Travelers searching for America’s safest cities may want to head to New England this holiday season.
The experts at WalletHub recently compared more than 180 cities across the U.S., analyzing more than 40 key indicators of safety, such as traffic fatalities and assaults per capita, unemployment rate, natural disaster risk level and the percentage of the population that’s uninsured to determine which locales are the safest to visit in 2024.
Vermont was the big winner, with South Burlington and Burlington ranking first and fourth, respectively. Meanwhile, Warwick, Rhode Island ranks third, with Portland, Maine also making the top 10 at number nine.
South Burlington ranks first for financial security, a category that accounts for 20 of the 100 points and considers a variety of factors like poverty rate, unemployment, job security and retirement plan access, among other things.
According to WalletHub, Warwick — a city just south of Providence — boasts the fewest thefts per 1,000 residents and the second-fewest assaults per capita.
Casper, Wyoming, and Boise, Idaho, rank second and fifth, respectively, while other top 10 safest cities include Yonkers, New York (sixth); Cedar Rapids, Iowa (seventh); Columbia, Maryland (eighth) and Virginia Beach, Virginia (10th).
Columbia — a suburban destination just outside of Baltimore — ranks first for home and community safety, a category that accounts for 60 of the 100 points.
Factors examined in this area include the presence of terrorist attacks; the number of mass shootings; murders and non-negligent manslaughters per capita; forcible rapes and hate crimes per capita, among other safety indicators.
The 10 most safe US cities
1. South Burlington, Vermont2. Casper, Wyoming3. Warwick, Rhode Island4. Burlington, Vermont5. Boise, Idaho6. Yonkers, New York7. Cedar Rapids, Iowa8. Columbia, Maryland9. Portland, Maine10. Virginia Beach, Virginia
Memphis, Tennessee, has the unfortunate distinction of being the least safe city in the country, based on WalletHub’s research, ranking 180th for home and community safety and 181st for financial security.
Memphis is tied for the most traffic fatalities and assaults per capita and has the lowest percentage of households with emergency savings.
Other poor-performing places include Detroit; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana; Baltimore; Cleveland; Oakland, California; Philadelphia and San Bernardino, California.
Detroit has the highest unemployment rate of any city that WalletHub examined and is tied for the most assaults per capita.
Houston, which ranks 171st out of 182 cities, has the highest natural disaster risk level while Washington, D.C., ranks top five in terms of hate crimes per capita.
The 10 least safe US cities
1. Memphis, Tennessee2. Detroit, Michigan3. Fort Lauderdale, Florida4. Baton Rouge, Louisiana5. New Orleans, Louisiana6. Baltimore, Maryland7. Cleveland, Ohio8. Oakland, California9. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania10. San Bernardino, California
Vermont was the big winner in a safety analysis, with South Burlington, shown here, ranking first. At the bottom of the rankings, the least-safe city is listed as Memphis, Tennessee. (Erin Elliott/Dreamstime/TNS)
A couple’s wedding night turned “tragic” when the groom was shot to death in front of his bride, loved ones told news outlets.
Tyrek Burton, 37, was outside a North Carolina wedding venue when he was killed during a possible road-rage incident late Saturday, Oct. 12, the Greensboro Police Department wrote in a news release and told TV stations.
“It was supposed to be one of the happiest moments of his life, and it turned into something tragic,” the groom’s sister, Brittany Burton, told WGHP.
Police responded just before 9 p.m. to a reported shooting at an event center. At the scene, they found Tyrek Burton in the parking lot with life-threatening injuries. Crews worked to save the man, who later died, officers said.
“It was shocking,” Nysheria Holloway, his sister-in-law, told WRAL. “It was terrible.”
The groom had only been married to Holloway’s sister, Kiara, for about seven hours before his death, TV stations reported.
Relatives told news outlets that Burton left his reception for a short time before being followed by a driver who accused the groom of cutting him off. He was shot to death in front of his new wife, WXII reported.
Tyrek Burton is remembered in news reports as a hard-working father to four daughters. He had dated his wife for more than a decade.
“He was nothing but good and I demand justice,” Carolyn Burton, the groom’s mother, told WFMY. “I demand it. I don’t want to wait years for it. He doesn’t deserve what he got.”
As of Oct. 14, police said they were conducting a homicide investigation and didn’t share details about potential suspects. Officers ask anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000.
Police and Facebook users believed to be the groom’s mom and sister didn’t immediately share additional information with McClatchy News on Oct. 16.
Christopher Vondracek | (TNS) The Minnesota Star Tribune
The dogs were tired. The small army of press stalking him needed to put down cameras. And Gov. Tim Walz was fiddling with removing shells from his gun.
Nothing could’ve prepared us for the political bombshell that came next.
And then Walz, who in his first year in Congress de-throned former Rep. Collin Peterson as the top-shot for Democrats in the Congressional Shootout of clay pigeons, dispensed a dad joke that would’ve landed well on the gingham tablecloth of the farmhouses he represented for a dozen years in Washington D.C.
“Borrowing a gun is like borrowing underwear,” Walz said, to chuckles from the press.
And, then … well, actually that was it.
Walz talked about his semiautomatic shotgun, a Beretta A-400, mentioned he liked the more forgiving recoil on his shoulders, and then — flipping up the shotgun, shells removed — walked along the tall grass back to the farmsite where he sat on a pick-up, ate venison sticks and talked hunting dogs.
Little did any of us know, however, at that moment, buzzing over the internet around the world, the biggest news event of the day, perhaps an October Surprise, for this vice presidential candidate was, at least in the eyes of the internet, already hatched.
Walz didn’t know how to use his gun.
A CBS reporter standing next to me had managed to dispatch to X a roughly 30-second clip of Walz un-jamming a gun, and within seconds, the rapacious reviews came pouring in accusing “Tampon Timmy” of more rural cosplay, of being caught redhanded lip-synching at the Super Bowl. As if a Holiday Inn guest had just been handed a stethoscope ahead of surgery.
I, standing in the field, didn’t know any of this at the time. But when I returned to Minneapolis that night, while my wife and sister-in-law made dinner and peppered me with questions, I opened up my phone to check in on reactions to my story and, instead, saw a piece from the Daily Mail in London.
“Tim Walz roasted over pheasant hunting stunt,” read the headline.
Huh? I scanned the story.
Was it the underwear joke? Nope.
The fact that he’d hadn’t shot a bird? Too timid.
No, according to trolls on the internet, Walz inelegantly un-loaded his shotgun shells.
But there were other “hot takes” on the day’s big event.
A Trump campaign page had shared what they called “another angle of Tim Walz fumbling around for his gun” and noted, “Tampon has absolutely no idea what he’s doing.”
Even Rep. Brad Finstad, the southern Minnesota congressman who represents not only Walz’s old district but also hunted in the same county as the governor Saturday morning, put out a photo of himself with two pheasants he shot on X, saying, “Great day for pheasant hunting in Brown County where we typically hunt with our shotguns.”
Was the insinuation that the governor hadn’t even brought his gun?
Sure enough, yes. All across the internet, people had interpreted a still photograph of the governor arriving in the motorcade and walking up to the DNR officer to get his license checked as evidence that Walz had never even picked up a shotgun, had simply done a blaze orange vogue.
Minnesota Governor and democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz compares Pheasants Forever hats with Matt Kucharski before they set out for the annual Minnesota Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 near Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. (Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS)
Look, I’m the paper’s agriculture reporter. Corn, soybeans, occasionally cultivated wild rice. It’s a good gig. Sometimes, due to scheduling conflicts on our politics team, I get to fill-in on the other commodity: power. I’ve seen turkeys (not) pardoned in a gilded room at the Capitol. I’ve interviewed senators about flooding in southern Minnesota. Last August, I sat on a rainy stage for 30 minutes chatting with Royce White, the GOP Senate candidate, outside the Star Tribune booth at the State Fair. (I lost a beloved vintage blazer!)
And in some ways, lamenting the social juggernaut of misinformation is a little passé. To borrow an agricultural film metaphor, we are not in Kansas anymore.
But the internet is complicating our democracy. Two weekends ago, I sat on a patio overlooking the Root River in lovely Lanesboro when I overheard a patron insist to a table next to us that the government had orchestrated the tragic hurricane in the U.S. to take out conservative voters.
Even back in August, I had two dear friends insist to me that, actually, Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance did alight onto a monologue about romantic relationships with couches in his memoir (he didn’t).
These are smart people. Well-intentioned people. We’ve just been overwhelmed by the medium. I’m not a hunter. I went to graduate school for literature. We are in need of rhetorical flotation devices to keep us afloat in the floods.
So here’s what actually happened last Saturday morning.
First-off, there might not be a Casey’s or Kwik Trip between the Twin Cities and New Ulm that carries a blaze orange stocking cap. That’s a missed opportunity. Because I searched nearly nearly every single one on my pre-dawn ride down from Minneapolis Saturday morning to the appointed meeting-place on a gravel road to get wanded by Secret Service.
Second, hunting is the most Downton Abbey thing we do in American politics. It’s not the foxes and hounds and horses and bugle calls. But it is a little silly. How can you shoot a bird with 20 reporters, 15 staffers, and 5 social media influencers in tow?
Still, I get it. There is a romantic showmanship to the day. The prairie presents well. And you got to dress warmly, which my east coast colleagues — in hoodies and sneakers — didn’t. So we sat there seemingly an eternity before, right before 9 a.m., Walz’s motorcade arrived, and the governor got smiling to walk over and get his pheasant credentials checked by the DNR officer.
Then, yes, we did do a bit of “fake-news.” One of the photographers requested views of faces of the hunting party — consisting of Walz, the president of Pheasants Forever, a local landowner, and a Nobles County hunter. So, for a performative few minutes, without taking any shots, the group walked toward the mobile media row, holding guns.
Then, finally, around 9:09 a.m., or so, according to the time-stamp on my phone, the actual hunting started.
Quickly enough, as we walked toward some increasingly tall-grass, a fluttering ball of might — a rooster — flew out of the grass.
