essayed what does it mean

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17 Sex Terms You Were Too Embarrassed to Ask About, Defined

Especially with the rise of social media, new terms are coined all the time, including in the arena of sexuality. For instance, while the word "cuck" has become an insult hurled by the right-wing trolls, it's related to cuckolding, which can (and should) be a hot and consensual sexual activity that all involved parties enjoy. If you weren't quite sure of what that particular word's definition is — or you're unclear on terms like felching, docking, or queening, for that matter — I've written a near-comprehensive guide.

Additionally, if you're wondering if any given sex act is really a thing, keep in mind the wise words of sex educator Jimanekia Eborn : " Everything is a thing, is basically what I have learned working in sex education." In other words, if you can dream it, you can do it — or at least rest assured that someone else has probably tried to. With that being said, here are 17 sex terms you probably didn't learn in sex ed, explained.

1. Pearl Necklace

As Samantha explained to Charlotte on a memorable episode of Sex and the City , a pearl necklace is what results when someone ejaculates on or around their partner's neck or chest (yes, so that the semen is roughly where a pearl necklace is when worn). If you're not someone who enjoys wearing this kind of pearl necklace, feel free to stick to Charlotte's preferred version, which you can find at Bloomingdale's.

2. Impact Play

Impact play refers to any impact on the body done for sexual gratification, from spanking to whips and crops . When engaging in impact play, remember to pick a safe word and continually check in with one another to ensure the level of pain is desirable. It's also important to stick to areas on the body which are safe to spank or tap on with a crop, which means fleshy, meaty areas away from the organs, such as the butt and thighs. If this sounds appealing to you, be sure to check out my guide to first-timer BDSM tips .

Dungeon Dwellers And Domination Enthusiasts Descend On DomconLA

3. squirting.

Squirting is when a person with a vagina ejaculates fluid during sex. Eborn says she is frequently asked if squirting is a myth, and she's only too happy to share that it is not, nor is it "just peeing." Research suggests that the fluid involved comes partly from Skene's glands, also known as the "female prostate" — but as with many subjects that don't focus on a penis, more research is required. Not everyone squirts, and among those who do, some squirt from clitoral stimulation and some squirt from G-spot stimulation (that is, stimulation of the sensitive front wall of the vagina).

You may be familiar with cognitive behavioral therapy , a helpful form of talk therapy. However, within the world of kink, CBT refers to "cock and ball torture." This form of CBT can be therapeutic for people with penises interested in having a dominatrix inflict pain on their genitals, through the use of ropes, whips, or even chastity devices.

Pegging refers to when a woman penetrates a man anally with a strap-on dildo . There's a now-infamous pegging scene in a Broad City episode that recently repopularized the term.

6. Queening

Queening is just a glamorous name for sitting on someone's face. There's nothing more to it than that.

7. Scissoring

Scissoring, also called tribadism or tribbing, is most often thought of as the territory of same-sex, female-identified couples. It's usually considered to be two partners rubbing their vulvas against each other's, but can also be defined as one partner rubbing their vulva against other body parts of their partner's (including the thighs and butt), as Autostraddle pointed out . In so-called "classic" scissor position, partners' legs intersect so that they look like — you guessed it — scissors. Porn (especially porn made for the male gaze) has probably hyped up scissoring as a more popular act among women who have sex with women than it actually is in real life, but plenty of people love it.

Women in lingerie touching each other

8. edge play.

When you first hear the term "edge play," it's easy to assume it refers to extreme sex acts that literally involve an edge of some sort, such as knives or needles (and yes, some people consensually incorporate those things into sex). But no sharp objects need to be involved in this type of edge play. The term means kinky sexual acts that push your boundaries (consensually) to the edge, which can be exhilarating for some. What is considered edge play differs from person to person, as we all have our own boundaries and limits. For some, psychological play such as name-calling may be edge play. If you are going to try pushing your boundaries , please do so with a partner you trust and use a safe word.

Figging is one of those sexual acts that are so interesting it's fun to know what it means, but you have to wonder if anyone actually does it. Figging is the act of inserting a piece of peeled ginger into someone's butthole, which would burn, sting, and be quite painful. Figging allegedly originated as a (non-sexual) form of corporal punishment on female prisoners by the Greek and the Roman empires. These days, the term also can refer to the general infliction of consensual pain on the anus.

10. Aftercare

Aftercare is a sexual practice that everyone should be doing, whether you're having kinky sex or vanilla sex. It's a term created by the kink community and simply means checking in with your partner(s) after sex to make sure all parties felt good and safe about what just went down and taking care of one another emotionally and physically. This can mean cuddling, bringing ice to the submissive partners if there are any spanking bruises, and talking about what you liked or what you didn't like. It really just means checking in post-sex, and if anything did happen that one or all parties felt weird about, making sure it doesn't happen the next time.

