March 15 Primaries - John used to get it in Ohio
- Thread starter Scoop
- Start date
If i didnt have to work in the morning id be
my damn self
Trump is alot of ain't shyt things but he's no racist
MrSinnister
Delete account when possible.
A Trump presidency would be like opening a mystery box. My curious ass wants to see what it holds
Cenk really might have some issues going on...dude is not just left, which i'm not against, but he's almost childish about it...I get why people leave the network now
and I still don't believe his MSNBC firing was because of his views, but because he might have been an a$$hole to work with
Why would they?
low-key...even though the GOP had more voters...Florida voters ain't shyt...no one even voted 
I'm inclined to believe this honestly. I'm for securing the borders myself. That's where mainstream dems lose me. He's more about fukking over China than HRC in my opinion
My Chicago nikkas comin through 
88m3
Fast Money & Foreign Objects
How Kasich’s Anti-Choice Policies Are Really Impacting Women In Ohio
BY EMILY ATKIN
MAR 15, 2016 4:53 PM
CREDIT: EMILY ATKIN
Kelly Novak, the director education and outreach at Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, sits in a conference room at the Planned Parenthood in Bedford Heights, Ohio.
BEDFORD HEIGHTS, OHIO — Over the course of the 2016 presidential election, it’s become almost common knowledge that Ohio Gov. John Kasich is one of the most anti-abortion candidates. During his time as governor, he has enacted more than 16 measures restricting a woman’s right to choose in his state.
His most recent move on that front was in February, when he signed a bill effectively defunding Planned Parenthood in Ohio. Though the bill didn’t mention Planned Parenthood by name, it stated that the Ohio Department of Health could not contract with any organization that “promotes” or “performs” non-therapeutic abortions.
Related Post
Kasich Set To Sign Bill Defunding Planned Parenthood
In other words, the bill Kasich signed cut public funding from any organization that performs abortions in cases that don't directly threaten the life of the mother.
What the bill does not do, however, is prevent Planned Parenthood or any other organization from performing abortions. It just makes sure Planned Parenthood can't administer women's health programs in Ohio that they've been in charge of for years -- programs that provide services like HIV testing for minorities; check-ins with mothers to prevent infant mortality; and breast cancer screening for low-income women, to name a few.
ThinkProgress spoke with Kelly Novak, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio's director of education and outreach, about how Kasich's defunding is impacting their non-abortion-related programs. The transcript is below, edited for clarity and length.
ThinkProgress: Can you tell me a little bit about the programs you guys provide that you won't be able to get funding for from the state once the defunding goes into effect? Maybe start with the infant mortality program, since that's a big program in Ohio.
Kelly Novak: Sure. Our infant mortality program is the Healthy Moms Healthy Babies program. It allows us to work with high risk or at-risk women in the Mahoning valley area of Ohio, which hasdangerously high infant mortality rate among African American women.
Our community health workers do in-home visits and teach everything from safe sleep, to birth spacing, to nurturing the baby, to making sure there’s the healthiest experience for the infant as possible, and the mom too.
We've been doing this program for 18 years. We were doing it in one county for many years, and we did such a great job that we were allowed to add a county. So we are actually currently the only agency in the state of Ohio that’s allowed to run the program in two counties, and that’s because we’ve had such a great success rate with the program.
TP: What are some of the other programs that you will now be ineligible to provide?
KN: Our Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) -- that brings comprehensive sexual health education and life readiness skills to youth in foster care and juvenile justice settings. We do that in 15 counties across Ohio.
There are also two programs more embedded with our health services side. There’s our Infertility Prevention Project and STI Prevention program, which allows to provide, at no charge to the patient, STI testing and treatment. Through this program, we annually perform over 64,000 of these STI tests. So we will lose funding for that.
Another program provides breast cancer screening to low-income women that can’t get that service covered by health insurance.
TP: So my understanding is that, under the bill Kasich signed, other health centers can compete for these grants. It’s not like all these programs you're doing will be gone, necessarily, it’s just that Planned Parenthood won’t be administering them anymore. So what’s the problem?
KN: There’s a couple of different prongs to that answer.
First, Planned Parenthood is not the only place that can't provide these programs anymore. Any entity that performs, promotes, or assists with elective abortions cannot contract with the Ohio Department of Health for these programs. So if there’s another entity that performs, promotes, or assists with elective abortions, they then are also legally barred from doing these programs.
