‘The Daily’: A Fatal Blow to the Health Care Bill? – New York Times

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'The Daily': A Fatal Blow to the Health Care Bill? - New York Times

GOP’s Cuts To Medicaid Could Threaten Kids’ Health Care, Doctors … – NPR

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Two-year-old Robbie Klein has hemophilia, a medical condition that interferes with his blood's ability to clot normally. Without insurance, the daily medications he needs to stay healthy could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars or more each year. Jesse Costa/WBUR hide caption

Two-year-old Robbie Klein has hemophilia, a medical condition that interferes with his blood's ability to clot normally. Without insurance, the daily medications he needs to stay healthy could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars or more each year.

The U.S Senate's plan to replace Obamacare would cut funding for Medicaid and other health insurance subsidies by more than $1 billion a year within five years. That has many lawmakers, doctors, hospitals and patients across Massachusetts in a state of alarm.

"Where in this bill is the protection for children," asks Dr. Jonathan Davis, the chief of newborn medicine at Tufts Medical Center, as he stands in the hospital's NICU among babies who weigh as little as 1 pound. Roughly 60 percent of babies in the Tufts NICU are covered by Medicaid.

Davis pauses in front of an incubator that holds a tiny girl, just a few days old, who weighs 2.5 pounds. Her little lungs pump several times a second.

"The fact is, she's in room air, so she's breathing entirely on her own which is great," Davis says.

Doctors and nurses will work round-the-clock to give this baby and her roommates the best possible start. But it's unclear whether Tufts could provide this care for free if the baby or her mom didn't qualify for Medicaid. Davis says they also need good insurance after they leave the hospital.

"Because if those children don't go home to get great primary care, follow-up, early intervention and support, all those gains that could potentially have been made are going to be lost," Davis says.

That threat seems real under the Senate health care bill, says Audrey Shelto, president of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation.

"It is even more devastating than the House bill for low-income and vulnerable populations," Shelto says.

That's because as of 2025, the Senate would tie spending for each person on Medicaid to a standard inflation rate, instead of the rate of medical inflation, which is usually higher. In Massachusetts, lots of lawmakers Democrats and Republicans are frustrated, if not angry.

State Rep. Jeff Snchez, House chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, reviewed the details on his way to a health care conference.

"They talked about repeal and replace," he says. "This is more like search and destroy because fewer people are going to get coverage that they need, and people will pay more out of pocket."

Snchez says Massachusetts has a longstanding practice of making kids a priority and has enhanced MassHealth to make sure kids in low-income families get the care they need.

"Nobody's clear on what's the future of that program," he says. "Everything is up in the air."

Snchez's co-chair, state Sen. James Welch, has called the U.S. Senate bill "class warfare" because it would take money from poor kids and their moms and give it to wealthy adults in the form of tax cuts. But Welch says the state won't have any good options if Massachusetts has to make up $1.4 billion in federal health care cuts in the future.

"Do you raise taxes somewhere? Do you cut back on eligibilities? Do you cut back on benefits? Tough decisions are going to have to be made," Welch says. "But health coverage that children are currently receiving we'll fight tooth and nail to make sure that continues."

Eileen McAnneny, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, says the state should cut health care spending before any talk of raising taxes or moving people off Medicaid. But McAnneny says MassHealth, the state's Medicaid program, is growing faster than the state can manage. About 60 cents of every new tax dollar goes to MassHealth.

"So we have to reduce the cost of the MassHealth program, or the state will deliver MassHealth services and few others because it will consume a lot of our resources," McAnneny says.

For kids, there is one bright spot in the Senate health plan that is not in the House Obamacare replacement bill: About 20 percent of children who qualify for Medicaid because they are severely disabled would be exempt from the cuts.

Kayla Klein, of West Roxbury, is watching what Congress is doing closely. She tugs at the appliqud dog on the front of her 2-year-old son Robbie's T-shirt.

"Right Robs? Where's your port?" she asks, playfully,

Robbie's T-shirt hides a central line port through which he gets medicine every day that he needs to stay healthy; he has the blood-clotting disorder hemophilia.

Robbie makes his mom and dad, Joel Klein, laugh a lot. But they're also very worried. Hemophilia medications can be terribly expensive, and the Kleins are both school teachers, without hefty salaries. Robbie has private insurance through his parents to cover most of the cost, and Medicaid is a backup plan, for now.

The Kleins want to make sure members of Congress understand the decisions they're making are really important.

"Our futures and our livelihood are hanging in the balance," Joel Klein says.

"It makes you feel very fragile. It makes you feel like you aren't empowered when your child's life is at stake," Kayla Klein adds.

Senate leaders say they expect to vote on their health care bill before their August recess. It's not clear whether the bill has the votes to pass.

This story is part of NPR's reporting partnership with WBUR and Kaiser Health News.

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GOP's Cuts To Medicaid Could Threaten Kids' Health Care, Doctors ... - NPR

How genetics will impact the future of sports medicine: Dr. Michael Swartzon’s insights – Becker’s Orthopedic & Spine

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Historically, genetics researchers have not dedicated time to the orthopedic field, instead focusing on oncology, infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases.

"Orthopedics is usually quite simple; a bone is broken, you splint it and let it heal," explains Michael Swartzon, MD, of Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute at Baptist Health South Florida. "I think that's why orthopedics wasn't a bigger player earlier on in using genetics."

This may be changing, however, as sports medicine physicians realize the power of genetics and environmental data in injury prevention.

Dr. Swartzon and colleagues published a review in Strength and Conditioning Journal on precision sports medicine. The review argues how leveraging information from an individual's genetics, environment, lifestyle and epigenetics could help providers "maximize resources by targeting pathology and human performance on the molecular level."

Dr. Swartzon sees promise in using an individual's genetic information to determine various contributors to performance, such as muscle fiber composition. Equipped with genetic information, physicians may be able to predict who is prone to arthritis or who may dehydrate faster.

"There are many areas in which we could use genetics for elite athletes to advance their performance," says Dr. Swartzon. In addition to performance, genetics will play a critical role in athlete safety.

"When you look at what you're trying to do as a physician, preventing people from fatal injuries is the top priority," Dr. Swartzon adds. Although genetic tests are available to determine whether athletes are at greater risk of conditions, like cardiac issues, Dr. Swartzon emphasizes the controversy surrounding such tests. The decision lies in whether young athletes should refrain from playing basketball, for instance, since they test positive for a gene related to cardiac issues.

"Just because you have the gene for something, doesn't mean you actually get it," he says.

Although preventative genetic testing for sports involvement is still under debate, Dr. Swartzon highlights pharmacogenomics as a hot research field. Pharmacogenomics involves leveraging genetic information to predict how a person will respond to a medication. The process could help identify which medication and dose will prove more effective for a particular person.

