US economy purged 17 mn jobs amid pandemic

AFP/File / CHANDAN KHANNA

The coronavirus has put around 17 million people out of work in the United States

US unemployment is rising at a jarring rate, with data released Thursday showing 17 million people have lost their jobs since mid-March as officials scramble to apply a tourniquet to stem the damage from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Federal Reserve launched a series of new lending programs Thursday to pump $2.3 trillion into the damaged US economy, but Fed Chair Jerome Powell tried to offer reassurance, saying the recovery could be "robust."

The Fed's announcement came at the same time as the Labor Department's latest weekly report showed 6.6 million more people filed for unemployment benefits last week, following 6.9 million in the prior week and 3.3 million in the week ended March 21.

That is a stunning reversal for the world's largest economy where the jobless rate was near historic lows before it was forced to shut down to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Analysts expect the malaise to persist for months, with the jobless rate surging into double digits in April, as President Donald Trump eyes getting the country back in business.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin meanwhile gave a more definitive timeframe, saying on CNBC businesses could restart as soon as May.

"As soon as the President feels comfortable with the medical issues, we are (doing) everything necessary (so) that American companies and American workers can be open for business and that they have the liquidity that they need to operate their businesses in the interim," he said.

The unemployment data indicate the coronavirus pandemic is set to eclipse job losses from the 2008 financial crisis, and International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva warned Thursday that the world faces the worst global emergency since the Great Depression.

The 17 million total unemployed in the US "is just over half the nearly 30 million in job losses we expect to result from the spread of the coronavirus, which would be three times the number of job losses that occurred" during the last recession, Oxford Economics said, projecting the unemployment rate reaching 14 percent in April and 16 percent in May.



- Hitting the bottom? -

The US government has mobilized to stem the losses, with the Federal Reserve announcing on Thursday a new $2.3 trillion financing measure aimed at helping businesses, households and state and local governments facing a cash crunch.

Included in the measures is the Main Street Lending Program, which may purchase up to $600 billion in loans owed by small- and medium-sized firms "that were in good financial standing before the crisis," the Fed said in a statement.

Another program, the Municipal Liquidity Facility, will offer up to $500 billion in lending to states and municipalities by directly purchasing short-term debt.

The Fed also is backstopping the new Paycheck Protection Program launched last week as part of the massive $2.2 trillion rescue package Congress approved late last month.

The central bank will buy up all the loans issued by private banks worth up to the full $349 billion allocated to the program, which will free up the banks to provide more loans to customers.

Powell acknowledged the US is facing a "truly rare" economic crisis, and unemployment is moving up at an "alarming speed," but the Fed is committed to using its emergency lending powers as long as the crisis lasts.

"There is every reason to believe that the economic rebound, when it comes, can be robust," Powell said in a speech.

Ian Shepherdson of Pantheon Macroeconomics said there are signs the initial jobless claims will decline in coming weeks.

"Google searches for 'file for unemployment' are now falling consistently on a week-on-week basis, by about one third," he wrote, forecasting a decline in claims next week to a still-enormous 4.5 million.

- More help needed -

Georgieva said the coronavirus pandemic could cause "the worst economic fallout since the Great Depression," turning global growth negative and requiring a massive governmental response.

Even in the best case, the IMF expects only a "partial recovery" next year, assuming the virus fades and economic activity restarts later in 2020.

In Washington, policymakers already are trying to bolster the $2.2 trillion emergency measures now being implemented.

The bill includes direct cash payments to Americans and expanded unemployment insurance in addition to the small business loan program, which has had a tumultuous rollout.

Mnuchin wants an additional $250 billion for these loans, however a vote in the Republican-controlled Senate to unanimously approve allocating that money failed on Thursday, with Democrats blocking it in favor of their own proposal.

Mom of AIDS victim Ryan White finds solace in his memory 30 years after death

Jeanne White-Ginder, the mother of Ryan White, shown at the White House in 2009, said Wednesday it is still therapeutic for her to talk about her son 30 years after his death. Photo by Aude Guerrucci/UPI | License Photo

April 8 (UPI) -- The mother of Ryan White, the Indiana teenager whose death due to AIDS in 1990 galvanized a nation, said Wednesday it is still therapeutic for her to talk about her son's life.

