FEBRUARY 20 AND 21, 2019

NEWS AND VIEWS

BERNIE ANNOUNCES IN VERMONT. I WOULD HAVE SADLY, BUT NOT GRUDGINGLY, VOTED FOR THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE IF HE HAD NOT DECIDED TO RUN, BUT NOW I WON’T HAVE TO DO THAT, IF HE GETS THE NOMINATION THAT IS. HOORAY!!

https://www.newsweek.com/bernie-sanders-donations-2020-states-election-1335509
U.S.
BERNIE SANDERS RECEIVED DONATIONS FROM ALL 50 STATES WITHIN HOUR OF 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
BY ALEXANDRA HUTZLER ON 2/19/19 AT 10:02 AM

When Senator Bernie Sanders announced his 2020 presidential run on Tuesday, it sparked an immediate wave of donations from across the country.

“I wanted to let the people of the state of Vermont know about this first,” Sanders told Vermont Public Radio this morning. “And what I promise to do is, as I go around the country, is to take the values that all of us in Vermont are proud of—a belief in justice, in community, in grassroots politics, in town meetings—that's what I'm going to carry all over this country."

Shortly after his announcement, his campaign tweeted that “supporters from all 50 states have donated to our unprecedented grassroots campaign.” NBC News political reporter Alex Seitz-Wald tweeted that the campaign confirmed that Sanders had received donations from all 50 states within an hour of his launched 2020 bid.

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Bernie Sanders
✔
@BernieSanders
Powerful special interests may have the money, but we have the people. Supporters from all 50 states have donated to our unprecedented grassroots campaign. Say you're in: https://bsanders.us/twdonate

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7:29 AM - Feb 19, 2019
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In his 2016 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sanders posed a serious, and unexpected, threat to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by winning 23 primaries and caucuses. His people-powered campaign was record-breaking in the millions he raised from small-dollar donations. He also refused to accept money from super PACs.

Sanders, 77, said on Tuesday that he was running to oppose President Donald Trump—whom he called an “embarrassment to our country” in his interview with VPR.

"I think he is a pathological liar… I also think he is a racist, a sexist, a homophobe, a xenophobe, somebody who is gaining cheap political points by trying to pick on minorities, often undocumented immigrants,” Sanders said.

After the interview aired, Sanders released a video on his social media accounts that declared his candidacy and outlined some of his key issues, such as health care for all, free college tuition and climate change.

“Real change never takes place from the top on down but always from the bottom on up,” Sanders said in the video.

Sanders joins his congressional colleagues Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren in the race for the Democratic nomination. If successful, Sanders would be the oldest person ever elected to the presidency.

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Trump’s campaign released a statement shortly after Sanders’s announcement, saying that the Vermont senator had “already won the debate in the Democrat primary because every candidate is embracing his brand of socialism.”

“But the American people will reject an agenda of sky-high tax rates, government-run health care and coddling dictators like those in Venezuela. Only President Trump will keep America free, prosperous and safe,” the statement read.

bernie, sanders, donations, 2020, states, election

PHOTOGRAPH -- Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, attends an event to introduce the Raise the Wage Act in the Rayburn Room at the U.S. Capitol on January 16, in Washington, D.C. Sanders announced he would run for president in 2020.
CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES


BERNIE SANDERS INTERVIEWED AS MAYOR OF BURLINGTON, VT, 1980S. CHANNEL 17, TOWN MEETING TV. HE’S THE SAME INTELLECTUAL, CONCERNED PERSON THAT HE IS TODAY. YOUNG-LOOKING, THOUGH. SAME CURLY, WHITE HAIR, BUT MORE OF IT. SAME WARM, OPEN, USUALLY SINCERE COUNTENANCE. THAT’S THE KIND OF HUMAN BEING I WANT TO HAVE IN THE WHITE HOUSE TODAY. I WISH I COULD JUST SNAP MY FINGERS, OR TO UPGRADE THAT METAPHOR, WIGGLE MY NOSE, AND CAUSE IT TO HAPPEN INSTANTLY.

https://www.newsweek.com/bernie-sanders-2020-cuba-castro-reagan-resurfaced-interview-1339527
WORLD
BERNIE SANDERS: 2020 HOPEFUL EXPLAINS CUBAN LEADER CASTRO'S SUCCESS, CRITICIZES REAGAN IN RESURFACED INTERVIEW
BY JASON LEMON ON 2/21/19 AT 1:52 PM

In a resurfaced interview, Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont explained why Cuban leader Fidel Castro was successful and spoke critically of the administration of Ronald Reagan.

Sanders, who announced his intention to run for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president this week, gave the interview to Vermont’s Channel 17/Town Meeting Television in 1985, while he was the mayor of Burlington. The interview was first resurfaced ahead of the 2016 presidential campaign by BuzzFeed and was shared again on Thursday by Mediaite in the wake of Sanders's newly launched presidential bid.

“Way back in—what was it?—1961, they invaded Cuba,” Sanders said in the 1985 interview, “and everybody was totally convinced that Castro was the worst guy in the world and all of the Cuban people were going to rise up in rebellion against Fidel Castro. They forgot that he educated their kids, gave their kids health care, totally transformed the society,” he pointed out.

Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, also took aim at Ronald Reagan, who was serving as president at the time. “Not that Fidel Castro and Cuba are perfect. They certainly are not,” Sanders asserted. “But just because Ronald Reagan dislikes these people doesn’t mean that people in their own nations feel the same way.”

Sanders continued, “Reagan and his people are so sophisticated. They own the airwaves...the media. Every time Reagan gives them a photo opportunity, thousands, ‘Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you very much for telling us another lie!'”

Sanders gave the interview after returning from Nicaragua, at the invitation of the ruling Sandinista government. The politician also praised the leftist Sandinistas, calling Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega “impressive.”

President Donald Trump and Republicans have already begun harshly criticizing Sanders for his socialist policies. A campaign email sent out by Trump’s re-election team slams the Vermont senator for running on a platform of “full-blown socialism.”

“A new wave of radical socialist Democrats is coming,” the email warns. “America will never be a socialist country.”

But the social policies promoted by Sanders campaign, including increasing taxes on the wealthy, providing free college education, Medicare for all and combating climate change are actually widely popular with the American people, according to several polls.

A CNN–SSRS poll conducted in late January and early February shows that 54 percent of U.S. adults support a government-provided national health insurance program. Additionally, nearly 60 percent of Americans support increasing the highest income tax rate to 70 percent for the country’s wealthiest citizens, according to a recent survey by The Hill and HarrisX. And a poll conducted last summer by Reuters and IPSOS found 60 percent of respondents were in favor of a tax on speculative trading to provide free college tuition for those under certain income levels. A Gallup poll released last August also showed that the majority of Democrats have a favorable opinion of socialism, while only 47 percent view capitalism favorably.