Further, with orthobiologics gaining steam in the orthopedics field, Dr. Swartzon sees genetics entering the game to determine who should receive treatments.

"That's where the research comes in, and hopefully the question of why and which person will be answered by genetics," he adds.

Genetics will help physicians forgo treatments they know will not work for individual patients, reduce side effects and ultimately, speed recovery.

More articles on sports medicine: Dr. Keith Meister to perform Tommy John surgery on Nationals' Joe Ross 4 insights Dr. Marc Philippon performs hip surgery on A's player: 4 takeaways LA Chargers name Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian the official healthcare provider: 4 observations

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How genetics will impact the future of sports medicine: Dr. Michael Swartzon's insights - Becker's Orthopedic & Spine

Promising therapy for fatal genetic diseases in children nears human trials – Medical Xpress

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July 18, 2017

Researchers at University of Massachusetts Medical School and Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine are nearing human clinical trials on a genetic therapy for two rare neurological diseases that are fatal to children.

The scientists are seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to test a gene therapy treatment for Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases, genetic disorders in a category known as lysosomal storage diseases.

Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff are inherited neurologic diseases that occur when genetic mutations prevent cells from producing enzymes needed to break down and recycle materials. Without these enzymes, the materials accumulate to toxic levels, slowly destroying the nervous system. The researchers are working on a gene therapy to correct the enzyme deficiency using adeno-associated virus, or AAV, vectors.

The average life expectancy for children with infantile Tay-Sachs or Sandhoff disease is only 3 to 5 years. There is currently no treatment. The gene therapy in development has shown promise in animal models of these diseases by extending lifespans by up to four times those of untreated animals.

"The proof-of-concept studies in affected animals are compelling, and the FDA provided a clear path of remaining experiments needed to seek approval for human clinical trials," said Douglas R. Martin, a professor at Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine. "We now need the funding to complete the studies."

The animal phase of toxicity studies necessary to demonstrate the safety of the gene therapy for Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases has been completed with the support of the National Tay-Sachs & Allied Disease Association and the Cure Tay-Sachs Foundation.

"Too many children with Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff have died since we started this project. The time has finally arrived to push back on these diseases," says Miguel Sena-Esteves, PhD, associate professor of neurology at UMass Medical School. "Our single-minded goal is to get a safe and potentially effective therapy to patients and their families as quickly as possible."

"Hopefully, once the news gets out that we are this close to human clinical trials, fundraising efforts will be sufficient so we can complete the IND-enabling studies and proceed to human clinical trials," said veterinarian Heather Gray-Edwards, an assistant professor at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Additional funding of $1.2 million is being sought to complete the safety studies, fund the production of clinical grade AAV, and complete regulatory filings.

Explore further: Promising results with new gene therapy approach for treating inherited neurodegenerative diseases

Transplantation of therapeutic stem cells directly into the central nervous system (CNS) is a promising new approach to treating the neurological effects of lysosomal storage diseases (LSD), a group of at least 50 different ...

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Promising therapy for fatal genetic diseases in children nears human trials - Medical Xpress

China unveils technology to create SUPER-HUMANS via hyper-muscular test-tube dogs – Express.co.uk

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The dogs, which are test tube bred in a lab, have twice the muscle mass of their natural counterparts and are considerably stronger and faster.

The canine genome has been especially difficult to engineer and replicate but its close similarity to the human genome means it has long been the prize of geneticists.

Now the Chinese success has led to fears the same technology could be used to create super-humans.

David King, director of Human Genetics Alert (HGA), voiced his fears over what is widely viewed as the first step on s slippery slope.

He told the Express.co.uk: Its true that the more and more animals that are genetically engineered using these techniques brings us closer to the possibility of genetic engineering of humans.

Dogs are as a species, in respect of cloning are very difficult, and even more difficult to clone human beings.

Theres no medical case for it, the scientists are interested in being the first person in the world to create a genetically engineer child.

Theyre interested in science and the technology and their careers. They will continue pushing the regulations for it.

GETTY

That does set us on the road to eugenics. I am very concerned with what Im seeing.

An army of super-humans has been a staple of science fiction and superhero comics for decades but the super-dog technology brings it closer to reality.

The Chinese researchers first self-bred cloned dog was named Little Long Long.

The beagle puppy, one of 27, was genetically engineered by deleting a gene called myostatin, giving it double the muscle mass of a normal beagle.

The advance genetic editing technology has been touted as a breakthrough which could herald the dawn of superbreeds, which could be stronger, faster, better at running and hunting.

NC

The dogs could potentially be deployed to frontline service to assist police officers, scientists said.

Dr Lai Liangxue, researcher at Guangzhou institute of biological medicine and health, said: "This is a breakthrough, marking China as only the second country in the world to independently master dog-somatic clone technology, after South Korea."

Some 65 embryos were edited, and from that 27 were born, with Little Long Long the only one who was created without the myostatin gene. Myostatin is known to control muscle size in humans.

Dogs are one of the hardest animals to clone, with only South Korea thought to have successfully created a clone in the past.

As well as the enhancements, researchers said in the Journal of Molecular Cell Biology some dogs will be bred with DNA mutations in a bid to help medical research, including some which mimic Parkinsons.

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Dr Lai added: "The goal of the research is to explore an approach to the generation of the new disease dog models for biomedical research.

"Dogs are very close to humans in terms of metabolic, physiological and anatomical characteristics."

But some have criticised the experiments, citing ethical concerns.

Mr King continued: This is the way its likely to proceed if the law is changed, first of all they will use it for medical purposes, most likely to treat a genetic condition.

GETTY

I am very concerned with what Im seeing

David King

In terms of genetic engineering we will be seeing this more and more.

There are also fears that, as well as medical, tinkering with genetics could also lead to a rise in designer or novelty pets.

Dr Lai said his team have no intentions to breed the bulked up beagles as pets.

But Mr King also voiced fears that this breakthrough, coupled with existing cases of altering human embryos, could lead to further calls for designer babies.

The director of HGA, and independent body, claimed there are multiple examples of eugenics going on already, citing women who are intelligent and beautiful are paid more for their eggs in the US.

Mr King said: Its not scaremongering.

Im seeing the beginning of a campaign within the scientific community to legalise human genetic engineering.

Weve seen how it happened with the thee-parent embryo.

NC

I can see the same thing building up with genetic engineering.

There are strict laws around cloning, but one example of a case in the UK is Dolly the sheep.

Born in 1996, she died aged six in 2003, half the normal life span of a Finn Dorset sheep.

And recently, an artificial womb for premature babies was tested on lambs, and showed significant success.