Jeanne White-Ginder said during a video news conference from Leesburg, Fla., where she and her husband now live, she hoped against hope that her son would overcome the disease. White died 30 years ago Wednesday at 18, but she said her memories of her son and their struggles remain fresh in her mind.

White, a hemophiliac, contracted AIDS through tainted blood. His family was forced to leave their small Indiana town when the public learned of his condition and threatened violence on the family.

"I thought if anybody was going to beat AIDS, it was going to be Ryan," said White-Ginder of her son, who lived years passed the six months doctors gave him. "No one thought he would live for 5 1/2 years."

RELATED UPI Archive 1990: Ryan White, AIDS victim who fought to go to school, dies

"[Remembering Ryan] puts a smile on your face but at the same time it's so very sad to remember those days," she said. Many people and celebrities, though, would eventually rally around the boy, whose story was turned into a television movie.

White-Ginder remembered the help singer Elton John gave her, from fielding phone calls for her to assisting in picking out White's casket after he died.

"There wasn't a want or need I had because of him," White-Ginder said. "I wish I could remember it all."

RELATED Fewer than 1 in 4 teen boys at risk for HIV get tested

She said White's room, which was donated to the Indianapolis Children's Museum, stands in a testament to her son's courage, and she is grateful that it continues to help tell his story.

She said she remains proud of the passage of the federal Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resource Care Act, which called for federal funding of AIDS education, research and medical care. White-Ginder said she was moved when Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., called her personally to ask if they could attach her son's name to the bill.

White-Ginder said she sees numerous similarities between the AIDS epidemic and the current coronavirus pandemic. She said she fears that too many people are not listening to medical experts, much like the AIDS crisis, and it will end up costing lives.

RELATED On This Day: Ryan White dies of AIDS

"People are scared," White-Ginder said of COVID-19. "People did not want to listen to medical facts [during the AIDS epidemic]. I think it's the same way with COVID-19. We're running scared and don't know all the answers."

White-Ginder said people should stay inside, saying if the country could weather AIDS, it can overcome the coronavirus. She said most of all, people should listen to medical experts.

RELATED UPI Archive 1988: Teenager Ryan White describes AIDS battle to commission

Grain bin deaths spiked in 2019; expected to remain high this year

FARMERS REFUSE HEALTH AND SAFETY RULES

Thirty-nine people died in grain bin accidents in 2019, according to Purdue University. Photo courtesy of the Burlington (Iowa) Fire Department

EVANSVILLE, Ind., April 9 (UPI) -- The number of farmers and workers who died in grain bins spiked in 2019, according to researchers at Purdue University. And safety experts expect those numbers to remain high this year.

Thirty-nine people died in grain bin accidents last year, up from 27 in 2018, according to Purdue University's Agricultural Safety and Health Program.

The spike related to the quality of the 2019 corn and soybean crop, said Bill Field, an extension safety specialist at Purdue, who heads a team that tracks grain bin accidents annually.

Due to flooding and other adverse weather issues last year, crops across the Midwest were harvested while still wet. Wet grain tends to clump together in bins, Field said.

"You can think about it like sand in an hourglass," Field said. "Normally, the sand will flow right through the hourglass. But, if you add a couple drops of water, it will clump up and it won't flow through the hole. The same thing happens with corn."

So, when it's time to empty the bin -- which is done through a small opening at the bottom of the structure -- the grain becomes stuck. That forces farmers or workers to enter the bin and break it up.

Once in the bin, a person can be quickly pulled into the grain and suffocate.

Corn and soybeans are generally harvested in the fall, and large amounts then are stored in bins on farms to be sold throughout the upcoming year. The number of accidents started to rise as farmers began to store their 2019 harvests.

"In the latter part of the year, we started having more of these accidents," said Jeff Adkisson, executive vice president of the Grain and Feed Association of Illinois and a board member on the Grain Bin Safety Council, also based in Illinois.

"We're concerned we're going to see another spike in fatalities in 2020 because that crop is still being stored," Adkisson said.

RELATED Authorities investigate worker's death in a Kentucky grain bin

At least seven people have died in grain bins so far this year.

