First Edition: February 19, 2020
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Five Years Later, HIV-Hit Town Rebounds. But The Nation Is Slow To Heed Lessons.
Ethan Howard cradled his prized Martin-brand guitar, strumming gently as he sang of happiness he thought he’d never find. With support from his family and community, the 26-year-old is making his way as a musician after emerging from the hell of addiction, disease and stigma. The former intravenous drug user was among the first of 235 people in this southern Indiana community to be diagnosed in the worst drug-fueled HIV outbreak ever to hit rural America. (Ungar, 2/19)
California Healthline:
Surge In Enrollment As Californians Avoid Penalty, Receive State Aid
While California officials invest in the exchange and expand opportunities for state residents to enroll in coverage, the Trump administration has taken the opposite approach with the federally run exchange, healthcare.gov: it has cut funding for marketing and outreach, eliminated the federal penalty for not having insurance and shortened the open enrollment window. (Bluth and Young, 2/18)
California Healthline:
School Districts Grapple With Quarantines, Face Masks And Fear
In one school district, families are pulling their kids out of school. In others, students show up in face masks.Educators in one Southern California community agreed to suspend an exchange program to keep visiting Chinese students out of quarantine. School districts across the U.S., particularly those with large Asian American populations, have scrambled to respond to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, which has killed more than 1,800 people and sickened tens of thousands more, almost all in China. (Almendrala, 2/18)
Kaiser Health News:
Who Profits From Steep Medical Bills? The People Tasked With Fixing Them.
Every politician condemns the phenomenon of “surprise” medical bills. Last week, two committees in the House were marking up new surprise billing legislation. One of the few policy proposals President Donald Trump brought up in this year’s State of the Union address was his 2019 executive order targeting “balance bills.” In the Democratic debates, candidates have railed against such medical bills, and during commercial breaks, back-to-back ads from groups representing doctors and insurers proclaimed how much the health care sector also abhors this uniquely American form of patient extortion. (Elisabeth Rosenthal, 2/19)
The New York Times:
Coronavirus Epidemic Keeps Growing, But Spread In China Slows
Chinese officials hailed recent figures as evidence that the spread of the coronavirus epidemic has slowed, and World Health Organization officials said on Tuesday that China’s strict limits on its people’s movements have helped. But the outbreak and its death toll continue to grow. The picture outside China has grown steadily more alarming. And experts caution against excessive optimism about the crisis peaking. “It could be unwise for anybody in China, or outside China, to be complacent that this is coming under control at this point in time,” said Prof. Malik Peiris, chief of virology at the University of Hong Kong. (Wang, 2/18)
The Wall Street Journal:
China Touts Fall In New Coronavirus Infections, Deaths
On Tuesday, China’s National Health Commission reported 1,886 new confirmed coronavirus cases in mainland China on Monday, the first time the daily tally has fallen below 2,000 since the beginning of the month. The daily number of confirmed cases outside Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, also fell to below 100 for the first time this month, while the number of new deaths across mainland China—98 on Monday, all but five of them in Hubei—fell to less than 100 for the first time in nearly a week. (Cheng, 2/18)
The Associated Press:
China's Virus Center Vows No Patient Unchecked As Cases Fall
Protective suit-clad inspectors in the epicenter of China's viral outbreak went door-to-door Wednesday to find every infected person in the central city suffering most from an epidemic that is showing signs of waning as new cases fell for a second day. Wuhan, where the new form of coronavirus emerged, is on the final day of a campaign to root out anyone with symptoms whom authorities may have missed so far. (Wang, 2/18)
The New York Times:
In Coronavirus Fight, China Sidelines An Ally: Its Own People
