GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — After losing to San Francisco in the playoffs three of the last five seasons, the Green Bay Packers wouldn’t mind seeing the 49ers get left out of the postseason entirely. The Packers (7-3) could damage San Francisco’s playoff hopes Sunday by beating the 49ers at Lambeau Field. San Francisco (5-5) dropped to .500 after losing at home to the Seattle Seahawks, though the 49ers remain just a game behind the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get updates and player profiles ahead of Friday's high school games, plus a recap Saturday with stories, photos, video Frequency: Seasonal Twice a week
More than 1 million Americans live with human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, with tens of thousands of new diagnoses each year. But with earlier diagnoses and advances in treatment, HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has become far more manageable. Death rates among diagnosed individuals have dropped, even as recently as the past five years. Stacker analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to better understand drops in HIV-related deaths nationally and among certain subpopulations, taking a closer look at the factors behind these declines. Overall, the CDC reports that 4,145 people died of a known cause related to HIV in 2022, a drop of about 19%—or 971 fewer deaths—compared to 2018. Dr. Robyn Neblett Fanfair, director of the HIV prevention division at the CDC, said this is due to ever-evolving HIV testing and treatments. "HIV testing is becoming more of an option as people seek care, wherever they seek care," Fanfair told Stacker. "That's in community-based organizations, their primary care settings, family planning settings. It's been wonderful to see HIV tests become a part of overall well-being and health care in this country." A hallmark of modern HIV treatment is viral suppression, or reducing the presence of HIV in one's blood to very low levels, which keeps patients healthy and prevents transmission. Nearly 2 in 3 Americans diagnosed with HIV have reached viral suppression, though the lowest rates are among women, those aged 25 to 34, Black people, and people who inject drugs, Fanfair said. New efforts in testing, treatment, and prevention are particularly targeted at these and other disproportionally affected groups. Fanfair highlighted one recent testing innovation, Together TakeMeHome, a program for HIV self-tests that people can order via delivery. Demand for the tests was beyond what Fanfair's division anticipated, showing real eagerness for self-initiated testing among Americans, she said. HIV treatments have also advanced substantially. In the past few years, researchers have developed combination pills so that those with HIV may only have to take one pill per day, rather than the dozens of daily pills characteristic of earlier antiretroviral treatments. Recently released treatments also include long-lasting injections, which patients only receive every few weeks or months. Fanfair, who is also a medical provider for people living with HIV, called both innovations "revolutionary." She said other modalities are continuing to come out as well, giving HIV patients myriad treatment options that help them to live long and healthy lives. "What these promising declines of HIV-related deaths really show us is the power of ongoing HIV care and treatment in this country," she said. You may also like: As the US population ages, these states have the most older residents It took decades to reach current strides in HIV care, largely due to early public health failures. The first U.S. cases of AIDS emerged in 1981, though health officials at the time didn't yet fully understand the disease or its implications. It was first identified as a "gay cancer" as it mainly affected gay men and was associated with Kaposi's sarcoma, a rare form of cancer linked to weakened immunity. It further spread among other marginalized communities, namely intravenous drug users, immigrants, and communities of color; as a result, the disease was largely overlooked by policymakers and public health officials. Those with the disease and those attempting to treat them faced rampant discrimination. Lacking proper funding, research, and resources, the disease spread quickly and was incredibly deadly. By the end of that first year, there were 337 reported cases of individuals with severe immune deficiency, and nearly 2 in 5 had already died. The life expectancy for those diagnosed with HIV or AIDS was just one or two years. It took outcry from affected communities, medical professionals, and activists before the U.S. and international health community took major action to combat the growing epidemic. The first public AIDS research and treatment was funded in 1983—two years after initial reports. In the interim, research remained limited, and dangerous misconceptions took root about the disease and how it spread. Not until the mid-'80s was it understood that HIV spread through bodily fluids like blood, semen, vaginal fluid, and breast milk, but not through casual contact or other bodily fluids like saliva. Even then, as stigma and discrimination persisted, deaths surged. AIDS was the leading cause of death for American men between the ages of 25 to 44 in 1992, and two years later it became the leading cause of death for all Americans in that age bracket. By 1996 death rates had dropped, though remained the leading cause of death for Black Americans. When