Daily Archives: August 15, 2019

2019-08-15: News Headlines

Eric A. Gordon (2019-08-15). Outrageous hilarity of 'The Producers' a critique of capitalist fraud. peoplesworld.org LOS ANGELES—I haven't heard it lately as part of Bernie Sanders's current shtick, but I distinctly recall him saying in his last presidential run that "Fraud is the business model of Wall Street." With which he castigated the big banks, the insurance companies, the stock market, the hedge fund racket, the leveraged buyouts, the corporate …

The Canary (2019-08-15). Arron Banks slammed for 'joking' about Greta Thunberg getting in a 'freak yachting accident'. thecanary.co Insurance tycoon Arron Banks has come under fire for a tweet about 16-year-old climate change activist Greta Thunberg.The Leave.EU founder responded to a post by Green party MP Caroline Lucas about Greta's voyage across the Atlantic on a racing yacht, writing: "Freak yachting accidents do happen in August …"He later tweeted that it was a "joke" after his comment sparked outrage from social media users.Arron Banks said his tweet was a "joke" (PA)Among those to criticise his post was actress Amanda Abbington, who tweeted: "You're wishing a potentially fatal accident onto a sixteen year old girl, why..?"She had ea…

Public Health Justice Collective & Others (2019-08-15). #CloseTheCamps: Protest by Public Health & Healthcare Workers for Migrant Rights. indybay.org Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 630 Sansome St, San Francisco 94111…

Do No Harm Coalition, Public Health Awakening (2019-08-15). #CloseTheCamps: Protest by Healthcare & Harm Reduction Workers for Migrant Rights. indybay.org Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), | 630 Sansome St, San Francisco 94111…

teleSUR (2019-08-15). US Anti-Poor Migrant Policy Could Harm Children's Health: Advocates. telesurenglish.net United States President Donald Trump's new plan to limit migration by denying visas and permanent residency to hundreds of thousands of people receiving public help will end in sicker children, diseases and homelessness, according to migrant advocates and the federal government's analysis. | RELATED: | US: Hundreds Protest Potential End to TPS | According to the new rule revealed this week, the administration will refuse temporary or permanent visas to applicants if they don't have a certain income…

teleSUR (2019-08-15). Philippines: Dengue Deaths Keep Rising After Epidemic Declared. telesurenglish.net The Philippines is getting hit hard by the increase in dengue hitting many parts of the tropical world this year as the Department of Health (DOH) announced this week it has registered 167,607 cases of the mosquito-transmitted disease since January alone. Some 720 residents have died during the same time frame. | RELATED: | Honduras Fights Dengue Virus as it Reaches Epidemic Proportions | Last week, the government declared a national epidemic after there was a 98 percent increase i…

#Defend209 (2019-08-15). All Out to #DefendModesto From White Nationalist "Straight Pride" Event. indybay.org All out to #DefendModesto from the white nationalist "Straight Pride" rally being organized on August 24th in Modesto, California. While the City has denied a permit due to lack of insurance, bigots are still planning to mobilize!

Negin Owliaei (2019-08-15). How states can better care for direct care workers. nationofchange.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 …

United Nations (2019-08-15). Thursday's Daily Brief: Harrowing terrorist survivors' stories, children first in Mediterranean rescues, Yemen and Switzerland updates, new SDG Advocates speak out. un.org Our main stories today: Boko Haram terrorist survivors tell their stories; UNICEF speaks out for children adrift on the Mediterranean; UN health agency pushes to stem dengue fever in Yemen; Switzerland declines sponsorship deal with tobacco firm; new SDG Advocates on the job.

WSWS (2019-08-15). Hospital workers strike spreads throughout France. wsws.org The urgent care nurses and assistants are opposing Macron's assault on healthcare and the deterioration of conditions for staff and patients.

