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American Health: Single-payer Healthcare Savings

PLOS Medicine has compiled 22 credible economic models of the cost of single-payer financing in the US, from a variety of government, business consultant, and academic organizations. They found that 19 of the 22 (86%) predict net savings in the first year of operations.

In this systematic review, we found a high degree of analytic consensus for the fiscal feasibility of a single-payer approach in the US. Actual costs will depend on plan features and implementation. Key Takeaways:

Nineteen (86%) of the analyses estimated that health expenditures would fall in the first year, and all suggested the potential for long-term cost savings.

The largest savings were predicted to come from simplified billing and lower drug costs.

Most studies funded by organizations across the political spectrum estimated savings for single-payer.

There is near-consensus in the analyses that single-payer would reduce health expenditures while providing high-quality insurance to all US residents.

To achieve net savings, single-payer plans rely on simplified billing and negotiated drug price reductions, as well as global budgets to control spending growth over time.

Replacing private insurers with a public system is expected to achieve lower net healthcare costs.

*The results of these economic models depend on input assumptions regarding the effect of single-payer provisions. In particular, the magnitude of net savings reflects the quantitative effects of utilization rises due to increased insurance and savings strategies.

source:

PLOS Medicine, Projected costs of single-payer healthcare financing in the United States: A systematic review of economic analyses, Christopher Cai, Jackson Runte, Isabel Ostrer, Kacey Berry, Ninez Ponce, Michael Rodriguez, Stefano Bertozzi, Justin S. White, James G. Kahn, January 15, 2020 https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003013

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Cancer Treatment: Advancements in T-Cell Therapy

The American Cancer Society reported on January 8, the cancer death rate in the United States fell 2.2 percent from 2016 to 2017. This is the largest decline in cancer mortality ever reported in a single year. The rate in the US has dropped 29 percent since 1991, a decline that amounts to approximately 2.9 million fewer cancer deaths.

Though this is to be celebrated, cancer remains the second leading cause of death after heart disease in both men and women nationally. The American Cancer Society estimates in 2020 there will be around 1,806,590 new cancer cases and 606,520 cancer deaths.

In the last decade, advancements in diagnosing and treating lung cancer and melanoma have helped avert patient deaths. Advancements in imaging technologies have allowed doctors to accurately and more quickly assess the stage of cancer and its prognosis. This coupled with new surgical approaches that are less invasive has sped up procedures and recovery times.

One of the most promising and groundbreaking advancements in cancer treatment is within CAR T-cell therapies. CAR T-cell therapies are a form of immunotherapy (a type of cancer treatment that helps your immune system fight cancer). Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2017, CAR T-cell therapy has become a lifesaver for some people with leukemia and lymphoma. According to National Cancer Institute: “The backbone of CAR T-cell therapy is as the name implies T-cells, which are often called the workhorses of the immune system because of their critical role in orchestrating the immune response and killing cells infected by pathogens. The therapy requires drawing blood from patients and separating out the T-cells. Next, using a disarmed virus, the T-cells are genetically engineered to produce receptors on their surface called chimeric antigen receptors, or CARs. These special receptors allow the T-cells to recognize and attach to a specific protein, or antigen, on tumor cells.”

USC makes a new CAR molecule efficient in killing cancer cells with no severe side effects

A new USC study shows new advancements in CAR T-cell therapy appears to eliminate its severe side effects, making the treatment safer and potentially available in outpatient settings.

The downside of T-cell treatment is that it often causes severe side effects, some of even life-threatening. This improved version of CAR T-cell therapy produced no serious side effects in 25 patients who had lymphoma and six out of 11 participants receiving a commonly used dose went into complete remission.

A new type of T-cell kills most cancers

That new T-cell with a never-before-seen receptor was found on accident by Researchers at Cardiff University were analyzing blood from a bank in Wales. These new receptors act like a grappling hook that latches on to most human cancers while ignoring healthy cells. In laboratory studies, T-cells with these new receptors were shown to kill lung, skin, blood, colon, breast, bone, prostate, ovarian, kidney and cervical cancer. This raises the prospect of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ cancer treatment previously nobody thought possible.

source:

Surveillance and Health Services, Research, American Cancer Society, Rebecca L. Siegel, MPH; Kimberly D. Miller, MPH; Ahmedin Jemal, DVM, Ph.D., January 2020 Cancer Statistics, 2020

The Telegraph, Immune cell that kills most cancers discovered by accident by British scientists, Sarah Knapton, January 20, 2020 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2020/01/20/immune-cell-kills-cancers-discovered-accident-british-scientists/

USC News, USC-led advance in groundbreaking cancer treatment eliminates severe side effects, Leigh Hopper, April 22, 2019 https://news.usc.edu/156066/car-t-cell-therapy-side-effects/

National Cancer Institute, CAR T Cells: Engineering Patients’ Immune Cells to Treat Their Cancers,  July 30, 2019 https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/research/car-t-cells

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American Gun Laws: Proposed Virginia Laws and Facts

On January 20, while the rest of the country celebrated Martin Luther King Jr Day, thousands of gun-rights activists took to the street in the Virginia Capitol to protest plans by the state’s Democratic leadership to pass gun-control legislation.

On May 31, 2019, Gov. Ralph Northam called a special session following the mass shooting in Virginia Beach and citing the 1036 gun deaths of 2018. Northam proposed a legislative package containing eight new gun-control measures (see below). This was followed in November by the Virginia Senate’s introduction of a new assault firearms bill, SB 16 Assault firearms and certain firearm magazines (see below). Gun law opponents immediately pushed back on the new measures stating that they violate their second amendment rights.

Second Amendment States: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

The January 20 rally was organized by the gun-rights group, the Virginia Citizens Defense League. Leading up to the rally, extremist groups flooded social media and web forums with ominous messages and threatened potential violence. Authorities were looking to avoid the same violence that occurred in Charlottesville during the white supremacist’s rally in August 2017, where many were injured and one person, Heather Heyer, died. Gov. Ralph Northam declared a temporary state of emergency on January 15 banning all weapons, including guns, from Capitol Square, during the rally. On January 16, the FBI arrested three white supremacists who intended to commit violence at the rally. Following the rally, authorities reported no reports of arrests or injuries.

Governor Ralph Northam, on July 9, 2019, in a special session of the General Assembly, announced new legislation that addresses the gun violence emergency in Virginia.

The gun violence legislative package addresses:

Required background checks on all firearms sales and transactions. The bill mandates that any person selling, renting, trading, or transferring a firearm must first obtain the results of a background check before completing the transaction.

