usatoday--2020-09-03--'We're not your slaves': Alternative health providers bristle at warning letters about their coronav

'We're not your slaves': Alternative health providers bristle at warning letters about their coronavirus treatments

Operation Quack Hack , the federal government ’ s initiative to clamp down on fake coronavirus medications and cures , has exposed a health underground in America brimming with distrust not only of mainstream medicine but the government itself .
Its members are angry at government warning letters that many perceive as an infringement on their right to free speech , free trade and people 's control over their health care – and some are ready to fight back .
A common refrain : How can we trust the same government that signed off on opioids ?
The most radical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gates and Anthony Fauci – created the coronavirus , unleashed it from Wuhan , China , along with immune-system-weakening 5G wireless technology ; and intend to install digital ID chips in our bodies at the same time they give us the vaccine .
For them , the two agencies behind Operation Quack Hack – the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission – are sinister organizations .
Their objective is to force everyone to take the vaccine , and the only way to do that is to convince us there ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re not your slaves , we ’ re not in your cult , ” right-wing talk show host Alex Jones shouted in June at an anti-mask rally in Austin .
“ If you want war , you 'd better believe you got war.
” Jones got in trouble with the FDA in April for peddling a line of silver products , including silver-laced toothpaste , as a COVID-19 cure .
The majority of alternative health providers that received warning letters are less extreme , but many still think the FDA and FTC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goal as they see it ?
To protect Big Pharma from competition as their market share grows .
“ The healthcare system in this country is rigged against inexpensive , safe , and effective natural remedies in favor of expensive pharmaceutical drugs , ” said Clark Hansen , a naturopathic medical doctor in Arizona , in an email message to USA TODAY .
`` The US medical system is ignoring any treatment that is not patentable and therefore can not provide a multi-billion profit for some giant healthcare company.
” The FTC warned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a combination of elderberry , echinacea and the herb andrographis could prevent coronavirus infection .
In an email to USA TODAY , the FDA said its goals actually is to protect consumers from scammers and products that harm them .
The agency added that it doesn ’ t want consumers wasting their time on remedies that “ may lead to delays in getting proper diagnosis and medical care for COVID-19 and other potentially serious diseases and conditions.
” Its sister agency was more succinct .
“ The FTC has taken aggressive action against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the anxiety caused by the current health crisis , ” the agency said in an email .
“ We have done so to prevent consumer injury .
There is no other motivation.
” Under the law , supplement suppliers are not allowed to use some words – `` cure , '' `` treat , '' `` prevent , '' `` mitigate '' or `` diagnose '' – in promotional materials .
Though many providers openly declare their products won ’ t cure COVID-19 , the mention of “ treat ” or “ prevent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus '' has been enough to trigger a letter from the FTC and FDA .
Recognizing the power of these agencies , most of the more than 300 companies and individuals that got warning letters have responded by removing or changing marketing materials on their websites , then they 've quietly gotten back to the business of addressing customer ailments .
There ’ s plenty of money to be made in the herbal remedies and alternative health care market even without a pandemic .
Revenue is expected to reach nearly $ 18 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to IBISWorld , a global economic research firm .
Nevertheless , frustration lies just beneath the surface .
Kate Tietje , who runs the Modern Alternative Mama website and ran afoul of the government for touting Elderberry Elixir , vitamin C and vitamin D as remedies for the coronavirus , had this to say about government regulators in a post she later removed from her website : “ Seeing that the FDA allows ‘ approved drugs ’ to harm and even kill millions of people , while badgering natural companies that have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effect claims , shows us definitively that it ’ s not about keeping people healthy.
” Since the onset of the pandemic seven months ago , the FDA and the FTC have sent out an average of 13 letters a week warning companies and individuals to stop making false claims about their ability to prevent or cure COVID-19 .
Many of the recipients have a history of fraud and malfeasance .
They include televangelist Jim Bakker , who spent five years in prison for defrauding his own ministry back in the 1980s ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coat and stethoscope and calls himself a doctor even though he holds no medical degree ; and Matthew Martinez , who agreed to give up his chiropractor 's license in 2016 after being accused of having sex with clients and suggesting that a patient with multiple sclerosis could be cured by drinking breast milk .
Both Bakker and Pedersen told their followers that Silver Solution was the antidote to COVID-19 and were sued by the government for failing to address allegedly false claims outlined in warning letters .
If the government does not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ letter it can file suit , seek a restraining order to shut down the company 's web sites and operations , command it to recall and destroy its products and raw materials and refund its customers .
Pedersen refused to participate in court proceedings and could not be reached for comment .
Bakker battled back , claiming religious exemption .
Court documents filed on his behalf state that his product is a sacrament , as important to his ministry as soliciting donations and preaching the second coming of Christ .
As for Martinez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that high doses of vitamin C `` have a significant impact on treating coronavirus '' and that stem cells help in the healing process .
After receiving his warning letter from the FTC , he also boasted that the ultraviolet light in his company ’ s octagon-shaped “ Blue Room ” provided “ virus-killing ” benefits .
Another warning letter recipient with a history of breaking the law was Richard Marschall .
A naturopathic physician , he got busted twice between 2011 and 2017 for introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce and spent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t stop him from marketing a product called “ the dynamic duo ” that he said could “ crush 30 different viral infections including those in the Corona family.
” On Aug. 5 , Marschall was indicted for the third time on the same charge : introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce .
An insistence to keep selling supposed coronavirus cures after being told not to is also what got Marc “ White Eagle ” Travalino in trouble .
A self-proclaimed medicine man and shaman who runs website and folksy trading post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got nabbed by the FDA for saying his Kolon Kleen , Maska Miakoda and Shar Mar products were “ proven to work and destroy ” the coronavirus .
Instead of ceasing his marketing activities after receiving his warning letter , he tried to sell more treatments – this time to an undercover agent .
The government responded by shutting down all Travalino ’ s operations , both online and brick-and-mortar .
'Emptying our pockets for their own gain and greed' Some coronavirus treatments exposed by Operation Quack Hack were more outlandish .
Face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brush used for cleaning facial pores .
Mypurmist argued that its hand-held steam machine was the answer .
BioElectric Shield offered a golf-ball-sized pendant to block immune-system-sapping 5G electromagnetic waves .
“ 5G appears to be the straw that broke the camel ’ s back when it comes to the spread of the Coronavirus , ” the company said on its website .
“ An extremely intense rollout of 5G was launched initially in Wuhan City , China .
“ Is it a coincidence that this is also where the coronavirus outbreak started @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We are urging you to get protection from EMF radiation . ''
At least four makers of electric pulse machines , used by chiropractors to reduce muscle tension , stated online that their devices boost the immune system .
Electric pulse therapy “ is like a power up for your cells … akin to giving your cells a cup of coffee to energize and speed up their job , ” said BioBalance , a Maryland-based company .
Three more companies suggested sound waves or music could defeat the virus .
Musical Medicine , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new music `` designed to boost your immune system.
” Spooky2 Scalar , a New York company headed by Matt Forrest , said its new sounds “ would protect you and your family , ” and Bioenergy Wellness in Miami said it had found a COVID-attacking frequency and that sound frequencies were better at penetrating cells than chemicals .
These treatments and others subject to the warning letters have no ability to help anyone with COVID-19 , said professor Arthur Caplan , who heads the medical ethics division at the NYU School of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emptying our pockets for their own gain and greed , ” he said .
Caplan added that if companies receiving warning letters had any real virus fighting abilities , Dr. Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , would be talking about them on TV .
“ If I ’ m going to bet on the future , ” Caplan said .
“ I ’ m still betting on the infectious disease guys over the vitamin purveyors to work our way out of this , ” 'You can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s positive' Peddling potions , balms and tinctures for ailments as varied as erectile disfunction and Parkinson 's disease , alternative health providers targeted by Operation Quack Hack do most of their business over the Internet .
About four in 10 also operate naturopathic , holistic , acupuncture or chiropractic clinics where practitioners meet with clients to help with pain management or plan healthy alternatives for living on an increasingly toxic planet .
For nearly a third , go-to products for fighting coronavirus virus have been simple – the kind of thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the flu : vitamin C , vitamin D and zinc .
Another 26 % offered some mixture of herbs or essential oils that might include elderberries , echinacea , ginger , garlic , licorice , turmeric , peppermint , astragalus root , reishi mushrooms , blackseed oil , olive leaf , dandelion .
In a nod to the New Testament , some even recommend frankincense and myrrh .
Corey Basch , associate professor in the Department of Public Health at William Paterson University in Wayne , N.J. , said that vitamins , minerals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for maintaining health , including immune function .
But it ’ s not always clear for whom these supplements will work and under what circumstances .
To Basch and others , that alone justifies the government clamping down on those that make a definitive statement about the a cure or treatment for COVID-19 .
“ They need to have competent scientific evidence that something works – and no one has that , ” said Mitchell Katz , spokesman for the FTC .
Alternative health care providers say that doesn ’ t mean they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where Dr. David Brownstein , who believes in the basic mission of the FDA and FTC , says the two agencies have gone too far .
A medical doctor who got interested in holistic medicine nearly 30 years ago when his father was suffering from heart disease , Brownstein said he found a new way of looking at health care less centered on medications than on treatments that support the immune system .
Brownstein said one of his patients gave him a book on nutrition , which led him to wean his father @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supplements .
Within 30 days , he said , his father ’ s cholesterol fell from 300 to 200 , his 20-year history of angina ended and his skin turned from pasty gray to pink .
That led Brownstein to seek out natural therapies for his patients , including an anti-viral strategy that he regularly turns to during flu season .
The regimen involves high doses of vitamins A , C , D and iodine for four days , followed , if necessary , by nebulizer treatments of hydrogen peroxide and iodine , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vitamin C and ozone .
Brownstein said he used the same regimen every year for more than 20 years and on more than 100 COVID-19 patients during the outbreak in the Detroit suburbs in March and April .
“ My partners , nurses and I were going out to see patients in their cars in the parking lot in 30-degree weather in March , ” Brownstein said .
“ We were giving them IVs in their cars , and as soon as we started treating them they got better .
We saw 107 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No one died and no one had to be ventilated.
” Instead of drawing praise , Brownstein said he got in trouble with the FTC for posting the results of his 107-person study on his website and including YouTube testimonials from patients who recovered .
Brownstein said the FTC faulted his study because it wasn ’ t randomized , meaning he had no untreated control group .
“ I just couldn ’ t sleep at night if I did that , ” he said .
“ How could I not have people receive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them ?
” Brownstein ’ s study was peer-reviewed by three medical doctors and an academic and contained more than 90 citations to scholarly articles and texts .
But the FTC still made him pull it off his website .
The cost of doing that , he said , is that the general public and fellow doctors around the world didn ’ t get the benefit of what he saw on the front lines of the crisis .
“ It sends a chill out that you can ’ t report anything about COVID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ You can ’ t report anything that doesn ’ t fit the narrative that all you can do is wear a mask , social-distance and wait for a vaccine.
” The pushback against the government ’ s orders is that they represent an unnecessary overstep against alternative health companies that are doing no harm and may even be providing peace of mind at a difficult time .
Rosalee De la Foret , a best-selling author and herbalist , acknowledged that regulators had a legal right to cite her for mentioning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promotional materials about herbal products .
But she believes the FDA and FTC are too heavy-handed in applying the law .
De la Foret , who mentioned the benefits of an herb called astragalus in one of her articles , maintained that she was very careful to point out that the root was not a cure for COVID-19 – or anything else .
“ I was trying to be open and honest , ” De la Foret said .
“ But they were saying that I was – wink wink – implying that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus.
” That interpretation , De la Foret said , prevents people from discussing remedies that might be useful .
“ Heaven forbid that something in nature might be more effective than a drug , ” agreed Hansen , the Arizona naturopathic doctor .
Ralph Fucetola , a retired lawyer and co-trustee of the Natural Solutions Foundation , also echoed that sentiment .
“ This Deep State attack on good medicine is particularly outrageous because during a declared pandemic it is ethical , according to the ( World Health Organization ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offer help , ” Fucetola said in an article posted in April on OpenSourceTruth.com , a website that pushes back against the mass media .
“ Once again , the Federal authorities are putting themselves squarely against common sense in order to maintain the fiction that the government is here to help.
” Fucetola told USA TODAY that there ’ s a distinction between treatment of a disease , which drug companies provide , and therapies that may benefit a patient , which alternative health companies offer .
“ They ’ re trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease standard , ” Fucetola said .
“ People in the health freedom world , in the natural remedies world , are not trying to treat diseases , we ’ re trying to help people achieve a healthy status.
” Fucetola said he still hopes to reach an understanding with the FDA and FTC regarding what can be said about Nano Silver , a nutrient he says “ supports ” a healthy immune system .
Like most other alternative health providers , he has taken down all allegedly offending documents from his website @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Info Wars , has taken steps to comply .
But some letter recipients , including televangelist Jim Bakker , silver solution salesman Gordon Pederson non-religious church founder Mark Grenon , and investigative journalist Maryam Henein , are defiant .
Henein , who directed the film Vanishing of the Bees and founded HoneyColony.com , a natural-remedies website , said she drew a warning letter by suggesting that “ the best coronavirus treatment is prevention ” and recommending that customers take chelated silver , vitamin C and magnesium .
“ I know in my heart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Henein told USA TODAY .
“ The FDA and FTC are using the coronavirus to attack natural remedies .
There ’ s a reason we call them the medical mafia.
” So far , the FDA and FTC have ignored Henein because she made required changes to her website , but they went after Pedersen and Grenon when both men refused to play by the rules .
Sued in late April and accused of trying to defraud consumers by claiming his liquid silver product “ will destroy all forms of viruses , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. attorney ’ s office and chose to represent himself as a sovereign citizen .
He declared that the court had no jurisdiction over him as a “ private living , flesh and blood man.
” U.S. attorneys swiftly responded by persuading the court to impose a restraining order and then shut down Pederson ’ s websites .
That , in turn , persuaded Pedersen ’ s partners to push him out of his company and agree to reimburse any customers who believed they had been defrauded .
Grenon , who declined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar tactics , refusing to recognize the authority of the U.S. government over Genesis II Church of Health and Healing , which offered church members Miracle Mineral Solution – a bleach-like substance – as a sacrament , in return for donations .
He went further , too , threatening the government and the judge presiding over his case .
In July , law enforcement officials raided his family ’ s headquarters and distribution facility in Bradenton , Florida .
They arrested two of his sons , Jonathan and Jordan , who are still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cash and gold from the company safe and carted off all the company ’ s computers , electronic equipment , files and documents .
They also confiscated all raw materials used to make MMS .
Grenon , who was at his family ’ s compound in Colombia at the time of the raid , said in a Youtube video interview with Henein that he ’ s determined to face his accusers .
He 's certain he will prevail .
Experts say his legal position is not enviable .
It ’ s not a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the FDA and the FTC , they say , no matter how righteous you think your cause .
“ They ’ re like the IRS , ” said Caplan , the NYU medical ethics professor .
“ Flout them , challenge them , don ’ t cooperate and they come down hard .
”

