The Greene County Democrat

Category: Newswire

  • Newswire : Biden Administration secures historic victory in Medicare drug price negotiations, projected to save billions

    By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent


    In a move hailed as a significant win for seniors, the Biden administration announced it has successfully negotiated substantial price reductions for 10 of Medicare’s most expensive and widely used prescription drugs. The result of intense negotiations with pharmaceutical giants, the move is expected to deliver billions in savings for both U.S. taxpayers and millions of older Americans who rely on these medications to manage chronic and life-threatening conditions.
    The White House revealed that the newly negotiated prices could save U.S. taxpayers a staggering $6 billion. In comparison, Medicare beneficiaries are projected to save an estimated $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs during the first year of implementation. The price cuts are a direct outcome of the Inflation Reduction Act, a legislative victory that has empowered the federal government to negotiate drug prices directly with manufacturers for the first time in history.
    Dramatic Price Reductions Across Critical Medications

    The impact of these negotiations will be felt across a range of critical medications, including drugs that treat heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other severe conditions. Among the most notable price reductions:
    Eliquis, a blood thinner from Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer, will drop its price from $521 to $231—a nearly 60% reduction.
    Imbruvica, a blood cancer treatment from AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson, will be reduced from $14,934 to $9,319, with a monthly savings of more than $5,600.
    Januvia, a diabetes medication from Merck, will now cost $113, down from $527—a 75% reduction.

    The price changes, which will take effect in 2026, represent a seismic shift in Medicare’s interaction with the pharmaceutical industry, marking a new era of accountability and affordability.
    A Landmark Moment for Medicare
    “This is a historic moment,” declared Neera Tanden, White House domestic policy adviser, during a press call. “For the first time, we are harnessing the power of Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, and millions of seniors and others on Medicare will soon see their drug costs go down on some of the most common and expensive drugs.”
    Medicare, which currently insures over 65 million Americans, has long been barred from negotiating drug prices. Officials said this restriction left millions of seniors grappling with skyrocketing prescription costs, but the Biden administration’s successful negotiation represented a dramatic reversal of the status quo and a significant step toward making healthcare more affordable.
    The Inflation Reduction Act, which officials said made the negotiations possible, also includes other critical provisions to reduce healthcare costs, such as capping insulin prices at $35 per month and placing an annual cap on out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries.

    Strong Leadership and Continued Commitment

    Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who played a vital role in the negotiations, described the process as “intense,” noting that it required “hard-nosed bargaining” to secure these deals. Vice President Kamala Harris called the agreement “life-changing” for millions of Americans and said it reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to continuing the fight against Big Pharma’s “price-gouging practices.”
    “For years, millions of Americans were forced to choose between paying for medications or putting food on the table, while Big Pharma blocked Medicare from being able to negotiate prices on behalf of seniors and people with disabilities. But we fought back—and won,” President Biden added.
    Officials said the administration has already set its sights on expanding these negotiations. In 2025, the administration plans to negotiate prices for up to 15 additional drugs under Medicare Part D, with more to follow in subsequent years.
    A Turning Point for American Healthcare
    White House officials said the move signals a new era in which the federal government can take on powerful pharmaceutical interests and deliver actual savings to millions of people who need it most.
    “Every American should be able to access the health care they need, no matter their income or wealth,” Harris said. “Today’s announcement will be life-changing for so many of our loved ones across the nation, and we are not stopping here.”

  • Newswire : Leading Democratic women excoriate Trump during fiery DNC speeches

    Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett of Texas

    By Stacy M. Brown
 NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

     

