September 13 and 14, 2017


News and Views


THE NEW YORK TIMES HAS GIVEN ME A SUBSCRIPTION OFFER THAT I COULDN’T REFUSE, SO I WILL PRESENT AT LEAST ONE NEW YORK TIMES NEWS OR COMMENTARY ARTICLE A DAY. ENJOY!

WE NEED STRICT STANDARDS FOR ANY BUSINESS THAT CHOOSES TO CALL ITSELF A RETIREMENT OR NURSING HOME. IT SHOULD HAVE: ENOUGH WELL MAINTAINED EXTERNAL GENERATORS TO TAKE CARE OF THE WHOLE CAMPUS, MULTIPLE STRETCHERS WITH SOME GOOD STRONG MALE EMPLOYEES TO WHEEL PEOPLE OUT, MULTIPLE MEANS OF COMMUNICATING WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD, MULTIPLE VANS TO TRANSPORT THEM OUT, AN EVACUATION PLAN THAT IS READY TO GO AT ALL TIMES IN ADDITION TO AGREEMENTS WITH THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO AID THEM, AND MORE WHICH I CAN’T THINK OF RIGHT NOW. OH, YES, WELL QUALIFIED AND DEPENDABLY DECENT PEOPLE TO GIVE THAT DAILY PERSONAL CARE. WHAT THIS ARTICLE SHOWS IS LIKE THE WAY WE CARE FOR OUR VETERANS – TERRIBLY.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/13/us/nursing-home-deaths-florida.html?_r=0
Eight Dead From Sweltering Nursing Home as Florida Struggles After Irma
By NEIL REISNER, SHERI FINK and VIVIAN YEE
SEPT. 13, 2017

Photograph -- Emergency workers at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Fla., on Wednesday, where residents of a sweltering nursing home were taken. Credit Jason Henry for The New York Times
Photograph -- Carolyn Jo Eatherly, left, with her friend Linda Horton in a photo provided by Ms. Horton. Ms. Eatherly, a resident of the Hollywood nursing home, died Wednesday.
Photograph -- The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills, which was evacuated on Wednesday. Eight of its residents died. Credit Jason Henry for The New York Times

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — The first patient was rushed into the emergency room of Memorial Regional Hospital around 3 a.m. on Wednesday, escaping a nursing home that had lost air-conditioning in the muggy days after Hurricane Irma splintered power lines across the state.

Another arrived at 4 a.m. After a third rescue call, around 5 a.m., the hospital’s staff was concerned enough to walk down the street to check the building themselves.

What they found was an oven.

The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills needed to be evacuated immediately. Rescue units were hurrying its more than 100 residents out. Dozens of hospital workers established a command center outside, giving red wristbands to patients with critical, life-threatening conditions and yellow and green ones to those in better shape.

Checking the nursing home room by room, the hospital staff found three people who were already dead and nearly 40 others who needed red wristbands, many of whom had trouble breathing. The workers rushed them to Memorial’s emergency room, where they were given oxygen. The rest went to other hospitals nearby.

Four were so ill that they died soon after arriving. In the afternoon, the authorities learned that another had died early in the morning, and was initially uncounted because the person had been taken directly to a funeral home.

In all, eight were dead.

“We had no idea the extent of what was going on until we literally sent people room to room to check on people,” said Dr. Randy Katz, the hospital’s chairman of emergency medicine.

Three days after the hurricane had howled through South Florida, some of the most vulnerable people in the state were dying, not of wind, not of floods, but of what seemed to be an electrical failure.

Florida was still staggering to its feet on Wednesday, and millions of people across the Southeast were facing days or weeks without power in temperatures that, in the Fort Lauderdale area, climbed to as high as 92 degrees in recent days. The nursing home appeared to have electricity, but the hurricane had knocked out power in a critical spot: A tree had apparently hit the transformer that powered the cooling system, intensifying the subtropical heat from oppressive to fatal.

State officials, utility executives and the Rehabilitation Center spent Wednesday trading blame over why and how its patients were left to endure such conditions, even though state and federal regulations require nursing home residents to be evacuated if it gets too hot inside.

The Hollywood Police Department opened a criminal investigation into the deaths of the eight residents, who ranged in age from 71 to 99, and investigators from the state attorney general’s office were also involved. Gov. Rick Scott ordered a moratorium on admissions at the nursing home.

By day’s end, the unanswered questions were still outstanding, even as the deaths magnified scrutiny on other facilities for the old and disabled.

More than three million customers in Florida still lacked power Wednesday, including roughly 160 nursing homes, according to the state’s tracking system. After generators fizzled at the Krystal Bay Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, in North Miami Beach, 79 people were evacuated as a precaution.

“I am going to aggressively demand answers on how this tragic event took place,” Mr. Scott said in a statement. “Although the details of these reported deaths are still under investigation, this situation is unfathomable. Every facility that is charged with caring for patients must take every action and precaution to keep their patients safe — especially patients that are in poor health.”

Dr. Katz said Memorial’s emergency room had been busy for days treating chronically ill patients who were not coping well with the loss of electricity; some were having trouble breathing in the heat, while others needed access to dialysis. At least one came in from the Rehabilitation Center on Tuesday.

Photo

The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills, which was evacuated on Wednesday. Eight of its residents died. Credit Jason Henry for The New York Times
But not until Wednesday morning was there any hint that others there might be in trouble.

