A newborn has been nicknamed ‘baby hulk’ after a rare condition caused her arms and chest to become ultra swole.

Armani Milby, from Campbellsville, Kentucky, has a severe form of lymphangioma, a condition that causes benign tumors to grow in the lymphatic vessels, tube-like structures that carry fluid around the body.

The swelling has caused her upper torso and arms to become disproportionately bulky compared to the rest of her body.

Armani’s mother Chelsey, 33, gave her daughter the affectionate nickname ‘mini Hulk’ when she was born because she looked ‘like a mini bodybuilder’.

Armani spent the first three months of her life in the hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she received specialist treatment to drain excess fluid from her arms.

She is now scheduled to undergo surgery to remove the excess lymph vessels to help reduce her arms and chest to a normal size.

She will also need further surgery to remove any excess skin left on her body.

Now that some fluid has been drained from her arms, however, her mother has switched to calling her ‘squishy’.

‘Now she’s squishy,’ Ms Milby said, ‘I just call her my little squishy baby. She’s doing very well.’

Her daughter’s condition, which can be caused by genetics or hormone problems, was diagnosed at week 17 of pregnancy.

Armani weighed 12lbs when she was born and made her mother look so large when she was pregnant that strangers would ask if she was having triplets.

Doctors gave Armani a ‘zero percent’ chance of survival, Ms Milby said, but the infant cried as soon as she was born via C-section at 33 weeks and has been fighting ever since.

Ms Milby, who has two other children, said she was left in tears after the news— saying she didn’t understand why her baby had the condition. 

Lymphangioma is when fluid-filled bumps, or cysts, form under the skin because the lymph vessels overgrow and stop draining fluid from the body.

The condition is rare, affecting about one in 4,000 children, and is normally diagnosed at birth or within the first few years of childhood.

Swelling is common in the head and neck area — because these areas have a relatively high concentration of lymph vessels compared to other parts of the body.

But they can also appear in other places like the chest and arms. Of those diagnosed with the condition in the womb, doctors say only 22 percent survive.

In surgery, doctors will cut out the abnormal lymphatic tissue in order to boost fluid drainage from the body and to stop the liquid from collecting.

Patients may also receive a procedure called Sclerotherapy — where a special medication is injected into the body that causes irritation and scarring to the abnormal lymphatic tissue, leading it to shrink and collapse.

Ms Milby said: ‘I had never, ever, heard of the diagnosis before and honestly, I had looked into it, and I didn’t really like the results with some of the pictures.

‘When I found out, to be honest, I was devastated, I was heartbroken. I didn’t understand what happened, what went wrong, because I had two other healthy babies, and I cried every day. Every day, I asked God why.’

But describing her daughter now, she said: ‘She has a lot of extra skin. It’ll all go away, and she’ll be the normal-looking baby. She’ll just have significant scarring from the surgeries and everything.

‘She got lucky. She’s not deformed or anything like that. I’ve actually seen some cases where they have and God bless them kids, they’re fighters.

‘She’s happy. She hardly ever cries unless she wants to be held. We’re trying to do everything for this baby and give her the best life possible.

‘She finally rolled over and she’s trying to say “momma”, I’m pretty sure, she’s getting really close.

‘She’s doing wonderful. She literally is my miracle baby, and we just love her so much.’

Describing the pregnancy, Ms Milby said: ‘My body was shutting down. Something was telling me it was time to get her out. I was almost 200 pounds, and my health was getting really bad.

‘I suffered every day; I could never sleep. I was extremely sick.

‘That’s why I had them take her at 33 weeks because my body was shutting down and it was getting harder every day to live life and actually breathe because I was so uncomfortable as I had to keep getting fluid drained out of my stomach.

‘To everyone’s surprise, she came out crying and everybody in the room was emotional. No one knew what was going to happen. It’s a very magical story.’

For her father, Blake, who was not allowed in the delivery room, the process was hard. 

