Biden Administration Takes Step To Curb Credit Card Fees, Bridge Racial Disparities

<!– Biden Administration Takes Step To Curb Credit Card Fees, Bridge Racial Disparities – The Seattle Medium


The ambitious plan, announced on Tuesday, March 5, aims not only to alleviate immediate financial burdens for consumers but also addresses the systemic inequities faced by those residing in predominantly Black or African American and Hispanic or Latino communities.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

In a move to confront racial disparities in credit terms, the Biden administration has unveiled a proposal to cap credit card late fees at $8, challenging the longstanding issue of “junk fees” that disproportionately affect people of color and minorities. The ambitious plan, announced on Tuesday, March 5, aims not only to alleviate immediate financial burdens for consumers but also addresses the systemic inequities faced by those residing in predominantly Black or African American and Hispanic or Latino communities.

Recent studies have shed light on the stark differences in credit terms, revealing that cardholders in these minority-majority neighborhoods face lower credit limits and higher interest rates than their counterparts in predominantly white areas, even considering factors like credit scores and income. One analysis of a diverse sample of cardholders uncovered troubling trends, including credit limits for those in majority Black and Hispanic zip codes, which were, on average, $3,412 and $4,285 lower, respectively. Also, interest rates for individuals in these zip codes were, on average, approximately 1.3 and 1.4 percentage points higher, respectively.

Beyond the immediate financial relief for consumers, the White House said the proposed regulation aligns with the broader mission of the Biden administration to dismantle systemic economic disparities. By reducing excessive fees, particularly those impacting people of color, the administration aims to create a more level playing field and alleviate the financial burdens marginalized communities face.

The disparities in credit terms impact the upfront costs of credit and have broader implications. Individuals in the majority Black and Hispanic zip codes often carry their credit card balances for extended periods, leading to higher overall costs. Lower credit limits can also result in elevated credit utilization rates, potentially contributing to lower credit scores.

As part of a comprehensive strategy, Biden announced that his administration is forming a new “strike force” to combat illegal and unfair pricing across various sectors, including groceries, prescription drugs, health care, housing, and financial services. Officials said the multifaceted approach underscores the administration’s commitment to dismantling systemic barriers and promoting financial inclusivity.

While the proposal is expected to save Americans up to $10 billion annually, the White House said its potential impact on racial and economic disparities signifies a critical step towards building a more just and equitable financial system.

“Credit card companies collect billions of dollars in excessive late fees at the expense of economically vulnerable families every year,” Chuck Bell, advocacy program director at Consumer Reports, said in a statement. “It’s simply unfair to impose a steep late fee penalty that far exceeds the credit card company’s costs, especially when someone is just a few hours or a couple of days late making their payment.”



Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Study Finds Many Kids With Sickle Cell Anemia Lack Preventative Care

Press Release EMBARGOED until Wednesday, March 6, 12:05 AM EST

Newswise — LOS ANGELES (March 6, 2024)—Children with sickle cell anemia are vulnerable to serious infections and stroke, but many do not receive the preventative care that could help them stay healthier for longer, a Children’s Hospital Los Angeles study found.

To assess the quality of preventative care received by children with sickle cell anemia, a team of investigators led by CHLA researchers examined how many children met two nationally endorsed quality standards. The researchers measured how many young children with sickle cell anemia received adequate preventative antibiotics to prevent infection and if children and adolescents with sickle cell anemia received annual brain ultrasounds to assess their stroke risk.

“What we found, unfortunately, was not what we’d hoped for,” says Ashaunta Anderson, MD, MPH, MSHS, Pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, who led the study. When the CHLA researchers and their collaborators compared Medicaid claims data from California and Georgia from 2010 to 2019, they found that only about 20% of children from 3 months to 5 years old with sickle cell anemia received preventative antibiotics in a given year, while about half of children and adolescents between the ages of 2 to 15 received an annual transcranial Doppler ultrasound. Twice-daily doses of antibiotics, given consistently, can protect young children with sickle cell anemia from developing serious infections. Children and adolescents with abnormal ultrasounds have a higher-than-normal risk of stroke, but once identified, their risk can be significantly reduced by receiving regular blood transfusions. The research was published in the journal Pediatrics.