“I don’t know how many more I’m going to get,” said Craig T. Mallak, the chief medical examiner for Broward County, referring to the rising death toll, in an interview. “These are really sick people.”

The home’s administrator, Jorge Carballo, said in a statement that the transformer connected to the air-conditioning system had experienced a “prolonged power failure,” prompting the staff to contact Florida Power & Light. While waiting for a fix, he said, they set up mobile cooling units and fans and tried to make sure residents were hydrated and comfortable.

“We are devastated by these losses,” he said. “We are fully cooperating with all authorities and regulators to assess what went wrong.”

He did not say whether the home had considered evacuating its residents sooner.

Mr. Scott said that the Rehabilitation Center was responsible for the safety of its patients, and that state health officials had told the home’s administrators to call 911 if they believed patients’ health was at risk.

One relative who visited on Tuesday afternoon said she had been so alarmed by the conditions inside that she herself called Florida Power & Light four times. The relative, Eli Pina, said the power company told her that help was on the way. But none came.

“It felt like 110 degrees,” said Ms. Pina, whose 96-year-old mother, Mirelle Pina, was evacuated from the nursing home on Wednesday. “I think it’s the fault of FPL,” she added. “They said they were going to come but they didn’t.”

In an interview with the local ABC station, Dave Long, who worked for an air-conditioning company that serviced the nursing home, said he had been asking Florida Power & Light since Monday to fix a fuse in the system that had “popped” out because of damage from the hurricane.

“We’ve been calling and calling,” Mr. Long said. “I can’t do anything until we get that fuse popped back in.”

Rob Gould, a spokesman for the power company, said at a news conference Wednesday that the company met in March with Broward County officials to discuss hurricane preparations, but that the officials had not flagged the nursing home as “top-tier” critical infrastructure that would need power first. Memorial Regional Hospital, where many residents were taken, was in the top tier.

Broward County officials, though, said in a statement that they had relied on a Florida Power & Light document saying that nursing homes were “non-critical, but play a decisive role in community recovery,” suggesting they were considered a high priority for restoration but not the highest. On Tuesday morning, after the nursing home reported that the air-conditioning was out, county officials asked the utility to make it, along with other nursing homes, a higher priority, the officials said.

The utility “said there were too many to escalate all of them,” Barbara Sharief, the Broward County mayor, said in an interview.

Kristen Knapp, a spokeswoman for the Florida Health Care Association, an advocate for nursing homes, said she was encouraging other facilities to “go ahead and think about moving” residents if they did not think they could keep them safe from the heat.

Florida requires nursing homes to ensure emergency power in a disaster as well as food, water, staffing and 72 hours of supplies. A new federal rule, which takes effect in November, adds that the alternative source of energy must be capable of maintaining safe temperatures.

In general, nursing homes are required to keep temperatures between 71 and 81 degrees, according to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. That rule applies to nursing homes certified for the first time after October 1990. However, facilities certified before that time “still must maintain safe and comfortable temperature levels,” the agency’s guidance says.

The causes of death had not been determined Wednesday. Medical professionals said there could be other reasons besides intense heat. Portable generators, as well as other appliances, can cause fatal carbon monoxide poisoning if used indoors.

“It is reasonable to suspect,” said Dr. Beau Briese, an emergency physician at Houston Methodist Hospital who has treated many cases of carbon monoxide poisoning.

One of those who died on Wednesday, Carolyn Jo Eatherly, 78, was living at Rehabilitation Center because of Alzheimer’s she developed many years ago, a close friend, Linda Carol Horton, 65, said Wednesday.

“She couldn’t be by herself, no way,” especially under extreme circumstances, Ms. Horton said. “She would die.”

Photo -- Carolyn Jo Eatherly, left, with her friend Linda Horton in a photo provided by Ms. Horton. Ms. Eatherly, a resident of the Hollywood nursing home, died Wednesday.

As Ms. Eatherly’s dementia progressed, Ms. Horton took her in for as long as she could. But about 10 years ago, Ms. Eatherly had to go into nursing care. Ms. Horton took care of her friend’s four cats until they died.*

She hated thinking of Ms. Eatherly helpless in the overwhelming heat.

“I’m really saddened at what happened,” she said.

The 152-bed nursing home was acquired in 2015 by Larkin Community Hospital, a growing Miami-area network that includes hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Florida officials had cited a deficiency related to the building’s generator as recently as February 2016. An inspection called for backup power systems to be “installed, tested and maintained” by March 2016, records show.

While praising the nursing home for above-average staffing, Medicare assigned it an overall “below average” rating, with two of five stars. A health inspection report dated from March raises issues with housekeeping, food service and resident cleanliness, but not with the heating or cooling system.

Dr. Jack Michel, the health-care network’s current chairman, did not respond to requests for comment. Dr. Michel and Larkin Community were among defendants who paid $15.4 million in 2006 to settle federal and state civil claims that the hospital paid kickbacks to doctors in exchange for patient admissions.

Elsewhere in Florida, the grim work of clearing debris and identifying people who had died during the storm was continuing. President Trump planned to visit the Naples area on Thursday.

Besides the nursing home deaths, at least 14 deaths in Florida have been tied to the storm and its aftermath, with six more in South Carolina and Georgia. Across the Caribbean, 38 had died.

At least eight died in the Florida Keys, and authorities feared that many more had drowned as they tried to ride out the storm in their boats. One man died of a stroke while emergency services were unavailable and the hospital was closed.