Connexion (2019-08-15). French Court Rules Against Linky for Health Reasons. globalresearch.ca The tribunal de grande instance (TGI or the civil court) of Tours considered the case of 121 "anti-Linky" complainants, and threw out 108 of the claims. The remaining 13 were accepted, with the court conceding a possible link between their …

Colin Todhunter (2019-08-15). Sick to the Stomach: Pesticides and the Cocktail of Toxicity. counterpunch.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 More

Alexandra Jacobo (2019-08-15). Fighting back: Six states sue the EPA over its approval of pesticide linked to brain damage. nationofchange.org Last month the EPA announced that despite urging from the scientific community, it will not ban the dangerous pesticide chlorpyrifos. Now six states are fighting back against the decision. | California, New York, Massachusetts, Washington, Maryland and Vermont have filed a lawsuit against the EPA arguing the chloypyrifos poses a significant danger to human health and should be banned. | A similar lawsuit has been filed by Earthjustice on behalf of the environmental and health groups that advocate for environmentalists, farmworkers, and people with learning disabilities. | The EPA argues that environmental grou…

ACLU (2019-08-15). The Challenges of Breastfeeding as a Black Person. aclu.org How our workplaces and healthcare system create barriers to breastfeeding. | The fight to protect individual choices about reproductive care, including breastfeeding, is an ongoing battle. The central lesson of the reproductive justice movement is that choice means little without access. That lesson applies equally to breastfeeding. | Though laws, in the workplace and other contexts, are in place to protect the right to breastfeed, many low-income women and w…

teleSUR (2019-08-15). Chile 2nd in OECD Rank of Most Obese Countries, US Leads. telesurenglish.net Chile ranks second in the 36-member Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development list of most obese countries, as the population over 15 years of age, since 2003 that suffers this medical condition has gone up from 61 to 75 percent. | RELATED: | Panama Battles Childhood Obesity as Region Gains Weight | According to the report 'Radiography of Obesity in Chile' released Wednesday by government Observatory of Choosing to Live Healthy, in just three years the country has become…

Jessica Corbett (2019-08-15). Planned Parenthood demands federal court intervene to stop trump attack on abortion rights and Title X program. nationofchange.org Planned Parenthood warned Wednesday that, without intervention from a federal court, it will be forced out of the Title X Family Planning Program next week because of the Trump administration's ban on health clinics receiving federal tax dollars if they provide or refer patients for abortions. The Health and Human Services Department declared last month it would …

Tara Lohan (2019-08-15). Report: 'No Evidence that Fracking Can Operate without Threatening Public Health'. globalresearch.ca In 2010 when I first started writing about hydraulic fracturing — the process of blasting a cocktail of water and chemicals into shale to release trapped hydrocarbons — there were more questions than answers about environmental and public-health threats. That …

Jon Queally, staff writer (2019-08-15). WATCH: Key to Defeating Trump, Sanders Tells Cardi B, Is Young People Voting in Massive Numbers. commondreams.org Musician and 2020 candidate discuss criminal justice reform, socialism, the demand for a $15 minimum wage, cancelling burdensome student debt, and Medicare for All | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

pip.hinman (2019-08-15). Free, safe abortion on demand: A question of dignity. greenleft.org.au It is well past time for legislative change when it comes to abortion rights. If women are not to live with the fear of repressive and discriminatory legislation governing the choices they make over their bodies, immediate progressive reform is essential, writes Carmen Espinosa. | Last December, more than 30 human rights and healthcare organisers co-authored an open letter to the NSW government describing the state's abortion law as "archaic, cruel, and degrading" and denying women "

pip.hinman (2019-08-15). Access to abortion must be decriminalised and without restrictions. greenleft.org.au As an abortion provider, pro-choice advocate and a woman who has undergone abortion in New South Wales, I support the Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill. | Even with the best access to sex education, contraception and emergency contraception (which NSW does not have), there is no pro-active way for people engaged in potentially reproductive sex but not prepared for parenthood to guarantee they will not become pregnant. Sometimes, planned pregnancies become impossible to continue, whether for health or personal reasons. | Like contraception, miscarriage and childbirth, abortion is a part of reproductive life; be…

Karl Grossman (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

Mark Gruenberg (2019-08-14). Labor's problem: Overcoming Mitch McConnell's blockade. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON — Worker rights. Clean elections. Campaign finance reform. Stronger job safety and health laws. Restoring the right to vote and banning voter suppression. Collective bargaining rights for public workers. Raising the minimum wage. Putting financially troubled multi-employer pension plans on fiscally sound footings without severely slashing benefits. The Green New Deal. What do all …

United Nations (2019-08-14). Wednesday's Daily Brief: Help for Venezuelans, Burundi Ebola vaccine drive, Paraguay poison probe urged, talking disarmament in Geneva, Libya violence down. un.org Our main stories today cover: Scaled-up assistance for Venezuelans; Ebola vaccinations for Burundi health workers; reports of civilian deaths following an Afghan-sponsored security operation; agrochemical spray probe urged in Paraguay; Libya violence abates during truce, and disarmament conference's first woman chief urges Governments to "overcome their differences".

