(2019-11-12). Google sucks up & analyzes healthcare data on millions of Americans in secret AI project… after voluntary opt-in flops. rt.com 
Google has teamed up with one of the largest health providers in the US to gather detailed medical records on millions of patients across the country without their knowledge, in a secret project the firm tried to keep under wraps. | Dubbed "Project Nightingale," the secretive program brought together Google and healthcare giant Ascension in an effort to collect medical records on patients across 21 states, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The data sharing began last year, and has only accelerated in recent months. | At least 150 employees at Google's Cloud division now have access to the bulk…
(2019-11-12). 'Forgotten' pneumonia epidemic kills more children than any other disease. un.org Pneumonia, an entirely preventable disease, kills more children than any other illness in the world, one child every 39 seconds. But although that statistic is well known, funding to improve survival rates continues to come up short, the UN and partners warned on Tuesday, World Pneumonia Day.
(2019-11-12). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org Healthcare workers in the Domincan Republic held a one day strike November 7 to press wage demands while Chilean copper miners are set to strike against the abuse of subcontract workers.
(2019-11-12). EPA to rollback Obama-era coal ash regulations that safeguard Americans. nationofchange.org "Instead of having a single strong national set of public health protections for this polluting industry, we are going to be left with federal regulations that are riddled with loopholes."
(2019-11-12). Nation's Largest Nurses Union Endorses Bernie Sanders for President. truthdig.com Pointing to his tireless advocacy on behalf of Medicare for All and the Green New Deal, National Nurses United announces its support.
(2019-11-12). Latest Israeli Assault on Gaza Continuation of 'Torture and Torment of Palestinians,' Says Jewish Voice for Peace. commondreams.org "The illegal blockade of Gaza by Israel imprisons every aspect of life for Palestinians in Gaza, and the inhumane restrictions on food, electricity, and healthcare are all forms of violence, carried out daily for the past 11 years by Israel." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-11-12). Causing 'Profound' Trauma, Trump Administration Detained Recording-Breaking 70,000 Children in 2019. commondreams.org "Does the U.S. provide mental health services for separated families who ask to be deported in order to reunite?" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-11-12). Headlines for November 12, 2019. democracynow.org Longtime Bolivian President Evo Morales Takes Asylum in Mexico, Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments on DACA Cases, Televised Impeachment Hearings to Start Tomorrow, Former MA Gov. Deval Patrick May Jump Into 2020 Race, NY Republican Congressman Peter King Retires, Donald Trump Jr. Heckled Off Stage by His Own Supporters, EPA to Restrict Scientific Research Used to Write Public Health Regulations, Israeli Military Kills Palestinian Commander in Targeted Assassination in Gaza, Afghan Government & Taliban Agree on Prisoner Exchange, Chilean Government Bows to Protests & Agrees to Rewrite Constitution, 260 Arrested in…
(2019-11-12). Experts Warn This Industry-Backed Attack on Science at EPA Would Be Among 'Most Damaging' of All Trump-Era Policies. commondreams.org Advocates of strong public health protections responded with alarm to a Monday night New York Times report on the Environmental Protection Agency's new draft proposal for the Trump administration's drawn-out effort to dramatically scale back the scientific research that can be used in government policymaking. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-11-11). From Prince to Picasso, the arts can be just the tonic, new UN health agency study shows. un.org From before birth, to the end of life, taking to the dance floor or sketching a still life, can positively affect our health and even prove more cost-effective than conventional medical treatment, the World Health Organisation (WHO) found in a new study published on Monday.
(2019-11-11). Trans Community Leader Found Murdered in El Salvador. telesurenglish.net A social nonprofit in El Salvador condemned on Saturday the murder of transgender woman Jade Diaz, a well-known community leader in the east of the country. | RELATED: | Trans Asylum-Seeker Dies After Being Denied Healthcare by ICE | Comunicando y Capacitando Trans ( Comcavis Trans) said that Diaz had disappeared on the night of Nov. 6 and her body was discovered on Saturday morning. | "We demand that the government carry out…
(2019-11-11). Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Environmental Justice, Shutting Down Pipelines, Capitalism & Billionaires. democracynow.org 
Six 2020 presidential candidates — Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker, and Tom Steyer, Marianne Williamson, John Delaney and Joe Sestak — participated in the first-ever Presidential Forum on Environmental Justice in Orangeburg, South Carolina, on November 8. Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and former EPA official Mustafa Santiago Ali co-moderated the event, which took place at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg. We air highlights of Warren speaking about the climate crisis, public health, shutting down pipelines, capitalism, the order of primary states and more.
(2019-11-08). Hundreds of thousands of civilians at risk in Syria amid ongoing violence in northeast and northwest. un.org Almost daily violence targeting built-up areas and health facilities in Syria continues to threaten the lives of civilians there, UN rights experts and humanitarians said on Friday.
