Air pollution threatens health of a growing number of Americans

By Robin Foster, HealthDay News

In the American Lung Association's "State of the Air" report, released Wednesday, the number of people living with levels of air pollution that could jeopardize their health climbed from about 119 million in 2023 to 131 million now. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo

Nearly 40% of Americans live where the air is polluted enough to harm them, a new report warns.

In the American Lung Association's "State of the Air" report, released Wednesday, the number of people living with levels of air pollution that could jeopardize their health climbed from about 119 million in 2023 to 131 million now.

"We have seen impressive progress in cleaning up air pollution over the last 25 years, thanks in large part to the Clean Air Act. However, when we started this report, our team never imagined that 25 years in the future, more than 130 million people would still be breathing unhealthy air," Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association (ALA), said in a news release announcing the findings.

"Climate change is causing more dangerous air pollution. Every day that there are unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution means that someone -- a child, grandparent, uncle or mother -- struggles to breathe," he said. "We must do more to ensure everyone has clean air."

Extreme heat, drought and wildfires have fueled recent rises in deadly air pollution, especially in the Western regions of the country, said report author Katherine Pruitt, senior director of the lung association's Nationwide Clean Air Policy.

"The air pollution produced by wildfire smoke is getting worse every year," Pruitt told CNN. "Climate change is contributing to that situation, and those wildfires are a very serious threat to our health."

While emissions of outdoor air pollutants have dropped 78% since the Clean Air Act was passed in 1970, "there still are way too many people breathing unhealthy air," Pruitt said.

In recent years, Pruitt noted she has seen a shift in air pollution becoming a growing problem in the West.

"Our cars are cleaner. Our fuels are cleaner. Most of the dirtiest coal-fired power plants have fortunately been shut down, and industry is cleaner. So that's cleaned up a lot of the traditional sources of pollution in the East, in the more industrial parts of the Upper Midwest and the Northeast," Pruitt said.

However, "the amount of oil and gas extraction that happens in the West has increased, which produces a lot of emissions," she said. "And they are suffering, first, from the impacts of climate change and wildfire. So a lot of that geographic shift you're seeing, particularly with particle pollution, is related to wildfire smoke."'

According to the new report, the 10 cities most polluted by year-round particle pollution were:Bakersfield, Calif.
Visalia, Calif.
Fresno-Madera-Hanford, Calif.
Eugene-Springfield, Ore.
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, Calif.
Los Angeles-Long Beach, Calif.
Sacramento-Roseville, Calif.
Medford-Grants Pass, Ore.
Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz.
Fairbanks, Alaska

Particle pollution, a mix of solid and liquid droplets so tiny they can infiltrate your body's defenses, is associated with an increased risk of death from heart disease, respiratory disease and lung cancer.

"Particle pollution is really deadly," Pruitt said. "We also see not only more people in more places affected, but the level of particle pollution that they're breathing is worse than it's ever been."

The new report also highlights how air pollution strikes minority communities the hardest.

While minorities make up about 42% of the U.S. population, they represent 52% of people living in a county with at least one failing grade for air pollution, the report found. In the counties with the worst air quality, 63% of the nearly 44 million residents there are minorities.

The findings show the United States still has "a huge air pollution issue" to tackle, said Dr. Lina Mu, an epidemiologist and associate professor at the University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions.

"Breathing the unhealthy air will cause tremendous health consequences, in particular for vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, fetuses, children and people with asthma or heart diseases. The impact on the next generation can be very profound," Mu told CNN.

"It will certainly need policies from multiple levels to reduce the emission of pollutants, adopt stronger regulations and standards, and address climate changes to be effective in controlling air pollution levels," she added.

More information

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has more on air pollution.

Copyright © 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

USDA takes new steps to better avert bird flu in nation's livestock


The USDA said on Wednesday that the "novel movement of H5N1 between wild birds and dairy cows" requires further testing and more action. The department said it's working with other federal agencies to protect the U.S. livestock industry from the H5N1 bird flu threat.

 File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo



April 24 (UPI) -- The Department of Agriculture said Wednesday it's working with other federal agencies to protect the U.S. livestock industry from the H5N1 bird flu threat. A federal order will develop critical baseline information to limit the virus spread.

So far, the USDA said, no changes to the virus have been found that would make it transmissible to humans and between people.

"While cases among humans in direct contact with infected animals are possible, our partners at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believe that the current risk to the public remains low," the USDA said in a Wednesday statement.