The ban on dangerous weapons. This will include bans on assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, bump stocks and silencers.

Reinstatement of Virginia’s successful law allowing only one handgun purchase within a 30-day period.

The requirement that lost and stolen firearms are reported to law enforcement within 24 hours.

The creation of an Extreme Risk Protective Order, allowing law enforcement and the courts to temporarily separate a person from firearms if the person exhibits dangerous behavior that presents an immediate threat to self or others.

Prohibiting any/all individuals subject to final protective orders from possessing firearms. The bill expands Virginia law which currently prohibits individuals subject to final protective orders of family abuse from possessing firearms.

Punishment enhancements for allowing access to a loaded, unsecured firearm by a child from a Class 3 Misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony. The bill also raises the age of the child from 14 to 18.

Enabling local authorities to enact any firearms ordinances that are stricter than state law. This includes regulating firearms in municipal buildings, libraries and at permitted events.

SB 16 Assault firearms and certain firearm magazines; prohibiting the sale, transport, etc., penalties.

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Prohibiting sale, transport, etc., of assault firearms and certain firearm magazines; penalties. Expands the definition of "assault firearm" and prohibits any person from importing, selling, transferring, manufacturing, purchasing, possessing, or transporting an assault firearm. A violation is a Class 6 felony. The bill prohibits a dealer from selling, renting, trading, or transferring from his inventory an assault firearm to any person. The bill also prohibits a person from carrying a shotgun with a magazine that will hold more than seven rounds of the longest ammunition for which it is chambered in a public place; under existing law, this prohibition applies only in certain localities. The bill makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to import, sell, barter, or transfer any firearm magazine designed to hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

source:

Governor Northam Unveils Gun Violence Prevention Legislation Ahead of July 9 Special Session https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/all-releases/2019/july/headline-841482-en.html

AP News, 3 more linked to neo-Nazi group arrested in Georgia, Michael Balsamo and Jeff Martin, January 17, 2020 https://apnews.com/be1f537775593d49415a008f2639f39c

Politico, Pro-gun rally by thousands in Virginia ends peacefully, AP, Jan 20, 2020 https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/20/virginia-gun-rights-rally-101183

AP News, Gun-rights activists gear up for a show of force in Virginia, Alan Suderman and Denise Lavoie, January 18, 2020 https://apnews.com/55b76221825a01f47f80f8ceade7e54d

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Big Pharma - Big Money: Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the pharmaceutical industry’s largest trade association, floods the American government with millions of dollars to knock down medication price control measures.

The drug industry has waged a widespread campaign to influence American policy, lobbing both sides of the aisle. PhRMA brought in a record $459 million from drugmakers in 2018. They are using that funding to fight drug pricing proposals from congressional Democrats, Democratic candidates, and even the Trump administration. The top recipients of PhRMA funding were conservative groups that work to combat “socialist” price controls.

top recipients

American Action Network: the conservative dark money group, took in $10 million from PhRMA since 2016, who invariably advocate pro-drugmaker policies. In August 2019 AAN launched a $2.5 million ad campaign to fight “socialist” price controls in Medicare Part D. In June, AAN launched a $3 million ad campaign in support Trump’s proposed drug rebate rule (pulled in July).

The National Sheriff’s Association, which represents thousands of elected sheriffs, received at least $900,000 in grants from the Partnership for Safe Medicines (a nonprofit funded by PhRMA) ran a six-figure television ad campaign urging Trump to reject proposals that allowed the importation of generic prescription drugs from Canada.

The Council for Affordable Health Coverage: a lobbying organization representing health industry stakeholders including drug companies, took in $725,000 from PhRMA between 2017 and 2018. CAHC took part in a “listening session,” at White House in July urging against drug price controls.

The American Conservative Union, a righ-wing advocacy group, received $150,000 from PhRMA in 2017, then lobbied lawmakers not to adopt “socalist policies” that would control drug prices.

FreedomWorks: the conservative dark money group, received $100,000 from PhRMA in 2018 and then ran a digital ad campaign fighting “the socialist rate-setting scheme.” They signed on to the November 2018 letter opposing the Trump administration’s proposed rule to create price controls for drugs administered under Medicare Part B.

Consumer Action for a Strong Economy: a Koch backed Super PAC received $170,000 from PhRMA signed the November 2018 letter opposing the Trump administration’s proposed rule to create price controls for drugs administered under Medicare Part B.

Taxpayers Protection Alliance: a Koch backed advocacy group, received $65,000 from PhRMA also signed the November 2018 letter opposing the Trump administration’s proposed rule to create price controls for drugs administered under Medicare Part B.

Institute for Policy Innovation: a conservative a think tank, received $35,000 from PhRMA also signed the November 2018 letter opposing the Trump administration’s proposed rule to create price controls for drugs administered under Medicare Part B.

Competitive Enterprise Institute: a right-wing advocacy group, received $25,000 from PhRMA also signed the November 2018 letter opposing the Trump administration’s proposed rule to create price controls for drugs administered under Medicare Part B.

Heritage Action for America: a conservative PAC, received $37,500 in 2018 from PhRMA and then ran ads aimed at Congressional Reps to reject the “socialist” price control measures.

top candidate recipients

$90,500 Total in Contributions from this PAC to federal candidates - 2020 cycle (49% to Democrats, 51% to Republicans)

Schrader, Kurt (D-OR) - $6,000

Graham, Lindsey (R-SC) - $4,000

Eshoo, Anna (D-CA) - $3,500

Kind, Ron (D-WI - )$3,000

Murphy, Stephanie (D-FL) - $2,500

Bucshon, Larry (R-IN) - $2,500

Collins, Doug (R-GA) - $2,000

Kelly, Mike (R-PA) - $2,000

Kuster, Ann (D-NH) - $2,000

Nunes, Devin (R-CA) - $2,000

Peters, Scott (D-CA - )$2,000

Cassidy, Bill (R-LA) - $2,000

Gardner, Cory (R-CO) - $2,000

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source:

Opensecrets.org, Big Pharma bankrolled conservative groups that pushed industry message to Trump, tax returns show, Karl Evers-Hillstrom, November 15, 2019 https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/11/big-pharma-bankrolled-conservative-groups-tax-returns-show/

Opensecrets.org, Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America, November 21, 2019 https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000504

STAT News, ‘Don’t be a Bernie Bro’: Inside conservatives’ brazen campaign to sabotage Trump’s signature drug pricing plan, Lev Facher, July 29, 2019 https://www.statnews.com/2019/07/29/conservative-campaign-against-drug-prices/

The American Action Network, AAN Launches $2.5 Million Campaign Opposing Socialist Price Controls in Medicare Part D, August 26, 2019 https://americanactionnetwork.org/press/aan-launches-2-5-million-campaign-opposing-socialist-price-controls-in-medicare-part-d/

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American GOP: Russian Propagandists

Trump and his GOP mouthpieces have not only bought into the Russian fabricated conspiracy that Ukraine perpetrated the 2016 election interference, they have parroted and promoted it.