Lambs born at the equivalent of 23 weeks were placed inside the fake womb which contained fluid mimicking that found in an amniotic sac.

They remained inside for 28 days, and continued to develop, even growing white fleeces.

Guo Longpeng, the China press officer for the Asia division of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said: "Cloning is unethical.

"Like any other laboratory animal, these animals are caged and manipulated in order to provide a lucrative bottom line."

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China unveils technology to create SUPER-HUMANS via hyper-muscular test-tube dogs - Express.co.uk

What makes cancer gene therapy so groundbreaking? – News … – News@Northeastern

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On July 12, a Food and Drug Administration panel unanimously recommended approval for the first-ever gene therapy treatment for cancer. The treatment, known as CTL019, is a T-cell therapy developed by the pharmaceutical company Novartis. It is tailored for each individual patient and has already been proven effective for treating a type of childhood leukemia. The New York Times reports that in a study of 63 patients, 52 of them went into remission after receiving the treatment.

Researchers have long been working to perfect gene therapy for a variety of cancers, but CTL019 will be the first to reach the market. If the FDA moves to approve CTL019, the decision could open the door for more gene therapy treatments for other diseases.

Mansoor Amiji is University Distinguished Professor inthe Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Northeastern. His research focuses on the development of targeted therapies, including gene therapy, for treatment of the most lethal cancers, such as pancreatic, lung, ovarian, and brain tumors, as well as other chronic diseases. For one project, Amijis lab is interested in reprograming immune cells through genetic engineering to become more effective in treating cancer and inflammatory diseases.

Here, Amiji explains more about gene therapy treatment and why the approval of CTL019 would be so significant.

It is still very early to suggest that cancer immunotherapy will lead to the ultimate cure or even long-term control of cancer, says distinguished professor Mansoor Amiji. But the opportunity to use the bodys own defenses to eradicate cancer cells is truly groundbreaking. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

CAR-T cell, or chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, is one of the newer treatment options for cancer. Its based on the patients own immune system. In this approach, the patients T-cells are harvested and then genetically modified outside the body to produce engineered cells. The cells are then re-administered and can destroy the tumor. There have been studies conducted at various medical centers over the past several years, but this is the first time that the FDA committee is allowing a commercial pharmaceutical company to continue with the program, in this case for treatment of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Yes, cancer immunotherapy treatments, including CAR-T cell therapy, have been very successful in cancer treatment. More than 85 percent of patients treated with genetically engineered CAR-T cells are under remission, and that is unprecedented for cancer treatment options. However, it is still very early to suggest that cancer immunotherapy will lead to the ultimate cure or even long-term control of cancer and change it from a death sentence to a treatable chronic disease. But the opportunity to use the bodys own defenses to eradicate cancer cells is truly groundbreaking.

Genetic engineering focuses on using modified cells as drugs. In this approach, the cells are either removed from the body and genetically manipulated outside, such as in CAR-T cell therapy, or genetic constructs are delivered into specific cells in the body. For the latter, the genetic construct has to be packaged in a delivery vehiclenanoparticles, for exampleand be targeted to the right cell in the body. Conventional drugs work by inhibiting a specific molecular target, like a receptor on a cell or an enzyme involved in disease progression. Genetic therapies like CAR-T cell therapy are focused more on the treatment at the DNA or RNA level where the original defects reside. Thats why they can be significantly more effective than conventional therapies, and they also promise to be a lot safer.

The drug development process starts from preclinical discovery and then moves into the clinical phase where patients are treated with experimental methods. Typically, it takes about 10 to 15 years for a drug to go from early discovery up to the approval stage. However, there are exceptions when compelling early-stage clinical results are obtained that encourage the FDA to approve the treatment a lot faster. Also, once a trail-blazing concept like CAR-T cell therapy is approved, there are many other companies that are following behind with their own version of the treatment. Their products will be coming to the marketplace soon as well.

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FDA Accepts Application For Possible First Gene Therapy for … – CBS Philly

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July 17, 2017 6:32 PM By Stephanie Stahl

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) The FDA will review a breakthrough treatment for inherited diseases thats being developed here in Philadelphia.

If its approved, this would be the first gene therapy for an inherited disease.

Mondays announcement is focused on just one treatment but the technology holds tremendous promise.

Spark Therapeutics in University City is developing the first of its kind gene therapy for a rare inherited eye disease that causes blindness.

The FDA, in accepting the application, has put the drug Luxturna on a priority status for accelerated review.

Local Hospital Helps Family Of Paralyzed 2-Year-Old UK Boy

This is a huge milestone, not just for spark, but for the field of gene therapy, saidJeff Marrazzo of Spark Therapeutics.

Spark says the therapy works by replacing missing genetic material with a synthetic version.

Forty-one patients tested the drug, which is a one-time injection.

First-Of-Its-Kind Cancer Treatment Wins FDA Endorsement

Patients who received Luxturna actually showed a restoration of their functional vision,Marrazzo said.

The Smedley brothers who live in Bucks County have an inherited form of blindness. While the current Spark drug being reviewed by the FDA wouldnt work for them, it opens a new world of possibility.

Having two blind kids, initially, that was the most devastating news, Kristin Smedley, their mother said.

Eye Implant Allows Diabetic Patients To See Without Difficult Treatments

But Kristen says her devastation has turned into amazement, seeing how well her sons have adjusted.

Shes excited for the future now that Spark has what appears to be the formula for treating a variety of inherited diseases.

Seventy percent have no existing treatment, so when you think about potential to apply gene therapy to genetic diseases or inherited diseases, this represents a first step towards many different diseases that could be applied towards this technology,Marrazzo said.

In addition to the vision treatment, Spark is also working on a therapy for hemophilia.

The FDA will decide on the blindness drug in January.

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FDA Accepts Application For Possible First Gene Therapy for ... - CBS Philly

Gene therapy helps late-stage leukaemia patients for whom other treatments failed – South China Morning Post

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A cancer treatment that genetically alters immune cells has shown success in more than two-thirds of adults with the most common form of leukaemia, and for whom other medicines had failed, US researchers say.

The treatment, known as experimental chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapy, has made headlines in recent years, particularly after it helped beat back paediatric leukaemia in the first US child to undergo the treatment.

Leukaemia is one of the top 10 causes of death from cancer in Hong Kong, with roughly 400 new cases diagnosed every year, according to the Hospital Authority.

The latest study involved 24 adults, aged 40 to 73, with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) who had failed to respond to between three and nine other kinds of treatments and were not expected to live long.

Among the treatments that failed this group was ibrutinib, a targeted cancer drug approved in 2014 for CLL by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to the findings in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

It was not known whether CAR T-cells could be used to treat these high-risk CLL patients, said lead author Cameron Turtle, an immunotherapy researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle, Washington, on Monday.

