Current Events in August 2021

Coronavirus‌ ‌(COVID-19)‌ ‌tally‌ ‌as‌ ‌‌compiled‌‌ ‌by‌ ‌Johns‌ ‌Hopkins‌ ‌University.‌ ‌(Previous‌ ‌numbers‌ ‌in‌ ‌parentheses.)‌

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌confirmed‌ ‌cases:‌ 36,902,721 (36,689,470)‌

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌deaths:‌ 622,529 (621,688)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌cases:‌ 208,109,987 (207,422,686)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌deaths:‌ 4,376,019 (4,366,259)‌

Booster shots could be coming soon

The Biden administration is reportedly planning an announcement about COVID-19 booster shots. Officials will reportedly recommend them for eight months after the second shot of an mRNA vaccine.

CNN cites two sources who say the plan is still being developed, but it could be launched next month, pending approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Pfizer and BioNTech previously said they have submitted initial data to the FDA to support the use of booster doses for their COVID-19 vaccine.

The officials say the booster shot program will first target those who received either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Data for Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine is still being gathered, but some health experts have suggested that those who received that vaccine may also need a booster at some point.

U.S. cases reach pre-vaccination levels

Thanks to the Delta variant, new cases of COVID-19 are surging in the U.S. More than 900,000 new cases of the virus were logged last week, the first time that’s happened since the early vaccine rollout in February.

According to an analysis by USA Today, the number of cases of the coronavirus is increasing in 46 states -- some with significant vaccination rates. The hot spots last week were in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Oregon, Hawaii, and Mississippi. 

Vaccination efforts have largely stalled. Just 50.7% of the total U.S. population is fully vaccinated against the virus, a number held down by the fact that children under 12 are not yet eligible. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 72% of Americans over the age of 18 have received at least one dose. 

Infections increase among vaccinated people

New research shows that the Delta variant is able to infect fully vaccinated people at a higher rate than earlier variants, but the percentage of breakthrough cases is small and the effects are not as severe. A Wall Street Journal analysis of health data puts the percentage of infections of fully vaccinated people at 0.1%.

Health experts say the percentage may be slightly higher because many vaccinated people who get infected don’t have symptoms and are not tested. They say that’s yet another argument for being vaccinated since it prevents severe illness in most cases.

The analysis shows that most of the breakthrough cases occurred in late July and early August, coinciding with outbreaks of the Delta variant. In at least six states, a third of breakthrough cases occurred during that period.

Around the nation

• Mississippi: Mississippi has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation, and cases are surging. Of particular concern are cases among children. Another child has died from COVID-19 complications, bringing the total number of deaths among children to five.

• Arizona: A University of Arizona researcher says COVID-19 conditions in the state are getting worse and could reach a peak by the end of the month. “No matter how I squeeze the lemon, this week's coronavirus update is sour,” said Dr. Joe Gerald, a researcher at the College of Public Health at the University of Arizona.

• Florida: The state board of education has scheduled an emergency meeting for today to take up Gov. Ron DeSantis’ demand that funds be withheld from school districts that impose mask mandates during the school year. So far, at least 10 Florida school districts have imposed mask mandates.

• New Jersey: The New Jersey Marathon has been canceled for a second straight year, a victim of the pandemic. “While we were hoping to return to you with more positive news, we have received official confirmation that the in-person 2021 Novo Nordisk New Jersey Marathon & Half Marathon (and RWJBarnabas Health 5K) will not take place this October,” organizers said in a statement.

• Illinois: All counties in the state except one are seeing “substantial” or “high” rates of COVID-19 cases, according to the CDC. Stark County is the lone exception. Elsewhere in the state, residents are advised to mask up when in indoor public spaces.

There are now four more countries on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) travel warning list. The four destinations added to the agency’s “Level 4: COVID-19 Very High” list are Dominica (an island in the Caribbean that shouldn’t be confused with the Dominican Republic), Jersey (near the coast of north-west France), Montenegro (part of the Balkans in Southeastern Europe), and Turkey. 

The CDC advises that all travelers should “avoid travel to these destinations. If you must travel to these destinations, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel.”