    CHICAGO — At the Democratic National Convention, a cadre of leading Democratic women took the stage, unleashing a barrage of critiques against Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, framed by the Republicans’ notorious record on women’s issues. The stark differences in vision and values of the twice-impeached and 34-times convicted former president, his vice-presidential nominee, and Vice President Kamala Harris and her surrogates were on full display in Chicago.
    Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton opened with a searing take on Trump’s legal woes. “Donald Trump fell asleep at his own trial,” Clinton recounted to an amused crowd. “When he woke up, he’d made his own kind of history — the first person to run for president with 34 felony convictions.” The statement sparked a wave of laughter and wild applause, leading to chants of “Lock him up!” echoing the irony of Trump’s previous attacks on her.
    “We have him on the run now,” Clinton declared. “But no matter what the polls say, we can’t give up.”
    Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas highlighted the divergent paths of Harris and Trump. “One candidate worked at McDonald’s while she was in college at an HBCU. The other was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and helped his daddy in the family business: Housing discrimination,” Crockett said, sparking boisterous applause from the audience. She continued, “She became a career prosecutor, while he became a career criminal, with 34 felonies, two impeachments, and one porn star to prove it.”
    Reflecting on her early days in Congress, Crockett shared a personal testimony about Harris’ influence. “When I first got to Congress, I wasn’t sure I made the right decision,” she admitted. “That chaos caucus couldn’t elect a speaker, and the Oversight Committee was unhinged.”
    Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York also critically panned Trump’s priorities. “We know Trump would sell this country for a dollar if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing palms of his Wall Street friends,” Ocasio-Cortez asserted. Her speech vividly championed Harris as a beacon for working Americans. “To love this country is to fight for its people — all people, working people, everyday Americans like bartenders and factory workers and fast-food cashiers who punch a clock and are on their feet all day in some of the toughest jobs out there.”
    Ocasio-Cortez then stirred the thousands of delegates with a forward-looking promise: “America, when we knock on our neighbor’s door, organize our communities, and elect Kamala Harris to the presidency on November 5, we will send a loud message that the people of this nation will not go back. We choose a new path and open the door to a new day: one that is for the people and by the people.”

     

  • This Weekend: Black Belt Folk Roots Festival

  • Commission renews CFO contract; approves board appointments, equipment purchase and road naming

    CFO Macaroy Underwood

    The Greene County Commission held its monthly meeting Monday, August 12, 2024 with all commissioners present. Before the agenda was approved, Commissioner Roshanda Summerville requested to present amendments. The commission approved adding the following items: Consider renewing the CFO’s contract under its existing agreements; Consider adopting a resolution naming Caroline Carpenter Road one half mile from the Union City limits; Consider a resolution to approve the Rebuild Alabama Plan.
    The Commission acted on these items individually with all approving naming the county road Caroline Carpenter Road and adopting the resolution for Rebuild Alabama. The renewal of CFO’s contract was approved on a 3-2 vote, with Commissioners Allen Turner and Corey Cockrell voting in the negative. Turner expressed concern that the existing contract should be reviewed before acting on it. CFO Macaroy Underwood expressed that he was agreeable with renewing his contract with existing terms.
    The status of Attorney Mark Parnell’s contract with the county was not raised at this commission meeting.
    The Commission accepted the resignation of David Bailey from the Water Authority Board, District 1, and approved the Commissioner Spencer’s recommendation of Barry Walker for the Board.
    Commissioner Summerville recommended the appointment of Donald Woods, District 5, for the Water Authority Board.
    Appointments to the E-911 Board were as follows: Geraldine Thompson, District 1; Johnny L Isaac, District 4. The Commission tabled a request from the E-911 Board for emergency operating funds, since an amount had not been discussed and agreed upon.
    At the Commission’s work session, August 7, Mr. Johnny L. Isaac, Chairperson of E-911 Board, appealed to the county for financial assistance. According to Isaac, E-911 lost $100,000 when Greenetrack had to stop disbursements. “ The state provides approximately $2,100 per month and the county awards $30,000 per year. All these funds have been depleted,” Isaac said. He noted that E-911 does not generate funds and must keep employees on the job 24/7 with six full time and two part time persons. Isaac said that at this time the operations need about $800,000.
    The Commission approved, as a blanket, the following items proposed by the Engineering Department:
    * Solicitation for consultant/engineering proposals to address bridge scour.
    * CDBG reimbursement for $19,000.
    * Use of JM Woods Auction to action/sell four tractors and three dump trucks.
    * Sell four tractors and bush hogs and purchase four new tractors at additional cost of approximately $40,000, totaling $160,000.
    * Trade three dump trucks and purchase three new dump trucks at additional cost of approximately $10,000, totaling $30,000.
    The Commission acted on the following items requested by the Greene County Industrial Development Authority:

