By FARNOUSH AMIRI, Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian took the stage at the U.N. on Wednesday to blast Israeli and U.S. attacks in June as inflicting “a grievous blow upon international trust and the very prospect of peace in the region.”

His comments at the General Assembly are the first time he has spoken in a global forum since the 12-day Israel-Iran war over the summer that saw the assassination of many of the Islamic Republic’s highest military and political leaders.

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Pezeshkian is in New York as a series of crippling U.N. sanctions loom over Tehran if it does not make a deal with European leaders by Saturday. But before even landing in New York, any diplomatic efforts by Pezeshkian and Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi were overshadowed when the country’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei rejected any direct nuclear talks with the United States.

Pezeshkian also repeated Tehran’s claims that it odes not seek a nuclear weapon through its domestic nuclear activities.

“I hereby declare once before this assembly that Iran has never and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb,” he said.

The president also criticized the Britain, German and France’s efforts to trigger the so-called “snapback” mechanism to reinstate sanctions — barring a last-minute accord — over Iran’s failure to comply with conditions of a 2015 nuclear deal aimed at preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.

He said that the countries — known as the E3 — have operated in “bad faith” for years to dictate Iranian compliance with a deal that the U.S. abandoned in 2018. “They falsely presented themselves as parties of good standing to the agreement and they disparaged Iran’s sincere efforts as insufficient.

Earlier this month, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced that 12 Austin-area schools with an “F” rating could be closed. For many families, this isn’t just a policy decision—it’s a direct threat to thousands of children’s educational stability and their communities’ future. 

The affected schools, all part of Austin Independent School District (AISD) received three consecutive failing grades under the state’s accountability system tied to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exam. TEA ordered the campuses to submit improvement plans by mid-November, which could involve major staffing changes or closures. The schools include Winn Montessori, Barrington, Dawson, Linder, Oak Springs, Pecan Springs, Sanchez, Widen, Wooldridge, Bedichek, Martin, and Paredes. As education researchers and community advocates, we know that school ratings often reveal more about poverty than about student learning. Decades of research show that standardized tests don’t measure intellect, creativity, or resilience. They measure zip codes. Numerous studies also highlight the direct ties between the testing industry and the prison industrial complex.

The problem is clear: Austin’s “F” schools overwhelmingly serve mostly low-income African-American and Hispanic children. Closing them on the basis of a flawed metric sends one message: Your community does not matter. 

School buses in Austin (Shutterstock)

More specifically, data from the Texas Academic Performance Report outlines that the twelve Austin ISD campuses at risk of closure or major intervention serve predominantly low-income African-American and Hispanic student populations (see a full chart here): At these campuses, between 78 percent and 97 percent of students are classified as economically disadvantaged, with most schools exceeding 90 percent. This strongly suggests that socioeconomic status, not instructional quality, is the most consistent predictor of school ratings. Research has long demonstrated that poverty shapes educational outcomes through limited access to resources, higher mobility rates, and increased exposure to stressors outside of school. The racial and ethnic composition of these same schools is between 57 percent and 91 percent Hispanic, while African-American enrollment ranges from 1.9 percent to nearly 39 percent. The clustering of F-rated schools in predominantly Black and brown neighborhoods highlights the racialized nature of standardized testing outcomes, aligning with scholarship that critiques accountability systems as mechanisms that reproduce racial and class stratification. 

TEA’s accountability system disproportionately penalizes schools that serve economically disadvantaged students of color. All twelve schools identified for improvement or closure received failing (“F”) ratings, yet their student demographics highlight structural inequities rather than deficiencies in teaching or learning. 

Parents and teachers have long known what research confirms: Standardized testing is a poor predictor of success. It rewards test-taking strategies, not curiosity. It privileges students with resources, tutors, and stability at home, while penalizing those navigating poverty, language barriers, or trauma. 

Standardized testing has become a billion-dollar business. In 2013, TEA awarded Pearson a $462 million contract, followed by a $280 million contract with Education Testing Services. Nationally, 45 states spend a combined $669 million annually on testing contracts. These corporations reap massive profits, yet there is no evidence that more standardized testing improves student learning or narrows achievement gaps. What these tests do measure—reliably—is the ability of corporations to siphon resources away from Texas students, teachers, and communities.

Instead of doubling down on testing, TEA should reduce the number of exams and provide real support. Before closing schools, the agency must engage communities in honest conversations about what children need to thrive—whether it’s more bilingual staff, smaller classes, or after-school programs. 

Austin’s children deserve more than a test score. Closing schools will not build stronger communities. Listening to them will. TEA must choose partnership over punishment. 