Sickle cell anemia: a chronic, inherited disease

About 100,000 people in the United States have sickle cell anemia, including approximately 1 out of every 400 African-Americans and about 1 in 19,000 Latinos. This chronic, genetic disease distorts the doughnut-shaped red blood cells that carry oxygen in blood into sickle shapes, leading them to clump in vessels and block blood flow to organs. These acutely painful episodes in children can lead to complications, including joint pain, infections, organ damage and stroke. 

“We have a long history of treating patients in our Sickle Cell Disease Program at CHLA,” says Thomas Coates, MD, Section Head, Hematology and study co-author. “We provide specialist care and access to clinical trials. We focus on developing innovations in safer care, such as stroke prevention. We also provide practical support for patients’ families, such as help with transportation to appointments to make it easier for them to get their children consistent care.”

Investigating who gets care

Children with private insurance generally meet the standards for preventative care, but because of health care disparities, the quality of care received by children from low-income families insured by Medicaid varies by state and can depend on whether the child’s family lives in an urban or a rural area. Children with sickle cell anemia were more likely to receive antibiotics if they lived in rural Georgia than if they lived in a city. Trends in the data also suggested that patients had a greater chance of receiving preventative antibiotics if their provider was a specialist—a pediatric hematologist—instead of their general pediatrician.  

As patients got older, they were less likely to receive their annual scan for stroke risk. However, the percentage of children getting scanned for stroke overall increased during the years of the study, which Dr. Anderson credits to growing data collection efforts by states leading to more awareness.

Why quality standards not met  

“A reason why these quality standards are not being met could be lack of information,” says Dr. Anderson. “Providers may be unfamiliar with the guidelines. Patients and families may not know the importance of twice-daily antibiotics and getting annual scans for stroke risk up to age 16.” Patients may lack access to hospitals and clinics that can perform and interpret this kind of ultrasound. Refilling the penicillin prescription every two weeks can be challenging if a family lacks transportation or money. 

“We are encouraged that these kinds of measurements can be tracked in every state in the country,” Dr. Anderson says. “We can start to do quality improvement programs in every clinic and every hospital, starting with these two measures, in order to deliver better care for children with sickle cell anemia.”

The study was funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (grant UL1TR001855). Sickle Cell Data Collection team contributions from California and Georgia were supported by a cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC-RFA-DD20-2003, Sickle Cell Data Collection Program).

Other contributors included: Wendy J. Mack, PhD, of the Keck School of Medicine of USC; Sophia S. Horiuchi, PhD, and Susan Paulukonis, MA, MPH, of Tracking California; Mei Zhou, MS, and Angela B. Snyder, PhD, MPH, of Georgia State University; Jason N. Doctor, PhD, of USC; Michele Kipke, PhD, of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; and Gary Freed, MD, MPH, of the University of Michigan Medical School.

About Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Founded in 1901, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is at the forefront of pediatric medicine and is the largest provider of hospital care for children in California. Children’s Hospital is home to renowned experts who work together across disciplines to deliver inclusive and compassionate care, and drive advances that set pediatric standards across the nation and around the globe. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles provides a level of care to its diverse population of children that is among the best in the world. The hospital is consistently ranked in the top 10 in the nation on U.S. News & World Report’s Honor Roll of Best Children’s Hospitals, including No. 1 in California and No. 1 in the Pacific U.S. region. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles embraces its mission to create hope and build healthier futures. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is among the top 10 children’s hospitals for National Institutes of Health funding. The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles supports the full continuum of research, allowing physicians and scientists to translate discoveries into treatments and bring answers to families faster. The pediatric academic medical center also is home to one of the largest training programs for pediatricians in the United States. And the hospital’s commitment to building strong communities is evident in CHLA’s efforts to fight food insecurity, enhance health education and literacy, and introduce more people to careers in health care. To learn more, follow CHLA on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and X, formerly known as Twitter, and visit CHLA.org/blog.