(2019-11-07). Thursday's Daily Brief: DR Congo warlord sentenced, Iraq protest latest, UN food outlook report, Syrian humanitarian update, tech and the food chain. un.org A recap of Thursday's UN News stories: 'Terminator' warlord handed 30-year sentence; UN chief calls for 'meaningful dialogue' in Iraq; Disease slashes global meat output; Hostilities in northeast Syria a grave concern; and how the Montreal Protocol is impacting the food chain.
(2019-11-07). Speaking at a K Street Lobby Powerhouse, Joe Biden Renewed His Medicare for All Feud With Elizabeth Warren. theintercept.com On Wednesday, former Vice President Joe Biden held a fundraiser at Sidley Austin, a notorious and influential K Street law firm.
(2019-11-05). How Peter Morley Turns Pain into Purpose Fighting for Health Care. progressive.org If the Trump Administration had its way, Americans would be completely unaware that the 2020 ACA enrollment period began on Friday, November 1. Enter Peter Morley.
(2019-11-05). Trump Wants to Allow Discrimination with Billions of Dollars of Federal Funding. aclu.org Last Friday, the Trump administration announced | an alarming new proposal that would strip away critical protections against discrimination | in grants funded by the Department of Health and Human Services. | Initially, we thought this proposal would serve to fulfill Trump's promise to give taxpayer-funded child welfare agencies a license to discriminate. This proposal does…
(2019-11-05). "Release My Mother": A Yale Student Fights to Halt Deportation of His Mother with Stage IV Cancer. democracynow.org 
Tania Romero, an undocumented mother from Honduras and survivor of stage IV cancer, is fighting to remain in the United States with her four children. Two months ago, Romero was imprisoned by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the privately owned Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia, interrupting her life-saving medical treatments. In mid-August, Romero was pulled over for a minor traffic infraction and arrested for not having a driver's license. Tania Romero's attorney requested a stay of deportation on humanitarian grounds because of her fragile health, but it was denied in September. Her son, Cristian…
(2019-11-03). Warren's Medicare Head Tax Would Be About $9,500. peoplespolicyproject.org On Friday, I wrote a piece arguing that Elizabeth Warren's use of an employer head tax was not a good way to fund Medicare for All and that instead the more conventional choices of income and payroll taxes would be better. The reason they are better is because income and payroll taxes are based on how much income you receive while a head tax charges the same dollar amount for every worker regardless of their income, making it much more onerous on the lower and middle classes. | This point holds…
(2019-11-02). What Is a Middle Class Tax Hike? Am I Losing My Mind? peoplespolicyproject.org I have been swimming in the Medicare for All waters for over a decade now, going back to when I worked on the Ralph Nader presidential campaign that made Medicare for All its number one issue. And during this time, I developed a specific understanding of what we might call the M4A Financing Problem. | The Problem: | The M4A Financing Problem, in simple terms, is that even if you bring in existing federal spending on health care, existing state spending on health care, and a bunch of new rich-people taxes, you still fall short of financing the program. Thus to actually complete the financing, you have to u…
(2019-11-01). Warren's Perpetual Medicare Head Tax Is Unworkable and Bad. peoplespolicyproject.org 
Elizabeth Warren released her Medicare for All financing plan today. The main purpose of the proposal appears to be to find a plan that you can message as "not increasing middle class taxes," which is of course a nonsensical goal insofar, as Warren herself has said, what matters is middle class health care costs, not whether you categorize those costs as premiums, taxes, or out-of-pocket expenses. | Nonetheless, bowing to the stupid media discourse on this, Warren put forward a financing pro…
(2019-10-24). New Poll Finds Voters Strongly Oppose Employer Insurance. peoplespolicyproject.org Many centrist pundits have convinced themselves that Medicare for All (M4A) is unpopular because, when you include certain details about M4A in polling questions, support levels drop significantly. But in convincing themselves of this, centrist pundits seem remarkably incurious about whether this same thing occurs for employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) when you include certain details about it in polling questions. | Earlier this week, Emerson Polling helped answer this question when it aske…
(2019-10-16). The Urban Institute Report Did Not Score Medicare for All. peoplespolicyproject.org The Urban Institute and The Commonwealth Fund put out a report today that provided cost estimates for 8 different health care reforms. One of those eight reforms, which is called "Single Payer Enhanced," describes a comprehensive, no-cost-sharing, national health plan similar to Medicare for All (M4A). However, the Urban plan uses hospital reimbursement rates that are 15 percent higher than the rates in the M4A legislation, meaning that its cost estimates are much…
(2019-10-12). Turkey Attacks US Troops, Iran Tanker Bombed No One Cares, CIA "Whistleblower" & Terrorism Vaccine. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (10/11/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
(2019-10-08). The Benefits of Medical Marijuana for Mesothelioma Patients. thelastamericanvagabond.com When traditional medicines stop working, doctors can only do so much to treat their patients. Patients who become desperate often turn to other possible solutions for their treatment. This desperation is the case for most mesothelioma patients. Many of them report relief from taking medical marijuana. Despite the approval of the use of medical marijuana …
(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 …