More than 70 percent of grain bin deaths occur on farms, rather than commercial facilities, Field said. Farms don't have to comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration safety regulations, while commercial facilities do, Adkisson said.

Though they're not required, the Grain Bin Safety Council recommends that farmers follow some of the same standards, like never working alone, wearing a safety harness and not going into a bin while the equipment that pulls grain from the bin is running.

"If they just don't go in while the equipment is running, that would probably have saved a lot of lives over the years," Adkisson said.

Adkisson's final piece of advice is for farmers to call their local grain elevator for help.

"We know farmers are fiercely independent," he said. "And we know it might be a little embarrassing to admit you're having problems with your grain.

"But, we'd rather have a farmer come to us a little embarrassed than have to go to that farmer's funeral."

Google recognizes custodial and sanitation workers with new Doodle

SEE MY MEMES BELOW

Google is paying homage to custodial and sanitation workers with a new Doodle. Image courtesy of GoogleApril 9 (UPI) -- Google is honoring custodial and sanitation workers during the COVID-19 pandemic with a new Doodle.

Google's homepage features the letter "G" in the Google logo sending a heart to a janitor who is represented by the letter "e."

The janitor is holding a mop and standing next to a garbage can along with a mop bucket and spray bottle.

The company says that as the pandemic continues, Doodles will pay homage to those who are battling the virus on the front lines. Recent Doodles have given thanks to emergency service workers including firefighters and police officers and doctors and nurses.

"Today we'd like to say, to all custodial and sanitation workers, thank you," the internet giant said.

Google recently displayed a Doodle that promoted staying at home during the pandemic. The Doodle featured each individual letter of the company's name inside of a home. The letters were reading a book, talking on the phone, playing music and working out.

MY MEMES

Trump administration plans to open 2.3M acres for hunting, fishing

TEDDY ROOSEVELT (R) WEEPS

Officials said it's the single largest growth of fishing and hunting opportunities by the Fish and Wildlife Service. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

April 9 (UPI) -- The Trump administration has announced plans to free up 2.3 million acres of federal land in wildlife refuges and fishing hatcheries to hunters and anglers.

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said Wednesday the expansion will involve land at more than 100 refuges and hatcheries, calling it the single largest growth of hunting and fishing opportunities in the history of the Fish and Wildlife Service.

"America's hunters and anglers now have something significant to look forward to in the fall as we plan to open and expand hunting and fishing opportunities across more acreage nationwide than the entire state of Delaware," Bernhardt said in a statement.

The rule, for example, would for the first time open migratory bird and sport fishing at Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge in Florida, big game hunting in the Bamforth National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming and upland game hunting at Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge in West Virginia.

"Hunting and fishing are an integral part of our nation's culture, economy and care for the land," said W. Laird Hamberlin, the chief executive of Safari Club International. "Increasing access and opportunities for people to take part in our sporting heritage strengthens broader conservation efforts."

Others criticized the expansion and the timing of the announcement.

"Instead of responding to pleas by state and local officials for needed agency resources, assistance, and help during this generational [coronavirus] pandemic, Secretary Bernhardt made a tone-deaf announcement that by no means could ever make up for the hunting opportunities and wildlife lost as a result of Trump's deregulatory agenda decimating our public lands and environmental protections," Jayson O'Neill, director of the Western Values Project, said in a statement.

Health-damaging PFAS 'forever chemicals' likely released at 2,500 sites


More than 2,500 industrial sites in the United States are likely releasing toxic PFSAs linked to cancer and other human health problems, a new analysis of federal data shows. Photo courtesy of Environmental Working Group

April 9 (UPI) -- More than 2,500 industrial operations in the United States most likely are releasing toxic perfluoroalkyl chemicals, or PFAS, into air and water supplies, a report based on federal data says.

The Washington, D.C.,-based Environmental Working Group, a non-profit that advocates for clean air and water, on Thursday released an interactive national map of likely polluters.

The list came from two online databases compiled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, along with data from a 2017 survey by New York state.

Industrial sources of PFASs include chemical producers, tanneries, carpet and rug mills, coated-paper-product plants, electroplating facilities, semiconductor factories and wire manufacturers, the organization said.