A growing body of scholarship urges states to move beyond single test scores and adopt multiple measures of accountability. Such systems better capture the breadth of student learning by incorporating graduation rates, college and career readiness, access to qualified teachers, and school climate. Authentic assessments—such as project- and portfolio-based evaluations—offer viable alternatives that measure higher-order thinking and student creativity while remaining compliant with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, which explicitly authorizes states to integrate portfolios, extended performance tasks, and adaptive assessments into their accountability systems. Despite this flexibility, Texas continues to rely almost exclusively on high-stakes standardized tests, ignoring well-established recommendations for more equitable, comprehensive approaches to evaluating student learning and school quality. 

At the state policy level, Texas must fundamentally rethink accountability. Policymakers, TEA, and school leaders should establish school-based teams to collect and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data, ensuring that decisions are grounded in the realities of students, families, and educators. 

These efforts must prioritize schools with the greatest needs and the fewest resources, offering sustained support rather than punitive closures. Specifically, TEA should end costly assessment contracts with for-profit corporations and redirect those funds into classrooms, counseling services, culturally relevant curricula, and community engagement initiatives that actually strengthen schools. 

The post Austin’s Children Deserve More than a Test Score appeared first on The Texas Observer.

It may not be age that is making your hair thin or fall out, but rather what you are eating and drinking.

New research shows certain foods contribute to hair loss, and others help with hair growth.

Sugar-sweetened beverages and alcoholic drinks are associated with a higher risk of hair loss, according to research published in Nutrition and Health, which analyzed 17 studies on diet and hair.

“When we consume high amounts of sugar, we get an insulin spike that promotes inflammation and can distort the natural hair growth cycles,” explains Laura Acosta, a registered dietitian and associate professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Florida. “With alcohol, it’s not that it necessarily directly causes hair shedding itself, but it does contribute to nutrient deficiency, nutrient malabsorption, liver stress, poor sleep, and systemic inflammation — all of which can wreak havoc on hair growth.”

Not consuming enough protein also can lead to hair loss. Acosta says a person needs to take in half a gram of protein per pound of body weight each day.

“We tend to be more protein-deficient than we think,” said Dr. Jila Senemar, a Miami menopause specialist who says hair shedding, hormones, and diet are all interrelated.

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli help with stronger hair follicles. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Foods that can help with healthy hair and hair growth include soy-based nourishment like edamame or tofu, and cruciferous veggies like broccoli or cauliflower, which can reduce the risk of hair loss. Nutritionists believe this is likely due to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of their phytochemicals, such as isoflavones and carotenoids. Additionally,  persimmon leaf has been studied and found to be linked to improvements in both hair density and thickness. Persimmon leaf contains antioxidants like quercetin that improve blood flow to the scalp. You can drink it in tea or take an oral supplement.

While most studies in this new review primarily included women, one study involving 76 men with male pattern baldness found greater hair growth in a group that consumed 400 mg of pumpkin seed oil for 24 weeks compared to a placebo group. Researchers believe the reason for the hair growth may be hormonal — pumpkin seed oil may decrease dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone known to affect hair follicles and cause hair thinning.

When it comes to supplements, Vitamin D has been the most studied. At least five studies analyzed in this review found that higher vitamin D levels may be protective against hair loss. Acosta said 2,000 international units (IUs) would be a good dose to aim for, noting there is risk for toxicity if someone takes too much.

Another supplement to consider is iron. One study showed that iron supplementation (in the form of 100-milligram tablets) improved hair growth in women. Senemar, the Miami doctor, said if someone is iron-deficient and wants to take supplements, she suggests taking them with vitamin C, which can help increase iron absorption. She points out that certain foods are good sources of iron, including spinach, lentils and almonds.

Acosta recommends having your iron levels tested along with your zinc and biotin (Vitamin B7) levels because deficiencies can cause hair loss or thinning. Adults need 30 micrograms of biotin daily. It can be found in foods like meats, eggs, fish, seeds, nuts and vegetables like sweet potatoes.

“If you’re not biotin deficient, though, taking biotin supplements is unlikely to help your hair,” Acosta said.

Recently, research has been focused on collagen for hair growth. “There is some exciting research going on around collagen supplements that a few years ago I probably would have dismissed, but now it really has my attention,” she said.

For the newly published review, researchers scoured three big scientific databases — PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus — using keywords like “dietary intake,” “nutritional status,” and “hair growth.” In total, the studies involved 613,320 individuals, mostly females, ranging in age from 7 to 77 years old.

“These were observational studies, meaning that we see associations, but we can’t necessarily prove causation from these types of studies,” Acosta explained.

South Florida Sun Sentinel health reporter Cindy Goodman can be reached at cgoodman@sunsentinel.com.

By Lane Gillespie, Bankrate.com

Alexis Leone, a 34-year-old mother of five in rural Mississippi, initially tried her best to juggle her full-time job with her youngest child’s needs.