The Facts

On December 9, 2016, U.S. legislators were informed that the U.S. Intelligence Community had concluded Russia conducted operations during the 2016 U.S. election with the goal of Donald Trump winning the presidency. Multiple U.S intelligence agencies compiled overwhelming evidence that individuals with ties to the Russian government gave WikiLeaks hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee (D.N.C.). The ICA report indicates: Russian efforts to influence the 2016 US presidential election represent the most recent expression of Moscow’s longstanding desire to undermine the US-led liberal democratic order, but these activities demonstrated a significant escalation in directness, level of activity, and scope of effort compared to previous operations. 

We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. Russia’s goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump. 

The conspiracy

In recent weeks, American intelligence officials informed senators and their aides that Russia had engaged in a yearslong campaign to frame Ukraine for the 2016 election interference and the DNC email hacking.

The Russian agents spread the disinformation through Russian and Ukrainian intermediaries, oligarchs, businessmen, and other associates. The fabricated intel eventually made its way to American political figures and journalists who may have been unaware of its origin but who were willing to spread it in the media nonetheless.

The Russian conspiracy was quickly embraced by President Trump, who sought to prove his corruption claims against Ukraine in reference to holding back military aid. Republicans even used the Kremlin disinformation to divert focus from Trump during the impeachment inquiry onto Ukrainian’s role in the 2016 campaign.

During the Trump Impeachment Inquiry Fiona Hill (former top Russia expert on the White House National Security Council) stated in her testified, “In the course of this investigation, I would ask that you please not promote politically driven falsehoods that so clearly advance Russian interest. As Republicans and Democrats have agreed for decades, Ukraine is a valued partner of the United States and it plays an important role in our national security. And as I told the committee last month, I refuse to be part of an effort to legitimize an alternate narrative that the Ukrainian government is a U.S. adversary – and that Ukraine, not Russia, attacked us in 2016.” She then added, “Based on questions and statements I have heard, some of you on this committee appears to believe that Russia and its security services did not conduct a campaign against our country and that perhaps somehow for some reason Ukraine did. This is a fictional narrative that is being perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves.”

The Propagandists

On a July 25 phone call, Trump pressured Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and to provide evidence into the conspiracy theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Putin addressed the subject at a conference in Moscow on November 19, stating, “Thank God nobody is accusing us any more of interfering in the U.S. elections,” he said. “Now they’re accusing Ukraine.”

During testimony in the House impeachment inquiry, Rep. Devin Nunes (R.-Ca) repeatedly referred to the discredited allegations about Joe Biden and Burisma, as well as the conspiracy theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 U.S. election.

On November 22, Trump called in for an hour-long phone interview with Fox & Friends where he repeated the conspiracy theory that Ukraine hacked the servers of the DNC and not Russia. During his ranting, Trump stated, “They have the server from the DNC, Democratic National Committee…the FBI went in and they told them, ‘Get out of here! We’re not giving it to you.’ They gave the server to CrowdStrike or whatever it is called, which is a company owned by a very wealthy Ukrainian (*not actually owned by a Ukrainian). And I still want to see that server. You know, the FBI has never gotten that server. That’s a big part of this whole thing. Why did they give it to a Ukrainian company?”

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) appeared on Fox News on November 24, Chris Wallace asked whether he shared Trump’s belief that Ukraine, rather than Russia, hacked a computer server belonging to the Democratic National Committee in 2016 to interfere with the U.S. presidential election.

Kennedy - “I don't know, nor do you.”

Wallace - “The entire intelligence community says it was Russia.”

Kennedy - “Right, but it could also be Ukraine…I’m not saying that I know one way or the other.” 

On November 25, Fox New’s Tucker Carlson said while interviewing former Hillary Clinton adviser Richard Goodstein.“Why do I care what is going on in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia? I’m serious. Why shouldn’t I root for Russia? Which, by the way, I am.”

On November 26, when asked about the theory already debunked by U.S. officials Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters it was his “duty” to investigate whether Ukraine meddled in the 2016 U.S. election.

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source:

The New York Times, Key Moments From Hill and Holmes’s Testimony in the Impeachment InquiryMichael D. Shear, Nov. 21, 2019 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/21/us/politics/impeachment-hearing.html

The New York Times, Charges of Ukrainian Meddling? A Russian Operation, U.S. Intelligence Say, Julian E. Barnes and Matthew Rosenberg, Nov. 22, 2019 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/22/us/politics/ukraine-russia-interference.html

The Daily Beast, Why Are Republicans So Anxious to Play Putin’s Game on Ukraine?, Julia Davis, Nov 25,2019 https://www.thedailybeast.com/when-it-comes-to-ukraine-why-are-republicans-so-anxious-to-play-putins-game

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Future Medicine: 3D Printed Skin with Working Blood Vessels

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York and Yale School of Medicine have developed 3D printed “living skin” grafts that contain functional blood vessels.

This groundbreaking new skin-printing technique, combines cells found in human blood vessels with other ingredients including animal collagen, and printed a skin-like material. These cells start to form vasculature after a few weeks.

The team is looking into using CRISPR technology to edit the skin cells to match up with the recipient's. this will make it less likely to be rejected by their body. Pankaj Karande, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering at Rensselaer, explains "Right now, whatever is available as a clinical product is more like a fancy Band-Aid. It provides some accelerated wound healing, but eventually it just falls off; it never really integrates with the host cells."

Karande says that this new technique could lead to the ability to place cells in tissues “exactly where they’d appear in [their] natural context.” This paves the way to design biological systems on the scale of proteins and cells.

source:

Tissue Engineering Part A, 3D bioprinting of a vascularized and perfusable skin graft using human keratinocytes, fibroblasts, pericytes and endothelial cells., Dr. Tânia Baltazar, Dr. Jonathan Merola, Miss Carolina Motter Catarino, Miss Catherine Bingchan Xie, Dr. Nancy Kirkiles-Smith, Dr. Vivian Lee, Miss Stéphanie Yuki Kolbeck Hotta, Dr. Guohao Dai, Dr. Xiaowei Xu, Dr. Frederico Castelo Ferreira, Dr. W Mark Saltzman, Dr. Jordan S Pober, and Prof. Pankaj Karande, Nov 1, 2019 https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/ten.TEA.2019.0201

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American Hate: Anti-Immigrant Group Visits White House Six Times

ProEnglish, an anti-immigrant group with clear connections to the white nationalist movement, has been granted six separate meetings with White House staff.

