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NBC reported on the 23rd that at least 26 patients who were confined to a mental hospital in Arkansas for no apparent reason sued the doctor who diagnosed them with hospitalization.

Patients who were admitted to the psychiatric ward at Northwest Medical Centre in Arkansas claimed that the hospital’s psychiatrist, Brian Hyatt, issued false medical certificates and forced them into the hospital.

In Arkansas, people with mental illness can be detained against their will for up to 72 hours if a doctor determines they are dangerous to themselves or others. If they want to be detained for longer than this, the hospital must file a petition with the court and obtain permission from a judge.

William Banwai (32), who visited the hospital’s psychiatric unit last year, was diagnosed with a psychiatric hospital without knowing why, and his housemate said that he was released from the hospital after four days with the help of a lawyer.

“We believe the strategy of detaining the patient for as long as possible, claiming the insurance money, letting him go, and then refilling the bed with someone else seems to have worked,” said Aaron Cash, an attorney representing Banwai.

In addition to Banwai, 25 other people filed a lawsuit against Dr Hyatt claiming that they were forced into hospitalization. An investigation by Arkansas prosecutors and federal authorities into Dr Hyatt’s insurance fraud allegations is also ongoing. Earlier, the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office, Tim Griffin, accused Dr Hyatt of committing fraud in a search warrant for the hospital, including treating almost no patients, diagnosing all patients with the highest severity, and claiming insurance money from the state and federal governments.

In addition, the Griffin Attorney General’s office announced in a press release in April that the hospital had agreed to return about $1.11 million of 246 Medicaid claims received from the state government. The Attorney General’s office explained that the Medicaid claim at issue was based on documents diagnosed and evaluated by Dr Hyatt and his team of medical staff, and that the documents did not justify or support the medical need for the patient’s hospitalization.

The Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) also searched Dr Hyatt’s office in May. However, no criminal charges have been filed against Dr Hyatt.

Dr Hyatt was known as a prominent psychiatrist in the region, such as being appointed as a member of the Arkansas Medical Board in 2019 and elected as the president. In a statement released last month, Dr Hyatt’s legal team said, “Dr Hyatt has been the target of a malicious and systematic attack despite his career as an accomplished clinician. He continues to maintain his innocence.”

An attempt to smuggle cocaine by hiding it in a round cheese block was caught at the Texas border.

According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on the 23rd, customs officers in Presidio, Texas, found and seized 17.8 pounds (about 8 kg) of cocaine hidden in four large chunks of cheese on the 20th.

The man who attempted to smuggle cheese arrived at border customs from Mexico into the United States with a load of cheese in a pick-up truck. CBP agents scanned the block of cheese with an X-ray system, revealing signs of anomaly, and when agents cut the cheese open, seven pouches full of cocaine were found inside.

The driver, a 22-year-old U.S. citizen, was handed over to the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Investigation for attempted drug smuggling. “Smugglers sometimes hide contraband in harmless-looking items to avoid suspicion,” said CBP Presidio Customs Commissioner Daniel Mercado. Previously, El Paso, Texas customs seized 146 pounds (66 kg) of cocaine hidden on the inside wall of an ice cream maker last month.

CBP said drug seizures in June, including cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana, increased by 7% from the previous month (May). In particular, the amount of fentanyl seized this year totalled 22,000 pounds (9,979 kg), a nearly threefold increase compared to the same period last year (8,300 pounds).

The three major indices of the New York Stock Exchange hit their highest in 15 months.

It is analysed that the favourable second quarter earnings of large companies had a positive effect on investor sentiment amid growing expectations for a soft landing for the economy.

Dow rose for a seventh straight trading day, marking the longest run since March 2021. The Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 index closed at 4,554.98, up 32.19 points (0.71%), and the Nasdaq index, which is centred on technology stocks, rose 108.69 points (0.76%) at 14,353.64, respectively.