So, while other agencies may be able to compete for these grants, giving the sweeping language of the bill, a lot of agencies will not be able to compete for the grants. And even then agencies that are might not want to, or be able to. They might not have the capacity to pick up a few thousand more patients if they can’t manage that.
Related Post
Will Pro-Life Lawmakers Support A New Bill To Prevent Infant Deaths?
The second part is that Planned Parenthood has been administering these programs for a long time. And a huge part of providing healthcare and education is building trust. Particularly with the infant mortality program -- we’ve have that program for so long. We have such a presence in the community. And we do home visits. I don’t know how many clients we serve would feel comfortable or ready to let a new agency into their lives. We’ve worked hard for the trust that we’ve earned.
We’re also an ally of the LGBTQ community. They know they can trust Planned Parenthood for a non-judgmental safe experience.
TP: Where does Planned Parenthood go from here, in terms of winding all these programs down?
KN: We are waiting for some directives and guidance from the Ohio Department of Health on how they’re planned to implement the law. That is unclear to us. We have different grant contracts that have different dates of expiration.
All of the contracts will expire by the end of 2017.
TP: It seems Kasich's biggest problem with Planned Parenthood is it's involvement in providing abortions. Does this bill, in any way, effect the actual abortion component of Planned Parenthood?
KN: No. Absolutely not. All of these programs are preventative, providing education and prevention. They have nothing to do with our abortion services.
TP: So you’ll still give out the exact same number of abortions you’d normally give out?
KN: I mean, I don't have a crystal ball, I can’t look into the future. But our surgical serivces will carry on delivering abortion care to the patients who need it. We will also persevere providing education and outreach, it’s just going to obviously look a little different.
TP: And none of these education programs have anything to do with abortions, right?
KN: Actually, all of these programs cover birth control methods and comprehensive sex ed. So I think these education and outreach programs prevent unintended pregnancies. They actually work to prevent abortions.
TP: Will this bill prevent you guys from giving out any other services? Have you guys had to shut down any centers in Ohio, or do you plan to?
KN: No. All our doors are open. And our doors will remain open for the foreseeable future.
In the state of Ohio, those who oppose our values and our mission are coming at us at all possible sides. But we have been, and we are continuing to sustain through attacks on all different fronts. Planned Parenthood will always provide safe and legal abortion services.
How Kasich’s Anti-Choice Policies Are Really Impacting Women In Ohio
BY EMILY ATKIN
MAR 15, 2016 4:53 PM
CREDIT: EMILY ATKIN
Kelly Novak, the director education and outreach at Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, sits in a conference room at the Planned Parenthood in Bedford Heights, Ohio.
BEDFORD HEIGHTS, OHIO — Over the course of the 2016 presidential election, it’s become almost common knowledge that Ohio Gov. John Kasich is one of the most anti-abortion candidates. During his time as governor, he has enacted more than 16 measures restricting a woman’s right to choose in his state.
His most recent move on that front was in February, when he signed a bill effectively defunding Planned Parenthood in Ohio. Though the bill didn’t mention Planned Parenthood by name, it stated that the Ohio Department of Health could not contract with any organization that “promotes” or “performs” non-therapeutic abortions.
Related Post
Kasich Set To Sign Bill Defunding Planned Parenthood
In other words, the bill Kasich signed cut public funding from any organization that performs abortions in cases that don't directly threaten the life of the mother.
What the bill does not do, however, is prevent Planned Parenthood or any other organization from performing abortions. It just makes sure Planned Parenthood can't administer women's health programs in Ohio that they've been in charge of for years -- programs that provide services like HIV testing for minorities; check-ins with mothers to prevent infant mortality; and breast cancer screening for low-income women, to name a few.
ThinkProgress spoke with Kelly Novak, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio's director of education and outreach, about how Kasich's defunding is impacting their non-abortion-related programs. The transcript is below, edited for clarity and length.
ThinkProgress: Can you tell me a little bit about the programs you guys provide that you won't be able to get funding for from the state once the defunding goes into effect? Maybe start with the infant mortality program, since that's a big program in Ohio.
Kelly Novak: Sure. Our infant mortality program is the Healthy Moms Healthy Babies program. It allows us to work with high risk or at-risk women in the Mahoning valley area of Ohio, which hasdangerously high infant mortality rate among African American women.
