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Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Ronan Farrow recently explored the shadowy world of spyware in a gripping documentary about Pegasus, a military-grade surveillance tool developed by the Israeli company NSO Group. Initially designed to combat terrorism and organized crime, Pegasus has reportedly been misused by governments worldwide, including targeting U.S. citizens. Farrow, the son of actress Mia Farrow and filmmaker Woody Allen , highlights in the new HBO documentary “Surveilled” how Pegasus can infiltrate smartphones, extract data, and even activate microphones and cameras—all without the user knowing. The tool, originally sold under the guise of aiding national security, has been implicated in scandals involving surveillance of journalists, dissidents, and also political figures. Collaborating with organizations like Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International, the documentary examines Pegasus’ controversial deployment and its chilling effects on democracy. One of its most striking revelations is how Pegasus has allegedly been employed against Americans, raising questions about governmental accountability and privacy rights. “All of the privacy law experts that I’m talking to are very, very afraid right now,” he told The Guardian . “This tech is just increasingly everywhere, and I think we have to contend with the inevitability that this is not just going to be this path of private companies selling to governments.” The film also sheds light on the Pegasus Project, a 2021 investigation involving 17 global media outlets, PBS reported. The project revealed a leaked list of over 50,000 phone numbers believed to be potential spyware targets. Among the most shocking findings were the confirmed infections of several smartphones belonging to individuals close to murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, raising concerns about how Pegasus facilitates human rights abuses. As Laurent Richard of Forbidden Stories notes in the documentary, “Collaboration is protection.” Forbidden Stories is a nonprofit organization based in Paris whose mission is ensuring that important investigative journalism persists, even in the face of censorship or threats. In an article for The New Yorker , Farrow also discussed the misuse by governments worldwide, including democracies, of this tool. Highlighting the Catalan independence movement, he details how spyware infiltrated Jordi Solé i Ferrando Cataloni’s phone before he joined the European Parliament. Elies Campo of Citizen Lab confirmed the infection, revealing spyware’s capability to extract data or activate a phone’s camera and microphone. Solé called it “a clear political and judicial persecution.” The documentary raises urgent questions about the ethics of selling such powerful surveillance technology and the steps needed to regulate its use.Renuka Rayasam | (TNS) KFF Health News In April, just 12 weeks into her pregnancy, Kathleen Clark was standing at the receptionist window of her OB-GYN’s office when she was asked to pay $960, the total the office estimated she would owe after she delivered. Clark, 39, was shocked that she was asked to pay that amount during this second prenatal visit. Normally, patients receive the bill after insurance has paid its part, and for pregnant women that’s usually only when the pregnancy ends. It would be months before the office filed the claim with her health insurer. Clark said she felt stuck. The Cleveland, Tennessee, obstetrics practice was affiliated with a birthing center where she wanted to deliver. Plus, she and her husband had been wanting to have a baby for a long time. And Clark was emotional, because just weeks earlier her mother had died. “You’re standing there at the window, and there’s people all around, and you’re trying to be really nice,” recalled Clark, through tears. “So, I paid it.” On online baby message boards and other social media forums , pregnant women say they are being asked by their providers to pay out-of-pocket fees earlier than expected. The practice is legal, but patient advocacy groups call it unethical. Medical providers argue that asking for payment up front ensures they get compensated for their services. How frequently this happens is hard to track because it is considered a private transaction between the provider and the patient. Therefore, the payments are not recorded in insurance claims data and are not studied by researchers. Patients, medical billing experts, and patient advocates say the billing practice causes unexpected anxiety at a time of already heightened stress and financial pressure. Estimates can sometimes be higher than what a patient might ultimately owe and force people to fight for refunds if they miscarry or the amount paid was higher than the final bill. Up-front payments also create hurdles for women who may want to switch providers if they are unhappy with their care. In some cases, they may cause women to forgo prenatal care altogether, especially in places where few other maternity care options exist. It’s “holding their treatment hostage,” said Caitlin Donovan, a senior director at the Patient Advocate Foundation . Medical billing and women’s health experts believe OB-GYN offices adopted the practice to manage the high cost of maternity care and the way it is billed for in the U.S. When a pregnancy ends, OB-GYNs typically file a single insurance claim for routine prenatal care, labor, delivery, and, often, postpartum care. That practice of bundling all maternity care into one billing code began three decades ago, said Lisa Satterfield, senior director of health and payment policy at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists . But such bundled billing has become outdated, she said. Previously, pregnant patients had been subject to copayments for each prenatal visit, which might lead them to skip crucial appointments to save money. But the Affordable Care Act now requires all commercial insurers to fully cover