Millions of Americans woke up to apocalyptic, orange skies Wednesday as thick smoke from wildfires in Canada moved

Ukrainian forces have retaken the village of Urozhaine in the eastern Donetsk region, Kyiv said on Wednesday, after days of punishing battles as part of its counteroffensive against Russia.

Progressives are beginning a new offensive on Capitol Hill: Taking on America’s staggering $88bn in medical debt. Headed up by the Bernie Sanders spinoff group Our Revolution, advocates around the country are gathering horror stories of instances where necessary procedures were blocked by insurance companies or, perhaps worse, approved with stipulations such as “out of network” classifications that can quickly (and often do) lead to lifesaving treatment becoming a financial death sentence. The group hosted a town hall led by executive director Joseph Geevhargese on Monday, where a number of Americans shared their own personal versions of ruin at the hands of medical debt collectors and hospital bills. Between 10 per cent and half of adult Americans are thought to carry medical debt in some form, with estimates widely varrying thanks to the complexities of tracking paid-off debts. Elizabeth McLaughlin, one woman who shared her account with participants of the town hall event on Monday, spoke about how treatment she received in 2017 has led to her taking on tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt as she placed utility bills and other basic needs like groceries on lines of credit rather than face medical debt collectors. “I pass it from one [card] to another, and in the meantime I’m just grateful that I’m employed, and insured, and I can keep making the payments,” she explained. Another woman, Kristin Noreen, explained that she even filed for bankruptcy, only for her debt to immediately begin climbing into the thousands again thanks to tax obligations and other costs. Her treatment bills rose past $1m dollars after she was struck by a car on her bicycle and suffered grievous injuries, including the amputation of her hand, and now she explains that she has little chance of ever climbing out of her personal debt trap — even after her insurance paid for all but $60,000 of the treatment cost, and $50,000 of the remaining debt was handled by a charitable donation. The remaining $10,000 was still more than enough, coupled with the cost of years of therapy she says is “barely” covered by her Affordable Care Act plan, to leave her in financial desolation. “I’m back up to $10,000 on credit cards and as of last month, I have another $3,000 in debt to the IRS for prioritising my care over my estimated taxes. I’ve been denied disability and I work part-time from home as much as I’m able to,” she explained, while noting that if her pay increases from her part-time work, she is legally required to pay it towards Affordable Care Act subsidies rather than her own debt. Mr Sanders, along with a colleague in the House, Ro Khanna, reportedly plan to introduce legislation in the coming weeks aimed at addressing the issue — along with a nationwide campaign aimed at pressuring vulnerable lawmakers to get on board. Among the legislation’s priorities will be halting “predatory” debt collection practices and going after price gouging in medical billing. And while the demands in their upcoming legislation are small in comparison to Mr Sanders’s long-held desire to overhaul America’s for-profit healthcare system into a single-payer system aimed at affordability and access, the efforts by progressives to highlight the tragic cases of Americans consumed by medical debt likely aid in the left’s work to popularise the idea of major reforms and changes to the structure of America’s health system. Mr Sanders called for the elimination of all medical debt in the spring of 2022 after three leading credit agencies announced that they would no longer track paid-off medical debts when calculating credit ratings for Americans. “‘Medical debt’ and ‘Medical bankruptcy’ are two phrases that should not exist in the United States of America,” the senator said at the time. “Removing 70 percent of past-due medical debt from credit reports is a step in the right direction, and much more needs to be done. We must cancel all medical debt.” Read More Deal or default? Biden, GOP must decide what's on the table Black voters backing Biden, but not with 2020 enthusiasm House Republicans pressure Biden as they vote to raise debt ceiling in exchange for spending cuts

Mikel Arteta has called for Arsenal to change their Premier League losing streak against Manchester City ahead of their clash at the Emirates on Sunday. Arsenal are without a league win against the treble-winners since 2015 and a defeat on Sunday would extend their losing run to 13. Arteta highlighted that his side have broken winless streaks against other sides and called for his players to do the same against City. “When I came here I think it was 18 years at Old Trafford, 17 years at Stamford Bridge and we have since done it, so lets change it,” Arteta said. “My only worry is the quality of the opponent and that’s unquestionable and on Sunday we have to be at our best for 100 minutes. That’s what we can control and we need to focus. “In these big games you need big players with talent who make it count. Duels are a big thing in a game which can go one way or another.” Arteta lauded “top player” Declan Rice who he believes has adapted quickly to life in north London after his summer switch from West Ham. Rice moved for a reported £105m in July and has featured in all seven league matches for the Gunners, scoring their second in a 3-1 win over Manchester United in September. And Arteta highlighted the midfielder’s attributes which has allowed him to adjust to his new surroundings. “With Declan, I am extremely pleased. He has the qualities, the presence, the understanding to be a top player for us in his position,” Arteta added. “When you pay that sum of money you hope that they adapt really quickly but I think overall he’s adapted really nicely. “The league, the opponents, the demands we have here, the player he is for the national team, his previous club as well are all really relevant (reasons he has settled in quickly).” Erling Haaland failed to score when Arsenal beat City in the Community Shield in August and Arteta believes his defenders have the physicality to nullify the Norwegian’s strengths. He said: “That game was a while ago and it will be different, they will do different things as well but we are prepared to play to our strengths. “I think we have enough physicality in the backline to deal with those players (Haaland) and we have to prove it with every action on Sunday.”

Where can you find all the MLB playoff games in 2023? Check out the various networks you can find them throughout the postseason.

The bonds of the UK’s biggest water provider climbed on Monday as investors bet a selloff driven by

Muslim and Jewish civil rights groups say they’ve seen large increases in reports of harassment against members of their communities since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks

Thrill-seekers have long headed to amusement parks to get their kicks from twisting roller-coasters or plunging drop towers. But the kids’ zone is generally considered a pretty safe place for the whole family. And yet, one dad was apparently so overwhelmed with joy when he joined his kids on a fairground ride that he passed out cold while they were still strapped in. Lewis Conley Waterman was filmed beaming as he sat next to his toddler son and young daughter on a giant double-sided swing at a Butlins in Skegness. He enthusiastically raised his arms to get into the funfair spirit as the ride swung into action. And yet, just as his little girl was screaming and giggling with glee, he suddenly slumped to one side. Posting the clip to TikTok, Lewis wrote in a caption: “Still can’t believe I passed out on a children’s fair ride.” @lewisconley93 Passing out on a children’s fair ride #passedout #funny #fairrides #fypシ His video has now racked up more than 4 million views and 183,000 likes, with more than 1,000 commentators reminiscing on their own, similar experiences. “I remember when I went on this ride some people were screaming and I was falling asleep [because] of how relaxing it was,” one recalled. “I went on the tea cups and I passed out. No joke I’ve got a video,” wrote another. “I was so close to passing out on the Zipper and the Zero Gravity ride. My life flashed before my eyes,” admitted a third. Others expressed concern for Lewis, urging him to get checked out by a doctor and suggesting he might suffer from a condition called postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS). According to the NHS, PoTS is when your heart rate increases very quickly after getting up from sitting or lying down. The health service notes that the causes of PoTS are unclear, and that it can develop suddenly or gradually over time. “It can get better with changes to your lifestyle, but some people may need treatment with medicines,” it states on its website. Changes to your lifestyle? We guess that means no more trips to Butlins. Sorry, Lewis. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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