highly active antiretroviral therapies were introduced to treat HIV in the late '90s and early 2000s, the disparity in mortality rates grew between white and Black HIV patients. Studies suggest that this was due to fewer medical professionals providing these advanced treatments to Black populations and government policies limiting care in low-income communities, on top of other social factors. Decades later, racial disparities persist in HIV infections and deaths. This is especially true among Black populations, namely Black women, youth, gay and bisexual men, and Black populations in the South. Although they only account for 12% of the population, Black Americans make up 39% of new HIV diagnoses, 40% of people living with HIV, and 43% of HIV-related deaths. Stigma and discrimination, higher poverty rates, lack of health care access, and less awareness of HIV status contribute to these ongoing disparities. Medical breakthroughs have reduced death rates for Americans with HIV, including groups that are disproportionately affected by the virus. Even in the past five years, HIV-related death rates fell for all diagnosed Americans and across most at-risk groups. Some of the largest drops have been measured among older people. Three decades ago, growing old with HIV wasn't a likely outcome—in the 1980s, the life expectancy was just three years after diagnosis for people living with AIDS. But as effective treatments have allowed people to lead long and healthy lives, aging with HIV has become a major focus for researchers. As of 2023, life expectancies for most people receiving HIV treatment was about the same as the overall population. Those aging with HIV have similar health concerns to other aging Americans but remain at higher risk for some HIV-associated conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, renal disease, and cancer. HIV-related death rates also dropped among Black, multiracial, Hispanic or Latino, and Native American or Alaska Native populations. Rates remained consistent among transgender women and girls, though their actual number of HIV-related deaths rose from 2018 to 2022. Some disproportionately affected populations have been prioritized in the White House's 2021 HIV/AIDS strategy , which puts forth a roadmap to end the U.S. HIV epidemic by 2030. The document provided guidelines to achieve this goal, including improving health outcomes for those with HIV and reducing related disparities and health inequities. Hundreds of millions of dollars have gone toward these goals over the past few years, funding health centers, treatment access, workforce training, and other resources. Much funding and support is targeted at specific communities where new infections have been highly concentrated. This often means supporting work at the local or community level to ensure that people can access HIV care in the places where they already go for health and other services, Fanfair explained. Federal funding aimed at reducing disparities has proven effective in the past, particularly in decreasing HIV-related death rates for Black and Hispanic populations, according to a 2020 study. Today's falling death rates indicate that the same may be true of these more recent efforts toward overburdened communities. The combination of federal attention, medical advancements, and outreach in affected communities has led to great improvements in American HIV care. Moving forward, researchers are pursuing preventative vaccines and cures . In addition, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is looking at intersections with other diseases, expediting small and early-stage trials, and working to ensure that research is accessible to and representative of the most affected populations. "Thinking of ways that we can support access to all communities is going to be really critical," Fanfair said. Story editing by Alizah Salario. Copy editing by Tim Bruns.The ongoing Canada Post strike has reached the three-week mark as the two sides continue to trade proposals through a government-appointed mediator. The work stoppage centres around a variety of issues, including disputes over wages and weekend delivery. Here's a snapshot of the issues underpinning the standoff between the Crown corporation and union. Wage increases The Canadian Union of Postal Workers, which represents 55,000 Canada Post workers, said at the start of the strike that wage increases must be kept in line with inflation, with cost-of-living adjustment payments rolled into the basic wage rate. The union initially called for a cumulative wage hike of 24 per cent over four years. CUPW negotiator Jim Gallant said that figure has moved since the start of negotiations, but declined to comment on the union's latest proposal. "We have just lived through the worst cost of living crisis in a generation," the union's national president Jan Simpson said in a post on Tuesday. Canada Post says it has offered what it calls "competitive" wage increases totalling 11.5 per cent over four years and more paid leave. It notes labour costs rose by $242 million in 2023, or about 6.5 per cent, compared with 2022. The organization declined to comment on Thursday. Weekend delivery One of the main snags in negotiations has been a push to expand delivery to the weekend, but the two sides are at odds over how to staff the expansion. Canada Post has pitched seven-day-a-week delivery as a way to boost revenue and "secure the future of the company" as it struggles to compete with other delivery companies. The