Black lung rates in Appalachia are high as the 1970s, with thousands of miners sick
Appalachia's black lung rates are highest in nearly 50 years : NPR
Respiratory therapist Marcy Freeman doesn’t need a research study to confirm for her a return to the dark days of coal mining. She finds evidence in a stack of more than 150 funeral programs, all for former patients at her pulmonary rehabilitation clinic in Norton, Virginia.
…
The last time the rate of disease was that high for miners with the same work history was 1978. In 2018, when NIOSH last reported rates of the disease , the rate was 20.6%.
The new research shows that even miners with as few as 15 years underground have higher rates of black lung — rates not seen in nearly 40 years.
Well, we’ve brought back measles and now black lung. What’s next? Polio? Smallpox?
Locrian
August 5, 2026, 11:18pm
7702
He’s speaking regular and new lies about economy in Las Vegas now. Have to drive now, so can’t wait for highlights later. (Yes, I can.)
My money’s on Listeria .
(note link is a 18 months old)
I’ve always been mildly curious:: where did he get “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
dougrb
August 6, 2026, 1:19am
7705
I believe the first time was when one of his contractors lawyer sent him a letter asking to please pay the bill or he’d be sued. And he thought it sounded cool.
Don’t look now, but here come the lepers!
Monty
August 6, 2026, 2:30am
7707
Of course he thinks it’s cool. It’s a threat after all. Not that he’s aware of other people threatening him legitmately.
Oh, for fuck’s sake!
Let’s bring back Guinea Worm Disease while we’re at it.
Monty
August 6, 2026, 2:35am
7709
Someone’s got worms on the brain.
So now we’re having the following disease crises, if I recall correctly:
Measles
Bubonic plague
That explosive uncontrollable diarrhea
Let’s face it. The United States, under Killer Kennedy and his Krew is now one of those shithole countries his boss whines about.
Spoons
August 6, 2026, 2:38am
7710
Not very threatening, though. When I wrote collection letters on behalf of clients, I’d make the demand for the amount, set a time limit for payment, suggest that legal action might be coming if payment is not made, and end with,
“Please govern yourself accordingly.”
Not quite a threat, but I’d suggest mine is more an “Or else,” than Trump’s “Thank you for your attention to this matter” is.
Let’s go straight for the Big Time:
The Black Death was a plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the most fatal pandemics in human history, leading to the death of up to 50 million people, or 50% of Europe's 14th-century population. The disease was caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which is primarily spread by flea bites, though it may also spread through contact with infected tissues or fluids and, in pneumonic cases, through respiratory droplets. The Black Death had far-reaching populat...
dougrb
August 6, 2026, 3:00am
7713
Finally this thread has switched to a positive outlook. We’ll all be dead soon.
Hey, it could be raining.
We have bubonic plague cases affecting humans in the US every year. I think it is usually about one to three. Bubonic plague is endemic here.
Is there a sudden outbreak that far surpasses that? The last I heard, there was only one so far this year. That’s hardly a crisis.
Of the three forms of plague, pneumonic plague is considerably deadlier than bubonic plague and septicemic plague is extremely deadly.
Smapti
August 6, 2026, 3:50am
7716
Plague is easily treatable with basic antibiotics these days, and it spreads via fleas which are much less common these days since the proliferation of drugs like Advantage, so it’s unlikely for it to become a serious problem again any time soon.
Just don’t go handling wild squirrels in the southwest.
Monty
August 6, 2026, 4:02am
7717
dougrb:
Don’t forget Screwworms!
And now typhus!
Rats, and the fleas that live on them, can be carriers of deadly diseases — including typhus, a bacteria-borne, fever-like illness that is rocking LA.
Since 2009, the number of flea-borne typhus cases in LA has increased by a staggering 2,300%. Last year, the county recorded more cases than at any point in its history. Some patients have died. Behind the scenes, the authorities responsible for protecting the public admit that they lack the resources they need to get the situation under control.
[Gomer Pyle Voice]Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! It’s *Evidence Peek-a-Boo![/GPV]
A preservation group suing Donald Trump’s administration over renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool says the government is working to “destroy the very evidence” that proves recent construction caused damage to the landmark.
The Cultural Heritage Foundation has asked a federal judge for permission to “assess the current state of the Reflecting Pool and the reasons for its problems” after officials admitted in court filings that the recently installed pool lining was “cut with a sharp knife or razor.”
