The SteamOS 3.7.13 update fixes WiFi issues on the Steam Deck OLED for a better gameplay experience.
Patch focuses on bug fixes for input issues, visual corruption, cursor, and power button detection.
A comprehensive changelog includes audio fixes, accessibility improvements, and additional platform support.
The Steam Deck OLED is a great way to play your games on the go, which is why it’s important for it to have a strong and stable WiFi connection. I mean, sure, you can install a USB Ethernet port on it, but if you want to, say, play it online at a cafe, you’re very much dependent on the Steam Deck’s WiFi capabilities.
Unfortunately, the Steam Deck OLED’s WiFi capabilities can be a little bit spotty, which can get really annoying when you want to play it on the go. Well, here’s some good news for you: Steam has just released a new version of SteamOS, and tucked away within its patch notes is a fix for the Steam Deck OLED’s WiFi issues.
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I already installed SteamOS on the Asus ROG Ally X, and I regret it
This needs a little longer in the oven..
The SteamOS 3.7.13 update fixes a ton of annoying issues
On the Steam Community website, Valve breaks down what’s new in SteamOS 3.7.13. By the looks of things, the main focus of this update, titled “Out Exploring,” is squashing lots of infuriating bugs. As such, if SteamOS has been acting strangely for you lately, it’s worth taking a peek at the changelog and seeing if your issue got squashed already.
Perhaps the most welcome change is the removal of WiFi regression on the Steam Deck OLED. People have reported spotty performance with WiFi on the OLED model lately, and before now, the best advice people could give was to install the beta version with the fix on it. Now, there’s no need to leave the release channel; just update your Steam Deck and you’re good to go.
There are also some fixes for input issues on the Asus ROG Ally, a line of visual corruption on the cursor, and SteamOS hanging on Strix Point devices. So yes, a ton of annoying issues have now bit the dust. There’s also a nice change that allows for better power button detection on third-party devices like Ayaneo and OneXPlayer systems. Nice one, Valve.
Here’s the full changelog:
Fixed a case where the battery level indicator could become stuck
Fixed VRR frame pacing with the performance overlay on screen
Fixed game stuttering when using the volume keys
Fixed Legion Go S joystick lights turning off upon entering desktop mode
Fixed controller input occasionally disappearing on the Asus ROG Ally
Fixed grip buttons not registering on the Asus ROG Ally
Fixed a hang on boot on Strix Point platforms
Fixed a WiFi regression with Steam Deck OLED
Disabled experimental support for Wake-on-Bluetooth for Steam Deck LCD while issues with spurious wake-ups are being investigated
Fixed a bug where visual corruption could occur with Sharp upscaling with HDR/10-bit applications when interacting with the overlay
Fixed an issue where the cursor would not be visible in the bottom-right quadrant of the screen when using the magnifier
Fixed cursor having a line of visual corruption when using Sharp upscaling in certain instances
Fixed certain overlay key bindings involving Shift, the Super key, Right Alt, or Return/Enter not being able to be triggered
Fixed input being passed to applications when overlay key bindings are invoked
Fixed OBS Studio not working with the streaming output provided by gamescope
Fixed an issue where clicking mailto: links sometimes didn’t display the right error
Fixed an issue where volume keys would sometimes not properly adjust the volume of the 3.5mm audio connector
Fixed a SteamOS 3.6 regression causing audio glitches in God of War: Ragnarok
Added support for optional color filters
Added Orca screen reader and espeak-ng text-to-speech tools
Fixed the magnifier producing an incorrect scale and offset when Sharp upscaling was used
Fixed an issue where the Legion Go S with SteamOS could lose trackpad functionality after sleep
Added power button support for some AYANEO, AYN, GPD, MSI, ONEXPLAYER, and OrangePi platforms
Midjourney was my first real text-to-image AI tool experience starting back in 2022. I’ve watched it evolve as the industry swelled with competition and lots of other image, animation and video tools popping up almost weekly since. By January 2023, the tools started to evolve to a place where they made us sit up and take notice, as I outlined in my first AI Tools article, AI Tools Part 1: Why We Need Them.
But after years of progress and lots of testing, Midjourney has now raised the bar yet again, with the introduction of their new video tool, and I’m pleasantly surprised at what it can do so quickly and sensibly. Here’s what I’ve explored so far…
Frame from Noir style short clip created in Midjourney Video
Midjourney Animate
Midjourney announced the new video animation feature and the output is quite impressive!
I’ve been using a lot of different animation and video generation tools the past few years, as you may know if you’ve been following my AI Tools series here on ProVideo. But this is the most seamless and quickest workflow I’ve yet to engage with.
