Bertha Coombs
@berthacoombs.cnbc.com
Former CNBC Senior Health Care Reporter | National Hispanic Health Research Institute Advisory Board Member
#HealthcareNerd #RedSoxFan #Cubana #Hiker
https://www.nhhri.org/
#HealthcareNerd #RedSoxFan #Cubana #Hiker
https://www.nhhri.org/
Pinned
Bertha Coombs
@berthacoombs.cnbc.com
· Jul 1
Millions of #Medicare recipients can now access #GLP-1 for weight, joining consumers who are already rocking the U.S. #Economy. Watch our @aspenideas.bsky.social session here: www.aspenideas.org/sessions/how...
Here’s my dumb question:
Why is it inevitable that AI models become destructive?
Why can’t they be trained to develop a higher-minded higher intelligence?
Why is it inevitable that AI models become destructive?
Why can’t they be trained to develop a higher-minded higher intelligence?
The FT asks Claude to draft a risk-factor statement for Anthropic’s prospectus. 🤓
@financialtimes.com @alphaville.ft.com
www.ft.com/content/29f0...
@financialtimes.com @alphaville.ft.com
www.ft.com/content/29f0...
September 16, 2026 at 5:57 PM
Here’s my dumb question:
Why is it inevitable that AI models become destructive?
Why can’t they be trained to develop a higher-minded higher intelligence?
Why is it inevitable that AI models become destructive?
Why can’t they be trained to develop a higher-minded higher intelligence?
Good health care. Healthier eating. Healthy habits— one of which, I might note, is that since the first wave of SARs nearly 25 years ago many folks in Asia tend to wear masks to protect themselves during respiratory virus season… 🤔
For the first time, Japan has more than 100,000 centenarians | CNN
Japan has been gripped by a declining population for decades, but one age group is adding new members and there are more of them than ever.
www.cnn.com
September 16, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Good health care. Healthier eating. Healthy habits— one of which, I might note, is that since the first wave of SARs nearly 25 years ago many folks in Asia tend to wear masks to protect themselves during respiratory virus season… 🤔
GAO report finds Amazon workers on food stamps & public assistance triples. Seems to have happened at the same time as the company’s profits grew 7-fold, while its cash tax rate has fallen to about 1.4%.
fortune.com/2026/09/13/a...
fortune.com/2026/09/13/a...
September 15, 2026 at 3:01 AM
GAO report finds Amazon workers on food stamps & public assistance triples. Seems to have happened at the same time as the company’s profits grew 7-fold, while its cash tax rate has fallen to about 1.4%.
fortune.com/2026/09/13/a...
fortune.com/2026/09/13/a...
Because, if it turns out AI doesn’t endanger us… ?
EPA plans to scrap Biden-era rules that limit power-plant climate emissions
Agency chief Lee Zeldin had planned the repeal as part a slew of proposals he called “the largest deregulatory announcement in U.S. history.”
www.washingtonpost.com
September 14, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Because, if it turns out AI doesn’t endanger us… ?
For those not from the Bay State, that’s pronounced “pee-bud-ee” — with the emphasis on the first syllable, not like Sherman and Peabody.
The hottest place for U.S. home shoppers right now features modest detached homes on generous lots, suburban shopping and highway access to downtown Boston, just 20 miles away.
Here are the 5 hottest ZIP codes for homebuyers in 2026, according to Realtor.com: cnb.cx/4xQAl0E
Here are the 5 hottest ZIP codes for homebuyers in 2026, according to Realtor.com: cnb.cx/4xQAl0E
September 13, 2026 at 3:10 AM
For those not from the Bay State, that’s pronounced “pee-bud-ee” — with the emphasis on the first syllable, not like Sherman and Peabody.
Great idea from @nytimes’ Jancee Dunn. I’m doing this during my next customer service call. With open enrollment coming up in a couple of weeks, I bet I could do at least 10K steps just pacing in my kitchen while I’m on the phone!
