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A new survey from MissionSquare Research Institute reveals the amount of strain COVID-19 has put on the education system 37% of the K-12 workforce says that the pandemic has them considering changing jobs.

The teachers are not okay, thats for sure, Rivka Liss-Levinson, senior research manager at MissionSquare, told Yahoo Finance. She says that many U.S. teachers are at their breaking point.

Key findings from the survey show how much impact working through the COVID-19 pandemic has on teachers compared to their non-teaching counterparts in government jobs.

The K-12 workforce is more likely than other government workers to feel stressed (52% vs. 35%), burnt out (52% vs. 34%), and anxious (34% vs. 29%).

K-12 employees are significantly more likely than other government workers to say that the pandemic has negatively impacted their finances (50% vs. 35%).

59% percent of the K-12 workforce say the risks of working during the COVID-19 pandemic are not on par with their compensation. This sentiment is higher than among the overall state and local workforce (43%).

K-12 employees are significantly more likely than other government employees to say that COVID-19 has impacted the nature of their job (83% vs. 71%) and that it has been difficult to adjust to these changes (42% vs. 22%).

39% percent of K-12 employees are working more hours than before the pandemic because of extra time required for online/remote work (73%), social distancing protocols/limitations on class size (45%), and increased meetings and communications with parents/students (42%) or with other school staff (41%).

90% of K-12 employees are concerned about students falling behind due to the pandemic, with 34% extremely concerned.

77% of K-12 employees say that internet access/speed for students learning from home has been an issue during the pandemic, whereas 69% say school technology capabilities have been an issue.

Liss-Levinson describes the statistics as alarming, given that teacher shortages have prevailed for years in an industry that can ill afford resignations.

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Even if half of those teachers actually did [leave the profession], that is a really alarming number given that we already have all of these shortages already, said Liss-Levinson. We were dealing with [a] storage as we already were dealing with teachers being on strike before the pandemic and not feeling like they were being fairly compensated. And its like, you have to wonder, is this the breaking point? she asks.

FILE - Teachers and staff protest outside Franklin D. Roosevelt High School as they call for more and better COVID-19 testing and precautions, Oct. 2, 2020, in New York. All New York City public school teachers and other staffers will have to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, officials said Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, as the nation's largest school system prepares for classes to start next month. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

Despite the ongoing challenges exacerbated by the pandemic, Liss-Levinson tells Yahoo Finance that teachers are still incredibly proud of their work during these difficult times.

They feel like that people are understanding more about the importance of what they do. So that was really nice to see, she said.

The survey consisted of commentary from more than 1,200 state and local government employees fielded by Greenwald Research. It is the third in a series done on the impact of COVID on the state and local government workforce.

Reggie Wade is a writer for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter at @ReggieWade.

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37% of the K-12 workforce is considering a job change: Survey - Yahoo Finance

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has become one of the NFL's biggest COVID-19 vaccine supporters. He wants his team to lead the NFL in vaccination percentage, not just because being vaccinated is a smart, safe thing to do, but because it makes it a lot less likely that Cowboys players will miss significant time due to the league's COVID-19 protocols. And that gives the Cowboys a better chance to win.

Jones is continuing to speak freely about the vaccine, which he did during his weekly interview with 105.9 The Fan on Tuesday. He emphasized that he wants the Cowboys to be an example of teamwork in the NFL and in society as a whole.

Jones was also asked what he would say to players like Cole Beasley, who are adamantly refusing to get the vaccine and say that the NFL is forcing the vaccine on them.

Via the Dallas Morning News:

I dont really say anything here. To me, this is a team game. We rely on each other to play. We rely on each other to win. We have to have each other. Theres 11 guys out there at any one time to be trite about it. And you have to count on the other guy being available. And you certainly dont want to be doing anything that causes your teammates to not be available. All of that comes to the same conclusion as far as what you agreed to be as far as a player, be a part of a team."

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wants all of his players to get vaccinated. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

Jones made it clear that for him, getting the vaccine is about making sure you're there for your team when they need you. But if training camp has been any indication, teams will be having problems with that all season.

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For example, the New England Patriots have been without QB Cam Newton this week due to a "misunderstanding" with his daily COVID-19 testing, which is only required for unvaccinated players. The Buffalo Bills will reportedly be without four players, including Beasley, for five days this week because they had close contact with a team trainer who tested positive. Unvaccinated players who have close contact with someone who tests positive are required to have five days of negative tests before they're allowed to return to the team facility.

Not even the Cowboys have been immune. They're missing CeeDee Lamb and three other players, as well as a coach, due to COVID-19 protocols. The entire team has been operating virtually since the weekend.

