Latest news with #Graziano
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Donald Trump's election triggered transgender people to contemplate DIY hormones & suicide: study
Even before executive orders were signed in January or court decisions handed down, fear was already surging through transgender communities across the United States. A new study from the University of Vermont, appearing in JAMA Network Open, captures that fear in stark detail. Titled 'Access to Gender-Affirming Care and Alternatives to That Care Among Transgender Adults,' the research found that every single one of 489 transgender, nonbinary, and intersex respondents believed they could lose access to gender-affirming medical care under the shifting political climate. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. 'This is a population that already feels that their access to care is constantly under threat,' said Teresa Graziano, the study's lead author, who uses they/them pronouns. 'It was startling.' Related: What does Donald Trump's 'shocking and devastating' victory and a second term mean for the LGBTQ+ community? The survey, conducted between the 2024 election and Inauguration Day 2025, revealed a level of distress that transcended fear and entered the realm of survival. More than 21 percent of participants reported that they would feel suicidal if their access to care were cut off. Graziano said one participant explicitly told them, 'killing myself is easier than living without my hormones and my gender affirming care.' Particularly alarming to Graziano was how many respondents described preparing for life without medical support. Nearly a third said they would turn to black-market hormones or attempt to synthesize hormones at home if care were banned. 'My concern as a health care provider is that they do not necessarily know that they are receiving sterile products or the products that they think they're receiving,' Graziano said. 'They may not be using doses that are safe or appropriate for them because it may not translate one-to-one with what they've been using in the past.' The Trump administration has moved quickly to implement policies redefining sex as strictly male or female and directing federal agencies to explore limits on gender-affirming care, particularly for minors. While no federal ban on adult care is currently in place, the U.S. Supreme Court's June decision in Skrmetti upholding Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors has fueled deep anxieties that similar laws could spread across the country. Related: Trump administration announces end to gender-affirming care for transgender veterans National advocates say the Vermont study confirms broader trends. A spokesperson for Advocates for Trans Equality told The Advocate, 'This new study echoes what we found in our 2022 U.S. Trans Survey health report that we released last month, which captures the experiences of 84,170 trans adults across the country, and what millions across our country who are losing access to their health care thanks to Trump's budget reconciliation bill are saying: Trump's policies have consequences—all of us are less healthy and less safe, and many trans people will die without the transition-related care they need.' For Rep. Becca Balint, Vermont's first out lesbian member of Congress, the study's findings reflect conversations happening at home. 'It mirrors what I am hearing directly from trans, nonbinary, gender nonconforming folks, intersex people in Vermont and their families,' Balint said in an interview with The Advocate. 'This level of anxiety about not being able to get the care that they need and that they deserve and that will keep them alive is something that I'm hearing from a lot of my constituents.' Related: Supreme Court rules states can ban gender-affirming care for youth in U.S. v. Skrmetti 'In the last few months, when I am back in Vermont and I am at an event, inevitably, either someone who identifies as trans or nonbinary or their family will come up to me and they will tell me just how scared they are that they're not going to be able to get health care,' she said. 'And more broadly, just deep despondency that their own government is coming after them.' While Balint called it 'of course, a shocking statistic that over 20 percent would consider taking their own lives,' she said the finding was, tragically, not surprising. 'They have been told now for two and a half years in earnest by the Republican party and by Trump that they don't matter,' she said. 'That they don't care about the lives of these people, that they will say anything and do anything, and they will scapegoat them.' Balint said many constituents have expressed what it feels like 'to have your government weaponized against you,' and warned that political rhetoric has real consequences for mental health and safety. 'When they don't see us as elected officials standing with their civil rights, standing with their right to the health care that they need and deserve, of course, it looks bleak,' she said. Related: LGBTQ+ mental health crisis center says calls have surged with Donald Trump's inauguration She sees a strong connection between today's threats to transgender people's access to health care and the fight for reproductive freedom. 'I link those all the time, especially for constituents who might have a hard time understanding the lives of trans people because they don't necessarily have somebody in their family or within their close social circle,' Balint said. 'I always say it's the same thing: you're talking about people having control over their own bodies.' Balint emphasized that cutting off access to care won't make transgender people disappear; it simply pushes them into unsafe, underground options. She said, 'transgender people have always existed and always will, as part of humanity itself.' People, she noted, will go to great lengths to obtain the care they need, even if that means risking black-market treatments. Instead of forcing people into such dangerous paths, Balint urged, 'We need to stop demonizing this population who is just trying to live their lives.' If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit for 24/7 access to free and confidential services. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The lifeline also provides resources to help with other crises, such as domestic violence situations. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at or text START to 678678. This article originally appeared on Advocate: Donald Trump's election triggered transgender people to contemplate DIY hormones & suicide: study RELATED Montana court strikes down ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors Hundreds protest Pittsburgh hospital for caving to Trump and denying trans youth gender-affirming care Supreme Court rules states can ban gender-affirming care for youth in U.S. v. Skrmetti
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Truist looks to optimize digital onboarding
This story was originally published on Banking Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Banking Dive newsletter. To draw in new clients, Truist is doubling down on tweaks that make its digital banking experience more personalized and seamless, said Sherry Graziano, head of digital, client experience and marketing at the lender. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based super-regional, which now has 7.3 million digital banking clients, has said enhancing client experience and growing digital capabilities are key parts of its overall strategy; both are efforts Graziano is squarely focused on. 'Continued focus on feature functionality delivery for different segments of clients,' she said, 'is really important.' Giving the bank's wealth clients the ability to self-serve with wire transactions, for example, was a function the bank saw immediate adoption of, she said. Experience enhancements and marketing fueled 13% year-over-year growth in digital account sales in the first quarter, $536 billion-asset Truist said. About 69% of the bank's transactions now occur digitally, as of the first quarter – up 10% from Q1 2024 – and the bank sifts through data and customer feedback for clues that inform its digital improvements roadmap, Graziano said. After mobile identity verification was rolled out last year, it's increasing conversion rates for younger generations during the account-opening process, bank executives have said. More than 60% of new-to-bank clients are millennial and Gen Z. That verification tool allows for potential customers to take a selfie if step-up authentication is needed in the account sign-up process. Truist is looking to expand that function across product sets, and improve the tool by employing more advanced data matching and supporting a broader range of ID types, Graziano said. Other enhancements to the onboarding process are in the works, including allowing for multiple account funding sources, and the bank is piloting digital direct deposit connectivity, she said. Much of what the bank prompts customers during the onboarding process – setting up direct deposit and Zelle, for example – helps to drive primacy, which Truist has been intently focused on lately. 'We're always focused on, how can we ensure that you not only open your account, but you have seamless integration with all the different capabilities we offer?' Graziano said. 'So that roadmap will continue, again, all focused on client feedback.' The bank has sought to streamline that endeavor with an artificial intelligence-powered tool dubbed Truist Client Pulse, which aggregates customer feedback from a variety of sources. Graziano pointed to allowing customers to tailor their mobile app dashboards by choosing their top tasks as an example of the concentration on personalization in digital banking channels. That focus has also resulted in Truist Insights, an AI-powered tool that serves up nuggets of information in mobile and digital channels, Graziano said. That tool 'will tell someone 'hey, you might be getting ready to go negative, and there's a balance buffer opportunity,'' which can help a customer avoid overdrawing, she said. 'Our goal is to give them the insights, so that they can be in a position to be proactive.' In the first four months of the year, the bank delivered about 175 million insights to clients, who see roughly 11 unique insights per month, on average, she said. With customers logging in on their mobile devices about 18 times a month, Truist aims to seize those moments. 'Those are all opportunities to surface up real-time insights and messages that matter to clients,' she said. About 70% of Truist's 7.3 million digital clients are active on the bank's mobile app. Like other big banks, Truist is increasingly focused on offering more capabilities through digital channels while making sure more complex or emotional needs can be handled by employees. The bank's virtual assistant is now seeing 500,000 chats per month, on average, and is able to handle a customer's inquiry without needing to involve a Truist employee about 80% of the time, Graziano said. Truist's digital efforts may be crucial to counterbalance its physical changes: Branch closures within its Southeast footprint have contributed to the bank's retail share decline in some markets in recent years, Truist Securities analyst John McDonald said in a recent note. Truist 'has lost ~360bps … of retail share in the SE states since 2019,' he wrote. The bank declined to share an expectation for technology spending for the year or how much it's invested in the mobile app in particular. Its first-quarter filing noted professional fees and outside processing – which technology expenses fall under – jumped 31% year over year, due in part to larger tech investments. As the bank hews closely to what its customers want, Truist brings clients in to test new capabilities under consideration, to ensure it's on the right track. 'In some cases, we'll say something's interesting, but clients didn't like it, or they found it hard to use,' Graziano said. 'So before we just go push something into production, let's go make a change.' Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mob Wives' Renee Graziano Flaunts 52-Pound Weight Loss, Credits Mounjaro: ‘My Body Has Transformed'