September 12, 2026 at 1:22 PM
Great idea from @nytimes’ Jancee Dunn. I’m doing this during my next customer service call. With open enrollment coming up in a couple of weeks, I bet I could do at least 10K steps just pacing in my kitchen while I’m on the phone!
A friend called 9/11 the Pearl Harbor of our age. In this day and age, especially, let’s remember the bravery, the kindness and the grace so many showed that day. We saw the best in us, in the face of the worst of humanity.
September 11, 2026 at 12:47 PM
A friend called 9/11 the Pearl Harbor of our age. In this day and age, especially, let’s remember the bravery, the kindness and the grace so many showed that day. We saw the best in us, in the face of the worst of humanity.
#$WTI and gasoline prices usually cool along with the weather after Labor Day in the fall, barring storms.
(🙏🏽 Let’s pray we don’t see a hurricane in the Gulf.)
(🙏🏽 Let’s pray we don’t see a hurricane in the Gulf.)
September 10, 2026 at 10:50 PM
#$WTI and gasoline prices usually cool along with the weather after Labor Day in the fall, barring storms.
(🙏🏽 Let’s pray we don’t see a hurricane in the Gulf.)
(🙏🏽 Let’s pray we don’t see a hurricane in the Gulf.)
Reposted by Bertha Coombs
🤯 I feel for young people seeking that American Dream of buying a home just get more unattainable.
30-year fixed mortgage rate tops 7% for the first time in over a year
30-year fixed mortgage rate tops 7% for the first time in over a year
The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage crossed over 7% for the first time in more than a year, as home prices continue to rise and sales drop.
cnb.cx
September 10, 2026 at 4:41 PM
🤯 I feel for young people seeking that American Dream of buying a home just get more unattainable.
#$LLY #womenshealth “…efforts point to a more ambitious push into… pregnancy-related disorders and endometriosis…The drugmaker has been recruiting scientists to work on osteoporosis and preeclampsia, while expanding the responsibilities of some longtime executives to encompass women’s health...”
Lilly’s GLP-1 Windfall to Fund Investments in Women’s Health
Eli Lilly & Co. has been laying the groundwork for a broader move into women’s health, assembling experts and hunting for new medicines across conditions including bone health and endometriosis, a...
share.google
September 10, 2026 at 4:38 PM
#$LLY #womenshealth “…efforts point to a more ambitious push into… pregnancy-related disorders and endometriosis…The drugmaker has been recruiting scientists to work on osteoporosis and preeclampsia, while expanding the responsibilities of some longtime executives to encompass women’s health...”
Bloomberg’s headline called the $5K offer a Quid Pro Quo for your vote, which would cost $1 Trillion. But, as Monty Python might put it, let’s not bicker and argue about the math of paying for it or the impact on the deficit, much less the appropriateness of this concept of a plan…
‘Pretend That I Am Running’: 7 Takeaways From the G.O.P. Midterm Convention (Gift Article)
At a first-of-its-kind midterm convention, President Trump mostly offered retreads and self-congratulation. Then, he offered to pay Americans $5,000 apiece if Republicans kept power.
www.nytimes.com
September 10, 2026 at 2:31 PM
Bloomberg’s headline called the $5K offer a Quid Pro Quo for your vote, which would cost $1 Trillion. But, as Monty Python might put it, let’s not bicker and argue about the math of paying for it or the impact on the deficit, much less the appropriateness of this concept of a plan…
This game feels like Déjà vu all over again. 🤦🏾♀️
September 10, 2026 at 2:52 AM
This game feels like Déjà vu all over again. 🤦🏾♀️
Can’t help wondering how the Treasury Secretary would be hedging this market if he were still a fund manager…
September 9, 2026 at 4:24 PM
Can’t help wondering how the Treasury Secretary would be hedging this market if he were still a fund manager…
Feels like a great plot twist for a Big Bang Theory sequel…
As the leading AI labs battle for math supremacy, OpenAI spent millions of dollars and cracked the Navier-Stokes problem. Rivals are already challenging AI’s biggest math breakthrough yet.
