NDP alleges UCP instructed AHS to delete sexual health social media

Alberta Health Services has removed 20 social media accounts from multiple platforms. Among the deleted AHS-affiliated accounts were those used to share sexual health education content, a move Alberta's official opposition says was directed by the United Conservative Party and obstructs access to critical health information.

A spokesperson for the Alberta NDP said in an email that last week the party was informed that notice had been given to have sexual health related social media and teaching be closed through AHS. By that time, AHS-affiliated accounts such as Calgary Zone Sexual and Reproductive Health, Teaching Sexual Health, Healthy Parents, Healthy Children, and others had already been removed. 

"The UCP can’t stop interfering with access to women’s healthcare and critical health information, which includes sexual health," Alberta NDP Status of Women Critic Julia Hayter said in a statement.

“Sharing accurate, science-based sexual health information on social media platforms promotes important sexual health awareness for parents and teachers, and provides critical information for young people about consent.

"First, the UCP made it more difficult for kids to learn about sexual health in schools and now they’re gatekeeping access to sexual health education online," Hayter said

AHS denies the organization was instructed by the Government of Alberta to remove the sexual health education content, and that they were deleted as part of a consolidation of all AHS media accounts.

"Alberta Heath did not provide any instruction for this account to be removed," an AHS spokesperson said in an email.

"We are consolidating the AHS social media accounts to ensure all AHS accounts are sharing organization-approved content and closing accounts that have demonstrated limited public engagement. Public health content, including sexual health content, is important and will continue to be shared on AHS’ main social media channels."

AHS shut down 11 accounts on X (Twitter), four on Instagram, four on Facebook, and one on Pinterest, a spokesperson confirmed.

"Information that would have previously been published using those accounts will instead be consolidated on our main AHS social media accounts," they said.

AHS did not provide the names of which accounts were removed in its consolidation. An archived version of the AHS social media page from February 2024 shows the following accounts have been removed from the current AHS website.

Twitter: 

Instagram: 

Facebook:

Alberta's Ministry of Health did not respond to questions about whether the ministry or the Government of Alberta had instructed AHS to remove social media accounts related to sexual health education and instead referred questions to AHS.

Brett McKay, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, St. Albert Gazette

Alberta economy in generally good shape, though uncertainties linger: ATB report

© Provided by Edmonton Journal

Alberta’s economy is in generally good shape with growth forecast to outpace the national average, according to ATB’s latest economic outlook, though it warns that high interest rates, continued global political uncertainty and threats of drought and wildfires could affect that outlook.

The report was released Wednesday and predicts the province will see real GDP — an inflation-adjusted measure — will grow by 2.3 per cent this year, and then up to 2.7 per cent in the following year.

“Alberta’s economy continues to push through inflation and interest rate headwinds,” the report states.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the other details contained in Wednesday’s report.
The big picture

The report portrays a province with a largely promising outlook for the coming years, though elements of uncertainty linger.

In its baseline, or medium case, the authors characterize the provincial economy as now being in “expansion mode,” having recovered in 2022 the lost output from prior recessions.

They expect Alberta to continue to lead all provinces in population growth while also outpacing the national economy in job creation.

It forecasts oil prices to be near the US$74 mark forecast in the most recent provincial budget, before falling to US$69 in 2026.

Unemployment is expected to rise slightly this year to 6.1 per cent measured as an annual, average percentage before falling below the six per cent mark in the following two years.

Financial pressures on consumers will begin to ease, according to the report, but will also remain prominent enough that consumer spending and business investment may slow down.

“Given the uncertainty, it’s best to plan for a range of plausible outcomes.”

Reasons for optimism

The report acknowledges that Alberta’s economy is “highly exposed to global risks” but also finds reasons for optimism that the downside of those risks won’t fully materialize.

It lists likely improved market access for Alberta’s energy sector with the expected Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project expected to be online by mid-year, adding 590,000 barrels per day of new oil pipeline capacity.

Also, the Coastal GasLink pipeline has finished construction and will link to LNG Canada, supporting Alberta natural gas prices that have stumbled in recent months thanks to a glut of supply from the unusually warm winter weather.

