Author Archives: Danzig

Brexit: Peers told judges will decide on disputed powers – The Scotsman

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NewsPoliticsThe row over where some powers will lie when they return from the EU with the UK government or devolved administrations has intensified after it was revealed that judges will have to decide when there are disputes between the four nations.

Wednesday, 29th July 2020, 6:33 pm

The House of Lords was told that legal disputes between governments would be resolved through the courts though it was not specified which courts and no new dispute resolution procedure would be established.

Opposition MPs have been calling for such a system to be organised to arbitrate on disagreements around common frameworks where legislation is already devolved, such as air quality and agriculture, but where standards were set by Brussels.

While Business Secretary Alok Sharma has already introduced proposals for a UK internal market earlier this month, he has avoided the issue of disagreement arbitration. However his government colleague Lord Martin Callanan, today told peers that judges would decide.

Responding to Plaid Cymrus Lord Wigley question about the need for a dispute resolution system with all four nations having an equal voice, he said: I hope there wont be any disputes, but if there were they would be legal disputes and the correct forum for resolving legal disputes is through the court system.

We have no intention of setting up an alternative dispute resolution procedure when we have one of the best and most efficient court systems in the world to resolve disputes.

Reacting to the statement, Kirsten Oswald MP, the SNPs Westminster Deputy leader, said it was confirmation that the UK government has no intention of meaningfully engaging with the devolved governments for an agreed dispute resolution system.

She added: It is yet another sign of the Tories total disregard for the devolved nations. The Tory government has opened the door for companies with deep pockets to challenge Holyrood legislation if we try to maintain higher standards than Westminster post-Brexit putting at risk our key industries with the threat of the imposition of lower standard goods and produce.

Far from strengthening the devolved nations, the UK government's internal market plans will enable the decisions of the Scottish Government to be overridden over devolved areas such as food and agriculture in Scotland."

The Scottish Government had previously said the internal market proposal, which requires all four nations to accept goods and services from other parts of the UK, even if they have set different standards locally, makes a mockery of devolution.

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Brexit: Peers told judges will decide on disputed powers - The Scotsman

Brexit to cause ‘double shock’ for UK economy regardless of deal, study finds – The New European

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PUBLISHED: 15:01 28 July 2020 | UPDATED: 15:53 28 July 2020

Adrian Zorzut

Chancellor Rishi Sunak speaks CEO of Worcester Bosch, Carl Arntzen (right) during his visit to Worcester Bosch factory. Photograph: Phil Noble/PA.

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The UKs economy could be in for a double shock as companies who survived the coronavirus pandemic could face going under as a result of Britain leaving the EU single market at the end of this year.

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Almost four years after its creation The New European goes from strength to strength across print and online, offering a pro-European perspective on Brexit and reporting on the political response to the coronavirus outbreak, climate change and international politics. But we can only continue to grow with your support.

A study by the London School of Economics warned that UK industries across the board face huge financial pressures as a result of Brexit, regardless of whether Boris Johnson secures a trade deal with the EU or not.

Analysis of monthly surveys from members of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), a not-for-profit body that represents UK businesses, shows that companies remain deeply concerned over the simultaneous impacts of Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic on trade.

Executives across the business spectrum are particularly worried about the state of the UK economy from autumn when the Treasurys furlough scheme ends and the new trading environment for the UK outside the EU begins to bite.

The report, Covid-19 and Brexit: Real-Time Updates on Business Performance in the United Kingdom due out on Wednesday by the LSEs Centre for Economic Performance said industries that were able to operate with staff working from home during the pandemic will be one of the hardest hit by changes brought about by Brexit.

It said sectors such as professional services, including accountancy and legal services, publishing, and chemicals, will be stung with having to fill out customs declarations to trade with the EU.

The report also criticises Downing Street for falling short on its promise to guide Brexit according impact assessments across all UK industries after it emerged only 10 sectors have been covered to date.

The government must move beyond its broad assessment of Brexit impacts to much more finely tuned plans in preparation for the biggest slowdown of our lifetime said Josh de Lyon, a research assistant at the LSE centre who co-authored the report.

Swati Dhingra, an economics professor who also contributed to the study, said that Covid-19 had reduced the capacity of the UK economy to take further shocks, and rushing Brexit through would broaden the set of sectors that experienced worsening business conditions.

The LSE report urges the government to devise a industrial strategy that reflects the reality of being in a post-Brexit UK which is placed in a post-Covid world economy in which global trade shrinks.

Naomi Smith, chief executive for pro-EU group Best for Britain, said the clock is ticking to heed the warnings.

The LSEs work chimes with the findings of Best for Britains recent report into the double-whammy winter looming for UK businesses, particularly in areas such as the Midlands and North West England, where the major business sectors are particularly exposed.

We echo the LSEs concerns that a thin or no-deal Brexit will result in wider economic damage.

The needless piling of pain upon pain for struggling businesses will cost jobs and hurt the economy, at a time when our countrys finances desperately need to be shored up.

The government must heed these warnings, and grab the opportunity to draw up much more detailed plans for businesses, sector-by-sector, before time runs out.

Almost four years after its creation The New European goes from strength to strength across print and online, offering a pro-European perspective on Brexit and reporting on the political response to the coronavirus outbreak, climate change and international politics. But we can only rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press with your support. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.

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Brexit to cause 'double shock' for UK economy regardless of deal, study finds - The New European

UK moves to keep EU waste and recycling targets post-Brexit – www.businessgreen.com

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The UK is looks set to miss its 2020 recycling target

Government promises to enshrine target to achieve 65 per cent recycling rate by 2035 in UK law as it publishes new Circular Economy Plan

The government has confirmed a number of key EU recycling targets are to be maintained in the UK once the Brexit transition preriod comes to an end, as it today published a fresh circular economy plan that will put into law a goal to recycle 65 per cent of municipal waste by 2035.

The announcement comes around a fortnight the UK missed the official deadline for transferring the EU's Circular Economy Package - including a raft of statutory recycling targets - into UK legislation, a move that caused concernamong some green groups.

However, the new UK Circular Economy Package unveiled today enshrines a number of the EU's headline ambitions into UK law, namely for for municipal waste to be reduced by 65 per cent by 2035, and a commitment to ensure that no more than 10 per cent of municipal waste ends up in landfill by the same date.

The recycling policy package, which is set to become law later this year, restricts the materials which can be landfilled or incinerated, and mandates that waste separately collected for recycling from households cannot be burned for energy or buried.

The UK has struggled to boost its recycling rate recent years, particularly in England. Having plateaued at around 45 per cent for several years across the UK, last year the figure even dropped slightly, rendering the EU's legal target to achieve a 50 per cent recycling rate by the end of 2020 a near impossible task.

Launching the new Circular Economy Package today, Environment minister Rebecca Pow said increasing recycling rates and reducing the amount of waste going to landfill would create a "cleaner waste economy" while also helping to deliver much needed CO2 reductions.

"Through our landmark Environment Bill we will be bringing forward a raft of measures to do just that, and this new Circular Economy Package takes us yet another step forward to transforming our waste industry," she said.

Other measures targeted at driving up recycling and reducing waste in the government's Environment Bill include plans for a tax on businesses that produce or import plastic packaging that has less than 30 per cent recycled content, and a deposit return scheme for single-use drinks containers that would boost recycling rates.

Libby Peake, head of resource policy at environmental think tank Green Alliance, applauded the government's decision to maintain the 65 per cent ambition.

"Its great news that the government has listened to our call to enshrine the ambitious 65 per cent recycling target into UK law," she said. "This suggests a resolve not to let the EU pull ahead from us on environmental ambitions. Now we need the right policies to follow through and deliver the reqiured improvements."

Meanwhile, the Chartered Institution of Waste Management said it was "pleased to see the joint statement issued today by the four UK governments". It added: "While the devil is always in the detail, and CIWM will be scrutinising the list of transposition measures proposed, it is reassuring to see that the UK will remain aligned with an important package of measures that will shape resources and waste policy across Europe for years to come."

In related news, meanwhile, the government also revealed today that plastic carrier bag sales have dropped more than 95 per cent in England's main supermarkets since 2015 when the 5p charge was introduced.

The average person in England now buys juts four bags a year from the main supermarket retailers, the government said, compared with 10 last year and 140 in 2014.

While the 5p charge currently applies to all retailers employing more than 250 people, the government has consulted on extending this to all businesses as well as increasing the minimum charge to 10p. A formal response to that consultation will be delivered "in due course", the government said today.

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UK moves to keep EU waste and recycling targets post-Brexit - http://www.businessgreen.com

Dont leave food security and farming at mercy of Brexit and virus The Yorkshire Post says – Yorkshire Post

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NewsOpinionColumnistsTHERE is now unanimity at Westminster over the need for an independent inquiry into Covid-19 after Boris Johnson acceded to calls by Sir Ed Davey, the Lib Dem interim leader, this month.

Thursday, 30th July 2020, 5:48 am

Yet, while its timing is still open to debate as the pandemic unfolds and Europe begins to brace itself for a second wave of cases, lessons can be learned in the interim.