'We’re not your slaves': Alternative health providers bristle at warning letters about their coronavirus treatments
Show Caption Hide Caption Bill Gates pushing to get US back to fight COVID-19 globally The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have invested $350 million to fund treatment and vaccine research to fight coronavirus. USA TODAY
Operation Quack Hack, the federal government’s initiative to clamp down on fake coronavirus medications and cures, has exposed a health underground in America brimming with distrust not only of mainstream medicine but the government itself.
It’s a Tea Party for COVID-times.
Its members are angry at government warning letters that many perceive as an infringement on their right to free speech, free trade and people's control over their health care – and some are ready to fight back.
A common refrain: How can we trust the same government that signed off on opioids?
The most radical believe that wealthy globalists – including Bill Gates and Anthony Fauci – created the coronavirus, unleashed it from Wuhan, China, along with immune-system-weakening 5G wireless technology; and intend to install digital ID chips in our bodies at the same time they give us the vaccine.
For them, the two agencies behind Operation Quack Hack – the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission – are sinister organizations. Their objective is to force everyone to take the vaccine, and the only way to do that is to convince us there’s no other choice.
“We’re not your slaves, we’re not in your cult,” right-wing talk show host Alex Jones shouted in June at an anti-mask rally in Austin. “If you want war, you'd better believe you got war.”
False claims: Fact check: 'Plandemic' sequel makes false claims about Bill Gates
COVID-5G: https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/covid-19-pseudoscience-technology/how-distrust-and-coinc
Jones got in trouble with the FDA in April for peddling a line of silver products, including silver-laced toothpaste, as a COVID-19 cure.
The majority of alternative health providers that received warning letters are less extreme, but many still think the FDA and FTC are out to get them. The goal as they see it? To protect Big Pharma from competition as their market share grows.
“The healthcare system in this country is rigged against inexpensive, safe, and effective natural remedies in favor of expensive pharmaceutical drugs,” said Clark Hansen, a naturopathic medical doctor in Arizona, in an email message to USA TODAY. "The US medical system is ignoring any treatment that is not patentable and therefore cannot provide a multi-billion profit for some giant healthcare company.”
The FTC warned Hansen in May to stop implying that a combination of elderberry, echinacea and the herb andrographis could prevent coronavirus infection.
In an email to USA TODAY, the FDA said its goal actually is to protect consumers from scammers and products that harm them. The agency added that it doesn’t want consumers wasting their time on remedies that “may lead to delays in getting proper diagnosis and medical care for COVID-19 and other potentially serious diseases and conditions.”
Its sister agency was more succinct.
“The FTC has taken aggressive action against marketers who want to take advantage of the anxiety caused by the current health crisis,” the agency said in an email. “We have done so to prevent consumer injury. There is no other motivation.”
Under the law, supplement suppliers are not allowed to use some words – "cure," "treat," "prevent," "mitigate" or "diagnose" – in promotional materials.
Though many providers openly declare their products won’t cure COVID-19, the mention of “treat” or “prevent” in the same sentence as "coronavirus" has been enough to trigger a letter from the FTC and FDA.
Recognizing the power of these agencies, most of the more than 300 companies and individuals that got warning letters have responded by removing or changing marketing materials on their websites, then they've quietly gotten back to the business of addressing customer ailments.
There’s plenty of money to be made in the herbal remedies and alternative health care market even without a pandemic. Revenue is expected to reach nearly $18 billion in the United States this year, according to IBISWorld, a global economic research firm.
Nevertheless, frustration lies just beneath the surface.
Kate Tietje, who runs the Modern Alternative Mama website and ran afoul of the government for touting Elderberry Elixir, vitamin C and vitamin D as remedies for the coronavirus, had this to say about government regulators in a post she later removed from her website:
“Seeing that the FDA allows ‘approved drugs’ to harm and even kill millions of people, while badgering natural companies that have fewer than 10 reports of unproven adverse effect claims, shows us definitively that it’s not about keeping people healthy.”
'A magic bullet … preventative and curative'
Since the onset of the pandemic seven months ago, the FDA and the FTC have sent out an average of 13 letters a week warning companies and individuals to stop making false claims about their ability to prevent or cure COVID-19.
Many of the recipients have a history of fraud and malfeasance.
They include televangelist Jim Bakker, who spent five years in prison for defrauding his own ministry back in the 1980s; Gordon Pedersen, who wears a lab coat and stethoscope and calls himself a doctor even though he holds no medical degree; and Matthew Martinez, who agreed to give up his chiropractor's license in 2016 after being accused of having sex with clients and suggesting that a patient with multiple sclerosis could be cured by drinking breast milk.
Both Bakker and Pedersen told their followers that Silver Solution was the antidote to COVID-19 and were sued by the government for failing to address allegedly false claims outlined in warning letters.
If the government does not receive an adequate response to its warning letter it can file suit, seek a restraining order to shut down the company's web sites and operations, command it to recall and destroy its products and raw materials and refund its customers.
Pedersen refused to participate in court proceedings and could not be reached for comment. Bakker battled back, claiming religious exemption. Court documents filed on his behalf state that his product is a sacrament, as important to his ministry as soliciting donations and preaching the second coming of Christ.
As for Martinez, the FTC faulted him for claiming that high doses of vitamin C "have a significant impact on treating coronavirus" and that stem cells help in the healing process. After receiving his warning letter from the FTC, he also boasted that the ultraviolet light in his company’s octagon-shaped “Blue Room” provided “virus-killing” benefits.
Another warning letter recipient with a history of breaking the law was Richard Marschall. A naturopathic physician, he got busted twice between 2011 and 2017 for introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce and spent 60 days in jail. That didn’t stop him from marketing a product called “the dynamic duo” that he said could “crush 30 different viral infections including those in the Corona family.”
On Aug. 5, Marschall was indicted for the third time on the same charge: introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce.
An insistence to keep selling supposed coronavirus cures after being told not to is also what got Marc “White Eagle” Travalino in trouble.
A self-proclaimed medicine man and shaman who runs website and folksy trading post in Fort Davis, Texas, Travalino got nabbed by the FDA for saying his Kolon Kleen, Maska Miakoda and Shar Mar products were “proven to work and destroy” the coronavirus. Instead of ceasing his marketing activities after receiving his warning letter, he tried to sell more treatments – this time to an undercover agent.
The government responded by shutting down all Travalino’s operations, both online and brick-and-mortar.
'Emptying our pockets for their own gain and greed'
Some coronavirus treatments exposed by Operation Quack Hack were more outlandish.
Face Vital LLC swore by a battery-powered silicon brush used for cleaning facial pores. Mypurmist argued that its hand-held steam machine was the answer. BioElectric Shield offered a golf-ball-sized pendant to block immune-system-sapping 5G electromagnetic waves.
“5G appears to be the straw that broke the camel’s back when it comes to the spread of the Coronavirus,” the company said on its website. “An extremely intense rollout of 5G was launched initially in Wuhan City, China.
“Is it a coincidence that this is also where the coronavirus outbreak started?” the company asked. "We are urging you to get protection from EMF radiation."
At least four makers of electric pulse machines, used by chiropractors to reduce muscle tension, stated online that their devices boost the immune system. Electric pulse therapy “is like a power up for your cells … akin to giving your cells a cup of coffee to energize and speed up their job,” said BioBalance, a Maryland-based company.
Three more companies suggested sound waves or music could defeat the virus. Musical Medicine, headed by Dr. Suzanne Jonas, advertised new music "designed to boost your immune system.” Spooky2 Scalar, a New York company headed by Matt Forrest, said its new sounds “would protect you and your family,” and Bioenergy Wellness in Miami said it had found a COVID-attacking frequency and that sound frequencies were better at penetrating cells than chemicals.
These treatments and others subject to the warning letters have no ability to help anyone with COVID-19, said professor Arthur Caplan, who heads the medical ethics division at the NYU School of Medicine.
“They’re just emptying our pockets for their own gain and greed,” he said.