11. Felching

To felch is to suck up semen out of an orifice (using a straw is optional). For instance, someone may ejaculate inside their partner's anus and then suck their own semen out of the anus with their mouth; they then may or may not swallow. (Keep in mind that exchanging fluids in this way is associated with the risk of STIs , including HIV.)

12. Bukkake

Bukkake is both a sex act and popular genre of porn in which multiple men, typically three or more, ejaculate all over a woman.

13. Docking

"Docking is when two uncircumcised [people with penises] get together," Eborn explains. "[The first] pulls his foreskin back and holds it while [the second] stretches [theirs] open and outward as far as possible over the head and shaft of [the first partner's] penis." She says she is frequently asked if this act is real and possible, and her response is that with enough imagination and determination, most things are. (That said, remember that comfort and safety should take priority in all sexual encounters, no matter how creative.)

14. Cuckolding

Cuckolding is when a person in a relationship stands by as their partner has sex with someone else. There are many ways to cuck: The "cuckold" may look on while tied up in a corner, or the cuckold's partner may go out on their own, have sex, and report back. There is usually an element of humiliation involved: For instance, a wife may tell her husband all about how her other partner has a massive penis and can satisfy her in ways her husband cannot. Yes, some men are turned on by being told they suck in bed. (Important note: It's totally possible to share sexy fantasies about cuckolding with your partner without actually doing it.)

Professional dominatrixes often get requests to do cuckolding sessions in which they may have their submissive watch as they have sex with a different partner or tell the submissive to buy them lingerie for them to wear on a date with someone else. While cuckolding is primarily associated with married, opposite-sex couples, people can enjoy cuckolding play regardless of gender, orientation, or relationship status.

Me, My Boyfriend And My Slave

15. water sports.

According to safe-for-work Google searches, water sports are aquatic activities such as jet-skiing. In the bedroom, however, the term refers to the incorporation of urine in erotic play. A golden shower, for example, is when one partner pees on the other. If you want to try this kind of play for the first time but are a little nervous, peeing on your partner (or being peed on) in the shower is a good way to dip your toe in the water, metaphorically speaking.

16. Fisting

Fisting is when one partner inserts their entire hand or fist into the other partner's vagina (or anus, for the highly talented). If you enjoy intense penetration but are dating someone with a small penis, remember that they have an entire fist to use on you. (And no, a penchant for fisting won't make your vagina loose ( nor will sex in general , so put that myth out of your head).

If you'd like to try it, go slow and use plenty of lube ; the fister can also wear a latex glove to keep things extra sanitary and help the hand slide into the orifice. And as with any sex act, enthusiastic consent and in-the-moment communication are key to enjoyment by all parties.

Medicine. Medical staff putting on latex gloves. Germany, Europe

17. queefing.

OK, so this one may not be a sex act, exactly, but it frequently happens during sex. Queefing is when air escapes from the vagina, often during or after penetration, and makes a farting sound. It's a form of flatulence, and it's totally normal. "At one point in time, it happens to all of us. We laugh [about it] to keep from being embarrassed," Eborn says.

Read more stories about sexuality and exploration:

11 of the Most Common Sexual Fetishes

What You Need to Know Before Having a Threesome

BDSM Sex Tips to Try If You're a Total Beginner

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Don't forget to follow Allure on Instagram and Twitter .

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What does essayed mean?

Definitions for essayed es·sayed, this dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word essayed ., did you actually mean essayist or estate , webster dictionary rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes, how to pronounce essayed.

Alex US English David US English Mark US English Daniel British Libby British Mia British Karen Australian Hayley Australian Natasha Australian Veena Indian Priya Indian Neerja Indian Zira US English Oliver British Wendy British Fred US English Tessa South African

How to say essayed in sign language?

Chaldean Numerology

The numerical value of essayed in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

Pythagorean Numerology

The numerical value of essayed in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

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• ^  Webster Dictionary https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/essayed

Translations for essayed

From our multilingual translation dictionary.

• essayed German
• ensayado Spanish
• megkísérelte Hungarian
• essayed Italian
• エッセイ Japanese
• పోషించారు Telugu

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Definition of essay verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Want to learn more?

Find out which words work together and produce more natural-sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app. Try it for free as part of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.

Remember the difference and get an 'A' for effort.