While the CDC added those four nations to its highest travel advisory level, it also moved five countries to its "Level 3: Covid-19 high" category. Those countries include Chile, Mozambique, and Uruguay -- which moved down from Level 4 -- and Kosovo and North Macedonia -- which moved up from Level 2.

Much like the higher levels, the CDC says consumers should avoid nonessential travel to locations on its Level 3 list. Travelers who must go to these areas are also urged to get vaccinated before departing.

"Fully vaccinated travelers are less likely to get and spread Covid-19. However, international travel poses additional risks, and even fully vaccinated travelers might be at increased risk for getting and possibly spreading some Covid-19 variants," the agency said.

An ever-evolving list

If there’s ever been any doubt about how quickly travel advisories can change, the new CDC update puts that to rest. The prime example in the new advisory is Dominica. In the agency’s last update, it was listed as a low-risk, Level 1 destination. But within two weeks, the country’s 7-day average of positive cases moved from 1 to 81. 

Turkey’s designation has been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride. In mid-April, the country’s 7-day average of cases was around 60,000. That number had plummeted to 5,000 by mid-June, but it rose again to nearly 24,000 over the weekend. 

Montenegro went from a 7-day average of 17 in mid-June to nearly 400 on August 16, and Jersey went from a 7-day average of zero cases in early June before rising to 259 by the end of July.

Walmart said Tuesday that the Delta variant hasn’t had a major impact on consumer spending. The retailer reported stable earnings in recent quarters. 

"We are not seeing a major shift in consumer behaviors at this point," Walmart Chief Financial Officer Brett Biggs told Yahoo Finance. 

Biggs said customers have recently been buying items like luggage, party supplies, and apparel. Back to school shopping has also gotten off to a “strong” start, and consumers are spending on things like backpacks and items for the classroom. 

Monitoring the situation

The company said its second quarter sales grew 5.2%, beating analysts’ forecasts of growth of 3.12%. Revenue was $141.05 billion, which topped analyst expectations of $137.17 billion. By month, Walmart said July saw the highest sales. All merchandise categories (grocery, health and wellness, and general merchandise) performed particularly strongly that month. 

In an interview with CNBC, Biggs said Walmart is monitoring the Delta situation as it pertains to shopping behaviors, but no apparent shift has been spotted so far. 

“Mask wearing is back up again, but runs on supplies — things we saw last March, April [of 2020] — we really haven’t seen again,” he said.

Cryptocurrency platform Poly Network has offered a job to the hacker who stole nearly $600 million in cryptocurrency tokens from it.

A hacker known as “The White Hat” recently made off with a massive amount of crypto, only to later return most of it. The perpetrator claimed that they stole the funds “for fun” and that it was “always the plan” to return the assets. However, some speculated that the hacker either feared legal consequences or realized how difficult it would be to launder such a large amount of stolen crypto. 

Poly Network has since invited the hacker to become an advisor to the firm. It has also promised a $500,000 “bug bounty” reward in exchange for providing the password needed to retrieve more than $200 million in stolen funds. 

In a message embedded in a transaction last week, an anonymous person claiming to be the perpetrator said they would "PROVIDE THE FINAL KEY WHEN _EVERYONE_ IS READY,” but that hasn’t happened yet. 

Retrieving the remaining funds

On Monday, the hacker said they were “considering taking the bounty as a bonus for public hackers if they can hack the Poly Network.” Poly Network said its offer of a $500,000 reward to “Mr. White Hat'' is still on the table. It also said the hacker could have a role as its “chief security advisor.” 

“To extend our thanks and encourage Mr. White Hat to continue contributing to security advancement in the blockchain world together with Poly Network, we cordially invite Mr. White Hat to be the Chief Security Advisor of Poly Network,” the firm said in a statement.

The platform said it has no plans to levy legal charges against Mr. White Hat. On the contrary, it plans to use what it’s learned from the attack to bolster its security measures. The firm said Tuesday that it hopes to implement a “significant system upgrade” to prevent future incidents. However, it says it can’t do so until the remaining funds are returned. 

Young children and teens have had their worlds flipped upside-down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Everything from how they spend time with their friends to how they go to school has been changed, but researchers say there are ways parents can help with the coping process. 

In a recent study published in PLOS ONE, the team says setting a structured daily schedule and reducing passive screen time can help young people better deal with the mental strain that has been linked to the pandemic.