The patients T-cells were extracted from their blood and modified in a lab to recognise CD19, a target on the surface of leukaemia cells.

The altered immune cells were then reinfused into the patients, where they swiftly multiplied and began to kill cancer cells.

Seventeen out of 24 members of the group saw their tumours shrink or disappear after the infusion, according to scans of their lymph nodes performed four weeks after the infusion.

Our study shows that CD19 CAR T-cells are a highly promising treatment for CLL patients who have failed ibrutinib, said Turtle.

However, side effects were common.

Twenty of the 24 experienced cytokine release syndrome a cluster of symptoms that can include fever, nausea, chills, irregular heartbeat, headache, rash and low blood pressure.

For the most part the side effects were reversible, but two patients had side effects severe enough to require being admitted to the intensive care unit and one of those patients died, said the report.

The study is still in its early stages.

More research is needed to determine how long the patients can live cancer-free.

After treatment, a subgroup of 12 patients underwent a genetic test called IGH deep sequencing, which allows researchers to track cancer cells in the body. Seven of the 12 were found to have no malignant gene sequences in their bone marrow. All seven of these patients were alive and free of disease at a median, or midpoint, follow-up of 6.6 months after CAR T-cell infusion, said the report.

Last week, an advisory panel to the FDA urged regulators to approve the treatment for paediatric leukaemia.

Experts say concerns about side effects are legitimate, but that the potential of the medicine to wipe out cancer heralds a new era for treatment.

The United States is expected to see about 20,000 new cases and 4,600 deaths from CLL this year alone.

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Gene therapy helps late-stage leukaemia patients for whom other treatments failed - South China Morning Post

PH Damage May Be Reversed by Potential Gene Therapy Pursued … – Pulmonary Hypertension News

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New YorksMount Sinai and Theragene Pharmaceuticals have joined efforts to move a novel investigational aerosol-delivered gene therapy to treatpulmonary hypertension (PH) into a clinical development program. The new therapy, if approved, will be the first to reverse the tissue damage caused by PH.

Clinical trials should begin in the next two years, said Dr. Roger J. Hajjar, director of the Cardiovascular Research Center at Mount Sinais Icahn School of Medicine.

This is a devastating disease, and our work in collaboration with many laboratories across the country has allowed us to identify a specific molecular target and use gene therapy to improve cardiovascular and lung parameters in experimental models of PH, Hajjar said in a news release. We look forward to starting first-in-human studies using this approach in affected patients.

This new gene therapy resulted from a previous study led by Hajjar, in which his teamexplored the therapeutic potential of the SERCA2a (sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase 2a) gene for PH treatment. Using anaerosolized form of this gene combined witha viral vector an engineered adeno-associated virus that carried theSERCA2agene the researchers could directly deliver it into the narrowed blood vessels in the lungs, and reverse some of their deficiencies.

We are excited about the potential for SERCA2a gene therapy as a new modality in treating this serious disease, said Jon Berglin, CEO of San Diego-based Theragene. We look forward to develop and advance this promising product into the clinic.

Researchersshowed that increasing levels of the SERCA2a protein, throughairway delivery of the SERCA2a genepreventsPH progression in rodent and swine models. The treatmentimproved the animals heart and lung functions, namely pulmonary artery pressure and vascular resistance, and also limited pulmonary blood vessel remodeling a feature of PH.

This represents another critical advancement in a potentially transformative therapeutic breakthrough by Mount Sinai scientists, demonstrating our commitment to improving health outcomes, said Erik Lium, senior vice-president of Mount Sinai Innovation Partners.

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PH Damage May Be Reversed by Potential Gene Therapy Pursued ... - Pulmonary Hypertension News

This 3D-Printed Human Heart Can Do Everything a Real One Can – Futurism

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In Brief Soft robotics and 3D printing have allowed a team of researchers from Switzerland to develop an artificial heart that works like the real thing. This proof of concept design was successfully tested in the lab, but it may take a while before it will be ready.

Scientists have been developingartificial hearts for quite some time now. However, many of the current designs are unfortunatelyclunky, which presents difficulties in successfully integrating them into human tissue. To approach this issue, a team of researchers from ETH Zrich decided to take a cue from thebiological human heart.

Instead of using separate parts, the Swiss team, led by Nicholas Cohrs, 3D-printed an artificial heart using a soft, flexible material. The material was molded into a single part (or a monoblock) which allowed the team to design a complex inner structure complete with pumping mechanisms able to be triggered by silicon ventricles. This method imitates a realistic human heartbeat.

[O]ur goal is to develop an artificial heart that is roughly the same size as the patients own one and which imitates the human heart as closely as possible in form and function, Cohrs said in a press release. The team successfully tested this artificial heart, pumping blood-like fluid at human body-like pressures. The team published their research in the journal Artificial Organs.

However, this design is still a proof of concept, which means its yet to be ready for actual implantation. The materials used are, as of right now, unable to last more than half an hour or some few thousand heartbeats, though that could vary a bit depending on a persons heart rate. Its a limitation the team will continue to work on, as new materials and design improvements advance. Once perfected, this design could potentially improve the lives and health ofaround 26 million people worldwide who suffer from various heart conditions.

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This 3D-Printed Human Heart Can Do Everything a Real One Can - Futurism

Elon Musk: Almost All Cars Produced Will Be Autonomous in 10 Years – Futurism

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In Brief Elon Musk shared a bold prediction for the future of EVs and autonomous driving systems during a talk at a meeting of the National Governors Association. Just two decades from now, he expects most of the vehicles on the road will be electric and autonomous.

During a talk at the National Governors Association on Saturday, Elon Musk shared a bold prediction for the future of personal transportation. Not only does he believe that half the cars produced in the United States just 10 years from now will be electric, he thinks almost all cars produced by then will be autonomous.

In 10 years, half of all production will be EV, he told the governors. I think almost all cars produced will be autonomous in 10 years, almost all. It will be rare to find one that is not, in 10 years.

While EVs and autonomous cars will comprise a bulk of new vehicles, however, that doesnt mean they will be the majority on the roads. New vehicle production is only about five percent of the size of the vehicle fleet, Musk explained, and because a car or truck can last for 15 to 20 years, it will take some time for the old to be replaced by the new. Even when new vehicle production switches over to electric or autonomousthat still means the vast majority of the fleet is not, he noted.

Musk estimated that well have to wait a bit longer before we see a significant change in the types of vehicles on the road, but two decades from now, he expects an overwhelming portion of vehicles to be electric and fully autonomous.

The shift wont be limited to cars and trucks, either. He predicts that eventually all transport will go fully electric with the exception of spacecraft.