Most generators require a starting image – like a keyframe if you will. I almost always start with an image I’ve generated in Midjourney and then gone to another tool to animate it. (You can see my last article, AI Tools: Generative AI for Video & Animation Updates for more examples of the workflow). But now in Midjourney, you can either generate a new image as your source, or start with your own photo.
First – the details and specs…
Currently, everyone with an account can access the Animate option, but only the Pro and Mega plans can use the Relax mode, and videos consume 8x more time to process than images, but it does provide you with 4 variations to choose from in each round.
Video Output Sizes & Formats
Note that the maximum resolution at the moment is 480p (832×464) and the sizes vary depending on aspect ratio of course.
You can export your video in a compressed MP4 for social use, or a larger RAW MP4 H.264 version (still compressed but less) and animated GIF. You can link to the completed video’s URL as it stays in the cloud in your account.
This is the Codec data from a “RAW” files downloaded from Midjourney:
Midjourney Video Test Drive
Of course I had to dive in and absorb all I could with this new feature and I spent a couple days running it through the paces.
Starting off, I tried using some simple prompts for various news reporters to be used as B-roll. (I’d use something like this in a pinch to put on a screen in a shot that simulated a newscast on TV, for instance). The quality is good enough for the scale it provides (480p) but in no way intended for full-screen in this initial roll-out.
My first step was to get some figures to animate. I entered short prompt descriptions for Midjourney to generate some examples. It’s funny what AI thinks about ages at times. And some of the results are just so wrong they’re HILARIOUS!
After selecting the subject I wanted for each shot, I let Midjourney decide on the motion with the Auto Animate option. Each pass provides you with four different videos to choose from so you can extend out many options.
I created this video to show you the selections and results for each subject.
I did the same with these other examples from ChatGPT prompts and explain the process for each example.
(Note: the VO says 840p when I know damn well it’s 480p! Linguistically dyslexic I guess!)
Photo to video
Testing out the photo to video feature in Midjourney, I used an old image of my 80’s hair rock & roll days. So much hair product back then!
I uploaded the photo as the first frame and I let Midjourney do the work from there. I extended it just once more to make about an 8 second clip. I exported it as an animated GIF (not JIF) since there isn’t any audio. If only I was really that cool on stage!
Using Midjourney for Storyboarding and Previz
Currently, I see Midjourney as a tool for creativity and helping you bring your ideas to life. Not necessarily as an end product, but to realize how the written word can be visualized on the screen.
This could be an amazing tool for screenwriters trying to sell a treatment, or for storyboarding scenes and shots for locations, sets, lighting and blocking.
I created a short scene completely with AI tools in just a few steps – with two different variations to show how seamlessly Midjourney responds to prompts and extensions.
I started with ChatGPT asking for ideas for projects to do and this was one of the results I followed.
I was happy with the resulting images so I went with one I liked and decided to build a story around what the character ended up doing with my extended prompts.
I must say, this was one of the most satisfying and creative projects in an intuitive workflow that I’ve done in years. And it really only took a few hours from start to finish, because I had no preconceived idea what it was going to be – and I was going to let the AI Tools be my partners as my writers, actors, sound FX, staging and camera ops. I really felt like a director of sorts.
Each render pass provides 4 different variations based on the first frame (or continues from the last pass with each extension up to 4x). It’s very subjective to decide what take you want to use, but that’s part of the storytelling aspect. In my case, I started with the ChatGPT original prompt and then instructed the action to the end of the prompt with instructions.
Each pass I would add a new instruction or direction. Mostly the camera moves and angles were determined by Midjourney but those can be directed more closely as well. However, it doesn’t always follow instructions for action, but you can often fool it by rewording instructions. Sometimes though, the mistakes can actually change the story and you follow a different rabbit down the hole.
I’m including a few GIFs below showing the order of the process and the subsequent renders for each prompt instruction, and decision I made from those render result to continue on building my scene.
Prompt (with selected start image): film noir style, trench coat detective under a streetlamp in heavy rain, black and white with subtle color tint, glistening cobblestone, intense contrast, 1950s urban alley setting, moody and mysterious, he’s holding a lit cigarette and looks around like he’s waiting on someone
Prompt change/addition: he starts to cross the street while the camera follows his movement and he flicks the cigarette down on the street. (He didn’t cross the street but I went with it)
Prompt change/addition: a woman appears from the shadows on the right and runs up to him urgently. (more like a slow saunter, but it works)
Prompt change/addition: the couple kisses and embrace.
You’ll have to watch the video below to see what Variation 2 ended like!
