(2019-09-04). Watch Bernie Sanders and Dying Activist Ady Barkan Discuss Medicare for All. truthout.org | | Progressive activist Ady Barkan didn't let losing his voice to ALS stop him from launching a new series of interviews with presidential candidates that seeks to go beyond "debate stage quips" to highlight the deeply personal impact of American healthcare policy. | On Tuesday, Barkan — who relies on a computer that tracks his eye movements and converts selected text to speech — released his conversation with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a 2020 Democratic presidential candidat…
(2019-09-04). Kaiser Bosses STOP Destroying Our Healthcare & Outsourcing Our Jobs! indybay.org Thousands of Kaiser workers and supporters of healthcare rallied on 2019 Labor Day to protest Kaiser executives demands that impose a two tier contract, outsourcing of jobs and a substandard pension system.
(2019-09-04). Which side are you on, Representative Anna Eshoo? indybay.org US Representative Anna Eshoo (north Santa Cruz County and SF Peninsula) received over $1 million in contributions from Pharma, Healthcare providers, and investors since 2013. She chairs the Subcommittee on Health. She told falsehoods about single-payer healthcare at her recent town hall, so she cannot be trusted to give the Medicare for All bill fair consideration.
(2019-09-04). Trump EPA's Reckless Attempt to Undo Key Health and Safety Protections Regarding Methane Emissions and Leaks. globalresearch.ca On August 28, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an attempt to roll back key provisions of the 2016 New Source Performance Standards (NSPS), which provide critical health and safety protections to prevent harm to public health from …
(2019-09-04). Mandatory Vaccine Agenda Is Step-by-Step Repealing Religious & Philosophical Exemptions. globalresearch.ca The Mandatory Vaccine Agenda is a worldwide plan which has been picking up steam lately. Unfortunately for the causes of individual rights, medical autonomy and sovereignty, natural health and freedom in general, many countries and US states have been accelerating …
(2019-09-04). River Health Day. indybay.org We meet on the east bank of the San Lorenzo River downstream of the Soquel Avenue Bridge on the Santa Cruz Riverwalk– look for a blue table! We recommend walking or biking to the event as there is limited parking in the area. Parking is available in the CWC parking lot (107 Dakota Ave.) or behind the Royal Taj India Cuisine restaurant (270 Soquel Ave.)…
(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…
(2019-09-03). Chaos and Old Night: Fracking's Hell Fires Still Burn Bright in Colorado. counterpunch.org 
A funny thing happened on the way to the Colorado Capitol this past winter. The new Democratic majority passed a bill that would end the oil industry's reign of terror over the people in the fracking fields of Colorado. The new law, known as SB 181, made the protection of public health, safety, and the environment a condition that had to be met before any new oil and gas wells could be drilled or other infrastructure approved. More
(2019-09-03). Private Sale Allowed Texas Gunman to Evade Background Check. truthdig.com 
The check blocked him from getting a gun in 2014 due to a "mental health issue," a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
(2019-09-03). Bomb Explodes Under Bus in Mali, at Least 14 Killed. telesurenglish.net A makeshift bomb exploded under a passenger bus traveling in the violence-plagued central Mali region of Mopti Tuesday, killing at least 14 people and wounding 24, the security minister said. | RELATED: | Violations Against Children Are 'New Normal' in Mali: UN | "We have the number of 14 deceased and 24 injured, including seven in a critical state," said Salif Traore, giving no further comment on the attack or on who might be behind it. | The remote border region where Burkina Fas…
(2019-09-03). "He's opposed every increase in the minimum wage": AFL-CIO chief rips Trump's anti-worker agenda. nationofchange.org In an interview ahead of Labor Day, AFL-CIO chief Richard Trumka said workers across the nation are suffering under President Donald Trump's supposedly "booming" economy and slammed the White House for refusing to raise the minimum wage, pushing for cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, and gutting workplace safety regulations. | "He came to our members and said, 'I'm going to change the rules of the economy,'and they believed him. And, quite frankly, I wish he would have changed the rules of the economy," Trumka told Fox News's Chris Wallace on Sunday. | "Unfortunately, the rules he's changing has hurt them," said T…
(2019-09-03). Somalia: worst harvest since 2011, with more than 2 million expected to go hungry. un.org Somalia's 2019 cereal harvest is the poorest the country has seen since 2011, when famine strained already scarce resources, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), announced on Tuesday, blaming unreliable weather patterns and "climatic shocks".
(2019-09-03). Watch Dying Activist Ady Barkan's "Heartfelt" and "Moving" Conversation With Bernie Sanders on the Fight for Medicare for All. commondreams.org "You have been an integral part of the struggle to make clear that healthcare is a human right," Sanders told Barkan | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-09-03). 'Not Enough': Critics Say Walmart Must Go Beyond Corporate PR and Half-Measures on Guns. commondreams.org Leading gun control groups praised Walmart Tuesday after the company announced its stores would no longer sell certain firearm ammunition and would reduce its gun sales, citing recent mass shootings in Texas and Ohio—but the applause came with keen awareness that small steps by corporations won't stop gun violence and that lawmakers must take responsibility for the epidemic. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-09-02). Hospitals among seven health centres attacked in Syria's north-east. un.org Seven health centres in Syria's north-west have been reportedly attacked in recent days and two of them have been destroyed, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.
(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.
(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.
(2019-08-31). UN chief and senior officials show solidarity with DR Congo during three-day visit. un.org United Nations chief António Guterres and senior members of the UN, have embarked on a three-day visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where civilians are facing insecurity and ongoing health crises, including a year-long Ebola epidemic which has claimed more than 2,000 lives.
(2019-08-30). Democrats Need Litmus Tests on Health Care. thenation.com Democrats Need Litmus Tests on Health Care…
(2019-08-30). Ady Barkan Refuses to Stop Fighting for Health Care for All. thenation.com Ady Barkan Refuses to Stop Fighting for Health Care for All…
(2019-08-30). Alarming number of Ebola deaths in DRC a 'rallying cry' to scale up treatment. un.org Since the Ebola epidemic struck in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) one year ago, almost 600 of around 850 children who have caught the virus have now died, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported on Friday.
(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…
(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…
(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.
(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…
(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…"
(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.
(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.
(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…
(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.
(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).
(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…
(2019-07-30). Venezuela: Six Chavista Militants Killed in Fresh Rural Violence. venezuelanalysis.com Landowner violence continues to plague the Venezuelan countryside.
(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 …