US

Drought, wind, and debris from recent hurricanes are stoking fires across the US

Tammy Webber Associated Press

In North Carolina, wildfires stoked by unusually dry air and debris from last year’s Hurricane Helene are burning out of control. In Florida, there are dozens of blazes, including one that scorched about 42 square miles in Miami-Dade County. And they continue to burn in Oklahoma, where four people have died this month due to wind-driven fires. Those states were just three of eight where large fires were being reported on Friday. Some 14,800 wildfires have burned 1,105 square miles so far this year — well above the 10-year average, according to data released Friday by the National Interagency Fire Center. Most devastating were the Los Angeles wildfires in January, fueled by dry vegetation and howling winds, that destroyed entire neighborhoods. Wildfires have happened with such frequency in recent years that many U.S. fire officials say there is no longer a “fire season,” which traditionally ran from late spring through the fall. That is because climate change, caused by the burning of fuels like gasoline and coal, has raised average global temperatures, creating drier conditions that allow wildfires, which are mostly mostly caused by humans, to burn longer and more intensely. While major fires often happen early in the year — in February 2024, Texas experienced the largest wildfire in state history — this year is a bit unusual “because we’re seeing it happen in so many places,” said Brad Rippey, a U.S. Department of Agriculture meteorologist who monitors drought. This week, 45% of the country is in drought, when historically it’s around 20% at any given time, Rippey said. That dried out lots of fuel just waiting for a spark — from freeze-dried grasses in the southern Plains to downed trees and brush from hurricanes that ravaged parts of the southeast and southern Appalachians in recent years. The National Interagency Fire Center’s significant wildfire outlook notes that several states still have debris from hurricanes Laura, Ida, Debby and Idalia in the past five years

US

Trump’s FCC commissioner opens investigation into Walt Disney Co. and ABC for diversity policies

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President Tweety McTreason’s FCC commissioner said Friday he’s opening an investigation into the Walt Disney Co. and its ABC television network to see whether they are “promoting invidious forms of DEI discrimination.” FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr announced the probe in a letter to Disney CEO Robert Iger on Friday. The company said it was reviewing the letter and looking forward to answering the commission’s questions. The new administration has taken an aggressive posture toward the media on several fronts. Just this week, there were court hearings on the shutdown of Voice of America and the president’s dispute with The Associated Press over how the news agency refers to the Gulf of Mexico, which Trump has ordered renamed the Gulf of America. Carr has pushed the Federal Communications Commission into an activist role since Trump appointed him as its leader. For example, the FCC currently has open investigations into ABC, CBS and NBC News. “For decades, Disney focused on churning out box office and programming successes,” Carr wrote to Iger. “But then something changed. Disney has now become embroiled in rounds of controversy surrounding its DEI policies.” He said that while he has seen reports that Disney has rolled back some of its practices, “significant concerns remain.” Last month, Axios reported that Disney had made some policy changes, including eliminating a website designed to highlight personalities and stories from underrepresented communities. Disney also softened messages that appeared before showings of movies like “Dumbo” and “Peter Pan,” Axios said. Instead of warnings that the films include “negative depictions and/or mistreatment of peoples or culture,” the messages changed to “this program is presented as originally created and may contain stereotypes or negative depictions.” Carr’s letter linked to an article by conservative activist Christopher Rufo describing Disney as “the wokest place on Earth.” Some examples Carr cited go back several years, such as a one-time policy at Disney-owned ABC that at least 50 percent of characters in TV pilots

Health

He Had Short-Term Health Insurance. His Colonoscopy Bill: $7,000.

Really Simple Syndication

Tim Winard knew he needed to buy health insurance when he left his management job in manufacturing to launch his own business. It was the first time he had shopped around for coverage, searching for a plan that would cover him and his wife, who was also between jobs at the time. “We were so nervous about not being on a company-provided plan,” Winard said. After speaking with an insurance agent, he decided against enrolling in an Affordable Care Act plan because he was concerned about the potential cost. Instead, he chose a short-term policy, good for six months. Six months later, Winard was still working on starting his business, so he signed up for another short-term policy with a different insurer that cost about $500 a month. When he needed a colonoscopy, Winard, 57, called his insurance company. He said a representative told him to go to any facility he wanted for the procedure. Early last year, he had the colonoscopy at a hospital in Elmhurst, Illinois, not far from his home in Addison. The procedure went well, and Winard went home right afterward. Then the bill came. The Medical Procedure Periodic colon cancer screening is recommended for people at average risk starting at age 45 and continuing until age 75, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. In addition to those for preventive purposes, doctors may order colonoscopies to diagnose existing concerns, as was the case for Winard. There are several ways to screen, including noninvasive stool tests. A colonoscopy allows clinicians to examine and remove any polyps, which are then tested to see whether they are precancerous or malignant. The Final Bill $10,723.19, including $1,436 for the anesthesia and $1,039 for the recovery room. After an insurance discount, his plan paid $817.47. Winard was left owing $7,226.71. The Billing Problem: A Short-Term Plan, With Coverage Caps and Gaps Short-term, limited-duration insurance policies do not have to follow rules established under the

Health

Their Physical Therapy Coverage Ran Out Before They Could Walk Again

Really Simple Syndication

Mari Villar was slammed by a car that jumped the curb, breaking her legs and collapsing a lung. Amy Paulo was in pain from a femur surgery that wasn’t healing properly. Katie Kriegshauser suffered organ failure during pregnancy, weakening her so much that she couldn’t lift her baby daughter. All went to physical therapy, but their health insurers stopped paying before any could walk without assistance. Paulo spent nearly $1,500 out of her own pocket for more sessions. Millions of Americans rely on physical and occupational therapists to regain strength and motor skills after operations, diseases, and injuries. But recoveries are routinely stymied by a widespread constraint in health insurance policies: rigid caps on therapy sessions. Insurers frequently limit such sessions to as few as 20 a year, a KFF Health News examination finds, even for people with severe damage such as spinal cord injuries and strokes, who may need months of treatment, multiple times a week. Patients can face a bind: Without therapy, they can’t return to work, but without working, they can’t afford the therapy. Paulo said she pressed her insurer for more sessions, to no avail. “I said, ‘I’m in pain. I need the services. Is there anything I can do?’” she recalled. “They said, no, they can’t override the hard limit for the plan.” A typical physical therapy session for a privately insured patient to improve daily functioning costs $192 on average, according to the Health Care Cost Institute. Most run from a half hour to an hour. Insurers say annual visit limits help keep down costs, and therefore premiums, and are intended to prevent therapists from continuing treatment when patients are no longer improving. They say most injuries can be addressed in a dozen or fewer sessions and that people and employers who bought insurance could have purchased policies with better therapy benefits if it was a priority. Atul Patel, a physiatrist in Overland Park, Kansas, and the treasurer of