Among the dead from the Hollywood center was Gail Nova, 71, who had worked as an X-ray and mammography technician before her own health declined.

Her son, Jeffrey Nova, 48, said they had chosen the Rehabilitation Center for its round-the-clock skilled nursing care and proximity to the hospital.

“People died under circumstances where it could have been prevented,” he said. “I want accountability. I think that’s something everyone will want.”

Neil Reisner reported from Hollywood, Fla.; Sheri Fink from Houston; and Vivian Yee from New York. Reporting was contributed by Lizette Alvarez and Emily Cochrane from Miami; Amy Harmon, Niraj Chokshi, Caitlin Dickerson, Anemona Hartocollis and Stephanie Saul from New York; and Nick Madigan from Hollywood, Fla. Susan C. Beachy and Jack Begg contributed research.

*”GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN ....”



JEMELE HILL, AN ESPN HOST, GOT A LITTLE TOO OUTSPOKEN FOR “THE WHITE HOUSE.” I ASSUME THAT REALLY MEANS, “FOR THE PRESIDENT,” WHO IS EXTREMELY ALLERGIC TO ANY CRITICISM WHATSOEVER. I CAN SEE THAT SHE COULD BE IN DANGER OF A LAWSUIT, BUT THIS IS AN [ALMOST] DIRECT THREAT. AS A REFLECTION OF HOW SO MANY REPUBLICANS VIEW THIS COUNTRY AND WHAT WE DO STAND FOR – ASSUMING WE STAND FOR SOMETHING – SARAH SANDERS’ COMMENT IS JUST PAR FOR THE COURSE. VOTE FOR A RACIST AND YOU’LL GET A WHITE HOUSE, LEGISLATURE AND COURT SYSTEM FULL OF THEM. THAT IS EXACTLY THE REASON WHY MY FATHER SAID HE WOULD NEVER VOTE FOR A REPUBLICAN. HE WAS A YOUNG MAN FROM A SMALL FARM IN THE 1929-32 ERA, AND HE BELIEVED IN THE NEW DEAL. HIS COMMENT ON THE REPUBLICAN ECONOMIC PLAN OF CONSTANT “BELT TIGHTENING” LIKE WE HAVE TODAY WAS, “YOU COULD BUY A LOT WITH A DIME, IF YOU HAD A DIME!” I THINK THAT IS PROBABLY A QUOTATION RATHER THAN HIS ORIGINAL WORDS, BUT I LOVE IT. GOOD USE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE!

http://money.cnn.com/2017/09/13/media/jemele-hill-espn-white-house/index.html
ESPN says it accepts Jemele Hill's apology after anti-Trump tweets
by Brian Stelter @brianstelter
September 14, 2017: 2:34 PM ET

VIDEO – Breaking News, 0:27 / 1:00, Sarah Sanders: Jemele Hill comments 'outrageous'

ESPN host Jemele Hill's tweet calling President Trump a "white supremacist" earned a stinging rebuke from Trump's press secretary on Wednesday.

From the White House podium, Sarah Sanders said Hill's criticism of the president was a "fireable offense by ESPN."

It was a highly unusual moment -- a White House official seemingly recommending that a Trump critic be booted from a television network.

Trump aides have pressured media executives about anti-Trump commentators in the past, but those complaints were made in private. This time it was on-camera for all to see.

Many people strongly defended Hill's comments, while many other people strongly condemned her and the network that employs her.

At the end of the day on Wednesday, Hill issued a new statement, not about what Sanders said, but about the overall controversy.

"My comments on Twitter expressed my personal beliefs," Hill said. "My regret is that my comments and the public way I made them painted ESPN in an unfair light. My respect for the company and my colleagues remains unconditional."

A few minutes later, ESPN issued a followup statement: "Jemele has a right to her personal opinions, but not to publicly share them on a platform that implies that she was in any way speaking on behalf of ESPN. She has acknowledged that her tweets crossed that line and has apologized for doing so. We accept her apology."

For many months, ESPN has been under unique scrutiny by conservative groups and sports world rivals.

To people like Tucker Carlson, who dubbed ESPN "Endless Stupid Political Nagging" on Tuesday night, Hill's portrayal of Trump as a racist was just the latest example of liberal bias inside the sports network.

"Stick to sports" has been a mantra of these critics. "Sports are political" has been one of the comebacks.

Hill, a rising star at ESPN, has been vociferously critical of President Trump all year long, but her tweetstorm on Monday went further than ever. She called Trump a "bigot," a "threat" and "the most ignorant, offensive president of my lifetime."

The tweet that garnered the most reaction said: "Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists."

Hill, an African American woman, followed up with this: "His rise is a direct result of white supremacy. Period."

Other black journalists and commentators have made similar statements in the past. But Hill's tweets caught fire on social media, partly due to the ongoing arguments over ESPN's political posture.

Amid an outcry from conservatives on Twitter and Facebook, ESPN reminded people on Tuesday afternoon that Hill's tweets "do not represent the position of ESPN."

The network alluded to disciplinary action, but did not provide any details.

"We have addressed this with Jemele and she recognizes her actions were inappropriate," ESPN said.

Then, on Wednesday, Washington Post White House reporter David Nakamura, who previously covered sports for the paper asked Sanders if the president had a reaction to the controversy.

"I'm not sure if he's aware" of the tweets, Sanders said, "but I think that's one of the more outrageous comments that anyone could make, and certainly something that I think is a fireable offense by ESPN."

