchained At Last, a nonprofit dedicated to helping women and girls in the U.S. to escape forced marriages.

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Despite Progress, Child Marriage Is Still Legal in All 50 States - New York Times (blog)

Monday, July 31, 2017, 12:00 pm ET - 01:30 pm ET

Black women work every day on the front lines and behind the scenes as advocates, organizers, leaders, and powerful voices for progress and social justice. Their work is often unsung and unrecognized, yet, they play a critical role in the success of their families, their workplaces, their communities, and society overall. This engagement is also reflected in their votingfor years, black women have been among the most active and reliable voters, recognizing the importance of engaging in the political process to achieve progress. But too often, the unique experiences of black womenlike other women of colorare missing from the broader public debate about what women need and how best to respond. Persistent disparities in wages, health care, employment, economic outcomes, advancement opportunities, and more are among the many areas that call for targeted strategies and solutions.

On the occasion of Black Womens Equal Pay Day, a day which marks how far into the year African American women must work to earn the same amount as white men did the year before, please join the Center for American Progress for a thought-provoking conversation about the importance of black womens activism and the power of black grassroots leaders in the current environment. This event is part of an ongoing series that focuses on race and creating power to move the progressive agenda forward.

Introductory remarks: Carmel Martin, executive vice president for policy, Center for American Progress

In discussion: Susan Taylor, founder and CEO, National CARES Mentoring Movement; editor-in-chief emeritus, Essencemagazine Jocelyn Frye, senior fellow, Center for American Progress

Featured panelists: Melanie Campbell, president and CEO, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation Johnetta Elzie, civil rights activist, co-editor of This Is The Movement Tracy Sturdivant, co-founder and co-executive director, Make It Work Janaye Ingram, director of national partnerships, Airbnb, national organizer and member of board of directors, Womens March

Moderator: Michele Jawando, vice president of Legal Progress, Center for American Progress, co-host of Thinking CAP Podcast

A light lunch will be served at 11:30am.

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Leveraging the Power of Black Women - Center For American Progress

Later today, the Senate is scheduled to hold its initial vote on repeal of the Affordable Care Act, although nobody, including the senators themselves, know which bill will be up for a final vote. Reportedly the options for consideration include a previously-unseen skinny version of ACA repeal that would only include a repeal of the coverage mandates and the medical device tax. But this skinny repeal bill, if passed, would still have negative effects on health insurance coverage. It would also discourage issuer participation in the individual market and increase the average marketplace premium by $1,238 next year.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that repeal of the individual mandate would result in 15 million fewer Americans having health insurance a decade from now. By 2026, about 15 percent of the nonelderly population, or 43 million Americans, would be uninsured.

Mandate repeal would affect the individual market enrollment in two ways. First, in the absence of a mandate, some younger and healthier individuals may decide to forgo individual market coverage. This phenomenon, known as adverse selection, would cause the average cost among enrollees remaining in the individual market to rise. In turn, issuers would need to raise rates. The CBO projects that premiums in the individual market would increase by roughly 20 percent relative to premiums under current law. Second, because these higher premium levels would not be affordable to some enrollees, more people would be forced to drop their coverage and become uninsured.

The Center for American Progress estimates that a 20 percent increase in individual market premiums next year would mean that the average premium in insurance marketplace would be about $1,238 higher than it would otherwise be under current law. Consumers who were not subsidized, including those who buy their coverage outside the marketplaces, would pay the full premium increase from mandate repeal. For consumers eligible for subsidies, any 2018 premium increase would largely be mitigated by increased premium tax credits, and therefore borne by taxpayers.

Furthermore, the passage of skinny repeal would immediately destabilize the individual market, driving up premiums and leading insurers to exit the market. Even if the House and Senate bills went to a conference committee and a final bill was not passed for some time, the legislation would still immediately destabilize the individual market because the deadlines for insurers to set final 2018 rates are a few weeks away. Issuers would not know the final form of the bill until after the filing deadline; they would have to either increase 2018 premiums now in anticipation of the repeal the mandate or simply withdraw from the individual market altogether. Either action would have catastrophic effects on the individual market and its consumers.

Finally, although a skinny repeal bill would not include the devastating cuts to Medicaid, gutting of protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and reductions in financial assistance found in the Houses repeal bill and previous Senate versions, there is nothing to stop House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) from adding back these harmful provisions if the bill goes to a conference committee. Notably, a final conference bill would be subject only to an up-or-down vote and could not be amended.

To estimate what premiums would be next year, we used information on the 2017 average premium and inflated it to 2018 rates. Among states that reported average 2017 premiums to CMS, the average was $471 per month, or $5,652 annually. Under implementation of the ACA, including continued payment of cost-sharing reductions and enforcement of the individual mandate, premium increases next year would reflect mostly increases in medical trend. The consultancy Oliver Wyman predicts that premiums should rise about 8 to 11 percent in 2018. We used the midpoint of this prediction, 9.5 percent, to estimate the 2018 premium.