Hospitals in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei Province have been making urgent pleas to the Chinese people for three weeks as the new coronavirus ripples through the country: Send more protective gear. Supplies are close — and yet frustratingly out of reach. Medical supplies donated to the Red Cross Society of China’s Wuhan branch sit in warehouses. Individuals who try to organize relief supplies face violating the country’s strict charity law. (Yuan, 2/18)
The Wall Street Journal:
China Turns To Health-Rating Apps To Control Movements During Coronavirus Outbreak
China’s technology titans are deploying health-rating systems to help authorities track the movement of millions of Chinese who are preparing to resume work at factories and other businesses, adding a new and controversial tool in the country’s battle to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak. China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported this week that the country’s cabinet, the State Council, had instructed Alibaba Group Ltd. affiliate Ant Financial Services Group to explore the nationwide rollout of a rating app to help governments control which people can travel into and around the city during the Covid-19 outbreak. (Lin, 2/18)
The New York Times:
How A Pharmacy Handles Mask Hoarders And Coronavirus Fears
“It’s like World War III,” said May Tang, an employee at the Kit Pharm Dispensary Ltd. in Hong Kong. As panic over the coronavirus outbreak has swept across the city, residents have taken to waiting in line for hours to buy face masks, disinfectant and even toilet paper from places like Kit Pharm in North Point. And Ms. Tang, a friendly woman with tinted hair, has witnessed the hysteria first hand. (Kwai, 2/18)
The Wall Street Journal:
Amid Coronavirus, The World Closes Its Doors To China: ‘I Feel So Isolated’
To celebrate Christmas one year, Jing Sun trekked to the North Pole to see reindeer. For another holiday, the Shenzhen native flew to Marrakesh, and she was recently in Cleveland for work. Los Angeles, New York and Barcelona were on her spring itinerary, while her maiden Australia voyage was penciled in. Suddenly, the 29-year-old is grounded in Beijing. (Areddy, 2/18)
The New York Times:
First Ebola, Now Coronavirus. Why An Omaha Hospital Gets The Toughest Cases.
In the years after the Sept. 11 attacks, officials at Nebraska Medical Center envisioned a time when the nation would need a large, secure treatment center to guard against the threats of bioterrorism and infectious diseases. They spent $1 million to transform an empty wing of the hospital into a 10-bed biocontainment unit, complete with concrete walls, filtered air and video links to the nursing station. Then they waited. The beds sat empty for years, until an Ebola outbreak in 2014. The unit became a central player in treating Americans returning from West Africa with the lethal disease. Nurses wearing face shields, water-resistant gowns and three pairs of surgical gloves treated three Ebola patients. When that threat subsided, the unit returned to being a quiet ward used only for training and planning. (Mervosh, 2/18)
The Associated Press:
Why Treat People Exposed To Virus In Omaha? Why Not?
Of all places, why are 13 people potentially exposed to a viral outbreak being treated and observed in Omaha, Nebraska? Because nearly 20 years ago, a few doctors, public health experts and officials realized that nearly no one was meeting a national need for such specialized care and figured, why not Omaha? “We all wanted to build a better mousetrap,” said Dr. Phil Smith, an infectious disease expert who led the effort to create the biocontainment unit at Nebraska Medical Center. (McFetridge, 2/18)
The Wall Street Journal:
Coronavirus Has U.S. Cities Stretching To Monitor Self-Quarantined Americans
Public-health officials in the U.S. are striving to keep tabs on thousands of Americans who have quarantined themselves at home after returning from mainland China to curtail the new coronavirus, adding to an epidemic response that is straining already-stretched local departments. More than 5,400 people had been asked to self-quarantine in California alone as of Feb. 14, according to the California Department of Public Health. Hundreds more are self-quarantining in Georgia, Washington state, Illinois, New York and other states. (Abbott, 2/19)
Los Angeles Times:
SARS Killed Hundreds And Then Disappeared. Could This Coronavirus Die Out?
