By Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN

(CNN) — As the Trump administration continues its immigration crackdown across the US, health care providers warn the impact of federal agents in health care settings – and the looming threat of immigration enforcement they’ve instilled nationwide – is presenting a barrier to care that could have a lasting impact on the health of communities.

With many people unable or afraid to access care, some providers say they are seeing a decline in patient numbers they haven’t seen since the Covid-19 pandemic – this time providing care while potentially dealing with federal agents in tactical gear.

Doctors are already seeing the impact on appointments, vaccination numbers and even basic nutrition, and they’re worried the long-term health consequences could be serious.

Armed ICE agents lining hospital hallways

In the Twin Cities, which saw a huge influx of federal immigration agents this year that sent the region into a state of chaos and resistance, armed ICE agents have been seen lining the hallways, accompanying patients in their custody, a senior physician at a large hospital in the Twin Cities told CNN. The doctor asked to remain anonymous out of concern that he or his hospital would be targeted.

“As doctors, I think our job is to take care of the patient in front of us, and we’re not involved in immigration enforcement,” the doctor said. “Until last month, that had never been a part of my job description.”

But then, patients began entering his hospital under the custody of federal immigration agents.

In January, the Trump administration rescinded a Biden-era policy that banned immigration enforcement actions in “sensitive areas,” like schools, places of worship and hospitals.

“The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement at the time.

Generally, federal immigration agents are allowed in health care settings where other members of the public are permitted, like waiting rooms, but need a warrant to access private patient areas.

“ICE does not conduct enforcement at hospitals—period. We would only go into a hospital if there were an active danger to public safety,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told CNN in a statement. “Of course, if we have a detainee we need to take to the hospital for medical care, we have officers accompany them for their monitoring, safety of the staff, and the public. This is standard procedure for all law enforcement agencies.”

But doctors say that the presence of these agents in health care settings can be disruptive and intimidating.

The Twin Cities hospital has provided care to patients who come in under ICE custody, including those recently who have had head injuries, injuries from being assaulted and those who have fainted, the doctor said. In general, the hospital has always instructed its providers not to make comments or notes about a patient’s immigration status on notes or other materials that can be accessed, the doctor explained.

All individually identifiable health information, including demographic data is protected in all forms under

By Adam Cancryn, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump is preparing to make health care a central focus of his midterm sales pitch, despite weak polling and misgivings among some of his own advisers about elevating an issue that’s long proved disastrous for the Republican Party.

The approach developed by Trump and his senior aides aims to spotlight key priorities that they believe carry broad voter appeal, like lower drug prices, while seeking to preempt an expected barrage of Democratic attacks over rising health costs, according to more than a half-dozen administration officials and others familiar with the matter.

“We’ve done a bad job over the years in that we don’t talk about health care, and when we do, it’s only when we’re forced to,” said a Trump adviser involved in the discussions. “There’s good stuff that Trump’s trying to do, and we need to get more aggressive on it.”

The strategy has already created some headaches.

Trump officials in recent weeks have pitched GOP lawmakers on mounting a longshot bid to pass major health legislation ahead of November’s midterm elections, despite little congressional appetite to do so. And inside the administration, White House aides are orchestrating an extraordinary shakeup of Trump’s health department in an attempt to remedy concerns about its messaging operation and move its focus away from more divisive topics like vaccines.

The intensifying emphasis on health care marks the White House’s latest bid to solve the cost-of-living woes dragging down Trump’s approval ratings and deepening fears within the GOP of a midterm rout. On Thursday, the president will travel to Georgia to deliver the latest in a set of affordability-focused speeches touting his economic accomplishments.

That message hasn’t resonated widely with voters so far, polling shows. While there’s hope that shifting toward health care will help the administration gain traction, several Republican allies working on the issue privately characterized the approach as a sign of the sheer depth of the challenge facing the administration nine months out from Election Day.

“There truly are not many things they will be able to do that will alter the fate of the Republican majority,” said one Republican close to the White House. “That’s obviously a tough place for them to be.”

History of failure

Republicans have struggled for more than a decade to formulate a winning health care platform, most notably failing repeatedly during Trump’s first term to repeal and replace Obamacare. That 2017 episode alienated voters and shifted the politics of the issue decisively toward Democrats, presaging a 40-seat swing that cost Republicans control of the House the following year.

Since then, Democratic candidates have enjoyed a sustained polling advantage on health care. And despite Trump’s efforts to revamp the GOP’s agenda by embracing the Make America Healthy Again movement and staking out a more populist position on drug prices, there’s little evidence he’s managed to significantly narrow the gap.

A White House official argued that Trump could still defy the party’s history on health care and insisted that the administration is committed to campaigning on the issue. Major parts of the president’s health agenda, such as cutting drug prices, are broadly popular, the official said, and can serve as tangible evidence that the administration is addressing affordability concerns.

“POTUS isn’t the traditional Republican, and many of the things we do don’t fit in the traditional Republican mode,” the official said. “He’s already built something here.”

But in recent briefings on midterm strategy, Trump’s political advisers offered a blunter motivation for leaning in on health care: They have no other choice.

James Blair, the White House deputy chief of staff, and top Trump pollster Tony Fabri

By Hanna Ziady, CNN

London (CNN) — Nestle has thawed on ice cream.

The world’s biggest food and drinks maker said Thursday that it was in “advanced negotiations” to sell its remaining ice cream business to its joint venture partner, Froneri.

Shares gained 3% in morning trade in Zurich.

