Meet the doctors and scientists who won in the midterms

Plus: Get more 'desirable difficulty' in your life  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Mandy Oaklander | November 04, 2026     Yesterday's midterm elections will send a new group of people with medical and scientific backgrounds to Washington next year. Several are joining Congress. One is the next Governor of Ohio. My colleague Angela Haupt shone a spotlight on some of them in her new piece for TIME, below. TODAY’S TOPICS Cultivating “desirable difficulty” A fire-filled future Delaying care until payment A new crop of doctors-turned-politicians In defense of running boring errands         QUICK CHAT The joy of doing hard things There's a particular kind of satisfaction that comes from figuring out something you've been struggling with. Maybe you've spent an afternoon trying to assemble a piece of furniture, or you've been working on a painting that refuses to look anything like the picture in your head. During a recent interview, creativity researcher Adam Green explained why those frustrating moments can actually be some of the most valuable parts of the experience. He even has a name for it: “desirable difficulty.” —Angela Haupt This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Westend61—Getty Images What exactly is “desirable difficulty”? It's this idea that we feel better about something we've done when it was hard. You're proud because you struggled; maybe you failed, you didn't give up, and you learned something in order to succeed. Now you've developed a new skill or capability. Why is the struggle itself so important? Everything that's healthy about creativity comes from the process, not the product. It's about developing self-efficacy, critical thinking, ownership, agency, and the ability to express something meaningful to you. The fact that it's hard is part of what's healthy. But what if the thing I create isn't particularly good? That's not necessarily the point. Think about someone who retires and takes up oil painting. They're not doing it because they expect their work to be exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They're doing it because they get to express something meaningful to them. So we shouldn't always look for the easiest way to get something done? Right. The process is where so much of the value comes from.         SPONSORED BY THE DEEP VIEW Stop Drowning In AI Information Overload Your inbox is flooded with newsletters. Your feed is chaos. Somewhere in that noise are the insights that could transform your work—but who has time to find them? The Deep View solves this. We read everything, analyze what matters, and deliver only the intelligence you need. No duplicate stories, no filler content, no wasted time. Just the essential AI developments that impact your industry, explained clearly and concisely. Replace hours of scattered reading with five focused minutes. While others scramble to keep up, you'll stay ahead of developments that matter. 600,000+ professionals at top companies have already made this switch. Join them today, for free.         INSIGHT OF THE DAY The U.S. is facing a dramatically growing risk of fires Ciarán Neilan/500px—Getty Images The U.S. is an increasingly flammable place. Every year, tens of thousands of buildings are damaged or destroyed by fire. Now, a new study in Nature Communications estimates that those numbers could more than triple by 2060 if action isn’t taken to mitigate climate change and stop building in fire-prone regions. The impact will likely be the worst in the western and central U.S. The West already suffers seasonal wildfires, and in the central part of the country, grasslands and prairies are increasingly affected by fires. As with so many public-health threats, lower income Americans are in greatest danger, partly because they often won’t have the financial option to pick up and move from fire-prone areas. —Jeffrey Kluger         SPONSORED BY TLDR AI The AI newsletter worth opening TLDR AI is the free daily AI newsletter curated by engineers from OpenAI, Adobe, and Google DeepMind. The model releases, research, and tools that matter, in 5 minutes every weekday morning. Subscribe for free         CAN THEY DO THAT? Can an urgent care center refuse to treat patients until they pay? Stephanie Rowell had a bad reaction to a wasp sting and visited an urgent care facility in Virginia to get treatment as she felt her throat tighten. The nurse practitioner diagnosed anaphylaxis and said Rowell needed epinephrine. But the urgent care center asked Rowell to pay $400 for the shot before it would administer it, Phil Galewitz reported recently for KFF Health News. This was legal. Federal law requires emergency departments to stabilize patients when they show up in the ER, regardless of whether or not they can pay—but