You might also know that essay can be a verb, with its most common meaning being "to try, attempt, or undertake":

A very close approach to the evil of Idi Amin is essayed in Giles Foden's 1998 novel The Last King of Scotland , whose narrator is the Scottish personal physician to the dictator. — Norman Rush, The New York Review of Books , 7 Oct. 2004 The principal accidents she remembers, before last summer's, involved chipping a couple of teeth while, as a fifth grader, she was essaying a back flip off a diving board,... — E. J. Kahn, Jr., The New Yorker , 17 Aug. 1987

The verb assay , meanwhile, is used to mean "to test or evaluate" and can be applied to anything from laboratory samples to contest entries:

He bounced from job to job, working on a shrimp boat and later for Pan American Laboratories assaying chemicals coming in from Mexico. — Steve Clark, The Brownville Herald , 21 Apr. 2017 "Each burger will be assayed by visitors and a panel of judges, including local chefs Jen Knox, Gina Sansonia, Judith Able, Bret Hauser, Camilo Cuartas and Peter Farrand." — Phillip Valys, SouthFlorida.com , 19 May 2017

While this distinction might seem clear-cut on the surface, there exists a great deal of historical overlap between essay and assay . The two words derive from the same root—the Middle French essai , which ultimately derives from a Late Latin noun, exagium , meaning "act of weighing."

At one time, assay and essay were synonyms, sharing the meaning "try" or "attempt." In the 17th century, an essay was an effort to test or prove something:

Edmond: I hope, for my brother's justification, he wrote this but as an essay or taste of my virtue. — William Shakespeare, King Lear , 1606

For the modern noun use of essay to mean "a written exploration of a topic," we can almost certainly thank Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), a French writer noted for working in the form. Borrowing a word that emphasized their identity as literary "attempts," Montaigne devised Essais as a title for the vignette-typed pieces that he began publishing in 1580 and spanned over a thousand pages, covering subjects as varied and wide-ranging as solitude, cannibalism, and drunkenness.

Those last ones probably won't be in the final exam.

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Home / Education / What Does Essayed Mean In Crime

What Does Essayed Mean In Crime

Defining “essayed” in crime investigations, key characteristics of “essayed” in crime context.

• Attempted Act : When a person is said to have “essayed” a crime, it implies that they have not completed the criminal act but have initiated actions with the intent to do so. This may involve planning, preparation, or the commencement of the criminal act.
• Intent : Intent is a crucial element in the use of “essayed.” It indicates that the individual in question had a clear intention to commit the crime, even if they were apprehended before the act could be carried out.
• Criminal Charges : The term “essayed” often appears in legal documents as part of formal charges against a suspect. For example, a person might be charged with “essaying to commit burglary” if they were caught in the act of breaking into a building with the clear intention of theft, but had not yet stolen anything.
• Legal Implications : When someone is charged with “essaying” a crime, they may face legal consequences and penalties even if the actual crime was not completed. The legal system recognizes that intent and actions leading up to a crime are still serious offenses.

Examples of “Essayed” in Crime

• Essayed Robbery : If an individual enters a bank with a mask, a weapon, and a demand note but is apprehended by the police before taking any money, they may be charged with “essaying to commit robbery.”
• Essayed Murder : In a case where someone has made extensive preparations to kill another person but is stopped before carrying out the act, they may be charged with “essaying to commit murder.”
• Essayed Fraud : If a person creates counterfeit documents and forges signatures with the intent to commit fraud, they can be charged with “essaying to commit fraud.”

The term “essayed” in the context of crime investigations carries a specific meaning, indicating that an individual has taken substantial steps toward committing a criminal act with the intent to do so. This term is a critical element in legal proceedings, helping to distinguish between individuals who have genuinely attempted to commit a crime and those who are still in the planning or preparation stages. Understanding the concept of “essayed” is essential for law enforcement, legal professionals, and individuals involved in the criminal justice system to ensure that justice is served, even in cases where the crime was not completed.

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[ noun es -ey es -ey , e- sey verb e- sey ]

• a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.

a picture essay.

• an effort to perform or accomplish something; attempt.
• Philately. a design for a proposed stamp differing in any way from the design of the stamp as issued.
• Obsolete. a tentative effort; trial; assay.

verb (used with object)

• to try; attempt.
• to put to the test; make trial of.
• a short literary composition dealing with a subject analytically or speculatively
• an attempt or endeavour; effort
• a test or trial
• to attempt or endeavour; try
• to test or try out
• A short piece of writing on one subject, usually presenting the author's own views. Michel de Montaigne , Francis Bacon (see also Bacon ), and Ralph Waldo Emerson are celebrated for their essays.

Discover More

Other words from.

• es·sayer noun
• prees·say verb (used without object)
• unes·sayed adjective
• well-es·sayed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of essay 1

Example Sentences

As several of my colleagues commented, the result is good enough that it could pass for an essay written by a first-year undergraduate, and even get a pretty decent grade.

GPT-3 also raises concerns about the future of essay writing in the education system.

This little essay helps focus on self-knowledge in what you’re best at, and how you should prioritize your time.

As Steven Feldstein argues in the opening essay, technonationalism plays a part in the strengthening of other autocracies too.

He’s written a collection of essays on civil engineering life titled Bridginess, and to this day he and Lauren go on “bridge dates,” where they enjoy a meal and admire the view of a nearby span.

I think a certain kind of compelling essay has a piece of that.

The current attack on the Jews,” he wrote in a 1937 essay, “targets not just this people of 15 million but mankind as such.

The impulse to interpret seems to me what makes personal essay writing compelling.

To be honest, I think a lot of good essay writing comes out of that.

Someone recently sent me an old Joan Didion essay on self-respect that appeared in Vogue.

There is more of the uplifted forefinger and the reiterated point than I should have allowed myself in an essay.

Consequently he was able to turn in a clear essay upon the subject, which, upon examination, the king found to be free from error.

It is no part of the present essay to attempt to detail the particulars of a code of social legislation.

But angels and ministers of grace defend us from ministers of religion who essay art criticism!

It is fit that the imagination, which is free to go through all things, should essay such excursions.

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What Does Essayed Mean Sexually Urban Dictionary

When it comes to navigating the world of sexuality and relationships, it’s important to understand the various terms and slang that may pop up. One such term that has gained popularity in recent years is ‘essayed,’ as defined by the Urban Dictionary. So, what does ‘essayed’ mean in a sexual context?

According to the Urban Dictionary, ‘essayed’ refers to the act of exploring or attempting something sexually. It can be used to describe trying out new techniques, positions, or experiences with a partner. Essentially, it’s about experimenting and pushing boundaries in the bedroom.

For example, a couple might decide to essayed a new kink they’ve been curious about, or a person could essayed incorporating toys into their solo play. The term encompasses a wide range of sexual activities and interests, emphasizing the importance of exploration and open communication in sexual relationships.

Case studies have shown that essayed can lead to increased satisfaction and intimacy in relationships. By being open to trying new things and discussing desires with partners, individuals can discover new depths of pleasure and connection. This can help keep relationships exciting and fulfilling over time, preventing stagnation and boredom.

Statistics also support the benefits of essayed in sexual relationships. A survey conducted by a leading relationship research institute found that couples who regularly essayed new activities in the bedroom reported higher levels of sexual satisfaction and overall relationship happiness. This highlights the importance of keeping an open mind and being willing to step outside of one’s comfort zone when it comes to sex.

In conclusion, understanding what ‘essayed’ means in a sexual context can help individuals navigate their relationships and explore new avenues of pleasure. By embracing the spirit of essayed, people can foster greater intimacy, satisfaction, and excitement in their sexual experiences. So don’t be afraid to essayed new things and push the boundaries of your sexual boundaries!

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What did Biden say about US arms transfers to Israel and what does it mean?

Biden’s warning to Israel of a possible weapons cutoff is vague, experts say, but could mean the end of ‘blank cheque’ policy.

United States President Joe Biden has faced months of growing pressure to stop sending weapons to Israel as the US ally wages war in the Gaza Strip.

Rights advocates, lawmakers and protesters across the US have demanded an end to the transfers, warning the president that the arms were being used in human rights violations and war crimes in Gaza.

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This week, senior Biden administration officials confirmed that Washington had paused one shipment of “high payload munitions” to Israel over concerns about the Israeli military’s planned offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Biden himself appeared to go a step further on Wednesday evening, telling CNN that he would not be “supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah” if Israeli forces go into “population centres”.

But what exactly did Biden say, what do his remarks mean in practice and what do experts say should come next?

What did Biden say?

CNN’s Erin Burnett asked Biden in an interview that aired on Wednesday about his administration’s decision to pause the single weapons shipment to Israel, which contained 1,800 bombs, each weighing about 900kg (2,000lb), and another 1,700 bombs weighing 226kg (500lb) each.

“Have those bombs, those powerful, 2,000lb bombs , been used to kill civilians in Gaza?” Burnett asked.

Biden replied: “Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they [the Israeli forces] go after population centres.”

“And I made it clear that if they go into Rafah — they haven’t gone into Rafah yet — if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, that deal with the cities, that deal with that problem.”

The US president added that his administration would “continue to make sure Israel is secure in terms of [its] Iron Dome” missile defence system  as well as in its ability to “respond to attacks”.

“But it’s just wrong. We’re not going to supply the weapons and the artillery shells,” he said.

Burnett then asked Biden whether Israeli forces, which this week seized the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and launched deadly attacks on the city, had not already “gone into Rafah”.

“They haven’t gone into the population centres. What they did is right on the border,” Biden said.

“I’ve made it clear to ‘Bibi’ [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] and the war cabinet: They’re not going to get our support if in fact they go into these population centres.”

The Rafah border crossing is, however, contiguous with the town of Rafah, and Palestinians point out that even before Israel seized the area, it had been hitting Rafah with air attacks throughout the war, killing numerous civilians, including children.

What does Biden’s warning mean in practice?

Brian Finucane, a senior adviser in the US programme at the International Crisis Group, said Biden was not explicit about the types of weapons that would fall into what he described as those “used historically to deal with Rafah”.

The US president’s remarks also were not “a model of clarity as to what the trigger would be for such a termination, given the fact that Israeli troops are already in Rafah “, Finucane told Al Jazeera.

He added that “even if there were an immediate cut-off of air-delivered munitions or artillery shells” to the Israeli military, “that may not have an immediate operational impact based on the stores they may have on hand.”

Still, Finucane said, “This is another step … and it’s an overdue step, but I think it remains to be seen how the Biden administration will carry through on this.”

Patrick Bury, a professor at the University of Bath specialising in warfare, said a wide-scale military operation in Rafah would lead Israel to burn through its munitions very quickly, however.

As a result, a potential US weapons cut-off “is going to be a major consideration” for Israel, Bury told Al Jazeera in a television interview.

Speaking on Thursday, Netanyahu responded to Biden, saying Israel would “stand alone” if it had to.

“I have said that if necessary, we will fight with our fingernails,” the prime minister said in a video address. “But we have much more than fingernails, and with that same strength of spirit, with God’s help, together we will win.”

What signal does it send?

Raed Jarrar, advocacy director at Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), a think tank in Washington, DC, said Biden’s announcement in practice is “very limited, very qualified [and] very conditional”.

Biden’s reasoning also is flawed, Jarrar told Al Jazeera, in that it is tied to a disagreement between the US and Israeli governments over Israel’s military tactics and push to launch a full-scale attack on Rafah.

However, Jarrar said the US president’s remarks are a signal that Washington’s “ blank cheque policy to Israel seems to be coming to an end”.

They also are effectively an “admission that Israel is committing very serious crimes using US weapons – and that admission should lead to very serious consequences that are mandated under US law”, Jarrar said.

What else do experts and rights advocates say the US should be doing?

Finuncane said it is important “not to lose sight of the larger picture” during discussions on Israel’s military tactics in Rafah.

“The US has substantial leverage to bring to bear to try to bring this conflict to an end,” he said, pointing to the weapons and other military assistance the American government provides to Israel.

“It should be using that leverage after seven long months of conflict to bring about an end to the fighting, enable the hostage exchange, … enable aid to get into Gaza and hopefully lower the temperature in the region writ large.”

The US sends Israel $3.8bn in military aid annually, and Congress recently approved billions of dollars in additional support for the country.

Jarrar also said the Biden administration needs to apply the country’s own laws, such as the Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act. The latter includes the so-called Leahy Law , which prohibits assistance to foreign military units that commit abuses.

The Biden administration’s own self-declared policy on conventional arms transfers also prohibits weapons transfers to countries “suspected of committing genocide or other broad violations of human rights, using US weapons”, Jarrar said.

The International Court of Justice, the top United Nations court, said in January that there was a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza and ordered Israel to prevent any genocidal acts from taking place in the enclave.

“There is a lot” that the Biden administration can do, Jarrar added. “There are also moral and legal commitments [that] the administration is breaching with its continued aiding and abetting of Israel.”

• Grand Rapids/Muskegon
• Saginaw/Bay City
• All Michigan

One of Michigan’s largest insurers is altering telehealth billing. What does it mean?

• Published: May. 09, 2024, 12:43 p.m.

In this Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012 photo, Dr. Terry Rabinowitz, back to camera, talks with nurse Leslie Orelup at Helen Porter Nursing Home on in Burlington, Vt. Telehealth has grown more popular since 2020 and remains a useful service for patients in 2024. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot) AP

• Justin P. Hicks | [email protected]

One of Michigan’s largest health insurance agencies changed the way it reimburses care providers for virtual services known as telehealth, raising concerns about patient care.

The move this month -- or more specifically the language used by Priority Health to explain their move -- caused confusion and concern among a group of counselors and therapists in West Michigan, who questioned if it could affect access to patients who rely on it for primary and behavioral health care.

David Burke, a licensed professional counselor and co-owner of Alliance Counseling Group in West Michigan, read the May 2024 shift in reimbursement policy to mean providers would be paid less by insurance companies for virtual care compared to in-person services.

Burke worried that such a move would disincentivize providers delivering telehealth services, impacting patient access and care.

The Michigan Counselors Association also heard the confusion and said clarification was in order.

However, Priority Health explained to MLive it isn’t reducing its reimbursement rates for virtual health or making it less profitable for providers than in-person services. Rather, the change in reimbursement has to do specific cases where the virtual care is provided in a hospital or like setting.

To understand the change requires an understanding of how health insurance works. When you visit a health care provider -- physician, therapist, etc. -- a claim is sent to your insurance company using various codes that are associated with contracted reimbursement rates. That system determines how much the provider will make for its services.

Related: Saginaw veterans affairs hospital adds telehealth services

On Jan. 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updated its reimbursement rates for telehealth. Claims billed for care provided to a patient’s home would be paid at a non-facility rate (POS code 10), while care provided outside a patient’s home would be paid at a lower facility rate (POS code 02).

Priority Health noted on its website in March that it would be following CMS’s lead beginning May 1.

“I think Priority Health is trying to follow CMS but there is some general confusion when I’ve talked to providers and billers,” said Ashley VanBemmelen, past president of the Michigan Counselors Association. “This is where we’ll need insurance companies to provide a little more clarification.”

So, what does the change mean?

A provider offering virtual services to a patient who is in a hospital, physician’s office, psych facility or other medical facility can be reimbursed at a lower rate than elsewhere, explained Priority Health. That’s because the cost of things like clinical personnel, equipment and supplies are incurred by the facility, not the provider.

Reimbursement for telehealth provided to a person’s home, in their vehicle, at school, at work, and elsewhere isn’t affected by the May 1 change by Priority Health.

“Generally, reimbursement rates should be the same for an office rate when I’m providing services at my office over telehealth and in-person,” said VanBemmelen, who is also a licensed therapist with Insight Counseling in Grand Rapids. “I’m still at my office, still paying for my space, still paying for the telehealth platform.”

Telehealth existed before 2020, but exploded in usage during the COVID-19 pandemic in response to an unprecedented wave of need. For a period during the health emergency, insurance agencies even waived patient copays for virtual care.

While the health emergency faded in time, health officials said telehealth was here to stay.

It remains an industry standard for therapists to charge the same price for virtual care as they would in-person, explained VanBemmelen.

While provider reimbursement varies by insurance agency, patients aren’t likely to see a difference in their bill, VanBemmelen said.

For Burke and his staff of 48 at Alliance Counseling Group, he said it’s important to continue offering a virtual option for patients. He estimated 30% of his clients use telehealth services.

“Clients pick telehealth because it’s convenient to them,” he said. “It’s a service they want.”

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A guilty verdict? Donald Trump and allies are bracing voters for the worst

WASHINGTON - When former president and 2024 candidate Donald Trump claims that the judicial system wants to put him in jail , he's not just protesting the ongoing hush money trial.

Trump is also bracing voters for the possibility of a guilty verdict.

At political rallies, on social media, and to reporters gathered at the courthouse in New York, Trump's attacks on the trial are designed in part to persuade voters to disregard a bad verdict, according to aides, legal analysts, and a review of his remarks.

"The New York judicial system has been absolutely abused," Trump told reporters Friday. "The whole world is watching."

Trump is accused of improperly influencing the 2016 presidential election by paying hush money to women , seeking to keep them from publicizing sexual liaisons. He has pleaded not guilty.

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

Trump targets moderate voters

Trump has not explicitly said he expects a guilty verdict, and occasionally expresses public optimism about the outcome of the trial. "Many good things are going on in the case," the former said Thursday.

But he has spent much more time claiming political bias by the judge , prosecutors and the jury pool, and argues without evidence that his political opponents will do anything to put him behind bars.

Trump and supporters have also predicted that a guilty verdict would be reversed on appeal, a step that would not be necessary if he is acquitted or if there is a hung jury.

Legal experts said Trump has little choice but to brace for a guilty verdict, given how it might affect his campaign against President Joe Biden .

In claiming the trial is unfair, Trump's targets include moderate and independent voters who have long been skeptical of his behavior.