USDA said, "The novel movement of H5N1 between wild birds and dairy cows requires further testing and time to develop a critical understanding to support any future courses of action."

USDA added that it "has identified spread between cows within the same herd, spread from cows to poultry, spread between dairies associated with cattle movements, and cows without clinical signs that have tested positive. On April 16, APHIS microbiologists identified a shift in an H5N1 sample from a cow in Kansas that could indicate that the virus has an adaptation to mammals."

According to USDA, the Centers for Disease Control has conducted further analysis on that and it did not change their overall risk assessment for the general public. That's because what was observed has been seen before in other mammalian infections and "does not impact viral transmission."

The USDA said beginning April 29 interstate movement of dairy cattle will require a negative test for influenza A virus and owners of cattle testing positive will have to provide "epidemiological information, including animal movement tracing."

The tests will be immediately required for lactating cattle. The testing requirements for other classes of dairy cattle will be based on scientific factors on the virus and the evolving risk profile, according to the USDA.

Mandatory reporting also will be required when laboratories and state veterinarians get positive influenza A nucleic acid detection results. The same mandatory reporting will apply to positive influenza A serology diagnostic results in livestock.

Due to rapid spread of the H5N1 virus in April, a Texas poultry facility stopped production and was ordered to cull 1.6 million laying hens and 337,000 pullets -- or young female chickens- - at Cal-Maine's Parmer County facility near the New Mexico border.

In July, a bird flu outbreak hit the Welsh coastline, killing hundreds of seabirds in one of Britain's most important seabird habitats.

In February, Harvard Law school researcher professor Ann Linder and New York University professor Dale Jamieson warned the U.S. had "blind spots" in strategies to deal with threats like bird flu.

The researchers said the United States originates more zoonotic diseases than any other nation in the world.

More cows are being tested and tracked for bird flu. Here’s what that means

 Holstein heifers are loaded into trucks at a dairy in Oregon. Dairy cattle moving between states must be tested for the bird flu virus, U.S. agriculture officials said Wednesday, April 24, 2024, as they try to track and control the growing outbreak. 

(Kobbi R. Blair/Statesman-Journal via AP, File)

BY JONEL ALECCIA AND LAURA UNGAR
April 24, 2024

U.S. health and agriculture officials are ramping up testing and tracking of bird flu in dairy cows in an urgent effort to understand — and stop — the growing outbreak.

So far, the risk to humans remains low, officials said, but scientists are wary that the virus could change to spread more easily among people.

The virus, known as Type A H5N1, has been detected in nearly three dozen dairy herds in eight states. Inactive viral remnants have been found in grocery store milk. Tests also show the virus is spreading between cows, including those that don’t show symptoms, and between cows and birds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Starting Monday, hundreds of thousands of lactating dairy cows in the U.S. will have to be tested — with negative results — before they can be moved between states, under terms of a new federal order.

Here’s what you need to know about the ongoing bird flu investigation:

WHY IS THIS OUTBREAK SO UNUSUAL?

This strain of what’s known as highly pathogenic avian influenza has been circulating in wild birds for decades. In recent years, it has been detected in scores of mammals around the world. Most have been wild animals, such as foxes and bears, that ate sick or dying birds. But it’s also appeared in farmed minks. It’s shown up in aquatic mammals, such as harbor seals and porpoises, too. The virus was even found in a polar bear in northern Alaska.

The virus was discovered in ruminants — goats and then dairy cows — in the U.S. this spring, surprising many scientists who have studied it for years.

“When we think of influenza A, cows are not typically in that conversation,” said Richard Webby, an influenza expert at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Flu viruses are notorious for adapting to spread among new species, so detection in dairy cows raises concerns it could spread to people, Webby said.

HOW LONG HAS BIRD FLU BEEN SPREADING IN COWS?

Scientists confirmed the virus in cows in March after weeks of reports from dairy farms that the animals were falling ill. Symptoms included lethargy, sharply reduced milk supply and changes to the milk, which became thick and yellow.

Finding remnants of the virus in milk on the market “suggests that this has been going on longer, and is more widespread, than we have previously recognized,” said Matthew Aliota, a veterinary medicine researcher at the University of Minnesota.

Under pressure from scientists, USDA officials released new genetic data about the outbreak this week.

The data omitted some information about when and where samples were collected, but showed that the virus likely was spread by birds to cattle late last year, said Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist with the University of Arizona.

