mnl168 free bonus codes
Bell Potter names the best ASX dividend stocks to buy in DecemberThese starter speakers make my records and heart full and warm—and they're 30% off for Black Friday - Popular ScienceBy DEVNA BOSE One of the country’s largest health insurers reversed a change in policy Thursday after widespread outcry, saying it would not tie payments in some states to the length of time a patient went under anesthesia. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield said in a statement that its decision to backpedal resulted from “significant widespread misinformation” about the policy. “To be clear, it never was and never will be the policy of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield to not pay for medically necessary anesthesia services,” the statement said. “The proposed update to the policy was only designed to clarify the appropriateness of anesthesia consistent with well-established clinical guidelines.” Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield would have used “physician work time values,” which is published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as the metric for anesthesia limits; maternity patients and patients under the age of 22 were exempt. But Dr. Jonathan Gal, economics committee chair of the American Society for Anesthesiologists, said it’s unclear how CMS derives those values. In mid-November, the American Society for Anesthesiologists called on Anthem to “reverse the proposal immediately,” saying in a news release that the policy would have taken effect in February in New York, Connecticut and Missouri. It’s not clear how many states in total would have been affected, as notices also were posted in Virginia and Colorado . Related Articles National News | The next census will gather more racial, ethnic information National News | As data centers proliferate, conflict with local communities follows National News | NASA’s stuck astronauts hit 6 months in space. Just 2 more to go National News | Imprisoned Proud Boys leader balks at answering a prosecutor’s questions about Capitol attack National News | 7.0 earthquake off Northern California prompts brief tsunami warning People across the country registered their concerns and complaints on social media, and encouraged people in affected states to call their legislators. Some people noted that the policy could prevent patients from getting overcharged. Gal said the policy change would have been unprecedented, ignored the “nuanced, unpredictable human element” of surgery and was a clear “money grab.” “It’s incomprehensible how a health insurance company could so blatantly continue to prioritize their profits over safe patient care,” he said. “If Anthem is, in fact, rescinding the policy, we’re delighted that they came to their senses.” Prior to Anthem’s announcement Thursday, Connecticut comptroller Sean Scanlon said the “concerning” policy wouldn’t affect the state after conversations with the insurance company. And New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in an emailed statement Thursday that her office had also successfully intervened. The insurance giant’s policy change came one day after the CEO of UnitedHealthcare , another major insurance company, was shot and killed in New York City.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Formula 1 on Monday at last said it will expand its grid in 2026 to make room for an American team that is partnered with General Motors. “As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It’s an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world’s premier racing series, and we’re committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world," GM President Mark Reuss said. "This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.” The approval ends years of wrangling that launched a U.S. Justice Department investigation into why Colorado-based Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of F1, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti. Andretti in September stepped aside from leading his namesake organization, so the 11th team will be called Cadillac F1 and be run by new Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season. Towriss is the the CEO and president of Group 1001 and entered motorsports via Andretti's IndyCar team when he signed on financial savings platform Gainbridge as a sponsor. Towriss is now a major part of the motorsports scene with ownership stakes in both Spire Motorsports' NASCAR team and Wayne Taylor Racing's sports car team. Walter is the chief executive of financial services firm Guggenheim Partners and the controlling owner of both the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Premier League club Chelsea. “We’re excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1," Towriss said. “Together, we’re assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world.” Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion, will have an ambassador role with Cadillac F1. But his son, Michael, will have no official position with the organization now that he has scaled back his involvement with Andretti Global. “The Cadillac F1 Team is made up of a strong group of people that have worked tirelessly to build an American works team,” Michael Andretti posted on social media. “I’m very proud of the hard work they have put in and congratulate all involved on this momentous next step. I will be cheering for you!” The approval has been in works for weeks but was held until after last weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix to not overshadow the showcase event of the Liberty Media portfolio. Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive championship in Saturday night's race, the third and final stop in the United States for the top motorsports series in the world. Grid expansion in F1 is both infrequent and often unsuccessful. Four teams were granted entries in 2010 that should have pushed the grid to 13 teams and 26 cars for the first time since 1995. One team never made it to the grid and the other three had vanished by 2017. There is only one American team on the current F1 grid — owned by California businessman Gene Haas — but it is not particularly competitive and does not field American drivers. Andretti’s dream was to field a truly American team with American drivers. The fight to add this team has been going on for three-plus years and F1 initially denied the application despite approval from F1 sanctioning body FIA . The existing 10 teams, who have no voice in the matter, also largely opposed expansion because of the dilution in prize money and the billions of dollars they’ve already invested in the series. Andretti in 2020 tried and failed to buy the existing Sauber team. From there, he applied for grid expansion and partnered with GM, the top-selling manufacturer in the United States. The inclusion of GM was championed by the FIA and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who said Michael Andretti’s application was the only one of seven applicants to meet all required criteria to expand F1’s current grid. “General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners," Ben Sulayem said Monday. "I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application." Despite the FIA's acceptance of Andretti and General Motors from the start, F1 wasn't interested in Andretti — but did want GM. At one point, F1 asked GM to find another team to partner with besides Andretti. GM refused and F1 said it would revisit the Andretti application if and when Cadillac had an engine ready to compete. “Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024,” F1 said in a statement. “Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the 11th team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time. Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process." Yet another major shift in the debate over grid expansion occurred earlier this month with the announced resignation of Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, who was largely believed to be one of the biggest opponents of the Andretti entry. “With Formula 1’s continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport," Maffei said. "We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1." AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Trump appointees targeted by bomb threats and 'swatting' calls, officials sayFidelity National Information Services Inc. stock underperforms Wednesday when compared to competitors despite daily gains
