Texas temporarily blocked from kicking Planned Parenthood out of Medicaid
By Shannon Najmabadi, The Texas Tribune

Planned Parenthood asked for a six-month delay to help its Medicaid patients find new doctors, citing the ongoing pandemic. File Photo by Erin Schaff/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 3 (UPI) -- A state district judge in Travis County has temporarily stopped Texas from kicking Planned Parenthood out of its Medicaid program, after the health provider filed an emergency lawsuit in a bid to keep providing non-abortion services to thousands of low-income patients.
In a last-minute proceeding on Wednesday, Judge Maya Guerra Gamble granted a temporary restraining order and set a hearing for Feb. 17.

The state had given Planned Parenthood's Medicaid patients until Wednesday to find new doctors after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Texas officials who have long sought to block the health provider from participating in the joint federal-state health insurance program for the poor.

It is difficult to qualify for Medicaid in Texas, which has the highest uninsured rate nationwide. A single parent with two children cannot make more than $230 a month.

A lower court blocked the state from removing Planned Parenthood from Medicaid in 2017 but was overruled by the 5th Circuit in November, in a development cheered by state officials including Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Planned Parenthood asked for a six-month delay to help its Medicaid patients find new doctors, citing the ongoing pandemic. The state health commission granted a 30-day grace period that was scheduled to end this month.

Texas does not pay for abortions through its Medicaid program except in extremely limited circumstances, such as rape or incest.

Dyana Limon-Mercado, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, the health provider's political arm in Texas, said the governor's "attempts to block Medicaid patients from getting care at Planned Parenthood health centers is the latest in a long history of Texas politicians trying to score points with relentless attacks on Planned Parenthood patients."

Gov. Greg Abbott's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the health commission said it was not appropriate for them to comment on pending litigation.

Disclosure: Planned Parenthood has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a non-profit, non-partisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune. Read the original here. The Texas Tribune is a non-profit, non-partisan media organization that informs Texans -- and engages with them -- about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

Texas accidentally issues Amber Alert for cursed doll Chucky


Feb. 1 (UPI) -- The Texas Department of Public Safety said an Amber Alert that was issued for the cursed doll Chucky from the Child's Play horror films was a test that was accidentally sent out.

The Amber Alert message that was sent out to subscribers of the Texas Alerts System three times on Friday describes the suspect, Chucky, as wearing "blue denim overalls with multi-colored striped long sleeve shirt" and says he was last seen "wielding a huge kitchen knife."

Chucky was suspected of abducting "Glen Ray," the cursed doll's son from the film Seed of Chucky. The alert included photos of both movie characters.

The Texas Department of Safety said the fake Amber Alert was set up as a system test and was never meant to be seen by the public.

"This was actually a test we were running on a dev server and it accidentally went out," DPS spokesman Ruben Medina told KPRC-TV.

Medina said DPS would like to "apologize for this inconvenience."

CDC: LGBT adults may be at higher risk for severe COVID-19


The CDC is raising concern that people in LGBT communities may be at risk for more severe COVID-19. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults are more likely to suffer from several chronic health conditions that place them at increased risk for severe COVID-19, according to data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Among the conditions linked to risk for more severe illness more common among LGBT adults is asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.

The agency recommends that more data on sexual orientation and gender identity be included with COVID-19 surveillance to improve treatment in LGBT patients.

"The higher prevalence of conditions like heart disease, COPD and diabetes in those who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual compared to those who identify as heterosexual is not surprising when considering the impacts of discrimination and stigma [on this population]," Dr. Kacie Kidd, who has researched LGBT health disparities, told UPI.

Nearly 20% of those the CDC classifies as "sexual minorities" age 18 and older have a history of asthma, compared to 14% of people who identify as "heterosexual," the data showed.

In addition, just over 10% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, while 7% of heterosexual adults have the breathing disorder.

