public health


Photo: USDA

The Dinner Table is the Latest Battleground for Trump’s Attacks on Immigrant Families

, Food Systems & Health Analyst

November 9, 2018 9:25 AM EDT

From an ill-conceived campaign promise to build a border wall to the recent deployment of thousands of US troops to confront a non-existent “invasion,” radical immigration policy has been a hallmark of the Trump presidency. The administration has introduced a baseless Muslim travel ban; ordered a separation of families at the southern border that landed more than 2,600 children in government shelters; and suggested that children born in the US to noncitizen parents should not be granted citizenship.

Now, the administration is working to target immigrant families closer to home—at the dinner table.

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Photo: USDA
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Photo: M&R Glasgow/Flickr

After Pittsburgh, Thousand Oaks, Will New Congress Push for Gun Safety Research?

, researcher, Center for Science & Democracy

November 8, 2018 1:52 PM EDT

My colleagues and I have written extensively in the past on gun violence and need to remove barriers for federal research. We have seen some progress, with Congress clarifying this past spring that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may pursue research on gun violence prevention. Previously, legislative language in spending bills (known as the Dickey Amendment) had effectively banned the CDC from researching gun violence since 1996. Gun violence is a public health issue, and as with all public health issues, it requires scientific evidence to build the most effective policies to protect people. But is that research actually happening now? We need to ensure that it is. Read more >

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Photo: FEMA

Climate Changes Health: The Backstory is the Front Story

Natalie Sampson, , UCS

November 7, 2018 1:59 PM EDT

12 years. That’s how long scientists say we have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions substantially to heed off the global catastrophic effects of climate change.  As such, climate change is arguably the greatest public health threat of our times as it already contributes to increased trauma, morbidity, and mortality from extreme weather events and displacement. Read more >

Photo: FEMO
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As we change the power grid, we need to keep the standards that have guided good utility practice. Photo: Mike Jacobs

There is a Standard for Comparing Power Plant Closings with Energy Shortages; Let’s Use it!

, senior energy analyst, Climate & Energy Program

November 2, 2018 2:25 PM EDT

The debate about modernizing our energy system has been marred by shifting claims that we need old power plants. We are replacing fossil fuels with steady and rapid adoption of clean renewable energy, and more efficient buildings and appliances and we need to keep the basic reliability principles front and center. The latest analysis from the electricity grid operator in the Mid-Atlantic US, leaves out a crucial piece.

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Photo: Mike Jacbos
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PFAS Contamination on Military Bases Is A Scary Reality—And For Me, It’s Personal

, researcher, Center for Science & Democracy

November 1, 2018 9:00 AM EDT

Across the country, families are exposed to dangerous chemicals in their water—and the families most at risk are those living on or near military bases. This threat concerns me not just as a researcher, but as the child of a military family. Read more >

Charise Johnson
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