Daily Archives: August 29, 2019

2019-08-29: News Headlines

Jennifer Morgan (2019-08-29). Tackling the Climate Emergency and Protecting Our Oceans Go Hand-in-Hand. commondreams.org We need drastic reductions in the use of fossil fuels and to accelerate our global transition to carbon neutral societies. But to fight climate change we also need healthy oceans. (Photo: NOAA/Flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Tim Libretti (2019-08-29). Is socialism really about "free stuff"? peoplesworld.org We hear a lot about progressive Democrats campaigning on platforms promising "free stuff" to voters: free healthcare, free college, free childcare, and so on. Critics love to take these progressives to task, as if it's some kind of "gotcha" moment, pointing out that obviously none of this stuff will be "free." Or else they take progressives …

José Olivares (2019-08-29). How Solitary Confinement Kills: Torture and Stunning Neglect Ends in Suicide at Privately Run ICE Prison. theintercept.com Guards at an ICE jail put Efraín Romero de la Rosa in solitary confinement despite a diagnosis of schizophrenia. He killed himself after 21 days.

teleSUR (2019-08-29). Assange Suffering "Psychological Torture" In UK Prison: Pilger. telesurenglish.net Julian Assange's 'Psychological Torture is unabated', investigative journalist John Pilger said shortly after speaking to the Wikileaks founder. There are concerns for his health after being incarcerated in a high-security prison with few rights, as he faces extradition to the U.S. for exposing the wrongdoings of the United States government. | RELATED: | Assange to Face Full US Extradition Hearing in February 2020 | "I spoke to Julian #Assange at the weekend. His psychological…

United Nations (2019-08-29). UN health experts warn 'dramatic resurgence' of measles continues to threaten the European region. un.org Europe has lost ground in eliminating measles, as the number of countries having achieved or sustained elimination of the disease has declined, the European Regional Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination (RVC) warned on Thursday.

Dr. Gary G. Kohls (2019-08-29). America's Hidden Iatrogenic Epidemic of Drug and Vaccine-induced Disorders. globalresearch.ca An iatrogenic condition is a state of ill health caused by medical, surgical, drug or vaccine treatments. It may qualify as the 3rd most common cause of death in the United States. | For much more information about this hidden …

Brave New Films (2019-08-29). Why mental health education should be mandatory. nationofchange.org Emily Weinberg was 15 when she was hospitalized for depression and anxiety and 16 when she founded Sophrosyne Mental Health—a resource for teens to find a safe place to talk about mental health, learn skills, and meet other teens facing similar issues. Considering suicide is the second leading cause of death in people ages 10-24, …

Seana Sperling (2019-08-29). The Small Freedom. indybay.org We talk about protecting our freedom, however we suffer from a lack of freedom in this country. Healthcare, education and housing have all become out of reach for some living in the U.S.

teleSUR (2019-08-28). Hurricane Dorian Spares Puerto Rico, Steers Towards Florida. telesurenglish.net After Hurricane Dorian was expected to hit Puerto Rico while passing through the U.S. Virgin Islands it changed trajectories, now heading towards the U.S. east coast. | RELATED: | Dorian Upgraded to Hurricane, Heads for Puerto Rico | Residents in Puerto Rico had been preparing for the worst, as many are still reeling from the devastation of 2017's Hurricane Maria, including tens of thousands of residents living under blue tarp roofs. | It is now expected to emerge as a healthy storm system…

Staff (2019-08-27). "This Ruling Is Huge": Johnson & Johnson Ordered to Pay $572 Million for Fueling Opioid Epidemic. democracynow.org In a landmark ruling, an Oklahoma judge has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for contributing to the state's opioid crisis. It marks the first time a drug company has been held responsible for the opioid crisis, though it fell far short of the $17 billion judgment sought by the state. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 400,000 people died from an overdose involving opioids from 1999 to 2017, including from prescription and illicit opioids. Court documents say more than 6,000 people have died of painkiller overdoses in Oklahoma alone. The Oklahoma ruling sets the stage…

JOCDC (2019-08-26). No Coal, No Gas: Climate activists remove coal from Merrimack generating station. liberationnews.org "…it is now a necessity to take matters into our own hands…"

Sarah Lahm (2019-08-26). St. Paul Teachers Union Picks the Health Care Battle. progressive.org Skyrocketing insurance costs generated a national wave of teacher strikes last year. Now, Minnesota educators head into a new school year ready to fight for affordable health care.

Akela Lacy (2019-08-26). Before Kamala Harris Soured on Bernie Sanders's Medicare for All Bill, She Grew Her Email List From It. theintercept.com Kamala Harris distanced herself from Bernie Sanders's Medicare for All bill at an event with large-dollar donors two weeks after her campaign ran those ads.