Musk is at the forefront of this driverless and electric revolution. Tesla recently began production on their Model 3, which is poised to make electric vehicles more affordable, and the companys cars have been breaking EV industry records for hypermiling and cannonball runs.

Teslas progress has spurred their competitors into action, with other industry leaders like Volvo making the decision to go all electric. If the trend continues, Musks predictions could prove true and we could be just a few short years from entering the age of electric, autonomous vehicles.

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Elon Musk: Almost All Cars Produced Will Be Autonomous in 10 Years - Futurism

Richard Branson Suggests the US Focus on Clean Energy Instead of Reviving Coal – Futurism

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In Brief Virgin Galactic founder and CEO Sir Richard Branson believes the Trump administration in the U.S. should not continue to push coal mining as an energy solution. The serial entrepreneur said it would be better for coal miners, the U.S., and the world if the nation focused on creating more jobs in clean energy. The Better Option

At a panel discussion during the DS Virgin Racing Innovation Summiton Friday, Virgin Galactic CEO and founder Sir Richard Branson had a suggestion for the United States government. Instead of trying to revive the countrys declining coal mining industry a promise U.S. president Donald Trump made in March as part of a new era in American energy and production and job creation Branson suggested focusing on clean energy.

Coal mining is not the nicest of jobs, and coal mining disappeared in Britain many decades ago, Branson said, replying to a question by Yahoo Finance. Pretty much every single one of those coal miners went into jobs which were far more pleasant, far less dangerous, far better for their health, and I doubt that theres one coal miner that looks back thinking, God, I wish I was down in a coal mine.

During the talk, Branson noted that clean energy jobs wouldnt just benefit the coal miners. Theyd also be good for the U.S. and the world as a whole.According to a study from the Michigan Technological University, the coal industry causes52,000 American deaths each year due to air pollution, and transitioning to clean energy sources would decrease the nations greenhouse gas emissions, helping the world in the fight against global warming.

Whilethe U.S. government is working to revive coal, the rest of the world is veering away from it. India, for example, has shut down 37 mines that belonged to the worlds largest coal company, while France has promised to close down all coal power plants by 2023.

These moves arent just being made for environmental reasons. Renewables, such as solar and wind, have become a more profitable form of energy. Solar power has been decreasingin cost, and renewables will likelysurpass coal and other fossil fuelsin the next decade as the cheapest form of energy. At the same time, the renewable industry is creating jobs. In the U.S. alone, solar already employs twice as many peopleas coal and more than Apple, Facebook, and Google combined.

How coal could compete with clean energy in the future has not been made clear by the Trump administration, and Branson sees the federal governments lack of support for clean energy as a problem.

Obviously, whats happened in America, having an administration that put out the most bizarre statement on [the Paris climate agreement] is not good news because you do need governments to set the rules, Branson told the audience in New York. And you do need to make it clear that clean energy should have a leg up over dirty energy. And you have a government thats not setting proper differentials. Thats going to be tricky.

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Richard Branson Suggests the US Focus on Clean Energy Instead of Reviving Coal - Futurism

Astronomers Have Detected Strange Signals Coming From a Star 11 Light Years Away – Futurism

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Stranger Things

Astronomers say they have detected strange signals coming from the direction of a small, dim star located about 11 light-years from Earth.

Researchers picked up the mysterious signals on May 12 using the Arecibo Observatory, a huge radio telescope built inside of a Puerto Rican sinkhole. The radio signals appear to be coming from Ross 128, ared dwarf starthats not yet known to have any planets and is about 2,800 times dimmer than the Sun.

Abel Mndez, an astrobiologist at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo, said the star was observed for 10 minutes, during which time the signal was picked up and almost periodic.

Mndez said its extremely unlikely thatintelligent extraterrestrial lifeis responsible, but noted the possibility cant yet be ruled out.

The SETI [Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence] groups are aware of the signals, Mndez wrote in an email to Business Insider.

While Arecibo is known for its role in efforts to search forsignals from aliens, its also great for looking at distant galaxies andpinging near-Earth asteroids. Mndez thinks the signal is more likely from something humans put in space, perhaps a satellite that passed thousands of miles overhead.

The field of view of [Arecibo] is wide enough, so there is the possibility that the signals were caused not by the star but another object in the line of sight, Mndez said, adding that some communication satellites transmit in the frequencies we observed.

However, ina July 12 blog postabout the mystery of Ross 128, he wrote that we have never seen satellites emit bursts like that and called the signals very peculiar.

Another possible explanation is a stellar flare, or outburst of energy from the stars surface. Such bursts from the sun travel at light-speed, emit powerful radio signals, and can disrupt satellites and communications on Earth, as well asendanger astronauts.

Solar flares can also be chased by a slower-moving yet more energetic coronal mass ejections: a flood of solar particles that can distort our planets magnetic field, generate geomagnetic storms, andcripple power gridsandfry electronics.

To see if the signals are still there, Mndez said Arecibo is going to stare down Ross 128 and its surroundings many more times, starting July 16.

Success will be to find the signal again in the star but not in its surrounding[s]. If we dont get the signal again then the mystery deepens, he said. We are not sure if we can get to the bottom of this mystery from just the next observations if that was a rare event.

But FAST isnt operational right now, since its being calibrated, and Mndez said he doesnt know when it will be back online.

Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, confirmed that the group is well aware of the signals and might use its powerfulAllen Telescope Arrayin California to check them out.

The chances are high that theyre terrestrial interference, in fact. Thats really always been the case, Shostak told Business Insider in an email.

Right now theres really onlyone compelling signalfrom outer space that might come from aliens: [T]he WOW signal, Shostak said. That one is still quite odd.

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Astronomers Have Detected Strange Signals Coming From a Star 11 Light Years Away - Futurism

Weeks later, Freedom Festival cites legal rights in defense of 11th-hour decision to nix LGBT group from parade – Daily Herald

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Many Provo community members have been waiting for answers as to why Provos Encircle LGBTQ Family and Youth Resource Center was removed at the last minute from the Americas Freedom Festival parade lineup July 4.

According to Maxwell Eddington, program director for Encircle, the nonprofit organizations application was originally approved not for the parade itself, but for the group to march in the pre-parade. The pre-parade is not part of the official parade, and those marching in that portion are authorized to walk the entire route ahead of the parades beginning, but are not announced.

Eddington said the prospect of participating in the pre-parade was very important to all involved with Encircle. Clients, volunteers and community members spent many hours organizing and learning choreography for the parade. Eddington himself left a family gathering in Arizona a day early to march in the parade.

Late July 3, Encircle leaders received communication saying their application had been revoked.