German expressionists mined the anxiety of war — and the vibrancy of life

Much German expressionist art was made in the wake of, and was profoundly shaped by, World War I. Yet conflict and death are not the primary subjects of the National Gallery of Art’s “The Anxious Eye: German Expressionism and Its Legacy.” The earliest works in the exhibition, which consists mostly of prints from the museum’s collection, were made a few years before Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination plunged nearly all of Europe into bloody struggle.

These pieces include vivid color, humorous touches and sensual subjects. Such elements also feature in the show’s final gallery, which holds more recent pictures by artists who were influenced by the movement.

Yet war and weaponry are motifs that do lead from the first gallery to the last, from George Grosz’s “Attack” to Leonard Baskin’s “The Hydrogen Man.” The first is a small 1915 lithograph of chaotic World War I combat; the second is a large 1954 woodcut of a sinewy figure stripped of flesh, made in response to an American H-bomb test that unleashed an unexpectedly large quantity of poisonous radiation.

The National Gallery’s commentary on the show traces German expressionism to a pair of short-lived art movements that began between 1905 and 1911: the Bridge, based in Dresden, and the Blue Rider in Munich. But the movement was inspired by earlier developments in France and other European countries. One of the Blue Rider’s founders was the Moscow-born Wassily Kandinsky, and the influences of Franco-Spanish cubism and Norwegian painter Edvard Munch are hard to overlook.

Like their French peers, the Germans were beguiled by the cultures of Africa and Oceania, which they viewed with an admiration mixed with condescension. Such artists as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (a founder of the Bridge), Emil Nolde and Max Pechstein depicted nudes in what often appear to be tropical climes. Nolde and Pechstein even traveled to the Pacific, visiting German colonies that would be confiscated by the Allies just a few years later, after World War I.

German modernists made art in the midst of catastrophe — and renewal

Most of the nudes, pre- and postwar, are in the second of the four galleries, devoted to “Nature and Spirituality.” But the show opens with “Portraiture,” a room that contains the works that seem to typify German expressionism. These likenesses, often self-portraits, are stark, angular, intentionally crude and sometimes confrontational. Inspired by then-new theories of human psychology, the renderings use distorted features to convey tortured dispositions.

Although such artists as Käthe Kollwitz made exquisitely vivid woodcuts in just black and white, others added watercolor, often in non-naturalistic hues. Skin tones turn a troubling bilious green in pictures by Walter Gramatté — his has the exemplary title “The Great Anxiety (Self-Portrait, in Three-Quarter Profile to the Right)” — and Erich Heckel. Maybe it’s the subject’s high forehead and pointed ear, but Heckel’s “Man in Prayer” suggests the vampire of F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu,” the classic German expressionist film released just three years after this hand-colored woodcut.

While reflecting on the losses of the First World War, some of the show’s contributors seem to anticipate the horrors of the second one. Death is a recurring presence, often personified as a skull-headed figure, in prints by Otto Dix and Lovis Corinth (neither of whom identified as expressionists at the time). Also on hand is “Sorrow,” the title of a print in which a woman appears to be folding in on herself. It’s by Egon Schiele, who was an expressionist, but an Austrian one.

The show’s final gallery is devoted to more recent prints by artists indebted to the works in the three preceding rooms. These tend to be bigger and more detailed than the German expressionist works, but with evident stylistic and thematic affinities. The largest is Israeli artist Orit Hofshi’s print, rubbing and drawing of figures in barren terrain, suggesting a postwar landscape. It’s as bleak and haunted as Baskin’s “The Hydrogen Man,” which hangs nearby.

