Daily Archives: September 8, 2019

2019-09-08: News Headlines

RT (2019-09-07). CDC raises alarm after mystery vaping-linked lung disease kills 5, sickens 450+ across US. rt.com US health officials are urging Americans to stop vaping while they investigate at least five deaths and over 450 cases of a serious lung illness which has cropped up in otherwise "healthy young people" who vape in over 33 states. | Hundreds of previously-healthy young people have been stricken with a rare, deadly and possibly-incurable lung disease called lipoid pneumonia since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began a multi-state probe into the mysterious epidemic, apparently linked to vaping, in August, according to a report released on Friday. Victims of the disease, usually caused by inhaling…

RT (2019-09-07). Scandal-plagued Boeing suspends test of long-range 777x after 'issue' during final load checks. rt.com Boeing has suspended testing on its 777x aircraft after its team encountered an issue during final load testing, when a door reportedly blew off. The setback comes in the wake of its deadly 737 MAX crashes controversy. | "During final load testing on the 777X static test airplane, the team encountered an issue that required suspension of the test," a Boeing spokesman told AFP. | Final load tests subject aircrafts to "loads and stresses well beyond normal operational loads," and are overseen by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors as part of the aircraft certification process. | Also on rt.com

WSWS (2019-09-07). The epidemic of nurse suicides and the US healthcare crisis. wsws.org The tragic rise of nurse suicides is a result of the intersection of the lives and labor of this workforce with the brutality of the capitalist system, which values profit above and the health of the population.

Chuck Collins (2019-09-07). Tax the rich before the rest. nationofchange.org Presidential candidates should take a pledge: The middle class should not pay one dollar more in new taxes until the super-rich pay their fair share. | Already candidates are outlining ambitious programs to improve health care, combat climate change, and address the opioid crisis — and trying to explain how they'll pay for it. | President Trump, on the other hand, wants to give corporations and the richest 1 percent more tax breaks to keep goosing a lopsided economic boom — even as deficit hawks moan about the exploding national debt and annual deficits topping $1 trillion. | Eventually someone is…

Karen Dolan (2019-09-07). US Kids Shouldn't Go to School Hungry. commondreams.org School lunch programs have been critical for feeding kids. (Photo: Amanda Mills/USCDCP) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Alexandra Jacobo (2019-09-07). Big Pharma is the most widely hated industry in the US. nationofchange.org With drug prices continuing to sore and the ongoing opioid epidemic and lawsuits associated with it, the industry's rating likely will not recover any time soon.

United Nations (2019-09-06). Friday's Daily Brief: Desertification summit, Dorian death toll rising, UN project eases Mali tensions, Yemen funding crisis, hope for Cameroon. un.org A recap of Friday's main stories: Desertification solutions can ease other world woes; Dorian death toll expected to rise; UN moves to ease communal tensions in Mali; Yemen funding crisis threatens reproductive health nationwide; special report on countering terror in Cameroon.

Chuck Collins (2019-09-06). Tax the Rich Before the Rest. counterpunch.org Presidential candidates should take a pledge: The middle class should not pay one dollar more in new taxes until the super-rich pay their fair share. Already candidates are outlining ambitious programs to improve health care, combat climate change, and address the opioid crisis — and trying to explain how they'll pay for it. President Trump, More

United Nations (2019-09-06). Restore land to save the planet, boost the economy, says head of UN body combating desertification. un.org Investing in land restoration could not only help keep our planet healthy, but also be the starting point for resolving some of the biggest issues of our time, the head of the UN entity tackling desertification told journalists on Friday via video conference, from the ongoing global summit on the issue, underway in India's capital.

Sarah Abed (2019-09-06). New U.N. Report Highlights US, UK, France War Crimes in Yemen Since 2014. globalresearch.ca The second largest sovereign state in the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen, has been ravaged by war, deliberate starvation, and cholera for over four years. A 274 page U.N. report released on Tuesday, highlights the human rights situation including violations and abuses …

Sam Pizzigati (2019-09-06). The Political Economy of the Opioid Epidemic. counterpunch.org Late this October, in Ohio, a jury will begin hearing evidence against the pharmaceutical giants that have manufactured — and profited royally from — the opioid epidemic. This Ohio trial will be the most significant courtroom skirmish yet between Big Pharma and the over 2,000 states, localities, and other complainants that have filed suit against More

pip.hinman (2019-09-06). NSW to mobilise for free, safe abortion. greenleft.org.au abortion decriminalisation Pip HinmanIssue 1236 Australia Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill 2019 reproductive rightsSeptember 6, 2019Supporters of the r…

àÅngeles Maestro (2019-09-06). Is internationalism terrorism? workers.org Angeles Maestro The author, a spokesperson for the organization Red Network (redroja.net) based in the Spanish state, faces charges based on her organization's collection of funds in solidarity with Palestine, specifically to repair healthcare facilities in Gaza. Translation by John Catalinotto. Aug. 29 — Recently, the National High Court charged . . . | Continue reading Is internationalism terrorism? at Workers.org

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2019-09-06). Nurses, Healthcare Workers Galvanize to Stop Deportation of Patient That Could Mean 'Death Sentence'. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

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.