Caplan added that if companies receiving warning letters had any real virus fighting abilities, Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, would be talking about them on TV.
“If I’m going to bet on the future,” Caplan said. “I’m still betting on the infectious disease guys over the vitamin purveyors to work our way out of this,”
'You can’t report anything about COVID that’s positive'
Peddling potions, balms and tinctures for ailments as varied as erectile disfunction and Parkinson's disease, alternative health providers targeted by Operation Quack Hack do most of their business over the Internet.
About four in 10 also operate naturopathic, holistic, acupuncture or chiropractic clinics where practitioners meet with clients to help with pain management or plan healthy alternatives for living on an increasingly toxic planet.
For nearly a third, go-to products for fighting coronavirus virus have been simple – the kind of thing any mother might suggest to ward off the flu: vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc. Another 26% offered some mixture of herbs or essential oils that might include elderberries, echinacea, ginger, garlic, licorice, turmeric, peppermint, astragalus root, reishi mushrooms, blackseed oil, olive leaf, dandelion.
In a nod to the New Testament, some even recommend frankincense and myrrh.
Corey Basch, associate professor in the Department of Public Health at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J., said that vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients are a needed element for maintaining health, including immune function.
But it’s not always clear for whom these supplements will work and under what circumstances. To Basch and others, that alone justifies the government clamping down on those that make a definitive statement about the a cure or treatment for COVID-19.
“They need to have competent scientific evidence that something works – and no one has that,” said Mitchell Katz, spokesman for the FTC.
Alternative health care providers say that doesn’t mean they should be silenced. That’s where Dr. David Brownstein, who believes in the basic mission of the FDA and FTC, says the two agencies have gone too far.
A medical doctor who got interested in holistic medicine nearly 30 years ago when his father was suffering from heart disease, Brownstein said he found a new way of looking at health care less centered on medications than on treatments that support the immune system.
Brownstein said one of his patients gave him a book on nutrition, which led him to wean his father off nitroglycerin pills in favor of natural supplements. Within 30 days, he said, his father’s cholesterol fell from 300 to 200, his 20-year history of angina ended and his skin turned from pasty gray to pink.
That led Brownstein to seek out natural therapies for his patients, including an anti-viral strategy that he regularly turns to during flu season. The regimen involves high doses of vitamins A, C, D and iodine for four days, followed, if necessary, by nebulizer treatments of hydrogen peroxide and iodine, then intravenous treatments of hydrogen peroxide, vitamin C and ozone.
Brownstein said he used the same regimen every year for more than 20 years and on more than 100 COVID-19 patients during the outbreak in the Detroit suburbs in March and April.
“My partners, nurses and I were going out to see patients in their cars in the parking lot in 30-degree weather in March,” Brownstein said. “We were giving them IVs in their cars, and as soon as we started treating them they got better. We saw 107 patients. Only one was hospitalized. No one died and no one had to be ventilated.”
Instead of drawing praise, Brownstein said he got in trouble with the FTC for posting the results of his 107-person study on his website and including YouTube testimonials from patients who recovered. Brownstein said the FTC faulted his study because it wasn’t randomized, meaning he had no untreated control group.
“I just couldn’t sleep at night if I did that,” he said. “How could I not have people receive a therapy that I thought could help them?”
Brownstein’s study was peer-reviewed by three medical doctors and an academic and contained more than 90 citations to scholarly articles and texts. But the FTC still made him pull it off his website. The cost of doing that, he said, is that the general public and fellow doctors around the world didn’t get the benefit of what he saw on the front lines of the crisis.
“It sends a chill out that you can’t report anything about COVID that’s positive,” Brownstein said. “You can’t report anything that doesn’t fit the narrative that all you can do is wear a mask, social-distance and wait for a vaccine.”
'This deep state attack on good medicine'
The pushback against the government’s orders is that they represent an unnecessary overstep against alternative health companies that are doing no harm and may even be providing peace of mind at a difficult time.
Rosalee De la Foret, a best-selling author and herbalist, acknowledged that regulators had a legal right to cite her for mentioning the forbidden word "prevent" in promotional materials about herbal products. But she believes the FDA and FTC are too heavy-handed in applying the law.
De la Foret, who mentioned the benefits of an herb called astragalus in one of her articles, maintained that she was very careful to point out that the root was not a cure for COVID-19 – or anything else.
“I was trying to be open and honest,” De la Foret said. “But they were saying that I was – wink wink – implying that the product could be used to cure the virus.”
That interpretation, De la Foret said, prevents people from discussing remedies that might be useful.
“Heaven forbid that something in nature might be more effective than a drug,” agreed Hansen, the Arizona naturopathic doctor.
Ralph Fucetola, a retired lawyer and co-trustee of the Natural Solutions Foundation, also echoed that sentiment.
“This Deep State attack on good medicine is particularly outrageous because during a declared pandemic it is ethical, according to the (World Health Organization), to use even unapproved remedies that may offer help,” Fucetola said in an article posted in April on OpenSourceTruth.com, a website that pushes back against the mass media. “Once again, the Federal authorities are putting themselves squarely against common sense in order to maintain the fiction that the government is here to help.”
Fucetola told USA TODAY that there’s a distinction between treatment of a disease, which drug companies provide, and therapies that may benefit a patient, which alternative health companies offer.
“They’re trying to subject us to the treatment of disease standard,” Fucetola said. “People in the health freedom world, in the natural remedies world, are not trying to treat diseases, we’re trying to help people achieve a healthy status.”
Fucetola said he still hopes to reach an understanding with the FDA and FTC regarding what can be said about Nano Silver, a nutrient he says “supports” a healthy immune system.
Like most other alternative health providers, he has taken down all allegedly offending documents from his website. Even Jones, the founder of Info Wars, has taken steps to comply.
But some letter recipients, including televangelist Jim Bakker, silver solution salesman Gordon Pederson non-religious church founder Mark Grenon, and investigative journalist Maryam Henein, are defiant.
Henein, who directed the film Vanishing of the Bees and founded HoneyColony.com, a natural-remedies website, said she drew a warning letter by suggesting that “the best coronavirus treatment is prevention” and recommending that customers take chelated silver, vitamin C and magnesium.
“I know in my heart I did not do anything wrong” Henein told USA TODAY. “The FDA and FTC are using the coronavirus to attack natural remedies. There’s a reason we call them the medical mafia.”
So far, the FDA and FTC have ignored Henein because she made required changes to her website, but they went after Pedersen and Grenon when both men refused to play by the rules.
Sued in late April and accused of trying to defraud consumers by claiming his liquid silver product “will destroy all forms of viruses,” Pedersen declined to accept any mail from the U.S. attorney’s office and chose to represent himself as a sovereign citizen.
He declared that the court had no jurisdiction over him as a “private living, flesh and blood man.”
U.S. attorneys swiftly responded by persuading the court to impose a restraining order and then shut down Pederson’s websites. That, in turn, persuaded Pedersen’s partners to push him out of his company and agree to reimburse any customers who believed they had been defrauded.
Grenon, who declined to talk to USA TODAY, deployed similar tactics, refusing to recognize the authority of the U.S. government over Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, which offered church members Miracle Mineral Solution – a bleach-like substance – as a sacrament, in return for donations.
He went further, too, threatening the government and the judge presiding over his case.
In July, law enforcement officials raided his family’s headquarters and distribution facility in Bradenton, Florida. They arrested two of his sons, Jonathan and Jordan, who are still being held without bail. They seized cash and gold from the company safe and carted off all the company’s computers, electronic equipment, files and documents. They also confiscated all raw materials used to make MMS.
Grenon, who was at his family’s compound in Colombia at the time of the raid, said in a Youtube video interview with Henein that he’s determined to face his accusers. He's certain he will prevail.
Experts say his legal position is not enviable. It’s not a good idea to get in a fight with the FDA and the FTC, they say, no matter how righteous you think your cause.
“They’re like the IRS,” said Caplan, the NYU medical ethics professor. “Flout them, challenge them, don’t cooperate and they come down hard.”