“Rooster! Rooster!”
Bam. The bird fell.
Walz called out “Nice shot.”
Much to the disappointment of the huddled press, the Nobles County hunter, Scott Rall, had downed the bird. But Rall’s intrepid dogs couldn’t actually find the pheasant in the cover. We searched for a while and kept moving.
Flanked by his Secret Service detail Minnesota Governor and democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz watches a dog work as he takes part in the annual Minnesota Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, near Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. (Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS)
Over the next 60 minutes or so, with my phone increasingly teetering toward battery doom, we climbed through thickets, tripped over buried logs. The hunters communicated with each other wonderfully in a ridiculous situation. When a hen flew out, they’d call out “Hen! Hen!”, a hunter’s version of “stand down.” When the dogs excitedly dove up-and-down in the grass, Walz prepped everyone to get ready for a bird.
Yes, he didn’t take a shot. Would that have played better or worse with undecideds in Pennsylvania? I don’t know. There may’ve been chances. Mostly hens flew out. In one moment, a rooster emerged, but the bird was quite young. Maybe other hunters would’ve pulled the trigger. A journalist from an outdoors magazine next to me told another outdoors reporter: “I would’ve blasted it.”
Regardless, about an hour into the hunt, I was quite relieved the governor didn’t fire his shotgun. A rooster sprung up in the opposite direction, clearing over the heads of the pursuing press corps. Everyone, with cameras, ducked. Everyone, that is, except me. I tried following the bird with my cellphone camera. When I turned, Walz — who’d called out “don’t shoot” — was clutching his gun upright. Then he broke the nervous laughter.
“Every vice president joke there ever was was about to be made right there,” Walz said.
The joke was probably his best shot of the day.
Then we kept hunting. And hunting. Which for the reporters meant, walking. And walking. I was reminded of the apocryphal Mark Twain quote that “Golf is a good walk spoiled.” Then, my phone died. Fortunately, I had a laptop in my backpack, so I recharged my phone so that, about an hour later, I was able to record the governor just as he was removing his shotgun shells … and apparently ending his political career.
Then, we walked back to the farmsite. The social media influencers awaited. The Diet Mountain Dew needed to be swigged. One influencer asked the governor his favorite food. Another talked about restoring the country to “sanity.” I mostly just wanted to get on the road to internet and some beef jerky. But we had to wait for a security phalanx rolling a half-dozen cars deep, security against physical threats.
Bringing gun-toting hunters around with a vice presidential candidate in this political environment certainly could be scary. But really the most dangerous place, apparently, was just opening up your phone.
Flanked by his Secret Service detail Minnesota Governor and democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz and Matt Kucharski look for birds during the annual Minnesota Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, near Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. (Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS)
Two devastating hurricanes thrashed the Southeast with high winds and heavy rainfall in the past couple of weeks, reminding travelers of the importance of protecting their travel investment with a solid insurance plan.
Unlike auto, renters and other insurances, Americans aren’t forced to invest in travel insurance, but the benefits can be immense.
This peak Atlantic hurricane season only serves as a reminder.
After all, travelers can secure a reassuring travel insurance policy for just a small percentage of their total trip cost. According to NerdWallet, the average cost of travel insurance in 2024 is between 6% and 7% percent of your total trip expenses.
Still, tropical storms and hurricanes are extremely fluid and it’s never wise to wait until a troubling forecast to pay for protection. It’s often too late after a storm has been named or identified.
However, travelers can purchase a Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) policy that will provide added flexibility in the event of trip cancellations or disruptions.
The only thing worse than missing out on your dream vacation or having it impacted is having to foot the bill for an underwhelming experience. That’s where travel insurance comes in to quickly reimburse you for those expenses so you can plan for the next getaway uninhibited.
If you’re not sure where to begin, consider reputable or even an award-winning travel insurance provider that is constantly evolving by launching new tools to make purchasing the right policy, filing claims and more even easier.
“If you’re planning a getaway this year, we recommend adding a travel insurance plan to your packing list,” said Daniel Durazo, director of external communications at Allianz Partners USA. “Whether it’s a flight delay or lost luggage, a travel insurance policy may reimburse you for covered losses associated with a covered travel delay or baggage loss that could otherwise spoil a cherished trip.”
TREASURE ISLAND, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 28: In this aerial view, boats are piled up in front of homes after Hurricane Helene hit the area as it passed offshore on September 28, 2024 in Treasure Island, Florida. Hurricane Helene made landfall Thursday night in Florida’s Big Bend with winds up to 140 mph and storm surges that killed at least 42 people in several states. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS — Some Minnesota falls are better than others. Some are more colorful, crisp and cool, while others are just cold. Then there are those “second summers” that creep deep into fall, only to be replaced by, well, winter.
This year feels like the latter, but even if the frost hasn’t covered the pumpkins yet, I’m still going to work in as many fall flavors as I can. I’ll just shift from my normal autumnal fare of hot and hearty comfort foods to something a little lighter, like a salad.
Although the summer tomato season has passed, that doesn’t mean we have to pass on salads. There are plenty of fall ingredients we can toss with a delicious dressing and some greens. One of my favorites is apples.
Here in Minnesota, we know a good apple when we sink our teeth into one. Even though we’re famous for the ever-popular Honeycrisp, this time of year, grocery store produce sections are packed with many different varieties of local apples.
First Kiss, Zestar, SweeTango and many more apple varieties are easy to find and delicious when added to a green salad.
In this week’s recipe, any one of these would be welcomed, tossed along with crisp romaine in a creamy honey-mustard dressing. Nutty cubes of Gruyère cheese are added, along with crunchy toasted hazelnuts. The result is a complex salad, packed with interesting textures and flavors.
I would serve this salad alongside any simple roasted meat or poultry.
Or, if you’d like to transform this salad into more of a main dish, you could certainly add a handful or two of shredded chicken to the mix.
No matter what kind of fall we’re in store for this year, don’t let it stop you from enjoying the flavors of the season.
Romaine, Apple, Hazelnut and Gruyère Salad with Creamy Honey-Mustard Dressing
Serves 4.
There’s no better way to celebrate than with this flavorful autumnal salad. From Meredith Deeds.
For the dressing:
3 tbsp. heavy cream
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. whole grain Dijon mustard
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
For the salad:
8 c. chopped romaine lettuce
1 medium crisp apple, cored and thinly sliced
4 oz. cubed Gruyère
½ c. roughly chopped toasted, skinned hazelnuts
Directions
Prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the cream, vinegar, whole grain mustard, Dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil and set aside.
Prepare the salad: In a medium bowl, add romaine lettuce, apples and 6 tablespoons dressing. Toss to coat. Add more dressing, if desired. Transfer to serving platter or plates. Scatter the Gruyère and hazelnuts over the top. Serve immediately.
The classic road trip remains a popular way to explore. Here are five ways to hit the open road while learning along the way.
Colo-Road Trips (Colorado)
The Colorado Tourism Office makes it easy for road-trippers to explore the state’s 26 Scenic & Historic Byways. Their microsite includes an interactive map that enables travelers to explore options by region, interest or season. Travelers seeking inspiration can also access insider tips, music playlists and side-trip suggestions within more than 150 Colo-Road Trip itineraries, making multi-day adventures easy to plan. The flexible itineraries offer suggestions for historic attractions, active adventures and cultural opportunities. Visitors to the site can also peruse for picnic, dining, hiking and lodging suggestions.
For majestic coastal scenery and seaside breezes, pile in the car for a trip up (or down) California’s western shore. Begin in ultra-hip Santa Monica and wind your way north past the Hearst Castle. Push farther north to Carmel and then on to the storied city by the bay, San Francisco. Other road trip options in this sun-drenched state include a taco tour and an itinerary that features the best surf spots. Or, uncover the bizarre attractions you’ll find in the California desert by following the state’s Amazing Desert Oddities itinerary.
Visitors who travel this extraordinary byway experience the visual trifecta of Montana, Wyoming and Yellowstone Park, home to the Absaroka and Beartooth mountains. The windy, cliff-hugging 68-mile stretch introduces road explorers to one of the most diverse ecosystems accessible by auto. It’s also the highest elevation highway in the Northern Rockies. Stunningly beautiful, the All-American Road showcases wide, high alpine plateaus painted with patches of ice blue glacial lakes, forested valleys, waterfalls and wildlife. Plan for many stops so the driver can take in the long views, too!
The road that connects Anchorage to Seward is a 127-mile treasure trove of natural beauty, wildlife and stories of adventure, endurance and rugged ingenuity. Take a day or several to explore the region that has earned three-fold recognition as a Forest Service Scenic Byway, an Alaskan Scenic Byway and an All-American Road. The drive begins at the base of the Chugach Mountains, hugs the scenic shores of Turnagain Arm and winds through mining towns, national forests and fishing villages as you imagine how explorers, fur traders and gold prospectors might have fared back in the day. Expect waterfalls, glaciers, eagles, moose and some good bear stories. Download the Alaska app to browse points of interest on a map and access a collection of audio guides.
Cafe sign along historic Route 66 in Texas.(Andrey Bayda/Dreamstime/TNS)
The western half of historic Route 66 makes for an iconic road trip. Travel from the seaside city of Santa Monica, California, to Williams, Arizona – the Gateway to the Grand Canyon – and on to Adrian, Texas, the midpoint on the famous route. (The full itinerary stretches 2,400 miles across two-thirds of the continent, ending in Chicago.) More than 250 Route 66 buildings, districts and road segments are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Along the way, you and your family will marvel at the wide-open spaces, the changing landscape and the rich history to be found as you follow the path of the original Mother Road.
(Lynn O’Rourke Hayes (LOHayes.com) is an author, family travel expert and enthusiastic explorer. Gather more travel intel on Twitter @lohayes, Facebook, or via FamilyTravel.com)
Painter Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) chronicled the Black Migration out of the South in a series of 60 panels whose tempera colors and spiked diagonals depict fear and resolve. Aaron Robertson revisits that demographic surge in his elegant, vigorous debut, “The Black Utopians.”
