TEXAS (TEXASTRIBUNE) – In 2020 and 2021, the number of deaths due to pregnancy or childbirth in mothers rose in the state of Texas. The Texas Tribune reports that the rates are the highest since the state started tracking maternal deaths in 2013. Even excluding deaths related to COVID-19, the numbers were worse than usual. The maternal mortality rate in 2020 was 27.7 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to 17.2 in 2019. With COVID-related deaths excluded, the rate was 24.2. This is according to a report released this month by the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee. In 80% of these cases, the committee determined there was at least some chance of saving the patient’s life – a decline from 90% from the previous report. A quarter of women died due to infections, the most common cause of death, followed by cardiovascular conditions, obstetric hemorrhage, embolisms and mental health conditions.
Continue reading Maternal deaths surged in Texas in 2020 and 2021
What to know about the pipeline fire burning in Houston’s suburbs
DEER PARK (AP) — A pipeline fire that forced hundreds of people to flee their homes in the Houston suburbs burned for a third day Wednesday, with officials saying they don’t expect it to be extinguished until sometime Thursday evening.
Officials said residents who had to evacuate would be allowed to return to their homes starting Wednesday evening.
Authorities have offered few details about what prompted the driver of an SUV to hit an above-ground valve on the pipeline on Monday, sparking the blaze.
Here are some things to know about the situation with the pipeline fire:
What caused the fire?
Officials say the underground pipeline, which runs under high-voltage power lines in a grassy corridor between a Walmart and a residential neighborhood in Deer Park, was damaged when the SUV driver left the store’s parking lot, entered the wide grassy area and went through a fence surrounding the valve equipment.
Authorities have offered few details on what caused the vehicle to hit the pipeline valve, the identity of the driver or what happened to them. The pipeline company on Wednesday called it an accident. Deer Park officials said preliminary investigations by police and FBI agents found no evidence of a terrorist attack.
Deer Park police won’t be able to reach the burned-out vehicle until the flame has been extinguished. Once the area is safe, the department will be able to continue its investigation and confirm specifics, city spokesperson Kaitlyn Bluejacket said in an email Wednesday.
The valve equipment appears to have been protected by a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. The pipeline’s operator has not responded to questions about any other safety protections that were in place.
Who is responsible for the pipeline?
Energy Transfer is the Dallas-based owner of the pipeline, a 20-inch-wide (50-centemeter-wide) conduit that runs for miles through the Houston area.
It carries natural gas liquids through the suburbs of Deer Park and La Porte, both of which are southeast of Houston. Energy Transfer said the fire had diminished overnight and was continuing to “safely burn itself out” on Wednesday.
Energy Transfer also built the Dakota Access Pipeline, which has been at the center of protests and legal battles. The company’s executive chairman, Kelcy Warren, has given millions of dollars in campaign contributions to Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
What’s being done to extinguish the fire?
Energy Transfer said its crews were working Wednesday to install specialized isolation equipment on both sides of the damaged section that will help extinguish the fire.
Once the equipment is installed, which could take several hours of welding, the isolated section of the pipeline will be purged with nitrogen, which will extinguish the fire, company and local officials said. After that, damaged components can be repaired.
“The safest way to manage this process is to let the products burn off,” Energy Transfer said.
Late Wednesday afternoon, Deer Park officials said repair work on the pipeline to help speed up the process to put out the fire wasn’t expected to be completed until 6 p.m. on Thursday. Once finished, the fire was anticipated to be extinguished within two to three hours.
How have residents been impacted?
Authorities evacuated nearly 1,000 homes at one point and ordered people in nearby schools to shelter in place. Officials said that starting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, residents in Deer Park and La Porte who had to evacuate would be allowed to return to their homes. A portion of a highway near the pipeline would remain closed, officials said.
Hundreds of customers lost power. Officials said Wednesday afternoon that only two customers remained without electricity in the Deer Park and La Porte area. Repairs to all of the power distribution lines affected by the fire had been completed.
Deer Park’s statement said Energy Transfer was “prioritizing the safety of the community and environment as it implements its emergency response plan.”
“We appreciate the patience and understanding of all residents during this ongoing situation,” Deer Park officials said.
By late Tuesday, about 400 evacuees remained, and some expressed frustration over being forced to quickly flee and not being given any timeline for when they will be able to return.
“We literally walked out with the clothes on our backs, the pets, and just left the neighborhood with no idea where we were going,” said Kristina Reff, who lives near the fire. “That was frustrating.”
What about pollution from the fire?
Energy Transfer and Harris County officials have said that air quality monitoring shows no immediate risk to individuals, despite the huge tower of billowing flame that shot hundreds of feet into the air, creating thick black smoke that hovered over the area.
Houston is the nation’s petrochemical heartland and is home to a cluster of refineries and plants and thousands of miles of pipelines. Explosions and fires are a familiar sight, and some have been deadly, raising recurring questions about industry efforts to protect the public and the environment.
Saoirse Ronan stars in trailer for Steve McQueen’s ‘Blitz’
Saoirse Ronan stars in the trailer for Steve McQueen's upcoming historical drama, Blitz.
