HHS reverses NIOSH firings that stripped coal miners' health protections

HHS reverses NIOSH firings that stripped coal miners' health protections

The Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday reversed thefiringsof more than 100 federal employees with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the federal institute that helps protect coal miners from black lung, according to Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito. Roughly 200 employees of the NIOSH office in Morgantown, West Virginia, were put on administrative leave in April and informed they would be formally fired in June. Some were temporarily brought back roughly two weeks ago, but until Tuesday they were told they would still be terminated next month. In a letter sent Tuesday, a copy of which was obtained by ABC News, HHS said, "You previously received a notice regarding the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) upcoming reduction in force (RIF). That notice is hereby revoked. You will not be affected by the upcoming RIF." MORE: 'I want to live': Coal miners speak out as Trump strips away health protections The move comes after public pressure from Capito, and follows a series ofABC News reportsdetailing the impact the firings would have on black lung health care programs for coal miners. Capito, announcing the reversals on X, said, "The heath and safety of our WV workers, including our miners, is of the utmost important and I will always advocate for their wellbeing." Critics said the initial firings, part of President Donald Trump's efforts to slash the size of the federal government, belied his vow toreinvigorateAmerica's coal industry. NIOSH has offices in several other states covering a range of issues from vehicle safety to firefighter health care. It's unclear if any employees in those offices were also rehired. ABC News reached out to HHS for comment. The announcement came just hours before a federal judge ordered HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to temporarily halt its dismissal of NIOSH officials who oversee the black lung surveillance program. "Losing the services of these experienced and dedicated employees is an aspect of the irreparable harm to the miners and the public that cannot and should not be ignored," U.S. District Judge Irene Berger wrote in her order Tuesday. It was not immediately clear whether the ruling had anything to do with the Trump administration's decision to reinstate the workers earlier Tuesday. Judge Berger's ruling came after a veteran coal miner named Henry Wiley, in April, challenged the Trump administration's removal of the NIOSH employees, arguing that terminations endangered him and other miners. The judge wrote Tuesday that Wiley and a handful of NIOSH officials who testified in a hearing last week persuaded her of the importance of NIOSH's health screening program and a waiver called Part 90, which allows miners with early-stage black lung disease to transfer to roles out of the mines. MORE: How Trump's executive order on coal could impact energy use in the US If the NIOSH dismissals were allowed to go forward, Berger wrote, "thousands of miners will go without screening for black lung, and those with black lung will be deprived of access to the Part 90 transfer option." Berger referenced Kennedy directly, writing, "Does the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services genuinely believe that a miner diagnosed with black lung is not being injured when the program designed to confirm his condition and provide him with workplace protections to prevent its progression is rendered inaccessible? This court does not share such a belief." Berger ordered the Trump administration to grant "full restoration of the NIOSH Respiratory Health Division, rescission of the [reduction in force letters], and compelling continued health surveillance" through the health surveillance program and Part 90. She gave Kennedy three weeks to report in writing when the court's orders have been satisfied. In a statement to ABC News, plaintiffs attorney Sam Petsonk said, "This opinion gives life to our foundational principles of judicial review, empowering ordinary citizens like these coal miners to defend their rights." "We're glad to see the Administration already taking some initial steps in the direction of complying with the order. America's coal miners deserve nothing less, and in fact they deserve a heck of a lot more," Petsonk said. An HHS spokesperson told ABC News that Kennedy has been working hard to maintain NIOSH's critical functions as HHS streamlines its operations, and that the Trump administration is committed to supporting coal miners and firefighters. HHS reverses NIOSH firings that stripped coal miners' health protectionsoriginally appeared onabcnews.go.com

byRicky Wilson

in

May 13, 2025

HHS reverses NIOSH firings that stripped coal miners' health protections

HHS reverses NIOSH firings that stripped coal miners' health protections The Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday reversed...