Sanders said Trump is "committed to working with them to bring the country together. I think that's where we need to be focused, not on outrageous statements like that one."

Some media commentators said they were disturbed by Sanders' talk of a "fireable offense."

"Today, the White House press secretary used the people's podium to call for the firing of an individual citizen, @jemelehill. Take that in," the liberal MSNBC host Joy Reid wrote.

There's been a substantial backlash to the backlash, with Hill's supporters saying she described Trump accurately in the original tweetstorm, and should not be reprimanded for having done so.

Many of Trump's critics say his reaction to the violence in Charlottesville, his pardoning of Joe Arpaio and other decisions have exacerbated racial tensions.

ESPN critics, on the other hand, said the network's response was too soft, and that a suspension or firing was in order.

Sanders' remarks on Wednesday are sure to keep the debate raging.

For her part, Hill hasn't posted anything new on Twitter since ESPN weighed in on Tuesday.

But some notable names at the network have come to her defense.

Veteran NFL reporter Jim Trotter wrote to Hill, "Proud to call you a colleague and a friend." Trotter elaborated to Sports Illustrated: "Black folk are tired and we have to recognize some of the things that are going on in this country and we have to be honest about it and meet it head on. If you are black and know the history of our country, you can understand her frustration. It is time we stop pretending it is not true."

The National Association of Black Journalists also responded by expressing support for Hill, "an award-winning, veteran journalist who has distinguished herself for having insightful opinions and perspectives on a variety of topics."

The group said it "supports Hill's First Amendment rights on all matters of discussion, within and outside the world of sports, as they do not impinge on her duties as a host and commentator."

On Wednesday night, several prominent liberal commentators decided to send out tweets echoing Hill's original sentiment.

Among them was Jelani Cobb of The New Yorker. He wrote, concisely, "Trump is a white supremacist."

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that Hill had deleted the tweets in question.

CNNMoney (New York)
First published September 13, 2017: 3:38 PM ET



PROGRESS TOWARD AN EQUITABLE AND HELPFUL LAW ON THE ISSUES HERE SEEMS TO BE FORTHCOMING. WALKING IN FAITH, I WILL TRY TO BELIEVE THAT TRUMP IS NOT ENTIRELY AN OGRE, AND THAT THE REPUBLICANS WHO ARE SO DEEPLY AGAINST HIS MOVE TO ASSOCIATE WITH DEMOCRATS ON THIS WILL ALL LOSE THEIR NEXT ELECTIONS.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/latest-trump-top-democrats-agree-young-immigrants-49836997
The Latest: Trump, top Democrats agree on young immigrants
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — Sep 13, 2017, 10:08 PM ET

VIDEO -- Ryan opposes deporting “dreamers”, Time Magazine Videos
Photograph – Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., left, and Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y., right, listen as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump's discussions with Congress on immigration (all times local):
9:45 p.m.

The top House and Senate Democrats have announced agreement with President Donald Trump to protect certain immigrants brought illegally to this country as children — along with some border security enhancements.

The agreement would specifically not include Trump's long-sought border wall. It would enshrine protections for the nearly 800,000 immigrants who benefited from a program created by former President Barack Obama that Trump has announced he is ending.

The agreement was announced in a joint statement from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, following a dinner the pair had with Trump at the White House.

It marks the second time in two weeks that Trump has bypassed Republicans to deal with Pelosi and Schumer.

8:55 p.m.
President Donald Trump has told lawmakers he's open to signing legislation protecting thousands of young immigrants from deportation even if the bill does not include funding for his promised border wall.
But Trump remains committed to building a barrier along the U.S.-Mexican border.
During a White House meeting with moderate House members from both parties, Trump urged lawmakers to come up with a bipartisan solution for the nearly 800,000 young people who had been protected from deportation and given the right to work legally in the country under former President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program.
Trump ended the program earlier this month and has given Congress six months to come up with a legislative fix.



IF IT'S A GOOD THING, THE “CONSERVATIVES” ARE AGIN' IT! NO SURPRISE THERE!

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/conservatives-lash-out-at-trump-after-alleged-daca-deal/
By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS September 14, 2017, 10:28 AM
Conservatives lash out at Trump after alleged DACA agreement with Pelosi, Schumer

Conservatives are lashing out against President Trump after Democratic leaders in Congress claimed that they had reached a deal with the president to draft legislation that would protect people who came to the U.S. illegally as children and include border security measures, excluding the wall.

In a joint statement Wednesday night following dinner with Mr. Trump, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said, "We agreed to enshrine the protections of DACA into law quickly, and to work out a package of border security, excluding the wall, that's acceptable to both sides."

While the president denied Thursday morning on Twitter that a deal was reached, he seemed to repeat the parameters of the agreement as he left the White House for a day-trip to Florida.

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, who has been a major supporter of Mr. Trump and his immigration policies, tweeted Thursday that Trump is leading with "DACA Amnesty 2017."

Follow
Steve King ✔ @SteveKingIA
Reagan led with Amnesty, 1986. Bush43 led with Amnesty '06, Obama led with Amnesty '13. All failed so...Trump leads with DACA Amnesty 2017.
7:26 AM - Sep 14, 2017 · Washington, DC
385 385 Replies 574 574 Retweets 1,124 1,124 likes

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Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, didn't seem happy Thursday.