So I needed to add sound to this short scene and I needed a voice over to narrate in an appropriate tone and voice.
I started with ChatGPT again and my AI script writing partner and I came up with some good lines. (You’ll hear both versions in the video below).
I used the script text in ElevenLabs using their new v3 Alpha model for a more natural speech delivery and I found a great voice that really fit the time period.
I also used ElevenLabs to produce my sound FX and music bed.
Everything mixed easily in Adobe Premiere Pro in just minutes. And here’s the result(s)
For more detailed info about Midjourney video options and usage instructions, visit their website.
Diljit Dosanjh, who plays the lead role in the film along with Canadian Indian actor Neeru Bajwa, posted clips of the response of the Pakistani audience in theatres to the film.
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Punjabi film ‘Sardaar Ji 3’, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Pakistani actress Hania Aamir, has achieved a record-breaking opening in Pakistan, surpassing previous box office records held by Bollywood movies.
The movie stirred controversy in India due to the casting of Pakistani actress Aamir amid the ongoing India-Pakistan conflict.
The producers didn’t release the film in India. Released internationally on June 27, the film garnered approximately PKR 9 crore (approx $500,000) in Pakistan over its opening weekend, setting a new record for the highest three-day gross by an Indian film in the country.
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Nadeem Mandviwalla, a prominent exhibitor and distributor who owns a multiplex in Karachi, confirmed the film’s exceptional performance. He noted that the movie had already raked in around PKR 9 crore in its opening weekend.
“I think this is the best opening ever for any Indian or Pakistani film in our theatres,” Mandviwalla said.
Dosanjh
, who plays the lead role in the film along with Canadian Indian actor Neeru Bajwa, posted clips of the response of the Pakistani audience in theatres to the film.
Mandviwalla said the success of Sardaaji was a breath of fresh air for the Pakistani entertainment industry, particularly for the cinema house owners.
“I think despite the high ticket rates and the weather, the audience has come out because of the summer holidays and because Pakistani people still want to watch quality films on the big screen,” he said.
DLA Piper has advised Seven West Media (ASX:SWM) on its acquisition of Southern Cross Media Group Limited’s (ASX: SXL) television licenses and associated assets operating in Tasmania, Darwin, Spencer Gulf, Broken Hill, Mt Isa and Remote, Central and Eastern Australia.
The acquisition largely completes Seven West Media’s national broadcast network and opens new markets to Seven.
The cross-practice DLA Piper team was led by M&A partner David Holland, who was supported by senior associates Conor Dolphin and solicitors Donna Kwon and Andrew Bell (all Corporate). Real Estate counsel was provided by partner Stephanie Lambert, senior associate Winnie Liang and solicitor Jordan Brewer. Tax guidance was provided by partner Eddie Ahn.
David Holland said: “This is an important strategic acquisition for Seven West Media, which not only completes their national broadcast footprint but also positions them strongly to expand into new regional markets.”
“Our team worked closely with both parties to navigate the complexities of this deal, ensuring a smooth process and a transaction that is immediately accretive to Seven West Media’s earnings,” David added.
Bank stocks have outperformed the stock market with Goldman Sachs’ stock up 23% and JPMorgan Chase’s up 22% in 2025 while the S&P 500 has gained 5.1%
Bank stocks finished a strong first half of the year on Monday on the heels of a fresh bill of health in the U.S. Federal Reserve’s annual stress test.
Monday marked the first regular trading day after the U.S. Federal Reserve said the U.S. banking system would remain sound in the face of a simulated recession, after its review of bank balance sheets.
KBW analyst David Konrad said the results of the Fed’s stress tests “were remarkably strong” due to higher preprovision net revenue generated by the group, as well as a reduction in counterparty trading losses.
Estimates for Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS), Wells Fargo (WFC) and M&T Bank Corp. (MTB) stress capital buffers – money that banks must keep on hand in case of shocks to the financial system – will go down more than other banks, Konrad said.
See related: Wells Fargo clears another Fed hurdle as banks pass stress tests.
This may free up capital either for lending or possibly for share buybacks or dividends to stockholders.
Bank of America Corp. (BAC), Citigroup Inc. (C) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) also fared well in the Fed’s stress test, Konrad said.
Citi analyst Keith Horowitz said Goldman Sachs emerged as “the big winner” due to its “much better-than-expected” improvement in stress capital buffers.
Improvement in banks’ preprovision net revenue, lower trading and counterparty losses, and better credit-card performance contributed to Goldman’s results, he said.
Goldman’s stock (GS) was the biggest gainer among the U.S.’s six largest banks by market capitalization on Monday, rising 2.5% for its third straight record close.