The Cowboys announced Saturday that 93 percent of their players are vaccinated. Jerry likely won't rest until that number climbs to 100.

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Jerry Jones says getting COVID-19 vaccine is about team accountability: 'We rely on each other to win' - Yahoo Sports

Karim Hijazi is CEO of Prevailion, a cyber intelligence company that monitors and detects active threats by infiltrating hacker networks. Hijazi is also a former director of intelligence for Mandiant and a former contractor for the US intelligence community.

Ransomware has taken the spotlight lately following a string of brazen attacks on major U.S. companies.

And as bad as this kind of malware is, businesses and investors can expect to face a growing number of sophisticated cyber threats that could be even more disruptive and difficult to prevent.

Here are five emerging threats to watch:

Tani Currin holds an "anti-selfie" mask during the Black Hat USA 2014 hacker conference at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, August 5, 2014. REUTERS/Steve Marcus

Wipers are a type of malware that can be even more destructive than ransomware because they are designed not for extortion they're for the sole purpose of erasing data.

Wipers havent been widely used up to today, but that is likely to change. As nation-states become more active and emboldened in cyberspace, we can expect to see more digital clashes that involve destructive cyber attacks.

There is nation-level precedent: Iran has been implicated in an ongoing series of wiper attacks against Israel amid an outbreak of cyber skirmishes between the two countries that escalated in 2020.

Iran has also been implicated in other wiper attacks over the years, including the 2012 Shamoon attack on Saudi Aramco, which destroyed over 30,000 computers, and the 2014 wiper attack on Las Vegas Sands Corp. North Korea also used wiper malware in its infamous attack on Sony Pictures back in November 2014.

And wiper malware is an equal playing field, meaning that it will not be limited to state actors. While wipers have less financial value for criminals, they are a potent weapon for terrorists, political activists, and lone wolves who are only interested in causing damage.

The logo of Aramco is seen as security personnel stand before the start of a press conference by Aramco at the Plaza Conference Center in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia November 3, 2019. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

The emerging field of artificial intelligence (AI) could be a future gold mine for cybercriminals and nation-state hacking groups.

AI will lead to smarter and autonomous malware that can adapt to changing circumstances and learn how to improve its tactics to pull off more advanced attacks.

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Researchers have also recently demonstrated that early-stage AI is already significantly better than humans at launching phishing attacks and crafting viral tweets and social media phishing that can infect users.

It will also make it easier for hackers to hijack online accounts by predicting passwords and beating CAPTCHAs.

While deepfake videos are well known by now, an even more compelling use case for cybercriminals will be audio deepfakes which impersonate CEOs to trick employees into sharing sensitive information or authorizing payments.

Furthermore, deepfakes could potentially trigger political crises and incriminate innocent people.

A woman in Washington, DC, views a manipulated video on January 24, 2019, that changes what is said by President Trump and former president Obama, illustrating how deepfake technology can deceive viewers. (Photo by Rob Lever/AFP)

For the last 25 years, most cyber attacks have targeted software rarely venturing below the operating system level of a device.

That is now beginning to change.

Hackers are figuring out how to target firmware with malware in order to gain God-level access to these devices and even physically sabotage them. A recent survey found that 83% of enterprises have already started to experience firmware attacks.

So what is firmware?

For high-functioning electronics, like a computer or smartphone, firmware is the code that runs beneath the operating system and is the bridge between the software and the hardware.

However, it is even more critical for lower-functioning embedded devices (i.e., the Internet of Things or Industrial Internet of Things) where firmware is often used in place of an operating system.

In a nutshell, if a hacker can gain control over the firmware, they can control the device. That is especially alarming for the embedded devices and industrial controllers that are used in safety-critical systems like the power grid, water treatment plants, nuclear plants, manufacturing, oil and gas pipelines, etc.

Downtown Los Angeles is seen behind an electricity pylon through the morning marine layer in Los Angeles, California, U.S., August 20, 2019. (REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson)

An attack on the firmware of those devices could lead to dramatic incidents of physical sabotage. For instance, this is how a hacker could trigger a months-long power outage, disrupt the water supply, cripple manufacturing plants, and even brick gas station pumps, ATMs, hospital ventilators, and office buildings.

These types of attacks are not as far-fetched as they may sound: In 2016, Russian hackers used a special malware called CrashOverride to disrupt Ukraines power grid.

Supply chain attacks have become a buzzy term as of late, thanks to the high-profile breaches of SolarWinds, Microsoft Exchange, Kaseya, and Codecov.

The reality is that we are still in the early stages of supply chain exploitation, and these attacks will become more frequent, sophisticated, and brazen in the coming years.