Each Whitehall ministry, quango, NHS trust and local authority needs to be reviewing and refining its work now and the best-led organisations will already be doing so without waiting to be pre-empted by an inquiry.

An example is food security and todays call by the Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee for Defra to appoint a dedicated minister whose primary task is maintaining crucial supplies rather than becoming sidetracked by other policy pressures.

Notwithstanding the farming and food industrys collective effort to keep the shelves stocked when Britain was in the grip of panic buying, they now have a second challenge Brexit as Britain prepares to leave the European Union on December 31.

But it is clear, judging by the underlying tone of this Parliamentary report, that theres insufficient confidence in Defras current leadership on issues ranging from the availability of sufficient labour to help farmers with the annual harvest to uncertainty governing trade future arrangements with the EU and no grasp of the consequences of well-intended initiatives like the voucher scheme for free school meals.

As such, theres no reason or excuse for such select committee reports being ignored by Environment Secretary George Eustice or others. Operating on a cross-party basis, they command authority and should be used as the basis for more immediate policy improvements before a more reflective and wide-ranging inquiry can be held.

Editors note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Posts journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdogs Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshires National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing subscriptions@jpimedia.co.uk. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting http://www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

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Dont leave food security and farming at mercy of Brexit and virus The Yorkshire Post says - Yorkshire Post

Fourth Amendment – the Text, Origins, and Meaning

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The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution is a section of the Bill of Rights that protects the people from being subjected to unreasonable searches and seizures of property by law enforcement officers or the federal government. However, the Fourth Amendment does not prohibit all searches and seizures, but only those that are found by a court to be unreasonable under the law.

The full text of the Fourth Amendment states:

Originally created to enforced the doctrine that each mans home is his castle, The Fourth Amendment was written directly in response to British general warrants, called Writs of Assistance, in which the Crown would grant overarching, non-specific search powers to British law enforcement officials.

Through Writs of Assistance, officials were free to search virtually any home they liked, at any time they liked, for any reason they liked or for no reason at all. Since some of the founding fathers had been smugglers in England, this was an especially unpopular concept in the colonies. Clearly, the framers of the Bill of Rights considered such colonial-era searches to be unreasonable.

In deciding whether a particular search is reasonable, the courts attempt to weigh important interests: The extent to which the search intruded on the individual's Fourth Amendment rights and the extent to which the search was motivated by valid government interests, such as public safety.

Through several rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court has established that the extent to which an individual is protected by the Fourth Amendment depends, in part, on the location of the search or seizure.

It is important to note that according to these rulings, there are several circumstances under which police may lawfully conduct warrantless searches.

Searches in the Home:According to Payton v. New York (1980), Searches and seizures conducted inside a home without a warrant are presumed to be unreasonable.

However, such warrantless searches may be lawful under certain circumstances, including:

Searches of the Person:In what is popularly known as its stop and frisk decision in the 1968 case of Terry v. Ohio, the Court ruled that when police officers see unusual conduct leading them to reasonably conclude that criminal activity may be taking place, the officers may briefly stop the suspicious person and make reasonable inquiries aimed at confirming or dispelling their suspicions.

Searches in Schools:Under most circumstances, school officials do not need to get a warrant before searching students, their lockers, backpacks, or other personal property. (New Jersey v. TLO)

Searches of Vehicles:When police officers have probable cause to believe that a vehicle contains evidence of criminal activity, they may lawfully search any area of the vehicle in which the evidence might be found without a warrant. (Arizona v. Gant)

In addition, police officers may lawfully conduct a traffic stop if they have reasonable suspicion that a traffic violation has occurred or that criminal activity is being carried out, for example, vehicles seen fleeing the scene of a crime. (United States v. Arvizu and Berekmer v. McCarty)

In practical terms, there is no means by which the government can exercise prior restraint on law enforcement officials. If an officer in Jackson, Mississippi wants to conduct a warrantless search without probable cause, the judiciary is not present at the time and can't prevent the search. This meant that the Fourth Amendment had little power or relevance until 1914.

In Weeks v. United States (1914), the Supreme Court established what has been known as the exclusionary rule. The exclusionary rule states that evidence obtained through unconstitutional means is inadmissible in court and cannot be used as part of the prosecution's case. Before Weeks, law enforcement officials could violate the Fourth Amendment without being punished for it, secure the evidence, and use it at trial. The exclusionary rule establishes consequences for violating a suspect's Fourth Amendment rights.

The Supreme Court has held that searches and arrests can be performed without a warrant under some circumstances. Most notably, arrests and searches can be performed if the officer personally witnesses the suspect committing a misdemeanor, or has reasonable cause to believe that the suspect has committed a specific, documented felony.

On January 19, 2018, U.S. Border Patrol agents without producing a warrant to do so boarded a Greyhound bus outside the Fort Lauderdale, Florida station and arrested an adult female whose temporary visa had expired. Witnesses on the bus alleged that the Border Patrol agents had also asked everyone on board to show proof of U.S. citizenship.

In response to inquiries, the Border Patrols Miami section headquarters confirmed that under the long-standing federal law, they can do that.

Under Section 1357 of Title 8 of the United States Code, detailing the powers of immigration officers and employees, officers of the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can, without a warrant:

In addition, The Immigration and Nationality Act 287(a)(3) and CFR 287 (a)(3) states that Immigration Officers, without a warrant, may within a reasonable distance from any external boundary of the United States...board and search for aliens in any vessel within the territorial waters of the United States and any railcar, aircraft, conveyance, or vehicle.

The Immigration and Nationality Act defines Reasonable distance as 100 miles.

Although the implicit privacy rights established in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) and Roe v. Wade (1973) are most often associated with the Fourteenth Amendment, the Fourth Amendment contains an explicit "right of the people to be secure in their persons" that is also strongly indicative of a constitutional right to privacy.

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Fourth Amendment - the Text, Origins, and Meaning

Fourth Amendment | United States Constitution | Britannica

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Fourth Amendment, amendment (1791) to the Constitution of the United States, part of the Bill of Rights, that forbids unreasonable searches and seizures of individuals and property. For the text of the Fourth Amendment, see below.

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Introduced in 1789, what became the Fourth Amendment struck at the heart of a matter central to the early American experience: the principle that, within reason, Every mans house is his castle, and that any citizen may fall into the category of the criminally accused and ought to be provided protections accordingly. In U.S. constitutional law, the Fourth Amendment is the foundation of criminal law jurisprudence, articulating both the rights of persons and the responsibilities of law-enforcement officials. The balance between these two forces has undergone considerable public, political, and judicial debate. Are the amendments two clauses meant to be applied independently or taken as a whole? Is the expectation of privacy diminished depending on where and what is suspected, sought, and seized? What constitutes an unreasonable search and seizure?

The protections contained in the amendment have been determined less on the basis of what the Constitution says than according to what it has been interpreted to mean, and, as such, its constitutional meaning has inherently been fluid. The protections granted by the U.S. Supreme Court have expanded during periods when the court was dominated by liberals (e.g., during the tenure of Chief Justice Earl Warren [195369]), beginning particularly with Mapp v. Ohio (1961), in which the court extended the exclusionary rule to all criminal proceedings; by contrast, during the tenure of the conservative William Rehnquist (19862005) as chief justice, the court contracted the rights afforded to the criminally accused, allowing law-enforcement officials latitude to search in instances when they reasonably believed that the property in question harboured presumably dangerous persons.

The full text of the amendment is:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

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Fourth Amendment | United States Constitution | Britannica

"It’s the decent thing to do" – News – Pueblo Chieftain

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Three patients of Pioneer Health Care Center in Rocky Ford who tested positive for COVID-19 (one test is awaiting confirmatory results) have died, Crowley / Otero Health Departments Director Rick Ritter told the Tribune-Democrat Friday. Ritter said the health department gives its condolences to their families.

"Any time this happens we are certainly sorry that they lost a loved one," Ritter said.

COVID-19 cases in Otero County totaled 36 as of Saturday, according to Colorado Public Health and Environment, although Ritter said in a news release that numbers reflected by the state were not up to date. In the same statement, Ritter confirmed that three coronavirus patients at Pioneer Health Care Center in Rocky Ford had died and at the nursing home two staff and a total of 13 patients tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Ritter noted that results of confirmatory tests for some patients were still awaiting results as of Saturday.

Following Gov. Jared Polis's executive order mandating mask use in indoor public facilities July 16, businesses and services have had to crack down on enforcing mask use. Although many businesses and public buildings have posted signs alerting prospective patrons to their mandated enforcement of mask use, others have posted notices that state they will not enforce mask use.

In some instances, the notices make questionable references to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the 4th and 5th Amendments, or other facets of the U.S. Constitution or U.S. law.

Thaxton's Market in Fowler, for example, posted a sign in their window that read, "Due to HIPPA and the 4th Amendment, we cannot legally ask you what your medical condition is."

The sign continued to state that store employees would assume anyone entering without a mask was exempted from the statewide mandate. The Tribune-Democrat called Thaxton's Market last week to inquire about the store policy, but it did not hear back in time for publication.

