NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks closed higher on Wall Street, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average to another all-time high. The Dow added 1% Monday to the record it set on Friday. The S&P 500 rose 0.3%, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.3%. Treasury yields eased in the bond market after President-elect Donald Trump said he wants Scott Bessent, a hedge fund manager, to be his Treasury Secretary. Smaller companies can feel a big boost from easier borrowing costs, and the Russell 2000 index of small stocks jumped 1.5%, closing just shy of the record high it set three years ago. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is set to break more records Monday as U.S. stocks rise to add to last week’s gains. The S&P 500 was 0.2% higher, as of 3 p.m. Eastern time, and sitting just below its all-time high set two weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 397 points, or 0.9%, to its own record set on Friday, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.1% higher. Treasury yields also eased in the bond market amid what some analysts called a “Bessent bounce” after President-elect Donald Trump said he wants Scott Bessent , a hedge fund manager, to be his Treasury Secretary. Bessent has argued for reducing the U.S. government’s deficit, which is how much more it spends than it takes in through tax and other revenue. Such an approach could soothe worries on Wall Street that Trump’s policies may lead to a much bigger deficit, which in turn would put upward pressure on Treasury yields. After climbing above 4.44% immediately after Trump’s election, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell back to 4.26% Monday and down from 4.41% late Friday. That’s a notable move, and lower yields help make it cheaper for all kinds of companies and households to borrow money. They also give a boost to prices for stocks and other investments. That helped stocks of smaller companies lead the way, and the Russell 2000 index of smaller stocks jumped 2%. It’s set to top its all-time high, which was set three years ago. Smaller companies can feel bigger boosts from lower borrowing costs because of the need of many to borrow to grow. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks the market’s expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do with overnight interest rates, also eased sharply. The Fed began cutting its main interest rate just a couple months ago from a two-decade high, hoping to keep the job market humming after bringing high inflation nearly all the way down to its 2% target. But immediately after Trump’s victory, traders had reduced bets for how many cuts the Fed may deliver next year. They were worried Trump's preference for lower tax rates and higher spending on the border would balloon the national debt. . A report coming on Wednesday could influence how much the Fed may cut rates. Economists expect it to show that an underlying inflation trend the Fed prefers to use accelerated to 2.8% last month from 2.7% in September. Higher inflation would make the Fed more reluctant to cut rates as deeply or as quickly as it would otherwise. Goldman Sachs economist David Mericle expects that to slow by the end of next year to 2.4%, but he said inflation would be even lower if not for expected tariff increases on imports from China and autos favored by Trump. In the stock market, Bath & Body Works jumped 19.1% after delivering stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The seller of personal care products and home fragrances also raised its financial forecasts for the full year, even though it still sees a “volatile retail environment” and a shorter holiday shopping season this year. Much focus has been on how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain, given high prices across the economy and still-high interest rates. Last week, two major retailers sent mixed messages. Target tumbled after giving a dour forecast for the holiday shopping season. It followed Walmart , which gave a much more encouraging outlook. Another big retailer, Macy’s, said Monday its sales for the latest quarter were in line with its expectations, but it will delay the release of its full financial results. It found a single employee had intentionally hid up to $154 million in delivery expenses, and it needs more time to complete its investigation. Macy’s stock fell 2.9%. Among the market's leaders were several companies related to the housing industry. Monday's drop in Treasury yields could translate into easier mortgage rates, which could spur activity for housing. Builders FirstSource, a supplier or building materials, rose 6.2%. Homebuilders, D.R. Horton, PulteGroup and Lennar all rose at least 5.8%. In stock markets abroad, indexes moved modestly across much of Europe after finishing mixed in Asia. In the crypto market, bitcoin was trading around $96,800 after threatening to hit $100,000 late last week for the first time. ___ AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed. Stan Choe, The Associated Press
US stocks rally despite Trump tariff threat but European stocks fallCong counters CM’s claims on Ambedkar