Sources of uncertainty

Forecasts are limited by the reality of unforeseen events arising.

The report describes the degree of uncertainty as “particularly high” at the moment, citing the ongoing war in Ukraine, China’s “wobbly” economic trajectory, and a slew of upcoming federal elections across the globe, including in the United States.

While the report’s authors are optimistic interest rates will be cut as soon as June, they also acknowledge “persistent wage growth and sluggish productivity” could see those cuts pushed back.
Inflation

“Inflation storm clouds are slowly parting,” the reports states, with the inflation rate falling from a peak of 8.1 per cent in the summer of 2022 down to three per cent in recent weeks and approaching two per cent by early 2025.

However, it remains a problem for many, with prices now 14 per cent higher than in January 2021, led by shelter costs which the authors say has replaced food as the new inflation problem.

Related

Alberta Budget 2024: Province projects slim $367 million surplus as revenues decline

Alberta economic growth to slow in 2024 after leading provinces last year: report

ALBERTA
New owners will use Hinton pulp mill to make sustainable packaging

Story by Janet French • CBC

The British sustainable packaging company Mondi has purchased the Hinton Pulp Mill to make kraft paper for its customized products.

© Submitted by Dane Ulsifer, Boreal Productions

ABritish company's acquisition of the Hinton pulp mill could breathe new life into an aging industrial landmark in the Alberta foothills.

Mondi, which produces sustainable packaging such as paper wrappers and envelopes, finalized its purchase of the pulp and paper mill last month for $5 million.

"We try to make this world a little better place," Roman Senecky, chief operations officer of kraft paper for Mondi, said at a news conference Wednesday.

The Hinton mill is the first Canadian acquisition for the company, which has 22,000 employees in 30 countries.

Senecky said making kraft paper in Hinton will allow Mondi to produce the raw material for customized products closer to its existing 10 North American plants, rather than importing paper from Europe.

West Fraser Timber Co., which sold the mill to Mondi, had been scaling down operations and reducing jobs at the 67-year-old mill.

The timber company will continue to supply wood to the mill.

Senecky said Mondi is also studying an expansion project to add a kraft paper machine to the site to produce up to 200,000 tonnes of paper each year.

Although the company last year pegged the machine cost at around $580 million and planned to build by 2027, a spokesperson said Wednesday the timeline and cost are both subject to pre-engineering and permitting.

Mondi did not provide an estimate of how many new jobs could be created.
New ownership gives Hinton new life, mayor says

At a launch event in Hinton on Wednesday, Mayor Nicholas Nissen said the new ownership marks the rebirth of Hinton. About 10,000 people live in the town, which is 285 kilometres west of Edmonton.

"The mill, everyone can tell, was coming up at the end of its life," Nissen said. "It breathes new life both into the mill, [and] into our town. It's a great long-term commitment for both us and Mondi."

The pulp mill was Alberta's first when it opened in 1957. Nissen said its construction sparked Hinton's incorporation as a town, which happened the following year.

The town has granted Mondi a 100 per cent property tax exemption for 15 years for any new equipment and property on the site.

Hinton relies on equipment on the mill site for treatment of civic water and wastewater. In February, the town inked new 20-year agreements with the company. The mill will treat the town's wastewater and supply the town with process water that it can treat for drinking.

Hinton's chief administrative officer, Jordan Panasiuk, said in an email the mill buys about $500,000-worth of drinking water from the town annually.

Alberta Jobs, Economy and Trade Minister Matt Jones said he's happy to see investment in the province's forestry manufacturing sector. He said it helps diversify the province's economy and create green jobs.

Jones said the acquisition is also a vote of confidence in the government's welcoming approach to investors.

"We have an obsession with being pro-business and anti-red tape," Jones said.

'Serious errors' by B.C. prison officials who knew about a 4-year water leak: report

The federal Public Sector Integrity Commissioner says the Correctional Service of Canada committed "gross mismanagement" when it took nearly four years to fix pipes at a B.C. prison that were leaking chemically treated water into the ground.

Harriet Solloway says millions of litres of water from the building's heating system seeped into the ground surrounding the Matsqui Institution in Abbotsford, B.C., which is on top of three aquifers, including one that flows into a salmon-bearing stream.

