- 65Nation - Just news. No politics.
- Posts
- July 19,2024
July 19,2024
Mortgage rates fall to 6.77%
 | Get Smart in 5 Minutes Trustworthy, relevant & unbiased news briefs curated for 65+ |
Good Morning. It’s Friday, July 19
65Nation….All news. No politics.
Check out the daily trivia game at the bottom of the newsletter!
U.S. NEWS
Dozens of aging bridges in 16 states will be replaced or improved with the help of $5 billion in federal grants announced by President Joe Biden's administration, the latest beneficiaries of a massive infrastructure law.
The projects range from coast to coast, with the largest providing an additional $1.4 billion to help replace two vertical lift bridges over the Columbia River that carry Interstate 5 traffic between Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. "Their condition means they need major urgent investment to help keep people safe and to keep our supply chains running smoothly."
WORLD NEWS
In his comments at Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, Netanyahu sounded a tone of triumph in the campaign against Hamas - and underscored the differences that still remain in monthslong attempts to reach a cease-fire.
Netanyahu's visit to Rafah was announced hours after Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site.
Hamas wants stronger guarantees, while Israel has suggested it will demand Hamas be removed from power in those negotiations.
MONEY
Mortgage rates fell again this week but remain uncomfortably high for many would-be buyers. Freddie Mac latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, released Thursday, showed that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage declined to 6.77% this week from 6.89% last week.
The average rate on the 15-year fixed mortgage also dropped to 6.05% from 6.17% last week. One year ago, the rate on the 15-year fixed note averaged 6.06%.
HEALTH
The risk of developing ovarian cancer appears to jump about fourfold among women with endometriosis, compared with women who haven't been diagnosed with the condition, a new study finds.
Women with severe forms - either deep infiltrating endometriosis, ovarian endometriomas or both - have an overall ovarian cancer risk that's "markedly increased," at about 9.7 times higher, relative to women without endometriosis, according to the study, published Wednesday in the medical journal JAMA. Women with deep infiltrating endometriosis, ovarian endometriomas or both appear to face nearly 19 times the risk of type I ovarian cancer, which tends to grow more slowly, compared with women without endometriosis, according to the study.
"The best way of preventing ovarian cancer is still the recommendation of exercise, not smoking and limiting alcohol." Other than age, having a family history of ovarian cancer, breast cancer or colorectal cancer is also an important risk factor for ovarian cancer. "So, in the study, a fourfold increased risk in ovarian cancer still keeps women at a very low risk." The new study demonstrates an association between endometriosis and ovarian cancer but not causation - and what exactly drives that association remains unclear, according to Rimel of Cedars-Sinai.
ENTERTAINMENT
Bob Newhart, whose stammering, deadpan unflappability carried him to stardom as a standup comedian and later in television and movies, has died, according to a statement from his longtime publicist Jerry Digney.
He first rose to fame with his comedy album, 1960's "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart." The album was a phenomenon of its time and one of the best-selling albums of the year.
He also hit No. 1 with the follow-up, "The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!" "The Bob Newhart Show" debuted in 1972.
He played a Chicago psychologist, Bob Hartley, who ministered to a host of eccentric patients.
In both cases, his characters found refuge with their wives, played by Suzanne Pleshette in "The Bob Newhart Show" and Mary Frann in "Newhart." The latter show's finale remains one of the most famous in television history.
TRAVEL
The High Desert Corridor Joint Powers Agency recently signed two landmark labor agreements that could pave the way for a 54-mile connection between two massive rail projects that are in the works: Brightline West and California High-Speed Rail (sometimes referred to as the "bullet train").
With this development, leaders envision that passengers could eventually take a "one-seat" ride from Las Vegas to downtown Los Angeles.
Despite years of costly delays, the long-planned California High-Speed Rail could be a major transportation option in the state - once open, of course - and will connect the Bay Area with Los Angeles in less than three hours.
Meanwhile, Brightline, the private company behind the innovative rail system in Florida, broke ground this spring on a new 218-mile high-speed line set to connect Southern California with Las Vegas by the 2028 Olympic Games, which will take place in Los Angeles.
Amid those two projects, a group of Southern California leaders is focused on creating a seamless link between the two electric rail lines. Plans call for a line to be laid from Victor Valley at the eastern end - a Mojave Desert town in the Inland Empire where Brightline West plans to build a station - to Palmdale at the west end, where the bullet train is set to run.
The group hopes the project could eventually set the stage for nonstop rail service between Vegas and Los Angeles Union Station. However, Brightline West plans require riders to connect to regional transportation to reach the city center.
FOOD
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Panera-Launches-new-Menu-Additions-Including-Spicy-Sandwiches-and-Avocado-Toast-FT-BLOG0724-01-c7f0a7b1915a4f61a4f27ee108145fb3.jpg)
For avocado fans (aka millennials everywhere), the brand is also releasing a new line of avocado toasts, including the Classic Avo and the Garden Avo.
The classic will come topped with "Chunky avocado spread and everything bagel seasoning on thin-sliced Country Rustic Sourdough," while the garden option will come with the same spread but with the addition of "sliced tomatoes, everything bagel seasoning and garlic aioli on thin-sliced Country Rustic Sourdough.
Panera's new summer menu comes with its very own "bagel hack," where you "order any whole-sized sandwich and customize the bread to the bagel of your choice - and you've got yourself two bagel sandwiches.".
To celebrate this return, Panera is sharing a "Bagels are Back Sandwich Hack" where consumers can receive a full bagel at half the sandwich cost.
NOSTALGIA
FUN STUFF
 | We are on a mission to Celebrate Every Day with you! There’s more than one day for everyone to celebrate. |
 |