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food bank

US Food Insecurity Is Causing Citizens To Go More Hungry Than They Did During The Pandemic 

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A survey released this week by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York revealed that more people in the United States are going hungry now than during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The survey showed that there are higher levels of food insecurity this year than there was during the summer of 2020, when the coronavirus outbreak led to “double-digit unemployment,” according to reports from NPR. 

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The New York Fed periodically asks Americans about whether they have to skip meals, rely on food donations, or receive federal assistance in order to buy groceries. The most recent survey was taken in February, and showed how hunger is a more intense problem now than any other time within the past six years. 

Amy Breitmann runs the Golden Harvest Food Bank in Augusta, Georgia. She recently told NPR how she’s witnessed first-hand the increasing number of families and children that are in need of food this year. 

“We have some distributions where people are sitting in a 2-to-3-mile line the night before the [food] distribution starts. They’re sleeping in their cars.”

The February survey from the New York Fed found that nationwide, 10% of families reported missing meals or having a lack of food in their household. About 16% of respondents relied on food donations. Families that are earning less than $50,000 annually are experiencing food insecurity twice as high as the last report. Nearly 20% of families have been forced to skip meals or went completely without food. 

CEO of the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, Nicole Williams, also told the publication that they have to move their services to a larger building in order to accommodate the increased demand for food. The food bank serves 12 counties throughout the state. 

“Food insecurity could be your next-door neighbor. When gas costs a little bit more or food costs a little bit more, or they have a repair on their car or a medical bill, that takes away what they might be using to spend on food.”

Experts have been stating that what’s occurring is a part of a “K-shaped economy,” which represents a growing divide between individuals who have proper access to their basic needs and those who don’t. 

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The New York Fed recently wrote that “while many households are doing fine and economic activity overall has been expanding at a solid pace, large segments of the population are facing high levels of economic insecurity and financial strain, and consumer sentiment on the whole has dropped to low levels.”

In 2020, just 4% of households reported missing meals, which also included less than 7% of families that earn less than $50,000 annually. 

During the pandemic, families experienced some relief from their food insecurity thanks to government relief payments and supplemental unemployment benefits. Those same benefits, however, were pandemic-specific and are no longer available. Additionally, within the past six years food prices have increased rapidly. 

The most recent survey from the New York Fed was also conducted before the US war with Iran, which has caused gas prices to increase and the economy to strain further. 

Breitmann posed the question: “If you’re adding on another $100 to your budget a month just to put gas in your car to get to work or drop your kids at school and whatever they need their car for, where is that $100 coming from?”

“Most typically, they’re having to pull it from the grocery budget,” Breitmann said.

The survey also found that there is a growing number of Americans that are relying on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. This is surprising due to the fact that eligibility for the program has become even more strict as of late. 

About 18% of families this year had received SNAP benefits, compared to 10.6% in 2020. Lower-income families had over 38% receiving SNAP benefits, compared to around 22% in 2020. 

nyc

Half Of New Yorkers Approve Of Mayor Zohran Mamdani As He Approaches 100 Days In Office 

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“Mamdani, who faced doubts about his lack of management experience before entering City Hall, has emphasized his commitment to the brass tacks of municipal government: filling potholes, clearing snow and picking up the garbage.”

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home

Homebuyers In America Were, On Average, Older And Richer Than Ever This Year

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According to a new survey from the National Association of Realtors, in 2024 a record number of Americans were older and utilized an inheritance to help finance buying a new home. 

The survey found that first time home buyers in America were older and wealthier than previous years between July 2023 and June 2024. The report emphasizes a struggle that many Americans are facing when it comes to buying a home. Increasing prices and record-high mortgage rates have remained consistently high.

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According to reports from CNN, first-time homebuyers had an average household income of $97,000, a near $2,000 increase from last year. The average age of first-time homebuyers was also 38, the highest it’s been on record. 

