Extra, Extra
Health Careless: “The problems at Steward began long before the bankruptcy. Over the years, the company has closed some half a dozen hospitals, leaving patients without health care and providers without jobs. As chronicled in Markey’s report, patients at Steward hospitals were left without care at ‘vastly’ higher rates than the national average; death rates for conditions like heart failure at Steward-owned hospitals increased even as they decreased nationwide. Then, there were the bat infestations, the sewage seeping from broken pipes, the lack of essential supplies like linens and IV tubing, and the barrage of lawsuits from vendors over unpaid bills.”WaPo (Gift Article): Senate report: How private equity ‘gutted’ dozens of U.S. hospitals. “Thanks to modern tricks of financial engineering, investors can prosper even when the underlying business is failing.”
+ Kim Jong Undeterred: “About 1,500 North Korean soldiers, including those from the special forces, have already arrived in Russia, according to Seoul’s spy agency.” Seoul wants N Korean troops to leave Russia immediately.
+ Mid Grid: “Cuba’s electrical grid collapsed again on Sunday, the fourth such failure in 48 hours, raising fresh doubts about a quick fix on an island already suffering from severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine.”
+ Diddy Issues: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs named in five new lawsuits alleging rape and sexual assault. There were six others last week. The biggest question of this story will be how a crime so widespread could have gone on so long when so many people had to know about it.
+ Liberty Time: “They’ve been dying for a championship here and to know that we were the first to do it in the WNBA here for the New York Liberty, like … I can’t put it into words.” After many times coming in second, the NY Liberty finally take home the WNBA Championship.
+ NY, LA, F Me: “Broadway vs. Hollywood. Subway vs. Freeway. Judge vs. Ohtani. New York neighbors who became cross-country rivals, the Yankees and Dodgers renew their starry struggle in the World Series for the first time in 43 years.” Yankees and Dodgers meet in World Series for 12th time. (Yankees v Dodgers is a perfect World Series for our era. There’s something for everyone to hate.)
