Greene County Democrat

Category: history

  • Newswire : Obama’s White House visit stirs laughter, memories and new health care proposal

    Obama with Biden and Harris

    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    With the style, grace, and humor that personified his two terms in office, former President Barack Obama returned to the White House to help celebrate the Affordable Care Act and help announce plans to strengthen his signature law which many refer to as Obamacare.
“It’s good to be back at the White House,” Obama declared, much to the delight of an overflow crowd of reporters and onlookers in the East Room.
With President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris standing alongside him, Obama referred to the current commander-in-chief as “Vice President Biden.”
That brought laughter from all, including Biden, who would later jokingly declare, “My name is Joe Biden, and I’m Barack Obama’s vice president.”
Of course, Biden served as vice president under Obama from 2008 to 2017.
Donald Trump took the reigns from January 2017 to January 2021.
“It feels like the good old days – being here with you brings back so many good memories,” Biden declared.
It marked the first time Obama had visited 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue since leaving office.
“I confess, I heard some changes have been made by the current president since I was last here,” Obama remarked. “Apparently, Secret Service agents have to wear Aviator glasses now. The Navy mess has been replaced by a Baskin-Robbins. And there’s a cat running around, which I guarantee Beau and Sunny would have been very unhappy about,” he continued, in reference to the president’s dogs.

    Turning serious, Obama reflected on celebrating 12 years of the Affordable Care Act. “It’s an example of why you run for office in the first place,” Obama asserted.
“We’re not supposed to do this just to occupy a seat or to hang on to power. We’re supposed to do this because it’s making a difference in the lives of the people who sent us here.”
Biden said the Affordable Care Act had been called a lot of things.
“But Obamacare is the most fitting,” he declared.
The President vowed to expand access to health care by proposing a change to Obamacare that would allow more eligibility for premium tax credits. “Once today’s proposed rule is finalized, starting next year, working families in America will get the help they need to afford full family coverage,” Biden said.
“With this change, it’s estimated that 200,000 presently uninsured Americans are going to gain coverage. Nearly one million Americans will see their coverage become more affordable.”
Under the President’s plan, families would receive tax credits if the cost of their coverage exceeds more than 10 percent of their incomes.
The U.S. Treasury Department said the change would allow 200,000 uninsured individuals to gain coverage while more than 1 million others would realize lower premium payments.
“Thanks to the landmark American Rescue Plan, ACA premiums are at an all-time low, while enrollment is at an all-time high,” the administration said in a Fact Sheet.
“Four out of five Americans can find quality coverage for under $10 a month, and families are saving an average of $2,400 on their annual premiums — $200 in savings every month back to families.”
    
The Fact Sheet continued:
“The Administration has lowered costs and increased enrollment to a record high of 14.5 million Americans—including nearly 6 million who newly gained coverage.
“With the addition of Missouri and Oklahoma, two states that expanded Medicaid last year, nearly 19 million low-income Americans are enrolled in the ACA’s Medicaid expansion coverage, adding up to a record nearly 80 million children, pregnant women, seniors, people with disabilities, and other low-income Americans covered by Medicaid.”
The administration said it’s seeking to fix the “family glitch” in the ACA law.
“Under the ACA, people who do not have access to ‘affordable’ health insurance through their jobs may qualify for a premium tax credit to purchase affordable, high-quality coverage on the ACA’s health insurance marketplaces,” administration officials stated.
“Current regulations define employer-based health insurance as ‘affordable’ if the coverage solely for the employee, and not for family members, is affordable, making family members ineligible for a premium tax credit even though they need it to afford high-quality coverage through the Marketplace.”
The officials added that for family members of an employee offered health coverage through an employer, the cost of that family coverage can sometimes be prohibitive and make health insurance out of reach.
The “family glitch” affects about 5 million people and has made it impossible for many families to use the premium tax credit to purchase an affordable, high-quality Marketplace plan, officials stated.
Biden’s proposal reportedly would require some time before taking effect. Thus the goal is for it to begin in January.
Administration officials said more than 14.5 million people purchased ACA marketplace plans this winter.
That number included 6 million who purchased health insurance for the first time.

