March 9, 2017


News and Views


http://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/article137373198.html
China says it followed law in approving 38 Trump trademarks
MARCH 9, 2017 9:24 AM
BY ERIKA KINETZ
Associated Press

5 Photographs, scroll through

SHANGHAI
China on Thursday defended its handling of 38 trademarks it recently approved provisionally for President Donald Trump, saying it followed the law in processing the applications at a pace that some experts view as unusually quick.

Democrats in Congress were critical of Trump after The Associated Press reported Wednesday that the potentially valuable trademarks had been granted, raising questions of conflict of interest and political favoritism. One senator said the issue "merits investigation."

Trump has sometimes struggled to win trademarks from China; he secured one recently after a 10-year fight that turned his way only after he declared his candidacy for the presidency.

China's foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a regular briefing with reporters that Chinese authorities handle all trademark applications "in accordance with the law and regulation." He declined to comment on speculation about political influence on Trump's trademark approvals.

Critics fear foreign governments might gain leverage from Trump's global portfolio of brands.

Democrats in Congress have been pushing Trump to sever financial ties with his global businesses to avoid potential violations of the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution, which bars federal officials from accepting anything of value from foreign governments unless approved by Congress.

The monopoly right to a successful brand in a market like China can be worth huge sums. Former top ethics lawyers from the administrations of Barack Obama and George W. Bush say any special treatment from Beijing in awarding Trump intellectual property protection would violate the Constitution.

Concerns about political influence are particularly sharp in China, where the courts and bureaucracy are designed to reflect the will of the ruling Communist Party, and foreign companies and the lawyers that work for them regularly ask embassy staff for help lobbying Chinese officials.

Spring Chang, a founding partner at Chang Tsi & Partners, a Beijing law firm that has represented the Trump Organization, declined to comment specifically on Trump's trademarks. But she did say government relations are an important part of trademark strategy in China. She said she has worked with officials from both the U.S. and Canadian embassies to help her clients. The key, she said, is "you should communicate closely with the government to push your case."

Drawing on public records from the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the AP compiled a detailed list of 49 trademarks Trump's lawyers applied for in 2016, even as he railed against China on the campaign trail. On Feb. 22, seven of those marks were rejected , though public records do not indicate why. China granted preliminary approval for 38 marks on Feb. 27 and Mar. 6. Four applications are pending.

Matthew Dresden, a China intellectual property attorney at Harris Bricken in Seattle, said the rejections suggested that the trademark office hadn't done Trump any special favors. "Some did not go through, that suggests it's just business as usual," he said.

Dan Plane, a director at Simone IP Services, a Hong Kong intellectual property consultancy, said it would be difficult to draw firm conclusions without in-depth research. However, he said the efficiency of China's trademark office in handling Trump's caseload suggested favor for a man whose decisions could have a powerful impact on China.

"For this many marks to all sail through to preliminary approval this quickly, with nary an issue in sight — that is unheard of to me, and I have been doing this for 16 years," he said. "I wish my clients' applications would be dealt with half as expeditiously and graciously."

If no one objects, the new marks will be officially registered after 90 days, bringing the number of Trump's trademarks in China to 115. Nearly all are in the president's own name; a few are registered to a Delaware company called DTTM Operations LLC.

The new marks could lay the groundwork for an expanded range of branded businesses, including financial, insurance and real estate services, golf clubs, educational institutions, restaurants and bars. A number of the trademarks granted, including those for "social escort" and "body guard" services, appeared to relate specifically to hotels. Other international hotel companies whose documents were reviewed by AP sought similar trademarks.

It's unclear whether any of these Trump-brand businesses will materialize in China. Many companies here register trademarks just to prevent others from using their name inappropriately. Trump has also said he will refrain from new foreign deals while in office.