To apply the CBOs estimate that premiums would increase by 20 percent relative to current law, we applied that increase to expected 2018 premiums under the ACA implementation. We estimate the average marketplace premium without the mandate would be $7,427 next year, $1,238 higher than it would otherwise be.

Emily R. Gee is the health economist for the Health Policy team at the Center for American Progress. Thomas Huelskoetter is the policy analystfor the Health Policy team at American Progress.

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Skinny Repeal Bill Would Raise Average Premiums by $1238 and Increase Uninsured - Center For American Progress

TORONTO (Reuters) - Freeport-McMoRan Inc shares jumped to a 16-month high on Tuesday, as soaring metal prices and progress in a long-running, costly permit dispute with Indonesia buoyed the world's biggest publicly traded copper miner.

Investors brushed aside quarterly results and full-year forecasts that were short of expectations, focusing instead on a two-year high for copper prices and Chief Executive Officer Richard Adkerson's confidence in securing a new mining agreement by October for Freeport's giant Grasberg mine.

Freeport's stock surged nearly 15 percent on the New York Stock Exchange by mid-day Tuesday, making it the top performer on the S&P 500 Index as it outpaced gains by fellow copper miners.

"Freeport's share price performance is justified based on what's happened in copper, based on the progress in negotiations and based on the fact that ... the stock is not very widely held," said Jefferies mining analyst Christopher LaFemina.

"This is a stock that many investors have not liked. It's under-owned and has had some good news. That tends to be a recipe for a higher share price."

The rally in copper is fueled by tight supplies, reflecting disruptions from Canada to Chile, alongside signs of robust demand from top consumer China and a weak dollar.

Freeport results and outlook were pinched by labor and operating issues at Grasberg, the world's second-largest copper mine.

After a 15-week outage related to the licensing row, Grasberg got a temporary license in April allowing copper concentrate exports until October.

As part of a plan to lower costs, Freeport this year cut 10 percent of its Indonesian workforce of 32,000. That sparked a strike, which miners extended last week for a fourth month, to the end of August.

Revised rules in Indonesia require miners to divest a 51 percent stake, relinquish arbitration rights and pay new taxes and royalties. Freeport insists on getting the same fiscal and legal protection in its current contract.

Fair valuation for the divestment, a sticking point in the past, could be resolved by a listing on the Indonesia Stock Exchange, said Adkerson, who is personally involved in the negotiations.

He added that Freeport is preparing for an arbitration claim if negotiations fail, but neither party wants that outcome. "There is a mutual sense of optimism," Adkerson told analysts on a conference call.

Without a long-term permit, Freeport would "significantly" reduce or defer $700 million budgeted in 2017 and $750 million in 2018 on a major underground mine development plan at Grasberg.

Freeport reported an adjusted profit of 17 cents a share, trailing the consensus of 20 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Its revenue of $3.7 billion topped expectations for $3.3 billion.

Freeport again cut its 2017 sales forecast to 3.7 billion pounds of copper, from 3.9 billion pounds, and 1.6 million ounces of gold, from 1.9 million ounces. That followed cuts in April from 4.1 billion pounds of copper and 2.2 million ounces of gold.

Reporting by Susan Taylor; editing by Meredith Mazzilli

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Freeport stock soars 15 percent on copper prices, permit progress - Reuters

Andrew Krietz , WTSP 11:57 AM. EDT July 26, 2017

On left: a group of Pyrenees dogs in the conditions they had been living in before being rescued. On right, top: Bonsai and the Florida Great Pyrenees Rescue and Club. On right, bottom: Franck at the rescue. (Photo: Florida Great Pyrenees Rescue and Club)

LAKELAND, FLA. - Slow yet steady progress is being made toward the rehabilitation of 20 rescued dogs in northern Florida.

Members of the Florida Great Pyrenees Rescue and Club were notified that 55 dogs were left running free on some 35 acres of land after their owner died in June. While most of the Pyrs were brought in by the Freeport-basedAlaqua Animal Refuge, the rescue saved 20 animals and took them to Lakeland.

All are doing much better since, said Jennifer Wilson of the organization. They now are in the care of vets at TLC PetSnip Inc.

It was quite the medical undertaking, however: all 20 were malnourished and had internal parasites. Thankfully, none tested positive for heartworm.

Three of the dogs needed surgery -- one due to wounds from another -- while five required several teeth to be removed. Some other dogs also underwent eye entropion surgery.

"We work with them every day on their social skills, as most have not had contact with people except the elderly lady," Wilson said. "We are making progress, slowly but surely."

Updates continue to be posted on the Florida Great Pyrenees Rescue and Club's Facebook page.

Makeit easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this.Download the 10 Newsapp now.

Have a news tip? Email tips@wtsp.com, visit ourFacebook pageorTwitter feed.