Based on the closing price on this day, the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq are all at their highest levels since April of last year. Analysts say that the refreshing start of the second quarter earnings season stimulated investors’ buying sentiment. According to FactSet, a financial information company, 84% of S&P 500 companies that have released second-quarter results so far have exceeded Wall Street analysts’ forecasts for net profit.

On the 14th, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup followed by Bank of America and Morgan Stanley on the same day, the ‘Earning Surprise’ of large financial companies raised the overall market mood.

Bank of America, the second-largest bank in the United States, recorded a net profit (19%) and sales (11%) by a large margin, recording earnings per share ($0.88), exceeding the Wall Street forecast ($0.84), and its stock price soared 4.4% that day.

Investment bank Morgan Stanley, which also posted profits that exceeded market expectations, also surged 6.5%. The impact of the artificial intelligence (AI) craze also remained. Microsoft (MS), which set the usage fee of ‘MS 365 Co-Pilot’ equipped with AI higher than the market expected, soared 4.0%.

Surgeon Revelation Revelations have emerged that state authorities have issued inhumane orders to deter smugglers along the Rio Grande River border in Texas.

According to CNN broadcast on the 18th, a military surgeon with the Rio Grande River Guard said in an email to the state Department of Public Safety (DPS) that “people have been instructed to push them back into the water to go to Mexico.” Lee said he was also ordered not to give drinking water to undocumented migrants.

This e-mail is a report of incidents and concerns that occurred during the week from the 24th of last month to the 1st of this month, when the officer served as a military surgeon. There is a reported case of a 4-year-old girl who fainted in the 100-degree Fahrenheit (38-degree Celsius) heat after Texas National Guard agents pushed a group of smugglers toward Mexico.

Another man sustained severe lacerations to his leg while trying to rescue his child from being caught in sharp barbed wire attached to a buoy in the river. “I believe we have crossed the line in terms of humanitarianism,” said Surgeon Lee. “We need to operate properly in the eyes of God.” He also said about the barbed wire on the buoy, “The barbed wire in the river is not very visible and it just becomes a trap for people, so it should be removed.”

Texas DPS spokesman Travis Considine told CNN that they are investigating a military surgeon’s report that there were orders to push the migrants into the river. However, on his social media on the 17th, Considine revealed the contents of an internal message from the Texas DPS, saying, “The State Guard gives water to immigrants, treats their wounds, and rescues them from drowning.” According to Texas DPS Commissioner Stephen McCraw, “Smugglers don’t care if migrants are hurt or not, but we are different.” We must do everything necessary to make this happen,” he said.

The State of Texas has been implementing a policy of strengthening border security, such as installing an underwater barrier connecting 1,000 feet (304.8m) of buoys on the banks of Eagle Pass, a border city, from the 8th to prevent smuggling through the Rio Grande River.

A lawsuit was filed by a canoe and kayak company over the installation of buoys, which was publicly criticized by Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador.

The New Jersey legislature passed a bill that would provide tax relief for New York-based companies expanding their offices in New Jersey, and legislation is on the horizon.

On the 30th of last month, the State Senate and the State House of Representatives each unanimously passed a bill that would provide tax credits to New Jersey-based companies with 25 or more full-time employees who set up offices in New Jersey for workers who live in New Jersey and are working remotely.

The bill is related to a dispute over state income tax jurisdiction between the New York and New Jersey governments that has emerged as more people work from home following the COVID-19 crisis. Under the tax law, New Jersey residents who commute to New York City pay taxes to New York State on income earned in New York, where they work.

The state of New Jersey also imposes an income tax but provides a tax credit for residents paying out-of-state taxes to avoid double taxation. However, in the case of telecommuting, it is the position that the New Jersey government should have the authority to collect taxes because the actual workplace is New Jersey. Meanwhile, New York State maintains that it will continue to impose income taxes on New Jersey residents who work from home.