Arkansas Valley Lumber outside Rocky Ford stirred up controversy when a sign it had posted in its entrance made rounds across local social media groups. The sign declared Arkansas Valley Lumber was no longer a public company and would only accept business from "United States citizens that believe in their constitutional right of freedom from oppression."

A day later, Arkansas Valley Lumber apologized on its official Facebook page and clarified that it would not discriminate against anyone, although it maintained that it would not enforce the use of masks.

Ritter isn't sold on Thaxton's claims or those of others, however.

"There's a lot of information I'm just going to come out and say it disinformation out there," said Ritter.

Ritter noted the statewide mask order makes exemptions for people with health conditions that complicate their breathing, such as asthma or COPD.

But contrary to what some businesses are claiming, a store is not legally prevented from offering patrons masks, nor is a store prohibited from asking someone who claims to have a medical condition that prevents mask use what that condition is, according to attorney to Otero County Nathan Schultz.

"I've seen a lot of people saying they're not going to ask about masks due to HIPPA," said Schultz. "The Fourth Amendment, then one store that says they're not going to ask about masks because of the Fifth Amendment. HIPPA is designed to protect information from covered entities, like doctors and hospitals, from disseminating that information without a release. That has absolutely no bearing on a grocery store. The Fourth Amendment and Fifth Amendment, both, any time you're trying to claim you have constitutional protection, there has to be government action."

Schultz agreed it was possible that some business owners might have conflated HIPPA with the American Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination based on disability. But even the American Disabilities Act allows for what Schultz called reasonable inquiry if someone doesn't have an obvious disability.

"I think the stores still have the duty to ask someone to wear a mask," Schultz said. "If they're saying they don't cause of health reasons, you can ask what the health reason is because then the store needs to establish what reasonable accommodations they can make."

Schultz said allowing someone to not wear a mask would probably not be a reasonable accommodation. Instead, though, a store could implement curbside service in such an instance, Schultz suggested.

Schultz said seeing misinformation circulate on social media has been frustrating. Counter to more claims from those opposed to mask use saying the governor's mandate was unlawful or does not have the same effect as law, Gov. Polis's executive order carries the full weight of law, Schultz said.

"Earlier this week, the public health order 20-31 came out, also mandating masks. Public health orders are enforceable by local law enforcement under 25-1-506," said Schultz. "Those can be punished civilly, they can do it administratively where they can pull your business license, or they can do it criminally up to a first degree misdemeanor."

Otero County Sheriff Shawn Mobley said his office will not enforce the mask mandate. Mobley referenced his short staffed department and ongoing criminal investigations. Schultz said he thinks Mobley's decision is okay, but that he was angered by sheriffs from other counties who claimed Polis's law was unconstitutional or did not carry legal weight.

Bent County Sheriffs Office also said in a joint statement with Bent County Public Health that the sheriffs office there would not be enforcing the mask mandate, although they did not provide additional reasoning with their statement.

Otero County will try to utilize civil and administrative means to regulate the mask mandate as opposed to pursuing criminal charges, Schultz said, noting it doesn't do anyone any good to start jailing more people right now.

Another piece of disinformation Schultz wanted to address was that of masks versus the size of COVID-19 particles. Schultz made the distinction that the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is not airborne in the stirctest sense: The viruss primary mode of transmission from host to host is through respiratory particles in other words, spit.

"I'm still seeing a lot of misinformation about the cloth masks themselves," Schultz said. "A lot of people are pointing out micron sizes and all that. This virus has never been airborne, it's transferred through saliva droplets. So the cloth mask does nothing to protect the wearer, it's designed to protect the community from the wearer. So if everyone's wearing a mask, the saliva's less likely to spread to others.

In other words, posts on social media claiming that cloth masks dont stop COVID-19 from passing through them are missing the point, because COVID-19 travels primarily in much larger respiratory droplets that are stopped by a cloth face covering.

Health Director Rick Ritter stressed that many businesses have been compliant with the mask order and that the health department receives numerous calls daily from people looking to improve the safety of their establishments.

Ritter said hes seen people be dismissive of social distancing guidelines and mask use because they dont believe others are taking it seriously.

"To the people saying, 'Well nobody's doing it," that's absolutely wrong," said Ritter. "And that is disrespecting the businesses that are working hard to do what's right, to protect customers, employees, and this is not a hard thing to do, my gosh, we put on pants to cover our lower torso, we put on shirts, and that's not a violation of our constitutional rights.

"If I went out naked on the street, and you can print this, the police would be called. If I said, You can't make me put on pants, that's against my constitutional right to be naked, that wouldn't cut any ice. We're just covering our face and if somebody says, Well you put on pants for decency's sake, I say you put on a mask for decency's sake because you're protecting others.

"A mask is primarily worn to protect others, and that's what I'm saying. These cloth masks, if we all wear them like we're supposed to, it's a kindness to others, it's a consideration for others, and we're going to reduce risk."

Schultz added the health department is working around the clock to try to achieve the best outcome for the community.

Tribune-Democrat reporter Christian Burney can be reached by email at cburney@ljtdmail.com. Help support local journalism by subscribing to the La Junta Tribune-Democrat at lajuntatribunedemocrat.com/subscribenow.

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"It's the decent thing to do" - News - Pueblo Chieftain

New Potential Advances In Treating Psoriasis: A Skin Condition That Affects 125+ Million People – Forbes

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Although psoriasis has been a well-recognized skin condition for many years, there has been significant progress over the last decade on effective therapeutic models and treatment modalities for this autoimmune condition. But what exactly is this condition that affects nearly 125 million people across the globe and more than 8 million Americans? As explained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), psoriasisis a chronic autoimmune skin disease that speeds up the growth cycle of skin cells. This often emanates as patches of thick red skin and silvery scales which are typically found on the elbows, knees, scalp, lower back, face, palms, and soles of feet, but can affect other places (fingernails, toenails, and mouth). The condition may present as a wide spectrum of severity and skin symptoms. Furthermore, psoriasis is often linked to more severe and chronic medical conditions, such as psoriatic arthritis, diabetes, and cardiac issues, to name a few. Psoriatic arthritis is especially common in those that have psoriasis, resulting in inflammation, joint pain, and stiffness that may inevitably lead to severe mobility issues.

Given the seriousness of this condition as well as its widespread prevalence, significant research and efforts have gone into finding sustainable treatments. There are entire labs, fellowships, clinical platforms, and organizations dedicated to helping individuals with psoriasis. Notably, the past decade has seen significant improvements in various treatment modalities, ranging from topical treatments, to injections and oral medications. There are many different mechanisms of action and physiological targets for psoriasis treatments; a few examples include reducing inflammation, slowing skin growth, or altering the immune system.

Phototherapy has received a lot of attention and research in the past few years. Per The National Psoriasis Foundation, the basic premise of phototherapy involves exposing the skin to wavelengths of ultraviolet A light (UVA) or ultraviolet B light (UVB) under the supervision of a health care provider to treat psoriasis. The idea behind this treatment is that UV light penetrates the top layers of skin and stops the skin cells from growing too quickly, leading to improvement in psoriasis symptoms.

Using phototherapy to help with psoriasis symptoms.

More recent developments are also gaining traction. Late last week (July 16th), The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published an article titled Trial of Roflumilast Cream for Chronic Plaque Psoriasis. The article discusses a clinical trial in which researchers tested the use of Roflumilast cream, which contains phosphodiesterase type 4 (PDE-4) inhibitor, as a potentially viable and sustainable topical treatment modality for plaque psoriasis. The study describes that 331 patients were randomized: 109 were assigned to roflumilast 0.3% cream, 113 to roflumilast 0.15% cream, and 109 to vehicle [placebo] cream. The results indicated that Roflumilast cream administered once daily to affected areas of psoriasis was superior to vehicle cream in leading to a state of clear or almost clear at 6 weeks. However, the authors explicitly conclude that Longer and larger trials are needed to determine the durability and safety of roflumilast in psoriasis. This is often the case with new and cutting-edge therapieslarger and well-repeated, evidence-backed trials are required in order to truly understand a treatments efficacy and safety.

Another fascinating research trial by Harvard Universitys Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) was published yesterday, describing the use of small interfering RNA (siRNA) to help control psoriasis-related activity at the genetic level. The article explains that using siRNA based therapies on the skin has traditionally been challenging, given the compounds instability and the skins barrier function. However, in this study, the authors claim that they found a way to effectively deliver the treatment molecule into the skin, resulting in down-regulation of psoriasis-related signals. Though more testing will be required to fully determine the safety and efficacy of this treatment model, this new development may potentially open the doors to a new way of delivering topical medications.

A dermatologist applies a therapeutic ointment to the affected skin of a patient with psoriasis.

Indeed, psoriasis is a very serious and life-altering condition for many people. With such a wide variety of symptoms and presentations, patients must ultimately consult with trained and certified medical professionals on what treatment and therapy is best for their specific situation. As many new therapies and methods of treatment continue to emerge, government leaders, the scientific community, medical professionals, and patients must maintain a high level of scrutiny to ensure that enough testing and evidence-based research is done in order to ultimately maintain the highest emphasis on patient safety. Nonetheless, the fact that many institutions and experts are continuing to work on creating more effective and practical therapies provides hope for the millions of people affected by this condition.