Crown corporation says it would staff weekend delivery shifts with a mix of new permanent part-time positions and some full-time, which would "create flexibility while not adding significant long-term fixed costs." But the union characterizes Canada Post's proposals as "attacks on full-time work," accusing the Crown corporation of wanting to increase the part-time mix to more than 50 per cent of the workforce. It says it is concerned some part-timers could be scheduled for as few as eight hours per week and wouldn’t be eligible for benefits until they reach 1,000 hours. "Canada Post has every ability today to deliver parcels on the weekend, inside our collective agreement at straight time," Gallant said in an interview. "We think it can be done with full-timers ... We're just saying, 'Instead of hiring 10 part-timers, you can hire three full time." Job security and retirement The union has highlighted a number of its demands for better job security, including a request for "improved protections against technological change." Gallant said Canada Post is "always looking for new technology" that could threaten workers' duties. "This loading and unloading of trucks by robots is one that they're really, really looking at (and) forklifts that drive themselves through a plant," he said. "We're always afraid." When it comes to retirement, CUPW says Canada Post wants new workers to accept a defined contribution pension plan, even though its defined benefit pension plan is overfunded by 140 per cent. "All workers deserve the right to retire with dignity, and for us, that means postal workers — present and future — maintain their defined benefit pension plan," Simpson said. Canada Post says its proposals are "focused on protecting and enhancing what’s important to current employees ... while protecting the defined benefit pension and their job security." Rural service The union has said it wants job security rights for rural and suburban mail carriers in line with those granted to urban postal workers. It has outlined a number of issues affecting its Rural Suburban Mail Carrier bargaining unit, saying it wants an hourly rate system with appropriate time values, union involvement and "safeguards against (Canada Post's) unilateral change." The union says Canada Post must maximize and maintain eight-hour routes for rural workers, grant improved rights for on-call relief employees, and uphold paid meal and rest period rights. It says the Crown corporation must also ensure the bargaining unit's involvement in service expansion projects. Earlier this week, Simpson called on Canada Post to commit to working with the union "to expand services at the post office including postal banking and electric vehicle charging stations." Safer working conditions The union has demanded the full elimination of Canada Post's "separate sort from delivery" system, which entails certain employees spending the entirety of their shifts sorting mail for letter carriers to go out and deliver — as opposed to carriers performing both tasks. It says this system overburdens carriers, who as a result spend more time outdoors and potentially exposed to extreme weather events. "Postal workers suffer the second highest rate of disabling injury among workers under federal jurisdiction, behind only the road transportation sector," Simpson said. "Growing neighbourhood mail volumes and changing work methods like separate sort-from-delivery are only making things worse." The union has also proposed increases to short-term disability program payments and injury on duty payments, along with more paid medical days. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2024. Sammy Hudes, The Canadian PressDowntown Raleigh shines bright during Illuminate Art Walk
El Salvador's president is triumphant after his bet on bitcoin comes trueFemale pitcher makes history as first woman to play Canadian pro baseballWashington — Tech leaders and companies are shelling out big bucks to President-elect Donald Trump's inaugural fund, as they prepare for the next four years of a Trump White House. Amazon, run by billionaire Jeff Bezos, intends to donate $1 million to the president-elect's inaugural fund and will stream the ceremony on Prime, amounting to another $1 million in-kind donation, according to a source familiar with the donations. The Wall Street Journal first reported Amazon's plans. Mark Zuckerberg's Meta , the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, also plans to send $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman plans to make a $1 million personal donation to Trump's inaugural fund, according to an OpenAI spokesperson. Fox News Digital first reported Altman's intended donation. "President Trump will lead our country into the age of AI, and I am eager to support his efforts to ensure America stays ahead," Altman said in a statement. Elon Musk , the world's richest man and CEO of X, Tesla and SpaceX, has become a regular presence by Trump's side at Mar-a-Lago, and spent $277 million to help get Trump elected. CBS News has also reached out to Reddit, as well as major corporations who have donated to inaugural funds in the past, including Walmart, Home Depot and Target, for information about their plans. According to a source at Google, the company donated $285,000 to Biden's inaugural fund four years ago. Google has not announced plans, so far, to donate to Trump's. The Information , a tech news site, and The Wall Street Journal reported that Sundar Pichai, Google's CEO, had