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Stephanie Armour, Julie Rovner | (TNS) KFF Health NewsMany of President-elect Donald Trump’s candidates for federal health agencies have promoted policies and goals that put them at odds with one another or with Trump’s choice to run the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., setting the stage for internal friction over public health initiatives.The picks hold different views on matters such as limits on abortion, the safety of childhood vaccines, the COVID-19 response, and the use of weight-loss medications. The divide pits Trump picks who adhere to more traditional and orthodox science, such as the long-held,…

Tonya Garcia(Bloomberg) — A Starbucks Corp. barista strike has shut down about 170 cafes, according to the coffee chain, disrupting service at locations nationwide during the final days of the crucial holiday shopping season.The union said it expects the number of stores impacted to hit 300, but it’s unclear if the group will hit that target by the end of Christmas Eve.Over 5,000 workers in Boston, New York and Philadelphia, among other cities, planned to join the work stoppage on Tuesday, according to an emailed statement from Starbucks Workers United. Elected officials, including Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, have also joined…

SANTA CRUZ — Three workers inspecting the Santa Cruz Wharf fell into the choppy ocean waves and had to be rescued after part of the structure collapsed Monday, said city officials who fear the next storm could cause more damage.Two of the victims were rescued from the waters by lifeguards and a third self-rescued, officials said.A Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf restroom continues to be battered by waves Monday afternoon as it is carried toward Seabright State Beach. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)The collapse occurred around 12:44 p.m. as the end of the wharf was barraged by powerful west swells,…

Dana Hull | (TNS) Bloomberg NewsJared Birchall, Elon Musk’s money manager and the head of his family office, is listed as the chief executive officer. Jehn Balajadia, a longtime Musk aide who has worked at SpaceX and the Boring Co., is named as an official contact.But they’re not connected to Musk’s new technology venture, or the political operation that’s endeared him to Donald Trump. Instead, they’re tied to the billionaire’s new Montessori school outside Bastrop, Texas, called Ad Astra, according to documents filed with state authorities and obtained via a Texas Public Information Act request.The world’s richest person oversees an…

Just before Christmas Uncle Sam, not Santa, came down the chimney with a big bag of new benefits for state and local government workers. H.R. 82 was called the Social Security Fairness Act, even though it is not fair to the rest of those collecting the old-age benefit because it reduces the system’s solvency. It passed with bipartisan majorities in the U.S. House of Representatives by 327-75 and the Senate by 76-20. H.R. 82 is convoluted, but a Wall Street Journal summary described the main effect as delivering “a retirement windfall for government workers” by repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision from…

By TOM MURPHY, Associated PressA big shopping deadline is drawing near for some people, and it has nothing to do with the holidays.Millions of people use flexible spending accounts to help pay for health care, and some may lose money left in those accounts if they don’t spend it by year’s end.There are many ways to spend that use-it-or-use it balance — think raiding the local drugstore — but it’s important to understand FSA rules before going on a shopping spree.Here are some things to consider.What are flexible spending accounts?FSAs let you set aside money from your paycheck before taxes…

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY – High surf played a role in a death Monday at a beach in Santa Cruz County.Authorities were called to Sunset State Beach around 11:30 a.m. for a report of a person trapped under debris or a log “due to the high surf,” according to California State Parks spokesperson Marty Greenstein.RELATED: Santa Cruz Wharf partially collapses; 3 rescued from waterGreenstein said rescuers and bystanders freed the person and gave him CPR. He was then taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.The person was identified only as a male resident of Santa…

By JOSH BOAK, MARC LEVY and ASHRAF KHALIL, Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — A powerful government panel on Monday failed to reach consensus on the possible national security risks of a nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase U.S. Steel, leaving the decision to President Joe Biden, who opposes the deal.The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, known as CFIUS, sent its long-awaited report on the merger to Biden, who formally came out against the deal in March. He has 15 days to reach a final decision, the White House said. A U.S. official…

LOS ANGELES — Jeff Kaufman and Mick Cronin fall into the same healthy debate when the two reconvene. The Coronado High head coach has built a strong reputation of developing offensively gifted guards, while the UCLA men’s basketball head coach builds teams that hang their hats on defense. Their visions may clash, but they wholeheartedly respect one another’s opinions.About three years ago, Kaufman approached Cronin with the idea of selling him on his senior guard, Sebastian Mack.“If you’re in a fight,” he told Cronin, “this is the kid you want on your side.”A Mick Cronin kind of player, Kaufman called him.Mack…

California has enough problems without making people endure political stunts.That’s just what the California Air Resource Board did by providing a subsidy up to $2,000 to buy an electric bike, part of the California E-Bike Incentive Project. That’s the average price of a new e-bike, according to REI. The idea is to get people out of gas-guzzling cars and onto bikes to reduce climate change.Costing $3 million for just 1,500 grants, the application deadline was Dec. 18, but the website announced soon there will be new application windows. Applicants must apply online, be a California resident 18 or older and…