The content of this article is not implied to be and should not be relied on or substituted for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment by any means, and is not written or intended as such. This content is for information purposes only. Consult with a trained medical professional for medical advice.

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New Potential Advances In Treating Psoriasis: A Skin Condition That Affects 125+ Million People - Forbes

President Donald Trump’s Texas visit focuses on oil and gas workers – The Texas Tribune

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President Donald Trump sought to give a morale boost to the beleaguered Texas energy industry during a visit Wednesday to the Permian Basin, while also rallying oil and gas workers against Democrats ahead of the November election.

"We are telling the Washington politicians trying to abolish American energy: Don't mess with Texas," Trump said during an afternoon speech at Double Eagle Energy in Midland, after an oil rig tour and fundraiser in nearby Odessa.

Trump's comments doubled as part campaign speech, part policy announcement, as he repeatedly assailed Democrats' energy proposals and predicted their presumptive presidential nominee, Joe Biden, would not "do too well in Texas" as a result. Polls continue to show a close competition in the once-solidly red state.

As for policy, Trump announced an extension for liquified natural gas exporters, following through with the Department of Energys proposal earlier this year to extend export contracts through the year 2050. Trump also announced permits granting approval to vital pipeline and railway infrastructure along the U.S.-Mexico border, including two permits allowing the export of Texas crude to Mexico, which he signed, after speaking, alongside Texas Republicans who joined him in Midland.

For now, though, the industry continues to face severe headwinds from the coronavirus pandemic. Trump touted his administration's actions to help the reeling industry earlier this year, including a deal with Saudi Arabia and Russia to drastically cut production.

"We were very close to losing a very powerful, great industry," Trump said, "and now we're back and we're just gonna keep expanding."

Among the permits that Trump signed was one that granted the company NuStar Energy permission to operate and maintain existing pipelines underneath the Rio Grande that transport hydrocarbons and petroleum products through a 46-mile pipeline from Hidalgo County into northern Mexico. Another permit Trump signed allows for Kansas City Southern Railway Co. to build and operate a new international railway bridge in Laredo, the type of cross-border project on the international boundary that requires a presidential permit.

Still, politics consumed a considerable amount of Trump's speech, as he warned that the "radical left ... is fighting to abolish American energy, destroy the oil and gas industries, and wipe out your jobs."

Trump sought to tie Biden to the Green New Deal, the ambitious plan to combat climate change championed by freshman U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. Trump said the Green New Deal would "ban oil and gas leasing on all federal lands and by the way, there'd be no fracking." Biden has said he wants to end all oil and gas drilling on federal lands but that he does not support a total fracking ban.

While Texas officials welcomed Trump to the state by endorsing his "support of Texas energy producers, the industry across the state has been harshly disrupted in 2020. At least 46,000 people working in the Texas energy sector have lost their jobs during the pandemic, and some workers in West Texas have said they dont plan to return to the industry.

In the early months of the pandemic, energy job losses accounted for the highest number of jobless claims filed in dozens of Texas counties, and those workers could have serious trouble finding new jobs in the oil and gas sector for at least the rest of 2020, according to analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

The state budget also depends heavily on oil and gas taxes, and Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said recently that the budget will face a $4.6 billion deficit in part due to the major decline across the oil and gas sector. Hegar said the industry will not bounce back soon.

Most people really focus on price, but an equally important component is what is production volume, Hegar told The Texas Tribune earlier this month. Texas has lost a large number of rigs.

The state typically makes up 50% of all the rigs in North America, but that has dropped to 40%, the lowest number recorded since the data first began to be tracked in the 1960s, he said.

Trump spoke at Double Eagle Energy after attending a fundraiser in nearby Odessa for his reelection campaign. The event was expected to raise $7 million, according to the Republican National Committee. Proceeds went to Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee between Trump's campaign and the RNC.

The luncheon was at the Odessa Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, and tickets started at $2,800. Supporters who gave $100,000 got to participate in a roundtable discussion with Trump beforehand.

The trip was Trump's 16th visit to Texas as president but his first to the Midland-Odessa area, a Republican stronghold.

Poll after poll in recent months has shown Trump and Biden in a dead heat in Texas, which he carried by 9 percentage points in 2016, the smallest margin for a GOP presidential nominee here in two decades. Still, Trump said Wednesday it was a "great victory" and that he is now "leading what we had even four years ago," even though surveys show the contrary.

Biden released a statement ahead of Trump's arrival in Texas that focused on his response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has been on the rise in recent weeks across the state. Biden noted that Hurricane Hanna, which hit the Texas coast over the weekend, has made the situation in Texas "far more precarious."

"Mr. President, now isnt the time for politicking or photo ops," Biden said. "Texans need a President with the experience and vision to fight for families no matter how many catastrophes reach our shores."

The Democratic National Committee also denounced Trump's handling of the virus with a daylong digital advertising campaign on the Odessa American's homepage. The Texas Democratic Party held a news conference ahead of Trump's visit to highlight how the pandemic has disproportionately impacted Latino Texans.

Afterward, the party noted in a statement that America surpassed 150,000 deaths Wednesday and said it "never had to be this bad" under Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott.

The coronavirus loomed large even before Air Force One touched down in Midland. U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, who was expected to travel with the president, announced he had tested positive for the virus. Once Trump arrived, a Houston congressional candidate who was set to greet the president at the airport, Wesley Hunt, announced he had tested positive on his way there and returned home.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misspelled Permian Basin.

Kansas City Southern Railway and the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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President Donald Trump's Texas visit focuses on oil and gas workers - The Texas Tribune

Donald Trump’s campaign has head start on Joe Biden but hard road to win in Maine – Bangor Daily News

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BANGOR, Maine A mostly masked group of volunteers gathered at a Dunkin on Saturday to get last-minute coaching before heading out to knock on doors for President Donald Trump and down-ballot local Republican candidates in the November election.

Republicans have touted their ground game and constant presence in battleground areas including Maine as their main advantage in defending Trump in Novembers election. Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, is just beginning here, but he has opened up a wide polling lead nationally and is winning in many swing states.

Trump prioritized Maine more than any recent Republican candidate four years ago, visiting five times ahead of an election in which he won the 2nd Congressional District. When he made an official visit here last month, he said he plans to win the state in 2020. His campaign recently placed it on a short list of states that Trump thinks he can flip this year.

That is unlikely. Trump trailed Biden 50 percent to 38 percent statewide in a Colby College poll released on Tuesday showing Democrats leading all of Maines key races, including in the crucial U.S. Senate race. Biden was 3 percentage points ahead in the 2nd District. No Republican presidential candidate has won Democratic-leaning Maine since 1988.

Trumps rough polling and massive campaign apparatus raise chicken-or-egg questions about the 2020 race. His ground game is likely to matter most in Maine if the race for the one electoral vote for the 2nd District remains close and winnable as he looks to protect areas he won.

From my perspective, as long as he remains competitive and I believe he will remain competitive, at least in the 2nd Congressional District, I think the grassroots activism is important, said Michael Leavitt, a Republican strategist who ran President George W. Bushs 2004 re-election campaign in Maine.

Republican organizers told volunteers on Saturday in Bangor they made 16,000 knocks on doors the past weekend and over 600,000 voter contacts during the campaign. The national party, outspent nearly 10 to 1 here by Democrats in the 2016 cycle, has spent $805,000 in Maine from January 2019 to June 2020, four times more than their Democratic counterpart.

Former Gov. Paul LePage, who chairs Trumps Maine campaign, said in an interview earlier this month that the party only knocked on 11,000 doors in 2016 and this campaign is something weve not seen for a long time in Maine. He thought Trump may visit twice more, questioned polls and expected Trumps standing to improve as people learn more about Bidens history.

He has enthusiasm on his side, he said of Trump. The Democrats are hunkered down and I dont know if thats going to help them in the long haul.

Democrats are playing catch-up, as is typical while facing an incumbent. Biden recently hired two key Maine employees former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee staffer James Stretch as state director and Portland City Councilor Spencer Thibodeau as a senior advisor. National Republicans have 24 staffers here.

Thibodeau touted Democrats registration edge. As of May, they passed independents as Maines largest voting bloc, with 90,000 more registered voters than Republicans, according to state data. He said that edge is significant, but the hard work is still to be done.

Republicans have reintroduced in-person events after shutting them down in March due to the coronavirus. In Maine, 80 percent of events are in person and and 20 percent are virtual with the party following state gathering limits, a Trump spokeswoman said. On Saturday, organizers split volunteers into pairs for canvassing, which they did not allow reporters to observe.

Democrats are focused on electronic forms of stumping. Texting and phone campaigns are key parts of the campaigns strategy, as well as virtual events, like Bidens wife, Jill, taking a virtual tour of a University of Maine engineering lab. A Saturday kickoff event streamed on Facebook by the state party was policy focused, with Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, discussing labor issues with U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio.

