November 27, 2023

Monday, November 27, 2023. Annette’s News Roundup.

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Joe is always busy.

The President and his family brought much joy to the people of Nantucket during the Thanksgiving holiday.

He also reminded the nation what a fit 81 year old looks like.

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More Americans could get dental coverage under Biden proposal.

Dental care could soon become more widely available to adults who buy health insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces under a new federal proposal that aims to narrow a long-standing coverage gap in the 2010 health care law.

Why it matters: Healthy teeth and gums are tied to a person's overall health — for instance, gum disease is linked to cardiovascular issues and diabetes — but dental services are often treated differently than medical care.

• The Biden administration proposal may especially benefit people of color and those with lower incomes, who are more likely to have poor oral health.

Driving the news: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last week proposed allowing states to include adult dental services as an "essential health benefit" (EHB) that ACA health plans must cover without imposing annual or lifetime limits on customers.

• While states wouldn't have to require the coverage, the proposal would reverse a ban on states from including adult dental services as an essential benefit. However, insurers are already required to offer the benefit for kids covered through the ACA marketplaces.

• When federal health officials over a decade ago first crafted EHB standards, they looked to employer health plans as a guide for what insurers would have to cover in the new ACA marketplaces. Since employers generally offer dental care separately from medical benefits, adult dental care was left out.

• The administration is now walking back that decision. "Given that oral health has a significant impact on overall health and quality of life" and the high percentage of employers offering dental coverage, it makes sense to revisit the government's previous thinking, CMS wrote.

• All states already offer at least one adult dental coverage option on the marketplace, but designating the benefit as "essential" would make coverage more accessible and generous.

• Under the CMS proposal, the dental coverage could be wrapped into medical coverage or offered as a standalone plan.

What they're saying: "It's a really important moment in advancing the entire conversation" around oral health, Melissa Burroughs, director of strategic partnerships at Families USA, told Axios.

• Families USA and other consumer advocacy organizations have been calling on CMS to make this change.

• "[Health and Human Services] is to be applauded for recognizing the link between oral health and overall health and for making a proposal that is designed to allow for extended dental coverage," said National Association of Dental Plans executive director Mike Adelberg. (Axios).—————————————————————-

On the 3rd of 4 days, 17 hostages were released by Hamas.

14 Israeli and 3 foreign nationals.

4-year-old Abigail Edan released by Hamas in hostage deal.

Abigail Edan, left, was kidnapped after her parents were killed in front of her on Oct. 7. Her brother is 10; her sister 6.

NANTUCKET, Mass. — President Biden announced Sunday that a 4-year-old American girl, Abigail Edan, has been released in the latest group that Hamas is freeing after 50 days in captivity as part of a deal with Israel.

“Today she’s free,” he said from the White Elephant Hotel. “She’s free and she’s in Israel now.”

“She’s been through a terrible trauma,” the president added, noting that her mother was killed in front of her and that her father was gunned down as well while trying to shield her.

“The proof that this is working and worth pursuing further is in every smile and every grateful tears we see on the faces of those families who are finally getting back together again,” Biden said. “The proof is little Abigail. More than 20 other children, 18 years and younger, have been released. They’ve been released through this deal as well.”

The president said he doesn’t know what her condition is.

“Thank God she is home,” Biden said.

Biden said he would remain engaged in trying to secure the release of other Americans.

It was the second time he gave formal remarks on the situation in Gaza over his five-day trip to the island for Thanksgiving. He is planning to return to Washington this afternoon.

Biden said he will continue working with the governments of Israel, Egypt and Qatar to secure the release of other hostages.

Noa Naftali, the child’s cousin, told CBS News in an interview last week that the girl and her family were at home in Israel’s Kfar Aza kibbutz, near the Gaza border, when Hamas militants attacked, killing Abigail’s mother in front of the child and her siblings, 10 and 6.

Abigail’s siblings survived the attack by hiding inside a closet, where they stayed for 14 hours before being rescued, Naftali said. She said that Abigail, initially feared dead, crawled from beneath her father’s body and ran to the neighbors’ home. Militants took Abigail hostage, along with that family of five, Naftali said.

Abigail will be reunited with her siblings and live with their aunt, uncle and grandparents in Israel, Naftali told CBS. They would be able to offer “the love and support that they need after losing their parents.”

U.S. officials say the Biden administration has been deeply involved in the hostage negotiation process, in which U.S. ally Qatar has served as a mediator between Israel and Hamas.

“I will tell you that we are in extremely close touch, down to every possible detail, with both the Israelis and the Qataris, as well as with the Egyptians,” Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said earlier Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Sullivan said that while the administration has felt “very fully apprised of what is likely to unfold today,” officials were still proceeding “with caution” because they do not trust Hamas.

“We’re dealing with a terrorist group,” Sullivan said. “So we can’t be absolutely certain about what is going to happen until it happens.”