usatoday--2020-09-03--25 more endangered children located as sex trafficking busts continue in 2 states

Days after the U.S .
Marshals Service announced the rescue of 39 endangered children in Georgia , similar operations are ongoing in two other states as authorities target missing kids who may be victims of sex trafficking .
In Ohio , `` Operation Safety Net '' led to the discovery of 25 children ages 13 to 18 in less than three weeks , the Marshals Service said .
The operation is likely to continue into October , U.S .
Marshal Peter Elliott said .
A two-week operation is underway near Indianapolis , Darby Kirby , chief of the Marshals ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an email Tuesday .
These operations are part of efforts at the local level to locate missing children rather than a coordinated nationwide sweep , Kirby said .
Since 2005 , the marshals have helped recover 1,800 missing children .
Operations such as Safety Net allow agents to give undivided attention to finding endangered children , U.S .
Marshals Public Information Officer Anne Murphy said .
Fact check : More than 8,000 US trafficking arrests since 2017 have not included members of Congress “ If they were looking for kids every day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Suzanne Lewis-Johnson , CEO at RAHAB Ministries in Ohio , who worked as an FBI agent and on a Child Exploitation Task Force running operations similar to the ones conducted by the Marshals Service .
The results of these operations will challenge widespread assumptions about endangered children in the USA , Staca Shehan , a vice president with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children , told USA TODAY on Tuesday .
The operation in Georgia – dubbed `` Operation Not Forgotten '' – is a prime example .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ found with a parent , kidnapped by a parent , had gone missing from child services or had fled juvenile justice , according to Kirby 's statement .
Checking the facts : Claim linking Milwaukee police and sex trafficking conspiracy is unfounded That 's in contrast to widespread fears about child abductions at the hands of strangers , Shehan said .
It is much more common for a child to become ensnared in human trafficking through the actions of a relative or after running away .
In the Georgia operation , 15 recovered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be considered runaways `` who fell into the human trafficking realm , '' according to Kirby .
Some children who run away have been lured by predators online , according to Lewis-Johnson .
Human traffickers target vulnerabilities and recruit missing children or kids who can be lured away from home , Lewis-Johnson said .
They ’ ll often look for insecurities , such as a poor home life , or even social media posts about needing money or feeling uncared for .
Lewis-Johnson said predators groom children and offer themselves as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ endangered children can make it harder to locate them .
A focus on the rare cases of abduction by a stranger can make it easy for the public to overlook children who have run away or may be in danger from a parent or relative .
“ Right now , I believe our children are more vulnerable to traffickers than they ’ ve ever been , ” Lewis-Johnson said .

Joel Shannon and Sean McDonnell, USA TODAY NETWORK

25 more endangered children located as sex trafficking busts continue in 2 states
Show Caption Hide Caption Human trafficking: Victims live in fear, making convictions hard to get Law enforcement and prosecutors explain the difficulties in bringing charges - and the hurdles in convicting traffickers. Jarrad Henderson, USA TODAY
Days after the U.S. Marshals Service announced the rescue of 39 endangered children in Georgia, similar operations are ongoing in two other states as authorities target missing kids who may be victims of sex trafficking.
In Ohio, "Operation Safety Net" led to the discovery of 25 children ages 13 to 18 in less than three weeks, the Marshals Service said. The operation is likely to continue into October, U.S. Marshal Peter Elliott said.
A two-week operation is underway near Indianapolis, Darby Kirby, chief of the Marshals' Missing Child Unit, told USA TODAY in an email Tuesday.
These operations are part of efforts at the local level to locate missing children rather than a coordinated nationwide sweep, Kirby said. Since 2005, the marshals have helped recover 1,800 missing children.
Operations such as Safety Net allow agents to give undivided attention to finding endangered children, U.S. Marshals Public Information Officer Anne Murphy said.
Fact check: More than 8,000 US trafficking arrests since 2017 have not included members of Congress
“If they were looking for kids every day, they would find kids every day,” said Suzanne Lewis-Johnson, CEO at RAHAB Ministries in Ohio, who worked as an FBI agent and on a Child Exploitation Task Force running operations similar to the ones conducted by the Marshals Service.
The results of these operations will challenge widespread assumptions about endangered children in the USA, Staca Shehan, a vice president with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, told USA TODAY on Tuesday.
The operation in Georgia – dubbed "Operation Not Forgotten" – is a prime example. Many of the 39 children recovered were found with a parent, kidnapped by a parent, had gone missing from child services or had fled juvenile justice, according to Kirby's statement.
Checking the facts: Claim linking Milwaukee police and sex trafficking conspiracy is unfounded
That's in contrast to widespread fears about child abductions at the hands of strangers, Shehan said. It is much more common for a child to become ensnared in human trafficking through the actions of a relative or after running away.
In the Georgia operation, 15 recovered children were victims of trafficking – most would be considered runaways "who fell into the human trafficking realm," according to Kirby.
Some children who run away have been lured by predators online, according to Lewis-Johnson.
Human traffickers target vulnerabilities and recruit missing children or kids who can be lured away from home, Lewis-Johnson said. They’ll often look for insecurities, such as a poor home life, or even social media posts about needing money or feeling uncared for.
Lewis-Johnson said predators groom children and offer themselves as a counterfeit solution.
Shehan said misconceptions about endangered children can make it harder to locate them. A focus on the rare cases of abduction by a stranger can make it easy for the public to overlook children who have run away or may be in danger from a parent or relative.
“Right now, I believe our children are more vulnerable to traffickers than they’ve ever been,” Lewis-Johnson said.


usatoday--2020-09-03--'We've got to heal': Joe Biden heads to Kenosha facing political balancing act