GettyImages-1126201872
Senator Bernie Sanders speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on January 30 in Washington, D.C.
WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York, who also describes herself as a democratic socialist and worked on Sanders 2016 presidential campaign, has also become widely popular. Her Green New Deal has been embraced by the majority of Democrats who have announced their intentions to run against Trump in 2020.

RELATED STORIES
Bernie Sanders Hits Back at Trump as Racist, Sexist
Bernie Sanders Raises 4 Times Harris on Day 1
Sanders Got Donations From 50 States After 2020 Launch

Waleed Shahid, the communications director of the Justice Democrats, a group founded by former Sanders staffers, dismissed attacks from the right directed at Sanders and other progressive Democrats for their socialist policies.

“The New Deal was ‘socialist,’ Social Security was ‘socialist,’ Medicare was ‘socialist,’ President Obama’s health care reform was ‘socialist,” Shahid pointed out, The Hill reported. “Given that decades-long fear-mongering about socialism—and especially the way Barack Obama had that label put on him—I just don’t think voters are going to be very responsive to that kind of message.”

Thus far, Sanders has shown that he has widespread support. Within one hour of officially announcing his presidential campaign, he had already collected contributions from all 50 states. The 2020 hopeful also raised a whopping $6 million in just 24 hours following his announcement, with the average contribution being about $27. Democratic Senator Kamala Harris had previously held the record among the 2020 candidates, with $1.5 million raised in her first 24 hours.


THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING WEBSITE: OPEN SECRETS.

https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/contributors?cid=N00000528&cycle=CAREER

Bernie Sanders
Senator (VT)
First Election: 1990
Sen. Bernie Sanders ran for President in 2016 and lost in the primary, remaining in the Senate.

LAST REPORT: 12/31/2018

Raised:
$259,633,495
Spent:
$245,673,670
Cash on hand:
$9,094,921
Debts:
$0

Top Contributors, 1989 - 2018
Contributor Total Individuals PACs

Alphabet Inc $369,493 $369,493 $0
University of California $338,993 $338,993 $0
Microsoft Corp $164,041 $164,041 $0
US Postal Service $146,024 $146,024 $0
Apple Inc $134,693 $134,693 $0

NOTE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphabet_Inc. --

Alphabet Inc. is an American multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mountain View, California. It was created through a corporate restructuring of Google on October 2, 2015,[3] and became the parent company of Google and several former Google subsidiaries.[4][5][6] The two founders of Google assumed executive roles in the new company, with Larry Page serving as CEO and Sergey Brin as president.[7]


MOVING ON TO TRUMP MATTERS – ROGER STONE’S ATTITUDE IS NOT FUNNY TO THE JUDGE. HER PHRASEOLOGY IS FASCINATING: “ADJUST YOUR ENVIRONMENT.” JOHNNY, GET IN THERE AND HELP YOUR SISTER WITH THE DISHES OR I WILL “ADJUST YOUR ENVIRONMENT.” I DO LOVE THE THINGS I FIND IN NEWS STORIES.

https://www.vox.com/2019/2/21/18234940/roger-stone-instagram-judge-jackson
Judge issues gag order in Roger Stone case after Instagram post controversy
He will no longer be permitted to speak publicly about his case.
By Andrew Prokopandrew@vox.com Feb 21, 2019, 4:12pm EST

PHOTOGRAPH -- Roger Stone leaves the Prettyman United States Courthouse after a hearing February 1, 2019, in Washington, DC. Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Roger Stone has been gagged.

Judge Amy Berman Jackson issued an order Thursday barring the longtime Trump adviser and political trickster from publicly speaking about his case.

“From this moment on, the defendant may not speak publicly about the investigation or the case or any of the participants,” Jackson said in a hearing.

Stone has been charged by special counsel Robert Mueller with attempting to obstruct the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation of Russian interference with the 2016 election, making false statements to that committee, and witness tampering.

The new gag order comes just six days after Jackson issued her initial media contact order in the case — one that left Stone free to speak publicly about the case to his heart’s content, except when he’s in the vicinity of the federal courthouse in Washington, DC.

But it didn’t take long for Stone to put his foot in his mouth. On Monday, he made the very unwise move of personally attacking Jackson herself in an Instagram post. But what jumped out to many observers was the symbol by Jackson’s head — which some believed looked like crosshairs. (Stone said it was no such thing.)

View image on Twitter
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Andrew Prokop
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@awprokop
Days after Judge Amy Berman Jackson decides *not* to gag Roger Stone, he... attacks her on Instagram.

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The judge called a hearing Thursday to discuss the matter, and Stone chose to testify under oath about what happened. He admitted that he did post the Instagram image, but said a volunteer had picked out the image for him (though he said he couldn’t remember who that volunteer was). He maintained that he had not understood the symbol to be “crosshairs,” but rather a Celtic cross. He also said he was very sorry.

Jackson, however, didn’t buy it. “Roger Stone fully understands the power of words and the power of symbols. And there’s nothing ambiguous about crosshairs,” she said.

She added: “No, Mr. Stone. I’m not giving you another chance. I have serious doubts about whether you have learned any lesson at all.”

How we got here

Even before his actual indictment last month, Stone was outspoken about the possible charges against him — which he claimed were merely a politically biased attempt by Mueller to “frame” him. After his arrest, he continued to proclaim his innocence and decry the circumstances of the early morning FBI raid on his home.

But on February 1, Jackson said she was considering imposing a gag order on all parties in the Stone case — which would limit Stone’s ability to speak publicly about the case outside of court. She said she took Stone’s First Amendment rights seriously, but worried that his comments could make it harder to seat an impartial jury. “This is a criminal proceeding, not a public relations campaign,” the judge said.

Stone and his lawyers, however, vociferously argued against such an order being imposed. “A prior restraint of Roger Stone’s free speech rights would be an unconstitutional violation of Stone’s right to work, to pursue his livelihood and to be part of the public discourse,” Stone’s attorneys wrote. Prosecutors said they would not oppose such an order, but did not outright [sic] push for one.

So last Friday, Jackson issued her order — and did not gag Stone, except in the very limited circumstances of when he is physically near the federal district courthouse in Washington, DC. However, she left open the possibility of changing her mind in the future.

