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☆ Lasers, Inflatable Dancers and the Fight to Fend Off Avian Flu
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Loren Brey, a poultry grower in Minnesota, walked onto the farm where his egg-laying turkeys nest in November to discover a handful of hens, dead from the highly pathogenic avian flu. Within a week, he lost nearly half of his entire flock. So when Mr. Brey’s turkeys began producing eggs again in the spring, he gave a seemingly unconventional prevention method a go: lasers installed atop his barns, firing beams of green light to fend off wild ducks, owls and other possible carriers of the deadly virus. As migratory birds fly north for the spring, poultry farmers and backyard keepers across the country are bracing for yet another outbreak of avian flu. The practices underline the scramble by smaller farms and even some larger-scale operations to ward off the virus, as well as the fatigue, and begrudging acceptance, of the illness after years of sanitation protocols, lockdowns and debates over vaccination.

Persons: Loren Brey Locations: Minnesota

☆ Fact-Checking Trump’s Defenses in His Court Cases
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As former President Donald J. Trump battles a series of criminal and civil actions while he runs to reclaim the White House, he has put his legal woes at center stage, making them a rallying cry for his re-election. It is a tactic that is likely to be on full display this week as his trial in Manhattan over his role in a hush money payment in the 2016 race gets underway. Just as he has done with his other legal troubles, Mr. Trump has dismissed the charges in that case as part of an “election interference” scheme orchestrated by President Biden. He has described the cases against him with colorful hyperbole, defended his conduct with faulty comparisons and lobbed false attacks and baseless accusations at opponents and adjudicators alike. Asked for evidence of Mr. Trump’s claims, the campaign did not directly address the matter but continued to insist, with no evidence, that Mr. Trump was the target of a “witch hunt” led by the Democratic Party.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, President Biden, Trump’s, ” Organizations: Democratic Party Locations: Manhattan

☆ Food Aid Program for Mothers and Children Will Provide More Fruits and Vegetables
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Agriculture Department said on Tuesday that low-income women and children eligible for a food aid program would receive more cash for purchases of fruits and vegetables, with less assistance available for milk. The final rule by the department puts the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, a federally funded program known as WIC, more in line with the government’s current dietary guidelines. It is the first update to the program in a decade and will take effect in two years. About 6.6 million mothers and children participated in WIC in the 2023 fiscal year, with an average monthly cost of $56 per person. The Agriculture Department estimates that about half of those eligible make use of the program.

Persons: ” Cindy Long Organizations: Agriculture Department, Women, Agriculture, Food, Nutrition Service

☆ Demonstrators Make Themselves Heard on Abortion Pill Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Bearing colorful signs and banners that read “Doctors Not Doctrine” and “Abortion is Health Care,” hundreds of activists chanted, marched and rallied for hours outside the Supreme Court starting Tuesday morning, before the justices weighed the availability of a commonly used abortion pill. Supporters of abortion rights outnumbered those opposing abortion, but the two factions occasionally sparred with rallying calls, including over the safety of the pill, mifepristone. (Studies show that is, in fact, safe for terminating a pregnancy.) Courtney Brown, a coffee shop owner who helped found an abortion rights group in Amarillo, Texas, where the case originated, described her town as “ground zero” in the fight over abortion. She added, “I’m just ready to fight back because we’re so tired of having those rights stripped away.”

Persons: Courtney Brown, “ I’m, ” Organizations: Health Locations: Amarillo , Texas

☆ Live Updates: Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on Abortion Pill Access
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Abbie Vansickle | Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

If the Supreme Court sides with the plaintiffs and decides to roll back or invalidate Food and Drug Administration regulations on mifepristone, it would be the first time the court undercut the federal agency’s authority. The abortion pill case before the Supreme Court could have implications far beyond abortion, potentially undermining the regulatory system for all medicines in the United States. If the Supreme Court sides with the plaintiffs and decides to roll back or invalidate F.D.A. They would have to pick up mifepristone in person from a doctor and would have to visit the doctor three times during the medication abortion process. and not to abortion providers, some medication abortion services have been stockpiling mifepristone and may continue prescribing and mailing their supply.

Persons: ”, Matthew J, mifepristone Organizations: Drug, Food and Drug Administration, Northern, Northern District of, Trump, U.S ., Appeals, Fifth Circuit Locations: United States, Northern District, Northern District of Texas

☆ Fact-Checking Vivek Ramaswamy on the Campaign Trail
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Linda Qiu | More About Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

First, Mr. Manuel is not an “Obama appointee” but rather participated in a leadership development program run by the Obama Foundation in 2019. Noting high winds and drought, the company requested permission to fill a private reservoir for fire control, though the reservoir was not connected to fire hydrants. The water agency asked the company whether the fire department had made the request, received no answer and said that it needed the approval of a farmer who relied on the water for his crops. The company said that it could not reach the farmer, but that the agency approved the request hours later. The executive, in another letter, also wrote that “we would never imply responsibility” on Mr. Manuel’s part.

