WASTING MORE TAXPAYER $$$ ON KXL

Canada's Alberta province files trade challenge over scrapped Keystone XL pipeline

By Nia Williams

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - The Canadian province of Alberta on Wednesday formally initiated a trade challenge to recover its investment in the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which was scrapped in 2021 after the United States cancelled a key permit.

Alberta, Canada's largest oil-producing province, had invested C$1.3 billion in the project and is seeking compensation from the United States through a legacy North American Free Trade Agreement claim, under the new Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.

Keystone XL would have carried 830,000 barrels per day of oil from Alberta to the U.S. Midwest, but was held up for a more than a decade by environmental opposition and regulatory hurdles, before U.S. President Joe Biden finally scuttled the project by revoking a presidential permit last year.

The pipeline's developer TC Energy also filed a legacy NAFTA claim seeking more than $15 billion in damages last year.

"After examining all available options, we have determined a legacy claim is the best avenue to recover the government's investment in the Keystone XL project," Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage said in a statement.

"We remain disappointed about the events and circumstances that led to the cancellation of this project."

(Reporting by Nia Williams; Editing by Sandra Maler)

UN rapporteur ‘appalled’ by convictions for Honduran environmentalists who opposed open-pit mine

Nina Lakhani - Yesterday 


Six Honduran environmentalists have been found guilty of crimes against a mining company, in a case widely condemned by legal and human rights experts.

The activists, from the small community of Guapinol, have been held in pre-trial detention for two and a half years after opposing an iron oxide mine which has polluted rivers relied upon by thousands of people.

The huge open-pit mine, which is owned by one of the country’s most powerful couples, sits inside a protected national park in Tocoa, a municipality in the country’s northern Colón department. It was sanctioned without community consultation in a process mired by irregularities, according to international experts.

On Wednesday, in a two-to-one divided decision, the court ruled that José Márquez, Kelvin Romero Martínez, José Abelino Cedillo, Porfirio Sorto Cedillo, Orbín Nahúm Hernández, and Ewer Alexander Cedillo Cruz were guilty of criminal damage and illegal detention of the company’s security chief. Two men, Arnold Alemán and Jeremías Martínez, were absolved of the same charges.

Amnesty International, which considers the Guapinol environmentalists to be prisoners of conscience, described the verdict as “outrageous”.

Related: How Honduras became one of the most dangerous countries to defend natural resources

“The defenders are victims of arbitrary detention and unfounded criminal prosecution, stemming solely from their legitimate work defending the right to water and a healthy environment in Honduras,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International.

“It’s extremely serious that, despite the lack of diligence in the investigations by the public prosecutor’s office, six of the Guapinol prisoners of conscience are facing prison sentences.”

Mary Lawlor, the UN special rapporteur on human rights defenders, said she was “appalled”, especially given Honduras last month took its seat the UN human rights council.

“Honduras has yet again stained its record by not adhering to agreed international obligations. The conviction of the six Guapinol defenders should be quashed,” she said.

The defence intends to seek an amnesty for the convicted men, through a controversial law just passed by the new president.

Defence lawyer Edy Tabora said: “All eight men are innocent. The prosecutors failed to provide any evidence of a crime, never mind their participation in any activity that could be considered a crime. This is a political verdict that demonstrates the power of economic elites in this country.”

Honduras became one of the most dangerous countries in the world to defend natural resources and land rights after the 2009 coup ushered in an autocratic pro-business government, which remained in power until last month.

Related: How Honduras became one of the most dangerous countries to defend natural resources

Since then, hundreds of defenders have been killed, harassed and jailed on trumped-up criminal charges.

The highest-profile victim was the indigenous defender Berta Cáceres, who was assassinated in March 2016 after suffering years of threats and harassment linked to her opposition to an internationally funded dam.

The Guapinol case dates back to 2011, when the Botaderos mountain was declared a national park by Congress, mandating protection of water sources which serve more than 42,000 people, including the Guapinol river.

Yet the following year, Congress reduced the park’s no-development zone to accommodate the mine, owned by Lenir Pérez, a businessman previously accused of human rights violations, and Ana Facussé, daughter of the late palm oil magnate Miguel Facussé, a major political powerbroker who before his death in 2015 was accused of land grabs, violent repression and links with drug traffickers.