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ChuckGrassley ✔ @ChuckGrassley
@realDonaldTrump Morn news says u made deal w Schumer on DACA/hv ur staff brief me/ I know u undercut JudiCimm effort 4 biparty agreement
6:12 AM - Sep 14, 2017
575 575 Replies 553 553 Retweets 861 861 likes

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Breitbart, the conservative site run by former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, posted a headline, "Amnesty Don." Right-wing activist Ann Coulter even suggested on Twitter that the president should be impeached.

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Ann Coulter ✔ @AnnCoulter
At this point, who DOESN'T want Trump impeached? https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/908278070611779585 …
7:05 AM - Sep 14, 2017
3,180 3,180 Replies 3,123 3,123 Retweets 6,906 6,906 likes

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Fox News host Sean Hannity tweeted that he blames Republicans.

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Sean Hannity ✔ @seanhannity
If reports true 100%. I blame R's. They caused this. They wanted him to fail and now pushed him into arms of political suicide--IF TRUE. https://twitter.com/bill4990/status/908179473895350272 …
12:11 AM - Sep 14, 2017
2,362 2,362 Replies 1,139 1,139 Retweets 3,081 3,081 likes

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Some Republicans, on the other hand, praised the president, including Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, and Rep. Peter King, R-New York.

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Jeff Flake ✔ @JeffFlake
Kudos to @POTUS for pursuing agreement that will protect #Dreamers from deportation https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/09/13/trump-top-democrats-agree-to-work-on-deal-to-save-daca/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_daca1013pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.230345186c47 …
10:45 PM - Sep 13, 2017
Photo published for Trump, top Democrats agree to work on deal to save DACA
Trump, top Democrats agree to work on deal to save DACA
The president discussed the deal during a dinner with Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
washingtonpost.com
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Rep. Pete King ✔ @RepPeteKing
Memo to Freedom Caucus: Trump base is the American people not a small faction of obstructionists! Kudos to @POTUS Trump.
7:18 AM - Sep 14, 2017
250 250 Replies 137 137 Retweets 445 445 likes

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Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Florida, who's retiring, weighed in Thursday morning about the mixed messages from both sides.

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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen ✔ @RosLehtinen
.@POTUS is once again playing w DREAMers' futures. That doesn't show "great heart" either. They should b allowed 2 stay. Let's make that law
9:59 AM - Sep 14, 2017
8 8 Replies 43 43 Retweets 72 72 likes

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Democrats, meanwhile, were applauding their leaders for negotiating an initial agreement.

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Brian Schatz ✔ @brianschatz
Chuck and Nancy are good at their jobs.
10:17 PM - Sep 13, 2017
54 54 Replies 326 326 Retweets 1,922 1,922 likes



CONSTANTLY CUTTING BACK ON THE MONEY SPENT ON MUCH NEEDED BUSINESS ACTIVITIES LIKE MAXIMIZING SAFETY RATHER THAN MINIMIZING IT, IS NOT HELPING THE ECONOMY OF OUR COUNTRY. THAT KIND OF THING IS JUST MAKING OUR COUNTRY LESS “GREAT!” LOWER QUALITY AND HIGHER PRICES IS THE REPUBLICAN WAY. TOO BAD!

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/passenger-safety-airline-seats-evacuations/
By KRIS VAN CLEAVE CBS NEWS September 13, 2017, 7:27 PM
Advocates fear shrinking airline seats could slow evacuations

WASHINGTON -- For many, flying coach has become downright uncomfortable, with more passengers squeezed into smaller seats.

It turns out that may also be putting lives at risk in an emergency.

When an American Airlines 767 had an engine catch fire during takeoff in Chicago in 2016, it took more than two minutes to get everyone off. But according to FAA requirements, airline manufacturers have to show they can evacuate a completely full airliner in 90 seconds or less, even with half the exits blocked.

One Delta flight veered off a snowy runway at New York's LaGuardia airport in 2015. The impact damaged the on-board communication system and the evacuation took more than 17 minutes.

Now, there's a new concern: as airlines shrink seats to fit more people on board, passenger safety advocates worry evacuations will take even longer.

The space between rows has shrunk from as much as 35 inches to 31. In some cases, it's down to just 28 inches -- even as passengers themselves are getting bigger.

Paul Hudson is president of Flyers Rights, an advocacy group that sued to force the FAA to regulate seat size and update decades-old safety standards. He told CBS News that the shrinking of seats is "definitely" making the flying public less safe.

170913-en-vancleave-paul-hudson.jpg
Paul Hudson of Flyers Rights CBS NEWS

"The biggest concern is you won't be able to get out in time before you are overcome by smoke or fire," he said. "You won't be able to get into the brace position which means your head will hit the seat in front of you and break your skull."

Over the summer, an appellate court sided with Hudson's group. It found a "plausible life-and-death safety concern" and "ordered the FAA to look at the issue."

The FAA said it is reviewing the judge's ruling. The airlines declined to talk on camera, but said they meet or exceed federal safety requirements.

Boeing told CBS News it does conduct evacuation tests to certify an aircraft can be evacuated in 90 seconds or less, but those tests are done in a hangar, not in a real-world crash environment.