plans to meet with Trump. Tech company CEOs have been going to see Trump at Mar-a-Lago after years of watching his tone and stance change, or at least soften, after in-person meetings. Trump told CNBC in a Thursday interview that Bezos would visit him "next week." Bezos also owns the Washington Post, which declined to endorse a candidate in this year's presidential election, breaking with the paper's past precedent. "Presidential endorsements do nothing to tip the scales of an election," Bezos wrote at the time. Trump's relationship with social media and tech companies has, in the past, been tenuous if not downright hostile. During Trump's first term in the White House, he frequently blasted Bezos and Amazon, accusing the company of "doing great damage" to retailers and hurting "towns, cities and states throughout the U.S." He's insisted that Amazon should pay more for U.S. Postal Service deliveries. But Trump has dialed back his public hostility toward the company, and Bezos — who previously said Trump's treatment of Hillary Clinton in 2016 and refusal to accept the election results in 2020 "erodes our democracy around the edges" — has softened, too. Speaking at a New York Times DealBook Summit recently, Bezos said he's "very optimistic" about a second Trump term. "What I've seen so far is he is calmer than he was the first time and more settled," Bezos said. "You've probably grown in the last eight years. He has, too." Both X (which was called Twitter at the time) and Facebook prohibited Trump from posting to their platforms after hundreds of Trump supporters assaulted the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and Trump did little to try to stop them. Musk reinstated Trump's X account in November 2022 after taking over the company, although Trump has largely posted to his own social media platform, Truth Social. Facebook and Instagram restored Trump's accounts in early 2023. Tech CEOs weren't so eager to donate to Trump's first inaugural committee after his 2016 victory. For Trump's 2017 inauguration , which raised an eye-popping $107 million, his biggest donors were largely affiliated with sports teams, casinos, venture capital firms and banks. His most generous donor, at $5 million, was the late Las Vegas Sands founder Sheldon Adelson, who died in 2021. But, other than GoDaddy.com founder Bob Parsons, the leaders of big-name tech companies weren't giving $1 million to Trump the first time around. Trump's inaugural committee, officially known as the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, Inc., is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) entity that's responsible for planning inaugural events, and can accept limitless donations. Trump allies former Sen. Kelly Loeffler and investor Steve Witkoff are the committee's co-chairs. When he announced his inaugural committee and co-chairs, Trump said the committee will "honor" the "magnificent victory" he and his team had to kick off his administration. Inaugural committees add the pomp and circumstance to an inauguration, but not at taxpayers' expense. They also offer a way for donors to curry favor with an incoming administration. Donors who give $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee can expect not only tickets but face-time with the incoming president and vice president, as well as Cabinet officials. A president-elect's inaugural committee is different from the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, established by Congress, which is underwritten by taxpayers. The congressional committee, composed of members of both parties, plans and carries out the swearing-in ceremony, as well as an inaugural luncheon for the president and vice president at the Capitol. The presidential committee is responsible for all events other than those taking place at the Capitol. Only about $3.7 million was appropriated for the committee for the 2025 inauguration, according to the Congressional Research Service , but taxpayers will be spending more than that. The conservative National Taxpayers Union Foundation estimated that the 2021 inauguration, not counting the security lockdown following the Jan. 6 Capitol assault, cost at least $73 million. Libby Cathey contributed to this report. Elon Musk Amazon Mark Zuckerberg Jeff Bezos Donald Trump Presidential Inauguration Meta Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.
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Meta Announces Quarterly Cash DividendMia Syn, MS, Registered Dietician Nutritionist partners with DS Simon Media, Almond Breeze, Mediheal, and Mucinex COMBAT HOLIDAY CONGESTION "So many of us look forward to holiday parties and quality time with loved ones,” says Syn, "But we often find ourselves battling sinus congestion from dry air, cold weather, or seasonal allergies.” Her go-to solution? The NEW Mucinex® Sinus Saline Nasal Spray, the first-ever saline product featuring a 2-in-1 nozzle with customizable spray settings. Consumers can choose the 'Power Jet' to tackle tough nasal congestion or the 'Gentle Mist' to clear everyday congestion and soothe your nose. With its dual-nozzle technology, Mucinex® Sinus Saline Nasal Spray helps relieve congestion caused by allergens, irritants, and colds. Available at major retailers, pharmacies, and on Amazon, you can find your nearest store at Mucinex.com. Direct link: https://www.mucinex.com/ Social Media Handle: Facebook: @mucinex IG: @mucinex_us HOLIDAY TREATS WITH A HEALTHY TWIST Syn also encourages swapping ingredients in