Officials believe that eight other U.S. citizens and one U.S. green card holder are still being held captive by Hamas. Two American women were released on Oct. 20.

Abigail, who was 3 years old at the time of the attack, turned 4 on Friday.

The wait has been awful, the girl’s great-aunt, Liz Hirsh Naftali, told CNN last week.

In an interview with CBS, she described Abigail as a spunky, energetic child who keeps up with her siblings in playing games, such as soccer. “She was always in the front,” Liz Hirsh Naftali said. “She was not sitting back. She ran that house.” (Axios).

One more thing.

The President spoke about the Hostage Release, Abigail Evan, his goal to get all the hostages released and to have the Cease-Fire Extended. Watch below. Touch.👇

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Will anyone be able to stop the insurrectionist Trump from running for the Presidency?

Lawrence Tribe discusses the issues.

Harvard law professor Lawrence Tribe spoke with Katie Couric about whether article 14 section 3 of the Constitution should disqualify Trump from running for the Presidency. Watch below. 👇

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Hillary. With her wits about her. As ever.

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New York’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is the Nation’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a ratings monster.

Good old live TV maintains at least one huge draw that's not the NFL: the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

By the numbers: A record 28.5 million people tuned in to watch on NBC and its Peacock streaming platform, up 6% from last year. That makes it the year's highest-rated entertainment broadcast, per the Hollywood Reporter.

Why it matters: "The record is particularly impressive at a time when even major live events have witnessed ratings erosion," the Hollywood Reporter notes.

"In a good sign of the parade's status as an American institution," Variety adds, "more than two-thirds of that audience (22.3 million) came from the live linear telecast on NBC from 8:30 a.m. to noon ET and live streams on Peacock."

Just over 5 million viewers watched a repeat telecast from 2-5 p.m. ET on NBC and on-demand streams via Peacock.

The previous records were 25.4 million in 2021 — and 25.9 million in the asterisk year of 2020, when viewers were homebound for COVID and the parade was pretaped without crowds.

One more thing.

The President’s participation in the Thanksgiving celebration is a metaphor for the national nature of “our” parade.

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Wednesday is Tree Lighting time at Rockefeller Center.

Your Guide to the 2023 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting, Including Who's Performing and How to Watch.

NBC's annual tree lighting ceremony will be held on Wednesday, November 29th and broadcast live from Rockefeller Center in NYC.

(Christmas) Lights, Camera — Action!

The kick-off to the "most wonderful time of the year" is almost here because the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree has arrived in New York City and will be lit during NBC's 91st lighting ceremony.

Every year, according to Rockefeller Center Magazine, the tree — which is always a Northway Spruce — is picked out by the same person: Rockefeller Center's head gardener, Erik Pauze. This year's tree weighs in at about 12 tons, stands 80 feet tall and hails from Vestal, New York.

The tree will be decked out with 50,000 multicolored lights (strung on approximately 5 miles of wire!) and topped with a 900-pound star with 70 spikes covered in 3 million Swarovski crystals.

While the lighting ceremony has been broadcast live around the world since 1951, the process of selecting and honoring a different tree to stand in Rockefeller Center has been an annual tradition for 90 years! (Though, the COVID pandemic meant the lighting was closed to the public in 2020.)

The festivities will be hosted by Kelly Clarkson, with appearances by TODAY anchors Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Craig Melvin and Al Roker. Plus, a slew of musical guests will rock around the Christmas tree.

Between how to watch and who else is performing, keep scrolling for everything you need to know about the 2023 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

How to watch the 2023 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony?

While the plaza will eventually be open to the public with viewing hours posted at a later date, the Christmas in Rockefeller Center special is scheduled to broadcast live on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. ET and available to stream on Peacock.

Who's performing at the 2023 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony?

There may be only one star on the tree, but there will be many stars on the stage! Between celebrity guests and musical performances, this entertaining evening will be far from a silent night.

Host Kelly Clarkson will be joined by other performers throughout the evening. They include Chloe Bailey, Adam Blackstone, Cher, David Foster, Liz Gillies, Darlene Love, Seth MacFarlane, Barry Manilow, Katharine McPhee, Keke Palmer, Carly Pearce, Manuel Turizo and more.

Plus, the Radio City Rockettes are going to make their Rockefeller return!

The Rockettes at the 2019 Christmas Spectacular show.

What are the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree viewing hours?

If you can't make it to the ceremony to watch the lighting live, have no fear! The tree will be viewable at Rockefeller Center between West 49th and 50th streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues in NYC. While viewing hours are to come at a later date, the tree will be lit for 24 hours on Christmas Day.

When will the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree come down?

The exact date of when the Rockefeller Christmas tree will come down has yet to be confirmed. More information will be provided in the coming weeks, according to the official Rockefeller Center website.(People).

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