Babies and children in the United States are nearly twice as likely to die before reaching adulthood compared with their peers in other wealthy countries, according to a new study.
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The health of U.S. children has deteriorated since the early 2000s across a range of measures, researchers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of California, Los Angeles found. They published their findings last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The study compared infant and child deaths in the U.S. with the figures from 18 other high-income nations between 2007 to 2023.
U.S. infants, children and teens were about 1.8 times more likely to die before reaching adulthood compared with young people in peer countries, researchers discovered.
Many of the deaths from prematurity, firearms and sudden unexplained infant death are preventable, three physicians argued in an op-ed published after the new report.
The authors estimated the mortality gap between the U.S. and other countries claimed the lives of nearly 316,000 children and teens between 2007 and 2023.
The study also found that rates of chronic conditions including obesity, early puberty, trouble sleeping, limitations in activity, depressive symptoms and loneliness all increased in children during the study period.
Overall, Americans have a lower life expectancy and worse health outcomes than residents of other wealthy countries, even though the U.S. spends nearly twice as much on health care, relative to its gross domestic product.
To improve infant and child health, the authors of the op-ed proposed antipoverty measures such as child tax credits; social media restrictions; broader health insurance coverage; more investment in primary care; and more restrictive firearm laws.
Here is to Minnesota’s workers — native-born and immigrant, rural and urban, white-collar and blue.
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From factories to farms, from production lines to professional offices, Minnesota workers bring a combination of determination, education, and reliability. In our state, hard work is not just expected – it is a badge of honor.
I remember one snowy morning arriving early to shovel the entrance to our building. To my surprise, two co-workers were already there, shoveling quietly. No one asked them to. They were not paid extra. They just saw what needed to be done and did it. That same ethic plays out in every corner of the state, every day.
Business leaders with multi-state operations often say the same thing: “Our Minnesota location just runs better.” Fewer absences. More output and better attitude. That is not a fluke — it is how Minnesotans are wired.
The data confirms it. Minnesota ranks near the top nationally in labor force participation, educational attainment, and productivity. Almost three-fourths of Minnesota adults have pursued education beyond high school. Our workforce is both present and prepared.
Among the most inspiring contributors to this ethic are immigrants — many of whom bring their own traditions of grit, perseverance and diligence. In Minnesota, Latinos (the immigrant group with the most readily available data) have the highest labor force participation rate of any demographic group. Latinas, in particular, have seen real income and educational attainment grow more than twice as fast as their non-Hispanic peers.
But beyond statistics, it is character that counts. Minnesotans believe there is dignity in work — it is how people apply their talents, creativity, and discipline to build a better life and support their families. Work contributes to one’s worth, builds independence, and fosters growth. At the same time, it strengthens communities by creating prosperity, trust and shared purpose.
A society that values and promotes work not only reduces inequality — it unlocks human potential. In this way, work is both a path to personal fulfillment and a cornerstone of the common good.
Whether it is a lifelong Minnesotan showing up early or an immigrant building a new future, the ethic is the same: pride in work, personal responsibility and belief in opportunity.
We are fortunate to be home to such people.
So, here is to the Minnesotans who work hard and get it done. They deserve more than our thanks. They deserve state government that works as hard — and as competently — as they do.
Patrick Knight is a resident of Orono and CEO of a Twin Cities food processing company.
By WAFAA SHURAFA, SAM METZ and FATMA KHALED, Associated Press
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel began mobilizing tens of thousands of reservists and repeated evacuation warnings on Tuesday as part of its plan to widen its offensive in Gaza City, which has sparked opposition domestically and condemnation abroad.
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The call-up, which was announced last month, comes as ground and air forces press forward and pursue more targets in northern and central Gaza, striking parts of Zeitoun and Shijaiyah — two western Gaza City neighborhoods that Israeli forces have repeatedly invaded during the nearly two-year war against Hamas, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.
Zeitoun, once Gaza City’s largest neighborhood with markets, schools and clinics, has been transformed over the past month, with streets being emptied and buildings reduced to rubble as it becomes what Israel’s military last week called a “ dangerous combat zone.”
Israel says Gaza City is still a Hamas stronghold where the fighters have a vast tunnel network, despite multiple incursions throughout the war. It’s also one of the last refuges in northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are sheltering, facing the twin threats of combat and famine.
“We are facing the decisive stage,” Netanyahu said in a video statement addressed to the troops. “With God’s help, together we will win.”
Displaced Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza Strip move with their belongings along the Sea Road, in Gaza City, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Smoke rises following an explosion in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Displaced Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza Strip move with their belongings along the Sea Road, in Gaza City, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
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Displaced Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza Strip move with their belongings along the Sea Road, in Gaza City, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Israel on Tuesday repeated earlier warnings to Palestinians who have remained in Gaza City, unconvinced that another displacement will keep them safe.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee warned that combat operations would soon be expanding, and that services would be made available in Muwasi, a makeshift tent camp south of Gaza City.
At least 47 people have been killed across the Gaza Strip since dawn on Tuesday, according to hospitals.
A strike on a residential building in Gaza City’s Tel al-Hawa neighborhood killed 15 people, including at least three children, according to Shifa Hospital.
Rescue workers pulled a bloodied infant alive from beneath rubble, and then placed the dead under white sheets — a scene that captured the dangers facing Gaza City’s exhausted residents, uprooted time and again and uncertain if any place is secure.