Trump began to file trademark applications in China in late 2005, an effort that accelerated in 2008 as Trump's lawyers fought for control of Chinese variations of his name, public records show. Years of ambition in China, however, have yet to yield a single marquee development. And despite all the recent activity, Trump still doesn't have a firm hold on his brand in China. More than 225 Trump-related marks are held or sought by others in China, for an array of things including Trump toilets, condoms, pacemakers and even a "Trump International Hotel."

Trump Organization chief legal officer Alan Garten said the latest registrations were a continuation of efforts that long predate Trump's presidential run. "Any suggestion to the contrary demonstrates a complete disregard of the facts as well as a lack of understanding of international trademark law," he said in an email.

But a growing number of Democrats disagree.

After AP reported Wednesday about the sweep of new approvals, Senators Debbie Stabenow and Ben Cardin called a press conference to lambaste President Trump for his growing Chinese entanglements. Also citing AP's report, Senator Richard Blumenthal said on the Senate floor that Trump's intellectual property in China "merits investigation."

"This President's conflicts of interest are creeping into every corner of the world," he said in an email to the AP. "The consequence is that he has done nothing to counter Chinese currency manipulation, trade rules violations, military buildup, and other aggressive Chinese actions. Standing up for a great America means putting our nation before personal profit."

Democrats have also written to Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urging scrutiny of Trump's intellectual property interests in China.

"It's time for Republicans in Congress to join our efforts to hold President Trump accountable," Senator Dianne Feinstein said in a statement Wednesday. "The Constitution demands it and the American people deserve it."

___

Associated Press researcher Fu Ting contributed from Shanghai.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/article137373198.html#storylink=cpy




HE HELPED LIGHT A SMOKE BOMB INSIDE THE BUILDING – PEACEFUL IN THAT IT ISN’T VIOLENCE, BUT IT IS NAUGHTY. VERY MANY TIMES LIKE THAT AND HE REALLY MAY HAVE TO SPEND SOME TIME IN JAIL.


http://abc7.com/news/tim-kaines-son-arrested-protesting-at-pro-trump-rally/1791285/
NEWS
TIM KAINE'S SON ARRESTED PROTESTING AGAINST PRO-TRUMP RALLY
Wednesday, March 08, 2017 02:38PM

Photograph -- This photo provided by the Ramsay County Sheriff's Office in St. Paul, Minn., shows Linwood Kaine, the youngest son of U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine. (Ramsay County Sheriff's Office via AP)

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The youngest son of U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, who was Hillary Clinton's running mate last year, was one of six people arrested while protesting against a rally in support of President Donald Trump at the Minnesota state Capitol building last weekend.

The protesters clashed with hundreds of Trump supporters who gathered at the Capitol rotunda in St. Paul on Saturday for one of several pro-Trump rallies held throughout the country.

Linwood "Woody" Kaine, of Minneapolis, and four other people were suspected of lighting a smoke bomb inside the Capitol, St. Paul police spokesman Steve Linders said Wednesday. He said he didn't know the circumstances surrounding the sixth arrest, which was made by state troopers.

Kaine, 24, ran from the scene and was arrested about a block away after he resisted arrest, was sprayed with a chemical irritant and was taken to the ground, according to police. Kaine was booked into the Ramsey County Jail on a recommended second-degree riot charge.

The Ramsey County Attorney's Office declined to file criminal charges, finding insufficient evidence to substantiate the charge, spokesman Dennis Gerhardstein said Wednesday. The St. Paul City Attorney's Office was reviewing the case and didn't immediately reply to a message seeking comment.

Tim Kaine, a St. Paul native who is now a senator representing Virginia, and his wife, Anne Holton, released a statement following their son's arrest.

"We love that our three children have their own views and concerns about current political issues. They fully understand the responsibility to express those concerns peacefully," they said.




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/all-nighters-produce-first-win-for-house-gop-health-care-bill-as-opposition-mounts/
All-nighters produce first win for House GOP health care bill as opposition mounts
AP March 9, 2017, 5:08 AM


WASHINGTON -- Republicans on a pivotal House committee scored an initial triumph in their effort to scuttle former President Obama’s health care overhaul, using a pre-dawn vote Thursday to abolish the tax penalty his statute imposes on people who don’t purchase insurance and reshaping how millions of Americans buy medical care.