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Making progress, 'slowly but surely': 55 dogs rescued after owner's death - WTSP 10 News

DOHA (Reuters) - Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan left Qatar on Monday after two days in the Gulf trying to mediate in the worst row among Arab states for years but there was no sign he had made any progress.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and travel ties with Qatar in June, accusing it of supporting Islamist militants. Doha denies the claims.

Turkey has been Qatar's most powerful ally in the dispute, rushing through legislation to send more troops to its base in Doha as a sign of support.

Kuwaiti and Western efforts to end the crisis have yielded little so far. The four Arab states want Qatar to reduce ties with their arch-foe Iran, close down the Turkish military base and shut the Al Jazeera TV channel, which they view as critical of their governments.

Qatari state news agency QNA said that Qatar's ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, had "reviewed regional developments, specifically the Gulf crisis and efforts to contain it and to resolve it through diplomatic means..." in talks with Erdogan.

The agency said the talks also covered joint efforts to combat terrorism and reviewed defense and economic cooperation.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said Qatar would achieve more by reconsidering its position.

"The Turkish president's visit did not carry anything new, and the hasty stand his country had taken made neutrality as the best option for Ankara" Gargash wrote on his Twitter account. "A Qatari review will achieve more than repeated visits."

Erdogan was the latest senior official to tour the region to try to resolve the crisis. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and foreign ministers from France, Britain and Germany also toured the area in recent weeks.

Several contingents of Turkish troops with columns of armored vehicles have arrived in Doha since the crisis erupted on June 5.

Under a 2014 agreement, Ankara could send in as many as 1,000 troops.

Turkey and Qatar have been important backers of the Muslim Brotherhood movement that has challenged entrenched Arab rulers and Erdogan has his roots in an Islamist political party.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have designated the Brotherhood a terrorist organization.

Before he arrived in Qatar, Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. In Saudi Arabia, he discussed with King Salman "efforts to combat terrorism and its sources of funding", state news agency SPA said, without elaborating.

Reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi in Doha and Ali Abdelaty in Cairo; Editing by Louise Ireland and Andrew Hay

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Turkey's Erdogan ends tour with no sign of Qatar progress - Reuters

Moving in the right direction.

For all the tweeting he does about repealing Obamacare, defeating Islamic State and building a wall along the Mexican border, President Donald Trump has precious little progress to show. By contrast, he has probably achieved the most in an area he mentions rarely: reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs.

This special edition of the Trump Twitter Filter (whats that? see here) steps back to take a look at the presidents activity since he took office in January -- to which campaign promises he has paid the most attention, and how much ofthat attention reflects movement toward the goals he set out (for further explanation, see footnote ).

Despite the distractions of a developing investigation into his administrations contacts with Russia, Trump hasnt lost sight of the platform on which he was elected. Since Monday, Jan. 23 (his first full weekday in office), about 40 percent of all his tweets have mentioned one or more of the items on his campaign agenda. Heres a chart showing the weekly percentage:

Source: Trump Twitter Archive, author's calculations

In terms of the sheer number of mentions, three topics stand out: defense, immigration and health care -- a reflection of the presidents preoccupation with terrorism, his efforts to impose a travel ban from certain Muslim-majority countries and the protracted wrangling in Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare. He tweeted about defense-related topics 98 times, immigration 92 times and health care 88 times. Heres a chart:

Source: Trump Twitter Archive, author's calculations

Most of that tweeting, though, has had little to do with actual movement toward Trumps stated goals. Its hard to say whether his actions, on net, have helped or hindered the fight against Islamic State. The travel ban is incomplete and the wall remains a promise. Republicans havent been able to agree on a viable replacement for Obamacare.

That said, in one area, Veterans Affairs, there actually has been progress. Since the Senate approved his appointment unanimously in February, Secretary David Shulkin has sought to improve accountability at hospitals by publicly posting wait times and care-quality data, and has extended much-needed mental health services to veterans with less-than-honorable discharges. Even Congress has made a contribution, passing a bill to streamline the agencys hiring and firing processes -- legislation that Trump signed and tweeted about three times.

As a result, most of the presidents 10 tweets on Veterans Affairs reflected movement toward his goal of reforming the agency. Specifically, they garnered a total of 7.5 movement points, for an effectiveness ratio of 75 percent. Heres how that compares with other agenda items:

Source: Trump Twitter Archive, author's calculations

Although taking better care of veterans is far from the biggest item on Trumps agenda, its certainly a goal that mostAmericans would support. Its also a rare area in which the presidents penchant for taking credit appears to be more or lessin line with his achievements.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

To contact the author of this story: Mark Whitehouse at mwhitehouse1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Greiff at jgreiff@bloomberg.net

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Trump's Quiet Progress on Veterans Affairs - Bloomberg

Sen. John ThuneJohn ThuneMcCain returning to Senate in time for health vote Overnight Healthcare: Trump pressures GOP ahead of vote | McConnell urges Senate to start debate | Cornyn floats conference on House, Senate bills | Thune sees progress on Medicaid GOP seeks to meet referees rules on healthcare repeal MORE (R-N.D.), a member of GOP leadership, said progress is being made on a change to the GOP health bill that could unlock the support of key moderates.

