February 2023 – National News Roundup

Year 7, Week 6 (February 19-25)

February 28, 2023 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

There’s a lot of health-related news this week, much of which is excitingly horrifying if you’re me. (Possibly it is also excitingly horrifying if you are you! I don’t want to presume.) I think it’s likely we’ll keep seeing these stories for a while, as they’re part and parcel with the federal decisions to end our Public Health Emergency designation. I will definitely keep folks posted on changes to this landscape.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I may be starting a seventh year of journalism, but I summarize news within my areas of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a discovery document!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers. Onward to the news!

Cleanup in Aisle 45:

It has been a quiet week for Election Rejection, comparatively speaking, but there is Biden Rebuilding news to know. Here’s what I have for you:

Abysmal Asylum Adjustments. The Biden administration announced a new proposed asylum policy this week that, frankly, looks a lot like it was written by Cheeto POTUS. The proposed policy would dramatically curtail how people claim asylum in the US, requiring individuals to first seek asylum in other countries and invalidating their claims if they enter the U.S. without authorization. It was originally forecast in January, and has concerned a lot of Democrats–for good reason, because the new policy is probably illegal and it’s a far cry from his campaign promise to expand access. We’re currently in a 30-day comment period, with implementation planned in May, and I will definitely let folks know who’s organizing the public yelling as soon as I have more info.

Your New Normal:

SNAP Cold Snap. Speaking of changes in public policy, this upcoming week will also mark the sunset of food security protections that were put in place during the pandemic. The change was brought by December’s omnibus bill, much like the Medicaid redetermination process that has set up shop in my brain since January. That said, the SNAP policy goes into effect a month sooner, sunsetting on March 1 in 32 different states. That is very poorly timed, since we still haven’t fully recovered from intense inflation of grocery prices, and this is likely to hurt a lot of households.
One Medical to Rule Them All. Monopoly giant Amazon.com Inc has closed its acquisition this week of the primary care organization named, ironically, One Medical. The deal was able to close because the FTC decided not to sue about it, though it sounds like they are trying to retain the right to go after them later if Amazon does sketchy things with people’s medical data. This isn’t the first medical acquisition Amazon has made, as it purchased pharmacy services in 2020 and attempted to bring Alexa to hospitals in 2021. It does, however, mark a substantial expansion of Amazon’s medical services (which is a cursed phrase I’m mad I even have to type), and as far as I know it’s the first direct medical subscription service the company has offered. Many advocates are also rightfully concerned that it’s a bigger risk to patient privacy than previous acquisitions. I will definitely keep people posted on this deal.

The Bad:

Waste Fraught, Want Not in East Palestine. The Environmental Protection Agency took the opportunity this week to order Norfolk Southern to clean up their act in East Palestine, figuratively speaking. At the same time, however, they instructed the company to stop cleaning up the area, literally speaking, and paused shipment of the contaminated waste out of the area. The instructions highlight overall uncertainty about the long-term health effects, which remain an ongoing point of contention and concern. These things are only exacerbated by a preliminary report released from the National Transportation Safety Board, which cites an overheated wheel bearing as the cause of the derailment and notes that it took three defect detectors to pick up the issue. Needless to say, things are still a pretty big mess over there.

The Good:

Operation Rescue Doggos. In Seattle, a neighborhood pulled together impressively to rescue the occupants of a doggy daycare resort in Seattle when their building caught fire. After all 115 furry friends safely made it out of the building, the displaced doggos wound up staying in businesses and homes all over the neighborhood. The damage from the fire will cost about $300,000 in repairs, and the owner has started a Go Fund Me which has raised about a tenth of that cost already.

So that’s all the news I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news rebates. For making it through, you deserve this happy capy and a more functional government. I’ll be back next week with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments. Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me your plan for universal healthcare!

Year 7, Week 5 (February 12-18)

February 22, 2023 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

A lot of this week’s stories are continuations of long-term topics we’ve been hearing about for some time–making it feel like Groundhog Day came a little late this month. Needless to say, this isn’t the first time we’ve been trapped in a news story, and it won’t be the last time either. But on the plus side, the NNR will be in Punxsutawney for the duration.

Cleanup in Aisle 45:

Most of this week’s Election Rejection news focuses on the investigation from Georgia, but there were a handful of other Trump updates as well. Here’s what I have for you:

Court Doc Discoveries. The judge presiding over the GA election grand jury investigation ordered the release of some of their documents on Thursday, which is how we learned the grand jury believed that some witnesses perjured themselves during said investigation. Consequently, the they recommended multiple indictments, though the mostly-sealed records mean we still are missing a lot of details. Meanwhile, Fox News was in the hot seat after the Dominion lawsuit against them revealed that the network knew full well there was no election fraud–even as they aired segments claiming otherwise.