WASHINGTON – Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will travel Thursday to Kenosha , Wisconsin , a city thrust into the national spotlight after a police shooting of a Black man triggered a wave of violent unrest that has become the latest flashpoint on racial injustice and public safety ahead of the 2020 election .
Biden 's visit to the key battleground state comes two days after President Donald Trump traveled to Kenosha to tour burned-out buildings damaged in protests that turned into deadly clashes over the Aug. 23 shooting of Jacob Blake , a Black man who was shot seven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitalized .
As violence erupted , two protesters were killed and police have charged Kyle Rittenhouse , 17 , in their shooting deaths .
The dueling trips by Biden and Trump frame a debate about racial injustice and law and order in the final stretch of a tightening race ahead of the Nov. 3 election .
The president has sought to use Kenosha and other demonstrations that gripped the country since the May 25 police shooting of George Floyd to promote his `` law-and-order '' campaign message , while Biden has accused Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and stymie racial progress .
“ I ’ m not going to do anything other than meet with community leaders , as well as business people and other folks in law enforcement , to start to talk about what has to be done , ” Biden told reporters Wednesday after a speech in his hometown on Wilmington , Delaware .
“ I ’ m not going to tell Kenosha what to do , but what we ’ ll do together.
” Biden spoke to Blake 's relatives by phone last week .
Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to meet Thursday with Jacob Blake Sr. and members of the Blake family , according to a Biden campaign official .
During Trump 's visit , the president praised members of law enforcement , condemned the protests and subsequent violence as `` domestic terrorism '' and blamed local Democratic officials for the unrest that he said will overtake the country should Biden win the White House .
He did not mention Blake , who remains paralyzed in a local hospital , and declined to meet with members of his family because he felt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was `` inappropriate . ''
More : Trump claims credit for bringing calm to Kenosha in visit criticized as politicizing unrest Wisconsin Gov .
Tony Evers had discouraged Trump from visiting Tuesday , and the local head of the NAACP said no politicians should visit because tensions were running high .
But Biden said he ’ s spoken to city leaders and the governor ’ s staff in planning the visit , with a goal of bringing factions of the community together .
“ There ’ s been overwhelming requests that I do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What we want to do is we ’ ve got to heal .
We got to put things together , bring people together.
” The former vice president said he ’ s received advice from lawmakers in Congress encouraging him to go .
“ My purpose in going is to do just that , to be a positive influence on what ’ s going on , talk about what needs be done and try to see if there is the beginning of a mechanism to bring folks together , ” Biden said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whole life , including in this city where you are right now , bringing people together.
” This will be Biden 's first visit to the battleground state as the Democratic presidential nominee .
He accepted his party 's nomination from Wilmington , instead of Milwaukee , where the Democratic convention had been scheduled , because officials switched to a mostly virtual format due to coronavirus concerns .
More : A visual timeline of violence in Kenosha after police shooting of Jacob Blake Both candidates are eyeing the key swing state of Wisconsin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as one of a handful of battleground states that could determine the election outcome .
A new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll released Wednesday showed the race tightening , with Biden leading Trump 50 % -43 % , narrowing a 12-percentage-point edge the former vice president held in June .
Republicans and Trump have hammered Biden and Democrats for not campaigning in Wisconsin , comparing the decision to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 's absence during the 2016 general election .
Trump has traveled to Wisconsin twice over the last month while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Midwest state in recent weeks .
In a campaign phone call with reporters on Wednesday , the Trump campaign 's communications director Tim Murtaugh blasted Biden for flying to Wisconsin when he declined to do so two weeks ago to accept his party 's nomination .
Trump has slammed Biden for failing to denounce the violent protests .
But Biden criticized violent protesters repeatedly and again on Wednesday , while supporting peaceful protests for racial justice .
“ Protesting is a right and free speech is a right , but to engage in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rest – in the name of protesting is wrong and persons should be held accountable for their actions , ” Biden said .
“ This president keeps throwing gasoline on the fire everyplace he goes.
” To drive his point , Biden launched a one-week , $ 45 million ad this week to push back on Trump 's attacks and condemn the violence that has flared across the country .
The ad airs in nine states , including Wisconsin .
“ I want to make it absolutely clear , ” Biden said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Rioting is not protesting .
Looting is not protesting .
And those who do it should be prosecuted.
” Murtaugh shrugged off the Biden campaign 's big ad spend , arguing that Biden is using it to try `` to dissuade Americans from thinking that he is weak and afraid to stand up to the leftist mob . ''
`` That is exactly the decision-making that we would see emanating from the White House because it is this kind of left-wing thinking that has prevailed over Joe Biden throughout the course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
More : Destroyed Kenosha store 's owners refused to be part of Trump 'circus , ' president met with building owner instead But Biden faces a tightrope in Kenosha , supporting the rights of peaceful protesters without alienating police responding to violence .
The former vice president said his administration would set up a police commission in the White House with members of law enforcement and community leaders to resolve concerns from each side .
Biden said Wednesday that police officers who shot Blake in Kenosha , or Breonna Taylor , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Louisville , should face charges .
“ I think we should let the judicial system work its way , ” Biden said .
“ I do think there ’ s a minimum need to be charged – the officers – and as well as Breonna Taylor . ''
Ari Fleischer , a former White House spokesman for President George W. Bush , questioned why Biden said wait for the judicial system while also calling for charges against the officer .
“ Which is it Joe ?
” Fleischer asked .
`` Wait for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
”

Courtney Subramanian and Bart Jansen, USA TODAY

'We've got to heal': Joe Biden heads to Kenosha facing political balancing act
Show Caption Hide Caption Biden hits back at Trump, calls on him to stop 'fomenting' violence Joe Biden accused President Trump of playing a role in the unrest by refusing to acknowledge racial injustice during a speech delivered in Pittsburgh. USA TODAY, Associated Press
WASHINGTON – Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will travel Thursday to Kenosha, Wisconsin, a city thrust into the national spotlight after a police shooting of a Black man triggered a wave of violent unrest that has become the latest flashpoint on racial injustice and public safety ahead of the 2020 election.
Biden's visit to the key battleground state comes two days after President Donald Trump traveled to Kenosha to tour burned-out buildings damaged in protests that turned into deadly clashes over the Aug. 23 shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot seven times in back by police and remains hospitalized. As violence erupted, two protesters were killed and police have charged Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, in their shooting deaths.
The dueling trips by Biden and Trump frame a debate about racial injustice and law and order in the final stretch of a tightening race ahead of the Nov. 3 election. The president has sought to use Kenosha and other demonstrations that gripped the country since the May 25 death of George Floyd in police custody to promote his "law-and-order" campaign message, while Biden has accused Trump of using the unrest to stoke division and stymie racial progress.
“I’m not going to do anything other than meet with community leaders, as well as business people and other folks in law enforcement, to start to talk about what has to be done,” Biden told reporters Wednesday after a speech in his hometown on Wilmington, Delaware. “I’m not going to tell Kenosha what to do, but what we’ll do together.”
Biden spoke to Blake's relatives by phone last week. Biden and his wife, Jill, plan to meet Thursday with Jacob Blake Sr. and members of the Blake family, according to a Biden campaign official.
During Trump's visit, the president praised members of law enforcement, condemned the protests and subsequent violence as "domestic terrorism" and blamed local Democratic officials for the unrest that he said will overtake the country should Biden win the White House.
He did not mention Blake, who remains paralyzed in a local hospital, and declined to meet with members of his family because he felt their request to involve their legal team was "inappropriate."
More: Trump claims credit for bringing calm to Kenosha in visit criticized as politicizing unrest
Trump wades into racial tensions in Kenosha President Donald Trump dove into the latest eruption in the nation’s reckoning over racial injustice on Tuesday, visiting the “destruction” left by rioters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and declaring it was enabled by Democratic leaders. (Sept. 1) AP
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers had discouraged Trump from visiting Tuesday, and the local head of the NAACP said no politicians should visit because tensions were running high.
But Biden said he’s spoken to city leaders and the governor’s staff in planning the visit, with a goal of bringing factions of the community together.
“There’s been overwhelming requests that I do come,” Biden said. “What we want to do is we’ve got to heal. We got to put things together, bring people together.”
The former vice president said he’s received advice from lawmakers in Congress encouraging him to go.
“My purpose in going is to do just that, to be a positive influence on what’s going on, talk about what needs be done and try to see if there is the beginning of a mechanism to bring folks together,” Biden said in Wilmington. "I've spent my whole life, including in this city where you are right now, bringing people together.”
This will be Biden's first visit to the battleground state as the Democratic presidential nominee. He accepted his party's nomination from Wilmington, instead of Milwaukee, where the Democratic convention had been scheduled, because officials switched to a mostly virtual format due to coronavirus concerns.
More: A visual timeline of violence in Kenosha after police shooting of Jacob Blake
Both candidates are eyeing the key swing state of Wisconsin, which Trump narrowly carried in 2016, as one of a handful of battleground states that could determine the election outcome. A new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll released Wednesday showed the race tightening, with Biden leading Trump 50%-43%, narrowing a 12-percentage-point edge the former vice president held in June.
Republicans and Trump have hammered Biden and Democrats for not campaigning in Wisconsin, comparing the decision to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's absence during the 2016 general election. Trump has traveled to Wisconsin twice over the last month while several of his surrogates have flooded the Midwest state in recent weeks.
In a campaign phone call with reporters on Wednesday, the Trump campaign's communications director Tim Murtaugh blasted Biden for flying to Wisconsin when he declined to do so two weeks ago to accept his party's nomination.
Kenosha protest shooting: What we know about shooter Kyle Rittenhouse 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse is being charged as an adult for shooting three people, two of them fatally, during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. USA TODAY, Storyful
Trump has slammed Biden for failing to denounce the violent protests. But Biden criticized violent protesters repeatedly and again on Wednesday, while supporting peaceful protests for racial justice.
“Protesting is a right and free speech is a right, but to engage in violence – burning, looting and the rest – in the name of protesting is wrong and persons should be held accountable for their actions,” Biden said. “This president keeps throwing gasoline on the fire everyplace he goes.”
To drive his point, Biden launched a one-week, $45 million ad this week to push back on Trump's attacks and condemn the violence that has flared across the country. The ad airs in nine states, including Wisconsin.
“I want to make it absolutely clear,” Biden said in the ad over images of violent clashes. “Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. And those who do it should be prosecuted.”
Murtaugh shrugged off the Biden campaign's big ad spend, arguing that Biden is using it to try "to dissuade Americans from thinking that he is weak and afraid to stand up to the leftist mob."
"That is exactly the decision-making that we would see emanating from the White House because it is this kind of left-wing thinking that has prevailed over Joe Biden throughout the course of this campaign," he said.
More: Destroyed Kenosha store's owners refused to be part of Trump 'circus,' president met with building owner instead
But Biden faces a tightrope in Kenosha, supporting the rights of peaceful protesters without alienating police responding to violence.
The former vice president said his administration would set up a police commission in the White House with members of law enforcement and community leaders to resolve concerns from each side.
Biden said Wednesday that police officers who shot Blake in Kenosha, or Breonna Taylor, who was shot to death by police in Louisville, should face charges.
“I think we should let the judicial system work its way,” Biden said. “I do think there’s a minimum need to be charged – the officers – and as well as Breonna Taylor."
Ari Fleischer, a former White House spokesman for President George W. Bush, questioned why Biden said wait for the judicial system while also calling for charges against the officer.
“Which is it Joe?” Fleischer asked. "Wait for the judicial system or charge the officer?”
Contributing: Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel; David Jackson, USA TODAY


usatoday--2020-09-03--Chris Paul on Scott Foster's delay of game call: 'That (expletive) don't make no sense'