The stock is now up 23.6% in 2025. That’s well ahead of the 5.1% rise by both the S&P 500 index SPX and the Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, as well as the 3.5% gain by the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA.
Jefferies analyst Daniel Fannon said common equity tier-one ratios – which include stress capital buffers – will fall an average of 100 basis points for the 16 largest banks in the Fed’s stress test.
Goldman Sachs’ common equity tier-one ratio will fall 240 basis points, while M&T Bank’s ratio will fall by 120 basis points as the biggest drops in Jefferies’ banking coverage.
While Wall Street analysts are already projecting lower stress capital buffer requirements for the banks, these figures don’t become official until August.
Banks may tweak their dividend increases or request a review from regulars in moves that could alter their final stress capital buffer requirements.
Oppenheimer analyst Chris Kotowski said it’s unlikely that lower capital requirements will translate directly into money returns for shareholders.
“Capital has generally not been the gating factor in decisions about deploying capital for customers,” Kotowski said in a research note. “We doubt that banks will go hog-wild on buybacks. They will want to see these metrics stick for another year or two before accepting them as the new normal.”
Meanwhile, financial stocks continued their winning ways on Monday to cap off a strong first-quarter performance.
JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s stock (JPM) advanced by 1%, also for a record close, and to build up its 2025 gain to 20.9%.
Wells Fargo & Co.’s stock (WFC) was up by 0.9% on Monday, to trade 1.4% below its Feb. 6, 2025, record close of $81.42. It has risen 14.1% this year.
Bank of America Corp.’s stock (BAC) rose 0.4%, to bring its year-to-date gain to 7.7%, while Citigroup Inc.’s stock (C) rose 0.9%, with a year-to-date advance of 20.9%.
Morgan Stanley’s stock (MS) inched 0.1% higher, while its year-to-date rise is at 12%.
The Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF XLF was up 0.8% on Monday and was headed for a record close. It’s risen 8.4% in 2025.
-Steve Gelsi
This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
ROYAL CARIBBEAN IS BRINGING THE HOLIDAY HEAT TO THE BRISBANE HEAT
The holiday brand will bring more unforgettable family experiences to cricket fans in a new holiday partnership with Brisbane Heat and Queensland Cricket for the 2025-26 season
SYDNEY, 1 July 2025 – Royal Caribbean has hit it for six and entered a new partnership as the Official Holiday Partner of the Brisbane Heat and Queensland Cricket for the 2025-26 season. Known for more than 50 years of delivering memorable adventures for families sailing from Australia and around the world, Royal Caribbean will make this summer one to remember for Brisbane Heat fans. Through the partnership, BNE Heat members can make the most of the season with Royal Caribbean exclusive deals, sneak peek product updates and weekend getaway giveaways, along with family-focused community and fan event experiences throughout the summer season.
“We’re excited to announce the coming together of two iconic brands, as we partner with the Brisbane Heat to create engaging and unforgettable fan experiences both on and off the field,” said Gavin Smith, vice president and managing director, Australia and New Zealand, Royal Caribbean. “As Royal Caribbean prepares for the upcoming Australian summer season of memory-maxing holidays, our goal is to provide unmatched experiences and entertainment to Queensland families in between monumental cricket games. We look forward to partnering with the Heat to create unforgettable moments for cricket lovers and holidaymakers this summer.”
Fans will see the partners unite on and off the field, with Royal Caribbean serving as the presenting partner of the Gabba Park ‘Fan Zone’, as well as creating ‘The Royal Caribbean Countdown,’ set to be a fan-favourite moment, all starting in December 2025.
Reflecting on the partnership, Heat General Manager, Commercial, Marketing & Corporate Affairs, Pete Lock, mirrored this sentiment by suggesting there were clear synergies between Royal Caribbean and the Brisbane Heat.
“The Heat brings families together every summer. The start of summer holidays is when the Women’s Big Bash League and Big Bash League thrive, and it is a natural fit with Royal Caribbean, as it is also the peak time for travel, entertaining holidaymakers in beautiful locations,” said Lock. “We are very pleased to be on board with Royal Caribbean and look forward to working alongside them to make summer even more special for our Heat members and fans.’’
The partnership comes on the heels of the Australian sailing season kicking off with an action-packed summer of adventures, including the long-awaited return of Voyager of the Seas to its new home in Brisbane. Aussie holidaymakers can choose from a line-up of 45 getaways to the South Pacific, New Zealand and along the eastern seaboard, sailing between November 2025 and April 2026, offering something for everyone in the family.
