InvestigateTV+: Extreme heat threatens long-term health
(InvestigateTV) — InvestigateTV+ uncovers how repeated exposure to high temperatures can impact your body long term.
Then, sports betting is exploding with the ease of online apps, but behind the fun can live a frightening addiction. We break down the steps you can take to keep gambling from getting out of hand.
Plus, see how one man reuses his timeless toys to inspire smiles in a hospital.
Extreme heat threatens long-term health as temperatures rise across US
A majority of Americans deal with extreme heat every year, and experts say the threat is only getting worse.
According to the National Weather Service, heat kills more people each year than tornadoes and hurricanes combined, and it is considered the deadliest natural hazard.
The summer of 2025 saw a number of extreme heat-related events and above-average temperatures across most of the lower 48 United States.
Heat closed the Washington Monument, damaged a bridge in Virginia and caused dozens to faint at a high school graduation in New Jersey.
As experts say unusually hot temperatures are expected to become more common in parts of the U.S., prolonged exposure can put both short-term and long-term health at risk.
Sports bettors spend over $3,000 on average per year gambling, per new survey
Sports betting is on the rise across the country as more than two dozen states now allow online gambling.
According to a NerdWallet survey, one in five Americans says they bet on sports in the last year, and the average gambler spent several thousand dollars. But experts say those wagers can quickly get out of hand and tip over into addiction.
“The addiction takes hold of you, and you can’t really control it,” said a longtime Arizona sports bettor who asked to have his identity disguised.
He doesn’t want to hide what he went through, betting on games every week for more than five years, losing tens of thousands of dollars.
“I didn’t feel like I needed help, didn’t feel like I had an issue and it took my marriage being on the line to really open my eyes to fact that I had to correct things in my life,” he said.
He says with all the ads and apps out there, it has become way too easy to place a bet.
“The amount of marketing and advertising they do is overwhelming,” he said.
Top Medicare Part D drugs have doubled in cost, report finds
An AARP Public Policy Institute’s spotlight report found that list prices for 25 top Medicare Part D drugs, which currently aren’t included in Medicare drug price negotiations, have increased by an average of 98%.
Greg Mears, an emergency physician, understands the importance of quality healthcare and has experienced firsthand the burden of rising prescription costs.
“But what we’ve also seen is that the pharmaceutical companies are now pricing, not based on what the cost to develop that drug,” Mears explained. “They’re pricing it based on change of life. The cost of years per life saved on benefits.”
The AARP has been monitoring the increase in drug costs for years, particularly under Medicare Part D.
Michigan man brings joy to hospitalized children through LEGO robotics program
Hospitals can be an intimidating place for adults and even more so for children.
Between doctor’s visits and treatments, it can be hard for kids to just be kids. Now, this Michigan man is on a mission to brighten their stays, one LEGO brick at a time.
For John McInerney, these were the building blocks of his childhood.
“Every Christmas, every birthday, I’d get a LEGO set,” McInerney said.
It’s a phase John never grew out of. So the Birmingham native built up his resume, enrolling at the University of Michigan School of Art and Design.
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