Tackling the challenges of racial empowerment from the angle of Black communities that withdrew from the burdens of integration, weaving memoir with accounts of both self-determination and political machinations, showcasing obscure figures and celebrating their legacies, Robertson’s work arrives just in time for book prize season!
Robertson’s linchpin is the hamlet of Promise Land, Tenn., founded amid the hopeful upswell of Reconstruction. As a child he joined his grandparents on summer vacations there, driving from Detroit for a couple of weeks with extended relations, a pocket of black tranquility somehow beyond the wingspan of white America.
From personal recollections, he segues to the history of other utopias, from Beulah Land in South Carolina to activist congregations in Detroit and Houston. He bridges his chapters with tender letters from his father, Doe, a former ex-con who was often walled off (literally) from his son. Raw yet poetic, these letters evoke the plights and alienation of the incarcerated. The author dodges the pitfalls of nostalgia and sentimentality; his anecdotes crackle with immediacy.
His eye on pacing and detail, he charts the intellectual odysseys of his cast, upending our expectations. The fiery scion of a prominent African American family in Detroit, Albert Cleage Jr. took a more militant stance than his elders, building the Shrine of the Black Madonna and expanding into bookstores and various businesses with the flair of a born entrepreneur. He eventually changed his name to Jaramogi Abebe Agyeman in the 1970s, a dash of radical chic that fuels the middle of “Utopians.” We glimpse the rise of Islamism within urban neighborhoods, as Malcolm X demands bloody confrontation.
Artist Glanton Dowdell, another Detroit native, slogged through early poverty and prison, living by street smarts.
“He and the other black boys watched the hustlers at Eastern Market ply their trade and became their informal apprentices,” Robertson writes. “They carried grocery bags, cleaned around the stands, loaded produce and scrapped with immigrant boys over turf..” A manslaughter charge sent him to the big house, where he funneled his despair into art that lent gravitas to his people’s suffering. Robinson’s portrait of Dowdell is a revelation unto itself.
Jaramogi (as Robertson calls him) recognized that Black Nationalism was fomenting its own institutions and hierarchies, taking on the contours of an industry. He embraced the shift, investing in Beulah Land, an idyllic farm. Robertson walks a tightrope here: His heart belongs to the white-hot entropy of the movement while his skeptic’s head questions the efficacy of separatism, such as the Shrine’s communal mandates.
“In the Shrine, renegade desires always flowered,” he opines. “The safeguarding of the individual was sacred and necessary, too. It was the individual who stood discretely on the riverbank, watching the baptism of others from afar.”
It’s easy to imagine the author as that riverbank observer, of the flow but not in it. Layered and probing, studded with germane autobiography, “The Black Utopians” is an extraordinary achievement in narrative nonfiction.
____
The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America
After a first suspect was arrested in Louisiana Saturday, police in Plymouth Township arrested his alleged companion Monday, according to a post on the Oakland County Sheriff’s X account.
“Our fugitive apprehension team located the individual as he was traveling this afternoon in Plymouth Township and a traffic stop was effectuated,” the post said. “He was taken into custody without incident.”
Hernandez and his alleged companion visited the house Thursday night, claiming to be there to check on a gas leak, according to sheriff’s officials. The suspects returned Friday and were allowed into the house. Once inside, they are suspected of killing Murray, binding his 72-year-old wife’s hands with duct tape, and ransacking the premises, officials said. After the assailants left, the woman was able to free herself and dial 911.
"We’re thinking (the suspects) probably followed (Murray) home from his store," Bouchard said Monday. "Either that, or they figured out where he lived by tracking him down on the internet. But it doesn’t look like they just randomly picked that house; there have been no recent reports in the area of people posing as utility workers, and we’ve seen cases before where people who own pawn shops or jewelry stores were targeted."
Once the two suspects were inside the house, Murray took them to the basement to check on the supposed leak, according to investigators. After allegedly killing Murray in the basement, the two men went upstairs, bound the victim’s wife with duct tape, and spent several minutes searching the house, sheriff’s officials said.
Sheriff’s deputies found Murray’s body in the basement. The Oakland County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide Saturday, although the cause of death has not been released.
Bouchard said investigators initially had difficulty getting doorbell video from the scene, although once the footage was obtained, his office released it to the public and asked for help identifying the suspect. Tipsters named one of the men as Hernandez, Bouchard said.
"As soon as we got the tips, we figured out what kind of vehicle (Hernandez) may be in," Bouchard said, adding that his office alerted U.S. marshals and other law enforcement nationwide.
Hernandez was arrested about 4 p.m. Saturday in Shreveport after Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies spotted a vehicle on Interstate 49 that matched the description of Hernandez’s vehicle.
"They were looking for that vehicle, because (Hernandez) had a past history of being in that area," Bouchard said.
Because Hernandez is wanted for armed robbery in Ohio, Bouchard said the suspect was held on those charges, "while we got our own charges worked up here."
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a Sunday news release she would charge Hernandez with felony murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment. It is punishable by up to life in prison.
“This was a gruesome attack on an elderly couple in their home,” McDonald said in the release. “I have authorized the highest charge, which carries a mandatory life without parole sentence for this brutal crime. My office will work diligently to ensure that this individual is held accountable and that the public is safe from violent predators.”
Hernandez is being held in the Caddo Correction Center, and Bouchard said officials likely will learn Tuesday whether the suspect will fight extradition to Michigan.
"There’ll probably be a court hearing (Tuesday) to see if he’ll fight (extradition), although we’re planning on getting him to Michigan," Bouchard said.
According to Michigan Department of Corrections records, Hernandez in 2006 was sentenced to 1-15 years in prison after pleading guilty to 3rd degree criminal sexual conduct, person 13 through 15. While in prison, he was convicted in 2012 of attempting to possess a weapon.
Hernandez was released from prison in 2022, according to MDOC records.
Murray and his wife were married 54 years, and have three children and 11 grandchildren, one of the victim’s grandchildren said in a statement. The Hamtramck pawn shop was closed Monday.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard provides details about a killing that took place inside a home in the 3700 block of Newcastle Drive in Rochester Hills during a press conference on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024.
A Commerce Township man has been charged in connection with allegedly faking a crime to get police to rush to a scene in Wayne County.
Devin O’Leary, 34, allegedly called and said he had “just killed everyone in the house” in September, according to a Thursday press release from the Canton Public Safety Department.
He allegedly targeted a victim and gave the dispatchers their address to bring first responders to their house, said Canton Township Police Chief Chad Baugh.
O’Leary was arraigned Sunday at the 36th District Court, where Magistrate Ramsey Heath set his bond at $50,000, according to the release. He was charged for filing a false report of a felony, which is a felony, Baugh said.
Online court records show O’Leary was also recently charged and arraigned for malicious use of a telephone, which is a misdemeanor. That separate case, for which O’Leary had an outstanding warrant prior to his arrest, may have been targeting the same victim, Baugh said.
The Canton Township police dispatch center sent police last month to the identified residence in the call and determined the report was a swatting call, in which someone calls 911 to report a fake, serious crime and rush first responders to the scene.
Canton police detectives identified O’Leary as the suspected prank caller and arrested him on Oct. 3.
“I commend the outstanding response of our police officers and investigators who worked on this case,” Canton Police Chief Chad Baugh said in the release. “We are committed to utilizing all available resources to identify those responsible for disrupting public safety services through ‘swatting’ incidents. We appreciate the Wayne Count Prosecutor’s Office’s continued efforts to issue the necessary charging documents and hold individuals accountable for these crimes.”
Online court records as of Friday did not list a lawyer as currently representing O’Leary.
His next court hearing will be on Oct. 18.
Detroit police said in August that they were investigating two swatting calls targeting Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
Another swatting attack targeted former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers and his family at their Holly Township home in August.
Election officials and election offices in Michigan and across the country are now bracing for threats ahead of the November elections, the Associated Press reported.
A new survey by Global Rescue reveals that women and men have distinct preferences when it comes to choosing their dream travel destinations.
According to the Global Rescue Summer 2024 Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey, 35% of experienced travelers place a high priority on visiting places with breathtaking landscapes, while 31% favor destinations that offer adventurous activities. But, interestingly, the company noted a definite discrepancy between the preferences of female and male travelers.
For women, stunning natural landscapes, such as mountains, jungles, savannas, deserts, reefs, canyons and glaciers, are the top priority when selecting a destination. In fact, 37% of female respondents indicated that these scenic features are the most important factor in their travel choices. Meanwhile, the same percentage of male respondents (37%) pointed to adventure activities, like scuba diving, skiing, mountaineering and trekking, as their primary consideration.
“Understanding the preferences of travelers is essential for the travel industry, and our survey sheds light on the differing priorities based on gender,” said Dan Richards, CEO of The Global Rescue Companies, one of the world’s leading providers of security, medical and evacuation services, and a member of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board at the U.S. Department of Commerce. “While women tend to favor the beautiful landscapes and cultural experiences, men are more inclined to seek out adventure. This insight can help travel providers tailor their offerings to meet the diverse needs of their clientele,” he added.
Beyond nature’s splendor, women also tend to weigh cultural experiences heavily when it comes to making travel decisions. Around 15% of female respondents highlighted the importance of engaging with local language, dress, customs and traditions, indicating a desire for authentic, immersive experiences and forging deeper connections with their destination. However, only 3% of women considered factors like events, natural phenomena, architecture, cuisine and shopping essential in travel planning.
In contrast, men appear to be less concerned with cultural elements, with just 10% considering cultural diversity as a primary factor in their decision-making process. Instead, they tend to prioritize not only adventure, but also — similar to women — landscapes. In fact, 33% of male respondents also cited scenic beauty as an important aspect of their ideal travel destination.
The survey also revealed some notable discrepancies in men’s versus women’s top dream destinations. Female travelers expressed a strong interest in visiting places like Antarctica, New Zealand, Iceland, the Galapagos Islands, Egypt and Australia. Meanwhile, men gravitated toward Australia (particularly the Great Barrier Reef), Antarctica, New Zealand, Patagonia, Mongolia and various parts of Africa.
