The Senate passes a debt limit fast-track plan as lawmakers race to prevent a potentially catastrophic default. Fourteen Senate Republicans broke a filibuster to advance the debt limit process Thursday, breaking weeks of partisan deadlock on the issue. With that, Senate Democrats would be able to increase the debt limit on their own with just a simple majority of 51 votes. This comes as the State Department launches a review of its role in the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the review will focus on the Trump administration’s last year and the first nine months of the Biden administration. And on the heels of the Afghanistan withdrawal, America’s top spy agency is reportedly changing how it trains its operatives. Sources say the CIA is moving away from the counterterrorism wars that have been the focus for the last 20 years. Instead, the agency says it will focus more on adversaries like China and Russia.
A mental health crisis grows, especially among teens. A new report found U.S. emergency room visits for suicide attempts by adolescent girls surged 51 percent in early 2021 compared to the same period in 2019. Surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy is warning of a “devastating” mental health crisis among the country’s youth. He pointed to social media and pop culture as part of the issue, saying it “erode[s] their sense of self-worth.”
And we sat down with Master Certified Life Coach Sue Bowles and Dr. Sandra Cumper Boynton, executive director at NAMI Broward County, to find out tips for dealing with anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.
Bowles said, “Nothing happens without hope. None of us dare to reach out or dare to ask for help if we don’t have some sliver of hope, shining somewhere, that we want to try and try to have. Having said that, though, there is a great deal of feeling of hopelessness because we feel stuck. We’re not seeing things happen. We’re not getting the progress that we want to see happen, and how to combat that hopelessness. It’s a very daring step. It is at times a gut-wrenching, petrifying step. And it’s simply picking up the phone. And I say simple, but it’s not easy. And I understand. Dare to believe that you are worth it. And you are worth the risk, and your well-being, and your life is worth the risk. Because there are people out there who care, and they want to help. But they don’t know you are there to help until you reach out.”
Boynton said, “Talking about mental health, ... it’s nothing to be ashamed about. We have seen so many people, sectors who have come out and talk about you or somebody else’s experience in any kind of feeling of our mental challenges. Please feel free to talk to somebody. You would be surprised how many people are wanting to talk about mental health open up because you’re experiencing these challenges. You will be helping somebody else to open up ... And this is a time when we need to reach out and be our brothers’ keepers.”
Tune into Deep Dive as we explore these topics and more.