The mysterious virus first emerged in the winter in eastern China, a never-before-seen pathogen that would rattle the world’s sense of safety and ignite a global panic. In the months that followed, hundreds of people began seeking medical treatment because they were coughing, struggling to breathe and, in some cases, approaching death. Scientists racing to quell the outbreak determined the source was a novel strain of coronavirus. The World Health Organization called for immediate action to prevent the global health threat from sweeping across multiple continents and killing thousands. (Karlamangla, 2/18)
The Associated Press:
Is The New Virus More 'Deadly' Than Flu? Not Exactly
What's more deadly — the flu, SARS or the new coronavirus discovered in China? There are different ways to look at it and even knowledgeable folks sometimes say "deadly" when they may mean "lethal." Lethality means the capacity to cause death, or how often a disease proves fatal. (2/18)
Los Angeles Times:
New Report Highlights Limits Of Coronavirus Screening Tests
Two German citizens who appeared healthy when they were evacuated from Wuhan, China, in early February were in fact infected with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 and might have been capable of spreading it to others, according to a medical report released Tuesday. The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, underscore the limitations of health screenings that have been implemented around the world in hopes of containing the novel virus. (Kaplan, 2/18)
The Wall Street Journal:
‘I Was So Scared’: Infectious Disease Doctor’s Day On Japan’s Coronavirus Cruise Ship
A Kobe University doctor touched off a furor with a firsthand account of a virus-stricken cruise ship in which he accused Japan of doing a worse job protecting people than African nations and China. Kentaro Iwata, who made the allegations in widely circulated YouTube videos after spending Tuesday aboard the Diamond Princess, told The Wall Street Journal in an interview that the crew should be removed as soon as possible because of the danger of catching the novel coronavirus on the ship. (Bhattacharya, 2/19)
The Associated Press:
US Tells Remaining Cruise Passengers: Stay Out For 2 Weeks
The U.S. government made good on its warning to Americans who chose to remain on board a quarantined cruise ship in Japan, telling them they cannot return home for at least two weeks after they come ashore. U.S. officials notified the passengers Tuesday of the travel restriction, citing their possible exposure to the new virus while on board the Diamond Princess. More than 100 U.S. citizens are still on the ship or in Japanese hospitals. (Johnson, 2/18)
The Washington Post:
Experts Ponder Why Cruise Ship Quarantine Failed In Japan
As an extraordinary two-week quarantine of a cruise ship ends Wednesday in Japan, many scientists say it was a failed experiment: The ship seemed to serve as an incubator for the new virus from China instead of an isolation facility meant to prevent the worsening of an outbreak. Since the virus was identified late last year in central China, it has sickened tens of thousands of people and killed more than 1,800. (Cheng and Yamaguchi, 2/18)
The Wall Street Journal:
Coronavirus Cruise Quarantine Draws Criticism After More Passengers Infected
After decades as a primary-care doctor in Elizabethton, Tenn., Arnold Hopland thought he knew something about preventing infections. And the way they were doing a virus quarantine on the Diamond Princess cruise ship didn’t look right. Dr. Hopland, a passenger, counted as many as 10 interactions a day with staff coming to deliver meals, toiletries and chocolate to keep up spirits. Passengers were drying laundry on their balconies without wearing face masks. Some leaned over to talk to their next-door neighbors. (Bhattacharya and Inada, 2/18)
Reuters:
With Stricken Cruise Ship, Japan Draws Criticism Over Coronavirus Response
As the virus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship is evacuated, Japan faces deepening criticism over its response to the outbreak, tarnishing what was supposed to be a triumphant Olympic year for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. More than 540 people onboard have been infected with the coronavirus, the most outside of China. The United States evacuated more than 300 citizens from the ship on Monday, and more countries are following suit. (Swift and Lies, 2/19)
The Associated Press:
New Virus Has Infected More Than 75,000 People Globally
A viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 75,000 people globally. The World Health Organization has named the illness COVID-19, referring to its origin late last year and the coronavirus that causes it. (2/18)
The Associated Press:
Virologist: Tokyo Olympics Probably Couldn’t Be Held Now
A respected Japanese virologist on Wednesday said if the Tokyo Olympics were tomorrow, the games probably couldn't be held because of the fast-spreading coronavirus from Wuhan, China. “We need to find the best way to have a safe Olympics," Dr. Hitoshi Oshitani said, speaking at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan. “Right now we don't have an effective strategy, and I think it may be difficult to have the Olympics (now). But by the end of July we may be in a different situation.” (Wade, 2/19)