Yet the Ways and Means panel’s approval of health care legislation only masked deeper problems Republican backers face. Hospitals, doctors and consumer groups mounted intensifying opposition to the GOP health care drive, and the White House and Republican leaders labored to rally a divided party behind their high-stakes overhaul crusade.

The American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association and AARP, the nation’s largest advocacy group for older people, were aaligned against the measure. Seven years ago, their backing was instrumental in enacting Mr. Obama’s health care statute, which President Trump and Republicans are intent on erasing.

The hospitals - major employers in many districts - wrote lawmakers complaining about the bill’s cuts in Medicaid and other programs and said more uninsured Americans seem likely, adding, “We ask Congress to protect our patients.” Groups representing public, children’s, Catholic and other hospitals also expressed opposition.

America’s Health Insurance Plans, representing insurers, praised the legislation’s elimination of health industry taxes but warned that proposed Medicaid changes “could result in unnecessary disruptions in the coverage and care beneficiaries depend on.”

In epic sessions that began Wednesday morning, Ways and Means worked till nearly 4:30 a.m. EST before approving the final batch of tax provisions in a party-line 23-16 vote. The Energy and Commerce Committee panel continued working, tackling a reshaping of Medicaid.

GOP leaders faced rebellion within their own ranks, including from conservative lawmakers and outside conservative groups claiming the bill took too timid a whack at Mr. Obama’s law. Numerous GOP centrists and governors were also antagonistic, worried their states could lose Medicaid payments and face higher costs for hospitals having to treat growing numbers of uninsured people.

Top Republicans knew if the upheaval should snowball and crush the legislation, it would be a shattering defeat for Mr. Trump and the GOP, so leaders hoped approval by both House committees would fuel momentum.

In words aimed at recalcitrant colleagues, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters: “This is what good, conservative health care reform looks like. It is bold and it is long overdue, and it is us fulfilling our promises.” The last was a nod to campaign pledges by Trump and many GOP congressional candidates.

Outnumbered Democrats used the panels’ meetings for political messaging, futilely offering amendments aimed at preventing the bill from raising deficits, kicking people off coverage or boosting consumers’ out-of-pocket costs. They tried unsuccessfully to insert language pressuring Mr. Trump to release his income tax returns, and failed to prevent Republicans from restoring insurance companies’ tax deductions for executive salaries above $500,000 - a break Mr. Obama’s law killed.

There were signs of growing White House engagement, and perhaps progress.

Trump met at the White House late Wednesday with leaders of six conservative groups that have opposed the GOP legislation, and several voiced optimism afterward.

“I’m encouraged that the president indicated they’re pushing to make changes in the bill,” said David McIntosh, head of the Club for Growth, though he provided no specifics.

Underscoring Mr. Trump’s potential impact, Energy and Commerce Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., said of GOP holdouts, “A lot of them, they maybe haven’t felt the inertia that comes with Air Force One landing in their district.”

The legislation would defang Mr. Obama’s requirement that everyone buy insurance - a provision deeply disliked by Republicans - by repealing the tax fines imposed on those who don’t. That penalty has been a stick aimed at pressing healthy people to purchase policies. The bill would replace income-based subsidies Mr. Obama provided with tax credits based more on age, and insurers would charge higher premiums for customers who drop coverage for over two months

The extra billions Washington has sent states to expand the federal-state Medicaid program would begin ending in 2020, and spending on the entire program would be capped at per-patient limits. Around $600 billion in 10-year tax boosts Mr. Obama’s statute imposed on wealthy Americans and others to finance his overhaul would be repealed. Insurers could charge older customers five times more than younger ones instead of the current 3-1 limit, but would still be required to include children up to age 26 in family policies, and they would be barred from imposing annual or lifetime benefit caps.

“We will answer President Trump’s call to action,” said Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, adding later, “Relief is on the way.”