Persons: Manuel, Obama, ”, Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy’s Organizations: Obama Foundation, Mr, Maui Land Company, The New York Times Locations: Hawaii, Lahaina, Maui, The

☆ Assessing the Breadth of Trump’s Election Lies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Linda Qiu | More About Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Before the 2020 election had even concluded, President Donald J. Trump laid the groundwork for an alternate reality in which he was declared the victor, falsely assailing the integrity of the race at nearly every turn. Those lies are now central to two criminal indictments brought against him by the Justice Department and in Georgia, and formed what prosecutors have described as the bedrock of his attempts to overturn the election. Dozens of times, he simply characterized the election as “rigged,” “stolen” or “a hoax,” and flatly and falsely declared he had won — even as a mountain of evidence proved otherwise. Other falsehoods were more specific about the voting and ballot-counting process, contained unproven allegations and promoted conspiracy theories. Here are five common ways in which Mr. Trump has lied about the 2020 election.

Persons: Donald J, Trump Organizations: Justice Department, The Washington Post Locations: Georgia

☆ Fact-Checking the Defenses of Trump After His Latest Indictment
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Linda Qiu | More About Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Allies of former President Donald J. Trump have rushed to his defense since he was charged on Tuesday in connection with his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. They inaccurately attacked the judge assigned to oversee the trial, baselessly speculated that the timing of the accusations was intended to obscure misconduct by the Bidens and misleadingly compared his conduct to that of Democratic politicians. What Was Said“Judge Chutkan was appointed to the D.C. District Court by Barack Obama, and she has a reputation for being far left, even by D.C. District Court standards. Mr. Cruz is correct that Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, the trial judge overseeing Mr. Trump’s prosecution in the case, was appointed by President Barack Obama. While she has gained a reputation for handing down tough sentences to people convicted of crimes in the Jan. 6 riot, she is not the only federal judge who has exceeded prosecutors’ sentencing recommendations.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, baselessly, Here’s, Said, Chutkan, Barack Obama, Judge Chutkan, Jan, ”, Ted Cruz, Cruz, Tanya S Organizations: Democratic, D.C, Washington , D.C, Republican Locations: Washington ,, Texas

☆ Fact-Checking Mike Pence on the Campaign Trail
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Linda Qiu | More About Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A spokesman for Mr. Pence cited nine such states as exceptionally nonrestrictive. Fiscal policyWhat Mr. Pence Said“Well, first off, look, Joe Biden’s policy on our national debt is insolvency. Asked about his calls to overhaul Social Security and Medicare, Mr. Pence criticized Mr. Trump’s and Mr. Biden’s approaches to the social programs as irresponsible. While both have said they would not cut benefits, only Mr. Biden has proposed tax increases to shore up both programs. Currently, Social Security and Medicare both face financial shortfalls.

Persons: ”, Pence, Pence Said, Joe Biden’s, Trump’s, Biden Organizations: World Health Organization, Fox News, Social Security Locations: United States

☆ Justice Dept. to Investigate Georgia Jail Where Inmate Died Covered in Lice
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Linda Qiu | More About Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Justice Department said on Thursday that it was investigating the conditions at a jail in Fulton County, Ga., citing reports of violence, deteriorating surroundings and the death last year of an inmate who was covered in lice and feces. The civil investigation, part of a broader effort by the department to scrutinize conditions at jails and prisons across the country, will also examine whether officers used excessive force, the availability of medical care and the treatment of mentally ill prisoners. “Detention or incarceration in jail should not include exposure to unconstitutional living conditions that place lives in jeopardy or risk of serious harm from assaults,” Kristen Clarke, an assistant attorney general who leads the agency’s civil rights division, said in announcing the investigation. “Jail facilities must provide constitutional and humane conditions, in which all people can live safely while they go through the criminal process.”The Fulton County government and sheriff’s office said in a joint statement that they planned to cooperate fully.