Over the next few years, mining permits were issued and road construction began – even as communities filed legal complaints, held protests and pleaded with officials to protect the rivers. The tap water in Guapinol turned chocolate brown and thick with muddy sediment; children began suffering from diarrhoea, while some adults reported skin complaints.

On 7 September 2018, one young protester was shot and seriously injured when scores of armed security guards working for the mine attempted to evict the protest camp. The incident was never investigated, but judicial authorities issued arrest warrants for some of the protesters.

Wednesday’s ruling comes after a trial beset by delays and irregularities, in which international observers including the US National Lawyers Guild criticised the flimsy evidence presented by the prosecution, as well as judicial bias in favor of the mining company.

The company Inversiones Los Pinares did not immediately respond for comment on the verdict.

Gabriela Soto, whose father is among the six men convicted, said that the community would continue to defend the rivers. “We are going to continue stronger, and resist harder in this struggle.”

The sentencing hearing is scheduled for 23 February. The men face prisoner terms of eight to 14 years.

Israel's rejection of Amnesty's report does not change the reality of apartheid - opinion

By GERSHON BASKIN - Yesterday 
The Jerusalem Post
(photo credit: PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT OFFICE/REUTERS)


The Amnesty International report describing Israel as a modern form of apartheid has generated an intense debate regarding the use of the word apartheid and much less debate on the substance of the report. The undeniable truth is that in the area under Israel’s direct control there are clear differences in the rights between Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs, be they citizens of Israel or residents of the Palestinian Authority areas. The entire geographic area of Israel and the West Bank is controlled by Israel, and it has total freedom of movement and access to all of the areas.

Fifty-five years after the Six-Day War (1967), we live in a binational reality that discriminates between Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs. After 1967, there was hope that territories conquered in the war would be exchanged for peace. That did not happen and instead of peace based on partition we have Israeli control with a binational reality that embodies a new form of apartheid – meaning two peoples under one controlling authority, which grants superior status to those who are part of the controlling authority.

Israel has never denied that it is the nation-state of the Jewish people and it is not the state of all of its citizens. It even passed a law to send the message to the Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel: This country will never be yours! This is a very bizarre way for a so-called democracy to define itself. Almost two million Israeli Palestinian citizens of Israel are not defined by their own state as full citizens and the state in which they were born and live tells them that this is not their state. The three and half million Palestinians living in the West Bank do not enjoy full citizenship of any country recognized by Israel.

The 350,000 Palestinians in east Jerusalem living under Israel’s direct unilaterally determined sovereignty are not citizens of Israel and in fact have no citizenship at all. Unlike the Palestinians in the West Bank, the Palestinians in east Jerusalem, nearly 40% of Jerusalemites don’t even have a passport that represents them and their nationality. They live under a completely different reality than the one I live in within the same city. The difference is that I am a Jewish Israeli and they are Palestinian Arabs. One state with two realities.

For decades, the two-states solution advocates have warned that the failure to partition the land of Israel into two states, as prescribed by the UN Resolution of November 29, 1947, into a Jewish state and an Arab (Palestinian) state, would lead to a one-state reality. We have been in that one state reality for decades, but with the failure of Israel to continue to adhere to a two-state solution and to advance it, what has emerged is a clear form of discrimination, which for lack of a better term is called apartheid. It is not racially based, as the official definition of apartheid is, and it is not based on full separation, as South African apartheid was, but it is clearly a situation of two peoples, two ethnicities, living in the same territory with two separate legal systems, two separate economies, with one side in power and control and the other at the mercy of the will of a great military force.


© Provided by The Jerusalem Post

The logo of Amnesty International is seen next to director of Mujeres En Linea Luisa Kislinger, during a news conference to announce the results of an investigation into humans rights abuses committed in Venezuela during protests against President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela February 20, 2022 (credit: REUTERS/CARLOS JASSO)

There is not a single area of life in which Jewish Israelis do not have significantly more privileges than Palestinian Arabs, regardless if they live in Israel, east Jerusalem or the West Bank. Under the Jewish State of Israel, Arabs are not equal to the Jewish citizens of Israel, regardless if they are living in Israel, east Jerusalem or the West Bank. The sharpest degree of inequality is in the West Bank where Jews live under Israeli law, despite the territory not being under the sovereignty of Israel, and where the Palestinians are subject to Israeli military rule and law.