Stone and his lawyers were thrilled. “BREAKING- I am grateful that the Judge’s order today leaves my First Amendment Rights intact so that I can defend myself,” Stone wrote on Instagram, accompanied by a picture of him making Nixon’s V-for-Victory gesture. “I will, nonetheless continue to be judicious in my comments regarding my case,” he added.

But it only took three days before Stone changed his tune on Jackson.

Stone posted an image of the judge’s face on Instagram with the comment that “Deep State hitman Robert Mueller” had used “legal trickery” to assign his case to Jackson, an “Obama appointed judge” who had “incarcerated Paul Manafort. (In fact, Mueller followed a local rule about cases with common warrants.)

Commentators soon pointed out the symbol to the left of Jackson’s head in the image, which some argued looked like crosshairs. Stone took down the post, republished a modified image without the crosshairs-looking-symbol and “hitman” reference, and then took that down too. He also said he didn’t understand the symbol to be “crosshairs.”

Before the day ended, Stone’s lawyers had filed a “Notice of Apology” on his case’s docket — something several legal commentators said they had never seen before.

Jackson was not happy. The next day, she ordered Stone to appear before her later in the week, for a hearing on whether the gag order should be stiffened, and even broached the possibility that his “conditions of release” may be “modified or revoked.”

So, in Thursday’s tense and occasionally absurd hearing, Stone struggled to explain how he obtained the image and ended up posting it, under questioning from both the judge and prosecutor Jonathan Kravis from the DC US Attorney’s Office.

“I do not find any of the evolving and contradictory explanations credible,” Judge Jackson said at the hearing’s end. “Mr. Stone could not even keep his story straight on the stand.”

She stressed that, under her new gag order, Stone could keep raising money for his legal defense fund, and professing his innocence in general terms. But he could no longer “speak publicly about the investigation or the case or any of the participants.”

Any violation of the order, the judge said, would be a basis for revoking Stone’s bond or detaining him pending trial. If he didn’t comply, she told him, she’d find it necessary to “adjust your environment.”

For more on the Mueller probe, follow Andrew Prokop on Twitter and check out Vox’s guide to the Trump-Russia investigation.

IN THIS STORYSTREAM
Longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone indicted
Judge issues gag order in Roger Stone case after Instagram post controversy
Roger Stone appeared to threaten his judge on Instagram. She’s now ordered him back to court.


SHAME FOR THE GOOD OLD NORTH STATE. HOW SAD.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/republican-candidate-mark-harris-calls-new-election-north-carolina-disputed-n974176
New election ordered in North Carolina House district after possible illegal activities
"It's become clear to me that the public's confidence in the ninth district seat general election has been undermined," GOP candidate Mark Harris said.
Feb. 21, 2019, 2:53 PM EST / Updated Feb. 21, 2019, 4:04 PM EST
By Leigh Ann Caldwell and Dartunorro Clark

PHOTOGRAPH -- Mark Harris, Republican candidate in North Carolina's 9th Congressional race, fights back tears at the conclusion of his son John Harris's testimony during the third day of a public evidentiary hearing on the 9th Congressional District voting irregularities investigation Won Feb. 20, 2019, at the North Carolina State Bar in Raleigh.Travis Long / The News and Observer via AP, Pool

RALEIGH, North Carolina — The North Carolina Board of Election on Thursday ordered a new election in the 9th Congressional District after allegations of illegal activity in the handling of mail-in ballots.

The five-member board's unanimous action came after several days of hearings into Republican ballot-collecting practices last November and after the GOP candidate, Mark Harris, for the first time said there should be a new election because the public had lost confidence in the results. Harris had narrowly topped Democrat Dan McCready, according to unofficial results.

"Neither I nor any of the leadership of my campaign were aware of or condoned the improper activities that have been testified to in this hearing," Harris said in a statement shortly before the board called the new election. "Through the testimony I listened to over the past three days, I believe a new election should be called. It's become clear to me that the public's confidence in the ninth district seat general election has been undermined to an extent that a new election is warranted."

Harris' request for a new election in his contest against Democrat Dan McCready came after several days of a hearing by the state Board of Elections hearing into whether there was misconduct with mail-in ballots in the state's 9th congressional district last November. Harris testified Thursday morning that he had no knowledge of the alleged illegal activities of a political operative hired by his campaign.

Mark Harris calls for new election in North Carolina House race
FEB. 21, 201904:08

State investigators described the matter as a "coordinated, unlawful" mail-in ballot "scheme" in Bladen County run by operative McCrea Dowless that included the collection of absentee ballots, which is illegal in North Carolina.

Harris, who was the narrow victor in unofficial results, testified Thursday that Dowless had repeatedly assured him that he would not be doing anything against the law in his absentee ballot operation. Harris said that after consideration and talking with others he trusted, he decided to move forward with the hire of Dowless.

However, Harris' son, John Harris, testified Wednesday before the Board of Elections, saying that he had warned his father about the illegal tactics of Dowless, casting doubt on Mark Harris' insistence that he had no knowledge of fraudulent election activity.

VIDEO -- North Carolina House candidate's son gives surprise testimony
FEB. 21, 2019 02:21
John Harris, an assistant U.S. attorney in North Carolina, testified that he told his father he had become concerned about Dowless after studying the 2016 congressional primary in the same 9th District. He testified that his father decided to hire Dowless despite his concerns.

"I can tell you that my view is that they heard my concerns," John Harris said.

On Thursday, Mark Harris said he was proud of his son and "I love him with all my heart," but added that in considering John Harris' concerns about Dowless he "read it as the concerns that he was putting out" rather than "as a warning."

Leigh Ann Caldwell
Leigh Ann Caldwell is a political reporter for NBC News who covers Capitol Hill and elections.

Dartunorro Clark
Dartunorro Clark is a political reporter for NBC News.


THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE DECIDE THAT VACCINATING IS AGAINST THEIR SOCIAL OR RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY. AS MUCH AS I BELIEVE IN HAVING FAITH, MINE LIES IN THE TRUTH AND IN REALITY. OH, YES, AND I BELIEVE IN SELF-EDUCATING THROUGHOUT MY LIFE ON ALL SUBJECTS AS THEY COME UP IN THE NEWS AND IN THE COMMUNITIES. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS “HAVING AN EDUCATION.” THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS “AN EDUCATION.” WHAT WE GET IS SKILLS AND NEW UNDERSTANDING, AND THEY ARE TO BE USED. THE SCHOOL OF LIFE GOES ON. IF WE CAN READ AT ALL, IT IS OUR DUTY TO TRY TO DISCOVER REALITY EVERY DAY UNTO DEATH. IF WE CAN’T READ WELL, THEN TAKE TUTORING TO LEARN TO READ BETTER AND USE THE PUBLIC LIBRARIES. THE GOD OF MY UNDERSTANDING DOES NOT TELL ME TO DISREGARD THE EVIDENCE OF MY EYES AND REPLACE IT WITH “FAITH.” PEOPLE, PLEASE, VACCINATE YOUR CHILDREN.

https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2019-02-21/measles-outbreak-has-cost-washington-more-than-1-million-report
Cost of Washington's Measles Outbreak Tops $1 Million
The Seattle Times reports that a state health official expects that number to climb.
By Megan Trimble, Digital News Editor Feb. 21, 2019, at 4:31 p.m.