"In reviewing the evidence, it becomes clear that CSC management did not undertake adequate and timely remedial action, demonstrating serious errors impacting safety and potentially harming the environment — not reflecting responsible stewardship of government funds and assets," Solloway concluded in her report issued this week.

The central water system's main purpose is to supply hot water for domestic use and heat the three institutions that are part of the Matsqui Complex, which houses more than 1,000 inmates.

Solloway's report says an engineer first noticed problems with the system, which requires the addition of anti-corrosion chemicals to boiling water, in August 2017 and warned officials about "a substantial leak."

They were told that the best way to fix the leak is to dig up the system, which is about one and a half metres underground.

Excavation of the area began the next month but had to stop because of the frozen winter ground.

Almost a year later, in July 2018, the engineer sent an email to management noting, “this leak needs to be addressed" and that by the end of the month, approximately 1.1 million litres of chemically treated hot water would have seeped into the ground.

Solloway's report says the department tried unsuccessfully in 2018 to locate the leak using a procedure involving high-water pressure and a vacuum to remove soil.

"The engineer continued to raise the alarm throughout 2020 and 2021, but he was ignored," the report says.

Solloway says management didn't believe the leak was worsening, despite their lack of engineering expertise, with some managers suggesting the monitoring equipment was not “scientific enough.”

"These assertions were made by managers who did not possess engineering expertise to make such determinations," the report says.


The report says cost, and the possibility that the system was going to be replaced, may be two reasons for the inaction.

"Finally, on April 29, 2021, excavation of the entire pipe system was undertaken, nearly four years after an engineer’s recommendation. As a result, multiple leaks were eventually found. By that time, according to CSC engineering personnel, millions of litres of chemically treated hot water had seeped into the ground," the report says.

Solloway made four recommendations in her report, including that the department establish an "action plan" for critical infrastructure risks and failures, that maintenance plans are up to date and that there be an environmental impact assessment.

In a response included with the report, the Correctional Service of Canada says it disagrees that it committed wrongdoing, noting that an independent report in 2022 found there was no contamination from the "highly diluted rust inhibitors" leaking from the pipes.

It says reports in 2020 and 2021 "deemed the risks to be negligible."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2024.

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press

MANITOBA

Teachers union executive weighs options after information leak

 Manitoba Teachers’ Society executives have not ruled out an investigation to hold whistleblowers accountable for exposing employee concerns about the head office’s “toxic” environment, related departures and capacity to support members.

“I honestly can’t say at this point in time which direction things will take; we’ll have to see how things play out,” said president Nathan Martindale, who represents upwards of 16,600 public school teachers.

Martindale chairs the union’s provincial executive — a governing board made up of 13 elected teachers, all of whom received a letter earlier this month urging them to launch an “inquiry.”

Executives from eight locals signed a March 7 letter requesting provincial executive members probe how confidential information about MTS headquarters was leaked last month via social media and reporters.

The Free Press obtained the findings of a spring 2023 survey that yielded responses from 65 per cent of the support and clerical staff who run day-to-day operations for the society out of its Portage Avenue campus.

The poll found the majority of workers — members of Teamsters Local Union 979 — had a negative perception of the psychological health and safety of their office. There was also a notable absence of trust and confidence in the senior management team among respondents.

Nearly a dozen sources, including experienced staff members and representatives from the political side of the organization, have corroborated those results in separate interviews in recent weeks.

Insiders flagged concerns about the short-lived tenure of a human resources director who was investigating MTS employee concerns, the abrupt cancellation of a third-party probe into management and service-delivery levels.

More than 20 per cent of employees have gone on a leave of absence or left the organization permanently over the last year.

Martindale broke his silence on the situation Tuesday.

“We’ve heard the concerns. We’re working on solutions. We’re committed to making things better, and it’s going to take time but we’re going to do it,” he said, adding he appreciates local executives’ worries about confidential memos going “further than the intended audience.”

The union leader noted MTS is ensuring its workplace safety and health committee is meeting regularly “after a hiatus” and requiring employees to attend an introductory workshop on harassment prevention.

The former is required by law, but the society’s internal committee did not meet quarterly — the minimum standard for Manitoba offices with 20 or more employees — in 2023.