To celebrate Royal Caribbean as the Official Brisbane Heat Membership Partner, the holiday brand is hosting a pre-season competition for members to win the ultimate family holiday as well as an exclusive member offer on 2025/26 sailings. For competition details, holidaymakers can visit www.brisbaneheat.com.au.
About Royal Caribbean Royal Caribbean, part of Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL), has delivered memorable vacations for more than 50 years. The cruise line’s game-changing ships and exclusive destinations revolutionize vacations with innovations and an all-encompassing combination of experiences, from thrills to dining and entertainment, for every type of family and vacationer. Voted “Best Cruise Line Overall” for 22 consecutive years in the Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards, Royal Caribbean makes memories with adventurers across more than 300 destinations in 80 countries on all seven continents, including the line’s top-rated exclusive destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas.
Media can stay up to date by following @RoyalCaribPR on X and visit www.RoyalCaribbeanPressCenter.com. For additional information or to book, vacationers can visit www.RoyalCaribbean.com, call (800) ROYAL-CARIBBEAN or contact their travel advisor.
About Brisbane Heat The Brisbane Heat is one of the eight founding franchises of the Big Bash League, Australia’s premier T20 cricket competition. Known for their vibrant teal uniforms and passionate fan base, the Heat have become a staple of summer cricket in Queensland. The team plays its home matches at the iconic Gabba, a venue renowned for its electric atmosphere and rich cricketing history.
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The amplified Voyager of the Seas features adventures for vacationers of all ages to make memories, including The Perfect Storm duo of racing waterslides, the FlowRider surf simulator, mini golf and more.
The amplified Voyager of the Seas features adventures for vacationers of all ages to make memories, including The Perfect Storm duo of racing waterslides, the FlowRider surf simulator, mini golf and more.
The Perfect Storm duo of racing waterslides and the signature FlowRider surf simulator are among the thrills vacationers can enjoy on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom and Voyager of the Seas.
The 156-year-long journey for the royal family’s private “royal train” is set to come to an end after King Charles decided to scrap it in a bid to reduce costs. The decision taken by Buckingham Palace to decommission Britain’s royal train, a service dating back to Queen Victoria, comes as maintenance and storage were getting costlier by the day.
Victoria, King Charles’ great-great-great-grandmother, commissioned the first royal rail carriages back in 1869. The Royal Family will still travel on regular train services. According to the BBC, the annual report revealed that 141 helicopter trips were taken in 2024, costing £475,000 ($652,348).
According to Reuters, the latest incarnation is made up of nine carriages, the most recent of them added in 1986. The royal train was used just twice during the financial year 2024-25, with the two journeys together costing almost 80,000 pounds ($109,869). Speaking on the end of the royal train, James Chalmers, the king’s treasurer, said the monarch had now agreed that the train, which critics had long said was a waste of money, would reach the end of the line in 2027.
“The royal train has … been a part of national life for many decades, loved and cared for by all those involved, but in moving forward we must not be bound by the past,” Chalmers, officially known as the Keeper of the Privy Purse, told reporters.
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“The time has come to bid the fondest of farewells, as we seek to be disciplined and forward-looking in our allocation of funding.” While the king had fond memories of the train, palace officials said it would require significant funds to pay for its long-term use, although it was not clear how much scrapping it would save.The announcement came as Chalmers, on Monday, June 30, 2025, unveiled the annual report of the Sovereign Grant, the government handout that covers staffing costs, upkeep of royal palaces, and travel expenses and is currently set at 12% of the profit from the Crown Estate, a property portfolio belonging to the monarchy.In November 2024, the Sunday Times and a TV documentary accused Charles and his elder son, Prince William, of making millions from the country’s health service, army, and schools from charges imposed by the monarch’s Duchy of Lancaster estate and the heir’s Duchy of Cornwall estate.
William Bax, the chief executive of the Duchy of Cornwall, acknowledged that criticism as he detailed its annual report on Monday, saying they were making changes at a time of “reflection and evolution.” Bax said they intended to end or reduce rents charged to some community groups and charities, while the report showed William’s personal income from the Duchy had fallen slightly to just under 23 million pounds.
Anti-monarchists said the annual reports were misleading, claiming that the monarchy’s price tag amounts to more than half a billion pounds. “The cost of the monarchy is out of control, and these reports receive almost no political scrutiny,” Graham Smith, chief executive of campaign group Republic, said.
Chalmers said the global significance of the royals could not be underestimated, citing a Global Perceptions Survey that found the monarchy the single biggest influence on perceptions of the UK among international audiences.