urgent care centers don’t fall under that law unless they are owned by hospitals, the article explains. Whether the clinic’s decision was ethical is another matter. –Alana Semuels         QUICK CHAT Meet the doctors and scientists who won in the midterms By Angela Haupt From left: Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is photographed on November 2, 2026, in Royal Oak, Michigan.; California Democratic House candidate Richard Pan speaks at an election night event Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Sacramento, Calif.; Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton waves while speaking during an election night event Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. From left: Salwan Georges—Getty Images; Jose Luis Villegas—AP Photo; Carolyn Kaster—AP Photo The Democratic victors in the midterm elections included people who have spent their careers treating patients, studying viruses, and solving equations. Among the winners: a pediatrician in South Carolina, a microbiologist in Georgia, and a mathematician in Illinois—all bringing experience in health and science to government. Several are joining Congress. One is the next Governor of Ohio.  Working in medicine, in particular, provides an opportunity to connect to voters, says Erik Polyak, executive director of 314 Action, a political organization that recruits and supports Democratic candidates with scientific and medical backgrounds. “You go into the ER and your doctor doesn’t ask what party you are,” he says. Doctors, nurses, and others who work in health care may have heard patients describe their struggles and might have personally fought insurance companies to get treatment covered. Read the full story here.         SPONSORED TIME100 Most Influential Companies is expanding TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2027 entries are now open. With new Exceptional Workplaces categories, the TIME100 Companies publication is expanding to recognize businesses pioneering new approaches to how people work, from flexible and hybrid work to technology integration and career development.  Because it’s no longer just what you do, but how you do it.  Submit your company.         WHAT WE’RE READING A child died of measles in New York's first such death in 30 years, the Associated Press reports. A hot toddy might make you feel toasty, but is it actually keeping you warm? Kate Lloyd at the Guardian explains why alcohol can trick your body into feeling warmer while increasing heat loss. Yes, running errands has always been boring. But we lost something crucial when they went online, writes Gabe Bullard for TIME.       More Newsletters from Click to sign up. THE BRIEF +FUTURE PROOF +INSIDE TIME +IN THE LOOP +WORTH YOUR TIME + Subscribe to TIME Email us: healthmatters@time.com Received this from a friend? Sign up here Connect with TIME PRIVACY POLICY   © 2026 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved. TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508 Boone, IA 50037-0508, United States Unsubscribe

E-bikes and e-scooters are sending more kids to the ER

Plus: Is swimming in hot water healthy?  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Mandy Oaklander | November 03, 2026     If you've ever walked down the sidewalk and felt someone whiz by you in a flash, you may have encountered an electric bike, also called an e-bike. A new study out this week found that injuries involving e-bikes and e-scooters are rising exponentially among children and teens. For her new piece in TIME, my colleague Veronique Greenwood talked to doctors who are worried about kids on e-bikes and similar devices. They shared advice on how to curb this growing problem. TODAY’S TOPICS Too hot to handle? A drug approval to improve access Another insurance hike Kids and e-bikes The case for texting a friend         PLEASE ADVISE Here’s a great question we received from a reader: I love swimming in the hot springs near my home. Are daily dips in scalding temperatures safe? Artur Debat—Getty Images Hot-water immersion can be safe and even beneficial, research suggests. In a hot tub or hot spring, your heart rate goes up, the pattern of blood flow through the body changes, and you might feel better mentally afterwards, says Christopher Minson, a professor of human physiology at the University of Oregon. When you get out, “your blood pressure might be down for a few hours. Your insulin signaling might be improved for a while,” he says. Social benefits may also come with visiting hot springs or public baths. “One thing I noticed in Japan, it was a meeting place for many older adults, and they talk about it preventing ‘social frailty,’” says Brendon Roxburgh, a lecturer in clinical exercise physiology at the University of Otago in New Zealand.  