Mob Wives alum Renee Graziano is celebrating her body transformation! The former VH1 reality star, 57, gave an update on her weight-loss journey on Monday, May 5, revealing she has lost 52 pounds with help from weight-loss drug Mounjaro. 'OH BABY 😍 IM DOWN 52lbs … I love sharing my weight-loss journey with y'all because truthfully, I've been so hard on myself behind the scenes,' Graziano wrote alongside before-and-after photos showing off her incredible transformation via Instagram. Graziano credited weekly Mounjaro shots for five months, as well as taking the "right supplements' and 'doing all the work behind my insecurity' with her therapist for her weight loss. 'I've battled self-criticism in the past! Ripped myself down to the ground!!' Graziano shared with her 685,000 followers. 'I truly was so sick and tired of my life and my inability to lose weight so I thought I'd eat until I felt better THAT NEVER HAPPENED, I felt like I was constantly falling short—of how I 'should' look, feel, and keep up with what society tells us is acceptable.' 'That's why, when I see photos that show the real, visible change, my clear eyes and genuine smile, I have to share,' she continued. "I want everyone to know if I can do it, you can do it! It's all possible!!' Since undergoing her weight-loss journey, Graziano said she hasn't 'felt the need for a plastic surgery shortcut,' noting, 'I do do a little Botox and a touch of lip filler.' However, she wrote, 'The substantial amount of weight that I have lost really has made me feel and look younger than I have in a long time. My mind is clear and my body has transformed, and more importantly, so has my confidence.' Other celebrities who have used Mounjaro to aid their weight loss include Meghan Trainor, Whoopi Goldberg and Amy Schumer. Chelsea Handler, Kyle Richards and More Celebrities Who've Spoken About the Ozempic Weight Loss Trend During a May 2024 appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Goldberg, 69, said Mounjaro had helped her lose the weight of 'almost two people.' In November 2024, comedian Jim Gaffigan opened up about his experience with the weight-loss drug. 'I was so paranoid that I was going to be nauseous that I kind of put it off, but then it kind of worked,' Gaffigan, 58, exclusively told Us Weekly. 'It's weird because we live in this society where people who eat too much are told that they just don't have any self-control. … There are people that just have no 'off' button to eat, right?' Every Real Housewife Who Has Addressed Ozempic Speculation: From Kyle Richards to Dolores Catania The stand-up comedian went on to explain that it's 'really fascinating' how people have 'empathy' for those struggling with other addictions, but there's 'less sympathy' for somebody who battles with 'too much eating.' 'I would eat when I was hungry and I would eat when I was happy and eat when I was sad, and I would just eat. It was my reward,' he shared with Us, noting that it's 'odd' that there's a 'negative stigma' surrounding the decision to use weight loss drugs. 'It's obviously personal, but I don't think there's anything wrong with it. But then again, anonymity is a thing surrounding a lot of struggles like that.'
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘They knew what they were doing': New York man's jet ski mysteriously stolen from driveway in broad daylight
While installing cameras around your home is a good way to protect your valuables from being stolen, thieves appear to be getting more sophisticated with their methods. Chris Montalbano of Long Island, New York learned this lesson the hard way. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) Montalbano, who had just pulled his Sea-Doo personal watercraft out of storage, recently discovered that the $25,000 jet ski was stolen from his driveway in broad daylight. His security cameras should have documented the theft, but as he discovered, three minutes of footage had disappeared. "You see the Jet Ski for one second, and then all of a sudden, it skips for, like, three minutes and there's nothing,' Montalbano shared with CBS News. 'And the Jet Ski is gone, but you don't know how it left.' However, one camera — the one that's furthest away from the driveway — did manage to capture the heist. A hooded man wearing a mask and driving a Dodge Durango can be seen hooking up the jet ski's trailer to the hitch on the truck before driving off with Montalbano's personal watercraft. Montalbano believes the thief must have briefly disabled the security cameras near the driveway in order to pull off this brazen theft. "It's the only thing I can think of," he said. "They had to have been staking it out and known. Because you don't just pull up like that. They knew what they were doing." Michael Graziano, a cyber security expert, told CBS News that thieves now have the ability to jam Wi-Fi signals in order to disrupt security video recordings. "The camera may be working, but because it loses connection with the internet, there's no recording that goes to the cloud," said Graziano. The Federal Communications Commission has banned the use of devices that jam signals — even law enforcement isn't allowed to use them — but that hasn't stopped thieves from using these devices to pull off their heists. Graziano also thinks today's thieves can make these types of devices at home. Jamming devices can disrupt video recordings by overloading the Wi-Fi network with a stronger signal, blocking communication between the camera and its recording device. While this doesn't deactivate a surveillance camera, it does effectively stop the camera from recording what it captures. Unfortunately, thieves using jamming devices to steal Montalbano's jet ski isn't an isolated incident. In fact, a woman in Phoenix, Arizona was almost the victim of a similar type of theft last year. Kim Komando and her husband were preparing dinner when they noticed two police helicopters flying above and shining lights on their property, according to an article Komando wrote for USA Today. Just a few moments later, the couple spotted members of the Phoenix SWAT team poking around Komando's property. One of the SWAT team members reportedly yelled out, 'yeah, there's a jammer right here.' 