Martindale declined to provide any information about the status of the union’s operational management team, citing confidentiality surrounding personnel matters.

Interim executive director Roland Stankevicius, who came out of retirement when his successor went on leave late last year, will serve until Danielle Fullan Kolton returns or another leader takes her place on a permanent basis, he said.

The president did not disclose exactly when he first became aware of the Teamsters survey results, although he acknowledged they were presented to members in the fall.

“MTS, as an organization, and leadership, specifically, has been trying to solve problems and address problems for quite a while now,” he said, adding both political and operational leaders are committed to the time-intensive work required to rebuild trust.

Teamsters 979 president Paul Frias shared the poll results with members on Sept. 25.

In a followup bulletin, Frias said requests to meet with Fullan Kolton about the findings on “several occasions” were declined.

“Whistleblowers are often the people who are most committed to the missions of their organization and they’re usually the most devoted and most loyal and have a crisis of conscience, but they see no other option,” said Pamela Forward, president of the Whistleblowing Canada Research Society.

Forward said people who make disclosures about wrongdoing are often punished because of a “closed and defensive” culture that is commonplace in organizations and, in her view, working against managers.

“This whole thing about reputation and pretending that there’s no wrongdoing – ‘the error-free administration’ – this is what has deteriorated trust in organizations everywhere, including in government,” she said.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Maggie Macintosh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Free Press

 3D PRINTING

New machine at Glenrose hospital helps patients with artificial limbs, orthotic devices

Story by Caley Gibson

 • 1d • Global News

Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital patient Rowan McNair (L) pictured with orthotist Andreas Donauer (R).

The Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton is now home to a new machine that is greatly improving the fitting of artificial limbs, braces and other orthotic devices for patients.

The hospital has upgraded from a three- to a seven-axis robotic carver. The machine allows orthotists and prosthetists to replace traditional time-consuming plaster methods with a faster digital approach.

The carver uses 3D-shape capture and design software and automated model carving to replicate anything from head to foot. It can develop models to create prosthetic limbs, orthotic braces and wheelchair cushions.

The machine can carve models within five to 20 minutes, speeding up the previous process.

“If you think of the challenge of making a plaster cast of a patient’s head, especially a pediatric patient, or a torso for a patient who needs a spinal brace, the process was labour intensive and time consuming for staff, and I’m sure unpleasant for patients at times,” said Andreas Donauer, an orthotist at the hospital.

“Access to the robotic carver helps speed up the process from patient assessment to fitting a patient with a limb or brace, helping inpatients get their devices sooner and improving rehab outcomes.”

Rowan McNair, 11, is one of the patients benefiting from the new machine. The Edmonton boy has a rare disorder that includes symptoms of sleep apnea. The CPAP mask he had been wearing while sleeping caused rashes and pressure sores for years. It got to the point he was unable to wear the machine.

After being referred to the Glenrose, Donauer took 3D images of McNair's head and used the new machine to create a replica foam carving of the boy's head. The process took only a few minutes. From there, Donauer was able to make a flexible helmet with straps for McNair's CPAP machine, making it fit much more comfortably.

“I’m so grateful this technology was available to us,” said Angela McNair, the boy's mother.

“The pain resulted in him not wanting to wear the mask, or ripping it off in the night. We struggled for years to find an adaptive solution to help him get through the night without discomfort."

The 11-year-old now sleeps through the night without any discomfort.

"It helps me sleep a lot better," he said Tuesday. "With my old CPAP, I got sores and it hurt my face. This one, I don't get that. And my face feels a lot better with this thing."

Staff at the hospital have been using the seven-axis machine since June 2023, after the three-axis carver they were previously using broke in November 2022.

Donors came together to contribute the $500,000 needed to buy the seven-axis robotic carving machine.

The machine is being used to carve about 50 models every month for pediatric patients at the Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary.

Canada's big banks say sustainable finance pledges may not curtail emission growth

 A Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) logo is seen on Bay Street in the heart of the financial district in Toronto

REUTERS/Mark Blinch/File Photo© Thomson Reuters

By Nivedita Balu

TORONTO (Reuters) -Some of Canada's biggest banks have for the first time said their green financing efforts may not necessarily curtail emissions growth, after years of pressure from activists to improve transparency in their climate goals.