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Leone’s son is partially deaf and has a severe allergy to ants. But her workplace was unable to accommodate Leone’s multiple appointments a week for speech therapy, weekly allergy treatments and other medical needs for her son, and she says it was unwilling to work with her Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) request. (FMLA is a federal labor law that requires most companies to offer unpaid, protected leave for a family or medical reason.) So, she quit her job, and she now relies on Medicaid and her husband’s commission-based income to meet her family’s health and financial needs.

Under her old workplace’s insurance, medical co-pays alone for her son cost $200 a week, which she already struggled to afford before she quit her job. Today, those co-pays — as well as health care for her other four children — are completely covered under Medicaid. But, because of the Trump administration’s sweeping Medicaid cuts that passed in July, Leone isn’t sure how much longer she’ll be able to afford her children’s health care.

The cuts are part of President Donald Trump’s broad tax and spending bill, dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act, and mainly tighten restrictions on disabled adults’ access to care, not children’s. Still, the cuts might affect Leone’s family’s access to Medicaid through new, stricter work requirements for adults and additional paperwork that families will have to fill out every year to keep their coverage. What’s more, the National Rural Health Association estimates rural hospitals will lose a significant amount of funding due to the bill or could close outright, which could affect Leone’s family’s access to local health care providers. Leone has difficulty accessing providers that accept Medicaid near her, as it is — her children’s dentist is a two-hour drive away.

Leone hopes her family’s financial situation will improve to the point that they won’t need to rely on Medicaid by the time most of the changes go through in 2027. If their financial situation doesn’t improve, she just hopes her child with a disability will continue to have access to health care, despite the cuts.

“If we have to have private insurance or no insurance (for my kids), it’s going to be almost impossible to then afford to get the services that are needed,” Leone says.

This summer, the 70 million Americans enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) learned that the vital health care they’d come to rely on through public assistance could disappear, as the Trump administration gutted the 60-year-old program. The OBBB Act that passed this year and was signed by Trump in July would cut funding by nearly $1 trillion and would lead to 10.5 million fewer people enrolled in Medicaid over the next 10 years, according to estimates by the Congressional Budget Office. The Trump administration says the bill will lead to less Medicaid fraud. However, Medicaid cuts will increase costs and limit provider availability for many disabled Americans. With limited or no access to Medicaid, many Americans with disabilities will have to make tough choices about where their money goes.

Today, Leone’s family doesn’t save money and can barely cover their bills, which is more common for people with disabilities and their families than the general American population. While 24 percent of employed people feel they are completely financially secure, only 7 percent of unemployed, permanently disabled people say the same, according to Bankrate’s Financial Freedom Survey. Similarly, 65 percent of unemployed, permanently disabled people feel they are not completely financially secure and likely never will be, compared to 25 percent of employed people.

“Meeting financial goals such as saving for emergencies and retirement or paying for basic necessities like quality healthcare and groceries is a formidable challenge for every American,” says Bankrate U.S. Economy Reporter Sarah Foster, who has reported on economic policy and its effect on American households for over six years. “Add in the experience of living with a chronic illness or disability, and those aspirations may feel almost insurmountable.”

4 tips for disabled Americans concerned about their finances under the Medicaid cuts

People with disabilities often face financial pressure from two sides: They may pay more in health care costs than other households, and they may also struggle to pay those costs because they can face barriers to attaining well-paying, accessible jobs.

“People with disabilities might lack adequate transportation to and from work; they might need on-the-job assistance or more flexible paid time off that workplaces don’t provide,” Foster says. “It’s also true that their jobs get cut faster during the busts and take longer to come back during the booms. All of those factors can confine them to a sustained state of financial stress and insecurity.”

However, there are federal and online resources that can help you look for a higher-paying job, balance your budget and save money. If you’re looking for new strategies to manage your money in anticipation of Medicaid cuts, these tips can help get you started.

1. See where you can cut expenses

Whether you earn a wage through a job, receive benefits or both, if you’re interested in saving more, it’s worth your time to find where you can cut back on both fixed and variable expenses.

Variable expenses — expenses that aren’t set from month to month, such as food or transportation costs — are easier to cut down on than fixed expenses, which remain the same from month to month. If you want to save on variable expenses, you can make small changes starting today, like buying in bulk, using public transportation instead of ride-shares or thrifting for clothing, furniture and home goods, instead of buying new.

It’s a little bit more work to save money on your fixed expenses, but you may be surprised at how often you can negotiate your regular bills. Consider these methods to save money on your fixed expenses:

FIXED EXPENSES
WAYS TO CUT BACK

Rent or mortgage, including utilities, taxes, fees and maintenance
Live with roommates or family, if possible (even temporarily). You can save money on energy bills by unplugging devices when you aren’t using them and using room-temperature water when doing laundry. The U.S. Department of Energy also has a guide on how to save on energy bills.