“The survey results highlight the importance of landscapes and adventure in travel choices, but it also underscores the evolving dynamics of traveler preferences,” Richards said. “As more women engage in adventure sports and explore remote destinations, we may see a shift in these preferences in the future.”
A new survey by Global Rescue reveals that women and men have distinct preferences when it comes to choosing their dream travel destinations. (Dreamstime/TNS)
You might be wondering whether your cold-like symptoms might be coronavirus, and whether you can use the old at-home test in your medicine cabinet.
Can you use an at-home COVID-19 test past its expiration date — and can it be extended?
Here’s what you need to know:
Do at-home COVID-19 tests really expire?
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, all at-home COVID-19 diagnostic tests come with an expiration date printed on the box or packaging.
Such self-administered tests shouldn’t typically be used past this date, the FDA said in a September FAQ about at-home tests.
However, these expiration dates can be extended as additional stability data becomes available.
“COVID-19 test manufacturers perform studies to show how long after manufacturing COVID-19 tests perform as accurately as the day the test was manufactured,” the FDA said.
As of September, Californians can request free COVID-19 at-home tests online. (Andy Alfaro/Modesto Bee/TNS)
The shelf life of a test refers to the period during which it should perform as expected, starting from the date of manufacture.
The expiration date marks the end of this period, indicating the latest date by which the test is expected to provide accurate results.
Can expiration dates be extended for coronavirus tests?
Stability testing determines how long a test maintains its expected performance.
The manufacturer stores the test for the proposed shelf-life, plus some additional time to ensure reliability, and then reassesses its accuracy, according to the FDA.
For example, if the intended shelf-life for an at-home test is 12 months, the manufacturer tests its accuracy after storing it for 13 months to confirm it still performs as expected.
“Since it takes time for test manufacturers to perform stability testing, the FDA typically authorizes at-home COVID-19 tests with a shelf-life of about four to six months from the day the test was manufactured, based on initial study results, and it may be extended later as additional data is collected,” the FDA said.
Once the test manufacturer obtains additional stability testing results for time periods such as 12 or 18 months, they can request FDA authorization for an extended shelf-life.
If approved, expiration dates will be updated and the manufacturer can notify customers of the new dates so they know how long they can continue using their tests.
However, the FDA said, if you didn’t buy your test directly from the manufacturer, you might not receive such a notice.
How can I tell if my at-home COVID test is still good?
The 2024 elections are right around the corner, and it’s been one of the most contentious campaign seasons in recent memory. For retirees, the outcome of the election has some ramifications, especially with a looming Social Security shortfall, which could lead to drastic cuts in benefits. Whoever is elected this year could help shape how the program is funded and whether benefits are cut and by how much. But Social Security is only one of several issues impacting retirement planning.
“The 2024 election is going to be a big one for retirees,” says Brandon Ashton, director of retirement security at Cornerstone Financial Services in Southfield, Michigan. “Tax legislation, pension reforms, raising the retirement age, raising the required minimum distribution age, healthcare costs and many more issues are at stake in 2024.”
That’s why experts say that those planning for retirement must stay up to date on any changes and how those changes could affect their plans.
Here are five key areas to watch as the election unfolds and what to do to set yourself up for success — no matter who wins.
1. Prepare for changes to Social Security
Social Security provides a substantial portion of income for America’s retirees, but with the program’s trust fund running low, analysts expect that benefits could be cut as soon as 2033 if the funding situation isn’t solved. The average check would be automatically cut by some 21%, according to NPR, leaving strapped retirees with even less to get by on.
“Whoever wins the presidency will set the tone for the future of Social Security,” says Ashton. Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris “have made contrasting statements about the program, but neither offers a clear long-term solution,” he says.
But regardless of what a new president wants, it is Congress that would ultimately make any funding changes. Some senators have discussed raising the full retirement age, cutting benefits or eliminating the annual cost of living increase, which helps Social Security’s payments keep up with inflation.
“If one party gains a majority, their priorities for addressing solvency — whether through tax increases, benefit adjustments, or structural reforms — may take center stage,” says Ashton.
But changes to Social Security may not be on the horizon for the upcoming Congress, say some advisers.
“Congress will most likely balk their way through the session, pushing the exhaustion of the trust fund until next year’s list of issues,” says Michael Primavera, retirement planning adviser at Daniel A. White & Associates in Lewes, Delaware.
If Congress fails to act soon, it would make lower-cost solutions even harder to implement, a fact that plays into the hands of those who would prefer to cut benefits on retirees. The longer Congress delays, the less palatable the solutions will become and the more likely that retirees will suffer a reduced benefit of some kind, whether that’s a lower overall lifetime benefit or immediate cuts.
What you can do: Save and invest more toward your own retirement. With potential benefit reductions on the horizon, soon-to-be retirees should consider financial moves that allow them to fund more of their own retirement. This could include saving and investing more and having a higher allocation for growth assets during retirement. With eight or nine years until a potential cut, you can make substantial changes now to help bolster your finances in the future.
2. Adjust for potential changes to income tax rates
Some advisers think the expiration of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — informally known as the “Trump tax cuts” — will be one of the most contentious issues. The law is set to expire at the end of 2025. Congress must act to renew it or the tax regime will revert to where it was in 2017 and earlier. Both candidates have made a variety of proposals to adjust the tax system.
Harris has proposed raising the top tax rate from 37% to 39.6%. However, she has said she would not raise taxes on households earning $400,000 or less. Harris has also proposed a minimum 25% tax on households with more than $100 million in assets and higher long-term capital gains taxes on those earning more than $1 million, with the top rate moving from 20% to 28%. Additionally, she has proposed raising the corporate tax rate.
Trump has said he would extend the current tax provisions following the 2025 deadline, lower corporate tax rates and raise the $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions. He has also proposed eliminating taxes on Social Security and implementing an across-the-board tariff of 10% on all imports, a move that tax experts say could shrink the economy and grow the debt.
“Whether the Trump tax cuts remain intact, are modified or ‘sunset’ altogether, it is important to know where you are in terms of expected income and which tax bracket you fall into,” says Primavera. Retirees have some control over their income — and therefore taxes — because they can adjust how much money comes out of their retirement accounts as income.
What you can do: Take tax planning seriously. If tax rates move higher, planning your taxes becomes more important. Smart planning can minimize the taxes you have to pay. “Remember, the big variable in retirement income is the amount you take from your qualified accounts (IRA, 401(k), etc.) and the required minimum distribution (RMD) that comes with it at age 73,” says Primavera.
3. Consider a Roth IRA conversion
A potential rise in tax rates in 2026 may mean that this year and next remain opportune times to take advantage of a Roth IRA conversion. With this strategy, you convert a traditional retirement plan such as an IRA or 401(k) into a Roth IRA, which offers a range of benefits.
“If you believe the Trump tax cuts are going to expire, why not take advantage of them while you still can? A Roth conversion is a great strategy in retirement planning,” says Primavera. “If you have a large IRA balance and have room in your current tax bracket for additional income, pay the taxes on the income now and reinvest into your Roth IRA, which can now grow and will not be taxed again.”
What you can do: Consider a Roth IRA conversion. Of course, it’s no guarantee what happens to the current tax rates, but retirement advisers have long advised clients to consider a Roth IRA conversion. The conversion can be especially beneficial if you have many years left in retirement, but advisers such as Primavera suggest that clients avoid bumping themselves into the next tax bracket when they convert. Even if tax rates don’t rise, this move could still make sense, but plan carefully.
4. Watch out for changes to estate taxes
“Regarding the Trump tax cuts that are expected to expire at the end of 2025, the biggest change would be the estate tax reduction,” says Steve Azoury, ChFC, owner of Azoury Financial in Troy, Michigan.
The current estate tax laws in 2024 allow Americans to give away $13.61 million without paying any estate taxes. Each individual gets the exemption, for a total of $27.22 million per couple gifting together. If the estate tax reverts to the prior system, this amount will drop to about $7 million per person, according to tax experts. Any money given above that threshold will be taxed at rates as high as 40%, and that’s not including other levies at the state level, such as inheritance taxes.
What you can do: Keep an eye out. You’ll have some time to see which way the wind is blowing on this issue, so it’s not a move that you need to make immediately. However, given the huge tax savings that come with gifting a large estate under the current system, it could make sense to speak with your financial adviser about your personal situation. “You may want to do your gifting now in order to preserve these deductions,” says Azoury.
5. Don’t abandon your long-term game plan
You might be tempted to abandon your investment and retirement plan if your preferred candidate doesn’t win. Don’t do it, experts say.
“Elections are always fun. Everyone has an opinion, but this should not change your retirement goals,” says Azoury. “These goals should be set based on your lifestyle, assets, income and what activities you plan to do in retirement.”
“The one thing I would refrain from doing with your nest egg is selling it all and going straight to cash,” says Primavera. If you need to reduce risk, do so methodically. “Instead of a knee-jerk reaction and pulling everything out of the market, reduce your market exposure with a periodic rebalancing of your portfolio to a more risk-averse strategy,” he says.
What you can do: Stick to the investment plan that meets your long-term needs, don’t sweat the short-term noise, and, above all, avoid costly, emotional reactions when investing. The economy and stock market have performed well under Republican and Democratic administrations, and in particular under both Trump and President Joe Biden, as shown in this Bankrate comparison.
Bottom line
It is vital for retirees to stay up to date on changes that affect them, particularly on the key areas that affect their income the most. It’s also key to make sensible, well-considered decisions that work in your long-term financial interest rather than making ill-advised and emotional decisions based on half-truths. Work with an experienced financial adviser to help you stick to a game plan that works for you and your family.
(Editorial Disclaimer: All investors are advised to conduct their own independent research into investment strategies before making an investment decision. In addition, investors are advised that past investment product performance is no guarantee of future price appreciation.)