The 25-year-old group’s mission is to move the United States “to adopt English as the official language at all levels of government.” ProEnglish is using the white house meetings to urge President Donald Trump to repeal Bill Clinton’s Executive Order 13166 which provides foreign language translation services in public hospitals, schools, and other government-operated facilities.

ProEnglish was founded in 1994 by John Tanton as a project within his anti-immigrant nonprofit organization US Inc. Tanton wrote that his mission was to combat the “reduction of the European-American demographic and cultural majority to minority status.” Tanton also founded The Social Contract Press, The Federation for American Immigration Reform, The Center for Immigration Studies, and NumbersUSA.

ProEnglish has close ties with the white nationalist organization VDare. Both K.C. McAlpin (ProEnglish’s board of director) and Suzanne Bibby (former director of Government Relations) have written for VDare’s blatantly racist website. Robert Vandervoort (former executive director), moderated a Conservative Political Action Conference panel that featured VDare head Peter Brimelow and Rep. Steve King (R-IA) in 2012.

The meetings in question:

September 25, 2017: Executive Director Stephen Guschov met with Kellyanne Conway ProEnglish website excerpt: “Guschov was able to engage Conway about ProEnglish’s advocacy of the English Language Unity Act, the RAISE Act, and President Trump’s hopefully forthcoming repeal of President Clinton’s Executive Order 13166.”

September 26, 2017: Guschov met with Vice President Pence’s domestic policy staff ProEnglish website excerpt: “Guschov had the opportunity to meet with members of Vice President Pence’s domestic policy staff to discuss official English legislation, including the English Language Unity Act, the RAISE Act, and the possibility of President Trump repealing former President Clinton’s onerous Executive Order 13166, and with a particular emphasis on the potentially and hopefully forthcoming repeal by President Trump of EO 13166.”

January 23, 2018: Guschov and ProEnglish Director of Government Relations Dan Carter met with a senior legislative aide to President Donald Trump ProEnglish website excerpt: “The White House meeting, which occurred in the East Wing, focused on Trump administration support for the English Language Unity Act, the RAISE Act, the COST Act, and also the possibility of President Trump repealing former President Clinton’s onerous Executive Order 13166 with a new Executive Order signed by the President.”

February 13, 2018: Guschov and Carter met with senior aides to President Donald Trump ProEnglish website excerpt: “The White House meeting followed up on potential Trump administration support for the English Language Unity Act, the RAISE Act, the COST Act, and the possibility of President Trump repealing former President Clinton’s onerous Executive Order 13166 with a new Executive Order signed by the President.”

February 15, 2018: Guschov and Carter met with Pence aides. ProEnglish website excerpt: “The meetings with aides to Vice President Pence focused on potential Trump administration support for the English Language Unity Act, the RAISE Act, the COST Act, and the possibility of President Trump repealing former President Clinton’s onerous Executive Order 13166 with a new Executive Order signed by the President. Guschov and Carter also discussed with the aides to Vice President Pence the important role of cultural assimilation.”

July 11, 2019: Guschov and Carter met with different aides to President Trump and VP Pence ProEnglish website excerpt: “ProEnglish Executive Director Stephen Guschov and Director of Government Relations Dan Carter recently returned to the White House to continue discussions regarding official English legislation and also to continue to advocate for President Trump to sign a new Executive Order to effectively repeal and replace former President Clinton’s onerous Executive Order 13166 that requires foreign language translations and interpretations for all federally-funded agencies and contractors.”

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source:

ProEnglish, ProEnglish Meets In Vice President Pence’s Office, Stephen Guschov, Sep 26, 2017 https://proenglish.org/2017/09/26/proenglish-meets-in-vice-president-pences-office/

ProEnglish, Proenglish Engages Kellyanne Conway, Stephen Guschov, September 25, 2017 https://proenglish.org/2017/09/25/proenglish-engages-kellyanne-conway/

ProEnglish, ProEnglish Visits White House To Discuss Official English Legislation, Stephen Guschov, Jan 23, 2018 https://proenglish.org/2018/01/23/proenglish-visits-white-house-to-discuss-official-english-legislation/

ProEnglish, ProEnglish Has 2nd White House Meeting To Discuss Official English Legislation, Stephen Guschov, Feb 13, 2018 https://proenglish.org/2018/02/13/proenglish-has-2nd-white-house-meeting-to-discuss-official-english-legislation/

ProEnglish, ProEnglish Meets With Aides To Vice President Pence, Stephen Guschov, Feb 15, 2018 https://proenglish.org/2018/02/15/proenglish-meets-with-aides-to-vice-president-pence/

ProEnglish, Proenglish Returns To White House To Discuss Executive Orders, Stephen Guschov, July 11, 2019 https://proenglish.org/2019/07/11/proenglish-returns-to-white-house-to-discuss-executive-orders/

MediaMatters, An anti-immigrant group with white nationalist connections says it has met with White House aides six times, Eric Hananoki, November 14,2019 https://www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump/anti-immigrant-group-white-nationalist-connections-says-it-has-met-white-house-aides

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American Christianity: Gearing-up for Biblical Warfare

Leaked messages from an online chat network that includes republican politicians, alt-right activists, and militia members reveal intentions of violence, the surveillance of domestic “enemies”, conspiracy paranoia, and support of white nationalism.

Central to the online network chat activity is the campaign to establish the Liberty state, seceding Eastern Washington to form the 51st state led by a white dominionist theocracy.

The network’s activities, first exposed by The Guardian, are center around Washington state Republican representative Matt Shea. Shea is currently under investigation by the Washington State House for promoting political violence, advocating the training kids for a holy war, spying on his political rivals, and most notably for writing a how-to guide to biblical war and the killing of all non-believing males. The preliminary report was expected by the end of September but has been pushed out to December.

Shea’s public Facebook page show close ties with a group called Team Rugged (see below) that trained children, teens and men in their early 20s for “Biblical warfare” and civil war. Leaked emails bwteen the leader of Team Rugged and Shea state that training will “show them how to work better as a team, both in achieving physically demanding tasks and on the battlefield. Those who attend will learn combatives, the use of a knife in defense, close quarters shooting with rifle and pistol and how to work effectively in teams of 2, 3 and 4.”

