A new study published yesterday in Jama found that a test used to diagnose patients with lung cancer had a built-in racial bias. The algorithm in the software used to diagnose patients assumed that Black people had naturally weaker lung capacity, raising the threshold for recommending care and making it less likely that they would be prescribed medication. According to the study, up to 40 percent more Black men would have been diagnosed with breathing problems if the bias had been corrected. The study also pointed out that this specific test isn't the only place where racial bias affects medicine. Prejudices and assumptions about racial differences affect patients looking for heart and kidney care as well.
WARNING ABOUT PAYMENT APPS
There's a new warning for people who store money in payment apps like Paypal, Venmo, and Cash App. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPC) said that the funds may not be secure in the case of a crisis, because while traditional bank accounts are secured up to $250,000, money held in a payment app doesn't have the same protections. So if one of these companies ever had a funding issue or was forced to close, customers could lose their money.
We know the world can be tough sometimes, so we'd like to take a moment to share One Good Thing happening in the world today. With graduation season in full swing, the reality is that some of our loved ones aren't always able to be at the ceremony in-person, but one father was willing to travel over 30 hours from the Middle East for the special day.
The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a photographer who claimed the late Andy Warhol had violated her copyright on a photograph of the singer Prince.
Deutsche Bank has agreed to pay $75 million to settle a lawsuit claiming that the German lender should have seen evidence of sex trafficking by Jeffrey Epstein when he was a client, according to lawyers for women who say they were abused by the late financier.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is rolling out new measures to crack down on mail theft. The agency says criminals have now been stealing mail carriers' keys too, so it's doubling down on its efforts to protect mail and those who deliver it.