Toby McGrath, a Democratic operative who managed the 2008 and 2012 campaigns in Maine for President Barack Obama, was confident that Democrats could catch up organizationally. He said campaigns will often tout high numbers of voter contacts to get attention but should focus more on quality over quantity. But while he said Biden is in a good spot, things can change.

I would rather be Biden, but 99 days is a long time in a political campaign, McGrath said.

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Donald Trump's campaign has head start on Joe Biden but hard road to win in Maine - Bangor Daily News

Trump plans to address United Nations General Assembly in person – POLITICO

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As host country of the U.N. headquarters during the Covid-19 pandemic, the U.S. has a unique opportunity to hold center-stage at an organization Trump has consistently derided, and which at times has returned the favor.

Other world leaders have openly laughed at his speeches and been witness to awkward moments, ranging from Trump announcing to leaders that he could totally destroy North Korea, to a spat with teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Nevertheless, the U.N. depends on American money to continue many of its operations: The U.S. provides 22 percent of the bodys regular funding, annually. Trump recently made waves by formally beginning U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization, the U.N. health agency, criticizing its Covid-19 response and labeling it a mouthpiece for China. The U.S. is one of 88 countries that has not yet paid its 2020 U.N. dues in full.

Craft said that Americas priorities during the 2020 General Assembly would be human rights and transparency and that in the absence of world leaders, hundreds of UNGA side events will either move online or take place later in 2020.

U.N. General Assembly President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande and U.N. Secretary-General Antnio Guterres have been extremely careful at mitigating this virus within the U.N. system, Craft said.

Craft has been taking her diplomacy beyond the confines of the U.N. Security Council the highest level U.N. decision-making body at which the U.S. has a permanent seat during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since we have been sheltering in place, I used that time to start calling 185 of the ambassadors, just to check on people, Craft said. Crafts advisers had originally wanted her to conduct her diplomacy speed-dating tour during the first weeks of her tenure in mid-2019.

Craft said ambassadors from smaller countries were shocked to receive her call, but said they were very responsive, helping to create a special bond that the U.S. would find useful in its efforts to reform the U.N.

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Trump plans to address United Nations General Assembly in person - POLITICO

U.S. suffered worst quarterly contraction on record as virus ravages economy – POLITICO

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Pending home sales rebounded strongly in May and June amid declining mortgage rates. Existing home sales also rose sharply in June. Soaring jobless claims began declining in March as states started to reopen and the unemployment rate declined from a high of 14.7 percent in April. But the increase last week suggested the fresh wave of virus cases and a return to stricter lockdown orders in some states has dented the labor market comeback.

Economists say a great deal has to go right for this rosiest of scenarios to play out including swift passage of further enhanced jobless benefits, rapid progress in vaccine development and the survival of thousands of businesses that are unlikely to make it through further lockdowns.

Not many are confident that all of this will come together.

To me it seems like a pipe dream. I cannot image a V-shaped recovery in the offing any time soon, said Beth Ann Bovino, chief U.S. economist at Standard & Poors Ratings Services. Aside from the fact that Covid-19 doesnt seem to be under control, this is a $22 trillion economy. You cant turn it off and on like a light bulb.

The most likely scenario painted by economists is that a significant bounce back does arrive in the third quarter given the depth of the drop in the second. But the persistence of the virus, reluctance of Americans to go back to their offices or go out to shop and eat and spend money keeps a lid on the scale of the recovery.

Under this scenario, the unemployment rate could stagnate or even rise again before the election as fresh lockdowns cause more businesses to lay off workers and widespread uncertainty over the future keeps a lid on business investment.

Any significant lapse in expanded jobless benefits, which officially expire July 31 but have already run out for many, could also put a major dent in spending and lead to increases in defaults on mortgages, credit cards, automobiles and other loans.

We still have a large part of the population that still depend on these benefits, Moya said. And its not easy to be optimistic about large swaths of the labor market. I once thought we might see the unemployment rate drop to around 8 percent this year but now it looks like it will probably be higher.

Moya added that good vaccine news probably wont arrive until October or November with the completion of the first Phase III trials. And that means Americans will probably remain hesitant to engage in a lot of normal economic activity. The work-from-home economy will remain resilient but you arent going to see a widespread return to normalcy very quickly.

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U.S. suffered worst quarterly contraction on record as virus ravages economy - POLITICO

Barack Obama Reveals The Thing About Donald Trump That Keeps Him Up At Night – HuffPost

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Former President Barack Obama reportedly revealed to supporters this week whats keeping him awake at night.

Obama, during a virtual fundraiser for presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden on Tuesday, said he feared the prospect of President Donald Trump questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 election,The New York Times reportedon Thursday.

In the online event with actor George Clooney, Obama also reportedly expressed grave concern about Republican voter suppression efforts.

In public, Obamas criticism of his successor has mostly been muted, and he rarely mentions Trump by name. In private fundraising appearances, however, Obama has explicitly called out Trump multiple times,according to the Times.

ASSOCIATED PRESSFormer President Barack Obama reportedly revealed to supporters this week whats keeping him up at night.

In an online exchange with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D), Obama reportedly said Trump tries to redirect the fears and anger and resentment of people who, in some cases, really are having a tough time and have seen their prospects, or communities where they left, declining in nativist, racist, sexist ways.

During another with LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, Obama said Trumps use of racist terms to describe the coronavirus still shocks and pisses me off.

A spokesperson for Obama did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment. His office did not dispute the remarks attributed to him in the Times, the newspaper reported.

Obama officially endorsed Biden in April with a 12-minute video in which he hailed his former vice president for having the character and the experience to guide us through one of our darkest times and heal us through a long recovery.

In a video that the Biden campaign released last week, Obama called out Trump for failing to take responsibility for his administrations disastrous handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Can you imagine standing up when you were president and saying its not my responsibility, I take no responsibility, Biden asked Obama in the clip. I mean literally. Literally.

Obama agreed. Those words didnt come out of our mouths when we were in office.

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Barack Obama Reveals The Thing About Donald Trump That Keeps Him Up At Night - HuffPost

Donald Trump Stole Their Republican Party. They Want to Take It Back. – The Dispatch

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Twenty percent of Donald Trumps own voters four years ago held an unfavorable opinion of the man as they cast their ballot for him on Election Day, according to exit polls. Sixteen percent said they would feel concerned or scared if he won, and 29 percent viewed him as dishonest. A recent Gallup survey found the GOP shrinking dramatically in size this year alone: 47 percent of respondents identified as Republicans or Republican-leaners in January; just 39 percent did in July. The Gary Johnson-led Libertarian ticket received a record 4.5 million votes in 20163.2 million more than Johnson won in 2012in large part due to the unpopularity of both Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

These are the voters being targeted by two super PACs launched this yearRepublican Voters Against Trump (RVAT) and the Lincoln Projectin the hopes of making Donald Trump a one-term president. And with Trumps margin of victory in 2016 coming down to about 80,000 votes in three states, it just might work.

This is a massive group, said Tim Miller, political director for RVAT and longtime GOP operative who most recently worked for Jeb Bushs 2016 presidential campaign. You cant win primaries with that group, thats true. But in a general election like this, youre talking about 15 to 20 million voters. And that is the difference between Trump winning a narrow electoral college victory and losing in a Reaganesque landslide.

The Trump campaign proclaims not to be fazed. This is the swampyet againtrying to take down the duly elected President of the United States, spokeswoman Erin Perrine told The Dispatch. President Trump is the leader of a united Republican Party where he has earned 94 percent of Republican votes during the primariessomething any former president of any party could only dream of. (Trump did win 94 percent of the vote in his primary against former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, but several state GOPs canceled their contests entirely, citing precedent established under previous incumbent presidents.)

Miller and Perrine both have vested interests in the outcome of the race, of course, but other GOP consultants seem to agree with Millers assessment. Nationally, probably close to 20 percent of the Republican vote is available to Biden or to be sidelined, California-based strategist Rob Stutzman told The Dispatch. Thats just a substantially weakened base and absolutely can throw the election against Trump.

There are data models showing Biden/GOP Senate leaners that far exceed the numbers required to flip a number of swing states, a Republican operative working on Senate races this cycle said. Were only talking about fewer than 80,000 Republicans across three Great Lakes states.

Republican Voters Against Trump

The videos are not high quality. Most appear to be shot on a laptop or front-facing phone camera. But there are a lot of them.

I cannot fuckin, I cant take this anymore, says Jeffrey Farmer, a 50-something-year-old man with neck tattoos whose accent makes sense once he reveals hes from Mendon, Massachusetts. He voted for Donald Trump in 2016 because he couldnt stand Hillary Clinton, but hes throwing his support behind Joe Biden this November. Him and his goddamn Twitter, all he does is watch the goddamn news. Why dont you do your frickin job, Donald Trump, instead of frickin whining and complaining about everything. Everyones out to get you? You know what dude? Walk a mile in my shoes.

Lori sent her video in from a small town in southwestern Wisconsin. She voted for Trump in 2016 because she wanted someone to do something about all of the illegal immigrants from Mexico. But she regrets it. I find myself everyday, almost in tears with my fear of what this man has already done to our country, and what hes going to do if he gets four more years.

