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Fog of war thickens as India and Pakistan trade blame and accusations – The Washington Post Fog of war thickens as India and Pakistan trade blame and accusations – The Washington Post Fog of war thickens as India and Pakistan trade blame and accusations The Washington PostIndia-Pakistan Live: Tensions surge as both sides trade attack claims Al JazeeraIndia, Pakistan accuse each other of attacks as hostilities rise ReutersLive updates: India, Pakistan tensions escalate as they exchange accusations of aerial attacks CNNWhy This India-Pakistan Conflict Is Different The Atlantic Source link #Fog #war #thickens #India #Pakistan #trade #blame #accusations #Washington #Post Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Indian Premier League suspended for one week amid India-Pakistan tension Indian Premier League suspended for one week amid India-Pakistan tension The Indian Premier League has been suspended for one week amid the ongoing tensions between India and neighbouring Pakistan. Overnight, India accused Pakistan of attacking three of its military bases with drones and missiles, a claim which Islamabad denied. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said: “The decision was taken by the IPL Governing Council after due consultation with all key stakeholders following the representations from most of the franchisees, who conveyed the concern and sentiments of their players, and also the views of the broadcaster, sponsors and fans. “While the BCCI reposes full faith in the strength and preparedness of our armed forces, the Board considered it prudent to act in the collective interest of all stakeholders.” On Thursday, the IPL match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala was abandoned mid-match because of floodlight failure, with players, staff and media set to be evacuated from the city, which lies close to the contested region of Kashmir. Later on the same day, the remaining matches in the Pakistan Super League were moved to the United Arab Emirates. The IPL, the richest franchise T20 league in the world, had been set to run until 23 May, with 16 games left to be played. “Further updates regarding the new schedule and venues of the tournament will be announced in due course after a comprehensive assessment of the situation in consultation with relevant authorities and stakeholders,” said the BCCI. Source link #Indian #Premier #League #suspended #week #IndiaPakistan #tension Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Iran roads director brought before Canada’s refugee board for deportation hearing – National Iran roads director brought before Canada’s refugee board for deportation hearing – National A former director general in Iran’s roads ministry appeared before the Immigration and Refugee Board on Thursday as ********* officials continued efforts to expel top-ranking regime members from the country. Afshin Pirnoon is one of 20 alleged senior Iranian officials caught living in Canada since Ottawa launched a crackdown against them in 2022 due to their involvement in a regime that flouts human rights and supports terrorism. The 49-year-old, who said he was working as an Uber driver, spoke through a Farsi interpreter as he faced questions about his role in the repressive Iranian government before he arrived in Canada in 2022 and filed a refugee claim. The Canada Border Services Agency has alleged that as director general of Iran’s Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization, Pirnoon was a high-ranking official in the service of the Islamic Republic. Story continues below advertisement He is therefore not allowed in Canada and should be deported, the CBSA has claimed. The hearing before the refugee board was to determine whether the CBSA had a reasonable case against him. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Photos on Iranian government and news websites show Pirnoon at events alongside political and religious leaders. He can also be seen attending official meetings, giving interviews and delivering speeches. Afshin Pirnoon, seen here in Iran, appeared before the Immigration and Refugee Board on Thursday. Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development A civil engineer with a master’s degree, Pirnoon worked for the Iranian government for 22 years. Until 2022. he was employed by the branch of Ministry of Roads and Urban Development responsible for road safety. But he denied he had any decision-making authority or influence, and said that as a road safety expert he had saved “so many lives.” He added that working for a government did not mean supporting it. Trending Now Tempers flare as Trump taps doctor-turned-influencer for surgeon general Pope Leo XIV named 1st American leader of Catholic Church Story continues below advertisement “Whatever I’ve done in my life so far was to safeguard the human beings’ life,” he said. “And since I started to live here I tried my best to behave as a very good citizen for the ********* society.” A decision on his case is not expected until later in the year. The ********* government announced in 2022 that it had banned senior Iranian officials from the country and that those already here would be deported. The measure was a response to the brutal suppression of women’s rights demonstrations in Tehran as well as Iran’s state sponsorship of terrorist groups such as ******, Hezbollah and Yemeni’s Houthis. Since the federal government stepped up pressure on Tehran, immigration enforcement officers have opened investigations into dozens of alleged regime officials believed to have resettled in Canada. But so far only two hearings have resulted in deportation orders, and only one former regime official has been sent back to Iran, although the CBSA has said that several others had left voluntarily. *****@*****.tld More on Canada More videos &copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. Source link #Iran #roads #director #brought #Canadas #refugee #board #deportation #hearing #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Owner of Cloud 9 hit with fine of more than $550,000 for failing to remove signage at Albany smoke shop store Owner of Cloud 9 hit with fine of more than $550,000 for failing to remove signage at Albany smoke shop store The owner of Cloud 9, a well-known smoke shop, has been fined more than half a million dollars for failing to remove signage from their Albany store 281 days after it was directed to by the local council. Source link #Owner #Cloud #hit #fine #failing #remove #signage #Albany #smoke #shop #store Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Is Grab Holdings Limited (GRAB) the Best Low Priced Stock to Invest in For the Long Term? Is Grab Holdings Limited (GRAB) the Best Low Priced Stock to Invest in For the Long Term? We recently published a list of 10 Best Low Priced Stocks to Invest in For the Long Term. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Grab Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:GRAB) stands against other best low priced stocks to invest in for the long term. As per AllianceBernstein, tariffs and trade wars have impacted investors of late. While some asset classes were spared, the US small-cap stocks have been hard hit. Over the past 6 months, the Russell 2000 Index has witnessed a decline of over ~10%. That being said, the investment firm opines that equity markets continue to show signs of broadening, which can work in favor of small-caps over time. The small-caps have underperformed in part since they are perceived as being more economically sensitive as compared to their larger-company counterparts. The current circumstances are unique, says AllianceBernstein. Trade tensions can have a more significant impact on the broader US economy, but robust companies can still see earnings growth. The small-cap investors can also take a sigh of relief from the broadening market. The investment firm highlighted that, over the previous 30 years, small-cap performance remained particularly robust over the last 2 cycles of unwinding large-cap growth concentration, i.e., when markets start to broaden. The 10 largest stocks accounted for over half the market capitalization of the Russell 1000 Growth Index by 2024 end, exhibiting a record high in the market concentration. Despite the trend reflecting the signs of unwinding, the concentration remains much higher as compared to the previous peaks. As per AllianceBernstein, small-caps are well-placed to benefit from the declining market concentration. READ ALSO: 7 Best Stocks to Buy For Long-Term and 8 Cheap Jim Cramer Stocks to Invest In. AllianceBernstein opines that, while broadening markets have resulted in improved small-cap returns, timing the turn can be a difficult task. Typically, economic recoveries have fueled such transitions. In a bid to capitalize on the broadening market with an uncertain beginning, the firm believes that the best approach is to emphasize higher-quality companies. High-quality stocks tend to see reduced drawdowns when there is a contraction in the economy, and more upside when it sees expansion. The firm also opines that small-cap stocks trade at extremely depressed valuations as compared to the larger companies, based on P/E ratios. Notably, the geopolitical tensions and macroeconomic worries have impacted the small companies. Without considering the company fundamentals, the investors have discounted potential hazards for such companies. Investing in firms exhibiting resilient business models can benefit along the road to recovery. Story Continues To list the 10 Best Low Priced Stocks to Invest in For the Long Term, we sifted through financial media reports to make a list of 40 potential long term stocks. We focused on companies with a market cap of at least $2 billion with a share price below $10. We further refined our list to include stocks that had bullish analyst sentiment. We also mentioned the hedge fund sentiment around each stock, as of Q4 2024. Finally, the stocks were arranged in ascending order of their hedge fund sentiment. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here). Is Grab Holdings Limited (GRAB) the Best Low Priced Stock to Invest in For the Long Term? A customer enjoying the convenience of a mobile financial services transaction. Stock Price as of May 6: $4.84 Market cap as of May 6: $19.8 billion Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 57 Grab Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:GRAB) operates a superapp in Southeast Asia that offers ride sharing, food delivery, and financial services. Analyst Fawne Jiang of Benchmark Co. maintained a “Buy” rating on the company’s stock, retaining the price objective of $6.00. The analyst’s rating is backed by a combination of factors demonstrating Grab Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:GRAB)’s healthy performance and future potential. The company released impressive Q1 2025 results, exceeding projections amidst typical seasonal challenges. The growth was aided by strong demand and ongoing investments in product and technology innovations, says the analyst. Notably, Grab Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:GRAB)’s revenue went up by 18% YoY and on a constant currency basis to $773 million, while on-demand GMV increased 16% YoY, or 17% on a constant currency basis, to touch $4.9 billion. The analyst also believes that Grab Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:GRAB)’s market leadership and counter-cyclical business model place it well for long-term growth, even during the macroeconomic uncertainties. Additionally, its strategic emphasis on cost optimization, competitive advantages as a result of market exits by key players, and efficiency gains resulting from technology further aid the favourable outlook. Also, new product launches and the usage of AI tools continue to enhance the user engagement and operational efficiency, says Jiang. Overall, GRAB ranks 1st on our list of best low priced stocks to invest in for the long term. While we acknowledge the potential of GRAB as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some deeply undervalued AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for a deeply undervalued AI stock that is more promising than GRAB but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Source link #Grab #Holdings #Limited #GRAB #Priced #Stock #Invest #Long #Term Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Nvidia modifies H20 chip for China to overcome US export controls Nvidia modifies H20 chip for China to overcome US export controls Nvidia CEO, Jensen Huang, speaks during an interview on CNBC’s ‘Power Lunch’ on May 6, 2025. CNBC Nvidia plans to release a downgraded version of its H20 artificial intelligence chip for China in the next two months, following U.S. export restrictions on the original model, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The U.S. chipmaker has notified major ******** customers, including leading cloud computing providers, that it aims to release the modified H20 chip in July, two of the sources said. The downgraded H20 represents Nvidia’s latest attempt to maintain its presence in one of its most crucial markets in the face of Washington’s expanding efforts to restrict China’s access to advanced semiconductor technology. The H20, which had been Nvidia’s most powerful AI chip cleared for ******** sales, was effectively blocked from the market after U.S. officials informed the company last month that the product would require an export license. Nvidia has formulated new technical thresholds, which will guide the development of the modified chip designs. These specifications will result in significant downgrades from the original H20, including substantially reduced memory capacity, one of the sources said. Another of the sources said downstream customers could potentially modify the module configuration to adjust the chip’s performance levels. Nvidia declined to comment. The U.S. Commerce Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China accounted for $17 billion in revenue, or 13% of Nvidia’s total sales, in the fiscal year ended January 26. Highlighting the country’s strategic importance, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited Beijing last month, just days after U.S. officials announced the new export license requirements for the H20 chip. During meetings with ******** officials, Huang emphasised China’s significance as a key market for the company. The U.S. has restricted exports of Nvidia’s most sophisticated chips to China since 2022, citing concerns about their potential military applications. The H20 was introduced after Washington tightened export controls in October 2023. ******** technology giants including Tencent, Alibaba, and ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, stepped up H20 chip orders amid growing demand for cost-effective AI models from companies such as startup DeepSeek, Reuters reported early this year. Nvidia had accumulated $18 billion worth of H20 orders since January, according to a Reuters report last month. Source link #Nvidia #modifies #H20 #chip #China #overcome #export #controls Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Europe stocks rise as investors look ahead to U.S.-China trade talks in Switzerland – CNBC Europe stocks rise as investors look ahead to U.S.-China trade talks in Switzerland – CNBC Europe stocks rise as investors look ahead to U.S.-China trade talks in Switzerland CNBCUS Equity Futures Waver Ahead of China Trade Talks: Markets Wrap Bloomberg.comStocks jump in Japan, Taiwan on trade optimism; bitcoin soars ReutersStock Market Today: Investors Dig Into U.K Trade Deal, Await News of China Talks; Dow Futures Hover — Live Updates WSJMost stocks lifted by hopes for US-China talks after *** deal The Elkhart Truth Source link #Europe #stocks #rise #investors #ahead #U.S.China #trade #talks #Switzerland #CNBC Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Putin ‘back on world stage’ at Victory Day parade Putin ‘back on world stage’ at Victory Day parade Vladimir Putin has led Russia’s Victory Day commemorations with a parade in Red Square, amid heightened security following Ukrainian strikes on Moscow. China’s Xi Jinping joined the Russian president as he told thousands of soldiers that Russia remembered the lessons of World War Two. He also used his speech to tie the war to today’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and said all of Russia was behind what he called the “special military operation” – now well into its fourth year. BBC Monitoring’s Russia Editor Vitaly Shevchenko reflects on the day’s events. Source link #Putin #world #stage #Victory #Day #parade Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How March Madness Impacted FanDuel Parentʻs Q1 Earnings How March Madness Impacted FanDuel Parentʻs Q1 Earnings Flutter Entertainment (NYSE:), the parent company of online sports betting site FanDuel, missed on both revenue and estimates in the first quarter – and it was due to one major reason, March Madness. The sports betting company saw revenue rise 8% in the quarter to $3.67 billion, but that fell short of consensus revenue estimates of $3.96 billion. Net income was $355 million, or $1.57 per share, up from a net loss of $289 million in the same quarter a year ago. On an adjusted basis, earnings came in at $1.59 per share, which was up 51%. However, it fell short of estimates of $2.05 per share. Flutter stock was fluttering around even after the news, so investors mostly took the earnings miss in stride. Wall Street analysts at BTIG and Barclays lowered their price targets but maintained a buy rating. Barclays analyst Brandt Montour lowered his price target to $300 from $308, but kept an overweight, or buy, rating, according to Business Insider. Montour said gaming markets have been resilient, but he lowered the target based on the potential impact of an economic slowdown. Flutter is currently trading at $244 per share and has a median price target of $325 per share, which would suggest a 33% return over the next year. “Poor” Results in March Madness Hurt Earnings Flutter remains the leader in the U.S. online sports betting market with a 43% market share in gross gaming revenue (GGR), the same as last quarter. Its iGaming market share ticked up to 27%, from 26%. Further, it had a 49% market share in terms of net gaming revenue (NGR). It also increased its average monthly players (AMP) by 8% year-over-year to $14.9 million. In the US, AMPs for the sportsbook grew 11% while it surged 28% in iGaming. In Q1, sportsbook revenue jumped 15% year-over-year, driven by 8% handle growth, which was in line with expectations. Further, the net revenue margin increased by 50 basis points to 7.8%. The spike in net revenue margin was due to the addition of sports betting revenue from North Carolina, which launched in March of