Advanced nation-states like Russia and China will go further by breaching more sensitive, backbone IT services think ISPs, chipmakers, app stores, security tools, source code libraries, etc. to better infiltrate and persist inside of critical companies and organizations in the U.S.

Microsoft President Brad Smith testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 23, 2021. Drew Angerer/Pool via REUTERS

Cybercriminals will do the same with lower-hanging fruit, such as retail systems and e-commerce platforms, and have already been busily exploiting supply chains: Various Magecart gangs have wreaked havoc on e-commerce sites by exploiting the open-source Magento platform.

In the coming years, hackers will also infiltrate millions of Internet of Things (IoT) devices (from smart thermostats to cars) by exploiting their software/firmware supply chains, such as source code libraries or the update processes of key vendors.

Far from being a minor inconvenience, these attacks could lead to widespread physical disruption if the hackers use that access to disable the devices.

While many consumers may be somewhat underwhelmed by the current 5G rollout, internet connectivity is undergoing dramatic changes that will take time to develop.

This is just the beginning of a new future where wired-connection Internet speeds will be available via wireless delivery methods, ranging from cellular towers to satellites and high-altitude vehicles.

The capacity for higher, faster wireless speeds also has a downside: Hackers will learn to exploit the higher bandwidth, and we can expect to see a wide range of attacks such as increasingly powerful botnets, data theft at a massive scale, and device-on-device attacks.

Botnets are large networks of enslaved devices which a hacker uses to disrupt services and Internet connections by overwhelming them with a flood of bogus data requests. In 2016, a college student was able to knock out a huge slice of the Internet by creating a simple botnet consisting of thousands of insecure IoT devices.

And since future data transfer speeds will only continue to multiply (5G is already expected to be 10 times that of 4G speeds), these botnets will become exponentially more powerful.

Future botnet attacks could be used to disrupt Internet services for a large percentage of the population. They could endanger public safety by blocking emergency services throughout a state. They could even hold entire countries for ransom, similar to the 2016 attack on Liberia.

An example of a botnet operation. (FBI.gov)

Data theft will also get a boost. The higher data transfer speeds will make it easier for hackers to harvest and exfiltrate large quantities of stolen data before victims are able to shut them down. This means data breaches will become significantly more expensive for companies and harder to recover from.

As devices become smarter and more autonomous in the wake of these greater connection speeds, hackers will also leverage these capabilities to attack other devices. For instance, a hacker who breaches a smart traffic light could then use that access to hack into every car that passes by.

Similarly, an infected self-driving car could be used to infect other vehicles within range of its radio signal. A compromised drone could be weaponized to sniff out other connected devices as it flies overhead and spread an infection over vast distances.

A prototype of Goodle's own self-driving vehicle is seen during a media preview of Google's prototype autonomous vehicles in Mountain View, California September 29, 2015. (REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage)

This tactic could also be used by hackers for targeting high-level executives and government officials as well as for carrying out more sophisticated island hopping attacks to breach corporate networks through overlooked transient connections between various smart devices.

The bottom line is that cybersecurity will become increasingly complicated in the coming years, as hackers develop greater capabilities to launch attacks. Ransomware will continue to be a serious problem for the foreseeable future, but there are many new attacks that are equally concerning and are likely to catch many companies off-guard.

Karim Hijazi is CEO of Prevailion, a cyber intelligence company that monitors and detects active threats by infiltrating hacker networks. Hijazi is also a former director of intelligence for Mandiant and a former contractor for the US intelligence community.

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Citi strategist warns of a 10% September plunge why he could be right

Wall Street experts are starting to worry about the surging stock market.

While investing is as easy these days as using a smartphone app, the markets record-high hitting price action is prompting observers like Citigroups chief US equity strategist, Tobias Levkovich, to warn about difficulties ahead.

For months, Levkovich has been confident the current situation isnt sustainable. But now, hes predicting an imminent fall. If hes right, investors are sure to feel some pain in the coming months.

And if some act fast, there could be plenty of opportunities as well.

BNN Bloomberg

Levkovich has been warning about a correction for months now.

Hitting new highs, leading to new highs means markets never correct, which doesnt quite make sense, Levkovich told the hosts of CNBCs Closing Bell in June.

That same month, Levkovich wrote a note to Citi clients expressing that the company would be maintaining its cautious view over the short term.

In the letter, he adamantly stuck to his year-end target of 4,000 for the S&P 500, which was 5% below the indexs level at the time. At current levels, that target represents downside of up to 10%.

And hes not the only one worrying about the future. Just a few months before that note, Suze Orman was predicting a slide, too.

But now, Levkovich is anticipating the correction could come as soon as September.

Orhan Cam / Shutterstock

Whats got Levkovich so concerned about the markets near future?

