(2018-09-05). US Cuts to UNRWA Point to the Dark Future Being Readied for the Palestinians. counterpunch.org 
Photo Source Abel CAINE | CC BY 2.0 Young school boys at a Refugee School | Nazareth. | The Trump administration's decision to scrap all future aid payments to the main agency helping Palestinian refugees marks a new — and most likely disastrous — chapter in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. | The US State Department said on Friday it would no longer continue its $360 million annual contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), depriving it of a third of its budget. US officials described the organisation as "irredeemably flawed". | The move follows an announcement last week that Washington had slashed $200 million from other aid programmes for the Palestinians. | About five million Palestinians — many languishing for decades in refugee camps across the Middle East — rely on the agency for essential food, healthcare…
(2018-09-05). Nancy Pelosi Promises That Democrats Will Handcuff the Democratic Agenda If They Retake the House. theintercept.com In the first outline of the legislative agenda House Democrats would pursue if they take the majority in November, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has made the public a big promise, vowing to handcuff her party's progressive ambitions, including in the event that a Democratic president succeeds Donald Trump, by resurrecting the "pay-go" rule that mandates all new spending is offset with budget cuts or tax increases. | Along the way, she is playing into the hands of Republican strategists eager to warn voters that Democrats' top priority is raising taxes. | Forcing budget offsets for every piece of legislation would make it more difficult for Democrats to pass a host of liberal agenda items, from "Medicare for All" to tuition-free public college. It continues a trend of Democrats caring far more about deficits than Republicans, constraining the activist impulses of liberal policymakers while…
(2018-09-05). Do Some Americans Actually Prefer Gridlock When It Comes to Federal Governance? alternet.org 
Not all Americans believe gridlock is a bad thing. | Nixon/Kennedy health plan, had it not been derailed by Watergate, would have been more comprehensive than the Affordable Care Act of 2010, a. k. a. Obamacare. But the type of bipartisan cooperation that Nixon and Kennedy showed in the 1970s is a rarity in 2018, when the U. S. ' partisan divide is angrier, nastier and more bitter than ever. If Democrats retake the House of Representatives. . .
(2018-09-05). Texas Lawsuit Could Mean Life or Death for the Affordable Care Act. truthout.org Wednesday is looking like yet another pivotal day in the life-or-death saga that has marked the history of the Affordable Care Act. | In a Texas courtroom, a group of Republican attorneys general, led by Texas' Ken Paxton, are set to face off against a group of Democratic attorneys general, led by California's Xavier Becerra, in a lawsuit aimed at striking down the federal health law. The Republicans say that when Congress eliminated the penalty for not having health insurance as part of last year's tax bill, lawmakers rendered the entire health law unconstitutional. The Democrats argue that's not the case. | But first, the sides will argue before U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, whether the health law should be put on hold while the case is litigated. The GOP plaintiffs are seeking a "preliminary injunction" on the law.
(2018-09-05). UCLA's Patent War in India Prevents Access to Prostate Cancer Treatment. truthout.org Drug prices are too high: One in five Americans ration their medicine due to high prices, and 10 million people die every year due to lack of access to medicines. Because of patent exclusivity laws, pharmaceutical corporations are able to set the price tag of a novel drug as high as they want, which often keeps it out of the hands of low-income populations. Patent rights, along with their political and economic power, allow Big Pharma to prioritize profit-making over health interests and leads to even larger inequalities in global access to medicines. | University research often plays a big role in the discovery of lifesaving medicines before manufacturers' move in to price-gouge the new drugs. Take enzalutamide, a treatment for late-stage prostate cancer, as an example. The underlying research that led to its discovery was done at the University of California…
(2018-09-05). So Glad The Grown-Ups are Back in Charge in Argentina. counterpunch.org 
If you've followed Latin American politics at all in the mainstream press, I am sure you've heard and read about how the Kirchners (2003-2015) mismanaged the Argentine economy and how, with the election of Mauricio Macri, the adults were back in the room and the economy was on its way to a more healthy and More
(2018-09-05). Why Childbirth and Abortion Are Not Separate Issues. truthout.org Abortion could soon be a crime. That's not hyperbole, but a legitimate concern among advocates grappling with the possible appointment of Brett M. Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court. Public support for Kavanaugh is the lowest for a court nominee since 1987, according to a CNN poll. But even if he fails to be confirmed, a long line of other conservative judges are waiting to join the bench and overturn Roe v. Wade. | And by overturn, I mean begin the systematic dismantling of dire medical care for millions of women and gender-variant folks, resulting in more violence against them that is both direct, such as anti-abortion terrorism, and indirect, such as restriction to access and further criminalization of poverty. | But another experience of reproductive health has been missing from public debate. Like abortion, it also affects women of all ages, backgrounds,…
(2018-09-05). UN Rights Council Needs to Stem Nicaragua Crisis Now. hrw.org 
04 August 2018, Nicaragua, Managua: Demonstration in support of doctors arbitrarily dismissed by the Nicaraguan Health Ministry authorities in apparent retaliation for participating in protests or otherwise disagreeing with gover…
(2018-09-04). The EMPOWER Care Act Would Give People With Disabilities the Freedom They Deserve. aclu.org Congress should re-authorize the Money Follows the Person program, which helps people with disabilities move back home. | On Wednesday, the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee will consider the EMPOWER Care Act, bipartisan legislation to re-authorize the Money Follows the Person program, which helps people with disabilities move from institutions into the community. | MFP is li…
(2018-09-03). Nashville's shuttering of women's health clinic leaves only one abortion facility in the city. wsws.org Despite the billions invested in healthcare, and dozens of Nashville area hospitals, poor and working class women are limited to one small clinic for elective abortions.
(2018-09-01). Tom Carper Backs Re-Importing Drugs From Canada, After Voting Against It Repeatedly. theintercept.com Delaware Sen. Tom Carper portrayed himself as a health care populist at the Democratic primary debate this week, championing his role in writing and defending the Affordable Care Act and declaring, "We oughta re-import drugs from Canada." | The policy announcement came as the senior senator has sought to recast himself before the September 6 primary. The Carper campaign television advertisement currently blanketing the state proclaims that he "fights back" against Republican threats to the Affordable Care Act. | Carper, who has served for 41 years in elected office in Delaware, is facing a progressive challenge from Kerri Evelyn Harris, a community activist and Air Force veteran vying to be the state's Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate. | But the Delaware senator's new approach might be puzzling for some observers. Carper has generally adopted a moderate, business-friendly approach to health care.
(2018-08-30). Venezuela Denounces Regional Anti-Migrant 'Xenophobia' as Brazil Militarises Border. venezuelanalysis.com The Maduro administration contrasted the recent attacks against Venezuelan migrants to its own open door policy which has seen foreigners benefit from free health, housing, education, and food programs.
(2018-08-30). US teens swap books for social media, reading drops from 60 to 16 percent in half a century – study. rt.com 
Researchers are sounding the alarm over US teenagers' mental health and abilities, as a new study finds they've almost completely dropped books for social media. In the 1970s, 60 percent read books and in 2016 – just 16 percent.
(2018-08-30). Egypt: Open letter to the Egyptian public prosecutor on Hanan Bad el-Din and Ibrahim Metwaly. amnesty.org The letter calls on the Egyptian authorities to release Hanan Badr el-Din and Ibrahim Metwaly immediately and unconditionally. Pending their release, Amnesty International calls on you to ensure that they have adequate and regular access to qualified professionals providing health care, including prompt access to the prescribed medication they require.
(2018-08-29). 'Skyrocketing' US STDs: Cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea & syphilis reach record levels. rt.com 
Health officials have issued stark warnings as data reveals that sexually transmitted infections are soaring in the US. A report has found that cases of syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea have spiked for the fourth year in a row.
(2018-08-29). Smoking hot: E-cig explodes in man's pants (VIDEO). rt.com 
The health risks of vaping are up for debate but at least one California e-cigarette owner might think twice about puffing on one in the future after his device suddenly exploded inside his pocket.
(2018-08-27). NAACP Statement on Birmingham, Alabama's Right to Clean Soil and a Healthy Environment. naacp.org The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People released the following statement in response to recent reports regarding environmental cleanup efforts in the Inglenook neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama. "NAACP maintains its commitment to uphold the rights of all people to pollution remediation and clean soil," said Jacqueline Patterson, Director, NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program. "As […]