• Health and Wellness

by Atiya Jordan

October 3, 2023

New Rollout of COVID-19 Vaccine Presents Challenges—Here’s Why

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While the U.S. government is no longer responsible for purchasing or distributing COVID-19 vaccines, reports indicate that the September rollout of the new booster is slow and features more challenges than previous rollouts.

As hospitalizations rise, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that everyone older than six months get updated shots, but many have turned to social media to share experiences with insurer roadblocks, out-of-network denials, or appointment delays.

This season also marks the first time vaccines are available for the three viruses responsible for most hospitalizations–COVID-19, RSV, and flu. 

Over the last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has worked to “ensure a smooth transition of the purchase and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine to the commercial market in the fall of 2023.” 

 

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Katelyn Jetelina, a University of Texas epidemiologist, told PBS that the systemic shift impacts multiple payers and insurance companies and the changes to the delivery system.

Updated COVID-19 vaccines are available to most adults living in the U.S. at no cost through their private health insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid plans, according to the CDC. Jetelina emphasizes that no one should be paying for a COVID-19 vaccine, but now insurance companies are no longer required to pay out of pocket.

“This may mean you have to get the vaccine at your doctor’s office [as] opposed to a pharmacy that is not in network,” she said, adding that uninsured people are covered under federal law to get a vaccine at no cost at a CVS and Walgreens, thanks to a CDC initiative called the Bridge Access Program. The program is designed to provide vaccines through local healthcare providers, health centers, and select pharmacies.

Meanwhile, a new survey indicates that 52% of people will “probably” or “definitely” not even get the vaccine. The  KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor poll, conducted between Sept. 6 and Sept. 13, polled 1,296 U.S. adults online and by telephone and found that people reported more likely to get the flu shot and the new RSV vaccine than they are to get the new COVID-19 vaccine. 

A challenge for getting the COVID-19 vaccine is timing, according to Jetelina. Factors include the last time you were infected and the measurement of risk. She recommends that anyone eligible for all three vaccines do so before Oct. 31. 

RELATED CONTENT: Women of Color for Equal Justice Submits Application to Ban Vaccine Mandates

• News

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

October 3, 2023

Analysis: Detroit’s Strikes Become An Industrial ‘Survivor’ game

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Originally reported by Reuters.com

DETROIT, Oct 3 (Reuters) – The United Auto Workers head into the 19th day of strikes with a bold strategy that places the Detroit Three automakers into a high-stakes game of “Survivor” with a weekly decision on which factories the strike will hit next, with layoffs mounting, suppliers hurting and harsh rhetoric from both sides.

UAW President Shawn Fain has transformed the rituals of contract talks with General Motors(GM.N), Ford(F.N) and Chrysler parent Stellantis (STLAM.MI) into a high-stakes, made-for-media game. The automakers will look for clues on how to survive in the agreement the union reached on Sunday with Volvo Group-owned (VOLVb.ST) Mack Trucks.

For now, the union appears to be in control, although there is pain on both sides. GM and Ford said Monday they were indefinitely laying off another 500 workers at four Midwestern plants, citing the impact of the walkouts.

Analysts looking ahead to third-quarter financial results this month are starting to reckon the costs of what the UAW calls “Stand up strikes.” JP Morgan estimated GM has lost $191 million in operating profit, and Ford $145 million during the quarter.

Those are large sums, but not in the context of GM or Ford, which have forecast combined pre-tax profits of up to $26 billion for this year with little going to employees.

The daily cost of the strikes is almost certain to rise weekly, JP Morgan added. The real pain will start if the UAW orders walkouts at factories that build Ford, Chevrolet and Ram pickup trucks and large SUVs such GM’s Cadillac Escalade.

At the current pace, it could take the UAW weeks to get to those factories.

RELATED CONTENT: Detroit Brawl After Man Yells Racist Slurs At Striking Auto Workers

RELATED CONTENT: United Auto Workers Union Launch Strike At Big Three Automakers, Demanding Higher Wages And Benefits

Originally Reported By Reuters.com

Oct 2 (Reuters) – X Corp, formerly known as Twitter, was sued in federal court in Florida on Monday by a legal-marketing company that claims the social media giant’s new name infringes its trademark incorporating the letter “X.”

The lawsuit by X Social Media claims that X Corp, which owner Elon Musk began rebranding to X from Twitter in July, was likely to cause consumer confusion.

The case appears to be the first of what could be numerous trademark disputes with Musk’s company over the letter “X,” which is commonly used in tech branding.