 

Phone, internet and cable bills
You may be able to negotiate your phone or internet bill if you call your provider.

 

Debt repayment, such as for a car, student loans or credit cards
If you have outstanding credit card or automotive debt, you may be able to call your issuer to negotiate your balance to avoid the balance being sent to collections. Most automotive, student loan and credit card issuers might also offer hardship programs or be willing to settle your debt for a lower amount.

 

Medical coinsurance, co-pays and prescription costs
If you have existing medical debt, call the provider and see if you can negotiate for a payment plan or lower balance. You can also often access prescription coupons from the manufacturer’s website or through third-party platforms like GoodRx.

 

Child care costs
Consider alternative child care options, such as family, nanny shares or child care co-ops. You may also be able to access certain tax credits for families, such as the child and dependent care credit or the child tax credit.

 

Memberships, such as gym memberships
Try out DIY options, such as buying home gym equipment secondhand or doing beauty treatments (such as your hair and nails) at home.

 

2. Look into specialized assistance

If you have a disability and need help paying for expenses, you may qualify for local and state programs. You can find more information through your state’s Health and Human Services office. Nationally, you may also qualify for assistance with your:

Rent or mortgage. Non-elderly disabled vouchers can help people under the age of 62 with a disability find and pay for affordable rentals. If you’re a senior citizen, you can also access housing choice vouchers, affordable housing or public housing.
Utilities. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEA) helps with heating and cooling bills. Some states also offer help with electric bills.
Phone and internet. Lifeline offers discounts on phone and internet bills for low-income households.
Food and household goods. Depending on your age and members of your family, you may be eligible for food assistance, including the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP). If you’re disabled or homebound, your local food bank may be able to deliver food, personal hygiene products and cleaning supplies. Reach out to your nearest food bank to learn what resources they offer for disabled individuals.

If you’re a disabled veteran struggling financially, you can also turn to certain specialized programs and grants.

3. Save more by opening an ABLE account

If you’re concerned about being able to afford health care as a disabled person, you might want to consider saving money now in an ABLE account. An ABLE account is a tax-advantaged savings account specifically for people with disabilities who qualify. You can use the funds only for disability-related expenses, including housing, education, transportation, health, prevention and wellness, assistive technology and personal support services, according to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. To open an ABLE account, there are a few qualifications you need to meet — notably, your disability must have started before you were 26 years old. (This will increase to 46 in January 2026.)

While you must have a disability that started before the age of 26 to open one, anyone can contribute to an eligible person’s ABLE account, though annual contributions are limited to $19,000, as of 2025.

If you’re worried about a major upcoming expense, like a medical procedure, or if you want to make sure you have funds to use in an emergency, you should prioritize saving, starting today. Ideally, it’s best to save 20 percent of your take-home pay for emergency savings, retirement and debt repayment, but it’s OK if you’re not able to save that much. If you receive the average Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payment of $1,738 per month, try saving as little as $50 per month, which could help pay for a future car tire or minor medical bill.

To open an ABLE account, check out your state’s program.

4. Look for job assistance near you

If you’re concerned about losing your Medicaid eligibility and are interested in going back to work (or working for the first time), you don’t have to face today’s challenging job market alone. Federal and state-level programs are designed to help you find the right job placement. If you’re on SSI or SSDI, you may even be able to keep your benefits while you work. Generally, you can receive SSI if you make less than $2,019 per month as a single person. You can receive SSDI benefits if you earn less than $1,550 per month.

Check out these programs for more help with finding the right job:

Ticket to Work: Ticket to Work is a free program administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) for those 18 to 64 on Social Security disability benefits. It provides one-on-one guidance, such as resume and interview help, as well as benefits counseling to explain how returning to work affects your federal and state benefits. Through Ticket to Work, if you earn enough at your new job that your SSDI payments stop, you can continue to receive Medicare for more than 7 years.
State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies: Different states offer different vocational services for adults with disabilities, and many offer specialized services for the blind or visually impaired, as well as for people under the age of 18. In Texas, for example, a counselor can help place you with a job that aligns with your needs and interests through tuition assistance, specialized training, vehicle modification, therapy and other services.

The bottom line

If you receive disability benefits, understanding your financial options can help you navigate your personal finances with confidence. You can also check out other financial resources for disabled or low-income families, which can help you establish credit or even purchase a home.

Key takeaways:

President Donald Trump signed a bill in July that would implement cuts to Medicaid enrollment and funding, which will be rolled out over the next three years. The cuts would increase medical costs for many Americans with disabilities and may make it harder for some families to save or balance their budgets.
Disabled people concerned about Medicaid cuts can consider opening an ABLE account or looking into personalized job assistance.

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