Our community health workers do in-home visits and teach everything from safe sleep, to birth spacing, to nurturing the baby, to making sure there’s the healthiest experience for the infant as possible, and the mom too.
We've been doing this program for 18 years. We were doing it in one county for many years, and we did such a great job that we were allowed to add a county. So we are actually currently the only agency in the state of Ohio that’s allowed to run the program in two counties, and that’s because we’ve had such a great success rate with the program.
TP: What are some of the other programs that you will now be ineligible to provide?
KN: Our Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) -- that brings comprehensive sexual health education and life readiness skills to youth in foster care and juvenile justice settings. We do that in 15 counties across Ohio.
There are also two programs more embedded with our health services side. There’s our Infertility Prevention Project and STI Prevention program, which allows to provide, at no charge to the patient, STI testing and treatment. Through this program, we annually perform over 64,000 of these STI tests. So we will lose funding for that.
Another program provides breast cancer screening to low-income women that can’t get that service covered by health insurance.
TP: So my understanding is that, under the bill Kasich signed, other health centers can compete for these grants. It’s not like all these programs you're doing will be gone, necessarily, it’s just that Planned Parenthood won’t be administering them anymore. So what’s the problem?
KN: There’s a couple of different prongs to that answer.
First, Planned Parenthood is not the only place that can't provide these programs anymore. Any entity that performs, promotes, or assists with elective abortions cannot contract with the Ohio Department of Health for these programs. So if there’s another entity that performs, promotes, or assists with elective abortions, they then are also legally barred from doing these programs.
So, while other agencies may be able to compete for these grants, giving the sweeping language of the bill, a lot of agencies will not be able to compete for the grants. And even then agencies that are might not want to, or be able to. They might not have the capacity to pick up a few thousand more patients if they can’t manage that.
Related Post
Will Pro-Life Lawmakers Support A New Bill To Prevent Infant Deaths?
The second part is that Planned Parenthood has been administering these programs for a long time. And a huge part of providing healthcare and education is building trust. Particularly with the infant mortality program -- we’ve have that program for so long. We have such a presence in the community. And we do home visits. I don’t know how many clients we serve would feel comfortable or ready to let a new agency into their lives. We’ve worked hard for the trust that we’ve earned.
We’re also an ally of the LGBTQ community. They know they can trust Planned Parenthood for a non-judgmental safe experience.
TP: Where does Planned Parenthood go from here, in terms of winding all these programs down?
KN: We are waiting for some directives and guidance from the Ohio Department of Health on how they’re planned to implement the law. That is unclear to us. We have different grant contracts that have different dates of expiration.
All of the contracts will expire by the end of 2017.
TP: It seems Kasich's biggest problem with Planned Parenthood is it's involvement in providing abortions. Does this bill, in any way, effect the actual abortion component of Planned Parenthood?
KN: No. Absolutely not. All of these programs are preventative, providing education and prevention. They have nothing to do with our abortion services.
TP: So you’ll still give out the exact same number of abortions you’d normally give out?
KN: I mean, I don't have a crystal ball, I can’t look into the future. But our surgical serivces will carry on delivering abortion care to the patients who need it. We will also persevere providing education and outreach, it’s just going to obviously look a little different.
TP: And none of these education programs have anything to do with abortions, right?
KN: Actually, all of these programs cover birth control methods and comprehensive sex ed. So I think these education and outreach programs prevent unintended pregnancies. They actually work to prevent abortions.
TP: Will this bill prevent you guys from giving out any other services? Have you guys had to shut down any centers in Ohio, or do you plan to?
KN: No. All our doors are open. And our doors will remain open for the foreseeable future.
In the state of Ohio, those who oppose our values and our mission are coming at us at all possible sides. But we have been, and we are continuing to sustain through attacks on all different fronts. Planned Parenthood will always provide safe and legal abortion services.
How Kasich’s Anti-Choice Policies Are Really Impacting Women In Ohio
MrSinnister
Delete account when possible.
We're anti-Obama. No way we give Hillary any play. I hope they keep doing what they're doing, however futile. It's about giving the news, and not being popular. They are progressive. They never said shyt about being impartial. They're progressive for a reason, as they have seen and can call the repercussions of bad policy better than anyone. TYT army just gonna soldier on.
access!!Welp...back to local politics 
Because it's pretty clear Sanders won't be the nominee and they understand the stakes here.