the prior year. What caused Flutter to miss earnings and revenue projections was “adverse” March Madness results. With all four number one seeds making the final four, things went according to plan, which meant that bettors cleaned up. Also, Florida, the winner, had the second biggest handle, behind only Duke, so it was favorable for bettors, but not for FanDuel. “We missed consensus estimates because we saw some poor sports results, particularly around March Madness,” Flutter CEO Peter Jackson said in a CNBC interview. “You’ve talked about the number of favorites that won, and if we adjusted results on that basis, we would have been a little bit ahead of consensus.” Flutter Boosts Its Outlook Despite the earnings miss, Flutter boosted its guidance for the rest of the fiscal year. While the initial guidance remains intact, Flutter raised it due to revenue projections from two recent sports betting acquisitions, Snai in Italy and NSX in Brazil. The Snai acquisition, completed on April 30, and the NSX purchase, which closed May 8, are projected to add $1.07 billion in revenue and $120 million in adjusted EBITDA. So, Flutter boosted its revenue guidance to $17.08 billion and its adjusted EBITDA guidance to $3.18 billion. Those numbers represent year-over-year growth of 22% and 35%, respectively. Before the acquisitions, Flutter was projecting 14% revenue and 30% adjusted EBITDA growth. For investors, this outlook likely offset the missed earnings, which were almost entirely due to a bad sports outcome. Otherwise, Flutter is poised for solid growth. Its trailing P/E ratio looks astronomical, but that is because it just became profitable in the first quarter, so the trailing results reflect net losses. The forward P/E is a more reasonable 27. Based on lofty price targets and a robust outlook, analysts are bullish on Flutter stock. Original Post Source link #March #Madness #Impacted #FanDuel #Parentʻs #Earnings Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Fifty Shades and Madonna music video director dies aged 71 Fifty Shades and Madonna music video director dies aged 71 James Foley, the film director behind two of the Fifty Shades of Grey films, has died aged 71. Foley also directed three Madonna music videos in the 1980s – Papa Don’t Preach, Live to Tell and True Blue. A spokesman for the director said he died “peacefully in his sleep earlier this week” at his home in Los Angeles following a “years-long struggle” with brain *******. Foley also directed 12 episodes of House of Cards, the Kevin Spacey-starring thriller which was one of Netflix’s earliest original hits. Although his representative noted Foley’s diagnosis of brain *******, his official cause of death has not yet been confirmed. The US director’s debut film, Reckless, was released in 1984 and starred Daryl Hannah and Aidan Quinn. His other film credits include Glengarry Glen Ross, Fear, Confidence, Perfect Stranger and The Corruptor. Foley did not direct Fifty Shades of Grey, but did join the franchise to direct both its sequels, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, after the departure of Sam Taylor-Johnson following the first film. The film series, based on the best-selling books by EL James, was a huge box office success and made film stars out of its lead actors Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan. When directing the three music videos for Madonna in 1986, Foley used the pseudonym Peter Percher. However, he returned to using his own name when he worked with Madonna again the following year on the film Who’s That Girl, which saw the singer play a woman falsely accused of murdering her boyfriend. Foley also directed episodes of hit TV series such as Twin Peaks, Billions and Hannibal. Source link #Fifty #Shades #Madonna #music #video #director #dies #aged Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

3 Preferred Funds Yielding Up to 9.4% With Monthly Payouts 3 Preferred Funds Yielding Up to 9.4% With Monthly Payouts While vanilla income investors limit their search to mere “common” dividends, we contrarians know where the real payout party is at—with preferred divvies. Let’s talk about three preferred-stock vehicles that pay from 6.9% to 9.4%. All three of these funds dish monthly dividends. And these payouts receive preferential treatment over common-stock dividends, making them safer than the common payouts offered by regular ol’ equities. There are four main ways to buy preferreds, and three of them have some serious headaches and drawbacks: Individual preferred stocks: Research resources for individual preferred shares are few, far between and often require expensive paid subscriptions. Buying individual preferreds requires a lot of capital to diversify. We have to manage the preferred portfolio ourselves. Preferred mutual funds: Mutual funds solve a lot of the problems of buying individual preferreds. They also pay us monthly, whereas individual preferreds often pay quarterly or even semiannually. However, they may charge expensive annual fees. They may also charge front-end sales loads that really handicap our performance. They also usually require minimum purchases in the thousands of dollars. Preferred exchange-traded funds (ETFs): ETFs provide many of the same benefits of preferred mutual funds. But there are no investment minimums, fees are cheaper because they’re usually index funds, and we can buy and sell them during the trading session. However, because they’re often index funds, they’re tightly tied to their strategy—which means they can’t take advantage of discounts like managers can. Performance can be underwhelming. Preferred closed-end funds (CEFs): CEFs merge aspects of mutual funds and ETFs, solving for each other’s shortfalls. CEF managers can make the most of market opportunities, but CEFs trade throughout the day like ETFs and also don’t have investment minimums—all we need is the cost of a share. CEFs can also use debt leverage to boost returns and distributions. CEFs also use options to further juice income. CEFs also aren’t tied as tightly to their net asset value (NAV), so they can sometimes trade at discounts, allowing us to buy their underlying assets for cheaper. So, while CEF fees tend to be higher, performance can easily make up for it (and then some). CEFs really do outperform their ETF “benchmark.” Consider this chart of three preferred-stock CEFs versus iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF (NASDAQ:)—all three CEFs boast better returns than the popular PFF: PFF Versus Preferred CEFs: The Price of Popularity Of course preferred CEFs aren’t perfect. Fees are higher. The use of leverage makes preferreds swing more drastically than ETFs and mutual funds. And when preferreds heat up, CEFs can actually trade at a premium to NAV, which can drag on performance if we buy in at the wrong time. That all said, CEFs are generally the easiest and most effective way for us to buy preferreds. Now let’s talk about the three that pay up to 9.4% in monthly divvies. 1. John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (PDT) Distribution Rate: 7.8% I want to start with a “hybrid” preferred fund: the John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (NYSE:). PDT is technically an allocation fund (stock plus fixed income), split roughly 50/50 between preferred stocks and dividend-yielding common stocks. It’s a brilliant idea—combining two great income tastes—that I’m surprised isn’t more prevalent in ETF-land, where they can build an index and launch a product overnight. Not that I’d trust an index with this kind of portfolio. John Hancock’s team of capital and credit managers have built a pretty tight portfolio of around 125 holdings. Utilities, which are directly stated as part of the fund’s strategy, make up the vast majority of common-stock holdings. Financials make up the bulk of the preferred allocation—a surprise to no one familiar with preferred portfolios. Top holdings include high-yielding commons from telecoms AT&T (T) and Verizon (NYSE:), as well as utilities like Duke Energy (NYSE:) and BP (NYSE:) (BP), but also preferreds like a 7.56% series from Citizens Financial (NYSE:). PDT has historically beaten up on plain-vanilla preferred ETFs like the iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF (NASDAQ:). Of course it has. Not only does it have the benefit of owning some traditional equities, but management also uses a high amount of leverage (34% currently), which lets it make even more out of bull markets. Perhaps more surprising is its performance against pure high-yield common-dividend-stock funds: John Hancock’s Hybrid Mix Has Been Better Than Either Pure-Play Side The tradeoff, as the chart clearly shows, is volatility. Whereas basic preferred funds are often held to stabilize portfolios, John Hancock’s fund’s equity holdings and leverage are more geared toward performance than comfort. Fortunately, PDT actually delivers that performance, making it worthy of a look—especially when it trades at a discount to NAV, which it does right now. A 6% ***** on PDT’s assets might not sound like much, but over the past five years, the CEF has traded at a premium on average. 