There are four factors at play, he says: the Federal Reserves discussion on tapering, rising inflation, pressure on profit margins and corporate tax hikes.

The Fed has been purchasing Treasury securities and mortgage-backed securities rapidly at about $80 billion per month and $40 billion per month, respectively.

It said back in June that it would continue that practice until substantial further progress had been made toward the Feds employment and price stability goals.

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Some analysts are anticipating that may happen sooner than later.

This worries Levkovich because a significant part of the S&P 500s move back to record highs is due to the Feds easy-money policies and abundance of capital flooding the market.

The Fed had previously committed to keeping interest rates close to 0% until March 2024, but with the threat of inflation rising higher than previously anticipated, observers are now preparing for as many as two rate hikes in 2023.

Gorodenkoff / Shutterstock

President Joe Biden has proposed raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%, which opponents worry could disrupt the countrys fragile economic recovery and a big cut to earnings as much as 13% according to some estimates.

While evidence suggests that corporate tax increases have been far from disastrous to U.S. stock performance historically, profits will certainly be constrained.

Finally, companies are facing even narrower margins these days as consumer prices continue to bump up against 13-year highs. And as legendary investor Warren Buffett once said, Inflation acts as a gigantic corporate tapeworm.

Worawee Meepian / Shutterstock

The combination of those four risk factors has Levkovich calling for a double-digit slide stock market slide in the coming weeks.

That being said, he adds that not every industry will be as impacted by a downturn.

Investors cant afford to be complacent about their stock choices. When deciding between an asset that promises value or growth, Levkovich suggests investors should prioritize value.

Its a strategy that the Oracle of Omaha Warren Buffett relies on even in a bull market.

And while Levkovich does anticipate growth will see a resurgence later this year, hes not entirely sold on it as a well-rounded long-term investing strategy.

If you think of the last decade or so, youve had growth outperforming value tremendously so investors are conditioned to buy growth, Levkovich told the Closing Bell in July. And as a result, one of the things I worry about is the idea that value is kind of a dalliance, its a fling, and then they go back to their true love: growth.

Olivier Le Moal / Shutterstock

All this means is that a red-hot stock market has made it easy for investors until now.

Going forward, youll have to be more intentional about where you invest.

Borrowing Buffetts strategy, look for companies that offer clear value, regardless of the state of the economy.

One asset Bill Gates is partial to is investing in farmland. Over the years, agriculture has even been shown to perform better than stocks and real estate.

Levkovich has warned that while the overall index may take a hit, individual stock pickers can still do well. But individual stocks can get expensive. With the help of a popular investing app, you can buy fractional shares of big-name stocks to get a slice of their profits.

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

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Citi strategist warns of a 10% September plunge why he could be right - Yahoo Finance

Though vaccination rates are improving and booster shots will soon be available in the U.S., there is still much to be learned about how the coronavirus is evolving.

We have a higher level of uncertainty now than weve had since the spring of last year, Dr. Howard Forman, professor at the Yale School of Public Health, said on Yahoo Finance Live (video above). Because there are so many moving parts, we dont know whether the vaccines are causing waning immunity or rather whether waning immunity is occurring.

Some U.S. states are seeing hospitals overwhelmed with mostly unvaccinated individuals with COVID-19, and some government leaders have reverted back to measures that were implemented at the onset of the pandemic in order to mitigate the spread.

Governors and mayors have a lot of responsibility to manage their own locale as best they can, which may include masking, may include other measures, Forman said. We have to hope they take those measures at the right time to mitigate as much as possible. Whats going to happen after this wave is unknown to anybody. Were really still very much in the dark.

The Delta variant, a mutant strain of the virus that has proven to be significantly more contagious than the original strain, now accounts for over 98% of coronavirus cases in the U.S.

Nevertheless, Forman cautioned against questioning the effectiveness of the vaccines, especially since they were developed at a time when the Delta variant didnt yet exist.

Protection against infection appears across the board lower than we expected, Forman said. But that may be more about Delta than it is about the vaccines. The combination of these things means that we just have much more uncertainty than we would like to have.

People wearing masks cast shadows while walking in a patch of sunlight near a retail window in SoHo on March 19, 2021 in New York City.(Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

Though fully vaccinated individuals can experience breakthrough infections against the Delta variant, an overwhelming majority are still protected from the most serious effects of the virus.

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I would just caution people that the vaccines are actually holding up very well against severe disease and death, Forman said. Not as well against incidentally asymptomatic or mild infections.

Though preliminary data has indicated that booster shots could make a difference in developing immunity, specifically for the elderly and other vulnerable populations, Forman urged others to be patient about waiting their turn.

