ON THE BORDER - The Effect of Political Instability

The real problem is Trump wanting loyalists, who will do his bidding, no matter what baggage they carry.  Another 'temporary' appointment Trump uses to avoid Concessional oversight.

"How political instability is making U.S. immigration situation worse" PBS NewsHour 6/25/2019

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SUMMARY:  The U.S.-Mexico border continues to drive political turmoil.  After reports of miserable conditions for detained migrant children, John Sanders, acting head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, resigned.  Meanwhile, Congress is scrambling to reach a border funding deal.  Lisa Desjardins talks to reporter Bob Moore of the digital news organization El Paso Matters [El Paso Community Foundation] about the problem's origins.

"How conditions in U.S. detention centers can affect children’s health" PBS NewsHour 6/26/2019

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SUMMARY:  The plight of migrant children held in U.S. detention centers continues to generate controversy.  As Congress battles over emergency funding for care and resources at the border, medical professionals warn that even brief exposure to the current conditions could be damaging to children’s health.  William Brangham reports and talks to pediatrician Julie Linton, who has visited some of the facilities.

JUNK SCIENCE - The Anti-Vax Movement

The Anti-Vax Movement is putting OTHER people at risk, including entire communities.  These people are just science deniers which are willing to put their own children and other children at risk.

"Amid measles outbreak, NYC health officials strive to promote vaccination, dispel myths" PBS NewsHour 4/10/2019

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SUMMARY:  The U.S. is battling one of the largest outbreaks of measles in decades, with 465 cases confirmed nationwide and 78 new cases in the last week alone.  New York City alone has 285 confirmed cases since last fall.  Dr. Oxiris Barbot, commissioner of its Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, talks to Judy Woodruff about efforts to work with the community to promote vaccination and dispel myth.

TRUMP AGENDA - Poisoning the Fruit

"What’s on your citrus fruit?  Trump’s EPA fights to keep controversial insecticide in use" PBS NewsHour 10/10/2018

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SUMMARY:  Citrus growers hope to fend off fruit-munching katydids, but one weapon is under scrutiny.  Researchers found that children growing up near fields where the insecticide chlorpyrifos was deployed exhibited autism-like symptoms.  A court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to ban the insecticide’s use, but Trump’s EPA is fighting back.  Science correspondent Miles O’Brien reports.

TRUMP EPA - Lets Risk Children So the Pesticide Industry Can Make a Profit

NOTE:  On March 29, 2017, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt denied a petition to ban chlorpyrifos.  However, on August 9, 2018, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the EPA to ban the sale of chlorpyrifos in the United States within 60 days.

"The EPA isn’t taking its own advice on a pesticide that causes brain damage in children" PBS NewsHour 8/29/2018

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SUMMARY:  After decades of research and debate, the EPA was on the cusp of banning all use of chlorpyrifos, a poison that attacks the nervous system.  But in 2017, then-EPA administrator Scott Pruitt delayed a decision by five years.  Science correspondent Miles O'Brien reports that fight is part of a larger battle over the use of scientific studies and industry pressure.

NEWSHOUR BOOKSHELF - "When Your Child Is Sick"

"This advice could help parents of kids with serious illnesses" PBS NewsHour 7/4/2018

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SUMMARY:  As a psychologist and counselor specializing in the care of children with cancer, Joanna Breyer has advice for families facing stress for which they never prepared.  Author of "When Your Child Is Sick," Breyer joins Judy Woodruff for a conversation.