When the NBA decided Scott Foster would be the crew chief of Wednesday night 's Game 7 of the first-round series between the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder , something would have to give for either Chris Paul or James Harden .
Harden and the Houston Rockets had lost seven consecutive playoff games reffed by Foster .
For Paul , that number was eight ( although his team had lost nine in a row ) and rose to nine following the Thunder 's 104-102 loss .
While the final moments of the game saw Foster and his crew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paul took issue with a delay of game penalty Foster assessed with 2:29 left in the first half and the Rockets leading 53-52 .
`` It 's crazy , this has been going on the bubble — they show the replays sometimes so that , obviously , it 's an advantage if you get to see the replay and then you challenge , '' Paul told reporters .
`` So I dropped down to tie my shoe up , hopefully to see the replay , Scott Foster walked over to me and told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do that , I got them sweeping up the floor . '
OK , cool , '' said Paul , who scored 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting in 40 minutes .
`` So I start tying my shoe up and he still called the delay of game on me .
That ( expletive ) do n't make no sense . ''
The call confounded the 35-year-old point guard , who expects to hear from the league office in the aftermath of his comments .
`` I do n't know .
That 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know , '' he said .
`` We could have won the game .
But that situation , we know , yeah .
They going to fine me .
I said his name .
We already know the history .
It 's all done . ''

Chris Paul on Scott Foster's delay of game call: 'That (expletive) don't make no sense'
Show Caption Hide Caption Protest to tangible change: What NBA players really want going forward USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt breaks down the demand from NBA players after boycotting playoff games. USA TODAY
When the NBA decided Scott Foster would be the crew chief of Wednesday night's Game 7 of the first-round series between the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder, something would have to give for either Chris Paul or James Harden.
Harden and the Houston Rockets had lost seven consecutive playoff games reffed by Foster. For Paul, that number was eight (although his team had lost nine in a row) and rose to nine following the Thunder's 104-102 loss.
While the final moments of the game saw Foster and his crew deliberate what felt like every call, Paul took issue with a delay of game penalty Foster assessed with 2:29 left in the first half and the Rockets leading 53-52.
"That s--t don't make no sense. ... We could have won the game."
CP3 on the delay-of-game call from Scott Foster.
(via @TaylorRooks)pic.twitter.com/1yvEF8fRWo — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 3, 2020
"It's crazy, this has been going on the bubble — they show the replays sometimes so that, obviously, it's an advantage if you get to see the replay and then you challenge," Paul told reporters.
"So I dropped down to tie my shoe up, hopefully to see the replay, Scott Foster walked over to me and told me 'Chris, you ain't got to do that, I got them sweeping up the floor.' OK, cool," said Paul, who scored 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting in 40 minutes. "So I start tying my shoe up and he still called the delay of game on me. That (expletive) don't make no sense."
The call confounded the 35-year-old point guard, who expects to hear from the league office in the aftermath of his comments.
"I don't know. That's crazy. He's just — I know," he said. "We could have won the game. But that situation, we know, yeah. They going to fine me. I said his name. We already know the history. It's all done."
Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.


usatoday--2020-09-03--'AGT': Howie Mandel tells Brandon Leake 'you matter' after powerful poem on racism

`` America 's Got Talent '' is three weeks away from crowning a winner .
After being in a `` negative '' mood much of Tuesday , judge Howie Mandel acknowledged that Wednesday 's results would be the `` toughest decision for America '' to narrow the field from 11 to five acts .
But Sofia Vergara may give the contestants a run for their money with her own ventriloquy talent .
Well , kind of .
Vergara and her puppet , Mr. Grumpy , showcased their skills to singing ventriloquist Darci Lynne Farmer , the winner of Season 12 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` America 's Got Talent : The Champions . ''
`` This is something we have in common and something that we are both good at , '' Vergara told Farmer .
`` I have done this for eleven years .
Can ’ t you tell ? ''
Last night on 'AGT ' : Sofía Vergara nicknames 'negative Howie ' Mandel after endless harsh critiques The three acts that received the most votes automatically advanced .
Singer Kenadi Dodds was the first act to move forward .
Donning glittery cowboy boots , Dodds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Thank you so much for your votes . ''
`` I knew America would see that sparkle in you , '' Heidi Klum said .
`` Howie was wrong and you were right by singing a song that you wrote . ''
Last night , Mandel said Kenadi Dodds ' original song `` Dancing Through The Stars '' – which she wrote in honor of her younger sister Alexis , who suffers from an eye disease that gradually deteriorates her retina – `` didn ’ t do it for me personally .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was originally eliminated in Judge Cuts , but got a second chance after another act dropped out – joined Dodds in the safe zone .
The duo was overcome with emotion : `` There 's God .
There ’ s faith .
There ’ s love .
There ’ s America . ''
Vergara added , `` That tells you that you should never lose hope . ''
Spoken-word poet Brandon Leake , Mandel 's Golden Buzzer winner , also advanced .
He promised his next routine will be `` far better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more moved in my life on this show by any other act , '' Mandel said .
`` We need you on this show .
We need in this world… You matter . ''
Leake gave a `` powerful '' spoken word performance about his Black mother ’ s fear of him becoming `` America 's next most popular hashtag '' every time he leaves home amid protests against police brutality and racism .
Bello Sisters ( acrobatic trio ) , Celina Graves ( singer ) and Resound ( vocal trio ) finished @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were on the brink of elimination .
`` I 'm actually surprised , '' Mandel said .
`` Each of you… were all a part of the show when it turned around for me personally .
And I loved all three of you… it 's going to be the toughest night for the Dunkin ' Save . ''
The three acts went head-to-head in a live voting round for the `` Dunkin ' Save , '' where fans had the opportunity to rescue only one performer .
Whoever received the most votes in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the end , viewers saved Graves .
`` I can ’ t wait to perform for you again .
I feel so blessed , '' Graves said .
But the results were n't over just yet .
The judges , who are down to three in Simon Cowell 's absence as he recovers from an electric-bike accident , had the chance to save either Bello Sisters or Resound .
Klum opted to keep Resound , but both Klum and Mandel voted to save Bello Sisters .
The five acts with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) ; Lightwave Theatre Company ( puppeteers ) ; Alex Hooper ( comedian ) ; C.A .
Wildcats ( cheerleading group ) ; and Divas & Drummers of Compton ( dance group ) – were eliminated .
Resound was also sent packing .
`` America 's Got Talent '' will return Sept. 8 for the first round of semifinals ( NBC , 8 EDT/PDT ) , when 10 acts will try to blow America away to advance to the finals .
The first round of semifinalists include Shaquira McGrath ( singer ) ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Williams ( singer ) ; Alan Silva ( acrobat ) ; Broken Roots ( singing duo ) ; Spyros Brothers ( diabolo duo ) ; Double Dragon ( singing duo ) ; Mandel 's Golden Buzzer winner , Brandon Leake ( spoken-word poet ) ; and Vergara 's Golden Buzzer winner , Roberta Battaglia ( singer ) .
There will also be a wildcard act .
'AGT ' : New judge Sofia Vergara hits her first Golden Buzzer for 10-year-old 's powerhouse 'Shallow '

'AGT': Howie Mandel tells Brandon Leake 'you matter' after powerful poem on racism
Show Caption Hide Caption 'AGT': Heidi Klum 'uncomfortable' after comedian calls her a 'tramp' Comedian Usama Siddiquee also joked about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, feminism and women’s voting rights in his controversial stand-up routine. USA TODAY
"America's Got Talent" is three weeks away from crowning a winner.
After being in a "negative" mood much of Tuesday, judge Howie Mandel acknowledged that Wednesday's results would be the "toughest decision for America" to narrow the field from 11 to five acts.
But Sofia Vergara may give the contestants a run for their money with her own ventriloquy talent. Well, kind of.
Vergara and her puppet, Mr. Grumpy, showcased their skills to singing ventriloquist Darci Lynne Farmer, the winner of Season 12 "AGT" and the runner-up of "America's Got Talent: The Champions."
"This is something we have in common and something that we are both good at," Vergara told Farmer. "I have done this for eleven years. Can’t you tell?"
Farmer deadpanned to the camera.
Last night on 'AGT': Sofía Vergara nicknames 'negative Howie' Mandel after endless harsh critiques
Here's what happened during Wednesday's episode:
The fans' picks
The three acts that received the most votes automatically advanced.
Singer Kenadi Dodds was the first act to move forward. Donning glittery cowboy boots, Dodds said she "can't believe this. Thank you so much for your votes."
"I knew America would see that sparkle in you," Heidi Klum said. "Howie was wrong and you were right by singing a song that you wrote."
Last night, Mandel said Kenadi Dodds' original song "Dancing Through The Stars" – which she wrote in honor of her younger sister Alexis, who suffers from an eye disease that gradually deteriorates her retina – "didn’t do it for me personally."
America clearly disagreed.
Broken Roots – the singing duo that was originally eliminated in Judge Cuts, but got a second chance after another act dropped out – joined Dodds in the safe zone.
The duo was overcome with emotion: "There's God. There’s faith. There’s love. There’s America." Vergara added, "That tells you that you should never lose hope."
Spoken-word poet Brandon Leake, Mandel's Golden Buzzer winner, also advanced. He promised his next routine will be "far better."
"I've never been more moved in my life on this show by any other act," Mandel said. "We need you on this show. We need in this world… You matter."
Leake gave a "powerful" spoken word performance about his Black mother’s fear of him becoming "America's next most popular hashtag" every time he leaves home amid protests against police brutality and racism.
The face-off
Bello Sisters (acrobatic trio), Celina Graves (singer) and Resound (vocal trio) finished in the middle of the pack and were on the brink of elimination.
"I'm actually surprised," Mandel said. "Each of you… were all a part of the show when it turned around for me personally. And I loved all three of you… it's going to be the toughest night for the Dunkin' Save."
The three acts went head-to-head in a live voting round for the "Dunkin' Save," where fans had the opportunity to rescue only one performer. Whoever received the most votes in a 30-minute flash round would move on.
In the end, viewers saved Graves. "I can’t wait to perform for you again. I feel so blessed," Graves said.
But the results weren't over just yet. The judges, who are down to three in Simon Cowell's absence as he recovers from an electric-bike accident, had the chance to save either Bello Sisters or Resound.
Klum opted to keep Resound, but both Klum and Mandel voted to save Bello Sisters.
Eliminated
The five acts with the fewest votes – Noah Epps (dancer); Lightwave Theatre Company (puppeteers); Alex Hooper (comedian); C.A. Wildcats (cheerleading group); and Divas & Drummers of Compton (dance group) – were eliminated.
Resound was also sent packing.
Next week
"America's Got Talent" will return Sept. 8 for the first round of semifinals (NBC, 8 EDT/PDT), when 10 acts will try to blow America away to advance to the finals.
The first round of semifinalists include Shaquira McGrath (singer); Malik Dope (drummer); Archie Williams (singer); Alan Silva (acrobat); Broken Roots (singing duo); Spyros Brothers (diabolo duo); Double Dragon (singing duo); Mandel's Golden Buzzer winner, Brandon Leake (spoken-word poet); and Vergara's Golden Buzzer winner, Roberta Battaglia (singer).
There will also be a wildcard act.
'AGT': New judge Sofia Vergara hits her first Golden Buzzer for 10-year-old's powerhouse 'Shallow'


usatoday--2020-09-03--Opinion: There is no such thing as a coaches' hot seat in college football this season