Charles became a conservative after listening to William F. Buckley and reading Barry Goldwaters Conscience of a Conservative, and he prayed in 2016 that Trump would rise to a moral leadership. But the veteran (he retired a lieutenant colonel) and longtime Southern Baptist pastor from central Texas has seen enough. I have devoted my lifetime, proud to be an American, to be a conservative, to be a Republican, as a lawyer, as a serviceman, as an Evangelical Christian, he starts. Mr. Trump has tarnished all the good that I have stood for. And it saddens me to say that I cannotI will notvote for that man.

Those are three of the hundreds of testimonials RVAT has collected in recent months from GOPers and onetime supporters of the president who now want him booted from the White House. Soliciting the first 100 videos was hard, Sarah Longwell, RVATs strategic director, admitted. The group relied on the email list of its parent organization, Defending Democracy Together (DDT), which was stood up in 2018 by Longwell and Bill Kristol to understand and confront Trumpism within the conservative movement. But since that initial batch went live at the end of May, momentum carried the day.

Its been overwhelming, honestly, the deluge of videos weve gotten in, Miller told The Dispatch. Were over 500 now, its been almost all organic. Just people whove seen them online or seen the news coverage of them, and decided they wanted to tell their story.

Longwell and DDT have been conducting focus groups since 2018 in an attempt to figure out what makes Trump voters tick and where the presidents weak spots with his base are. These Republican voters did not trust Democrats. They do not trust the media. They dont trust political ads, Longwell said. When you show people the stuff with the scary voiceovers, or the stuff that's attacking Trump, people immediately doubt the source of it. They dont believe the facts that are contained in there. They know that youre trying to persuade them.

Enter: Testimonial videos.

When it comes to the real voices, Longwell added, theyre just so interested in the peoples stories and they really feel like it speaks to the same anxieties that they have about Trump.

Politics is very tribal, and so were trying to create kind of a new tribe, she continued. People who identify as Republicans, who are lifelong conservatives, but who either left the Republican Party because of Trump, or people who voted third party in 2016 because of Trump but this year are going to vote for Biden, in 2016 voted for Trump but in this year are going to vote for Biden.

Its a tried and true tactic in the political campaign world. Stutzman described the videos as classic Advertising 101 permission structures.

Its not so much the persuasion at this point, he said, as much as I think [its] that permission structure for Republicans to go, Yeah, okay. I dont have to vote for him again. I can feel okay about that.

Its okay to change your mind, an RVAT video with 1.5 million YouTube views concludes. We did.

The clips themselves routinely go gangbusters online, racking up millions of views and thousands of retweets, many of which undoubtedly come from liberals desperate to find validation from the other side of the political aisle. But RVAT is working to make sure its intended audience sees them, too.

The group already has $10 million from donors 100 percent committed, per Longwell, and is hoping to raise an additional $5 million between now and Election Day. Miller says 80 percent to 90 percent of that money will be going toward Facebook and YouTube advertising in states like Arizona, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, with the remaining 10 to 20 percent going toward TV spots on shows with more gettable Trump voters like Chris Wallaces Fox News Sunday and Bret Baiers Special Report.

Officially, Republican Voters Against Trump is not advocating for anything other than whats in the name. Theyre agnostic as to whether the people theyre targeting pull the lever for Biden, stay home, vote third party, or write in their dogs name. From a strategic standpoint, taking somebody that last time voted for Donald Trump but just can never get there on the Democratsmaybe its because of abortion, maybe its just a mental blockjust moving them from Trump to write-in, lets say, has the same value as moving a [Evan] McMullin voter to Biden, Miller said. Either way, thats a plus one for Biden. So while the broader effort of our group is to elect Joe Bidenwere not hiding the ball on thatwe want people that maybe might not vote for him to be part of this effort.

RVAT is also not campaigning against downballot Republicans. Were trying to attract voters who might be Biden-Tillis voters Biden-McSally voters, Miller added, referencing the North Carolina and Arizona Republican senators fighting to retain their seats. This is not going to be a huge segment of the electorate. But it is a segment. In a close election, that could be the difference.

The Lincoln Project

It is on this point where RVAT diverges from its more notorious counterpart. The Lincoln Projectannounced in December 2019 by political operatives Steve Schmidt, Rick Wilson, and John Weaver, as well as conservative lawyer George Conwaywas founded, according to its website, with a singular mission in mind: To defeat Donald Trump and Trumpism.

That second partand Trumpismis what has gotten the Lincoln Project so much flak from the right while RVAT has flown largely under the radar. The group is focusing its tens of millions of dollars not just on helping Joe Bidens odds in the presidential election, but defeating vulnerable Republican senatorslike Thom Tillis, Martha McSally, Susan Collins, Cory Gardner, Joni Ernst, Lindsey Graham, Steve Daines, and Mitch McConnellas well. Weaverwho has worked for Sen. John McCain and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich but also the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committeerecently told the Washington Post he thinks the Lincoln Project will remain active in a hypothetical Biden presidency, working against GOP lawmakers who oppose Democratss agenda.

Schmidtan alum of campaigns for George Bush, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and McCainexplained the organizations rationale. The Republican Party has been a collaborationist party with regard to Trumpism, he told The Dispatch in an interview earlier this week. Trumpism is an illiberal, undemocratic, authoritarian-fetishizing movement. And we need two liberal parties in this country debating each other. If theres only going to be one liberal party, and that partys policies are going to be progressive, then so be it. We cant have an authoritarian party in this country, and there has to be a political price to pay for the senators who have let Trump run amok. Its the nuttiness of the Republican Party, more than anything else, thats going to achieve the implementation of a progressive agenda in this country.

Asked about the argumentadvanced by The Dispatchs David French among othersthat burning down the GOP indiscriminately will leave nothing but the Trumpiest members, Schmidt didnt necessarily see that as a problem.

The Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, lunatic fringe of the party is a specific type of metastasis of the cancer thats in our politics. These guys are nuts and fools, he said. In some degree, the [Sen.] Susan Collinses and the [Sen.] Cory Gardners are worse than all of them because they know better. And their issue is cowardice. Nobody is asking any of these people to have stormed Omaha Beach, right? Theyre senators, theyre not victims.

Schmidt referenced The Wavea 1981 made-for-TV movie about a group of students unknowingly descending into fascismto explain present-day American politics. Could it happen here? he asked. It is happening here.

Porn for MSNBC viewers is how Stutzman referred to the Lincoln Project and its political advertising. Current Republican operatives have taken to calling the group a Democratic super PAC, citing its donor rolls, which, as of June 30, feature scores of prominent large-dollar Democratic donors in addition to its more grassroots fundraising. Its offerings are wildly popular in Democrat Twitter, in places like MSNBC, Stutzman continued, because its so cathartic and satisfying. But I dont know that its particularly persuasive to Republicans.

The groups ads buck nearly all the insights gleaned from DDTs focus groups. They feature scary voice-overs, include plenty ofTrump mocking, and focus on inside-the-Beltway stories that dont matter to voters. But RVAT staffers think their more aggressive peer is complementary to their own efforts, targeting a different slice of the electorateand one person in particular.

The Lincoln Project characterizes itself as having an audience of one, trying to get in Trumps head, Longwell said. Thats what theyre doing. What were doing is we are narrowly focused on deep persuasion of our target audience.

Schmidt did not reject the notion that his group engages in what Miller referred to as PSYOPS (psychological operations) against the president. We were the first people to point out [Trumps] stumbling down the ramp at West Point and drinking water. Fast forward to [his] Tulsa [rally], for 45 minutes he goes up and talks about drinking water and walking down the ramp, which makes him look deranged, Schmidt said. His taking of the dementia test is all rooted out of our advertising, right? Making fun of him and that stuff.

Stutzman concedes that this portion of the Lincoln Projects efforts has been more productive. The PSYOPs aspect of it against the president, what Lincoln does, is obviously incredibly effective and has consequences probably, if you ask Brad Parscale, he said, referencing Trumps demoting of his campaign manager a few weeks after the Lincoln Project ran an ad highlighting Parscales lavish lifestyle. I think thats an effective thing to do against Trump, is to screw with his head.

Trump is certainly aware of the Lincoln Project, in part because the group tends to air its ads during his favorite Fox News shows at night. One spot in particular set off an 11:46 p.m. tweetstorm on a Monday in May. A group of RINO Republicans who failed badly 12 years ago, then again 8 years ago, and then got BADLY beaten by me, a political first timer, 4 years ago, have copied (no imagination) the concept of an ad from Ronald Reagan, Trump tweeted. Their so-called Lincoln Project is a disgrace to Honest Abe Theyre all LOSERS.

We try to communicate things that Trump will see, for sure, Schmidt said. To be inside his head and to fight him asymmetrically like that. Yes, absolutely. Its intentional and deliberate.

But he believes their ads accomplish more than just that, boasting that the spots received more than 1 billion views online in the month of June. Have we persuaded undecided voters? Sure. Have we persuaded people to be more intense in their support of Biden? Definitely. Have we persuaded people to volunteer and get engaged? Have we persuaded people about what the stakes of the election are?

