Aeromexico Crash: Stronger Planes Can Mean Fewer Fatalities

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — An aviation expert says passengers in plane crashes like Tuesday’s Aeromexico accident — in which no one died — have better chances of survival due to more robust aircraft construction. Air safety investigator Adrian Young, from the Netherlands-based consultancy To70, said that crash survival rates “are higher than they have ever…

Officials Are Promoting Lower-Cost, Short-Term Health Plans

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR , Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is clearing the way for insurers to sell short-term health plans as a bargain alternative to pricey Obama-law policies for people struggling with high premiums. But the policies don’t have to cover existing medical conditions and offer limited benefits. It’s not certain if…

Repeat Wildfire Evacuations Leave Some Californians Weary

By JANIE HAR and BRIAN SKOLOFF , Associated Press UPPER LAKE, Calif. (AP) — Jessyca Lytle fled a fast-moving Northern California wildfire in 2015 that spared her property but destroyed her mother’s memorabilia-filled home in rural and rugged Lake County. Less than three years later, Lytle found herself listening to scanner traffic and fire-proofing her…

Study: ‘Medicare for All’ Bill Estimated at $32.6 Trillion

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare for all” plan would increase government health care spending by $32.6 trillion over 10 years, according to a study by a university-based libertarian policy center. That’s trillion with a “T.” The latest plan from the Vermont independent would require historic tax increases as government replaces what employers and…

Crews Lament Longer Fire Season That Spawns Erratic Blazes

By MARTHA MENDOZA , Associated Press ANDERSON, California (AP) — Exhausted and hungry, some 12,000 firefighters are working 24-hour shifts battling deadly California wildfires and becoming resigned to fire seasons that start earlier, burn longer and unleash increasingly unpredictable blazes. “There’s a lot going on up here, endless fires, and they’re all characteristically pretty much…