But the government has undertaken efforts to “destroy some of the very evidence that could shed light on the veracity of Defendants’ claims” by closing off and renovating the Washington D.C., landmark, again, to fix the damage, lawyers wrote Tuesday.
The request follows a stunning admission from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro that the Trump administration had no evidence to prosecute a former Olympian who was accused of vandalizing the monument, which was most likely damaged by a “rushed and botched installation” by contractors.
All the foundation is asking for is a chance to see the damage for themselves “before it is lost forever,” lawyers said.
Hero Fauci’s lawyer tells it like it is.
Anthony Fauci may have taken the Fifth in the nation’s capital, but his legal team isn’t afraid to keep swinging.
Days after Fauci pleaded the Fifth 111 times during a Senate hearing on the advice of his attorneys, Aaron Rodgers could not help but rip the “absolute coward.”
“Are you kidding me? You get a pardon, and you’re and you pleaded over 100 times at the White House? What are you scared of, Tony? I thought you were the science. ‘I am science,’ and you get up there and can’t answer a question? What are we doing?” Rodgers said on “The Pat McAfee Show” earlier this week.
Well, David Schertler, Fauci’s attorney, was asked by The Athletic to respond to Rodgers’ criticism, and he did not hold back.
“Aaron Rodgers doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He should stick to football,” Schertler said to the outlet.
Didn’t the convict-in-chief take the Fifth over four hundred times?
The felon says he hasn’t decided yet about Pirro.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday he had not yet made a determination about whether Jeanine Pirro’s job is safe in his strongest public comments yet on her future as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
The remarks came after Trump told reporters on Monday in the Oval Office that Pirro “choked” and “folded like an umbrella” in dropping the charges against former Olympian David Hearn, who was accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Pirro then showed up to the White House on Monday afternoon with a banker’s box in tow full of evidence as she prepared to defend her decision to the president, according to sources familiar with the meeting.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, whose agency oversees national parks, including the Reflecting Pool, was invited to the meeting, too.
During the meeting, which sources have described as “contentious,” Pirro lashed out at Burgum directly and blamed him for misleading the president about the evidence in the case, sources said.
She’s gone at less than 40 Scaramuccis.
Blanche is locked for AG now, based on promise to ignore women’s rights.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche is one step closer to confirmation after the Republican Judiciary Committee voted to advance his appointment on a party-line vote on Tuesday, and based on promises he made to faith leaders around the country last week, that means national anti-abortion actions may be one step closer as well.
In a conference call hosted by the White House Faith Office on July 30 with thousands of religious leaders around the country, Blanche said he was committed to achieving policy solutions so that the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision “becomes permanent in every single state.”
A recording of the call was publicly available on YouTube as of Tuesday, posted by Intercessors of America, a religious group in Virginia, but was removed by late Tuesday afternoon.
Blanche told the participants he is working “hand in hand” with U.S. Health and Human Services, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and President Donald Trump’s White House team to fulfill those goals.
And how much longer before Melania is put to the curb?
President Donald Trump’s ever-adoring aide was dutifully by his side as he set off for Los Angeles and Las Vegas on Tuesday.
Natalie Harp, the president’s 34-year-old “human printer,” officially an executive assistant, was seen lugging a red backpack as she boarded Marine One near the White House.
The 80-year-old president is scheduled to make a rare appearance in Southern California on Tuesday for a Republican National Committee fundraising event at the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes.
Rip van Simple uses AI to grant himself a military valor medal, unleashing his outer Nazi.
In a clear-cut demonstration of stolen valor, Donald Trump posted an AI image to his Truth Social account on Tuesday that shows him in full military uniform as a decorated U.S. Army General from World War Two, standing next to Generals George Patton and Douglas MacArthur while explosions and scenes of war are taking place behind them. Trump has never served a day in uniform, let alone achieved the rank of General or experienced combat.
The image is particularly egregious as U.S. service members are being killed in Trump’s war in Iran.
Trump’s uniform also contains something peculiar upon close inspection. The medal that Trump is wearing affixed to the breast pocket of his uniform closely resembles a German War Merit Cross worn by German military officers during World War Two that contained a Nazi Swastika.
Trump’s uniform also contains something peculiar upon close inspection. The medal that Trump is wearing affixed to the breast pocket of his uniform closely resembles a German War Merit Cross worn by German military officers during World War Two that contained a Nazi Swastika.
