freedomdaily--2020-04-27--‘I Want The Same Equal Treatment:’ Biden Accuser Tara Reade Tears Into Media, Women’s Groups, Democr

‘I Want The Same Equal Treatment:’ Biden Accuser Tara Reade Tears Into Media, Women’s Groups, Democratic Politicians

Tara Reade condemned the media ’ s silence regarding her sexual assault allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden in an interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation and demanded equal treatment as “ other survivors ” like Christine Blasey Ford .
56-year-old Reade lamented that her sexual assault accusation has become a “ partisan tool , ” saying that Republicans have weaponized her and Democrats have both ignored and discredited her .
“ It ’ s inexcusable , ” she told the DCNF .
“ I ’ m sorry that I ’ m politically inconvenient but my perpetrator was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deal with it.
” Reade worked as a Senate staffer for Biden in 1993 and has accused the then-senator of kissing her , touching her , and penetrating her with his fingers without her consent .
Biden ’ s 2020 presidential campaign , which did not respond to a request for comment from the DCNF , has denied the assault and said it “ absolutely did not happen.
” Silence And A “ Shroud Of Non-Commitment ” From The Media Between March 24 , the day when Reade made her allegations public , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 81 questions and over 20 hours of interviews with media without being asked to comment on the sexual assault accusation , a recent analysis by the Washington Free Beacon found .
Though Biden ’ s former rival Sen. Bernie Sanders was asked about the allegations last week , the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has yet to address the accusations .
Read told the DCNF that major media outlets treat her with a “ shroud of non-commitment ” and silence .
She compared her treatment to the “ hundreds of stories ” that were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her .
“ My question is : why ?
Are they being told not to by the campaign ?
” she said .
Media outlets probe into every aspect of her life when she interviews with them , Reade told the DCNF .
By contrast , she pointed out , stories only publish denials from Biden ’ s campaign without getting details from the former vice president himself .
“ Their campaign didn ’ t have their hands up my skirt , ” Reade told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t have their hands underneath my clothes and then arrange for me to be fired.
” Biden ’ s accuser criticized CNN anchor Anderson Cooper , who has hosted Biden multiple times since her story broke , but has not asked him about her allegations .
She described how CNN , which did not respond to a request for comment from the DCNF , will call her and ask to interview her , saying they will “ consider doing a story ” on her allegations .
“ Well , get back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing a story , ” Reade said she tells CNN , “ and then I ’ ll complete the interview.
” According to Reade , ABC News reporter Sasha Pezenik interviewed her immediately after Reade went public with her accusation .
But she said Pezenik sat on the story .
“ She has never done a story , ” Reade said .
“ When I ’ ve asked her , she basically just says her producer ’ s not interested right now.
” Reade Calls Out Women ’ s Groups For Their Silence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ford ’ s sexual assault accusations against Kavanaugh , including pro-abortion women ’ s groups like Planned Parenthood , Emily ’ s List , the National Abortion Right ’ s Action League , have been silent regarding Reade ’ s accusations Reade said it would have meant “ so much ” to her to have a women ’ s movement or platform that supported her during this time .
“ I say back to these women ’ s organizations , I want the same equal treatment that other survivors have received , no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reade told the DCNF .
She singled out Emily ’ s List and activist Gloria Steinem , both of which whom she says she interacted as an “ active Democrat.
” “ Emily ’ s List , where are you ?
” she asked .
“ Gloria Steinem ?
Where are you ?
Where are these people ?
” Neither Emily ’ s List nor Steinem responded to requests for comment from the DCNF .
Multiple organizations said that , as nonprofits , they couldn ’ t weigh in on partisan topics , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidate .
The Time ’ s Up Legal Defense Fund , a 501 ( c ) 3 nonprofit administered by the National Women ’ s Law Center ( NWLC ) and established in the wake of the # MeToo movement , reportedly told Reade in February that it would not support her .
NWLC spokeswoman Maria Patrick said in a statement to the Intercept that the group ’ s nonprofit status restricts “ how it can spend its funds , including restrictions that pertain to candidates running for election.
” A spokeswoman for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the DCNF in April that CRR does “ not comment on elections or candidates as we are a non-partisan 501©3.
” Pressed as to why CRR actively commented on Kavanaugh ’ s confirmation , the spokeswoman said “ judicial appointees are not candidates and are not elected , ” and added , “ [ w ] e do not and have never commented on candidates for public elections.
” Reade told the DCNF that women ’ s groups that blame their silence on their nonprofit status do so out of fear .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s groups rely on funding that comes from the Violence Against Women Act , which Biden introduced in 1990 , and believes that these organizations worry they will lose this funding if Biden becomes president and they have spoken ill of him .
“ I think there ’ s all kinds of reasons , ” she adds .
” There ’ s economic , there ’ s just fear of who he is and how powerful he is .
I ’ m 56 years old , and I ’ ve kind of pushed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attacked I am getting harassed .
But I think it ’ s important I stay strong and stay firm.
” “ I ’ m Not Voting In A National Election ” : Reade Disowns Her Life-Long Party Reade recognizes that Biden is a pro-abortion candidate facing President Donald Trump in the upcoming 2020 election — and that many of the women ’ s groups are anxious to preserve abortion access in the United States .
But Biden has “ a pretty sketchy history on reproductive rights , ” she said , pointing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on abortion stances throughout his political career .
If the Democratic Party marginalizes her or discredits her , she warns , this “ lessens the credibility for women to come forward.
” “ I ’ m strongly pro-choice , ” she said .
“ I have no problem saying that .
But what I would say is that sexual assault and sexual harassment are equally as important.
” “ Joe Biden is like a wolf in sheep ’ s clothing , ” she adds .
“ He ’ s championing supposedly women ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is not the way he ’ s conducted himself.
” She named several Democratic figures who have touched on her allegations against Biden , including Sanders , Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , and former 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar .
None of these politicians responded to requests for comment from the DCNF .
“ Bernie Sanders would have no concept of who I am , of this incident , of who I was in 1993 , ” she told the DCNF , referring to Sanders discussing her accusations against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He had nothing to do with it .
How could he have an opinion when he doesn ’ t know ?
” The Vermont senator has not reached out to her on the matter , she added .
She pointed out that Klobuchar , a Minnesota Democrat , said recently on MSNBC that Reade ’ s alleged sexual assault had been investigated .
Reade said that statement is false and “ irresponsible , ” noting that her assault has “ never been investigated.
” “ My case is open and active with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She added that she found it “ very upsetting ” to hear Klobuchar go on to discuss Biden ’ s record on domestic violence prevention during that MSNBC hit .
As for Ocasio-Cortez , Reade noted that the the Democratic congresswoman said April 14 that Reade ’ s allegations against Biden are “ legitimate to talk about.
” “ What you ’ re voicing is so legitimate and real , ” Ocasio-Cortez said .
“ That ’ s why I find this kind of silencing of all dissent to be a form @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s legitimate to talk about these things , ” the congresswoman added .
“ And if we want , if we again want to have integrity , you can ’ t say , you know — both believe women , support all of this , until it inconveniences you , until it inconveniences us.
” Though Reade originally thanked Ocasio-Cortez for her initial support , she pointed out to the DCNF Friday that the New York representative proceeded to endorse Biden on April 23 .
“ She still had to toe the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said she is a third generation Democrat with a suffragette grandmother and a Democratic activist mother committed to fighting racism , but she no longer wishes to be associated with the Democratic party .
She won ’ t be voting Republican , either .
“ I will never be part of the Democratic Party again , ” she told the DCNF .
“ I ’ m not voting in a national election , ” Reade added .
“ There is no democracy for me .
I think , in my case , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
”


freedomdaily--2020-04-27--Lethargic global response to COVID-19: How the human brain’s failure to assess abstract threats cost

Lethargic global response to COVID-19: How the human brain’s failure to assess abstract threats cost us dearly

