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Will facial recognition be banned for law enforcement?
Bambi Majumdar Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityCalifornia is on the verge of banning facial recognition technology on police body cameras. The Golden State is one of the first states to call for such a strict policy. Originally intended to be an outright ban, it has now been scaled back at Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request. The legislation passed by California lawmakers now states that police are barred from installing it on body-worn cameras for three years. The bill awaits the governor’s final nod. Once it is ratified, it will significantly rein in the use of facial recognition, which is rapidly evolving.
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New paper looks at link between private equity, unforeseen medical billing
Seth Sandronsky Medical & Allied HealthcareThe rising price of healthcare, up 18.6% over the past 12 months, is hammering businesses and the customers that they serve across the U.S. A recent paper from the Institute for New Economic Thinking, "Private Equity and Surprise Medical Billing," by Eileen Appelbaum, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, and Rosemary Batt, the Alice Hanson Cook Professor of Women and Work at Cornell University, sheds light on part of this inflationary trend.
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Federal emergency management: All in the name of security?
Michelle R. Matisons Civil & GovernmentRegarding recent controversies concerning Hurricane Dorian, National Weather Service (NWS) leader Neil Jacobs stated: "What did I learn over the last week? From now on, the National Weather Service should be at the table with emergency managers and FEMA, at all briefings." But this proposed coordination is complicated by obscured budgets in a vast, bureaucratic web. While the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is tasked with tracking weather changes, FEMA is tasked with providing resources for hurricane-threatened and impacted areas, among other things.
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Why teachers are quitting in droves
Patrick Gleeson EducationAlmost half of all K-12 teachers quit teaching within five years. Those who quit are disproportionately teachers in two of the most critical areas: English or science. Moreover, they quit soonest and most often in high-poverty and urban schools. But neither the federal government nor most state governments have convincingly answered the simple question of why this occurs.
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US Geological Survey: Microplastics are raining down on us
Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & EnvironmentalIt is raining plastic in nature, says the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Based on the findings from a recent USGS report, better methods for "sampling, identification, and quantification of plastic deposition along with assessment of potential ecological effects are needed." Why? The planet is becoming inundated by microplastics, negatively affecting marine life and posing health risks to populations around the world. Specifically, the report says plastic is "raining" down on the Rocky Mountains.
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To dental groups’ chagrin, federal sealant measure might be removed
Tammy Hinojos Oral & Dental HealthcareSealants prevent cavities in kids. Science says so. So why is the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) proposing a watered-down measure, titled "Primary Caries Prevention Intervention as Offered by Primary Care Providers, Including Dentists," that would take the place of current recommendations on sealants for kids? That's what the American Dental Association (ADA) and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) would like to know!
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US economy adds 130,000 new hires as unemployment rate holds at 3.7%
Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementIn August, U.S. nonfarm payrolls added 130,000 total new hires versus 164,000 in July as the unemployment rate held at 3.7%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were 6 million unemployed workers in August compared with 6.1 million in July. In August, there were scant or no changes to the jobless rates for men, women, blacks, Hispanics, whites, adults and teens from July. The employment-to-population ratio rate edged up to 60.9% versus 60.7% in July, the BLS reported.
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The patriotic law that almost everyone ignores
Roy Phillips Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityFederal law is found in the United States Code (USC). Title 4, Chapter 1 of the USC pertains to the United States flag. While the law specifies the manner in which the flag is to be treated, there is no official penalty. Furthermore, the Supreme Court has ruled that defacing the flag is a form of free speech protected by the First Amendment in two cases. These two cases did not strike down Title 4, Chapter 1, but they did rule against the constitutionality of local and state flag protection laws. Why is protecting the flag important? It comes down to protecting the sovereignty of the United States.
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CMS: Hospitals must post rates; hospitals not interested in doing so
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareIn healthcare, it seems that nothing is easy — technology, regulation, privacy, and security. And now, pricing. Efforts are underway to make prices more transparent; this is a tentpole issue for the Trump administration, which wants hospitals to begin posting "shoppable" prices online in 2020. According to reports, some hospitals are facing some challenges for doing so and are trying to figure out how they'll be able to meet the requirement.
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Exploring partnerships between Amazon, police departments
Bambi Majumdar Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityAs more homes turn to Amazon-owned Ring for surveillance and home security, the partnerships between Amazon and police departments continue to raise privacy concerns. The doorbell camera company has partnered with 400 police departments across the country, allowing them potential access to homeowners’ camera footage. Homeowners have the right to decline the request. Ring officials say that, after the initial rollout, police have had a lot of success in solving crimes that would otherwise take a long time to solve and deterring them.
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