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Trump probe into Calif. program for elderly, disabled legal immigrants attacks 'most vulnerable,' groups say

Trump probe into Calif. program for elderly, disabled legal immigrants attacks 'most vulnerable,' groups say

A federal investigation into a state program providing monthly cash benefits to elderly and disabled noncitizens legally present in the U.S. is raising alarms among immigrant rights groups in California, who say the probe unfairly attacks the community's "most vulnerable people" at a time when immigration authorities are working to deliver on President Donald Trump's campaign promise of mass deportations. The Department of Homeland Securitysaid Mondayit has launched an investigation into theCalifornia Cash Assistance Program for Immigrantsto see if ineligible undocumented immigrants received federal benefits from the Social Security Administration over the past four years. But no federal funds go toward the state assistance program and undocumented immigrants are not eligible to participate, Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles, orCHIRLA, told NBC News on Tuesday. Salas is one of the immigration advocates who helped make the state cash assistance program a reality almost 30 years ago. She said the state program was established after Clinton-erawelfare reforms excluded most noncitizensfrom receiving Supplemental Security Income, a federal benefit from the Social Security Administration that provides monthly payments to qualifying elderly and disabled people. In response, California created its own version of the program to provide state aid to immigrants legally present in the U.S. who are not eligible for the federal version of the program. These include legal permanent residents or green-card holders, asylees, humanitarian parolees and individuals permanently residingunder color of lawas well as victims of human trafficking and domestic violence, according to theCalifornia Immigrant Policy Center, an immigrant rights organization. "Undocumented people are not eligible for the program," Salas said, adding that the DHS investigation has "no merit because it's a legal immigrant program." As part of the probe, DHS issued a wide-ranging subpoena requesting records that include information of program participants such as applicants' name and date of birth, copies of applications, immigration status, proof of ineligibility for benefits from the Social Security Administration and affidavits that supported the application. Salas said that by targeting immigrant families, regardless of status, the Trump administration is "scraping at every single place where they can get data that could somehow lead them to somebody who's undocumented in this country." To achieve this, Salas said, the administration is going after "our most vulnerable people — legal immigrants that are blind, in wheelchairs, in hospice care, in hospital beds, who are 65-year-olds, who are grandmas and grandpas — that's who they're going after. It infuriates me." According to the California Department of Social Services, which administers the state cash assistance program for immigrants, about 9,700 individuals in Los Angeles County are receiving an average of $1,077 per month in benefits. These are "100% funded by the State of California," the California Department of Social Services said in a statement Tuesday. "No federal funding is utilized." Last year, Los Angeles County received $108,560,000 in state funding to administer the program. DHS did not respond to questions from NBC News asking what kind of probable cause the agency has to believe the state program has provided federal benefits to undocumented immigrants. Instead, it directed NBC News to a statement from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem saying, "The Trump Administration is working together to identify abuse and exploitation of public benefits and make sure those in this country illegally are not receiving federal benefits or other financial incentives to stay illegally. If you are an illegal immigrant, you should leave now. The gravy train is over. While this subpoena focuses only on Los Angeles County — it is just the beginning." The actions are consistent with a presidential memorandum Trump signed last month directing Noem "to ensure ineligible illegal aliens do not receive funds from Social Security programs and prioritize civil or criminal enforcement against states or localities for potential violations,"according to DHS. The California Immigrant Policy Center said the Trump administration's statements about the DHS investigation into the state cash assistance program are "inaccurate and misleading at best." "It is simply another attempt by the Trump administration to demonize and attack immigrant Californians," the organization told NBC News in a statement Tuesday. "This investigation's only objective is to cast a negative light on California's inclusive policies and sow misinformation and confusion." Salas said the probe may also have a "chilling effect" that can discourage tax-paying immigrants from participating in programs they're eligible for out of fear that their information will be shared with immigration authorities. "That's very corrosive in a society where we all pay taxes," she said. Immigrant-led households in California pay an estimated$120 billionin federal, state and local taxes — including nearly$8.5 billion in state and local taxespaid by undocumented immigrants— helping fund social services programs for all Americans.

byRicky Wilson

in

May 13, 2025

Trump probe into Calif. program for elderly, disabled legal immigrants attacks 'most vulnerable,' groups say

Trump probe into Calif. program for elderly, disabled legal immigrants attacks 'most vulnerable,' groups say A federal investigation...