United Nations (2019-09-05). UN health agency welcomes Facebook pledge to stop vaccine misinformation from going viral. un.org The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday welcomed Facebook's pledge to ensure users can separate fact from fiction when it comes to vaccines, across its platforms from Facebook Search, to Groups, Pages and forums.

United Nations (2019-09-05). Thursday's Daily Brief: Facebook rallies against vaccination 'fake news', DPR Korea UN staff cuts call, Syria crop report, crisis funding and Dorian latest. un.org A recap of Thursday's stories: Facebook and WHO work together to stem misinformation on vaccines; North Korea tells UN to cut staff; $75 million allocated for eight crises; mixed news on Syria crop production; 'digital divide' sidelines most vulnerable.

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.

United Nations (2019-09-04). Wednesday's Daily Brief: Fear rampant in Burundi, WHO on nutrition, Hurricane Dorian latest, Cyberbullying poll, Bachelet, one year on. un.org A recap of Wednesday's main stories: UN rights experts warn 'climate of fear' rampant in Burundi; New health report on proper nutrition; One in three young people say they've been bullied online; and UN's top rights official on world's crises…

United Nations (2019-09-04). 3.7 million lives could be saved by 2025 if health services ramp up nutrition actions: WHO. un.org If governments boost their focus on healthier eating, 3.7 million deaths could be prevented by the year 2025, according to the World Health Organization's (WHO) latest guidelines on improving nutrition, released on Wednesday.

Staff (2019-09-04). Headlines for September 4, 2019. democracynow.org 13,000 Homes Destroyed, At Least 7 Dead as Hurricane Dorian Devastates Bahamas, Hong Kong Leader Carrie Lam Withdraws Extradition Bill After Months of Protest, Boris Johnson Faces Crushing Blow to Brexit Plan as MPs Rebel Against No-Deal Exit from EU, Walmart Will Stop Selling Assault Weapon Ammunition Following Spate of Deadly Mass Shootings, 14-Year-Old Alabama Teen Shoots and Kills 5 Family Members, Trump Admin Diverts $3.6 Billion from Defense Budget to Build Border Wall, Trump Admin Partially Backtracks on Plan to Deport Immigrants with Serious Health Conditions, Guatemalan Presidential Runner-Up and Ex-Firs…

Mitch Malloy (2019-09-01). Kennewick teachers' strike shows power of the union in Washington state. liberationnews.org Teachers win gains on important issues including pay and insurance.

Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2019-08-31). Cuba: U.S. government earmarks millions to hinder Cuban medical cooperation. liberationnews.org Access to health is a human right and the United States commits a crime by denying it or obstructing it with political motives or aggression.

Staff (2019-08-30). "All-Out Attack": Trump's Anti-Immigrant Policies Target Children, Cancer Patients & Servicemembers. democracynow.org On Tuesday, the Trump administration reportedly ended its "medical deferred action" program, which allows immigrants with serious health problems to stay in the U.S. for up to two years beyond the terms of their visas to receive critical treatment. Just one day later, it announced that some children born to U.S. servicemembers and government employees stationed overseas will no longer automatically receive citizenship. The policy changes come days after the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to allow the Trump administration to implement its rule banning almost all migrants from seeking asylum in the Unit…

Staff (2019-08-30). Justice for José Antonio: Family Demands Accountability for Mexican Teen Killed by U.S. Border Agent. democracynow.org Nearly seven years ago, 16-year-old José Antonio Elena Rodríguez was killed in Nogales, Mexico, by U.S. Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz, who fired his gun from the U.S. side of the border. The teenager — who was unarmed — died face-down on the sidewalk just a couple of blocks from his home. Border Patrol has for years been plagued with hundreds of allegations of abuse and unnecessary use of deadly force, including the cross-border killings of at least six people on Mexican soil. Most cases are not investigated, and border agents are rarely criminally charged for using violent force. After nearly fiv…

José Olivares (2019-08-29). How Solitary Confinement Kills: Torture and Stunning Neglect End 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.

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.