I was in the car on my way to Utah when I was told it wasnt going to happen, Eddington said. Its been very tough for a lot of people and these are the people that need answers about why this has happened.

Eddington said there are two questions Encircle and its community wants answers to: First, why was Encircle not allowed to be in the parade? Second, will Encircle be able to participate in the pre-parade in the future?

Eddington and Encircle leaders may not ever get complete answers. Though Paul Warner, executive director of Americas Freedom Festival, met with the 11-member Festival board committee multiple times last week, the committee chose not to answer those questions directly.

Warner explained that according to Parade Guideline No. 3, The Executive Committee reserves the right to refuse an entry into the parade if, in its sole judgment, it determines that the entry is controversial, unlawful, political or otherwise considered to be inconsistent with the standards, theme, quality or purposes of the Freedom Festival.

According to its website, Americas Freedom Festival at Provo is a private, nonprofit, non-political foundation whose mission is to celebrate, teach, honor, and strengthen the traditional American values of God, family, freedom, and country.

Warner said a United States Supreme Court decision also backs up the organizations legal right to choose who fits that description and participates in the parade. The 1995 ruling, Hurley v. Irish American Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Group of Boston, held that private organizations, even if they are holding a public demonstration, were permitted to exclude groups if those groups presented a message contrary to the one the organizing group wanted to convey.

Warner explained the committee does not allow political or advocacy groups to participate in the parade. The committee allows politicians who currently hold office, but regularly turns down applications from political candidates, Warner said.

When asked by the Daily Herald about the inconsistent inclusion of groups like The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints missionaries who many see as an advocacy group Warner referred back to Parade Guideline No. 3.

As for an official statement from the committee on its decision regarding Encircle, Warner offered the following: Leaders of Americas Freedom Festival at Provo met recently with the executive director of Encircle House to discuss the misunderstanding related to the entry process for the July 4th Parade. They met to better understand each others mission and vision, and the meeting ended with a shared spirit of appreciation.

Other meeting discussion points centered on the unique contributions each organization makes to those it serves in Provo City and Utah County. Encircle House and Freedom Festival representatives have pledged to move forward as each continues to pursue their respective mission statements, Warner said in an emailed statement.

According to the Freedom Festival in earlier reporting, there were more than 100 planned entries in 2017s Grand Parade.

Encircle is not the only local nonprofit group to be denied entry to the parade. Warner said over the past three years, there have been more than 60 entries denied permission to participate. A number of other organizations also reached out to the Daily Herald to share their own stories of denials for parade applications. Some of these have applied for multiple years, and while a few have been cleared to walk in the pre-parade, there is still a feeling of frustration in being excluded from the parade itself.

One Provo nonprofit explained that because it participates in other parts of the festival, and wants that participation to continue, it accepts the committees decision on parade participation. But the nonprofit reapplies each year in hopes of walking in the parade.

Warner and Eddington said both groups are now focused on trying to put the entire experience behind them.

We want to focus all our energy and all our time on the youth and the families we serve, Eddington said. Having to spend so much time on this Freedom Parade experience, answering calls, etc. it has been hours of my time I couldve spent on youth programs.

Every minute of this weve taken from that goal, was a minute we could have used to make a family or youths life better.

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Russia: Assault on Freedom of Expression | Human Rights Watch – Human Rights Watch

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(Moscow) Russia has introduced significant restrictions to online speech and invasive surveillance of online activity and prosecutes critics under the guise of fighting extremism, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

The 83-page report, Online and On All Fronts: Russias Assault on Freedom of Expression, documents Russian authorities stepped-up measures aimed at bringing the internet under greater state control. Since 2012, Russian authorities have unjustifiably prosecuted dozens of people for criminal offenses on the basis of social media posts, online videos, media articles, and interviews, and shut down or blocked access to hundreds of websites and web pages. Russian authorities have also pushed through parliament a raft of repressive laws regulating internet content and infrastructure. These laws provide the Russian government with a broad range of tools to restrict access to information, carry out unchecked surveillance, and censor information the government designates as extremist, out of line with traditional values, or otherwise harmful to the public.

Russias authorities are leading an assault on free expression, said Yulia Gorbunova, Russia researcher at Human Rights Watch. These laws arent just about introducing tough policies, but also about blatant violation of human rights.

Russiahas introduced significant restrictions to online speech and invasive surveillance of online activity and prosecutes critics under the guise of fighting extremism.

Russia should repeal the repressive legislation adopted in recent years, stop prosecuting critics under the guise of fighting extremism, and uphold its international obligations to safeguard free expression, Human Rights Watch said.

Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 50 lawyers, journalists, editors, political and human rights activists, experts, and bloggers and their family members, and analyzed laws and government regulations pertaining to internet content and freedom of expression, as well as indictments, court rulings, and other documents relevant to specific cases.

Some of the restrictive laws appear designed to shrink the space, including online, for public debate, especially on issues the authorities view as divisive or sensitive, such as the armed conflict in Ukraine, Russias role in the war in Syria, the rights of LGBT people, and public protests or other political and civic activism.

Curbing free speech serves to shut down public debate and denies a voice to anyone dissatisfied with the ongoing economic crisis or simply critical of Russias foreign policy, Human Rights Watch said.

We have dozens of cases where people were literally sent to jail, Andrei Soldatov, an investigative journalist and expert on internet freedom in Russia, told Human Rights Watch. That of course has its effect on the level and freedom for political and public debate in social media.

Other laws aim to undermine the privacy and security of internet users by regulating data storage, unjustifiably restricting users access to information, and ensuring that a wealth of data, including confidential user information and the content of communications, could be made available to authorities, often without any judicial oversight.

In 2016, parliament passed a set of counterterrorism amendments requiring telecommunications and internet companies to retain the contents of all communications for six months and the metadata for three years. The law makes it easier for the authorities to identify users and access personal information without judicial oversight, unjustifiably interfering with privacy and freedom of expression. A 2015 law that applies to email services, social media networks, and search engines prohibits storage of Russian citizens personal data on servers located outside Russia. A 2017 draft law aims to prohibit anonymity for users of online messaging applications, such as WhatsApp or Telegram.

The Russian government effectively controls most traditional media, but independent internet users have been openly challenging the governments actions, said Gorbunova. The authorities clearly view independent online users as a threat that needs to be disarmed.

Russian authorities have increasingly used vague and overly broad anti-extremism laws against people who express critical views of the government and, in some cases, have conflated criticism of the government with extremism. Laws adopted since 2012 in the name of countering extremism have served to increase the number of prosecutions for extremist offenses, especially online.

