Trending News Today: 'Skinny' Repeal Bill Fails in Senate

In the early morning hours, the “skinny” repeal bill aimed at dismantling the Affordable Care Act met its demise in the Senate, according to USA Today. Senators voted 49 to 51 for the bill, narrowly missing the 2 votes needed to pass the legislation. Sens John McCain (R-AZ), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) all voted against the bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) stated that it was time to move on from the GOP bill and said he hopes to hear ideas from Democrats on how to proceed, according to the article. “What we tried to accomplish for the American people was the right thing for the country,” McConnell said in the session. “And our only regret is that we didn’t achieve what we had hoped to accomplish. I think the American people are going to regret that we couldn’t find a better way forward.”

Overweight and obese teenagers have a significantly higher risk of developing colon cancer and rectal cancer, a new analysis found. The investigators examined nearly 2 million young Jewish Israelis who were weighed between 1967 and 2002 prior to joining the Israeli army, according to The New York Times. Over a median follow-up of 23 years, 1977 cases of colon and rectal cancer were identified among the male participants and 990 cases among the women. “Even if you are perfectly healthy at 17, but you are overweight or obese, we saw pretty much a 50% increased risk of cancer,” said author Gilad Twig. “This should be a red flag for fighting adolescent obesity.”

Since an alarming spike in hearing loss was reported a decade ago, a new analysis found that rates of hearing impairment among teens has since dropped, reported The New York Times. The investigators examined data from a nationally representative sample of Americans aged 12 to 19 years over more than 2 decades. The results of the study showed that the rate of hearing loss increased from 17% between 1988 and 1994 to 22.5% between 2007 and 2008; however, the rate dropped to 15.2% during 2009-2010. The authors believe the findings can be attributed to behavioral changes, such as the use of volume-limiting headphones, the NY Times reported.