It’s shaping up to be another hot Florida summer. Among the most vulnerable are those with the least resources for dealing with the heat: underserved communities and communities of color, who often are excluded from environmental and climate protections. That includes the state’s more than 150,000 farmworkers, who are responsible for raising the food that nourishes us. Jeannie Economos is a…
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On Wednesday, Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear sent a letter to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), formally asking him to provide direct updates on his current health. McConnell, 84, was reportedly found unconscious at his home on June 14. Unconfirmed reports indicate that he suffered from cardiac arrest and that first responders performed CPR on him when they arrived. He has remained in…
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A heat wave is spreading across the U.S. this week that will affect over 250 million people from the Midwest to the East Coast. Last week, a heat dome covered much of Europe, causing over 1,300 excess deaths. This week, a new heat dome is bringing record-shattering heat to two thirds of the U.S. population, affecting areas that normally do not see such high temperatures.
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“Why are they doing women like this? Are we the weaker sex?” Mishunda Davis told Truthout in a call from Logan Correctional Center, Illinois’s largest women’s prison. In 2022, the state passed legislation making menstrual products free for anyone incarcerated in Illinois prisons. Despite the law, Davis and others run out each month. Menstrual care — or the lack of it — gets little attention…
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When we think about the many officials in the Trump administration who hold positions of power and authority despite their backgrounds and lack of qualifications, we tend to focus on high-profile figures, such as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, among others.
But just below this level is another group of officials in key positions. Their names might not be immediately recognizable to most Americans, but they have important responsibilities despite their backgrounds and lack of qualifications.
Marty Makary, for example, recently left his position as the head of the Food and Drug Administration, leading a young Florida lawyer named Kyle Diamantas to serve as the acting FDA commissioner. As Rolling Stone noted, Diamantas, who has no medical background, is perhaps best known for being hunting buddies with Donald Trump Jr., before he took on a role helping lead the administration’s food safety program.
There are countless related examples — the teleportation guy leading the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Office of Response and Recovery also comes to mind — though another unexpected one emerged last week when we learned more about Dr. Brian Christine, one of the top public health officials in charge of infectious disease policy.
Though Christine, who came highly recommended by Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, is not well known nationally, he recently spoke at the Trump administration’s press conference on the U.S. response to the hantavirus outbreak.
Viewers probably didn’t fully appreciate why Christine was a provocative choice to speak on behalf of the administration. CNN reported:
Before he joined the Trump administration last year, Christine was
Speaking to reporters in the White House on Tuesday, President Donald Trump was asked about the potential spread of hantavirus in the U.S., following the return of over a dozen Americans who were on a cruise liner where the virus had infected multiple people. The question specifically asked about infectious disease experts expressing concern regarding the lack of an adequate government…
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