The Medicaid "wraparound" would allow some states to use additional funds to help low-income people who are likely to lose Medicaid coverage afford the premiums and deductibles for private insurance.

Thune wouldn't say how much money would be attached to the proposal, but leaders have about $200 billion to play with.

"I don't think it would necessarily be $200 billion, but there would have to be some allocation," he said.

But a new study says that figure would not be enough to fund private coverage for people who would lose insurance because of a halted Medicaid expansion.

Republicans are expected to voteTuesdayon a motion to begin debate on a healthcare bill, but leaders don't yet know which bill it will be.

It will either be a clean repeal bill passed by Congress in 2015 or the repeal-and-replace bill Senate Republicans have been working on recently.

The latter proposal currently lacks the support to pass, with several moderates worrying about how it could impact those who gained coverage through ObamaCare's Medicaid expansion.

The "wraparound" proposal is a way to try to get the support of moderates such as Sens. Lisa MurkowskiLisa MurkowskiUnhappy senators complain about healthcare process Thune: Progress being made on Medicaid 'wraparound' GOP lawmaker suggests duel with female senators MORE (Alaska), Rob PortmanRob PortmanMcConnell to pin down colleagues on healthcare Unhappy senators complain about healthcare process Thune: Progress being made on Medicaid 'wraparound' MORE (Ohio), Dean HellerDean HellerThune: Progress being made on Medicaid 'wraparound' Trump slams 'sad' Republicans who won't 'protect' him Trump backers eye GOP primary challenges for Flake, Heller MORE (Nev.) and Shelley Moore CapitoShelley Moore CapitoTrump cuts loose in front of massive crowd at Boy Scouts' Jamboree Thune: Progress being made on Medicaid 'wraparound' GOP lawmaker suggests duel with female senators MORE (W.Va.)

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Thune: Progress being made on Medicaid 'wraparound' | TheHill - The Hill

Key findings from the second SwazilandHIVIncidence Measurement Survey,SHIMS2, reveal impressive progress in confronting theHIVepidemic in the country. Results show a doubling in population viral load suppression since 2011 and a decrease by nearly half in the rate of newHIVinfections. The findings were released today at a press conference held by the Prime Ministers office in Mbabane, Swaziland and at the International Aids Society (IAS) 2017 Conference in Paris, France.

Because of the severeHIVepidemic in Swaziland, it was critical for us to implement a combinationHIVprevention package, scale upHIVcare and treatment services, and engage in ongoing measurement ofHIVincidence in order to assess the impact of these efforts, said Senator Sibongile Ndlela-Simelane, the honorable Minister of Health, Swaziland. The results of theSHIMS2survey reveal a dramatic improvement in the state of the epidemic in Swaziland and we are very encouraged by this progress. We understand that the battle is not over, and therefore we must maintain the momentum.

The data come from one of the population-basedHIVimpact assessment (PHIA) surveys led by the Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland (GKoS) through the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Central Statistical Office (CSO). The survey (SHIMS2) was implemented byICAPat Columbia University and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with funding from the Presidents Emergency Plan forAIDSRelief (PEPFAR).

SHIMS2is the second national incidence survey to be conducted in Swaziland, following the 2011 survey (SHIMS1) among adults 18-49 years of age.

InSHIMS2, over 14,000 children and adults participated in this nationally representative survey by agreeing to be interviewed and providing a blood sample forHIVtesting.

Key SHIMS2 survey results include:

The annual rate of newHIVinfections (HIV incidence) among adults ages 15 years and older was 1.36 percent: 1.70 percent among females and 1.02 percent among males. Among adults 18-49 years,HIVincidence was 1.39 percent, nearly half of the priorHIVincidence rate in 2011 2.48 percent.

The percentage of the adult population living withHIV(HIV prevalence) was 27.0 percent: 32.5 percent among females and 20.4 percent among males. TheHIVprevalence among adults 18-49 years was 30.5 percent, similar to the 2011HIVprevalence of 32.1 percent.

The percentage of allHIV-positive adults with viral load suppression (VLS), an indication that the infection is under control, was 73.1 percent: 76.0 percent among females and 67.6 percent among males.VLSwas estimated using all people living withHIV(PLHIV) as a denominator, regardless of knowing theirHIVstatus or use of antiretroviral drugs. Among allHIV+ adults aged 18-49 years, twice as many hadVLSinSHIMS2as compared to SHIMS1 (71.3 percent compared to 34.8 percent in 2011).

The percentage of allHIV-positive adults who knew theirHIVstatus was 84.7%; of these individuals, 87.4% reported current use of antiretroviral treatment and, among those reporting treatment, 91.9 percent hadVLS.