I DO HOPE THIS DOESN’T TURN OUT TO BE SOME KIND OF IDIOTIC “PRANK!” I ALSO HOPE THAT THE POLICE DIDN’T DELAY FOR THOSE 24 HOURS ON PRINCIPLE BEFORE BEGINNING THEIR INVESTIGATION. THEY DO THAT IF THE PERSON IS AN ADULT, BUT THIS WAS A TEENAGER. I HOPE ALL THOSE KIDS ARE CAUGHT AND MADE TO PAY SOME PENALTY AT LEAST, WHEN THE EVENTS ARE DISCOVERED.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/police-12-people-involved-in-some-way-in-kenneka-jenkins-death/
CBS NEWS September 14, 2017, 9:33 AM
Police: 12 people "involved in some way" in death of Kenneka Jenkins

CHICAGO -- Police investigating the death of a teen whose body was found in a hotel freezer say they have interviewed 12 people who were "involved in some way."

Kenneka Jenkins, 19, was found dead in a walk-in freezer at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel & Conference Center in Rosemont, Illinois, at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday. She had been reported missing by family members about 24 hours before.

After mounting public pressure, police on Wednesday released a statement on the status of their investigation. The Rosemont Public Safety Department said police are conducting "an active death investigation" and detectives have been in daily contact with Tereasa Martin, Jenkins' mother.

Dozens of protesters demanded police provide more information about Jenkins' death on Wednesday, CBS Chicago reports.

Police are analyzing video from 47 hotel cameras as well as "certain videos related to this investigation." On Wednesday, the Chicago Tribune reported that police are examining a Facebook Live video that appeared to show Jenkins sitting on a hotel bed with other people in a 9th-floor room.

Police have "located and interviewed" 12 people as part of the investigation, the department said, eight of whom were at the hotel Friday night or early Saturday morning. Police are trying to locate and interview four others who were present that night.

Jenkins' family said she went to a party at the hotel with friends Friday night. Her friends called her family at 4:30 a.m. Saturday saying Jenkins was missing.

After Jenkins' mother filed a police report, hotel staff conducted an 11-hour search and found Jenkins' body in the freezer.

Police said Wednesday that the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office had conducted an autopsy and results are pending.

"We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Kenneka Jenkins," the department said.



DO WATCH THIS CBS NEWS VIDEO – FARMING AND RANCHING ARE VERY EXPENSIVE OPERATIONS, AND WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS, IT’S DEVASTATING. THE IDEA THAT SMALL PLACES WHICH HAVE NO FINANCIAL AND THEREFORE POLITICAL “PULL” TOO OFTEN CAN GO UNDER WITHOUT ANY HELP. AS SOME POOR AND RURAL WAG STATED, “THEM THAT HAS GETS!” THAT’S ONE OF THOSE PHRASES FROM MY YOUNG YEARS.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/houston-flood-relief-hurricane-harvey-small-town-winnie-texas/
By CYDNEY ADAMS CBS NEWS September 12, 2017, 4:43 PM
Small-town Texans worry flood relief won't reach them

Play VIDEO -- How is Texas faring 2 weeks after Harvey?
The damage in Houston, the country's hub of oil and gas industries, is undeniably devastating. The city and surrounding areas will also face years of work to get back to what they once were. But "[Winnie] is what feeds Houston," Huff said. "These cows, the rice, the soybeans."

Recovery efforts in Winnie

Photograph -- Glenda Jackson sleeps in a tent on on [sic] September 7, 2005 after her home was destroyed when Hurricane Katrina hit in Pearlington, Mississippi. GETTY IMAGES
Photograph -- Tina Allen watches her son Christopher Bourda Jr., 22 months, on May 29, 2006 in their family lot which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in Pearlington, Mississippi. The family was spending the night on the property in tents while attempting to clean up the area in the hopes they would be able to receive a FEMA trailer on the property. GETTY IMAGES
Photograph -- A man rests at a shelter in Winnie, Texas after Hurricane Harvey caused widespread flooding through most of the town. CBS NEWS
Photograph -- A ranch worker herds cows that survived Hurricane Harvey. CBS NEWS
Photograph -- Dustin Huff drives a boat through a flooded ranch in Winnie, Texas. CBS NEWS


Dustin Huff is worried about Winnie, Texas.

"Everyone wants to get to Houston," he told CBS News. "Everybody forgets the little people in between."

Winnie is a small, unincorporated farm town in the southeast corner of Texas, not far from the Louisiana border. Hurricane Harvey significantly damaged at least 500 homes in the area — a staggering toll in a community of just 3,200 people.

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Dustin Huff drives a boat through a flooded ranch in Winnie, Texas. CBS NEWS

"Most of the people we talked to had no flood insurance, as they did not live in the floodplain," Sarah Cerrone of the Chambers County Office of Emergency Management told CBS News.

Not only are thousands of people without safe homes, but many residents of Winnie are dependent on their land to make a living. Ranchers who lost their houses also lost thousands of dollars of future income when the floods wiped out their livestock and grain fields. One rancher, Steve Devillier, was unsure if any of his 250 cattle survived the storm. He estimated he'd lose about $800 per cow.

How is Texas faring 2 weeks after Harvey?
Play VIDEO
How is Texas faring 2 weeks after Harvey?

The damage in Houston, the country's hub of oil and gas industries, is undeniably devastating. The city and surrounding areas will also face years of work to get back to what they once were. But "[Winnie] is what feeds Houston," Huff said. "These cows, the rice, the soybeans."

Recovery efforts in Winnie are dependent on county officials and the locals who have stepped in to help their neighbors. "The state has given best they can, but the county has really been handling everything," Cerrone said.

And that's why Huff, a local business owner, is worried. He fired up an old boat to help rescue his neighbors, but it's what comes after the storm that is the hardest part. He remembers the many years it took for the town to recover after Hurricane Ike in 2008. "You didn't have nobody on the news," he said.

