(2019-08-14). Lyme Disease and Biowarfare. counterpunch.org 
"Pentagon May Have Released Weaponized Ticks That Helped Spread of Lyme Disease: Investigation Ordered" was the Newsweek headline last month. The article below it was about the U.S. House of Representatives having "quietly passed a bill requiring the Inspector General of the Department of Defense to conduct a review into whether the Pentagon experimented with More
(2019-08-14). How States Can Improve Care for Direct Care Workers. truthout.org | | As the American population ages, the need for care workers is exploding. Direct care jobs, like home health and personal care aides, are generally predicted to be among the fastest growing occupations over the next few years. But the quality of these jobs in no way reflects their importance, or the growing need for these workers, who are overwhelmingly women and disproportionately people of color and immigrants. One in six live in poverty, and the media…
(2019-08-14). Chicago school district and union officials prepare to sell austerity contract to teachers. wsws.org The Democratic Party "fact-finder" has come down on the side of the district's demands for a virtual wage freeze and further inroads on teachers' health care benefits.
(2019-08-14). Vaccines and the Liberal Mind. globalresearch.ca This article was originally published in June 2018. | Instead of demanding blue-ribbon safety science and encouraging honest, open and responsible debate on the science, too many online outlets are silencing critics and shutting down discussion on this key public health …
(2019-08-14). Coffee, Cacao Combat Chronic Heart Disease, Cancer. telesurenglish.net Eating flavonoids, certain nutrients found in plants, might help humans live longer, especially those who smoke and drink, according to a new study by researchers at the Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Australia. | RELATED: | Trade War: China Suspends Purchases of US Agricultural Products | Scientists have been discovering the health benefits of flavonoids over the past two decades. However, this study, conducted by the ECU's School of Medical and Health Sciences, is the first…
(2019-08-13). Vaccine against chlamydia moves a step closer after successful clinical trial. thecanary.co 
A vaccine to protect against the common sexually transmitted infection (STI) chlamydia is safe and has shown promising signs of being effective, a clinical trial has found.Researchers found the vaccine provoked an immune response during preliminary tests on 35 healthy women.Further trials will now be carried out to determine whether it can fully protect against the infection, but experts say it is an "important first step" in tackling the condition."The findings are encouraging as they show the vaccine is safe and produces the type of immune response that could potentially protect against chlamydia," said Profess…
(2019-08-13). Number of Measles Cases Reaches Historic Record High, Warns WHO. telesurenglish.net From Jan. 1 to July 31 this year, a total of 364,808 measles cases have been reported to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost three more times than during the same period of time last year with 129,239 cases, warned the organization on Tuesday. | RELATED: | 'Eradication Status' at Risk in US as Measles Hits Record High | "There have been almost three times as many cases reported to date in 2019 as there were at this same time last year," it said in a statement. "This follo…
(2019-08-13). Expanding Involuntary Confinement is Not the Answer to Solve Gun Violence. aclu.org Institutionalizing people against their will is usually a mistake. | In the wake of last weekend's tragic shootings, President Trump did what he does best: stoked fear and cast blame. He proclaimed that "we must reform our mental health laws to better identify mentally disturbed individuals who may commit acts of violence and make sure those people, not only get treatment, but when necessary, involuntary confinement." | There are two things wrong with the idea of involuntary commitment as a solution to gun violence. First, focusing on people with identifiable mental disabilities won't help. The data is clear: men…
(2019-08-13). Is America crazy? nationofchange.org The United States witnessed three mass shootings in one week recently in California, Texas, and Ohio. There have been more than 250 mass shootings so far in 2019, more than one a day. This year in America, more than 33,000 shooting incidents have killed more than 8,700 people. | America is the richest country in the world, but it has more than half a million homeless and 28 million people without health insurance — out of a population of around 325 million. The…
(2019-08-13). UN-Backed Conference on Torture to Be Held in Egypt. telesurenglish.net An international conference organized by the United Nations on torture will be held on Sept. 4 and 5 in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, while the country has been accused to be responsible for "a torture epidemic," as it has one of the worst records worldwide on abuse. | RELATED: | Car Explosion Kills 19 at Cancer Institute in Central Cairo | Organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for the Middle East and North Africa (Romena) and the Egyptian government's…
(2019-08-13). How to Be an Antiracist: Ibram X. Kendi on Why We Need to Fight Racism the Way We Fight Cancer. democracynow.org 
In his new book, "How to Be an Antiracist," professor Ibram X. Kendi urges readers to break out of the false framework of "racist" and "not racist," instead laying out what it means to be antiracist: viewing racial groups as equals and pushing for policies that create racial equity. Kendi says, "We can't just talk about racism as an original sin. We have to talk about racism as the original cancer, as this original disease that has been killing America."