United Nations (2019-08-14). Winnie Byanyima 'honoured to be joining UNAIDS' as next Executive Director. un.org The UN programme dedicated to the elimination of AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, has warmly welcomed the appointment of Winnie Byanyima as its new Executive Director.

ACLU (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…

Staff (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."

Colin Todhunter (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 …

ACLU (2019-08-09). Over 132,400 Opposed 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…

Esteban Guevara (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.

Staff (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…

Ed Rampell (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.

Bill Lueders (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…

Ricardo Vaz (2019-07-30). Venezuela: Six Chavista Militants Killed in Fresh Rural Violence. venezuelanalysis.com Landowner violence continues to plague the Venezuelan countryside.

ACLU (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…

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 …

2019-08-15: Social Media Postees

#CloseTheCamps: Protest by Healthcare & Harm Reduction Workers for Migrant Rights
Do No Harm Coalition, Public Health Awakening | indybay.org | 2019-08-15
Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), | 630 Sansome St, San Francisco 94111…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/15/1882550…

#CloseTheCamps: Protest by Public Health & Healthcare Workers for Migrant Rights
Public Health Justice Collective & Others | indybay.org | 2019-08-15
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 630 Sansome St, San Francisco 94111…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/15/1882549…

Arron Banks slammed for 'joking' about Greta Thunberg getting in a 'freak yachting accident'
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-08-15
Insurance tycoon Arron Banks has come under fire for a tweet about 16-year-old climate change activist Greta Thunberg.The Leave.EU founder responded to a post by Green party MP Caroline Lucas about Greta's voyage across the Atlantic on a racing yacht, writing: "Freak yachting accidents do happen in August …"He later tweeted that it was a "joke" after his comment sparked outrage from social media users.Arron Banks said his tweet was a "joke" (PA)Among those to criticise his post was actress Amanda Abbington, who tweeted: "You're wishing a potentially fatal accident onto a sixteen year old girl, why..?"She had ea…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2019/08/15/arron-banks-slammed-for-joking-about-greta-thunberg-getting-in-a-freak-yachting-accident/

US Anti-Poor Migrant Policy Could Harm Children's Health: Advocates
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-15
United States President Donald Trump's new plan to limit migration by denying visas and permanent residency to hundreds of thousands of people receiving public help will end in sicker children, diseases and homelessness, according to migrant advocates and the federal government's analysis. | RELATED: | US: Hundreds Protest Potential End to TPS | According to the new rule revealed this week, the administration will refuse temporary or permanent visas to applicants if they don't have a certain income…
telesurenglish.net/news/US-Anti-Poor-Mig…

Philippines: Dengue Deaths Keep Rising After Epidemic Declared
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-15
The Philippines is getting hit hard by the increase in dengue hitting many parts of the tropical world this year as the Department of Health (DOH) announced this week it has registered 167,607 cases of the mosquito-transmitted disease since January alone. Some 720 residents have died during the same time frame. | RELATED: | Honduras Fights Dengue Virus as it Reaches Epidemic Proportions | Last week, the government declared a national epidemic after there was a 98 percent increase i…
telesurenglish.net/news/Philippines-Deng…

Outrageous hilarity of 'The Producers' a critique of capitalist fraud
Eric A. Gordon | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-15
LOS ANGELES–I haven't heard it lately as part of Bernie Sanders's current shtick, but I distinctly recall him saying in his last presidential run that "Fraud is the business model of Wall Street." With which he castigated the big banks, the insurance companies, the stock market, the hedge fund racket, the leveraged buyouts, the corporate …
peoplesworld.org/article/outrageous-hila…

All Out to #DefendModesto From White Nationalist "Straight Pride" Event
All out to #DefendModesto from the white nationalist "Straight Pride" rally being organized on August 24th in Modesto, California. While the City has denied a permit due to lack of insurance, bigots are still planning to mobilize!
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/15/1882550…

Hospital workers strike spreads throughout France
wsws.org | 2019-08-15
The urgent care nurses and assistants are opposing Macron's assault on healthcare and the deterioration of conditions for staff and patients.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/15/urge…

The Challenges of Breastfeeding as a Black Person
aclu.org | 2019-08-15
How our workplaces and healthcare system create barriers to breastfeeding. | The fight to protect individual choices about reproductive care, including breastfeeding, is an ongoing battle. The central lesson of the reproductive justice movement is that choice means little without access. That lesson applies equally to breastfeeding. | Though laws, in the workplace and other contexts, are in place to protect the right to breastfeed, many low-income women and w…
aclu.org/blog/womens-rights/pregnancy-an…

Fighting back: Six states sue the EPA over its approval of pesticide linked to brain damage
Alexandra Jacobo | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-15
Last month the EPA announced that despite urging from the scientific community, it will not ban the dangerous pesticide chlorpyrifos. Now six states are fighting back against the decision. | California, New York, Massachusetts, Washington, Maryland and Vermont have filed a lawsuit against the EPA arguing the chloypyrifos poses a significant danger to human health and should be banned. | A similar lawsuit has been filed by Earthjustice on behalf of the environmental and health groups that advocate for environmentalists, farmworkers, and people with learning disabilities. | The EPA argues that environmental grou…
nationofchange.org/2019/08/15/fighting-b…

Planned Parenthood demands federal court intervene to stop trump attack on abortion rights and Title X program
Jessica Corbett | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-15
Planned Parenthood warned Wednesday that, without intervention from a federal court, it will be forced out of the Title X Family Planning Program next week because of the Trump administration's ban on health clinics receiving federal tax dollars if they provide or refer patients for abortions. The Health and Human Services Department declared last month it would …
nationofchange.org/2019/08/15/planned-pa…

How states can better care for direct care workers
Negin Owliaei | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-15
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 …
nationofchange.org/2019/08/15/how-states…

French Court Rules Against Linky for Health Reasons
Connexion | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-15
The tribunal de grande instance (TGI or the civil court) of Tours considered the case of 121 "anti-Linky" complainants, and threw out 108 of the claims. The remaining 13 were accepted, with the court conceding a possible link between their …
globalresearch.ca/french-court-rules-against-linky-health-reasons/5686498

Thursday's Daily Brief: Harrowing terrorist survivors' stories, children first in Mediterranean rescues, Yemen and Switzerland updates, new SDG Advocates speak out
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-15
Our main stories today: Boko Haram terrorist survivors tell their stories; UNICEF speaks out for children adrift on the Mediterranean; UN health agency pushes to stem dengue fever in Yemen; Switzerland declines sponsorship deal with tobacco firm; new SDG Advocates on the job.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1…

Report: 'No Evidence that Fracking Can Operate without Threatening Public Health'
Tara Lohan | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-15
In 2010 when I first started writing about hydraulic fracturing — the process of blasting a cocktail of water and chemicals into shale to release trapped hydrocarbons — there were more questions than answers about environmental and public-health threats. That …
globalresearch.ca/report-no-evidence-fracking-can-operate-without-threatening-public-health/5686504

Chile 2nd in OECD Rank of Most Obese Countries, US Leads
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-15
Chile ranks second in the 36-member Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development list of most obese countries, as the population over 15 years of age, since 2003 that suffers this medical condition has gone up from 61 to 75 percent. | RELATED: | Panama Battles Childhood Obesity as Region Gains Weight | According to the report 'Radiography of Obesity in Chile' released Wednesday by government Observatory of Choosing to Live Healthy, in just three years the country has become…
telesurenglish.net/news/Chile-2nd-in-OEC…

Sick to the Stomach: Pesticides and the Cocktail of Toxicity
Colin Todhunter | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-15
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…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/15/sick-to-the-…

WATCH: Key to Defeating Trump, Sanders Tells Cardi B, Is Young People Voting in Massive Numbers
Jon Queally, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-15
Musician and 2020 candidate discuss criminal justice reform, socialism, the demand for a $15 minimum wage, cancelling burdensome student debt, and Medicare for All | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/15/watch-k…