More U.S. citizens have confirmed COVID-19 infections than the next five most affected countries combined .
Yet as recently as mid-March , President Trump downplayed the gravity of the crisis by falsely claiming the coronavirus was nothing more than seasonal flu , or a Chinese hoax , or a deep state plot designed to damage his reelection bid .
The current U.S. administration ’ s mishandling of the coronavirus threat is part of a larger problem in pandemic management .
Many government officials , medical experts , scholars and journalists continued to underestimate the dangers of COVID-19 , even as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early as mid-January .
The results of this collective inertia are catastrophic indeed .
The U.S. , along with Italy , Spain , Iran and the French Alsace , is now the site of humanitarian tragedies , the kind we see erupting in the aftermath of natural disasters or military conflicts .
Much of the world appears inadequately prepared to recognize , let alone anticipate , when such threats occur .
Times of deep crisis offer the opportunity for new kinds of conversations .
As a psychiatrist studying how the human brain responds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a historian working on humanitarian responses to disasters , we find surprising points of agreement on the coronavirus pandemic .
From a historical and psychological perspective , there are good explanations for why so many among us fail to read the writing on the wall before a catastrophe strikes with full force .
Our failure to assess risks and make sense of calamitous events is not limited to government politics .
It permeates our daily lives and social relationships .
Consider the recalcitrant friend , neighbor or family member who shrugged off the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disinterested spring breakers on Florida ’ s beaches in mid-March .
Even in the eye of a cyclone , societies fail to come together when faced by a looming catastrophe .
Perhaps partisanship and tribal thinking hamper our ability to accurately assess risk .
Maybe this pandemic is so complex that it overwhelmed existing institutional preparedness .
Certainly presidential vanity , dysfunctional loyalism and personality cults , on stark display in the White House , greatly exacerbated the crisis .
That said , here ’ s an overarching explanation : It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change .
That ’ s because we don ’ t know how to tie personal experience to the broader historical context in which we live .
Put another way : We ignore history .
We don ’ t learn from similar events or direct antecedents .
We don ’ t consider worst-case scenarios .
We don ’ t plot how a relatively isolated event ( such as the early outbreak in China ) could trigger a worldwide chain reaction .
Two examples : The Great Depression , beginning with the stock market crash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic plunge in U.S. history .
The 1939 invasion of Poland by the Nazis violently erupted into a world war .
A variety of cognitive challenges confronted those living during those times .
As during the current pandemic , few saw what was coming , and few correctly assessed the long-term consequences .
There is also a distinct psychology of threat that often hampers rational and predictive behavior .
The human brain isn ’ t well suited to assign emotional valence to what it perceives as abstract dangers .
We often don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Instead , we function on a primordial level where close , immediate experiences will trigger a real sense of danger .
Someone standing in front of you with a gun is one .
An explosion from across the street is another .
But spatially or temporally distant events remain intangible .
As tribal beings , we seem much less interested in caring for a problem that might not – at least at first – be ours .
Consider President Trump ’ s turnaround from stubborn denial to seeming acceptance that COVID-19 could claim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Only after someone close to him contracted the coronavirus and fell into a coma did Trump seem taken aback by the tragedy .
As a species , we are unable to grasp abstract events that are outside our personal experience or do not occur in our immediate vicinity .
Tragedies occurring in other tribes , such as COVID-19 in China or Europe , appear as vague possibilities .
They elicit as much curiosity as a Hollywood movie ( think of “ Contagion ” ) .
To the human mind , these events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ temporarily or spatially distant , we will fail to correctly determine the risk of these looming events .
This is true if the disaster occurred 100 years ago ( like the Spanish flu ) or if it will happen 100 years from now ( like global warming ) .
It ’ s true if the threat is 50 days or 5,000 miles away from us .
As long as a threat is not in immediate proximity , we will find it difficult to imagine its repercussions .
We may fail to take the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learn not to be stubborn creatures of the here and now .
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The authors do not work for , consult , own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article , and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment .

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freedomdaily--2020-04-27--Failure to count COVID-19 nursing home deaths could dramatically skew US numbers

In New York state , 19 nursing homes have each reported 20 or more deaths from COVID-19 .
A nursing home in New Jersey reported 70 deaths out of its 500 residents .
In the words of New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo , these homes have become a “ feeding frenzy ” for the virus and “ the single biggest fear.
” With the clustering of people who are frail and have multiple other illnesses like heart disease , stroke , chronic lung disease and diabetes , the risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 is much higher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States does not know how many people are dying from COVID-19 in part because the government is only just now requiring nursing homes to start reporting numbers of presumed and confirmed cases and deaths to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
The missing cases could dramatically skew the national death count .
When France started reporting death data from some of its nursing homes , the daily COVID-19 fatality numbers almost doubled .
The Associated Press conducted its own survey in the U.S. and found there had been nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country as of April 24 .
However , just 23 states have been publicly reporting nursing home deaths .
States also vary in how and where they are performing tests , and some count only proven cases and not also presumptive ones , leading to significant underestimates of the death toll .
As a geriatrician at Boston Medical Center and researcher at Boston University School of Medicine , I have watched in dismay as COVID-19 has become a deadly flash flood among the very old people I care for and study .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in nursing homes at least double the U.S. COVID-19 death count .
Hints of what nursing homes and their residents and staff are going through have emerged from the states that have started publicly sharing data about them .
With Massachusetts Gov .
Charlie Baker leading the charge , the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is providing a daily update on nursing homes where residents or staff have either tested positive or are presumed to be infected with COVID-19 .
As of April 25 , about 77 % of Massachusetts nursing homes – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one case of COVID-19 .
That percentage will no doubt climb as the state carries out its mandated testing at nursing homes .
About one-third of Massachusetts nursing homes reported more than 30 COVID-19 cases each among residents and staff .
Nursing homes are required to maintain infection prevention protocols to prevent the spread of infectious diseases into and within their facilities .
But COVID-19 , which is much more contagious than the flu , has punched holes in even the most careful and diligent facilities .
Some nursing homes have also been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control .
It was initially estimated that on average , a person infected with COVID-19 led to an additional 2.5 people becoming infected .
This basic reproductive number is called R0 .
A Los Alamos National Laboratory study released April 7 indicates that this earlier estimate is woefully low and that the R0 is more like 5.7 .
For comparison , the R0 for flu is around 2 .
Among nursing home residents , the reproductive number is likely even higher than the average of 5.7 .
Many of the brave and caring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , likely because of the intensity of this higher R0 and their exposure time with residents .
By one report , nearly half of surveyed nursing homes reported staff staying home and not working because they had signs of or were proven to have COVID-19 .
The exposure to COVID-19 underscores how critical it is for nursing homes to get the adequate supplies of personal protective equipment they have been crying out for .
I believe it is likely that the majority of nursing homes throughout the U.S. and beyond have or will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are COVID-19 positive .
One large nursing home operator in Britain estimates that two-thirds of its homes have outbreaks .
We haven ’ t heard about most deaths yet By the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ’ s latest estimate , the U.S. has about 15,600 nursing homes with some 1.3 million residents .
One quarter of those residents , about 425,000 , are over the age of 80 .
In Massachusetts , the average age of death in confirmed COVID-19 cases is 82 .
As of April 26 , 56 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nursing homes .
The World Health Organization similarly estimates that half of COVID-19 deaths in Europe and the Baltics are among their 4.1 million nursing home residents .
A minimum of 50 % of the COVID-19 deaths occurring in nursing homes also agrees with the Kaiser Family Foundation ’ s review of data from the 23 states that are publicly reporting nursing home deaths .
The limited scope of counting people who have died from COVID-19 is not just a U.S. problem .
A representative of British nursing homes , Care England , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there have died due to COVID-19 – five times the U.K. government ’ s estimate of 1,600 .
One indication of the high death toll from nursing homes comes from Belgium .
The country has the highest per capita rate of COVID-19 deaths in the world – 57 per 100,000 people – primarily because officials there include nursing homes ’ COVID-19 deaths in the national count and they are including both presumed and proven cases .
Like Massachusetts , more than half of COVID-19 deaths in Belgium occur outside of hospitals .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hopkins University , is 16 per 100,000 , but its reports are only as reliable as its data sources , which include the CDC and state departments of health .
This rate is likely lower than Belgium and 11 other countries because of the great variation across the U.S. in which data are not included , such as people who die outside of hospitals , and the data missing due to limited testing .
On April 19 , the Centers for Medicare Services announced it would begin requiring U.S. nursing homes to report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CDC .
I hope this will include past cases and deaths .
To get an accurate count , veterans ’ homes , assisted living centers , group homes and other senior housing facilities must be required to report their past and current COVID-19 cases and deaths , as well .
There is plenty we still do not know about for why nursing home residents have borne the brunt of this pandemic .
As Gov .
Baker has indicated , “ This is a topic that will get a lot of appropriate analysis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to understand the coronavirus pandemic , and we can help .
Read The Conversation ’ s newsletter . ]
Thomas Perls does not work for , consult , own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article , and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment .


freedomdaily--2020-04-27--Are people with pets less likely to die if they catch the coronavirus?

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages .
If you have a question you ’ d like an expert to answer , send it to CuriousKidsUS @ theconversation.com .
Because COVID-19 is a relatively new strain of a coronavirus , there has not been any research published about whether people with pets are less likely to die from contracting the virus .
However , I study animal and human interaction , and I ’ m aware of a great deal of research suggesting that people with pets are generally healthier and recover from illnesses faster than people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keeping pets , or companion animals , has been linked all the way back to early Egyptian times , some 5,000 years ago .
One study found evidence of companion dogs going back to over 16,000 years ago in Belgium .
Today , pets live in households around the world .
Dogs are the most popular type of pet worldwide , but the exact numbers are difficult to accurately count .
In the United States , over 38 % of households have at least one dog and over 25 % have at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ popular in New Zealand , where 68 % of homes reported having one .
Fido and Fluffy help people stay active , socially and physically .
People who are healthy before catching a virus like the flu have an increased chance to fully recover .
People at greater risk of becoming infected with and suffering complications from the coronavirus include those with conditions such as heart disease or high blood pressure .
Regularly walking a pet dog , playing with a cat or engaging in the daily care of a companion animal can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the likelihood of recovering from serious illness .
One policy that has significantly affected people during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the social isolation , or “ stay-at-home ” orders , throughout the world .
The majority of these orders encourage people to limit their contact with other people .
During stay-at-home periods , people are taking their dogs for walks , riding their horses , training their rabbits for agility tasks and generally building stronger emotional relationships with their pets .
This may help reduce stress , anxiety and depression , especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having a pet may make people healthier – and being healthier may help them recover .
And having a pet may also make stressful times a little easier to get through .
Hello , curious kids !
Do you have a question you ’ d like an expert to answer ?
Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS @ theconversation.com .
Please tell us your name , age and the city where you live .
And since curiosity has no age limit – adults , let us know what you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t be able to answer every question , but we will do our best .
Clarissa M. Uttley does not work for , consult , own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article , and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment .


freedomdaily--2020-04-27--The coronavirus genome is like a shipping label that lets epidemiologists track where it’s been