  • GREENE COUNTY CHAPTER OF ADC ENDORSES CANDIDATES FOR THE MAY PRIMARIES

    Eutaw, Alabama- The Greene County Chapter of the Alabama Democratic Conference held their endorsement meeting on Tuesday, April 12, 2022. Members voted on candidates seeking endorsement from local districts. The meeting was conducted by the executive officers where Beverly Gordon is the local Chair. The following candidates were endorsed:

    Greene County Board of Education Dist. 1: Carol Zippert;

    Greene County Board of Education Dist. 2: Tameka King;

    Greene County Commission Dist. 1: Garria Spencer;

    Greene County Commission Dist. 4 Allen Turner;

    Greene County Commission Dist. 5 Marvin Childs

     Greene County Sheriff, Jimmie L. Benison.

  • COVID-19

    As of April 11, 2022, at 10:00 AM
    (According to Alabama Political Reporter)

    Alabama had 1,297,091 confirmed cases of coronavirus,
    (1,623) more than last week with 19,379 deaths (89) more
    than last week)

    Greene County had 1,869 confirmed cases, (1) more cases than last week), with 48 deaths

    Sumter Co. had 2,575 cases with 51 deaths

    Hale Co. had 4,714 cases with 105 deaths

    Note: Greene County Physicians Clinic has testing and vaccination for COVID-19; Call for appointments at 205/372-3388, Ext. 142; ages 5 and up.

     

     

  • Newswire: Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals allows Federation to intervene in lawsuit filed by white farmers to block USDA $4 billion debt relief program for BIPOC farmers

    East Point, GA — The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund (“Federation”) is pleased to announce that on March 22, 2022, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit unanimously ruled to allow the Federation to intervene in the Miller v. Vilsack class action lawsuit currently pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

    The Miller vs. Vilsack case is a consolidated class action lawsuit by white farmers to stop the Secretary of Agriculture from implementing Section 1005 of the American Rescue Plan which provided $4 billion of loan relief to “socially disadvantaged applicants” most of whom were Black, Indigenous and Other People of Color (BIPOC) farmers.

    The lower Court had denied the Federation’s Motion to Intervene. The Federation, represented by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, Public Counsel and Winston-Strawn LLP, appealed the decision and the Appellate panel of Judges agreed with the Federation’s right to intervene in the matter.

    Judges Southwick, Haynes, and Higginson wrote that the Federation’s interests are relevant to the case since any evidence of on-going or current race-based discrimination by USDA could be relevant to proving a “compelling governmental interest” in implementing the debt relief program. As a result, the lower Court’s denial of the Federation’s Motion to Intervene was overturned and returned to Judge O’Connor to allow the Federation to intervene as a party to the class action litigation.

    Executive Director Cornelius Blanding was encouraged by the Court’s ruling stating, “The USDA’s Administration, under Secretary Vilsack’s leadership, has consistently expressed a commitment to racial equity. Working together as co-defendants of the constitutionality of the debt relief program will strengthen our shared goal of seeing the program fully implemented as originally announced.”

    The case will be sent back to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas to allow the Federation to formally enter the litigation as co-defendants with the USDA.

    “This is a critical decision,” advised Dania Davy, Director of Land Retention and Advocacy, “For the first time since these lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of Section 1005 of the American Rescue Plan started to be filed, this Appellate Court was the first to seriously consider the devastating impact of the delayed implementation of the debt relief program on our member-farmers. By guaranteeing the Federation’s right to intervene, the Court ensured that the on-going, race-based discrimination our member-farmers continue to face can be entered as evidence in the litigation which will significantly strengthen the defense of this program’s constitutionality.”

    The Department of Justice, on behalf of Secretary Vilsack, has continued its defense of the debt relief program and filed its Motion for Summary Judgement asking the Judge to allow the program to be implemented without a lengthy trial.