INDIANAPOLIS – Death. Taxes. And Quenton Nelson. Star running back Jonathan Taylor suggested Thursday the Indianapolis Colts’ All-Pro left guard is one of life’s inevitabilities. A legion of NFL defenders likely would nod in resigned agreement. “Any time backs come in, I always tell them, ‘Listen, when in doubt, you know 5-6 (Nelson’s jersey number) will take you to the light,’” Taylor said. “But what he does is (a result of) preparation throughout the week, what he does in the offseason, his routine in season. He's a true professional, and it shows week in, week out and year after year. So I'm just thankful, and I'm glad that I'm on a team with him.” Nelson played a pivotal role in Sunday’s 38-30 victory against the Tennessee Titans, helping to usher the way for Taylor to gain 218 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. The Colts gained a single-season franchise record 335 total yards on the ground, and Nelson shook off a fourth-quarter ankle injury to return even while many on the sideline suggested he should rest with the game apparently in hand. Nelson again put together a highlight reel of dominant blocks, none more impressive than his effort on quarterback Anthony Richardson’s 5-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. After pulling from his position, Nelson quickly got to the second level in front of Richardson and drove his defender through the back of the end zone. The quarterback essentially jogged into the end zone behind Nelson, untouched and unbothered. "It makes it easier for me,” Richardson said. “I get to see 56 running around. I just get to follow up behind him and let him do his dirty work, and I just follow up and get the touchdown. I get all the credit, but, no, he does all the dirty work for us. So we appreciate that for sure." Nelson emphatically threw his arms up in celebration as Richardson crossed the goal line. That’s also in character for the hulking lineman. He’s almost always the first player to pick up a ball carrier after a run – no matter the distance from the line of scrimmage – and Richardson said Nelson often is happier than the player who scored each time Indianapolis finds the end zone. It’s a mentality Nelson said was installed by former Notre Dame offensive line coach Harry Hiestand, and his joy is the product of a total team effort. “There’s 11 guys doing their job for the common goal of scoring a touchdown and trying to win the game,” Nelson said. “Seeing it come to fruition after all the hard work we put in during the week is awesome.” Guard is far from a glamour position, and it’s not among the most highly valued roles in the NFL. Very few players at the position become stars. But Nelson is on another level. When he was drafted with the sixth overall pick in 2018 after a sterling career for the Fighting Irish, Colts owner Jim Irsay immediately made Hall of Fame comparisons. Nelson has lived up to the high expectations with three first-team All-Pro nods and six Pro Bowl appearances in his first six seasons. He’s one of the most recognizable names on Indianapolis’ roster and a fan favorite. But, despite outside appearances, Nelson’s success was not inevitable. His unmatched drive and work ethic have allowed him to reach the game’s elite levels. “I think his competitive nature that he brings every single day, his toughness, his attitude, his love for the game, and he plays that way,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said of what sets Nelson apart. “I mean, he shows up for his guys every single day and does it the right way and plays for the guy next to him every single time. “He's got that relentless determination that you want up front. Just a hell of a leader for us. And obviously, when we need a big play, too, a lot of the times he's our lead blocker in those situations.” Tight end Mo Alie-Cox (toe), Richardson (back, foot) and linebacker E.J. Speed (knee) did not practice Thursday. Indianapolis reportedly is optimistic Richardson will be able to play Sunday against the New York Giants. Linebacker Jaylon Carlies (shoulder) and Nelson (ankle) were limited. Cornerback JuJu Brents (knee), cornerback Jaylon Jones (throat), wide receiver Alec Pierce (concussion) and wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (back) were full participants. Safety Raheem Lane (knee), linebacker Micah McFadden (neck), wide receiver Malik Nabers (toe), center John Michael Schmitz (ankle), cornerback Greg Stroman (shoulder, shin), running back Tyrone Tracy (ankle) and wide receiver Dee Williams (toe) did not practice for the Giants. Defensive tackle Cory Durden (shoulder), offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor (wrist), quarterback Drew Lock (right shoulder) and offensive guard Greg Van Roten (knee) were limited.Is the king of streaming ready for some football? In a first, Netflix is set to host the NFL’s two marquee Christmas Day games: the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 p.m. ET, followed by the Baltimore Ravens against the Houston Texans at 4:30 p.m. Beyoncé will headline the halftime show during the latter game, featuring her first live performance of tracks from her “Cowboy Carter” country album. The games are a key test for the streaming giant as it doubles down on live events programming and aims to provide more than 280 million subscribers with real-time content that was once the exclusive domain of traditional television networks. But amid the hoopla, the company faces questions about whether it has the capacity to stream these events without technical glitches. The concerns were underscored during the heavily hyped boxing match between retired pro Mike Tyson and social media personality Jake Paul . Netflix called the Nov. 15 fight the most-streamed sporting event ever, peaking at 65 million concurrent