Category Archives: News to use

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

Oshkosh bar owner in ICU with coronavirus angry with Trump over crisis

The owner of a beloved Oshkosh bar is in the ICU with COVID-19 and is angry with the president over not acting sooner to control a pandemic that has now infected his family.

Source: Oshkosh bar owner in ICU with coronavirus angry with Trump over crisis

Herd immunity: Scientists say Trump-endorsed COVID strategy is deadly

But now it appears that Miller never left the FDA. She’s still at the regulatory agency and has since been given a new—perhaps more prestigious—title. And as before, she is causing problems for the agency.

Miller is now the senior advisor to the chief of staff at the FDA. As an FDA employee, she has publicly promoted an unapproved drug as being “like a cure” for COVID-19 on Twitter. Her tweets support unproven and potentially dangerous statements from President Trump and may violate FDA regulations. The drug she promoted is currently being reviewed by the FDA for emergency use, raising concerns about the agency’s impartiality.

Though Miller’s Twitter account has been altered in recent days to remove her title at the FDA and any connection to the agency, she is still listed on the FDA’s website. The website does not list her new or old title, however.

Source: Herd immunity: Scientists say Trump-endorsed COVID strategy is deadly

OAN reporter fired from FDA appointment is still at FDA, flouting rules | Ars Technica

But now it appears that Miller never left the FDA. She’s still at the regulatory agency and has since been given a new—perhaps more prestigious—title. And as before, she is causing problems for the agency.

Miller is now the senior advisor to the chief of staff at the FDA. As an FDA employee, she has publicly promoted an unapproved drug as being “like a cure” for COVID-19 on Twitter. Her tweets support unproven and potentially dangerous statements from President Trump and may violate FDA regulations. The drug she promoted is currently being reviewed by the FDA for emergency use, raising concerns about the agency’s impartiality.

Though Miller’s Twitter account has been altered in recent days to remove her title at the FDA and any connection to the agency, she is still listed on the FDA’s website. The website does not list her new or old title, however.

Source: OAN reporter fired from FDA appointment is still at FDA, flouting rules | Ars Technica

DOJ Argues Trump Lied About Declassifying Russia Documents | Law & Crime

“The President has the authority to declassify documents that are otherwise currently and properly classified. The President has not exercised this authority with respect to any of the FD-302s remaining at issue in this case,” the DOJ wrote in its opposition motion to the news organizations, referring to FBI witness interview notes.

“The Court cannot infer that any such sweeping order exists based on the President’s Twitter statements because they merely suggest that the President ‘authorized’ the ‘declassification’ of unspecified information. The Twitter statements do not refer to any specific document and do not indicate that the President was exercising his Constitutional authority to declassify specific information. They were not an order to declassify particular material.”

Source: DOJ Argues Trump Lied About Declassifying Russia Documents | Law & Crime

Massachusetts’ Republican governor ‘cannot support Donald Trump for president’

Massachusetts’ Republican governor is diverging from his party this election cycle.

In a Wednesday statement, Gov. Charlie Baker declared through a spokesperson that he “cannot support Donald Trump for president” and will “leave the election analysis to the pundits.”

Source: Massachusetts’ Republican governor ‘cannot support Donald Trump for president’

Young People Are Stepping Up to Be Poll Workers – The New York Times

Though many areas are still in search of additional poll workers, the need is far less than what was expected, said Bob Brandon, the president and chief executive of the Fair Elections Center, a voting rights organization. Activist groups like Power the Polls have drafted hundreds of thousands of poll workers using social media like Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok and working with online influencers in an effort to spur interest among young people.

Why Is Facebook Giving Pro-Vaccine Groups Such a Hard Time? – Mother Jones

Facebook seems to be taking the position that posts from Vaccinate Your Family are opinions about a controversial topic, rather than science-based public health information. Evidence overwhelmingly supports routine vaccination. Without this important tool, public health experts warn, we could quickly return to the era when communicable diseases like measles and whooping cough killed people.

Pisani is still waiting for answers from Facebook on why Vaccinate Your Family’s comments were turned off. In the meantime, she worries that people who find her group will not be able to ask questions or connect with others. It’s a bad time to limit information about vaccines: Since the beginning of the pandemic, rates of routine childhood vaccination have declined precipitously. Meanwhile, anti-vaccine groups on Facebook have combined with anti-mask activists, spreading their ideas to new communities.

Source: Why Is Facebook Giving Pro-Vaccine Groups Such a Hard Time? – Mother Jones

Navy SEAL who says he killed bin Laden pushes back after Trump amplifies unfounded claims operation was a hoax | TheHill

“Very brave men said goodby to their kids to go kill Osama bin Laden. We were given the order by President Obama. It was not a body double,” O’Neill wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

Trump earlier on Tuesday retweeted an account linked to the QAnon conspiracy theory that promoted the unfounded allegation that bin Laden still lives.

The account has since been suspended, but Trump on Wednesday also retweeted a video pushing baseless claims about bin Laden’s death.

Source: Navy SEAL who says he killed bin Laden pushes back after Trump amplifies unfounded claims operation was a hoax | TheHill