    The Federation will not only continue to defend the Emergency Debt Relief for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers through this litigation, but will also continue to work with the USDA, the Federation’s legal counsel, partners, and coalitions to protect our member-farmers who should have received this debt relief last year from the looming threat of foreclosure and land loss.

  • ‘Water grab’ by profit seeking corporations starve African lands of vital resource, says report by Oakland Institute

    Cover page of Oakland Institute report

     


    Mar. 28, 2022 (GIN) – In anticipation of Earth Day on April 22, a blistering new study has emerged on the escalating climate crisis in Africa and the threat to water for millions of Africans.
     
    Large-scale agricultural plantations have been drying up African lands, according to the California-based Oakland Institute in its newly-published report released on the eve of the Forum Alternatif Mondial de ‘Eau (FAME 2022) in Dakar, Senegal. The report sounds the alarm on a corporate water grab and calls for urgent action.
     
    Researchers over the years have noted with concern the growing number of international investors profiteering from large-scale agricultural projects across Africa.  “Financial flows going into agriculture are growing more and more institutionalized – and more and more private,” wrote the international nonprofit “Grain” in an article titled: “Barbarians at the Barn: private equity sinks its teeth into agriculture”.
     
    “To be sure,” says Grain, “investing in agriculture has been going on since time immemorial. But since the mid 2000s, institutional investment in agriculture has really taken off.
     
    “From seven agriculture-focused funds in 2004 to more than 300 today, the interest in capturing profits from farming and agribusiness on a global scale is real – and Covid-19 is not slowing things down.”
     
    While governments justify granting access to land and water to investors to meet the needs of development and food security, a review of 15 large-scale agriculture projects across 11 African countries exposes the impact to be just the opposite,” Oakland Institute found.
     
    “Projects have often led to the loss of streams and swamps — diverted or destroyed to establish plantations. The intensive use of chemicals and pesticides has not only polluted water sources, but also led to the loss of drinking water, crops, fish, and pastures. This disproportionately impacts women, who also bear the burden of collecting water,” they said.
     
    “Investors typically want reliable access to water sources,” said Frédéric Mousseau,  author of the report “Drying Out African Lands: Expansion of Large-Scale Agriculture Threatens Access to Water in Africa” and Oakland Institute’s policy director. “While they enjoy extensive freedom to use the land along with unlimited, cheap or free access to water, their promises of development, infrastructure, and services to the communities fail to materialize,” Mousseau said.
     
    Lack of irrigation in Africa is a major factor holding back agricultural production and food security. When irrigation infrastructure is established, it benefits private firms for large-scale agriculture — often for export crops — instead of local farmers and communities.
     
    “People living in drought stricken lands are severely impacted by large-scale irrigation projects that reduce available pastures, as fences and canals cut through traditional routes of people and livestock,” the Institute found.
     
    Also highlighted in the report is the role of the World Bank and other financial institutions which have been guiding African governments to grant investors large plots of land and favorable water access for their large-scale projects. Tens of millions of acres of land and “underutilized” water resources are being sold off despite the devastating impact of these projects on local communities.
     
    “This report sounds the alarm on the dire threat these large-scale agriculture projects pose to the water usage rights that family farmers, fishermen, and pastoralists have informally held for centuries,” said Leonard Shang-Quartey, Regional Coordinator of FAME 2022.
     
    “Access to water is a basic human right,” he said, “which has to be preserved and prioritized over granting resources to corporations that have a long track record of social and environmental devastation.” 

  • Newswire : Biden Administration focuses money on HBCUs after bomb threats

    George Washington Carver Museum on campus of Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama

    By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor

    Shifting funds from the Department of Education to assist Historically Black Colleges and Universities experiencing sporadic bomb threats, several top officials in the Biden Administration spoke out. Over the last two months repeated bomb threats have been made against several HBCUS including Morgan State, and  Howard University.
    On March 16, in a small auditorium at the Old Executive Office Building next door to The White House, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Attorney General Merrick Garland spoke on the plan. The allocations, coming from existing money from the Department of Education budget, comes to about $150,000 per school.
    HBCUS have received a record amount of funding from the federal government over the last year into the billions.
    “At the Justice Department, we believe the time to address illegal threats is when they are made, not after tragedy strikes. We also know that the threat against HBCUs and their students has deep, historical roots… In the over 150 years since the founding of the Department, the threats posed by hate-fueled criminal acts have taken on many different forms. But our task remains the same: to use our resources and our legal authorities to prevent and confront bias-motivated violence and threats of violence,” the Attorney said in front of education officials, reporters and supporters of HBCUs.
    Black Press USA asked Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Joyce Beatty (D-OH) and Senior Advisor Cedric Richmond about the historic allocations.
    “If you look at our Administration, if you look at what we’re doing we’re making sure we empower our universities. They’ve done great with less for far too long,” Richmond said standing in the White House driveway.
    Members of the CBC received a briefing on the bomb threats from Department of Justice officials in early March. In an era of divisive politics and a former President, Donald Trump, who negatively openly targeted Black members of Congress and cities with large Black populations such as Baltimore and Philadelphia, concerns for HBCUs have remained high.
    “The threats made against our nations Historically Black Colleges and Universities are far from new, and I commend the Administration for finally allocating the necessary attention and resources to HBCUs as we work to end the string of threats and bring the perpetrators to justice,” said Rep. Frederica Wilson in a statement.
    “Our administration is sending a very clear message that intimidation will not stand and we will not be intimidated. We will do everything in our power to protect all our communities from violence and from hate,” said Vice President Harris.
    Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist and the host of the podcast BURKEFILE. She is a political analyst who appears regularly on #RolandMartinUnfiltered. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke

  • Newswire: Judge Jackson’s historic confirmation assured after three GOP Senators say ‘Yes’

    WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 21: U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson listens during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill March 21, 2022 in Washington, DC. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Joe Biden’s pick to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court, will begin four days of nomination hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. If confirmed by the Senate, Judge Jackson would become the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, said out loud on Monday what many may have thought about the Supreme Court nomination hearings where Republicans verbally lynched Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.
    
“Judge Jackson is a better person than me,” Durbin announced.
    
As the committee advanced Jackson’s nomination and, with three Republicans announcing their support for the judge, it’s all but assured that a Black woman will sit for the first time on the highest court in the land.
    
The final tally of 53-47 included GOP Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) expects final confirmation by April 9.
    
“My support rests on Judge Jackson’s qualifications, which no one questions; her demonstrated judicial independence; her demeanor and temperament; and the important perspective she would bring to the court as a replacement for Justice [Stephen] Breyer,” Murkowski said. “She will bring to the Supreme Court a range of experience from the courtroom that few can match given her background in litigation.”
    
On Twitter, Romney announced that Jackson is a “well-qualified jurist and a person of honor” who “more than meets the standard of excellence and integrity.”
    
The most recent committee hearing appeared headed on a spiral toward earlier confirmation sessions when Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who three times had voted to confirm Jackson to other seats, spewed more venom.
    
“[Jackson] is embraced by the most radical people in the Democratic movement to the exclusion of everybody else,” Graham spouted. He also referred to Jackson as an “activist” judge, noting that if the GOP controlled the Senate, she would already have been voted down.
    
“If we get back the Senate and we are in charge of this body, and there [are] judicial openings, we will talk to our colleagues on the other side, but she would not have been before this committee if we were in charge,” Graham railed.
    
However, Durbin praised the nominee’s restraint in the face of unhinged GOP senators who many suggested posed questions that bordered on being racist and obscene. “She stayed calm and collected, showed dignity, grace, and poise. It is unfortunate that some moments in our hearing came to that. But if there’s one positive to take away from these attacks on her, it is that the nation saw the temperament of a good strong person ready to serve on the highest court in the land,” Durbin asserted.
    
As most observers speculated, the Senate Judiciary Committee split down the middle, voting 11-11 along party lines on Jackson’s Supreme Court nomination.