PHOTOGRAPH -- In this Jan. 30, 2019 file photo signs posted at The Vancouver Clinic in Vancouver, Washington, warn patients and visitors of a measles outbreak.(AP PHOTO/GILLIAN FLACCUS, FILE)

A MEASLES OUTBREAK THAT has spread quickly through the Pacific Northwest has apparently cost Washington state more than $1 million.

The Seattle Times reports the cost of Washington's measles outbreak has topped $1 million statewide, with money dedicated to supplies and payments to more than 200 health-department staffers from the state and Clark County working to rein in the disease. Clark County is at the center of the state's measles outbreak with 63 reported cases, and outbreaks, which have also appeared elsewhere in the nation, are most prevalent in areas with high concentrations of unvaccinated children.

[MORE: FDA Commissioner Says Government May Act if States Don't Toughen Vaccine Laws ]

As of Tuesday, the state Department of Health had spent about $614,000 on staff and supplies, and about $115,000 in other non-budgeted expenditures, state epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist told the Times. And Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County's health officer, told the paper that Clark County Public Health has spent an additional $500,000 in response to the outbreak.

Lindquist said he expects the complete response to the outbreak to eventually cost the state "well over a million dollars," and Melnick told the paper that taxpayer money is being spent "for something that could have been completely, utterly preventable in the first place."

State health officials continue to recommend vaccines to fight the contagious disease.

"The measles vaccine isn't perfect, but one dose is 93 percent effective at preventing illness," Melnick said in a separate statement on Wednesday. "The recommended two doses of the measles vaccine provide even greater protection – 97 percent."

State lawmakers are considering legislation that would prevent parents from claiming a personal or philosophical exemption to the MMR vaccine. And, earlier this week, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CNN that some states with lax vaccine requirement laws may eventually "force the hand of the federal health agencies."

Cartoons on Vaccines and the Measles

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Megan Trimble, Digital News Editor
Megan Trimble is the digital news editor for Civic at U.S. News & World Report. You can follow ... READ MORE
Tags: measles, Washington


ARE FEDERAL LAWS MORE POWERFUL AND WELL-CONSTRUCTED THAN STATE AND LOCAL LAWS? I THINK THEY OFTEN ARE, ESPECIALLY IN REGARD TO CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUES, AND IN THIS AS WELL. THERE IS A DANGER THAT I HAVEN'T HEARD MENTIONED TODAY ABOUT THIS CASE. IF ENOUGH PEOPLE ARE UNVACCINATED, THERE WILL BE A LARGER POPULATION IN WHICH THOSE EAGER MICROBES CAN MUTATE, POSSIBLE CAUSING MORE SERIOUS FORMS OF THE DISEASE, INCLUDING AN IMMUNITY TO THE MEDS THAT ARE AVAILABLE NOW.

https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2019-02-20/fda-commissioner-government-may-act-if-states-dont-strengthen-vaccine-laws
FDA Commissioner: Government May Act if States Don't Change Vaccine Laws
States establish their own school vaccination requirements. The FDA chief suggests that could be a problem.
By Megan Trimble, Digital News Editor Feb. 20, 2019, at 12:30 p.m.

PHOTOGRAPH -- A health care worker prepares syringes, including a vaccine for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), for a child's inoculations at the International Community Health Services Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019, in Seattle. (AP PHOTO/ELAINE THOMPSON)

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT may try to intervene if states refuse to reconsider laws that allow for exemptions from vaccination requirements and measles cases continue to multiply in the Pacific Northwest.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CNN Tuesday that "certain states" may eventually "force the hand of the federal health agencies." Gottlieb's comments come as a measles outbreak worsens nationwide, with many cases concentrated in Washington state. The outbreak is most prevalent in areas highly concentrated with unvaccinated children.

[ READ: WHO Names Vaccine Hesitancy As Top World Threat ]

"Some states are engaging in such wide exemptions that they're creating the opportunity for outbreaks on a scale that is going to have national implications," Gottlieb told CNN.

And, in an interview with Axios last week, Gottlieb called it "an avoidable tragedy," adding that "too many states have lax laws."

Ten states have seen some 127 cases of measles in the span of a month and a half this year, prompting state and federal lawmakers to examine states' efforts to curb the spread of the disease.

And the public debate around vaccinations – and at what point the government should, if at all, intervene or declare it a public health emergency – has compounded as a more organized anti-vaccination movement surfaces nationwide.

[ MORE: Facebook Considers Removing Anti-Vaccine Information from Site ]

A study published last year found that a dozen states have reported an increase in the number of kindergarten-age children enrolled in schools with nonmedical exemptions since 2009.

Families traditionally seek exemptions for their kids from school vaccination requirements on religious or philosophical grounds, but an increase in unvaccinated children has, in part, been tied to the medically discredited belief that vaccines cause autism spectrum disorder. That theory is often pushed by members of the so-called "anti-vaxx" movement, and others who support anti-vaccination say news coverage of spreading diseases borders on hysteria.

The World Health Organization, however, named the anti-vaccine movement as one of the top global health threats facing the globe this year.

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Video Interview on “Community Health Matters.” Megan Trimble, Digital News Editor

Megan Trimble is the digital news editor for Civic at U.S. News & World Report. You can follow ... READ MORE
Tags: vaccines, CDC, Scott Gottlieb, health


FACEBOOK, WHEN PRODDED BY ONE OF OUR BETTER DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMEN, IS GOING TO “LOOK AT DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE” ON ITS’ PLATFORM. LET THEM BE THE LEADER AMONG MANY INFORMATION SOURCES ON THIS. I THINK THAT THE BILLIONAIRE OWNER OF FACEBOOK HAS WANTED TO KEEP HIS, IN MANY WAYS WONDERFUL, INFORMATION SYSTEM AS A MEANS OF ENTERTAINING THE MASSES, WITHOUT POLITICALLY “OFFENDING” ANY OF THEM BY PUSHING A SOCIAL GOOD ON THOSE WHO WANT TO STICK TO THEIR PERSONAL PREJUDICES. THAT ISN’T WHAT FREEDOM OF RELIGION IS FOR.