“We’re seeing a dichotomy in this real estate market where those first-time homebuyers are not just your traditional first-time buyers, like schoolteachers or first responders, really entering into the market,” said NAR deputy chief economist Jessica Lautz. 

“The people who can get in are really a select few.”

Within the last year, first-time homebuyers decreased to just 24% of all homebuyers in America. This is the lowest percentage since the NAR began collecting data back in 1981.

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25% of first-time buyers were surveyed to have used a “gift or loan from a relative” to help finance the purchase of their home. 

Lautz said that it’s likely the overall decline in first-time homebuyers using help from family members parallels how they’re also getting older.

“Everyone’s situation is different, but that’s one of the things that seems to be working in conjunction. That seems to be dropping off at the same time as the median age is crawling up,” she said.

The NAR report also showed a major divide with Americans who owned homes during the recent spike in home values and those who are in the market for a home.  

Repeat homebuyers in America have also gotten older on average; the average age increased from 58 to 61 in a year. Repeat buyers also had an increase in average household income, rising to $114,300 from $111,700. 

“The report shows both the struggle in America to secure homes to purchase, and then also people making housing trades with record levels of housing wealth,” Lautz stated.

iron

1 In 3 Americans Might Have Undiagnosed Iron Deficiency: “An Underappreciated Public Health Problem”

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According to a new study that analyzed data from over 8,000 individuals, about 1 in 3 Americans might have an undiagnosed iron deficiency. Iron deficiency can cause levels of fatigue, brain fog, difficulty concentrating, heart palpitations, hair loss, and more.  

The study itself was published last week in JAMA Network Open. It reported that 14% of the 8,000+ individuals studied had low iron blood levels, known as absolute iron deficiency, and 15% had the “right” iron levels, however, their bodies didn’t know how to use the mineral properly, which is known as functional iron deficiency. 

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In general, doctors don’t normally screen adults for iron deficiency, which is one of the reasons cited that many people may have it without knowing. Researchers weren’t surprised by the results of their study, as previous data has shown that iron deficiency may be more of a “widespread issue” that doctors know, NBC reported.

“This is a common yet underappreciated public health problem,” said study co-author Leo Buckley, a clinical pharmacology specialist. 

“What’s unique about our study is we were looking at regular people who would not otherwise have been screened or tested.”

“[While iron deficiency] is almost never life-threatening, it’s a tremendous quality of life thing,” said Hematologist Dr. Andrew Eisenberger, an associate professor of medicine at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

“Tens of millions of people in the U.S. are basically running on fumes either because there isn’t enough fuel in the tank or because the tank isn’t connecting to the engine well,” said Eisenberger.

“In our society we are hardwired to be at peak performance. With this tremendous prevalence of iron deficiency, so many people can’t do their best.”

One of the biggest hopes of the study is that it will bring greater attention to the issue and ideally raise awareness for both doctors and patients to realize the problem is much more common than we think. 

Doctors typically screen patients for anemia during routine blood testing, however, that test simply measures the levels of red blood cells in an individual’s body, and someone can have a “normal” amount of cells while still having iron deficiency. 

“This is an incredibly preventable disease,” Eisenberger said. 

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“So many people come to me who have had this problem for years and years and years, but their doctors have missed it, ignored it or just didn’t know what to do about it. People suffer tremendously. It’s one of the most satisfying things to take care of because people’s quality of life markedly improves.”

The Brigham and Women’s Hospital researchers were responsible for the new study and utilized information from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey which collected data from the years 2017 to 2021 from 8,021 adults. Participants in the study were on average around 48 years old. 

Buckley stated that doctors should focus on individuals who exhibit symptoms of iron deficiency for testing in the future. Additionally, they should pay attention to individuals who are at high risk, such as pregnant women. 

“The average pregnant woman needs 1,000 to 1,500 milligrams of additional iron,” Eisenberger said.