"Everybody's donating to the Red Cross and doing this and doing that. And that's all good, but you know, who's gonna get that money? Where's that gonna go," Huff wondered. "Nobody over here'll see it."

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A ranch worker herds cows that survived Hurricane Harvey. CBS NEWS

His fears aren't unfounded. According to Cerrone, they've had "very little support" from the Red Cross. FEMA's resources on the ground right now are mostly focused on helping get people registered for assistance. About 5,000 people have registered countywide so far.

Even with substantial support from government and volunteer organizations, cities often struggle for many years to get back to normal working order after a major natural disaster. But in smaller towns, where funds might be slower to trickle in, the impact of these massive storms can cause devastation that they may never fully recover from.

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A man rests at a shelter in Winnie, Texas after Hurricane Harvey caused widespread flooding through most of the town. CBS NEWS

Take, for example, the small fishing community of Pearlington, Mississippi. Nestled in Hancock County's marshland on the Pearl River right along the Louisiana border, it was in the eye of the storm when Hurricane Katrina made landfall in August of 2005.

The town of just 1,700 people was almost entirely wiped out. In addition to the catastrophic winds, a massive 30-foot storm surge engulfed the community. Only two homes remained without significant damage.

It was 10 days before aid organizations made it to town, and six weeks before the Red Cross arrived to pass out meals. For a while, the only noticeable FEMA presence was a handful of portable bathrooms. Residents lived in tents for months next to their former homes while waiting for trailers from the federal government.

Mississippi Gulf Coast Slow To Recover From Katrina

Tina Allen watches her son Christopher Bourda Jr., 22 months, on May 29, 2006 in their family lot which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in Pearlington, Mississippi. The family was spending the night on the property in tents while attempting to clean up the area in the hopes they would be able to receive a FEMA trailer on the property. GETTY IMAGES

"The people of Pearlington continue to live like refugees in conditions not unlike those of the primitive tent city of Cité Soleil in Haiti, where sewage runs in the gutters," The New York Times reported in October 2005.

While most of the media coverage and relief money focused on New Orleans, the people of Pearlington were struggling to get resources.

"Six months after the storm hit, there's still no running water, no schools," a CBS Evening News report said in February 2006. Like Winnie, Pearlington is an unincorporated town, with no mayor or local government to lead rebuilding efforts, and no tax base to help fund those efforts.

At the time of the storm, about 17 percent of the Pearlington's residents lived below the poverty level. Flood insurance was a luxury most could not afford. So for years, recovery was almost entirely dependent on volunteers, and limited resources from the state of Mississippi as well as Hancock County.

Recovery Efforts Continue In Aftermath Of Hurricane Katrina

Glenda Jackson sleeps in a tent on on [sic] September 7, 2005 after her home was destroyed when Hurricane Katrina hit in Pearlington, Mississippi. GETTY IMAGES

Twelve years later, many houses have been repaired or rebuilt in Pearlington. FEMA reports $210 million went towards the reconstruction and relief efforts in Hancock County. But the town's population, which dropped by almost half after Katrina, is still about 25 percent less than what it once was. A quarter of the community now lives in poverty. Children go to school 15 miles away after the damaged one was torn down. Pearlington is often referred to as "Katrina's Forgotten Town."

Residents hope that's not what becomes of Winnie.



I’M SORRY TO SAY THAT MIAMI-DADE IS ON THIS LIST OF MOST DANGEROUS DRIVERS. AT LEAST IT ISN’T JACKSONVILLE. THIS PARTICULAR ATTITUDE AMONG PEOPLE IS A MORAL AND ETHICAL ONE TO ME, AND SECONDARILY A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE. WE DON’T HAVE A RIGHT TO ENDANGER OTHERS. IF YOU WANT TO LIVE DANGEROUSLY, GO CLIMB A ROCK CLIFF OR SOMETHING.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/distracted-driving-study-maps-most-dangerous-roads-near-schools/
CBS NEWS September 14, 2017, 8:37 AM
Distracted driving study maps the most dangerous roads near schools

Children are especially at risk of distracted drivers because busy roads are near their schools. A new study pinpoints the nation's five worst counties for those kinds of drivers as New York, Kings and Queens counties in New York state, San Francisco County in California, and Miami-Dade County in Florida.

Researchers found 88 percent of drivers are using their phones while behind the wheel. And one in three are engaged in unsafe behaviors in a school zone.

Parents walking their kids to San Francisco's Bessie Carmichael Elementary School might not know they're in the nation's second-most dangerous county for distracted drivers, reports CBS News' Carter Evans.

"I'm about to step and walk across the street and I almost got run over by somebody," said Claudia Morales. She says that she and her daughter have had several close calls. Eight-year-old Thalia thinks she knows why.

"They're on their phones, they're texting," Thalia said.

Could "Textalyzer" help identify distracted drivers?
Play VIDEO
Could "Textalyzer" help identify distracted drivers?

A new study analyzed almost four million drivers cruising near 75,000 schools. It determined that Bessie Carmichael Elementary School has some of the most dangerous streets in the country for distracted driving. A school in Houston has the worst drivers, with campuses in Manhattan and Dallas rounding out the top five. In general, the more urban the county, the riskier the school roads.

Asked whether morning drop-off or afternoon pick-up is more dangerous, Jonathan Matus said, "Absolutely, the afternoon by about 40 percent."