As the Football Bowl Subdivision begins playing Thursday night in all its weirdness and resilience , the college football world we are used to is going to look very different .
In many places across the six conferences trying to play this fall , there will be no fans , no bands and no tailgates .
It ’ s going to be strange .
But perhaps the strangest omission from the 2020 season will be the utter lack of anxiety and innuendo about the job status of various coaches whose teams lose more than their fans think they should .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ carousel is its own cottage industry , weaving together the interests of search firms , agents , news media and boosters .
This year , there will be virtual silence on this front .
When you ask people whose job is to track potential head coach openings how many changes they expect to see following the 2020 season , the typical answers range between one and five , most of which would be attributed to retirements or the NFL plucking a college coach .
But firing a coach in the thick of COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at worst .
If nothing else , COVID-19 has temporarily brought some common sense to a business that has spent the past couple decades turning fiscal irresponsibility and emotional immaturity into an art form .
Last year alone , Florida State committed just over $ 18 million to fire Willie Taggart after a mere 21 games .
Rutgers , a school that was already swimming in buyouts , added another $ 8.47 million to get rid of Chris Ash .
Arkansas had to shell out $ 10 million to fire Chad Morris , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 11.9 million buyout agreement with Bret Bielema – which Arkansas stopped paying , leading to an ongoing legal dispute .
And if this season had gone off without being disrupted by a global pandemic , we ’ d be speculating now about who ’ s next to start living the buyout life .
Will Muschamp at South Carolina ?
Clay Helton at Southern Cal ?
Tom Herman at Texas ?
Up until now , there ’ s always been some fan base so fed up with their coach that the money is no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how dramatically the landscape has changed .
Bracing for the heavy financial hit of playing a season with limited attendance or no fans at all , athletics departments of all sizes have cut sports , cut pay and furloughed workers .
Layoffs are expected at dozens of schools .
Even Texas , an athletic department that generated nearly $ 224 million in revenue during the 2018-19 fiscal year , announced Tuesday that it was laying off 35 staffers and leaving 35 more vacant jobs unfilled on top of other cuts and salary reductions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , do you really think schools are going pay football coaches not to coach ?
“ Which university is going to lay off , furlough and ask for pay cuts and then turn around and admit they have a bunch of cash to pay a fired coach and his assistants and then hire a new coach ?
” said a one person who works in the coaching movement world and spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic .
There are only a few schools where you could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ within the realm of possibility this year , and none of them are big-time jobs .
More likely is that any movement would be created by a few older coaches who ride off into the sunset after a very hard year .
And that ’ s going to require a significant mindset change in a sport where fans and big-money boosters typically start grumbling about their coaches at the first sign of trouble , particularly if they had already been tagged as underachievers .
Or maybe the mindset won ’ t change and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they need to make a change will continue to do that .
The difference this year is their anger has no chance of scaring the people making those decisions .
More than ever , administrators understand that coaches deserve a pass for anything that happens this season .
They ’ ve spent the past six months on Zoom calls , navigating countless unexpected issues from the pandemic .
Schedules have changed .
Rosters have evolved due to opt-outs .
Recruiting has been a mess .
Most anticipate games will either be forfeited or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups that test positive for COVID-19 and have to be quarantined .
Winning and losing is secondary ; the goal is simply to get through it .
But will fans be as forgiving ?
That remains to be seen .
No sport is more emotionally-driven in its decision-making than college football , and if somehow the SEC , ACC and Big 12 pull off a season that feels semi-normal , the temperature is naturally going to rise .
At some point , though , reality has to set in .
And under these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bad one – would not only be an optics disaster but a financial fiasco .
Eventually , the coaching carousel will return to normal .
But for now , there ’ s no such thing as a hot seat .

Opinion: There is no such thing as a coaches' hot seat in college football this season
Show Caption Hide Caption Does College Football Playoff without Big Ten and Pac-12 give other conferences hope? USA TODAY Sports' Paul Myerberg breaks down how the College Football Playoff will be different this year. USA TODAY
As the Football Bowl Subdivision begins playing Thursday night in all its weirdness and resilience, the college football world we are used to is going to look very different. In many places across the six conferences trying to play this fall, there will be no fans, no bands and no tailgates. It’s going to be strange.
But perhaps the strangest omission from the 2020 season will be the utter lack of anxiety and innuendo about the job status of various coaches whose teams lose more than their fans think they should. In a normal year, the coaching carousel is its own cottage industry, weaving together the interests of search firms, agents, news media and boosters. This year, there will be virtual silence on this front.
When you ask people whose job is to track potential head coach openings how many changes they expect to see following the 2020 season, the typical answers range between one and five, most of which would be attributed to retirements or the NFL plucking a college coach. But firing a coach in the thick of COVID-19? Unlikely at best, logistically impossible at worst.
If nothing else, COVID-19 has temporarily brought some common sense to a business that has spent the past couple decades turning fiscal irresponsibility and emotional immaturity into an art form.
Last year alone, Florida State committed just over $18 million to fire Willie Taggart after a mere 21 games. Rutgers, a school that was already swimming in buyouts, added another $8.47 million to get rid of Chris Ash. Arkansas had to shell out $10 million to fire Chad Morris, just a couple years after an $11.9 million buyout agreement with Bret Bielema – which Arkansas stopped paying, leading to an ongoing legal dispute.
And if this season had gone off without being disrupted by a global pandemic, we’d be speculating now about who’s next to start living the buyout life. Will Muschamp at South Carolina? Clay Helton at Southern Cal? Tom Herman at Texas? Up until now, there’s always been some fan base so fed up with their coach that the money is no object.
But just look around at how dramatically the landscape has changed. Bracing for the heavy financial hit of playing a season with limited attendance or no fans at all, athletics departments of all sizes have cut sports, cut pay and furloughed workers. Layoffs are expected at dozens of schools. Even Texas, an athletic department that generated nearly $224 million in revenue during the 2018-19 fiscal year, announced Tuesday that it was laying off 35 staffers and leaving 35 more vacant jobs unfilled on top of other cuts and salary reductions.
In that kind of financial environment, do you really think schools are going pay football coaches not to coach?
“Which university is going to lay off, furlough and ask for pay cuts and then turn around and admit they have a bunch of cash to pay a fired coach and his assistants and then hire a new coach?” said a one person who works in the coaching movement world and spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.
There are only a few schools where you could even imagine firing a coach even being within the realm of possibility this year, and none of them are big-time jobs. More likely is that any movement would be created by a few older coaches who ride off into the sunset after a very hard year.
And that’s going to require a significant mindset change in a sport where fans and big-money boosters typically start grumbling about their coaches at the first sign of trouble, particularly if they had already been tagged as underachievers. Or maybe the mindset won’t change and the same people who campaign online that they need to make a change will continue to do that.
The difference this year is their anger has no chance of scaring the people making those decisions.
More than ever, administrators understand that coaches deserve a pass for anything that happens this season. They’ve spent the past six months on Zoom calls, navigating countless unexpected issues from the pandemic. Schedules have changed. Rosters have evolved due to opt-outs. Recruiting has been a mess. Most anticipate games will either be forfeited or lost because of key players or position groups that test positive for COVID-19 and have to be quarantined. Winning and losing is secondary; the goal is simply to get through it.
But will fans be as forgiving? That remains to be seen. No sport is more emotionally-driven in its decision-making than college football, and if somehow the SEC, ACC and Big 12 pull off a season that feels semi-normal, the temperature is naturally going to rise.
At some point, though, reality has to set in. And under these circumstances, firing a coach – even a bad one – would not only be an optics disaster but a financial fiasco.
Eventually, the coaching carousel will return to normal. But for now, there’s no such thing as a hot seat.


usatoday--2020-09-03--Prescription deliveries: Health care providers urge patients to be proactive as COVID pandemic, USPS

Prescription deliveries: Health care providers urge patients to be proactive as COVID pandemic, USPS troubles cause delays