ZUCKERBERG HASN’T WANTED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ON HIS ACTIONS, BUT RATHER JUST GET RICHER AND RICHER BY THE SECOND INSTEAD. WHEN I FIRST SAW HIM, I THOUGHT HE WAS AN EFFEMINATE MAN, BUT GAVE HIM CREDIT FOR IMAGINATION. AFTER TRUMP/RUSSIA I CAN BARELY STAND HIM NOW, AND I HAVE ALMOST ENTIRELY IGNORED MY FACEBOOK ACCOUNT. I DO STILL WANT TO POST IMPORTANT ARTICLES, HOWEVER, AND READ PEOPLE’S JOKES AND COMMENTS, SO I CAN’T QUITE BRING MYSELF TO DO IT.

AS A MEANS OF STAYING CONNECTED WITH PEOPLE WE KNOW AND MAKING CONNECTIONS WITH PEOPLE AROUND THE GLOBE, IT’S THE BEST THING WE HAVE. FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO MAKE SNAPPY, SMARTARSE COMMENTS INSTEAD, THERE IS ALSO TWITTER, BUT I AM NOT UP TO LEARNING YET ANOTHER TECHNOLOGICAL TOOL, AND I DON’T WANT TO PARE DOWN WHAT I SAY TO A SMALL NUMBER OF CHARACTERS. BESIDES, ANYTHING I CAN’T TOUCH, HEAR OR SEE IS HARD FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND.

SO, THANK YOU, MR. ZUCKERBERG, FOR CONSIDERING THIS AS YOUR ISSUE AS WELL AS A PUBLIC INTEREST ISSUE. YOU CAN MAKE UP FOR SIPPING THE KOOL-AID OF MOTHER RUSSIA BY DOING THIS.

https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2019-02-15/facebook-considers-removing-anti-vaccine-information-from-site
Facebook Considers Removing Anti-Vaccine Information from Site
Rep. Adam Schiff wrote a letter to the company expressing his concern over the misinformation spread on Facebook.
By Alexa Lardieri, Staff Writer Feb. 15, 2019, at 3:29 p.m.

Photograph -- Content spreading false information or discouraging people from getting their children vaccinated has gone viral on Facebook, especially within groups created on the platform. (MANAE MEDIA/GETTY IMAGES)

FACEBOOK ON FRIDAY SAID it will explore removing content from its site that promotes conspiracies about vaccines.

The social media giant told Bloomberg that it will look into removing false and misleading information on vaccines from software systems that recommend related content on the site.

[ SEE: The Week in Cartoons for Feb. 11–15 ]

Content spreading false information or discouraging people from getting their children vaccinated has gone viral on Facebook, especially within groups created on the platform. The misinformation campaign has become severe enough for one lawmaker to write to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, urging him to take action.

Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, wrote a letter Thursday "out of my concern that Facebook and Instagram are surfacing and recommending messages that discourage parents from vaccinating their children."

Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012 for $1 billion.

Schiff said the information is a "direct threat to public health" and that it undoes "progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases." He said that "the dissemination of unfounded and debunked theories about the dangers of vaccination pose a great risk."

[ READ: Trump Aide’s Wife Goes on Anti-Vaccine Rant ]

In response, Facebook said it is "exploring additional measures to best combat the problem," which may include "reducing or removing this type of content from recommendations, including Groups You Should Join, and demoting it in search results, while also ensuring that higher quality and more authoritative information is available."

The announcement comes amid a nationwide measles outbreak that has led to a state of emergency in Washington. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 101 cases of measles have been reported in at least 10 states so far this year compared to 372 cases all of last year. Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that is preventable with a vaccine.

Schiff wrote that the World Health Organization listed the reluctance and refusal to get vaccines as a top global health threat in 2019. He requested that Facebook provide more information on the way it provides accurate information to users and encouraged the company to "consider additional steps … to address this growing problem," citing YouTube's recent decision to stop recommending conspiracy or inaccurate videos as an example.

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VIDEO “COMMUNITY HEALTH MATTERS.”
Alexa Lardieri, Staff Writer

Alexa Lardieri is a reporter and digital producer at U.S. News & World Report. You can follow h... READ MORE
Tags: vaccines, Adam Schiff, Facebook, Instagram


REPUBLICANS VERSUS SCIENCE AND OTHER LOGICAL PURSUITS

https://people.com/politics/top-trump-aides-wife-claims-measles-gave-her-life-long-immunity-in-bizarre-anti-vaccine-rant/
PEOPLE.COM POLITICS TOP TRUMP AIDE'S WIFE CLAIMS MEASLES GAVE HER 'LIFE LONG IMMUNITY' IN BIZARRE ANTI-VACCINE RANT
Top Trump Aide's Wife Claims Measles Gave Her 'Life Long Immunity' in Bizarre Anti-Vaccine Rant

PHOTOGRAPH -- From left: Darla and Bill Shine Bennett Raglin/WireImage

Darla Shine, wife of White House communications official and former Fox News executive Bill Shine, blasted vaccines following a measles outbreak

RELATED STORY:
By
ROBYN MERRETT
February 13, 2019 08:11 PM
There is no scientific link between vaccines and autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Darla Shine, wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Bill Shine, is arguing that serious diseases like measles can help fight cancer.

Shine’s screed against vaccines came on Wednesday after CNN reported on a measles outbreak in Clark County, Washington and Oregon.

“Here we go LOL #measlesoutbreak on #CNN #Fake #Hysteria,” Shine, a former Fox News producer, tweeted, slamming CNN’s coverage of the disease.

“The entire Baby Boom population alive today had the #Measles as kids,” Shine — who, along with the White House, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment — continued.

“Bring back our #ChildhoodDisease they keep you healthy & fight cancer.”

Shine went on to claim that she had measles, mumps and chicken pox as a child “and so did every kid I knew.”

Because of this, Shine believes she is immune to the disease.


Darla Shine
@DarlaShine
Here we go LOL #measlesoutbreak on #CNN #Fake #Hysteria

The entire Baby Boom population alive today had the #Measles as kids
Bring back our #ChildhoodDiseases they keep you healthy & fight cancer

628
8:43 AM - Feb 13, 2019
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Darla Shine
@DarlaShine
I had the #Measles #Mumps #ChickenPox as a child and so did every kid I knew - Sadly my kids had #MMR so they will never have the life long natural immunity I have.