RELATED Elevated PFAS levels found in tap water in major U.S. cities

PFAS, also dubbed "forever chemicals," are a family of chemical compounds that have been linked to human health problems, including cancer, liver damage, decreased fertility, and an increased risk of asthma and thyroid problems.

Congress has mandated that the EPA next year require companies to report their releases of PFASs as part of their mandatory Toxic Release Inventory.

But some lawmakers want the EPA to do more.

RELATED PFAS should be classified as carcinogens, researchers say

U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., has also proposed a bill that add mandatory reporting of PFSAs to the chemical pollutants listed in the EPA's Clean Water Act.

"In our district [people] have questions about whether they can bathe their kids or drink water in their house," Pappas said on a telephone press conference Thursday.

"We can't do this community by community and state by state. It's critically important that we have federal maximum contaminant level," Pappas added. "We should look for ways to provide [federal] funding for additional testing."

RELATED Many household drinking water filters fail to totally remove PFAS

In Pappas's district in Merrimack, N.H., a state water investigation found PFASs released by smokestacks from the French-owned Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics company over decades had contaminated water supplies for 60 miles in southern New Hampshire.

The company applies PFSA-laden water-repelling surfactant when manufacturing plastics like tape, films, seals and textiles.

Contaminated wells were found in the towns of Bedford, Londonderry, Manchester and Litchfield, said Jim Martin, spokesman for the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

"This has turned out to be the largest groundwater investigation in the history of New Hampshire where PFASs have impacted hundreds of wells," Martin said.

A chemical signature identified Saint-Gobain as the source of the water contamination, Martin said. State health agencies found elevated levels of PFASs in blood samples from regional residents who lived near the factory.

Under a 2018 consent decree, the company has paid to disconnect 700 homes from private wells and connect them to treated municipal water systems. The company also has also paid for private home water filtering systems and has provided bottled water to other homes, Martin said.

PFASs are used commercially in stain repellents on carpets and other fabrics, polishes, paints and coatings such as non-stick Teflon on pots and pans. Some PFSAs have been banned by the United States and other countries, but the toxic "forever chemicals" remain in soil and water.

On more than 670 U.S. military sites, PFSA water contamination nearby was linked to chemicals used in fire-retardant foams. Military bases around the country have been deemed EPA Superfund sites to clean up water contamination from PFSAs.

U.S. Rep. Harley Rouda, D-Calif., pointed out Thursday that the new map showed the industrial PFAS contamination problem reached into every state and congressional district.

"Unfortunately our watershed knows no boundaries," Rouda said. "Unless we have federal action, we can't do more to reduce ongoing levels of PFAS and make sure legacy polluters are accountable for contamination."

MAY 1 GENERAL STRIKE MEME AGAINST RETURNING TO WORK

TRUMP CLAIM'S THAT AMERICANS WILL BE ABLE TO GO TO WORK ON MAY 1
INTERNATIONAL WORKERS SOLIDARITY DAY

 CDC: Essential workers can return to work if they are asymptomatic

Gallup said Thursday a new survey shows U.S. investors now think it will take a long time for the market to recover after the coronavirus crisis ends. 

April 9 (UPI) -- A new survey shows a majority of U.S. investors no longer expect the quick rebound in the stock market after the coronavirus pandemic they did last month, Gallup said Thursday.

In mid-March, 55 percent of U.S. investors said the stock market would bounce back quickly once the coronavirus crisis ended and 45 percent said it would take a long time. Now, those figures are reversed, a new survey shows, with 55 percent saying it will take a long time and 45 percent saying it will be quick.

U.S. investors were defined as those with $10,000 or more invested in stocks or bonds, Gallup said.

Fifty-five percent of investors said in the new survey conducted in early April that they would hold onto their stocks and wait for the market to come back. Slightly fewer, 52 percent, said last month it was time to hold onto stocks.

Investors who said it was a good opportunity to purchase stocks while prices were down slipped 5 from 34 percent to 29 percent. And the percentage who said it was time to decrease their stock holdings to protect from further losses was still small at 6 percent, up only 2 percentage points, from 4 percent last month.