People are already going out for shots and basically misleading or just not telling the centers theyve already been fully vaccinated, Forman said. I would just tell people to have a little bit of caution right now about doing that so easily. The immunocompromised population is one that we have really good data that they did not respond well to two shots in the case of the mRNA vaccines or one shot with J&J. We had really good evidence of that.

Forman added that there is really good evidence that a booster shot does help them get a little bit closer to having vaccine immunity, so there are good reasons for that group. We also know that the most elderly did not have great immunity after the first shot went as compared with the youngest. So there may be a case to be made for getting a third shot in that group. But we dont have the evidence for that yet.

Forman suggested looking towards Israel, where 60% of the population is fully vaccinated and is now leading the way in providing boosters to anyone over the age of 50 (and will soon lower to 40).

One should make the case that if were going to use a third shot in [the U.S., it should be for very good reasons and not because people are panicking or thinking something that might not be true, he said.

Adriana Belmonte is a reporter and editor covering politics and health care policy for Yahoo Finance. You can follow her on Twitter @adrianambells and reach her at adriana@yahoofinance.com.

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Coronavirus: 'Were really still too much in the dark,' Yale professor says - Yahoo Finance

As the world continues to contend with COVID-19, much about the virus remains uncertain, including its interactions with cannabis.

In the early months of the pandemic, various studies linked pot to both adverse and beneficial results. The trend continues today, with little conclusively known about the cannabis-COVID medical connection if indeed there is one.

That said, it is much clearer to see that the pandemic created a significant beneficial impact on the marketplace.

Almost All Conclusions Require Additional Data

Several physicians and researchers tell Benzinga that little has been concluded regarding any cannabis-COVID connections, beneficial or adverse.

Dr. Samoon Ahmad is a professor of psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, where he serves as the unit chief of the inpatient unit at Bellevue Hospital. He said that "Unfortunately, not a lot" is certain at this time.

Dr. Robert Milanes, a California-based cannabis physician of telehealth platform Heally, stated, "One thing we know conclusively is that cannabis cannot cure COVID-19."

Despite his assertion, cannabis entrepreneurs, like retired NFL player Kyle Turley, have claimed CBD can cure COVID-19. In late March 2020, the FDA warned Turley about making such claims.

Milanes pointed out that cannabis use increased during the pandemic. He noted a Margriet W. van Laar et al. study that saw 41.3% of respondents saying their cannabis use increased during the lockdown.

Beyond that, no one considered any findings to be verifiable at this time.

Ahmad, the author of a medical cannabis clinical handbook and an upcoming Wolters Kluwer-published book delving into the pandemic's psychosocial effects, noted that several studies of interest had been published in recent months.

He cited additional studies with various adverse and beneficial conclusions. They include possible elevated rates of adverse outcomes for older patients using the synthetic drugs nabilone and dronabinol to treat severe breathing problems. Ahmad countered the results, stating, "This is indirect evidence and tenuous at best."

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He also cited studies linking heavy cigarette use to worsened COVID symptoms, hypothesizing that heavy cannabis smoke could have the same effect. He warned that vaping risks are even more tenuous.

"I would err on the side of caution and recommend that individuals use tinctures or edibles should they choose to use cannabis, particularly if they have comorbidities associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes," Ahmad added.

Milanes also discussed various studies and their outcomes.

The physician cited one study that concluded cannabis users could be more vulnerable to contagion and worsening conditions due to COVID. He noted additional analyses that found people predisposed to cannabis use disorder saw an increased likelihood of hospitalization from the virus while other studies concluded that CBD might play a substantial role in lessening the severity of a cytokine storm. This is when the body's immune system goes into overdrive, of sorts, signaling an influx of cytokines to fight a pathogen.

Milanes called the occurrence "the most dangerous and potentially life-threatening event related to COVID-19."

Ahmad added, "Preclinical evidence suggests that THC and CBD may reduce the severity of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but clinical evidence is still lacking."

Good For Health, Probably Not. Good For Business? Yep. Sales Boomed During Pandemic

Though little to no medical research links cannabis use with COVID-19 relief, that is definitely not the case in business where the pandemic proved to be a boon for the emerging industry.

Jessica Lipton, a cannabis researcher and founder of gummies brand Elevate Delta 8, said

the essential status given to much of the industry led to significant expansion.

"Businesses boomed and were encouraged to maximize cash flow, develop contingency plans and hire more people," Lipton said. She expects the trend to continue, especially for brands selling both THC and CBD products.

Delivery services also increased or were introduced across most markets to adhere to social distancing rules.

"Although the relaxation of these guidelines is temporary, the success that we've seen may encourage legislative adjustments in the future," Lipton added.

An August 2021 report found sales increased between 2019 and 2020 across Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington during COVID-19.