“X” is included in hundreds of federal trademarks owned by companies including Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Meta Platforms (META.O). X Corp applied for its own U.S. trademarks covering the letter last month.

X Corp did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the complaint. X Social Media declined to comment.

Windermere, Florida-based X Social Media is an ad agency focused on mass-tort litigation. Its website says that Jacob and Roseanna Malherbe founded the agency in 2015 to connect Florida panhandle residents with attorneys in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The lawsuit said the agency has used the “X Social Media” name since 2016 and owns a federal trademark covering it. It said it has invested more than $400 million in Facebook advertising to reach potential clients.

The company said Twitter’s rebrand has already confused customers and caused it to lose revenue.

“In a short time, X Corp has wielded its social media clout, marketing resources, and overall national notoriety to dominate consumer perception of its ‘X’ mark,” the lawsuit said.

X Social Media asked the court to force Musk’s company to stop using the “X” name and requested an unspecified amount of money damages.

• Health and Wellness

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

October 2, 2023

Sen. Bernie Sanders Addresses Critical Shortage Of Black Physicians At The NMA’s Professional Development Series

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During the National Medical Association’s (NMA) 8th Annual Professional Development Series at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) 2023 Annual Legislative Conference (ALC), physicians, elected officials, and healthcare experts addressed issues related to healthcare transformation, including the shortage of Black physicians.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) spoke during the series and managed healthcare disparities and the shortage of Black physicians.

The ALC is a gathering of visionaries, activists, and leaders shaping the future of African Americans and the global Black community. According to a study by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), only 5.7% of U.S. doctors are Black or African American, a detrimental shortage that has far-reaching and negative effects on the lives of people of African descent.

While discussing the Bipartisan Primary Care and Health Workforce Act he is co-sponsoring, Sen. Sanders shared details about the potential positive impact on the Black doctor shortage.

“We have $300 million in the bill and it will go to those medical schools which focus on graduating doctors who go into primary health care. HBCUs do a very good job at that. In addition, excellent have a carve-out of 20%, which would be $60 million that will go to minority medical schools, primarily HBCUs. So our effort will significantly expand the number of Black doctors in this country.”

Multiple efforts are underway to address the shortage.

The NMA works with the AAMC, a nonprofit association dedicated to improving people’s health everywhere through medical education, health care, medical research, and community collaborations. The AAMC and the NMA are working collaboratively to address the low numbers of Black male physicians. Based on research done by the AAMC, the enrollment of Black males in medical school only increased from 2.4% to 2.9% since 2014.

Sanders joined the NMA’s 124th president, Yolanda M. Lawson, MD, as a speaker at the session. Dr. Lawson was elected President in July 2023 at the association’s national convention in New Orleans.

“Our physician leaders, health care expert speakers, and legislators spent today addressing many of the challenging issues we face in transforming health care outcomes for Black communities. We are grateful that Sen. Sanders was able to join us and share some of the legislative solutions we can support to make a change,” Dr. Lawson said.

The daylong Professional Development Series event was open to NMA members and attendees of the CBCF ALC. Throughout the day, physician leaders and healthcare experts addressed key topics, including a national nutrition strategy, 340B drug pricing, changes to Medicaid, diversity and inclusion, the Black physician workforce, maternal and reproductive health, the HIV epidemic, and the National Cancer Plan (the NMA is a participant in the President’s Cancer Panel).

Joy D. Calloway, Executive Director of the NMA, noted that “even 129 years later, our mission and objective remains timely and critical. That is to amplify the voice of the Black physician, the Black patient, and the Black community.”

• Sports

by Stacy Jackson

October 2, 2023

GOAT Simone Biles Adds Historic Gymnastics Achievements During World Championship Qualifier

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Simone Biles made history again during the qualifiers for the World Championships on Sunday.

The professional gymnast was honored with naming her fifth element after becoming the first woman to land the Yurchenko double pike vault during the meet. According to NBC Sports, the landing brought Biles to a total of five elements named after her in the gymnastics code.

“People, I hope realize that maybe that’s one of the last times you’re going to see vault like that in your life from a women’s gymnast,” coach Laurent Landi said. “I think it’s time to appreciate that.”

 

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As previously reported by BLACK ENTERPRISE, the artistic gymnast landed the skill in 2021 at the U.S. Classic. Biles attempted the Yurchenko double pike this past summer, and after nailing it this past weekend, her name has been added in the gymnastics code across the vault, floor exercise and the balance beam; according to Gymternet, the athlete ranked with a top score in several subdivisions, including Best All-Around, Best Single Vault, and Best Floor Exercise. The floor and vault include two of the subdivisions in which Biles has elements named after her, NBC Sports reported.