Set in England during World War II, the trailer follows 9-year-old George, played by Elliott Heffernan, who embarks on a journey to return home to his mother, Rita, played by Ronan. Rita searches tirelessly for her missing son, who finds himself in great danger as he makes his way back to East London.
"You're responsible for his safety," Ronan's Rita says in the trailer. "Why can't you tell me, where's my boy?"
Later on in the trailer, while standing in front of a crowd, Rita says, "This is for all the parents whose children have been evacuated, and for my boy, George."
The Oscar-winning McQueen wrote and directed the Apple Original Film, which also stars Paul Weller as George's grandfather Gerald, as well as Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine and Kathy Burke.
Blitz arrives in theaters on Nov. 1, before it streams on Apple TV+ on Nov. 22.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
House rejects temporary funding bill to avoid government shutdown
Rusk County seeing strings of vehicle burglaries
RUSK COUNTY, Texas – Our news partners at KETK report that a recent spike in vehicle burglaries in Rusk County has forced local authorities to ask the public for help. The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) received several reports of vehicles being burglarized Wednesday night just south of Henderson. Sheriff Johnwayne Valdez said patrol deputies began compiling the reports for investigators in the southern part of the county, but with no further leads, they need the public’s help. The vehicle in question was described as a white Ford 4-door truck. Anyone with information is being urged to contact sheriff’s office or report via the Rusk County Crime Stoppers online tip form.
Why Brazilian officials want to pave a highway in the Amazon rainforest
(NEW YORK) -- A government plan to pave a highway in the Amazon rainforest is prompting concerns from environmentalists who say the development will cause more wildfires in the region.
But for those who live in remote areas of northwest Brazil, the highway could serve as a lifeline to modern civilization, experts argue.
The current road is 560 miles long and mostly dirt. It connects the Amazon-adjacent states of Amazonas and Roraima to the rest of the country.
The road is difficult for most vehicles to navigate, Nauê Azevedo, a litigation specialist for the Climate Observatory in Brazil, a network of 119 environmental, civil society and academic groups, told ABC News. The unpaved road has led to a lack in modern development in many rural areas, he added.
Paving the road, however, would pose dire consequences for the already degrading rainforest, Azevedo said.
The construction of BR-319, the formal government nomenclature, would likely lead to a "fishbone pattern" of deforestation extending from the roadway, Rachael Garrett, a professor of conservation and development at the University of Cambridge, told ABC News.
Moreover, the exposure to outside communities could harm indigenous groups living in the Amazon, Garrett said.
Added Azevedo: "From an environmental standpoint, paving this road will be so detrimental for the Amazon rainforest, which we all know is crucial -- both to Brazil and the world in general."
Aside from the further deforestation, environmental crimes, such as illegal logging and mining, would likely increase without proper governance in the region, Azevedo pointed out. Criminals would have easier access to remote areas and authorities would not be able to stop illegal activities, he said.
Brazil is experiencing one of the worst drought emergencies in history, according to the Pan American Health Organization. Rapid deforestation in the Amazon is reducing the amount of rainfall, therefore exacerbating the drought and risk of extreme wildfires.
Paving the road, however, would have social benefits for the residents nearby, according to Garrett, who has heard concerns from residents about having access to hospitals, schools and goods.
"There are really good, moral reasons, from the perspective of people living in this region, to have roads being paved," she said.
The controversy over the construction of BR-319 has been going on for years. In 2022, a permit to pave the highway was issued by former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, whose administration favored development in the Amazon.
But in July, a federal court suspended the permit following a lawsuit by the Climate Observatory, citing the need for protective measures to be put in place to control deforestation before paving begins.
"We asked the judiciary branch to stop this licensing process," Azevedo said. "The pathway is still there, but they will not be ... allowed to build anymore. So, it will stay as it is right now."
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva promised last week to pave the road while on a visit to an indigenous community in the state of Amazonas.
"We can’t leave two capitals," Lula said, adding that the construction will be done "with the utmost responsibility."
Lula's administration has appealed to reinstate the permit suspended by a federal judge.
Ensuring governance surrounding the construction of the highway is of the utmost importance, Azevedo said, adding that the health of the rainforest depends on it.
"We can't undo the damage that has already been done, but we could probably conserve and preserve what's the left of it," he said.
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‘The Penguin’ takes a deep dive into the classic Batman villain
It's time to delve deeper into the psyche of The Batman villain The Penguin. The new series The Penguin debuts Thursday on HBO.
It takes place in the universe of Robert Pattinson's The Batman, and show creator Lauren LeFranc tells ABC Audio that its themes go way beyond the criminal in the comic books.
She says, "There's a lot of themes about, you know, family and trauma and masculinity, and really a deeper examination overall as to what makes a monster and why do we engage with people who might be charming, but also really problematic and have darker sides to themselves."
LeFranc says the series picks up a week after the events of The Batman, with a damaged Gotham City flooded as a result of The Riddler blowing up the seawall.