The progress represented by the findings is attributed to the expansion ofHIVtesting in the country as well as a substantial increase in the number ofHIV-positive individuals on antiretroviral drugs from 2011 to 2016. This is combined with otherHIVcontrol interventions expanded in the country.

These remarkable findings from Swaziland add to the evidence base that we are beginning to control theHIVepidemic in several high-burden countries, said Ambassador Deborah L. Birx, M.D., U.S. GlobalAIDSCoordinator and Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy. They both demonstrate our extraordinary progress in ensuring that olderHIV-positive adults are on life-saving treatment and virally suppressed as well as reveal key gaps that remain in reaching younger men and women withHIVservices.

An amazing array of partnerships lasting over a decade from collaboration within and between governments to coordination across international organizations and implementers have brought us to an incredible level of success in the work onHIVandAIDSin Swaziland, said Lisa J. Peterson, US Ambassador to Swaziland. These partnerships are about people bringing their time and talents together to effect change. Thanks to these joint efforts, theSHIMS2data show that many more people will have the opportunity to share their own time and talents with their families and communities. It is especially important that we sustain and strengthen our collective engagement with Swazilands youth to ensure that we achieve anAIDS-free generation.

The partnership with the Swazi Ministry of Health was fundamental to the success of the survey, said Shannon Hader, MD,MPH, director of the CDCs Division of GlobalHIV& TB. As weve seen in other countries, thePHIAfindings will help the Ministry of Health and its partners to focus resources on urgent program priorities to achieve epidemic control.

The findings from SHIMS2 are a testimony to the remarkable commitment by the Government of Swaziland in confronting theHIVepidemic, said Wafaa El-Sadr, MD,MPH,MPA, director ofICAP. It is a demonstration that all the efforts put into the scale-up ofHIVprevention, care and treatment services have borne fruit.ICAPis honored to have played a role in helping to support this successful scale-up.

Each Population-basedHIVImpact Assessment PHIA survey provides a report card on how each country is doing in responding to its epidemic as well as a blueprint for future response, said Jessica Justman, MD, ICAPs senior technical director and principal investigator of all of ICAPsPHIAprojects, including SHIMS1 andSHIMS2. Swaziland has made notable progress and is poised to continue making great strides forward with the implementation of test and start and ongoing scale-up of routine viral load monitoring. TheSHIMS2results will help focus efforts and prioritize specific populations in need of urgent attention and innovative approaches.

Other collaborating governmental entities in Swaziland included the Health Research Unit, Swaziland Health Laboratory Services (SHLS), Swaziland NationalAIDSProgram (SNAP), Health Promotion Unit, Health Management Information System, Environmental Health Department, and National Emergency Response Council onHIV/AIDS (NERCHA).

Additional details onSHIMS2are available in the summary sheet released by the Swaziland Ministry of Health and the websites for the Ministry of Healthwww.gov.sz,CDC/PEPFARwww.cdc.govandwww.pepfar.gov, andICAPsPHIAProject:phia.icap.columbia.edu.

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Swaziland Survey Shows Impressive Progress in Confronting the HIV Epidemic - Reliefweb

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ASHEBORO, N.C. -- The City of Asheboro is making progress on turning the Acme-McCrary & Sapona Fitness Center into the citys first community center.

The Acme-McCrary & Sapona Foundation, Inc. gifted the facility to the City of Asheboro.

It was built in 1948.

Over the last several weeks, city crews have started working on some interior issues.

[Theyve] been taking out some of the old stuff that couldn't be reused, the old bleachers, some old carpeting. It has been quite a process. So far, they have done a great job [to get] a lot of these things out of the way so this new equipment new material can be brought in," said Jody Maness, assistant recreation superintendent.

There are three floors that house a variety of useful amenities including a swimming pool, weight room, a gymnasium, a kitchen and potential office space.

Our staff people are already trying to determine what kind of classes, educational classes that the public might want and I think were talking about health and wellness education, healthy eating, maybe a cooking class or two, Mayor David Smith said.

Moving forward, the city says the top priority is a new roof.

The hope is to have a grand opening for the community center in early 2018.

35.707915 -79.813645

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Asheboro makes progress on city's first community center - myfox8.com

It was not a difficult decision." Those were the words of Javier Hernandez (aka Chicharito) as he pulled on a West Ham shirt for the first time after completing his move back to England on Monday. He seemed to be referring mainly to the decision to join the London club rather than the one to leave the Werkself, but the sentimentseems applicable toboth cases.

The Mexican striker endured a difficult end to an otherwise prolificBundesliga career, as the service dried up in a team desperately struggling to keep their heads above water. Leverkusen suffered through a desperate second half of the season, winningjust four league games after the winter break until a cathartic 6-2 defeat of Hertha Berlin on the last day of the season, after safety was assured, gave them a measure of relief.

