August 28, 2020

Alaska's Attorney General Resigns Hours After We Published "Uncomfortable" Texts He Sent to a

Alaska’s Attorney General Resigns Hours After We Published “Uncomfortable” Texts He Sent to a Younger Colleague


Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson (R) resigned Tuesday following the publication of an Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica investigation showing he sent hundreds of text messages to a younger state employee that Clarkson acknowledged had made her uncomfortable.

Records obtained by the newsrooms found Clarkson sent at least 558 text messages between March 5 and March 31 to a woman whose job required she sometimes interact with the attorney general. In at least 18 messages he invited the woman to come to his home.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, said in an email Tuesday that he had accepted Clarkson’s resignation.

“This administration has and always will expect the highest level of professional conduct in the workplace,” a statement from Dunleavy said. “There is nothing more important than the protection of our state employees, and that includes feeling safe when an employee is at work.

Read more: https://www.propublica.org/article/alaskas-attorney-general-resigns-hours-after-we-published-uncomfortable-texts-he-sent-to-a-younger-colleague

August 28, 2020

Black Diabetics Lose Limbs at Triple the Rate of Others. Here's How Health Care Leaders Are Starting

Black Diabetics Lose Limbs at Triple the Rate of Others. Here’s How Health Care Leaders Are Starting to Act.


Prompted by a ProPublica story that detailed how Black Americans with diabetes lose limbs at a rate triple that of others, the American Diabetes Association has included an initiative to prevent unnecessary amputations as part of an unprecedented campaign to reduce racial disparities in diabetes care.

“The ProPublica article raised the consciousness of what the problem is,” said Tracey Brown, the CEO of the ADA. “Every four minutes, someone is losing a limb from diabetic complications. That’s ridiculous. We have got to find a way to drive change.”

The story highlighted obstacles to equitable care for diabetic patients at risk of amputation, from the government’s decision not to endorse screening at-risk patients for vascular disease in the legs, to the inadequate incentives for certain specialists to move to underserved areas, to the health system’s failure to consider limb-saving options before permitting surgeons to apply a blade.

In the weeks that followed publication, several congressional and state legislative offices reached out to the association to ask for guidance on drafting policy to reduce disparities in diabetic amputations. In response, the organization decided to build an agenda around the issue.

Read more: https://www.propublica.org/article/black-diabetics-lose-limbs-at-triple-the-rate-of-others-heres-how-health-care-leaders-are-starting-to-act

August 28, 2020

GOP embraces 'law and order' while downplaying pandemic: 6 takeaways from Trump's convention

President Donald Trump unleashed a harsh series of attacks against Joe Biden Thursday night, casting his Democratic opponent as “the destroyer of American greatness” and framing the November election as a bitterly divisive clash between two irreconcilable slices of America.

“This election will decide whether we will defend the American way of life, or whether we allow a radical movement to completely dismantle and destroy it,” Trump said in a 71-minute address accepting the GOP nomination.

Trump’s sweeping address capped a Republican National Convention that veered between a fusillade of incendiary attacks meant to rouse the president’s base and targeted stagecraft designed to improve his standing with voters of color and suburban women.

The president delivered the speech from the White House South Lawn adorned with large campaign banners and before an estimated crowd of 1,500 with few masks and limited social distancing despite the ongoing pandemic. Democrats charged it was not only unsafe, but an illegal abuse of taxpayer funds.

Read more : https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/election/article245293785.html

August 28, 2020

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Resign Due to Health Reasons

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to resign due to health reasons, ending his run as the country’s longest serving premier.

Abe told members of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party that he would step down, and his successor will be picked by an election within the party, lawmaker Hiroshige Seko said after a meeting on Thursday. Abe had been scheduled to give a news conference at 5 p.m. Friday in which he planned to discuss his health.

No one was immediately available for comment at his office.

Japan’s Topix index dropped as much as 1.6% on the sudden announcement, while the yen rebounded from losses following the report. Abe spoke for a few minutes Friday ahead of the reports, where he told a meeting of the government’s virus task force his administration has put together a new plan to combat Covid-19 ahead of the winter flu season.

The 65-year-old prime minister has visited Keio University Hospital twice in the past two weeks, telling reporters that he was undergoing tests to maintain his health. Although the government has provided few details, local reports said he was undergoing treatment for ulcerative colitis, a chronic digestive condition that forced him to step down as premier in 2007.