He said: ‘I remember sitting outside in the hallway, they took me back there for the delivery and while they’re in there giving her an epidural, I was out there pacing the hall, just praying.

The operation was far from easy for Ms Milby, who suffered a panic attack soon after they started, but she said it was all worth it when she saw her baby’s face.

She said: ‘They had to give me something to calm me down because I was having a panic attack. I was screaming and crying.

‘I was just a wreck, it was horrible.

‘In the back of our minds, we were both wondering what was going to happen. However, she just shocked us all and proved everyone wrong.

‘When I actually saw her, I cried even more because I had never seen anything like that but I didn’t care what she looked like, I loved her anyway.

‘I had never seen anyone look like that before so I was just shocked to be honest, but grateful at the same time.’

After being born, Armani and her family were moved more than 100 miles away to Cincinnati for three months to be admitted to a specialist hospital where the baby began to make her recovery.

Ms Milby said: ‘I battled postpartum depression really bad, and I had to push that away to try to be the strongest person I could be for her and for my other two kids.

‘It’s been a rollercoaster ride. It really has been a rollercoaster ride and every day, I struggle a little bit.’

Armani is scheduled for surgery later this year where doctors will remove extra lymphatic vessels and over the coming years, she will need to undergo surgery to remove the extra skin.

•  Yoghurt was 99 per cent effective at reducing the odour-producing compounds

By Xantha Leatham Deputy Science Editor

Published: 16:53 EDT, 24 September 2023 | Updated: 17:58 EDT, 24 September 2023

Volodymyr Zelensky brought his battle for more funds and weapons to the White House, hinting to President Joe Biden he wants more missiles as conservative Republicans are refusing to budge on aid to the Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president spent Thursday morning on Capitol Hill, lobbying lawmakers for their support. But far-right GOP lawmakers in the House are stiffling aid even as many GOP senators support sending more funds to Kyiv. 

And it appears Zelensky has been unable to persuade them differently. The right-wing of the party voted down Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s defense bill and conservative Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said her ‘no’ vote came because the bill included money for Ukraine.

‘Our Defense bill should not fund our DOD for blood money for the Ukraine war, that’s why I’m a NO,’ she wrote on X

Biden, however, indicated he thought Congress would ultimately agree to his $24 billion proposal for Kyiv, saying there was ‘no alternative.’

‘I’m counting on the good judgment of the United States Congress. There is no alternative,’ he said. 

Zelensky said he had frank conversations with lawmakers during his closed-door meetings on Capitol Hill.

But funding for his country is falling victim to a civil war among House Republicans. The conservative wing of the GOP doesn’t support more money for Kyiv and has sank budget bills that contain it. 

Biden, meanwhile, announced a new $325 million military aid package for Ukraine although it didn’t have all the bells and whistles on Zelensky’s wish list. 

The Ukrainian president wants ATACMS, long-range tactical missiles that Kyiv has been asking for to hit Russian targets in the deep rear of the fight.

‘When it comes to weapons we will discuss everything with a special emphasis on air defense,’ Zelensky said.  

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said ahead of Zelensky’s arrival at the White House that President Biden would announce a tranche ‘of military assistance today including significant air defense capabilities to help Ukraine.’

That will include additional ammunition for U.S. provided HIMAR systems, anti-armor capabilities, artillery, and ammunition. But it will not include the ATACMS. 

Additionally, the first abrams tanks will be delivered to Ukraine next week, Biden announced.

‘We also focused on strengthening Ukraine’s air defense capabilities to protect the critical infrastructure,’ Biden said. 

Zelensky thanked Biden for ‘very productive, strong negotiations. And today we have some important results.’

‘It has what our soldiers need now,’ he said.  

Zelensky and his wife Olena got a warm welcome on the South Lawn from Joe and Jill Biden. Hugs were exchanged and the Bidens rolled out the red carpet for the Ukrainian president and first lady.

President Biden called Ukraine a ‘partner’ and said the US is ‘formalizing our commitment to Ukraine’s long-term security alongside the G7 and with other partners.’