Come breathe on me!

299
8:44 AM - Feb 13, 2019
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However, despite claiming to be an anti-vaxxer herself, Shine said, “my kids had #MMR [measles mumps and rubella] so they will never have the life long natural immunity I have.”


“Come breathe on me!” Shine continued, on her Twitter, which was first identified by the Daily Beast.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the MMR vaccine is recommended in preventing measles mumps and rubella.

“Children should get two doses of MMR vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 to 15 months of age, and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age,” the CDC states.

According to the CDC, more than 70,000 measles cases were prevented in the US between 1994 and 2013 as a result of vaccines.

While many Americans, including Shine, survived the disease after it passed, that hasn’t always been the case.

RELATED: What Toxic Shock Syndrome Survivor Lauren Wasser Wants Women to Know About Tampon Safety — and How She Hopes to Change Things

“In the decade before 1963 when a vaccine became available, nearly all children got measles by the time they were 15 years of age. Also each year, among reported cases, an estimated 400 to 500 people died,” according to the CDC.

There is also no proof that contracting measles can help in the prevention of cancer.

In the end, vaccinations are always the safer route, the CDC says.

Shine’s anti-vaccination rant prompted a number of social media users to fire back at her theories.


“The wife of a top aide to the president is a health hazard. All by herself. Anti-vaxxers are killers, murdering children with fake science, trying to turn their ignorance into a fatal epidemic,” one social media user tweeted.


David Rothkopf
✔
@djrothkopf
The wife of a top aide to the president is a health hazard. All by herself. Anti-vaxxers are killers, murdering children with fake science, trying to turn their ignorance into a fatal epidemic.

Darla Shine
@DarlaShine
Here we go LOL #measlesoutbreak on #CNN #Fake #Hysteria

The entire Baby Boom population alive today had the #Measles as kids
Bring back our #ChildhoodDiseases they keep you healthy & fight cancer

514
10:18 AM - Feb 13, 2019
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The World Health Organization named vaccine hesitancy — the “reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability” — as one of the top threats to global health in 2019.

Each year the World Health Organization, or WHO, publishes a list of the ten biggest threats to world health to set its agenda for the next 12 months. This is the first year that vaccine hesitancy has made the list.

In the United States, those who skip vaccination for themselves or their children often cite religious reasons or the incorrect notion that vaccines lead to autism. (The Centers for Disease Control said there is no scientific link between vaccines and autism.)

RELATED: Wife of New White House Aide Tweeted About the N-Word and Anti-Vaccine Conspiracy Theories

WHO also said that choosing not to vaccinate “threatens to reverse progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases.” Over the last few decades several diseases like polio and measles — which were considered eradicated in countries where vaccines were readily available — have seen a resurgence as people have started to reject vaccinations.

“Measles, for example, has seen a 30% increase in cases globally,” WHO said. “The reasons for this rise are complex, and not all of these cases are due to vaccine hesitancy. However, some countries that were close to eliminating the disease have seen a resurgence.”

• With reporting by ADAM CARLSON


IN THIS CASE, I BELIEVE DARLA SHINE IS USING RACIAL SLURS AND IDIOTIC CONSPIRACY THEORIES PURPOSELY, AND CERTAINLY NOT WITHOUT AN AWARENESS THAT THEY ARE UNACCEPTABLE OR HARMFUL. THAT IS PROVEN BY THE FACT THAT SHE IMMEDIATELY DELETED HER TWITTER ACCOUNT WHEN HER HUSBAND WAS TAPPED TO WORK IN THE WHITE HOUSE. SHE WAS WELL-AWARE THAT SUCH MATERIAL WOULD TEND TO DISQUALIFY HIM FOR THE POSITION. I BELIEVE SLURS SAID OUT OF IGNORANCE ARE UGLY INDEED, BUT WHEN SAID KNOWINGLY, THEY ARE CRUEL, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I DON’T FORGIVE.

https://people.com/politics/bill-shine-wife-tweeted-n-word-anti-vaccine-conspiracy-theories/
Wife of New White House Aide Tweeted About the N-Word and Anti-Vaccine Conspiracy Theories

VIDEO -- The wife of President Donald Trump's new White House deputy chief of staff for communications is under fire for her reported history of making racist and transphobic statements and spreading conspiracy theories on social media

By
TIERNEY MCAFEE
July 10, 2018 05:27 PM

The wife of President Donald Trump‘s new White House deputy chief of staff for communications is under fire for her reported history of making racist and transphobic statements and spreading conspiracy theories on social media.

Darla Shine’s Twitter account, @darlashine, was quickly deleted after the White House announced on Thursday that her husband, Bill Shine, was joining the Trump administration.

But the website Mediaite took screenshots of some of her social media comments, which reportedly included complaints about not being able to say the N-word, an insult against transgender women, and debunked claims that vaccines cause autism, among other incendiary statements.

Darla and Bill Shine
Darla and Bill ShineTaylor Hill/FilmMagic
Mediaite reporter Caleb Ecarma shared screenshots of some of the tweets.

In one, Shine, a former television producer and author of the book Happy Housewives, about the joys of being a stay-at-home mom, reportedly claimed that autism disproportionately affects “black boys.”

She also claimed that the “biggest national security threat is autism!” and made at least a dozen other references to discredited information about the danger of vaccines, The Washington Post reported.


Caleb Ecarma
✔
@calebecarma
NEW, by me: The wife of White House communications chief Bill Shine spread conspiracy theories about "black boys," shared racist memes and complained about not being able to say the N-word http://mediaite.com/a/cydkj

2,383
2:26 PM - Jul 6, 2018
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Bill Shine's Wife Darla Complained She Couldn't Use N-Word and Spread Conspiracy Theories About...
"1 out of 10 black boys has autism!"

mediaite.com
2,276 people are talking about this

Caleb Ecarma
✔
@calebecarma
· Jul 6, 2018
Replying to @calebecarma
Darla Shine deleted her Twitter account as soon as Bill Shine officially joined the Trump administration, but I saved all her tweets — here's a sampling of her hot takes http://mediaite.com/a/cydkj

View image on TwitterView image on TwitterView image on TwitterView image on Twitter

Caleb Ecarma
✔
@calebecarma
also, Darla Shine is insanely mad because she can't say the N-word http://mediaite.com/a/cydkj pic.twitter.com/bELM7MoJkr

1,218
2:42 PM - Jul 6, 2018
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Shine also reportedly wrote a series of tweets questioning why white people would be considered racist for using the N-word while black people would not. “Blacks stop using the N word!” she exclaimed at one point, according to Ecarma.