Democrats said the Republicans would yank health coverage from many of the 20 million Americans who gained it under Mr. Obama’s statute, and drive up costs for others because the GOP tax breaks would be skimpier than existing subsidies. And they accused Republicans of hiding bad news by moving ahead without official estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on the bill’s cost to taxpayers and anticipated coverage.

“You can expect more town hall meetings you won’t want to go to,” said Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., a reference to liberal activists who hounded Republicans during last month’s recess.



PARTY WRANGLING OVER HEALTHCARE BILL. I DO LOVE THE DEM’S RENAMING OF THE BILL. IT’S SO APPROPRIATE !!

http://www.businessinsider.com/obamacare-replacement-democrat-amendement-republican-pay-more-for-less-care-act-2017-3
Democrats are trying to add a mountain of amendments to the GOP's Obamacare replacement — including renaming it the 'Republican Pay More for Less Care Act'
Bob Bryan
March 9, 2017

Democrats have begun their fight against the GOP's replacement for the Affordable Care Act, the healthcare law better known as Obamacare.

As the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday held its first day of debate over the GOP replacement, the American Health Care Care Act, Democrats introduced a series of largely symbolic amendments to add to the bill. While the amendments will be considered by the committee, they have to be approved by a majority vote in the Republican-controlled committee to officially become part of the bill.

Here's a quick rundown of some of the more notable amendments from Democrats, in order of their introduction:

Change the short title of the AHCA to the "Republican Pay More for Less Care Act."

The bill cannot pass unless the Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation say it will lower out-of-pocket costs for Americans, lower premiums, and provide more people coverage. These were three promises made by President Donald Trump in the lead-up to the bill's introduction. This was defeated by a party-line vote of 31 to 23 overnight.

The bill cannot pass until "the individual who holds the office of President makes available to the public authenticated copies of the individual's returns of Federal income tax for the most recent ten taxable years." In other words, the amendment would require Trump to release his tax returns if the bill is passed.

The bill cannot leave committee until the CBO has scored the bill and the score has been public for 30 days. Numerous other amendments were attached to CBO scores, including that the CBO must certify that more people will have insurance under the AHCA and that there will be no reduction in mental-health services. A score from the CBO is not expected until next week.

Strike the "per capita cap-based payments under Medicaid" in the AHCA and stay with the current Medicaid expansion funding. This amendment was also defeated by a 31-to-23 vote.

Preserve federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which the AHCA would do away with. This was defeated on a 31-to-23 vote along party lines.

While it is unlikely any of these measures get added to the bill, the process of adding many amendments could slow down the bill's passage and allow Democrats to express their displeasure with the AHCA.

The Energy and Commerce Committee is still marking up the bill, some 20 hours after kicking off the marathon session.

SEE ALSO: The GOP Obamacare replacement still has to pass a huge test — and it already looks like it might be a disaster
NOW WATCH: The Trump family's lavish lifestyle is costing taxpayers a fortune


ONE MORE WHACK AGAINST THE POOR -- BUDGET CUTS ON SUBSIDIZED HOUSING. HOW MANY MORE WILL BE MADE HOMELESS BY THIS?

http://fortune.com/section/leadership/
Out In the Cold: New U.S. Budget Priorities Threaten Housing Aid Programs
Reuters
Mar 05, 2017

When Paul Ryan, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, talks of social mobility, about helping struggling Americans move out of impoverished areas to give them greater opportunity, Shiva Daniels is the kind of person he has in mind.

A federal housing voucher allowed Daniels to escape her crime-plagued neighborhood in Dallas, Texas, and move her four children to the suburb of Garland.

That move helped Daniels find a good job, working for a property management company. Today, she cherishes the small, two-bedroom house she rents, with a yard where her children can safely play, away from drugs and gang violence in Dallas.

But if Daniels, 31, were to lose the $1,082 monthly stipend she receives, she has no doubt what would happen. “I would have to move back,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to afford it.”