Staff (2019-08-25). Newark's Water Crisis is One of Thousands That Are Worse Than Flint's. therealnews.com Lead poisoning is a public health emergency in poor working class communities across the United States, raising crime rates, causing school dropouts, filling our prisons and creating human tragedy…

Aída Chávez (2019-08-24). National Democrats Endorse John Hickenlooper, a Proponent of Fracking, in Competitive Colorado Primary. theintercept.com In Colorado, nearly a dozen Democrats are vying for the opportunity to take on Republican Sen. Cory Gardner in 2020 — a race widely seen as the party's most promising pick-up in the Senate. One of the leading contenders, former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, is running on a platform that includes Medicare for All and an aggressive plan to combat the climate crisis — and his campaign has already topped $1 million in fundraising. | But the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has thrown its weight behind former Gov. John Hickenlooper, a pro-fracking moderate. After months of rejecting calls…

Staff (2019-08-23). Sen. Merkley Condemns Trump's War Against Migrant Families as U.S. Moves to Indefinitely Jail Kids. democracynow.org The Trump administration is moving to indefinitely detain migrant children and their families, reversing decades of U.S. policy. The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services is expected to issue a new rule today to withdraw from a 1997 federal court settlement known as the Flores agreement, which put a 20-day limit on migrant family detentions. We speak with Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, who made headlines last year when he was barred from entering an old Walmart where the government was detaining about 1,500 immigrant children in Brownsville, Texas.

Francisco Aviles Pino (2019-08-22). Los Angeles County Votes to Stop Construction of New Jail-Like Facility, Adding Momentum to National Abolition Movement. theintercept.com "A jail is a jail is a jail. It is not enough to change the name of the facility," said LA Board of Supervisors member Heidi Solis.

Michael Felsen (2019-08-21). Trump's Labor Pick Kept Workers in Pain. progressive.org The President has had poor luck with labor secretaries, and now he is poised to nominate Eugene Scalia, whose anti-regulatory advocacy two decades ago helped fuel today's opioid epidemic. That's not the best credential for a future labor secretary.

splcenter (2019-08-19). SPLC, allies sue ICE for ignoring medical, mental health and disability needs of detained immigrants. splcenter.org Faour Abdallah Fraihat, who ran a successful construction business for years in California, is currently in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

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…

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

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 …

2019-08-29: Social Media Postees

Assange Suffering "Psychological Torture" In UK Prison: Pilger
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-29
Julian Assange's 'Psychological Torture is unabated', investigative journalist John Pilger said shortly after speaking to the Wikileaks founder. There are concerns for his health after being incarcerated in a high-security prison with few rights, as he faces extradition to the U.S. for exposing the wrongdoings of the United States government. | RELATED: | Assange to Face Full US Extradition Hearing in February 2020 | "I spoke to Julian #Assange at the weekend. His psychological…
telesurenglish.net/news/Assange-Sufferin…

UN health experts warn 'dramatic resurgence' of measles continues to threaten the European region
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-29
Europe has lost ground in eliminating measles, as the number of countries having achieved or sustained elimination of the disease has declined, the European Regional Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination (RVC) warned on Thursday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1…

America's Hidden Iatrogenic Epidemic of Drug and Vaccine-induced Disorders
Dr. Gary G. Kohls | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-29
An iatrogenic condition is a state of ill health caused by medical, surgical, drug or vaccine treatments. It may qualify as the 3rd most common cause of death in the United States. | For much more information about this hidden | …
globalresearch.ca/america-iatrogenic-epidemic-drug-vaccine-induced-disorders/5687394

The Small Freedom
Seana Sperling | indybay.org | 2019-08-29
We talk about protecting our freedom, however we suffer from a lack of freedom in this country. Healthcare, education and housing have all become out of reach for some living in the U.S.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/26/1882572…

Why mental health education should be mandatory
Brave New Films | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-29
Emily Weinberg was 15 when she was hospitalized for depression and anxiety and 16 when she founded Sophrosyne Mental Health–a resource for teens to find a safe place to talk about mental health, learn skills, and meet other teens facing similar issues. Considering suicide is the second leading cause of death in people ages 10-24, …
nationofchange.org/2019/08/29/why-mental…

How Solitary Confinement Kills: Torture and Stunning Neglect Ends in Suicide at Privately Run ICE Prison
José Olivares | theintercept.com | 2019-08-29
Guards at an ICE jail put Efraín Romero de la Rosa in solitary confinement despite a diagnosis of schizophrenia. He killed himself after 21 days.
theintercept.com/2019/08/29/ice-solitary…

Tackling the Climate Emergency and Protecting Our Oceans Go Hand-in-Hand
Jennifer Morgan | commondreams.org | 2019-08-29
We need drastic reductions in the use of fossil fuels and to accelerate our global transition to carbon neutral societies. But to fight climate change we also need healthy oceans. (Photo: NOAA/Flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/29/tackli…