Matus is the CEO of Zendrive, the company behind the research. He says the afternoon hours from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. are more dangerous than the morning – especially from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. This is likely due to heavier work traffic. All his data is now collected online for anyone to access.

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Zendrive's maps CBS NEWS

"We put all this information into a very powerful map, where you can search any name of any of the 75,000 schools that we collected," Matus said.

For instance, if you type in the study's top-rated school, Victory Christian School in North Carolina, it will show you it's "A+" grade for average phone use while driving. That's in contrast to Trinity Lutheran Church in Texas, which received an "F." Armed with new data, police can deploy more resources to dangerous areas.

"Police work is driven by information. So if the information is showing we have to keep addressing traffic issues in order to make the streets better, well that's a good thing," said Joe Engler of the San Francisco Police Department.

Matus says he hopes parents will take any failing grades to their local school boards and law enforcement.

"It's their duty to keep our kids safe. And now we can give them a scorecard and keep them accountable and help them focus the resources to areas that really need that attention," Matus said.



IS THE “TEXTALYZER” REAL, OR MADE UP??? IT’S REAL, AND HIGH TIME THEY WERE REQUIRED ON ALL TEXTING EQUIPMENT. SOMETIMES I CARE ABOUT MEASURES THAT MIGHT TEND TO VIOLATE INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS, BUT THIS ISN’T ONE OF THEM. I THINK ANYONE OF ANY AGE CAUGHT USING THE PHONE WHILE DRIVING SHOULD GET A MANDATORY 6 MONTHS IN JAIL, OR WHATEVER THE PENALTY FOR DRIVING DRUNK IS.

I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, HOWEVER. FIRST, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DISABLED BY THE OWNER/USER OF THE DEVICE? IF SO, WHAT’S THE POINT? A HIGHLY UNETHICAL OR UNINTELLIGENT PERSON JUST DOESN’T CARE, AND WILL NOT ALLOW THEMSELVES TO BE DETERRED IN ANY OF THEIR PLEASURES.

SECOND, HOW DOES THE DEVICE KNOW WHEN YOU’RE DRIVING OR HAVING A CRASH? I’M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT EXACTLY HOW IT WORKS.DO THE POLICE HAVE SOME KIND OF TEXTALYZER READER, PERHAPS? DOES IT WORK LIKE THE OFT ADVERTISED “HELP, I’VE FALLEN AND I CAN’T GET UP” THINGY? IT USED TO BE THAT THE WEARER OF THAT HAD TO USE IT TO MANUALLY SEND A MESSAGE TO THEIR HELPERS, BUT NOW THEY APPARENTLY OPERATE AUTOMATICALLY WHENEVER YOU FALL. THE SLIGHT AMOUNT OF IMPACT OF HITTING THE FLOOR MUST ACTIVATE IT.

I WOULDN’T MIND HAVING ONE OF THOSE AUTOMATIC MODELS MYSELF! BECAUSE OF A VERY WEAK ANKLE I HAVE FALLEN MANY TIMES. IT HURTS, AND GETS WORSE EVERY TIME IT HAPPENS. I AM AT THE AGE WHEN MY BONES ARE GETTING BRITTLER, AND I AM MUCH MORE LIKELY TO REALLY BE IN SERIOUS DANGER NOW.

https://www.popsugar.com/news/How-Does-Textalyzer-Work-43670158
A New Device Might Stop People From Texting and Driving — but Does It Go Too Far?
June 30, 2017 by ANN-MARIE ALCÁNTARA

Public service announcements are great for a shock factor but don't do much to deter texting while driving. And considering people could be doing more than just texting — like taking a Snapchat or posting to Instagram — we clearly need a much stricter policy in place. Enter the "Textalyzer," a device that could let police see if you were using your phone while driving after a car crash.

The Textalyzer, made by the company Cellebrite, is a device that plugs into your phone via a cord. After a crash, it could then show a police officer what apps were open on your phone and if you swiped or tapped. "For example, if it was a WhatsApp message or a call, it will indicate what the source was, the time stamp, and then what the direction of the communication was — so if it was an outgoing call versus an incoming call," Lee Papathanasiou, an engineer at the company, told NPR.

States like New York are pushing through a bill that would let police use the Textalyzer; New Jersey and Tennessee are considering a similar bill as well. Some people want it to pass so that texting while driving can be treated just as seriously as drunk driving. "It's dangerous, devastating, crippling, and it's a killer, and still socially acceptable," Candace Lightner, the founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said to The New York Times.

While Cellebrite says the device can't download a phone's content, privacy advocates are concerned. "Distracted driving is a serious concern, but this bill gives police power to take and search our phones after almost every fender-bender," Rashida Richardson, legislative counsel for the New York Civil Liberties Union, told NPR.

According to the Department of Transportation, 3,196 fatal crashes in the US that happened in 2015 were due to distracted driving. Though the Textalyzer would prove useful (and would probably scare drivers into staying off their phones, knowing they could be subject to search after a crash), it begs an important question: why can't drivers just stay off their phones while driving?

If the bill in New York fails to pass, there might be another way to keep drivers off their phones. Apple recently announced a Do Not Disturb While Driving feature coming in iOS 11 that would prevent notifications coming through. Instead, anyone who calls or texts you would receive a message that you're currently driving. It would only be available on iPhones, but at least it's a start to curb this dangerous practice.


VIDEOS –

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