2. Flaherty & Crumrine Dynamic Preferred and Income Fund (DFP) Distribution Rate: 6.9% Traditionalists will lean more toward funds such as the Flaherty & Crumrine Dynamic Preferred and Income Fund (NYSE:), which is as straightforward a preferred CEF as we could ask for. DFP holds about 250 positions, nearly 80% of which are issues from financial-sector firms. This is also a “global” fund, split about 70 domestic/30 international, so in addition to preferreds from the likes of Citigroup (NYSE:) and Morgan Stanley (NYSE:), we also get exposure to preferreds from Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:) and Banco Santander (NYSE:). Management is more than happy to take some hard swings, too. About half of the portfolio is below-investment-grade, and DFP juices performance and yields further with nearly 40% debt leverage. DFP Takes Risks to Earn Rewards Flaherty & Crumrine’s preferred CEF also offers the best headline pricing of the bunch, at an 8% discount to NAV. And like with PDT, it’s also a relative bargain compared to its five-year average discount, which sits around 2%. (Readers enjoyed 57% total returns from DFP in my Contrarian Income Report service.) 3. First Trust Intermediate Duration Preferred & Income Fund (FPF) Distribution Rate: 9.4% Most preferred stocks are perpetual in nature. They don’t have expiration dates, and thus duration isn’t usually necessary when evaluating preferred-stock funds. First Trust Intermediate Duration Preferred & Income Fund (NYSE:) is different, aiming for a portfolio duration of between three and eight years (and currently sits near five). If we back out the emphasis on duration, FPF looks an awful lot like a regular preferred CEF. Financials command a clear majority of assets. It’s not afraid to shy away from international preferreds, which make up more than 40% of assets (Canada alone accounts for 15%). Leverage is high, at 34%. Dividends are high, at nearly 10%. Those dividends come each and every month. FPF Has Also Wiped the Floor With iShares’ Preferred ETF Two things about FPF that stand out more than anything? On the upside, First Trust’s CEF has pretty great credit quality, with about two-thirds of assets in investment-grade preferreds. Another 15% or so is in BB+, the highest junk tier. Sure, that’s why FPF, while better than PFF, hasn’t performed as well as the prior two funds. But it’s also why FPF boasts the lowest volatility of the three (as measured by beta) over every meaningful time *******. On the downside, we’re getting a “phantom” ***** on FPF right now. It currently trades at a 5% discount to NAV, but over the past five years, it has actually traded at a 6% discount on average. Disclosure: Brett Owens and Michael Foster are contrarian income investors who look for undervalued stocks/funds across the U.S. markets. Click here to learn how to profit from their strategies in the latest report, “7 Great Dividend Growth Stocks for a Secure Retirement.” Source link #Preferred #Funds #Yielding #Monthly #Payouts Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Herd on the Terrace: Bears Perth the hidden lure in Roger Cook’s North Sydney, National Rugby League deal Herd on the Terrace: Bears Perth the hidden lure in Roger Cook’s North Sydney, National Rugby League deal Bears Perth? Perth Bears? One of them piques our interest as Premier Roger Cook leathers up with the National Rugby League. Source link #Herd #Terrace #Bears #Perth #hidden #lure #Roger #Cooks #North #Sydney #National #Rugby #League #deal Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

‘My Robot Sophia’: An Unsettling Look Into the Soul of a Machine ‘My Robot Sophia’: An Unsettling Look Into the Soul of a Machine In 2017, a robot named Sophia was granted Saudi Arabian citizenship, a dubious move on many fronts. Real human women had only earned the right to drive a car in the country a month earlier, and robot citizenship was also, somewhat transparently, a publicity stunt. Sophia, which is humanoid and powered by a proprietary artificial intelligence engine created by Hanson Robotics, has participated in a number of stunts since then, including appearances on “The Tonight Show” and at a lucrative ***** of its art during the 2021 NFT *****. All of these events and more appear in the new documentary “My Robot Sophia” (on digital platforms), but the film skirts gimmicks to go in a more tricky and unsettling direction. It’s an almost soulful portrait of the artist under capitalism, rather than another exposé on robotics and artificial intelligence. It’s a bit parallel to Alex Garland’s fictional film “Ex Machina.” And in the Frankensteinian tradition, the robot’s creator is not uncomplicated. The title of the film implies that Sophia belongs to someone. That someone is David Hanson, the chief executive of Hanson Robotics. A loner and an artist from a young age, he became fascinated with creating lifelike masks. His lab is crowded with them, rubber faces on little pedestals that seem, in the background of many shots, to be staring upward in open-mouthed wonder, or terror. That kind of image adds subtext, and it’s all the more astounding because it’s nonfiction. “My Robot Sophia” is littered with visual tells, and if you’re not actually watching with your eyes, you might miss what they’re saying. The two directors have experience telling these sorts of sprawling stories that require a lot of patience, time and observation — Jon Kasbe with “When Lambs Become Lions” and Crystal Moselle with “Skate Kitchen” and “The Wolfpack.” You see what they see. The film follows Hanson for years as he develops Sophia, tries to convince investors to stay on board, experiences some glory but more nail-biting failure at public appearances and, barely, weathers the pandemic. Atmospherically, it’s dreamy — Kasbe and Moselle often catch Hanson as he’s thinking, or as his face tries to mask some hurt or panic or, occasionally, joy. Hanson’s human emotion provides an unnerving juxtaposition with Sophia, which cannot feel but, Hanson thinks, will some day. Or will at least be able to pretend it does, to the point that we won’t know the difference. One could read the film as a sort of praise song to Hanson as misunderstood genius. But while “My Robot Sophia” sets us up with that kind of surface analysis, it becomes pretty clear that there’s a lot of dramatic irony at work. Hanson’s ambition and drive are endless, but whether he’s right — whether Sophia is the marvelous advance, the “new art form” that will change humanity that he insists the robot is — seems dubious most of the time. Shooting ended in 2022, and the film leaves us watching Sophia plug itself into its own charger. It’s hard not to muse on how even a basic chatbot a couple of years later can do these things, some of them seemingly better. Whether that’s good or bad — well, “My Robot Sophia” isn’t going to tell us that. Source link #Robot #Sophia #Unsettling #Soul #Machine Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Book Review: ‘Sleep,’ by Honor Jones Book Review: ‘Sleep,’ by Honor Jones Margaret is now a 35-year-old magazine editor in New York City, and a newly divorced mother of two young daughters. It’s the beginning of the #MeToo movement and most of the pieces she works on are first-person accounts of unwanted male attention. The pitches run the gamut, and come in with manipulative urgency — “by speaking up we, by telling our stories we, never again will we,” Margaret thinks. “How did one become part of it, speak on behalf of it — that confident plural voice?” Margaret is ambivalent about these stories and her own. What narrative should her childhood experience fall into? And how should she tell this story to herself as she contends with being both a parent to girls and a daughter to an aging mother, Elizabeth, on whose watch Margaret suffered? Jones is interested in the liminal space Margaret finds herself in, a space more psychological than generational: a state of consciousness that hovers between her past and present, resembling the uncertain and unstable experience of sleep. The novel excels when exploring this extrasensory place where we come to terms with our lives. If this sounds fey, part of the pleasure of “Sleep” is that it’s grounded in the prosaic; it traces a series of familial episodes that should feel banal but that are instead shot through with feeling. Take a scene where Margaret goes to pick up her daughters from her ex-husband Ezra’s apartment. She’s trying to corral the kids, but they are stalling. Five-year-old Jo keeps knocking things out of the medicine cabinet, including Ezra’s new girlfriend’s anti-wrinkle cream. Eight-year-old Helen is coloring a picture of her grandmother’s house in New Jersey. Shortly they will all be visiting this house for a weekend to celebrate Jo’s birthday. The stakes of the weekend are high: Elizabeth is overbearing, demanding, matriarch of the unsaid. The stakes of Margaret picking up her daughters are low. It’s in the intersection of the two that Jones brandishes her artistry: Helen stood in her single sock, taping her picture up against the window. The sky outside was golden with late-day sun, but the light stopped abruptly at the glass. Inside was already beginning the blue evening, shadows padding the corners of the room. On the couch was Ezra, watching her, looking more cheerful than she’d seen him in weeks. It’s chilling: the ex-husband gleefully watching his wife trying to shepherd the kids while he just sits there. Helen innocently drawing the house where Margaret suffered. The light that stops at the window. Source link #Book #Review #Sleep #Honor #Jones Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

