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We're all human, aren't we? ― J.K. Rowling,




“The EPA Is Closing An Office That Helps Keep Arsenic Out Of Baby Food” 

It’s a ghastly headline that we should never have to read. But EPA chief Scott Pruitt’s disgraceful decision to eliminate the vital programs that research how toxic chemicals hurt kids is the latest in a long string of attempts to undermine the agency he runs, and allow corporate polluters to profit by endangering our health and our environment.

The EPA's mission is to protect human health and the environment — but Pruitt has his own agenda to prioritize pro-polluter policies above all else. Since day one of his tenure, Pruitt's done everything in his power to:

  • Shred environmental protections like the lifesaving Clean Power Plan and Clean Water Rule. Pruitt even rejected a ban on a nerve gas pesticide that causes neurological damage in children — meaning that the chemical is still being spread on food crops that wind up on our dinner plates. 
  • Strangle the EPA's budget by supporting a plan to gut the agency's funding by 24%. This would all but eliminate essential programs that protect us from dangerous air pollution, oil spills, cancer-causing radiation, and more.
  • Put polluters in charge of the EPA by turning over key policy positions to well-connected insiders from the chemical, coal, oil, and natural gas industries. 
  • Stamp out science by suppressing evidence that makes the case for protecting our health and environment — including stopping some of the EPA's own scientists from publicly addressing the dangers of climate change.
  • Destroy public confidence in the EPA by treating the agency as his own personal fiefdom, while wasting taxpayer dollars on lavish personal extravagances. This unethical and possibly illegal behavior has made him the target of multiple government investigations. 

    Tell President Trump and Congress that Pruitt is unfit to lead the EPA, and should be fired immediately >>

    Thanks for speaking out today.

    Sincerely,
      
    Rhea Suh
    President, NRDC [March 22,2018]



DEMOCRATIC PARTY






TRUMP HYENAS 

(aka Mitch M. & Paul R.)


GOP LEADERS DEFEND MUELLER -- House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) defended special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation but stopped short of calling for legislation to protect him from being fired. Ryan said he's been assured that President Donald Trump won't oust Mueller, whom McConnell lauded as an "excellent appointment." "Democrats seemed momentarily satisfied with the GOP leader's statement after calling on Republicans to do more to protect Mueller," Burgess and Cristiano Lima report.[ POLITICO Huddle, March 21, 2018]



Speaker Paul Ryan and Senator Mitch McConnell still refuse to include protections for DACA recipients or take real action to prevent gun violence and combat climate change, leaving many without security and peace of mind. [Heather Hargreaves, Executive Director  NextGen America, March 21, 2018]



TRUMPARCANA 

MORE TRUMP WOMEN: "Ex-Playboy Model Karen McDougal Sues to Speak on Alleged Trump Affair," by NYT's Jim Rutenberg and Rebecca R. Ruiz: "A former Playboy model who claimed she had an affair with Donald J. Trump sued on Tuesday to be released from a 2016 legal agreement restricting her ability to speak, becoming the second woman this month to challenge Trump allies' efforts during the presidential campaign to bury stories about extramarital relationships. The model, Karen McDougal, is suing The National Enquirer's parent company, which paid her $150,000 and whose chief executive is a friend of President Trump's. ...

"In other potential legal trouble for the president, a Manhattan judge on Tuesday denied a move by Mr. Trump's lawyers to block a defamation suit from Summer Zervos, a former 'Apprentice' contestant. She accused Mr. Trump of sexually harassing her after she appeared on his reality show. He has called her and over a dozen other women who accused him of harassment 'liars.'" http://nyti.ms/2pr0PW7 [POLITICO Playbook, March 21, 2018]


FIRST LADY
MELANIA TRUMP   






MIKE PENCE
U.S. Vice President    

PROTECT THE HOUSE, VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE and HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER KEVIN MCCARTHY's joint fundraising committee, will report it has given out $2.1 MILLION to House Republicans -- a large lump of cash that again solidifies them as a top cash duo for the GOP.
-- PROTECT THE HOUSE is structured so McCarthy and Pence can dole out five-figure sums of cash to GOP candidates of their choosing. In addition to giving $1.1 MILLION directly to candidates, the pair gave another $1 MILLION and change to McCarthy's account, the Great America Committee, McCarthy's PAC and the NRCC.
-- CHECKS RANGED from the $34,000 range to upwards of $56,000. NOTABLE NAMES include Texas Rep. John Culberson, who is facing the toughest race of his career in the Houston area, and Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr, who represents a relatively safe district.
-- WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: The vice president and the House majority leader have rarely worked this closely to raise so much money for such a broad swath of lawmakers. They raised millions in California and New York on two swings this Congress. Money equals power in D.C., and right now, their ability to raise and dole out to lawmakers is unparalleled (except for the speaker). It's a definite show of force by McCarthy -- the No. 2 House Republican -- and a show of loyalty to the chamber by Pence, a former Hill man himself. [POLITICO Playbook, March 21, 2018]


Pence pledges farm bill support: On National Ag Day, Vice President Mike Pence mentioned the farm bill only briefly during remarks at USDA but promised that "we're going to pass a farm bill that delivers for America's farmers just as they work every single day to deliver for us."  [POLITICO's Morning Agriculture, March 21, 2018]



WOMEN’S RIGHTS = HUMAN RIGHTS   













WOMEN







WHITE HOUSE










Prince Albert's quality gives joy that jams coupons right into the discard!