The Lincoln Project had raised just less than $20 million through the end of June, but Schmidt expects the group to spend between $50 million and $60 million by November, expanding its operations (currently about 30 staffers) to include coordinating volunteers on the ground in key states across the country. Critics have pointed to opaqueness in the groups finances to question how much money is going toward electoral efforts and how much is going to the founders themselves. Defending against these charges in an interview with CBSs animated news show, Tooning Out the News, Rick Wilson chalked the uncharacteristically high operating expenditures in Q1 up to startup, acquisition, and data costs. We have a massive amount of money escrowed in the bank for media and for voter contact this fall, Wilson promised. Our numbers are competitive with any other PAC, and in fact much better than most.

What Comes Next?

If current trends holdBiden is leading Trump in FiveThirtyEights national polling average by nearly 8.5 pointsboth RVAT and the Lincoln Project will very likely get what theyre working toward. Will the dog know what to do once it finally catches the car?

If Joe Biden wins in a landslide and the Republican Party decides to do some actual reevaluation of whether this nationalist populist direction is the right one, Longwell said, speaking for herself, [I] very much want to be a part of trying to chart a path for a center-right party that can build a big enough political coalition to govern.

She mentioned Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan as someone around whom that center-right party could be built, but admitted she has fears about what Trump has exposed about the party, adding that the GOP could very well lean even harder into nationalism in the coming years, not retrench from it.

Weve seen how fragile some of our norms and institutions are during the last three years, she said. Im interested in the fundamental project of rebuilding those.

Schmidt hopes that NeverTrump Republicans like himself are seen as strong allies in promoting a recovery agenda for this country.

We want to be strong allies in fixing a totally broken Voting Rights Act, Civil Rights Act, election security issues, foreign interference issues, he said. There are so many enormous problems that demand pragmatic solutions, and we look forward to being a partner.

But he foresees a long future in the political wilderness with respect to the GOP. Fire purifies the forest, right? he said. The forest burns, and is regenerated.

But at this point, he continued, theres no interest in being in a coalition with Matt Gaetz and Jim Jordan and the noxious, racist, authoritarian elements of this.

Gaetz and Jordan are not trailblazersthe GOP has long had its fair share of bombastic individuals over the years whose defining characteristics have been not being a Democrat, and loudly. Many figures on the leftJoe Biden rather famously excludedview Trump not as an aberration, but a natural outgrowth of the last several decades of Republican politics. Does Schmidt regret his years inside the machine?

Well look, he shot back. I ran Arnold Schwarzeneggers campaign. We got 40 percent of the Hispanic vote, we got 27 percent of the black vote. I was one of the top strategists for George W. Bush, we got 40 percent of the Hispanic vote. Worked for John McCainimmigration reform.

I was always, We need to reach out, we need to take our message everywhere, he continued, labeling himself a northerner and a Jack Kemp Republican, as opposed to a Jerry Falwell Republican. I was really nave about the degree of racial animus that just teems below the surface, that you saw bubbling up at Palin rallies, and in response to Obama, and certainly with Trump.

He paused for nearly 10 seconds, perhaps thinking about the role he played in selecting Sarah Palin as McCains running mate in 2008. I reflect on that. I reflect on that a lot.

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Donald Trump Stole Their Republican Party. They Want to Take It Back. - The Dispatch

Is Donald Trump playing politics with the Portland protests? – The Guardian

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Anti-racism protesters have repeatedly clashed with federal officers in the US city of Portland, Oregon in recent days. They have continued nightly protests ever since the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in May.

The Guardians Chris McGreal is in Portland and tells Anushka Asthana that to understand what is happening in the city you have to look back at Oregons history and at the politics of the present. Portland is one of the least diverse cities in the US and has a history of segregation and racially divisive policies. But it is also home to thousands of young people incensed by racial inequality and the politics of Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, in the White House, Trump is eyeing the worsening election polls and is desperate to live up to his claim of being a law and order president. As he sanctions the highly unusual deployment of federal troops to the Democrat-run city against the wishes of its mayor, protesters in other cities are taking to their own streets in solidarity.

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Is Donald Trump playing politics with the Portland protests? - The Guardian

Donald Trump shouldnt throw out the first pitch for the Yankees, he should be their starting pitcher. – SB Nation

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On Monday, Donald Trump, president of these United States, told reporters attending a briefing that he had been invited to throw out the first pitch for the Yankees in their series against the Nationals on August 15.

It would have been a momentous occasion. A chance to see the strength of our leadership on full display for the world. A stable genius on the mound, undoubtedly throwing a 100 mph fastball right down the middle of the strike zone. A pitch so incredible that the greatest hitters of our generation would say that is the most incredible pitch Ive ever seen in baseball history, and there is no way in hell any professional athlete could ever make contact with that thing.

Of course, liberal bias and fake news is trying to ruin what would have been an inspirational moment for the millions of Americans affected by coronavirus or lost loved ones to the virus.

On Tuesday the New York Times published a salacious article alleging that the Yankees never asked Trump to throw out the first pitch. That our president, bastion of truth and paragon of virtue, made the whole thing up. Frankly, its disgusting. They say its because the president was jealous of Dr. Anthony Fauci, who threw out the first pitch for the Nationals at their home opener. As if Donald J. Trump would ever be jealous of some nerd in a lab coat. Fauci doesnt even own any hotels.

The unassailable truth is that our president, who fights every day for us, isnt able to throw with his cannon-like arm, which people have called stronger than a howitzer and twice as deadly because hes addressing the biggest crises this country has every seen.

If we have any hope of remaining the world leader in Covid-19 deaths we need the steady leadership of the president at this critical time. Hes far too busy to throw out a first pitch right now.

Not to mention, the real issue here is that every president throws out a first pitch. Its boring, its passe, its old hat. Donald Trump is not any president, hes the president. Which is why he shouldnt throw out the first pitch for the Yankees ... HE SHOULD BE THE STARTING PITCHER FOR THE YANKEES. I dont care how many millions of dollars a baseball team pays for an arm, there is absolutely nobody who has the kind of giant, throbbing brain that Trump has. Pair those smarts with that arm, which has been compared to an elephants trunk, and theres no telling what he could do.

Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV all of them shocked and awed by the velocity of his perfect pitches. Entire sides struck out in minutes. Towels being thrown from the dugout with opponents saying we quit, this is just impossible, but no, theres no quitting in baseball so you need to endure your beat down for the entire 16 minutes it takes, but youll get to go home early for supper, because Trump will hit 15 home runs and embarrass you in the process.

Advancements in science will need to take place just to capture Trumps pitching on TV. It will be impossible for modern cameras to track the ball. People will turn their heads and say did he throw it yet? because the ball will leave his hand with such velocity and force that it will break the sound barrier, and instead of the signature crack of Mach-1 being shattered, instead it will sound like an eagle screeching the word FREEDOM at the end of a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert.

I, for one, am ready.

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Donald Trump shouldnt throw out the first pitch for the Yankees, he should be their starting pitcher. - SB Nation

Planes, cars, oil, GDP… the virus bill is coming due – Macau Business

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Oil majors, plane manufacturers, carmakers, double-digit falls in GDP: the global economy is now paying the bill for thecoronavirus pandemic as uncertainty remains over the recovery.

The numbers are head-spinning. The economy of Germany, the largest in Europe, contracted by 10.1 percent in the second quarter from the first three months of the year.

Meanwhile the US economy contracted by 32.9 percent in the second quarter at an annualised rate.

GDP is a rearview mirror, said Ludovic Subran, chief economist at insurance giant Allianz.

It shows us the crest of the wave, the black hole of the crisis, he told AFP.

In a flurry of announcements on Thursday the stalwarts of the old economy showed the financial scars they suffered as countries around the world forced people to stay at home and many businesses to shutter in a bid to slow the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Later several US giants of the new economy Apple, Google parent Alphabet, Facebook and Amazon will reveal how they fared.

Oil companies have been paying an especially high price as the lockdowns triggered a collapse in the price of crude. That has forced them to take huge charges to write down the value of assets that are worth less due to the lower oil prices.

Shell on Thursday posted a second-quarter net loss of $18.1 billion, Frances Total $8.4 billion and Italys Eni $4.4 billion.

The aviation industry has also been hit hard as the lockdowns that brought air travel to a near halt and a return to normal is not seen before 2023.

That has rebounded onto planemakers. Airbus said Thursday it burned through over 12 billion euros in cash in the first half of the year and suffered a net loss of 1.9 billion. It plans to slow production by 40 percent.

Its rival Boeing announced a $2.4 billion loss on Wednesday and said it would ratchet back production after having already announced plans to lay off 10 percent of its workforce.

Automakers are also having a tough time as the stay at home orders kept buyers away from dealerships.

French automaker Renault reported a 7.3-billion-euro half-year loss, partly thanks to trouble at its Japanese partner Nissan but also due to writing down the value of assets.The firm has already announced 15,000 job cuts.