More Americans are getting their medications delivered to their homes instead of picking them up at a hospital or pharmacy to avoid possible exposure to COVID-19 , the illness caused by SARS-CoV-2 .
But as a surge in deliveries strain the postal system and the Trump Administration opposes additional funding for the U.S .
Postal Service , some patients report delays in receiving their medications .
An Ipsos poll found one in five Americans got medication through the mail in the past week , and one in four of them – or 5 % of all Americans – experienced a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the COVID pandemic … we ’ ve seen an increased interest in mailing and delivering medication , ” said Joe Gonzaga , director of retail pharmacy services at West Virginia University Medicine .
“ Because of the demand , there ’ s a delay because there ’ s so many prescriptions that need to get mailed out.
” West Virginia has an aging population living in mostly rural areas and is the third most reliant state on mail-order prescriptions in the country , according to data from before the pandemic collected by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a registered pharmacist and strategic program manager at health care tech company DrFirst , said prescription delays were an issue before the coronavirus pandemic .
If it ’ s gotten worse , she ’ s worried these delays could harm patients .
“ It may not sound like a lot but even one to two missed doses can really have an impact especially on medical conditions such as diabetes and heart diseases , ” she said .
“ That would be the detriment , that they miss a dose and they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ therapy.
” Gonzaga said pharmacies have had to rely on multiple methods of delivery such as FedEx , UPS and even their own courier service as a last resort .
They also reach out to their patients when they see a refill coming up .
Pharmacy precautions : Walgreens , CVS pharmacists to check for coronavirus symptoms , wear face shields during flu shots More : Pharmacists in 50 states can give childhood shots to prevent future outbreaks , officials say But health care providers encourage patients to be proactive about their health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Here 's what they can do : Call your pharmacy : Whether it ’ s your local community or mail order pharmacy , experts suggest calling right away to find out the current status of your prescription .
If it ’ s already been filled and on its way , some pharmacies can work with your doctor and insurance company to sell you a limited supply until the medications arrive .
Call your doctor : If you ’ re not able to get a limited supply from your local pharmacy , where you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , your doctor could have samples of that medication for you to take while waiting for your order to arrive .
Call your insurance company : Before your prescription is delayed , find out if you can be prescribed a 90-day supply of the medication so you don ’ t have to order a refill every month .
Also , find out the earliest you can order a refill and call the pharmacy before your medications run out .
Most insurance companies allow patients to refill their prescription seven to 10 days in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics , Innovation and Competition in Healthcare .
The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input .

Prescription deliveries: Health care providers urge patients to be proactive as COVID-19 pandemic, postal troubles cause delays
Show Caption Hide Caption How the US Postal Service found itself in debt The U.S. Postal Service is facing record demand because of COVID-19 and the upcoming election. Does it have the funds to rise to the occasion? Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
More Americans get their medications delivered to their homes instead of picking them up at a hospital or pharmacy to avoid exposure to COVID-19, the illness caused by SARS-CoV-2.
As a surge in deliveries strains the system and the Trump administration opposes additional funding for the U.S. Postal Service, some patients report delays in receiving their medications.
An Ipsos poll found one in five Americans got medication through the mail in the past week. Out of that group, one in four – or 5% of all Americans – experienced a delay or nondelivery.
“I think with the COVID pandemic … we’ve seen an increased interest in mailing and delivering medication,” said Joe Gonzaga, director of retail pharmacy services at West Virginia University Medicine. “Because of the demand, there’s a delay because there’s so many prescriptions that need to get mailed out.”
West Virginia has an aging population living in mostly rural areas and is the third-most-reliant state on mail-order prescriptions in the country, according to data from before the pandemic collected by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Heidi Polek, a registered pharmacist and strategic program manager at health care tech company DrFirst, said prescription delays were an issue before the coronavirus pandemic. If it’s gotten worse, she’s worried these delays could harm patients.
“It may not sound like a lot, but even one to two missed doses can really have an impact, especially on medical conditions such as diabetes and heart diseases,” she said. “That would be the detriment, that they miss a dose and they’re not getting the effectiveness of their therapy.”
Gonzaga said pharmacies have had to rely on multiple methods of delivery such as FedEx, UPS and even their own courier service as a last resort. They reach out to their patients when they see a refill coming up.
Pharmacy precautions: Walgreens, CVS pharmacists to check for coronavirus symptoms, wear face shields during flu shots
More: Pharmacists in 50 states can give childhood shots to prevent outbreaks, officials say
Health care providers encourage patients to be proactive about their health if their prescription delivery is delayed. Here's what they can do:
•Call their pharmacy: Whether it’s a community or mail-order pharmacy, experts suggest calling right away to find out the status of a prescription. If it’s been filled and on its way, some pharmacies can work with a patient's doctor and insurance company to sell a limited supply until the medications arrive.
•Call their doctor: If patients are unable to get a limited supply from their pharmacy, where they would probably have to pay in cash, their doctor could have samples of that medication to take while waiting for the order to arrive.
•Call their insurance company: Before a prescription is delayed, patients should find out if they can be prescribed a 90-day supply of the medication so they don’t have to order a refill every month. They should find out the earliest they can order a refill and call the pharmacy before their medications run out. Most insurance companies allow patients to refill their prescription seven to 10 days in advance.
Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.
Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.


usatoday--2020-09-03--Federal debt will exceed size of entire US economy next year because of coronavirus, analysis says

WASHINGTON – The federal debt will grow to approximately the size of the entire economy this year , the Congressional Budget Office announced Wednesday in its first analysis to fully take into account the economic and fiscal effects of the coronavirus pandemic .
The debt is projected to be larger than the gross domestic product by next year , according to the report .
In the nonpartisan agency 's 10-year outlook that was issued in January , CBO projected the debt would n't reach 98 % of GDP until 2030 .
`` We thought we had a full 10 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus wiped out a decade of fiscal space in just a few months , '' said Michael Peterson , head of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation , a nonpartisan organization focused on the country 's long-term fiscal challenges .
`` Worse yet , by 2023 we will break the all-time record for debt-to-GDP , which was set just after World War II . ''
More : Republicans say the Senate will take up coronavirus stimulus bill next week amid stalemate with Democrats Since the pandemic , Congress has spent trillions of dollars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to individuals , payroll assistance for businesses and expanded unemployment benefits .
Democrats and Republicans have not been able to agree on a fifth round of help that could dwarf the four previous rounds of assistance combined .
In May , the Democratic-led House passed a roughly $ 3.4 trillion bill .
The GOP-controlled Senate has talked about , but not approved , a $ 1.1 trillion package .
At the same time , tax revenues have fallen as the pandemic has pummeled the economy .
The budget office projected Wednesday that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deficit this year , the largest since 1945 as a share of the economy .
It 's also more than triple the shortfall recorded last year .
As a result , debt will rise sharply , reaching 98 % of GDP in 2020 , CBO said .
Debt is projected to exceed the size of the economy in 2021 and increase to 107 % in 2023 .
Budget watchdog groups have said that federal assistance is warranted but have also warned about the future consequences of so much deficit spending .
Unlike in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national debt exceeded economic output , the nation faces structural challenges digging out of the hole .
An aging population , rising health care costs , compounding interest – as well as tax revenues falling short of spending commitments – were the primary drivers of rising debt before the virus , Peterson said .
`` And they will remain so once the crisis has passed , '' he added .
Democrats have focused their blame on tax cuts , particularly those passed in 2017 by a GOP-controlled Congress that have increased deficits by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to the CBO .
Republicans have said the nation 's fiscal problems are rooted in unsustainable spending on entitlement programs like Medicare , Medicaid and Social Security .
The debt was 79 % the size of the economy at the end of 2019 and 35 % of GDP in 2007 , before the start of the previous recession .

Federal debt will exceed size of entire US economy next year because of coronavirus, analysis says
Show Caption Hide Caption Federal Reserve: How creating money could save US economy Where does the U.S. stimulus money come from? Here's how the Federal Reserve is saving the economy from the COVID-19 crisis. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – The federal debt will grow to approximately the size of the entire economy this year, the Congressional Budget Office announced Wednesday in its first analysis to fully take into account the economic and fiscal effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
The debt is projected to be larger than the gross domestic product by next year, according to the report.
In the nonpartisan agency's 10-year outlook that was issued in January, CBO projected the debt wouldn't reach 98% of GDP until 2030.
"We thought we had a full 10 years before reaching this unfortunate milestone, but the virus wiped out a decade of fiscal space in just a few months," said Michael Peterson, head of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, a nonpartisan organization focused on the country's long-term fiscal challenges. "Worse yet, by 2023 we will break the all-time record for debt-to-GDP, which was set just after World War II."
More: Republicans say the Senate will take up coronavirus stimulus bill next week amid stalemate with Democrats
Since the pandemic, Congress has spent trillions of dollars on coronavirus-related spending, including direct payments to individuals, payroll assistance for businesses and expanded unemployment benefits.
Democrats and Republicans have not been able to agree on a fifth round of help that could dwarf the four previous rounds of assistance combined.
In May, the Democratic-led House passed a roughly $3.4 trillion bill. The GOP-controlled Senate has talked about, but not approved, a $1.1 trillion package.
At the same time, tax revenues have fallen as the pandemic has pummeled the economy.
The budget office projected Wednesday that the government will run a $3.3 trillion deficit this year, the largest since 1945 as a share of the economy. It's also more than triple the shortfall recorded last year. As a result, debt will rise sharply, reaching 98% of GDP in 2020, CBO said. Debt is projected to exceed the size of the economy in 2021 and increase to 107% in 2023.
Budget watchdog groups have said that federal assistance is warranted but have also warned about the future consequences of so much deficit spending.
Unlike in the 1940s, the last time the national debt exceeded economic output, the nation faces structural challenges digging out of the hole. An aging population, rising health care costs, compounding interest – as well as tax revenues falling short of spending commitments – were the primary drivers of rising debt before the virus, Peterson said.
"And they will remain so once the crisis has passed," he added.
Democrats have focused their blame on tax cuts, particularly those passed in 2017 by a GOP-controlled Congress that have increased deficits by $1.9 trillion over a decade, according to the CBO.
Republicans have said the nation's fiscal problems are rooted in unsustainable spending on entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
The debt was 79% the size of the economy at the end of 2019 and 35% of GDP in 2007, before the start of the previous recession.