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New monkeypox cases are starting to fall in major cities like New York and Chicago.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said she’s cautiously optimistic that vaccinations and harm-reduction strategies might be slowing the spread of the virus.
The U.S. has reported nearly 17,000 monkeypox cases since May, more than any other country in the world, according to CDC data.

NYC Monkeypox Vaccine Clinic sign is displayed on August 2, 2022 in the Bronx, New York.
John Smith | Corbis News | Getty Images

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is cautiously optimistic that the U.S. is slowing the spread of monkeypox as new cases fall in several major cities.
“We’re watching this with cautious optimism, and really hopeful that many of our harm-reduction messages and our vaccines are getting out there and working,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters Friday during an update on the monkeypox outbreak.

Although monkeypox cases are still increasing nationally, the speed of the outbreak appears to be slowing, Walensky said. The U.S. has reported nearly 17,000 monkeypox cases since May, more than any other country in the world, according to CDC data.
In New York City, which has reported more infections than any other jurisdiction, new monkeypox cases have dropped from more than 70 per day on average to nine as of Thursday, according to data from the city health department.
Dr. Aswhin Vasan, the city health commissioner, said earlier this week the outbreak has slowed due to increased vaccination and community outreach efforts. New York City has reported a total of 2,888 monkeypox cases.
In Chicago, another major epicenter of the outbreak, new cases have dropped from 141 during the week ended July 30 to 74 for the week ended Aug. 20, according to that city’s health department. Chicago has reported a total of 807 cases.
“We’re not seeing the potentially exponential growth that we were seeing early on so that is reassuring,” said Dr. Allison Arwady, Chicago’s public health commissioner, during a Facebook live event earlier this week. “Too early to say things look really good, but definitely some signs of slowing of cases.”

The U.S. is nearing the point where the entire community of gay and bisexual men who currently face the greatest health risk from monkeypox rwill have access to two doses of the monkeypox vaccine, according to Dawn O’Connell, head of the office responsible for the national stockpile at the Health and Human Services Department.
The CDC previously estimated that up to 1.7 million gay and bisexual men who are HIV-positive or are eligible for medicine to reduce their chance of contracting HIV face the greatest health risk from monkeypox.
The U.S. has distributed 1.5 million doses of the monkeypox vaccine so far and more than 3 million doses should be available by when the latest distribution round is complete, according to O’Connell.
To date, the outbreak is disproportionately affecting Black and Hispanic men. About 30% of monkeypox patients are white, 32% are Hispanic and 23% are Black, according to CDC data. Whites make up about 59% of the U.S. population while Hispanics and Blacks account for 19% and 13%, respectively.
The monkeypox vaccine, called Jynneos in the U.S., is administered in two doses 28 days apart. The patients will not have full protection from the vaccine until two weeks after the second dose is administered, according to the CDC. Data from 19 jurisdictions show that nearly 97% of the shots administered so far were first doses, according to Walensky.
About 94% of monkeypox cases are associated with sexual contact and nearly all of the people who have contracted the virus are men who have sex with men, according to Demetre Daskalakis, the deputy head of the White House monkeypox response team.
A CDC survey of 824 gay and bisexual men found that 48% respondents have reduced their number of sexual partners and 50% have reduced one-time sexual encounters during the current outbreak. A separate CDC study found that a 40% decrease in one-time sexual encounters would reduce the final percentage of gay and bisexual men infected with monkeypox by up to 31%.
“We’re actually seeing vaccine get out, behaviors change, harm-reduction messages being heard and implemented,” Walensky said. “And all of that working together to bend the curve.”

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President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan is tax-free on federal returns, but may trigger state tax liability.
This may affect borrowers in more than a dozen states, according to a preliminary Tax Foundation analysis.
“There are a patchwork of approaches,” said Jared Walczak, vice president of state projects at the Tax Foundation.

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President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan will soon cancel debt for millions of Americans — and the relief is tax-free on federal returns. However, experts say the cancellation may still trigger a state tax bill.
Most borrowers making less than $125,000 per year or $250,000 for married couples filing together will qualify for $10,000 of forgiveness, with up to $20,000 of cancellation for Pell Grant recipients. 

However, some states may count the canceled debt as income, explained Jared Walczak, vice president of state projects at the Tax Foundation.
More from Personal Finance:What Biden’s student loan forgiveness means for your taxesAre your student loans eligible for federal forgiveness?How to check if you qualify for $20,000 in student debt relief
This may affect borrowers in more than a dozen states, adding a maximum state liability of roughly $300 to $1,100, according to Walczak, based on a preliminary analysis from the organization.
These states may include Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin, the analysis shows. 