‘We’re supporting a just and lasting peace, one that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,’ he said. 

The pressure is on Zelensky, who packed his visit to Washington DC with stops on Capitol Hill, the Pentagon and the White House, to appeal for aid after Poland yanked its weapons supply during one of Russia’s most brutal missile campaigns. Warsaw said it would now only supply the already-promised weapons.

The Biden administration is pushing for Congress to authorize an additional $24 billion in funding. Zelensky met with lawmakers on Thursday in his battle to persuade skeptical Republicans in Congress to keep sending financial support.

‘If we don’t get the aid, we will lose the war,’ Zelensky said, as recounted by Senator Chuck Schumer.

On Thursday morning, Zelensky met the speaker, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and other committee chairs and ranking members on the first floor of the Capitol. 

McCarthy, notably, didn’t come out to greet the Ukrainian leader. Jeffries met Zelensky at the Capitol entrance and walked him to the meeting site. 

After the meeting, McCarthy said he remains noncommittal about the $24 billion aid package to Ukraine but said Zelensky answered many of lawmakers’ questions on the status of the war. 

McCarthy and Zelensky met behind closed doors where the Ukrainian president told lawmakers: ‘When this war started, you said to me, Ukraine, stay unified and stay strong. I’m coming back and saying to the United States: stay unified and stay strong.’ 

Before his visit, Zelensky asked to deliver another joint address to Congress, as he did last December, Punchbowl News reported, but Speaker Kevin McCarthy denied the request.

‘Zelensky asked us for a Joint Session and we just didn’t have time,’ McCarthy told reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday morning, pointing out the Ukrainian president had already addressed Congress. Zelensky spoke to a joint session in December when Nancy Pelosi was still speaker.

Congress has already authorized more than $110 billion to Kyiv since Vladimir Putin‘s invasion, and some rightwing members of the GOP have warned the White House they will oppose Biden’s request to send another $24 billion.

Congress has not yet passed any of the 12 spending bills that are needed to keep the government running. It has until September 30th to do or the government shuts down. 

Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul said Zelensky – as part of his plea – told lawmakers ‘he’s winning’ the war.

He said Zelensky told them he needs air cover and long-range artillery for his soldiers. 

Hurting Ukraine’s effort is its spat with Poland. 

Zelensky tried to fan down the flames. 

Despite criticizing Poland at the UN on Wednesday, Zelensky sounded a more conciliatory note when he spoke in the Oval Office on Thursday.

‘I want to thank the Polish people, Polish society for their support. That’s it,’ he said. 

His friendly comment comes as Poland announced it will no longer provide weapons to Kyiv. 

‘We are no longer transferring weapons to Ukraine, because we are now arming Poland with more modern weapons,’ Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.

Tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv, sparked by Poland’s ban on Ukrainian grain imports to protect the interests of its farmers, have intensified in recent days. 

Poland was one Ukraine’s earliest and staunchest allies after Russia invaded. It has taken in over a million refugees and been Kyiv’s biggest supplier of weapons.

Poland has delivered hundreds of Soviet-era tanks and armored personnel carriers for Ukraine’s war effort, as well as 14 MiG-29 fighter jets.

Warsaw’s government spokesman Piotr Mueller said Thursday that Poland ‘only carries out previously agreed supplies of ammunition and weapons, including those resulting from the contracts signed with Ukraine.’ 

Asked whether Warsaw would choose not to sign new contracts for delivering arms to Kyiv, Mueller declined to answer. 

In the US, Zelensky’s focus is on House Republicans, who have made clear they oppose more funding for the Ukraine. 

McCarthy’s stop-gap resolution to keep the government running while lawmakers negotiate a full budget deal lacks any funding for Kyiv. 

And 29 GOP lawmakers wrote to the Biden’s budget chief to express their concerns about how much has already been given to the Ukraine – $100 billion – and to complain the Biden administration  supports an ‘open-ended commitment’ to the country.

They argue Americans need more information on the war effort.