Since Benjamin Netanyahu took over ruling Israel in 2009, he successfully removed the two-state solution from the table, and to a great extent removed the Palestinian issue from the agenda of Israel and the international community. It should be noted that Palestinian internal divisions and the increasing lack of legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority on the Palestinian street contribute a great deal to the demise of the importance of Palestine to the regional and international agenda as well. That being said, the issue is still with us and no solution, no negotiations and no progress is our reality.

The warnings of the advocates of two states are now more real than ever. The Bennett-Lapid government has committed itself not to negotiate with the Palestinians. The Palestinians have little power to bring the international community to entice or to force the parties to the table. The Biden Administration is not interested in catching the bull by the horns and leading a new US peace process. Few people in the region have the appetite for a peace process.

The Amnesty International report could be the launching pad to international action against Israel in the way that similar reports had the impact to generate global boycotts against South African apartheid. The detailed, researched report will be adopted by many actors around the world and Israelis attempts to deflect it with claims of antisemitism will not change the reality on the ground between the river and the sea. The Amnesty International report is a mirror of reality and even if the Israeli government rejects it, the reality remains with us and that is not changing.

The writer is a political and social entrepreneur who has dedicated his life to Israel, and to peace between Israel and her neighbors. He is now directing The Holy Land Bond.

FOR PROFIT HEALTHCARE

Alleged 'ringleader' Robert McCune sentenced to 5 years in NFL health care fraud case

Tim Sullivan, Louisville Courier Journal -

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Sentenced to five years imprisonment for his role in defrauding the National Football League’s Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan, former Louisville football captain and NFL linebacker Robert McCune took a seat on a wooden bench outside the courtroom Wednesday afternoon and acknowledged, “It could have been worse.”

Federal prosecutors had sought a sentence at the high end of a guideline range of 70 to 87 months, to be served consecutive to a 24-month sentence for identity theft. But though Judge Karen Caldwell departed from the guidelines, convinced “The court doesn’t need to protect the public from this defendant,” she decided the severity of McCune’s crimes and the need to deter others justified a total of 60 months of incarceration.

“I’m truly sorry for what I did,” McCune told Caldwell. “If there’s any leniency, I can promise you I can make it right.”

A fifth-round draft choice by the Washington Redskins, McCune would play for four NFL teams and two in the Canadian Football League, sustaining an extensive series of injuries and leaving the game feeling “lost.”

“I’m still not physically and mentally right,” he said. “But I know as long as I’ve got breath in my body, I can make this right. I want to make it right.”

Prosecutors portrayed McCune as the ringleader in an insurance fraud scheme that resulted in more than $2.3 million in bogus claims and brought the former linebacker at least $180,000 in kickbacks. The scheme involved 68 separate transactions involving 51 players, forged documents, altered prescriptions and calls placed while impersonating other players.

Fifteen former NFL players have pleaded guilty to charges, including running back Clinton Portis and wide receiver Joe Horn. The other former players who have pled guilty are Carlos Rogers, Correll Buckhalter, James Butler, Ceandris Brown, John Eubanks, Antwan Odom, Etric Pruitt, Darrell Reid, Anthony Montgomery, Frederick Bennett and Reche Caldwell.

Bruce Harvey, McCune’s attorney, had proposed a 36-month sentence – twice as long as Caldwell had sentenced any of the previous defendants in the case – but Caldwell imposed a three-year sentence for the fraud counts and declined to allow the two-year identity theft sentence to run concurrently.

She ordered that McCune report to a Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined on April 12, pending a possible appeal.

Nine character witnesses testified either in person, remotely or in recorded interviews that the felonies to which McCune pled guilty were a dramatic departure for a consistently upright character.

Three of those who attended the hearing and lauded McCune had coached him at the University of Louisville: former Cardinals head coach John L. Smith and assistants Greg Nord and Mike Summers.

The coaches described McCune as an extraordinary example who never caused them any trouble and rose from walk-on to team captain. Smith said he would trust McCune with his children and grandchildren.