"Mental health problems increased dramatically among children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among those who experienced high levels of pandemic-related stressors including serious illness or death of a family member, significant financial loss, and social isolation,” the researchers said.

Negative and positive influences

The researchers based their recommendations on a study of 224 young people and their caregivers who lived in the greater Seattle area. Participants filled out a questionnaire that assessed various factors related to the pandemic, their social behaviors, and their stress levels. 

The findings showed that stressors that were linked to the pandemic had a very strong association with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and behavioral problems in young people. Some of the stressors included increased passive screen time and too much exposure to news media. 

While the team says parents should be mindful of these negative influences, there are some positive influences that can be focused on to produce better outcomes. For example, the team found that providing children and teens with a structured schedule helped minimize negative mental health symptoms. Spending time in nature and getting the recommended amount of sleep were also positive influences on participants’ mental health. 

The researchers admit that the pandemic has made it hard for some families to focus on these positive influences, but they say the investment is well worth it.

“Although maintaining routine and structure is challenging as school closures continue and many aspects of daily life remain unpredictable, creating a structured daily routine for children and adolescents may promote better mental health during the pandemic,” they said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reminding consumers to once again check their freezers. The agency has announced that it’s widening a recall for frozen shrimp products that ConsumerAffairs first reported about last month.

The FDA said the frozen shrimp packaged and marketed by Avanti Frozen Foods are being pulled because of a salmonella risk. At the time of the original recall, there had been six reported cases of salmonella linked to the product.

The company says the products affected by the recall are cooked, peeled, and deveined frozen shrimp sold in a variety of sizes and quantities in retail stores between November 2020, and May 2021.

According to the latest recall announcement, the affected products were sold as store brands that include Meijer, Food Lion, and Whole Foods. Potentially contaminated shrimp also may have been used in California at Mai Sushi counters in some Target stores and at Genji Sushi counters at Whole Foods.

“This recall expansion has been initiated out of an abundance of precaution and will cover a large amount of product that has not been associated with any illness but been undertaken following discussions with FDA and CDC and reflects Avanti’s commitment to public health and safety,” the company said in a statement.

Three more illnesses

Avanti Frozen Foods said it expanded the recall after receiving reports of three more people getting salmonella after eating frozen shrimp. It added 26 frozen shrimp products to the recall. A complete list can be found in the FDA’s news release. Consumers should check any frozen shrimp products in their freezer against this list.

Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and consumers with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with salmonella often have fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. 

In some cases, salmonella infections can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections, endocarditis, and arthritis.

BMW of North America is recalling 21,537 of the following model year 2021 vehicles:

• 2 Series (230i, 230i xDrive, M240i, M240i xDrive),
• 330e, 330e Xdrive,
• 4 Series Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive)
• M4 Coupe, M4 Competition Coupe,
• BMW 4 Series Convertible (430i, M440i),
• BMW X1 sDrive28i, xDrive28i,
• 2 Series Gran Coupe (228i, 228i xDrive, M235i xDrive),
• M2 Competition Coupe, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, M3, M3 Competition,
• 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive,
• MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper, CooperS, JCW),
• X2 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i, X2 M35i,
• Z4 sDrive30i, Z4 M40i,
• MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper SE),
• MINI Convertible (Cooper, Cooper S, JCW),
• MINI Clubman (Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW),
• MINI Countryman (Cooper, Cooper All4, Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW All4),
• Rolls Royce Ghost,
• MINI Countryman (Cooper S E All4),
• Rolls Royce Phantom,
• Rolls Royce Cullinan, and
• Toyota Supra.

The passenger seat belt Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) may deactivate early, before the webbing fully retracts.

A seat belt retractor that does not function as intended in a crash increases the risk of injury.

What to do

Dealers will inspect the seat belt retractors (including the seat belts) and -- if necessary -- replace the retractors free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 13, 2021.

Owners may contact BMW customer service at (800) 525-7417; Mini customer service at (866) 825-1525; Rolls Royce customer service at (877) 877-3735; and Toyota customer service at (888)270-9371.

General Motors is recalling 86 model year 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500s and GMC Sierra 2500s with a 17" spare tire (RPO ZHQ or ZXT) and either the 20" accessory road tire (RPO REM) or the 18" accessory road tire (RPO Q2V).