certain prenatal services. Plus, it’s become more common for pregnant women to switch providers, or have different providers handle prenatal care, labor, and delivery — especially in rural areas where patient transfers are common. Some providers say prepayments allow them to spread out one-time payments over the course of the pregnancy to ensure that they are compensated for the care they do provide, even if they don’t ultimately deliver the baby. “You have people who, unfortunately, are not getting paid for the work that they do,” said Pamela Boatner, who works as a midwife in a Georgia hospital. While she believes women should receive pregnancy care regardless of their ability to pay, she also understands that some providers want to make sure their bill isn’t ignored after the baby is delivered. New parents might be overloaded with hospital bills and the costs of caring for a new child, and they may lack income if a parent isn’t working, Boatner said. In the U.S., having a baby can be expensive. People who obtain health insurance through large employers pay an average of nearly $3,000 out-of-pocket for pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care, according to the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker . In addition, many people are opting for high-deductible health insurance plans, leaving them to shoulder a larger share of the costs. Of the 100 million U.S. people with health care debt, 12% attribute at least some of it to maternity care, according to a 2022 KFF poll . Families need time to save money for the high costs of pregnancy, childbirth, and child care, especially if they lack paid maternity leave, said Joy Burkhard , CEO of the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, a Los Angeles-based policy think tank. Asking them to prepay “is another gut punch,” she said. “What if you don’t have the money? Do you put it on credit cards and hope your credit card goes through?” Calculating the final costs of childbirth depends on multiple factors, such as the timing of the pregnancy , plan benefits, and health complications, said Erin Duffy , a health policy researcher at the University of Southern California’s Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. The final bill for the patient is unclear until a health plan decides how much of the claim it will cover, she said. But sometimes the option to wait for the insurer is taken away. During Jamie Daw’s first pregnancy in 2020, her OB-GYN accepted her refusal to pay in advance because Daw wanted to see the final bill. But in 2023, during her second pregnancy, a private midwifery practice in New York told her that since she had a high-deductible plan, it was mandatory to pay $2,000 spread out with monthly payments. Daw, a health policy researcher at Columbia University, delivered in September 2023 and got a refund check that November for $640 to cover the difference between the estimate and the final bill. “I study health insurance,” she said. “But, as most of us know, it’s so complicated when you’re really living it.” While the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover some prenatal services, it doesn’t prohibit providers from sending their final bill to patients early. It would be a challenge politically and practically for state and federal governments to attempt to regulate the timing of the payment request, said Sabrina Corlette , a co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University. Medical lobbying groups are powerful and contracts between insurers and medical providers are proprietary. Because of the legal gray area, Lacy Marshall , an insurance broker at Rapha Health and Life in Texas, advises clients to ask their insurer if they can refuse to prepay their deductible. Some insurance plans prohibit providers in their network from requiring payment up front. If the insurer says they can refuse to pay up front, Marshall said, she tells clients to get established with a practice before declining to pay, so that the provider can’t refuse treatment. Related Articles Health | Which health insurance plan may be right for you? Health | California case is the first confirmed bird flu infection in a US child Health | Santa Cruz County supervisors approve latest CORE funding cycle amid community uproar Health | Your cool black kitchenware could be slowly poisoning you, study says. Here’s what to do Health | Does fluoride cause cancer, IQ loss, and more? Fact-checking Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claims Clark said she met her insurance deductible after paying for genetic testing, extra ultrasounds, and other services out of her health care flexible spending account. Then she called her OB-GYN’s office and asked for a refund. “I got my spine back,” said Clark, who had previously worked at a health insurer and a medical office. She got an initial check for about half the $960 she originally paid. In August, Clark was sent to the hospital after her blood pressure spiked. A high-risk pregnancy specialist — not her original OB-GYN practice — delivered her son, Peter, prematurely via emergency cesarean section at 30 weeks. It was only after she resolved most of the bills from the delivery that she received the rest of her refund from the other OB-GYN practice. This final check came in October, just days after Clark brought Peter home from the hospital, and after multiple calls to the office. She said it all added stress to an already stressful period. “Why am I having to pay the price as a patient?” she said. “I’m just trying to have a baby.” ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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AN astonishing “new aristocracy” of couples, relatives and nepo-babies runs the Government. More than two dozen ministers including Rachel Reeves , Pat McFadden and Wes Streeting all have spouses or relatives on the taxpayer or Labour Party payroll, analysis shows. Sir Keir Starmer’s Government is littered with husband and wife politicians, sisters in top roles and the offspring of Labour powerbrokers. Seven members of the Cabinet, including the Defence and Business Secretary, are related to either another minister, a Labour-appointed special adviser or a civil servant. The Government finally published their first set of transparency returns yesterday outlining any potential conflicts of interest around the Cabinet table and across Whitehall. And it showed an unprecedented 28 ministers are related to each other, married to other Labour politicians or have their partner also on the public purse. READ MORE ON LABOUR Under Rishi Sunak’s Tories, that figure was 11. Chancellor Ms Reeves’ husband is a powerful Whitehall mandarin, while Cabinet Office boss Pat McFadden’s wife was appointed by Sir Keir as a political aide. Ms Reeves’ MP sister Ellie now attends Cabinet, while Ellie’s husband John Cryer is a Labour minister in the House of Lords. Health Secretary Mr Streeting’s partner is paid by Labour as a spin doctor, while minister Georgia Gould’s husband is an adviser to Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall. Most read in The Sun Ms Gould is considered Labour royalty, as her father Philip was the architect of New Labour and her mother serves as a Labour peer. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander’s husband is a senior figure at media regulator Ofcom. The lower ranks are also heaving with ministers whose partners and family also serve Labour or the taxpayer. Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer’s father is a Labour peer, while fellow minister Baroness Chapman’s husband Nick Smith is a Labour MP. The Eagle sisters, Angela and Maria, serve Home Office and Defence Ministers respectively. Meanwhile, Treasury Minister Lord Livermore’s partner Seb Dance is London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s deputy. Fellow peer Baroness Smith, who serves as Advocate General of Scotland, is the youngest daughter of the former Labour leader John Smith and her mother is also a Labour peer. And Baroness Blake, who is a whip in the House of Lords, has a daughter, Olivia, who was elected as a Labour MP in July. Housing minister Alex Norris’s wife Emma Foody was elected for Labour in July. And fellow newbie MP Imogen Walker — the Chancellor’s Commons aide — is married to Sir Keir’s Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney. He ousted former Chief of Staff Sue Gray, whose son Liam Conlon was elected to Parliament this year as a Labour member. Last night Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart said: “Here’s Labour’s new aristocracy laid bare — it’s all who you know or are related to.” A Labour insider said: “People tend to get into Labour politics quite young, and then spend their time hanging out with their Labour comrades so often that it makes sense to marry one. “For others, the parental or spouse connections can help them get a foot in the door or a leap up the ladder.” Read More on The US Sun A Downing Street spokesman said: “To rebuild Britain and deliver the change our country needs will require talent, expertise and creativity. We won’t hesitate to make sure the right people are around the table.” THE new ministerial register of interests also revealed Energy Minister Kerry McCarthy has donated to Greenpeace — whose controversial tactics have included scaling the roof of Mr Sunak’s family home last year. By Harry Cole CAN you imagine the howls of fury from Labour if those evil Tories had hired their mothers, brothers, lovers and come-all-ye-others into plum roles in the Government? It’s remarkable just how much of Sir Keir Starmer’s frontbench seems to be related to, married to, or descended from another Labour figure of note. And it’s fascinating how many Labour households are getting a double-dipping from the public purse as a result. They insist that it’s the best man or woman that has got the job but does that really pass the sniff test? Can they really say that every single member of this so-called “new aristocracy” got where they are on merit alone?Caleb Williams' best plays from 340-yard game vs. Vikings Week 12
Year after year, small businesses are challenged to apply new technologies to keep up with their competitors – both large and small. In no area is this more relevant today than in the application of artificial intelligence. According to a new analysis released by the U.S. Census Bureau in December 2024, while the largest enterprises have clearly led the way, even the smallest businesses (with one to four employees) have increasingly been using AI tools at relatively high rates. Implementing AI used to require sophisticated programming that most small businesses couldn’t afford and couldn’t easily understand. That has changed dramatically over the past two years. AI is now more accessible than ever before. To discuss how small businesses can take advantage of this technology application in 2025, Digital Journal sat down with Pam Cronin, owner of Pam Ann Marketing , who consults with small businesses regarding their understanding and adoption of AI technologies. Digital Journal: What led to such a dramatic increase in AI accessibility? Pam Cronin: In November of 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT, which would become the pivot point for making AI accessible to small businesses. Initially, early adopters were mostly limited to the “techy” types, but now the awareness of not only the existence of ChatGPT but also its ease of use has drawn the attention of small business owners. As a digital marketing agency owner, I get to speak to a wide variety of business owners. In 2023, I don’t recall any of them mentioning AI or ChatGPT. But this year, just about all of my clients have mentioned it in one way or another. The current level of AI awareness among small business owners is palpable. DJ: How are small businesses currently using AI? Cronin: Despite near-total awareness of AI, adoption levels vary. Only a few of my clients have incorporated ChatGPT or similar AI tools into their business operations. The most common use case I see is small