streams. But many viewers were frustrated by buffering issues during the livestream. “Glitchy is a generous way of describing it,” said Patrick Crakes, a media consultant and former Fox Sports executive. Similarly, the streamer’s “Love Is Blind” reunion special in April 2023 was delayed after what one of the company’s top executives described as a technical “bug” that had been accidentally introduced in an effort to improve live broadcasting after it aired a Chris Rock stand-up comedy special the previous month. “We didn’t meet the standard that we expect from ourselves to serve our members,” Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said on an earnings call last year. In the run-up to the big holiday NFL games, Netflix said it studied issues from previous live events and made necessary adjustments. The tweaks include leaning on third-party providers such as Charter Communications and Comcast, which are giving Netflix extra capacity, according to sources familiar with the matter. (Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News.) The media operation at the NFL, which entered into a three-year deal with Netflix to broadcast some games, feels confident about the streaming platform’s bandwidth. “I think the evolution of the medium is getting there,” Brian Rolapp, the league’s chief media and business officer, told CNBC. “And I think they’re taking all the necessary steps to have a great Christmas Day.” Netflix is not the only major streaming service that has pushed more deeply into high-profile events that were once carried on broadcast networks or cable channels. Amazon Prime Video holds the exclusive streaming rights for the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football.” Disney+ simulcasts sporting events through its ESPN tile, and Warner Bros.’ Max app plays CNN news broadcasts and NBA games that used to run strictly on TNT. Peacock, the platform owned and operated by NBCUniversal, drew a sizable audience this summer as the streaming home of the Paris Olympics. Netflix has more high-profile live events on the calendar, including weekly World Wrestling Entertainment “Raw” shows that start streaming in less than two weeks. Then, in 2027 and 2031, Netflix will be home to the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Netflix has also shown interest in livestreaming Hollywood awards shows; the 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards aired on the platform in late February. “I think that everyone ... is going to have to get used to finding their content across multiple different distribution platforms,” said Crakes, the former Fox Sports executive.Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights
US stocks rally despite Trump tariff threat but European stocks fallTyrese Hunter tossed in a game-high 26 points to lead Memphis to a 99-97 upset victory over No. 2 UConn on Monday in the first round of the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii. Hunter, who played at Iowa State and Texas before transferring to Memphis, made eight field goals with 7-of-10 3-point shooting. The Tigers (5-0) connected on 12 of their 22 3-point attempts in the win. UConn's Hassan Diarra made a free throw to cut the Memphis lead to 99-97 with 2.2 seconds left. He intentionally missed the second free throw and collected the loose ball, but his desperation shot was off the mark. It was 92-92 when UConn's Liam McNeeley was called for an offensive foul with 40.3 seconds left. UConn coach Dan Hurley received a technical for arguing the foul call, and PJ Carter made all four free throws to give the Tigers a four-point lead. Memphis, which squandered a 13-point lead with four minutes to play in regulation, received 22 points from PJ Haggerty, 19 from Colby Rogers and 14 from Dain Dainja. Memphis will play the winner of Monday night's game between Colorado and Michigan State in Tuesday's semifinals. UConn will face the loser of that contest. Tarris Reed Jr. had a team-high 22 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for UConn (4-1) before he fouled out with 3:18 to play. He made 10 of his 13 field goal attempts. Alex Karaban added 19 points for the Huskies. Jaylin Stewart scored a career-high 16 points, Diarra had 12 and McNeeley added 10. UConn trailed 82-79 after Diarra made two free throws with 24.2 seconds to play in regulation. The Huskies then forced a turnover and tied the game on a 3-pointer by Solo Ball with 1.2 on the clock. Although Memphis shot 56.5 percent from the field (13 for 23) and 50 percent from 3-point territory (5 for 10) in the first half, the game was tied 40-40 after 20 minutes. Neither team led by more than six points in the half. UConn received 29 points from its bench in the first half. Reed scored 15 of those points and Stewart supplied the other 14. --Field Level Media
Energy Vault CEO Robert Piconi purchases $235k in common stock
