2019-09-24: News Headlines

Wendell Potter (2019-09-24). Why the Private Health Insurance Industry Faces an Existential Crisis. commondreams.org In my 20 years working inside the industry and the 11 years I've been watching from the outside, I have never seen such high support among the people who get their coverage through their employers for switching to a publicly financed, privately delivered health care system. (Photo: Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Ben Sears (2019-09-24). Philly labor hosts first ever "Workers' Presidential Summit" peoplesworld.org PHILADELPHIA —Last spring Pat Eiding, President of the Philadelphia AFL-CIO Council, urged his members to start getting ready for the 2020 Presidential campaign; he also expressed some concern about the apparent early surge of support for former Vice President Joe Biden saying "this whole thing is happening too fast." Several union leaders and activists responded …

National Union of Healthcare Workers (2019-09-24). STRIKE at Janus of Santa Cruz. indybay.org 200 7th Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95062…

Michael T. Hertz (2019-09-24). How to get universal no-fault insurance and universal healthcare into law. nationofchange.org I've written several articles about universal healthcare and one article about universal no-fault insurance. Quite honestly, I believe that the…

Makia Freeman (2019-09-24). 5G Danger: 13 Reasons 5G Wireless Technology Will Be a Catastrophe for Humanity. globalresearch.ca The 5G danger can't be overstated. | 5G (5th Generation) is now being actively rolled out in many cities around the world. Simultaneously, as awareness over its horrific health and privacy impacts is rising, many places are issuing moratoriums on it …

Staff (2019-09-24). Purdue Hires PR Firm That Helped BP After Catastrophic 2010 Oil Spill. truthout.org | | Purdue Pharma, the pharmaceutical firm that manufactures OxyContin and allegedly helped fuel widespread addiction to painkillers, has turned to some of the same corporate spin doctors hired by BP after the Deepwater Horizon disaster. | The relationship was revealed in a legal document disclosed on September 15 when Purdue filed for bankruptcy protection. The filing, designed to settle thousands of lawsuits over its role in the opioid epidemic, revealed creditors seeking payments from the Conn…

Ilana Novick (2019-09-24). Bernie Sanders: There Should Be No Billionaires. truthdig.com Even as Sen. Bernie Sanders' progressive platform polls well among Democratic voters, consistently ranking second after Joe Biden, and even as he draws large crowds at rallies and lands 1 million donors (according to the Sanders campaign), his opponents respond with the same refrain: H0.ow is he going to pay for his plans like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal? | On Tuesday, Sanders answered, with "a tax on extre…

Staff (2019-09-24). Headlines for September 24, 2019. democracynow.org Greta Thunberg and Youth Activists Take On World Leaders at U.N. Climate Action Summit, Trump Admin Tells U.N. to Drop Term "Reproductive Health and Rights", Trump Ordered Hold on Ukrainian Aid Before Call with President Zelensky About Bidens, U.K. Supreme Court: Boris Johnson's Suspension of Parliament Is Unlawful, U.K., France & Germany Say Iran Responsible for Saudi Oil Attacks as Trump Addresses UNGA, Afghanistan: At Least 40 Civilians Killed by U.S.-Afghan Attack, Haiti: Senator Shoots AP Photographer in Face During Anti-Gov't Protests, Video of Blindfolded Prisoners in Xinjiang Adds to Fears of Mass Human R…

ACLU (2019-09-23). We're in Court to Protect Family Planning Care for Millions of Low-Income Patients. aclu.org The Trump Administration is dismantling the Title X family planning program and compromising crucial health care for millions of people. | Title X is a federally funded family planning program that guarantees low-income people can receive critical health care services for free or at a reduced cost. For decades it's been one of the most effective federal health care programs, providing a wide range of vital reproductive and other services for millions of people across the country who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford them. | However, the Trump administration wants to undermine that success as part of an overall…