‘How is the counteroffensive going? Are the Ukrainians any closer to victory than they were 6 months ago? What is our strategy, and what is the president’s exit plan?’ they write.  

McCarthy has made similar comments.

‘Was Zelensky elected to Congress? Is he our president? I don’t think so. I have questions for where’s the accountability on the money we’ve already spent? What is this the plan for victory?’ he said to reporters on Capitol Hill earlier this week.

But Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell does support funding Ukraine’s war effort although some conservatives in the upper chamber think the U.S. has done enough to help Kyiv.

McConnell, along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, escorted Zelensky into his meeting with senators.  

The Biden administration continues to push for more funding. Zelensky will cap off his visit to Washington with a meeting in the Oval Office. 

Zelensky’s visit comes at a ‘critical time, as Russia is reaching out’ to countries like North Korea and Iran, White House spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday. 

Biden can get a ‘battlefield perspective,’ when he meets with Zelensky in the Oval Office, Kirby noted. 

While Zelensky was out of the country, Russia upped its aerial campaign, damaging energy facilities and causing power outages in several region.

Moscow targeted Lviv in the west, near the border with Poland, and Kharkiv, close to Ukraine’s eastern front lines, as well as Kyiv, Cherkasy and Rivne. 

Zelensky arrives in Washington after addressing the UN General Assembly as part of the body’s annual meeting.

He also addressed the U.N. Security Council, where he got tough, accusing it of inaction on Russia’s invasion of his country.

‘Most of the world recognizes the truth about this war,’ Zelensky said.

‘We should recognize that the U.N. finds itself in a deadlock on the matters of aggression,’ he noted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington D.C. on Thursday facing one of his biggest battles yet to convince skeptical House Republicans to keep approving U.S. aid.

The leader will hold talks on Capitol Hill and with President Joe Biden after Poland’s shock announcement that they would be axing their supply of weapons and as Russia rains down one of its most brutal missile campaigns in weeks.

Congress has already authorized more than $110 billion to Kyiv since Vladimir Putin‘s invasion, and some members of the GOP have warned the White House they will oppose Biden’s request to send another $24 billion.

The pressure is on the Ukrainian president, who will start his day on Capitol Hill where he met with House leaders and then with senators in the Old Senate Chamber, a rare privilege for world leaders. 

The entire Senate was there to greet him. 

He faced a cooler reception across the Capitol on the House side. 

Before his visit, Zelensky asked to deliver another joint address to Congress, as he did last December, Punchbowl News reported, but Speaker Kevin McCarthy denied the request.

‘Zelensky asked us for a Joint Session and we just didn’t have time,’ McCarthy told reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday  morning. 

Zelensky met the speaker, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and other committee chairs and ranking members on the first floor of the Capitol. 

McCarthy, notably, didn’t come out to greet the Ukrainian leaders. Jeffries met Zelensky at the Capitol entrance and walked him to the meeting site. 

After the meeting, McCarthy said he remains non committal about the $24 billion aid package but said Zelensky answered many of lawmakers’ questions on the status of the war. 

Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul said Zelensky told lawmakers ‘he´s winning’ the war.

He said Zelensky told them he needs air cover and long-range artillery for his soldiers.  

Zelensky is making his plea for support as Ukraine’s neighbor, Poland, announced it will no longer provide weapons to Kyiv. 

‘We are no longer transferring weapons to Ukraine, because we are now arming Poland with more modern weapons,’ Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.

Tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv, sparked by Poland’s ban on Ukrainian grain imports to protect the interests of its farmers, have intensified in recent days. 

Poland was one Ukraine’s earliest and staunchest allies after Russia invaded. It has taken in over a million refugees and been Kyiv’s biggest supplier of weapons.

In the US, Zelensky’s focus is on House Republicans, who have made clear they oppose more funding for the Ukraine. 

McCarthy’s stop-gap resolution to keep the government running while lawmakers negotiate a full budget deal lacks any funding for Kyiv. 

