by Terri Jo Neff | Sep 15, 2021 | News
By Terri Jo Neff |
With nearly 78 million dogs living in American homes, Congressman David Schweikert (AZ-06) and two of his Arizona colleagues introduced the Paws Off Act of 2021 on Tuesday aimed at requiring label warnings of the danger of Xylitol, a sugar-substitute found in sugar-free or lite foods and household products, but which can kill a dog if ingested.
According to Schweikert, there were more than 6, 700 poisoning-related calls to American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) centers in 2020. And despite awareness campaign efforts by the Food and Drug Administration, most people are unaware Xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs and can cause serious illness, even death, if a quantity half the size of a sugar packet is ingested.
Xylitol, also known as birch sugar or sugar alcohol, is often found in breath mints, sugar-free gum, vitamins, cough drops, baked goods, ice cream, peanut butter, mouthwash, and toothpaste. It is also commonly used in fiber gummies, kids’ allergy medications, cough syrups, sugar-free jellies and candies, and dietary sleep aids.
In announcing the Paws Off Act, Schweikert noted the prevalence of Xylitol is increasing, thus making it harder for pet owners to identify which commonplace household items can be deadly for their dogs. The proposed federal legislation seeks to require labeling changes to ensure pet safety.
“With roughly 50% of American household’s owning one pet or more, it is vital that families be informed of the dangers many basic items and products can pose to their animal’s lives,” Schweikert said. “I’m proud to introduce this legislation to heighten awareness around this chemical so that pets may remain protected.”
Under the legislation, Section 403 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act would be amended to address the need for labeling an item containing Xylitol with a warning of the toxic effect if ingested by dogs. A product would be considered “mislabeled” if the warning is missing.
In addition, the Secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services would be required to ensure the Commissioner of Food and Drugs initiates the rulemaking process, with an interim rule due no later than six months after enactment of Paws Off Act of 2021. A final rule must then be issued “no later than one year after date of enactment of this Act.”
The proposed legislation has the support of the FDA and other groups which advocate for the care for dogs.
“For millions of American households our pets are family. And no family should lose a beloved dog because they didn’t realize a breath mint or toothpaste may be safe for human use but create a toxic reaction in dogs,” said Sara Amundson, president of Humane Society Legislative Fund. “Preventing these tragedies is why we support the Paws Off Act, and we thank Representative Schweikert and his bipartisan cosponsors for introducing this critical federal bill.”
Dr. José Arce, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, had similar praise for the effort.
“Despite the deadly harm Xylitol presents to dogs and other pets, it is frequently not listed in the ingredient label in products we use on an everyday basis,” said Arce. “We must enact the Paws Off Act of 2021 to inform the public about which products contain the artificial sweetener and the poisonous effect it has on our pets.”
Xylitol poisoning produces symptoms within 20 minutes in a healthy dog, such as vomiting, decreased activity level, weakness and collapse, difficulty walking or standing, shaking or seizures, bleeding problems, liver failure, and coma. Its impact can be more sudden -and severe- in older dogs and those with preexisting medical problems.
by Corinne Murdock | Sep 15, 2021 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
The Air Force says there’s a “high chance of disapproval” for COVID-19 vaccination religious exemptions, according to documents obtained by AZ Free News. This predetermination was issued in a BLUF statement – military communications jargon for “bottom line up front” to indicate key points of information.
“In the case of a religious accommodation for the COVID-19 Immunization, there is a high chance of disapproval,” read the BLUF. “Of the five reasons to disapprove a religious accommodation this meets three. Adverse impact on: mission accomplishment, military readiness, [and] the health and safety of the member or unit.”
Accompanying the BLUF was a comprehensive instructional guide on the religious exemption process. Service members must compile a “religious accommodation request package.” In addition to their initial request, service members must include documentation from counseling by their unit commander, military medical provider, and a chaplain. Once those are submitted, a staff judge advocate will submit a written legal review on the case.