Canadian banks, said to be one of the biggest fossil fuel financiers globally, have drawn criticism from climate activists and investors over using sustainability-linked financing (SLF) merely for the pretence of a lower carbon footprint rather than take meaningful steps in that direction.

In their latest annual climate reports released during the past week, many Canadian banks have pledged billions of dollars in sustainable financing to decarbonize high-emitting sectors, while highlighting major challenges to meeting their goals.

"The question for regulators will be whether it's enough for the banks to insert these brief disclaimers deep in their ESG reporting or whether they need to do a better job telling their investors and the public that these huge financial numbers they promote as green aren't necessarily adding up to emissions reductions at all," said Matt Price, executive director of Investors for Paris Compliance.


FILE PHOTO: Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, November 1, 2021. REUTERS/Phil Noble/PooL/File Photo© Thomson Reuters

In January, the group urged securities regulators to investigate major Canadian banks on their climate-related claims and alleged misleading disclosures.

The complaint gave climate activists more fuel in their fight, which is part of a broader international push for accountability on corporate climate pledges.

Price said the latest revelations were not enough to obviate an investigation.

Canada is the world's fourth-biggest oil producer, and its energy sector contributes about 5% to the country's GDP. Despite the influence of the oil sector, the federal government has set out aggressive emissions goals that include pushing companies to cut emissions up to 38% from 2019 levels by 2030.

Bank of Nova Scotia has given C$132 billion ($97 billion) since 2018 toward its target of C$350 billion in climate-related finance by 2030, but said that climate-related projects "may — or may not — lead to reductions in overall emissions."

The bank's chief sustainability and communications officer, Meigan Terry, said it aims "to be transparent and support a clear understanding" about its climate-related financing target.

Scotiabank's climate-related finance framework, released last year, includes broader categories such as biodiversity, sustainable agriculture and circular economy, which are not necessarily measured in emissions reductions.

CIBC said "sustainable financing may involve eligible green activities... but do not necessarily curtail the growth of their absolute emissions."

TD said the greenhouse gas emissions impact of its business activities cannot be "reliably measured at this time."

Royal Bank of Canada, Canada's No. 1 bank, said that the target of limiting global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels would be a key challenge and that just 2% of its clients have plans aligned with that goal.

The bank's plans this year include tripling lending for renewable energy projects to $15 billion and boosting low-carbon energy lending to $35 billion by 2030.

In a recent report, think tank InfluenceMap said between 2020 and 2022 the big five Canadian banks steadily increased their fossil fuel financing exposure to an average of 18.4% in 2022 from 15.5% in 2020. That compares with an average of 6.1% for leading U.S. banks and 8.7% for European banks across the same period.

Several global banks have committed to "net-zero financed emissions" by 2050 but have drawn doubts from many investors, due to concerns over the lack of a defined goal.

Regulators in the Americas and Europe have increasingly been worried about greenwashing, in which companies exaggerate their environmental credentials.

($1 = 1.3578 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Toronto, Editing by Nick Zieminski and Gerry Doyle)

Royal Navy nuclear submarine returns home after 201 days under the sea, the second longest mission ever

Story by Mark Nicol Defence Editor •Daily Mail - 1d

A Royal Navy nuclear submarine has returned to base after a staggering 201 days submerged deep beneath the waves.

HMS Vengeance slipped back into Faslane on the Clyde on Monday following the marathon patrol, finally allowing her exhausted sailors to set foot on dry land.

Their hide-and-seek mission began on August 29 last year when the Vanguard-class craft gently glided under the surface of the North Sea.

At any time over the past seven months, the captain – who cannot be named for security reasons – could have been called upon to launch a Trident missle, Britain's nuclear deterrent. But now the 132-strong crew face arguably the biggest challenge of all, readjusting to everyday life.

For the duration of the patrol, they were unable to contact their families, see sunlight or eat fresh food. Defrosted oranges and dried egg powder featured prominently in their staple diet.