“We were sleeping safe and sound in our home, and then we suddenly woke up to the sound of banging and rising smoke,” Sana Drimli, a resident of the building, told The Associated Press. “We woke up to see what happened to us and check in on our children and discovered that everyone around us is dead,” she said.
Further south, Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis and Awda Hospital in Nuseirat said that they received 22 casualties killed by Israeli airstrikes and gunfire near distribution sites and in a corridor frequented by U.N. convoys.
In recent months, more than 2,300 aid seekers have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The toll includes Palestinians who have sought aid in areas where U.N. convoys have been overwhelmed by looters and desperate crowds, and where people have been fatally shot while heading to sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF, an Israeli-backed American contractor.
Israel’s military didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. GHF said that there were no such incidents linked to its sites or on dedicated routes leading to them.
Reservists protest in Tel Aviv
At least 60,000 reservists will be gradually called up, Israel’s military said last month. It will also extend the service of an additional 20,000 reservists already serving.
In Israel, with a population of less than 10 million, most Jewish men complete compulsory military service and remain in the reserves for at least a decade.
But criticism over the war in Gaza is growing. A number of movements are organizing to encourage reservists not to serve, though it’s unclear how many will refuse the latest call-up.
A recently formed group called Soldiers for the Hostages said that it includes more than 365 soldiers who served earlier in the war, but won’t report for duty if called up again.
“Netanyahu’s ongoing war of aggression needlessly puts our own hostages in danger and has wreaked havoc on the fabric of Israeli society, while at the same time killing, maiming and starving an entire population of Gazan civilians,” Max Kresch, a member of the group, told reporters.
Refusing to show up for reserve duty is an offense that can merit prison time, though only a handful of reserve soldiers who have refused to serve have been put in military imprisonment over the course of the war.
Malnutrition and combat tolls grow
Since the world’s leading authority on food crises declared last month that Gaza City was experiencing famine, malnutrition-related deaths have mounted. Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday that a total of 185 people died of malnutrition in August — marking the highest count in months.
A total of 63,633 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the ministry, which says another 160,914 people have been wounded as of Tuesday. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children make up around half of the dead.
The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government but staffed by medical professionals. U.N. agencies and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of war casualties. Israel disputes them, but hasn’t provided its own toll.
The war started when Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 people hostage. Forty-eight hostages are still inside Gaza, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals.
Sam Metz reported from Jerusalem. Fatma Khaled in Cairo, and Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem, contributed to this report.
By SAFIYAH RIDDLE, Associated Press/Report For America
The Posse Comitatus Act is a nearly 150-year-old federal law that limits the U.S. military’s role in enforcing domestic laws. At its core, experts say the law reflects America’s long-standing belief that law enforcement should remain in civilian hands, separate from military power.
President Donald Trump has tested the law’s limits in the first few months of his second term, as he expands the footprint of the U.S. military on domestic soil.
Here’s what to know about the law.
Posse Comitatus Act stops military from enforcing US law
The criminal statute prohibits military enforcement of domestic law. It also prevents the military from investigating local crimes, overriding local law enforcement or compelling certain behavior.
There are key exceptions. Congress can vote to suspend the act, or the president can order it suspended in defense of the Constitution. The Insurrection Act of 1807 allows the president to deploy troops during invasions, rebellions or when local authorities can’t maintain order.
National Guard members are under state authority and commanded by governors, so they’re generally exempt. However, the Posse Comitatus Act applies to National Guard forces when they’re “federalized,” meaning the president puts them under his control. That’s what Trump did in California over the governor’s objections.
The military is allowed to share intelligence and certain resources if there’s an overlap with civilian law enforcement jurisdiction, according to the Library of Congress. There’s also an exception for the U.S. Coast Guard, which has some law enforcement responsibilities.
The US Capitol is seen past a member of the South Carolina National Guard standing at the Washington Monument, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Law was enacted after the Reconstruction era
The law was enacted in 1878 following the post-Civil War era known as Reconstruction. At that time, segregationist lawmakers didn’t want the U.S. military from blocking Jim Crow laws that imposed racial segregation.
But the spirit of the law has roots going all the way back to the Revolutionary War, when the nation’s founders were scarred by the British monarchy’s absolute military control, said William C. Banks, a professor at the Syracuse University College of Law.
“We have a tradition in the United States — which is more a norm than a law — that we want law enforcement to be conducted by civilians, not the military,” Banks said.
Courts have rarely interpreted the Posse Comitatus Act, leaving much of its scope shaped by executive branch policy and military regulations rather than judicial precedent.
Steve Vladeck, a law professor at Georgetown University, notes that this lack of legal rulings makes the law unusual.
“There is no authoritative precedent on exactly where these lines are, and so that’s why over the years the military’s own interpretation has been so important,” Vladeck said.
New tests for the law
A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration violated federal law by sending troops to accompany federal agents on immigration raids in Los Angeles this summer. The ruling does not require the remaining troops to withdraw.
Trump administration attorneys argued the law doesn’t apply because the troops were protecting federal officers, not enforcing laws.
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Trump also sent 800 troops to Washington D.C., saying without substantiation that they were needed to reduce crime in the “lawless” city.
In Washington, a federal district, the president is already in charge of the National Guard and can legally deploy troops for 30 days without congressional approval.
Riddle is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