Germanic but lighter-hearted is French-born American artist Nicole Eisenman’s phenomenally detailed “Beer Garden,” a scene partly viewed through an upturned beer stein. Two African American artists, Kerry James Marshall and David C. Driskell, offer contrasting takes on the German-expressionist portrait: Marshall’s is closer to the original style, while Driskell’s captures its sense of coexistent stillness and agitation. Like so many of the pictures in “The Anxious Eye,” Driskell’s self-portrait seems to peer into an unmoving head to convey the turbulence within.

The Anxious Eye: German Expressionism and Its Legacy

National Gallery of Art, Sixth Street and Constitution Ave. NW. nga.gov. 202-737-4215.

Dates: Through May 27.

Prices: Free.

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Mahogany Gallery in Racine celebrates Black art & culture

RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) — The third annual Wisconsin Black Arts and Culture Expo is running through the end of March.

It’s a two-month long event with dates and locations spread across the area to celebrate Black art.

Scott Terry is the founder of the expo and owner at Mahogany Gallery and Mahogany Black Arts and Culture Center.

He says art and culture are intertwined. “It’s a form of expression that’s been around for a very long time and particularly in communities of color,” he said.

The gallery is a place for Black art to grow. A number of artists have their work on display, and it helps bring opportunities.

Terry is also providing opportunities for artists to expand with his Emerge program. “Emerge is our artist development fellowship initiative that I started to help artists of color in Racine to help launch and expand their artistic practice,” he said. 

It’s all about acknowledging the contributions of Black artists and for the community to engage with their work. 

“Here in Racine…there was a void in having a resource. A physical space for people to learn and for artists to show their work and be seen but also to become more aware and more name recognition for collectors,” said Terry.

The Wisconsin Black Arts and Culture Expo runs through the end of March. Click here for more on the remaining events.

Share this article:

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Ricky Jones: Kentucky leaders fail us by not standing up to racists

… the divisiveness and "reverse racism" of Diversity Equity and … ; it’s about anti-Black racism. But also like Florida, Kentucky … by the school’s first African American Dean of Arts & Sciences … don’t stand up to racism pay. More and more Black … RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News

Helen Mirren, Viola Davis among those getting their own Barbie for International Women’s Day

Actress Helen Mirren has said she is “blown away” by a new Barbie created in her likeness.

The glamorous doll, complete with its own Academy Award, is one of a series of eight launched by toymaker Mattel to mark International Women’s Day on Friday.

Despite holding the Oscar — which Mirren won for her role in the 2006 movie “The Queen” — the doll is wearing the blue dress and dyed blue hair that the actress modeled on the red carpet at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Helen Mirren gets her own Barbie for International Women’s Day

Helen Mirren attends the “Jeanne du Barry” screening and opening ceremony red carpet at the 76th annual Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2023.

Mirren, the 78-year-old star who narrated last year’s hit “Barbie” movie, said she regards the creation of the doll as a “huge compliment.”

People are also reading…

In a statement posted on her website, the star, whose other movies include “Elizabeth I,” “Gosford Park” and “Golda,” said: “I am absolutely blown away by my Barbie. To be chosen by Barbie as a Role Model is a huge compliment, and something I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams happening to me at this stage in my life.

“It’s a very special thing, and something I can add to my list of my favourite achievements; becoming a Dame of the British Empire, having an Oscar, having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — and having my own Barbie!”

Of the doll’s dramatic outfit — emulating the cornflower-blue gown by Del Core that she wore at Cannes — Mirren said: “The intricacy and detail of the doll is extraordinary; I love that the Barbie doll is wearing one of my favourite ever red carpet looks, and it was the first time I’d ever had blue hair, and it felt so exciting. I like to embrace theatrical fashion and the joy that having fun with fashion can bring, and I think that this joy should be age-less. And the cherry on top of the cake is my doll having a miniature Oscar. It is an absolutely perfect reproduction.”