And according to the Huffington Post, Shine criticized transgender women in a Facebook comment saying, “It seems to be more in style to be transgender that not [sic]. Manmade vagina is still not as good as the real thing!”

The Huffington Post also reported that Shine has repeatedly lashed out at women, including Gretchen Carlson and Megyn Kelly, who have accused the late Fox News founder and chairman Roger Ailes of sexual harassment.

Her husband has been accused of turning a blind eye to allegations of harassment and discrimination against female employees at the network.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment from The Washington Post and Mediaite.



YOU GO, NANCY!!

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/14/pelosi-warns-gop-that-a-democratic-president-could-declare-a-national-emergency-on-guns.html?recirc=taboolainternal
Nancy Pelosi warns GOP that a Democratic president could declare gun violence a national emergency
Tucker Higgins | @tuckerhiggins
Published 4:21 PM ET Thu, 14 Feb 2019 Updated 6:04 PM ET Fri, 15 Feb 2019

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warns Republicans on Thursday that a future Democratic president could declare gun violence a national emergency.
Her comments to reporters come shortly after the White House says the president would declare a national emergency in order to "build the wall, protect the border, and secure our great country."

"You want to talk about a national emergency? Let's talk about today," Pelosi says, referring to the first anniversary of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 dead on Feb. 14, 2018.


I DIDN’T PULL THIS WHOLE ARTICLE, BUT I AM IMPRESSED BY TRUMP’S GOAL OF DECRIMINALIZATION OF A LARGELY HORMONALLY BASED “PROBLEM” THAT MANY MEN AND WOMEN HAVE. A TYPE OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR, AS LONG AS IT ISN’T AN ENDANGERMENT TO ANYONE, SHOULDN’T BE ILLEGAL. OBVIOUSLY, THIS STATEMENT PRECLUDES ASSAULT AS BEING ACCEPTABLE.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-administration-launches-global-effort-end-criminalization-homosexuality-n973081?icid=recommended
Trump administration launches global effort to end criminalization of homosexuality
The administration is responding in part to a reported hanging of a young gay man in Iran, Trump’s top geopolitical foe.


SEE THE FOLLOWING INTERVIEW.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/ex-fbi-official-mccabe-responds-lying-trump-attacks-calls-them-n972981?icid=recommended
McCabe told Congress 'Gang of 8' leaders about FBI probe into Trump. They had no objection.
The former acting director said on NBC's "Today" show that the president's "threats" against him have been "horrific" for him and his family.
Feb. 19, 2019, 8:07 AM EST / Updated Feb. 19, 2019, 11:07 AM EST
By Allan Smith, Alex Moe and Frank Thorp V

Photograph -- Andrew McCabe interview on TODAY.Zach Pagano / TODAY


I BELIEVE PROGRESS IS BEING MADE ON THIS ISSUE, BUT THE DEGREE TO WHICH IT IS INTERTWINED IN THE BODY OF THE CHURCH IS DISCOURAGING. THERE IS A BASIC PROBLEM WITH TELLING PEOPLE THAT THEY MUST IGNORE AND TOTALLY CONTROL THEIR MOST BASIC INSTINCTS, WHICH MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE. I DON’T CONSIDER “SELF-MASTERY” TO BE POSSIBLE. I GO WITH THE THEORY OF SELF-MANAGEMENT AS BEING MORE REALISTIC. ABOVE ALL, I DON’T BELIEVE THAT AN ALL-WISE AND LOVING GOD WOULD THROW US INTO A LAKE OF FIRE IF WE CAN’T MANAGE PERFECTION AND ABSOLUTE FAITH, DESPITE THE INVISIBILITY ISSUE. I WISH THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION WOULD BE MORE ASPIRATIONAL THAN THREATENING. I THINK WE’D HAVE MORE SUCCESS IF WE WENT AT IT THAT WAY, AND MAYBE JESUS' GENTLING TEACHINGS WOULD SURVIVE. AT THIS POINT, THEY AREN'T DOING TOO WELL, I DON'T BELIEVE.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/19/europe/catholic-nuns-vatican-abuse-intl/index.html
Leaders of Catholic nuns and priests admit to 'errors in judgment' over child sex abuse
By Delia Gallagher and Tara John, CNN
Updated 2:26 PM ET, Tue February 19, 2019

More than 100 bishops from around the world plan to meet in Rome on Thursday

Rome (CNN)Ahead of a Vatican summit on clerical sex abuse, the top leadership of Catholic nuns and priests worldwide admitted to making "errors in judgment" regarding cases of sexual abuse of children and say that more women should be involved in the process of evaluating cases.

In a rare joint statement, the leaders of Major Superiors of Religious Orders and Congregations, who represent hundreds of thousands of Catholic nuns and priests around the world, said they "bow their heads in shame at the realization" the abuse of minors had taken place.
"We learned that those who abuse deliberately hide their actions and are manipulative," they wrote. "Our shame is increased by our own lack of realization of what has been happening."
"The response of those in authority has not been what it should have been. They failed to see warning signs or failed to take them seriously," wrote the group.

Vatican admits to secret rules for children of priests*: NYT

It also added that "the strong sense of family in our Orders and Congregations -- something usually so positive -- can make it harder to condemn and expose abuse."

"It resulted in a misplaced loyalty, errors in judgment, slowness to act, denial and at times, cover-up," they wrote.

The statement added that if women had been asked for their advice and assistance with abuse cases, presumably in their own organizations and within the Vatican, "stronger, faster and more effective action would have been taken," and "victims and their families would have been spared a great deal of suffering."

"We bow our heads in shame at the realization that such abuse has taken place in our Congregations and Orders and in our Church," the statement said. "We still need conversion and we want to change."

Vatican defrocks ex-US cardinal McCarrick over sexual abuse allegations

The statement comes ahead of a four-day summit on clerical sex abuse in Rome -- where nearly 200 church leaders from around the world convened by Pope Francis plan to seek solutions to the damaging clergy abuse crisis.

The leaders of Major Superiors of Religious Orders and Congregations also called the "exploitation of religious sisters, seminarians and candidates in formation houses" a "matter of grave and shocking concern."

"We pledge ourselves to do all in our power to find an effective response."

Nearly two weeks ago, Pope Francis acknowledged for the first time the rape and sexual abuse of nuns by priests and bishops inside the Catholic Church.