"Carmine Falcone, you know, very large, larger-than-life crime boss in The Batman, is dead," she continues. "And that has sort of created a power vacuum. And Oz Cobb, played by Colin Farrell, seeks to fill it."
What you won't see in The Penguin is Pattinson's Batman, which LeFranc hopes won't be that big of a deal.
"I totally understand why people would want to see Batman or think that they would want to see Batman. You know, to me, I hope by the end of our show people don't feel that way. They feel like we've serviced really interesting, engaging characters and that this show can stand on its own in that regard," she shares.
Adds LeFranc, "I mean, of course we're taking place in the same universe where Batman exists. The thing Matt (Reeves) and I would always say is that Batman is just a man, you know, and he can't be everywhere. He doesn't have Spidey sense, you know?"
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
In brief: ‘Ellen Degeneres: For Your Approval’ trailer, ‘SNL’ vets reunite for ‘Platonic’ and more
So what's Ellen DeGeneres been up to lately? "I decided to take up gardening. I got chickens. Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business," the comedian jokes in the new trailer for what's being billed as her final stand-up special, Ellen DeGeneres: For You Approval, coming to Netflix Sept. 24. "The 'be kind' girl wasn't kind, that was the headline," she added. Here's the problem: I am comedian who got a talk show and I ended the show every day by saying, 'Be kind to one another.' Had I ended my show by saying 'go f*** yourselves,' people would've been pleasantly surprised to find out I'm kind." After a bombshell 2020 expose of a "toxic" work environment behind the scenes at her eponymous talk show, where "be kind" was the mantra" ...
Saturday Night Live vets Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney and Beck Bennett have landed recurring roles in season 2 of the Apple TV+ comedy series Platonic, according to Deadline. Platonic stars Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne as "a platonic pair of former best friends approaching midlife who reconnect after a long rift," per the streaming service. "The duo’s friendship becomes all consuming — and destabilizes their lives in a hilarious way." A premiere date for season 2 has yet to be announced ...
The trailer for Small Things Like These, Cillian Murphy's first film since winning an Oscar for Oppenheimer, has just been released. The movie, based on Claire Keegan's bestselling novel, stars Cillian as a devoted father who, while working as a coal merchant to support his family, "discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent — and uncovers truths of his own — forcing him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a small Irish town controlled by the Catholic Church," according to the film's official synopsis. Cillian also serves as a producer, along with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck ...
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Puerto Rico’s infrastructure still recovering from Hurricane Maria seven years after the Category 4 storm devastated the island
(NEW YORK) -- Puerto Rico is still recovering from Hurricane Maria -- nearly seven years after the powerful Category 4 storm caused extensive damage to the island's already delicate infrastructure.
September marks National Preparedness Month and the start of Hispanic Heritage Month -- stark reminders of the work that remains to be done on the island, especially as climate change could lead to more rapidly intensifying hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin.
Getting Puerto Rico to the necessary storm preparedness is about "justice and fairness" in protecting a unique culture and heritage that belongs to the United States, Jorge Gonzalez-Cruz, professor at the University of Albany's Atmospheric Sciences Research Center who has researched urban energy sustainability in Puerto Rico, told ABC News.
"We are U.S. citizens and deserve the best possible opportunity to develop and grow and have a sense of well-being and prosperity," said Gonzalez-Cruz, who was born and raised on the island.
Hurricane Maria brought 155 mph winds as it made landfall near the city of Yabucoa, on the southeast portion of the island, on Sept. 20, 2017. The storm knocked out 95% of cell towers, leaving residents without the ability to communicate. Power, already scarce due to Hurricane Irma just weeks before, was knocked out on the entire island. Flooding on the island was rampant, with 13 locations reaching record flood stage, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Structural damage to buildings was widespread, and nearly all road signs and traffic lights were destroyed, officials said.
Some communities were without power for up to a year, according to Gonzalez-Cruz.
Out of the nearly 3,000 deaths attributed to Maria, only dozens were as a result of the actual storm, Kyle Siler-Evans, senior engineer of RAND, a nonprofit research institute and public sector consulting firm, told ABC News. The rest of the fatalities were caused by lack of access to clean water, food and power for an extended period of time, he added.
The frequency of strong storms that impacted the U.S. in 2017 likely contributed to delays in response to Puerto Rico, Sally Ray, director of domestic funds for the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, told ABC News. Hurricane Harvey brought widespread flooding to the Houston area in August 2017. Hurricane Irma caused extensive damage in Florida after striking the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, in early September 2017.
"By the time you got to Maria, you know, everybody had given all their attention and money to Harvey and not as much to the subsequent storms of that season," Ray said.
The COVID-19 pandemic, subsequent storms that followed and the rise of inflation delayed the reconstruction even more, Siler-Evans said.
Puerto Rico was awarded $34 billion from the federal government for Hurricane Maria recovery efforts, $28.6 billion of which was allocated for permanent work and management costs, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
As of September 2023, 86% of FEMA's Projects for Puerto Rico, including hazard mitigation and management costs had been completed, according to FEMA.