All documents compiled in the religious accommodation request package at that point will be handed over to a “Religious Resolution Team” (RRT) for review. RRT members may include the Chaplain Corps, Judge Advocate Generals (JAG), Public Affairs Office, and a medical provider.
The guide also inserted some counterpoints to possible concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine within critical thinking prompts. In response to one question about whether the service member could finish their military commitment without this accommodation, the critical thinking prompt equated the safety and efficacy of other vaccinations proven by years of research and trials to the COVID-19 vaccine.
“I have every other vaccination under the sun in my body already, I think I can handle one more,” read the prompt.
The critical thinking prompt also equated concerns about the experimental nature of the COVID-19 vaccine to the annual flu shot.
“If in a year from now the same shot is mandatory, but has full FDA approval would I be willing to take it? (The flu shot has been experimental every year for the past however many I have been in the military,)” read the prompt.
It appears that the Air Force may not be the only branch that may severely restrict religious exemptions for COVID-19 vaccinations. A press release from the Army alluded that they were considering religious exemptions based on similar criterias: military readiness, unit cohesion, good order and discipline, and health and safety.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Terri Jo Neff | Sep 15, 2021 | News
By Terri Jo Neff |
Efforts by the Biden Administration to coerce Arizonans to obtain the COVID-19 vaccination or risk losing their jobs is “one of the greatest infringements upon individual liberties, principles of federalism, and separation of powers ever attempted by any administration in the history of our Republic,” according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich.
“Under our Constitution, the President is not a king who can exercise this sort of unbridled power unilaterally,” Brnovich argues in the lawsuit, adding that “even George III wouldn’t have dreamed that he could enact such sweeping policies by royal decree alone.”
Over the last few weeks, President Joe Biden has pushed for more Americans to be vaccinated, including tens of thousands of Arizonans who work for the federal government, private contractors doing business with the U.S., healthcare workers whose employers received Medicare or Medicare payments, and those working for companies with at least 100 employees.
Among those the mandate would apply to are nearly 300,000 employees of the federally-funded Head Start program. The lawsuit does not address Biden’s recent announcement that all military personnel, including reserves, must be vaccinated.
Employees who refuse to be vaccinated under various Presidential executive orders or OSHA rules will be forced to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, or face termination.
Brnovich’s lawsuit seeks ruling that Biden and the other federal defendants do not have authority to impose the vaccination mandate on U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. It also seeks a declaratory judgment finding such policies and mandates unconstitutional.
Another prong of Brnovich’s lawsuit takes aim at the fact U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and even lawfully present aliens face the prospect of much harsher public health mandates and punishment than hundreds of thousands of unauthorized aliens present in the country. As a result, Brnovich is asking for a court order enjoining the President and other federal officials from engaging in unconstitutional discrimination.
Brnovich’s lawsuit was not the only major COVID-19 vaccination development to occur Tuesday.
A federal judge in New York issued an emergency injunction on Tuesday against the State of New York’s requirement that all healthcare workers provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination. The order by U.S. District Judge David Hurd temporarily suspends a mandate put forth last month by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo which applied to all hospitals and congregate care facilities such as nursing homes.
Cuomo’s mandate did not protect employees who hold sincere religious beliefs against receiving the vaccine, and Gov. Kathy Hochul did not amend the mandate when she was recently sworn in.
The New York Department of Health is now prohibited from initiating “any action, disciplinary or otherwise” which would impact the licensure, certification, residency, admitting privileges, or other professional status or qualification of any healthcare worker who objected to the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination due to a religious exemption.
Additional legal proceedings could lead to all or part of the New York mandate being permanently enjoined.
Also on Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued an advisory to all immigrants who apply for a Green Card on or after Oct. 1 that they must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination in order to ensure their application is not rejected.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services advisory pertains to all applicants seeking permanent residency, who must undergo an immigration medical examination to show the applicant is “free from any conditions that would render them inadmissible under the health-related grounds.”