People watch the ABC News presidential debate between Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump at a debate watch party at The Abbey, an iconic gay bar, on Sept. 10, 2024, in West Hollywood, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images/TNS)
DETROIT — The Red Wings announced an updated start time of 8 p.m. for their season opener Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Little Caesars Arena.
The game, originally scheduled for 7 p.m., now will begin an hour later due to Game 4 of the American League Division Series being held at Comerica Park on Thursday, which starts at 6:08 p.m., between the Tigers and Cleveland Guardians.
With heavy traffic volume expected that evening in downtown Detroit, fans are encouraged to arrive early and to give themselves extra time by reserving parking in advance.
The Red Wings-Penguins game will be broadcast live on Bally Sports Detroit and air on WWJ Newsradio 950.
Doors to Little Caesars Arena for ticketed fans will open at 5 p.m.
The Detroit Red Wings are introduced before the start of the home opener. Photos are of the Detroit Red Wings vs. the Dallas Stars, at Little Caesars Arena, in Detroit, October 6, 2019. (Detroit News file photo)
Fred Schulte, Holly K. Hacker | (TNS) KFF Health News
Federal officials resolved more than a decade ago to crack down on whopping government overpayments to private Medicare Advantage health insurance plans, which were siphoning off billions of tax dollars every year.
But Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services officials have yet to demand any refunds — and over the years the private insurance plans have morphed into a politically potent juggernaut that has signed up more than 33 million seniors and is aggressively lobbying to stave off cuts.
Critics have watched with alarm as the industry has managed to deflate or deflect financial penalties and steadily gain clout in Washington through political contributions; television advertising, including a 2023 Super Bowl feature; and other activities, including mobilizing seniors. There’s also a revolving door, in which senior CMS personnel have cycled out of government to take jobs tied to the Medicare Advantage industry and then returned to the agency.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Medicare Advantage fraud “is wasting taxpayer dollars to the tune of billions.”
“The question is, what’s CMS doing about it? The agency must tighten up its controls and work with the Justice Department to prosecute and recover improper payments,” Grassley said in a statement to KFF Health News. “Clearly that’s not happening, at least to the extent it should be.”
David Lipschutz, an attorney with the Center for Medicare Advocacy, a nonprofit public interest law firm, said policymakers have an unsettling history of yielding to industry pressure. “The health plans throw a temper tantrum and then CMS will back off,” he said.
Government spending on Medicare Advantage, which is dominated by big health insurance companies, is expected to hit $462 billion this year.
New details of the government’s failure to rein in Medicare Advantage overcharges are emerging from a Department of Justice civil fraud case filed in 2017 against UnitedHealth Group, the insurer with the most Medicare Advantage enrollees. The case is pending in Los Angeles. The DOJ has accused the giant insurer of cheating Medicare out of more than $2 billion by mining patient records to find additional diagnoses that added revenue while ignoring overcharges that might have reduced bills. The company denies the allegations and has filed a motion for summary judgment.
Records from the court case are surfacing as the Medicare Advantage industry ramps up spending on lobbying and public relations campaigns to counter mounting criticism.
“We recognize this is a critical moment for Medicare Advantage,” said Rebecca Buck, senior vice president of communications for the Better Medicare Alliance, which styles itself as “the leading voice for Medicare Advantage.”
Buck said initiatives aimed at slashing government payments may prompt health plans to cut vital services. “Seniors are saying loud and clear: They can’t afford policies that will make their health care more expensive,” she said. “We want to make sure Washington gets the message.”
AHIP, a trade group for health insurers, also has launched a “seven-figure” campaign to promote its view that Medicare Advantage provides “better care at a lower cost,” spokesperson Chris Bond said.
Revolving Door
CMS, the Baltimore-based agency that oversees Medicare, has long felt the sting of industry pressure to slow or otherwise stymie audits and other steps to reduce and recover overpayments. These issues often attract little public notice, even though they can put billions of tax dollars at risk.
In August, KFF Health News reported how CMS officials backed off a 2014 plan to discourage the health plans from overcharging amid an industry “uproar.” The rule would have required that insurers, when combing patients’ medical records to identify underpayments, also look for overcharges. Health plans have been paid billions of dollars through the data mining, known as “chart reviews,” according to the government.
The CMS press office declined to respond to written questions posed by KFF Health News. But in a statement, it called the agency a “good steward of taxpayer dollars” and said in part: “CMS will continue to ensure that the MA program offers robust and stable options for people with Medicare while strengthening payment accuracy so that taxpayer dollars are appropriately spent.”
Court records from the UnitedHealth case show that CMS efforts to tighten oversight stalled amid years of technical protests from the industry — such as arguing that audits to uncover overpayments were flawed and unfair.
In one case, Jeffrey Grant, a CMS official who had decamped for a job supporting Medicare Advantage plans, protested the audit formula to several of his former colleagues, according to a deposition he gave in 2018.
Grant has since returned to CMS and now is deputy director for operations at the agency’s Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. He declined to comment.
At least a dozen witnesses in the UnitedHealth case and a similar DOJ civil fraud case pending against Anthem are former ranking CMS officials who departed for jobs tied to the Medicare Advantage industry.
Marilyn Tavenner is one. She led the agency in 2014 when it backed off the overpayment regulation. She left in 2015 to head industry trade group AHIP, where she made more than $4.5 million during three years at the helm, according to Internal Revenue Service filings. Tavenner, who is a witness in the UnitedHealth case, had no comment.
And in October 2015, as CMS department chiefs were batting around ideas to crack down on billing abuses, including reinstating the 2014 regulation on data mining, the agency was led by Andy Slavitt, a former executive vice president of the Optum division of UnitedHealth Group. The DOJ fraud suit focuses on Optum’s data mining program.
In the legal proceedings, Slavitt is identified as a “key custodian regarding final decision making by CMS” on Medicare Advantage.
“I don’t have any awareness of that conversation,” Slavitt told KFF Health News in an email. Slavitt, who now helps run a health care venture capital firm, said that during his CMS tenure he “was recused from all matters related to UHG.”
‘Improper’ Payments
CMS officials first laid plans to curb escalating overpayments to the insurers more than a decade ago, according to documents filed in August in the UnitedHealth case.
In a January 2012 presentation, CMS officials estimated they had made $12.4 billion worth of “improper payments” to Medicare Advantage groups in 2009, mostly because the plans failed to document that patients had the conditions the government paid them to treat, according to the court documents.
As a remedy, CMS came up with an audit program that selected 30 plans annually, taking a sample of 201 patients from each. Medical coders checked to make sure patient files properly documented health conditions for which the plans had billed.
The 2011 audits found that five major Medicare Advantage chains failed to document from 12.3% to 25.8% of diagnoses, most commonly strokes, lung conditions, and heart disease.
UnitedHealth Group, which had the lowest rate of unconfirmed diagnoses, is the only company named in the CMS documents in the case file. The identities of the four other chains are blacked out in the audit records, which are marked as “privileged and confidential.”
In a May 2016 private briefing, CMS indicated that the health plans owed from $98 million to $163 million for 2011 depending on how the overpayment estimate was extrapolated, court records show.
But CMS still hasn’t collected any money. In a surprise action in late January 2023, CMS announced that it would settle for a fraction of the estimated overpayments and not impose major financial penalties until 2018 audits, which have yet to get underway. Exactly how much plans will end up paying back is unclear.
Richard Kronick, a former federal health policy researcher and a professor at the University of California-San Diego, said CMS has largely failed to rein in billions of dollars in Medicare Advantage overpayments.
“It is reasonable to think that pressure from the industry is part of the reason that CMS has not acted more aggressively,” Kronick said.
CMS records show that officials considered strengthening the audits in 2015, including by limiting health plans from conducting “home visits” to patients to capture new diagnosis codes. That didn’t happen, for reasons that aren’t clear from the filings.
In any case, audits for 2011 through 2015 “are not yet final and are subject to change,” CMS official Steven Ferraina stated in a July court affidavit.
“It’s galling to me that they haven’t recovered more than they have,” said Edward Baker, a whistleblower attorney who has studied the issue.
“The government needs to be more aggressive in oversight and enforcement of the industry,” he said.
Senior CMS official Cheri Rice recommended in the October 2015 email thread with key staff that CMS could devote more resources to supporting whistleblowers who report overbilling and fraud.
“We think the whistleblower activity could be as effective – or even more effective – than CMS audits in getting plans to do more to prevent and identify risk adjustment overpayments,” Rice wrote.
But the handful of cases that DOJ could realistically bring against insurers cannot substitute for CMS fiscal oversight, Baker said.
“Unfortunately, that makes it appear that fraud pays,” he said.
Spending Surge
In December, a bipartisan group of four U.S. senators, including Bill Cassidy, R-La., wrote to CMS to voice their alarm about the overpayments and other problems. “It’s unclear why CMS hasn’t taken stronger action against overpayments, despite this being a longstanding issue,” Cassidy told KFF Health News by email.
In January, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., called for CMS to crack down, including by restricting use of chart reviews and home visits, known as health risk assessments, to increase plan revenues.
Cassidy, a physician, said that “upcoding and abuses of chart review and health risk assessments are well-known problems CMS could address immediately.”
Advocates for Medicare Advantage plans, whose more than 33 million members comprise over half of people eligible for Medicare, worry that too much focus on payment issues could harm seniors. Their research shows most seniors are happy with the care they receive and that the plans typically cost them less out-of-pocket than traditional Medicare.
Buck, the spokesperson for the Better Medicare Alliance, said that as the annual open enrollment period starts in mid-October, seniors may see “fewer benefits and fewer plan choices.”
The group has ramped up total spending in recent years to keep that from happening, IRS filings show.
In 2022, the most recent year available, the Better Medicare Alliance reported expenses of $23.1 million, including more than $14 million on advertising and promotion, while in 2023, it paid for a Super Bowl ad featuring seniors in a bowling alley and left viewers with the message: Cutting Medicare Advantage was “nuts.”