Apple is considering using artificial intelligence (AI) technology from Anthropic or OpenAI to power a new version of Siri, sidelining its own in-house models in a potentially blockbuster move aimed at turning around its flailing AI effort.
The iPhone maker has talked with both companies about using their large language models for Siri, according to people familiar with the discussions. It had asked them to train versions of their models that could run on Apple’s cloud infrastructure for testing, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations.
If Apple ultimately moves forward, it would represent a monumental reversal. The company currently powers most of its AI features with home-grown technology that it calls Apple Foundation Models and had been planning a new version of its voice assistant that runs on that technology for 2026.
A switch to Anthropic’s Claude or OpenAI’s ChatGPT models for Siri would be an acknowledgment that the company is struggling to compete in generative AI – the most important new technology in decades. Apple already allows ChatGPT to answer web-based search queries in Siri, but the assistant itself is powered by Apple.
iPhones on display at an Apple store in the Huangpu district in Shanghai. Photo: AFP
Apple’s investigation into third-party models was at an early stage, and the company had not made a final decision on using them, the people said. A competing project internally dubbed LLM Siri that uses in-house models remains in active development.
The current landscape of public health in the United States is marked by a far-reaching attack on foundational scientific principles and institutions, threatening decades of progress in combating preventable diseases. Recent actions by the Trump administration, such as the abrupt dismissal of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) members and the appointment of individuals who have publicly expressed skepticism about established vaccine science, have generated profound concerns in the medical and public health communities.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has publicly questioned vaccine safety, notably by halting US funding to Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, accusing it of “ignoring the science,” without significant evidence, a move experts describe as “stunning and calamitous” and potentially costing “hundreds of thousands of children’s lives a year.” This politicization of public health measures, coupled with the spread of misinformation, risks eroding public trust and undermining critical immunization programs.
Amidst this contentious environment, a recent study published in JAMA Network Open titled “All-Cause Mortality and Life Expectancy by Birth Cohort Across US States,” by Holford et al. (2025), which analyzed 179 million deaths in the US across states and birth cohorts over more than a century, offers important insights into the social value of sustained public health investments.
This study emphasizes the utility of analyzing cohort life expectancy, a measure that more accurately reflects the “lived experiences of populations” by tracking how early-life exposures and risk factors shape health outcomes as a group ages. The cohort perspective highlights how public health interventions’ impacts can follow individuals throughout their lives.
The study, alongside other sources, underscores a period of “large gains in life expectancy” and an “unprecedented decline in mortality” in the United States during the 20th century. Between 1900 and 1950, every US state experienced a substantial increase in life expectancy. These gains continued into the 1970s. This remarkable achievement was not accidental but resulted from a combination of deliberate public health actions and medical innovations:
Public health improvements: Significant strides were made in public health infrastructure, including improvements in sanitation and the provision of clean water.
Medical advances: The introduction of life-saving medical treatments, such as antibiotics like sulfa drugs and penicillin, dramatically reduced deaths from infectious diseases.
Vaccine programs: The widespread implementation of vaccination programs played a pivotal role.
These benefits spread globally as well, with a time lag, as poorer countries sought to catch up. Measles vaccination alone accounted for 93.7 million lives saved—over 60 percent of the total 154 million lives saved by vaccination between 1974 and 2024. DTP-containing vaccines saved an estimated 40 million lives globally over the past 50 years.
In the US, routine childhood vaccinations for children born between 1994 and 2023 are estimated to have prevented 1.1 million deaths, 32 million hospitalizations, and 508 million illnesses, resulting in nearly $3.7 trillion in societal cost savings. The eradication of smallpox through vaccines is highlighted as a monumental achievement. These factors essentially ended the childhood mortality gap. In 1900, a newborn could expect to live to 48 years of age, but if they survived childhood, life expectancy dramatically increased to 61. By 1980, life expectancy at birth and after childhood were equal.
Male life expectancy by state in 1900, 1950 and 2000 cohorts. Data obtained from the study and graphics by WSWS. States arranged by highest life expectancy in 2000 cohort. Solid lines show average life expectancy in the US for respective cohorts.
However, other critical factors in the broader public health initiatives include behavioral changes, such as the decline in cigarette smoking, that have further contributed to improved health outcomes for older adults. This included broader access to healthcare, which further supported these gains.
Despite these historical successes, the Holford et al. study reveals a troubling setback in more recent cohorts. While mortality rates generally declined from 1969 to 2020, there are “wide disparities” across states and birth cohorts. Critically, some states have experienced little to no improvement in life expectancy from the 1950 to 2000 birth cohorts. States where some modicum of funding and public health services remained saw life expectancy continue to rise, while in poorer states with chronic underfunding, life expectancy remained stagnant, if not declining.