In response, the New Jersey Legislature approved a bill to provide tax deductions for New Jersey-based employees when they set up a New Jersey office and relocate their workplace so that New Jersey-based employees can pay income tax in New Jersey.

A total of $35 million is allocated from the New Jersey state budget for this support. In addition, the bill also contains the purpose of responding to the Manhattan traffic congestion tax. The New Jersey legislators who introduced the bill are in the position that “if a New York-based company expands its office to New Jersey, New Jersey residents can escape the burden of traffic congestion tax, and the company can receive tax benefits.”

The University of Washington (UW) warned that the heatwave that killed 126 people in 2021 would recur in the future and suggested a solution to reduce human damage caused by abnormally high temperatures.

The report, published by the UW’s Climate Impact Group (CIG), along with experts from state health departments, the Climate Institute and Gonzaga University, urged first to look at seniors and low-income groups who are often unprepared for heatwave forecasts.

In Maine, the budget is supporting a program where vulnerable residents check each other’s safety. The report pointed out that summer resort facilities should be run by community organizations rather than government offices to increase users. It was also recommended to encourage the installation of air conditioners by strengthening building regulations for low-income housing.

The UW report found that among residents in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, only one-third of households making less than $50,000 have air conditioning, and only 30% of rental apartments have one. Oregon enacted legislation to prevent tenants from installing simple air conditioners after the “heat dome” incident in 2021.

The report also proposed that the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) tighten regulations on outdoor work during heat waves. L&I has invoked a temporary regulation law on outdoor work for 2021-2022, but the UW report recommends making it permanent and extending it to the indoor work sector as well.

Among the other nine measures suggested by the UW report, planting more shade trees in low-income residential areas, reducing the burden of low-income households on electricity bills due to air conditioners running, and installing a government department specializing in heatwave preparations like Phoenix, Arizona. The UW report predicted that from 1971 to 2021, unusually high temperatures averaged only 3 days per year in western Washington but would reach 17 to 27 days per year by 2050 and increase to 30 days in eastern Washington.

On the other hand, the report predicts that the elderly population aged 65 and older, a vulnerable group, will increase by 21.7% by 2040 to reach a total of 2 million.

The University of Washington (UW) warned that the heatwave that killed 126 people in 2021 would recur in the future and suggested a solution to reduce human damage caused by abnormally high temperatures.

The report, published by the UW’s Climate Impact Group (CIG), along with experts from state health departments, the Climate Institute and Gonzaga University, urged first to look at seniors and low-income groups who are often unprepared for heatwave forecasts.

In Maine, the budget is supporting a program where vulnerable residents check each other’s safety. The report pointed out that summer resort facilities should be run by community organizations rather than government offices to increase users. It was also recommended to encourage the installation of air conditioners by strengthening building regulations for low-income housing.

The UW report found that among residents in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, only one-third of households making less than $50,000 have air conditioning, and only 30% of rental apartments have one. Oregon enacted legislation to prevent tenants from installing simple air conditioners after the “heat dome” incident in 2021.

The report also proposed that the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) tighten regulations on outdoor work during heat waves. L&I has invoked a temporary regulation law on outdoor work for 2021-2022, but the UW report recommends making it permanent and extending it to the indoor work sector as well.

Among the other nine measures suggested by the UW report, planting more shade trees in low-income residential areas, reducing the burden of low-income households on electricity bills due to air conditioners running, and installing a government department specializing in heatwave preparations like Phoenix, Arizona. The UW report predicted that from 1971 to 2021, unusually high temperatures averaged only 3 days per year in western Washington but would reach 17 to 27 days per year by 2050 and increase to 30 days in eastern Washington.

On the other hand, the report predicts that the elderly population aged 65 and older, a vulnerable group, will increase by 21.7% by 2040 to reach a total of 2 million.