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-28/japan-s-abe-plans-to-resign-due-to-health-reasons-nhk-keds6a3i

August 28, 2020

GOP event in Bee Cave under investigation over possible violation to coronavirus orders

A fundraiser hosted by the Travis County Republican Party in Bee Cave last week is under investigation after an Austin resident complained that the event might have violated state and local coronavirus restrictions.

The Ronald Reagan Gala at Star Hill Ranch featured high-profile Republicans, including U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican from Hays County.

The Travis County fire marshal’s office is investigating the complaint and working with the city of Bee Cave to determine jurisdiction, Travis County spokeswoman Yoojin Cho said.

Hearst Newspapers first reported that the event was under investigation. North Austin resident Kevin McKay said he filed a complaint after he saw photos of the event online.

Read more: https://www.statesman.com/news/20200826/gop-event-in-bee-cave-under-investigation-over-possible-violation-to-coronavirus-orders

August 28, 2020

Nearly 600,000 Texans will lose access to a program that prevented electricity shut-offs during the

Nearly 600,000 Texans will lose access to a program that prevented electricity shut-offs during the pandemic on Oct. 1

by Trinady Joslin, Texas Tribune


On Oct. 1, Texans who were previously protected by a state program blocking utility disconnections during the coronavirus pandemic, could again be at risk of having their lights shut off because they can’t pay their bills. And some could be on the hook for some back payments.

The Electricity Relief Program was enacted by the Public Utility Commission, a state utility regulator, in late March to provide relief to those facing financial insecurity due to the coronavirus, as thousands of Texans lost their jobs due to mandatory shutdowns. The commission’s jurisdiction doesn’t include parts of the state with city-owned utility companies, like Austin which has a monopoly on electricity services, or regions that use cooperatives.

Nearly 595,000 households are currently being shielded from utility disconnections because of the program. Since March, it’s provided over $30 million of bill payment assistance, partially funded by surcharges added to other utility customers’ bills that averages out to about 50 cents per household per month.

Advocates and users criticized the program for being difficult to register for and being advantageous to utility providers, rather than consumers.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2020/08/27/texas-public-utility-commission/

August 28, 2020

Texas Democrats Hammer the Republican Party Over Healthcare

Yesterday, the Texas Democratic Party held a virtual press conference regarding the state of healthcare in Texas. State leaders and candidates emphasized just how dangerous the Republican Party is when it comes to healthcare.

Texas leads the nation in the level of uninsured, and COVID-19 has exacerbated the problems and inequities within the healthcare system. Before COVID-19, one out of five Texans lacked health insurance. With thousands of Texans losing healthcare through lost jobs, now the number of uninsured has reached one out of three. More than 650,000 Texans have lost healthcare since the COVID-19 pandemic started earlier this year.

The state is also leading the charge in repealing the Affordable Care Act. The Supreme Court will be hearing the case against the ACA the week after the November election. Millions of Texans have preexisting conditions, which would no longer be protected if the ACA is dismantled.

Sima Ladjevardian, who is challenging Rep. Dan Crenshaw, has spoken about the importance of healthcare. Ladjevardian is a cancer survivor, and she credits early detection and the fact that she had insurance, with beating it. On yesterday’s call, she called out Crenshaw for turning his back on the district, especially since he ran on a platform of lowering drug prices, a campaign pledge he has now seemingly abandoned.

Read more: https://texassignal.com/texas-democrats-hammer-the-republican-party-over-healthcare/

August 27, 2020

The Far Right Movement in the Lone Star State is lonelier than ever

Vice President Joe Biden is leading President Donald Trump in several of the latest Texas polls. On the surface it seems like an about face for the traditionally red state, but a closer look at the state’s shifting politics reveals growing daylight between the conservatives’ self-isolating grassroots movement and the average Texan.

Every now and then the stark contrast becomes clearer and the ugly underside of Texas’ far right movement has its moment in the sun. The well-funded network of “think tanks” backed by the Koch brothers and fossil fuel magnates has lost considerable clout since the glory days of the Tea Party. Two of the more infamous groups, Empower Texans and Texas Public Policy Foundation, are filled with some pretty mean-spirited dudes that have made more headlines this summer for their toxic commentary than their policy positions.