Female life expectancy by state in 1900, 1950 and 2000 cohorts. Data obtained from the study and graphics by WSWS. States arranged by highest life expectancy in 2000 cohort. Solid lines show average life expectancy in the US for respective cohorts.
This stagnation and, in many cases, reversal of progress is evident, particularly after 2010 for those without a four-year college degree, according to Anne Case and Angus Deaton. The “mortality gap” between Americans with and without a college degree has widened considerably, reaching an 8.5-year difference in adult life expectancy by the end of 2021.
College education is closely linked to economic factors affecting health, as shown by a 2016 study titled “The Changing Landscape of American Life Expectancy” by Schanzenbach, Nunn and Bauer, which provided crucial insights into the socioeconomic factors that have led to significant life expectancy disparities between the richest and poorest Americans. This report, alongside the rigorous research by Case and Deaton, underscores how socioeconomic status, particularly educational attainment, has become a primary determinant of longevity, often eclipsing traditional racial gaps in recent decades.
Adult life expectancy at age 25 for college graduates vs. non-graduates. [Photo: Brookings (Anne Case and Angus Deaton).]
The “Changing Landscape” report clearly illustrates the widening chasm in life expectancy based on income. It notes that individuals with higher incomes have substantially longer life expectancies than those with lower incomes. For instance, a stark difference is observed among 40-year-old men: those in the bottom 1 percent of income can expect to live 15 years less than those in the top 1 percent. Similarly, women in the top 1 percent of household income are expected to live a decade longer than women in the bottom 1 percent. The report highlights that high-income individuals have experienced robust gains in life expectancy over recent decades, while their lower-income counterparts have seen stagnant or even declining life expectancies.
Expected age at death among men by household income percentile in selected commuting zones. [Photo: Brookings Hamilton Project borrowed from Chetty et al. 2016.]
This divergence is attributed to several factors. The report suggests that medical advancements, safer technologies (like cars), and behavioral changes (such as smoking cessation) are often adopted first by higher-income individuals before spreading to the broader population. However, the benefits of “inexpensive medical innovations like vaccines and mass-produced antibiotics, as well as public goods like clean water and sanitation” were eventually extended broadly, indicating the historic role of public health infrastructure in universal gains. The report also links the increase in mortality among less-educated white non-Hispanics to rising rates of drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness and suicide. Specifically, illegal drug use (excluding marijuana) became more common among low-income men, while high-income men experienced smaller increases.
Furthermore, the report draws a connection between labor market changes and the decline in life expectancy for lower-income groups. It points to the stagnation of real wages for lower-income workers and increasing real wages for higher-income workers, suggesting that a bleak economic outlook for less-educated individuals may contribute to problems related to mental health, alcohol abuse and drug abuse, thereby depressing longevity. The report also notes that job displacement can increase mortality, with the largest impact seen on those experiencing the largest earnings losses. It explicitly mentions that increased educational attainment is causally related to longer life expectancy.
Building on this, in another study by Case and Deaton, particularly their work cited from Brookings Papers on Economic Activity and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides compelling evidence of a profound shift in mortality disparities. They demonstrate that while racial gaps in life expectancy have significantly narrowed, socioeconomic divides, largely proxied by educational attainment, have dramatically widened.
Expected years of life from 25 to 75 by college degree status. [Photo: Anne Case and Angus Deaton study published in Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences in 2021.]
In stark contrast to this widening educational divide, Case and Deaton documented that racial divides in expected years lived between ages 25 and 75 narrowed by 70 percent for both black and white people between 1990 and 2018. Their research indicates that “by 2018, intra-racial college divides were larger than interracial divides conditional on college.” This means that individuals with a college degree, regardless of their race, are now more alike in terms of life expectancy than they are to people of their own race who do not possess a college degree. These findings fundamentally corroborate the axiom that the underlying health disparities are a by-product of socioeconomic factors in decaying capitalism despite the promotion of race and identity.
As stated before, the US public health system has been plagued by “chronic underfunding for decades,” severely limiting its capacity to address complex health challenges and emergency preparedness. This was never more evident than during the COVID pandemic, where a study of 3,050 US counties showed higher pre-pandemic public health expenditures correlated with a 13 to 22 percent lower COVID-19 incidence and 7 to 18 percent lower mortality.
US county-level public health expenditure versus COVID-19 measures from March 1, 2020, to February 28, 2022.