  • Newswire : Sierra Leone’s president uses UN Security Council presidency to urge more seats for Africa

    The UN Security Council holds a meeting on the Middle East Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019 at United Nations headquarters. Canada is still vying for a seat on the United Nations Security Council, but it’s already warming up the chair with a plan to hire trainers for Canadian officials. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Mary Altaffer

    By: AfricaNews and AP
    After decades of seeking a bigger voice in the United Nations ‘ most powerful body, Africa “cannot wait any longer,” Sierra Leone’s president told the Security Council on Monday.
    Chairing a meeting that his country convened, President Julius Maada Bio pressed a longstanding bid for African countries to get more council seats, including two permanent and potentially veto-wielding spots.
    “The time for half-measures and incremental progress is over. Africa must be heard, and its demands for justice and equity must be met,” Bio said, calling his continent the “unquestionable victim” of an imbalanced, outdated and unrepresentative Security Council structure.
    It wasn’t the first time the council has heard calls for expanding and reshaping its membership — and African countries aren’t the only ones that want more representation. While there’s a general sense that the council needs to change, discussions have bogged down over differences on how much to expand the group, what countries to include and what powers it should have.
    But Bio’s presence put an exclamation point on the issue ahead of a U.N. “Summit of the Future” and the annual General Assembly gathering of presidents, prime ministers and monarchs. Both gatherings are scheduled next month.
    Some countries are hoping for momentum from the summit, which is meant to generate a wide-ranging new vision of what international cooperation should look like in this century. The latest draft of the summit’s potential “Pact for the Future” terms Security Council reform a priority and pledges an “ambitious” result, with specific language still to come.
    “We are sure it is a matter of time. Because the gatekeepers will find it difficult to let us in,” Bio said at a news briefing Monday, but “we have a genuine and compelling case.”
    Set up in 1945 to try to maintain peace in the wake of World War II, the Security Council can levy sanctions, deploy peacekeeping missions and otherwise pass resolutions that are legally binding, if sometimes ignored.
    Its composition reflects the postwar power structure, and a time when most of Africa was under European control.
    The United States, Russia, China, Britain and France are permanent, veto-wielding members. Ten other seats — originally six, until a 1965 expansion — go to countries that get two-year council terms, without veto power. The broader General Assembly elects them by region, with three seats for Africa.
    African countries, and many others, have argued that the arrangement shorts the continent with the world’s fastest-growing population, now at 1.3 billion. The continent’s 54 countries make up 28% of the U.N.‘s member states. Five of the U.N.’s 11 current peacekeeping operations are in Africa, as are four of the top 10 countries in terms of sending troops.
    The African Union, a regional group, has called for two additional elected seats — yielding a total of five — and two permanent ones for countries on the continent.
    The permanent seats, in particular, must “be urgently addressed,” Namibia’s foreign minister, Peya Mushelenga, told the council Monday.
    Any changes to the council’s composition would be up to the General Assembly, which has held negotiations for years. Assembly President Dennis Francis said Monday that Africa is “manifestly underrepresented” on the council and that the status quo is “simply wrong.”
    But the U.N.’s member countries have floated many different ideas for changing the council, and any move to accommodate Africa would likely stir pressure to consider other proposals. The United States, for instance, backs adding permanent seats for countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, among others.
    “Let’s stop admiring the problem here. We need to move to solutions,” U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, whose prior postings include multiple African countries, told the council.
    Bio, whose nation currently holds the council’s rotating presidency, urged the group to get behind giving his continent priority in any structural changes.
    “Africa cannot wait any longer,” he said.

     

  • Newswire : Bloomberg Philanthropies announces $600 million gift to Historically Black Medical Schools

    By : NNPA Newswire

     

    In a monumental move to address the underrepresentation of Black physicians in the United States, Bloomberg Philanthropies has announced a $600 million donation to the endowments of four historically Black medical schools. Officials said the donation is part of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative, which aims to advance racial wealth equity and address systemic underinvestment in Black institutions and communities.
    Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, and Morehouse School of Medicine will each receive $175 million, while Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science will receive $75 million. Additionally, Bloomberg said $5 million in seed funding will support creating a new historically Black medical school in New Orleans, the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine.