And now 29 GOP lawmakers wrote to the Biden’s budget chief to express their concerns about how much has already been given to the Ukraine – $100 billion – and to complain the Biden administration  supports an ‘open-ended commitment’ to the country.

They argue Americans need more information on the war effort.

‘How is the counteroffensive going? Are the Ukrainians any closer to victory than they were 6 months ago? What is our strategy, and what is the president’s exit plan?’ they write.  

McCarthy has made similar comments.

‘Was Zelensky elected to Congress? Is he our president? I don’t think so. I have questions for where’s the accountability on the money we’ve already spent? What is this the plan for victory?’ he said to reporters on Capitol Hill earlier this week.

But Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell does support funding Ukraine’s war effort although some conservatives in the upper chamber think the U.S. has done enough to help Kyiv.

McConnell, along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, escorted Zelensky into his meeting with senators.  

The Biden administration continues to push for more funding. Zelensky will cap off his visit to Washington with a meeting in the Oval Office. 

Zelensky’s visit comes at a ‘critical time, as Russia is reaching out’ to countries like North Korea and Iran, White House spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday. 

Biden can get a ‘battlefield perspective,’ when he meets with Zelensky in the Oval Office, Kirby noted.

While Zelensky was out of the country, Russia upped its aerial campaign, damaging energy facilities and causing power outages in several region.

Moscow targeted Lviv in the west, near the border with Poland, and Kharkiv, close to Ukraine’s eastern front lines, as well as Kyiv, Cherkasy and Rivne. 

Zelensky arrives in Washington after addressing the UN General Assembly as part of the body’s annual meeting.

He also addressed the U.N. Security Council, where he got tough, accusing it of inaction on Russia’s invasion of his country.

‘Most of the world recognizes the truth about this war,’ Zelensky said.

‘We should recognize that the U.N. finds itself in a deadlock on the matters of aggression,’ he noted.

• Tiffany Moore-McIntos, 34, took to TikTok to explain how she’s been cashing in 
• The mom, from Ohio, said they had been reselling discounted products online
• Other social media users have been left mesmerized by the nifty trick 

By Raven Saunt For Dailymail.Com

Published: 16:57 EDT, 19 September 2023 | Updated: 11:11 EDT, 20 September 2023

• Almost 30 tons of ground beef were recalled in Georgia, Michigan, and Ohio
• A sample of the meat contained the bacteria Shiga toxin-producing E. coli 
• READ MORE: Eyedrops recalled by FDA due to fears they contain deadly germs

By Emily Joshu Health Reporter For Dailymail.Com

Published: 12:08 EDT, 19 September 2023 | Updated: 14:48 EDT, 19 September 2023

The United Auto Workers strike against the ‘Big Three’ Detroit carmakers entered its second day on Saturday, and some union members are questioning whether President Joe Biden has done enough to back their cause.

The strike involves 13,000 workers so far, less than a tenth of the union’s total membership, but UAW’s strike fund has enough cash to support a full 150,000-member walkout for up to three months. 

The union representing workers at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis is seeking a 40 percent raise for its workers. The walkout is limited for now to three assembly plants: a GM factory in Wentzville, Missouri, a Ford plant near Detroit, and a Jeep plant run by Stellantis in Toledo, Ohio. 

In Kokomo, Indiana, the hometown of UAW boss Shawn Fain, Local 685 President Garry Quirk told Politico that Biden, the self-described ‘most pro-union president in American history,’ had not done enough to prevent a strike.

‘I don’t know what he’s done,’ Quirk said. ‘Ask him. I don’t think he knows what he’s done. Seriously. I’m not trying to be mean.’

Quirk, 60, told the outlet he voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and then Donald Trump in 2020.

Fellow local member Denny Butler, 52, also expressed frustration at the White House’s perceived lack of action.

‘We haven’t had a president in there for years, with the exception of Trump, that was really for the people, all the way back to the Reagan days,’ he told Politico.

He noted that unions were once tightly aligned with the Democratic Party, but said that was no longer the case.