Operating the spare tire with other 20" or 18" tires can prevent the Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) from engaging.

An ABS system that cannot control the rear wheels independently increases the risk of a crash.

What to do

Dealers will provide the appropriate spare tire and apply a new spare tire information label free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 13, 2021.

Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at (800) 222-1020 and GMC customer service at (800) 462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212329780.

Apple has released new details about its plan to scan consumers’ devices for evidence of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Following criticism of the idea, Apple now says it will only flag images that have been supplied by clearinghouses in multiple countries. 

Ten days ago, Apple first announced its plan to monitor images stored on iCloud Photos to search for matches of previously identified CSAM. Once Apple’s technology finds a match, a human will review the image. If that person confirms that the image qualifies as CSAM, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) would be notified and the user's account would be immediately disabled. 

Apple said its main goal in employing the technology is to protect children from predators. However, critics were concerned that the tech could be exploited by authoritarian governments or used by malicious parties to open a “backdoor” for wider surveillance. 

“While child exploitation is a serious problem, and while efforts to combat it are almost unquestionably well-intentioned, Apple's proposal introduces a backdoor that threatens to undermine fundamental privacy protections for all users of Apple products,” security and tech privacy advocates said in a letter pushing for Apple to rescind its plan. 

New details 

In an effort to ease privacy fears, Apple now says it will tune the system so that it will only flag images supplied by clearinghouses in multiple countries -- not just by the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), as announced earlier.

Additionally, only cases where users had about 30 or more potentially illicit pictures will be flagged for human review. If proven legitimate, authorities will be notified about the presence of CSAM in a person’s iCloud library. 

“We expect to choose an initial match threshold of 30 images,” Apple said in a Security Threat Model Review published Friday.

“Since this initial threshold contains a drastic safety margin reflecting a worst-case assumption about real-world performance, we may change the threshold after continued empirical evaluation of NeuralHash false positive rates – but the match threshold will never be lower than what is required to produce a one-in-one trillion false positive rate for any given account.”

Privacy concerns still present

Privacy advocates have argued that there’s no tweak that would render Apple’s CSAM surveillance system completely safe from exploitation or abuse. 

“Any system that allows surveillance fundamentally weakens the promises of encryption,” the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Erica Portnoy said Friday. “No amount of third-party auditability will prevent an authoritarian government from requiring their own database to be added to the system.”

Apple has maintained that the technology will not scan users’ iCloud updates for anything other than CSAM material. Any government requests to “add non-CSAM images to the hash list” would be rejected, the company added. 

T-Mobile says it is investigating a hacker’s claim that they breached the carrier’s network and stole personal data on all 100 million of the its U.S. customers.

Motherboard, a tech site, reported over the weekend that a hacker boasted on a forum that they had gained access to data from T-Mobile servers and that the information is for sale. The dataset reportedly includes names, addresses, phone numbers, and Social Security numbers.

The hacker told Motherboard that the information was obtained through a breach of T-Mobile’s network, and Motherboard said it verified that some of the data it reviewed was related to T-Mobile customers. 

T-Mobile confirms it is investigating

On Sunday, T-Mobile confirmed that it has launched an investigation to determine whether the report is accurate. 

"We are aware of claims made in an underground forum and have been actively investigating their validity,” T-Mobile said in a brief statement to Motherboard. “We do not have any additional information to share at this time." 

Motherboard quotes the hacker as saying T-Mobile is apparently aware of the breach because the hacker can no longer gain access to the servers. In the meantime, the hacker is reportedly selling about 30 million Social Security and driver’s license numbers for six bitcoins, or about $270,000. 

What to do

T-Mobile customers should take steps to prevent identity theft if their personal information is obtained by other criminals. The first step should be placing a freeze on credit reports maintained by Experian, Equifax, and Transunion.

The freeze should be placed with all three companies. Someone using a stolen Social Security number will not be able to open new credit accounts as long as the freeze is in place. Fortunately, the process has gotten less complicated over the years. Here are the links to freeze credit information at the three companies:

• Equifax

• Experian

• TransUnion

Freezing credit reports prevents a criminal from opening a credit account in your name, but it prevents you from doing so as well. All three credit agencies make it possible to establish a PIN or password so that credit can be unfrozen when you are applying for a loan or credit account.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into Tesla’s automated driving system. 