    The historic investment will more than double the endowments of three medical schools, significantly boosting their financial stability and capacity to educate future Black physicians.

    A recent study highlighted the need for such support, revealing that only 5.7% of U.S. physicians identify as Black or African American. This is despite Black Americans comprising 13% of the population. According to research, treating black patients by black doctors results in better health outcomes and more frequent medical care. For instance, Black patients are 34% more likely to receive preventative care if they see Black doctors.
    The four historically Black medical schools receiving funding reportedly graduate around half of all Black doctors in the U.S. but have been traditionally underfunded due to systemic inequities, including lower federal and state support. Since the early 1900s, discriminatory practices and the impacts of the Flexner Report have led to the closure of 10 Black medical schools in the United States. The financial boost from Bloomberg Philanthropies should have a transformative impact.

    Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, Democratic presidential candidate, and founder of Bloomberg LP, will formally announce the donation at the National Medical Association’s annual convention. “This gift will empower new generations of Black doctors to create a healthier and more equitable future for our country,” Bloomberg said.

    In 2020, Bloomberg Philanthropies granted $100 million to these same medical schools to reduce the debt load of enrolled students facing severe financial burdens exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Valerie Montgomery Rice, president of Morehouse School of Medicine, noted that the 2020 gift relieved an average of $100,000 in debt for each student, significantly enhancing the school’s ability to fundraiser and support its students.
    Denise Smith, deputy director of higher education policy and senior fellow at The Century Foundation, emphasized the importance of such philanthropic gifts. She pointed to MacKenzie Scott’s donations to HBCUs in 2020 and 2021 as pivotal in sparking increased support from other large donors. “Donations that have followed are the type of momentum and support that institutions need in this moment,” Smith told the Associated Press.

    Dr. Yolanda Lawson, president of the National Medical Association, expressed relief upon hearing about Bloomberg’s gift, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision striking down affirmative action and attacks on programs promoting inclusion and equity.

    “This opportunity and this investment affect not only just those four institutions but our country’s health and future,” Lawson asserted.
     

     

  • Newswire : Federal Judge dismisses Trump’s claims of political targeting by Biden Administration

    Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan

    By Stacy M. Brown
 NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    Shutting down the destructive rhetoric of the 34-times convicted and twice-impeached former President Donald Trump’s legal defense, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled that the GOP presidential nominee presented “no meaningful evidence” of political targeting by the Biden administration. Chutkan dismissed Trump’s allegations that the White House or the Justice Department pursued him out of political animus or his refusal to accept the 2020 election results as “baseless.”
    In her comprehensive 16-page opinion, Judge Chutkan dismantled Trump’s attempt to dismiss his Washington, D.C., criminal case, which charges him with orchestrating conspiracies to subvert the 2020 election. Chutkan asserted that Trump’s claims of political pressure from President Joe Biden were “unsubstantiated” and relied on flimsy, inaccurately described evidence.
    “The charges describe a sweeping attempt to manipulate and deceive government authorities to undermine the lawful 2020 election results,” Chutkan wrote. She further determined that, based on anonymously sourced articles, Trump’s assertions failed to demonstrate any directive from Biden or the White House influencing the prosecution.
    Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung responded defiantly, stating, “The Crazy Kamala Harris — Crooked Joe Biden Witch Hunts against President Trump have imploded just like their failed campaign.” Cheung said that Trump’s team would continue to combat the charges vigorously.
    The ruling marks Chutkan’s first major decision since the case resumed in her courtroom following an eight-month hiatus to address disputes over presidential immunity. The judge has set deadlines for court filings next week and a hearing on August 16 to discuss the case’s timeline.
    Trump’s wildly inaccurate claims hinged on reports from The Washington Post and The New York Times about internal Justice Department deliberations and Biden’s frustration with the investigation’s pace. However, Chutkan found no evidence of politically motivated actions. “There is no indication that President Biden ever communicated any such directives to the Attorney General or the Justice Department,” Chutkan stated.
    Additionally, Chutkan rejected Trump’s argument that the prosecution in the election case was retaliatory after his not-guilty plea in a separate classified information case. She clarified that accepting such a claim would create a loophole for defendants to derail cases against them by merely pleading not guilty and publicly criticizing the prosecution.
    The ruling emerges amid the broader political context of the 2024 presidential race, where the Supreme Court has become a focal issue. Vice President Kamala Harris, now the Democratic nominee, has emphasized the conservative court’s impact on issues such as abortion and affirmative action.
    Biden’s three-prong proposal to reform the Supreme Court issued a week ago, which includes imposing term limits for justices and establishing a binding code of conduct, has gained Harris’s support. The proposal addresses the declining public confidence in the court, exacerbated by recent decisions, including granting Trump some criminal immunity for his efforts to subvert the 2020 election results.
    Harris’s stance on reproductive rights and Supreme Court reform is expected to be a central theme in the November election.
    Incidentally, prominent media personality Charlamagne Tha God has voiced severe concerns about the Supreme Court’s legitimacy, predicting a potential constitutional crisis if Trump loses and then challenges the election results. “The Supreme Court is no longer a legitimate institution,” he asserted. “When you look at the recent rulings — abolishing Roe v. Wade, granting presidential immunity for crimes, allowing elected officials to take bribes — it’s clear the Court is compromised.”
    Charlamagne continued: “To be 100 percent clear, I absolutely believe that come November, if he loses, Donald Trump is going to challenge the results of the election, and I think the Supreme Court would overturn the results. I don’t know why we would expect them to do the right thing.”