Still, most investors were at least somewhat confident they could weather the storm. More than eight in 10 said they could handle the current market downtown, with 39 percent being very confident and 46 percent being somewhat confident.

The survey is an update of the Wells Fargo/Gallup survey on investors from March 17-19.

RELATED Gallup: U.S. residents hesitant to return to regular activities

"At that time, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closings were hovering around 20,000, down nearly 30 percent from the Dow's high point a month earlier," senior Gallup editor Lydia Saad noted. "Since then, the Dow fell further to below 18,000 before building back up to just over 21,000 at the time of the last survey."

Findings were based on a random sample of 2,691 U.S. adults polled April 3-5, with a 4 percentage point margin of error.

Poll: 70% of Americans believe U.S. economy in either recession or depression

A Gallup poll relased Wednesday found that 70 percent of Americans believe the United States is in either a recession or a depression as hundreds of thousands of Americans have lost jobs amid shutdowns to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. 

April 8 (UPI) -- Amid economic turbulence due to the COVID-19 outbreak, 70 percent of Americans believe that the U.S. economy is either in a recession or depression, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday.

The survey, based on interviews conducted on April 3-5, found that 40 percent of Americans believe the United States is in a recession and 30 percent believe it is in a depression.

Nine percent more U.S. adults believe the country is in an economic depression and 3 percent more believe it is in a recession from Gallup's previous report last week.

Democrats had the most pessimistic outlook on the economy as 85 percent said they believe the economy is in a recession or depression compared to 68 percent of independents and 53 percent of Republicans.

The survey was conducted as the U.S. Department of Labor said the country lost 701,000 jobs in March and the unemployment rate rose to a historic low of 4.4 percent.

U.S. markets on Wednesday continued to rebound from COVID-19 woes as the Dow Jones closed up 780 points after White House health adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that the United States should begin to experience a "turn around" in coronavirus cases this week.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday also called for Congress to provide an additional $250 billion in funding for small business loans provided by the so-called Paycheck Protection Program established in a $2.2 trillion coronavirus response bill signed last month.
The survey results were based on self-administered web surveys conducted with a random sample of 3,876 U.S. adults aged 18 and older, with a 3 percent margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level.

APRIL 9, 2020
Another 6.6 million Americans file for unemployment

A sign informs the public of the closure at Elysian Park in Los Angeles, Calif., which was shuttered until further notice on March 28 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

April 9 (UPI) -- More than 6.6 million people in the United States filed for unemployment benefits last week, the Labor Department said Thursday.

The department said 6,606,000 initial claims were filed for the week ending April 4. It also revised the prior week's claims up by 219,000.

Last week's claims represented a decrease of 261,000 compared to the prior week.

Thursday's report continued a surge of unemployment following lockdown conditions for workers in 43 states under stay-at-home orders.
Non-essential businesses -- especially in retail -- were either closed or sharply curtailed in areas affecting 95 percent of the U.S. population.

Thursday's figures came on top of the nearly 10 million claims made during the final two weeks of March, including a record 6.6 million the last week.

Some analysts had expected 5.5 million new filings, while others expected more. Bank of America Merrill Lynch predicted 6.5 million initial claims, while JP Morgan Chase had estimated an all-time-high of 7 million.

The latest numbers included losses that came after more state and local governments instituted wider restrictions affecting a much broader range of retail sectors.

Some economists estimated the joblessness surge has already pushed the actual U.S. unemployment rate above 10 percent. The official figure for March was 4.4 percent.

U.S. copes with COVID-19 pandemic

Workers with the nonprofit group SWBID pick up food to distribute to those in need from World Central Kitchen's makeshift distribution site at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on April 9. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

First lady Melania Trump sported a face mask Thursday in a new public service announcement posted on her Twitter account urging Americans to follow guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
April 9 (UPI) -- DO AS WE SAY NOT AS WE DO 

WTF
Rastafarian fights solitary confinement over dreadlocks


Eric McGill Jr., awaiting trial on charges stemming from a shooting, has been 

placed in solitary confinement for refusing to cut his dreadlocks. 