    D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton said while the vote to advance and ultimately confirm Jackson “is historic,” there’s still some emptiness for the District of Columbia.
“D.C., as with every other SCOTUS nominee in history, will have no vote on confirmation even though D.C. and its residents are bound by the court’s rulings,” Norton stated.
    
Still, Jackson’s confirmation remains on pace for a dramatic conclusion either on April 7 or 8.
“We applaud the Senate Judiciary Committee for taking a critical step towards a U.S. Supreme Court that represents our communities and fulfills the promise of equal justice under law,” Wade Henderson, the CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, remarked.
    
“At her hearing, Judge Jackson showed the nation why she will be a justice for all — her years of experience as an even-handed jurist, her brilliance and passion for the law, and her commitment to fairness and to upholding the constitutional rights of all,” Henderson said.
    
“In the face of dishonest attacks and shameful attempts to derail her nomination, Judge Jackson demonstrated her thoughtful judicial temperament and perseverance. She is ready to serve on our highest court, and we call on the full Senate to confirm this distinguished and highly qualified nominee immediately.”
    
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) also praised Jackson. “The NNPA reiterates our strongest support for Judge Jackson to join the U.S. Supreme Court,” Dr. Chavis remarked.
    
“It appears now that the U.S. Senate will do the right thing at the right time with the confirmation of Judge Jackson at a time in our nation where the racial divide has not been closed. Having Judge Jackson on the Supreme Court will at least give Black Americans and other communities of color a strong voice for fairness and equal justice.”

  • CDC and FDA approve second COVID-19
    booster for those over 50 years old

    If you are boosted you are 21 times less likely to die from COVID-19

    On March 30, 2022, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) issued an advisory stating, “In order to maintain the highest level of protection from vaccinations, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized a second booster dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for individuals age 50 and older and certain immunocompromised individuals. 

    The ADPH issued this advisory because, “Protection offered by COVID-19 vaccine decreases over time, and cautions that even in times of low community transmission, the risk for older and immunocompromised persons to become severely ill with COVID-19 is not zero.” 

    The FDA previously authorized a single booster dose for certain immunocompromised individuals following completion of a three-dose primary vaccination series. This action will now make a second booster dose of these vaccines available to other populations at higher risk for severe disease, hospitalization and death. Emerging evidence suggests that a second booster dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine improves protection against severe COVID-19 and is not associated with new safety concerns.

    In a recent briefing, sponsored by Ethnic Media Services (EMS), experts stated that two years into the pandemic, COVID-19 cases have decreased dramatically and 95% of Americans have some immunity either for having been vaccinated or previously infected with the virus.

    However, experts from the Centers for Disease, Control and Prevention (CDC), warned that because it’s unpredictable to know when the next variant or the next pandemic is coming, vaccination remains the most important preventive measure for all age groups.

    Dr. Shannon Stokley DrPH, Co-Lead of the CDC Vaccine Task Force said at the EMS briefing that:

    “We’ve given more than 559 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and that’s three times the amount of vaccine that’s usually given in a flu season. A good majority of that has been mRNA vaccines that have been proven safe and effective at preventing complications from COVID-19, including severe disease, hospitalization, and death.”

    “Currently there are multiple manufacturers that are conducting clinical trials to assess the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine among children younger than five years of age. Once complete, those manufacturers must submit an application to the US Food and Drug Administration. The FDA will then review the data and if there’s good evidence of safety and effectiveness, they will authorize the vaccine under emergency use for children in this age group.”

    “If you’re boosted, you are 21 times less likely to die from COVID-19. So, vaccination remains the most effective and safest way to prevent COVID-19.”

    “Over time you’ll have waning immunity and that is why we’ve been recommending a booster dose of vaccine. What we’re really concerned about there is preventing hospitalization and death. And these vaccines are very good at preventing these severe outcomes.”

    Dr. John T. Brooks, MD, CDC Senior Medical Adviser, added to the EMS briefing the following:

    “BA2 variant represents 35% of circulating variants nationally… There is no evidence that BA2 variant results in more severe disease, nor does it appear to be more likely to evade immune protection. But it does have increased transmission in comparison to the related BA1 variant that circulated in the US peaking during January of 2021.”