Gonzalez-Cruz described recovery efforts as being at a "good pace," despite the setbacks. Improvements continue to be made to the power system, new flooding zones are regularly identified and reconstruction is moving steadily across the island, he said.
Thousands of smaller projects, such as the building of baseball fields and repairs to roads and bridges, are currently in the works as well, Siler-Evans told ABC News.
"But, [there's] still a lot of work to be done," Gonzalez-Cruz said.
Puerto Rico is often in the bullseye of storm systems that generate in the Atlantic Basin, the experts said. Every extreme weather event to impact the island since 2017 has been a litmus test of what still needs to be done to modernize its aging infrastructure, much of which was built during the mid-20th century.
More than 30,000 homes still had damaged roofs -- covered in blue tarp -- in 2019 as Hurricane Dorian neared the island, but a direct hit was avoided due to a late shift in track. In 2020, one million customers were without power following back-to-back earthquakes. An explosion and subsequent fire at a substation left 900,000 customers on the island without power in June 2021. Another massive fire at a major power plant caused a massive outage for about 1.3 million customers in April 2022, followed by Hurricane Fiona in September of that year.
Fiona was considered the first big test of the improvements made on the infrastructure since Maria, Gonzalez-Cruz said. The entire island lost power following the impact of the Category 1 storm.
The most recent named storm, Hurricane Ernesto, caused significant flooding on the island and left 730,000 customers without power -- about half the island -- after striking the island last month, officials said.
"There's this whole cycle of problems that happens after a storm like Ernesto that [doesn't] get the attention," Ray said.
The toll from the aftermath of Hurricane Maria took on the collective psyches of Puerto Ricans cannot be understated, Gonzalez-Cruz said.
"It also shocked the makeup of the Puerto Rican people," he said. "It revealed a lot of challenges that the island has been dealing with over [the] years."
FEMA, its federal partners and the Government of Puerto Rico continue working closely on the island's unprecedented recovery mission, a FEMA spokesperson said in an emailed statement to ABC News.
"FEMA is committed to the work that lies ahead and to ensuring that this historic recovery will have a lasting, positive impact on future generations," the spokesperson said. "As National Hispanic Heritage Month begins, FEMA is proud to mention that its Hispanic and Latino Employee Resource Group is one of the largest in the agency with nearly 1,000 members across the country, many of whom are Puerto Rican and are leading the island's long-term recovery efforts.
A request for comment from the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority was not immediately answered.
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Israeli businessman demanded $1 million to kill Netanyahu, other leaders, police say
(LONDON) -- Israeli police and intelligence services said they foiled an Iranian plot to assassinate top leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Moti Maman, a 73-year-old Israeli businessman from the city of Ashkelon, is accused of twice smuggling himself into Iran via Turkey to meet with intelligence officials directing would-be plots from Tehran.
The discussions allegedly included potential plans to attack Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Shin Bet intelligence chief Ronen Bar and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, among others.
Police and Shin Bet said the alleged plots were intended as retaliation for the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Hanieyh in Tehran in July, which Iran blamed on Israel.
A joint police and Shin Bet statement also accused Maman of discussing the possibility of acting as a money courier for others in Israel, locating Russian and American elements for the elimination of Tehran's opponents in Europe and the U.S. and recruiting a Mossad "double agent."
Maman's purported contacts were an Iranian businessman named only as Eddie, a man named Hajjah who was presented as an Iranian intelligence agent and other unnamed intelligence personnel.
The 73-year-old is alleged to have traveled to Iran twice -- in May and August 2024 -- following preparatory meetings with representatives of Eddie in Turkey, the first of which took place in the southern city of Samandag in April 2024, police said.
Maman was smuggled through the Turkey-Iran border twice, the second time "hidden inside a truck cabin," the statement said.
"The Israeli citizen demanded an advance payment of $1 million dollars before performing any action," police and Shin Bet said. "Iranian agents refused his request and informed him they would contact him in the future."
Maman allegedly received the equivalent of about $558,000 in euros for attending the meetings with Iranian intelligence personnel.
Authorities indicted Maman on Sept. 19.
A senior Shin Bet official described the case as "very serious," adding that security assessments "suggest that Iranians will continue their efforts to recruit operatives in Israel for intelligence gathering and carrying out terrorist missions in Israel, including approaching individuals with criminal backgrounds to fulfill these tasks."
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Instagram imposes new restrictions for teens. Will they work?
(NEW YORK) -- Instagram this week unveiled mandatory accounts for teens that bolster privacy protections, enable parental supervision, and restrict notifications during overnight hours.
New and existing users under the age of 18 will be automatically enrolled in what Instagram is calling "Teen Accounts," the company said.
The move comes 16 months after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned in an advisory that excessive social media could pose a “profound risk” to the mental health of children. Instagram also has faced pressure from some federal and state lawmakers seeking to regulate social media use among children and teens.
Experts who spoke to ABC News differed about whether Meta's new restrictions for teen users would effectively mitigate the risks that young Instagram users face.