  • Newswire : ‘They invited Trump to disrespect a Black woman and did nothing to protect or back her up. The single most disgraceful thing I’ve ever seen at NABJ’

    Panel of Black female journalists question Donald Trump at NABJ convention

    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent



    Donald Trump’s controversial appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) annual convention in Chicago may have been even more of a disaster than most had anticipated. The nasty vitriol the twice-impeached former president immediately brought should only heighten calls for the hierarchy of NABJ to resign.
    The disgraceful event began with tension as well-respected ABC News journalist Rachel Scott asked Trump about his past racist comments and why Black voters should trust him. “First of all, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner,” Trump responded. His statement was met with audible gasps from the audience, setting a combative tone for the 34-minute discussion that followed a nearly hour-long delay.
    During the discussion, Trump, among his many rant-filled and off the rail’s diatribes, questioned Vice President Kamala Harris’s racial identity, asking, “Is she Indian or is she Black?” He falsely claimed that Harris, who has long identified as Black and attended a historically Black university, previously identified as Indian before “all of a sudden” becoming Black. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned Trump’s comments as “repulsive” and “insulting,” asserting that “no one has any right to tell someone who they are.”
    The 34 times convicted felon and former president also reiterated his openness to pardoning January 6 rioters, stating, “If they’re innocent, I would pardon them.” When Scott drew attention to their convictions, Trump dissembled by asserting falsely that pro-Palestinian protesters had attacked the Capitol last week, confusing it with the recent protests at Washington, D.C.’s Union Station.
    Throughout the panel discussion, which included Scott, FOX News personality and Trump apologist Harris Faulkner, and Kadia Goba from Semafor, Trump continued to clash with the audience and the panelists. He labeled Scott “nasty” for her questions, prompting shouts of “false” and boos from the crowd.
    Trump also addressed his running mate, J.D. Vance, downplaying the significance of a running mate following Vance’s controversial remarks about childless women. Toward the event’s conclusion, Trump declared his intentions to “close the border” and lower energy prices and interest rates if re-elected. “I want people to come into our country, but they have to be vetted, and they have to be checked,” he told the crowd. He also doubled down on his insult to African Americans by stating that illegal immigrants were taking “Black jobs,” to which the audience again hissed and booed.
    The aftermath of the event has led to significant fallout within the NABJ. Karen Attiah, a Washington Post columnist and co-chair of the convention, resigned in protest over the decision to invite Trump. In her resignation announcement on X (formerly Twitter), Attiah expressed disappointment over not being consulted about the decision.
    Prominent members of the journalism community also voiced their disapproval. Jim Trotter, a sportswriter for The Athletic and NABJ’s 2023 Journalist of the Year, called the decision “difficult to put into words.” CBS Sports analyst Ashley Nicole Moss, journalist-turned-publicist Dave Jordan, and media strategist April Reign joined the chorus of criticism.
    Ameshia Cross, a Democratic strategist and political pundit, and former NABJ journalist of the year Ernest Owens highlighted the irony of inviting Trump, given his history of attacking Black journalists and efforts to undermine diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. “Shame on you NABJ,” Owens tweeted. “A disgrace. Defund and divest.”
    The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) also condemned the invitation, with NNPA National Chair Bobby Henry and President & CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis denouncing the decision as harmful and contrary to NABJ’s values of inclusion and solidarity. “They invited him to disrespect a Black woman and did nothing to protect or back her up,” journalist and author David Dennis Jr. tweeted. “The single most disgraceful thing I’ve ever seen at NABJ.”
    Harris communication’s director Michael Tyler also denounced Trump’s hostile engagement with NABJ.
    “The hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power and inflict his harmful Project 2025 agenda on the American people,” Tyler stated.
    “Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency – while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch, he left us in. Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us. “Today’s tirade is simply a taste of the chaos and division that has been a hallmark of Trump’s MAGA rallies this entire campaign.”