Persons: ” Kristen Clarke Organizations: “ Locations: Fulton County ,, Fulton

☆ Agriculture Dept. to Invest $300 Million to Measure Greenhouse Emissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Linda Qiu | More About Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Agriculture Department said on Wednesday that it would establish a monitoring and data collection network to measure greenhouse gas emissions and determine how much carbon can be captured using certain farming practices. The network, using $300 million in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, will help quantify the outcomes of so-called climate-smart or regenerative agricultural practices, a cornerstone of the department’s approach to addressing a warming planet. The research and data that is collected will also be crucial to measuring progress on President Biden’s goal of halving greenhouse emissions by the end of the decade. “It’s not just simply about promoting climate-smart agriculture, not simply about promoting proper science,” Tom Vilsack, the agriculture secretary, said in a news conference on Tuesday ahead of the announcement. The department has also provided billions in additional funding to farming projects that reduce emissions, in part by capturing carbon dioxide, one of the main greenhouse gases, from the atmosphere and storing it as carbon in the soil.

Persons: Biden’s, “ It’s, Tom Vilsack, Biden Organizations: Agriculture Department

☆ U.S. Approves the Sale of Lab-Grown Chicken
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“It’s a giant step forward towards a more sustainable future — one that preserves choice and life.”The decision will make the United States the second country in the world, after Singapore, to authorize the production and sale of lab-grown meat. About 100 companies worldwide, including dozens in the United States, focus on the production of cultivated meat, according to Mr. Friedrich. Lab-grown meat begins with cells taken from an animal. When harvested, the product is essentially minced meat, which is then formed into patties, sausage or fillets. The meat contains no bones, feathers, beaks or hooves and does not need to be slaughtered.

Persons: Dr, Uma Valeti, “, ”, Bruce Friedrich, Friedrich Organizations: Good Food Institute, View Research, McKinsey & Company Locations: United States, Singapore

☆ Fact-Checking Nikki Haley on the Campaign Trail
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, was the first prominent candidate to announce a challenge to former President Donald J. Trump’s bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Since entering the race in February, Ms. Haley has weighed in on social issues and tapped into her experience as a former United Nations ambassador under Mr. Trump to criticize current U.S. foreign policy. Sex and gender issuesWhat Ms. Haley SAID“Roe v. Wade came in and threw out 46 state laws and suddenly said abortion any time, anywhere, for any reason.”— in a CNN town hall in JuneThis is exaggerated. Ms. Haley is overstating the scope of the landmark ruling Roe v. Wade, which established a constitutional right to abortion. That is not the same as “any time,” as Ms. Haley said.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Donald J, Trump’s, Haley, Trump, “ Roe, Wade, ” Organizations: Republican, United Nations, Mr, CNN Locations: South Carolina

☆ Trump’s Misleading Defenses in the Classified Documents Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

What Mr. Trump Said“I was supposed to negotiate with NARA, which is exactly what I was doing until Mar-a-Lago was raided by gun-toting F.B.I. The court-approved search of Mr. Trump’s Florida residence unfolded after he repeatedly resisted the government’s requests that he return the material, even after being subpoenaed. What Mr. Trump Said“Biden sent 1,850 boxes to the University of Delaware, making the search very, very difficult for anybody. Unlike presidential documents, which must be released to the archives once a president leaves office, documents from members of Congress are not covered by the Presidential Records Act. What Mr. Trump Said“When caught, Hillary then deleted and acid-washed.

Persons: Trump Said “, Lago, F.B.I, Trump Said “ Biden, Joseph R, Biden, Hillary Organizations: NARA, Mar, Presidential, University of Delaware, The New York Times Locations: Trump’s Florida

Mr. Kennedy said he now had “about 50 people” working for his campaign. Instead, he has used his campaign platform — and his famous name — to promote misinformation and ideas that have little traction in his party. Asked during the discussion by David Sacks, a top DeSantis donor who is also close to Mr. Musk, “what happened to the Democratic Party,” Mr. Kennedy spent nine uninterrupted minutes attacking Mr. Biden as a warmonger and claimed that their party was under the control of the pharmaceutical industry. “I think the Democratic Party became the party of war,” Mr. Kennedy said. “I attribute that directly to President Biden.” He added, “He has always been in favor of very bellicose, pugnacious and aggressive foreign policy, and he believes that violence is a legitimate political tool for achieving America’s objectives abroad.”

Persons: “, ”, we’ve, Kennedy, Marianne Williamson, Biden, renominating, David Sacks, ” Mr, Mr Organizations: Democratic, Democratic Party Locations: Mexican, Ukraine, America

☆ Debt Ceiling Deal Includes New Work Requirements for Food Stamps
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One of the most contentious issues surrounding talks over raising the debt limit has been whether the Biden administration would agree to stricter work requirements for people seeking food stamps and other safety net assistance. The deal reached this weekend includes something of a compromise: It increases work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and cash welfare but does not alter requirements for Medicaid. It also expands food stamp access for veterans, homeless people and young adults transitioning out of the foster care system. Speaker Kevin McCarthy is championing inclusion of work requirements as a win, but more conservative members have criticized the compromise as not going far enough. Representative Chip Roy, Republican of Texas, called the work requirements “weak” while Representative Dan Bishop, Republican of North Carolina, characterized the deal as a “betrayal.”