Members of the Network

Matt Shea, Washington state representative: using online alias Verrumbellator

Heather Scott, Idaho state representative: Scott has faced criticism for displaying a Confederate flag in a local parade and for taking part in the Malheur standoff. She was also stripped of her committee assignments in 2017 after she stated the only way for a woman to advance in the state House was to “spread her legs.”

Mike Munch, Former Spokane Valley councilman

Caleb Collier, Former Spokane Valley councilman: Collier, a self-proclaimed constitutionalist, was sued by his ex-wife in order to support their children.

Pastor Barry Byrd & wife Anne Byrd: Leaders of the Marble Community Church located on their compound in north-east Washington.

Jack Robertson, Rep. Shea lieutenant: Known as the radio personality John Jacob Schmidt, Robertson has stated fantasies of extreme violence against liberal and told an audience at the 2018 event that they should be prepared for civil war.

Anthony Bosworth: Leader of the patriot movement group Liberty For All. Bosworth took part in the Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and was charged with assaulting his 17-year-old daughter.

John Christina, Former Spokane county employee: Best know for his anti-military, anti-law-enforcement, anti-veteran online posts.

Steve McLaughlin, Former candidate for Washington commissioner of public lands

*The Guardian confirmed participants by cross-checking phone numbers in the chat with public phone records.

Team Rugged

The Team Rugged leader, Patrick Caughran, wrote in a leaked July 2016 email to Rep. Shea, “The entire purpose behind Team Rugged is to provide patriotic and biblical training on war for young men.” Adding, “Everything about it is both politically incorrect and what would be considered shocking truth to most modern christians. There will be scenarios where every participant will have to fight against one of the most barbaric enemies that are invading our country, Muslims terrorists.”

“Training” also included the teachings of John Weaver, the racist preacher who has defends slavery, idolizes the Confederacy and speaks out against interracial marriage.

In July 2017, during the Marble community’s annual God and Country Celebration, Shea posted a Facebook Live video that shows him with three Team Rugged members. One of the members tells Shea that, “Team Rugged is basically a school of learning for young men to give them all the foundational learning and skills that they need to be effective in Christian warfare.” shea musses over one of the member’s ability to do a “one-handed cart-wheel shot.”

Team Rugged has a youtube page with a couple of videos still live. It’s hard to watch these videos and not see the resemblance to the old Al Qaeda training videos with recruits jogging through tires and doing the monkey bars.

Team Rugged is registered to Michael Caughran, of Colville, and Barry Byrd, the pastor of the Marble community sits on the board of executors.

Team Rugged’s Facebook page and website were taken down after The Guardian broke the story on August 14, 2019.

source:

The Spokesman-Review, Rep. Matt Shea endorsed training children to fight in holy war, Chad Sokol, Aug. 15, 2019 https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/aug/14/rep-matt-shea-endorsed-training-child-soldiers-for/

Liberty state proponents push plan to secede from Washington at Moses Lake press conference, Chad Sokol, Sept. 4, 2019 https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/sep/04/liberty-state-proponents-push-plan-to-secede-from-/

MYNorthwest, Investigation into Rep. Matt Shea continues longer than expected, Hanna Scott, September 30, 2019 https://mynorthwest.com/1535865/matt-shea-investigation-continues/

The Guardian, Secret chats involving Republican lawmaker reveal fresh evidence of plots and paranoia, Jason Wilson, Nov. 8, 2019 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/08/matt-shea-republican-far-right-leaked-chats-washington-state

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American Beauty: Major Beauty Brands That Support and Fund the Right-wing Agenda

Most Americans don’t think of were their dollar is going when they purchase beauty products, cosmetics, or fragrances. Some for the largest brand names in the beauty industry have contributed profits to further the right-wing agenda. Below is a concise list of Corporations and their brands that have supported the Trump campaign.

Farouk Systems

Owner: Farouk Shami Brands: BioSilk, SunGlitz and Cationic Hydration Interlink (CHI) Activity: Self-proclaimed “best friend” of Trump, Shami donated $100K to the Trump campaign.

MacAndrews & Forbes Inc. 

Owner: Ronald Perelman Brands: Revlon (Sweeteners: Canderel, Equal, Pure Via, Whole Earth) Activity: Perelman donated over $130K to the Trump campaign.

Estee Lauder Companies Inc.

Owner: Ronald S. Lauder Brands: AERIN Beauty, Aramis, Aveda, BECCA, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Bumble and bumble, Clinique, Darphin, DKNY fragrances, Donna Karan Cosmetics, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, Estée Lauder, GLAMGLOW, Jo Malone London, Kilian Paris, Kiton, La Mer, Lab Series, Le Labo, M·A·C, Michael Kors Beauty, Origins, RODIN, Smashbox, Tom Ford Beauty, Tommy Hilfiger Fragrances, Too Faced, Tory Burch Beauty Activity: Lauder has given $100K to the Trump Victory group and $1.5 million to National Horizon the conservative super PAC.

LVMH MOËT HENNESSY

Owner: Bernald Arnault Brands: Acqua di Parma, Benefit Cosmetic, CHA LING, Parfums Christian Dior, Fenty Beauty by Rihanna, Fresh, Parfums Givenchy, Guerlain, Perfumes Loewe, Kat Von D Beauty, KENZO Parfums, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, MAKE UP FOR EVER, Marc Jacobs Beauty Activity: Arnault has aligned himself with the Trump administration’s “Pledge to America’s Workers.” Donald Trump along with his daughter Ivanka (who is a presidential adviser and co-chair of the National Council for the American Worker), attended the Arnault’s new Louis Vuitton factory’s ribbon-cutting. Arnault has been witnessed as a frequent visitor at New York’s Trump Tower.

LVMH MOËT HENNESSY

CEO: Larry J. Merlo Brands: CVS (Included here because it is a major beauty product retailer). Activity: CVS Health Corp. donated $35,000 to the Trump Victory PAC and around $500,000 to America First Policies

source:

Public Citizen,‘Self-Funded’ Trump Now Propped Up by Super PAC Megadonors, Alan Zibel, December 20, 2018 https://www.citizen.org/wp-content/uploads/migration/trumpdonate-final.pdf

The Washington Post, Louis Vuitton welcomed Trump to the opening of its new factory. And yes, it was odd., Robin Givhan, Oct. 18, 2019 https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2019/10/18/louis-vuitton-welcomed-trump-opening-its-new-factory-yes-it-was-odd/

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American Pollution: The Cost of Clean Air

President Trump has repeatedly claimed, “We have the cleanest air in the world, in the United States, and it’s gotten better since I’m president.” Though, there were 15% more days with unhealthy air in America both last year and the year before than there were on average from 2013 through 2016.