The Royal Navy's fourth and final Vanguard-class submarine - HMS Vengeance

HMS Vengeance trurning home to Faslane on March 17 after 201 days at sea

On what was one of the longest Royal Navy submarine operations ever undertaken, their lives were measured out in six-hour shifts – while their days and nights were spent squeezed into a 491ft-long metal tube.

They had their sleep disrupted, were deprived of fresh air and many suffered vitamin deficiencies. Common health issues among submariners include ear problems, joint disorders and an increased risk of certain cancers. Though, experts say the biggest trial was being cut off from their loved ones.

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While 'attack' submarines do rise to the surface of the ocean during their missions and give their crews some respite in the process, ballistic missile vessels known as 'bombers' remain hidden on the seabed.

And as bomber submarines are 'receive only' vessels, they could read heavily vetted 'family grams' from the outside world but never respond – as sending a signal would have risked revealing the sub's location.

Meanwhile, any information or detail that could have caused them distress would also have been deleted by their captain.

Many of the events that were happening as they embarked on the mission now seem like distant memories. However, as a submarine source disclosed, HMS Vengeance's crew would have soon forgotten outside happenings after they departed His Majesty's Naval Base Clyde.


HMS Vengeance seen arriving home with the crew members standing on top of the vessel © Provided by Daily Mail

The officer said: 'The daily rhythms change soon after leaving port, everything gets shorter.

'Everything works most of the time and the submarine is impenetrable. Certainly, there are physical challenges but it is the emotional and mental aspects of the job that are more difficult.

'You worry most about what's happening to your families, someone very close to you might have taken their own lives, one of your children might have developed a dreadful disease.

'Your wife or husband might want a divorce, their could be someone different living in your house, a different car on your drive; but you just won't know.' Months later, when you finally return to port, people will have grieved, they will have moved on, everyone looks very different and seems to act very different.

'Being a submariner is an amazing job, you get paid maybe £14,000 more than a year than if you were on a sailor on a warship, but you'll miss everyone's birthdays and Christmas.'

The officer added: 'Most of the sailors on HMS Vengeance will be in their early 20s, so they might not have dependents. But for the older more senior members, they have got families and life is hugely demanding for them.

'The Royal Navy saying goes 'recruit a submariner, retain a family'. That is so true. It is harder for those we leave behind and who we come back to, in this case seven months later.'

HMS Vengeance's patrol is believed to be the second-longest in Royal Navy history, although senior naval sources refused to confirm the length of any previous deployments.

Nuclear bomber operations are supposed to be significantly shorter. But due to maintenance issues across the fleet, fully functioning submarines are spending longer at sea.

Last night, the Royal Navy said: 'Our continuous at sea deterrent protects us and our Nato Allies every moment of every day.

'We are immensely grateful to the submariners onboard, and their loved ones, for their commitment and dedication.'

Milley confirms he got piece of paper ordering full withdrawal from Afghanistan during final Trump days

ByMike Brest
March 19, 2024 

Shortly after former President Donald Trump lost his reelection bid in November 2020, then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley was given a piece of paper that called for the withdrawal of U.S. forces in Somalia and Afghanistan.

Milley, who has since retired as a general in the Army, told lawmakers that he received the note days after Trump fired then-Secretary of Defense Mark Esper in the aftermath of the election. The piece of paper, he told lawmakers on the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, had the president’s signature on it and called for the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Somalia by Dec. 15, 2020, and from Afghanistan by Jan. 15, 2021.


“Acting Secretary of Defense [Christopher] Miller and I and others went over to the White House to confirm that order because we had not been consulted on that,” Milley explained. “So we did, and that order was then subsequently rescinded.”

Retired Gen. Mark Milley, left, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and retired Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, right, former commander of the U.S. Central Command, prepare to speak to the House Foreign Affairs Committee about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 19, 2024.

 (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Roughly a week later, he received a new order from then-national security adviser Robert O’Brien, which called for the U.S. military to reduce its troop presence to 2,500.

News of the note emerged last November via a book by ABC News’s Jonathan Karl, who reported that it was not in fact written by Trump but by John McEntee, who was serving as director of the Presidential Personnel Office. Milley did not reveal in his testimony who gave him the note or who wrote it.