Some experts applauded the guardrails as a meaningful, though insufficient, step toward preventing teen harm. Others said the absence of robust age verification account measures would allow young users to circumvent the rules, rendering the new settings largely pointless.
In response to an ABC News request for comment, Meta said the company is expanding its efforts to verify the age of teen users.
"We’re requiring teens to verify their age in new ways. For example, if they attempt to create a new account with an adult birthday, we will require them to verify their age in order to use the account," Meta spokesperson Dani Lever told ABC News.
"We also want to do more to proactively find accounts belonging to teens, even if the account lists an adult birthday. We're building technology to proactively find these teens and place them in the same protections offered by Teen Account settings," Lever added.
One expert said the restrictions also risk going too far, potentially limiting the free expression of teens and subjecting them to the control of parents with whom they may disagree about fundamental aspects of their identity.
“We need to be conscientious about the content that platforms are showing kids and how that can shape offline attitudes and behaviors,” Jon-Patrick Allem, a professor of public health at Rutgers University, told ABC News.
Allem added that he is reserving judgment until the changes receive further examination.
The new Teen Accounts were announced by Instagram head Adam Mosseri in a live interview Tuesday on ABC News' Good Morning America.
"They're an automatic set of protections for teens that try to proactively address the top concerns that we've heard from parents about teens online," Mosseri told GMA. "Things like who can contact them, what content they see and how much time they spend on their device ... all without requiring any involvement from the parent."
New teen users will automatically be enrolled in Teen Accounts, while existing teen users will see their accounts switch to the new model within 60 days, Mosseri said on GMA.
The new accounts will place users under 18 years old into a private account by default, the company said, while users under age 16 will require parental permission to switch over to a public account. Under the private account setting, teens will need to specifically accept new followers, and only those followers will be able to see their content and interact with them.
With the new accounts, teens also will have the power to choose the age-appropriate topics they want to see more of on Instagram, like sports or art, and parents will also be able to see the topics their teens choose, according to Instagram.
Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at New York University and author of The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, offered lukewarm praise for the restrictions in a post on X on Tuesday.
“I am cautiously optimistic about Meta’s new teen accounts,” Haidt said. “Most of the problems with social media will still plague teens on Instagram. But this is a good start, and I hope it is just the first of many steps from Meta.”
Paul Barrett, a professor at New York University Law School and deputy director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, acknowledged that some of the Instagram changes would alleviate harm endured by teens on the platform. However, he added that the move would likely have little impact in the absence of better age verification measures to ensure that teens enroll in the Teen Accounts.
“This points in the right direction,” Barrett told ABC News. But, he added: “None of this is very meaningful until the company does something about age and identity verification. All of the other requirements become ineffective if kids just pretend that they’re adults.”
At least one expert said the changes risk causing some harm by putting too many restrictions on teen Instagram users. For instance, a child’s parents may have different views about fundamental questions of identity, such as whether one should believe in god, Eric Goldman, a professor at Santa Clara University School of Law who studies content moderation, told ABC News. The increased parental supervision in the new accounts could enable such parents to limit their child’s personal growth, he added.
“Parents might have norms about certain behavior for their children,” Goldman said. “This might take away self-expression and self-exploration.”
In general, some children would likely benefit from the changes, while others would suffer harm, he added.
“Groups of children have different needs,” Goldman said. “If it’s a one-size-fits-all solution, some children are likely to benefit and others are likely to be harmed," though he added that Instagram has the right to make changes that it deems appropriate.
In response to such criticism, Meta said the company worked with relevant stakeholders to strike a balance between user experience and parental involvement.
"We consulted with parents, teens, and experts throughout the process of building Teen Accounts. With these changes, parents decide if teens under 16 can change the built-in settings," said Lever, of Meta. "This allows teens to use social media to connect with friends, explore and discover, while giving parents peace of mind that their teens have the right protections in place."
“If Instagram is adopting this because they think it’s the best for users, I support their freedom to set the policies and approach that is right for them,” Goldman said.
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3D mammography better at detecting early-stage cancer with fewer false positives, study finds
(NEW YORK) -- Newer three-dimensional imaging is more effective at detecting breast cancer and may improve long-term outcomes, according to a new study led by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine.
The study, which analyzed more than 272,000 breast cancer screenings over 13 years, showed that 3D mammography, known as digital breast tomosynthesis, or DBT, identified breast cancer at higher rates and earlier stages when compared to traditional 2D mammograms.
3D mammography also reduced the number of false positive results, leading to fewer unnecessary tests after initial screening, according to the study, published Tuesday in the medical journal Radiology.
The study builds on a growing body of research suggesting 3D mammography could offer benefits over 2D imaging.
According to lead co-author Dr. Liane Philpotts, this is the first study on 3D mammography of its scale, with 10 years' worth of 3D screening data.
"It confirms some of what we knew from earlier ... and shows the sustainability of these benefits," Philpotts told ABC News. "But the big take-home point is that the advanced cancer rate was less [with 3D mammography]. That is the most significant finding from this."