Since then, it has spread among cattle and among farms, likely through contact with physical objects such as workers’ shoes, trucks or milking machines, Worobey said.

And then the cows spread the virus back to birds, he said.

“The genetic evidence is as clear as could be,” Worobey said. “Birds that are sampled on these farms have viruses with clear mammalian adaptations.”

WHAT DO SCIENTISTS SAY ABOUT EFFORTS TO TRACK THE OUTBREAK?

Several experts said the USDA’s plans to require testing in cows are a good start.

“We need to be able to do greater surveillance so that we know what’s going on,” said Thomas Friedrich, a virology professor at the University of Wisconsin’s veterinary school.

Worobey said the ideal would be to screen every herd. Besides looking for active infections, agriculture officials also should be looking at whether cows have antibodies to the virus, indicating past infections, he said.

“That is a really accessible and quick way to find out how widespread this is,” he said.

More testing of workers exposed to infected animals is also crucial, experts said. Some farm owners and some individual workers have been reluctant to work with public health officials during the outbreak, experts have said.

“Increased surveillance is essentially an early warning system,” Aliota said. “It helps to characterize the scope of the problem, but also to head off potentially adverse consequences.”

HOW BIG A RISK DOES BIRD FLU POSE FOR PEOPLE?

Scientists are working to analyze more samples of retail milk to confirm that pasteurization, or heat-treating, kills the H5N1 virus, said Dr. Don Prater, acting director of the FDA’s food safety center. Those results are expected soon.

While the general public doesn’t need to worry about drinking pasteurized milk, experts said they should avoid raw or unpasteurized milk.

Also, dairy farm workers should consider extra precautions, such as masking, hand washing and changing work clothes, Aliota said.

So far, 23 people have been tested for the virus during the outbreak in dairy cows, with one person testing positive for a mild eye infection, CDC officials said. At least 44 people who were exposed to infected animals in the current outbreak are being monitored for symptoms.

WHAT ARE SCIENTISTS’ CONCERNS FOR THE FUTURE?

David O’Connor, a virology expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, likened recent bird flu developments to a tornado watch versus a warning.

“There are some of the ingredients that would be necessary for there to be a threat, but we’re not there,” he said. As with a tornado watch, “you wouldn’t change anything about how you live your daily life, but you would maybe just have a bit of increased awareness that something is happening.”

Worobey said this is the kind of outbreak “that we were hoping, after COVID, would not go unnoticed. But it has.”

He said ambitious screening is needed “to detect things like this very quickly, and potentially nip them in the bud.”
___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Yale arrests 47 protesters calling for military weapons divestment

Dozens of demonstrators have been arrested on the campus of Yale University after refusing to leave the school’s Beinecke Plaza during a mass protest that began over the weekend. File Photo by Peter Foley/EPA-EFE

April 22 (UPI) -- Dozens of demonstrators were arrested on the campus of Yale University after refusing to leave the school's Beinecke Plaza during a mass protest, the university said Monday.

Hundreds of protestors gathered over the weekend, demanding the academic institution divest itself of its investments in military weapons manufacturers.

Police officers began gathering around 6 a.m. EDT Monday before moving into the plaza to speak with demonstrators, the Yale News reported.

Approximately 30 Officers began issuing warnings in an attempt to disperse the crowd around 6:40 a.m. Several demonstrators then began gathering closely around the plaza's flagpole.

Police eventually handed out 47 summons to people who refused, the school confirmed in a statement.

Those who were arrested were processed a short distance away and later released on a promise to appear in court.

Yale said it would also consider internal disciplinary hearings.

The school initially issued a statement Sunday warning protestors of the need to pack up tents and other temporary structures.

"This is part of a formal process and relies on the university's guide to ethical investing that has served Yale well for decades. Any member of the Yale community is invited to write to the ACIR or to attend future open meetings," Yale President Peter Salovey wrote in the statement.

"There are available pathways to continue this discussion with openness and civility, and I urge those with suggestions to follow them."

That didn't fully quell the event, which saw post-graduate students and some staff members attend, in addition to undergraduates.

"We don't need Beinecke to occupy. Let's get performances going, let's get speakers going," one protester began yelling at around 10:50 a.m., following the arrests, according to a Yale News reporter.

The arrests come the same day Columbia University canceled all in-person classes on campus after officials scrambled to deal with rising discontent in the student population amid Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

Last week, the University of Southern California confirmed it was dropping all outside speakers from its commencement ceremony after a controversy involving its valedictorian.