‘Democrats were for the working people. That s**t has changed. I’m telling you what, the Democratic Party was not what it was 20, 30 years ago.’ 

On Thursday, Biden spoke with Fain and the three auto company CEOs in a futile last-ditch bid to avoid a strike. 

The chair of Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers cited Biden’s record of backing unions and collective bargaining, saying the president had been ‘very much engaged’ in the negotiations. 

The union appeared to be digging in for a potential protracted strike, even as Ford quickly announced that ripple effects from the walkouts meant temporary layoffs of 600 jobs.

UAW President Fain said late Friday that it wasn’t true ‘negotiations have broken down.’

However, he added that ‘our members and allies are standing strong at the picket lines. Anyone who wants to stand with us can grab a sign and hold the line.’

‘Tomorrow, we expect to be at the bargaining table,’ he said. ‘All three companies have received a comprehensive counteroffer from our union, and we await their response.’

For Biden, the strike represents a collision of two of the president’s top goals – fighting climate change and expanding the middle class by supporting unions. 

Biden is trying to turbocharge the market for electric vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent China from solidifying its grip on the growing industry. 

His signature legislation, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, includes billions of dollars in incentives to get more clean cars on the roads.

However, many autoworkers fear the transition away from gas-powered cars will cost jobs, because electric vehicles require fewer people to assemble. 

Although there will be new jobs in the production of high-capacity batteries, there’s no guarantee that those factories will be unionized, and they’re often being planned in states more hostile to organized labor.

‘The president is in a really tough position,’ said Erik Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. ‘What he needs to be the most pro-labor president ever and the greenest president ever is a magic wand.’

The union is demanding steep raises and better benefits, and it’s escalating the pressure with its targeted strike. 

Brittany Eason, who has worked for 11 years at the Ford Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan, said workers are worried that they’ll ‘be pushed out by computers and electric vehicles.’

‘How do you expect people to work with ease if they’re in fear of losing their jobs?’ said Eason, who planned to walk the picket line this weekend. 

Electric vehicles may be inevitable, she said, but changes need to be made ‘so everybody can feel secure about their jobs, their homes and everything else.’

Biden on Friday acknowledged the tension in remarks from the White House , saying the transition to clean energy ‘should be fair and a win-win for auto workers and auto companies.’

He dispatched top aides to Detroit to help push negotiations along, and he prodded management to make more generous offers to the union, saying ‘they should go further to ensure record corporate profits mean record contracts.’

As part of its demands, the UAW wants to represent employees at battery plants, which would send ripple effects through an industry that has seen supply chains upended by technological changes.

‘Batteries are the power trains of the future,’ said Dave Green, a regional director for the union in Ohio and Indiana. ‘Our workers in engine and transmission areas need to be able to move into the new generation.’

Executives, however, are keen to keep a lid on labor costs as their companies prepare to compete in a global market. China is the dominant manufacturer of electric vehicles and batteries.

‘The UAW strike and indeed the `summer of strikes´ is the natural result of the Biden administration´s `whole of government´ approach to promoting unionization at all costs,’ said Suzanne Clark, CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Some environmental groups, conscious of how labor remains crucial to securing support for climate programs, have expressed support for the strike.

‘We’re at a really pivotal moment in the history of the auto industry,’ said Sam Gilchrist, deputy national outreach director at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Presidential politics have increased the stakes for the strike, which could damage the economy going into an election year, depending on how long it lasts and whether it spreads. It’s also centered in Michigan, a key part of Biden’s 2020 victory and critical to his chances at a second term.

Former President Donald Trump , the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, sees an opportunity to drive a wedge between Biden and workers. 

He issued a statement saying Biden ‘will murder the US auto industry and kill countless union autoworker jobs forever, especially in Michigan and the Midwest. There is no such thing as a ‘fair transition’ to the destruction of these workers’ livelihoods and the obliteration of this cherished American industry.’