“Never once did I have to call in for missing a class (or) a study table,” Smith said. “He did things the right way...

“I’m biased. I love him.”

Smith recalled meeting McCune at the urging of his cousin, former U of L receiver Tiger Jones, and asking him follow up the next morning at his office. When Smith arrived at the Cardinals’ football offices at 4:30 a.m., McCune was there waiting for him.

With the former coaches seated behind him, attorney Stephen Katz joked that “walking on is something else, even if it’s Louisville.” But his questions elicited unqualified praise.

“That guy did everything right,” Nord said. “Never an edge bent or rounded off. He’s as good or better as any guy I’ve been around.”

“We would hold him up to other players on the team on what you should be,” said Summers. “...I don’t know that I have known a player more committed to the team than he was.”

Contact Tim Sullivan by email at tsullivan@courier-journal.com; Follow him on Twitter: @TimSullivan714

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Alleged 'ringleader' Robert McCune sentenced to 5 years in NFL health care fraud case

COACHING IS ABUSE

Report: Former NWSL coach accused of misconduct decades ago

Former Chicago Red Stars coach Rory Dames has been accused of misconduct stretching back decades when he was a youth team coach, well before he joined the National Women's Soccer League team, according to a published report.

The accusations, which included verbal and emotional abuse and other inappropriate behavior, were detailed by The Washington Post in a story published Tuesday. An elite youth player, who was not named by the Post, also claimed that Dames groomed her for a sexual encounter once she turned 18.

Dames was investigated by police in Arlington Heights, Illinois, in 1998 after a former player said he inappropriately touched her when she was underage. The investigation was dropped because no formal complaint was filed.

A lawyer for the former coach denied the accusations leveled in the Post's story.

“Mr. Dames has a reputation as an excellent soccer coach over 25 years of coaching thousands of soccer players. With the exception of a few players disgruntled for one reason or another, the vast majority of players have thanked Mr. Dames for investing in them as players,” attorney Susan Bogart said.

Dames was one of five coaches in the NWSL who stepped down or were fired last season for misconduct.

Former North Carolina coach Paul Riley was fired after two players, Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim, accused him of sexual harassment and coercion. Those accusations prompted both the NWSL and U.S. Soccer to open investigations, and led to the resignation of NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird.

Dames abruptly resigned last November ahead of a report in the Post that said former players, including national team forward Christen Press, had gone to U.S. Soccer with complaints about Dames going back to 2014.

“The mission of U.S. Soccer’s new leadership, which has been in place since 2020, is to create a safe space for all athletes who love this sport to learn, grow and compete," U.S. Soccer said in a statement to The Associated Press. “We share the concerns about allegations of abusive behavior and sexual misconduct and have taken the important step of retaining former U.S. Attorney and Deputy Attorney General of the United States Sally Q. Yates to conduct an independent investigation. U.S. Soccer’s goals throughout this process are transparency, accountability and change. As Ms. Yates and her team continue their important work, they have been given full autonomy, access and necessary resources to follow the facts and evidence wherever they may lead.”

Sarah Spain, an ESPN reporter who has an ownership stake in the Red Stars, posted on social media: “It’s the same story, over & over again. Across different sports, leagues & countries. The power to change a life & career wielded over girls & boys. Control over a sport they love. A system built to shame & silence. This is sickening, and so many let it keep happening.”

Another former player, Megan Cnota, said Dames made comments of a sexual nature and degraded the players. She was among those who spoke to police at the time.

“We tried to make it come to light 25 years ago,” Cnota said, “and nobody believed those teenagers.”

In all, 14 former youth players told the Post that Dames was verbally and emotionally abusive toward them.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Associated Press

Players react to abuse allegations with letter to US Soccer

Alex Morgan, Christen Press and Megan Rapinoe were among players from the U.S. national team who signed a letter criticizing U.S. Soccer for its handling of complaints against former Chicago Red Stars coach Rory Dames.

Dames has been accused of misconduct stretching back decades when he was a youth team coach, well before he joined the National Women’s Soccer League team, according to a report The Washington Post published Tuesday.

The accusations included verbal and emotional abuse and other inappropriate behavior. An elite youth player, who was not named by the Post, also claimed that Dames groomed her for a sexual encounter once she turned 18. A lawyer for Dames denied the claims in the story.