Pulling Americans out of poverty is a subject close to Ryan’s heart. And President Donald Trump has frequently talked about aiding the inner cities

Rhode Island Protesters Call Paul Ryan a ‘Coward’ with ‘Wall Street Values’.

But the housing assistance provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, could fall victim to fiscal policies under consideration by the White House and Congress, which include a massive tax cut and increased military spending, according to a dozen congressional aides who spoke to Reuters.

While the White House has not been specific about its plans for HUD — the budget process remains in flux — it has called for a $54 billion cut in non-military discretionary domestic programs in the next fiscal year, which likely will dramatically impact safety-net programs that are not entitlements such as Medicare and Social Security, budget experts said.

Altogether, housing advocates paint a bleak picture of the landscape for low-income housing under the Trump administration. They warn that deep cuts to housing funds would force some people out of their homes and hollow out grant programs meant to revitalize urban neighborhoods.

There is also a ripple effect, they warn: Rental prices would likely rise alongside declines in affordable housing projects and vouchers available to renters. That would make it tougher for renters to save enough to eventually buy homes.

“It’s a bad cycle,” said Carol Galante, a former top HUD official during the Obama administration. “It puts pressure on the rental market. The rents are higher and higher so people can save less and less.”

Trump’s Border Tax: Here’s Number the Pundits Are Missing

HUD provides about 5 million Americans with some form of housing assistance, either through vouchers to renters, subsidies to landlords or public housing projects, which comprises about 85% of its budget. It also sends about $8 billion annually directly to communities through grants.

Even so, only about one-quarter of those eligible for assistance in the country receive it.

Housing advocates say changes to its budget or mandate would be directly felt in low-income communities. They point out that in 2013, when the legislatively mandated budget cuts known as sequestration hit HUD, more than 100,000 renters nationwide lost their housing support.

Douglas Rice, an expert at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, estimates that for every one percent cut in HUD’s budget, 20,000 renters would lose their assistance

But critics of the agency, including some Republican lawmakers, say its anti-poverty and community-development programs are inefficient and wasteful, and that it has failed to live up to its mission. Today, the proportion of Americans who live below the poverty line — 14.5% — is about the same as it was 35 years ago.

Russian Real Estate Deals Never Materialized for Trump

HUD has also at times had difficulty shaking the image of a bureaucratic agency that is vulnerable to corruption. It was at the center of a bid-rigging scandal during the Reagan Administration. And Alphonso Jackson, the HUD secretary under President George W. Bush, resigned in 2008 amid allegations that he steered contracts to friends. Charges were never brought against Jackson.

“There are some sports teams that never seem to gel. I think we’re a little like that at HUD,” said Bud Albright, a Washington lobbyist who worked at the agency when Republican Jack Kemp was secretary in the early 1990s.
Trump, who has not been specific on his plans for the agency, selected Ben Carson to lead HUD. The former neurosurgeon and Republican presidential candidate won Senate confirmation last week.

Although Carson's views hew closely to Republican orthodoxy on how too much government can discourage people from working hard, his upbringing in inner-city Detroit gives him a unique perspective: his mother received food stamps to provide for her family and he was raised around housing assistance programs similar to those he will now manage.

Carson, who declined requests for interviews by Reuters, has pledged to fight to protect HUD’s housing-assistance budget and preserve the agency’s community-development initiatives. He also said he would push to include funding to rehabilitate public-housing facilities in Trump’s proposed $1 trillion infrastructure plan.

How Donald Trump Just Raised Many Mortgage Bills

But given the White House's determination to cut domestic spending, Carson will have to fight for every dollar. A HUD spokesman declined to comment on which programs could be hurt by any possible budget cuts. The White House's Office of Management and Budget did not respond to a request for comment.

Congress, too, is looking to narrow HUD’s reach.

Ryan has called for work requirements and time limits on those who receive housing assistance, similar to how child support, food assistance and other welfare benefits function.