By Katheryn Houghton and Arielle Zionts, KFF Health News (TNS) Tescha Hawley learned that hospital bills from her son’s birth had been sent to debt collectors only when she checked her credit score while attending a home-buying class. The new mom’s plans to buy a house stalled. Hawley said she didn’t owe those thousands of dollars in debts. The federal government did. Hawley, a citizen of the Gros Ventre Tribe, lives on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana. The Indian Health Service is a federal agency that provides free health care to Native Americans, but its services are limited by a chronic shortage of funding and staff. Hawley’s local Indian Health Service hospital wasn’t equipped to deliver babies. But she said staff there agreed that the agency would pay for her care at a privately owned hospital more than an hour away. That arrangement came through the Purchased/Referred Care program, which pays for services Native Americans can’t get through an agency-funded clinic or hospital. Federal law stresses that patients approved for the program aren’t responsible for any of the costs. But tribal leaders, health officials, and a new federal report say patients are routinely billed anyway as a result of backlogs or mistakes from the Indian Health Service, financial middlemen, hospitals, and clinics. The financial consequences for patients can last years. Those sent to collections can face damaged credit scores, which can prevent them from securing loans or require them to pay higher interest rates. The December report , by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, found these long-standing problems contribute to people in Native American-majority communities being nearly twice as likely to have medical debt in collections compared with the national average. And their amount of medical debt is significantly higher. The report found the program is often late to pay bills. In some cases, hospitals or collection agencies hound tribal citizens for more money after bills are paid. Hawley’s son was born in 2003. She had to wait another year to buy a home, as she struggled to pay off the debt. It took seven years for it to drop from her credit report. “I don’t think a person ever recovers from debt,” Hawley said. Hawley, a cancer survivor, still must navigate the referral program. In 2024 alone, she received two notices from clinics about overdue bills. Frank White Clay, chairman of the Crow Tribe in Montana, testified about the impact of wrongful billing during a U.S. House committee hearing in April. He shared stories of veterans rejected for home loans, elders whose Social Security benefits were reduced, and students denied college loans and federal aid. “Some of the most vulnerable people are being harassed daily by debt collectors,” White Clay said. No one is immune from the risk. A high-ranking Indian Health Service official learned during her job’s background check that her credit report contained referred-care debt, the federal report found. Native Americans face disproportionately high rates of poverty and disease , which researchers link to limited access to health care and the ongoing impact of racist federal policies . White Clay is among many who say problems with the referred-care program are an example of the U.S. government violating treaties that promised to provide for the health and welfare of tribes in return for their land. The chairman’s testimony came during a hearing on the Purchased and Referred Care Improvement Act, which would require the Indian Health Service to create a reimbursement process for patients who were wrongfully billed. Committee members approved the bill in November and sent it for consideration by the full House. A second federal bill, the Protecting Native Americans’ Credit Act , would prevent debt like Hawley’s from affecting patients’ credit scores. The bipartisan bill hadn’t had a hearing by mid-December. The exact number of people wrongfully billed isn’t clear, but the Indian Health Service has acknowledged it has work to do. The agency is developing a dashboard to help workers track referrals and to speed up bill processing, spokesperson Brendan White said. It’s also trying to hire more referred-care staff, to address vacancy rates of more than 30%. Officials say problems with the program also stem from outside health providers that don’t follow the rules. Melanie Egorin, an assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said at the hearing that the proposed legislation doesn’t include consequences for “bad actors” — health facilities that repeatedly bill patients when they shouldn’t. “The lack of enforcement is definitely a challenge,” she said. But tribal leaders warned that penalties could backfire. Related Articles Health | How America lost control of the bird flu, setting the stage for another pandemic Health | How to kick back, relax and embrace a less-than-perfect holiday Health | New childhood leukemia protocol is ‘tremendous win’ Health | For some FSA dollars, it’s use it or lose it at year’s end Health | Norovirus is rampant. Blame oysters, cruise ships and holiday travel White Clay told lawmakers that some clinics already refuse to see patients if the Indian Health Service hasn’t paid for their previous appointments. He’s worried the threat of penalties would lead to more refusals. If that happens, White Clay said, Crow tribal members who already travel hours to access specialty treatment would have to go even farther. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report found clinics are already refusing to see any referred-care patients due to the program’s payment problems. The bureau and the Indian Health Service also recently published a letter urging health care providers and debt collectors not to hold patients accountable for program-approved care. White, the Indian Health Service spokesperson, said the agency recently updated the referred-care forms sent to outside hospitals and clinics to include billing instructions and to stress that patients aren’t liable for any out-of-pocket costs. And he said the staff can help patients get reimbursed if they have already paid for services that were supposed to be covered. Joe Bryant, an Indian Health Service official who oversees efforts to improve the referral program, said patients can ask credit bureaus to remove debt from their reports if the agency should have covered their bills. Leaders with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington state helped shape the proposed legislation after their citizens were repeatedly harmed by wrongful billing. Tribal Chairman Jarred-Michael Erickson said problems began in 2017, when a regional Indian Health Service office took over the referred-care program from local staff. It “created a domino effect of negative outcomes,” Erickson wrote in a letter to Congress. He said some tribal members whose finances were damaged stopped using the Indian Health Service. Others avoided health care altogether. Responsibility for the Colville Reservation program transferred back to local staff in 2022. Staffers found the billing process hadn’t been completed for thousands of cases, worth an estimated $24 million in medical care, Erickson told lawmakers . Workers are making progress on the backlog and they have explained the rules to outside hospitals and clinics, Erickson said. But he said there are still cases of wrongful billing, such as a tribal member who was sent to collections after receiving a $17,000 bill for chemotherapy that the agency was supposed to pay for. Erickson said the tribe is in the process of taking over its health care facilities instead of having the Indian Health Service run them. He and others who work in Native American health said tribally managed units — which are still funded by the federal agency — tend to have fewer problems with their referred-care programs. For example, they have more oversight over staff and flexibility to create their own payment tracking systems. But some Native Americans oppose tribal management because they feel it releases the federal government from its obligations. Beyond wrongful billing, access to the referred-care program is limited because of underfunding from Congress. The $1 billion budget this year is $9 billion short of the need, according to a committee report by tribal health and government leaders. Donald Warne, a physician and member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, called the proposed legislation a “band-aid.” He said the ultimate solution is for Congress to fully fund the Indian Health Service, which would reduce the need for the referred-care program. Back in Montana, Hawley said she braces for a fight each time she gets a bill that the referral program was supposed to cover. “I’ve learned not to trust the process,” Hawley said. ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Ransomware attack on software supplier disrupts operations for Starbucks and other retailers
By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS NEW YORK (AP) — A ransomware attack that hit a major software provider last week caused disruptions for a handful of companies over recent days, from Starbucks to U.K. grocery giant Morrisons. Blue Yonder, which provides supply chain technology to a range of brands worldwide, said that it experienced disruptions to services it manages for customers on Thursday, which the third-party software supplier determined to be “the result of a ransomware incident.” Some systems went offline, impacting clients using Blue Yonder’s software. A spokesperson for Starbucks, for example, said that the chain’s ability to manage barista schedules and track hours was disrupted — meaning store leaders across North America are currently being instructed to use manual workarounds. Starbucks maintained that the outage is not impacting how customers are served and that ensuring workers get paid for all hours worked is a top priority. While the company continues to work towards full recovery, the spokesperson added that Starbucks was able to process payroll again as of Tuesday morning. Two of the U.K.’s biggest grocers, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s, were also affected — with both telling CNN over the weekend that they had turned to contingency plans to keep operations flowing. A spokesperson for Morrisons confirmed to The Associated Press that the outage “impacted our warehouse management systems for fresh and produce” and that it was continuing to operate on back up systems Tuesday. Sainsbury’s, meanwhile, said Tuesday that its service was restored. Related Articles National News | Bird flu virus was found in raw milk. What to know about the risks National News | Man found guilty of holding down teen while he was raped at a youth center in 1998 National News | What Black Friday’s history tells us about holiday shopping in 2024 National News | New rule allows HIV-positive organ transplants National News | Walmart becomes latest – and biggest – company to roll back its DEI policies Blue Yonder declined to disclose how many of its customers were impacted by the hack. In a statement sent to the AP, a spokesperson maintained that it had notified “relevant customers” and would continue to communicate as needed. The spokesperson also maintained that recovery efforts were still underway — noting that Blue Yonder “has been working diligently together with external cybersecurity firms to make progress,” including the implementation of several defensive and forensic protocols. Blue Yonder’s website touts an extensive global roster of customers — including Gap, Ford and Walgreens. Walgreens and Gap were not impacted following the ransomware attack, spokespeople for the companies said. Ford shared that it was investigating whether the incident affected its operations earlier this week, but had no further updates when reached Tuesday. Blue Yonder, based in Arizona, is a subsidiary of Japan’s Panasonic Corp. Panasonic acquired the supply chain software firm in September 2021.None