A new working paper from the National Bureau Of Economic Research found that wildfires, economic development, and Trump’s reduced environmental enforcement and deregulations played a clear role in the decline in air quality over the past two years. This sudden upturn in air pollution comes after decades of improvement following The Clean Air Act of 1963. Human produced pollution in the United States and abroad is the largest contributor to air pollution on the planet, while growing evidence shows that exposure to air pollution comes at a great cost to human life and health. The air we breathe is growing dangerously polluted: nine out of ten people now breathe polluted air, which kills 7 million people every year.

The Facts According to Econofact

While regulations and clean air programs have visible costs — such as decreased manufacturing employment, sectoral reallocation, and increased production costs — putting a dollar value on the benefits of cleaner air has been difficult. Researchers have turned to "natural experiments", situations that cause unexpected or random shocks to air quality, to better understand the impact of air pollution.

Counties that experienced decreases in industrial production, and thus decrease in industrial pollution, saw reductions in infant mortality as well. The authors of this study estimated that the reductions in particulates caused by the change in industrial production meant 2,500 fewer infants died during the recessionary period of 1980–1982.

When a labor strike shut down the local steel plant in Utah Valley in the 1980s, local pollution levels decreased, as did hospital admissions for various health conditions (see here, here and here).

The introduction of electronic toll devices in parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania meant fewer idling cars at toll stations and led to improvement in a variety of birth outcomes such as premature birth and infant birth weight among mothers living close to toll stations.

A study on California in the early 2000s found that higher levels of local pollution — specifically particulate matter — caused by variations in weather and traffic patterns, increased local infant mortality.

In Stockholm, a traffic congestion tax reduced air pollution downtown, with suggestive reductions in hospital admissions for asthma among children 5 and under.

Retrofits of diesel school buses in Georgia cut bus pollution, and researchers found this resulted in healthier students that scored better on both physical and mental tests.

Flight delays in east coast airports mean idling jets at west coast hubs. These jets generate substantial air pollution burning fuel on the tarmac, and the authors showed those living downwind of major airports have higher rates of hospitalization for asthma and heart-related emergencies.

A study using satellite images from wildfire smoke plumes found exposure to wildfire smoke leads to decreases in wages and labor supply of those near retirement.

A California study showed individuals 75 and older living downwind of a major freeway had higher mortality rates than those upwind of the same freeway.

The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments reduced mortality among those 35-64 years of age, a group generally viewed as more resilient to pollution-driven mortality due to the overall greater health capital.

Chinese homes south of the Huai River generate heat by burning coal, and are more likely to do so with lower heating costs, this results in much higher pollution levels as compared to the cities north of the river who have their heating fully subsidized. Even though cities are similar in most other ways, living in one of these southern cities results in a lifespan that is on average 3 years shorter.

These locals aren't blind to the life-shortening danger of pollution exposure: people in the southern cities buy more household air purifiers and are willing to pay an average of $33 dollars per year to offset the pollution caused by the policy.

A study in the United States found the introduction of a cap-and-trade system for major sources of nitrogen oxides decreased medical spending by $800 million a year. The program, ran between 2003 and 2008, cut emissions across the mid-western and eastern United States and lowered ambient ozone levels. The authors found a corresponding decline in expenditure on respiratory medications, along with an estimated decrease of $1.3 billion in mortality costs.

The drastic air quality improvements resulting from the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970 meant cohorts exposed to lower levels of pollution in utero had higher wages later in life.

Children in utero during periods of lower pollution also have shown higher performance on standardized test scores in high school.

Higher pollution levels in New York mean bigger mistakes by traders on the stock market.

Increased pollution can even impact basic memory and problem solving: data from a nationwide survey in China showed that on days with higher pollution, older respondents answered fewer questions correctly.

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source:

The Associated Press, US air quality is slipping after years of improvement, Seth Borenstein and Nicky Forster, June 18, 2019 https://www.apnews.com/d3515b79af1246d08f7978f026c9092b

The EconoFact Network., Clearing the Air on the Costs of Pollution, Nicholas J. Sanders, October 18, 2019 https://econofact.org/clearing-the-air-on-the-costs-of-pollution

World Health Organization, 9 out of 10 people worldwide breathe polluted air, but more countries are taking action, May 2, 2019 https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/02-05-2018-9-out-of-10-people-worldwide-breathe-polluted-air-but-more-countries-are-taking-action

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Human Origins: Ancestral Home of All Human Beings

In a new study, scientists have located a river valley in northern Botswana as the ancestral origin of anatomically modern human beings.

The study finds that the earliest Homo sapiens arose roughly 200,000 years ago in what we now call the cradle of mankind. This was a wetland area south of the Zambezi river which included parts of Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. There, humans lived and flourished for 70,000 years next to what was then Lake Makgadikgadi. Geological evidence suggests Lake Makgadikgadi was double the size of modern Lake Victoria.

Human migration began between 110,000 and 130,000 years ago when a climate shift started due to a slow wobble (indicated by climate computer model simulations) of Earth’s axis that brought periodic changes in rainfall. These shifts in climate would have opened green, vegetated corridors allowing our earliest ancestors to migrate over and out of Africa.

Professor Vanessa Hayes, of Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Australia, and her colleagues collected mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) samples from study participants in Namibia and South Africa. They focused on the L0 lineage, which comes directly from modern human’s earliest known population, and compared that to complete DNA (mitogenome) and other sub-lineages to see how closely they were related. Significant genetic divergence in the modern humans’ earliest maternal sub-lineages backs the geological evidence that our ancestors migrated out of the homeland between 110,000 and 130,000.

