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Dear ,
I hope you and your family are doing well! Below, please find a few updates on my work last week for the residents of Arizona’s First Congressional District.
Private Sector Experiences a Higher Number of Jobs Lost Than Gained, Per the July 2024 Employment Report
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July 2024 Employment Report pointed out that the private-industry diffusion index is below 50, meaning more private industries lost jobs than gained. This has only happened three other times within the past decade – during the last year of Obama’s presidency, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and just last month.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) uses this indicator as a measure of dispersion of change across industries. For example, if the economy added 200,000 jobs in one month, but the diffusion index is low, it means that only a handful of industries gained employment while most of the industries actually lost more workers than they hired. There was a net gain in the economy, but it was concentrated. On the other hand, if the index is close to 100, this means that most industries experienced a gain in the number of workers. If the index is below 50, it means that more industries (net) lost workers than the one that (net) gained.
The index has had a decreasing trend for the past two years, with manufacturing being under 50 for most of 2024. We wait to see if the drop in July for the main index is part of a general trend or will rebound as part of a cycle.
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Updates From the USDA Forest Service Regarding Arizona Wildfires
Very hot, record-breaking temperatures remain in place this weekend along with very dry conditions, as high pressure is centered over the Four Corners states. An Excessive Heat Warning remains in effect for the Sand Stone Fire areas this evening. Scattered showers and thunderstorms developed over the higher terrain northwest to southeast of the incident area yesterday afternoon where a few moved near or over the fires. The biggest threats were outflow winds and cloud-to-ground lightning. Away from the storms, relative humidity remained low, and winds were upcanyon/upslope with typical afternoon gustiness.
A disturbance may bring an increase in moisture and slightly cooler temperatures with more widespread showers and thunderstorms tomorrow and Wednesday. My website has been updated with the most recent coverage from the USDA Forest Service. For more information, please click here. As always, if you are in need of immediate assistance, please do not hesitate to call my District Office at (480) 946-2411. Stay safe.
Better, Faster, Cheaper: How Innovation is Expanding Optimism for the Future
Many of you know my fascination with innovation and the further implementation of technology into different facets of many industries. The up-and-coming innovation is extensive, and luckily, there are thousands of scholarly studies and research pieces being released daily that expand on progress of these projects. Not enough members of Congress take the time to capitalize on how these innovative advancements actually promote the health and well-being of our society. Here’s a newsletter segment that dives deeper into technological implementations that are actively making life faster, better, and cheaper for our brothers and sisters.
FDA approves blood test for colorectal cancer
A new blood test from biotech company Guradant, known as the 'Shield Test', has been approved by the FDA to detect colon cancer in people over the age of 45. 1 out of 3 eligible Americans neglect upkeep for yearly screening to check for colon cancer. The blood test works by testing the DNA that colorectal tumors shed in the bloodstream. This test isn't a replacement for a colonoscopy, but in clinical tests, the test has an 83% correct sensitivity for colorectal cancer and correctly identified around 90% of patients with colorectal cancer. The test is planning to be approved for most insurance plans and while the FDA advisory board recommended it for most cases, some members of the board were worried about false positives. Colon cancer rates for individuals 65 and older in America have continuously been dropping for decades, however, rates for Americans under 55 have been increasing since the mid-1990's. This has led to an increased focus on preventative screening for younger individuals, which this test seeks to address.
Forget Cutting Sugar—New Tech Makes It Healthier Instead
Harvard scientists find that adding an enzyme encased in an edible substance to food that contains sugar could turn the sugar into a fiber that is good for your gut. This alternate approach is much more appealing to the parts of the population that find great challenge in cutting out sugar. This “sugar-to-fiber enzyme” is just one of the latest technologies being researched to combat health challenges caused by sugar intake. The overconsumption of sugar, especially added sugar, can be detrimental to health overtime. The problem at this stage of research is how expensive it is to add this enzyme to foods... the enzyme is 100x more expensive than raw sugar. Scientists are also looking into other enzymes that reduce lactose and gluten absorption.
Startup’s ‘Fentanyl Vaccine’ Aims to Block Drug’s Highs, Overdoses
Ovax Inc. has raised $10 million to develop a vaccine to decrease the number fentanyl deaths, focusing on research that prevents the drug from reaching the brain. A vaccine has been successfully tested on rats, but Ovax plans to begin the first human trials as early as next year. “If successful, the vaccine will block users of fentanyl from getting high or overdosing from the drug.” Fentanyl poisoning has been the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages 18 to 45 since 2019. The Ovax vaccine aims to prevent overdoses from ever happening by blunting the drug’s effects; it basically prevents the user from feeling the high that opioids deliver. |