The Associated Press:
AP Interview: UN Chief Says New Virus Poses ‘Enormous’ Risks
The U.N. secretary-general said Tuesday the virus outbreak that began in China poses “a very dangerous situation” for the world, but “is not out of control.” Speaking in an interview with The Associated Press, Antonio Guterres said that “the risks are enormous and we need to be prepared worldwide for that.” Guterres said his greatest worry was a spread of the virus to areas with “less capacity in their health service,” particularly some African countries. The World Health Organization is looking into how to help handle such a development, he added. (Gannon, 2/18)
Reuters:
WHO Says No Indication Of Coronavirus Cases In North Korea
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday it had no indications the new coronavirus had spread to North Korea, after South Korean media suggested there were cases and deaths there that were being covered up by the Pyongyang authorities. An outbreak of the disease which has killed more than 2,000 people in neighbouring China could be devastating for the under-resourced health system in North Korea. (Nebehay and Smith, 2/19)
The Wall Street Journal:
China Expels Three Wall Street Journal Reporters
China revoked the press credentials of three Wall Street Journal reporters based in Beijing, the first time in the post-Mao era that the Chinese government has expelled multiple journalists from one international news organization at the same time. China’s Foreign Ministry said the move Wednesday was punishment for a recent opinion piece published by the Journal. (2/19)
The Washington Post:
China Expels Three Wall Street Journal Reporters Over Opinion Article Written By Academic
Deputy Bureau Chief Josh Chin and reporter Chao Deng, both American citizens, as well as reporter Philip Wen, an Australian national, have been ordered to leave the country within five days, the Journal reported. The paper did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The Foreign Ministry has been repeatedly criticizing the Journal since it published a coronavirus-related column on Feb 3. by Walter Russell Mead, a professor at Bard College, under the headline “China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia.” The title is a reference to the time at the beginning of the 20th century when a weak China was carved up by colonial powers. (Fifield, 2/19)
Politico:
Labor's Civil War Over 'Medicare For All' Threatens Its 2020 Clout
"Medicare for All" is roiling labor unions across the country, threatening to divide a critical part of the Democratic base ahead of several major presidential primaries. In union-heavy primary states like California, New York, and Michigan, the fight over single-payer health care is fracturing organized labor, sometimes pitting unions against Democratic candidates that vie for their support. (Kullgren and Ollstein, 2/18)
The Washington Post:
Sanders Rejects Ocasio-Cortez’s Suggestion On Health-Care Compromise
Sen. Bernie Sanders distanced himself Tuesday from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's recent suggestion that compromising on health care would be acceptable, arguing that his Medicare-for-all plan is "already a compromise." The comments, coming in a televised town hall hosted by CNN, highlighted a rare difference between the senator and the congresswoman (D-N.Y.), one of his most prominent supporters — notably, over one of the central planks of his presidential campaign platform. (Sullivan, 2/18)
Politico:
Sanders Disagrees With AOC Over Medicare For All
The Vermont senator told CNN’s Anderson Cooper at a Las Vegas town hall that he loves Ocasio-Cortez and credited her for transforming politics and getting young people involved. “But my view is that Medicare for All, the bill that we wrote, is in a sense already a compromise,” Sanders said. He added that the proposal has a four-year transition period that would bring down the age required for Medicare eligibility from 65 to 55 to 45 to 35. (McCaskill, 2/18)
Politico:
Sanders Condemns Supporters’ Attacks On Culinary Union
Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday night said he condemns any of his supporters who make “vicious attacks” against others. Sanders’ supporters came under fire last week after Nevada’s powerful Culinary Union offered criticism of his Medicare for All proposal. According to the Nevada Independent, two top union officials received threatening messages over the phone, email and Twitter from Sanders’ supporters. The union announced Friday that it would not endorse a political candidate ahead of the Nevada caucuses this Saturday. (McCaskill, 2/18)
The New York Times:
Fact-Checking Pete Buttigieg Before The Nevada Caucuses
Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., has had strong showings in the first two Democratic presidential nominating contests. As he seeks to build support ahead of Nevada’s vote on Saturday, Mr. Buttigieg has sought to explain his record with black residents of South Bend, distinguish himself from his competitors on health care, and parry attacks on the issue of campaign finance. Here’s a fact check. (Qiu, 2/18)