While 2D mammography is still accepted as a gold standard for breast cancer screening, an increasing number of health centers are incorporating this 3D technology.
Here are five questions answered about 3D mammography:
1. What is 3D mammography?
While traditional mammography involves a two-dimensional X-ray image, three-dimensional mammograms use a rotating "X-ray arc" that takes X-rays from multiple angles to create a detailed 3D representation of breast tissue.
This allows radiologists to scroll through 1-millimeter slices to obtain a more comprehensive view of the tissue.
2. Practically speaking, what are the benefits of 3D mammograms compared to 2D, according to the latest research?
3D mammograms may be able to detect breast cancers more frequently and at earlier stages. Earlier detection means earlier treatment and a higher chance of a cure.
In addition, 3D mammograms were associated with fewer false positive results, reducing the burden of unnecessary follow up testing. This could mean less time, money and stress for patients.
"It gives us ... a better chance of finding things, and also a reduced chance of having to call people back unnecessarily," Philpotts said. "So, it's kind of a win-win from that point of view."
3. What do current guidelines say about 2D vs. 3D mammograms?
According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines -- an influential group of experts whose guidelines help determine government insurance coverage -- 2D and 3D mammography are both effective forms of breast cancer screening.
Right now, one is not recommended over the other.
4. Is it covered by insurance?
Many insurance providers, including Medicare, cover 3D mammography.
However, coverage varies depending on insurance company and state of residence, as 3D mammograms are more expensive than 2D.
In some cases, only a portion is covered, or patients must meet a deductible first. Patients may need to call their insurance provider to understand what their individual plan covers.
5. Can I request it during my next screening?
More than likely, if you are due for breast cancer screening, you could receive a 3D mammogram.
3D breast mammography is offered at 90% of certified breast imaging centers. However, 3D imaging may not be necessary for everyone. It is a good idea to speak with your provider about whether it's right for you.
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Israel launches strikes on Hezbollah in wake of device explosions
(LONDON) -- Israel launched a series of strikes on Hezbollah targets Thursday as the war against the Lebanon-based group widened in the wake of two consecutive days of deadly explosions triggered in wireless devices.
Israel said it hit at least 30 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including a weapons storage facility, adding it will continue to "operate against the threat of the Hezbollah."
"The IDF is currently striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon to degrade Hezbollah’s terrorist capabilities and infrastructure," the Israeli army said Thursday afternoon. "The Hezbollah terrorist organization has turned southern Lebanon into a combat zone. For decades, Hezbollah has weaponized civilian homes, dug tunnels beneath them, and used civilians as human shields."
Two large sonic booms shook buildings in Beirut on Thursday as Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah delivered a speech on this week's device explosions. The IDF strikes come as Nasrallah said the use of the devices in civilian areas crossed all laws and red lines.
"This criminal act is a major terrorist operation, an act of genocide and massacre and amounts to a declaration of war," Nasrallah said.
"The only way to return the displaced to the north is to stop the aggression on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. What you are doing will increase the displacement of the displaced from the north and will remove the opportunity for their return," Nasrallah said.
The last two days of explosions in Lebanon, triggered remotely with explosives inside pagers or walkie-talkies, have killed at least 37 people and wounded 2,931, Lebanese Health Minister Firass Al-Abyad said in a press conference Thursday.
Prior to announcing the strikes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu restated his intention of returning tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to their homes in the north of the country, parts of which have been emptied by the threat of Hezbollah attacks.
Two IDF soldiers were killed by Hezbollah rockets in the north on Thursday, the army said.
"This is a new phase of the war, it includes opportunities but also significant risks. Hezbollah feels that it is being persecuted and the sequence of military and defense actions will continue," Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Thursday following the airstrikes.
The Israeli rhetoric was punctuated by the two waves of explosions in Lebanon.
Pager devices exploded on Tuesday prompting chaos in the capital Beirut and across the Hezbollah militant group's southern heartland. On Wednesday, walkie-talkies exploded, some during funeral processions being held for militants killed in Tuesday's explosions.
An ABC News source confirmed that Israel was behind the Tuesday pager attacks. Israeli leaders have not publicly commented on either round of explosions.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said 12 people were killed and 2,323 wounded in Tuesday's pager detonations, and another 25 people were killed and 608 wounded in Wednesday's walkie-talkie blasts, according to Al-Abyad.
The Lebanese health minister told reporters that he does not want to comment on security and political matters, but he said "it is certain that what happened in terms of aggression is considered a war crime, as the majority of the injuries were recorded in civilian areas and not in the battlefield, and the government is doing its duty and has called for a meeting of the U.N. Security Council, and human rights organizations are doing their duty on this issue."
Hezbollah said 20 of its members were killed in Wednesday's walkie-talkie explosions. Another 11 were killed in Tuesday's pager explosions in Lebanon and Syria, bringing the overall death toll for the group to 31.
The Iranian-backed group blamed Israel for both waves of explosions and vowed a "reckoning."
The militant group claimed several retaliatory strikes into Israel this week -- including on Thursday morning -- with Israel Defense Forces warplanes and artillery responding.