The U.S. women’s gymnasts are looking toward a seventh consecutive world team title as they totaled 171.395 points ahead of Wednesday’s final. The 24 all-around finalists will compete in Friday’s final to see who will advance to Saturday’s finals on the vault and uneven bars and Sunday’s finals on beam and floor. The 2022 World all-around silver medalist, Shilese Jones, will join Biles for Friday’s finals. Jones won the silver medal in the 2022 World Championships.

BE reported that Biles, an Ohio native, is striving to break her own record for most earned medals with her 2024 Olympic performance. Team USA announced Biles as the first American woman to compete at six World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in September.

“A stat that speaks for itself,” the Team USA Instagram page wrote.

 

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• News

by Daniel Johnson

October 2, 2023

Bay Area Clerk Burned In Convenience Store Attack Is Slowly Recovering

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A convenience store cashier was hospitalized after receiving severe burns after a man he was trying to stop from shoplifting set him on fire. Suraj, who did not provide CBS Bay Area with his last name out of fear for his safety, has been hospitalized since he was attacked on Sept. 22.

He has second- and third-degree burns on his face, neck, chest, and shoulder.

He described the event to CBS, saying, “He just splashed lighter fluid on my face, and I was so scared that moment. I tried to cover his hand, but I don’t know. I don’t remember. He just lit the fire on me you know. I just rushed to the restroom, and I just splashed water on my face.”

Suraj also called for more security measures at small stores like the one he was working at, saying: “First of all, I would like to say nobody has to go through this kind of situation, and the small stores should have more security or something like that. The workplace should be safer.”

Kendall Burton, a 38-year-old homeless man, was arrested in El Sobrante and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, battery, arson, and robbery. He is currently being held without bail. 

WARNING: 'El Sobrante store clerk set on fire during confrontation with shoplifter.'

How sad that people with businesses now have deal with these SICK MF's, who want to destroy other people's lives. 😕 pic.twitter.com/9CrI7imhCO

— 🕊 𝓐𝓷𝓷 𝓲𝓼 𝓡𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 🕊 𝐗𝐋𝐕 (@Ann_Lilyflower) October 2, 2023

Suraj’s wife, Sabeena Parajuli, started a fundraiser to help the family pay his medical bills. She has raised more than $30,000.

Parajuli writes, “Right now he is out of danger and getting his treatment in Saint Fransis Memorial Hospital, SF. As wounds by the burn takes time to heal and recover and we are overwhelmed by the mental trauma and the pressure of medical procedures.”

Some commenters, who know Suraj from the trips they made to the store, said he is a kind man, and lamented that such an act was committed against him.

Burton, according to Suraj, is a repeat shoplifter who would usually take lighter fluid from the store. On the day Suraj was attacked, his co-worker made him aware that Burton was stealing again and grabbed a bat. 

According to KVTU, the sheriff’s office was dispatched to the convenience store following a call regarding a shoplifter coming in around 9:00 on Sept 22. The sheriff’s office said in an e-mail to the news station that they booked Burton to the Martinez Detention Facility, and because he also had prior arrest warrants he was being held without bond. Burton has a court date on Oct. 9 and has been assigned a public defender.

Suraj said he was in agonizing pain, telling CBS, “It’s terrible. You know, I’m still in a trauma right now, me, my family,” Suraj says from his bed. “And when we clean the wound, [the pain is] like over 10.” 

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 2, 2023

Delivery Driver Who Shot YouTube Prankster Found Not Guilty After Jury Sees Video

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A bad prank gone wrong led to a man who posts his shenanigans to his YouTube channel being shot amid a failed prank.

The incident occurred in Virginia at a food court at Dulles Town Center on April 2, 2023. On Sept. 28, a jury found the person targeted, a delivery driver, not guilty in the shooting, according to the Associated Press.

31-year-old Alan Colie was acquitted of aggravated malicious wounding after being charged in the shooting of 21-year-old Tanner Cook, who has a YouTube channel where he pulls pranks on unsuspecting people and posts the content on “Classified Goons.”

DULLES MALL YOUTUBE PRANKSTER SHOOTING#Fox5DC obtains never-before-seen video of interaction between Alan Colie & Tanner Cook on 4/2.

Colie: NOT GUILTY of most serious charges after attorney’s self-defense arguments.

Cook’s dad tells me his son was not a threat.#StayAhead pic.twitter.com/h8LwERdutq

— David Kaplan (@DKaplanFox5DC) September 29, 2023

Colie called his act self-defense and pleaded not guilty to the charges. After a jury had convened for five hours, it initially stated it was “divided in terms of whether the defendant acted in self-defense.”

