Monthly Archives: August 2019

2019-08-09: News Headlines

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-08-09). Undermining Right-Wing Attack, Poll Shows Most Americans With Employer-Provided Insurance Support Moving to Medicare for All. commondreams.org "You know how some 2020 Democrats have been claiming that most Americans would never be OK with replacing their private insurance with Medicare for All? Well…this new poll destroys their argument." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Consortiumnews (2019-08-09). New Fears for Julian Assange. globalresearch.ca Legendary journalist John Pilger has been to see Assange in Belmarsh Prison in London and his report is not encouraging. | Journalist John Pilger visited imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Tuesday and has raised an alarm about Assange's "deteriorated" health….

WSWS (2019-08-09). John Pilger warns: "Do not forget Assange. Or you will lose him" wsws.org The well-known journalist outlined the WikiLeaks founder's deteriorating health, and the draconian conditions in which he is being held in a British prison.

Nermeen Shaikh (2019-08-09). Emergency doctor to Trump: You are wrong, mental illness is not to blame for gun violence epidemic. nationofchange.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 …

Stephen Lendman (2019-08-09). Trump's EPA Sued for Not Banning Brain-Damaging Pesticide. globalresearch.ca Chlorpyrifos producer Dow Chemical falsely claims the pesticide "protects." It's been poisoning the earth and people for nearly half a century. | The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) "for a healthy planet and safer world" said Dow is the main beneficiary …

Alexandra Jacobo (2019-08-09). Another American dies after not being able to afford prescription insulin. nationofchange.org A 27-year-old man has died after he was forced to rely on an over-the-counter form of insulin, a cheaper and less effective medication. | Josh Wilkerson was forced to start paying out of pocket for insulin last year when he turned 26 and aged out of his stepfather's health insurance plan. Since then Wilkerson was paying $25 a vial for ReliOn, an over-the-counter form of insulin sold by Walmart. ReliOn takes approximately four hours to regulate a patient's blood sugar, whereas prescription insulin takes about 20 minutes. | Wilkerson was not able to afford to pay full price for prescription insulin, which would…

ACLU (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 an…

pip.hinman (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…

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.

Shane Ryan (2019-08-09). If You Think Bernie Shouldn't Have Gone on Joe Rogan, or Fox News, You're Leaving Fellow Americans for Dead. commondreams.org Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) participates in a Fox News town hall on April 15, 2019, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Mark Makela/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

The Canary (2019-08-08). Campaigners welcome 'forward-looking' NHS review on medical cannabis. thecanary.co Concerns about both the potential harm to mental health and effectiveness of medical cannabis "is a major hurdle to prescribing", according to an NHS England review.It said more clinical trials need to be carried out and a "UK-wide paediatric specialist clinical network" should be created to help doctors by providing expert advice on complex cases.The "forward-looking and positive review" was welcomed by the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society (MCCC), whose executive director is Hannah Deacon. | Her eight-year-old son Alfie Dingley, who suffers from severe epilepsy, was the first of just two patients in the UK to…

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.

Michelle Chen (2019-08-07). There Is No 'Nursing Shortage.' There's Just a Good Nursing Job Shortage. thenation.com There Is No 'Nursing Shortage.' There's Just a Good Nursing Job Shortage.

Staff (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…

Staff (2019-08-05). Is the Rise in Lyme Disease Due to Weaponized Ticks? therealnews.com Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases affects 400,000 Americans each year, and the reported cases are rising. Did the pentagon weaponized ticks and unleash them on an unsuspecting public? We discuss the possibility with science writer Kris Newby…

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…

Staff (2019-08-02). Ex-Health Insurance Exec: Industry Is Using Decades-Old Scare Tactics to Fight Medicare for All. democracynow.org The Democratic presidential candidates remain deeply divided on how to expand healthcare to the tens of millions of Americans who are uninsured or underinsured. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have both pushed for abolishing private health insurance and establishing a Medicare for All system. Their rivals have pushed a number of different, more incremental approaches. During the first night of the latest debates, Sanders pointed out that the country has taken sweeping action before to expand health coverage to millions of Americans, referring to the 50th anniversary of the creation of Medicare and Me…

Staff (2019-08-01). Cornel West: Corporate Media's Superficial Coverage Helped Create "Fascist Frankenstein Trump" democracynow.org On Tuesday night, Senator Bernie Sanders openly criticized CNN's handling of the debates. He told CNN's Jake Tapper, "Your question is a Republican talking point. And by the way, the healthcare industry will be advertising tonight on this program." We speak with Cornel West and Dolores Huerta about the media coverage and the structure of the debate.

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

Anya Parampil (2019-07-28). 'We are the vaccine against unilateralism': Non-Aligned Movement gathers in Venezuela to resist dictatorship of dollar. thegrayzone.com The Grayzone reports from the 2019 Non-Aligned Movement, where delegates from over 120 nations offered a crucial endorsement of Venezuelan…

Jacob Brooks (2019-07-25). Hahnemann University Hospital closure planned: Profit vs. people's lives. liberationnews.org At the end of June, American Academic Health System corporation announced that they are closing Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, which they have owned since January 2018.