Photo courtesy of Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project

March 19 (UPI) -- A Pennsylvania inmate placed in solitary confinement because he refuses to cut off his dreadlocks is asking a judge to expedite his lawsuit challenging his detention conditions.

Eric McGill Jr. -- a Rastafarian who follows the "nazirite vow" taken by Samson in the Bible to avoid cutting his hair -- has been in administrative segregation in the Lebanon County Correctional Facility since his arrival on Jan. 19, 2019.

McGill, 27, who is awaiting trial on charges stemming from a shooting that injured four people, was put in solitary confinement for failing to comply with a rule prohibiting braids and cornrows.

The jail's rules, which officials say aim to stop inmates from hiding contraband in their hair and to ensure cleanliness, allow long hair only if it is tied up or worn in a single ponytail. No religious exemptions are made for dreadlocks.

McGill offered to tie up his dreadlocks, but he still landed in the jail's Security Housing Unit for refusing to have them cut off, according to his lawsuit.

McGill is allowed out of his cell for up to one hour a day five days a week between midnight and 2 a.m. for recreation, according to the suit. That is the only time McGill can use the phone, and he is limited to one visit a week for a maximum of 30 minutes. The lights in the unit are on 22 hours a day.

The conditions have caused McGill to suffer depression and frequent panic attacks and exacerbated a previously diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder, the suit alleges.

Suit: cruel and unusual

At first, McGill, who is not a lawyer, filed a suit himself alleging cruel and unusual punishment and false imprisonment and sought to end his solitary confinement. He later wrote to the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project, and the nonprofit is representing him for free.

The project provides assistance to low-income people who are incarcerated or institutionalized in civil cases that allege their constitutional rights have been violated.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court, seeks McGill's immediate placement in the general jail population and an unspecified amount of money for compensatory and punitive damages. Warden Robert Karnes, two other correctional employees and Lebanon County are named as defendants

McGill's attorneys contend his placement in solitary confinement violates the First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, which bars prisons and jails from placing arbitrary or unnecessary restrictions on religious practice.

"Mr. McGill believes that his spirit lives through his dreadlocks," the suit says. "Mr. McGill also believes that his dreadlocks keep him spiritually pure, a requisite for entry into the afterlife. For Mr. McGill, cutting off his dreadlocks would be akin to cutting off his strength and his spirit."

The suit also alleges the defendants are violating McGill's right under the 14th Amendment's due process clause to be free from punishment as a pretrial detainee.

'Dreadlocks detached'

The defendants have responded in court documents that the braids and cornrows policy in the jail's rules is reasonable and has legitimate interests of security and cleanliness. They say the policy applies to all inmates, and those who keep their dreadlocks are placed in administrative segregation.

"Other inmates chose to have the dreadlocks detached, at which time inmates were removed from administrative segregation and placed into the general population," attorney Peggy Morcom, who represents Lebanon County and its employees, wrote.

Another attorney for the defendants, Matthew Clayberger, argues in a brief that McGill "refers to the security housing unit as 'solitary confinement,' but the evidence will prove that this is simply not the case."

Clayberger declined to discuss the case.

The Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project lawyers argue that the rules do not cover dreadlocks because they are not braids or cornrows. Dreadlocks form naturally without any manipulation in some people's hair.

"Once hair has naturally formed dreadlocks, it cannot be taken out of dreadlocks. The only way to 'remove' natural dreadlocks is to cut them off," the suit says.

Managing attorney Alexandra Morgan-Kurtz said several other Rastafarian inmates have been put in solitary confinement for declining to cut their dreadlocks. Prisoners with long straight hair are allowed to pull their hair into a ponytail, but offers by these inmates to tie up their hair were rejected, she said.

Morgan-Kurtz said any security concerns could be addressed with searches and disputed that there is a cleanliness issue with dreadlocks, calling that assertion "racist." She pointed out that the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, as well as the federal Bureau of Prisons and many jails and prisons in the country, permit dreadlocks.

In addition to McGill and other prisoners who are in administrative segregation, prisoners who are in disciplinary confinement are put in the Security Housing Unit, the suit says. The estimated sentences for intoxication, fighting and threatening an employee with bodily harm range from 30 to 120 day, the suit says.