In an interview with NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ Trump said that ‘electric cars are going to be made in China,’ not the United States, and he said ‘the auto workers are being sold down the river by their leadership.’

Trump’s comments have not earned him any support from UAW president Fain.

‘That’s not someone that represents working-class people,’ he told MSNBC earlier this month. ‘He’s part of the billionaire class. We need to not forget that. And that´s what our members need to think about when they go to vote.’

Ammar Moussa, a spokesman for Biden’s campaign, said Trump ‘will say literally anything to distract from his long record of breaking promises and failing America’s workers.’ 

He noted that Trump would have let auto companies go bankrupt during the financial crisis rather than bail them out as President Barack Obama did at the time.

But there are also disagreements between Biden and workers.

When the Energy Department announced a $9.2 billion loan for battery plants in Tennessee and Kentucky, part of a joint venture by Ford and a South Korean company, Fain said the federal government was ‘actively funding the race to the bottom with billions in public money.’

Madeline Janis, co-executive director of Jobs to Move America, which works on environmental and worker issues, said the White House needs to do more to alleviate labor challenges.

‘We don’t have enough career pathways for people to see themselves in this future and let go of the jobs in industries that are causing our world to be in crisis,’ she said.

The US has begun to feel a bit of chill in the air and that means fall is upon us, when bright green leaves change into hues of orange, yellow and brown. 

If you’re wondering when your city is going to be covered in beautiful fall foliage, then this interactive map predicting peaking viewing dates should help out. 

The new season has already begun arriving in New England and in some parts of Washington, North Dakota and Montana. 

By September 25, all of the northern states and some parts of the west coast will be covered in fall colors.   

States in the Midwest such as Iowa, Kansas and Ohio will be completely enveloped in fall colors by October 9 but those in the south will have to wait until October 30 to see the first signs of the season.

Although by November 13, only southern states which include Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Florida will have foliage, while the rest of the country will be past its peak season. 

The map, which can be viewed at SmokyMountains.com, was created by David Angotti. 

The predictive map uses a complex algorithm that computes over 37,000 pieces of information in order to accurately forecast when fall peak will occur at the county-level.

And although it is not 100 percent accurate, it is a tool used by avid leaf peepers to plan their annual trips to see the spectacular colors around the nation. 

Leaves can change their color from as early as mid-September all the way through early November. Usually, the second and third week of October are marked as the peak times but with it can vary depending on location and local weather conditions. 

When fall leaves drop to the ground, they gradually break down and create a nutrient-rich layer on the forest floor. This layer acts like a sponge, soaking up water and providing food for trees and plants. It helps them grow healthy in the spring.

So, while leaves falling in the fall protect trees during winter, they also help trees survive and thrive in the spring and summer. This natural cycle keeps trees healthy and sustainable year after year. 

The green in the map highlights trees that have not yet changed color and brown is past peak viewing, but the two shades of red indicate ‘near peak’ and ‘peak.’

Compared to last year, fall foliage is set to arrive sooner in 2023. Most of the country was experiencing the season by October 17 in 2022 but by October 9 this year, a majority of states will be covered in fall colors. 

Data has shown that climate change is the reason why fall has arrived early in the US and other parts of the world. 

The reason why climate change is bad for fall foliage has a bit to do with plant biology. 

When days get shorter and and temperatures drop, the chlorophyll in leaves breaks down which causes it to lose its green color. The green gives way to the yellows, reds and oranges that make for dramatic autumn displays. 

As the planet gets warmer, dry regions are expected to get drier and wet regions will receive more precipitation. This extreme weather caused trees stress in areas that receive bare minimum rainfall. 

This stress can cause leaves to miss the fall color turn completely and simply die and fall off instead of following its natural process. 

These trends impact the aesthetics of fall foliage, in addition to raising concerns about agriculture and water supplies and are expected to become more drastic in the future. 

Iran has the highest cost of happiness in the world, with its people needing a salary of nearly £200,000-a-year to be satisfied, a survey has revealed.