India suspends flight operations and closes 24 airports as Pakistan resumes flights nationwide India suspends flight operations and closes 24 airports as Pakistan resumes flights nationwide NEW DELHI (AP) — Airlines in India have suspended flight operations from two dozen airports across northern and western regions of the country amid heightened tensions with Pakistan. India’s Civil Aviation Ministry late Thursday confirmed in a statement the temporary closure of 24 airports. Pakistan, meanwhile, resumed flights nationwide after a suspension at four airports, according to the Civil Aviation Authority. In advisories to passengers, India’s key domestic airlines said their flights would remain suspended until Saturday from airports including Amritsar in northern Punjab and Srinagar in India-controlled Kashmir, bordering Pakistan. Indigo, the country’s biggest domestic carrier, on Wednesday canceled 165 flights, while Air India and Air India Express had a similar number of cancellations. Air India diverted two of its international flights enroute from Amritsar, close to Lahore, to New Delhi, because of the sudden closure of the airport. India and Pakistan are teetering on the edge of a fresh military crisis after New Delhi launched missile strikes inside Pakistani territory Wednesday, targeting what it called terror training camps to avenge last month’s massacre of 26 Indian tourists in India-controlled Kashmir. India blames Pakistan for backing the gunmen, an accusation that Islamabad denies. Soon after the killings, the two countries swiftly moved to close their respective airspace last month, and India has shut some of its airports. The cancellation of flights has resulted in woes for passengers. Rahul, a 32-year-old Indian businessman who goes by a single name, said his flight from Dubai to Chandigarh was canceld on Wednesday after closure of the Indian airport. The airline offered him a rescheduled flight to Delhi and then a bus ride to Chandigarh. “Its a security situation. I understand,” he said. Source link #India #suspends #flight #operations #closes #airports #Pakistan #resumes #flights #nationwide Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Germany’s economy chief Reiche sets out roadmap to end turmoil Germany’s economy chief Reiche sets out roadmap to end turmoil Germany needs to take more risks and boost its stagnant economy with a decade of investment in infrastructure, ******* Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche said Friday. “The next decade will be the decade of infrastructure investments in bridges, in energy infrastructure, in storage, in maritime infrastructure… telecommunication. And for this, we need speed. We need speed and investments, and we need private capital,” Reiche told CNBC’s Annette Weisbach on the sidelines of the Tegernsee summit. “This country needs an economic turnaround. After two years of recessions the previous government had to announce again [a] zero growth year for 2025 and we really have to work on this. So on the top of the agenda is an investor booster,” the minister added. Germany’s economy contracted slightly on an annual basis in both 2023 and 2024 and the quarterly gross domestic product has been flipping between growth and contraction for over two years now, just about managing to avoid a technical recession. Preliminary data for the first quarter of 2025 showed a 0.2% expansion. Forecasts do not suggest much of a reprieve from the sluggishness, with the now former ******* government last month saying it still expects the economy to stagnate this year. This is despite a major fiscal U-turn announced earlier this year, which included changes to the country’s long-standing debt rules to allow for additional defense spending and a 500-billion-euro ($562.4 billion) infrastructure package. Several of Germany’s key industries are under pressure. The auto industry for example is dealing with stark competition from China and now faces tariffs, while issues in housebuilding and infrastructure have been linked to higher costs and bureaucratic hurdles. Trade is also a key pillar for the ******* economy and therefore uncertainty from U.S. President Donald Trump’s changing tariff policies are weighing heavily on the outlook. This is a developing story, please check back for updates. Source link #Germanys #economy #chief #Reiche #sets #roadmap #turmoil Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Need to cool off? There’s a massive ***** on Dyson fans right now – here are the 3 best deals Need to cool off? There’s a massive ***** on Dyson fans right now – here are the 3 best deals Right now there are big sales at Dyson’s US store and at its *** store, which see many of its excellent fans discounted to their cheapest ever prices. While they’re still an investment, their build quality and powerful performance – not to mention slick styling that won’t stick out like a sore thumb in your living room – make them some of the best fans on the market right now. What’s more, almost all of these options do double-duty as air purifiers, too. That means they’ll be useful all year round, rather than sitting and gathering dust when the warm weather finishes. And it’s also a win for anyone with seasonal allergies. (We rate these amongst the best air purifiers around, so you’re not compromising by going for a 2-in-1.) Below, we’ve rounded up the best Dyson fan deals on both sides of the pond. And if you’re having trouble making sense of the range (they all look almost exactly the same, after all), head to our Dyson fan guide for a handy overview. Today’s best Dyson fan deals in the US Today’s best Dyson fan deals in the *** All of the models here are bladeless tower fans. They’re great if you want something that looks slick and works efficiently. However, for a more classic style, you might prefer a pedestal fan – here’s more on the differences between tower fans vs pedestal fans. If you already have an AC unit but are finding it’s not really cutting it, there’s a third fan type you might want to consider: an air circulator. These can look a lot like pedestal fans, but are designed not to blast the user with air, but to circulate it evenly around a room. As such, they’re designed to be used with a cool air source (like an AC unit) to amplify its effects. Here’s more on the difference between air circulators vs fans. Today’s best Dyson fan deals Source link #cool #massive #***** #Dyson #fans #deals Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Book Review: ‘The Family Dynamic,’ by Susan Dominus Book Review: ‘The Family Dynamic,’ by Susan Dominus Take the Murguia family: Amalia and Alfredo immigrated from a small region in central Mexico to Kansas City, and had seven children, five of whom shared three beds in one of the house’s two bedrooms. Alfred, one of the older children, excelled academically and was the first in his family to enroll in college — and, at every stage, helped guide his siblings into a variety of educational and social opportunities. As Dominus writes, “What the siblings had going for them above all else was one another.” They “pushed one another but also provided logistical support, connections and counsel,” along with “unquestionable loyalty.” Similarly, the Chens, who immigrated from China after having violated that country’s one-child policy, settled in Virginia, where they opened a restaurant. While the parents had high standards, they had little time to guide their children. Instead, their cousin tells Dominus that “when he pictures one Chen child playing piano, a sibling is on the bench as well, refining the younger sibling’s technique; they leaned over homework together, the older teaching the younger.” In large measure, the families Dominus portrays are not particularly well off. But what she calls “enterprising parents” go to great lengths to expose their children to music, theater, museums, libraries and, most important, mentors. One of the customers at the Chens’ restaurant was the head of a high school marching band; he volunteered to give their child lessons — and that child became a drum major. Laurence Paulus, a producer of arts television programming and of modest means, took his children to openings at the Metropolitan Opera. Unable to afford tickets, they sat outside the theater to absorb the charged atmosphere, a transistor radio broadcasting the music. They waited in line for free performances of Shakespeare in the Park; they played music at home. One daughter became a world-famous theater director; another, the principal harpist in one of Mexico’s premier orchestras; their brother would co-found NY1, one of the nation’s first 24-hour community TV stations. Source link #Book #Review #Family #Dynamic #Susan #Dominus Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

After the Blast After the Blast Exploring a photograph of the aftermath of a deadly airstrike at a Gaza City restaurant. Source link #Blast Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