Dolphins’ recruit Daniel Saifiti admits he was unconsciously got comfortable during his time at the Knights and is targeting a NSW Origin call at his new club under former coach Kristian Woolf. Watch every ball of Australia v India LIVE & ad-break free during play in 4K on Kayo | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer > Saifiti scored 19 tries in 183 games for the Knights since his debut in 2016, and played seven Origins for NSW, the last of which came in 2021, and three Tests for Fiji. However, he was released from the final two years of his Knights contract to take up a three-year deal with the Dolphins and he candidly admits he needed a change to revive his career. “I would say I did want to get out of my comfort zone, I probably was there and I was one of the senior boys (at Newcastle); me and my brother Jacob, we were probably the last two there over the last decade, so you get in that comfort zone, (even if) you don’t mean to do it,” Saifiti said. “But I knew it was time. I had a sit down with my partner and we knew we were ready to move.” MORE NRL NEWS CONTRACT LIMBO: NRL stars in contract limbo... and where they could land ‘DESERVE TO PLAY’: Wayne’s classy message to Ilias after 48-hour Dragons switch HUNT’S SPECIAL ROLE: Madge’s revolution as all-time comeback nears crescendo The 28-year-old spent time with Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf when he was an assistant at Newcastle and jumped at the chance to reunite with his former mentor. “I think the roster’s top notch there, there are representative players all over the park, but probably the main thing was coming under Woolfy again,” Saifiti said. “I only had him for one year in 2019, but me and him built a real close relationship there and we’ve kept in touch ever since. “When he rang my manager, I pretty much knew after that first phone call that this is the club for me, so I’m just glad he made the call and I’m here now.” The Dolphins were denied a maiden finals spot in 2024, ironically by Saifiti’s old team the Knights, and the focus is clear heading into 2025. “I think they’ve gotten better obviously from ‘23 to ‘24 and they’re looking to go one better this year,” Saifiti said. “I’ve spoken to a couple of boys about it, obviously, whoever won that game last year out of us and Newcastle made the eight; so I think not making it left a sour taste in a few of the boys’ mouths and it’s just extra motivation to train harder and get that one step further next year. “They were close to making it last year obviously and didn’t make it at the end, but I think we knuckle down in the pre-season, fix the wrongs from last year ... get fitter, hold each other accountable and I think this is definitely a finals footy team and a finals forward pack.” While his immediate focus is on making the Dolphins finals contenders, Saifiti admits he covets a return to the Origin arena for the first time since 2021. “When he (Woolf) was at the club, I was playing Origin back in 2019 and he’d love to see me get there again,” Saifiti said. “I have just come to a new club and it’s not just going to happen, I am going to have to prove my myself to him and the boys that I do deserve to be in the team (each week). “I find with rep teams, if you’re playing in a good team that’s going well and you’re playing good footy; you sort of naturally get picked, so you’ve got to impress the boys and the coaches first. “I’m coming into a forward pack with guys that are playing in Origin and guys like Kenny Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi, they have won comps and played Origin, played for New Zealand and the like. “So even though I’m getting older, I’m almost 30, there’s still a lot to learn and those guys have been everywhere and I get to pick their brains here.” Saifiti won’t have to wait long to come up against his former team and twin brother Jacob, with the Dolphins playing the Knights in Round 2. “It’s personal on the field for 80 minutes, but he is my best mate and we will shake hands and give each other a hug after,” Saifiti said. “But you’re going to smash him, right?” a journalist joked. “Yeah it’s going to happen,” Saifiti laughed.The Dallas Cowboys might have picked up a recent win over an NFC East rival in the Washington Commanders, but they still have overarching problems. Sure, they went out and won the game, but it took a rocky special teams game and the Cowboys' defense stepping up in a big way. The Cowboys ended up coming away with a big 34-26 road victory over the Commanders. They advanced to 4-7 on the season with the win. However, Dallas is still playing backup quarterback Cooper Rush with Dak Prescott sidelined with injury. They've still got other major roster holes and inefficiencies. Even with the win, it would appear as if Mike McCarthy will be on his way out of the DFW after this season. His tenure with the club will likely come to an end at the season's end, and the Cowboys will look for the next head man to lead the squad. Many have tossed around plenty of ideas. One of the most popular suggestions for the Cowboys' potential eventual head coaching vacancy is legendary Dallas superstar Deion Sanders, who was magnificent at every level of football he played. However, a Jason Witten rumor has started to swirl. The former tight end was a Cowboys superstar and icon. He's another name that's beloved in the city. Former Cowboys wide receiver and teammate of Witten, Dez Bryant, loves the move, as he made clear on social media. "I saw a rumor about Jason Witten for the Dallas Cowboys coaching job! I love it!" Bryant shared on social media. I saw a rumor about Jason Witten for the Dallas Cowboys coaching job! I love it! 