88m3
Fast Money & Foreign Objects
It's Still Unclear How Long Chris Christie’s Appointed Managers Knew About Lead in Newark Schools
By Jake Bleiberg
March 15, 2016 | 3:55 pm
A week after it was revealed that lead was tainting the water of public schools in Newark, New Jersey, school officials continue to remain silent about how long and at what levels lead has been present in the drinking water of the city's schools. And, like in Flint, Michigan, members of the public, including Newark's teachers union, are questioning the role of state-appointed managers.
Last week, the school district shipped in bottled water and posting 'Do not drink' notices on taps and fountains — acting within three days of receiving test results showing unsafe levels lead in 30 of its 66 schools. State-appointed superintendent Chris Cerf emphasized in a press conference that his administration was responding urgently to the recent testing — but worries about lead in school water run much deeper than originally revealed.
Yesterday, the state-managed school district announced that it would conduct an investigation of how consistently it had implemented policies put in place to address concerns with lead contamination dating back to 2004.
"District leadership has begun a comprehensive and in-depth internal review of past data, protocols, and implementation. This includes school level actions, such as the following of filter replacement protocols," the Cerf administration said. It's statement came shortly after VICE News reported on photographs showing lead filters marked with dates far past their six-month expiry.
"This review will help us better understand to what extent protocols were followed, and to specifically identify what has been done in each school to mitigate elevated lead levels in schools previously," reads the statement.
Related: Some Newark, New Jersey Schools Needed New Lead Filters Years Ago, Photographs Show
For years, Newark has been at the center of a struggle to improve schools across the United States that are widely perceived as failing students in poor urban communities disproportionately composed of people of color. For at least some of this time students in the struggling school district were being exposed to lead — which, even in small amounts, can impair mental function and cause developmental disorders — but how many and for how long remains unclear.
The school system has confirmed that it has lead testing records going back to 2012 and that they were reviewed by school administrators. The district said these results will be made public this week and a district spokesperson said that there will be a public announcement on Wednesday.
Yesterday, the Cerf administration emphasized that only 9 percent of samples from the last round of testing showed lead above the US Environmental Protection Agency's "action threshold" of 15 parts per billion. Whether testing was conducted prior to 2012 remains unknown, although district documents instructing the regular changing of lead filters, flushing of school water systems, and other lead abatement measures date back to at least 2007.
While parents and students are left wondering about the water, the issue has escalated the old political grudge match between the Newark Teachers Union and proponents of charter schools in the state-run district and administration of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
In an email today to New Jersey Commissioner of Education David Hespe, the union repeated a call for the resignation of Newark's superintendent. "Chris Cerf has admitted knowing there was a health hazard to students and staff yet chose to conceal it from the public," alleged union president John Abeigon.
Cerf is the former state Commissioner of Education and only took the helm in Newark last July, following the resignation of embattled superintendent Cami Anderson, who was appointed by Christie in 2011. In a statement yesterday, the district accused the union of "politiciz[ing] the issue by spreading misinformation and allegations."
Related: A Letter from a Newark, New Jersey School Official Raised Concerns About Lead Contamination — In 2014
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker told radio station WNYC yesterday that he was unaware of concerns over lead in the schools while Newark mayor from 2006 to 2013.
"Lead in our drinking water is a national issue that requires a robust response from every level of government," the Democratic Senator, who worked closely with both Christie and Anderson in their efforts to reform and reorganize Newark schools, said to VICE News.
Yesterday, the New Jersey Senate passed a bill that lowers the state's definition of "elevated blood lead level" by half. Both houses of the state legislature also overwhelmingly passed a bill that would grant $10 million of additional funding to the state's Lead Hazard Control Assistance Fund.
The bill must be approved by Governor Christie, who in January refused to sign the same measure into law despite saying he was not philosophically opposed to it. "First of all this has been an over-dramatized issue," Christie told NJ Spotlight on March 7, the same day Newark water tests came back positive for lead.
"The failure to change filters and do proper maintenance shows that we need a long-term fix to this problem," said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. "The concerns we have is that there have been cut backs in Newark schools to save money by the managers appointed by Christie."
A spokesperson for Christie — who was out of state yesterday, as he has been for the majority of the last year, campaigning with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump — did not respond to emailed questions about the situation in Newark.