Bruce Vladeck, who ran CMS’ predecessor agency from 1993 through 1997, said that when government officials first turned to Medicare managed care groups in the 1990s, they quickly saw health plans enlist members to help press their agenda.
“That is different from most other health care provider groups that lobby,” Vladeck said. “It’s a political weapon that Medicare Advantage plans have not been at all reluctant to use.”
The Better Medicare Alliance reported lobbying on 18 bills this year and last, according to OpenSecrets. Some are specific to Medicare Advantage, such as one requiring insurers to report more detailed data about treatments and services and another to expand the benefits they can offer, while others more broadly concern health care costs and services.
Proposed reforms aside, CMS appears to believe that getting rid of health plans that allegedly rip off Medicare could leave vulnerable seniors in the lurch.
Testifying on behalf of CMS in a May 2023 deposition in the UnitedHealth Group suit, former agency official Anne Hornsby said some seniors might not “find new providers easily.” Noting UnitedHealth Group is the single biggest Medicare Advantage contractor, she said CMS “is interested in protecting the continuity of care.”
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(KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs of KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling and journalism.)
Government spending on Medicare Advantage, which is dominated by big health insurance companies, is expected to hit $462 billion this year. (Nattapong Boonchuenchom/Dreamstime/TNS)
When it comes to the cheapest days to book flights, there’s no single rule that applies all the time. In fact, so many factors go into the cost of flights that it’s hard to know what the prices will be from one day to the next, let alone over the course of a year or on any given day of a single month.
That said, there are some recognizable patterns when you look at the costs for airfare over a long enough timeline, and some organizations have done studies to find out the cheapest day of the week to book flights. This includes Expedia’s 2024 Air Travel Hacks Report, which used actual flight data to help consumers decide on the most affordable times to book airfare or fly the friendly skies within the U.S. or overseas.
If you’re hoping to save on airfare this year and are curious about when you should book and which days of the week to fly, read on to learn more.
Cheapest day to book flights
So, what is the cheapest day of the week to book flights? In order to find out, Expedia used data compiled by the Airlines Reporting Corp., which has information on 15 billion flights across 490 airlines.
While the cheapest day to actually pay for airfare can vary from week to week, Expedia data shows consumers who book airfare on Sundays instead of Fridays tend to save approximately 5% on domestic and international economy class flights. For domestic business class flights, consumers can expect to save around 7%, and for international business class flights, consumers can expect to save around 24%.
Expedia also notes that Sunday was the cheapest day to book flights in 2021, 2022 and 2023, but savings rates have varied year to year.
If you want to save more, data from Expedia’s report shows you should book domestic flights at least a month in advance to save an average of 24% compared to those who booked last minute.
Meanwhile, booking international airfare around 60 days out tends to yield the best results, with Expedia data showing savings of around 10% for those who booked around that time. However, because average ticket prices peak around four months out from departure, they also recommend booking no earlier than four months out. This is a clear change from Expedia’s 2023 report, which recommended booking international flights around six months out from departure date.
Most affordable day of the week to travel
While booking your flight on a Sunday helps you get the lowest price, actually flying on a Thursday may help you save an average of 16% off airfare. Data shows that, almost across the board, travelers who flew on Thursdays instead of Sundays saved this much on both domestic and international flights.
However, consumers flying domestically can also see significant savings of around 13% if they fly out on Saturday instead of Sunday.
What factors impact flight prices?
A range of factors can impact the cost of flights, but most of it boils down to supply and demand. For example, costs for airfare tend to be less expensive during off-peak season to any destination, whereas prices surge during peak travel times when demand is higher, such as holidays and the summertime.
Fuel costs can also impact flight costs, along with the cost of labor, labor shortages and other underlying issues for airlines. Ultimately, airlines use complex algorithms to determine pricing for their fares, and these factors are just part of the equation.
Tips for finding cheap flights
To get the best deal on domestic or international airfare in 2024, you should:
Book airfare on a Sunday. As previously mentioned, booking airfare on Sunday is cheaper than other days of the week, especially Fridays.
Be willing to fly mid-week. Since Thursdays tend to be the cheapest day to fly, see if you can tweak your travel plans so you depart and fly home during the week instead of on weekends.
Set price alerts. Use a tool like the Hopper app to set up price alerts that notify you when airfare prices drop significantly or when their technology says it’s the cheapest day to book. Expedia also offers Price Drop Protection in their app for a fee or for free if you’re a Gold or Platinum tier One Key member. If you book a flight that becomes cheaper later on and you have Price Drop Protection, Expedia will refund you the difference.
Avoid peak travel times. Not only can traveling off-peak help you score significant savings on airfare and hotels, but Expedia data shows that off-peak travel comes with fewer cancellations and delays overall. Booking early morning flights instead of afternoon flights will also make it less likely for you to see delays.
Use companion passes. Companion passes vary from airline to airline but allow you to earn discounts on a flying companion’s ticket. Some of the best companion passes are offered by Southwest Airlines, American Airlines and British Airways.
Earn airline miles. Consider signing up for frequent flyer programs that let you book airfare with miles you earn for flying and other activities. You can also start racking up miles for airfare with a co-branded airline credit card or travel credit card.
MINNEAPOLIS — For decades, Zoë François has built community through her baking. With her 10th book, “ Zoë Bakes Cookies” — already a bestseller — she is sure to widen that circle.
What began as a straightforward installment of the Minneapolis pastry chef’s favorite recipes quickly morphed in a deeply moving ode to the humble treat that transformed her life, and a testament to the women who forged paths before her, handing down their stories and strength through tattered recipe cards.
François starts the book talking about the commune where she was raised, a nomadic upbringing where carob was the closest thing to a chocolate chip cookie. While she is still working to develop an appreciation for some aspects of that cooking, she does share her aunt’s granola and some gluten-free peanut butter cookies.
She then guides the reader through the science and discovery of home ec class, and how as a lonely kid she learned to make friends by cracking the codes of edible chemistry. A college business course led to a cookie cart — and a course correction from academia to the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, where she learned to create fine-dining-level pastries — and the fun of breaking the right rules.
Perhaps most important, the heart of this book is a testament to the women who formed her, including her great-great-grandmother, whose bravery and boldness to surreptitiously bake bought passage for the Jewish family to flee just before the Russian Revolution.
Between stops on her current book tour, we talked to François by phone about the unexpected turns her sweet life has taken, the canonical importance of a tray of bars and why bakers really are the best people. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
This book feels like a lifetime — or lifetimes — in the making, with chapters of your life as well as your ancestors and women you celebrate. What about writing this book felt like a homecoming?
I didn’t start with that in mind. This was just a love letter to cookies, and sharing the tips and tricks we get to use in a professional kitchen. And I have recipes from my grandmothers, and obviously those stories were going to make it in. Settling into this, I didn’t know what I didn’t know.
I had asked my Bubbe Berkowitz for recipes 12 years ago, and she sent me the mandelbrot and two other recipes. By the time I began this book, Bubbe had passed away. I called my mom, who has done all of this extensive family research, and holy [expletive]! Those recipes changed everything.
People of that era, especially Jewish people, don’t speak of tragedies. I didn’t know the importance. My great-great-grandmother had this bakery in Kyiv at the historical cusp of Russian revolution. She was not only baking for levity and joy, which we bakers do. But also survival. Her daughters were stealing the ingredients to sell to earn enough money to come to America. I would not exist if it wasn’t for cookies. The craziest thing is that these recipes were passed down orally until I asked for them. That was the very first time they’d been written down. It was a total accident. She passed away and I thought nothing of it, and now I’m kicking myself that I only got the three.
How did that history translate to your own life lessons?
Growing up on that commune was a really significant time of my life. Again, I didn’t realize until later how much it shaped me. As much as carob was never going to taste like chocolate in a cookie, I appreciate why my parents were feeding me that.
I was lucky I got to do all the Jewish holidays and then celebrate Christmas with cookies with my grandmother Neal. I have amazing memories of those and I have her recipe box. These recipe cards, because she would share them with her sisters and friends, were letters and they were gossiping! Trash talking and recipes — they were stained and really used. It was like a treasure box of this woman who was a force of nature.
What felt like new ground?
I have the recipes and emotions they inspired in me, but when I made them as written, I wasn’t as excited about the final result. My palate has changed. I feel like people on a whole have much more sophisticated palates than using funky old ingredients like oleo. They needed a “zhush.” I got to play and make them my own.
Like measuring by weight?
I love the Baking Academy section! I did a YouTube Live about that section of the book and my mom called me after it was done. “You are such a nerd! You make it seem so exciting.” That’s where I get to geek out and share everything I learn. In the Cookie Lab chapter, I give readers tweaks to learn enough about baking so that they can play. I want to give them enough freedom to be able to move around within a recipe and know what will work and what they can change.
What would you say is the most common way home bakers are self-sabotaging recipes?
Read through it first so you’re anticipating what will happen. What you get from that, like the temperature of ingredients, is quite important. You can anticipate what you need next. Plus, you know my love affair with a scale and measuring ingredients by weight. Eventually, we will convert everybody.
The brilliant thing about the cookies, as opposed to the cake book, is that cookies are a less finicky technique. They’re more forgiving and less equipment. A bowl and a spoon — as long as your ingredients are room temperature — you can cream butter. This is a great entry point for baking. At my book signings I have a very intense and vocal audience of 5-year-olds. The next generation of baking is so exciting.
I love that there are little bits of Minnesota in your book, especially the bars. Being a Minneapolis transplant, do you remember first encountering bars?
My dad’s mom was from Michigan and part of her Christmas repertoire was bars. But I hadn’t heard that word until I moved to Minnesota. My Midwestern bar education has been steady and ongoing. Anytime I’m with a group of people, either for the show or in a church basement, I find out more about this baking culture. I don’t think people outside of here appreciate how deep and longstanding our baking culture is because we’re a milling town.