Cross-border fire has been near-constant since Oct. 8, when Hezbollah began attacks in protest of the Israel Defense Forces operation into the Gaza Strip -- the response to Hamas' Oct. 7 infiltration attack into southern Israel.
But as Gallant told reporters on Wednesday, "I believe that we are at the onset of a new phase in this war."
A source confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday that Israel's 98th Division is being deployed from Gaza battlefields to the north of the country.
"We are determined to change the security reality as soon as possible," Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, head of the IDF's Northern Command, said. "The commitment of the commanders and the troops here is complete, with peak readiness for any task that will be required."
The war, U.S. officials have long warned, could spiral into a broader conflict involving Iran -- a prime benefactor of both Hezbollah and Hamas.
Notable casualties demonstrated the multinational nature of the crisis. A detonating pager injured at least 14 people in Syria, where both Hezbollah and Iranian forces have been active for several years in support of its President Bashar al-Assad.
Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amini, was also among the thousands injured, Iranian officials said. Tehran "will duly follow up on the attack against its ambassador in Lebanon," the country's ambassador to the United Nations said in a letter to U.N. leaders on Wednesday.
Israel and Iran have already exchanged significant strikes since Oct. 7. Israel assassinated a top Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi in Syria in April and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July. Iran fired a huge barrage of drones and missiles toward Israel in response to Zahedi's killing.
This week's bombings in Lebanon raised the possibility of further action, whether overt or covert. Police announced on Thursday that an Israeli citizen was arrested on suspicion of working with Iranian intelligence to assassinate leaders including Netanyahu and Gallant.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated U.S. appeals for calm during a press conference in Egypt on Wednesday, where he traveled for fresh Gaza cease-fire talks.
"Broadly speaking, we've been very clear, and we remain very clear about the importance of all parties avoiding any steps that could further escalate the conflict that we're trying to resolve in Gaza," Blinken said.
A conflict spreading to other fronts, he added, is "clearly not in the interest of anyone involved."
The U.S., Blinken and other American officials said, were not involved in or pre-briefed on the remote explosions that rocked Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Gallant spoke with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin three times in two days, the latest conversation on Wednesday reaffirming the "unwavering U.S. support for Israel in the face of threats from Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, and Iran's other regional partners" and the need for de-escalation, a Pentagon readout said.
U.S. officials were notified by Israeli counterparts on Tuesday that they were planning an operation against Hezbollah, but did not provide any details about what they were going to do, U.S. officials said.
ABC News' Ghazi Balkiz, Will Gretsky, Morgan Winsor, Luis Martinez, Shannon K. Kingston, Ellie Kaufman, Nasser Atta, Jordana Miller and Marcus Moore contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Cease pitches into the 9th and Machado hits 2 of Padres’ 4 homers in a 4-0 win vs Astros
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Dylan Cease pitched brilliantly into the ninth inning and Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Donovan Solano hit consecutive homers in the eighth for the San Diego Padres, who beat the AL West-leading Houston Astros 4-0 on Wednesday.
Machado homered twice for the Padres, who won two of three against the Astros and stayed 2 1/2 games ahead of the Diamondbacks and Mets for the first NL wild card. Houston came in with a five-game division lead over Seattle, which hosted the New York Yankees later.
Cease (14-11), who threw his first career no-hitter on July 25 at Washington, took a one-hitter into the ninth before Mauricio Dubón beat out an infield single to shortstop. Cease struck out Jake Meyers but then shortstop Xander Bogaerts booted Jose Altuve’s grounder for an error that allowed Dubón to take third, and that was it for the right-hander after 103 pitches.
Cease retired the first 15 Astros batters before allowing a single to right field by Jason Heyward to open the sixth. Cease then retired the side.
Cease said it was probably the third-best start of his career, following his no-hitter and his near no-hitter against Minnesota in 2022 with the Chicago White Sox. That one was broken up with two outs in the ninth by Luis Arraez, who is now his Padres teammate.
“I remember looking up through six or seven and the pitch count was reasonable and I went up to Rueben (Niebla, the pitching coach), and said, ‘Hey, I’m going to get through the eighth and ninth today,’” Cease said. “He said, ‘Hey, just take it one at a time,’ and I said, ‘OK.’ When you get through six with a low pitch count, it’s very easy to dream about going further.”
Cease struck out five and walked none. Tanner Scott got two outs for his 21st save, completing the two-hitter.
“Just attacking the strike zone, mixing it up and relying on my defense, really,” Cease said.
Padres manager Mike Shildt called Cease “dominant. He was outstanding. Controlled counts, just a ton of life with everything. The ball was jumping. … He was in control the whole way.”
“Dylan Cease is a special talent,” Shildt added.
Machado, who has 29 homers, lined a leadoff shot to left-center against Framber Valdez in the sixth.
Tatis, who struck out in his first three at-bats, hit reliever Kaleb Ort’s first pitch into the first row in left-center leading off the eighth. It was his 19th. Machado followed with a shot deep into the seats in left and Solano hit a liner to left, his seventh. That was it for Ort, who threw just nine pitches.