USC previously canceled an address by Muslim valedictorian Asna Tabassum, citing security concerns ahead of the main graduation.

Pro-Palestine protests continue at Columbia University (10 images)

Pro-Palestine protests continue for the sixth day at Columbia University in New York City on Monday. President of the Ivy League school Minouche Shafik announced that all classes were to be held virtually on Monday in an attempt to simmer the conflict after more than 100 protesters were arrested last week.



A pro-Palestine protester is arrested at Columbia University in New York City on April 22, 2024. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI



Pro-Palestine protesters demonstrate using flags. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
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A protester holds up a sign that reads "Israel kills 14,000 kids. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
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Protesters lock themselves behind a gate as New York City police officers monitor the situation. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
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Columbia University announced that classes would be held remotely starting Monday, as pro-Palestine protests continued for the sixth day on the school's campus. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
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New York City police officers take up positions. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
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The scene at the school's main quad. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
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A faculty rally in favor of academic free speech is held in the main quad. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
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More than 100 protesters were arrested last week. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
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On Sunday, Columbia University Chief Operating Officer Cas Holloway informed students in a letter that a number of initiatives would be taken to improve safety on campus, including increasing the total number of safety personnel, enhanced perimeter security, improved ID checks at campus entry points and additional coverage during the Passover holiday. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
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Medical workers ask bite victims to stop bringing snakes to hospitals


Healthcare workers in Queensland, Australia, are urging members of the public to stop bringing venomous snakes with them to the hospital. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | 


April 22 (UPI) -- Medical experts in Australia are pleading with snake bite victims to stop bringing the offending serpents with them to the hospital.

Dr. Adam Michael, director of emergency medicine at Bundaberg Hospital in Queensland, said a suspected snake bite victim came in earlier this month with a highly venomous eastern brown snake in a poorly secured plastic container.

"The staff got a fright and the serious consequence of that is it delays people's time to treatment," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. "We want people to be able to get seen and assessed quickly and having a live snake in the department slows up that process."

Dr. Geoff Isbister, a clinical toxicology researcher at the University of Newcastle, said he has heard of several cases where snake bite victims brought the snake with them when seeking treatment.

"It's pretty dangerous because no one in the hospital will be able to identify it," he said. "If that snake gets out in an emergency department, that becomes a huge disaster."

He said hospital staff are not trained to identify snakes, but they can perform tests to determine whether a bite victim needs antivenom.

"We can determine if you need antivenom and if so, what antivenom you need based on clinical signs, blood tests and also the snake venom detection kits that we keep here at the hospital," he said.

Professional snake catcher Jonas Murphy said he has been called out to Bundaberg Hospital on multiple occasions to relocate snakes brought in by patients.

"You are risking a follow-up bite and you're putting everyone around you in danger as well," he said. "Snakes are one of those things that scare a lot of people, we definitely don't want them in the hospital."

The Wide Bay Hospital & Health Service, which operates Bundaberg Hospital and other Queensland facilities, offered snake bite advice on social media including avoiding washing the area and firmly bandaging the wound.

"Applying a tourniquet, cutting the wound, sucking the venom or bringing the snake with you to emergency are not recommended," the post said.

 

Nigerian chess champ plays for 60 consecutive hours

April 22 (UPI) -- The Nigerian chess master aiming to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon successfully played the game for 60 consecutive hours.

Tunde Onakoya played 60 hours of chess against U.S. chess champion Shawn Martinez at a table set up in New York's Times Square and ended up the victor of every game.

The current Guinness World Record for longest chess marathon stands at 56 hours and 9 minutes, and the record-keeping organization must now review evidence from the 60-hour attempt to determine if it will take the title.

The record attempt aimed to raise $1 million for Chess in Slums Africa, a charity Onakoya co-founded to promote education in low-income areas across the continent.

Onakoya revealed on social media that he celebrated the end of his attempt with some Jollof rice -- his first meal in nearly four days.

"I had some food poisoning during the marathon so I couldn't eat anything at all. Just water," he wrote.

New CDC initiative aims to protect Americans from extreme heat

MAY NOT APPLY IN TEXAS OR FLORIDA

With the official start of summer now less than two months away, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched a new initiative to help Americans protect themselves from extreme heat. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

April 22 (UPI) -- With the official start of summer now less than two months away, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched a new initiative to help Americans protect themselves from extreme heat.