Related: The Water in Nearly Half of Newark, New Jersey's Public Schools Is Contaminated With Lead
It's Still Unclear How Long Chris Christie’s Appointed Managers Knew About Lead in Newark Schools | VICE News
By Jake Bleiberg
March 15, 2016 | 3:55 pm
A week after it was revealed that lead was tainting the water of public schools in Newark, New Jersey, school officials continue to remain silent about how long and at what levels lead has been present in the drinking water of the city's schools. And, like in Flint, Michigan, members of the public, including Newark's teachers union, are questioning the role of state-appointed managers.
Last week, the school district shipped in bottled water and posting 'Do not drink' notices on taps and fountains — acting within three days of receiving test results showing unsafe levels lead in 30 of its 66 schools. State-appointed superintendent Chris Cerf emphasized in a press conference that his administration was responding urgently to the recent testing — but worries about lead in school water run much deeper than originally revealed.
Yesterday, the state-managed school district announced that it would conduct an investigation of how consistently it had implemented policies put in place to address concerns with lead contamination dating back to 2004.
"District leadership has begun a comprehensive and in-depth internal review of past data, protocols, and implementation. This includes school level actions, such as the following of filter replacement protocols," the Cerf administration said. It's statement came shortly after VICE News reported on photographs showing lead filters marked with dates far past their six-month expiry.
"This review will help us better understand to what extent protocols were followed, and to specifically identify what has been done in each school to mitigate elevated lead levels in schools previously," reads the statement.
Related: Some Newark, New Jersey Schools Needed New Lead Filters Years Ago, Photographs Show
For years, Newark has been at the center of a struggle to improve schools across the United States that are widely perceived as failing students in poor urban communities disproportionately composed of people of color. For at least some of this time students in the struggling school district were being exposed to lead — which, even in small amounts, can impair mental function and cause developmental disorders — but how many and for how long remains unclear.
The school system has confirmed that it has lead testing records going back to 2012 and that they were reviewed by school administrators. The district said these results will be made public this week and a district spokesperson said that there will be a public announcement on Wednesday.
Yesterday, the Cerf administration emphasized that only 9 percent of samples from the last round of testing showed lead above the US Environmental Protection Agency's "action threshold" of 15 parts per billion. Whether testing was conducted prior to 2012 remains unknown, although district documents instructing the regular changing of lead filters, flushing of school water systems, and other lead abatement measures date back to at least 2007.
While parents and students are left wondering about the water, the issue has escalated the old political grudge match between the Newark Teachers Union and proponents of charter schools in the state-run district and administration of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
In an email today to New Jersey Commissioner of Education David Hespe, the union repeated a call for the resignation of Newark's superintendent. "Chris Cerf has admitted knowing there was a health hazard to students and staff yet chose to conceal it from the public," alleged union president John Abeigon.
Cerf is the former state Commissioner of Education and only took the helm in Newark last July, following the resignation of embattled superintendent Cami Anderson, who was appointed by Christie in 2011. In a statement yesterday, the district accused the union of "politiciz[ing] the issue by spreading misinformation and allegations."
Related: A Letter from a Newark, New Jersey School Official Raised Concerns About Lead Contamination — In 2014
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker told radio station WNYC yesterday that he was unaware of concerns over lead in the schools while Newark mayor from 2006 to 2013.
"Lead in our drinking water is a national issue that requires a robust response from every level of government," the Democratic Senator, who worked closely with both Christie and Anderson in their efforts to reform and reorganize Newark schools, said to VICE News.
Yesterday, the New Jersey Senate passed a bill that lowers the state's definition of "elevated blood lead level" by half. Both houses of the state legislature also overwhelmingly passed a bill that would grant $10 million of additional funding to the state's Lead Hazard Control Assistance Fund.
The bill must be approved by Governor Christie, who in January refused to sign the same measure into law despite saying he was not philosophically opposed to it. "First of all this has been an over-dramatized issue," Christie told NJ Spotlight on March 7, the same day Newark water tests came back positive for lead.
"The failure to change filters and do proper maintenance shows that we need a long-term fix to this problem," said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. "The concerns we have is that there have been cut backs in Newark schools to save money by the managers appointed by Christie."
A spokesperson for Christie — who was out of state yesterday, as he has been for the majority of the last year, campaigning with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump — did not respond to emailed questions about the situation in Newark.
Related: The Water in Nearly Half of Newark, New Jersey's Public Schools Is Contaminated With Lead
It's Still Unclear How Long Chris Christie’s Appointed Managers Knew About Lead in Newark Schools | VICE News