“Many women don’t have their iron levels checked till late in pregnancy. At that point, there’s not enough time to fix it before the woman delivers and the fetus has spent the entire pregnancy with not enough iron.”

“Low iron levels in a pregnant woman have been associated with long-term cognitive impairment in children, small size at birth and early delivery,” Eisenberger said.

work

The Incentives Employees Are Looking For To Return To The Office 

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“Once workers discovered that remote work could be less expensive and… make their life a little easier, they just wanted to keep doing it, even once the pandemic began fading away.”

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chemo

US Cancer Centers Are Experiencing Ongoing Widespread Shortages Of Chemotherapy Drugs, According To Survey 

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According to a survey released last week by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, among 29 cancer centers across America, 72% have reported a shortage of carboplatin, a chemotherapy medication. Additionally, 59% have been experiencing a shortage of the drug cisplatin. 

Of all the centers involved in the survey, 86% reported a shortage of at least one kind of anti-cancer or chemotherapy drug. 

This specific survey from the network is an updated version of their survey May in which they found that 93% of the respondents reported a shortage of carboplatin with 70% reporting a shortage of cisplatin. The updated survey was conducted between September 6th to the 20th and took data from 29 of the 33 institutions within the cancer network. 

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“Cisplatin and other similar platinum-based drugs are prescribed for an estimated 10% to 20% of all cancer patients,” according to the National Cancer Institute.

According to the American Association for Cancer Research, several cancer medications have been experiencing shortages within the past few years, with record breaking shortages occurring this year. 

In September, The White House released a report that stated the US has a shortage of 15 cancer drugs. Cisplatin, carboplatin and methotrexate are three of the more generic medications for cancer treatments that have been used for decades. In the report, the White House stated these shortages are mainly due to manufacturing and supply chain issues. 

“Everyone with cancer should have access to the best possible treatment according to the latest evidence and expert consensus guidelines,” Dr. Robert Carlson, CEO of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, said.

“Drug shortages aren’t new, but the widespread impact makes this one particularly alarming. It is extremely concerning that this situation continues despite significant attention and effort over the past few months. We need enduring solutions in order to safeguard people with cancer and address any disparities in care.”

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Dr. William Dahut, the chief scientific officer for the American Cancer Society, stated that carboplatin and cisplatin are known as “core drugs for treating cancer.” 

“The manufacturing side is really the aspect that’s most important to get this right,” he said, as reported by CNN.

“Should there be some drugs in reserve? Should there be the ability to look at supply chains or economic issues? But who actually would enforce those? Who would pay for those? How would that work? I think that needs to be worked out. But I do think a short-term, medium-term and long-term philosophy is needed, as opposed to moving from crisis to crisis,” Dahut stated. 

The centers also stated that several other cancer medications are in short supply; 66% reported a shortage of methotrexate, a chemotherapy drug, 55% experienced a shortage of 5-fluorouracil, 45% for chemotherapy fludarabine, and 41% for hydrocortisone. 

“These drug shortages are the result of decades of systemic challenges,” Alyssa Schatz, the network’s senior director of policy and advocacy, said according to CNN..

“We recognize that comprehensive solutions take time and we appreciate everyone who has put forth proposals to improve investment in generics and our data infrastructure. At the same time, we have to acknowledge that the cancer drug shortage has been ongoing for months, which is unacceptable for anyone impacted by cancer today. These new survey results remind us that we are still in an ongoing crisis and must respond with appropriate urgency,” Schatz said.

Almost 80% Of Americans Have Been Exposed To Misinformation Online Regarding Covid-19, Survey Says

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Between social media and the plethora of news outlets reporting on the Covid-19 pandemic, many Americans aren’t sure what information to believe. New data from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that nearly 80% of Americans surveyed said they had heard of at least one of the falsehoods perpetuated by online misinformation and either believed it, or were unsure whether or not it was true. 