Meanwhile Germanys Volkswagen reported a 1.4 billion pre-tax loss for the first six months of the year.

Although the situation is unprecedented, it is not final, said Renaults new chief executive Luca de Meo, promising a rebound.

A rebound is on everyones mind but no one is quite sure what it looks like yet.

At best it will be V-shaped: a steep drop followed by a sharp jump back.

ING bank economist Carsten Brzeski said he expects to see a strong rebound in Germanys economy in the third quarter.

But he also said the road to recovery would be uneven and long, which would be more like a check mark.

Industrial heavyweights are also suffering.

Steel giant ArcelorMittal saw losses deepen to $559 million as sales slumped by 43 percent.

Food companies have had a mixed time of it. Some benefitted from households initially stockpilingbut those who sell many products to cafes and restaurants have taken a big hit.

Nestle saw sales growth slow and managed an increase in profits only thanks to asset sales. Meanwhile Danone said sales fell 8.3 percent in the second quarter, mostly due to a plunge in sales of its bottled waters in restaurants, but it held profits nearly steady.

For Procter & Gamble, strong sales of cleaning products and soaps more than compensated for lacklustre demand for shaving products, helping it increase sales and post $2.8 billion in net profit for the quarter.

Some tech and pharma companies have weathered the crisis well.

South Korean tech giant SamsungElectronics defied the coronavirus to report Thursday higher net profits in the second quarter, with strong demand for memory chips overcoming the pandemics impact on smartphone sales. Its net profit climbed 7.3 percent.

Swiss pharma giant Novartis last week reported a six percent rise in sales in the first half of the year which helped drive a nine percent gain in profit to $4 billion.

This crisis is very Darwinian, it is affecting countries and sectors very differently, said Allianzs Subran.

He warned it could have a double trigger impact with the initial shock on activity followed by sectors weakened in terms of profitability being forced to adjust to a slower business environment.

Many businesses are likely to need to change their business models in light of the crisis, but a big question is whether they will be able to find money to make necessary investments.

Subran said that the crisis also showed where potential for growth lies, such as the digital economy and online commerce.

by Julien GIRAULT

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Planes, cars, oil, GDP... the virus bill is coming due - Macau Business

Eni trims production forecast after massive loss – Macau Business

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Italian oil and gas firm Eni cut its annual production forecast on Thursday for the third time this year after recording a steep quarterly net loss as crude prices plunged due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Eni said its now expects production of 1.71 to 1.76 million barrels per day in 2020, down from an earlier forecast of 1.75 to 1.80 million barrels per day, and well below its 1.87 million barrels per day in 2019.

Its shares fell 2.1 percent to 8.235 euros in morning trade on the Milan Stock Exchange.

Eni posted a second-quarter loss of 4.4 billion euros ($5.17 billion), due to huge asset writedowns, compared to year-ago profit of 424 million euros.

Analysts had been expecting a loss of 4.8 billion euros, according to a consensus forecast by financial information provider Factset Estimates.

For the first half of 2020, Eni posted a loss of 7.3 billion euros.

Second-quarter production fell by 6.6 percent to 1.71 million barrels per day, it said, slightly above the expected 1.68 million barrels per day.

Eni predicted that number to rise to around 2 million in 2023 to reach a peak in 2025 of 2.05 to 2.10 million barrels per day.

The company said it would cut capital expenditures by 35 percent this year and 30 percent in 2021, mostly due to reduced exploration and production.

Chief Executive Claudio Descalzi called the second quarter one of the most challenging quarters the oil and gas industry has faced in its history.

While actions taken by OPEC have allowed the market to reach some stability, emerging from the pandemic will be difficult, with signs of great uncertainty still to come, he said in a release.

Dividends would not be set, he said, but instead depend on the scenario and the industrial development of the group.

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Eni trims production forecast after massive loss - Macau Business

Hong Kong faces worst wave of virus, but it cant lock down – Macau Daily Times

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Once a coronavirus success story, Hong Kong is facing its worst outbreak yet, and policy makers are realizing how little they can do without making a bad situation worse.New infections have broken records in nine of the last 20 days. But unlike other global cities, Hong Kong has been reluctant to impose stay-at-home restrictions or close nonessential businesses. Instead, the rules have gotten incrementally tighter, changing by the week. Public gatherings were limited to four people, then two. Dining-in was banned for dinner, then lunch. Masks were required on public transport, then all indoor public spaces, now everywhere outdoors as well.The steady drip of half-measures goes against what the short history of the pandemic has shown to work: broad and stringent lockdowns levied early on the infection curve. In Australia and other places currently fighting flare-ups, officials have quickly reinstated tight restrictions.While still modest compared with outbreaks in many global cities, the up-tick in Hong Kong is particularly troubling, arriving after months with near-zero community transmission and from as yet untraceable origins exactly the circumstances in which the tightest restrictions are thought to be the most effective.On Wednesday, the city reported 113 new local cases, taking the total outbreak to over 3,000.But going further in Hong Kong could lead to a humanitarian crisis. It is extremely difficult to enforce a lockdown in Hong Kong, said Fernando Cheung, a lawmaker with a record of social advocacy. There are more than 200,000 people living in subdivided units, some without private toilets and others combining their kitchens, toilets, and sleeping places all in one room. To ask people not to step out of that environment for a long period of time is inhumane and impractical.A full lockdown? Nobody will say that this isnt in the arsenal, but logistically its a nightmare, Bernard Chan, a top adviser to Chief Executive Carrie Lam, said in an interview. People still need to go out and buy groceries. And people live in such a tight environment, even going down the lift youre exposed.The challenge facing Hong Kong offers more evidence of the disparate impact of the pandemic along existing social and economic fault lines. From the U.S to parts of Europe and South America, the most vulnerable populations are bearing the brunt of the health crisis, made worse by dysfunctional institutions and structures.Whether or not Hong Kong officials tighten restrictions further, time is running out on the current strategy. Some 80% of isolation beds and wards in public hospitals are full, and the citys testing capacity is limited. The government is trying to add capacity with private testing labs in Hong Kong and mainland China, and preparing community isolation centers for patients in stable condition.Meanwhile, the city is already in deep recession, rocked first by months of anti-Beijing protests, then by the pandemic. The economy shrank an unprecedented 9% in the second quarter, the fourth straight quarter of contraction, while the unemployment rate has more than doubled to 6.2% in the past 12 months, reaching a 15-year high.In its current state of political and economic fragility, Hong Kong cant impose heavy lockdowns to eliminate all cases the way mainland China does, said Lam Ching Choi, a medical doctor and adviser to Lam. Instead, the measures have to balance personal and economic needs with public health outcomes, and allow the city to remain an open, international financial center.Our trust level is maybe the lowest compared with western countries because of the social events that happened this year, Lam said in an interview. So we must listen to our people and not affect their work, their daily lives like shopping or visiting their family members. MDT/Bloomberg

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Hong Kong faces worst wave of virus, but it cant lock down - Macau Daily Times

First pin piles arrive in Taiwan for Formosa 2 offshore wind farm – Energy Global

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Save to read list Published by Lydia Woellwarth, Deputy Editor Energy Global, Thursday, 30 July 2020 11:20

Jan De Nul Group has started transportation of the pin piles for the 376 MW Formosa 2 Offshore Wind Farm. The first batch of 26 pin piles was loaded on the transportation vessel BBC Onyx at EEW SPCs facilities in South Korea and offloaded in the Formosa 2 marshalling port of Taichung in Taiwan.

Jan De Nul Group subcontracted EEW SPC for the supply of all 194 pin piles needed for the Formosa 2 Project. EEW SPC started fabrication in January at three different yards in South Korea and Malaysia. This first pile delivery, one of eight batches in total assigned to the German BBC Chartering, is a significant milestone given the COVID-19 outbreak and its severe impact worldwide. All the pin piles will be stored in Taichung Port until foundation installation commences later this year.

Local supply chain

With Taichung Port being the logistics and operations hub for the Formosa 2 offshore wind farm project, Jan De Nul Group continues its partnership with Taiwan International Ports Co. Ltd (TIPC) following the successful co-operation on the Formosa 1 Phase 2 project. For the port operations, Jan De Nul Group collaborates with Belgium-headquartered Sarens and a team of Taiwanese suppliers including its long-standing partner Hung Hua Corporation, Ta Jia International Co. Ltd, Jin An Logistics International Co. Ltd and the Glory Shipping Agency Corporation.

Formosa 2 offshore wind farm

Developed by Macquaries Green Investment Group, JERA and Swancor Renewable Energy Company Ltd, and located between four and ten nautical miles off Miaoli County, the 376 MW Formosa 2 offshore wind farm will have 47 Siemens 8 MW turbines on jacket foundations in up to 55 m water depth.

Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/wind/30072020/first-pin-piles-arrive-in-taiwan-for-formosa-2-offshore-wind-farm/

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Avangrid Renewables has sold 85% ownership of the Tatanka Ridge Wind Farm to WEC Energy Group for approximately US$235 million.

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First pin piles arrive in Taiwan for Formosa 2 offshore wind farm - Energy Global