Based on the data provided by the SOVA Center, a prominent Russian think tank, the number of social media users convicted of extremism offenses in 2015 was 216, in comparison with 30 in 2010. Between 2014 and 2016, approximately 85 percent of convictions for extremist expression dealt with online expression, with punishments ranging from fines or community service to prison time. In the period between September 2015 and February 2017, the number of people who went to jail for extremist speech spiked from 54 to 94.

In the three years of Russias occupation of Crimea, authorities have silenced dissent on the peninsula. They have aggressively targeted critics through harassment, intimidation, and, in some cases, trumped-up extremism charges, including prosecution for separatist calls. Human Rights Watch found that most prosecutions of Crimean Tatar activists, their lawyers, and others were for peacefully criticizing the occupation.

Freedom of expression is one of the essential foundations of a democratic society and it extends not only to information and ideas that are received favorably but also to those that offend, shock, or disturb. The Russian government should respect and uphold the right of people in Russia to freely receive and disseminate all types of information protected under international human rights law, Human Rights Watch said.

Russias international partners should raise concerns at the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the Council of Europe about Moscows curbs on free expression, as well as in bilateral conversations with the Russian government.

Major internet companies operating in Russia, such as Twitter, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, and VK should carefully assess Russias government demands to censor content or share user data and refrain from complying where the underlying law or specific request are inconsistent with international human rights standards. They should not put people at risk, Human Rights Watch said.

The Russian government has been casting criticism of it as extremist, instilling fear and encouraging self-censorship, Gorbunova said. Today people in Russia are increasingly unsure about the boundaries of acceptable speech.

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Angola’s Constitutional Court Upholds Freedom of Association – Human Rights Watch

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Angolas Constitutional Court has ruled that a presidential decree that imposed severe restrictions on civil society groups violates the constitution. The ruling provides a big boost to nongovernmental organizations that operate in a politically contentious environment in which the courts typically side with the government.

Angolan President and MPLA leader, Jose Eduardo dos Santos attends a party central committee at a meeting in Luanda, Angola, December 2 ,2016.

Decree 74/15, signed by President Jos Eduardo dos Santos, required nongovernmental organizations to register with multiple authorities, including the Foreign Ministry, before they could operate and obtain a declaration of suitability. It also allowed authorities to determine the programs and projects that the organizations implemented.

To justify the restrictions, the government argued that it needed a strong tool to fight nongovernmental organizations that were involved in criminal acts, such as money laundering, or other activities that threatened Angolas sovereignty.

After the decree took effect in March 2015, several human rights groups faced difficulties accessing their bank accounts, as some banks demanded to see the required approvals, even though the government was not issuing such documents.

The Angola Bar Association challenged the decree before the Constitutional Court, arguing that it allowed excessive and unlawful interference by the government in the work of civil society.

In a ruling dated July 5, 2017, made public on July 14, the court found that the president lacked the competence to regulate nongovernmental organizations. The ruling acknowledged the governments concerns over the need to regulate organizations, but held that such regulation must come from the parliament.

The Constitutional Courts decision sends a strong a message to the government that the courts will step in to protect fundamental rights such as freedom of association. Its a breath of fresh air in a country where civil society struggles every day to operate free from political interference.

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John McClaughry: Freedom and community revisited – VTDigger – vtdigger.org

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Editors note: This commentary is by John McClaughry, who is vice president of the Ethan Allen Institute http://www.ethanallen.org.

Last years debate on school centralization and this years battle over growth control have brought to center stage the question: What kind of future can we expect for Vermont? Two very different pictures have emerged. One is Vermont as Land of Freedom. The other is Vermont as Land of Community. These twin themes, freedom and community, have swirled back and forth throughout Vermont history, and indeed, through American history.

The Land of Freedom is the land of individual rights. It is the land of private property ownership, a competitive economic system, and the opportunity to grow and become. In the Land of Freedom, independent citizens, their property and their rights secured by a limited government, will be happy, productive, and compassionate toward the less fortunate. They will come together, not as subjects, but as free and independent citizens, to meet great crises and govern themselves.

The Land of Community is the land of working together, of shared values, of cooperation. It is the land of we, as in We dont want Vermont to turn into New Jersey. In the Land of Community citizens are expected to yield to the will of the majority rather than pursue their personal interests and private rights.

The Land of Freedom can be any scale, but the Land of Community has definite limits. For some purposes all of Vermont is a community. We were a community when as one we spoke out for halting the spread of slavery and sent our soldiers to save the Union. We were a community with all Americans when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

The freedom advocates are today on the defensive, as the centralizers and standardizers and controllers have the upper hand in our state government.

But in most things we do, Vermont is not a true statewide community, a fact long recognized in the old Mountain Rule, which alternated the governorship between the east and west sides of the Green Mountains. Bennington and Newport have very little in common, in any practical sense. The real battle for the soul of Vermont is over the extent to which the people in control of state government will force their idea of community on people who rarely have much in common.

The backers of the Land of Community idea seem always eager to homogenize our society. They want to equalize, standardize, and unify what they conceive to be the various diverse parts of a statewide community. In doing so they give short shrift to the advocates of freedom, for they see freedom and individual rights as bothersome obstructions to their goal of creating a Land of Community in all things, regulated and enforced by the central power in Montpelier.

It is the Land of Community people who think up school regionalization schemes, so that all communities will be efficiently managed from Montpelier to produce the same thing for all of our children. It is the Land of Community people who want growth managed from the center, for the benefit of everybody. It is the Land of Community people who deplore the private ownership of property, for they are convinced that with freedom and property, individuals will undermine their vision of the common good.

To the Land of Freedom people, individual liberty comes first. They believe that only independent men and women can govern themselves in a republic, and they believe that centralized control over the things that are locally different signals the beginning of a tyranny which aims to strip them of their rights. Thus they want to keep control of their childrens schools, and they oppose every attempt to strip them of their rights in land and, for that matter, their right to own guns.

The freedom advocates are today on the defensive, as the centralizers and standardizers and controllers have the upper hand in our state government. But the time may come when the pendulum swings back and I for one hope it does.

My signoff for that 1988 commentary was: This will be my last broadcast with you, for today I am becoming a candidate for the state Senate. Ive enjoyed doing these shows, and I hope you have enjoyed listening or if you have hated every minute of them, I hope Ive at least made you think.

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Deputies investigate Freedom crash – Salamanca Press

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FREEDOM The Cattaraugus County Sheriffs Office is investigating a two-vehicle accident that occurred Sunday afternoon in Freedom and left six people hospitalized, including three children.

Richard J. Neamon was driving a pickup truck southbound on State Route 98 at about 4:19 p.m. when he hit a parked Dodge Caravan that had two children inside, the sheriffs office announced Monday. Neamons vehicle also struck another child and two adults that were near the van, which was parked outside a yard sale.