  • Newswire : Kamala Harris’ VP pick,Tim Walz, established a George Floyd Remembrance Day in Minnesota

    Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris and her Vice-presidential pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

    By Hazel Trice Edney


    (TriceEdneyWire.com) – Vice President Kamala Harris, now the official Democratic nominee for President of the United States, has selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice-presidential running mate, establishing the full ticket to run against former President Donald Trump and Sen. J. D. Vance (R-Ohio) in the Nov. 5 election.
    Harris and Walz, president of the Democratic Governors Association, appeared together in the coveted battleground commonwealth of Pennsylvania Tuesday evening before a blitz through other swing states.
    Democrats will then head for a Chicago convention August 19-22, where they will be celebrated. Harris will become the first Black woman and first Indian American to win the presidential nomination of a major political party. She is the daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father.
    This, no doubt, will begin a hard-fought race against Trump and Vance, both of whom have proven to be candidates willing to say just about anything – including attack Harris’ race and gender – with hopes to win far right voters and Trump’s base supporters. However, those tactics could easily backfire, given Walz’ background.
    Harris’ choice of Walz, elected governor of Minnesota in 2018, will no doubt resonate with Black and progressive voters across the nation largely due to his sensitivity to key issues. On May 25th this year, Walz issued a proclamation, declaring a George Floyd Remembrance Day. Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, by police officer Derek Chauvin who callously knelt on his neck. 
    “George Floyd’s murder ignited a global movement, accentuating the systemic racism that Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color have endured for centuries,” Walz stated in the proclamation. “We must continue to do everything in our power to deconstruct systemic racism and inequities in our state ….”
    Until now, Walz, a former high school social studies teacher, football coach, and retired sergeant major in the Army National Guard, has been relatively unknown on a national stage. Recently his description of Trump-Vance as “weird” has caught hold on social media and beyond. Having run in a largely Republican district, Walz spent six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before being elected Minnesota governor in 2018, largely due to votes from the suburbs of Minneapolis, according to the New York Times. He was re-elected in 2022.
    Walz, 60, has led on other issues important to the Black community, including a $15-an-hour minimum wage. the organizing of unions, workers’ rights and free breakfast and lunch for school children.
    The Walz selection was applauded by former President Barack Obama, said to have advised Harris as she decided between the vice-presidential candidates.
    “By selecting Tim Walz to be her vice president from a pool of outstanding Democrats, Kamala Harris has chosen an ideal partner – and made it clear exactly what she stands for,” said a statement from Barack and Michelle Obama. “Governor Walz doesn’t just have the experience to be vice president, he has the values and the integrity to make us proud. As governor, Tim helped families and businesses recover from the pandemic, established paid family leave, guaranteed the right to an abortion, and put common sense gun safety measures in place to keep communities safe.
    “Tim’s signature is his ability to talk like a human being and treat everyone with decency and respect – not all that surprising considering the fact that he served in the National Guard for 24 years and worked as a high school social studies teacher and football coach before being elected to Congress. Like Vice President Harris, Governor Walz believes that government works to serve us. Not just some of us, but all of us. That’s what makes him an outstanding governor, and that’s what will make him an even better vice president, ready on day one. Michelle and I couldn’t be happier for Tim and Gwen, their family, and our country.”
    The entry of Vice President Harris, a graduate of Howard University, an HBCU, into the race since President Joe Biden decided not to run, has – in just a few weeks – infused powerful new life and excitement into the race, initially between Biden and Trump. The choice of her vice-presidential running mate was her first major decision.
    The murder of George Floyd by now convicted and imprisoned former police officer Derek Chauvin at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic quickly became an iconic symbol of long-standing injustices by police in the Black community. In the Black community, much vetting will now take place of Tim Walz. But he is already getting wide applause that might help Harris’ election which will not happen without vast Black support. 
    “Gov. Walz shows what our communities can look like when we lead with empathy. He is a labor champion who will take pro-worker values with him to the White House. Together with Kamala Harris, they will defend our freedoms — to care for our families, to have a voice on the job, to thrive. We look forward mobilizing the full strength of our union to ensure that this dynamic ticket wins on November 5,” said Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), in a statement.
    “Tim Walz personifies what public service is all about: Doing for others and never leaving anyone behind. He learned these values while serving in the National Guard, and he lived them as a teacher and football coach in Mankato, Minnesota. He has always been the first to lend a helping hand in his community, and today, this is how he governs – empowering worker voices and defending those who have made public service a career,” Saunders continues. “As governor, he took on billion-dollar corporations to ban private prisons in Minnesota, keeping profit motives out of the justice system while protecting the jobs of AFSCME corrections officers. He went on to pass legislation guaranteeing free breakfast and lunch for young students statewide, giving AFSCME school employees the tools they need to keep kids energized and ready to learn. Walz did all this for Minnesota’s communities while getting state workers a historic contract with across-the-board raises.”