The Associated Press:
McConnell Takes Aim At Democratic Presidential Candidates
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that health insurance proposals from the Democratic candidates for president would hurt business owners. During a speech in Louisville at a conference for the Distilled Spirits Council, McConnell said he's “never seen a Democratic party like we’re confronted with today.” He said even the centrist Democrat candidates who propose a public option for health insurance over Medicare for all are supporting government-based insurance. (2/18)
The Associated Press:
Democrats Diverge On Outreach To Anti-Abortion Swing Voters
In a party that’s shifted leftward on abortion rights, Democratic presidential hopefuls are offering different approaches to a central challenge: how to talk to voters without a clear home in the polarizing debate over the government’s role in the decision to end a pregnancy. While Bernie Sanders said this month that “being pro-choice is an absolutely essential part of being a Democrat,” his presidential primary opponent Amy Klobuchar took a more open stance last week in saying that anti-abortion Democrats “are part of our party.” Klobuchar's perfect voting score from major abortion-rights groups makes her an unlikely ally, but some abortion opponents nonetheless lauded the Minnesota senator for extending a hand to those on the other side of an issue that’s especially important for Catholics and other devout voters. (Schor, 2/18)
Politico:
POLITICO-Harvard Poll: Health Care Costs Are Top Priority Heading Into Elections
Americans have a clear message for President Donald Trump and the Democratic candidates vying to replace him: Lower health care costs. The vast majority of Americans rank cutting health care and prescription drug costs as their top priorities heading into election season, regardless of party affiliation, according to a new POLITICO-Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health survey. (Cancryn, 2/19)
Politico:
Trump's Next Health Care Move: Giving Silicon Valley Your Medical Data
The Trump administration's push to give patients more control over their health records could turn over a massive trove of very personal data to giant tech companies, app designers and data brokers. If proposed policy changes go through, patients would be able to download their health records on to their smartphones and direct it to apps of their choice. But there’s a major privacy pitfall: As soon as those records leave the software system of the doctor or hospital, they are no longer protected by HIPAA, the landmark medical privacy law. (Tahir and Cancryn, 2/19)
The Washington Post:
Trump’s Support For Bipartisan Senate Drug Pricing Bill May Not Be Enough To Push It Into Law
A Senate bill to control prescription drug prices seemed to have everything it needed: bipartisan backing, President Trump’s endorsement and broad public support. But its status on legislative life support reveals the perils of tackling one of the nation’s most hot-button topics just months before a presidential election. Even though Trump has said he supports the measure, he has stopped far short of trying to ensure its passage. Complicating matters further, the top Senate Republican and Democrat have yet to embrace the legislation, though for opposite reasons. (Abutaleb and Werner, 2/18)
Reuters:
A Nervous Wait At Louisiana Abortion Clinic At Center Of U.S. Supreme Court Fight
A 27-year-old woman from southern Arkansas waited nervously at the Hope Medical Group for Women after traveling two hours for a medical procedure that is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain in certain parts of the United States: an abortion. Four weeks pregnant, the woman felt she had no option but to seek an abortion because she suffered serious medical complications during her last pregnancy, which ended in stillbirth. "I'm incredibly thankful for this place," the woman told Reuters. "I don't want to die." (2/18)
The Associated Press:
Veterans Group: Pentagon Broke Agreement To Reopen Database
The Pentagon has reneged on its agreement to reopen a vast records database that helps service members who are appealing a less-than-honorable discharge, a veterans group said Tuesday. The National Veterans Legal Services Program said the Defense Department has failed to make public the “vast majority” of decisions made by military review boards over the last several years. (2/18)
NPR:
Big Firm That Staffs ERs At Public Hospitals Has Been Suing Poor Patients
Nashville General Hospital is a safety-net facility funded by the city. For a patient without insurance, this is supposed to be the best place to go in a city with many hospitals. But for those who are uninsured, it may have been the worst choice in 2019. Its emergency room was taking more patients to court for unpaid medical bills than any other hospital or practice in town. A WPLN investigation finds the physician-staffing firm that runs the ER sued 700 patients in Davidson County during 2019. They include patients like Sonya Johnson, a 52-year-old social worker and single mother. (Farmer, 2/19)
The New York Times:
Vape Shops Face A Choice: Close Or Rebrand?