8 New Movies Our Critics Are Talking About This Week 8 New Movies Our Critics Are Talking About This Week Is this the cure to male loneliness? ‘Friendship’ Tim Robinson stars as Craig, a lonely, awkward suburban dad who develops an obsession with the effortlessly cool Austin (Paul Rudd) in this comedy directed by Andrew DeYoung. From our review: Robinson’s performance … injects Craig with a quality most similar to an erratically ticking time bomb. Not having developed an interior life, he’s all vibe and reaction: Shame or provocation might make him shrivel, or explode, or some unimaginable third thing. That results, at times, in a movie that feels like it’s spinning its wheels, going nowhere for long stretches, with Craig just getting more and more exasperated. Yet that same energy keeps the movie watchable even in its lagging stretches. In theaters. Read the full review. Critic’s Pick A once-in-a-lifetime opus. ‘Caught by the Tides’ Directed by Jia Zhangke, this sweeping drama follows a woman and her lover across decades as China changes rapidly around them. From our review: As emotionally effective as it is formally brilliant, it draws on a trove of material — both fiction and nonfiction — that Jia began shooting in 2001 while working on another movie. He continued to document a dizzyingly changing China, a heroic project that has finally resulted in “Caught by the Tides,” a tour de force that is at once an affecting portrait of a people in flux and a soulful, generous-hearted autobiographic testament from one of our greatest living filmmakers. In theaters. Read the full review. A bit too al dente. ‘Nonnas’ After his mother’s death, Joe (Vince Vaughn) decides to honor her memory by opening a restaurant staffed by Italian grandmas in this comedy directed by Stephen Chbosky. From our review: Corny and cloying, “Nonnas” struggles to **** up energy in a plot whose every roadblock (the dwindling finances, the failed building inspection, the opening-night disaster, the desperate plea for critical attention) is comfortably predictable. The movie’s real drag, though, is a main character with no identity beyond his mother’s depressing house and no personality beyond nostalgia. Watch on Netflix. Read the full review. A killer crop that doesn’t yield much. ‘Clown in a Cornfield’ Killer clowns who dress like the local company mascot, Frendo, terrorize a small farming community in this slasher directed by Eli Craig. From our review: In adapting Adam Cesare’s novel, Carter Blanchard and Craig have crafted a screenplay that focuses more on grisly (and often gnarly) slaughters than on providing answers to the killer cabal’s motivations. A gay romance provides a sweet if underdeveloped detour. A lackluster horror movie gets points if the leading villain is a real bugaboo. But the Frendos, alas, look like poser versions of Pennywise, Art the Clown and other, scarier horror bozos. In theaters. Read the full review. A bumpy ride stabilized by charisma. ‘Fight or Flight’ On a trip from Bangkok to San Francisco, an alcoholic mercenary (Josh Hartnett) tries to take down an assassin with the help of a flight attendant (Charithra Chandran) in this action flick directed by James Madigan. From our review: Hartnett and Chandran’s laid back chemistry steady the film’s turbulent tonal shifts, adding a punch that the shakily choreographed action lacks. Hartnett and Chandran are so good together, Madigan’s last-second setup for a possible sequel doesn’t sound like such a bad idea. In theaters. Read the full review. She’s underpaid, the film is overworked. ‘Lilly’ This biopic directed by Rachel Feldman centers on Lilly Ledbetter (Patricia Clarkson), the equal-pay activist who sued her company for gender discrimination. From our review: Distracting pop-music needle drops and hammy performances give “Lilly” the feel of a Lifetime movie. When the story jumps forward to the 2000s, shifting from ******-and-white to color, the film speeds through Ledbetter’s initial court case and positions her as something of a celebrity. In theaters. Read the full review. This adaptation is a tragedy. ‘Juliet & Romeo’ The star-crossed lovers sing and use contemporary slang in this reimagining of the Shakespearean tragedy by writer-director Timothy Scott Bogart and his composer-songwriter brother, Evan Kidd Bogart. From our review: The Bogarts are sons of Neil Bogart, the blockbuster record exec who empowered both Kiss and Donna Summer back in the day. Watching this largely misbegotten movie (which seems to fulfill all of its aspirations with an utterly tacky ending), then, sometimes brought to mind the sardonic Steely Dan tune “Show Biz Kids.” In theaters. Read the full review. A teen sex comedy that focuses on the foreplay. ‘Summer of 69’ To win over her crush, an awkward teenager named Abby (Sam Morelos) hires a stripper (Chloe Fineman) to teach her about sex in this comedy directed by Jillian Bell. From our review: In her feature directorial debut, Bell conjures a mood of gentle bawdiness cut with sincerity. There’s a visit to the vibrator shop, and a running joke in which Abby misunderstands the nature of certain sex acts. But for the most part, the movie is free of the cutting loose and potty mouthing endemic to its genre. Watch on Hulu. Read the full review. Compiled by Kellina Moore. Source link #Movies #Critics #Talking #Week Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Trump team faces key legal decision that could put mental health coverage in peril Trump team faces key legal decision that could put mental health coverage in peril The Trump administration must soon make a decision that will affect millions of Americans’ ability to access and afford mental health and addiction care. The administration is facing a May 12 deadline to declare if it will defend Biden-era regulations that aim to enforce mental health parity — the idea that insurers must cover mental illness and addiction treatment comparably to physical treatments for ailments such as ******* or high blood pressure. Although a federal parity law has been on the books since 2008, the regulations in question were issued last September. They represent the latest development in a nearly two-decade push by advocates, regulators, and lawmakers to ensure insurance plans cover mental health care equitably to physical health care. Within the dense 166-page final rule, two provisions have garnered particular attention: first, that insurers provide “meaningful benefits” — as defined by independent medical standards — for covered mental health conditions if they do so for physical conditions. For example, if insurers cover screening and insulin treatment for diabetes, then they can’t cover screening alone for opioid addiction; they must also cover medications to treat opioid use disorder. Second, insurers must go beyond the written words of their policies to measure how they work in practice. For example, are patients having to seek out-of-network care more often for mental than physical care? If so, and it relates to an insurer’s policies, then those policies must be adjusted. In January, a trade association representing about 100 large employers sued the federal government, claiming the regulations overstepped the administration’s authority, would increase costs, and risked reducing the quality of care. The ERISA Industry Committee represents several Fortune 500 companies, such as PepsiCo and Comcast, which sponsor health insurance plans for their employees and would be directly affected by the new regulations. ERIC’s lawsuit, filed days before President Trump’s inauguration, puts the onus on the new administration to decide whether to defend the regulations. If it chooses not to, the rules could be scrapped. Mental health clinicians, patients, and advocates are urging the administration to fight back. “What we’re trying to do is make the spirit of parity a practical reality,” said Patrick Kennedy, a Democratic former U.S. representative who sponsored the 2008 parity law in the House and co-founded the Kennedy Forum, which advocates on mental health issues. This is “an existential issue for the country, public health, for every aspect of our society.” Patrick Kennedy speaks in Times Square during a 2024 advocacy campaign for mental health parity — the idea that insurers must cover mental illness and addiction treatment comparably to physical treatments. SimonProPhoto/The Kennedy Forum A 2023 national survey found that more than 6 million adults with mental illness who wanted treatment in the past year were unable to receive it. Cost was one of the most common barriers. This lack of treatment harms people’s physical health too, with research suggesting that undertreating depression can complicate chronic conditions, such as diabetes. Kennedy hopes that connection will prompt support from the Trump administration, which has made chronic disease a central focus of its “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. “You’re never going to get MAHA if you don’t integrate mental health,” Kennedy said, mentioning the broad health movement embraced by his cousin HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But James Gelfand, president and CEO of ERIC, said the regulations are a misguided attempt to solve the nation’s mental health care crisis. People’s difficulty accessing therapy or medication has less to do with insurance policy and more to do with a severe shortage of mental health care providers, he said, adding, “No amount of penalties on employers” or new parity regulations “is going to change that dynamic until we get more of these providers.” This point is at the heart of debate about parity issues. Is mental health care difficult to access because there are few providers, or are providers not accepting insurance because of low reimbursement rates? A recent study by the research institute RTI International suggests it has more to do with payment. The departments of Justice, Labor, and Health and Human Services declined to comment for this article. The Treasury Department, which