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Agence France-Presse
Joe Biden is suddenly winning
Overcoming Covid and outfoxing the Republicans: Joe Biden's having an unusually good week -- and he won't let Thursday's recession talk spoil his mood.
When the 79-year-old tested positive for the coronavirus last week, it seemed nature had decided to pile in on his already daunting list of manmade woes: highest inflation in four decades, lowest polls of his presidency, and a tiny Democratic congressional majority apparently unable to get anything done.
Fast forward to Wednesday and Biden, declared Covid free by his doctor, emerged from the White House residence to cheers from staff in the Rose Garden. The sun was shining -- literally and politically. […]
Not only did Manchin finally come good, but he cannily announced his move only after Republicans had been lured into voting for the semiconductors bill -- something some of them say they would never have done if they knew the Democrats were about to spring the second, bigger spending package.
Democrats are suddenly on a roll and Biden, even with approval ratings stuck below 40 percent, feels his constant optimism will be proved right.
NBC News
Schumer urges Senate to pass deal with Manchin before August recess
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told fellow Democrats during a closed-door meeting Thursday that he is aiming to pass a major spending bill ahead of the chamber's August recess, according to a Democrat inside the meeting.
Schumer's comments came a day after Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a key moderate, announced his support of the deal. The package includes major investments in drug pricing, as well as provisions to address climate change and taxes on the wealthy — priorities that Democrats "have been fighting to do for decades," Schumer said. […]
Manchin told reporters that he had not spoken with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., about the deal, adding that he was unwilling to nix a revenue-generating provision that would increase taxes on carried interest — a measure she has previously said she opposes. […]
Sinema’s office reiterated that she will not be currently taking a position on the bill…
Vox
What’s in the “game changer” climate bill nobody saw coming
[…] The $369 billion of climate spending in the Inflation Reduction Act that Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced on Wednesday includes funding for clean energy and electric vehicle tax breaks, domestic manufacturing of batteries and solar panels, and pollution reduction.
If the bill’s policies work as intended, it would push American consumers and industry away from reliance on fossil fuels, penalize fossil fuel companies for excess emissions of methane, and inject needed funds into pollution cleanup.
The bill would use tax credits to incentivize consumers to buy electric cars, electric HVAC systems, and other forms of cleaner technology that would lead to less emissions from cars and electricity generation, and includes incentives for companies to manufacture that technology in the United States. It also includes money for a host of other climate priorities, like investing in forest and coastal restoration and in resilient agriculture.
If Democrats pass this bill, which they can do with a simple majority under Senate rules for reconciliation, it would be the single most important legislative step the US has ever taken to combat the climate crisis.
The New York Times
Democrats’ Plan to Fight Inflation May Lower Costs Over Time
[…] Taming inflation has become a top priority for Democrats and Mr. Biden, who has seen his approval rating sink as Americans have faced soaring costs for food, gas, rent and other goods and services. With few policy levers under his immediate control to beat back rapid price gains, Mr. Biden sought to portray the new package as an economic salve that would put money back in consumers’ pocketbooks.
The extent to which the package, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, could alleviate the most rapid price gains in 40 years remains to be seen. But many economists agreed that the tax and other provisions would likely help reduce price pressures somewhat, although the overall effect is likely to be modest and potentially will not be felt for months or years.
The plan centers on nearly $370 billion in tax incentives and spending programs meant to encourage consumers, businesses and electric utilities to switch to lower-emission sources of energy on the road and in electricity generation. It also includes nearly $300 billion in federal spending savings, to be achieved by giving Medicare the power to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices, and money to lower health insurance premiums for 13 million people who get their insurance via the Affordable Care Act.
Mr. Biden said that health savings from those moves would amount to $800 per family per year, and that the energy provisions would bring down family energy bills “by hundreds of dollars.”
Louisville Courier Journal
'Devastating' Eastern Kentucky flooding death toll up to 8 with more likely, homes swept away
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said several deaths have been confirmed and hundreds of families in the commonwealth likely lost their homes as devastating flash flooding swept through Eastern Kentucky overnight Wednesday heading into Thursday morning.
In a press briefing Thursday, Beshear said the region had experienced a "tough night, and maybe an even tougher morning," with more rain in the forecast later in the day. The governor had called a state of emergency, he said, as streets and homes in several counties throughout the region had been flooded after rain hit the eastern portion of the state overnight.