That doesn’t mean you should cook yourself. Places where many people engage in hot-water immersion, like Japan, also have higher rates of heat injury, particularly in older folks. “Older adults don't necessarily perceive the same degree of warmth or discomfort as younger people, even when their bodies are experiencing considerable heat exposure. This means they may not recognize when they are becoming excessively hot,” Roxburgh says. A little hot water can go a long way. –Veronique Greenwood Got a health question of your own? Send it our way to healthmatters@time.com, and we might tackle it in a future edition.  This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice.         SPONSORED BY ATTIO Attio is the #1 fastest-growing CRM on Brex and Ramp. Built for the most ambitious companies in GTM, Attio is an end to end revenue platform that allows teams to run multiple plays across different revenue motions and lifecycles. Teams at the frontier are already building on it: Granola, turbopuffer, Modal, and many many more. Start building on Attio.         ONE DRUG TO KNOW A cheaper way to prevent HIV SyhinStas—Getty Images The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first generic version of lenacapavir, the groundbreaking twice-a-year injection that prevents HIV. Made by Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories of India, the shots would cost about $40 per person per year in eligible countries—comparable to the cost of daily HIV-prevention pills in those markets.  Public-health experts—including those at Unitaid, one of the global-health agencies that helped make the generic version possible—hope that broader access to the shots will prevent more HIV infections and ultimately reduce HIV-related deaths.  The drug’s developer, Gilead, still holds the patent on the drug, which was approved for HIV prevention in 2025. But it has issued licenses to six generic manufacturers to produce versions for low- and middle-income countries. —Alice Park         SPONSORED BY SUPERHUMAN AI 1,000+ Claude Prompts Top Professionals Actually Use at Work Claude can be your analyst, editor, and strategist. But most professionals are using it to fix grammar. These 1,000+ Claude prompts take it from grammar tool to your most powerful AI work assistant. Sign up for Superhuman AI and get: 1,000+ ready-to-use Claude prompts to get real work done in minutes — researched, tested, and used by professionals at Google, Microsoft, and NASA Superhuman AI newsletter (4 min daily) so you keep learning new AI tools and skills to stay ahead in your career — the prompts are just the beginning Claim your free prompts         BIG NUMBER 13% The amount by which U.S. health insurance premiums will increase for people on Silver plans on the Affordable Care Act marketplace in 2027, according to a new analysis by KFF.  This marks the second consecutive year of double-digit increases. —Alana Semuels         TODAY I LEARNED Many e-bike and e-scooter injuries involve young kids Miguel Sotomayor—Getty Images As I learned while writing my new piece for TIME, a growing number of kids are landing in emergency rooms, hospitals, and urgent-care centers across the U.S. after riding e-scooters and e-bikes. A study published yesterday found that injuries from e-bikes showed a roughly 400% relative increase from 2023-2026, and e-scooter injuries rose by almost 200%. —Veronique Greenwood Read the full story here.         SPONSORED TIME100 Most Influential Companies is expanding TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2027 entries are now open. With new Exceptional Workplaces categories, the TIME100 Companies publication is expanding to recognize businesses pioneering new approaches to how people work, from flexible and hybrid work to technology integration and career development.  Because it’s no longer just what you do, but how you do it.  Submit your company.         WHAT WE’RE READING It's never too late to pursue an outrageous dream. Paula Cocozza at the Guardian meets a retiree who learned to weld and spent eight years building the Porsche he'd wanted since his 20s. Those funny Instagram reels you send your friends might be doing more good than you think. Shanna B. Tiayon at UC Berkeley's Greater Good explains how sharing videos can help maintain friendships. Love knows no species? Nicola Davis at the Guardian introduces a bull and donkey whose unusually affectionate relationship is helping scientists better understand animal behavior.       More Newsletters from Click to sign up. THE BRIEF +FUTURE PROOF +INSIDE TIME +IN THE LOOP +WORTH YOUR TIME + Subscribe to TIME Email us: healthmatters@time.com Received this from a friend? Sign up here Connect with TIME PRIVACY POLICY   © 2026 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved. TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508 Boone, IA 50037-0508, United States Unsubscribe