The players' letter was sent Wednesday to U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone, as well as former president Carlos Cordeiro. Both are again candidates for the post, with the election set for March 5.

“Over the years, while we played on the USWNT and in the National Women’s Soccer League, many of us reported to USSF instances where, as adults, we experienced abusive conduct by our coaches,” the letter said. “Now we have learned that this abusive treatment also was repeatedly reported by minors and that USSF failed to respond to protect these young players. That is utterly disheartening.”

Dames was investigated by police in Arlington Heights, Illinois, in 1998 after a former player said he inappropriately touched her when she was underage. The investigation was dropped because no formal complaint was filed.

“Mr. Dames has a reputation as an excellent soccer coach over 25 years of coaching thousands of soccer players. With the exception of a few players disgruntled for one reason or another, the vast majority of players have thanked Mr. Dames for investing in them as players,” attorney Susan Bogart told the Post in response to the allegations.

Dames was one of five coaches in the NWSL who stepped down or were fired last season for misconduct.

North Carolina coach Paul Riley was fired after two of his former players, Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim, accused him of sexual harassment and coercion. Those accusations prompted both the NWSL and U.S. Soccer to open investigations, and led to the resignation of NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird.

Dames abruptly resigned last November ahead of another report in the Post that said former players, including Press, had gone to U.S. Soccer with complaints about Dames going back to 2014.

“The mission of U.S. Soccer’s new leadership, which has been in place since 2020, is to create a safe space for all athletes who love this sport to learn, grow and compete,” U.S. Soccer said in a statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday night. “We share the concerns about allegations of abusive behavior and sexual misconduct and have taken the important step of retaining former U.S. Attorney and Deputy Attorney General of the United States Sally Q. Yates to conduct an independent investigation."

Yates' investigation is ongoing. In their letter, the players called for transparency and action.

“To rebuild the trust of players, fans, and sponsors — to move forward – USSF must show that it is serious about change. We demand that USSF release the full findings of its investigation in a timely manner and commit to enacting meaningful institutional reforms to protect players,” the letter said.

“We will not stop fighting until we can ensure that this sport is safe for ourselves, for our daughters, and for every little girl who cheers us on and dreams of one day playing the sport we all love," it continued. "We hope your immediate actions will demonstrate that you both share this goal.”

In all, 14 former youth players told the Post that Dames was verbally and emotionally abusive toward them.

In addition to Morgan, Press and Rapinoe, the letter was signed by Crystal Dunn, Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, Sam Mewis, Kelley O’Hara and Becky Sauerbrunn.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Anne M. Peterson, The Associated Press

'My work is not done': jailed Duterte critic runs for Senate

From behind bars, Philippine senator and human rights campaigner Leila de Lima is running for re-election in an against-the-odds campaign that gives her the chance to once again "go after" President Rodrigo Duterte.


© Charism SAYAT

She still works, but with no access to a mobile phone or internet, she cannot participate in Senate debates and hearings

De Lima was one of the most vocal and powerful local critics of Duterte after he took power in 2016 and launched a deadly drug war -- until he and his allies tried to stifle her.

But despite being forced from the Senate and into a jail cell for the past five years on drug trafficking charges she and human rights groups call a mockery of justice, de Lima has not been "destroyed" as Duterte vowed.

Instead, the 62-year-old is running again for the Senate in May's national elections, determined to continue her campaign against him.

"I am running because, to put it plainly, my work is not done," she told AFP in handwritten notes on Senate stationery sent from Manila's national police headquarters, where she is being held.

"I was jailed because I fought for truth and justice against tyranny and impunity. I was not wrong to do so and I will keep fighting to prove that what I have been fighting for is worth the sacrifice."

Before her arrest on February 24, 2017, de Lima had spent a decade investigating "death squad" killings allegedly orchestrated by Duterte during his time as Davao City mayor and then in the early days of his presidency.


© Ted ALJIBE

Philippine Senator Leila de Lima offering prayers during a 2016 mass offered for victims of extra-judicial killings, she said she has no regrets in seeking to shine a light on Duterte's administration

She conducted the probes while serving as the nation's human rights commissioner, then from 2010 to 2015 as justice secretary in the Benigno Aquino administration that preceded Duterte's rule.