“The first migrants ventured northeast, followed by a second wave of migrants who traveled southwest. A third population remained in the homeland until today.” - Professor Vanessa Hayes

Below: L0 phylogenetic tree, geographical distributions of the major southern African L0 haplogroup and out-of-homeland L0 dispersal routes.

source:

Nature, Human origins in a southern African palaeo-wetland and first migrations, Eva K. F. Chan, Axel Timmermann, Benedetta F. Baldi, Andy E. Moore, Ruth J. Lyons, Sun-Seon Lee, Anton M. F. Kalsbeek, Desiree C. Petersen, Hannes Rautenbach, Hagen E. A. Förtsch, M. S. Riana Bornman & Vanessa M. Hayes, October 28, 2019 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1714-1?utm_source=commission_junction&utm_medium=affiliate

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World Waste: Coca-Cola the Top Plastic Waste Polluter in the World

Key Takeaways:

On September 21, 2019, Break Free From Plastic and their allies engaged 72,541 volunteers in 51 countries to conduct clean-ups and brand audits of single-use and throw-away plastic packaging called World Clean-Up Day. Volunteers collected a total of 476,423 pieces of plastic waste, 43% of which were products from some of the world’s largest consumer brands. Of those brands, Cola-Cola came out as the largest plastic polluter in the world for the second year in a row.

The Worlds Top 10 Plastic Polluters:

Coca-Cola: 11,732 pieces of plastic found in 37 countries

Nestle: 4,846 pieces of plastic found in 31 countries

Pepsico: 3,362 pieces of plastic found in 28 countries

Unilever: 3,328 pieces of plastic found in 21 countries

Philip Morris Int: 2,239 pieces of plastic found in 17 countries

Procter & Gamble: 1,160 pieces of plastic found in 18 countries

Perfetti Van Melle: 1,090 pieces of plastic found in 17 countries

Mondelez Int: 1,083 pieces of plastic found in 23 countries

Colgate-Palmolive: 642 pieces of plastic found in 18 countries

Mars: 543 pieces of plastic found in 20 countries

View the full list of the top 30 countries here

source:

Break Free From Plastic, Vol. II Identifying the World’s Top Corporate Plastic Polluters, October 2019 https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org

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American Politics: GOP Theatrics

On October 23rd, Congressman Matt Gaetz led 44 Republican members of Congress to the House Intelligence Committee deposition to “storm the closed-door impeachment inquiry hearing.”

The Republican Congress members allege they are being shut out of the impeachment inquiry process, although there are Republicans on three of the panels conducting the investigation (The House Intelligence, Oversight, and Foreign Affairs Committees). Republican panel members are present and able to ask questions at every hearing. * Panel members are noted below with an asterisk.

Police conducted a sweep for possible security breaches after reports that the Republicans took pictures inside the House Intelligence Committee's Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF). Witnesses stated they saw the Republicans hold their cell phones as the attempted to work their way to and into the room. Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) shared audio of a phone call he made from inside a secure room violating SCIF rules which prohibit the use of cellphones.

It was reported that Trump was informed by Gaetz before “the storming” and was pleased by the plan.

Here is the list of Republican Congress members that took part and their contact info:

Bradley Byrne, AL-1 - 119 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-4931

Mo Brooks, AL-5 - Rayburn House Office Building, 2246, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-4801

Gary Palmer, AL-6 - 207 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-4921

*Paul Gosar, AZ-4: Rayburn House Office Building, 2057, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-2315

Andy Biggs, AZ-5: Longworth House Office Building, 1318, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-2635

Debbie Lesko, AZ-8: Longworth House Office Building, 1113, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-4576

Duncan Hunter, CA-50: Rayburn House Office Building, 2429, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-5672

*Ken Buck, CO-4: Rayburn House Office Building, 2455, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-4676

Matt Gaetz, FL-1: Longworth House Office Building, 1721, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-4136

Michael Waltz, FL-6: 216 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-2706

Bill Posey, FL-8: Rayburn House Office Building, 2150, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-3671

Ross Spano, FL-15: 224 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-1252

Buddy Carter, GA-1: Rayburn House Office Building, 2432, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-5831

Drew Ferguson, GA-3: Longworth House Office Building, 1032, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-5901

*Jody Hice, GA-10: 409 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-4101

Steve King, IA-4: Rayburn House Office Building, 2210, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-4426

Russ Fulcher, ID-1: Longworth House Office Building, 1520, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-6611

*Steve Watkins, KA-2: Longworth House Office Building, 1205, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-6601

Roger Marshall, KS-1: 312 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-2715

Steve Scalise, LA-1: Rayburn House Office Building, 2049, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-3015

Andy Harris MD-1: Rayburn House Office Building, 2334, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-5311

Vicky Hartzler MO-4: Rayburn House Office Building, 2235, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-2876

Greg Murphy, NC-3: Rayburn House Office Building, 2333, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-3415

Mark Walker, NC-6: Longworth House Office Building, 1725, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-3065

David Rouzer, NC-7: Rayburn House Office Building, 2439, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-2731

*Mark Meadows, NC-11: Rayburn House Office Building, 2160, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-6401

*Lee Zeldin, NY-1: Rayburn House Office Building, 2441, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-3826

*Jim Jordan, OH-4: Rayburn House Office Building, 2056, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-2676

Bill Johnson, OH-6: Rayburn House Office Building, 2336, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-5705

Kevin Hern, OK-1: Longworth House Office Building, 1019, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-2211

Markwayne Mullin, OK-2: Rayburn House Office Building, 2421, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-2701

*Scott Perry, PA-10: Longworth House Office Building, 1207, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-5836

*Fred Keller, PA-12: Longworth House Office Building, 1717, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-3731

Jeff Duncan, SC-3: Rayburn House Office Building, 2229, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-5301

*Ralph Norman, SC-5: 319 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-5501

*Mark Green, TN-7: 533 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-2811

Louie Gohmert, TX-1: Rayburn House Office Building, 2267, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-3035

*Ron Wright, TX-6: 428 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-2002

Randy Weber, TX-14: 107 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-2831

Pete Olson, TX-22: Rayburn House Office Building, 2133, Washington, DC 20515, (202) 225-5951

Brian Babin, TX-36: Rayburn House Office Building, 2236, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-1555

Ben Cline, VA-6: Longworth House Office Building, 1009, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-5431

*Carol Miller, WV-3: Longworth House Office Building, 1605, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-3452

Alex Mooney, WV-2: Rayburn House Office Building, 2440, Washington, DC 20515, Tel: (202) 225-2711

source:

News 5 WKRG, Republican lawmakers protest democrats’ closed door impeachment hearing, WKRG Staff, Oct 23, 2019 https://www.wkrg.com/national/republican-lawmakers-protest-democrats-closed-door-impeachment-hearing/

Axios, 13 Republicans involved in impeachment protest already have access to hearings, Ursula Perano, Oct 27, 2019 https://www.axios.com/house-republicans-scif-impeachment-inquiry-67cf94d5-b2be-4420-ab4c-0582eb1369ef.html

The Hill, White House: Trump 'happy' to see GOP storm impeachment hearing, Oct 24, 2019 https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/467255-white-house-trump-happy-to-see-gop-storm-impeachment-hearing

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American Campaign: Trumps Unpaid Rally Bills

At least 10 cities have been left holding the bill for services provided by local police and fire departments following Trumps Rallies, now totaling more than $840,000.