In an effort to improve communications for the Army community, the Army makes it incredibly difficult .
On July 9, the Army announced it was consolidating official social media accounts in the interest of improving information access while reducing operational risk.
Nearly a month later, some military families say the changes have made it harder to find information about child care, community programs and installation services.
Army Directive 2026-17, Optimizing Digital Media, required many subordinate units and installation organizations, including Army Community Service, Morale, Welfare and Recreation, Child & Youth Services, military treatment facilities and other organizations to discontinue standalone Army social media accounts. Instead, those organizations are expected to communicate through higher-level command or installation accounts.
When introducing the directive in July, Army leaders said the changes would “ensure a clear, unified voice, reduce operational risk, and improve information access for Soldiers, Families and the public.”
During the first month of implementation, organizations across the Army, including Fort Bragg Army Community Service and U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria Family and MWR, notified followers that their standalone social media pages would be closed and directed audiences to installation-level accounts for future updates.
This week, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as The Old Guard, notified followers that its Instagram account would be managed by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington as part of its compliance with Directive 2026-17, reflecting the Army’s larger effort to centralize official communications.
Some military families said the transition has changed how they access day-to-day information.
LeAnn Nichols, an Army spouse, said the loss of organization-specific pages disrupted a network she relied on while searching for child care and staying connected with installation resources.
“Military families should never struggle to take advantage of the programs that are meant to support and empower our families,” Nichols said.
One month for a world-wide rollout of a major program? Yeah, that tracks with the Second Felonial Era’s modus operandi.
And he’s still trying to dodge a court order.
President Trump’s attorney filed an emergency motion Wednesday seeking to block the BBC from obtaining financial records linked to his trust.
The British broadcaster received approval from a judge late last month to probe the president’s financial documents after Trump claimed he experienced losses due to an episode of the company’s “Panorama” series titled “Trump: A Second Chance?”
In the footage, the BBC strung together three separate portions of a speech from Trump to make it look as if he encouraged a violent attack on the Capitol.
“The BBC’s improperly broad subpoena demands the Trust’s confidential tax, ownership, and financial records for approximately 400 entities,” Trump’s attorney Alejandro Brito wrote in the legal filing .
“Once the Trust were to begin handing those records over to the BBC, that disclosure could not be undone, and the Trust’s pending objections could not restore what the BBC will already have seen,” Brito added.
If the emergency motion is not approved, the BBC would be granted insight on Trump’s crypto and stock profit, as well as business transactions from at least 400 entities and companies tied to his personal assets managed by family.
Last month, Judge Enjoliqué Aytch Lett granted the BBC’s subpoena to review documents from the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust dating to Jan. 1, 2023.
Her approval requires that the trust start producing documents by Thursday.
Speaking of the felon’s “love and appreciation for the military”…
President Donald Trump’s administration has detained dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. troops as it rolls back immigration protections for military families to pursue its mass deportation agenda , an Associated Press investigation found.
More than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty service members have been detained since Trump took office for a second term, and at least six have been deported and one self-deported, the AP found in the first accounting of such detentions , which the government does not track. At least eight immediate family members of U.S. service members remain in federal immigration custody.
Parents and spouses of people in the military have generally been shielded from deportation under bipartisan consensus for decades. But the AP found they’re now routinely being detained for months as they try to adjust their legal status through the policies available to service members’ close relatives and even as the military continues to recruit by advertising immigration benefits for enlistees’ families. Experts warn that the reversal could undermine military preparedness even as the U.S. is at war in Iran . It’s left military members without emotional support and caretakers for their children, delayed deployments and forced some to take leave.
“How can I even focus on my military career because I have to worry about how my wife is doing?” said Army Sgt. Hedar Leonel Turcios Juarez, who was stationed in Fort Bliss, Texas, when his wife was detained outside a Walmart in front of their 6-year-old daughter in July.
Or prairie dogs. We occasionally see bubonic plague in prairie dog towns where I live.
[Monty ]And now typhus! [/quote]Typhus has long been endemic in LA and in south Texas.
During one annual outbreak in LA a few years ago, a bunch of nitwits started blaming the typhus outbreak on illegal immigrants. They couldn’t get it through their mind that the typhus was endemic in the area and not brought in by illegal immigrants.