Providing concrete economic context, the study notes that for every $10 per capita increase in local health spending, deaths during COVID-19 peaks were reduced by 1.2 per 100,000 during COVID-19 peaks. And despite the ruse promoted by reactionary right-wing COVID contrarians—NIH director Jay Bhattacharya and ACIP chair Martin Kulldorff—that the lockdowns led to unnecessary deaths from the economic downturn, the limited lockdown response to the pandemic from March to August 2020 led to an estimated saving of 860,000 to 1.7 million lives.
Notwithstanding Long COVID and its broader impact on long-term population health, chronic diseases are major drivers of the US’s $4.5 trillion in annual healthcare expenditure, where six in 10 American adults suffer from some ailment. Stroke and heart disease alone have led to over $100 billion in lost job productivity annually. The JAMA study’s findings, highlighting persistent disparities and a reversal of life expectancy gains for certain cohorts, serve as a critical reminder of the indispensable role of robust public health investment.
Perhaps most disturbing is the frontal attack by Kennedy and his ideologically aligned appointees and acolytes on the entire vaccination program, both domestically and internationally, which threatens the immense societal gains achieved through vaccination. Routine childhood vaccinations for children born between 1994 and 2023 in the US prevented an estimated 1.1 million deaths, 32 million hospitalizations, and 508 million illnesses. This resulted in $780 billion in direct medical costs saved and $2.9 trillion in overall societal costs.
Globally, vaccines are estimated to have averted 154 million deaths since 1974, with every $1 spent on immunization returning up to $52 in low-income countries. These benefits extend beyond healthcare, as vaccinated children are more likely to attend school and enter the workforce, and parents miss fewer workdays; these productivity gains alone account for an estimated 70 percent of the $2.9 trillion societal savings in the US. Indeed, the Yale University report on life expectancy over the century is not simply an epidemiological analysis. It is an objective and concrete measure of the immense social harm, particularly to the working class, caused by crisis-ridden capitalism.
Kennedy and Trump are not just mere deranged and demented personalities. They are the political manifestation of the terminal decline of capitalism as a world system, which is turning to authoritarian and anti-democratic forms of rule while turning its back on more than a century of the achievements of science and public health. The choice, as Rosa Luxemburg said more than a century ago, is indeed, socialism or barbarism.
PHNOM PENH – Ten cases of H5N1 avian influenza have been detected in Cambodia so fa this year. The two most recent patients are a mother and son from Siem Reap province.
On Sunday, June 29, the Ministry of Health announced that two additional cases of avian influenza were found in the same area as a 41-year-old woman who had tested positive for the H5N1 virus, as confirmed by the National Institute of Public Health the previous Monday.
An active field investigation to identify suspected cases and those exposed in Lbeuk village, of Puok district’s Donkeo commune — where the 41-year-old woman resides — revealed two more confirmed H5N1 cases: a 46-year-old woman and a her 16-year-old son.
The institute confirmed that both individuals tested positive for the H5N1 virus. They are the 9th and 10th cases of bird flu recorded in Cambodia in 2025.
“These two cases reside approximately 20 metres from the home of the 41-year-old patient. Currently, both patients are in stable condition and are being treated with Tamiflu under close medical supervision,” the ministry stated.
Interviews revealed that at the homes of the patients, as well as their neighbours and around the village, there were sick or dead chickens and ducks. The patients had reportedly handled and come into contact with the ill poultry, which they then prepared and ate.
National and subnational rapid response teams from the health ministry, in cooperation with provincial agriculture department officials and local authorities, are actively investigating the outbreak. They are also responding with technical protocols, identifying sources of infection in both animals and humans, locating suspected cases and those exposed, preventing further community transmission, distributing Tamiflu to close contacts, and launching a health education campaign for villagers.
The 41-year-old woman, the first H5N1 case in the village, had also handled sick and dead poultry at her own home and her neighbour’s, and prepared them as food five days before falling ill.
The ministry again urged the public to remain vigilant about bird flu, as H5N1 continues to pose a serious threat to public health in Cambodia.
Anyone experiencing fever, cough, runny nose or difficulty breathing, along with a history of contact with sick or dead poultry in the 14 days before symptoms began, should avoid gatherings and crowded places and immediately seek medical advice and treatment at the nearest health centre or hospital without delay.
On June 27, officers from the Provincial Livestock and Animal Health Office of the Siem Reap agriculture department, in cooperation with the National Animal Health and Production Research Institute (NAHPRI), implemented veterinary measures at the site of an earlier outbreak in Puok district and commune’s Chambak He village.
The team culled 45 eggs and 16 chickens, and disinfected coops and the surrounding area. Additionally, samples were collected from two whole chickens for further testing.