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 …

2019-09-08: Social Media Postees

The epidemic of nurse suicides and the US healthcare crisis
wsws.org | 2019-09-07
The tragic rise of nurse suicides is a result of the intersection of the lives and labor of this workforce with the brutality of the capitalist system, which values profit above and the health of the population.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/09/07/pers…

Tax the rich before the rest
Chuck Collins | nationofchange.org | 2019-09-07
Presidential candidates should take a pledge: The middle class should not pay one dollar more in new taxes until the super-rich pay their fair share. | Already candidates are outlining ambitious programs to improve health care, combat climate change, and address the opioid crisis — and trying to explain how they'll pay for it. | President Trump, on the other hand, wants to give corporations and the richest 1 percent more tax breaks to keep goosing a lopsided economic boom — even as deficit hawks moan about the exploding national debt and annual deficits topping $1 trillion. | Eventually someone is…
nationofchange.org/2019/09/07/tax-the-ri…

CDC raises alarm after mystery vaping-linked lung disease kills 5, sickens 450+ across US
rt.com | 2019-09-07
US health officials are urging Americans to stop vaping while they investigate at least five deaths and over 450 cases of a serious lung illness which has cropped up in otherwise "healthy young people" who vape in over 33 states. | Hundreds of previously-healthy young people have been stricken with a rare, deadly and possibly-incurable lung disease called lipoid pneumonia since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began a multi-state probe into the mysterious epidemic, apparently linked to vaping, in August, according to a report released on Friday. Victims of the disease, usually caused by inhaling…
rt.com/usa/468225-cdc-vaping-epidemic-de…

US Kids Shouldn't Go to School Hungry
Karen Dolan | commondreams.org | 2019-09-07
School lunch programs have been critical for feeding kids. (Photo: Amanda Mills/USCDCP) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/views/2019/09/07/us-kid…

Big Pharma is the most widely hated industry in the US
Alexandra Jacobo | nationofchange.org | 2019-09-07
With drug prices continuing to sore and the ongoing opioid epidemic and lawsuits associated with it, the industry's rating likely will not recover any time soon.
nationofchange.org/2019/09/07/big-pharma…

Scandal-plagued Boeing suspends test of long-range 777x after 'issue' during final load checks
rt.com | 2019-09-07
Boeing has suspended testing on its 777x aircraft after its team encountered an issue during final load testing, when a door reportedly blew off. The setback comes in the wake of its deadly 737 MAX crashes controversy. | "During final load testing on the 777X static test airplane, the team encountered an issue that required suspension of the test," a Boeing spokesman told AFP. | Final load tests subject aircrafts to "loads and stresses well beyond normal operational loads," and are overseen by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors as part of the aircraft certification process. | Also on rt.com
rt.com/usa/468237-boeing-777x-long-haul-…

Friday's Daily Brief: Desertification summit, Dorian death toll rising, UN project eases Mali tensions, Yemen funding crisis, hope for Cameroon
United Nations | un.org | 2019-09-06
A recap of Friday's main stories: Desertification solutions can ease other world woes; Dorian death toll expected to rise; UN moves to ease communal tensions in Mali; Yemen funding crisis threatens reproductive health nationwide; special report on countering terror in Cameroon.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/09/1…

Restore land to save the planet, boost the economy, says head of UN body combating desertification
United Nations | un.org | 2019-09-06
Investing in land restoration could not only help keep our planet healthy, but also be the starting point for resolving some of the biggest issues of our time, the head of the UN entity tackling desertification told journalists on Friday via video conference, from the ongoing global summit on the issue, underway in India's capital.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/09/1…

Tax the Rich Before the Rest
Chuck Collins | counterpunch.org | 2019-09-06
Presidential candidates should take a pledge: The middle class should not pay one dollar more in new taxes until the super-rich pay their fair share. Already candidates are outlining ambitious programs to improve health care, combat climate change, and address the opioid crisis — and trying to explain how they'll pay for it. President Trump,…
counterpunch.org/2019/09/06/tax-the-rich…

New U.N. Report Highlights US, UK, France War Crimes in Yemen Since 2014
Sarah Abed | globalresearch.ca | 2019-09-06
The second largest sovereign state in the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen, has been ravaged by war, deliberate starvation, and cholera for over four years. A 274 page U.N. report released on Tuesday, highlights the human rights situation including violations and abuses …
globalresearch.ca/new-u-n-report-highlights-human-rights-violations-abuses-yemen-since-2014/5688247

The Political Economy of the Opioid Epidemic
Sam Pizzigati | counterpunch.org | 2019-09-06
Late this October, in Ohio, a jury will begin hearing evidence against the pharmaceutical giants that have manufactured — and profited royally from — the opioid epidemic. This Ohio trial will be the most significant courtroom skirmish yet between Big Pharma and the over 2,000 states, localities, and other complainants that have filed suit against…
counterpunch.org/2019/09/06/the-politica…