“Most commonly, six in ten adults have heard that the government is exaggerating the number of Covid-19 deaths by counting deaths due to other factors such as coronavirus deaths and either believe this to be true (38%) or aren’t sure if it’s true or false (22%).”

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“One-third of respondents believe or are unsure whether deaths due to the Covid-19 vaccine are being intentionally hidden by the government (35%), and about three in ten each believe or are unsure whether Covid-19 vaccines have been shown to cause infertility (31%) or whether Ivermectin is a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19 (28%),” the authors wrote.

The survey also found that “between a fifth and a quarter of the public believe or are unsure whether the vaccines can give you COVID-19 (25%), contain a microchip (24%), or can change your DNA (21%).”

Outlandish ideas such as vaccine microchips, trackers, or changes to DNA have been reported by “trusted” media outlets and have made a vast impact on many Americans in their choice to get vaccinated or not. 

“People’s trusted news sources are correlated with their belief in COVID-19 misinformation. At least a third of those who trust information from CNN, MSNBC, network news, NPR, and local television news do not believe any of the eight false statements, while small shares (between 11% and 16%) believe or are unsure about at least four of the eight false statements.”

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These results prove that traditional sources of media are helping people separate facts from falsehoods. However, Republicans have made it clear that sources such as CNN and NPR are not to be trusted. 

The survey found that “nearly 4 in 10 of those who trust Fox News (36%) and One America News (37%), and nearly half (46%) of those who trust Newsmax, saying they believe or are unsure about at least half of the eight false statements.”

The researchers cautioned, however, that “whether this is because people are exposed to misinformation from those news sources, or whether the types of people who choose those news sources are the same ones who are pre-disposed to believe certain types of misinformation for other reasons, is beyond the scope of the analysis.”

Post reporter Aaron Blake followed up with Kaiser and concluded that the overall numbers “obscure just how ripe the right is for this kind of misinformation. That’s because, “in most cases, if you exclude Republicans who haven’t heard the claims and focus on just who is familiar with them, a majority of them actually believe the claims.”

David Leonhardt of The New York Times wrote “Covid vaccines are remarkably effective at preventing severe Covid, and almost 40 percent of Republican adults remain unvaccinated, compared with about 10 percent of Democratic adults. In the Kaiser research, unvaccinated adults were more likely than vaccinated adults to believe four or more of the eight false statements.”

Roadtrip

Here’s Where Americans Want To Go Once The Coronavirus Pandemic Is Over

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The annual Longwoods International Travel Sentiment Tracking Study has been released and provided some insight into the trips that all Americans want to take once this pandemic is over and we get the green-light to start living life normally again. Over half of the responses indicate that the first trip most Americans want to make is to travel domestically to visit their friends and family that they’ve been separated from for the past few months. 

To be specific, 52% of the respondents said they want to visit their loved ones first and foremost. In total, 76% of Americans surveyed said their first trip would be in the car while 24% said they would travel by air if it was completely safe. 

Among the sub-group that said they would be taking their first post-pandemic vacation via the car, 52% of them said they would stay within 200 miles of their home, while 48% agreed they wanted to go much further away. 

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“The survey, supported by Miles Partnership, was fielded April 29, 2020 using a national sample randomly drawn from a consumer panel of 1,000 adults, ages 18 and over.  Quotas were used to match Census targets for age, gender, and region to make the survey representative of the U. S. population,” according to the Longwoods International website. 

Again, keep in mind that all of these individuals were answering these questions under the assumption that the Covid-19 virus would no longer be a cause for concern and social distancing policies would no longer in place by the time they take these vacations. 

Once all the pandemic-imposed flying restrictions are lifted, 86% of Americans said they would want to visit somewhere domestically, within the US.  4% of individuals said they would go somewhere international, and 2% said they would keep it relatively local/plan a staycation near home. The remaining 8% of those surveyed said they have no intention of travelling for at least six months post-pandemic. 