Tax reform spearheaded by Ryan and Kevin Brady, the House Ways and Means chairman, could ultimately do away with a key tax credit used by developers to build affordable housing, or could drastically curtail the credit’s use.

One vocal critic of HUD is Jeb Hensarling, Republican chair of the House Financial Services Committee, which oversees the housing agency. Hensarling plans to introduce legislation this year to narrow the $1 trillion portfolio of the Federal Housing Administration, which helps low-income and first-time homebuyers purchase homes, his office said.

Who Knew This City Had Some of the World’s Most Unaffordable Housing?

Hensarling has said he fears that if home values drop the FHA would require another federal bailout as it did in 2013, when it received a taxpayer-funded infusion of $1.7 billion to cover its losses.

If the cuts to HUD’s budget are as severe as some expect, those who are on waiting lists now for vouchers will be staying on them for a very long time, and recipients such as Shiva Daniels, who has been receiving assistance for six years, will be at risk of seeing that support end.That would mean losing her small house, with the yard she sees as a safe haven for her children. “It might not feel like it’s a big deal, but it is,” Daniels said. “When you feel good, it allows you to do better, and do better for them.”



BUDGET CUTS ON FOOD AID. THIS ARTICLE IS VERY LONG AND DETAILED. I PERSONALLY DIDN’T WANT TO READ IT ALL, AS IT IS MAINLY SPECIFICS OF THE MAIN POINTS. YOU MAY READ IT AT CBPP.ORG IF YOU WANT TO ANALYZE THE INFORMATION.

http://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/house-2017-budget-plan-would-slash-snap-by-more-than-150-billion-over-ten
CENTER ON BUDGET AND POLICY PRIORITIES
House 2017 Budget Plan Would Slash SNAP by More Than $150 Billion Over Ten Years
Low-Income Households in All States Would Feel Sharp Effects
MARCH 21, 2016
BY DOTTIE ROSENBAUM BRYNNE KEITH-JENNINGS

The House Budget Committee-approved budget plan would cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) by more than $150 billion — over 20 percent — over the next ten years (2017-2026). A cut of this magnitude would necessitate ending food assistance for millions of low-income families, cutting benefits for millions of these households, or some combination of the two.[1] The committee has proposed similarly deep SNAP cuts in each of its last five budgets. This year’s budget has two categories of SNAP cuts:

It includes three major benefit cuts that Congress ultimately rejected from House-passed versions of the 2014 farm bill. They would terminate benefits to about 3 million low-income people — including many working families, senior citizens, and people with disabilities, and some of the poorest Americans — and cut SNAP spending by more than $25 billion over ten years (2017-2026).[2]

It would convert SNAP into a block grant beginning in 2021 and cut funding steeply — by $125 billion (or almost 30 percent) over 2021 to 2026. States would be left to decide whose benefits to reduce or terminate. They would have no good choices, since SNAP benefits average only $1.41 per person per meal and go primarily to poor children, working parents, seniors, people with disabilities, and others struggling to make ends meet.

THE CUTS WOULD COME ON TOP OF SNAP CUTS THAT OCCURRED IN RECENT YEARS OR ARE OCCURRING UNDER CURRENT LAW. The cuts would come on top of SNAP cuts that occurred in recent years or are occurring under current law.



