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| PENTAGON |
Pentagon Provides List of Projects That Could Have Funding Redirected to Pay for the Border Wall
The Pentagon on Monday provided lawmakers with a list of military construction projects that could be affected by President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the southern border. The list had been requested by lawmakers as part of their effort to oversee the administration’s repurposing of as much as $3.6 billion in military construction funds for border wall construction under Trump’s emergency declaration.
The
list contains $12.9 billion worth of construction projects all over the world that have not yet received contracts, including aircraft hangars, water treatment plants, training facilities, roads and medical facilities. The Pentagon said that some of the project funds would be exempt, including those related to military housing and “military construction projects with FY 2019 award dates.”
The military news site Task & Purpose
said the list, which does not make clear which projects are exempt, was “about as clear as mud.” The site’s article was titled, “Pentagon to Congress: Here's every project that could be used to fund Trump's wall. Or not. We don't even know.”
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), who sits on the Armed Services Committee,
said he hopes the list will inspire lawmakers to override the president’s recent veto of a congressional effort to block his national emergency declaration, though analysts doubt there will be enough votes to do so.
Still, the use of Pentagon construction funds to build the border wall remains a controversial issue, the outcome of which depends in part on budget negotiations in Congress and between lawmakers and the White House. [The Fiscal Times, March 19, 2019]
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| EPA |
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| CLIMATE CHANGE |
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| EDUCATION |
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| HEALTH |
More teens, young adults report experiencing mental health issues
A
nationwide survey of 600,000 people finds an uptick in the number of teens and young adults experiencing mental health problems. Here’s a rundown:
The design: 200,000 people aged 12-17 and 400,000 people aged 18 and over were surveyed at various points between 2005 and 2017 about any psychological distress and depressive episodes they had experienced.
The findings: Researchers found a 50 percent increase in depressive episodes in those 12-17. There was a slightly bigger jump to 63 percent in adults 18-25. That age group also experienced a 70 percent increase in more serious issues, such as suicidal thoughts.
The takeaway: The researchers hypothesize that increased digital media use may be partly to blame for these shifts, but say that more research is needed to to understand technology's role. [STAT: Morning Rounds, March 15, 2019]
Sharp rise in obesity, anemia among adolescents worldwide
Nearly a billion young people across the world are living in countries where they face multiple health burdens, a jump of more than 250 million from nearly two decades ago,
according to new research. Here’s a rundown of the study:
The design: The authors looked at changes across 195 countries between 1990 and 2016 for a dozen health indicators, including rates of obesity, anemia and infectious disease.
The findings: Adolescent obesity more than doubled to nearly 325 million people, while the rate of anemia also climbed 20 percent. However, 38 million fewer adolescents smoked in 2016 than in 1990.
- The takeaway: “Despite improvements in many settings, the adolescent health challenge is greater today than it was 25 years ago,” the study authors write. [STAT: Morning Rounds, March 13, 2019]
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| READ |
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| THE NETHERLANDS |
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| SAUDI ARABIA |
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| VIETNAM |
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| VENEZUELA |
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| CHINA |
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| DAILY TAKE AWAY |
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.
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