Leighton Akio Woodhouse (2019-09-21). A New Generation of Activists Put Their Bodies on the Line to Defend California's Forests. theintercept.com The deforestation of the Amazon is recognized around the world as a catastrophe for global climate change. Far less recognized is the threat of deforestation of temperate rainforests, such as the enormous coastal forest that stretches from Northern California to Alaska. By some estimates, temperate rainforests sequester from 2 to 7 times as much carbon per acre as tropical rainforests like the Amazon. Keeping these ecosystems healthy and intact is an imperative part of avoiding a future of cataclysmic global warming. | In Humboldt County, California, activists have been fighting for decades to preserve the forest…

Staff (2019-09-20). Documentary "Blowout" Follows Climate Cost of Oil Boom from Fracking to Exports. therealnews.com The new film follows the U.S. oil supply chain, covering health, climate and environmental justice impacts. And it points to the president who was central to creating the current reality: Barack Obama.

ACLU (2019-09-19). California Is Ready to Ensure Every Public College Student Has Access to Abortion. aclu.org The state legislature has passed the first bill in the nation ensuring medication abortion is available on UC and CSU campuses. | In a year when we've seen states throughout the South and Midwest move to ban abortion and restrict access to reproductive health, California could soon cement its reputation as a leader in reproductive freedom. This past week, the state legislature passed SB 24 to ensure that medication abortion is available to college students in public universities. | Jessy Rosales, a UC student, stru…

Staff (2019-09-18). UAW Strike Enters Day 3 as 50,000 Workers Demand GM to Share Its Billions in Profits. democracynow.org As members of the United Auto Workers head into their third day of a nationwide strike, General Motors has cut off health insurance for the nearly 50,000 people on picket lines across the country demanding better working conditions and fair pay. The workers say GM continues to deny employees' demands for better conditions and compensation despite leading the company to record profits following bankruptcy and a federal bailout. It's the first company-wide strike against GM in 12 years. UAW had sought to have GM cover striking workers' health insurance through the end of the month. In New York City, we speak with S…

Staff (2019-09-18). "Beaten Down, Worked Up": Steven Greenhouse on the Past, Present and Future of American Labor. democracynow.org As UAW workers stand on picket lines across the country, teachers prepare to strike in Chicago, and thousands of healthcare workers with Kaiser Permanente plan to strike in October, we speak with longtime labor reporter Steven Greenhouse, author of the new book "Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor." Among other issues, Greenhouse discusses how labor and climate activists are teaming up to push for a Green New Deal.

ACLU (2019-09-16). AmeriCorps Adopts Health Screening Process That's Fair to Candidates with Disabilities. aclu.org Susie was disqualified from AmeriCorps NCCC for seeking therapy. Now they're changing their screening process so everyone can apply to serve. | Susie Balcom was overjoyed when she received a conditional offer to serve as a support team leader in Mississippi with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), a national, residential service program for young adults. After graduating from college with a 4.0 GPA and spending two terms in the AmeriCorps state program, Susie was ready, willing, and able to fulfill her dream of serving in the national program. | However, a few weeks later, AmeriCorps NCCC to…

Roger Bybee (2019-09-12). The Insurance Industry's War of Words Against Medicare-for-All. progressive.org Why are we seeing all the hand-wringing about "losing" private insurance when so many people's experiences with it are so negative?

Alice Pettway (2019-09-10). Planned Parenthood Has an App for That. progressive.org Health provider counters funding setbacks by expanding access to new technologies.

Chakib Mouazoui (2019-09-05). California health-care workers prepare to strike at Kaiser. liberationnews.org On Labor Day, Sept. 2, around 2,200 people, comprised of health-care workers, union organizers, and allies, gathered at Los Angeles City College to demonstrate their readiness to strike.

Hatewatch Staff (2019-09-05). Three Percent Security Force's Split Highlights Plague of Infighting. splcenter.org The incessant power struggles that plague militia groups prompted defections in the Three Percent Security Force, robbed its leader of control and delivered the well-known antigovernment militia to the man who defied his commander.

Paul Kawika Martin (2019-06-19). House Casts Historic Vote to Repeal Authorization for Endless War. peaceaction.org Washington, D.C. — June 19, 2019 — In response to the House of Representatives passing H.R. 2740 (Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Legislative Branch, Defense, State, Foreign Operations, and Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2020), which includes language to repeal the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) eight months after …