Free, safe abortion on demand: A question of dignity
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-15
It is well past time for legislative change when it comes to abortion rights. If women are not to live with the fear of repressive and discriminatory legislation governing the choices they make over their bodies, immediate progressive reform is essential, writes Carmen Espinosa. | Last December, more than 30 human rights and healthcare organisers co-authored an open letter to the NSW government describing the state's abortion law as "archaic, cruel, and degrading" and denying women "
greenleft.org.au/content/free-safe-abortion-demand-question-dignity

Access to abortion must be decriminalised and without restrictions
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-15
As an abortion provider, pro-choice advocate and a woman who has undergone abortion in New South Wales, I support the Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill. | Even with the best access to sex education, contraception and emergency contraception (which NSW does not have), there is no pro-active way for people engaged in potentially reproductive sex but not prepared for parenthood to guarantee they will not become pregnant. Sometimes, planned pregnancies become impossible to continue, whether for health or personal reasons. | Like contraception, miscarriage and childbirth, abortion is a part of reproductive life; be…
greenleft.org.au/content/access-abortion-must-be-decriminalised-and-without-restrictions

Lyme Disease and Biowarfare
Karl Grossman | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-14
"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…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/14/lyme-disease…

Wednesday's Daily Brief: Help for Venezuelans, Burundi Ebola vaccine drive, Paraguay poison probe urged, talking disarmament in Geneva, Libya violence down
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-14
Our main stories today cover: Scaled-up assistance for Venezuelans; Ebola vaccinations for Burundi health workers; reports of civilian deaths following an Afghan-sponsored security operation; agrochemical spray probe urged in Paraguay; Libya violence abates during truce, and disarmament conference's first woman chief urges Governments to "overcome their differences".
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1…

Labor's problem: Overcoming Mitch McConnell's blockade
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-14
WASHINGTON — Worker rights. Clean elections. Campaign finance reform. Stronger job safety and health laws. Restoring the right to vote and banning voter suppression. Collective bargaining rights for public workers. Raising the minimum wage. Putting financially troubled multi-employer pension plans on fiscally sound footings without severely slashing benefits. The Green New Deal. What do all …
peoplesworld.org/article/labors-problem-…

Winnie Byanyima 'honoured to be joining UNAIDS' as next Executive Director
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-14
The UN programme dedicated to the elimination of AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, has warmly welcomed the appointment of Winnie Byanyima as its new Executive Director.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1…

Expanding Involuntary Confinement is Not the Answer to Solve Gun Violence
aclu.org | 2019-08-13
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…
aclu.org/blog/disability-rights/integrat…

How to Be an Antiracist: Ibram X. Kendi on Why We Need to Fight Racism the Way We Fight Cancer
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-13
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."
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/13/ibram_x_k…

Pesticides and the Cocktail of Toxicity
Colin Todhunter | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-12
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 …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/pesticides-an…

Blood money: How big pharma created the opioid crisis
Esteban Guevara | liberationnews.org | 2019-08-09
The opioid epidemic could only have occurred in a society where profit is king.
liberationnews.org/blood-money-how-big-p…

Over 132,400 Opposed Trump's Anti-Trans Health Care Plan
aclu.org | 2019-08-09
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…
aclu.org/blog/lgbt-rights/transgender-ri…

Emergency Doctor to Trump: You Are Wrong, Mental Illness Is Not to Blame for Gun Violence Epidemic
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-08
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…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/8/mental_ill…

A Modest Proposal: Taking Aim at Firearm Violence with Gun Insurance
Ed Rampell | progressive.org | 2019-08-07
It's no panacea, but it can help heal our wounded nation.
progressive.org/dispatches/modest-propos…

Take Away My Employer-Based Health Insurance. Please
Bill Lueders | progressive.org | 2019-08-05
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…
progressive.org/dispatches/take-away-my-…

Venezuela: Six Chavista Militants Killed in Fresh Rural Violence
Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-07-30
Landowner violence continues to plague the Venezuelan countryside.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14607

This County Criminalized Students for Bad Grades — Until Now
aclu.org | 2019-07-25
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…
aclu.org/blog/juvenile-justice/school-pr…