Photo: Artem Podrez from Pexels

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2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Top U.S. health officials laid out a plan to roll out booster shots for the general population, in a somewhat phased manner based on initial vaccinations, starting September 20.

But before then, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) must look through data and evaluate for safety and effectiveness.

The announcement from the White House Wednesday sparked debate over whether or not it was the right move.

On one hand, the U.S has a little over half of its population vaccinated, while poorer countries aren't even able to get their first doses to the most vulnerable of their population.

"We can take care of America and help the world at the same time," Biden said. And the country is on track to deliver on 600 million doses globally.

Meanwhile, early data from the U.S. as well as Israel and the U.K. show a slow decline in protection especially with the fast-spreading Delta variant after 6-8 months.

A joint statement from health officials at Heath and Human Services (HHS), the CDC, FDA, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Surgeon General and the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, explained the conclusion of reviewing the emerging data.

"The available data make very clear that protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection begins to decrease over time following the initial doses of vaccination, and in association with the dominance of the Delta variant, we are starting to see evidence of reduced protection against mild and moderate disease. Based on our latest assessment, the current protection against severe disease, hospitalization, and death could diminish in the months ahead, especially among those who are at higher risk," according to the statement.

While the latter part of that statement drew skepticism among some experts, it changed Dr. Eric Topol's mind on the issue.

A person who had previously been inoculated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) with Sinovac's Coronavac vaccine, gets a third dose of a Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, in the Hospital de Clinicas, in Montevideo, Uruguay August 16, 2021. REUTERS/Mariana Greif

"I was against boosters, but the data I think are becoming abundantly clear that they could be helpful in this situation," said Topol, Scripps Research Institute executive vice president and scientist.

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One need look no further than Israel, now among the worst affected countries in fighting COVID-19, after once enjoying a zero-case period, Topol added.

"If we don't build back the Delta immunity wall this is specific to Delta, we never saw this problem in the previous strains we're going to be in for trouble," he said. "We don't have our house in order," Topol said.

And that extends beyond the battle against anti-vaxxers and other impediments to increasing the U.S. vaccination rate. Experts have criticized the CDC for not being able to efficiently collect the necessary data at the federal level instead largely relying on a network of state and local providers.

"Our data collection is, frankly, pathetic And were not functioning as a functional country," Topol said.

In order for the country to emerge from the pandemic, it must act swiftly on new data, but also strike a balance in its actions, he said.

"It's time to be ahead of this, rather than trailing it. If you're look for some peer-reviewed publications and journals, it's going to be many weeks before we see that," Topol said.

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U.S. data collection on COVID-19 is 'pathetic': Expert - Yahoo Finance

After nearly two decades in public service, James Stewart, a science teacher from Maryland, is fighting an uphill battle to deal with $122,000 in student loans.

It can be overwhelming, the Dorchester County Public Schools teacher told Yahoo Finance, explaining that he managed to avoid student debt for his undergraduate education and master's degree but took on loans for his doctoral degree in educational leadership at the for-profit chain University of Phoenix.

When he applied for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) a few years ago, he held around $104,000 in loans. That pile continues to grow.

Stewart is just one of many educators facing this problem: Educators across America are heavily weighed down by student debt, according to a new report from the National Education Association (NEA).

(National Education Association)

The union's report, which surveyed nearly 2,500 educators between October 30 and December 14 of 2020, looked at educators loan status, repayment type, payment difficulties, debt relief and loan forgiveness, and personal negative impacts of student loan debt.

No matter what we look like, where we live, or whats in our wallets, all of us should be able to pursue our dreams at an affordable college or university, NEA President Becky Pringle said in a statement. But today, the cost of college imposes a teacher penalty on educators, saddling them with a lifetime of debt before they even enter the classroom.

Tuition inflation in the 21st century has led to heavy borrowing and a student debt crisis that some lawmakers are urging the White House to address through broad cancellation of some federally-backed debt.

According to the NEA, 45% of educators took out student loans averaging $55,800 to attend college. Out of this group, 14% with unpaid student loan debt have a current balance of $105,000 or more. And educators of color and younger educators have been particularly impacted.

Pringle called on the Education Department to immediately forgive all outstanding debt for educators with 10 or more years of experience as the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program was designed to do."

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The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program was designed by Congress to help government and nonprofit employees with federally-backed student loans apply for forgiveness after proof of 120 monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan. It's also notoriously painful to navigate and regularly rejects the vast majority of applicants.

A mother wearing a mask walks with her daughter wearing a mask, cap and gown amid the coronavirus pandemic on May 14, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

I'll be working still during my very last days, I guess, to pay the thing off, Stewart said about his debt. Unless I get lucky and become like a [Amazon CEO Jeff] Bezos or whatever.