👀 Witten played in Dallas for 16 years, coming away with 11 Pro Bowl nods. His coaching experience is coaching at a local high school, however, which could limit the role in which he could land with the Cowboys. As an assistant, Witten could thrive. He could learn from a seasoned head coach and eventually take the keys to the franchise as a legend within the building. The rumor is quite interesting, and it would help Jerry Jones capture the hearts of Cowboys fans -- who are quite upset with him amid the team's brutal season.Tescha Hawley (right) and her mother, Janice Hawley, serve food from Tescha’s nonprofit to cross-country teams at the Harlem Invitational in Harlem, Montana. Tescha began the Day Eagle Hope Project to improve the health of her community after seeing how hard it was to access care when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. (Jessica Plance/KFF Health News/TNS) Tescha Hawley, a citizen of the Gros Ventre Tribe who lives on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana, is among the patients who say they were stuck with medical debt that the Indian Health Service should have paid. (Jessica Plance/KFF Health News/TNS) Tescha Hawley (center) sits for a portrait with her children, Tearia Sunchild (left) and Trayce Sunchild, near Jim Brown Creek on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana. Tescha says hospital bills from her son’s birth that the Indian Health Service promised to pay were sent to debt collectors in her name. The financial consequences lasted years. (Jessica Plance/KFF Health News/TNS) Tescha Hawley (right) and her mother, Janice Hawley, serve food from Tescha’s nonprofit to cross-country teams at the Harlem Invitational in Harlem, Montana. Tescha began the Day Eagle Hope Project to improve the health of her community after seeing how hard it was to access care when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. (Jessica Plance/KFF Health News/TNS) Tescha Hawley (right) and her mother, Janice Hawley, serve food from Tescha’s nonprofit to cross-country teams at the Harlem Invitational in Harlem, Montana. Tescha began the Day Eagle Hope Project to improve the health of her community after seeing how hard it was to access care when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. (Jessica Plance/KFF Health News/TNS) Tescha Hawley learned that hospital bills from her son’s birth had been sent to debt collectors only when she checked her credit score while attending a home-buying class. The new mom’s plans to buy a house stalled. Hawley said she didn’t owe those thousands of dollars in debts. The federal government did. Hawley, a citizen of the Gros Ventre Tribe, lives on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana. The Indian Health Service is a federal agency that provides free health care to Native Americans, but its services are limited by a chronic shortage of funding and staff. Hawley’s local Indian Health Service hospital wasn’t equipped to deliver babies. But she said staff there agreed that the agency would pay for her care at a privately owned hospital more than an hour away. That arrangement came through the Purchased/Referred Care program, which pays for services Native Americans can’t get through an agency-funded clinic or hospital. stresses that patients approved for the program aren’t responsible for any of the costs. But tribal leaders, health officials, and a new federal report say patients are routinely billed anyway as a result of backlogs or mistakes from the Indian Health Service, financial middlemen, hospitals, and clinics. The financial consequences for patients can last years. Those sent to collections can face damaged credit scores, which can prevent them from securing loans or require them to pay higher interest rates. , by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, found these long-standing problems contribute to people in Native American-majority communities being nearly twice as likely to have medical debt in collections compared with the national average. And their amount of medical debt is significantly higher. The report found the program is often late to pay bills. In some cases, hospitals or collection agencies hound tribal citizens for more money after bills are paid. Hawley’s son was born in 2003. She had to wait another year to buy a home, as she struggled to pay off the debt. It took seven years for it to drop from her credit report. “I don’t think a person ever recovers from debt,” Hawley said. Hawley, a cancer survivor, still must navigate the referral program. In 2024 alone, she received two notices from clinics about overdue bills. Frank White Clay, chairman of the Crow Tribe in Montana, of wrongful billing during a U.S. House committee hearing in April. He shared stories of veterans rejected for home loans, elders whose Social Security benefits were reduced, and