All three children were transported to Women and Childrens Hospital in Buffalo, while Neamon and the other two adults were transported to Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo. Deputies did not include the names and ages of the victims in a press release sent out Monday morning, nor did they include the severity of the injuries.

Neamon, whose age and address was not in the release, had not been charged as of Monday morning. The investigation is ongoing, deputies said.

A call to investigators with the sheriffs office for more information was not returned by press time.

(Contact reporter Tom Dinki at tdinki@oleantimesherald.com. Follow him on Twitter, @tomdinki)

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Deputies investigate Freedom crash - Salamanca Press

Photo Flash: Broadway Stands Up for Freedom with the NYCLU! – Broadway World

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Just last night, the NYCLU (New York Civil Liberties Union) hosted its 15th Annual "Broadway Stands Up For Freedom" Concert, and Mr. Harry Belafonte was honored with the inaugural "Freedom Award" for his lifetime dedication to fighting for civil rights and civil liberties.

At this star-studded event, Broadway's brightest premiered original songs of protest, and the topics included immigration reform, racism, education equality, resisting the Trump regime, and more. Thirteen songwriting teams and performers joined forces, raised their voices in protest and helped to raise funds for the NYCLU and ACLU missions which promote and protect the civil rights and liberties of all.

The show, hosted by Susan Blackwell (title of show), included presenters like Tony Award Nominee Celia Keenan-Bolger (Spelling Bee, Peter and the Star Catcher, The Glass Menagerie), and performers like 2017 Tony Award winner Gavin Creel (Hello, Dolly!, Hair, The Book of Mormon) who debuted a song he wrote and played called, "Hold You," which was sung by Taylor Trensch (Hello, Dolly!, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time). David Cale (Lillian) performed a song titled "Klown with Da Nuclear Code," written by Tony Award Winner Stew. Janet Dacal (Prince of Broadway) sang about education equality with lyrics by Nathan Tysen (Amelie) and music composed by Chris Miller (Tuck Everlasting). Tony Award Nominee Adrienne Warren (Shuffle Along) and Doreen Montalvo (On Your Feet, In the Heights) performed "Back when America was Great," written by songwriter Michael Jackson. Actor Sean Greenbelted a song from composer Georgia Stitt (Little Shop of Horrors) titled, "The Great American Black & White."

Other attendees and performers included Tony Award Nominee Brooks Ashmanskas (Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me), Tony Award Nominee Brandon Uranowitz (Prince of Broadway, Falsettos), Andra Burns(On Your Feet!, In the Heights), Andrew Kober (Sunday in the Park with George, Les Miserables), Jenni Barber (Sundays in the Park with George, Annie), Zach Prince (Honeymoon in Vegas), LuCy Walters(Power), Samantha Sherman (The Mend), musical duo Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowdermilk, Shaina Taub (Old Hats), Liana Stampur (founding performer) and Clinton Curtis, among others. Special appearance was made by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.

NYCLU is one of the nation's foremost defenders of civil liberties and civil rights. Founded in 1951 as the New York affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, we are a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization with nine offices, including six chapters, and 155,000 members across the state. Our mission is to defend and promote the fundamental principles and values embodied in the Bill of Rights, the U.S. Constitution, and the New York Constitution, including freedom of speech and religion, and the right to privacy, equality and due process of law for all New Yorkers. For more information on how you can get involved, visit https://www.nyclu.org.

Check out photos from inside the special event below!

Photo Credit: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for NYCLU

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Photo Flash: Broadway Stands Up for Freedom with the NYCLU! - Broadway World

Ex-Freedom star Williams co-captains, starts for West in All-Star Game – Morganton News Herald

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GREENSBORO Ariyana Williams played her final game at the high school level on Monday night, and fittingly, she wore red.

The Freedom High 2017 graduate undeniably the face of Lady Patriots hoops over the last four spectacular seasons served as one of three team captains and started for the West in the 43rd annual N.C. Coaches Association East-West All-Star womens basketball game held at the Greensboro Coliseum.

The East women won, 74-71, and now lead the all-time series 23-20.

Williams, who was named an academic all-star as well with a GPA over 3.0, was FHS 48th all-time East-West participant and 10th in womens basketball.

The 2,000-point prep scorer and three-time county player of the year made both of her first-half free-throw attempts and scored five total points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 7:30 remaining in the contest to account for the Wests final lead at 60-57.

Williams attempted the first shot of the game (a wing 3) and grabbed the first rebound of the game, and her other main first-half highlight came when she scooped a loose ball for a steal and assisted teammate Kristian Eanes layup on the other end for a 19-18 West lead as part of a 7-0 scoring run early in the second period.

Throughout, Williams showed her versatility as the 5-foot-9 player handled both point guard duties and played off the ball as well as at times guarding the post defensively. The West was plus-two points with Williams on the floor.

The West built a 34-23 first-half lead and entered the halftime break tied 23-23 in the rebounding battle, but the larger East squad surged in the second half thanks in large part to a plus-six effort on the glass.

We started off OK but struggled rebounding, Williams said. I think a lot of us were kind of tired from having two practices a day here fresh off summer college workouts.

But its always good to meet new people or meet players on other teams that youve played against but not had a real discussion with, playing with them, learning their skills and abilities. Its a great experience.

Williams, who arrived in Greensboro last Friday, was among the players already with their future college squads. She arrived on campus at East Carolina about 10 days after graduating from FHS for summer classes and workouts.

Williams mentioned that Mondays game was her first chance in game action to play alongside fellow 2017 ECU recruit Lashonda Monk of Southwest Guilford. Williams and Monk are rooming together this summer in Greenville.

The workouts have been good, she added. Its more intense, its a faster level. Its fun though, going from one level to another and catching onto everything that theyre doing. Im just trying to get a feel for everything.

Like four years ago when Williams attended the East-West game to see her older sister, Imani, play in the game, Imani was on hand Monday, along with their parents Fred and Latriece and younger brother Amare, to see Ariyana play.

Another couple familiar faces were on the West sideline: R-S Central forward Kyra Davis and Northern Guilford coach Kim Furlough. Davis and Williams squared off multiple times at the prep level and were teammates and roommates at the Carolinas All-Star Basketball Classic in March, and Williams led her Patriot squad past Furloughs Nighthawks in the 2016 NCHSAA 3A state title game.

Davis paced three West players in double figures on Monday with 16 points. NC State recruit Kayla Jones of Riverside-Martin was named MVP for the East squad after she scored a game-high 19 points, including 14 in the second half. Jones added 13 rebounds and four assists.

In the nightcap, Whitevilles Tyrell Kirk scored 18 points to lead five East players in double figures in the mens game, a 117-108 East win, as the UNC Pembroke recruit was named MVP.

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