Adam Mitrani opened his first Darth Vapor e-cigarette shop six years ago after his carwash business collapsed. Before long, Mr. Mitrani, 48, had a second store in New Jersey and one in New York. Business was brisk, he said, and he was optimistic that offering smokers an alternative to tobacco would help him coast into retirement within 10 years. (Tully, 2/19)
The Associated Press:
Secret Service Goes On The Road To Help Curb School Violence
The U.S. Secret Service is taking its effort to curb school violence on the road to help thousands of educators, law enforcement personnel, mental health professionals and others learn how to identify people who may be threats. The latest stop in the Secret Service tour is this week in Miami, where officials say about 700 people will attend a session Wednesday by the agency's National Threat Assessment Center. Similar events have been held in Los Angeles and Chicago since the November 2019 release of the latest analysis of school violence. (Anderson, 2/18)
Reuters:
Sexual And Gender Identity May Be Risk Factors For Skin Cancer
Skin cancer risk may vary according to sexual orientation and gender identity, two new studies suggest. An analysis of survey data from more than 800,000 U.S. adults found skin cancer may be more common among gay and bisexual men and people who are gender non-conforming, researchers report in JAMA Dermatology. (Carroll, 2/18)
Reuters:
Rates Of Melanoma Tied To UV Exposure Vary Widely State To State
Rates of melanoma caused by exposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays vary widely from state to state, a new U.S. study suggests. Researchers found the highest rates in Hawaii and on the East and West coasts, but also in a few landlocked states, such as Vermont and Minnesota, according to the results published in the International Journal of Cancer. (Carroll, 2/18)
Reuters:
Home Cleaning Products May Up Risk Of Childhood Asthma
New parents who obsessively clean their homes to protect babies from germs might want to relax a bit, suggests a new study linking high exposure to cleaning products with an increased risk of childhood asthma. Researchers surveyed parents about how often they used 26 common household cleaners over babies' first three to four months of life. By the time the kids were 3 years old, children with the highest exposure to cleaning products were 37% more likely to have been diagnosed with asthma than those with the least exposure. (2/18)
The New York Times:
How To Build Healthy Habits
We’re all creatures of habit. We tend to wake up at the same time each day, brush our teeth, have morning coffee and commute to work, following the same patterns every day. So why is it so hard to form new healthy habits? (Parker-Pope, 2/18)
Reuters:
Inactive Teens May Be More Prone To Depression
Sedentary teens may be more likely than their active peers to be depressed, and a new study suggests even light exercise like walking might help reduce this risk. Following more than 4,000 young people from age 12 to age 18, researchers found physical activity levels declined as kids got older. But those who were the most sedentary at ages 12 through 16 were the most likely to have symptoms of depression at 18. (2/18)
The New York Times:
Super Cushioned Running Shoes Are All The Rage, But Aren’t Foolproof
Anyone who runs or spectates at races has probably noticed that stacked, generously cushioned running shoes have become almost ubiquitous. But running in those thickly cushioned shoes could affect a runner’s form in sometimes surprising ways, according to a series of new studies of maximalist running shoes and recreational athletes. The studies, among the first to examine the biomechanics of ordinary runners wearing super-cushy shoes, find that some of them pound harder and pronate more than in standard shoes. (Reynolds, 2/19)
ProPublica/Sacramento Bee:
California Takes A First Step Toward Improving Its Failing County Jails
California’s county jails would face greater scrutiny and potentially tougher consequences for poor conditions inside their cells under a series of proposed changes unveiled by a state oversight agency last week. Specifically, the Board of State and Community Corrections plans to publicize details about uncorrected violations in jails and summon elected county sheriffs who delay reforms or rebuff the oversight agency. (Pohl and Gabrielson, 2/18)
ProPublica/Chicago Tribune:
Illinois Adopts Stricter Rules Against Secluding And Physically Restraining Students In Schools
The Illinois State Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt rules that prohibit the use of locked seclusion rooms and stop schools from using prone restraint, making Illinois’ permanent regulations more restrictive than they’ve ever been. But under pressure from a group of special-education schools, the board stopped short of enacting a ban on involuntary, solitary seclusion in the state’s schools as it had planned after a Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois investigation in November revealed widespread misuse of isolated timeout and restraint in schools. (Richards and Cohen, 2/18)
The Associated Press:
Florida Woman In Fraud Case Among Those With Trump Clemency
A Florida woman convicted in a $205 million Medicare fraud scheme is among the 11 federal inmates around the nation on whose behalf President Donald Trump has taken clemency actions. Trump commuted 48-year-old Judith Negron's sentence Tuesday. (2/18)
The Associated Press:
LA Adopts New 'War Room' Strategy For Tackling Homelessness
Los Angeles city and county officials on Tuesday announced a new strategy to speed the process of getting homeless people into permanent housing that is modeled on the federal government’s response to natural disasters. The creation of a “Housing Central Command” marks an overhaul of how agencies work together in addressing the growing number of people living on the street, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. (2/18)
NPR:
Tornado Shelters Often Can't Accommodate People Who Have Disabilities
John High has diabetes, which led to his leg being amputated below the knee two years ago. He's been using a wheelchair since then, and hasn't gotten used to having to work out solutions to everyday problems — such as getting in and out of the shower in the small rental house he shares with his son in Norman, Okla. But when he hears a tornado siren blaring out its high-pitched warning he feels a spasm of fear and dread. In this situation, he's on his own. "I just pray. That's all I can do," High says. "They expect people to 'shelter in place,' but I don't have anywhere safe to go." (Fortier, 2/18)