In mid-June, two podcasting employees for Empower Texans were caught on (their own) tape making fun of Gov. Greg Abbott for being in a wheelchair, calling him a “revolting piece of shit,” and emphasizing how much they “hate him.” For these two, Abbott just wasn’t conservative enough, in his response to COVID-19 among other things. Their callous language earned rebuke from Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, the same man who claimed he was ready to sacrifice grandmothers for their grandkid’s economy. Patrick himself has put significant daylight between himself and Abbott over COVID-19 but has called the offending duo “persona non grata” for their comments about the governor.

They may have unintentionally aired their true feelings about Abbott but Empower Texans’ online platform regularly oscillates from attacking “radical left” local officials to promoting the MAGA agenda of cruelty and division. They use their “Scorecard” to keep conservative members in check, but their influence has waned considerably in recent years. The political sand box they like to play in looks more like quicksand every cycle for the candidates they back. The number of “conservative leaders” that they highlight on their website has fallen each consecutive year from 18 in 2014 to just 11 in 2019. And in 2018 they lost half of the 34 primary races they invested in.

Read more: https://texassignal.com/the-far-right-movement-in-the-lone-star-state-is-lonelier-than-ever/

August 27, 2020

"We really dodged a bullet," Beaumont official says, as Hurricane Laura downgraded to Category 2

by Cassandra Pollock and Julián Aguilar; Texas Tribune


After battering the Gulf Coast at about midnight Thursday, Hurricane Laura has been downgraded to a Category 2 storm as it moves away from the Texas-Louisiana border.

About 70,000 Texans are out of power in the East Texas counties of Jefferson, Orange and Hardin counties, local media reported. The storm moved ashore in Cameron Parish, Louisiana — which borders Texas — around midnight Thursday after almost strengthening into a Category 5 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.

But as the morning wore on, officials in Southeast Texas were sounding optimistic that their corner of the state had escaped the worst of the hurricane's impact.

"I'm very pleased to report the damage to Southeast Texas was minimal. We really dodged a bullet," state Rep. Dade Phelan, a Republican who represents part of Jefferson County and all of neighboring Orange County, tweeted Thursday morning. "Prayers for our friends in the Southwest Louisiana."

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2020/08/26/hurricane-laura-landfall-texas/

August 26, 2020

Hello my friends and thanks for your support.

I returned home from the hospital on Monday evening after having my right foot amputated. When I went to ER on the Sunday two weeks ago I suspected that the diabetic ulcer on foot had become infected, but I was also running a fever of 103 degrees which was actually a surprise because I didn't feel feverish. The surgeon operated on my foot three times trying to be conservative (hey, I'm surrounded by Aggies since I live four miles from the Texas A&M campus). The first operation removed the two smallest toes, then six days later a second operation resulted in the removal of a third toe and it would have been best to amputate the entire foot at that time since the foot was infected, but I had not signed off with legal permission to do so.

The good news is that I already think that I have this thing beat and that I'm going to come out of this episode stronger and healthier than when I entered it. I'm already able to safely transfer from the wheelchair to a walker to the commode and back. I may even develop some upper arm and chest strength as I learned how to bump up and down the stairs and venture longer distances in the wheelchair. It would be a bit easier if there wasn't carpet in the apartment because I could manipulate the wheelchair easier on hardwood or another surface. Negotiating the tight angles is still a work in progress, but the math and physics background helps.

Oddly enough I was listening some of my favorite music and found myself using the stump below the knee to help "conduct" the musicians so there isn't any chance that I'm not going to give it a good physical workout since I'm a musician at heart--even if I'm not the most talented performer out there.

I'm going to be busy over the next few days helping my brother catch up on his job, attending appointments, and completing paperwork. My mind has become much more focused and the only thing that is hampering me is some blurry vision (I probably need reading glasses). Bear with me as I will not be posting as frequently as I make sure that I take care of those priorities and also take care of myself. However, when I come back it will be as prolific as ever.

Your support is amazingly invaluable to me and while I can't thank each of you individually please note that your support and good vibes helped to motivate me through the most difficult times. I think of many of you as my extended family and friends. There isn't a chance that I will get knocked down by this because if for no other reasons than to vote for Joe Biden and participate in the victory party so remember to get out the vote and to...

FUCK TRUMP!!!