Payments on federally-backed student debt are paused until January 31, 2022. Nevertheless, some lawmakers have expressed concern about whether borrowers will be able to smoothly transition back to repaying their loans or if the resumption of payments will cause spikes in delinquencies and defaults.

Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) have repeatedly called on Biden to cancel $50,000 in student loan debt immediately via executive order.

The NEA noted significant disparities between the debt levels held by white borrowers and borrowers of color.

The study found that 56% of Black educators have taken out student loans, as compared to 44% of white educators. Black educators also took out significantly more debt than other groups, with an average initial total of $68,300, as compared to $54,300 taken out by white borrowers and $56,400 by Latino borrowers.

Furthermore, about 16% of Black borrowers with student loans hold more than $105,000 in debt, as compared to 11% of white borrowers.

(National Education Association)

There's also a generational divide in terms of how much student loan debt educators take on: 65% of educators between 18 and 35 have taken out student loans, as compared to just 27% of those above 61.

For younger educators, paying the debt off has impacted their ability to buy a home, go back to school, or start a family, the report said.

That said, older educators are also being impacted by student debt. More than a quarter of educators above the age of 61 who took out student debt still have a balance. And almost four in ten have $45,000 or more left to pay off, the report noted.

For this age group, two-thirds of educators with outstanding student loans also said their debt has affected their ability to save for retirement.

(National Education Association)

One consumer advocate recently called for immediate action after a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) report flagged legal violations by student loan servicers that administer the PSLF program.

In October 2019, the New York attorney general sued the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), the loan servicer who handles the PSLF program, for "failing to properly administer" the program. The suit alleged that the servicer engaged in "deceptive, unfair, and abusive practices in administering the federal program."

New York Attorney General James speaks at the Protecting Student Loan Borrowers and the Economy in Upcoming Transitions hearing.

In response, PHEAA recently announced that it was quitting the business as of December this year.

"The federal government should take action to cancel a substantial amount of federal student debt," Attorney General James stated. She also noted that she co-led 17 state Attorneys General in February this year, urging the adoption of House and Senate resolutions that call for the cancellation of up to $50,000 in federal student debt for all federal student loan borrowers.

"Canceling this debt will help free borrowers burdened by loan payments, and allow them to move forward with their lives, as well as helped to close the racial and gender wealth gap," James added. "The student debt crisis has been exacerbated by misconduct by student loan servicers."

Aarthi is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. She can be reached at aarthi@yahoofinance.com. Follow her on Twitter @aarthiswami.

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Student loans: A 'teacher penalty' is crushing generations of educators with debt - Yahoo Finance

By Janet Yellen, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury

For more than a generation, America has underinvested in the public goods that are the foundation of our economic growth: infrastructure, education, childcare.

Our funding for them has been on a downward trajectory for nearly forty years. In 2019, it was about three-quarters of what it was in the 1970s. On Tuesday, the United States Senate began to turn the page on this unfortunate chapter in our economic history and, with two pieces of legislation, started building the economy that Americans should and can have.

The first development happened in the late morning when the chamber passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which as its name indicates will commence the largest modernization of American infrastructure since Eisenhower built the Interstate Highway System.

Its history is written in concrete and fiber optic cable. In addition to repairing roads and extending transit lines, the bill will connect every home to broadband internet and dot the American landscape with half-a-million electric vehicle charging stations, part of a down payment on a greener, more resilient economy.

Later Tuesday evening, the Senate made history a second time when it began consideration of a broader set of investments, including childcare, education, health care, and housing. This broader legislation and the infrastructure package are pieces of President Bidens Build Back Better family of proposals.

Its important to understand how Build Back Better fits into our economic history. During the postwar years, the United States was almost certainly the best place to start a business or a family. But about a generation ago, economists started to observe a set of worrying trends that threatened the proposition.

Some have asked: 'Are we overinvesting here?' My response is 'no,' and there are at least three compelling reasons.Janet Yellen, Treasury Secretary

The percentage of prime-age workers who participated in the labor force started declining. There was a divergence in wages. High-earners saw pay go up, while lower-earners watched it stagnate. The racial wealth gap remained stubbornly persistent. When I started studying economics in 1963, the average Black familys wealth was roughly 15 percent of the average white familys. Six decades later, the data point is the same.

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Underinvestment in public goods like infrastructure and childcare likely didnt set these trends in motion, but it has perpetuated that motion and in some cases, like the decline in labor force participation accelerated it. More women leave the workforce in America than in many other wealthy countries, meaning that our economy loses out on their talents, and their families lose out on a paycheck. One study looked at the connection between this trend and our nations lack of funding for family-friendly policies like paid parental leave and childcare. It found that underinvestment in things that help parents balance work and life accounted for nearly one-third of the decline in U.S. womens labor force participation.