Records show the Trump campaign has failed to pay numerous local officials for security assistance during his Make America Great Again rallies. See Below

This pattern reflects decades of accusations by private contractors, companies, and former employees who have claimed that Trump has failed to compensate them for their work. There have been at least 60 lawsuits and more than 200 liens against Trump and his companies for failing to pay for work done.

Failure to pay their bills should come as surprise being that the campaign and the RNC have raised more than $308 million in 2019.

Trump’s Unpaid Rally Bills

El Paso, Texas on Feb. 11, 2019: $470,417.05

Tucson, Ariz. on March 19, 2016: $81,837.00

Spokane, Wash. on May 7, 2016: $65,124.69

Mesa, Ariz. on Oct. 19, 2018: $64,467.56

Eau Claire, Wis. on Apr. 2, 2016: $47,398.00

Eau Claire, Wis. on Apr. 2, 2016: $47,398.00

Erie, Pa. on Oct. 10, 2018: $35,129.27

Lebanon, Ohio on Oct. 12, 2018: $16,191.00

Green Bay, Wis. on Aug. 5, 2016: $9,380.00

Burlington, Vt. on Jan. 7, 2016: $8,464.27

Total in Unpaid Bills: $841,219.84

source:

Dave Levinthal, Why The Trump Campaign Won’t Pay Police Bills, June 13, 2019 https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-police-cities-bills-maga-rallies/

Politico, Unpaid bills pile up in Trump rallies’ wake, Anita Kumar and Quint Forgey, October 08, 2019 https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/08/trump-rallies-unpaid-bills-039631

USA Today, Hundreds allege Donald Trump doesn’t pay his bills, Steve Reilly, April 25, 2018 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/06/09/donald-trump-unpaid-bills-republican-president-laswuits/85297274/

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Origins of Life: Lab Made Pathway to RNA

New study results have demonstrated a chemical pathway that could have led to the building blocks of RNA, the key to evolution of living organisms on earth.

The RNA world hypothesis predicts that life started with RNAs that were able to (self-)recognize and replicate. Through a process of chemical evolution, a complex RNA and later RNA–peptide and protein world supposedly evolved, from which life ultimately emerged.

Abstract

Theories about the origin of life require chemical pathways that allow the formation of life’s key building blocks under prebiotically plausible conditions. Complex molecules like RNA must have originated from small molecules whose reactivity was guided by physico-chemical processes. RNA is constructed from purine and pyrimidine nucleosides, both of which are required for accurate information transfer, and thus Darwinian evolution. Separate pathways to purines and pyrimidines have been reported, but their concurrent syntheses remain a challenge. We report the synthesis of the pyrimidine nucleosides from small molecules and ribose, driven solely by wet-dry cycles (graphic). In the presence of phosphate-containing minerals, 5′-mono- and diphosphates also form selectively in one-pot reactions. The pathway is compatible with purine synthesis, allowing the concurrent formation of all Watson-Crick bases.

source:

Unified prebiotically plausible synthesis of pyrimidine and purine RNA ribonucleotides, Sidney Becker, Jonas Feldmann, Stefan Wiedemann, Hidenori Okamura, Christina Schneider, Katharina Iwan, Antony Crisp, Martin Rossa, Tynchtyk Amatov, Thomas Carell, Oct 4, 2019 https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6461/76

Nature Education, Discovery of DNA Structure and Function: Watson and Crick, Leslie A. Pray, Ph.D., 2008 https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/discovery-of-dna-structure-and-function-watson-397/

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American Whistleblower: The Declassified Complaint

The nine-page declassified version of the whistleblower complaint over President Trump’s conversations with Ukrainian was made public on September 26th. The complaint alleges that Trump is “using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 U.S. election.”

source:

https://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/20190812_-_whistleblower_complaint_unclass.pdf

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Climate Change: Oceans in Danger

A new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (United Nations) found increasing risks to important marine ecosystems with rising temperatures, oxygen levels in decline, and acidity levels on the rise. Fish populations are dropping, sea levels are rising, and warmer ocean waters threaten to fuel ever more powerful tropical cyclones and floods.

The report was written by 104 international experts from 36 counties and combines 7,000 studies, resulting in the most extensive look at effects of climate change on oceans, ice sheets, mountain snowpack and permafrost to date.

Key Take Aways

Carbon emissions from human activities are causing ocean warming, acidification, and oxygen loss with some evidence of changes in nutrient cycling and primary production. The warming ocean is affecting marine organisms at multiple trophic levels, impacting fisheries with implications for food production and human communities. Concerns regarding the effectiveness of existing ocean and fisheries governance have already been reported, highlighting the need for timely mitigation and adaptation responses.

Marine heatwaves, periods of extremely high ocean temperatures, have negatively impacted marine organisms and ecosystems in all ocean basins over the last two decades, including critical foundation species such as corals, seagrasses and kelps.

Multiple datasets and models show that the rate of ocean uptake of atmospheric CO2 has continued to strengthen in the recent two decades in response to the increasing concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere.

There is a growing consensus that the open ocean is losing oxygen overall with a very likely loss of 0.5 to 3.3% between 1970-2010 from the ocean surface to 1000 m

Ocean warming has contributed to observed changes in biogeography of organisms ranging from phytoplankton to marine mammals, consequently changing community composition, and in some cases, altering interactions between organisms.

Fisheries catches and their composition in many regions are already impacted by the effects of warming and changing primary production on growth, reproduction and survival of fish stocks.

Coastal ecosystems are observed to be under stress from ocean warming and sea level rise that are exacerbated by non-climatic pressures from human activities on ocean and land

Coastal and near-shore ecosystems including saltmarshes, mangroves, and vegetated dunes in sandy beaches have a varying capacity to build vertically and expand laterally in response to sea-level rise.

Anthropogenic climate change has increased precipitation, winds and extreme sea level events associated with a number of observed tropical- and extra-tropical cyclones.

Anthropogenic climate change may have contributed to a poleward migration of maximum tropical cyclone intensity in the western North Pacific in recent decades related to anthropogenically-forced tropical expansion.

Both paleoclimate and modern observations suggest that the strongest El Niño and La Niña events since the pre-industrial have occurred during the last fifty years.

source:

IPCC, Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, August 2019  https://www.ipcc.ch/srocc/home/