The main story in Biden Rebuilding involves the war in Ukraine. Here’s what has happened:

Biden Time in Ukraine. President Biden went on an unannounced trip to Kyiv this week, days after his Vice President Kamala Harris called out Russia for war crimes against humanity. In response, Putin announced today that he will pull Russia out of its current nuclear arms détente with the US, a program called New START. Biden addressed Warsaw today in response, stressing that Russian aggression cannot be left unchallenged. Both sides are doubling down in part because we’re nearing one year of war in Ukraine, as the conflict officially began on February 24, 2022.

Your New Normal:

COVID Costs. A lot of advocates, including myself, are currently very concerned about what COVID vaccines will cost after the public health emergency ends on May 12. We saw a bit of promising news on that front this week, as Moderna walked back its initial threat to charge $110-130 for its vaccine. The change was probably related to Bernie Sanders threatening a hearing about it, but frankly I’ll still take it.

The Bad:

Care of a Statesman. Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman was hospitalized this week, apparently due to depressive symptoms that have worsened in recent weeks. Though Fox News was predictably catty, prominent Democrats have praised Fetterman for being transparent and seeking the care he needs through a brief medical leave. Several outlets have noted that depression is common for stroke survivors, which may be why his symptoms have worsened in recent weeks. That said, after three years of pandemic, studies show that depression is common for everybody, and will probably remain so for the foreseeable future. I hope that Senator Fetterman is getting the care he needs, and I also hope that this type of story becomes more normalized over time.

The Good:

Paving the Way for Narcan Access. An FDA panel recommended this week that Narcan, a nasal spray used to reverse opioid overdoses, be made available for over-the-counter use. Though most states do make the treatment available without prescription in some contexts, obtaining it still generally requires interaction with a pharmacist. Given the stigma associated with overdose, which may prevent some people from wanting to approach a pharmacist about it, an over-the-counter determination would likely save lives. The change still needs to be cleared by the whole FDA, but this is a big step and I’m really excited about it.

So that’s all the news I have for this week, and I’m sorry, I cannot adjust the Internet to improve quality. For making it through, you deserve this fastidious greyhound and a more functional government. I’ll be back next week with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments. Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me thoughts on what you’d do if you had to relive the same day indefinitely!

Year 7, Week 4 (February 5-11)

February 16, 2023 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

The news is pretty dispiriting again this week, and I know I for one am getting tired of hearing myself sing that tune. If you’re having a tough time with all of this, you aren’t alone; we’ve lived through a lot in the last few years. I’m here if I can help.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I may be starting a seventh year of journalism, but I summarize news within my areas of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a classified document!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers. Onward to the news!

Cleanup in Aisle 45:

We did have some odds and ends on the Election Rejection news front. Here’s what has happened:

Subpoenas and Searches. Pence and Trump were both in the news a lot this past week, for various court-related reasons. On the Pence end, another classified document was found in his Indiana home; he was also subpoenaed in Trump’s ongoing January 6 investigation. Trump, for his part, is trying to stop Pence from testifying on that by using his tired ‘executive privilege’ refrain again. It’s also looking likely that records from the Georgia investigation into his election actions will be released in the near future.

We also had a couple of stories for Biden Rebuilding, though nothing I would call earth-shattering. Here’s what I have for you:

State of the Biden(s). The biggest Biden story of the past week was probably his State of the Union address, which largely touched on the debt ceiling, police reforms, and Marjorie Taylor Greene’s lack of social skills. His son Hunter’s laptop was also in the news yet again, this time because the House Oversight Committee used old social media restrictions from 2020 to create a whole censorship circus adventure.

Your New Normal:

Reproductive Health Updates. A lot of mixed reproductive health news surfaced this week. In Texas, a lawsuit may end access to abortifacients, which are supposed to be available under existing federal law. Meanwhile, a federal judge in Washington DC suggested that abortions may be protected by the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolishes slavery outside of penal contexts–it will be interesting to see what happens with that line of precedent. Finally, in Florida, the High School Athletic Association was considering forcing teen athletes to disclose their menstruation, which needless to say would have abortion implications, though the athletic administration voted not to adopt it.

The Bad:

Derailing Conversations. By now, I’m sure a lot of us have heard about the ongoing horrorshow happening in East Palestine, Ohio, where a massive derailed train dumped huge amounts of multiple kinds of toxic chemicals into the nearby Ohio river. The spill has killed a lot of local wildlife, and residents who were evacuated are understandably nervous about returning, wondering what this is doing to their air and water. Needless to say, this is a really concerning public health situation that seems like it’s being minimized, and it bodes watching carefully.