“That was awesome,” Cease said. “Talk about kind of getting some breathing room right there, it was pretty amazing.”
The Padres are closing in on their third playoff berth since 2020. Their 37-17 record since the All-Star break is the best in the majors.
“We beat a really good club out there,” Machado said. “It’s fun. We’re playing really good baseball. We beat a really good ballclub that we’re probably going to be facing later on, so to go out there and play like we did and have Cease throw like he did, it was a good day.”
Of course, if the Astros and Padres meet again, it will be in the World Series.
“We’ve been playing postseason baseball for the last month,” Machado said. “Every game counts, man. I mean, it’s fun, man. … It’s a little taste of it. This is not over.
“We’ve always understood what the goal is all year and nothing’s changed. We’re going to continue to think that way.”
Playing in front of three loud sellout crowds at Petco Park provided an atmosphere that was “playoff-caliber, that’s for sure,” Shildt said. “All three games were nip-and-tuck.”
Valdez (14-7) went seven innings, allowing one run and five hits while striking out six and walking two.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: Arraez got the day off to rest his sore left knee, which he jammed into home plate while being thrown out on Monday night. Arraez started at DH on Tuesday night.
UP NEXT
Astros: LHP Yusei Kikuchi (9-9, 4.29 ERA) is scheduled to start Thursday night in the opener of a four-game home series against the Los Angeles Angels, who will go with LHP José Suarez (1-2, 6.80).
Padres: RHP Joe Musgrove (6-5, 4.23 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday night’s home series opener against the 117-loss Chicago White Sox, who are set to go with LHP Garrett Crochet (6-12, 3.78).
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Ohtani steals 49th base in Dodgers’ 8-4 win over Marlins
MIAMI (AP) — Shohei Ohtani stole his 49th base and moved closer to becoming the first player in major league history with 50 homers and 50 steals in a season as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Miami Marlins 8-4 Wednesday night.
Ohtani, who began the day two shy of each mark, singled to lead off the game then swiped second. He flew out to left, struck out, lined out to right and struck out in his next four plate appearances.
“What a season – it is remarkable that he can hit as a DH but what’s more remarkable is that he keeps his legs loose to be able to steal,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Tommy Edman hit his sixth homer in the last eight games for the NL West-leading Dodgers (90-62), who remained 3 1/2 games ahead of second-place San Diego. Enrique Hernández and Will Smith also went deep and Freddie Freeman had three hits.
The Dodgers reached 90 victories for the 11th consecutive season of 162 games.
“It’s pretty impressive. It’s one of the best organizations in baseball as far as consistency of winning,” Roberts said. “You can’t take it for granted because getting to play in October isn’t a rite of passage for any organization.”
Dodgers starter Landon Knack (3-4) gave up two hits over five scoreless innings. He walked two and struck out seven. For Knack, the outing overcame the frustrations of his previous start, when he gave up five runs and seven hits in two innings against Atlanta last Friday.
“Obviously, not happy with that one,” Knack said. “I was very angry and ready to bounce back.”
Smith gave Los Angeles an early lead with his solo homer in the second. He drove a fastball from Miami starter Ryan Weathers over the wall in left for his 19th homer.
The Dodgers broke it open with a five-run fourth against Weathers (3-6). Edman hit a two-run homer and Hernández added a three-run drive.
“I’ve had some bad habits that I’ve developed and I’ve been working hard to correct those,” Edman said of his recent power surge. “It’s still a work in progress but I think it’s getting better.”
Miami narrowed the deficit on Otto López’s two-run single off Zach Logue and Nick Fortes’ sacrifice fly against Blake Treinen in the seventh.
Chris Taylor increased Los Angeles’ lead with a two-run single in the eighth.
Weathers’ outing ended after Freeman’s one-out double in the fifth. The left-hander, who made his first appearance since June 7, gave up six runs and eight hits while striking out five. He was sidelined because of a left index finger strain.
“I was happy to be back,” Weathers said. “I wish I could have thrown the ball better.”
Wednesday’s crowd of 17,138 put the Marlins season attendance at 1,007,039, ahead of only the Oakland A’s.
Before the game, the Dodgers activated right-handed reliever Joe Kelly from the injured list and selected Logue’s contract from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Kelly relieved Knack and pitched a perfect sixth. The club optioned right-handed pitchers Bobby Miller and Michael Grove to Oklahoma City.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (left big toe bone spur) threw a bullpen session on Wednesday and Roberts considered it an important step in his rehab. … INF Miguel Rojas was a late scratch because he was “feeling under the weather,” according to Roberts.
Marlins: RHP Max Meyer (right shoulder bursitis) is continuing his rehab program at the club’s spring training complex in Jupiter, Fla. He will be evaluated in the next days for a possible throwing program.
UP NEXT
RHP Jack Flaherty (12-7, 3.04) will start the series finale for the Dodgers on Thursday while the Marlins will go with RHP Edward Cabrera (4-7, 4.55).
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AP MLB: https://www.apnews.com/hub/MLB