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“Despite the pandemic, Americans are eager to travel, especially to spend time with family and friends. The vast majority of Americans will make their first trip after the pandemic in the U.S., with only four percent planning international travel as their first destination,” said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of market research consultancy, Longwoods International.

70% of all respondents said that they already have trips planned for within the next six months. Individuals who were recording the data for the survey kept in contact with these individuals as the pandemic has worsened, and so far, no one has made any adjustments or cancellations to those plans. 

On the opposite end, 55% did admit that the pandemic in general would greatly impact their travel for the six months, whether that be personal or business related travel; four weeks ago that number was 67%. 22% of these individuals also made this claim based on economic factors that have heavily impacted everyone’s life plans; not just travel. 

Regardless of when we’re all able to travel and see our loved ones again, it’s imperative that we continue to listen to our healthcare workers and remain inside, so that we have a greater chance at returning to normalcy sooner rather than later.

Survey

Pew Survey Reveals Global Citizens’ Views on World Leaders

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In the United States, the president’s approval rating is historically low, hovering at about 42% while his disapproval rating rarely falls below 50%. However, the opinion of the United States president held by people around the world is even lower, as a recent Pew survey shows that almost two-thirds of people surveyed in 33 countries express “no confidence” in President Trump, whereas just 29% of those surveyed express confidence in him. The results vary widely by country, but only a handful of countries, including Israel, India, the Philippines, and Kenya, have a majority of citizens who approve of the president. Unsurprisingly given the president’s rhetoric about building a wall on the southern border of the United States, a whopping 89% of Mexicans surveyed expressed no confidence in the president, and the president has similarly high disapproval ratings across much of Europe, in particular Germany, Sweden, France, Spain, and the Netherlands. Interestingly, the percentage of global citizens Pew surveyed who approve of President Obama exactly matches the percentage of those surveyed who disapprove of President Trump at 64%.

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That being said, a majority of respondents surveyed worldwide, 54%, expressed favorable views of the U.S., whereas 38% had an unfavorable view. This suggests that people around the world separate their view of the president from their view of the country as a whole, perhaps reflecting a view that the presidency of Donald Trump is a fluke rather than a genuine reflection of the general attitudes of Americans. Trump ranked dead last among five of the world’s most influential leaders; by contrast, German chancellor Angela Merkel took first place, at a confidence level of 46%. Interestingly, none of the world leaders drew a global confidence level greater than 50%, suggesting that people around the world are skeptical of the world’s leadership as a whole.

Citizens of the world not only disapproved of President Trump as a leader, but also of many of the specific policies he has implemented or proposed. 68% of people in the survey disapproved of the president’s practice of putting tariffs on goods imported from other countries, and 66% of people disapproved of America’s withdrawal from the Paris Accords and its position in the fight against climate change more broadly. People also generally disliked the idea of building a wall on the border between Mexico and the United States, as well as the country’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. In fact, the only policy that people more people approved of than disapproved of was the opening of talks between the United States and North Korea, though even in this case less than half, 41%, of respondents approved of it whereas 36% disapproved.

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The U.S. president was ranked more favorably in right-leaning countries than in left-leaning ones, which is unsurprising given that U.S. politics is generally further to the right than those of the rest of the world. In countries that have displayed authoritarian tendencies, like the Philippines and India, Trump had the highest approval rating. In general, men were more likely than women to have a favorable opinion of Trump. In Ukraine, a country which has become relevant to the United States in the wake of the scandal that led to Trump’s impeachment, 73% of people surveyed had a positive view of the United States, although just 46% of people had a positive view of Trump specifically. His popularity in Israel specifically likely has to do with his decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem as well as his decision to terminate the Iran nuclear deal, which is unpopular in Israel.

Though the survey reveals broadly negative views of Trump around the world, the president’s approval rating has actually increased since 2017, when just 22% of respondents expressed confidence in Trump. Given the tumultuous nature of modern-day global politics, it’s difficult to predict how these numbers will change as time goes on.