In the pastry world, we always talk about texture, flavor, contrast and balance. A bar has it all. It’s the perfect food group. The bars are to be revered. I got to understand it better while filming the show [“Zoë Bakes”]. I would show up at places like church basements and people would share these incredible, deep stories of family through their baking.
Food always brings people together, but baking — especially for me, because I can’t cook — does create that connection. Because I moved so much as a kid, I learned that baking and sweets made people happy. If I showed up with sweets, I made friends. People gather around these treats and make a community.
That’s why people bring the bars.
Caramelita Bars
Makes 16 bars.
A version of these bars won the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest in 1967, the year I was born. The winning baker was from Minnesota, and the recipe became synonymous with the state. My best friend, Jen, is a Duluth native and her mom, Eileen Carlson, has made her own “secret” version on every special occasion for the past five decades. They hold a special place in the hearts of everyone who tries them. Like any good family recipe, we make them our own. The original 1967 version used oleo, another name for margarine, and caramel ice cream sauce or caramel candies individually wrapped in plastic. I riffed on the classic and came up with a version I hope makes Eileen proud. From “Zoë Bakes Cookies” by Zoë François (Ten Speed Press).
For the Oat Crust:
½ c. (110 g) unsalted butter, melted
1 c. (120 g) all-purpose flour
1 c. (100 g) rolled oats
¾ c. (150 g) lightly packed brown sugar
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. kosher salt
For the Caramel Goop:
¼ c. (80 g) sweetened condensed milk
¼ c. (80 g) corn syrup or Lyle’s Golden Syrup
½ c. (100 g) lightly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
½ tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
6 oz. (170 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
½ c. (60 g) chopped walnuts or pecans, lightly toasted
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a greased 8-inch-square cake pan with greased parchment paper that goes up on the sides to create a sling.
Make the oat crust: In a large bowl, mix the butter, flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt until it comes together. Pour two-thirds of the mixture into the pan, cover with plastic wrap, and press the dough with a glass into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Bake in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Make the caramel goop: Meanwhile, in a small pot, warm the sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, salt and vanilla over medium heat, stirring until it comes to a simmer and the butter melts, about 3 minutes.
Once the crust is baked, pour the caramel mixture over the hot crust. Cover it evenly with the chopped chocolate, walnuts, and sprinkle the remaining third of the oat mixture over the chocolate.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until the oat mixture is golden brown and caramel is bubbling on the edges. Allow to cool completely before lifting it out of the pan and cutting. This can also be made days ahead and refrigerated or frozen for months.
Ultra–Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes about 18 cookies.
This recipe uses peanut flour instead of regular wheat flour, so it has the ultimate peanut flavor and just happens to be another tasty gluten-free option. Bonus! Note that peanut flour is not the same thing as powdered peanut butter, which has become popular in recent years, as people like to add it to smoothies. Peanut flour is made from defatted peanuts and can be found in two varieties. Dark peanut flour has been roasted and has a deeper flavor, which I prefer. The light version is made with raw peanuts and has a more subtle flavor. These cookies are great for kids — and adults, too — alongside chocolate milk or with a bowl of vanilla ice cream. From “Zoë Bakes Cookies” by Zoë François (Ten Speed Press).
¾ c. (165 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¼ c. (250 g) lightly packed brown sugar
¾ c. (195 g) smooth or chunky peanut butter, such as Skippy Super Chunk
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 c. (200 g) peanut flour (see Note), sifted if lumpy
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
4 oz. (112 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, optional
¼ c. crystal decorating sugar, for topping
Directions
Preheat the oven 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar for about 2 minutes on medium speed. Scrape the sides of the bowl often. Add the peanut butter and mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until well incorporated. Mix in the vanilla.
In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the peanut butter mixture and mix on low speed just until it is smooth. Add the chocolate, if using.
Scoop the cookie dough using a #20 (3-tablespoon) portion scoop onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between the cookies, so they have room to spread. You can make the cookies larger or smaller, but it will affect the bake time. Flatten slightly, sprinkle with decorating sugar, and use a fork to create a crosshatch pattern.
Bake, one sheet at a time, in the middle of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. They will puff up slightly and the tops will be golden, but they should still be slightly soft in the middle. If you like your peanut butter cookies crunchy throughout, bake them for another couple of minutes.
Cool completely before removing from the pan or they will crumble apart.
The most popular winter destinations this year, whether for Thanksgiving or the December holiday season, point to perennial crowd favorites, according to Google’s latest travel trends report issued on Sept. 5. Think Cancun, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Rome or Barcelona.
Going offbeat, then, has never sounded more enticing, even if you’re likely too late for booking the most affordable flights.
Perhaps a glass cabin in Oregon is an enticing proposition? Maybe a remote lodge in Madagascar? What about a private beachfront penthouse in Sharm El Sheikh? Whichever you choose, these new or upgraded hotels put a different spin on locations that aren’t just free of crowds but also offer a more intimate, memorable glimpse of their destinations.
Eleuthera, Bahamas
In the 1960s and 1970s, the original Potlach Club drew New York socialites and celebrities alike to its private estate and pineapple plantation on serene Eleuthera Island, 50 miles east of Nassau and set along seven miles of beachfront. Think Greta Garbo and Paul McCartney, who honeymooned here and famously wrote the Beatles hit “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” on a Potlach Club notepad.
View from Princess Cays beach looking out on the Crown Princess ship, anchored at sea in Eleuthera, Bahamas. (Dreamstime/TNS)
The refurbished estate, opened in July after seven years of restoration, preserves four of its original buildings, including the original clubhouse, but it ushers in a properly chic aesthetic to Eleuthera. A variety of 11 oceanfront and garden-tucked suites, cottages and villas sit amid 12 acres of palm trees and jasmine and frangipani-dotted gardens. Upscale beach designs by Hans Febles and Nassau-based interior designer Amanda Lindroth include coral stone-finished floors and bathrooms, white and ocean blue-colored textiles and wooden floor decks or balconies flanked by towering palm fronds.
A farm- and sea-to-table restaurant, poolside, features images from the resort’s heyday. Activities include massages on site, water sports or day hops to neighboring, buzzy Harbour Island for more restaurants and shopping. Rooms from $475
Pacific Northwest, Oregon
For a wilderness escape on U.S. soil, the 40-room, scenic Tu Tu’ Tun Lodge, nestled along the Rogue River and minutes from southern Oregon’s rugged coastline, has welcomed guests in search of tranquility since the 1970s. But now a dozen new glass cabins for two are upping the ante, offering 360-degree views of the lodge’s lush surroundings from within the room, reflected through mirrored walls, plus a private patio with an outdoor soaking tub and a fire pit.
You’ll be able to choose the glass cabin view you’d prefer — mountain, creekside or riverfront — in privacy, as rooms are spaced out. Meals will range from hand-crafted pastas to surf-and-turf at the Oregon-inspired on-site restaurant, while outdoor activities include kayaking alongside canyons and forests, fly fishing for salmon or spotting bald eagles and sea otters on your coastline hike. You could also simply spend the day relaxing at the creekside spa. Glass cabins from $595
Rural Algarve, Portugal
The newest location of Viceroy Hotels & Resorts, opening on Oct. 1, points to the Algarve region of Portugal, already popular for its beaches and cobblestoned coastal towns. But the family-friendly Viceroy at Ombria Algarve resort takes you away from the crowds and into the countryside — it sits perched on a hill for 360-degree views of citrus groves and fig trees, just a 30-minute drive north from the coastline and Faro International Airport.
Designed to resemble a traditional Portuguese village, the resort features a central cobblestone plaza and tower anchoring a variety of red-roofed, white buildings sprawled across nearly 13 acres. Expect rooms with off-white and wooden accents, floor-to-ceiling windows and marble bathrooms. But we recommend the suites with a private jacuzzi on the balcony for a dip with views of the valley, or the one- and two- bedroom residences with private pools.
There’s a smorgasbord of amenities on site, from an indoor-outdoor kids’ club and four swimming pools, three of which are heated, to six on-site restaurants and bars. Portuguese pastries are at the bakery; traditional dishes like a seafood-centric plate of xarem—a cornmeal specialty from the Algarve region—can be sampled at the farm-to-table restaurant. You could skip the beach and hop on horseback in the surrounding Monte da Ribeira, go golfing on site or join a workshop with a local artisan, from breadmaking to pottery, honey production and tasting. A Viceroy spa with treatment rooms will open in March 2025. Rooms from £450 ($588)
Northwest Madagascar
Access to Madagascar was always more difficult than neighboring, touristy Seychelles, but as of Sept. 3, the rugged Indian Ocean island counts four weekly flights from Dubai to Antananarivo, in addition to those connecting through Europe and Africa. Add on a 70-minute flight from Antananarivo to Soalala airstrip, followed by a two-and-a-half-hour drive to reach the remote Namoroka Tsingy Camp in northwestern Madagascar.
Opened in August, it’s set on the edges of its namesake Tsingy de Namoroka National Park, an 85-square-mile nature area with scenery straight out of an Indiana Jones movie. Think giant caves, bamboo forests, wetlands, and “tsingy”—jagged limestone rock formations that are also in abundance around the camp. You’ll spent days spotting a variety of lemurs, bats and more than 30 bird species. Meals are served in an outdoor dining and bar area set up within the park.
If you’re lucky, local scientists from partner conservation group Wildlife Madagascar, who periodically conduct research in the area, will join you. Note that seasonal rains will close the camp on Nov. 10, but it will reopen on May 15 with four additional glamping tents. Three-night package from $1,880
Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
Fewer crowds and a warm but pleasant Red Sea are perfect reasons to visit the Red Sea resort town of Sharm El Sheikh. The seafront Four Seasons Sharm El Sheikh, just a 10-minute drive north from Sharm El Sheikh International Airport, underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation in 2022 that doubled its size to 108 acres.