That win also meant theyfinished 12th, a position that flattered a side that looked woeful under Roger Schmidt and even worse during the short-lived reign of Tayfun Korkut. It was all a far cry from Chicharito's debut campaign for the club, when he scored 17 times in 28 appearances and was the league's Player of the Month three times, as Leverkusen picked up the 'best of the rest' trophy behind Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund about the best the other Bundesliga clubs can hope for these days.

Where will the goals come from?

Replacing Chicharito's goals may be tricky

But thoughts of challenging for even that dubious crown seem fanciful at this point. Chicharito may well have wanted out whatever happened but the departures of Calhanoglu, who provided a goal or assist every 110 minutes last term in an interrupted Bundesliga campaign, and Toprak a defender good enough to step up a level to BVB - must have made him question the club'sambition.

Of course, there's still plenty of time in the transfer window (though Leverkusen's first German Cup game is in a little over a fortnight) but Sven Bender and Dominik Kohr don't feel like upgrades. Bender may offer some defensive stability, which would be further enhanced if Jonathan Tah can regain fitness, but it's going forward that Leverkusen look set to struggle.

No-one but Hernandez even reached double figures for goals in all competitions last term andremoving Calhangolu from the equation as well means only Kevin Volland (9) and Joel Pohjanpalo (6) scored more than 4.

It's no wonder new coach Heiko Herrlich, the club's eighth boss in nine years, has been preaching the virtues of teamwork over individuals.

Toprak has stepped up a level with a move to Borussia Dortmund

Teamwork the key for new boss

"Hakan of course has huge quality, as do Kevin [Kampl, who has also asked to leave] and Chicharito," he told the Bundesliga website before the Chicharito deal went through. "But ultimately its important that the players that you have available identify 100 per cent with the club. Things will soon be clear - then we'll see more.

"I think a club like Bayer Leverkusen will never find themselves depending on just one player. Chicharito has given great performances in his two years here, but so have many others. You can only achieve success as a team."

Perhaps Herrlich will forge thecollective identity that the side lacked last year, but even the hardest working sides need matchwinners.

Leverkusen have become a fixture at the top end in recent years, never failing to finish outside the top 5 in the seven years before last. But with the emergence of Leipzig and Hoffenheim and even Hertha Berlin and Cologne starting to make small but significant strides, it's becoming more and more difficult to see a way back to the Champions League for a club who famously reached the final in 2002.

Perhaps that's not the expectation anymoreand perhaps they can hang on to a small but talented crop of youngsters Tah, Julian Brandt and Kai Havertz chief among them and make progress that way. But, as Dortmund found out last term, losing three key players in one stroke is a difficult trick to pull.

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Can Bayer Leverkusen progress after exodus of key players? - Deutsche Welle

Amid questions about financing for the long-awaited Dallas First National Bank Building renovation, the developer offered an exclusive look Monday at the progress being made on marble restoration. (Published Monday, July 24, 2017)

Amid questions about financing for the long-awaited Dallas First National Bank Building renovation, the developer offered an exclusive look Monday at the progress being made on marble restoration.

The 50-story Elm Street building between Akard and Field streets is the last major vacant downtown high rise.

With a $50 million city tax increment financing grant promised at completion, Drever Capital Management had pledged to finish the building by 2018. The money would come from the future incremental increase in tax value on the property. The company last month asked a city agency for a one-year extension on the deal to finish in 2019.

"We are right at tail end of getting everything going from the financing stand point and getting this work going full speed," said Steve McCoy, president of Drever Construction.

Dallas Councilman Philip Kingston, whose district covers downtown, said that has been the story since 2012.

"It's 2017 today," Kingston said. "The city isn't at financial risk because of the way we structured the TIF award insulates us. We don't pay until they actually produce the increment. But the risk is having the thing sit vacant longer, and that's what we want to avoid."

Removing 106,000 square feet of Greek marble cladding on the building is a big step in renovation. The marble is gray, and many pieces are loose.

A contractor called HyComb is using a special process that doubles the pieces of marble for return to the building. The company glues aluminum honeycomb sections to each side of the slabs and then cuts the slabs in half.

"What that yields is a double yield of every piece of stone we take off the building," said HyComb representative Daniel Slain. "We first tested the stone that we are taking off to make sure that it still has the integrity to go back on. And not only does it have the integrity, it was within a couple percentage points of the new marble coming out of the quarry. So it's a fantastic stone."

The slabs must be shipped to HyComb factories in Florida and China for cutting. The job will take about a year.

"It will be almost pearl white when it comes out. This building will be just phenomenal," McCoy said.

The Drever is to include 324 apartments, 218 hotel rooms with the Thompson Hotel brand, a ninth-floor amenity deck with swimming, and ground floor restaurants and retail.

"We've watched it since they started, been wondering why it's taken so long," said Lamart Murdock, who walked past the building Monday on his lunch break with Rosie Mercado.

They worked in the First National Bank Building for many years before it closed eight years ago.

"It was a good old building in its time," Mercado said.

