Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

GOP group blasts Republicans who promote ‘lies, violence and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories’

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A new ad from an anti-Trump Republican group attacks the former president’s allies in Congress, urging voters to reject some members of a party that peddles “lies, violence and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.”The…

Biden OKs Navajo Nation disaster declaration over spreading COVID-19 – Axios

President Biden declared Wednesday that a major disaster exists for the Navajo Nation over COVID-19 and ordered more federal assistance to fight the pandemic at the nation’s largest Native American reservation.

Why it matters: The Navajo Nation, like many Indigenous communities across the U.S., faces a housing shortage that has forced multiple family members to share small homes and a lack of running water that create the opportunity for superspreader events.

  • COVID-19 has claimed more than 1,000 lives on the Navajo Nation.
  • More than 28,000 cases have been reported on the sprawling reservation of 173,000 people.
  • The virus recently killed former tribal President Albert Hale.

Details: Under the disaster declaration, federal funding is available to the Navajo Nation and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency protective measures.

  • The declaration came after Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez went with Biden officials to request more COVID-19 vaccines and asked for a disaster declaration.

Source: Biden OKs Navajo Nation disaster declaration over spreading COVID-19 – Axios

Biden to house migrant children at Texas facility closed under Trump

In the aftermath of the mass protests across Russia in recent weeks in support of jailed opposition politician Alexey Navalny, a number of protesters in Moscow are serving time in administrative custody. Currently, many of the detainees are being held at a special detention center located in Sakharovo — a village in an area just outside of the Russian capital known as New Moscow. According to multiple reports, police vans carrying detainees have been forced to wait in lines outside of the detention center for hours on end — and the detainees weren’t given food or water while waiting to be processed (they were only allowed out of the van when needed after cajoling the officers transporting them).

“The pandemic requires us to rethink capacity and to be extra cautious about COVID-19 protocol and social distancing, not just in the context of unaccompanied minors but also what processes and staff presence is going to look at a potential facility,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The two other orders signed Tuesday call for placing Trump-era immigration policies under review – rather than outright ending the practices – including the Migrant Protection Protocols, or “remain in Mexico” policy, that forced migrants seeking asylum to wait in Mexico while waiting to plead their case before a judge.

Source: Biden to house migrant children at Texas facility closed under Trump

As Overdose Deaths Surge, White House Takes Steps To Build Drug Policy Team

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Updated at 6:30 p.m. ET President Biden named more of the team that will tackle the addiction crisis on Wednesday while promising a series of policy actions in the first 100 days. The announcement comes as overdose deaths surge to record levels , topping 81,000 fatalities over the past 12 months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Regina LaBelle, a veteran drug policy expert who served in the Obama administration, was named deputy director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). In a statement, LaBelle said “mounting rates of overdose deaths and untreated addiction are significant challenges” especially at a time when the Biden team faces other major crises. LaBelle will lead the White House drug policy team until a permanent ONDCP director is named and confirmed by the Senate. Biden also has yet to name a director of the Food and Drug Administration, but he has named California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to head the Health and Human

Nothing special about it Take a look inside the ‘special’ detention center where arrested pro-Navalny protesters are being held — Meduza

In the aftermath of the mass protests across Russia in recent weeks in support of jailed opposition politician Alexey Navalny, a number of protesters in Moscow are serving time in administrative custody. Currently, many of the detainees are being held at a special detention center located in Sakharovo — a village in an area just outside of the Russian capital known as New Moscow. According to multiple reports, police vans carrying detainees have been forced to wait in lines outside of the detention center for hours on end — and the detainees weren’t given food or water while waiting to be processed (they were only allowed out of the van when needed after cajoling the officers transporting them).  Source: Nothing special about it Take a look inside the ‘special’ detention center where arrested pro-Navalny protesters are being held — Meduza