Researchers claim to have found the optimum sum of money that citizens in 173 countries need each year to be happy – with any amount above that having ‘no effect on an individual’s happiness’.

The findings, which also compare annual salaries in 29 British cities and towns, paint a stark picture of how the cost of living varies across the globe.

While Iran tops the list, with natives requiring some $239,700 (£191,906) to be happy, at the other end of the scale, those living in Sierra Leone only need an income of $8,658 (£6,931) to stay content.

Yemen is ranked second ($172,140/£137,817), followed by Australia, whose citizens need a princely sum of $121,191 (£97,026) to be happy.

The rest of the top ten country list includes Zimbabwe ($118,342/£94,745); Norway ($117,724/£94,251); Switzerland ($115,745/£92,666); New Zealand ($114,597/£91,747); Israel ($112,506/£90,073); Iceland ($111,908/£89,594) and the United States, with its people needing $105,000 (£84,064) to stay happy.

The study, by foreign exchange provider S Money, found that happiness is most affordable in Sierra Leone where happiness levels off with an income of $8,658 (£6,931). Just behind Sierra Leone is Suriname where a yearly income of $10,255 (£8,210) will keep misery at bay most efficiently followed by Madagascar ($11,355/£9,090).

The rest of the ranking includes Guyana ($11,707/£9,372); Sudan ($11,845/£9,483); Nicaragua ($11,941/£9,560); Colombia ($12,159/£9,734); The Gambia ($12,597/£10,085); Bolivia ($12,795/£10,243) and finally Ghana (10th, $12,949/£10,367).

The UK comes 18th on the overall list, with Britons needing an average of £68,404 ($85,440) per year to be upbeat.

However, for those living in the UK’s capital, London, happiness levels off at a higher salary bracket – $103,083/£79,524. London tops the price-of-contentment table for UK cities and towns, with Cambridge second ($96,971/£74,808) and Guildford in Surrey third ($96,276/£74,273).

Happiness is cheapest in Leicester, according to the study. There, $79,188/£61,117 per year is the saturation point for feelings of bonhomie.

Over in the U.S, Santa Barbara in California is the city with the highest cost of happiness – $162,721/£130,276, followed by Honolulu ($148,943/£119,251) and New York ($145,028/£116,116). Knoxville, Tennessee, is the American city with the lowest cost of happiness – $88,032/£70,482, with Cincinnati in Ohio ($93,398/£74,779) sitting just above it in the list.

How were the amounts calculated? First, researchers consulted a Purdue University study that analysed the relationship between happiness and income to discover the price of happiness in every country and select cities.

This study recorded the satiation point for Life Evaluation (LE) in U.S dollars for each world region.

S Money said: ‘Life Evaluation is a metric from the World Gallup poll that measures how good an individual considers their life to be. The satiation point of LE refers to the income point at which any further increase in income has no effect on an individual’s happiness.’

It continued: ‘The figures in the study grouped countries into world regions and quoted the satiation points relative to an American’s purchasing power. So, to discover the local price of happiness by country, we converted these figures back to local currencies using country-specific Purchasing Power Ratios sourced from the International Monetary Fund. Purchasing power ratios represent the number of units of local currency that are equal to the buying power of one US dollar in the United States.

‘Finally, we converted local currencies back into US dollars using current exchange rates given by Google Finance. This is the price of happiness.

‘In addition, the team calculated the price of happiness for select cities within each country by adjusting the country price of happiness according to the cost of living value for both cities and countries in indexes by Numbeo.’

DOES MONEY MAKE YOU HAPPY?

One Harvard study claimed that it’s not what you earn but how you spend it that leads to happiness.

Researchers said that buying experiences and fewer material goods will make you more content – as will paying close attention to the happiness of others.

For more information visit www.smoney.com.au/blog/the-price-of-happiness-in-every-country.

By Alex Raskin Sports News Editor For Dailymail.com

Published: 09:03 EDT, 13 September 2023 | Updated: 09:07 EDT, 13 September 2023