Amid the aftermath of the massive wildfires in Canada, New York State issued another Air Quality Health Advisory and advised residents to refrain from outdoor activities.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced on the 28th that it would issue an air quality health advisory until midnight on the 29th for the five boroughs of New York City, Long Island, Westchester, Lakeland, Orange, and Putnam counties.

The State Environmental Conservation Agency issued Level 3, Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, and Level 4, Unhealthy advisories as the Air Quality Index (AQI) is expected to exceed 101. The problem is that the air quality index may progress to the 5th level of ‘Very Unhealthy’ or the last level of ‘Hazardous’, so the elderly need to be careful.

The Department of Environmental Conservation did not recommend that residents stay indoors but refrain from strenuous outdoor activities to reduce the risk and recommended wearing masks. Accordingly, the MTA is distributing free N95 masks at LIRR, Metro North Train Station, and subway stations such as Manhattan Penn Station and Grand Central.

An influential local politician in the United States who received money in the form of donations in exchange for passing a bill that gave astronomical profits to private companies was sentenced to a heavy sentence.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 29th that the Southern Federal Court of Ohio sentenced former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, who was convicted of bribery and other charges, to 20 years in prison. Previously, while seeking a 20-year sentence, prosecutors pointed out that “the accused acted like the boss of a criminal group. He ran a criminal enterprise in the shadows.”

In 2019, former Chairman Householder passed a bill to support 1.3 billion dollars for nuclear power plants and thermal power plants operated by energy company First Energy. The way Householder former chairman received the back money was carefully planned.

First Energy has donated $60 million to various non-profit organizations connected to former Chairman Householder since 2018, before the bill was passed. The groups then supported the campaigns of 20 Republican candidates close to him, including former Speaker Householder, in the 2018 state House elections.

In fact, the candidates elected with Householder’s backing later actively supported legislation to subsidize energy companies, as well as his election to the House Speaker post.” Former Speaker Householder was expelled from the State House shortly after the results of the prosecution’s investigation were announced in 2020. The State House also struck down a subsidy bill for First Energy.

First Energy agreed to cooperate with the prosecution’s investigation and pay a fine of 230 million dollars.

The Washington state government receives more than $1.02 billion in federal infrastructure subsidies to provide high-speed Internet service to rural areas and low-income households with slow or no Internet access.

The Biden administration distributes $42 billion of the infrastructure support budget of the ’American Relief Plan Act (ARP)’, which was confirmed as a pandemic response policy in 2021, to state governments as part of the ’Broadband Equal Access Development (BEAD)’ program, nationwide and between regions, announced that it would resolve the phenomenon of ‘digital divide’ between the rich and the poor.

The White House announced that the BEAD program was the largest investment ever in high-speed Internet service and praised itself as an investment comparable to the 1936 President Franklin Roosevelt’s Rural Electrification Act, which supplied electricity to farms, ranches, and isolated areas across the country.

President Biden promised that all households across the country would be able to enjoy high-speed Internet service by 2030.

The number of residents in Washington state who do not have or have slow internet access fluctuates from 239,000 to 2 million, depending on the counting agency. The 2021 federal census revealed that 10% of Washington households (about 264,000 households) did not receive broadband (broadband) service, but Microsoft counted it as 30%, three times that.

In the rural and mountainous counties of Perry, Scanamania, Okanogan, Adams, Stevens, Pend O’Reil and Columbia, more than four out of five households said they did not have internet access or broadband access.

Washington State Broadband Authority director Mark Basconi said laying fiber optic cables in these mountainous regions is relatively expensive, but less profitable because of the small population. Therefore, because conventional copper wire or satellite technology is applied to these areas, the connection speed is slow, and even in urban areas, low-income people, people of color, and elderly households are often excluded from broadband service.

With high-speed Internet installations costing up to $10,000 per household, Vasconi said it would take more than $2.04 billion, more than twice the amount of federal funding, to provide high-speed Internet access to all underprivileged households and businesses in Washington State. He added that businesses are expected to bear the burden.