students denied college loans and federal aid. “Some of the most vulnerable people are being harassed daily by debt collectors,” White Clay said. No one is immune from the risk. A high-ranking Indian Health Service official learned during her job’s background check that her credit report contained referred-care debt, the federal report found. Native Americans face disproportionately high rates of , which researchers link to limited access to health care and the of . White Clay is among many who say problems with the referred-care program are an example of the U.S. government violating treaties that promised to provide for the health and welfare of tribes in return for their land. The chairman’s testimony came during a hearing on the which would require the Indian Health Service to create a reimbursement process for patients who were wrongfully billed. Committee members approved the bill in November and sent it for consideration by the full House. A second federal bill, the , would prevent debt like Hawley’s from affecting patients’ credit scores. The bipartisan bill hadn’t had a hearing by mid-December. The exact number of people wrongfully billed isn’t clear, but the Indian Health Service has acknowledged it has The agency is developing a dashboard to help workers track referrals and to speed up bill processing, spokesperson Brendan White said. It’s also trying to hire more referred-care staff, to address vacancy rates of more than 30%. Officials say problems with the program also stem from outside health providers that don’t follow the rules. Melanie Egorin, an assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said at the hearing that the proposed legislation doesn’t include consequences for “bad actors” — health facilities that repeatedly bill patients when they shouldn’t. “The lack of enforcement is definitely a challenge,” she said. But tribal leaders warned that penalties could backfire. White Clay told lawmakers that some clinics already refuse to see patients if the Indian Health Service hasn’t paid for their previous appointments. He’s worried the threat of penalties would lead to more refusals. If that happens, White Clay said, Crow tribal members who already travel hours to access specialty treatment would have to go even farther. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report found clinics are already refusing to see any referred-care patients due to the program’s payment problems. The bureau and the Indian Health Service also recently urging health care providers and debt collectors not to hold patients accountable for program-approved care. White, the Indian Health Service spokesperson, said the agency recently updated the referred-care forms sent to outside hospitals and clinics to include billing instructions and to stress that patients aren’t liable for any out-of-pocket costs. And he said the staff can help patients get reimbursed if they have already paid for services that were supposed to be covered. Joe Bryant, an Indian Health Service official who oversees efforts to improve the referral program, said patients can ask credit bureaus to from their reports if the agency should have covered their bills. Leaders with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington state helped shape the proposed legislation after their citizens were repeatedly harmed by wrongful billing. Tribal Chairman Jarred-Michael Erickson said problems began in 2017, when a regional Indian Health Service office took over the referred-care program from local staff. It “created a domino effect of negative outcomes,” Erickson wrote in a letter to Congress. He said some tribal members whose finances were damaged stopped using the Indian Health Service. Others avoided health care altogether. Responsibility for the Colville Reservation program transferred back to local staff in 2022. Staffers found the billing process hadn’t been completed for thousands of cases, worth an estimated $24 million in medical care, . Workers are making progress on the backlog and they have explained the rules to outside hospitals and clinics, Erickson said. But he said there are still cases of wrongful billing, such as a tribal member who was sent to collections after receiving a $17,000 bill for chemotherapy that the agency was supposed to pay for. Erickson said the tribe is in the process of taking over its health care facilities instead of having the Indian Health Service run them. He and others who work in Native American health said tribally managed units — which are still funded by the federal agency — tend to have fewer problems with their referred-care programs. For example, they have more oversight over staff and flexibility to create their own payment tracking systems. But some Native Americans because they feel it releases the federal government from its obligations. Beyond wrongful billing, because of underfunding from Congress. The $1 billion budget this year is $9 billion short of the need, according to a committee report by tribal health and government leaders. Donald Warne, a physician and member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, called the proposed legislation a “band-aid.” He said the ultimate solution is for Congress to fully fund the Indian Health Service, which would reduce the need for the referred-care program. Back in Montana, Hawley said she braces for a fight each time she gets a bill that the referral program was supposed to cover. “I’ve learned not to trust the process,” Hawley said.