Under the new policy, applicants will not be able to receive the immigration medical examination without first providing proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
by AZ Free News | Sep 15, 2021 | News
Phoenix, AZ – The initial maps for Arizona’s redistricting process were approved on September 14, 2021, by the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC). The approved grid maps are of equal populations for the congressional and legislative districts as required by the state constitution.
Arizonans are encouraged to become involved with this next phase by utilizing the online mapping system and or by attending the public hearing sessions. Information can be found at irc.az.gov.
“We welcome the involvement and voices of all interested individuals and groups to become part of this critical process that will remain in place for the next ten years,” said Erika Neuberg, Chairwoman Independent Redistricting Commission. “With the approval of scheduled dates, times and locations, for the next round of public hearing, we will follow the State of Arizona’s COVID guidelines but also encourage those who choose not to participate in person to please go online and submit comments and maps.”
The following is the schedule of in-person public meeting sessions:
Tuesday, September 21 4:00 pm (MST) 5:00 pm (MDT)
Main location:
Red Mountain Multigenerational Center
7550E. Adobe St.
Mesa, AZ 85207
Satellite locations:
Yuma Civic Center
1440 W. Desert Hills Dr.
Yuma, AZ 85365
Navajo Nation Training Center (limit 25 participants onsite) Masks Required
Morgan Blvd. Bldg. #2740
Window Rock, AZ 86515
Thursday, September 23 12:00 pm ( MST)
Main location:
Scottsdale Center for the Arts
7380 E. 2nd St.,
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Satellite locations:
Radisson Hotel
777 N. Pinal Ave
Casa Grande, AZ 85122
Sierra Suites
391 E. Fry Blvd.
Sierra Vista, AZ 85635
Saturday, September 25 10:00 am (MST)
Main location:
Desert Willow Conference Center
4340 E. Cotton Center Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ 850401
Satellite location:
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
3700 Willow Creek Road
Prescott, AZ 86301
Wednesday, September 29 4:00 pm (MST)
Main location:
Cactus Shadows Fine Arts Center
33606 N. 60th St.
Scottsdale, AZ 85266
Satellite location:
Tucson Convention Center
260 S. Church Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85701
Thursday, October 7 4:00 pm (MST) 5:00 (MDT)
Main location:
The Vista Center for the Arts
15660 N. Parkview Pl.
Surprise, AZ 85374
Satellite locations:
High Country Conference Center
201 W. Butler Ave.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Cesar Chavez Cultural Center
1015 N. Main St.
San Luis, AZ 85349
Kayenta Township Town Hall (limit 25 participants onsite) Masks required
100 N. Highway 163
Kayenta, AZ 86033
Individuals attending the in-person sessions at the main and satellite locations will have the opportunity to speak and give public comments on the grid maps. They can also complete their mapping comments online before the public meetings.
The link for the adopted grid maps is: https://redistricting-irc-az.hub.arcgis.com/
There will be an opportunity to observe each meeting on live streaming and that information will be listed on the website: https://irc.az.gov/
by Corinne Murdock | Sep 14, 2021 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
So far this year, Pinal County police have seized over 1.1 million M30 fentanyl pills. “M30” is a stamp on pills sometimes used to disguise a synthetic drug as the painkiller oxycodone, manufactured by pharmaceutical companies. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported last year that a majority of fentanyl comes from the Mexican border.
Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb summarized the significance of these drug seizures. Lamb explained how the number of M30 fentanyl pill seizures jumped from zero in 2018, to around 700 in 2019, and over 200,000 in 2020.
Lamb explained that meth and fentanyl are being trafficked in pill form because people, especially kids, are more likely to take a pill than a needle in the arm.
“Not only are we dealing with the human trafficking issue, we’re also dealing with drug trafficking into this country. What the cartel has started doing is producing synthetic drugs, like methamphetamine and fentanyl. They can produce them in a lab 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” explained Lamb. “Folks, this is a problem. What starts in my backyard today will be in your front yard tomorrow.”