Is socialism really about "free stuff"?
Tim Libretti | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-29
We hear a lot about progressive Democrats campaigning on platforms promising "free stuff" to voters: free healthcare, free college, free childcare, and so on. Critics love to take these progressives to task, as if it's some kind of "gotcha" moment, pointing out that obviously none of this stuff will be "free." Or else they take progressives …
peoplesworld.org/article/is-socialism-re…

Hurricane Dorian Spares Puerto Rico, Steers Towards Florida
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-28
After Hurricane Dorian was expected to hit Puerto Rico while passing through the U.S. Virgin Islands it changed trajectories, now heading towards the U.S. east coast. | RELATED: | Dorian Upgraded to Hurricane, Heads for Puerto Rico | Residents in Puerto Rico had been preparing for the worst, as many are still reeling from the devastation of 2017's Hurricane Maria, including tens of thousands of residents living under blue tarp roofs. | It is now expected to emerge as a healthy storm system…
telesurenglish.net/news/Hurricane-Dorian…

"This Ruling Is Huge": Johnson & Johnson Ordered to Pay $572 Million for Fueling Opioid Epidemic
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-27
In a landmark ruling, an Oklahoma judge has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for contributing to the state's opioid crisis. It marks the first time a drug company has been held responsible for the opioid crisis, though it fell far short of the $17 billion judgment sought by the state. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 400,000 people died from an overdose involving opioids from 1999 to 2017, including from prescription and illicit opioids. Court documents say more than 6,000 people have died of painkiller overdoses in Oklahoma alone. The Oklahoma ruling sets the stage…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/27/oklahoma_…

No Coal, No Gas: Climate activists remove coal from Merrimack generating station
JOCDC | liberationnews.org | 2019-08-26
"…it is now a necessity to take matters into our own hands…"
liberationnews.org/no-coal-no-gas-climat…

St. Paul Teachers Union Picks the Health Care Battle
Sarah Lahm | progressive.org | 2019-08-26
Skyrocketing insurance costs generated a national wave of teacher strikes last year. Now, Minnesota educators head into a new school year ready to fight for affordable health care.
progressive.org/public-school-shakedown/…

Before Kamala Harris Soured on Bernie Sanders's Medicare for All Bill, She Grew Her Email List From It
Akela Lacy | theintercept.com | 2019-08-26
Kamala Harris distanced herself from Bernie Sanders's Medicare for All bill at an event with large-dollar donors two weeks after her campaign ran those ads.
theintercept.com/2019/08/26/kamala-harri…

Newark's Water Crisis is One of Thousands That Are Worse Than Flint's
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-25
Lead poisoning is a public health emergency in poor working class communities across the United States, raising crime rates, causing school dropouts, filling our prisons and creating human tragedy…
therealnews.com/stories/newarks-water-cr…

National Democrats Endorse John Hickenlooper, a Proponent of Fracking, in Competitive Colorado Primary
Aída Chávez | theintercept.com | 2019-08-24
In Colorado, nearly a dozen Democrats are vying for the opportunity to take on Republican Sen. Cory Gardner in 2020 — a race widely seen as the party's most promising pick-up in the Senate. One of the leading contenders, former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, is running on a platform that includes Medicare for All and an aggressive plan to combat the climate crisis — and his campaign has already topped $1 million in fundraising. | But the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has thrown its weight behind former Gov. John Hickenlooper, a pro-fracking moderate. After months of rejecting calls…
theintercept.com/2019/08/24/dscc-john-hi…

Sen. Merkley Condemns Trump's War Against Migrant Families as U.S. Moves to Indefinitely Jail Kids
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-23
The Trump administration is moving to indefinitely detain migrant children and their families, reversing decades of U.S. policy. The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services is expected to issue a new rule today to withdraw from a 1997 federal court settlement known as the Flores agreement, which put a 20-day limit on migrant family detentions. We speak with Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, who made headlines last year when he was barred from entering an old Walmart where the government was detaining about 1,500 immigrant children in Brownsville, Texas.
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/23/jeff_merk…

Los Angeles County Votes to Stop Construction of New Jail-Like Facility, Adding Momentum to National Abolition Movement
Francisco Aviles Pino | theintercept.com | 2019-08-22
"A jail is a jail is a jail. It is not enough to change the name of the facility," said LA Board of Supervisors member Heidi Solis.
theintercept.com/2019/08/22/los-angeles-…

Trump's Labor Pick Kept Workers in Pain
Michael Felsen | progressive.org | 2019-08-21
The President has had poor luck with labor secretaries, and now he is poised to nominate Eugene Scalia, whose anti-regulatory advocacy two decades ago helped fuel today's opioid epidemic. That's not the best credential for a future labor secretary.
progressive.org/op-eds/trumps-labor-pick…

SPLC, allies sue ICE for ignoring medical, mental health and disability needs of detained immigrants
splcenter.org | 2019-08-19
Faour Abdallah Fraihat, who ran a successful construction business for years in California, is currently in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
splcenter.org/news/2019/08/19/splc-allie…

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…

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