Earlier this month, McGill's lawyers filed a request for limited, expedited discovery, which is the pretrial exchange of evidence. The request is pending.

'Social death'

The United Nations has recognized solitary confinement for any duration lasting more than 15 days as a form of torture. The American Civil Liberties Union says solitary confinement costs too much, does nothing to rehabilitate prisoners and causes or exacerbates mental illness.

Alexander Reinert, a law professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in New York City, describes solitary confinement as a form of "social death." Even when it's imposed for a short period, solitary confinement has a detrimental effect on a person's psychological and physical health, and as the time in isolation gets longer, the risk of harm increases, he said.

"Solitary confinement is the most severe kind of punishment that we inflict on people short of executing them," said Reinert, who specializes in the rights of prisoners and detainees.

Two recent reports by the Association of State Correctional Administrators and the Arthur Liman Center for Public Interest Law at Yale Law School show that prison directors around the country are trying to reduce the use of solitary confinement, Reinert said.

However, isolating inmates still is used too much and for too long, he said. In addition, prison systems have increased the kinds of disciplinary incidents that are punished with solitary confinement, he said.

The reports define solitary confinement as holding individuals in their cells for 22 hours or more each day and for 15 continuous days or more at a time. They estimate that on an average day, as many as 5 percent of prisoners are held in solitary.

DRAWN BY BINGO WHO WOULD DRAW WWI TOONS FOR US ARMY NEWSPAPER

US Supreme Court tackles whether teachers at religious schools are 'ministers'

The U.S. Supreme Court has postponed arguments because of the coronavirus pandemic. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

April 8 (UPI) -- A pair of cases pending before the U.S. Supreme Court involving discrimination claims by teachers fired by Catholic schools could have such a significant impact on religious institutions and their employees that several hundred groups and individuals are weighing in.

More than 40 friend-of-the-court briefs have been filed in the consolidated cases of Our Lady of Guadalupe School vs. Morrissey-Berru and St. James School vs. Biel, which center on whether the teachers are barred by the "ministerial exception" from bringing employment discrimination claims against their employers.

Under the exception, religious institutions have the ability to choose their own leaders without government interference, and employees who qualify as "ministers" are not protected by employment discrimination laws. The exemption, which is based on the First Amendment's religion clauses, stems from a 2012 Supreme Court decision in a similar case.

Both teachers taught fifth grade at Catholic parish schools in Los Angeles County. Kristen Biel worked in Torrance at St. James School, which had a recommendation -- but not a requirement -- that its teachers be Catholic. (Biel was Catholic).

In addition to teaching all academic subjects, Biel also taught a half-hour religion class four times a week by following instructions in a workbook. She accompanied her students to a multipurpose room for mass once a month and her job was to keep the class settled and quiet, according to court documents.

Biel learned toward the end of her first full year of teaching that she had breast cancer and told school administrators she would need to take time off for treatment. A short time later, she was told the school would not renew her contract.

Her one teaching evaluation had been generally positive but Biel was told her classroom management was "not strict" and it wasn't fair for children to have two teachers during the school year, court documents say.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Agnes Morrissey-Berru, who worked at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Hermosa for 16 years, taught academic subjects and a religion class. The school also preferred, but did not require, that its teachers be Catholic; Morrissey-Berru is Catholic.

Morrissey-Berru occasionally said a classroom prayer with the students for an ill parent, brought her students to a cathedral once a year to serve at the altar and directed the annual school Easter play, a brief says. In addition, her contract in her final year directed her to "assist with liturgy planning for school mass."

In 2014, when Morrissey-Berru was in her 60s, the school's principal expressed dissatisfaction with her classroom instruction and asked if she wanted to retire. After the teacher said no, she was demoted to part-time and her contract was not renewed the following year, court records say.

Biel and Morrissey-Berru sued and claimed, respectively, violation of the Americans with Disability Act and age discrimination. In both cases, a federal judge said the ministerial exception barred the suit.

Separate panels of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed those rulings after considering whether the school held out the teacher as a minister by bestowing a formal religious title, whether her title reflected ministerial training, whether the teacher held herself out as a minister and whether her duties included important religious functions.