(2019-08-13). "We Won't Back Down": Over 50 Catering Workers Arrested at American Airlines HQ in Protest Against Poverty Wages. commondreams.org "In recent years American Airlines has made billions in profits. It is unconscionable that their workers cannot afford good healthcare or get reliable raises," said Sen. Bernie Sanders | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-08-12). 'The Hunt' cancellation: A healthy country doesn't ban fiction & allow real lies, hatred & violence. rt.com 
The pearl-clutching that led to the shelving of the liberals-vs-rednecks splatter film 'The Hunt' is unbefitting for any land that values artistic freedom, and utterly laughable in light of everything else happening in America.
(2019-08-12). Pesticides and the Cocktail of Toxicity. dissidentvoice.org 
Dame Sally Davies is the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England and recently released the CMO annual report for 2019. The report focuses on UK engagement with global health and forging partnerships. However, there appears to be no mention of cancers in the report, a serious omission according to environmental campaigner Rosemary Mason. Like many others, she …
(2019-08-12). Paid Family Leave Is a Game Changer for New Parents' Health, Not Just Their Economic Security. thenation.com Paid Family Leave Is a Game Changer for New Parents' Health, Not Just Their Economic Security…
(2019-08-09). We have Until Aug 13 to Oppose Trump's Anti-Trans Health Care Plan. aclu.org A proposed rule would undermine protections for transgender people and others facing discriminatory denials of health care and insurance coverage. | The Trump Administration has shown it will stop at nothing to undermine access to health care for marginalized communities. Most recently, the Administration has proposed to undermine critical protections against sex discrimination in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, the Health Care Rights Law. Instead of combatting discrimination in accessing health care a…
(2019-08-09). NSW one step closer to decriminalising abortion. greenleft.org.au 
"It is simple, straight forward: stay out of the lives of women", implored one Liberal MLA as debate in the NSW Legislative Assembly on a bill to decriminalise abortion entered its second day on August 7. | Eventually, after eleven and a half hours of debate, the Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill 2019 was passed in the lower house 59 to 31 on August 8. | Speaking to Green Left Weekly the day after, NSW Greens spokesperson for women Jenny Leong said it was clear from "listening to more than 60 speeches and 12 hours of debate o…
(2019-08-09). Blood money: How big pharma created the opioid crisis. liberationnews.org 
The opioid epidemic could only have occurred in a society where profit is king.
(2019-08-08). Emergency Doctor to Trump: You Are Wrong, Mental Illness Is Not to Blame for Gun Violence Epidemic. democracynow.org 
President Trump went to Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, Wednesday, where he was met by hundreds of protesters condemning his presence after the mass shootings over the weekend, which killed at least 32 people. Prior to his visits, Trump hinted at the need to strengthen background checks for gun purchases, and doubled down on what some healthcare professionals say is dangerous rhetoric linking illness to mass shootings. Numerous other political figures have pointed to mental illness as a contributing factor in mass shootings. From Montreal, we speak with Dr. Megan Ranney, an associate professor of emergency medi…
(2019-08-07). A Modest Proposal: Taking Aim at Firearm Violence with Gun Insurance. progressive.org It's no panacea, but it can help heal our wounded nation.
(2019-08-06). "We Can't Wait for McConnell": Advocates Call for Bold Action to Curb Gun Violence Epidemic. democracynow.org 
The death toll in Saturday's anti-immigrant shooting rampage at a Walmart in El Paso has risen to 22, after two more injured victims died Monday. Just before the shooting, the gunman published a manifesto claiming his actions were being done in response to what he described as a "Hispanic invasion of Texas." Most of the dead in El Paso were Latino, including eight Mexican nationals. Thirteen hours after the massacre in El Paso, a gunman in Dayton, Ohio, killed nine people, including his own sister, after opening fire outside a bar. We speak with Kris Brown, president of Brady, formerly the Brady Campaign to Preve…
(2019-08-05). Take Away My Employer-Based Health Insurance. Please. progressive.org Centrist Democrats like Joe Biden still aim to gin up mass fear over the prospect of leaving behind predatory insurers and the dizzying array of deductibles, co-pays, exclusions, humiliations, and rationing of care that characterizes our current syst…
(2019-07-30). Venezuela: Six Chavista Militants Killed in Fresh Rural Violence. venezuelanalysis.com Landowner violence continues to plague the Venezuelan countryside.
(2019-07-25). This County Criminalized Students for Bad Grades — Until Now. aclu.org Today, we filed a landmark settlement that will end the relationship between the probation department and school districts in Riverside. | Since 2001, the Riverside County, California probation department has been needlessly funneling young people struggling with grades, behavior, trauma, and mental health into the criminal justice system. | This direct line to the criminal system is the product of a partnership between local school districts and the county probation department called the Youth Accountability Team (YAT). Instead of counselors or other school and community-based supports stepping in to support and…
(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 …