"I believe that it may still be being done. It's not a thing that from the moment in which you realize it, it's over. The thing goes forward like this. We've been working on this for a long time," he said during a press conference on a flight back from the United Arab Emirates.


COPING INTERNATIONAL AND BY THE GRACE OF GOD. SEE THESE TWO ARTICLES FROM CNN AND FROM BBC, RESPECTIVELY.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/18/europe/vatican-secret-rules-children-intl/index.html
Vatican admits to secret rules for children of priests
CNN Digital Expansion 2017. Ben Westcott
By Ben Westcott, CNN
Updated 9:05 AM ET, Tue February 19, 2019

VIDEO – VATICAN CONFIRMS SECRET RULES ... SEE “COPING INTERNATIONAL” AT http://www.copinginternational.com/.

(CNN)The Vatican has revealed that it maintains secret guidelines for priests who father children despite their vows of celibacy.

"I can confirm that guidelines exist; it is a document for internal use," Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said in a statement to CNN, adding that the document was not intended for publication.

The existence of Vatican guidelines for dealing with priests who father children was first reported by The New York Times.

One man, Vincent Doyle, whose father was a Catholic priest, told the paper he was shown the document when he traveled to Rome in search of justice for children of ministers.

Teens and senior citizens join up to take a virtual tour of the world—and learn how technology can bring the generations together.

Officially, Catholic priests are required to maintain a life of celibacy, refraining from any form of sexual activity. A growing tide of sexual abuse scandals involving priests around the world has shown these vows are often broken, although there are many examples of consensual sex by ministers.

Nevertheless, the Catholic Church has refused to budge from its longstanding tradition.

Doyle founded a group called Coping International to bring together the children of priests. He told The New York Times the website already had 50,000 users in 175 countries.

Vatican spokesman Gisotti told CNN that the fundamental principle of the internal guidelines were the "protection of the child."

He added that, under the secret rules, a priest who fathered children was requested to leave the priesthood and "assume his responsibility as a parent, dedicating himself exclusively to the child."

But Monsignor Andrea Ripa, undersecretary in the Congregation for the Clergy at the Vatican, told The New York Times that the guidelines were more of a formality than an order.

The report comes about two weeks after Pope Francis acknowledged for the first time the rape and sexual abuse of nuns by priests and bishops inside the Catholic Church.

"I believe that it may still be being done. It's not a thing that from the moment in which you realize it, it's over. The thing goes forward like this. We've been working on this for a long time," Francis said during a press conference on a flight back from the United Arab Emirates.

The Pope added that more should be done. "Do we have the will? Yes," he said.

On Thursday, senior Catholic bishops from around the world will meet in Rome for a four-day summit on the issue of clerical sexual abuse.


FOR A NON-CATHOLIC AMERICAN, I HAVE ALWAYS FOUND GREAT BRITAIN AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH FASCINATING. I THINK IT’S THE OVERALL AIM TO ACHIEVE HONOR, AND THE VERY LONG HISTORY OF BOTH THAT HOOKS ME IN. IT IS SAD TO ME THAT AMERICA HAS BECOME CRASS, GREEDY, NOT NEARLY AS WELL-EDUCATED AS WE SHOULD BE, AND LACKING IN KINDNESS. UNFORTUNATELY, SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT IS THE WAY PEOPLE SHOULD BE – TOUGH ABOVE ALL THINGS TO THE END.

I WANT US TO BE TOUGH, TOO, BUT I WANT OUR MINDS TO BE OPEN TO INDIVIDUAL IDEALISM AND GROUP EFFORT. IS THAT WHY I AM SO ATTACHED TO BERNIE SANDERS’ GOALS AND MANNER OF ACHIEVING THEM? I THINK SO. IN THIS CASE ON THE SUBJECT OF SEXUAL ABUSE BY CLERICS, I AM HOPING THAT THE CURRENT POPE FRANCIS CAN AND WILL BRING ABOUT CHANGE WITHIN THE RANKS OF THE CHURCH. I BELIEVE HE HAS A TRUE DESIRE TO DO SO.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47280764
Clerical abuse: Film gets go-ahead after legal challenge
FEBRUARY18, 2019 15 minutes ago

GETTY IMAGES
Image caption -- By the Grace of God premiered in Berlin earlier this month

A film telling the story of children allegedly abused at the hands of a Catholic priest has been cleared for release in France on Wednesday.

The lawyers of Bernard Preynat, 73, said the film, called By the Grace of God, could prejudice his trial.

But director Francois Ozon said the allegations had already been reported in French press and he hoped the film would provoke debate.

Its release comes in the midst of a sex abuse scandal in the Catholic church.

The film details the experiences of three alleged victims including Francois Devaux who, in 2015, alleged that Father Preynat had abused him when he was a boy scout 25 years earlier.

Along with fellow alleged victims Bertrand Virieux and Alexandre Dussot, Mr Devaux founded an association of 85 men who were all allegedly abused by Father Preynat. The priest was suspended by the Church.

It emerged later that Cardinal Phillipe Barbarin, now Archbishop of Lyon, had confronted Father Preynat in 2010 about rumours regarding sexual assault.

Four years later, Cardinal Barbarin informed the Vatican about the allegations, but not police.

The title of the film comes from the cardinal's response when he believed the abuse was covered by the statute of limitations, a law which sets a maximum time limit after an event when legal proceedings can begin.

Cardinal Barbarin was recently tried along with five former aides for allegedly covering up the alleged abuse and a verdict is expected on 7 March.

A date for Father Preynat's trial has not yet been set.

'It is their story'

Ozon, who worked on the film in secret over several years, defended his decision to release it prior to Father Preynat's trial. He said that everything in the film had already been reported in the press.

"Ninety per cent of the film concerns the victims. It is their story," he said.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image caption -- The three founders of La Parole Liberée (Freed Speech), the association of Bernard Preynat's alleged victims

But defence lawyer Emmanuel Mercinier told Reuters news agency: "To portray a man as guilty for two hours when he hasn't yet been tried is an affront to the presumption of innocence."

The film is released the day before the Vatican is due to hold a summit addressing systematic clerical abuse.

On Saturday, ex-US cardinal Theodore McCarrick was defrocked following historical sexual abuse allegations of which he said he had "no recollection".

The Pope recently acknowledged that clerics had sexually abused nuns and that the problem was "still going on".

Luigi Ventura, the Pope's envoy to France, is currently under investigation for sexual assault at a mayoral event in January.

Ozon argued that many "ordinary Catholics are sick of their religion being associated with paedophilia".

"I think the Church wants things to change, " he said.

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