Following the coronavirus ’ s spread through the population – and anticipating its next move – is an important part of the public health response to the new disease , especially since containment is our only defense so far .
Just looking at an infected person doesn ’ t tell you where their version of the coronavirus came from , and SARS-CoV-2 doesn ’ t have a bar code you can scan to allow you to track its travel history .
However , its genetic sequence is almost as good for providing some insight into where the virus has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its complete genetic instructions .
You can think of a genome as a book , containing words made up of letters .
Each “ letter ” in the genome is a molecule called a nucleotide – in shorthand , an A , G , C , T or U. Mutations can occur every time the virus replicates its genome , so that over time mutations accumulate in the viral genome .
For example , in place of the “ word ” CAT , the new virus has GAT .
The virus carries these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person to the next host .
These mutations behave like a passport stamp .
No matter where you go next , previous stamps in your passport still show where you ’ ve been .
Molecular geneticists like us can use this information to construct family trees for the coronavirus .
That allows us to trace the routes the virus has traveled through space and time and start to answer questions like how quickly and easily does it spread from one person to another ?
Online databases have been collecting SARS-CoV-2 genomic nucleotide sequences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive for SARS-CoV-2 , a lab can determine the genome sequence of the infecting virus and upload it .
As of late April , more than 1,500 genome sequence samples have been deposited in GenBank , a publicly available database run by the National Institutes of Health , and more than 3,000 are in GISAID , the open-access Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data .
Since each sequence is from a patient who is in a specific place in the world , these viral genome sequences allow scientists to compare them and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The more similar the sequences from two particular viruses are , the more closely related they are and the more recently they ’ ve shared a common ancestor .
The first SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequence uploaded to the GISAID ’ s website was collected from a patient in early December 2019 .
Of course , the viral mutations themselves do not tell researchers which country they happened in .
But since the databases record where particular patterns of mutations have been observed , scientists can determine the route that each viral strain has taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the virus around the world .
The data recorded from thousands of patients show that SARS-Cov-2 originated in Wuhan China and spread from there to the rest of the world .
The genetic data can play a big role in cracking public health mysteries , like how the coronavirus has spread through the United States .
For example , a traveler from Wuhan arrived in Seattle on Jan. 15 and tested positive for the virus on Jan. 20 .
On Feb. 28 , scientists sequenced a virus sample from an American patient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matched that of the virus from the Wuhan traveler , plus three new mutations .
GISAID has estimated the mutation rate at about 0.45 mutations per genome per week – so three mutations between the Jan. 20 case and the Feb. 28 case fits that rate .
Based on the three new mutations , this version of the virus had been multiplying undetected for about five weeks in the Seattle area .
Since each infected person can infect several other people without experiencing any symptoms themselves , the virus could have spread to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Using the genome sequences to link the virus from the Jan. 15 traveler from Wuhan with the Washington-based patient from the end of February alerted Washington state officials that the virus was silently spreading through the population .
This undetected spreading of the virus in Seattle and elsewhere is one of the primary reasons public health officials are calling for the public to stay home as much as possible .
Another study detailed the path the virus took as it moved from Wuhan to Shanghai to Germany to Italy to Mexico , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study tracked infected individuals and compared their viral genomic sequences .
Since researchers could compare the viral mutations to those in known locations at specific times , they were able to map out the phylogenetic tree – the family tree that shows how the various virus genome sequences are related .
Using the GISAID estimated mutation rate and the phylogenetic tree , scientists think the first time the coronavirus infected a person likely occurred in Wuhan in November or early December 2019 .
If the virus had been around much longer , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have had a larger variety of mutations than they did .
Still tracking and learning from the sequences The analysis of viral genomic sequences will continue to be a valuable tool for tracking and containing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 .
For instance , sequencing the genome of a virus from a newly infected patient could tell you if it is a virus that has been circulating in the area for a while , or if it is a new introduction from elsewhere .
Someone who ’ d been in northern Italy before travel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Iceland .
That initial outbreak was contained fairly quickly , but then new forms of the virus were introduced from elsewhere in Europe .
A new study pending peer-review indicates that California also had multiple introduction events with distinct viral lineages .
For California , knowledge of the frequency of new introductions would be an important factor to consider as officials devise ways to contain the virus .
Viral genome sequences can be informative in other ways as well .
Eventually , researchers may find that some forms of the virus are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case , the sequence of the viral genome could help physicians decide which treatment would be best for a particular patient .
[ You need to understand the coronavirus pandemic , and we can help .
Read The Conversation ’ s newsletter . ]
The authors do not work for , consult , own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article , and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment .


freedomdaily--2020-04-28--Border Patrol Stepping Up Coastal Patrols to Combat COVID-19

— USBP San Diego Sector ( SDC ) is strengthening its presence along California ’ s coastline in an effort to curb illegal human and drug smuggling routes being exploited by transnational criminal organizations .
This effort concurrently prevents further introduction of COVID-19 into California communities .
Maritime smuggling has become common place along the Pacific coastline and SDC is proactively addressing the growing threat .
Fiscal year to date , SDC Border Patrol has recorded 129 maritime events , which led to 485 arrests and the seizure of nearly 6,642 pounds of illegal drugs .
This is compared to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 194 maritime events , which led to 660 arrests and more than 19,000 pounds of seized contraband .
Criminal organizations that exploit our Pacific border often use overloaded vessels that are not equipped to handle rough , ocean waters .
The vessels also lack legally required safety lighting , are overcrowded with cargo and/or people , and have inferior engine and fuel compartments .
These smuggling attempts often turn into rescue missions that require additional USBP assets as well as assets from other local first responders .
As an example , one February @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rescue operation .
To deter the illegal maritime events from occurring , SDC is deploying additional patrol units to the coastal border .
This will include the use of the sector ’ s Horse Patrol Unit ( HPU ) , which has been utilized since USBP ’ s inception .
Nationwide , these units allow agents to patrol rugged terrain that is not easily accessible via 4×4 vehicles or ATV ’ s .
SDC ’ s official area of responsibility extends along the entire coast of California and includes areas that are difficult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times .
With the deployment of HPU along the coastal areas , SDC will increase its ability to interdict maritime smuggling events and curb the spread of COVID-19 .
If you have information about maritime smuggling or suspicious activity along the coast of California , please call 9-1-1 , and you will be directed through the proper channels .
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freedomdaily--2020-04-28--Gov Abbott Prepares To Let Texas’s Stay-At-Home Order Lapse Under Several Conditions

Gov .
Greg Abbott will let Texas ’ s stay at home order lapse after April 30 after the Republican issued a statewide lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic .
More than 280,406 Texans filed for unemployment in the week ending April 18 amid the lockdowns , according to figures provided by the Texas Workforce Commission .
Abbot also announced Monday that the first phase of Texas ’ s reopening will begin May 1 , with phase two happening on May 18 if the first phase is successful .
“ The most important element of phase one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Abbott said during his Monday briefing on the reopening .
All retail stores , restaurants , theaters , malls , and museums , among other store fronts will be allowed to open after April 30 with the occupancy rate at those facilities capped at 25 % , the Republican governor noted .
Abbott is deploying thousands of Texas National Guard members to manage mobile coronavirus testing sites across the state .
More than 600 people have died in Texas from the virus , according to the Worldometers website , which provides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus cases and deaths .
Conservative lawmakers are pushing for state to begin reopening their state economies .
Sen. Rand Paul 0f Kentucky said Sunday that his home state of Kentucky should begin reopening , saying the virus ’ s dangers no longer justifies an economic shutdown .
Coronavirus originated in Wuhan , China before jumping to the United States , where it has reportedly killed 55,000 people .
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freedomdaily--2020-04-28--Border Patrol Arrests Illegal Alien Who Tested Positive For Coronavirus

An Indian national apprehended by a Border Patrol agent on Thursday was soon discovered to be the first individual in Customs and Border Protection ( CBP ) custody to carry the novel coronavirus .
A Border Patrol agent apprehended four migrants — three Mexican nationals and one Indian national — attempting to enter the U.S. illegally on Thursday along the U.S-Mexico border near Calexico , California , according to a press release from the agency .
The three Mexicans were quickly returned across the border , while the Indian was taken into a Border Patrol facility for processing .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was evaluated by medical professionals and placed into quarantine after displaying “ flu-like symptoms.
” The man ultimately tested positive for COVID-19 , making him the first known detainee in CBP custody to have the disease .
CBP Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan responded to the incident and spoke about the risks CBP agents face every day during the coronavirus outbreak .
“ The potential for the introduction and spread of COVID-19 in CBP stations and processing centers presents a danger to migrants , our frontline agents and officers , and the American people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agents and officers continue to protect our country from this invisible enemy , risking their own lives for the health of our nation.
” “ This is precisely the reason the CDC has given CBP the authority to rapidly return individuals that could potentially be infected with COVID-19 .
CBP said it ’ s undergoing “ contact tracing ” of anyone who may have interacted with the individual , and his symptoms are being closely monitored .
He has been moved to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) facility and will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Homeland Security ( DHS ) , upon orders from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , first declared a ban on many forms of travel along the country ’ s northern and southern borders on March 20 .
That order was extended for another 30 days on April 20 .
Not only is movement through the northern and southern borders restricted to “ essential ” traffic , but the government has also green-lighted the immediate removal of illegal aliens .
Under Title 42 , illegal aliens are immediately returned , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is how the three Mexican nationals on Thursday were quickly sent back .
Since the border closure has been put in place , illegal alien crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border have plummeted .
The current apprehension numbers are a far cry from the middle of 2019 , when the border was overwhelmed by an immigration crisis .
Morgan noted how far worse the coronavirus pandemic would be at the U.S.-Mexico border would be if the Trump administration had never gotten the crisis under control .
“ Can you imagine if we were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year when we had more than 20,000 migrants in our custody ?
” he said in a Monday statement .
“ It would have overwhelmed our processing centers and stations , and crippled the healthcare system along the border .
”


freedomdaily--2020-04-28--Senator Seeks Access To DOJ Records On Steele’s Mystery Dossier Source