After being urged by the judge to continue deliberating, they discussed it further and came back with a decision later that day. The jury found Colie guilty of a lesser gun firearms count.

Colie is still in jail, and the case isn’t over. His attorney, Adam Pouilliard, insisted that the conviction on the firearms charge is inconsistent with the law, since Colie won an acquittal on self-defense grounds. Pouilliard asked the judge to set aside the conviction. A judge will hear arguments at a hearing next month.

Pouilliard stated that Colie felt threatened by Cook, who stands at 6 foot 5, and that his client was approached in the manner Cook would take to provoke a reaction and post it on his YouTube channel. In his closing arguments, Pouilliard said Cook was “trying to confuse people to post videos. He’s not worried that he’s scaring people. He keeps doing this.”

Jurors were shown video footage of the interaction that led to Cook being shot while attempting his prank. Though it was no longer than 30 seconds, it revealed the incident between Cook and Colie.

In the clip, Cook approaches Colie as he gets a food order. As Colie backs away from Cook, he appears to look scared as the 6-foot-plus man continues to follow him. That’s when Colie pulls out his weapon and shoots Cook.

• News

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

October 2, 2023

In the Market: US bond Market Signals The End Of An Era

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*Originally Reported By Reuters.com 

Oct 2 (Reuters) – The U.S. bond market is calling a moment: the age of low interest rates and inflation that began with the 2008 financial crisis has ended. What follows is unclear.

The market’s view has come into sharp focus in recent days amid a dramatic run-up in 10-year Treasury yields that hit 16-year highs.

Behind that move is a bet that the disinflationary forces the Federal Reserve fought with its easy money policies in the aftermath of the financial crisis have abated, according to investors and a regularly updated New York Fed model based on yields.

Instead, it shows investors have come to believe that the U.S. economy is probably now in what a regional Fed president said may be a “high-pressure equilibrium,” characterized by inflation running higher than the Fed’s 2% target, low unemployment rates and positive growth.

“We have moved into a new era here,” said Greg Whiteley, a portfolio manager at DoubleLine. “It’s not going to be a matter of struggling to get the inflation rate higher. It’s going to be working to keep it down.”

This momentous shift in the outlook for rates has profound implications for policy, business and people. While higher interest rates are good news for savers, businesses and consumers have become used to paying nothing for money over the past 15 years. The adjustment to a higher-for-longer rate environment could be painful, manifesting in failed business models and unaffordable homes and cars.

It could also force the Fed to keep raising rates to the point something breaks again, like three U.S. regional banks did in March. Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari wrote last week that if the economy was in a high-pressure equilibrium, the Fed would “have to raise rates further, potentially going significantly higher to push inflation back down to our target.”

A 93-year-old woman living on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, has received more than $350,000 to help keep her from losing her home.

As it stands, Josephine Wright surpassed her fundraising goal by $11,810 on GoFundMe. These funds will go toward paying attorney fees. Developer Bailey Point Investment Group filed a lawsuit in February 2023 to force Wright to sell her family’s land so the company could develop a 147-unit residential subdivision.

That money will come in handy. The Island Packet reports that according to a court document, Bailey Point Investment Group and Wright must enter mediation or arbitration within 300 days from the September 18 filing date.

In May, Wright’s granddaughter Charise Graves went online, hoping to raise $350,000 via GoFundMe for Wright’s stand. Donations poured in, including $40,000 from Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, who recently donated an additional $24,240 WSAVreported.

Other celebrities who donated include rapper Snoop Dogg, filmmaker, actor and playwright Tyler Perry, and rapper Meek Mill.

The GoFundMe states that the money will go toward “the cost of her [Josephine Wright’s] attorneys, cover any property taxes, and construct a fence to create a barrier between Grandma’s [Josephine Wright’s] property and the new development, which has recently paved a road 22ft from her back porch. An area that was once acres of untouched forest, swampland, and refuge to Hilton Head’s diverse wildlife.”

According to WSAV, Wright said that the land has been in her family since just after the Civil War. Black people have historically had a strained relationship with land ownership in America. Land ownership is a big part of wealth transfer. Stephanie Hagans said, according to Inequality.org, “When they steal your land, they steal your future.”

Hagans’ family lost 35 acres of land in Matthews, North Carolina, in 1942. The site that has tracked inequality-related news and views for nearly two decades noted that Blacks had 90 percent of their land stolen from them by the 21st century.