ON ALZHEIMER’S PREVENTION, THESE THINGS ARE RECOMMENDED.I HAD HEARD REGULAR DAILY EXERCISE, FISH OIL, AND B VITAMINS, BUT “KEFIR” IS TOTALLY NEW TO ME. IT IS A YEAST WHICH GETS IN MILK AND MAKES IT POSSIBLY A PREVENTATIVE FOR ALZHEIMER’S. SEE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE ON KEFIR. IT IMPROVES THE NUMBER, CORRECT TYPE AND HEALTH OF OUR FRIENDLY GUT BACTERIA, WHICH ARE ALSO IMPORTANT IN FIGHTING THE DISEASE. KEFIR WON’T BE EASY TO GET IN THE STORES HERE, I’M AFRAID, BUT MAYBE IT CAN BE BOUGHT DRY LIKE SOURDOUGH STARTER. I UNDERSTAND IT CAN BE MIXED WITH ANY WHOLE PASTEURIZED MILK TO GROW A CULTURE. I MIGHT NOT LIKE THE WAY IT TASTES, THOUGH, BECAUSE VERY SOUR YOGURT IS SOMETHING I CAN’T EAT. THAT IS ALWAYS THE FAT FREE, I HAVE NOTICED, WHILE THE LOW FAT TASTES MORE LIKE SOUR CREAM, WHICH IS DELICIOUS TO ME. I REALLY HAVE TO DO SOME THINGS TO FEND OFF ALZHEIMER’S, THOUGH NOBODY IN MY FAMILY HAS HAD IT. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE INHERITED, AND EXACTLY WHAT CAUSES IT ISN’T KNOWN YET. BEING OVERWEIGHT AND VERY INACTIVE IS THOUGHT TO BE RELATED. GO TO “KEFIR” IN WIKIPEDIA. IT’S A GREAT ARTICLE.


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/top-alzheimers-researcher-on-how-you-can-help-protect-you-brain/
Top Alzheimer's researcher explains how you can help protect your brain
By ASHLEY WELCH CBS NEWS March 9, 2017, 9:26 AM

Every 66 seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s disease.

Currently, more than 5 million Americans live with the memory-robbing ailment and by 2050 that number could rise as high as 16 million, according to new figures from the Alzheimer’s Association.

Scientists are working to find ways to not only treat Alzheimer’s but prevent it from developing in the first place. In one key step in the process, researchers are gaining a better understanding of the role of amyloid proteins in the development of the disease.

0307-dotcom-lapookalzheimers1-1266120-640x360.jpg
Rudy Tanzi, Ph.D., appeared on “CBS This Morning” to discuss how to protect against Alzheimer’s CBS NEWS

“The amyloid plaques build up outside of the nerve cells [in the brain] and now we know that when the nerve cells interact with the plaque, it causes the nerve cell to make a tangle inside,” explains Rudy Tanzi, Ph.D., director of the Alzheimer’s Genome Project and a leading researcher in the field at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. “And that tangle then chokes the nerve cell from within and kills it. So the killing process begins with the amyloid – that’s kind of the gun – but the tangle’s the bullet, so to speak.”

Experts now believe these amyloid plaques and the tangles they form start occurring in people’s brains 10 to 15 years before any symptoms like memory loss begin to show.

The latest drug development efforts are focused on intervening much earlier on, before the disease takes an irreversible toll on memory and cognitive function. Tanzi likened it to taking statins to manage cholesterol to prevent a future heart attack.

Another increasingly important focus of medical research is neuroinflammation in the brain — why it happens, and how to stop it.

For patients with Alzheimer’s, Tanzi explained, “What’s killing most of your nerve cells is neuroinflammation, where the brain has reacted against all these plaques and tangles and cell death with an inflammatory response. And only over the last 5 years, we’ve discovered the genes that control neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s and we’re doing drug discovery based on those as well.”

Morning Rounds: Alzheimer's impact, tips for changing doctors
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Morning Rounds: Alzheimer's impact, tips for changing doctors

Yet, while such drugs can take years to develop, Tanzi says there are things people can do right now to help protect their brain. He spoke with CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook about these strategies.

Q: Aside from choosing the right parents, what can somebody do to prevent Alzheimer’s – or try to help prevent Alzheimer’s?

A: The four big categories are diet, exercise, sleep and stress reduction. I wrote about this in detail in my last book, “Super Genes” – six chapters, more than you wanted to know about how to adapt your diet to minimize inflammation and plaques.

Meaning Mediterranean diet, probiotics – take care of your gut bacteria.

Q: Which probiotics?

A: Yogurt, a yogurt drink like kefir, or a probiotic pill with live bacteria.

Q: But there’s so many different ones ... which ones? Do we know yet? We don’t know yet.