‘Patchwork of approaches’ for state taxes

The American Rescue Plan of 2021 made student loan forgiveness federally tax-free through 2025, and the law covers Biden’s forgiveness, too, according to the White House.

“Generally speaking, states use the federal tax code as a baseline for how they define taxability,” said Walczak, explaining how some use what’s known as “conformity” to follow certain federal legislation. 
Some states have “rolling conformity,” updating state tax legislation as federal laws change, and others may only conform from a certain date, which may require updates to match the current law, he said.

There are a patchwork of approaches, most of which never really about student loan debt.

Jared Walczak
Vice president of state projects at the Tax Foundation

In some cases, states may “decouple” from certain federal provisions to make the state tax code its own, Walczak said.  
Since canceled debt is generally taxable, “there are a patchwork of approaches, most of which were not ever really about student loan debt,” he said. 

State tax treatment of forgiveness may change

While the preliminary analysis shows some states may tax student loan forgiveness, there’s still time for policy changes, Walczak said.
“States could come back very early in the next legislative session, update their conformity statute and make it effective immediately,” he said. 

And although it’s “clear cut” in some states, others may rely on administrative guidance or a regulatory ruling, Walczak said. 
If you’re unsure, it’s best to speak with a local tax professional and watch for guidance from your state, he suggested.   
“This is not a niche issue that only affects a few people,” Walczak said. “It affects a very large number of people and hopefully, there will be clarity provided on it.”

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Ford Motor is hiking the starting prices of its electric Mustang Mach-E crossover by more than $8,000 for some models.
The increased prices will go into effect for new orders placed starting Tuesday, when order banks reopen for the 2023 model year.
Ford said the markups are due to “significant” material cost increases, continued supply chain strains and market conditions.

Visitors check on a Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicle displayed at a launch event in Shanghai, China April 13, 2021.
Yilei Sun | Reuters

DETROIT – Ford Motor is hiking the starting prices of its electric Mustang Mach-E crossover by more than $8,000 for some models, as it reopens order banks for the 2023 model year.
The company on Thursday said the markups – ranging between $3,000 and $8,475, depending on the model and battery – are due to “significant material cost increases, continued strain on key supply chains, and rapidly evolving market conditions.”

The Mach-E is the latest electric vehicle to experience a price increase, as raw material costs for batteries for electric vehicles more than doubled during the coronavirus pandemic.
The starting prices for the 2023 Mustang Mach-E will now range from about $47,000 to $70,000, up from roughly $44,000 to $62,000 for the 2022 model year. Prices exclude taxes and shipping/delivery costs.
Ford earlier this month also raised the starting prices of its electric F-150 Lightning pickup by between $6,000 and $8,500, depending on the model. The automaker cited similar reasons for those increases, specifically related to raw materials such as lithium, cobalt and nickel that are used in batteries for the vehicles.

Others automakers including General Motors, Rivian, Lucid and Tesla also significantly raised prices on their newest electric vehicles.
In addition to the new pricing, Ford said it changed options and increased capabilities for some Mach-E models. It also is increasing shipping charges on the Mach-E by $200 to $1,300 on all models.

Ford said the higher prices will go into effect for new orders placed starting Tuesday, when order banks reopen.
Customers who have existing, unscheduled 2022 model year orders will receive a “private offer” to convert to a 2023 model year vehicle, the company said. It’s not immediately clear what price those customers would be offered.

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The U.S. military faces a growing recruiting shortfall — one so large that legislators are getting concerned.”The Army has to recognize that there’s been an evolution in that young population,” said U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif, chair of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel. “And if you’re going to target that young population for service, you’ve got to make it appealing to them.”
Of all the military branches, the U.S. Army is running into the most difficulty this fiscal year in bringing in recruits. The other services should manage to hit their goals, according to Stars and Stripes, but underlying issues continue to make recruiting a difficult endeavor.

“Some services are struggling more than the others,” said Mackenzie Eaglen, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. “The Army is certainly struggling the most — they’re also the biggest. They’re revisiting some of the fitness standards and some of the academic standards right now to try and scramble for the end of this fiscal year.”
The U.S. Department of Defense did not respond to CNBC’s requests for comment.
Watch the video above to find out more about the challenges the U.S. military face in trying to fix the growing recruiting crisis.