The move comes as the company looks to boost sales and simplify its sprawling operations under new CEO Philipp Navratil. Navratil took over from Laurent Freixe in September, after Freixe was abruptly dismissed for failing to disclose a romantic relationship with a more junior colleague.

In full-year earnings, Nestle said it would focus on its coffee, petcare, nutrition and food and snacks businesses.

“We are focusing our portfolio on four businesses, led by our strongest brands, with prioritized resources and a simplified organization,” Navratil said in a statement.

The company is already in the process of cutting around 16,000 jobs worldwide, as it works to slash costs, including through automation and the use of artificial intelligence.

Navratil’s efforts to boost performance at the struggling Swiss multinational have been hampered by a major infant formula recall. Nestle said that stock shortages and returns of some formula products would have a marginally negative impact on its sales volumes this year.

The company recalled some batches of infant formula from dozens of countries in December, including France and the United Kingdom, after it found traces of the toxin cereulide in product samples. Cereulide can cause vomiting and diarrhea.

Nestle is not the first major food company to ditch its ice cream division. Unilever spun off its ice cream unit in December, creating the largest ice cream business in the world, known as The Magnum Ice Cream Company.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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Por Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN

Después de que seis esquiadores fueran rescatados de las “horribles” consecuencias de una avalancha cerca del lago Tahoe, en California, los familiares de los nueve esquiadores restantes recibieron noticias devastadoras. Los cuerpos de ocho de ellos habían quedado en la ladera helada de la montaña, y un último miembro del grupo seguía desaparecido, presuntamente muerto entre el manto de nieve

La masa de nieve y hielo, del tamaño de un campo de fútbol, ​​es la avalancha más letal registrada en la historia de California y ha atraído recursos de rescate y recuperación desde lugares tan lejanos como Los Ángeles, a unos 800 km de distancia.

Las mismas peligrosas condiciones de nieve que causaron la avalancha del martes han impedido que los equipos de recuperación regresen a la remota zona rural de Sierra Nevada para traer los cuerpos a casa, dijeron las autoridades en una actualización el miércoles.

Una esposa del equipo de búsqueda y rescate de Tahoe Nordic se encuentra entre los muertos, lo que hace que el esfuerzo de búsqueda y recuperación sea particularmente doloroso para su personal, dijo la sheriff del condado de Placer, Wayne Woo.

Entre las víctimas también se encuentran miembros de la comunidad de Sugar Bowl Academy, dijo la escuela privada y el club de esquí y snowboard de Estados Unidos en un comunicado, sin identificar a los muertos o heridos.

Blackbird Mountain Guides, la compañía de viajes que organizó el viaje, dijo que entre los muertos hay seis clientes y tres guías, mientras que cinco clientes y un guía sobrevivieron a la avalancha.

“Lo mejor que podemos hacer es rodear a nuestros atletas y familias de atención y apoyo, al tiempo que brindamos el espacio y el tiempo necesarios para el duelo y la sanación”, dijo Stephen McMahon, director ejecutivo de la Sugar Bowl Academy.

Mientras otra tormenta se acerca a la región, los equipos de respuesta a incidentes están esperando una ventana en la que puedan regresar al lugar de manera segura.

Aquí está lo último:

• Más de la mitad del grupo falleció: Un grupo de 15 esquiadores regresaba de una excursión de tres días organizada por Blackbird Mountain Guides, según la sheriff del condado de Nevada, Shannan Moon. El grupo incluía cuatro guías y 11 clientes que habían pagado el viaje. Se dirigían de regreso al inicio del sendero cuando se produjo la avalancha. Solo seis personas sobrevivieron, algunas de las cuales resultaron heridas, dijo Moon. Otras ocho personas fueron encontradas muertas, y se presume que otra persona, que sigue desaparecida, también está muerta. Los sobrevivientes son cuatro hombres y dos mujeres; entre los muertos confirmados y presuntos hay siete mujeres y dos hombres, confirmó la sheriff.
• Los rescatistas se enfrentan a condiciones peligrosas: Los equipos de rescate se enfrentan a condiciones peligrosas: Según Moon, hasta 50 miembros del personal de búsqueda y rescate de los condados locales y vecinos acudieron a la zona para ayudar a coordinar la respuesta. Sin embargo, la intensa nevada, las condiciones de ventisca y el riesgo de otra avalancha obligaron a los equipos a actuar con lentitud y precaución. No hay carreteras que conduzcan al remoto lugar del accidente, por lo que los equipos de rescate utilizaron un vehículo para la nieve para llegar a menos de tres kilómetros del lugar y luego recorrieron el resto del trayecto esquiando, según explicó el sheriff. “Decir que las condiciones meteorológicas son extremas es quedarse corto”, afirmó Moon.
• Un sobreviviente pudo enviar mensajes de texto a los rescatistas : Antes de que las unidades de rescate llegaran al lugar, sabían que al menos seis personas habían sobrevivido. El grupo de sobrevivientes se había estado comunicando con

* WHAT…Dangerous rip currents and breaking waves due to
elevated surf.

* WHERE…Santa Barbara County Southwestern Coast and Santa
Barbara County Southeastern Coast.

* WHEN…Through Friday evening.

* IMPACTS…There is an increased risk of ocean drowning. Rip
currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can
wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats
nearshore.
Remain out of the water due to hazardous swimming conditions, or
stay near occupied lifeguard towers. Rock jetties can be deadly
in such conditions, stay off the rocks.

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