A: It’s a hot area right now. There are companies that are looking at what are the best bacteria to put in a probiotic.

Q: Why would what’s going on in your gut affect what’s going on in your brain?

A: So it turns out there’s what’s called a gut-brain axis, where the bacteria in your gut are creating chemicals that interact with your brain that do everything from determine your mood to control how much inflammation there is in your brain.

Q: And even obesity, right? It’s amazing what we’re learning about these trillions of bacteria that people were saying, ‘Oh, wash them out … I’m going to get a cleanse. They’re icky! Let’s get them out of us!’ It turns out, of course, millions of years of evolution – they’re there for a reason.

A: And you want to take care of them. They’re there to help you. A Mediterranean diet, more fiber, more fruit, what are called prebiotics, probiotics – meaning, if you don’t know exactly what probiotic pill to take, at least live-culture yogurt. I drink kefir every morning.

And then after diet – exercise. You know at least an hour-long brisk walk, or try to get 8,000 to 10,000 steps if you’re using a device.

And sleep. Eight hours. After 40 years old, you have to get seven to eight hours of sleep, and try your best to do it because as you cycle in and out of REM sleep, this is when you clean amyloid plaque out of your brain.

Q: That was one of the most amazing discoveries, when I first read about that – you’re actually ‘garbage collecting’ at night when you’re asleep. The toxins get carried out of your brain.

A: The brain – first of all, the cells that can cause inflammation, when they’re behaving are clearing the plaque. So you want to keep these certain cells clearing the plaque away and not causing inflammation. During the deep sleep, those cells eat all the plaque. And then the brain literally, physically constricts itself and releases the plaque debris – the proteins from the plaque – into the spinal fluid and out of the brain to wash away.

You can actually see the brain physically constricting after the material’s been broken down by the resident cells. And this only happens during delta – slow-wave – the deepest sleep that comes in after REM. So you want to be able to cycle in and out of REM several times per night. Kind of like a dishwasher on multiple cycles, you want to go in and out to clean the brain as much as you can every night with sleep.

Q: So it’s coming down to what our parents told us, right? Eat your fruits and vegetables, get a lot of exercise, get plenty of sleep. And then the last thing you said was stress reduction.

A: Managing stress. It turns out, we just published a study on meditation, a new trial on how does meditation affect your gene activity – your gene expression, as we call it.

Meditation helps retiree find her "next chapter"
Play VIDEO
Meditation helps retiree find her "next chapter"

We did it with folks at Mount Sinai [Hospital] in New York. And what we found was that with a meditation practice, there are changes in your gene expression that work against inflammation and that actually create a healthier state. We also see changes in genes that affect the amount of amyloid in your brain during a full one-week intensive meditation course.

So we have meditation instructors, we have novice meditators who are learning, and our control group of people at the same resort who were just hanging out and having fun but not learning how to meditate. And there were significant differences in terms of very beneficial gene expression changes in those who were meditating.

Q: One of the biggest fears my patients have is that they might be developing dementia. So how do you distinguish between a ‘senior moment’ and dementia? I mean, people would kind of flippantly say, if you can’t find your car keys that’s one thing, if you find them and don’t know what they do, that’s another thing. But I always found that a very flip answer. What do you really say to a patient in that situation?

A: Well the fact is, as we get older, we don’t recall names as well, we can see the face of an actor we know but can’t recall the name as fast. There are changes that happen in the brain just as there are changes in the muscles. Our joints, our muscles get a bit weaker. So that’s why it’s so important to work out physically and mentally. You know, stay engaged in learning new things.

Q: Crossword puzzles? Learning a new language?

A: I like to say – if crossword puzzles help you, if it’s the New York Times it would help you between Friday and Sunday, because you’d probably have to look something up and learn something new. But it’s really learning new things. When you learn something new, you make new synapses – connections between nerve cells [in the brain]. And all learning is based on what you already knew, you learn by association to what you already knew. So not only do you make new synapses, but you strengthen the ones you already have.