Kenyans.co.ke
Concern as 179 Kenyan Elephants Die in One Year
Elephants in Kenya are facing an even greater risk than poaching. The government raised an alarm over the detrimental impact of climate change - even as it plans to build water pans in National Parks to avoid more deaths.
In an interview with the BBC, Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala revealed that Kenya had lost 179 elephants in the last year due to drought. Balala noted that due to low rainfall, the vegetation which supports elephants in the country has been severely affected and water pans have also dried up. […]
The drought crisis has killed 20 times more elephants than poaching in a year. Elephants had moved to the Tsavo National Park in search of water but the drought led to the death of the big animals.
The Atlantic
The World Needs to Start Planning for the Fire Age
Tens of thousands of people around the world have been evacuated this summer because of wildfires. Fires are burning in Portugal and Italy and Greece and Spain and France (and California and Alaska and Texas). And yet, when it comes to things like planning evacuations, best practices don’t really exist—there’s no book to consult, no checklist to follow.
The reason for this is that wildfire-evacuation research is still in its infancy. “Wildfires only started to emerge as a major disaster in recent years,” Xilei Zhao, a professor in the University of Florida’s Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering, wrote to me over email. Even so, fire experts told me, there’s enough of an understanding now to start creating a playbook, one that could save lives.
“We spent a hundred years developing codes for buildings,” Tom Cova, a geography professor at the University of Utah, told me. “They’re now really good. But for communities [at risk of wildfires], we don’t really have anything.” […]
Having a plan, unfortunately, is no guarantee against tragedy: The city of Paradise, California, flattened into ash by that same fire in 2018, had an evacuation plan, and had even run drills. With big fires, there are limits to what even a lot of preparation can do, Michael John Gollner of UC Berkeley explained to me: “If embers are jumping five miles, hopscotching one after another, that may just not be something we can design for in California.”
AP News
Climate migration growing but not fully recognized by world
Worsening climate largely from the burning of coal and gas is uprooting millions of people, with wildfires overrunning towns in California, rising seas overtaking island nations and drought exacerbating conflicts in various parts of the world.
Each year, natural disasters force an average of 21.5 million people from their homes around the world, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. And scientists predict migration will grow as the planet gets hotter. Over the next 30 years, 143 million people are likely to be uprooted by rising seas, drought, searing temperatures and other climate catastrophes, according to the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report published this year.
Still, the world has yet to officially recognize climate migrants or come up with formalized ways to assess their needs and help them. Here’s a look at climate migration today.
CBC News
James Lovelock, environmental scientist who created Gaia ecology theory, dead at 103
James Lovelock, the environmental scientist whose influential Gaia theory sees the Earth as a living organism gravely imperilled by human activity, has died on his 103rd birthday. […]
The Gaia hypothesis, first proposed in the 1970s, saw the Earth itself as a complex, self-regulating system that created and maintained the conditions for life on the planet. Lovelock said human activity had thrown the system dangerously out of kilter. […]
Initially dismissed by many scientists, the Gaia theory became influential as concern about humanity's effect on the planet grew, not least because of its power as a metaphor.
UPI
Biden: U.S. economy remains strong despite decline in GDP
President Joe Biden said Thursday the U.S. economy is strong and stable with clear signs of progress despite the latest report from the Commerce Department showing a 0.9% decline in gross domestic product.
"Our economy created more than 1 million jobs in the second quarter, the same period as today's GDP report covers," Biden said during remarks prior to hosting a roundtable meeting with business leaders.
He acknowledged slower growth, but said that is required to transition to a stable economy and bring down inflation without letting go of the gains that have been accomplished.
ABC News
24 House Republicans break with leadership, vote with Democrats to pass computer chip bill
Another major legislative win for Democrats came Thursday, when — over Republican objections… — a bipartisan group in the House passed a bill that funds the nation’s science and technology industries with billions to boost domestic production of crucial semiconductor chips and additional research and development.
The bill cleared the chamber in a 243-187 vote… despite late-hour pushes from GOP leadership against the legislation. Twenty-four Republicans joined Democrats in backing the measure, which now heads to the White House for President Joe Biden's signature.
One lawmaker, Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., whose grandfather Irwin Jacobs founded semiconductor manufacturer Qualcomm, voted "present."