Rates of heart disease -- 8% versus 7% -- as well as diabetes -- 13% versus 12% -- and high blood pressure -- 36% versus 34% -- are also slightly higher among LGBT adults in the United States compared to their heterosexual peers, according to the agency.

Discrimination and stigma are associated with disparities "that are likely to worsen the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic for this population, including higher rates of unstable housing and unemployment," said Kidd, a specialist in adolescent and young adult medicine at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. She was not part of the CDC analysis.

"Sexual minority" adults who also are members of racial and ethnic minority groups "disproportionately affected by the pandemic" have higher rates of several health conditions than their heterosexual peers, according to the CDC.

For example, 45% of Black LGBT adults in the United States have high blood pressure, compared to 35% of White LGBT and 32% of White heterosexual adults, the CDC data showed.

And, 19% of Black LGBT adults nationally have diabetes, compared to 11% of White LGBT and 10% of White heterosexual adults, the agency said.

LGBT adults of all racial and ethnic backgrounds also have higher rates of cancer, obesity and kidney disease, compared to their heterosexual peers, according to the CDC -- which may also place them at higher risk for severe COVID-19.

Smokers also are believed to be at higher risk for serious illness from the virus, and 22% of LGBT adults in the United States smoke, compared to 15% of heterosexual adults, the data showed.

Based on these findings, the CDC is urging for the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity data in COVID-19 surveillance in order to "improve knowledge about disparities in infections and adverse outcomes."

Having this information would enable "more equitable responses to the pandemic," the agency said, and Kidd agreed.

"Including validated questions about sexual orientation and gender identity in national surveys as proposed by these authors is critically important to understand the prevalence of the LGBTQ population and the disparities they face," she said.

"Doing so is the only way to know how to best allocate resources and equip researchers and health systems with the means to ultimately reduce and eliminate these disparities moving forward, something that is even more important during a compounding health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic."

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Report: Breast cancer now the most commonly diagnosed cancer globally


Female breast cancer has overtaken lung cancer as the most commonly diagnosed cancer globally, a new report has found. Photo by Rhoda Baer/Wikimedia Commons

Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Female breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world, overtaking lung cancer, according to a report released Thursday by the American Cancer Society and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Of the 19.3 million new cancer cases in 2020, female breast cancer accounted for 2.3 million, or 12%, while lung cancer was involved in just over 11%, the report, Global Cancer Statistics 2020, showed.

That marks the first time lung cancer was not the most commonly diagnosed cancer globally, the American Cancer Society said.

"Dramatic changes in lifestyle and built environment have had an impact on the prevalence of breast cancer risk factors such as excess body weight, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, postponement of childbearing, fewer childbirths and less breastfeeding," the authors of the report wrote.

"The increasing prevalence of these factors associated with social and economic transition results in a convergence toward the risk factor profile of transitioned countries and is narrowing international gaps in the breast cancer morbidity," they said.

Cancer ranks as a leading cause of death in every country in the world, according to the report.

One in five men and women worldwide develops cancer during their lifetimes and one in eight men and one in 11 women dies from the disease.

Lung cancer remained the leading cause of cancer death in 2020 with an estimated 1.8 million, or 18%, of all deaths from the disease, followed by colorectal cancer, at 9%; liver cancer, at 8%; stomach cancer, at 8%; and female breast cancer, at 7%.

With about two-thirds of lung cancer deaths worldwide attributable to smoking, the disease can be largely prevented through effective tobacco control policies and regulations, the authors of the report said.

After female breast and lung cancers, colorectal, prostate and stomach cancers were the most commonly diagnosed last year at 10%, 7% and 6%, respectively.

RELATED Cancer deaths in U.S. down by nearly one-third in last 20 years, analysis finds

Researchers in the study estimate that 28.4 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed in 2040, a 47% rise from 2020 globally.

This growing rate of incidence could overwhelm health care systems, if left uncontrolled, highlighting the need for sustainable infrastructure for dissemination of proven cancer prevention measures and the provision of cancer care globally, they said.