The agency said it was moved to carry out an investigation following 11 crashes that occured while Tesla vehicles had either Autopilot or Traffic Aware Cruise Control activated. The incidents injured at least 17 people and resulted in one fatality, according to NHTSA documents.

Tesla vehicles that crashed tended to hit vehicles that had flashing lights, flares, and other features. Regulators say that may indicate that the automated system may have difficulty seeing parked emergency vehicles, particularly at night.

“Most incidents took place after dark and the crash scenes encountered included scene control measures such as first responder vehicle lights, flares, an illuminated arrow board, and road cones,” the agency said. “The involved subject vehicles were all confirmed to have been engaged in either Autopilot or Traffic Aware Cruise Control during the approach to the crashes.”

Role of Autopilot 

Tesla’s Autopilot system is intended to be used with a driver behind the wheel. The system assists with speed maintenance and lane centering, but drivers are still responsible for identifying roadway obstacles and maneuvers from nearby vehicles. 

The NHTSA investigation will involve around 765,000 vehicles, which is roughly the entire number of cars that Tesla has produced in the last seven years. The probe will look specifically at the role of Autopilot in cases of crashes involving moving Tesla’s and parked emergency vehicles. 

In documents, the NHTSA said it intends to "assess the technologies and methods used to monitor, assist and enforce the driver's engagement with the dynamic driving task during Autopilot operation." 

Depending on the results of the investigation, the NHTSA could eventually recommend a recall.

Coronavirus‌ ‌(COVID-19)‌ ‌tally‌ ‌as‌ ‌‌compiled‌‌ ‌by‌ ‌Johns‌ ‌Hopkins‌ ‌University.‌ ‌(Previous‌ ‌numbers‌ ‌in‌ ‌parentheses.)‌ 

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌confirmed‌ ‌cases:‌ 36,689,470 (36,602,004)‌

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌deaths:‌ 621,688 (621,264)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌cases:‌ 207,422,686 (206,904,480)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌deaths:‌ 4,366,259 (4,357,699)‌

Latest COVID-19 wave affecting businesses

The first wave of COVID-19 resulted in restaurant shutdowns, automobile shortages, and sky-high lumber prices. This second wave, fueled by the Delta variant, is taking a toll on many other businesses.

Domestic airlines saw a big boost in business in July, but now they have more empty seats as consumers curtail travel plans again. Southwest Airlines recently warned investors that it is seeing a rise in cancellations.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the increase in new cases has disrupted factory operations that only recently returned to normal. Consumers returned in greater numbers to grocery stores, gas stations, gyms, restaurants, and retail stores in June and July. All those businesses are seeing August declines.

Millennials see big rise in hospitalizations

The number of COVID-19 patients requiring hospital care has jumped in recent weeks, and one statistic is giving health officials pause. Hospitalizations of patients who are in their 30s have hit a record high this month.

Doctors believe the Delta variant is partly responsible. Earlier in the pandemic, this age group largely avoided getting sick. They are also the age group least likely to get a vaccination. Now that they are exposed to the highly contagious virus, their unvaccinated status means they are more likely to require hospital care when they get sick.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that the vaccination rate for Americans between the ages of 25 and 39 is slightly less than 50%. That compares to 61% of all other U.S. adults.

Anti-vax protest turns violent in California

The politicization of the coronavirus was on stark display over the weekend in Los Angeles. Police say Trump-supporting anti-vaxxers clashed with suspected Antifa activists, resulting in several injuries.

The Los Angeles Police Department reported that one man was stabbed and was treated by paramedics. The man was reportedly taken to a nearby hospital where he is reportedly in serious condition.

The protestors, many displaying Trump banners, said they rallied at city hall to take a stand against rules requiring COVID-19 vaccinations and so-called vaccine passports. Some in the group said they also object to wearing masks.  

Around the nation

• New York: New York City’s trailblazing vaccination mandate for most businesses begins today. Customers at indoor bars and restaurants, gyms, and other businesses must show proof of vaccination in order to get service.