Murdock was pleased to learn about the marble reclamation work and promises of financing.

"Seems like they need to get something done with it so it won't be an eyesore," he said.

Other formerly vacant Dallas downtown high-rises have been renovated or are further along in renovation.

Published at 6:27 PM CDT on Jul 24, 2017

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Developer Demonstrates Progress While Lining Up Drever Money - NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

NEBRASKA

For the week ending July 23, 2017, temperatures averaged four to eight degrees above normal, according to the USDAs National Agricultural Statistics Service. Measureable rainfall was received in the northern and southeastern parts of Nebraska. Winter wheat harvest was wrapping up for the region. There were 6.4 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 31 percent very short, 40 short, 29 adequate, and 0 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 24 percent very short, 42 short, 34 adequate, and 0 surplus.

Field Crops Report:

Corn condition rated 5 percent very poor, 10 poor, 24 fair, 49 good, and 12 excellent. Corn silking was 76 percent, near 78 last year and 74 for the five-year average. Dough was 9 percent, near 11 last year and 12 average.

Soybean condition rated 5 percent very poor, 10 poor, 26 fair, 53 good, and 6 excellent. Soybeans blooming was 79 percent, ahead of 72 last year, and near 75 average. Setting pods was 26 percent, ahead of 16 last year, and equal to average.

Winter wheat harvested was 93 percent, near 90 last year, and ahead of 77 average.

Sorghum condition rated 4 percent very poor, 5 poor, 28 fair, 48 good, and 15 excellent. Sorghum headed was 10 percent, behind 22 last year and 23 average.

Oats condition rated 2 percent very poor, 3 poor, 37 fair, 50 good, and 8 excellent. Oats mature was 96 percent. Harvested was 76 percent, ahead of 63 both last year and average.

Alfalfa condition rated 6 percent very poor, 15 poor, 33 fair, 38 good, and 8 excellent. Alfalfa second cutting was 96 percent complete, ahead of 90 last year and 83 average. Third cutting was 22 percent, near 19 last year.

Dry edible beans condition rated 5 percent very poor, 12 poor, 25 fair, 41 good, and 17 excellent. Dry edible beans blooming was 58 percent, behind 74 last year, but ahead of 48 average. Setting pods was 12 percent.

Pasture and Range Report:

Pasture and range conditions rated 14 percent very poor, 20 poor, 39 fair, 24 good, and 3 excellent.

Stock water supplies rated 6 percent very short, 13 short, 81 adequate, and 0 surplus.

KANSAS

Above normal temperatures continued across the State, according to the USDAs National Agricultural Statistics Service. Measurable rainfall was received across many counties, but was not enough to overcome the crop stress caused by triple digit temperatures. Moderate drought conditions have moved into a few northern counties. There were 6.6 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture rated 9 percent very short, 33 short, 56 adequate, and 2 surplus. Subsoil moisture rated 4 percent very short, 30 short, 65 adequate, and 1 surplus.

Field Crops Report:

Corn condition rated 3 percent very poor, 6 poor, 31 fair, 49 good, and 11 excellent. Corn silking was 72 percent, behind 83 last year, and near 76 for the five-year average. Dough was 8 percent, near 12 last year, and behind 23 average.

Soybean condition rated 1 percent very poor, 6 poor, 38 fair, 51 good, and 4 excellent. Soybeans blooming was 61 percent, ahead of 53 last year and 49 average. Setting pods was 15 percent, equal to last year, and near 12 average.

Sorghum condition rated 1 percent very poor, 5 poor, 30 fair, 57 good, and 7 excellent. Sorghum headed was 11 percent, behind 25 last year, and near 14 average.

Cotton condition rated 1 percent very poor, 4 poor, 27 fair, 62 good, and 6 excellent. Cotton squaring was 44 percent, behind 52 last year and 59 average. Setting bolls was 8 percent, equal to last year, and near 11 average.

Sunflower condition rated 0 percent very poor, 3 poor, 32 fair, 62 good, and 3 excellent. Sunflowers blooming was 14 percent, near 18 last year and 15 average.

Alfalfa condition rated 1 percent very poor, 5 poor, 28 fair, 62 good, and 4 excellent. Alfalfa second cutting was 97 percent complete, near 93 both last year and average. Third cutting was 49 percent, well ahead of 28 last year, and ahead of 31 average.

Pasture and Range Report:

Pasture and range conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 5 poor, 30 fair, 56 good, and 8 excellent.

Stock water supplies rated 1 percent very short, 6 short, 92 adequate, and 1 surplus.

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Condition Continues to Lower in Crop Progress Reports - KTIC

ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 28: Tyler Skaggs

Mock Trade: LA Angels and Chicago White Sox by Vincent Page

When the LA Angels lost both Tyler Skaggs and Garrett Richards within the first of the 2017 season many people were thinking. Oh no! Not again. The rehabilitation process has been a lengthy process for both pitchers. Since then the Angels have also lost Matt Shoemaker and Andrew Bailey as well.