"The burden of cancer incidence and mortality is rapidly growing worldwide, and reflects both aging and growth of the population, as well as changes in the prevalence and distribution of the main risk factors for cancer," report co-author Freddie Bray, head of cancer surveillance at the International Agency for Research on Cancer, said in a press release.

Study: Vaccines have saved 37M lives, mostly children, since 2000


Researchers say that since 2000, vaccines have prevented more 

than 37 million deaths -- and they're expected to prevent more 

than 20 million more over the next decade.

File Photo by Adam Gregor/Shutterstock

They're medical miracles: A new report finds that vaccines against 10 major diseases prevented 37 million deaths between 2000 and 2019 in low- and middle-income countries worldwide, with young children benefiting most.

Vaccinations are also projected to prevent a total of 69 million deaths between 2000 and 2030, researchers say.

Their modeling study also shows that vaccination against the 10 diseases -- including measles, rotavirus, HPV and hepatitis B -- means that people born in 2019 will have a 72% lower risk of death from those diseases over their lifetime.

"There has been a much-needed investment in childhood vaccination programs in low-income and middle-income countries [LMICs] and this has led to an increase in the number of children vaccinated," explained study co-author Caroline Trotter, an infectious diseases researcher at the University of Cambridge in Britain.

The greatest benefit of vaccination is among children under age 5. In this age group, deaths from the 10 diseases would be 45% higher without vaccination, according to findings published recently in The Lancet medical journal.

Vaccinations against measles will have the biggest impact, preventing 56 million deaths between 2000 and 2030. Over the lifetime of people born between those years, vaccination will prevent 120 million deaths - 65 million of them in kids under age 5.

The study assessed vaccination programs in 98 countries.

Other pathogens studied were Haemophilus influenzae type B, or Hib; Japanese encephalitis, or JE; Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A, or MenA; Streptococcus pneumoniae; rubella virus; and yellow fever virus, or YF.

The findings suggest that if progress continues, the public health gains vaccines provide will continue to increase in coming decades.

Evaluating the impact of these programs on public health is key to continued investment, she said.

"Our modeling has provided robust evidence on the effectiveness of vaccination programs in [low- and middle-income countries] and indicated what might be lost if current vaccination programs are not sustained," Trotter said in a journal news release.

Corresponding author Neil Ferguson, a professor at Imperial College London, said the findings show the huge public health benefits possible through national vaccination programs.

"By projecting up until 2030 in these 98 countries, we have provided insight on where investments in vaccine coverage should be directed to achieve further gains, for example increasing HPV coverage in girls and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines [PCV] coverage in children under 5 will have the most impact according to our modeling," he said.More information

The World Health Organization has more on vaccines.
Copyright 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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White House: Biden supports NASA program to send astronauts to moon


White House press secretary Jen Psaki holds her daily news briefing

 at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.

Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 4 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden supports NASA's plan to return Americans to the surface of the moon, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday, relieving some doubt as to the fate of the Trump-era Artemis program under the new administration.

The Trump administration called for NASA to return astronauts to the moon by 2024 as part of an overall mission to ultimately send humans to Mars. But with weak congressional funding for the program and a presidential transition, it was unclear whether that goal would -- or even could -- be met.

"Through the Artemis program, the United States will work with industry and international partners to send astronauts to the surface of the moon ... conduct new and exciting science, prepare for future missions to Mars, and demonstrate America's values," Psaki said during Thursday's press briefing.

"Lunar exploration has broad and bicameral support in Congress, most recently detailed in the fiscal year 2021 omnibus spending bill and certainly we support this effort and endeavor.

This fiscal year, NASA sought $3.2 billion for a human landing system to meet the 2024 target, but Congress approved less than one-third of that -- $850 million.

NASA said the overall Artemis program would cost in the neighborhood of $28 billion. It's meant to be a precursor to eventually sending Americans to Mars.