De Lima won a Senate seat in 2016, becoming one of the few opposition voices as the populist enjoyed a landslide win.

But Duterte then accused her of running a drug trafficking ring with criminals inside the nation's biggest prison while she was justice secretary.

The charges were "an act of vengeance" by Duterte to silence her and warn others not to oppose him, said de Lima, who is not allowed bail.

But de Lima hopes she will soon get justice.

Duterte, constitutionally barred from seeking re-election and facing an international probe into his drug war, will lose protection from criminal charges when he leaves office.

"Justice for me is the dismissal of my cases and the prosecution of Duterte and all those who knowingly fabricated and filed fake charges against me," she said.

- 'I'm stronger than I thought' -

De Lima is being held in a compound for high-profile detainees, rather than one of the Philippines' notoriously overcrowded jails.

Her relatively comfortable conditions give her access to outdoor space where she can exercise, tend a small garden and feed more than 10 stray cats.

She is allowed newspapers, has a collection of books given to her by friends, and a Bible that she reads in the evening.

But it is a solitary life.

Before the pandemic she was allowed to see "almost anyone", she said. Now, she is largely limited to brief visits from her two sons, lawyers, doctors, priests and selected staff.

De Lima, whose marriage was annulled, has not seen her teenage grandchildren in two years, nor her ailing 89-year-old mother in more than three years.

She still works, but with no access to a mobile phone or internet, she cannot participate in Senate debates and hearings.

Instead, she handwrites messages, letters and other documents that her aides pick up.

Routine keeps her sane.

"I learned not to entertain negative thoughts and instead think of my family and the people who believe in me and are fighting with me," she said.

"I'm much stronger than I thought."

- 'Crimes against humanity' -

Since her arrest, one of the three charges against her has been dismissed and two prosecution witnesses have died.

That her court cases have dragged on for so long is not unusual in the Philippines, where even minor cases take years to work their way through the creaky justice system.

Covid-19 has made the process even slower.

De Lima said she is optimistic that no matter who succeeds Duterte, she will be freed soon afterwards.

The next justice secretary "will not have the motivation to continue fabricating evidence against me," she said.

And she said she had no regrets in seeking to shine a light on Duterte.

"A public official like him who has committed crimes against humanity should be brought to justice," she said.

At least 6,225 people have died in anti-drug operations since July 2016, according to the latest official Philippine data. Rights groups say the number is in the tens of thousands.

De Lima said her run for a second Senate term is driven by a desire to "help salvage" human rights, democracy and rule of the law in the country -- but also revenge.

"I also want to have the opportunity to go after Duterte and all those responsible for my fate, aside from making them accountable for the thousands of murders they have committed and the billions they have plundered," she said.

But de Lima conceded winning one of the 12 Senate seats would be hard, and polls show she is unlikely to succeed.

While she was allowed to record campaign videos in late December, she has to rely on proxies to attend rallies -- and whatever radio and television advertising she can afford.

Yet she remains characteristically defiant.

"I draw strength from the truth of my innocence," she said.

amj/kma/rbu

Health care workers face verbal and physical abuse amid COVID misinformation

Elise Preston -

CBS News

It's a far cry from the days when health care workers were hailed as heroes. Health care workers in Georgia say there's a flood of aggression directed at them with each COVID wave.

Empty room of closed quarantine room in hospital for supporting Covid-19 infected patients

Dr. Lily Henson, the CEO of Piedmont Henry Hospital near Atlanta, said she worries for the safety of her staff.

"Every day I read about reports in which my staff are either verbally or physically abused," Henson told CBS News. "We've ensured that we have public safety officers throughout the hospital."

Just 47% of Henry County residents are fully vaccinated, according to the Georgia Department of Health — much lower than the 64% who are fully vaccinated nationwide.

"There's a widespread perception in our community that COVID is a hoax, that it's being overblown by the media," respiratory therapist Steven Wasson told CBS News.

Dr. Gregory Evans said health care workers regularly have "emotionally tense" conversations with families. Verbal attacks toward them include "accusations of why we aren't giving certain medications that they may have researched on the internet," Evans told CBS News.

The spread of misinformation on social media about treatments for COVID has helped fuel the attacks.