The Good:

Postpartum Antidepressant. The FDA is currently reviewing a promising new treatment for postpartum depression, which if approved could increase access to treatment considerably. (The only current form of postpartum pharmaceutical treatment is a 60-hour intravenous infusion that can cost thousands of dollars.) It’s a promising development, to say the least, though it may be some time before the drug is approved.

So that’s all I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve this cat conversation and a more functional government. I’ll be back next week with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments. Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me selfies you took recently!

Year 7, Week 3 (January 29–February 4)

February 7, 2023 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

The news this week is kind of a funhouse mirror, reflecting an odd mix of Situation Normal and weird twists. I would imagine this is closer than average to what covering news looked like in the Before Times. If, y’know, the Before Times involved investigating investigators and sitting House reps wanted for fraud.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I may be starting a seventh year of journalism, but I summarize news within my areas of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a classified document!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers. Onward to the news!

Cleanup in Aisle 45:

We did have one story pop up on the Election Rejection news front. Here’s what has happened:

400 Fifths. A video was released this week of Trump’s August deposition with New York AG Leticia James, who you may remember brought a $250M fraud lawsuit against him this past fall. The video is noteworthy because it shows Trump invoking the fifth amendment literally over 400 times during the course of a four-hour deposition–for those of you playing the home game, that’s approximately 100 non-answers per hour. The civil case isn’t scheduled to go on trial until the fall, but it will be interesting to see if there’s further news on this before then.

We also had a handful of odds and ends for Biden Rebuilding, though nothing I would call earth-shattering. Here’s what I have for you:

Biden Admin Potpourri. The DNC approved Biden’s plan this week to dramatically change how Dem primaries work, pushing forward South Carolina’s primaries to the first date and pushing several other states forward or back. (That said, the plan still faces some logistical hurdles before it can be enacted.) In other news, the Fed raised interest rates again this week, for the eighth time this year–though it’s a milder hike than previous increases have been, at only 0.25%. Presumably, this is because inflation has been easing up since the last increase. Finally, on the classified document front, it turns out Biden’s beach home didn’t have any–and the FBI is planning a search of Pence’s home in Indiana.

Your New Normal:

Broken House Blues (Committee Edition). House committees were a hot topic again this week, with the GOP removing Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee because they didn’t like things she said four years ago. Meanwhile, newly-elected fraud entrepreneur George Santos stepped down from his committees, ostensibly because of ongoing investigations of him but possibly also because a former staffer just accused him of sexual assault in a letter to the House Ethics Committee. And in other House investigation news, Jim Jordan‘s new Judiciary Committee is apparently investigating the Department of Justice because… reasons? Candidly, I don’t think even he understands the reasoning he put forward in what is surely the first of many made-up investigations into the Biden administration.
African American Study Studies. After weeks of Florida governor Ron DeSantis threatening to ban the course, the College Board revealed this week that they have stripped much of the modern curriculum from AP African American Studies. The new version of the course has eliminated references to Angela Davis, Kimberle Krenshaw, the Black Lives Matter movement, mass incarceration, and reparations–all really significant omissions from a unit reviewing the 1960s through today. It’s unclear whether DeSantis will move off of his proposed ban based on these changes, but I’m gonna go ahead and guess that he will not. In support of my hypothesis, I offer the fact that he spent the week banning diversity programs at state colleges and ousting the college President at New College of Florida.

The Bad:

Tragedy in Turkey and Syria. Two massive earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria today, killing at least 4,100 people and injuring many thousands more. A quake of this magnitude hasn’t been seen in this region since 1939, and there were a lot of different factors contributing to the devastation caused by this one. Rescue and recovery operations are being slowed by the freezing temperatures, and we likely won’t know the full extent of the damage until those are completed. That said, it’s very likely that we’re looking at another humanitarian crisis in a region that has already suffered more than its fair share of them.

The Good:

Recent Wrongful Death Suits. A federal judge in Wisconsin ruled this week that the father of a murdered protester can bring a wrongful death suit against the civilian “counter-protester” who killed him during the Kenosha shootings. It’s heartening to see this proceed forward, particularly against the backdrop of the wrongful death suit brought last month against two civilian “protesters” from January 6, whose assault with bear spray resulted in an officer’s death. (Interestingly enough, that family is also suing Donald Trump, on the theory that his incitement makes him liable.) It’s complicated news, to be sure, but it’s ultimately promising to see the possibility of consequence for political violence–especially figures like Kyle Rittenhouse, whose massive alt-right backing can allow them to escape criminal consequences.

So that’s all I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve this confused chicken and a more functional government. I’ll be back next week with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments. Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me your favorite cat picture!