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signs income and corporate tax cuts passed by GOP-dominated legislature
Billionaire Elon Musk, tapped by US President-elect Donald Trump to slash Federal Government spending, lashed out at modern fighter jets on Monday, saying that drones were the future of air combat. “Manned fighter jets are obsolete in the age of drones anyway. Will just get pilots killed,” said the head of SpaceX, Tesla and X, in a post on his social media platform. Musk singled out the F-35 — a next-generation fighter jet manufactured by US-based Lockheed Martin that entered service in 2015 — for criticism. “Meanwhile, some idiots are still building manned fighter jets like the F-35,” he posted, alongside a video of hundreds of drones hovering in formation in the sky. The F-35, the world’s most advanced fighter, is stealth capable and can also be used to gather intelligence. Germany, Poland, Finland and Romania have all recently signed deals for the aircraft. Its development, however, has suffered from issues, notably in the design of its computer programs, and its very high operating costs are regularly criticized by its detractors. Related News NATO chief, Trump hold talks on global security COP29 braces for new deal after poorer nations reject climate offer Nigeria ranks seventh globally for international students in US “The F-35 design was broken at the requirements level, because it was required to be too many things to too many people,” said Musk on Monday, calling it “an expensive (and) complex jack of all trades, master of none.” For Mauro Gilli, a researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, “what makes the F-35... expensive is the software and the electronics, not the pilot per se.” This is significant “because a reusable drone would need to get all that flashy electronics of an F-35,” he said on X. He also pointed out that the existence of the F-35 had forced US rivals to develop their own aircraft and advanced radar to match it. “By simply existing, the F-35 and the B-1 force Russia and China into strategic choices they would not have to make otherwise (i.e. budget allocations),” Gilli said, referring to B-1 heavy bomber aircraft. “Even if Musk were right (and he is not), deleting the programs would relax these constraints on them.” AFPAustralian Senate begins debate on world-first social media ban for children under 16
Cracks Emerge In Nvidia's AI Armor. What's An Investor To Do?MLB shifts six 2025 Rays games to avoid weather issues
New Zealanders are banned from displaying gang symbols as a new law takes effect
Nihon Hidankyo’s Nobel Prize: Voices for Peace / Sueichi Kido Calls A-Bombs ‘Absolute Evil’; Sees Message In Award: ‘Don’t Run Away’Family of Lyle and Erik Menendez told a judge Monday they want the men freed from the life sentences they are serving for the shotgun murders of their parents, as their court case suffered a delay. The pair have been in prison since a blockbuster trial in the 1990s that became almost compulsory viewing for millions of Americans. Television audiences were riveted by the gruesome details of the slayings of Jose and Kitty Menendez at the family's luxury Beverly Hills mansion. The two men, who have spent more than three decades behind bars, had been due to appear by videolink at a hearing in Los Angeles, their first court appearance in 28 years as a campaign to set them free gathers pace. But technical difficulties scuppered the appearance and the hearing was pushed back to the end of January. Nevertheless, Judge Michael Jesic called the two men's elderly aunts to the stand to hear them plead for the brothers to be freed. "I would like to be able to hug them and see them," Jose Menendez's older sister Terry Baralt, 85, said. "I would like them to come home." Kitty's sister, Joan Vander Molen, echoed that. "No child should go through what Erik and Lyle went through," she said. "They never knew if tonight will be the night when they would be raped." Prosecutors painted the crime as a cold-hearted bid by the then-young men -- Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18 -- to get their hands on their parents' $14 million fortune. But their attorneys described the 1989 killings as an act of desperate self-defense by young men subjected to years of sexual abuse and psychological violence at the hands of an abusive father and a complicit mother. The case saw a huge surge of renewed interest this year with the release of the Netflix hit "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story." The hearing comes after a campaign to secure their release, supported by Kim Kardashian and other celebrities. "Set them free before the Holidays!" wrote Tammi Menendez, Erik's wife, on social media last week. Public interest was such that the court held a lottery for the 16 seats in the public gallery. Nick Bonanno, a former high school classmate of Erik's, was the first to arrive at the court, taking his place at the head of the line at 4:30 am (1230 GMT). "I wanted to show support to... Eric and Lyle," he told AFP ahead of the hearing. "It's all about supporting and healing, not just for the families, but for us as a culture." Elena Gordon, 43, said she wanted "to witness a part of our local history." The hearing was intended as a starting point for lawyers working on three routes to free Erik Menendez, 53, and Lyle Menendez, 56. Attorney Mark Geragos has filed a writ of habeas corpus, an attempt to effectively vacate the brothers' first-degree murder conviction, which could free the brothers immediately. Another route is an effort to get the men re-sentenced on the same conviction, which would open the way for them to request parole. Finally, Geragos has submitted a clemency request to California Governor Gavin Newsom. Journalist Robert Rand, who wrote a book about the case, and who is in regular touch with the brothers, said the family was optimistic. But, he said, no one was expecting any quick fixes. "They're hopeful," he said. "They don't know what's going to happen. "I believe this could take much longer than was originally anticipated. It could be six months, could be eight months, could be a year, but eventually they will get out." With excitement over the case near fever pitch, tourists are regularly making pilgrimages to the Beverly Hills home where the killings took place. Australian Christian Hannah, who was born almost two decades after the double murders, made sure the home was a stop on his tour of celebrity hotspots, because of his fascination with the Netflix show. "It's really awesome seeing it in person," he told AFP last week. "It's just because you see it on TV and you see it in person, just feels really cool." pr-hg/amz/jgc
Thanksgiving Weekend Sports Guide: Your roadmap to NFL matchups, other games, times, odds
From Fossil Fuels to Renewables - How Offshore Incorporation is Powering the Green Transition
What diversity does — and doesn't — look like in Trump's CabinetUkrainian girls’ team finds hockey haven at Wickenheiser festival