    “We’re watching the signals in Western Europe and the UK and then also in parts of Asia. The situation in the US has an important difference from those: we have very high levels of immunity in this country, 95% of Americans have some evidence of either having been vaccinated or previously infected with COVID. We think that’s very high compared to some other places in the world.”

    “We live in one world, and we’re only as safe as a plane ride away. It’s important that we protect everyone in our world community. Untreated COVID-19 infection is the source of new variants. People who are not vaccinated and become infected can become the source of new variants to emerge. These are good reasons to want to provide the vaccine to everyone possible.”

    “This pandemic is not over and we have to be prepared to take care of ourselves and to take care of others. Should there be a resurgence? or should there be another pandemic coming after this one? History has shown us over and over this is not the last one. My message here is to be prepared for the future.”

    Persons in Greene County interested in more information or to make an appointment for a vaccination or a booster, may call the Greene County Public Health Department at 205-372-9316; or the Greene County Physicians Clinic at 205-372-3388, Ext. 4.

  • COVID-19

    As of April 2, 2022, at 10:00 AM
    (According to Alabama Political Reporter)

    Alabama had 1,295,468 confirmed cases of coronavirus,
    (2,960) more than last week with 19,290 deaths (80) more
    than last week)

    Greene County had 1,868 confirmed cases, (2) more cases than last week), with 48 deaths

    Sumter Co. had 2,574 cases with 50 deaths

    Hale Co. had 4,708 cases with 105 deaths

    Note: Greene County Physicians Clinic has testing and vaccination for COVID-19; Call for appointments at 205/372-3388, Ext. 142; ages 5 and up.

  • Newswire: World Trade Organization head predicts food riots in poorer countries due to Ukraine war

    Ngozi Okonjo Iweala

    Mar. 28, 2022 (GIN) – Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, the head of the World Trade Organization, is warning that skyrocketing global food prices as a result of the war in Ukraine could trigger food riots from people going hungry in poor countries.
     
    WTO Director General Okonjo-Iweala urged food-producing countries against hoarding supplies and said it was vital to avoid a repeat of the Covid pandemic, when rich countries were able to secure for themselves the bulk of vaccines.
     
    In an interview with The Guardian of the UK, the WTO director general noted the dependence of many African countries on food supplies from the Black Sea region.
     
    “I think we should be very worried. The impact on food prices and hunger this year and next could be substantial. Food and energy are the two biggest items in the consumption baskets of poor people all over the world,” Okonjo-Iweala said.
     
    “It is poor countries and poor people within poor countries that will suffer the most.”
     
    Okonjo-Iweala, a former Nigerian finance minister, said 35 African countries were dependent on food imported from the Black Sea region, adding that Russia and Ukraine were responsible for 24% of global supplies of wheat.
     
    After being strongly critical of the “vaccine apartheid” that affected Africa during the pandemic, she said WTO member states had to resist the temptation of protecting their own food stocks.
     
    “It is a natural reaction to keep what you have – we saw that with vaccines. But we shouldn’t make the same mistake with food.”
     
    The last time rising food prices sparked food riots was between 2006 and 2008. Protests broke out in developing countries as prices in a wide range of food, oil and other primary commodities increased in dramatic fashion, in some cases more than doubling within a few months. Policymakers were presented with the challenge of simultaneously addressing hunger, poverty, and political instability.
     
    In Africa, food riots swept across the continent, from Egypt and Tunisia in the North, to Burkina Faso and Senegal in the West, and Madagascar and Mozambique in the South.

    The crisis reinforced the extent to which oil and food markets have become highly interdependent, and highlighted the relative inability of national governments and the international community to adequately deal with
    dramatic surges in food prices.
     
    “We must make sure we learn the lessons from vaccines and previous food crises,” Ms. Okonjo-Iweala said. “I am not sure we can fully mitigate the impact of the war in Ukraine because the numbers involved are huge, but we can mitigate some of it.”