• Texas: The Texas Supreme Court has sided with Gov. Gregg Abbott by temporarily suspending mask mandates enacted by local officials in Dallas and Bexar counties. The mandates requiring masks in schools were issued amid a surge in cases of the virus. However, they run counter to Abbott’s executive order forbidding mask mandates.

• Maryland: Despite a rise in the number of coronavirus cases around the state, Gov. Larry Hogan allowed Maryland’s coronavirus state of emergency to expire Sunday. But Hogan has said the state’s response to the virus will not end with his emergency orders.

• Nevada: As the state battles an increase in severe COVID-19 cases, it faces another problem -- hospital staffing shortages. The Nevada Hospital Association says hospitals need more traveling nurses and nurses with ICU training and experience.

• Florida: After being battered for weeks by surging cases of the Delta variant, Florida is seeing a little relief. The number of people in Florida hospitals for treatment of COVID-19 declined slightly over the weekend. However, the number of severely ill patients requiring ICU treatment rose.

A jury has decided against Apple in a patent dispute and awarded Optis Wireless Technology $300 million because it felt Apple used the company’s technology in its iPhones, iPads, and Watches without securing a license. 

It’s interesting to note that Optis doesn’t manufacture any actual products. In fact, it doesn’t appear to be in the mobile technology business at all. It describes itself as a “people data services and cloud software solutions” company that just happens to own the patents that are the cornerstone of this case. 

Those patents once belonged to Panasonic, LG, and Samsung before Optis purchased them. According to a report by Bloomberg, the lawsuit is built around technology that Optis claims is crucial to carrying out the 4G communications standard, a key component in Apple’s mobile devices. 

Apple vows to fight the award

Apple’s been down this road before. In 2019, the company paid Qualcomm over $4 billion as part of a settlement in another royalty dispute. Although the award to Optis is lower than a previous ruling because it is focused on damages only, Apple says it intends to appeal the ruling as a matter of principle.

In an email sent to The Verge, the tech giant said it values invention and respects intellectual property, but it called Optis out because the company “makes no products and its sole business is to sue companies using patents they accumulate.” 

“We will continue to defend against their attempts to extract unreasonable payments for patents they acquire,” Apple stated.

Apple thinks it has sufficient reason to lay blame at Optis feet for being lawsuit-happy. Not only does the company have a track record of suing others -- like Tesla and Huawei -- on similar grounds, but it is also pursuing Apple in the English High Court, where it’s seeking to establish a global royalty rate for its patents. As a result, Apple threatened to pull out of the United Kingdom if it was ordered by London judges to pay a “commercially unacceptable” amount.

The Biden administration will permanently increase benefits from the food stamp program by nearly 30%, the New York Times reports. 

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program currently benefits 42 million Americans, and roughly 43% of program beneficiaries are children. Administration officials said boosting the benefits will help improve nutrition and reduce hunger. 

"To set SNAP families up for success, we need a Thrifty Food Plan that supports current dietary guidance on a budget," said Stacy Dean, deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services. "Too many of our fellow Americans struggle to afford healthy meals. The revised plan is one step toward getting them the support they need to feed their families."

Starting in October, average monthly benefits will increase to $157 per person; previously, the amount was $121 per month. The new maximum amount will be $835 a month for a family of four, and the amount given is based on a sliding scale. 

The changes follow updates made by the Department of Agriculture to the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP). Based on its periodic review of data, the agency increased its estimate of the cost of a nutritious diet for a family of four.

Plenty of previous research suggests that working the night shift can be harmful to consumers’ long-term health. Now, another recent study shows that it may cause potentially serious heart conditions.

Two researchers from the U.S. and China say they found evidence that consumers who work the night shift have a higher risk for atrial fibrillation -- a condition characterized by an irregular and often rapid heart rate that leads to poor blood flow. They say this is true for workers who currently follow this kind of schedule and those who previously worked it for a longer period of time.

"Our findings have public health implications for preventing atrial fibrillation. They suggest that reducing both the frequency and the duration of night shift work may be beneficial for the health of the heart and blood vessels,” said researcher Yingli Lu.

Women and physically inactive are most at risk

The researchers came to their conclusions after analyzing over 286,000 health records from the UK Biobank. They found that people who currently work night shifts on a usual or permanent basis have a 12% higher risk of atrial fibrillation than consumers who work during the day. However, they found that this risk rose to as high as 22% if consumers worked the night shift for 3 to 8 days per month over 10 years or more.