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham is asking the Justice Department to turn over records related to a key source for Christopher Steele who undercut allegations made in the salacious Trump dossier .
“ The Primary Sub-source substantially undercut Steele ’ s election reporting , calling into question the accuracy and reliability of any of Steele ’ s reports , ” Graham wrote in a letter to Attorney General William Barr released Monday .
The source , who has not been identified , could help answer several mysteries still surrounding the dossier , which the FBI used to obtain authority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Several allegations in the dossier have been debunked , including Steele ’ s claim of a “ well-developed conspiracy of coordination ” between the Trump campaign and Russian government .
Steele ’ s source told the FBI and Justice Department in January 2017 that Steele misrepresented or embellished several claims in the dossier .
The Justice Department ’ s inspector general said in a report that the FBI received evidence that Russian intelligence operatives may have fed disinformation to Steele , a former MI6 officer .
If disinformation is in the dossier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handled it .
Steele relied exclusively on the individual to collect information from others inside and outside Russia regarding Donald Trump , his campaign aides , and Russian activities related to the 2016 election .
The FBI failed to disclose the negative information about the dossier in its applications to surveil Page .
The Justice Department has invalidated two of those surveillance orders because of the FBI ’ s omissions regarding Steele , his source , and exculpatory information regarding Page .
Graham is seeking a written summary of a January 2017 interview @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Justice Department attorneys .
The South Carolina Republican also seeks an analytical document prepared by an FBI intelligence analyst after the interview with the source .
The South Carolina Republican said that the document “ identified inconsistencies ” between Steele and his source regarding information in two memos from the dossier .
He is also asking Barr for access to three email chains from February and March 2017 discussing the source , including one that Peter Strzok , then the deputy chief of FBI counterintelligence , sent to his colleagues .
Steele @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or the network of sources used in the dossier .
He said in a British court deposition last month that the source had worked for him on various projects “ for several years.
” Steele also said that his firm , Orbis Business Intelligence , paid sources a monthly retainer of between $ 3,000 and $ 5,000 .
The FBI said it has “ no comment ” when The Daily Caller News Foundation asked by email to explain the rationale for keeping the source ’ s identity secret .


freedomdaily--2020-04-28--Dossier Author Had Previously Undisclosed Meetings With Lawyers For DNC, Clinton Campaign

A lawyer representing the DNC and Clinton campaign provided Christopher Steele with information in 2016 regarding an alleged secret communications channel between the Trump Organization and a Russian bank , the former spy told a British court last month .
That now-debunked tip , from Perkins Coie lawyer Michael Sussmann , set off a chain of events that led to Steele publishing a Sept. 14 , 2016 memo accusing the founders of the bank , Alfa Bank , of having “ illicit ” ties to Vladimir Putin .
A week after Steele wrote that memo , he had another meeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Elias .
Steele disclosed the previously unreported meetings with Sussmann and Elias during testimony in a defamation lawsuit filed against him by the Alfa Bank founders , according to a court transcript obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation .
Steele ’ s testimony about Sussmann and Elias provides insight into how deeply involved the two lawyers were in the Trump investigation , and suggests they helped shape Steele ’ s investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 election .
Perkins Coie , Sussmann and Elias did not respond to requests for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who served as general counsel for the Clinton campaign , hired Fusion GPS in April 2016 to investigate Donald Trump .
Fusion GPS in turn picked Steele , a former MI6 officer , in June 2016 to investigate Trump ’ s possible ties to Russia .
Steele would go on to produce 17 memos alleging that the Russian government had blackmail material on Trump , and that members of his campaign were conspiring with the Kremlin to influence the 2016 election .
Many of Steele ’ s most explosive allegations have been debunked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ published the dossier .
A Justice Department inspector general ’ s report said that Steele ’ s primary source of information disputed many of the allegations in the dossier .
The IG report also said that the FBI and U.S. intelligence community received evidence in 2017 that Russian intelligence operatives may have fed disinformation to Steele .
The IG report also dealt a fatal blow to the Alfa Bank theory peddled by Sussmann .
It said the FBI investigated whether there were “ cyber links ” between Alfa Bank and the Trump Organization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ but had concluded by early February 2017 that there were no such links.
” The three owners of Alfa Bank have sued Steele in the U.S. and U.K. over the Sept. 14 , 2016 memo , which is referred to as “ Company Intelligence Report 112 ” in the dossier .
Steele testified under oath in London on March 17 and 18 .
He revealed that Sussmann , a former Justice Department official , told him during a meeting on July 29 , 2016 about suspicious network traffic between the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that the theory about the computer server traffic was the catalyst for the dossier memo he would write six weeks later about Alfa Bank .
“ I ’ m very clear is that the first person that ever mentioned the Trump server issue , Alfa server issue , was Mr. Sussman [ sic ] , ” Steele told Hugh Tomlinson , a lawyer for the Alfa Bank owners , on March 17 .
Steele went on to say that Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson instructed him at some point after the Sussmann @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bank .
“ I was given the instruction sometime after that meeting by Mr. Simpson , ” said Steele , adding that the instruction from Simpson “ was absolutely , definitely linked to the server issue.
” It was not previously known whether Steele keyed in on Alfa Bank on his own initiative , or if someone else tasked him with investigating the bank .
Steele said that he directed his dossier source to collect information from Russia about the bank .
He claimed that the source , who has not been identified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian government official , ” who reported back on the Alfa Bank founders .
In Report 112 , Steele wrote that the Russian official said that the three Alfa Bank founders had had “ ups and down ” with Vladimir Putin in the past , but were on “ very good terms ” with the Russian leader at the time .
The source also alleged that the Alfa Bank founders had delivered “ large amounts of cash ” to Putin in the 1990s , when he served as deputy mayor of St. Petersburg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sides held compromising information on the other , keeping everyone involved in check .
Sussmann shopped the allegations about the Alfa Bank computer servers around to others besides Steele , including to journalists and the FBI ’ s top lawyer .
He shared the information with reporters from the New York Times and Slate , which ran a story on Oct. 31 , 2016 .
According to that story , Alfa Bank ’ s servers were communicating in a peculiar fashion with those of the Trump Organization .
A team of computer experts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alfa-Trump channel was being used for some sort of communication between the two sides .
That assessment , if true , would have fit into Steele ’ s theory that the Trump campaign was conspiring with the Kremlin .
The Slate story appeared as rumors gained steam that the Trump campaign was somehow involved in the hack and release of emails from the DNC and Clinton campaign .
On Sept. 23 , 2016 , Yahoo !
News published a story alleging that Trump campaign aide Carter Page met secretly with Kremlin insiders to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On the day the Slate story appeared , Mother Jones reporter David Corn published a report citing a “ former Western intelligence officer ” who claimed that the Russian government had compromising material on Trump .
It is now known that Steele was involved in one way or the other in all three of the stories .
He met with both reporters from Mother Jones and Yahoo , and had investigated the allegations central to the Slate story .
To further spread the Alfa Bank story , Sussmann contacted James Baker , his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ general counsel for the FBI .
Baker told House investigators on Oct. 18 , 2018 that Sussmann contacted him to share the information and that they met on Sept. 19 , 2016 .
That day was a busy one for the FBI ’ s Crossfire Hurricane team .
The Justice Department IG report said that Steele provided six memos from his dossier to the FBI that same day .
The FBI began almost immediately drafting an application for a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ( FISA ) warrant against Carter Page .
The applications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which alleged that Page was a key link between the Trump team and Kremlin .
Notably , Steele did not provide the FBI with Report 112 from his dossier .
The FBI eventually obtained the memo on Nov. 6 , 2016 , when provided it to Baker .
It is unclear whether Sussmann and Steele ’ s outreach to the FBI on Sept. 19 , 2016 was coordinated , or merely coincidental .
Three days later , Steele met with Elias at Perkins Coie ’ s offices in Washington , D.C. , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide details of his discussions with Elias .
He also met with several journalists to discuss the dossier during that same visit to the U.S. capital .
One of the journalists Steele met was Michael Isikoff , the author of the Yahoo !
story about Carter Page .
Perkins Coie has been reluctant to discuss its affiliation with Fusion GPS and Steele .
Elias , the Perkins Coie partner , did not disclose his involvement in the matter when he attended a congressional deposition regarding the dossier along with his client , former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York Times reporter Ken Vogel has said that Elias misled him in 2017 when asked if Perkins Coie funded the dossier .
One mystery is where Sussmann obtained the information regarding an Alfa Bank connection to the Trump Organization .
Steele testified that a group of cyber experts passed Sussmann the information in late July 2016 .
The cyber experts , who go by the pseudonyms “ Max ” and “ Tea Leaves , ” have spoken to numerous reporters about their investigation , including at Slate , The New Yorker and The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Alfa Bank hired to investigate the server allegations determined that the computer records were likely fabricated by “ threat actors ” who wanted “ to make it appear as though a connection existed ” between the Trump Organization and Alfa Bank .
“ If true , this would constitute a potential violation of various US federal laws , ” Ankura , the cyber firm , wrote in a report released Friday .
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our original content , please contact [ email protected ]


freedomdaily--2020-04-28--CBP Officers Intercept Hard Narcotics Worth Over $25 Million At The World Trade Bridge