NSW to mobilise for free, safe abortion
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-09-06
abortion decriminalisation Pip HinmanIssue 1236 Australia Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill 2019 reproductive rightsSeptember 6, 2019Supporters of the r…
greenleft.org.au/content/nsw-mobilise-free-safe-abortion

Is internationalism terrorism?
àÅngeles Maestro | workers.org | 2019-09-06
Angeles Maestro The author, a spokesperson for the organization Red Network (redroja.net) based in the Spanish state, faces charges based on her organization's collection of funds in solidarity with Palestine, specifically to repair healthcare facilities in Gaza. Translation by John Catalinotto. Aug. 29 — Recently, the National High Court charged . . . | Continue reading Is internationalism terrorism? at Workers.org
workers.org/2019/09/05/is-internationali…

Nurses, Healthcare Workers Galvanize to Stop Deportation of Patient That Could Mean 'Death Sentence'
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-09-06
commondreams.org/sites/default/files/sty…

California health-care workers prepare to strike at Kaiser
Chakib Mouazoui | liberationnews.org | 2019-09-05
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.
liberationnews.org/california-health-car…

UN health agency welcomes Facebook pledge to stop vaccine misinformation from going viral
United Nations | un.org | 2019-09-05
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday welcomed Facebook's pledge to ensure users can separate fact from fiction when it comes to vaccines, across its platforms from Facebook Search, to Groups, Pages and forums.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/09/1…

Thursday's Daily Brief: Facebook rallies against vaccination 'fake news', DPR Korea UN staff cuts call, Syria crop report, crisis funding and Dorian latest
United Nations | un.org | 2019-09-05
A recap of Thursday's stories: Facebook and WHO work together to stem misinformation on vaccines; North Korea tells UN to cut staff; $75 million allocated for eight crises; mixed news on Syria crop production; 'digital divide' sidelines most vulnerable.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/09/1…

Three Percent Security Force's Split Highlights Plague of Infighting
Hatewatch Staff | splcenter.org | 2019-09-05
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.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/09/06/three…

Wednesday's Daily Brief: Fear rampant in Burundi, WHO on nutrition, Hurricane Dorian latest, Cyberbullying poll, Bachelet, one year on
United Nations | un.org | 2019-09-04
A recap of Wednesday's main stories: UN rights experts warn 'climate of fear' rampant in Burundi; New health report on proper nutrition; One in three young people say they've been bullied online; and UN's top rights official on world's crises…
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/09/1…

3.7 million lives could be saved by 2025 if health services ramp up nutrition actions: WHO
United Nations | un.org | 2019-09-04
If governments boost their focus on healthier eating, 3.7 million deaths could be prevented by the year 2025, according to the World Health Organization's (WHO) latest guidelines on improving nutrition, released on Wednesday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/09/1…

Kennewick teachers' strike shows power of the union in Washington state
Mitch Malloy | liberationnews.org | 2019-09-01
Teachers win gains on important issues including pay and insurance.
liberationnews.org/kennewick-teachers-st…

Cuba: U.S. government earmarks millions to hinder Cuban medical cooperation
Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs | liberationnews.org | 2019-08-31
Access to health is a human right and the United States commits a crime by denying it or obstructing it with political motives or aggression.
liberationnews.org/cuba-u-s-government-e…

"All-Out Attack": Trump's Anti-Immigrant Policies Target Children, Cancer Patients & Servicemembers
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-30
On Tuesday, the Trump administration reportedly ended its "medical deferred action" program, which allows immigrants with serious health problems to stay in the U.S. for up to two years beyond the terms of their visas to receive critical treatment. Just one day later, it announced that some children born to U.S. servicemembers and government employees stationed overseas will no longer automatically receive citizenship. The policy changes come days after the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to allow the Trump administration to implement its rule banning almost all migrants from seeking asylum in the Unit…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/30/lee_geler…

Justice for José Antonio: Family Demands Accountability for Mexican Teen Killed by U.S. Border Agent
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-30
Nearly seven years ago, 16-year-old José Antonio Elena Rodríguez was killed in Nogales, Mexico, by U.S. Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz, who fired his gun from the U.S. side of the border. The teenager — who was unarmed — died face-down on the sidewalk just a couple of blocks from his home. Border Patrol has for years been plagued with hundreds of allegations of abuse and unnecessary use of deadly force, including the cross-border killings of at least six people on Mexican soil. Most cases are not investigated, and border agents are rarely criminally charged for using violent force. After nearly fiv…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/30/jose_anto…

How Solitary Confinement Kills: Torture and Stunning Neglect End 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…

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/…

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…