Helen Mirren gets her own Barbie for International Women’s Day

The new dolls were created to mark International Women’s Day.

Mirren’s doll was one of a series of “one of a kind role model dolls” launched by Mattel to celebrate Barbie’s 65th anniversary. Among the others are singers Kylie Minogue and Shania Twain and actress Viola Davis. Also celebrated with their own dolls are Brazil’s Maira Gomez, a content creator from the indigenous Tatuyo community; Mexican director, producer and screenwriter Lila Avilés; Japanese model Nicole Fujita and German comedian Enissa Amani.

Tweeting pictures of herself with her likeness, Minogue wrote: “Baby Kylie would NOT believe this is happening right now …. Thank you @barbie @barbiestyle @Mattel”

Previous role model dolls have included TV producer Shonda Rhimes, professional skateboarder Sky Brown and Sarah Gilbert, who developed the COVID-19 vaccine.

Commenting on the launch of the new dolls on Mattel’s website, Krista Berger, Senior Vice President of Barbie and Global Head of Dolls, said: “Barbie’s story has never been just about her. It’s about the countless young kids she’s inspired and the millions of stories she helped them imagine along the way.

“For the past 65 years, Barbie has used her global platform to empower girls to dream big, explore their limitless potential, and direct their own narrative to shape their future. As we celebrate this milestone anniversary, we recognize over six decades of stories Barbie has helped write and the doll that continues to give everyone the opportunity to dream — and dream big.”

#lee-outstream-wrap { height: 100%; width: 100%; max-width: 800px; margin: 0 auto; display: none; position: relative; } #lee-outstream-wrap .ima-controls-div { z-index: 99; } #lee-outstream-wrap .lee-outstream-video { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; } #lee-outstream-wrap .lee-outstream-video video { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; z-index:1; } #lee-outstream-close { display: none; position: absolute; cursor: pointer; top: -25px; left: -25px; padding: 10px; overflow: hidden; background-color: #000; border-radius: 20px; color: #fff; z-index: 99; line-height: 0; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4) 0px 0px 5px 0px; } #lee-outstream-close:hover { color: rgba(255,255,255,.8); } #lee-outstream-wrap.sticky { position: fixed; bottom:0; right:0; width: 400px; z-index: 1000; height: auto; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4) 0px 0px 10px 0px; } #lee-outstream-wrap.sticky #lee-outstream-close{ display: block; } @media (max-width: 767px){ #lee-outstream-wrap.sticky { width: 60%; } }

#lee-rev-content { margin:0 -5px; } #lee-rev-content h3 { font-family: inherit!important; font-weight: 700!important; border-left: 8px solid var(–lee-blox-link-color); text-indent: 7px; font-size: 24px!important; line-height: 24px; } #lee-rev-content .rc-provider { font-family: inherit!important; } #lee-rev-content h4 { line-height: 24px!important; font-family: “serif-ds”,Times,”Times New Roman”,serif!important; margin-top: 10px!important; } @media (max-width: 991px) { #lee-rev-content h3 { font-size: 18px!important; line-height: 18px; } } #pu-email-form-breaking-email-article { clear: both; background-color: #fff; color: #222; background-position: bottom; background-repeat: no-repeat; padding: 15px 0 20px; margin-bottom: 40px; border-top: 4px solid rgba(0,0,0,.8); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0,0,0,.2); display: none; } #pu-email-form-breaking-email-article, #pu-email-form-breaking-email-article p { font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, “Segoe UI”, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, “Apple Color Emoji”, “Segoe UI Emoji”, “Segoe UI Symbol”; } #pu-email-form-breaking-email-article h2 { font-size: 24px; margin: 15px 0 5px 0; font-family: “serif-ds”, Times, “Times New Roman”, serif; } #pu-email-form-breaking-email-article .lead { margin-bottom: 5px; } #pu-email-form-breaking-email-article .email-desc { font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 5px; opacity: 0.7; } #pu-email-form-breaking-email-article form { padding: 10px 30px 5px 30px; } #pu-email-form-breaking-email-article .disclaimer { opacity: 0.5; margin-bottom: 0; line-height: 100%; } #pu-email-form-breaking-email-article .disclaimer a { color: #222; text-decoration: underline; } #pu-email-form-breaking-email-article .email-hammer { border-bottom: 3px solid #222; opacity: .5; display: inline-block; padding: 0 10px 5px 10px; margin-bottom: -5px; font-size: 16px; } @media (max-width: 991px) { #pu-email-form-breaking-email-article form { padding: 10px 0 5px 0; } } .grecaptcha-badge { visibility: hidden; }