The first Artemis mission is to send an uncrewed launch on a new rocket called the Space Launch System in November. NASA's behind schedule testing the SLS' core stage after a brief shutdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and hurricanes near the launch site.

Also Thursday, Psaki told reporters Biden would "love to see action" by Congress on gun-control measures. She was asked about the issue in reaction to a Washington Post report showing an increase in gun sales after the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.

"This is an issue [Biden] is personally committed to," Psaki said. "And, you know, I think he would love to see action on additional gun safety measures to protect families and children and knows that there is support across the American public for that."

Paul Brinkmann contributed to this report.

EPA nominee Michael Regan pledges to focus on environmental justice


President Joe Biden's nominee for Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Michael Regan, said he would place a focus on environmental justice, climate change and regulation that preserves economic growth. Pool photo by Caroline Brehman/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Michael Regan, President Joe Biden's selection to head the Environmental Protection Agency, pledged Wednesday to place a focus on environmental justice if confirmed.

During his confirmation hearing before the Senate environment and public works committee, Regan said that limiting the impact of pollution and other environmental hazards on communities of color and lower-income communities, combatting the effects of climate change, and implementing environmental regulation in a way that promotes economic growth are key goals of the EPA.

"We all have a stake in the health of our environment, the strength of our economy, the well-being of our communities and the legacy we will leave the next generation in the form of our nation's natural resources," he said.

As North Carolina's secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality, Regan, 44, created an Environmental Justice and Equity Board.

Regan would be the first Black man to lead the EPA, and on Wednesday said he would establish an environmental justice and equity advisor, who would work with the agency's civil rights office to assign staff at regional offices to focus on issues of environmental justice.

"As the government, we think we know, until we start to hear directly from the community," he said.

While saying he would "move with a sense of urgency" to combat climate change, Regan said he would seek compromise and not put the country in a position to "simply regulate ourselves out of every problem we face."

"I've learned that if you want to address complex challenges, you must first be able to see them from all sides, and you must be willing to put yourself in other people's shoes," he said.

Facing questions from Republicans about plans to regulate fracking and limit emissions from the nation's automotive and fossil fuels industry, Regan said he and the Biden administration would work to guide the nation toward a more green economy.

"We all understand the anxiety and the fear as we make this transition that folks in your states have," he said. "What I know is we've been instructed that we are not to leave any community behind. In order for us to be successful, every state and every community has to see itself in our vision."

Defense secretary orders military-wide stand down to combat extremism

YOU WILL FIND ORGANIZED WHITE POWER 

CELLS IN PRISON AND THE MILITARY

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attends a congressional tribute on Wednesday to the late Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick who died from injuries sustain protecting the Capitol building from a mob breaching the facility on Jan. 6. Pool Photo by Erin Schaff/UPI |

Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said he has ordered a military-wide stand down over the next 60 days to deal with extremism in the military's ranks after active and former military personnel participated in the mob that stormed the Capitol building last month.

"Today, I met with senior leaders to discuss extremism in the military. As a first step, I'm ordering a stand down to occur over the next 60 days so each service, each command and each unit can have a deeper conversation about this issue," he said in a statement. "It comes down to leadership."

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters during a press conference Wednesday that details of the military pause, such as what training service members will undergo and what exactly the goals the military seeks to accomplish are, need to be hammered out.

The purpose of the stand down, however, will be to reinforce the Pentagon's policies and values and to start a two-way conversation between the troops and leadership about extremism, Kirby said.

The meeting between Austin, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley and other military leaders was "an initial discussion" and the issue of extremism and White supremacy within the military, Kirby said.

Austin told the military leaders that the vast majority of those who serve in uniform do so with honor and integrity but no matter how few espouse such beliefs that led to the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol it is an issue that needs to be addressed.

"No matter what it is, it is ... not an insignificant problem," Kirby said.

Austin, who is the first Black American to lead the Department of Defense, is still considering how he wants to attack the issue of extremism from an institutional perspective, and he may establish a task force to do so.