Fortunately, fiscal policy works both ways. The lack of it can amplify destructive economic forces, but its ambitious use can unwind them. That is the big idea underneath President Bidens economic proposals. The Build Back Better agenda, much of which is contained in the reconciliation bill expected to move through the Senate this fall, will increase labor force participation because it makes those long-overdue investments in families. It expands access to high-quality childcare, provides universal pre-K, and expands the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit all of which reduce the cost of raising families.

The Verrazzano-Narrows bridge connecting the Brooklyn and Staten Island boroughs is pictured in morning fog in New York City, New York, U.S., June 26, 2021. Picture taken June 26, 2021. REUTERS/Nick Zieminski

This new bill makes community college tuition-free for two years, which will help workers especially younger ones better compete in the labor market. And it will help Americans whove never been able to build wealth obtain the most important asset for doing so: the family home. The Build Back Better agenda calls for half-a-million new affordable homes, and one million new rental units (which should alleviate the housing crisis).

As the Senate moves forward, I know there is a good-faith debate about how much spending is too much. The Senate just passed a once-in-a-generation infrastructure funding bill, and now were proposing another set of ambitious investments.

Some have asked: Are we overinvesting here? My response is no, and there are at least three compelling reasons.

First, if we are going to make these investments, now is the right time. Real interest rates are currently negative, and payment on our public debt, as a share of the economy, is expected to remain below historic levels for at least a decade.

Second, the Build Back Better proposals are fiscally responsible. The investments are spread out over time, and total around one percent of our gross domestic product over the course of the decade. Theyre also paid for over the long-term through a reformation of the tax code that will make it fairer, without touching Americans who make less than $400,000 a year.

Third, and most importantly, we have to consider the opportunity cost of not making these investments. Weve grown used to America as the worlds greatest economic power, but we arent destined to stay that way.

U.S. President Joe Biden meets virtually with governors, mayors, and other state and local elected officials to discuss the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, in the South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington, U.S., August 11, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

I question whether we can if we remain a country where renting a home eats up the lions share of your paycheck, and owning one is out of the question; where young people cant gain the skills to compete in the job market because they cant afford the tuition bill; or where Americans must make a choice: have children or have a job.

The Build Back Better agenda will address these challenges. It will bolster our economic growth and productivity, while bringing down some of the largest cost drivers for American families.

Indeed, the crucial question isnt What if we make these big investments? It is: What if we dont?

We are now engaged in the most important economic project in recent history: Repairing the broken foundations of our economy, and on top of them, building something stronger and fairer than what came before.

Janet Yellen is the former Federal Reserve Chair and the current 78th United States Secretary of the Treasury.

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Janet Yellen: Biden's infrastructure plan is a down payment on the economy America can and should have - Yahoo Finance

Krispy Kreme (DNUT) will look to take a price increase in September as it battles to protect margins from higher costs for key commodities such as edible oils and sugar.

CEO Mike Tattersfield said on Yahoo Finance Live the price hikes won't be exorbitant, owing likely to the price-sensitive consumer that frequents the donut-hawking brand.

"We are really disciplined on pricing. We are a dozens business, so we do always pay attention to an accessible price point. So when you think about the pricing that will happen on a dozen you won't really see it that much," explained Tattersfield on the looming price increases.

Tattersfield said the cost for an individual donut will still be about a $1.

"We do have pricing power, and we are really thoughtful," Tattersfield added.

Krispy Kreme CEO Mike Tattersfield talks during the doughnut company's IPO at the Nasdaq Opening Bell, Thursday, July 1, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Despite the pressure on the business, Krispy Kreme notched a solid second quarter its first since going public in July.

Organic sales growth clocked in at 22.5% from a year ago as the company gained more shelf space at the likes of Walmart in the U.S. and also saw strength at international stores. Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) rose 77.8% year-over-year.

Here is how Krispy Kreme performed compared to Wall Street estimates for the second quarter:

Krispy Kreme shares settled at $13.77 in Wednesday's session, below the $17 pricing of its IPO. The stock had hit a high of more than $21 soon after its July market debut.

For the full year, Krispy Kreme sees sales rising 19.4% to 23% to a range of $1.34 billion to $1.38 billion. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be in a range of $178 million to $185 million, or up 22.4% to 27.2% from a year earlier.

Brian Sozzi is an editor-at-large and anchor at Yahoo Finance. Follow Sozzi on Twitter @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn.

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Krispy Kreme is raising prices in September because of inflation - Yahoo Finance