– U.S. Customs and Border Protection ( CBP ) Office of Field Operations ( OFO ) officers intercepted a significant amount of hard narcotics with an estimated street value of more than $ 25 million in one enforcement action at the World Trade Bridge .
“ This seizure was an enforcement action against transnational criminal organizations that exemplifies the vigilance and dedication our officers practice daily to stop the scourge of hard narcotics from infiltrating our communities , ” said Port Director Gregory Alvarez , Laredo Port of Entry .
Bags containing 579 pounds of methamphetamine seized by CBP officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occurred on Saturday , April 25 , at the World Trade Bridge when a CBP officer referred a 2020 International trailer hauling a shipment of stone tile for a secondary examination .
The trailer was driven by a 45-year-old male Mexican citizen traveling from Jalisco , Mexico to Los Angeles , California .
Following a canine and non-intrusive imaging system examination , CBP officers discovered a total of 579.37 pounds of alleged methamphetamine concealed within the shipment .
The narcotics have an estimated street value of $ 25,545,582 .
CBP seized the narcotics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the case was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations ( ICE-HSI ) special agents for further investigation .
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freedomdaily--2020-04-28--How the Trump administration accidentally insured over 200,000 through Obamacare

With an eye on replacing the Affordable Care Act , the Trump administration took one particularly critical action in October 2017 .
It discontinued cost-sharing reduction subsidy payments to health insurers participating in the ACA marketplaces .
But the response to those cuts was likely not what President Trump expected .
State insurance commissioners and insurers used them to make marketplace health plans more affordable .
Premium decreases were large – so large that 4.2 million potential enrollees had the option to purchase a marketplace plan for free in 2019 .
These changes made us wonder : Did President Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Care Act backfire ?
I ’ m a health economist at the University of Pittsburgh .
Along with my colleague David Anderson , a policy expert on the Affordable Care Act , we tried to answer that question shortly after the payment cuts .
We discovered that more than 200,000 people , using the Healthcare.gov platform in 2019 , gained insurance in 37 states due to the Trump administration ’ s actions .
This finding may even be more important now as massive unemployment from the coronavirus pandemic leads to huge losses of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people enrolling in the marketplaces .
People who sign up for a plan in the Health Insurance Marketplaces may qualify for two types of subsidies .
The first type is the advanced premium tax credit , which reduces the premium paid by the enrollee ; lower-income enrollees receive larger premium tax credits .
The second type is the cost-sharing reduction subsidy , which decrease deductibles and co-pays .
Premium tax credits may be applied to any marketplace plan , though they ’ re based on silver plan premiums , which cover 70 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care expenses .
Cost-sharing reduction subsidies can only be applied to silver plans ; that means qualifying enrollees in less generous bronze plans and more generous gold plans don ’ t benefit from reduced deductibles and co-pays provided by these subsidies .
When Trump ended those payments , marketplace insurers were suddenly in a bind .
They are legally required to provide cost-sharing reduction subsidies to enrollees whether or not the federal government was paying .
The expectation : marketplace insurers , forced to make up the lost revenue , would either increase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And Obamacare would implode .
But that ’ s not what happened .
Why did the plans become more affordable ?
Insurers increased only the premiums of their silver plans .
That approach – known as silver loading – did two things .
First , the cost of silver plan premiums rose drastically .
Second , premium tax credits increased along with premiums .
So those enrollees receiving premium tax credits saw no increase in the premiums of their silver plans .
At the same time , non-silver plans became cheaper .
Many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ became so cheap they were free after applying premium tax credit subsidies .
Lower-income enrollees benefited the most .
In 2019 , 4.2 million enrollees could enter the marketplace for free through a zero-dollar bronze plan , largely due to silver loading .
Without those zero-premium plans , our analysis showed more than 200,000 lower-income marketplace enrollees would have gone uninsured .
Another 60,000 would have gained insurance had California and New Jersey eliminated regulations that prohibited zero premium plans — and if Indiana , Mississippi and West Virginia had adopted silver loading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states not included in our study .
All this is clearly not what the Trump administration had in mind when it cut subsidy payments .
Other changes to the marketplaces probably masked some coverage gains that occurred .
Notably , cuts in the public outreach for Healthcare.gov , along with the elimination of the individual mandate , decreased enrollment .
But the popularity of zero premium plans resulting from silver loading likely stopped much of the damage – and Trump ’ s attempt to destabilize the marketplaces .
Now states can take advantage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to increase health coverage through the marketplaces .
One way : States requiring marketplace insurers to provide extra benefits – again , like California and New Jersey – can pick up the small tab for those extras .
For example , California enrollees pay for abortion coverage through a one-dollar monthly premium surcharge .
This is not covered by premium tax credits .
By shifting premiums from even one dollar to zero dollars , our estimates indicate enrollment would increase by approximately 13 % among those with lower incomes .
Another way : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This is not a partisan issue .
Conservative states – or at least , GOP-controlled states like Alabama , Wyoming and Florida – have silver-loaded .
State governments pay nothing , revenue for insurers is increased , and most critically , lower-income Americans are provided with affordable health insurance .
Put simply , there ’ s no downside for states .
The Trump administration is prevented from restricting silver loading through 2021 .
However , a forthcoming Supreme Court case , Texas v. Azar , may yet repeal the entire ACA .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ rules in favor of the GOP plaintiffs , they will put affordable health insurance out of reach for the 11.4 million Americans that purchased health insurance in the marketplaces .
They will also eliminate Medicaid coverage for an additional 16.9 million Americans .
If the case succeeds , the uninsured rate could easily surpass levels not seen since the height of the Great Recession .
And for millions of Americans , access to health insurance – desperately needed , particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic – will be eliminated .
[ You need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can help .
Read The Conversation ’ s newsletter . ]
Coleman Drake receives funding from the National Institute for Health Care Management to study the subjects discussed in this article .
His research that was cited here was unfunded .
David Anderson receives funding from National Institute of Health Care Management for research related to enrollment responses to zero premium exposure .
The research cited in this article was not funded by any party .


freedomdaily--2020-04-28--Scientists at work: Uncovering the mystery of when and where sharks give birth

If you have a toddler , or if you encountered one in the last year , you ’ ve almost certainly experienced the “ Baby Shark ” song .
Somehow , every kid seems to know this song , but scientists actually know very little about where and when sharks give birth .
The origins of these famous baby sharks are still largely a mystery .
Many of the large iconic shark species – like great whites , hammerheads , blue sharks and tiger sharks – cross hundreds or thousands of miles of ocean every year .
Because they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ lives , including their reproductive habits , remains a secret .
Scientists have struggled to figure out precisely where and how often sharks mate , the length of their gestation , and many aspects of the birthing process .
I am a Ph.D. student studying shark ecology and reproduction and am on a team of researchers hoping to answer two important questions : Where and when do sharks give birth ?
In need of innovation Until very recently , the technology to answer these questions did not exist .
But marine biologist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State University and my research mentor , changed that .
He developed a new satellite tag called the Birth-Tag with the help of the technology company Lotek Wireless .
He has no stake in the company .
Using this new satellite tag , our team is working to uncover where and when tiger sharks give birth and is demonstrating a proof of concept for how scientists can do the same for other large shark species .
The Birth-Tag is a small , egg-shaped device that we insert into the uterus of a pregnant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hidden among the fetal sharks throughout pregnancy .
This kind of tag has never before been used on sharks , but similar implanted tags have been used to figure out the birthing locations of terrestrial mammals , such as deer , for decades with great success .
When a tagged mother shark gives birth , the tag will be expelled alongside the babies and float to the sea surface .
Once it senses dry air , the tag transmits its location to a passing satellite , which then sends that location and time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As soon as we download this information , we know where and when that shark gave birth .
After years of fine-tuning this new technology , we launched the first phase of the study in December of 2019 and began deploying the tags .
Once the study was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees at both Arizona State University and the University of Miami , as well as the Bahamian government , we set out to find some tiger sharks .
To do this , our team of researchers from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Shark Research and Conservation Program at the University of Miami led by marine biologist Neil Hammerschlag , traveled to the crystal-clear waters of Tiger Beach off Grand Bahama Island to tag tiger sharks .
Up close with an apex predator Tiger Beach is a hot spot for female tiger sharks of many different life stages , including large pregnant individuals .
These pregnant females may be aggregating in the warm , calm waters of Tiger Beach to take refuge and speed up their gestation .
The high number of pregnant sharks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much easier , but actually catching and bringing a 10-foot-plus shark to the boat is no easy task .
We fish for the sharks using drumlines , and it can take several hours to safely catch , pull in by hand , and secure one of these powerful creatures next to the boat .
Once we catch a female tiger shark , we first take several length and girth measurements to get an idea of her general health and to see if she is sexually mature .
Then we check for bite marks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mating event .
After we collect this baseline information , we rotate her upside down to coax her into a trance-like state called tonic immobility .
Tonic immobility is a natural reflex in many sharks that induces a state of physical inactivity .
This keeps the powerful shark calm and still for the most exciting part of the workup , the part where my experience comes into play : the pregnancy check .
Just like the ultrasounds used on humans , we use a mobile ultrasound machine to figure out if a shark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pair of goggles that allow me to see everything the ultrasound sees , lean over the side of the boat , and place the probe onto the upside down shark ’ s abdomen .
The image is usually fuzzy at first as water splashes over the shark and up onto the boat .
The team holds the shark still as I slowly maneuver the probe along her belly .
Then , if she ’ s pregnant , something magical happens .
Wriggling baby tiger sharks , up to 40 of them packed tightly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , appear in front of my eyes .
The image also appears on a screen held by another team member on the boat , and everyone cheers as they gather around to take a peek into the secret world of unborn sharks .
We spy on them as they pump fluid through their still-developing gills , and we watch in awe as they wiggle around , blissfully unaware that anything extraordinary is happening outside in the world .
Once we have enough data on the approximate size of the offspring – which gives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pregnancy is – it ’ s time to tag the mama shark .
As I hold the probe as still as possible to keep a visual of the shark ’ s internal anatomy , Dr. Sulikowski takes the Birth-Tag and uses a custom-designed applicator to carefully insert it into the uterus through the urogenital opening .
No surgery required , the tagging procedure is complete in a matter of minutes .
Once the tag is inside the uterus , we rotate the shark upright to wake her and release her back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with hope as I watch her swim gracefully away to continue her pregnancy , with a stow-away Birth-Tag hidden among her unborn offspring .
Last December , we deployed the first Birth-Tags on three pregnant tiger sharks .
For tiger sharks , pregnancy is thought to last 12-16 months , but researchers have little in the way of hard data .
Since these tagged sharks ranged from recently mated to mid-gestation , an added bonus of this study is that it might help refine estimates of the length of pregnancy for this species @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a shark sanctuary where it is illegal to kill sharks , tiger sharks migrate extensively .
As such , each tagged shark will likely spend time outside of The Bahamas in unprotected waters where she will have to navigate carefully to avoid interaction with fishing gear .
Tiger sharks are considered near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and their populations are currently in decline .
The data we gain from this first round of tags will give us and policymakers information that could inform future protections for this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receive a notification from our online ARGOS satellite system that will alert us that one of our sharks has given birth .
When that happens , we will be the first in the world to know , in close to real time , where and when tiger sharks give birth .
Many species of shark are threatened with extinction , and understanding their reproductive cycles is key to the effective conservation of these ecologically important and beautiful creatures .
Using the Birth-Tag , we are at the cusp of unlocking this information about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this can be done for many more species .
We are planning future expeditions to deploy many more Birth-Tags , but for now , we ’ ll just have to keep singing the “ Baby Shark ” song as we patiently wait for our first glimpse into the private lives of these incredible creatures .
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Sign up for The Conversation ’ s newsletter . ]
Hannah Verkamp works for Arizona State University as a Research Associate in the Sulikowski Shark and Fish Conservation Lab .