"Flashes such flavor and fragrance into your smoke-system so quick and so friendly-like; tips you to bang away so heartily via jimmy pipe or makin's cigarettes that you feel you must hire-a-hall and sing-a-song that'll be heard from Boston-to-Bombay!

"Prince Albert has won-in-a-walk without offering coupons or premiums. We have preferred to put their cost into quality! And, me-o-my, how smokers have come across and backed our judgment! Every P.A.-pal has wised up to his personal smoke-satisfac­tion that the speedier he opens up his smoke­-throttle the better he likes Prince Albert! For, its quality-flavor and quality-fragrance are right there -- and P.A. won't bite or won't parch, no matter how fast you push it! That's because our exclusive patented proc­ess cuts out bite and parch!

"Might just as well prove this say-so now;­ -- Every puff of Prince Albert has a quality tag tacked to it! Each fire-up goes you one better than the last! P.A. tunes your smokeappetite so cheery you hit a new excuse to fill 'er up again or roll-a-tube-or-two every little once and a while! Quality puts such go-to-it­ness into PRINCE ALBERT.

"Prince Albert has brought thousands of men to know the happiness of the pipe­pastime; it has swung many into the ranks­-of-the-rollers! It will win you on its down­right goodness, due to its quality, if you'll stand-by-for-a-spell and take at 100 per cent what we tell you about P. A., or what smok­ers all over the civilized world will tell you!

"Costs you mighty little to prove our confidence in what Prince Albert certainly can do for your smoke­-content. For, the toppy red bag costs but 5c; the tidy red tin, a dime. Or, take a fall out or the hand­some pound or half-pound tin humidors -- or -- that clever, practical pound crystal-glass humidor with sponge-moistener top that keeps the tobacco in such perfect condition.

"You buy Prince Albert everywhere -- like you find men in all walks of life smoking it -- everywhere!"




WAR ON DRUGS   










RACE




IMMIGRATION






HEALTHCARE

Seven days ago, after weeks of negotiations and deliberation, Congress finally passed a spending bill that keeps the government funded for the entire fiscal year.
We wanted to share a quick read out of what's in this bill now that there is a long-term solution.

Rural communities stand to benefit in a serious way. Lawmakers included an increase of $135 million in rural health care program funding, with much of that going to drug addiction treatment and prevention. They also included investments in telehealth funding to reach patients in more parts of the country.

We've talked to you before about the importance of community health centers. These clinics across the country provide care to millions of people. They'll now receive more than $100 million in additional funds to expand addiction prevention and treatment services.

The spending bill makes a range of smart investments in disease prevention and health care research. It's been a challenging flu season, but Congress voted to expand funding to combat the virus and boost research to develop a universal vaccine. The bill also adds billions of dollars to the budget of the National Institutes of Health, increasing support for medical research of all kinds.

All of these outcomes will help to bolster hospitals, strengthen the health care system at large, and improve medical outcomes for people in your community. And they were only possible because people like you stood up and made your voices heard whenever care was threatened. Lawmakers will continue to debate reforms to the health system. They'll continue eyeing changes to programs like Medicare and Medicaid. They'll talk about pricing for prescription drugs, support for graduate medical education, and funding for hospitals. And we have to be ready for whatever fight comes next.

Pledge right now to continue speaking out to protect patient care?



Thank you (for all you do),

The Coalition to Protect America's Health Care, March 29 , 2018



FROM THE PORCH







BIPARTISANSHIP ON CDM, SORT OF - Democrats said at a joint House committee hearing Tuesday that they wanted to see more progress on a Homeland Security Department program to strengthen federal agency cyber defenses. Their comments, at a hearing of Homeland Security and Oversight subpanels, mirrored Republican complaints about the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program. But Democrats were more willing to point the finger at the Trump administration for some of CDM's sluggishness. In a written statement, top House Homeland Security Democrat Bennie Thompson said agencies needed better training on some of the cybersecurity tools offered through the program, and still need a "full accounting" of devices connected to these networks.

"These obstacles are compounded by the staggering number of cyber vacancies throughout the federal government, both for rank-and-file civil servants, as well as key leadership positions," Thompson added. Rep. Gerry Connolly, a member of the Oversight Committee, said at the hearing that Trump budgets have been insufficient for the program and that has "impeded development." [Morning Cybersecurity, March 21, 2018]



NOTE: The news sources here vary.  Not all sources have the same credibility, but in an effort to share some different perspectives, they are included here.  This compendium itself cannot claim to be unbiased.  Please take into consideration where these different perspectives originate in assessing their value.  Thank you

NOTE: I have no official connection to any organization from which information is shared.. Occasionally, I post informational material and/or an opportunity to donate or join as  a "community service" announcement.  These again are shared for their varying perspectives.

Any books listed are random or topic-related to something else in the post.  Think of these as a "library bookshelf" to browse.  They are shared for informational or entertainment value only, not as being recommended
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