Politics
What Berkeley Needs is a Non-Violent Containment Squad
Jo Freeman writes: Establishing a non-violent containment squad can't be done by a state agency, such as the University or the police. Too many legal complications. But it could be done by the churches, or by an independent group committed to non-violence. That's how it started in the South. Long before the sit-ins hit the airwaves, students and young people were being trained in non-violence. Some of the people who did that training are still alive, as are many who practiced it. more »
EPA Chief Planning To Scrap an Obama-era Rule to Curb Discharges of Lead, Arsenic and Mercury from Power Plants Into Sources of Drinking Water
In the face of opposition by the power industry, Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt is planning to scrap an Obama-era rule to curb discharges of lead, arsenic and mercury from power plants into sources of drinking water. The Environme… more »
The Center for Investigative Reporting: Trump Administration Suddenly Pulls Plug on Teen Pregnancy Programs
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and other top Trump appointees are outspoken opponents of federal funding for birth control, advocating abstinence rather than contraceptives to control teen pregnancies. Among the programs that lost their funding: the Choctaw Nation’s efforts to combat teen pregnancy in Oklahoma, Johns Hopkins’ work with adolescent Apaches in Arizona, the University of Texas’ guidance for youth in foster care, the Chicago Department of Public Health’s counseling and testing for sexually transmitted infections and the University of Southern California’s workshops for teaching parents how to talk to middle school kids about delaying sexual activity. more »
Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll – August 2017: The Politics of ACA Repeal and Replace Efforts
About 10.3 million people have health insurance that they purchased through the ACA exchanges or marketplaces, where people who don’t get insurance through their employer can shop for insurance and compare prices and benefits. Seven in ten (69 percent) say it is more important for President Trump and Republicans' next steps on health care to include fixing the remaining problems with the ACA in order to help the marketplaces work better, compared to three in ten (29 percent) who say it is more important for them to continue plans to repeal and replace the ACA. more »