“If you want to know who hates this bill, who lobbies against it — the Chinese Communist Party. Why? Because they know it'll help us compete against them," Rep. Mike McCaul of Texas, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a major advocate of the package, told reporters while criticizing fellow Republicans for opposing the bill.
People
The Obamas Will Finally Unveil Their Official White House Portraits This Fall
A long-awaited moment for the Obama family is finally approaching. On Sept. 7, the 44th president and first lady will unveil their official White House portraits, which will hang permanently in the presidential residence.
More than five years after President Barack Obama left office, he and Michelle will return to the White House at the invitation of President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden to reveal the paintings.
The Washington Post
Jan. 6 texts missing for Trump Homeland Security’s Wolf and Cuccinelli
Text messages for … Donald Trump’s acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and acting deputy secretary Ken Cuccinelli are missing for a key period leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, according to four people briefed on the matter and internal emails.
This discovery of missing records for the senior-most homeland security officials, which has not been previously reported, increases the volume of potential evidence that has vanished regarding the time around the Capitol attack.
It comes as both congressional and criminal investigators at the Department of Justice seek to piece together an effort by the president and his allies to overturn the results of the election, which culminated in a pro-Trump rally that became a violent riot in the halls of Congress.
Politico
Jan. 6 committee has a formal path to share investigative material with DOJ, its chair says
The Jan. 6 select committee has formalized a path to share witness transcripts and evidence with the Justice Department [according to] its chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.)…
“We’ve put a template together for sharing information, sharing it with Justice. My understanding is, there’s general agreement on it,” Thompson said.
Agreement on evidence-sharing would mark a significant milestone as the DOJ inquiry into efforts by Donald Trump and others to overturn the 2020 election enters a more public-facing phase.
AP News
House Jan. 6 panel interviews Mnuchin, pursues Trump Cabinet
The House Jan. 6 committee has interviewed former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and is in negotiations to talk to several other former members of Donald Trump’s Cabinet as it scrutinizes the days after the Capitol insurrection and discussions about whether to try and remove the then-president from office.
The negotiations come as the committee was interviewing Trump’s onetime chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, on Thursday. The former South Carolina congressman held that job until 2020 and later was special envoy for Northern Ireland, a post he resigned immediately after the riot on Jan. 6, 2021. […]
The committee asked Mnuchin about discussions among Cabinet secretaries to possibly invoke the constitutional process in the 25th Amendment to remove Trump after the attack on the Capitol, according to one of the people, and is in active talks to interview former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Pompeo is likely to appear in the coming days, the person said.
CNN
Trump DOJ official cooperating with Justice Department's criminal Jan. 6 probe
Former Justice Department staffer Ken Klukowski, who worked with Jeffrey Clark at the agency, is cooperating in the DOJ's January 6 criminal investigation, after investigators searched and copied his electronic records several weeks ago.
"We've been fully cooperating both with the Department of Justice and the Select Committee, and we'll continue with that cooperation," Klukowski's lawyer Ed Greim said in a statement on Thursday. […]
Klukowski's proximity to Clark suggests investigators are seeking more information about the former Justice Department lawyer. Trump had sought to install Clark as attorney general in the days before the January 6 attack on the US Capitol as top officials refused to go along with his vote fraud claims.
The New York Times
2016 Campaign Looms Large as Justice Dept. Pursues Jan. 6 Inquiry
[…] Attorney General Merrick B. Garland is intent on avoiding even the slightest errors, which could taint the current investigation, provide Mr. Trump’s defenders with reasons to claim the inquiry was driven by animus, or undo his effort to rehabilitate the department’s reputation after the political warfare of the Trump years.
Mr. Garland never seriously considered focusing on Mr. Trump from the outset, as investigators had done earlier with Mr. Trump and with Mrs. Clinton during her email investigation, people close to him say. As a result, his investigators have taken a more methodical approach, carefully climbing up the chain of personnel behind the 2020 plan to name fake slates of Trump electors in battleground states that had been won by Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Taxpayers are on the hook for $100,000 after a judge imposes costs in Gableman records case
Taxpayers are footing a nearly $100,000 legal bill after a Dane County judge found Assembly Speaker Robin Vos violated the state's transparency laws by ignoring requests for records related to a review of the 2020 election.
Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn said Thursday the lawsuit brought by the liberal group American Oversight showed the taxpayer-funded election review led by former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman has been fruitless in its goal of rooting out problems with the 2020 election.
The review has cost residents more than $1 million so far and yielded no evidence of fraud. […]
"We have absolutely found out from this case, at least in my case, that there was absolutely no evidence of election fraud," she said. […]
Bailey-Rihn said she was choosing not to award punitive damages because taxpayers were already footing the bill for attorneys' fees.
“I think the people of the state of Wisconsin have been punished enough for this case,” she said.
The Guardian
Russian forces fire barrage of missiles at northern Ukraine from Belarus
A barrage of 25 missiles has been fired by Russian forces at northern regions of Ukraine from neighbouring Belarus as the Ukrainian southern offensive appears to be gathering pace.
The early morning wave of missile strikes launched from the territory of Russia’s key ally hit targets in the Chernihiv region, including an apartment block, as well as locations outside Kyiv and around the city of Zhytomyr, according to Ukrainian officials and Belarusian opposition figures.
The Chernihiv regional governor, Viacheslav Chaus, said nine missiles had struck close to the village of Honcharivska with some falling in the forest nearby.
The Kyiv Independent
Amid brutal Russian occupation, Kherson’s resistance continues through boycott, guerilla operations
[…] Russian tanks rolled into Kherson, a regional capital in southern Ukraine, as well as neighboring towns and villages, from occupied Crimea in early March, about a week after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion on Feb. 24. Kherson Mayor Ihor Kolykhaiev then said that about 300 civilians and soldiers were killed during the days of intense fighting. […]
But no matter how brave, locals couldn’t continue to openly protest. Russian forces used tear gas and stun grenades against them, injuring protesters and spreading fear in the city. The last demonstration in Kherson was held in May, according to local journalist Kostiantyn Ryzhenko.
Russians have also further tightened the grip, kidnapping and jailing opponents to kill the resistance.
Yet it didn’t entirely vanish. It turned into sabotage or moved underground. And when news of Ukraine’s unfolding counter-offensive operation to liberate the south started spreading in June, locals say the underground fight stepped up.
Deutsche Welle
Kyiv counteroffensive 'gathering momentum' — UK intelligence
The UK Ministry of Defence said Ukraine's counteroffensive in Kherson "is gathering momentum," and that its "highly likely" forces have managed to establish a bridgehead south of the Ingulets River.
Ukraine has used "new long range artillery to damage at least three of the bridges across the Dnipro (Dnieper) River which Russia relies up to supply the areas under its control," the ministry said in their latest intelligence briefing… Russia's 49th Army is stationed on the western bank of the Dnieper River and "now looks highly vulnerable."
Kherson city, which is the most significant center controlled by Russia "is now virtually cut off from the other occupied territories," UK officials said.
EuroNews
Sanctions 'catastrophically crippling' Russian economy, study finds Access to the comments
Russia's economy has been "catastrophically crippled" by western sanctions and the mass exodus of international companies, according to a Yale University study.
The research -- which the authors say is the "first comprehensive" analysis of the Russian economy -- found that since the start of the Ukraine war, Russia has taken a devastating hit across multiple metrics.
"Russia has lost companies representing ~40% of its GDP, reversing nearly all of three decades worth of foreign investment," write researchers at the Yale School of Management, adding that this situation has been worsened by an "unprecedented" capital and population flight.
France24
Italy’s Salvini under scrutiny over Russia ties in wake of government collapse
Italian right-wing leader Matteo Salvini's ties with Russia were again under scrutiny Thursday following questions about the run-up to the collapse of Prime Minister Mario Draghi's government.
La Stampa newspaper reported that a diplomat at the Russian embassy met one of Salvini's aides in late May in Rome, and asked if any of the ministers from Salvini's League party intended to resign from Draghi's coalition. […]
Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio on Thursday condemned "this attempt by the Russian side to have the League minister withdraw from Draghi's government". […]
Salvini hit back condemning "fake news"…
The Dallas Morning News
Hungary’s Viktor Orbán denounces race mixing ahead of Dallas CPAC appearance
During a speech in Romania over the weekend, Hungary’s far-right leader Viktor Orbán said he doesn’t want Europeans mixing with people from outside the continent — comments one of his aides compared to Third Reich rhetoric before resigning.