'A SWAT member said, 'Ma'am, a South American gang is targeting homes to steal from. The jammer says you might have been next.'' Komando wrote in her article. And while SWAT managed to find the device before the Komando's house was robbed, their neighbor just four doors down wasn't so lucky. That homeowner reportedly got a notification that his security cameras were offline, leading him to think that his internet must have gone down. Meanwhile, in the span of just 10 minutes, thieves broke in and managed to steal valuables worth $100,000, as well as $25,000 in cash. KARE 11 News also reported in early 2024 about a string of burglaries in the Edina, Minnesota area where thieves used signal jammers to disrupt security systems. The news outlet reports that thieves may be able to purchase these illlegal jammers through suppliers outside of the country. Read more: This is how American car dealers use the '4-square method' to make big profits off you — and how you can ensure you pay a fair price for all your vehicle costs Jamming devices may have created a seamless method for thieves to disrupt security cameras, but that doesn't mean you can't take steps to protect yourself and your property. For starters, try parking your cars — or in Montalbano's case, your jet ski — inside the garage so that it can't be seen from the road. This may not stop criminals from knowing where your cars are kept, but hiding them in the garage adds an extra layer of protection. Some homeowners, however, don't have a garage and therefore can't hide their expensive vehicles. In this case, these homeowners might choose to equip their home with surveillance cameras, as Montalbano had done. But there's one thing Montalbano could have done to prevent his cameras from being disrupted by a jamming device. "Any camera system that you have, hardline it," said Graziano. "A hardline cable that goes right to the internet, that would stop someone from jamming it." In other words, Graziano suggests connecting your surveillance cameras directly to the internet using a cable instead of relying on a Wi-Fi connection. Some cameras may be able to record footage onto an SD card, which means they can record even without a Wi-Fi connection. Another way to deter thieves could be to install motion activated lights outside of your home, as well as timers on the lights inside your home that turn the lights on at certain times to make potential thieves think someone is home. Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Daily Mirror
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Strictly star risks angering BBC bosses with message to controversial axed pro
Strictly Come Dancing star Vito Coppola shared a supportive message to his pal and former BBC dancer, Graziano Di Prima, on his birthday Strictly Come Dancing star Vito Coppola shared a supportive message to his pal and former BBC dancer, Graziano Di Prima, on his birthday. The professional dancer was sacked by BBC bosses in the summer amid claims he "hit, spat at and kicked" his celebrity dance partner Zara McDermott. Graziano, 31, fled the UK to return to his native Italy with his wife Giada, where it was reported he was working on a vineyard. However, Graziano recently made a comeback to the country. In December, he returned to Instagram for the first time since last July as he announced his return to dancing after a "period of reflection" and said that he felt "stronger than ever". And now, on his birthday, his Strictly co-star and close friend Vito took to his Facebook page to send a supportive message to the axed dancer. Vito wrote alongside a photo of the two at the beach: "Happy birthday to my dear friend, my brother. You are a fantastic human and that's why you are so much well-loved. Love and miss you so much." He shared a similar message on his Instagram Stories, writing: "Happy birthday to this special human "Ti saro per sempre amico!" Love you so so much my brother and I miss you so so much!" The Italian translates to: "I will always be your friend!" Earlier this year, Graziano revealed to fans he would be running a dance class in London and asked the to sign up. He said at the time: "Ciao everyone. "I've finally got beautiful news. April 27, I will be in London at the Dance Attic teaching you two incredible classes. "I cannot wait to see you all and most of all to dance with you all - we're going to have fun!" Last year, Graziano's Strictly sparkle was washed off to uncover an alleged abusive underside. He was forced to admit he had kicked his celebrity partner Zara while they were working together on Strictly in 2023 and he then dropped out of the show in shame. At the end of the year, Vito shared his unwavering support for the dancer following Graziano's dismissal from the long-running BBC programme. Earlier in the evening, the two were seen enjoying a coffee together, with Vito sharing a heartfelt message on social media: "Amico mio ti voglio bene," which translates to "My friend, I love you." The photo, posted on Graziano's Instagram originally, had a lengthy caption from Graziano himself. About his co-star, Grazian penned: "How wonderful it was to hug you again, my friend! "Our friendship is stronger than anything, remember you're a special person, with a big heart!! Love you and wish you all the best in everything you do."