freedomdaily--2020-04-29--Here Are 5 People Who Have Corroborated Details Of Tara Reade’s Accusation Against Joe Biden

More and more details of Tara Reade ’ s sexual assault accusation against former Vice President Joe Biden have been corroborated .
Reade , a former staffer for Biden while he was in the Senate , has accused the former vice president of pushing her up against a wall , kissing her , touching her and penetrating her with his fingers without her consent in 1993 .
Biden has yet to personally address Reade ’ s accusation , though a campaign spokesperson has denied that the alleged incident ever happened .
Biden ’ s campaign hasn ’ t returned repeated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News Foundation .
Five people have corroborated details of Reade ’ s account against Biden , who is the presumptive Democratic nominee for president , a Daily Caller News Foundation review of public statements found .
Reade ’ s late mother appeared to corroborate details of her account while calling into “ Larry King Live ” in 1993 , shortly after Reade left Biden ’ s office .
A transcript and video of the segment was uncovered after Reade mentioned in an interview that her mother had called into “ Larry King Live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m wondering what a staffer would do besides go to the press in Washington ?
My daughter has just left there , after working for a prominent senator , and could not get through with her problems at all , and the only thing she could have done was go to the press , and she chose not to do it out of respect for him , ” a woman from Reade ’ s hometown told King .
Reade confirmed to the DCNF that it was her mother ’ s voice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brother , Collin Moulton , confirmed to The Intercept that she told him about the alleged assault around the time that it happened — long before she went public with her claims against Biden .
Her brother also confirmed that Reade ’ s mother had encouraged her to contact the police about the alleged assault .
Reade ’ s former neighbor , Lynda LaCasse , corroborated key details of Reade ’ s account in an interview published Monday .
“ This happened , and I know it did because I remember talking about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporter , told Business Insider .
“ I remember her saying , here was this person that she was working for and she idolized him , ” she added .
“ And he kind of put her up against a wall .
And he put his hand up her skirt and he put his fingers inside her .
She felt like she was assaulted , and she really didn ’ t feel there was anything she could do.
” LaCasse ’ s account of what Reade told her decades ago tracks with how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reade has accused Biden of pushing her against a up wall in a Senate corridor , kissing her , touching her and penetrating her with his fingers without her consent .
One of Reade ’ s close friends , who remained anonymous , also confirmed to The Intercept that Reade had described the alleged assault around the time it was said to have happened .
Ryan Grim , the reporter at The Intercept who spoke to Reade ’ s close friend , confirmed to the DCNF that the friend in the story is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coworker , Lorraine Sanchez , also corroborated details of her account against Biden .
Sanchez and Reade worked together at a California state senator ’ s office in the mid-1990s .
Reade told Sanchez that “ she had been sexually harassed by her former boss while she was in D.C. , and as a result of her voicing her concerns to her supervisors , she was let go , fired , ” Sanchez told Business Insider .
She recalled Biden was Reade ’ s former boss , but didn ’ t remember if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .


freedomdaily--2020-04-29--Senate Democrats Demand Coronavirus Aid Be Given To DACA Students

A group of nearly 30 Senate Democrats is calling on the U.S. Department of Education to allow college students who entered the country unlawfully obtain coronavirus aid provided by the federal government .
In a letter addressed to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos , 28 Democratic senators on Monday demanded the Trump administration “ reverse ” a decision to bar college students enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ( DACA ) program from receiving financial assistance from the coronavirus rescue package .
The $ 2.2 trillion Cares Act , passed last month to help Americans struggling under coronavirus lockdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aid for students through the Education Department .
However , the Education Department is not providing funds to illegal alien students — including those in the DACA program .
Senate Democrats say the administration was “ unauthorized ” to make this decision .
“ This decision unnecessarily harms students in need , and contradicts clear Congressional intent and the plain language of the CARES Act , ” the lawmakers wrote .
“ We expect you to comply with the intent of the CARES Act and reverse this unauthorized decision immediately.
” “ These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergency financial aid .
Indeed , those who are especially vulnerable to economic hardship are exactly whom these funds were designed to help , ” the letter continued .
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet , who launched a failed 2020 bid for his party ’ s presidential nomination , and New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez led the group of 26 other lawmakers in requesting the administration reverse its decision .
“ As students and families across the country struggle to deal with the public health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 emergency , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in need , regardless of immigration status , ” the letter concludes .
“ We , again , urge you to immediately reverse your decision to exclude DACA recipients from CARES Act emergency financial aid grants to students.
” This is far from the first time Democratic lawmakers have called on the government to provide coronavirus assistance to those who entered the U.S. illegally .
Fifty House Democrats , for example , have lended their support to the Leave No Taxpayer Behind Act which , if passed into law , would allow illegal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the CARES Act .
Democratic leaders in Chicago and Minneapolis have also allocated state funds for those living unlawfully in the country .
California Gov .
Gain Newsom , announced earlier this month that his administration will hand out $ 125 million in coronavirus assistance to roughly 150,000 illegal alien adults living in the state , and he has already established a fund for businesses run by undocumented immigrants .
The fate of the DACA program — which the White House is trying to terminate — currently rests in the hands of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected sometime in the summer .


freedomdaily--2020-04-29--Trump Considers Testing Arriving International Travelers For Coronavirus

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that his administration has been in touch with airline companies about testing international travelers arriving in the United States .
Speaking at the Oval Office with GOP Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis , the president said he may soon mandate COVID-19 testing of people entering the country via international flights , according to a report from Bloomberg , adding that the administration is “ looking at it very closely.
” When asked if he meant temperature checks of passengers or full-blown diagnostic tests , Trump answered “ both.
” “ We ’ re talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talking with others also that have a lot of business coming in from South America , Latin America , and we ’ ll make a determination , ” he said on Tuesday at the White House , sitting beside DeSantis .
“ We ’ re also setting up a system where we do some testing and we ’ re working with the airlines on that.
” While Trump stated that he is not currently mulling a block on travel from Latin America , he did nudge the Florida governor to let him know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fight against the virus outbreak .
Both Trump and DeSantis are concerned about incoming travelers who arrive from coronavirus hotspots in South America , and specifically mentioned Brazil .
“ We could be way on the other side doing well in Florida and then you could just have people kind of come in , ” DeSantis said , who added that he has pushed for rapid testing of airline passengers .
“ Maybe some of these airliners , it should be on them to check before they ’ re getting on and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governor said .
“ I think we ’ re technologically more advanced where there should be something like that .
So I ’ ve been advocating for that.
” Talk of testing international airline passengers comes as the infection rate in the U.S. continues to climb .
The coronavirus has sickened more than 3,000,000 people across the globe .
In the U.S. , more than 988,000 people have tested positive for the virus .
In Brazil , considered a hotspot for the virus in South America , more than 67,000 people have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an attempt to mitigate the outbreak , the Trump administration has restricted immigration along the northern and southern borders to only “ essential ” traffic , and has since issued an executive order that restricts green card applications from foreign nationals living abroad .