In the post, Pinal County Sheriff’s office added that most of their deputies had never seen a fentanyl pill three years ago.
https://twitter.com/PinalCSO/status/1437458063821213697
Fentanyl was one of the key drugs found in George Floyd’s system after his death. Floyd had approximately 11 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml). Fatalities may occur at around 7 ng/ml of fentanyl when one or more other drugs are used conjunctively.
Floyd also had 19 ng/ml of meth in his system. The initial autopsy report added that deaths have been determined due to fentanyl at levels as low as 3 ng/ml.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid drug that is 50 to 100 times more potent than its most comparable drug – morphine. This drug accounts for the majority of opioid overdose deaths in the United States, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH).
Since President Joe Biden took office, reports of increased drug trafficking have coincided with the historic surge of illegal immigrants. The situation worsened to the point where non-border states were lending their law enforcement to the southern border; South Dakota recently brought their National Guard home after Texas gained a handle on their end of the crisis.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Sep 14, 2021 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Last Friday, Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) asked Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Director Xavier Becerra to answer for the thousands of migrant children that were lost upon release from custody. These illegal immigrant youths, classified by the federal government as unaccompanied alien children (UAC), were supposed to be tracked after release from federal custody.
In a letter, Biggs asked Becerra to answer for how many UACs have been placed with sponsors; how many sponsors are illegal immigrants, aren’t the child’s parent, legal guardian, or relative, haven’t responded to HHS communications, have failed to attend Legal Orientation Program for Custodians, and/or have had their sponsor agreement terminated for failure to attend the legal orientation and/or ensuring their UAC attended immigration proceedings; if HHS places conditions on the release of UACs to sponsors; how many follow-up calls to sponsor families have been conducted since January 20, and what protocols are in place for unresponsive sponsors; and how HHC vets its sponsors.
Biggs lambasted Becerra’s HHS spokespersons for essentially shrugging off their department’s failure of oversight. An HHS spokesman told reporters that they didn’t have legal oversight once UACs left their custody.
“This cavalier and dismissive response to questions regarding the Department’s inability to ascertain the whereabouts of UACs whom it has placed with sponsors is appalling,” stated Biggs. “Instead of dismissing questions about whether HHS knows the whereabouts of children that it has placed with sponsors, your spokesperson should be able to provide the American people with assurances that HHS is taking its responsibility for placing children with responsible sponsors seriously.”
Biggs cited HHS policy that requires government personnel to check in on any UACs released to a sponsor within 30 days.
“If sponsors are unable or unwilling to answer the phone when HHS calls, then HHS should not be approving them as sponsors in the first place,” asserted Biggs.
Placing UACs with adequate sponsors has long been an issue for the federal government. An Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) policy already urges government workers to place UACs with sponsors as quickly as possible. The historic surge of illegal border crossings only places further strain on that system: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has encountered nearly 100,000 UACs to date.
Total UACs for 2019 reached just over 76,000, and then over 30,500 with the 2020 pandemic.
According to a 2018 testimony from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) previous executive associate director, Matthew Albence, nearly 80 percent of UACs go to sponsors that are illegal immigrants themselves or already have illegal immigrants in their homes.
“From our data that we’ve seen just recently, you’re looking at close to 80 percent of the people that are sponsors or household members within these residents are illegally here in the country,” stated Albence.
In his letter to Becerra, Biggs accused HHS of shoddy work jeopardizing UAC safety to keep their number of open cases low.
“HHS appears more focused on releasing UACs to sponsors as quickly as possible and closing the case file than ensuring that sponsors are complying with their agreements and that the children are safe. The concern that HHS is placing UACs with sponsors who are using the children as forced labor or otherwise abusing the children is not hypothetical,” criticized Biggs.
HHS hasn’t issued any press releases in the last month discussing the state of UACs. The last reports issued concerning sexual harassment or abuse involving UACs was released in 2017.
Becerra’s deadline for responding to Biggs’s letter is Friday, September 24.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