The transformation points to more than 80 additional rooms, including a variety of expansive one- and two-bedroom Premier Island or Imperial suites—the latter are more akin to fully equipped residences—outfitted with private pools and glorious views of the Red Sea. The new 6,000-square-foot, three-bedroom beachfront palace, completed in 2023, is an ultra-luxurious mansion within the grounds; designed in neutral and blue tones, it has its own private pool, a fitness room and a spa treatment room. But there are plenty of new amenities for all guests, from five additional restaurants—Mediterranean-inspired seafood dishes or Lebanese mezzes—and three new outdoor pools to a two-story fitness center and a kids’ club. Rooms from $500
High Atlas Mountains, Morocco
A year has passed since the tragic earthquake that struck Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, causing hundreds of deaths, as well as destroying villages and damaging hotels. After closing its doors temporarily, then opening up partially, Richard Branson’s Kasbah Tamadot, sitting atop a valley with views of Mount Toubkal, will fully reopen on Oct. 15.
A series of six luxurious three-bedroom riads will make their debut, each showcasing traditional Moroccan decor, including soft furnishings handmade by local Berber artisans. Guess can look forward to the riads’ private pools and terraces, including in-room bernous (Arabian hooded cloaks) and babouches (leather loafers). The rooftop-tented suites add a modern twist to the Moroccan traditional house design, with a rooftop lounge and hot tub for a warm soak surrounded by sweeping views of the Atlas Mountains. Riads from $1,062
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court starts a new term Monday that includes cases on guns, e-cigarettes and environmental standards that will give the conservative majority a chance to further tame the power of administrative agencies.
The justices in recent terms have expanded the court’s power to review federal government actions and policies, and several administrative law experts expect more of the same in the coming months.
“The Supreme Court has been, I think it’s not too strong to say, waging war on the administrative state,” Lisa Heinzerling, a law professor at the Georgetown Law Center, said at a Center for American Progress event.
Jonathan Adler, a law professor at Case Western University, said that last term a trio of major cases on agency powers “created a very significant administrative law term overall. I think we should expect something similar this year.”
The justices also teed up cases for this term on hot-button social issues, such as whether Republican states went too far with laws that ban gender-affirming care for minors or require age verification for access to porn websites.
Deepak Gupta, a founding partner at Gupta Wessler who spoke at a Georgetown Law Center event, called the gender-affirming ban “the blockbuster case” in a term that “seems otherwise to have been designed to be sleepy.”
The justices so far have agreed to decide 28 cases, less than half of the number it decided last year. The court is expected to announce as soon as Monday some other cases it will decide by the conclusion of the term in June.
Fewer of them at this point seem to hold potential to be the kind of major decisions that the court handed down at the end of last term on abortion or criminal charges against former President Donald Trump.
At the same time, experts say a close election in November could thrust the court back into controversy if it is called on to intervene in any election-related challenges, as it was in 2020.
Gupta said that it’s notable there are several potentially impactful cases the court could decide to hear later in the term, but it has a relatively clear docket for now heading into the election.
“I mean, that’s just a theory, but it did seem like they’re being deliberately boring,” at the start of the term, Gupta said.
Election law disputes are possible but unlikely, according to Derek Muller, a law professor at Notre Dame University. He said the Supreme Court generally avoids stepping into the high-stakes litigation surrounding elections, but that may not always be possible.
“I think there’ll be intense pressure for whatever decision or whatever cases they face for them to try to reach unanimous results, or to try to avoid hearing altogether,” Muller said. “But you know, those are the best laid plans until you actually see the cases in front of you.”
The first oral arguments of the term are the first two weeks in October, and they include disputes over procedural filings in state and federal courts, a challenge to a death penalty conviction and a fight over the future of the Biden administration’s effort to regulate so-called “ghost guns” assembled from kits.
In one case, the Biden administration seeks to implement a 2022 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives rule requiring that gun kits have serial numbers and only be sold with background checks.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit decision halted the regulation, ruling that the agency went too far with a provision in the Gun Control Act of 1968 that allows it to consider a finished “frame or receiver” to be a firearm.
In the Garland v. VanDerStok case at the court, the Biden administration argues that the gun kits can be turned into a working firearm with a few minutes of work and basic power tools, and so should be treated as firearms under federal law.
The case follows an opinion last term where the justices found an ATF rule restricting so-called “bump stocks” went beyond the terms of the law regulating machine guns.
Andrew Willinger, the executive director for the Duke Center for Firearms Law, said the justices adopted an approach that gave little leeway to the agency — and the justices “certainly seem to be using this area of law to kind of test drive their approach to the administrative state generally.”
In another case, the justices are considering the scope of what federal agencies can require for environmental reviews — a major step in many construction and other infrastructure projects.
Heinzerling said the case — Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado — will allow the court “to speak broadly on exactly what kind of impacts are being considered when this comes to climate change, it’s really important.”
Heinzerling said a decision could determine whether federal agencies may look at the bigger picture environmental impact when approving a project, such as whether broader availability of products carried by a new rail line could worsen climate change or be limited to the scope of the project itself.
Adler said the case and others may highlight the justices’ close focus on what Congress actually passed in statutes, and “how do we understand how much power Congress has delegated to an agency in any given case.”
In two cases this term, the Supreme Court will decide to what lengths the government may infringe on constitutional rights under the premise of protecting children.
In U.S. v. Skrmetti, the justices accepted the Biden administration’s challenge to a Tennessee state law that restricts access to gender-affirming care for minors in the state.
The Tennessee case comes as more than two dozen states have passed laws banning or otherwise restricting gender transition care for minors, and several Republicans have pushed to do so at the federal level as well.
The Biden administration argues that the law discriminates against children on the basis of their sex — allowing minors to receive puberty blockers and other drugs for other conditions, but not to transition.
State officials have defended the measure in Supreme Court filings, claiming they are not discriminating against children on the basis of sex, merely protecting them from “unproven and risky” medical procedures.
Medical associations, in briefs in the case, have disputed that characterization and say the procedures are backed by decades of research and recommended by an international standards body.
Chase Strangio, co-director for transgender justice at the ACLU, said a key question is whether the justices will take the same approach as a 2020 decision restricting gender identity discrimination that just applied to employment law. Applying it to a constitutional right could impact LGBT rights in health care, education and other areas.
“I think we can expect the resolution on this case as always to have an impact beyond the health care context,” Strangio said, pointing to laws in states such as Alabama limiting the ability of transgender individuals to change a driver’s license.
In another case, a group of petitioners have challenged a Texas law requiring porn websites verify a user’s age before allowing them to access content “harmful to minors,” arguing the requirements infringe on the rights of adults to access protected speech.
David Cole, legal director for the ACLU, said the court’s cases this term on individual rights could impact broader federal arguments about free speech and equal protection because they involve constitutional rights, not legislation. The organization represents petitioners in both cases.
“I think whatever the court holds will apply across the board,” Cole told reporters at an ACLU event.
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance defended, during a campaign stop in Michigan Wednesday, his refusal to acknowledge Donald Trump lost the 2020 election while contending the upcoming vote would be more secure.
Vance, a U.S. senator from Ohio and Trump’s running mate, spoke for about 40 minutes inside the Auburn Hills facility of Visioneering, an aerospace industry supplier. Vance appeared to share competing personal beliefs that it was unclear whom voters favored four years ago but that their vote would be safeguarded this fall.
“To all of you listening out there I believe that we are going to have the safest and most secure election in 2024 that we’ve had because the (Republican National Committee) is fighting for election integrity in a way that it, frankly, wasn’t four years ago,” Vance said. “So I encourage folks to get out there and vote.”
On Tuesday evening, Vance debated Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, in New York. Three years into Democrat Joe Biden’s term in the White House, Walz pressed Vance to say whether Trump had lost his 2020 race against Biden, but Vance declined to directly answer his opponent’s question.
Trump has maintained unproven claims that fraud influenced the outcome of the last presidential election.
“The media is obsessed with talking about the election of four years ago,” Vance said Wednesday in Oakland County. “I am focused on the election of 33 days from now because I want to throw (Democratic Vice President) Kamala Harris out of office and get back to common sense economic policies.”
Moments later, Vance added that officials had “done a lot to make our elections more secure” for 2024.
“Never give into the despair that your voice doesn’t matter,” Vance said.
Wednesday’s visit marked the first appearance in Oakland County, Michigan’s second largest county, by Vance or Trump of the fall campaign. Trump held a rally in Waterford Township in mid-February before Michigan’s presidential primary.
Before Vance’s visit on Wednesday, Vance Patrick, chairman of the Oakland County Republican Party, said his goal for the GOP is to do better in Oakland this November than four years ago.
“I am not going say we’re going to sweep Oakland County,” Patrick said. “I am going to guarantee we’re going to do a heck of a lot better than we did last time.”
Michigan, with 15 electoral votes, is one of seven battleground states that will decide whether Trump or Harris controls the White House for the next four years. Trump will be in Michigan for an event in Saginaw County on Thursday, and Harris will participate in a rally in Flint on Friday.
Vance was scheduled to make a second stop in Michigan later Wednesday at a racetrack in Ottawa County.
Patrick said he expects Trump or Vance to be in Michigan every week leading up to the Nov. 5 election, which is 34 days away.
Patrick said he thought Vance, who’s 40 years old, had a polished performance at the debate with a strong closing statement on the cost of living and safety.
“JD is the absolute next successor,” Patrick said of leading the Republican Party nationally.
Mark Petri, 40, of Howell, who was in the crowd for Vance’s event in Michigan on Wednesday, gave a similarly positive review of Vance’s presentation at the debate. Petri said he likes that Vance is from the Midwest and how he “stood his ground” against the debate’s moderators.
“He answered the questions,” Petri said. “He didn’t avoid the questions. He stood firm in what he believed.”
Yet, Democrats slammed Vance on Wednesday for not directly answering the question, posed by Walz during the debate, about whether Trump had lost the 2020 presidential election to Biden.
Trump has continued to make unproven claims that widespread fraud swayed the result of the 2020 race in Michigan and other states. At the debate, Vance said he’s “focused on the future.”
Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance speaks to supporters inside the headquarters of Visioneering, an aerospace and defense manufacturer, in Auburn Hills.
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