freedomdaily--2020-04-30--DC Police Change Tara Reade’s Sexual Assault Complaint From Active To Inactive: Report

The Washington , D.C. Metropolitan Police Department has changed the status of a complaint against 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden from active to inactive , One America News Network reported Wednesday .
The network ’ s Richard Pollack reported Wednesday afternoon that the D.C. police department appears to have closed its investigation into Tara Reade ’ s allegations of sexual assault against Biden .
“ The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department has suddenly , without explanation , killed its active investigation into sex abuse charges against presumptive presidential candidate Joe Biden , ” Pollack said .
Reade worked as a Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accused the then-senator of kissing her , touching her and penetrating her with his fingers without her consent .
The Biden campaign has denied the assault and said it “ absolutely did not happen.
” Reade filed a police report on April 9 with the D.C. police department .
“ This is an active , ongoing investigation that is part of our regular review process , ” Metropolitan Police Department public affairs officer Christine Metzger told the Daily Caller on April 22 .
Metzger also confirmed at the time that police were launching @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that bars authorities from prosecuting Biden if he is indicted .
This is part of the “ external review process , ” she added .
Metzger also told the Washington Examiner that the case had been referred to MPD ’ s sexual assault unit , Pollack noted Wednesday .
But the MPD public affairs officer told OAN Monday that “ the case is inactive and there is no further information available.
” She refused to provide the outlet with any more information on the matter .
MPD has not responded to a request @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foundation .
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freedomdaily--2020-04-30--New York Times Lies About Hannity, Covers With Stealth Edits

Imagine boarding a fantastical time machine with the intention of visiting a landmark event in history , perhaps to witness the signing of the Constitution or the Wright Brother ’ s first flight in December of 1903 , but something goes catastrophically awry , and you find yourself in Nazi Germany – more specifically in the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda headed by Joseph Goebbels .
Unfortunately , the took that ill-fated ride and never returned .
During the holocaust , the Times printed 26 front-page stories about the atrocity , but only six of them the primary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terms such as : “ seeking shelter , ” “ facing confiscation , ” or “ dying in German camps.
” The times managed to avoid identifying Jews as targets during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944 by saying , “ 500,000 persons were herded into less than 7 percent of Warsaw ’ s buildings.
” And , when referring to the concentration/death camp Treblinka , the Times printed “ 400,000 were deported to their deaths at Treblinka.
” Obviously , they had little or no interest in identifying Jewish people as the primary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In present-day America , the New York Times doesn ’ t have the holocaust to ignore , but they ’ re still a proud advocate of the Democrat party and more than happy to disseminate disinformation on its behalf .
A recent example is an article written by Gina Bellafonte , a New York Times reporter and critic , about a man named Joe Joyce , a beloved Brooklyn , New York bar owner who died of coronavirus after taking a cruise to Spain .
Bellafonte suggested that Mr. Joyce decided to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ downplaying the virus .
She wrote , “ Of course , Ginia Bellafonte could care less about the truth , or she would ’ ve never written the article because Joe Joyce embarked on his cruise on March 1 , eight days Hannity made the remarks she cited in her hit piece .
Bellafonte can ’ t let a little thing like a simple chronology or facts get in the way , her mission to destroy Sean Hannity is far more important to her , and her kind , than edifying their readers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ following video on Fox ’ s Hannity : and demanded they retract the fallacious , defamatory statement about him in the article .
The New York Times refused to comply but edited Ginia Bellafonte ’ s article with the following : It appears that the influencing Joe Joyce to go on the cruise , then they admitted to the lie in the edit to Bellafonte ’ s article , then on April 28 they issued this : – see here .
Sadly , the New York Times is only one of many liberal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ journalistic gratification upon one another to deceive the American public and benefit the Democrat party .


freedomdaily--2020-04-29--Obama Admin Officials Pan Trump’s Order Mandating Food Processing Plants Stay Open

Two former Obama-era officials criticized President Donald Trump for ordering food processing plants to remain open as experts warn the food supply chain is breaking amid chronic shutdowns and economic lockdowns .
Trump ’ s executive order Tuesday mandating food processing plants stay open is dismissive toward the workers who are infected with coronavirus , according to Chris Lu , a former deputy secretary of labor in former President Barack Obama ’ s administration .
Experts say shuttering plants amid virus concerns puts the country ’ s food supply at risk .
“ Instead of issuing tough standards to protect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stay open , likely giving liability protection to companies , ” Lu told his Twitter followers Tuesday .
He included in the tweet a link to Bloomberg reporter Jennifer Jacobs ’ s tweet fleshing out the president ’ s decision .
Lu went on to note that “ thousands of meat processing employees have tested positive ” for coronavirus , or COVID-19 , which originated in Wuhan , China and is reportedly responsible for killing more than 55,000 people in the United States .
Lu is not the only Obama-era official to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ALREADY A CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE .
Trump declaring it under # defenseproductionact is a big yawn , ” Juliette Kayyem , a businesswoman who served as an assistant secretary for intergovernmental affairs under former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano , said on Twitter Tuesday .
Mayors , governors began locking down their respective economies in March after health officials warned that the virus would run rampant and kill scores of people if drastic measures are not employed .
Trump wants to use the Defense Production Act to compel the companies to stay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Two of the largest food processing companies shut down indefinitely as their workers come down with the virus .
One of the companies — Tyson Foods — rolled out a full-page advertisement Sunday in The Washington Post warning that the country ’ s food supply chain is “ breaking ” amid continued lockdowns aimed at slowing down the coronavirus pandemic .
The company ’ s board chairman John Tyson wrote in the ad that farmers will be left in the dust and “ millions of animals — chickens , pigs and cattle ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of the closure of Tyson processing centers due to virus-related concerns .
Tyson Foods closed plants in Logansport , Indiana , and Waterloo , Iowa , where at least 182 cases of the virus originated .
Roughly 238 Smithfield Foods employees had active cases of the virus , which makes up about 55 % of South Dakota ’ s total , according to South Dakota Gov .
Kristi Noem .
Noem recommended the company shutter the plant , which has about 3,700 workers , for at least two weeks .
Smithfield also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minnesota .
Experts say the food supply is under severe pressure .
“ Everybody is trying to replenish their stocks as quickly as possible , ” Rob Handfield , a professor of supply chain management at N.C. State University , told McClatchy News .
“ They just don ’ t know how long it ’ s going to take to get supplies back on the shelves .
”


freedomdaily--2020-04-29--America Rising Petition Demands Biden Unseal Senate Docs Related To Tara Reade

A political action committee has introduced a petition demanding that 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden unseal senate documents related to allegations of sexual assault leveled against him by Tara Reade .
The Democratic political opposition research group America Rising launched the “ PETITION : Tell Biden to Unseal His Senate Papers !
” Tuesday afternoon as Reade called on on the former vice president to release documents pertinent to his time during the Senate in an exclusive interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation .
Biden faces increasing pressure to unseal documents currently housed by the University of Delaware Library @ @ @ @ @ @ @ swath of Biden ’ s political career but are being kept secret until Biden “ retires from public life , ” the Washington Post reports .
“ Joe Biden is facing an allegation of sexual assault by a former Senate staffer , ” America Rising ’ s petition says .
“ New details are emerging every week , however he has yet to be asked a single question about the allegation by mainstream media.
” “ Currently , all of the documents from Biden ’ s career in the U.S. Senate remain under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Delaware , ” the petition adds , noting that the documents may include information pertinent to Reade ’ s allegations but that Biden “ refuses to release a single document.
” “ Joe Biden , I want you to release all the personnel records from 1973 to 2009 and be transparent about your office practices , ” Reade told the DCNF .
“ I would like to hold you accountable for what happened to me , to how your staff protected you and enabled you , bullied me multiple times into silence.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she told Biden .
“ You ended my job after you assaulted me .
You claim to be the champion of women ’ s rights , but your public persona does not match your personal actions.
” She added : “ I want this brought to light and I want you to admit it in public .
I want a public apology for calling me a Russian agent and having other people try to smear my character in order to cover your crimes.
” The Biden campaign has denied the assault and said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Reade ’ s demand for transparency from the DCNF .


freedomdaily--2020-04-29--Archaeologists have a lot of dates wrong for North American indigenous history – but we’re using new

Archaeologists have a lot of dates wrong for North American indigenous history – but we’re using new techniques to get it right