Military leaders, Milley included, recommended to President Joe Biden that the U.S. shouldn’t reduce its military footprint in Afghanistan below that threshold.

Despite their advice, Biden ordered the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in April 2021. They ultimately withdrew at the end of August 2021, with the Taliban back in power and Afghans who had spent two decades working with U.S. forces concerned for their safety.

Milley and retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, the former commander of the U.S. Central Command, told lawmakers on the committee that the State Department was too slow in initiating a noncombatant evacuation operation. The State Department did not initiate the evacuation until the day before the Taliban overtook Kabul, about two weeks before the military’s impending withdrawal.

The number of Afghans who wanted to depart the country skyrocketed with the collapse of the government because the Taliban’s resurgence meant those who worked with the U.S. were now concerned about reprisals. The U.S. military was able to evacuate roughly 120,000 people in the last two weeks of August, but thousands of Afghan allies were left behind

Milley said the State Department’s delayed call for the evacuation was “the fundamental mistake.”

These evacuations were marred by the Abbey Gate bombing on Aug. 26, 2021, which claimed the lives of 13 U.S. service members and roughly 170 Afghan civilians. Dozens of U.S. troops were injured in the blast.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee is investigating the conclusion of the U.S.’s war in Afghanistan. Milley and McKenzie’s appearance in front of the committee marked their first times testifying on Capitol Hill since their retirements.

 

Biden announces historic investment into women’s menopause health

Story by Katie Hawkinson

 • 1d •

Jill Biden and Maria Shriver clap as Joe Biden holds up an executive order to allocate billions for women’s health research© REUTERS

President Joe Biden has signed a historic executive order that will channel major funds into women’s health, including research on menopause and mid-life health.

The president issued the order at a White House Women’s History Month event on Monday morning, where he was joined by First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and former first lady of California Maria Shriver.

The order allocates $12bn to and marks the “most comprehensive set” of executive action to improve research on women’s health, according to the White House.

However, this funding is not guaranteed. Given Congress has the “power of the purse,” lawmakers can move to deny the president his funding.

“So now that the President has done his job, we have to do ours,” Ms Shriver, a journalist, author and advocate for Alzheimer’s research, said at the event.

“We have to get Congress to approve the $12bn investment this president has called for to implement this bold vision.”

Senator Laphonza Butler, a Democrat from California, praised the order and told The Independent she’s unsure whether Congress will actually approve the funding.

“The leadership is there, at least on the Democratic side,” Ms Butler said. “The question is, can we actually come together as a Congress to see the value?”

Through this order, Mr Biden is calling for funds to foster research on menopause. The funds also enable the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to launch its first-ever “Pathways to Prevention” series on menopause.

Ms Shriver called the president’s order historic, particularly considering the focus on menopause.

“I’ll bet today that this is the first time a president of the United States has ever signed an executive order that mentions the words ‘menopause’ and ‘women’s mid-life health,’” Ms Shriver said at the event.

Further research on reproductive ageing is particularly important for racial health equity, given that women of colour in the US face disparities around reproductive health access compared to white women – due to both racial bias on an individual level and structural racism in the healthcare system. Black women in particular are more likely to enter mid-life with more adverse physical symptoms than white women.

“Black and Brown women are more likely to develop endometriosis and face pregnancy-related complications,” Ms Shriver said. “And we don't have the research to tell them what to do about it. This matters because when women ask questions, they can't get answers because the majority of the research that has been done in this country has only been done on men.”

Mr Biden’s order also goes beyond reproductive health, including funding research on mental health and substance use disorders, environmental health factors and autoimmune diseases that disproportionately affect women, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Just before signing the executive order, Mr Biden reiterated a call he has made many times before: “You send me a Democratic Congress that supports reproductive freedom, I promise you we will restore Roe v Wade again as the law of the land.”

The Independent has always had a global perspective. Built on a firm foundation of superb international reporting and analysis, The Independent now enjoys a reach that was inconceivable when it was launched as an upstart player in the British news industry. For the first time since the end of the Second World War, and across the world, pluralism, reason, a progressive and humanitarian agenda, and internationalism – Independent values – are under threat. Yet we, The Independent, continue to grow.