Read more: 🔗 https://on.wsj.com/4hhfMUX
Read more: 🔗 https://on.wsj.com/4hhfMUX
September 9, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Feels like a great plot twist for a Big Bang Theory sequel…
Ironically, as you age you remember things from long ago better than what you ate yesterday. That’s especially true of cardinal events. I’m not old enough to remember where I was when JFK was shot but I’m sure I’ll always remember that terrifying morning, even if God forbid I suffer dementia.
"September 11th was 25 years ago" -- Ted Cruz defends Trump lying about his response to 9/11 but suggesting he might not remember because it was so long ago
September 9, 2026 at 1:33 PM
Ironically, as you age you remember things from long ago better than what you ate yesterday. That’s especially true of cardinal events. I’m not old enough to remember where I was when JFK was shot but I’m sure I’ll always remember that terrifying morning, even if God forbid I suffer dementia.
Would have been fascinating to watch the coverage of the launch on Mornings with Maria…
Exclusive | Hunter Biden (and His Laptop) Enter the Cryptosphere With New Meme Coin
The personal computer that launched a thousand memes will debut this week as a digital token.
www.wsj.com
September 7, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Would have been fascinating to watch the coverage of the launch on Mornings with Maria…
VP JD Vance demurs when asked whether Maria will be new White House spox.
September 3, 2026 at 7:04 PM
VP JD Vance demurs when asked whether Maria will be new White House spox.
Maria Bartiromo Leaves Fox News effective immediately 👀
Maria Bartiromo Is Out at Fox News (Gift Article)
The host, who appeared on Fox Business and Fox News, had been with the network for more than 12 years.
www.nytimes.com
September 3, 2026 at 6:57 PM
Maria Bartiromo Leaves Fox News effective immediately 👀
#$CVS and #$WBA have already filled 200K GLP-1 scripts through Medicare Bridge Program; gotta think with Walmart, Kroger and independent pharmacies, the number of seniors already accessing the weight loss drugs is about twice that.
#$LLY #$NVO
#$LLY #$NVO
Drugstores say Medicare's $50 obesity drug program is catching on
The Bridge program, which began July 1, makes some Medicare beneficiaries eligible for obesity drugs for $50 a month. CVS and Walgreens say they've each already filled 100,000 such prescriptions.
www.npr.org
September 2, 2026 at 1:11 AM
Reposted by Bertha Coombs
An AI update re: the top federal health agency in the US: a judge said HHS cited nonexistent scientific evidence that may have been hallucinated by AI and used it to support cutting tens of millions of dollars in grants. Washington Post story below: www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/... #medsky #AI
September 2, 2026 at 12:50 AM
An AI update re: the top federal health agency in the US: a judge said HHS cited nonexistent scientific evidence that may have been hallucinated by AI and used it to support cutting tens of millions of dollars in grants. Washington Post story below: www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/... #medsky #AI
Dutch institute issues a 'Red Alert' over potentially lethal Trump-shaped ecstasy pills
— I guess they use “respected drug and mental health institute” in the lede, because this seems unreal.
— I guess they use “respected drug and mental health institute” in the lede, because this seems unreal.
A Dutch institute issues a 'Red Alert' over potentially lethal Trump-shaped ecstasy pills
A respected drug and mental health institute in the Netherlands is warning about potentially lethal ecstasy pills shaped like U.S. President Donald Trump's head.
apnews.com
August 31, 2026 at 2:52 PM
Dutch institute issues a 'Red Alert' over potentially lethal Trump-shaped ecstasy pills
— I guess they use “respected drug and mental health institute” in the lede, because this seems unreal.
— I guess they use “respected drug and mental health institute” in the lede, because this seems unreal.
63 years ago today… #IHaveADream #MLK
On This Day: MLK’s Iconic Speech (1963)
YouTube video by American Archive of Public Broadcasting
youtube.com
August 28, 2026 at 2:05 PM
63 years ago today… #IHaveADream #MLK