is also involved in the lawsuit, did not respond to requests for comment. “They bank on you just giving up” Psychiatric nurse practitioner Gabrielle Abelard employs about 40 clinicians in her therapy practice, which serves about 2,500 clients across Massachusetts each year. One of the programs she’s most proud to offer is intensive in-home therapy for children with serious behavioral challenges, such as intergenerational trauma, aggressive outbursts, and self-harm. Two clinicians visit the child’s home over months and work with the family, the child’s doctors, and school staff. “A big part of the work being done is helping to keep children in school, helping to keep them out of the hospital and even out of jail,” Abelard said. But insurance barriers sometimes hinder the services. Abelard’s staff has to obtain prior authorization from insurers before they can provide care. Then they have to reapply for authorization every two, three, or six months, depending on the insurer. When that reauthorization is delayed, Abelard faces a dilemma: continue seeing clients knowing insurers may not pay for those services or leave clients without care until the reauthorization comes through. Continuing services has cost her tens of thousands of dollars, she said, and months of bureaucratic hurdles to obtain back payments from insurers. “They bank on you just giving up,” she said. A goal of the landmark 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act was to decrease dilemmas such as Abelard’s. But the bipartisan law primarily emphasized easy-to-measure treatment limits, saying insurers could not impose higher deductibles or copays for mental health care than they did for physical health care. What received less attention was how insurers should handle other limitations, such as prior authorization or fail-first requirements for patients to try certain therapies before they would be eligible for others. As a result, true parity remained elusive, said Deborah Steinberg, a senior health policy attorney at the nonprofit Legal Action Center. In 2020, Congress tried to address this through a new law, signed by Mr. Trump in his first term. The law required insurance plans to systematically analyze differences in certain treatment limitations for mental and physical health care and submit those analyses upon request to states and the federal governments. As the federal government reviewed some of those analyses, it discovered numerous parity violations. In a 2022 report, it detailed how some insurance plans covered nutritional counseling for diabetes, but not for anorexia or bulimia. Another plan required precertification for all outpatient mental health and addiction services but only for a select few outpatient medical and surgical services. The regulations issued in September aimed to provide insurers more guidance on the 2020 law and close loopholes that allowed such disparities, Steinberg said. “Supply is the biggest problem” One of the biggest changes in the new regulations was the focus on outcomes, such as how often patients go out of network for mental versus physical care. Steinberg called the provision “a really important change.” But Gelfand, president of the employer association suing to stop the regulations, said it ignores the complexity of mental health care. Many factors outside employers’ and insurers’ control affect how often a patient goes out of network, he said, including the availability of providers in the area, regional variations in clinical practices, and the patient’s personal preference. Mental health clinicians know there’s high demand for their services, so they have a lot of market power. That “is creating the bad behavior from these providers,” Gelfand said, such as refusing to accept insurance and not submitting out-of-network bills on clients’ behalf. “Supply is the biggest problem,” Gelfand said. However, the RTI International study challenged that premise, with the authors noting that primary care physicians are in shorter supply than behavioral health providers yet have much lower out-of-network use. The authors point to insurance reimbursements as the culprit instead. The study found that insurance reimbursements for behavioral health visits are, on average, 22% lower than for medical or surgical office visits. The low pay creates a disincentive for psychologists and psychiatrists to join insurance networks. But the fix may not be as easy as raising reimbursement rates. Companies are already paying increasingly high premiums for employees’ health insurance and many are concerned about sustaining these benefits. ERIC has championed other strategies, such as reforming medical education and residency programs to produce more mental health care providers, increasing telehealth services, and training primary care doctors to address basic mental health concerns. The organization often lobbies state and federal lawmakers, writes letters to regulatory agencies, and testifies before Congress on these issues. Narrowly focusing on insurance regulations could have unintended consequences, Gelfand said. Increased costs for health plans may get passed on to consumers. Or, in an attempt to keep costs down, insurers may narrow the size of their physical health care networks to match the mental health ones. In a worst-case scenario, employers could stop providing mental health benefits altogether. Advocates say that’s unlikely, since many employees have come to expect this type of coverage, and employers recognize that providing mental health benefits can increase worker productivity and retention. Patrick Kennedy also pointed to the ******* picture around these issues: If people do not have insurance coverage for mental health care, they’re more likely to end up in crisis at the hospital or in the criminal justice system, he said. Their children may be sent to foster care. Taxpayers finance those systems. “We all end up picking up the tab for not enforcing parity,” he said. But what calculation the Trump administration makes — and whether it defends or drops the new regulations — remains to be seen. KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism. Source link #Trump #team #faces #key #legal #decision #put #mental #health #coverage #peril Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Pope Leo shared content critical of Trump, Vance's immigration policies in social media posts – ABC News Pope Leo shared content critical of Trump, Vance's immigration policies in social media posts – ABC News Pope Leo shared content critical of Trump, Vance’s immigration policies in social media posts ABC NewsMay 8, 2025 Leo XIV elected as first American pope CNNPope Leo’s tall task: Healing Catholic America’s political divide AxiosWho is Robert Prevost, the new Pope Leo XIV and first American pope? BBCNew Pope Has Creole Roots in New Orleans The New York Times Source link #Pope #Leo #shared #content #critical #Trump #Vance039s #immigration #policies #social #media #posts #ABC #News Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Deltarune will be cross-buy on Switch 1 & 2, and on PS4 & PS5, developer confirms Deltarune will be cross-buy on Switch 1 & 2, and on PS4 & PS5, developer confirms The upcoming paid version of Deltarune will be cross-buy across the same family of platforms, its developer has revealed. The paid release of Toby Fox‘s successor to Undertale will be released on June 5 for Switch 2, Switch, PS5, PS4, PC and Mac. This will consist of Chapters 1 and 2 – which were previously released for free – as well as the new Chapters 3 and 4 – and will cost $24.99. However, in a newsletter posted on Fox’s website, it was revealed that the game will cross-buy across each family of platforms, meaning those who buy the Switch version will also be able to download the Switch 2 version at no additional price, and the same will apply on PS4 / PS5. “Hey, do you want a good deal?” the newsletter reads. “Thanks to cross-buy, when you buy Deltarune on the PlayStation Store, you get both PS4 and PS5 versions for one price. “And we’re gonna do (basically) the same thing on Nintendo platforms! If you buy the game on Nintendo Switch and decide you want the Switch 2 version later, you can get it at no additional cost! And vice-versa (except in Japan, where local laws require us to charge a small fee). That’s right, for one single price, you’ll be able to get both versions of the game.” Players who want to get both the Switch and Switch 2 versions for one price need to use the same Nintendo Account, the newsletter stresses. Although the paid version of Deltarune will consist of four chapters, Fox’s plan is to eventually release seven chapters for the game. It’s been promised, however, that players who buy the paid version will get chapters 5, 6 and 7 as free updates as they’re made available. Elsewhere in the newsletter, it’s revealed that the game’s official release time on all formats will be midnight at Japan time when June 5 starts (the day the Switch 2 is released), meaning English-language players will likely be able to get the game on other formats on June 4. “What that means is that if you’re in North America, for example, the game will release on Steam, Switch, PS4, and PS5 on June 4 at 8am PT / 11am ET,” it says. It adds: “If you’re in New Zealand or Australia and are getting the Switch 2 version of Deltarune, you will be able to get the game a couple hours earlier if you happen to get your Switch 2 exactly at midnight. But, for