"He hasn't ruled anything in or out," Kirby said.

The order was made nearly a month after supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building to stop the certification of President Joe Biden's election win, resulting in five deaths, including that of former Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by a Capitol Police officer as she breached the building.

Several other former and active military have been identified among the mob, including some who now face charges for participating in the insurrection.

PURGE!

Austin asks hundreds of Pentagon policy advisers to resign ahead of review



Retired General Lloyd Austin testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing to be the Secretary of Defense in Washington, D.C., in January. Pool Photo by Greg Nash/UPI
| License Photo




Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has called for the resignation of hundreds of volunteer advisers to the Pentagon appointed by former President Donald Trump in the final months of his presidency, as well as a review of the committees they serve on.

The Pentagon announced the "zero-based review" of all of its advisory committees on Tuesday, following a memo issued by Austin last weekend outlining the review, specifying the committees and setting deadlines for adviser resignations.
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Austin gave the advisers until Feb. 16 to resign or be terminated, and said the work of 42 committees will be reviewed and changes recommended by June 1, in the memo, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Politico.

Defense department officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have said Austin became concerned about the unprecedented pace of appointments Trump made toward the end of his term.
RELATED Pentagon: U.S. committed to troop readiness, exercises on Korean Peninsula



He decided the fairest way to address the concern was to ask each of the hundreds of new employees to leave their positions.

The change will reportedly affect individuals appointed by Chris Miller, who served as acting secretary of defense in the last two months of Trump's administration, following the termination of Mark Esper shortly after the election.

The appointed individuals, including Trump campaign officials Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie, were among the appointees to the boards in recent months, as was Kash Patel, who served as Miller's chief of staff.
RELATED Austin asks for 'continued dialogue' on troop drawdown in Germany



"Advisory boards have and will continue to provide an important role in shaping public policy within [the Department of Defense]," Austin said in the memo, which is dated Saturday.

"That said, our stewardship responsibilities require that we continually assess to ensure each advisory committee provides appropriate value today," Austin said.

The boards include one established by Congress to advise the Defense Department on changing the names of installations that honor Confederate generals -- a change Trump resisted to the point of threatening to veto the final defense bill of his administration.
RELATED Senate confirms Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary



Austin will appoint four new members to the board tasked with reviewing Confederate names and imagery on military property.

Last week, ahead of the memo, Austin suspended the onboarding process for Trump administration nominees to Pentagon advisory boards.

WHITE GRIEVANCE

Justice Department drops Yale discrimination lawsuit


The U.S. Justice Department said Wednesday it would voluntarily drop its discrimination lawsuit against Yale University. Photo courtesy of Pixabay


Feb. 3 (UPI) -- The Justice Department on Wednesday told the U.S. District Court in Connecticut it was voluntarily dismissing its discrimination lawsuit against Yale University.

The lawsuit was brought during the Trump administration last year after a two-year investigation into whether the Ivy League school discriminated against White and Asian applicants in its admissions process.




"The department has dismissed its lawsuit in light of all available facts, circumstances, and legal developments, including the November 2020 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit rejecting a challenge to Harvard University's consideration of race in its admissions practices," the Justice Department said in a statement.

Yale had vowed the fight the lawsuit, rejecting the Justice Department's conclusion and saying its admission's policies are lawful and complied with past U.S. Supreme Court rulings.

"Our admissions process has allowed Yale College to assemble an unparalleled student body, which is distinguished by its academic excellence and diversity. Yale has steadfastly maintained that its process complies fully with Supreme Court precedent, and we are confident that the Justice Department will agree," Yale said in a written statement.

The Yale lawsuit followed a similar one filed against Harvard University, where a group that fights affirmative action accused the university of discriminating against Asian American students.

"Students for Fair Admissions intends to file a new lawsuit against Yale in the coming days. Discriminatory admissions policies like Yale's must be challenged in federal court," said Edward Blum, the president of the organization that supported the anti-affirmative action lawsuits against Yale and Harvard