"Day in and day out they ask for these therapies that have not even shown to be effective," such as ivermectin, Henson said.

When hospitals are full of patients that don't trust science, it's a dagger to morale, Henson added.

"We get this threat that says, you know, 'If my loved one dies, it's your fault.' That's really heartbreaking," she said.

Asked what she would say to those who promote the spread of misinformation, Henson replied: "They have on their conscience, the lives of these patients."

SHE SPEAKS AMERIKAN

German government picks Greenpeace chief, a US citizen, as its new climate envoy

By Ivana Kottasová, CNN - Yesterday 


The German government has appointed Jennifer Morgan, the long-time boss of Greenpeace International, as its new special envoy for climate, the country's foreign minister Annalena Baerbock announced on Wednesday, giving a boost to the green credentials of the country's coalition government.

The new appointment comes as the German government faces intense international pressure to hold off approving Nord Stream 2 -- a gas pipeline that has been built under the Baltic Sea to funnel natural gas from Russia to Germany and beyond -- as Russian troops remain camped at the Ukrainian border, raising concerns of a potential incursion.

Morgan's stance on Nord Stream 2 is unclear, but many climate campaigners oppose the project, which a study estimated would release 100 million tons of carbon-dioxide a year into the atmosphere.

Morgan, who is a US citizen, is fluent in German, lives in Berlin and has family in Germany. She does not, however, have German citizenship yet -- a point that was raised during the news conference announcing her appointment.

Baerbock said during a news conference on Wednesday that Morgan had applied for German citizenship, and added that while waiting for the naturalization process to finish, Morgan will formally serve as a special representative for climate.

After that she will take on the role of Secretary of State.

Questioned about her American citizenship, Morgan said her "political political heart beats for Germany."

"I've been living here since 2003, this is my home ... but I also have family in the US, my father is there, but my heart is here," she said.

Baerbock, who is from the Greens party, said Morgan was her "dream candidate" for the role.

"I don't know anyone in the world with her expertise," Baerbock told reporters during a news conference on Wednesday.

Morgan led Greenpeace International for nearly six years. She was previously the head of the climate program at the World Resources Institute, a think tank.

Baerbock said she was excited to have Morgan as "her new right hand" and stressed that tapping her for the role "sends a strong message to the world" about Germany's approach to the climate crisis.

Germany has come under criticism from climate campaigners not only for its heavy reliance on natural gas, which is a fossil fuel, but for lagging behind other western European nations for phasing out coal.

Baerbock was until recently one of the co-leaders of the Green Party, which has formed a coalition government with the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) and the Free Democrats (FDP) following September's general election. As part of the coalition agreement, climate agenda has moved directly under the foreign ministry,

The climate crisis was a major topic during the election campaign last year, partly because the country experienced deadly floods, which scientists described as a one-in-500-year weather event. Parts of Germany experienced more rain in a day than they typically would in a whole month, and nearly 200 people were killed in the event, which also impacted Belgium.

U.N. Sudan mission to wrap up consultations, publish document


KHARTOUM (Reuters) - The United Nations special mission in Sudan is concluding consultations aimed at salvaging the country's democratic transition and will produce a summary document next week, a U.N. source told Reuters on Wednesday.

A military coup on Oct. 25 ended a two-year partnership with political parties. Since then, protesters have taken to the streets demanding a full handover of power to civilians and rejecting negotiations.

In January, the UNITAMS mission began individual meetings with political parties, armed groups, civil society and the military, aiming to draw out points of agreement and disagreement, which the document will outline in addition to setting priorities going forward, the U.N. source said.

At the launch, the United Nations had said the talks could lead to rounds of indirect or direct talks to resolve the crisis.

The resistance committees that have organised protests and other political groups have expressed apprehension in statements that the process is legitimising the military. Military leaders have also cautioned that the U.N. role should be that of a facilitator rather than mediator.

Thousands of Sudanese marched against military rule again on Monday in Khartoum and other cities, with some saying they were concerned about the return to government of members of the ousted regime of ex-president Omar al-Bashir.

(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz, writing by Nafisa Eltahir; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

Growth of Black immigrant population projected to outpace growth of U.S. born Black population

Claretta Bellamy - 
NBC News


One in 10 Black people living in the U.S. are immigrants, and the number is only expected to rise, according to new data.