“This is why we have always fought: We are willing to mix with one another, but we do not want to become peoples of mixed race,” said Orbán, who is scheduled to speak in Dallas next week at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Orban also appeared to make light of the Holocaust while discussing plans to reduce natural-gas demand in Europe: “I do not see how it will be enforced — although, as I understand it, the past shows us German know-how on that,” he said. More than 6 million Jews, along with 6 million other minorities deemed by Nazi Germany as “undesirable,” were systemically murdered during the Holocaust.
Huff Post
12-Year-Old Fights West Virginia's Anti-Abortion Bill During Public Hearing
Ninety people, including a 12-year-old girl, spoke about West Virginia’s restrictive abortion bill during a public hearing Wednesday. […]
Speakers at Wednesday’s public hearing were given 45 seconds each. The youngest, a girl who identified herself as 12-year-old Addison Gardner from Buffalo Middle School, gave impassioned remarks against the bill.
“I play for varsity volleyball and I run track. My education is very important to me, and I plan on doing great things in life,” she said. “If a man decides that I’m an object, and does unspeakable, tragic things to me, am I, a child, supposed to carry and birth another child?”
“Am I to put my body through the physical trauma of pregnancy? Am I to suffer the mental implications, a child who had no say in what was being done with my body?” she continued. “Some here say they are pro-life. What about my life? Does my life not matter to you?”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AJC poll: Most voters oppose restrictions on abortion, Georgia’s new ban
Most Georgia voters oppose a new restrictive abortion law that took effect last week, and many say a candidate’s support or opposition to the procedure will have an impact on who gets their vote, according to a new Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll.
The AJC poll gives a glimpse into the thinking of Georgia voters after the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, which for nearly 50 years guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion. That ruling led to a U.S. Appeals Court panel’s decision last week to let the new law go into effect vastly liming abortion in Georgia.
In the poll, about 42% of likely voters said they’re more likely to vote for a candidate who wants to protect abortion rights. About 26% said they’re motivated to vote for candidates who want to limit access to the procedure. About one-quarter said it makes no difference.
NPR News
A Texas teen raises over $700,000 for abortions after Rep. Matt Gaetz mocked her
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz attempted to humiliate a teenage girl after arguing that overweight and unattractive women don't need to worry about getting pregnant or needing abortions. That same girl has since raised over $700,000 for abortion care.
Nineteen-year-old political activist Olivia Julianna thanked Gaetz for his attack, which she credits for the wave of donations, and offered to send him a bouquet of flowers; one for every $100,000 raised. The money is being raised through Gen Z for Change, the nonprofit where Julianna serves as a political strategy specialist, but ultimately will be dispersed evenly to 50 abortion funds across the US. […]
Julianna said she started raising money for abortions funds in response to the public attack.
Indianapolis Star
‘Riddled with inaccuracies': Dr. Caitlin Bernard’s attorney responds to investigation notice
The complaints behind Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita's investigation into an Indianapolis doctor, who terminated the pregnancy of a 10-year-old Ohio girl in a case that cast Indiana into the center of the national abortion debate, are a “nonsensical waste of time" and filled with "inaccuracies," the attorney for Dr. Caitlin Bernard said Thursday.
In a statement, Bernard's attorney said the six consumer complaint investigation notices came from individuals who purportedly reside throughout the U.S. and did not have direct contact with the Indianapolis doctor. For example, the statement noted, the complaint lists a phone number for Bernard as 555-555-5555. […]
“Unfortunately, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita continues to use his office to try and intimidate Dr. Caitlin Bernard," DeLaney said in a statement. "We urge Mr. Rokita to stop wasting taxpayer money and our time on his nonsensical campaign against Dr. Bernard for doing her job as a physician properly and in accordance with the law."
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison won't appeal ruling overturning abortion restrictions
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said his office won't challenge a recent ruling that struck down many state abortion restrictions, including a 24-hour waiting period and informed consent and parental notification requirements.
Ellison's decision comes more than two weeks after a district court judge ruled that many state laws restricting abortion access were unconstitutional, immediately blocking their enforcement. By not appealing, Ellison's move will indefinitely ensure expanded access to abortion in Minnesota, now a haven for the procedure in the Midwest following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
"I must consider the broad public interest in deciding whether to appeal any court outcome, including rulings related to the constitutionality of state laws," Ellison said in a lengthy statement about his decision.