Columbus famously reached the Americas in 1492 .
Other Europeans had made the journey before , but the century from then until 1609 marks the creation of the modern globalized world .
This period brought extraordinary riches to Europe , and genocide and disease to indigenous peoples across the Americas .
The European settlement dates and personalities are known from texts and sometimes illustrations , to use the failed colony on what was then Virginia ’ s Roanoke Island as an example .
But one thing is missing .
What about indigenous history throughout this traumatic era ?
Until now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inevitably , from the European conquerors , even when scholars try to present an indigenous perspective .
This all happened just 400 to 500 years ago – how wrong could the conventional chronology for indigenous settlements be ?
Quite wrong , it turns out , based on radiocarbon dating my collaborators and I have carried out at a number of Iroquoian sites in Ontario and New York state .
We ’ re challenging existing – and rather colonialist – assumptions and mapping out the correct time frames for when indigenous people were active @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a given indigenous settlement was active based on the absence or presence of certain types of European trade goods , such as metal and glass beads .
It was always approximate , but became the conventional history .
Since the first known commercial fur trading missions were in the 1580s , archaeologists date initial regular appearances of scattered European goods to 1580-1600 .
They call these two decades Glass Bead Period 1 .
We know some trade occurred before that , though , since indigenous people Cartier met in the 1530s had previously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trade with him .
Archaeologists set Glass Bead Period 2 from 1600-1630 .
During this time , new types of glass beads and finished metal goods were introduced , and trade was more frequent .
The logic of dating based on the absence or presence of these goods would make sense if all communities had equal access to , and desire to have , such items .
But these key assumptions have not been proven .
That ’ s why the Dating Iroquoia Project exists .
Made up of researchers here at Cornell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the New York State Museum , we ’ ve used radiocarbon dating and statistical modeling to date organic materials directly associated with Iroquoian sites in New York ’ s Mohawk Valley and Ontario in Canada .
First we looked at two sites in Ontario : Warminster and Ball .
Both are long argued to have had direct connections with Europeans .
For instance , Samuel de Champlain likely stayed at the Warminster site in 1615-1616 .
Archaeologists have found large numbers of trade goods at both sites .
When my colleagues and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maize , bean , plum ) and a wooden post , the calendar ages we came up with are entirely consistent with historical estimates and the glass bead chronology .
The three dating methods agreed , placing Ball circa 1565-1590 and Warminster circa 1590-1620 .
However , the picture was quite different at several other major Iroquois sites that lack such close European connections .
Our radiocarbon tests came up with substantially different date ranges compared with previous estimates that were based on the presence or absence of various European goods .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mantle , site northeast of Toronto is currently the largest and most complex Iroquoian village excavated in Ontario .
Excavated between 2003–2005 , archaeologists dated the site to 1500–1530 because it lacks most trade goods and had just three European-source metal objects .
But our radiocarbon dating now places it between about 1586 and 1623 , most likely 1599-1614 .
That means previous dates were off the mark by as much as 50 to 100 years .
Other sites belonging to this same ancestral Wendat community are also more recent than previously assumed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Draper was conventionally dated to the second half of the 1400s , but radiocarbon dating places it at least 50 years later , between 1521 and 1557 .
Several other Ontario Iroquoian sites lacking large trade good assemblages vary by several decades to around 50 years or so from conventional dates based on our work .
My colleagues and I have also investigated a number of sites in the Mohawk Valley , in New York state .
During the 16th and early 17th centuries , the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers formed a key @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Europeans and their trade goods .
Again , we found that radiocarbon dating casts doubt on the conventional time frame attributed to a number of sites in the area .
Why was some of the previous chronology wrong ?
The answer seems to be that scholars viewed the topic through a pervasive colonial lens .
Researchers mistakenly assumed that trade goods were equally available , and desired , all over the region , and considered all indigenous groups as the same .
To the contrary , it was Wendat custom , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first discovered a trade route claimed rights to it .
Such “ ownership ” could be a source of power and status .
Thus it would make sense to see uneven distributions of certain trade goods , as mediated by the controlling groups .
Some people were “ in , ” with access , and others may have been “ out.
” Ethnohistoric records indicate cases of indigenous groups rejecting contact with Europeans and their goods .
For example , Jesuit missionaries described an entire village no longer using French kettles because the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease .
There are other reasons European goods do or do not show up in the archaeological record .
How near or far a place was from transport routes , and local politics , both within and between groups , could play a role .
Whether Europeans made direct contact , or there were only indirect links , could affect availability .
Objects used and kept in settlements could also vary from those intentionally buried in cemeteries .
Above all , the majority of sites are only partly investigated at best , some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the archaeological record is affected by the looting and destruction of sites .
Only a direct dating approach removes the Eurocentric and historical lens , allowing an independent time frame for sites and past narratives .
Apart from changing the dates for textbooks and museum displays , the re-dating of a number of Iroquoian sites raises major questions about the social , political and economic history of indigenous communities .
For example , conventionally , researchers place the start of a shift to larger and fortified communities , and evidence of increased conflict @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , our radiocarbon dates find that some of the key sites are from a century later , dating from the mid-16th to start of the 17th centuries .
The timing raises questions of whether and how early contacts with Europeans did or did not play a role .
This period was also during the peak of what ’ s called the Little Ice Age , perhaps indicating the changes in indigenous settlements have some association with climate challenge .
Our new radiocarbon dates indicate the correct time frame ; they pose , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questions .
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Sturt Manning receives funding from The National Science Foundation and The National Endowment for the Humanities .
He is affiliated with Cornell University .


freedomdaily--2020-04-29--Wait times remain stubbornly long in hospital emergency rooms

Each year , there are well over 100 million hospital emergency department visits in the U.S .
In 2017 , there were about 139 million , or 43 visits for every 100 Americans .
While wait times have declined in the last decade – now averaging about 40 minutes – they remain stubbornly long .
Millions of patients still wait at least two hours to see a provider – 7 million did in 2017 – and that is no guarantee they won ’ t have to wait even longer for treatment .
In California , hundreds of thousands of patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergency department bed but before their care was complete .
How long people have to wait can have a lot to do with the outcome of those visits , sometimes with serious consequences that include longer hospital stays , increased medical errors and higher death rates .
One of us studies how people enroll in and use health insurance , including how often they go to the emergency room and why , while the other is a policy analyst who is focused on access to care for vulnerable populations , in particular those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take a deeper look at what we know about the drivers of emergency department wait times and crowding , especially as the COVID-19 pandemic shows just how important a well-functioning emergency medicine system is .
We studied the literature on emergency wait times and identified several reasons why they remain high .
One surprise finding is that many patients likely without true emergencies are told to go to the emergency room by physicians out in the community , which contributes to high emergency department volume .
An obligation to treat everyone Every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the entry point into health care for Americans who don ’ t feel right and have nowhere else to go , or have an emergency , like a car accident .
This also includes millions of patients seeking routine medical care that is available elsewhere : While the estimates vary widely from study to study , upwards of a third of all emergency department visits could be considered “ nonurgent.
” Emergency room departments face a Herculean task .
They are asked to be prepared for anything and everything , keep wait times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mandated by law to treat and stabilize anyone who walks in the door regardless of their ability to pay , a burden that no other part of the health care system faces .
The average wait time to see a health care provider in the emergency department in 2017 , the most recent national data available , was 37.5 minutes , down from 58.1 minutes a decade earlier .
An obvious driver of crowding and high wait times is how many patients show up for treatment .
A large number of patients who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the level of a true emergency are referred to the emergency department by outside physicians .
These referrals could be because the physician is not sure if they can provide complete care , or because their schedule is too tight to see patients quickly .
One study found that about half of “ nonemergent ” patients contacted another physician first , and 70 % of them were told to go to the emergency room .
One of us experienced this firsthand recently .
Paul ’ s rambunctious three-year-old launched herself off the couch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There was lots of blood , crying and an immediate trip to urgent care .
It was a small wound that the doctor probably could have stitched up himself , but he recommended that Paul go to the emergency room because his daughter might need a plastic surgeon .
She ended up not needing stitches and was instead patched up with surgical glue .
From her leap off the couch until arriving back home , we probably spent a few minutes with doctors and a couple of hours waiting .
Also adding to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ physicians often lack admitting privileges to hospitals .
When a patient needs to be admitted as an inpatient but the provider can ’ t admit them directly , they send the patient to the emergency room for admission instead .
A report from the American College of Emergency Physicians suggests that 70 % of hospital admissions come through the emergency room , and it is increasing .
For patients who choose to go on their own to the emergency room , it might be exactly the right thing to do .
Chest pain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a heart attack .
Playing Monday morning quarterback after the fact , which insurers sometimes do , makes it easy to point fingers at patients for “ avoidable ” visits , but it is unfair .
There are several options for hospitals and communities to reduce the demand for emergency department services .
Urgent care centers and retail clinics can care for simpler cases that otherwise might have showed up to the emergency room , but the evidence isn ’ t clear on how much volume they absorb .
There is some evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clinics , may actually increase health care use and spending .
Over half of emergency department visits ( 57.2 % ) come outside of business hours , when many retail clinics , along with more traditional options like community health centers and primary care offices , are often closed .
Many urgent care centers are open later and on weekends , but not everyone has easy access to one .
Many lower-income neighborhoods do not have access to urgent care .
Not surprisingly , when urgent care centers close at night , nonemergent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be had No one really knows what the “ right ” average wait time is .
It will always be too long for someone .
One of the biggest challenges to reducing wait times is crowding that occurs because the emergency room has no beds available because patients are waiting to be released or moved .
If a patient needs to be admitted but there are no unit beds available , the emergency department often “ boards ” the patient for hours .
The emergency physicians association calls this “ a primary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over 90 % of hospitals routinely report crowded conditions in their emergency rooms .
The situation is even worse when it comes to psychiatric and substance use patients , where limited availability of specialized treatment beds means even longer waits .
Space in homeless shelters can matter too .
There are many nights when it isn ’ t safe to send someone back out into the cold with nowhere to go .
Boarding and crowding are not new problems , yet policymakers and health care leaders have struggled to find and implement solutions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on several levers to connect patients with the right level of care .
This effort can help ensure that when true emergencies happen , people can get the care they need quickly .
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Paul Shafer has received funding in the past three years from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust , Robert Wood Johnson Foundation , Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy , and the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , consult , own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article , and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment .