(2018-09-07). Arizona GOP Senate Candidate Says She Will Be A Vote To Repeal Obamacare 'After The Elections'. alternet.org 
Martha McSally still wants to take health care from the poor. | It is an open secret at this point that Republicans plan to take another shot at repealing the Affordable Care Act next year if they retain control of Congress. But few candidates are willing at this point to say it outright. Rep. Martha McSally, the GOP nominee for Senat. . .
(2018-09-07). The Battle Over Medicare for All. counterpunch.org The Fact Check gang has been having a field day going after Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other proponents of Medicare for All. The latest battle is over a study produced by the right-wing Mercatus which showed that a government-run health care program could reduce national health expenditures by $2 trillion over the course of More
(2018-09-07). Flu Plane: Are We Really Ready For a Global Pandemic? alternet.org 
In the event of pandemic flu, poor countries will suffer the most. | An Emirates airliner was quarantined at John F Kennedy International Airport on September 5 after several passengers reported flu-like symptoms. Oxiris Barbot, New York City's acting health commissioner, said the cause of the illness was (2018-09-07). House Farm Bill Could Wipe Out Communities' Power to Prohibit Pesticides. truthout.org As lawmakers convene on Capitol Hill to finalize the latest federal Farm Bill, environmental advocates warn that a House proposal could put public health at risk by rolling back restrictions on pesticides in 155 communities nationwide. | The Environmental Working Group (EWG) this week released its analysis of data from the nonprofit group Beyond Pesticides, including an interactive map of local policies that it says could be scuttled if the House measure passes. Those regulations vary widely — some communities restrict neonicotinoid use to protect pollinators, while others map out pesticide-free buffer zones or require that public notice be posted when pesticides are applied on public or private property. | According to EWG's analysis, 58 of those communities have adopted more comprehensive policies that prohibit the use of glyphosate, the widely used weed killer under increasing scrutiny for its human health…
(2018-09-07). Billionaire Drug Executive Who Helped Fuel Opioid Crisis Now Plans To Make Millions Selling Treatment For Opioid Addiction. alternet.org 
Richard Sackler has secured a patent for a drug to treat people for addiction to his own painkillers. | On Friday, the Financial Times reported that billionaire pharmaceutical tycoon Richard Sackler has secured a patent for a new drug to treat opioid addiction. The drug, a reformulation of buprenorphine, is essentially just a milder opioid that can blunt the symptoms of withdrawal while a person is being weaned off — competing variants of which are already generating nearly $900 million in U. S. sales. Sackler's family also happens to own Purdue Pharma, the company that first developed OxyContin — a powerful narcotic painkiller that has been blamed for spurring the epidemic of opioid addiction that has decimated communities all across America. In other words, Sackler made millions off of sales of a drug that caused a massive public health crisis — and now. . .
(2018-09-07). New Mad Cow Case: Nothing to See Here, Says USDA. counterpunch.org The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a new home grown mad cow case recently in a cow raised for beef in Florida. The 6-year-old cow tested positive for atypical H-type BSE but, "never entered slaughter channels, and at no time presented a risk to the food supply, or to human health," says USDA. The assurance More
(2018-09-07). Thousands of Mental Health Professionals Agree with Woodward and the NYT Op-Ed Author: Trump Is Dangerous. alternet.org 
Experts have observed "signs of mental instability. " | Bob Woodward's new book, "Fear," describes a " nervous breakdown of Trump's presidency. " Earlier this year, Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury" offered a similar portrayal. Now, an op-ed in The New York Times by an anonymous "senior White House official" describes how deeply the troubles in this administration run and what effort is required to protect the nation. None of this is a surprise to those of us who, 18 months ago, put together our own public service book, "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President. "My focus as the volume's editor was on Trump's dangerousness because of my area of expertise in violence prevention. Approaching violence as a public health issue, I have consulted with governments and international organizations, in addition to 20 years. . .
(2018-09-07). Army Kills A Palestinian Teen, Injures 210, In Gaza. imemc.org The Palestinian Health Ministry has reported that Israeli soldiers killed, Friday, a teenage boy, and injured at least 210 others, during the Great Return March processions, in several parts of the besieged Gaza Strip. Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza said the soldiers killed Bilal […]…
(2018-09-07). Waste plastics poison the food chain and contribute to global warming. wsws.org A variety of recent research highlights the ways in which the huge amounts of discarded plastic products are harmful to the environment and human health.
(2018-09-07). Socialist Equality Group (New Zealand) forum reviews lessons of nursing union sellout. wsws.org Participants discussed the need for health workers to rebel against the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, build rank-and-file committees and unite with workers internationally, based on a socialist perspective.
(2018-09-06). Panelists: Kavanaugh 'would repeal the 20th century'. peoplesworld.org 
(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…
(2018-09-04). 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…
(2018-08-30). 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.
(2018-08-27). 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 […]