The CDC initiative announced Monday includes a new set of guidelines for healthcare practitioners, which take into account a person's background and risk factors. They also provide information specific to people in certain risk groups, such as pregnant women, children with asthma or people over the age of 65.

More than two-thirds of all Americans were under heat alerts at some point last year, according to the CDC.

The agency also is partnering with the National Weather Service to produce an experimental color-numeric-based index that provides a forecast risk of heat-related effects to occur over a 24-hour period.

The HeatRisk Foreacast Tool takes into consideration and provides information on how unusual the heat can be for the time of the year, as well as duration for both daytime and nighttime temperatures.

The HeatRisk dashboard augments temperature readings with other information such as air quality and alerts people to when a reading may become dangerously high.

"Heat can impact our health, but heat-related illness and death are preventable," said CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said in a statement.

"We are releasing new heat and health tools and guidance to help people take simple steps to stay safe in the heat."

A report issued last week by the CDC found daily emergency department visits due to heat-related illness last year, peaked in many areas during the spring and summer months, and in many cases "remained exceedingly high for an extended duration."

Defense Department environmental awards honor 9 for 'significant strides' on conservation

The Defense Department on Monday unveiled the nine winners of the 2024 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards, which included Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota (pictured). That site implemented a raptor translocation program to move six raptor species 50 miles away to be released on federal lands. File Photo by Airman 1st Class Jesse Jenny/U.S. Air Force


April 22 (UPI) -- The Defense Department on Monday unveiled the nine winners of the 2024 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards, according to the department.

These awards -- evaluated by a "diverse panel" of 47 judges from federal and state agencies, academia and the private sector -- recognize those "for their exceptional achievements in effective environmental management strategies that enhance installation resilience and mission readiness," DOD said in a release.

"Understanding that installations built, and natural environments strongly impact service members' quality of life, DOD is committed to ensuring that its installations are healthy, safe, functional and resilient," Brendan Owens, DOD's assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations and environment, said in a release.

The award formally recognizes those affiliated with DOD who have made "significant strides" to conserve America's natural and cultural resources, protect human and environmental health, prevent or eliminate pollution at its source, eradicate hazardous toxins, and incorporate environment, safety and occupational health requirements into weapon systems acquisition.

The department stated that their "emphasis on protection of environment quality ultimately improves Department personnel's quality of life and protects natural environments vital for mission success."

A total of 31 nominees were put up in 2024 for the award, which began being presented in 1962 during the Kennedy administration.

Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota had implemented a raptor translocation program to decrease the lethal take of 14 raptor species on base due to wildlife-aircraft collisions. They translocated 55 juveniles, from six raptor species, 50 miles to be released on federal lands.

"These efforts reduced bird-aircraft strike risk, promoted natural raptor populations and contributed to scientific knowledge on raptor ecology, including movement and longevity," said DOD.

An individual, Hugo Cobos at Kadena Air Base in Japan had developed a monitoring procedure and project to protect specific species at Bellows Air Force Station in Hawai'i which had identified two endangered species on base.

A team at Florida's Eglin Air Force Base had "demonstrated a commitment to stewardship and sustainability through enhancing habitat and fostering the protection of threatened and endangered species," which included Okaloosa darter -- a small freshwater fish -- which lead to its de-listing as an endangered species.

Another crew at Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz in Guam published a new policy for their base which directed "environmental compliance, preventing pollution and improving toward a robust environmental management system."

Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania successfully had enacted a series of water-saving and recycling measures.

In Maine, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in March had been de-listed from the National Priorities List -- sites of a national priority known to releases, or threaten the release of, hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants throughout the United States and its territories.

Vieques Naval Installation in the United States territory of Puerto Rico in 2023 saved nearly $200,000 in by working with U.S. Fleet Forces Command and Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command "to integrate active-duty Navy explosive ordnance disposal dive units into the Vieques offshore munitions cleanup program."

In Utah at Hill Air Force Base, efforts were made "to build strong relationships and promote future cooperative efforts" with native American tribes by "managing, protecting and sharing" a valued archaeological site containing over 130 footprints more than 12,000 years old.

And a Maryland-based team had eliminated hexavalent chromium on F-35 aircrafts "by implementing a non-chrome fuel tank coating and a non-chrome rapid-cure fuel tank touchup kit at U.S. Air Force-owned manufacturing facilities and at F-35 depots."