All four of these pitchers have been making great progress as of late. Skaggs and Bailey are nearing a return with both looking like they could be back within the next two weeks. Skaggs made his second rehab start on Saturday and came out of it well after throwing 62 pitches in four innings. Skaggs gave up six hits and three runs, striking out two batters and walking none.

The plan for Skaggs is to make a third rehab start on Thursday extend him to five innings and about 80 pitches. If all goes well Skaggs could start for the Angels against the Phillies next week. So far in two rehab starts Skaggs has pitched 7.2 innings giving up five earned runs on eight hits, striking out eight batters while walking none.

Skaggs was 1-1 in five starts in April for the Angels with a 3.99 ERA. Reliever Andrew Bailey, who hasnt pitched since the first week of the season is also close to returning. Bailey has made three rehab appearances over the past week giving up two runs and three strike outs in three innings pitched. Bailey could be called up as early as next weeks as well that will further bolster the Angels bullpen.

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The Angels have also received good news in regards to Matt Shoemaker, as he has been allowed to resume throwing. Shoemaker was shutdown after a July 4th rehab start for the Inland Empire 66ers.Shoemaker experienced soreness in his forearm during and after the start. Hewas given a cortisone shotthree days laterand told to not pick up a ball for 10 days.

Shoemakerthrew from 60 feet last Friday, but he will have to extend it to 120 feet beforemaking another rehab start.Garrett Richards is also increasing his throwing distance as he continues to progress since being cleared to throw again last weekend.

The final piece of this rehab puzzle is lefty Andrew Heaney. Heaney is trying to come back ahead of schedule from Tommy John Surgery. Heaney has made two rehab starts for the Angels Arizona Rookie League team. Heaney has pitched in 5.2 innings giving up two solo homers and posting a 3.18 ERA while striking out eight batters.

Heaney and even Richards are still longshots to pitch this season, but with every little bit of progress they are both hopeful of a late August or early September.

If the Angels get any of these four starters back it will be like adding a pitcher at the trade deadline. It will bolster their playoff chances which have gone up slightly after the Angels took two of three games from the Boston Red Sox over the weekend to pull within 2.5 games of Tampa Bay in the race for the second wild-card spot.

We will just have to wait and see what happens and cross our collective fingers.

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LA Angels injured pitchers making progress, could boost playoff hopes. - Halo Hangout

While researchers havent yet found a way to prevent or cure dementia, including Alzheimers disease, theyre making progress on how to catch it early. The findings from three new studies, two from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and one from Rush Alzheimers Disease Center, are important for better understanding cognitive declines that steal life from the living and strain the health care system.

The university created the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimers Prevention to study men and women with family histories of dementia. One of the new studies found a correlation between hearing loss and mild cognitive decline in 9.2 percent of 783 participants over four years. Hearing loss is easy to measure and could be a readily observable early-warning sign of dementia.

The study documented the hearing loss among participants in late middle age, compared with traditional dementia studies focusing on older people, and that is important because treatment for dementia should begin as early as possible. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine noted that last month in a report lamenting the significant gaps in knowledge about Alzheimers and recommending a doubling down on research into dementia.

The second University of Wisconsin study found a correlation between diminished oral fluency and cognitive decline in about 25 percent of 264 participants, who were drawn from the registry and followed for as long as 10 years. Researchers noted hesitations, word repetition and other minor changes in some of those who also were found to have experienced cognitive loss.

As with hearing decline, these are changes that might easily be measured and used as a red flag, perhaps in the general practitioners office, where screening for dementia should become as common as it is for depression and other chronic diseases.

In its study, Rush Alzheimers Disease Center, part of the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, found a correlation between cognitive declines and older people who have a higher number of hospitalizations for emergency care. This is another possible warning sign.

The National Academies said they were unable to provide definitive advice on how to prevent Alzheimers, the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S., because research studies hadnt provided enough clues. Their report said the best steps now are for people to be active, keep stimulating their brains and ride herd on their blood pressure measures long considered important for general physical and brain health.

The academy also called for more research into dementia, including studies that focus on different social groups, such as young adults, with an eye toward early detection. The University of Wisconsin and Rush Alzheimers Disease Center researchers already were on the case. With more studies like these, the pieces of the Alzheimers puzzle will start to fall into place.

FROM AN EDITORIAL IN THE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE

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Researchers are making progress on understanding dementia - Minneapolis Star Tribune

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Advocates fear Trump budget will erode progress in housing Sacramento Bee Sharron Liggins, executive director of the Continuum of Care Network of Northwest Indiana, said that if the proposed cuts come to fruition, it will "erode the progress" that's been made in reducing homelessness. The Indiana Housing & Community ... Advocates fear Trump budget will erode progress in housing - San ...San Francisco Chronicle all 4 news articles »

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Advocates fear Trump budget will erode progress in housing - Sacramento Bee