A Pew Research Center analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the University of Minnesota found that 4.6 million Black immigrants were living in the U.S. in 2019. That figure grew from about 800,000 in 1980. According to the report, 9.5 million Black immigrants are expected to live in the U.S. by 2060. The Black population represents all those who self-identify as Black.

The analysis also found that the Black immigrant population is projected to outpace the growth of the U.S.-born Black population. This growth is fueled by the influx of individuals migrating from Africa.

In 2000, approximately 560,000 African immigrants resided in the U.S., the report found. By 2019, that number had nearly tripled, to 1.9 million. Between 2010 and 2019, 43 percent of African-born Black immigrants settled in the U.S., which was the highest share compared to other U.S. immigrant groups.

Although the Black immigration population is growing, many still face challenges related to racism, criminalization and deportation. Abraham Paulos, deputy director of policy and communications for the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, said his organization focuses on these three challenges while making sure immigrant communities have financial resources, food and clothing.

These resources were greatly needed during the pandemic, as many Black immigrants worked as essential workers in health care. The organization’s efforts also focus on politically educating the Black immigrant community on the struggles related to being a Black person living in the U.S.

“We fight for two things: racial justice and migrant rights,” Paulos said. “We fight for Black people.”

Born in Sudan, Paulos migrated to the U.S. with his family as a youth in the 1980s. He said the challenges Black immigrants face tend to stem from the criminal justice system.

“I’ve had cousins that have gotten deported,” he said. “One cousin just got out of a detention center.”

Based in Brooklyn, New York, Black Alliance for Just Immigration advocates for temporary protected status, which is granted to foreign-born individuals unable to return to their country of origin because of circumstances such as civil war or environmental disasters. According to the National Immigration Forum, the U.S. provides temporary protected status to more than 400,000 foreign nationals from countries including Venezuela, Sudan and Haiti.

Challenges faced by U.S.-born Black Americans are also shared by Black immigrants. According to the Pew Research Center, Black immigrants were less likely than overall immigrants to own their own home, and 14 percent of Black immigrants lived below the poverty line in 2019, which is higher than the poverty rate among the greater U.S. population.

While African immigrants contribute to the growth of the Black immigrant population, the Pew Research Center’s report found that the Caribbean remains the most common region of birth for Black immigrants, with Jamaica and Haiti being the two largest origin countries.

Last year, thousands of Haitian immigrants fled to the U.S from Central and South America to seek asylum. Viral images taken of Haitians revealed harsh treatment by Border Patrol agents, including agents apparently carrying whips. According to The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, the U.S. consistently detained Haitians more than any other nationality in 2020.

Paulos said the situation in Del Rio, Texas, is emblematic of what Black immigrants face.

“By and large, the biggest difference between, sort of, us and other immigrants is, you know, one, we deal with Black America,” Paulos said. “Two is that we feel the full brunt of the force of Department of Homeland Security, the enforcement apparatus.”

While many Black immigrants face these challenges, living in the U.S. also provides opportunities for advancement. The Pew Research Center analysis found that 31 percent of Black immigrants ages 25 and over have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Atonya McClain, an immigration attorney based in Houston, said her clients, who mostly come from Nigeria and the Dominican Republic, journey to the U.S. for reasons relating to safety and greater access to better resources. She said one of her previous clients informed her that during the pandemic, his village in Nigeria only had electricity for one hour each day.

“If you’re here in the United States and you know how well you’re doing,” McClain said, “and you’re talking to your loved ones, you want them to have the same options that you have.”

In addition to advocating for temporary status, Black Alliance for Just Immigration monitors situations of Black immigrants in prison. Paulos said the organization has approximately eight Freedom of Information Act requests filed in multiple detention centers throughout the South. The organization would use that information to help fight for the immigrants’ release.

Paulos also said it’s difficult for Black immigrants to assimilate into the U.S. compared to other groups because of challenges related to having a Black identity. Misconceptions of being invisible and a false narrative of Black immigrants being divided with Black Americans are also misleading, he said.

“I just think that racism is so embedded in this society that if you’re Black, it’s like, you know, all people see is Black,” he said.

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