businesses using these tools to help with marketing tasks such as drafting social media posts, coming up with ideas for content marketing, and planning and/or writing website content. (Though, as an SEO consultant, I need to constantly discourage them from publishing content fully written by AI as that will not serve their search engine optimization goals well). DJ: What else should small business owners be using AI for? Cronin: Everything! In addition to marketing, AI can greatly help streamline tasks related to accounting, operations, project management, customer service, and more. Essentially, any process that is fairly simple yet time-consuming should be considered as a use case for AI. DJ: How does the implementation process work? Cronin: Interestingly, many of the things that people perceive as “AI” are actually automation. Automation tools like Make.com and Zapier enable things to happen “automagically” even without AI. I’ve been using Zapier to automate portions of my business for ten years now (since 2014), creating automations for anything that requires tedious tasks. For example, my most complex and effective automation is for client onboarding. Taking on a new client requires setup tasks in about seven different places – Quickbooks for billing, Teamwork for project management, Slack for project communications, Google Drive for file storage, etc. This used to take 1 to 2 hours to do manually, but now happens automatically with no human interaction at all. Although this automation does not use AI, when tasks complete themselves without a single mouse click, it’s easy to see why people perceive it as an “artificial” person doing the work. This perception is actually becoming more accurate as automation platforms like Zapier are adding AI tools, and AI tools are adding automation “agents” to perform tasks for users. Essentially, these two worlds are colliding and becoming one: AI-powered automation. This is what small business owners should be thinking about implementing in 2025. DJ: What AI tools do you expect to become popular in 2025? Cronin: For AI-powered automation, Zapier and Make.com will continue to increase in popularity as they incorporate more AI tool integrations and solidify themselves as the most accessible way for small businesses to implement AI in 2025. However, what will really upend the AI world in 2025 is AI agents. “Agentic AI” is a term with search volume that is skyrocketing month over month right now. Automation platforms, even when integrated with AI tools, do not incorporate any decision-making other than basic “if this, then that” filters that select one routine over another. An AI “agent” can make decisions and act autonomously, which goes far beyond the abilities of AI-powered automation. Right now, agentic AIs are mostly custom-coded, which is not accessible for small businesses, but 2025 will be the year that user-friendly agentic AI platforms hit the market. Anthropic, the company behind the popular Claude AI chatbot, already released an agentic AI feature they call “Computer Use” which can control a computer to complete tasks in the same way a human does. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, will be launching their agentic AI product called “Operator” early in 2025, and of course – Google, Microsoft, and others won’t be far behind with their own versions as well. DJ: Will AI and automation replace employees? Cronin: Not for small businesses. Unlike enterprise-level corporations, where a single person might be employed only to handle tedious tasks, small business employees wear many hats and have responsibilities requiring human brainpower and interaction. Small business owners should view AI and automation not as employee replacement, but as employee enhancement. When used to relieve talented employees of tedious tasks, the business owner gets better results, employees get to spend more time on work they love, and the company becomes stronger and more effective. Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news.Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.Are you obsessed with film cameras and Polaroids? Sorry to break it to you, but you’re not special—everyone and their mother is ditching our phone’s HD cameras for a little more nostalgic. The only bad thing about analog cameras? Well, they’re analog cameras. You’ll only ever be able to enjoy your snaps if you get them printed out! But what if we told you there’s a neat gadget to help you ? It’s true, so let us introduce you to the Kodak Slide N Scan. This machine lets you save your analog memories digitally—and easily—so you can enjoy your memories forever. Kick off 2025 with your new favorite gadget and get it for $164.97 (reg. $224.99) until the end of today. You could enter the new year with a toy that’s actually productive, helping you preserve physical memories for years to come. Digitize the film roll you brought on your summer vacation (finally), or surprise your parents or Grandma by digitizing their childhood slides from the ’70s. There’s no need for any Bill Gates-type tech skills to work the Kodak Slide N Scan—even your technologically challenged parents could do it themselves! Here’s how you use it: Thanks to the Slide N Scan’s fast-loading process, you could get through a pile of family slides or your vacation film in no time, meaning you won’t have to spend the entirety of 2025 finally digitizing all those memories. Once you’ve digitized everything, gather your friends and family to surprise them with digital, preserved versions of those photos. You don’t need a projector to show them off, either. Just connect your Kodak machine with the included HDMI cord so they can view the images on the big screen and relive the good old days! Your 2025 obsession awaits. Digitize everything from your childhood snaps to your latest vacation film roll with the , now $164.97 until the end of today, Dec. 29 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Grab yours before they’re gone! .
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