  • Newswire: Gaza war: skin diseases spread among children in overcrowded camps

    Palestinian child with skin rash

    By Rédaction Africanews and AP

    Forced to live in overcrowded camps in appalling hygienic conditions, skin diseases are running rampant among the displaced, health officials have said. 
    Her mother is hopeless. “At first there was a pimple on her face, then a week ago it began to spread in her stomach, hands and face,” said Shaima Marshoud, sitting next to her little daughter in a cinder block structure they’d settled in among the tents.
    “It hurts her and raises her temperature at night, and it has no cure, and if there is a cure, we cannot buy it.”
    “The minimum necessities of life, such as cleaning materials and water, are not available. If available, they are sold at a ridiculous price, we cannot afford it. We have been unemployed for ten months.” 
    Doctors are wrestling with more than 103,000 cases of lice and scabies and 65,000 cases of skin rashes, according to the World Health Organization. 
    The distribution of humanitarian supplies, including soap, shampoo and medicines, has slowed to a trickle, UN officials say, because Israeli military operations and the lawlessness it has induced make it too dangerous for relief trucks to move.
    A steady stream of miserable children and worried parents flowed into the dermatology office at Nasser Hospital in central Gaza.
    Nassim Basala, a dermatologist at Nasser Hospital, said they get 300 to 500 people a day coming in with skin diseases. 
    After the most recent Israeli evacuation orders, more people have crowded into agricultural fields outside the city of Khan Younis, where insects are rife in the summer.
    Epidemic proportions
    Scabies and lice are at epidemic proportions, he said, but other fungal, bacterial and viral infections and parasites are also running wild.
    With the flood of patients, even simple cases can because dangerous. For example, Basala said, impetigo is a simple bacterial infection treatable with creams.  He said creams and ointments were in short supply at the hospital.
    Children are the most affected. But adults suffer as well. 
    More than 1.8 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million have been driven from their homes, often moving multiple times over the past months to get away from Israeli ground assaults or bombardment. 
    The vast majority are now crowded into a 50-square-kilometer area (20 square miles) of dunes and fields on the coast with almost no sewage system and little water.
    In a report released Tuesday (Jul. 30), the United Nations Development Programme said Gaza’s two pre-war landfills were unreachable amid the fighting and it had set up 10 temporary sites. 
    But officials said there were more than 140 informal dumping sites that have cropped up.  Some of them are giant pools of human waste and garbage.