☆ A Climactic Opening
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Lauren Jackson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Today is something of a curtain raiser for the U.S. National Parks system, ushering in its busiest season. Last year, nearly 312 million people visited the parks, hiking across the Grand Canyon, posting Instagram stories from Joshua Tree and waiting for Old Faithful by Yellowstone’s rainbow pools. On Memorial Day last year, so many people headed to the sites that many of their parking lots were full by midmorning. At Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, home to 50-million-year-old rock formations, park rangers start clearing the way for visitors weeks ahead of the busy season. Similar preparation plays out at the system’s parks around the country.

The majestic peaks, desert blooms and geological wonders of the United States’ national parks have beckoned to billions since Yellowstone was established in 1872. Nearly 312 million people visited last year, signaling a return to prepandemic levels. Spring and summer months are particularly packed at the hundreds of sites managed by the National Park Service. To prepare for peak season at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah — essentially, an island of crimson rock spires perched at about 8,000 feet — rangers begin restoring trails and training staff before the snows even melt.

☆ $38.8 Billion in U.S. Treasury? For These Billionaires, That’s Nothing.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Treasury Department said its cash balance fell to $38.8 billion as of Thursday, as the United States inched toward running out of cash to pay its bills. Just how empty is the Treasury cash coffer? For comparison, $38.8 billion is on par with the gross domestic product of Bahrain and Paraguay and lower than the net worth of more than two dozen of the wealthiest people in the world. Here is a list of people with higher net worths than the U.S. cash reserves, according to Bloomberg News’s Billionaire Index as of Thursday. Forbes, though, estimates his net worth at $94.5 billion.)

☆ Trump Revives Election Lies and False Boasts in CNN Town Hall
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Trump then repeated his lie that the 2020 election was rigged. Mr. Trump was referring to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when his loyalists stormed the Capitol in a bid to stop the certification of Mr. Biden’s election victory. Mr. Trump also claimed that the acting defense secretary at the time, Christopher C. Miller, backed up his account. Vanity Fair reported in 2021 that Mr. Trump had floated the 10,000 figure to Mr. Miller the night of Jan. 5. Nor did a Pentagon inspector general report on the breach, which instead referred to suggestions by Mr. Trump that his rally on Jan. 6 had been conducted safely.

☆ Alabama Discriminated Against Black Residents Over Sewage, Justice Dept. Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Justice Department said it had reached an interim agreement with the health departments of Alabama and one of its rural counties over practices found to discriminate against generations of Black residents. Under the agreement announced Thursday, the Alabama Department of Public Health and the Lowndes County Health Department said they would improve wastewater infrastructure, measure the health risks associated with raw sewage exposure, and stop penalizing residents who cannot afford adequate treatment systems. The agreement represents “a new chapter for Black residents of Lowndes County, Ala., who have endured health dangers, indignities and racial injustice for far too long,” said Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil rights division. Catherine Coleman Flowers, an environmental activist who grew up in Lowndes, said that residents of the county, like those in many other rural communities, use wastewater systems installed on the grounds of homes and businesses rather than a centralized sewage treatment plant operated by a local government. But the county stood alone in penalizing residents for sanitation issues that were outside their control, she added.

☆ Why the 14th Amendment Is Being Cited in the Debt Ceiling Debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Some have argued that the clause, outlined in Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, bars anyone who has “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding public office. Now, the standoff over the national debt has renewed debate over Section 4 of the amendment, known as the public debt clause. After the Civil War and the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, lawmakers sought to set out the terms of the Confederacy’s surrender and the rebellious states’ re-entry into the Union. The 13th Amendment’s formal abolition of slavery also meant that the size of delegations from former Confederate states would increase, even as the states passed discriminatory “Black codes” and prevented former slaves from voting. Reconstructionist Republicans in Congress sought to address these issues by passing the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which guaranteed citizenship and equal protection for former slaves.

☆ Fact-Checking the Kickoff to Biden’s Re-election Campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Moreover, Mr. Biden’s first two years in office followed historic job losses wrought by the coronavirus pandemic in Donald J. Trump’s presidency. Mr. Biden was born in November 1942 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Scranton, Penn., according to biographies. Mr. Finnegan died at St. Mary’s Hospital, but in May 1957, when Mr. Biden was a teenager, not before he was born. What Mr. Biden Said“My first two years in office I’ve lowered the deficit by a record $1.7 trillion.”This needs context. But much of that decline can be attributed to the expiration of pandemic-era spending, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, which presses for lower levels of spending.

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