"His base will believe everything he says," said Bradley P. Moss, a Washington, D.C., lawyer who specializes in government transparency issues. "The question is independents."

Trump appeals to New Jersey

Trump's latest effort to brace supporters for bad legal news comes Saturday at a campaign rally in Wildwood, N.J.

This will be Trump's first campaign rally since a May 1 airport event in Freeland, Mich ., where he went on at length about his legal concerns.

While discussing the ongoing New York trial, Trump said "we haven't had a decision here, but the decision here can probably only be one thing, I guess ... 'cause ... this whole thing - it's a rigged deal; it's a rigged deal."

Trump also equated the hush money trial to the major civil cases he has lost, one over bank loan fraud and two others regarding defamation and sexual abuse of writer E. Jean Carroll .

Altogether, civil courts have ordered Trump to pay more than $500 million in damages.

"Hopefully, we'll win all of that stuff easily on appeal," Trump said at one point in Michigan.

'Orchestrating Trump's conviction'

Trump is also trying to discount the New York verdict by citing legal analysts who agree with his criticisms of the case. Some of them say they believe Trump is bound for a guilty verdict because of the way the trial is being conducted by New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan.

In a Truth Social post on May 5, Trump cited comments by former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy that described "how Judge Merchan is orchestrating Trump's conviction."

Trump also attacks the gag order against him , describing it as an attempt to fix the case. Merchan has found Trump in violation of the gag order ten items over attacks on witnesses and court personnel.

In reading out criticisms of the case on Friday, Trump said he has to be careful because of the gag order: "If I mention the wrong word, they'll come out here and they'll take me out to jail some place, because that's the way it is with this judge - he wants to show how tough he is."

Rerun: Trump previously warned of indictments

The political world has seen this kind of courtroom drama previously, back before Trump was first indicted.

In late 2022 and early 2023, Trump braced supporters for the likelihood of indictments, and sought to taint them ahead of time by decrying the investigations as politically motivated.

In June of 2023, three months after the hush money indictment, Trump told a Republican group in New Hampshire that "there could be others coming," and described them as "election interference."

Trump wound up under indictment in four separate criminal cases .

In addition to the New York hush money case, the former president faces trial in South Florida on charges of mishandling classified information, and two cases in Washington, D.C., and Georgia on federal and state charges respectively of trying to steal the 2020 election from Biden.

Trump is seeking to delay the latter three trials to beyond Election Day on Nov. 5. He may succeed, leaving the New York case as his only trial during the election campaign.

Politically, the indictments may have helped Trump , at least with hardcore Republican voters who fueled his drive toward the 2024 presidential nomination.

Polls and primaries also reflected skepticism of Trump from moderate and independent voters, some of whom continued to support former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley even after she dropped out of the race.

Political impact

In the meantime, Trump is preparing for an actual verdict in the New York case - and a political impact that is unknowable.

Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University who is often cited by Trump, said the former president's complaints about a "weaponized justice system" are legitimate.

Even if Trump is convicted, Turley said, he has a good chance to have the case reversed on appeal because "the entire case is becoming a dumpster fire."

Turley also said "no one would bet on an acquittal from a New York jury on Trump," but it's possible that jurors will deadlock and be unable to render any verdict.

Trump could legitimately celebrate a hung jury as a victory, he said.

Whatever the merits of the case, Moss said Trump has been treated fairly by the justice system. For example, Moss said that any other defendant would be in jail now for violating gag orders the way Trump has. "If anything," he said, "he's been handled with kid gloves."

Moss also said that, while Trump's base will stick with him no matter what, it's hard to see how a guilty verdict would help him.

"I don't see anything good coming out of this for Trump," Moss said. "The question is how much damage it does."

Contributing: Bart Jansen

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Meaning of essay in English

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• I want to finish off this essay before I go to bed .
• His essay was full of spelling errors .
• Have you given that essay in yet ?
• Have you handed in your history essay yet ?
• I'd like to discuss the first point in your essay.
• boilerplate
• composition
• dissertation
• essay question
• peer review
• go after someone
• go all out idiom
• go down swinging/fighting idiom
• go for it idiom
• go for someone
• shoot the works idiom
• smarten (someone/something) up
• smarten up your act idiom
• square the circle idiom
• step on the gas idiom

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Guest Essay

What Does African Rejection Mean for the U.S.?

By Cameron Hudson

Mr. Hudson is a senior fellow in the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

The forced withdrawal , announced last month, of more than 1,000 U.S. Special Operations troops and drone operators in Niger and Chad should raise the alarm for Washington. In Africa, our policy of strengthening security partnerships rather than supporting democracy has not worked. The United States needs a new approach.