The DOD announcement on Earth Day came the same day the Biden administration announced a $7 billion investment in solar energy grants, and 2,000 Climate Corps jobs.

High-speed rail from Nevada to California breaks ground for planned 2028 opening


U.S. President Joe Biden (R) delivers remarks next to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (L) on protecting consumers in the South Court Auditorium at the White House, May 2023. Buttigieg was in Nevada on Monday to break ground on America's first high-speed railway. File Photo by Chris Kleponis/UPI | License Photo

April 22 (UPI) -- The Transportation Secretary on Monday was on hand to break ground with other officials on what will be America's next high-speed railway.

"I'm convinced that the first time Americans actually experience American high-speed rail on U.S. soil, there's going to be no going back and people are going to expect and demand it all across the country," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told CNBC Monday.

Brightline West's railway -- which also has a Florida route -- is expected to be open by 2028 and will be able to reach speeds of 200 miles per hour across its 218-mile-long route which will run from Las Vegas in Nevada to Los Angeles in California.

It is being described as the "first true high-speed rail system" in the United States. Plans call for it to be running in time for the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and will get passengers to their destinations in half the typical time at two hours.

It is funded by President Joe Biden's 2021 bipartisan infrastructure bill. In December, Biden had announced $8.2 billion in federal funds for new rail projects, which included the $3 billion to "fast track" the high-speed rail system project between Nevada and California.

But the rest of the project will be privately funded. Brightline said they expect the project to have more than $10 billion in economic effect and will create over 35,000 new jobs during construction between the two states.

Talks of a possible high-speed railway in California date back as far as Obama administration efforts in 2012 to get the idea off the ground. The high-speed line is projected to serve more than 11 million passengers each year, leading to fewer cars on the road and reduced emissions in the region, Biden had said in December.

A Transport Workers Union official praised the groundbreaking day.

"The Transport Workers Union is proud to be here for the unveiling of this critical infrastructure project that will transform the way people travel and provide thousands of good-paying jobs," International President John Samuelsen said in a statement.



"Investments in big infrastructure projects like Brightline West provide more than just a way to get from one place to another, they provide jobs with a pathway to economic security for hardworking Americans," he said.

On Monday morning, Buttigieg called the day "a major milestone in building the future of American rail and the jobs that come with it" on social media.

"For decades, America has not invested in passenger rail the way other countries have," the Transportation Department posted online.

"That changes today, with the start of construction on Brightline West," they wrote.

"This project will support Nevada's tourism economy and create good-paying union jobs," Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen, a Democrat, posted on X.

The state's other senator, Catherine Cortez Masto, a fellow Democrat, echoed Rosen's sentiments about boosting Nevada's tourism industry and creating "good-paying union jobs -- and that's what Brightline West will do for our state," she put on social media.
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Nevada's state Assembly speaker, a Democrat, also pointed to union jobs, "reduced traffic and air pollution, and a greatly improved travel experience" Speaker Steve Yeager said in his take on the day, calling the groundbreaking ceremony "a packed house."

Clothing retailer Express files for bankruptcy, to close 95 stores

April 22 (UPI) -- Clothing retailer Express said on Monday it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will close 95 stores, including all of its UpWest stores, with closing sales starting on Tuesday.

Express, a shopping mall staple, said its remaining stores will operate as usual during the mass closing. The company said it made the move to file for bankruptcy as a strategic move to sell most of its operations to an investment group.

Express said that WHP Global, an indirect subsidiary of shopping outlet giant Simon Property Group, leads the investment group.

Express said it has received a commitment for $35 million in new financing from some of its existing lenders depending on bankruptcy court approval and $49 million from the Internal Revenue Service in connection with CARES Act.

"We continue to make meaningful progress refining our product assortments, driving demand, connecting with customers and strengthening our operations," Stewart Glendinning, CEO of Express, said in a statement.

"We are taking an important step to strengthen our financial position and enable Express to continue advancing our business initiatives. WHP has been a strong partner to the company since 2023, and the proposed transaction will provide us additional financial resources, better position the business for profitable growth and maximize value for our stakeholders."

Express said all of its brands will continue to fulfill orders and process returns and gift cards. Bonobos, one of Express's brands, will continue to serve its premium wholesale customers. Customer benefits related to the Express Insiders program are expected to remain the same.