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HBO’s “House of the Dragon” hasn’t yet aired its second episode, but that hasn’t stopped the network from greenlighting it for a second season.
The first episode of the “Game of Thrones” prequel series — set 170 years before events of the original show — set an HBO record for the premiere of a new show, with nearly 10 million viewers watching. Over the past week, HBO reports that the viewership for the premiere has grown to more than 20 million.

“We are beyond proud of what the entire ‘House of the Dragon’  team has accomplished with season 1,” Francesca Orsi, executive vice president of HBO Programming, said in a statement. “Our phenomenal cast and crew undertook a massive challenge and exceeded all expectations, delivering a show that has already established itself as must-see-TV … We couldn’t be more excited to continue bringing to life the epic saga of House Targaryen with season 2.”
“House of the Dragon” chronicles the civil war that led to the downfall of House Targaryen, the ancestors of Emilia Clarke’s fan-favorite Daenerys Targaryen. The first season will run for 10 episodes.
Season two of “House of the Dragon” may only be the beginning of the “Game of Thrones” content coming to HBO in the future. The network has a Jon Snow sequel series in the works, and author George R. R. Martin has said in interviews that there are more than half a dozen projects in various stages of development.
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“House of the Dragon” was renewed for a second season, HBO announced Friday.
The first episode has now been seen by more than 20 million viewers, according to the company.

‘House of the Dragon’ series logo displayed on a phone screen and HBO Max website are seen in this illustration photo taken on August 16, 2022.
Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty Images

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Rachel, Kyle, Ashley and Yair are two married couples in a nonmonogamous relationship. They share a house, car, dog, cat, partners and finances. They also have plans to have children together.
They have faced several obstacles related to their rights and benefits as four partners. That prompted them to meet with a lawyer to get divorced from one another and create a cohabitation agreement.

Watch this video to learn how they manage finances in their nontraditional relationship.

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The emergence of a rare, new viral infection afflicting young children has prompted health authorities in India to issue a health advisory.
Tomato flu — so called due to the painful red blisters it produces — has so far been detected in more than 100 children across three states since the first case was reported on May 6.
Scientists say the virus, which is highly contagious but non-life-threatening, could be linked to chikungunya or dengue fever, or viral hand, foot, and mouth disease.

Tomato flu — so called due to the painful red blisters it produces — has so far been detected in more than 100 children across three states since the first case was reported on May 6.
Hindustan Times | Hindustan Times | Getty Images

The emergence of a rare, new viral infection afflicting young children has prompted health authorities in India to issue a health advisory after more than 100 cases were discovered in the country.
Tomato flu — so called due to the painful red blisters it produces — has so far been detected in 82 children aged under five in the state of Kerala, where the first case was detected on May 6.

An additional 26 cases have since been reported in neighboring Tamil Nadu state and Odisha in the east, where children as old as nine have been infected.
India’s health ministry has said that the virus is non-life-threatening but issued testing and prevention guidelines to all states this week, urging parents to be extra vigilant in checking their children for symptoms, the Times of India reported.

What is tomato flu?

Tomato flu is a highly contagious viral infection, which spreads via close contact particularly among young children aged under five.
Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, dehydration, swelling of joints, body aches, and common influenza-like symptoms, as well as the eponymous tomato-like blisters.
Scientists are still trying to identify the route cause of the virus. However, they say “it is not related to SARS-CoV-2 [Covid-19],” despite displaying some similar symptoms, according to an article published last week in British medical journal The Lancet.

More likely is that the virus is an after-effect of chikungunya or dengue fever, two viral diseases transmitted by mosquitos.
Alternatively, it could be a new variant of the viral hand, foot, and mouth disease, a common infectious disease targeting mostly children aged one to five years and immunocompromised adults.

Who can catch it and how?

Children are at increased risk of exposure to tomato flu as viral infections are common in this age group and spread is likely to be through close contact.
They are also at particularly high risk through their use of nappies, touching unclean surfaces, as well as putting things directly into the mouth.
However, older adults could be put at risk if the outbreak is not controlled and transmission limited.
“Given the similarities to hand, foot, and mouth disease, if the outbreak of tomato flu in children is not controlled and prevented, transmission might lead to serious consequences by spreading in adults as well,” the Lancet article said.
Tomato flu is a self-limiting illness, meaning it tends to resolve spontaneously without treatment.
However, health officials have urged people to take precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the outbreak, including isolating suspected cases for five to seven days following the onset of symptoms.
“The best solution for prevention is the maintenance of proper hygiene and sanitization of the surrounding necessities and environment as well as preventing the infected child from sharing toys, clothes, food, or other items with other non-infected children,” the Lancet article said.

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