On top of the increased risk of atrial fibrillation, the researchers found that working the night shift under those same conditions drastically increased the risk of other heart conditions. For example, the increased risk of coronary heart disease was 35% higher for night shift workers.

The researchers found that women and those who are not very physically active had the greatest risk of atrial fibrillation when they worked the night shift for longer periods of time. However, the findings were more positive for those who were able to find time to be physically active.

“People reporting an ideal amount of physical activity of 150 minutes a week or more of moderate intensity, 75 minutes a week or more of vigorous intensity, or an equivalent combination, had a lower risk of atrial fibrillation than those with non-ideal physical activity when exposed to a lifetime of night shift work,” said researcher Lu Qi. 

The full study has been published in the European Heart Journal.

With Tropical Storm Grace streaking across the Caribbean and calculating its next move, possibly into southern Texas, U.S.-based airlines are offering travel waivers to any passenger affected by the storm. 

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines have all detailed travel policies for passengers needing to rebook flights due to the storm. Here are specific details for each carrier:

American Airlines

Passengers who are traveling to, through, or from the following cities are eligible for a waiver:

• Fort Lauderdale, Florida

• Fort Myers, Florida 

• George Town, Bahamas 

• Key West, Florida 

• Miami, Florida 

• Nassau, Bahamas 

• Orlando, Florida 

• Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands 

• Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic 

• Punta Cana, Dominican Republic 

• San Juan, Puerto Rico 

• Santiago, Dominican Republic 

• Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 

• West Palm Beach, Florida 

American’s change fee waiver has several caveats. The requirements apply to you if:

• You are traveling on an American Airlines flight

• You are booked in any fare class, including Basic Economy

• You bought your ticket by August 15, 2021

• You are scheduled to travel August 15 - 19, 2021

• You can travel August 15 - 25, 2021

• You don't change your origin or destination city

• You rebook in the same cabin or pay the difference

American notes that all changes must be booked by Thursday, August 19, 2021, and completed within one year of the original ticket date. The airline said a difference in the price of the fare may apply.

JetBlue

If you're traveling to, through, or from the following cities on Monday, August 16, 2021, JetBlue is waiving all change/cancel fees and fare differences for customers:

• Aguadilla, Puerto Rico 

• Ponce, Puerto Rico 

• Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

• Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

• San Juan, Puerto Rico

• Santiago, Dominican Republic

• Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

JetBlue also has some caveats regarding the waiver. Customers may rebook their flights for travel through Thursday, August 19, 2021, online in the Manage Flights section of jetblue.com or by calling 1-800-JETBLUE (538-2583) prior to the departure time of their originally scheduled flight. 

Customers with canceled flights may also opt for a refund to the original form of payment. The original travel must have been booked on or before Saturday, August 14, 2021.

Southwest Airlines

Southwest is waiving all change/cancel fees and fare differences for customers traveling Monday, August 16, 2021, to or from the following cities:

• San Juan, Puerto Rico

• Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

The waivers are good for any flight through Monday, August 16, 2021. Monday, August 30, 2021, is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.

United Airlines

Passengers who are traveling to, through, or from the following cities are eligible for a waiver:

• Aguadilla, Puerto Rico 

• Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 

• Ft. Myers, Florida 

• Key West, Florida 

• Miami, Florida 

• Nassau, Bahamas 

• Orlando, Florida 

• Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

• Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic 

• Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

• San Juan, Puerto Rico

• Santiago, Dominican Republic 

• Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 

• St. Maarten 

• St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

• West Palm Beach, Florida 

United’s change fee waiver also has several caveats. For example, the original ticket must have been purchased by August 13, 2021, with an original travel date from August 15, 2021 – August 19, 2021.

The change fee and any difference in fare will be waived for new United flights departing on or before August 25, 2021, as long as travel is rescheduled in the originally ticketed cabin (any fare class) and between the same cities as originally ticketed. 

What about Fred?

Many U.S. airlines are also adding waivers for Tropical Storm Fred. If you have a flight booked to any area that might be affected by Fred, the following links should provide you with pertinent information regarding the waivers for certain airlines:

• American Airlines
• United Airlines
• JetBlue