Morehouse School of Medicine wins $25M grant for cancer research

Morehouse School of Medicine is also the first institution in Georgia to receive a grant from Cancer Grand Challenges which was founded in 2020.

icon to expand image

Great strides have been made in cancer care over the past challenges. But tough challenges continue to stand in the way. That’s where the Grand Cancer Challenges comes in — funding multidisciplinary teams of scientists around the world to collaborate to carry out innovative, cutting-edge research to solve some of cancer’s biggest problems.

Dean Jones, a researcher at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University was also a finalist in a different category focusing on why cancer is striking more young adults including those with no obvious risks. Cancer Grand Challenges announced Wednesday that another team led by Andrew Chan at Massachusetts General Hospital and Yin Cao at Washington University in St. Louis won the $25 million grant in that category.

The other winning research teams include one focusing on developing treatments for solid tumors in children and another one zeroing in on T-cell receptors to find better therapies to harness the power of the immune system to fight cancer.

Morehouse’s Davis will lead a team of researchers from 14 institutions in multiple countries. Team SAMBAI (Societal, Ancestry, Molecular and Biological Analyses of Inequalities), includes Ghana, South Africa, the United States, and the United Kingdom, it will focus on breast, prostate, and pancreatic cancer in people of African descent.

“Team SAMABI made the very impressive case that global diversity in data is required to fully understand the causes of cancer, and to translate this knowledge into prevention and treatment that will achieve equity for all,” said Dr. Tim Rebbeck, professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and lead of Cancer Grand Challenges Scientific Committee in an e-mail. “And they are thinking big — just as is needed to solve the complex issues related to global cancer disparities.”

The “cancer inequities” challenge is aimed at better understanding the interplay among many factors in cancer risks and outcomes, including social determinants of health, behavior, biology, and genetics.

“I think the answer to the question is it’s all of those things to different degrees,” Davis said in a recent interview.

Compared to members of other races, Black people have higher rates of getting and dying from many kinds of cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although deaths from prostate cancer have dropped substantially in recent decades among all men, Black/African American men are twice as likely as White men to die of prostate cancer and continue to have the highest prostate cancer mortality among all U.S. population groups.

Black people are also more likely than white people to be diagnosed with breast, lung, and colorectal cancers at a late stage. Cancer is harder to treat after it spreads from the place where it started to other parts of the body.

Most inequities are strongly influenced by social determinants and circumstances, people who do not have reliable access to health care are also more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage cancer which might have been treated more effectively if diagnosed at an earlier stage.

But data suggest that genetics and biology also have a role.

Prior research to address cancer inequities has been skewed by huge diversity gaps.

Most of the work that has informed understanding of what causes cancer has been done in European ancestry populations. Clinical trials mostly enroll white men, with women and people of color consistently underrepresented.

Most new technologies for cancer prevention, early detection, screening, and treatment have not been developed or tested in diverse populations.

Nikki Haley Never Stood a Chance

… interpretation is that denying racism is her way to … calls “discrimination”–again, not racism–against her family, they become … at Charleston’s Mother Emanuel African American Episcopal Church in June, … not as the result of racism, merely “evil” that South … RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News