convenience’s sake, we’re just going to ignore you guys and pretend that the game is not out. Meanwhile, don’t say anything about it please.” Source link #Deltarune #crossbuy #Switch #PS4 #PS5 #developer #confirms Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Wunmi Mosaku on Why ‘Sinners’ Is the ‘Greatest Love Story Ever Told’ Wunmi Mosaku on Why ‘Sinners’ Is the ‘Greatest Love Story Ever Told’ “Sinners” is one of those rare modern blockbusters that fans are dissecting on a near literary level. There have been paragraphs dedicated to its symbolism, social media threads about its cultural themes, and hours of podcasts delving into lines and scenes. Wunmi Mosaku isn’t exactly seeking out the takes. “I haven’t gone searching for anything because I’m very mistrustful of the internet and I’m scared of what I might see,” Mosaku said in a video call from her Los Angeles home. Mosaku’s stirring performance as the hoodoo healer Annie is the soulful core of “Sinners.” The fact that it’s Mosaku, 38, in the role seems fitting: The film is a ******* horror-drama centered on romance as well as a meditation on grief and a musical. Her acting résumé reflects each element. Mosaku has played a time-space agent (“Loki”), multiple strong-willed detectives (“Luther,” “Passenger”) and an immigrant mother in mourning (“Damilola, Our Loved Boy,” which won her a BAFTA Television Award in Britain). A few of her biggest roles — like a singer fighting Jim Crow-era maledictions in the series “Lovecraft Country,” and a South Sudanese refugee battling a night witch in the film “His House,” both from 2020 — are part of the post-“Get Out” strain of popular horror that evokes racial anxieties. At times Mosaku has drawn on her own experience as a ********* who immigrated at a year old to Manchester, England, and felt distanced from her family’s Yoruba heritage. To play Annie, she studied how to be a woman in the Mississippi Delta, preparation that ultimately led to learning more about her ancestry because hoodoo is related to Ifa, the Yoruba religion. “I discovered a part of myself, a part of my ancestry through looking into Annie,” she said. Mosaku spoke more about navigating her ********* and British roots, playing grieving mothers, and differentiating Michael B. Jordan’s roles in “Sinners.” These are edited excerpts from the conversation. The first piece of the script you read was the seven-page scene where Smoke reunites with Annie. Did that inform how you approached the role? First of all, my response was, my goodness, Ryan Coogler is an incredible writer who understands humanity and the power of love, and connection, and forgiveness, and grief, and joy and faith. I just felt like it was so perfectly written. Then Ryan spoke me through the story of “Sinners.” I read this scene thinking it was going to be one thing: the greatest love story ever told. “Sinners” is that. It has so much beautiful love, whether it’s Annie and Smoke or Annie and Elijah. Mary and Stack. There’s so much love. I was really kind of taken aback by this genre-bending story he told me. I was excited. I was in from the moment I heard that Ryan Coogler was doing a movie. I didn’t need to read the seven pages. I noticed in your answer that you differentiate Annie and Elijah and Annie and Smoke. Because Smoke is his representative. Smoke is his smoke and mirrors. It’s his outward persona. And Elijah is the person that she knows and loves, and she can see through it all. At the end of the movie, she calls him by his name again and says, I don’t want any of that Smoke to get on her. For me, that’s the reason there’s a difference between Smoke and Elijah. You’ve spoken a bit about navigating this role in relation to your ********* and Yoruba heritage. Have you had to navigate your Britishness? Culturally, you have to learn about the person you’re playing. Louisiana, the bayou, hoodoo — this is what forms her as a person. It’s going to form the way she eats, the way talks, the way she walks, the way she navigates the world. I had to learn that. But I feel like unless you are that, you would have to learn that, right? I think as a dark-skinned woman who’s grown up in the U.K. there will be similarities of feeling. There is obviously an ancestral cellular memory that African Americans will have, but I have the ancestral memory of colonization and assimilation. These are things that are in the film, too. But I would never claim to know exactly what it feels like because I’m definitely aware my accent gives me some sort of privilege sometimes when people can hear me. But you don’t always get a chance to advocate for yourself. After winning the BAFTA, you spoke about sometimes thinking it might be your career’s precipice. You’ve been in a bunch of projects since then. Does that feeling ever go away? I don’t think that feeling will ever go away for me, and I don’t know if it’s a bad thing that it doesn’t go away. It makes me feel grounded and not to take anything for granted. It’s not about the awards; obviously it’s about the work. The BAFTA doesn’t feel like the precipice that it probably was a long time ago. Now that feels like a milestone in a journey. The idea of assimilation pops up a few times in your work. How did you work though that theme for “Sinners”? It’s deeply personal, isn’t it? I was born in Nigeria, raised in Manchester. There’s just so many things lost because I’m only interacting with my immediate family and my ********* community. Everything gets watered down in a way. My Yoruba teacher said to me, “Oh, I don’t go to the market anymore.” I said, “What do you mean?” He’s like, “I’m married now.” I’m like, “What?” He’s like, “Oh, no, no. That’s just a cultural thing.” Once you’re married, the only men at the market are either sellers, they’re not married or their wife isn’t well. Like that’s just not a done thing. All these rules and social expectations and unwritten rules I don’t know. So when talking about assimilation, it breaks my heart. I wish I knew all that I have lost. I’ve lost my language. I do Yoruba twice a week. I’ve been doing it for five years. It’s still difficult. That’s why I found playing Annie so profound because with hoodoo — I knew nothing about Ifa, and hoodoo is a derivative of Ifa. I discovered a part of myself, a part of my ancestry through looking into her and trying to fill her space. Actually she filled a part of me because I had a deeper understanding of the people I am from. Your characters from “Damilola, Our Loved Boy” (2016) and “Sinners” both deal with the loss of a child. How have you changed between those roles? I’m a mother now. I know more now, just in general. I know I know nothing, and I know I know so much more. I’ve lived more, and I’ve experienced more. It’d be interesting to go back and watch that performance, being who I am right now, where I am right now. I don’t know if that would be an interesting thing to do or would it be torturous. You’ve spoken a while back about your family being skeptical about going into acting. Have they come around? My mom and my sisters were never skeptical. They were like, “You do you.” My dad has definitely come around. But yeah, this is it. This is what I do. There’s no going back. There is expanding and there’s transforming, but there’s no going back. Source link #Wunmi #Mosaku #Sinners #Greatest #Love #Story #Told Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day Cards Offer Parents Performance Reviews Mother’s Day and Father’s Day Cards Offer Parents Performance Reviews EP, a 48-year-old academic in upstate New York, was drawn on the border of a family portrait by their son, then 6. “As someone whose kid calls them ‘Mapa’ and doesn’t easily identify as ‘mom’, we try to squeeze into that frame, obviously awkwardly,” said EP, who uses they/them pronouns and asked to use their initials out of concern for their family’s safety. They went on to note how perceptive the drawing was about the gender binary. In Richmond, Ky., Hunter Barker Rogers, a 42-year-old intensive care nurse and former paramedic, did not register how much her career had figured into her daughter River’s imagination until a kindergarten questionnaire stated her job as “ambulance girl” (and her age as “74”). Cleary, River, now 8, had been watching closely, and today, she “runs a little medical center out of her Barbie Dreamhouse,” her mother said. Gratitude Is a Gift Katina Papson, a 47-year-old high school teacher, said these holidays were noninclusive of some of the families she worked with in San Francisco. She said she would rather receive “occasional gratitude” as a mother herself than be celebrated once a year. In the United States, 6.5 billion cards are sold a year, according to the Greeting Card Association, and Mother’s Day is the second-most popular seasonal category behind Christmas/holiday, a spokesperson told The New York Times. Any card expressing appreciation gives parents “a shot in the arm,” Ms. Papson said. “Like, ‘You’re doing a good job, keep going.’” Her sentiment hits on the undercurrent of anxiety in parenting. Nancy Reddy, an author and teacher, researched the origins of scientists’ attempts to measure maternal performance in her new book, “The Good Mother Myth: Unlearning Our Bad Ideas About How to Be a Good Mom,” which outlined the limitations of research into attachment. Source link #Mothers #Day #Fathers #Day #Cards #Offer #Parents #Performance #Reviews Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]