traditional holiday recipes with better-for-you alternatives. "One of my favorite holiday ingredients is Almond Breeze Almondmilk,” she shares. Direct link: www.AlmondBreeze.com Social Media Handle: Facebook: Almond Breeze Instagram: @AlmondBreeze Twitter: @AlmondBreeze SKINCARE MUST-HAVES FOR WINTER Cold, harsh air can wreak havoc on your skin, causing dryness and accentuating fine lines. "Nobody enjoys that itchy, uncomfortable feeling that winter brings," says Syn, a skincare enthusiast. "That's why I turn to Mediheal-a trusted name in Korean skincare that's been raising the bar for years." Mediheal's toner pads have become a hit on social media, especially on TikTok, where users are swearing by their magic. Leading the charge are two fan-favorite products: Direct link: Mediheal Amazon Website Social Media Handle: Facebook: @Mediheal US Instagram: @mediheal_us TikTok: @mediheal_us Twitter (X): @medihealus About YourUpdateTV : YourUpdateTV is a property of D S Simon Media. The video included and release was part of a media tour that was produced by D S Simon Media on behalf of Almond Breeze, Mediheal, and Mucinex. Media Contact: Michael O'Donnell D S Simon Media 212-736-2727 [email protected] A video accompanying this release is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/74283b19-564e-43c4-a467-440c7d109074
ROCHESTER — It’s not every day an athlete commits to compete at their dream school, but John Marshall junior Julia Ogren did just that when she announced her verbal pledge to swim for the University of Louisville after graduation. “I feel so lucky that I can go to a school that I've been dreaming about for so long,” Ogren said. ADVERTISEMENT Ogren went public with her decision on social media back on Oct. 23. After visiting a handful of schools, Ogren solidified her choice to become a Cardinal. “Louisville was my fourth visit, so I got to compare it to some other things. And I just loved everything," Ogren said. “I just really can't wait to start swimming there and going to school there. It was such an inclusive place when I was there, and I just felt like I was a part of the team already.” Not long after sharing her higher athletic and academic plans with the world, Ogren competed in her third state swimming and diving meet in as many years. A three-time all-state swimmer, she earned two top-four individual finishes at the Class 2A state championships on Nov. 16 at the University of Minnesota. Ogren swam in back-to-back events, coming in third in the 100 butterfly (54.37) and fourth in the 100 freestyle (50.51) while also competing on JM’s two relay teams. Although Ogren placed lower in the 100 freestyle event than last season, she improved her times in both the preliminary and final rounds. With her first-place finishes in both events in the prelims, Ogren made the cut for the Summer Junior Nationals in the 100 fly and the Winter Junior Nationals in the 100 free. “I knew my events were going to be tricky to do back to back,” Ogren said. “So going into it, I just wanted to have the best mindset as possible and do the best I could with the little time I had in between to really think positively and go over my race plan. So even though I didn't have as good of a performance in the finals as I did in prelims, I'm still very proud of myself and how I did that two days in a row. ADVERTISEMENT “It was very challenging, but it was a lot of fun, and having a whole team there to support me — and I was able to support them — was so much fun. Couldn't ask for a better team and a better coach.” Ogren will be the second of her siblings to swim at the Division I level. Her older sister, Anna, is a senior at the University of Alabama. Earlier in the season, Julia broke the Section 1, Class 2A record in the 100 butterfly , previously held by Anna. “I'm very fortunate to have parents who care so much and are very supportive of me,” Ogren said. “I think they're very excited to be supporting the Louisville Cardinals after this. They already got their merch and everything. ... They got merch for my grandparents too. It's just a very exciting time.” Ogren will have a few friendly faces in the program once she arrives, including Louisville freshman Caroline Larsen from Eden Prairie, Minn., and swimming associate head coach and Byron native Reed Fujan. “After I talked to them about Louisville, I've just really gotten inspired, and it seems like it's the place to be,” Ogren said. “And the coaches seem like they care so much and really want the best for everyone on the team and me already.” Ogren said Fujan helped her with the recruiting process. “He swam for the club team I'm on now, so it's cool to be able to talk to him. He recruited me, and he's a great guy,” Ogren said. “Having people I know there talk so highly about the school really just inspired me to want to pursue it more. And it turns out, I loved it just as much as I thought I would.” ADVERTISEMENT Ogren is eager to get to Louisville, but first, she has one more year of high school and club swimming to complete. She has one main goal for her final season of swimming in Minnesota. “Ultimately, I really just want to make sure the coaches at Louisville know they made a good choice,” Ogren said. “It's been a big dream of mine for a really long time also, but I really want to just show them that they made a good choice. And get better and complete some goals and get to a good place where I'll be confident in myself starting off college there.”
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