The Texas Tribune
Calling busing of migrants from Texas a “humanitarian crisis,” Washington mayor asks for help from National Guard
Warning that her city’s services have been overwhelmed, the mayor of Washington, D.C., has asked the Biden administration for the National Guard’s help in assisting migrants being bused to the nation’s capital by Texas and Arizona.
Mayor Muriel Bowser, in two letters sent last week to the Department of Defense and the White House, said that she empathizes with the recently arrived people but that the city needs help processing and housing the migrants until they reach their final destinations.
“The pace of the arriving buses and the volume of arrivals have reached tipping points,” Bowser wrote in a July 19 letter to the office of the U.S. secretary of defense. “Our collective response and service efforts have now become overwhelmed.”
Los Angeles Times
Pelosi’s Taiwan visit tests U.S.-China ties as Biden looks to ease tensions with Xi
A congressional trip to Taiwan led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) became the focus of President Biden’s call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday, further underscoring the latest U.S.-China rift that has sent relations to their lowest point in decades.
President Biden used his fifth phone call with Xi since taking office to try to manage the rancor over Pelosi’s planned visit along with a list of tension points that have strained U.S.-China relations, including Beijing’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as economic competition, security and human rights.
The nearly 2½-hour call included a “direct and honest discussion” about Taiwan in which Biden emphasized that the two countries have managed differences over the democratically self-governing island for the last 40 years, and vowed that the U.S. would continue to maintain the status quo under Washington’s “one-China” policy, according to a White House official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.
Stars and Stripes / Bloomberg
USS Ronald Reagan strike group enters South China Sea amid Taiwan tensions
A U.S. aircraft carrier and strike group have entered the South China Sea as part of what the 7th Fleet said was a scheduled operation amid rising tensions with China over a potential Taiwan visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The USS Ronald Reagan, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier, made its way to the disputed waters following a five-day port call to Singapore, departing Changi Naval Base on Tuesday, the US 7th Fleet said in reply to a query from Bloomberg News. The trip follows remarks this week by China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian that Beijing was getting "seriously prepared" for the possibility that Pelosi could visit Taiwan, a self-governing island that China considers part of its territory.
The Independent
‘You just sentenced veterans to death’: Democrats and veterans outraged as GOP senators block burn pits bill
Republican senators have been accused of “sentencing veterans to death” after they blocked the passage of a landmark bill that would finally give US service members sick and dying from toxic exposure to burn pits access to the healthcare that they need.
[…] The bill that had been expected to become law by the end of the week was suddenly derailed by the Republican party.
“This is total bulls***,” shouted Senator Kristen Gillibrand. “They have just sentenced veterans to death.”
On Wednesday, the SFC Heath Robinson Honoring our PACT Act collapsed in the US Senate when dozens of Republicans who previously backed the bill unexpectedly changed their minds and decided to vote against it.
The bill received just 55 of the needed 60 votes to pass a cloture motion on Wednesday, as just eight Republicans voted to move it forward.
Science
The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan was the early epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic
Understanding how severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in 2019 is critical to preventing zoonotic outbreaks before they become the next pandemic. The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China, was identified as a likely source of cases in early reports but later this conclusion became controversial. We show the earliest known COVID-19 cases from December 2019, including those without reported direct links, were geographically centered on this market. We report that live SARS-CoV-2 susceptible mammals were sold at the market in late 2019 and, within the market, SARS-CoV-2-positive environmental samples were spatially associated with vendors selling live mammals. While there is insufficient evidence to define upstream events, and exact circumstances remain obscure, our analyses indicate that the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 occurred via the live wildlife trade in China, and show that the Huanan market was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ars Technica
Gulf Coast tests confirm deadly tropical soil bacterium now endemic to US
For years, health officials in the US noted sporadic, mysterious cases of a foreign bacterial infection, called melioidosis. The infection—which is difficult to diagnose, tricky to treat, and often deadly—was thought to only strike travelers or those who came in contact with contaminated imported goods or animals. Yet, now and then, an American would inexplicably fall ill—no recent travel, no clear links.
Now, health officials have a definitive explanation. And it confirms a dreaded, long-held suspicion: The deadly bacterium is foreign no more. Rather, it's a permanent US resident entrenched in American soil.