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 …

2019-08-09: Social Media Postees

John Pilger warns: "Do not forget Assange. Or you will lose him"
wsws.org | 2019-08-09
The well-known journalist outlined the WikiLeaks founder's deteriorating health, and the draconian conditions in which he is being held in a British prison.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/09/pilg…

New Fears for Julian Assange
Consortiumnews | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-09
Legendary journalist John Pilger has been to see Assange in Belmarsh Prison in London and his report is not encouraging. | Journalist John Pilger visited imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Tuesday and has raised an alarm about Assange's "deteriorated" health….
globalresearch.ca/new-fears-julian-assange/5686028

Emergency doctor to Trump: You are wrong, mental illness is not to blame for gun violence epidemic
Nermeen Shaikh | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-09
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 …
nationofchange.org/2019/08/09/emergency-…

Trump's EPA Sued for Not Banning Brain-Damaging Pesticide
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-09
Chlorpyrifos producer Dow Chemical falsely claims the pesticide "protects." It's been poisoning the earth and people for nearly half a century. | The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) "for a healthy planet and safer world" said Dow is the main beneficiary …
globalresearch.ca/trump-epa-sued-not-banning-brain-damaging-pesticide/5686021

Another American dies after not being able to afford prescription insulin
Alexandra Jacobo | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-09
A 27-year-old man has died after he was forced to rely on an over-the-counter form of insulin, a cheaper and less effective medication. | Josh Wilkerson was forced to start paying out of pocket for insulin last year when he turned 26 and aged out of his stepfather's health insurance plan. Since then Wilkerson was paying $25 a vial for ReliOn, an over-the-counter form of insulin sold by Walmart. ReliOn takes approximately four hours to regulate a patient's blood sugar, whereas prescription insulin takes about 20 minutes. | Wilkerson was not able to afford to pay full price for prescription insulin, which would…
nationofchange.org/2019/08/09/another-am…

If You Think Bernie Shouldn't Have Gone on Joe Rogan, or Fox News, You're Leaving Fellow Americans for Dead
Shane Ryan | commondreams.org | 2019-08-09
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) participates in a Fox News town hall on April 15, 2019, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Mark Makela/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/09/if-you…

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…

We have Until Aug 13 to Oppose 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 an…
aclu.org/blog/lgbt-rights/transgender-ri…

NSW one step closer to decriminalising abortion
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-09
"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…
greenleft.org.au/content/nsw-one-step-closer-decriminalising-abortion

Undermining Right-Wing Attack, Poll Shows Most Americans With Employer-Provided Insurance Support Moving to Medicare for All
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-09
"You know how some 2020 Democrats have been claiming that most Americans would never be OK with replacing their private insurance with Medicare for All? Well…this new poll destroys their argument." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/09/undermi…

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…

Campaigners welcome 'forward-looking' NHS review on medical cannabis
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-08-08
Concerns about both the potential harm to mental health and effectiveness of medical cannabis "is a major hurdle to prescribing", according to an NHS England review.It said more clinical trials need to be carried out and a "UK-wide paediatric specialist clinical network" should be created to help doctors by providing expert advice on complex cases.The "forward-looking and positive review" was welcomed by the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society (MCCC), whose executive director is Hannah Deacon. | Her eight-year-old son Alfie Dingley, who suffers from severe epilepsy, was the first of just two patients in the UK to…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2019/08/08/campaigners-welcome-forward-looking-nhs-review-on-medical-cannabis/

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…

There Is No 'Nursing Shortage.' There's Just a Good Nursing Job Shortage
Michelle Chen | thenation.com | 2019-08-07
There Is No 'Nursing Shortage.' There's Just a Good Nursing Job Shortage.
thenation.com/article/health-care-medica…

"We Can't Wait for McConnell": Advocates Call for Bold Action to Curb Gun Violence Epidemic
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-06
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…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/6/mass_shoot…

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-…

Is the Rise in Lyme Disease Due to Weaponized Ticks?
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-05
Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases affects 400,000 Americans each year, and the reported cases are rising. Did the pentagon weaponized ticks and unleash them on an unsuspecting public? We discuss the possibility with science writer Kris Newby…
therealnews.com/stories/is-the-rise-in-l…

Ex-Health Insurance Exec: Industry Is Using Decades-Old Scare Tactics to Fight Medicare for All
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-02
The Democratic presidential candidates remain deeply divided on how to expand healthcare to the tens of millions of Americans who are uninsured or underinsured. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have both pushed for abolishing private health insurance and establishing a Medicare for All system. Their rivals have pushed a number of different, more incremental approaches. During the first night of the latest debates, Sanders pointed out that the country has taken sweeping action before to expand health coverage to millions of Americans, referring to the 50th anniversary of the creation of Medicare and Me…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/2/u_s_health…

Cornel West: Corporate Media's Superficial Coverage Helped Create "Fascist Frankenstein Trump"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-01
On Tuesday night, Senator Bernie Sanders openly criticized CNN's handling of the debates. He told CNN's Jake Tapper, "Your question is a Republican talking point. And by the way, the healthcare industry will be advertising tonight on this program." We speak with Cornel West and Dolores Huerta about the media coverage and the structure of the debate.
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/1/cornel_wes…

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

'We are the vaccine against unilateralism': Non-Aligned Movement gathers in Venezuela to resist dictatorship of dollar
Anya Parampil | thegrayzone.com | 2019-07-28
The Grayzone reports from the 2019 Non-Aligned Movement, where delegates from over 120 nations offered a crucial endorsement of Venezuelan…
thegrayzone.com/2019/07/28/we-are-the-va…

Hahnemann University Hospital closure planned: Profit vs. people's lives
Jacob Brooks | liberationnews.org | 2019-07-25
At the end of June, American Academic Health System corporation announced that they are closing Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, which they have owned since January 2018.
liberationnews.org/planned-hahnemann-uni…

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…