HUMAN RIGHTS VS RELIGIOUS RITES
United Methodist Church opens General Conference as denomination considers LGBTQ+ rights


The future of the United Methodist Church in the United States and around the world could be determined as 862 voting delegates gather Tuesday at the UMC Grand Conference amid historic conflict over LGBTQ+ rights. File photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

April 22 (UPI) -- The United Methodist Church is opening its General Conference, on Tuesday in North Carolina, to reshape the country's largest Protestant denomination in the hopes of slowing historic splintering over LGBTQ+ rights.

The United Methodist General Conference, which meets every four years, will start seeking some big solutions to bridge the regional and ideological divisions within the church.

Over the last four years, a quarter of U.S.-based United Methodist churches have left the denomination or have disaffiliated over disagreements involving church policy and LGBTQ+ rights. In November, the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church approved the departure of 261 congregations that chose to leave over the ongoing conflict.

"Our deepest desire is to foster greater unity in the Church while recognizing our denomination's diverse theological, social and contextual viewpoints," United Methodist Church U.S. delegates wrote in a statement ahead of the conference.

"We find ourselves at a seminal moment in the life of this denomination. It's a marker point, a shift, a pivot from what was to what can be," said Council of Bishops President Thomas Bickerton, who sees the potential for big change at the General Conference.

Three major proposals will go before 862 voting delegates at the conference which runs through May 3 in Charlotte, including worldwide regionalization that would amend the denomination's constitution to allow seven church regions in Africa, Europe and the Philippines, as well as the United States, to have equal authority when it comes to adapting parts of the Book of Discipline to their missional context.

"The goal of contextualization is to allow for laws of a certain area and not allow decisions from one region to influence or dominate the other," said Judi Kenaston, chief connectional ministries officer at United Methodist Connectional Table.

The second proposal calls for a revision of the church's Social Principles to become more globally relevant and to eliminate the wording, some of which has been around since 1972, that states "the practice of homosexuality ... is incompatible with Christian teaching."

The third proposal would remove exclusionary policies against LGBTQ people, including bans on same-sex weddings and "self-avowed practicing" gay clergy.

For the first time, there will be a caucus of LGBTQ delegates at the conference. The 58 delegates are hoping to see votes for full inclusivity in the denomination. The Queer Delegate Caucus will be a "powerful presence," said Jorge Lockward, a delegate in the caucus and minister of worship arts at the Church of the Village in New York, who stressed regardless of what happens "we are not going back."

"Until we get on the floor and people start pressing those voting buttons, we really don't know what's going to happen -- no matter how much preparation and conversation and strategizing has gone ahead of the game," said Helen Ryde, a lay delegate from the Western North Carolina Conference and a member of the new United Methodist Queer Delegate Caucus.

United Methodist delegates from Alabama, who will be attending the conference, say their top priorities are to remove harmful language regarding homosexuality, allow more self-governing in different parts of the world and revise the Social Principles.

"I feel very hopeful about General Conference this time," said the Rev. Kelly Clem, a retired minister for the North Alabama Conference and one of 862 voting delegates. "I think there's a lot of unity and hopefulness about our moving forward as the United Methodist Church, as a denomination. The temperature has been significantly lowered."

"The ones who wanted to leave, who felt so strongly, especially about human sexuality issues, they've gone. We're going to move forward. There's just a real rallying of those who want to help the church move forward with its mission and stop getting bogged down in some of these controversial matters and just move forward. There will be dissent. I just think there will be a much more positive vibe," Clem added.

Reserve delegate Lisa Keys-Mathews disagreed.

"There are some super negative voices coming out that are still part of the United Methodist Church," Keys-Mathews said. "I find that sad and hurtful."

Delegates at the conference will examine 1,099 legislative petitions to shape the future of the church, while balancing a changing stance on LGBTQ+ rights within the U.S. church with the cultural conservatism of United Methodists in other parts of the world.

"We have engaged in ongoing conversations and reflection with United Methodists from around the world to discern what changes we might make as a General Conference that might strengthen unity amidst diversity and allow enough flexibility for our various geographical regions to thrive," a coalition of centrist and progressive UMC leaders said in a statement to counter traditionalist advocacy groups that have sought to preserve anti-LGBTQ+ restrictions for decades.

"Personally, I don't want to go back to mediocrity and old habits. I don't want to go back to racist behaviors, gender bias or models that exclude rather than welcome," said Bickerton. "This is a moment for us to get a new wind and a new sense of purpose."