The troops had been dispatched there as a key part of America’s effort to confront terrorism, and the pullout follows the governments’ demands for new rules and regulations on U.S. military operations.

Russia, and increasingly Iran and other countries, are already stepping in to exploit a growing power vacuum in the region. That should be yet another reason for America to change course. Africa is less secure and less democratic today than when the United States sent those forces a decade ago. Given the rising influence of these other nations, that current is certain to speed up.

With Washington now forced from the front line of fighting terrorism in the region, it has the opportunity of taking a different approach: directly helping African countries deal with their economic and social problems by pushing for inclusive governance and stronger institutions. A commitment to promoting democracy, once pejoratively called nation-building, is often the first thing to go when the United States becomes ensnared in responding to local crises, as it had with terror threats in the Sahel, a semiarid area south of the Sahara.

U.S. officials would do well to remember that Africans are choosing their partners to advance their own interests, not America’s. If African governments are deciding to align themselves with Moscow over Washington, we should try to understand why rather than castigating them.

For many Sahelian leaders, choosing a strong ally is a simple matter of trying to stay in power. Moscow’s military support, offered under the guise of counterterrorism, helps. Here, Washington cannot and should not compete.

But other leaders are motivated more by a desire to diversify partnerships and to get the best deal when building infrastructure, improving education and agriculture, and extracting ores and minerals.

The roots of Washington’s worry about security concerns in the wider Sahel region emerged in the months after the Sept. 11 attacks. Weak governance and crushing poverty were seen as accelerants for a potential jihadist problem. But it was only in 2012, when extremist groups that were linked to Al Qaeda began seizing control of cities across northern Mali, that U.S. troops arrived in the region.

Since then, however, these jihadists have not displayed nearly the threat to U.S. interests that our level of military involvement would suggest. Instead, they preyed on fragile governments across the Sahel. Civilian leaders were unable to roll back the threat and failed to bring services to, or provide government control of, their countries’ increasingly populous and poor hinterlands.

The result is a region very different from the one the United States met when it first began sending security trainers and sharing sensitive intelligence in 2012. Six military governments and a host of new Russian military outposts now dot the region .

Along with the news last month of the U.S. forced departures from Niger and Chad , two countries the United Nations has said are on the front lines of the “global epicenter of terrorism,” the junta-run states of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have expelled France, the former colonial power.

To be sure, losing a military foothold in Niger and Chad makes it harder for the United States to monitor jihadists across a dozen African countries and to track human smuggling, drug trafficking and the illicit flow of arms, all of which are destabilizing the continent. U.S. military officials are already fanning out across West Africa, looking for new hosts for its drones.

But beyond the tactical losses, the withdrawal represents a genuine strategic loss for Washington.

Countries including Russia and Iran have seen an opportunity in Africa to make gains in great, and not-so-great, power competition. Every country from which France, and now the United States, have departed has welcomed Russian military advisers, mostly in the form of Moscow’s successor to the Wagner Group, Africa Corps. Russian forces can now move freely across friendly African states from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.

One day soon, Moscow hopes to add warm-water ports on the Red Sea and even the Atlantic coast of Africa. These can be used to supply its growing military presence across the continent and export Africa’s prized mineral resources. Iran has similarly spied an opening to break its diplomatic isolation and turn a profit, eyeing purchase agreements with Niger’s state-linked uranium company and selling advanced weapons to Sudan’s army, helping to fuel that country’s yearlong civil war.

U.S. officials routinely frame this struggle for influence as a new Cold War. That view makes Washington no friends in African countries, where officials believe that America isn’t really interested in them beyond not wanting to lose ground to rivals. The message that Gen. Michael Langley, the head of the U.S. military’s Africa Command, delivered to Congress in March is a case in point. “A number of countries are at the tipping point of actually being captured by the Russian Federation,” he said, “as they are spreading some of their false narratives.” His message suggests a view in Washington of African nations being unwittingly duped.

Rather than escalating this competition any further, Washington should reassess the actual jihadist threat to U.S. interests and weigh the ultimate cost of security partnerships with countries lacking in democratic institutions. It should now reflect on whether the tools it has favored for so long — intelligence sharing, military training and weapons supplying — really make sense in weak and desperately poor states.

Washington has long struggled to strike a balance between protecting its position and advancing democratic values in Africa. For it to succeed, it must recognize that in this era of geopolitical choice, it can no longer dictate the terms of its partnerships with African states. If it does, it will find itself increasingly alone and unable to advance either its interests or its values on this increasingly strategic continent.

Cameron Hudson is a senior fellow in the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

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