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Inflation rate rose by 2.3% in April, CPI report shows. Here's what it means.

Inflation rate rose by 2.3% in April, CPI report shows. Here's what it means.

The Consumer Price Index in Aprilrose2.3% on an annual basis, rising less than economists had expected yet still reflecting price hikes that remain above the Federal Reserve's goal ofbringing down inflationto a 2% rate. By the numbers The CPI was forecast to rise 2.4% last month, according to economists polled by financial data firm FactSet. The CPI, a basket of goods and services typically bought by consumers, tracks the change in those prices over time. April's reading reflects the lowest level since February 2021, governmentdatashows. On a month-over-month basis, the CPI rose 0.2%, lighter than the 0.3% pace forecast by economists. Housing costs were a major driver of inflation last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said. And energy costs also ticked higher, despite lower gasoline prices, due to increases in natural gas and electricity costs. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}))}(); Grocery prices dropped slightly last month, declining 0.1% from March. The average price for a dozen Grade A eggs dropped 12.7% to $5.12 in April, marking the first month-to-month decline in egg prices since October 2024. Still, egg prices remain near historic highs as a persistent outbreak of bird flu continues to wipe out flocks of egg-laying hens. The April figure is 79% higher than the same month a year earlier, when the price averaged $2.86 per dozen. What experts say Economists are looking for early signs that Mr. Trump's tariffs are trickling through to American households. Because tariffs are import taxes paid by U.S. companies, which largely pass on the added costs to shoppers, they are at some point expected to boost consumer prices. Earlier this month, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank is taking await-and-see approachon Mr. Trump's tariffs, which he said could boost inflation and blunt economic growth. But so far, the tariff impact hasn't shown up in economic data, which typically is backward-looking because it reflects activity from the previous month. Mr. Trump has also announced tariffs, such as his April 2 "Liberation Day" levies, and then backed off from them. On April 9, he hit the pause button with a90-day delay,scaling back the tariffs to a 10% rate. And on Monday, the Trump administration and China agreed to a temporary but significant easing of tariffs imposed over the last couple months,scaling back the import dutieson Chinese-made goods from 145% to 30%. Meanwhile, some consumers and businessesrushed to order goodsahead of the tariffs' imposition, aiming to skirt the new import duties by front-loading their purchases. Because of this, the impact of the tariffs might not show up in economic data for another few months, economists say. "[I]n reality, the data for April is likely to be largely unaffected by President Trump's announcements on Liberation Day," said Julien Lafargue, chief market strategist at Barclays Private Bank, in an email. "This is because exemptions were granted for goods that had left exporting countries before 2 April, and because consumers and businesses rushed to front-run tariffs in February and March." He added, "As such, both the Fed and global investors will still need to be a bit more patient before they can properly assess the impact of the trade uncertainty on consumer prices." What does the CPI report mean for your money Because of thetentative trade agreementbetween China and the U.S., inflation may not rise as much as earlier anticipated, noted EY's Daco, who said he's lowered his year-end CPI forecast by 0.4 percentage points to 3.2%. With inflation still expected to pick up later this year, albeit at a lower pace than earlier forecast, the Fed may decide to cut rates twice in 2025, rather than the three cuts Daco had earlier expected. He added that he believes the first rate cut will occur in September, rather than July. April's cooler-than-expected data may also give the Fed more breathing room tohold offon cutting rates as it assesses the impact of Mr. Trump's trade policies, said Carl Weinberg, chief economist with High Frequency Economics, said in a report. "The Fed can stand still on rate hikes and cuts based on this data while it patiently waits to see the impact of erratic policy changes on prices in the months ahead, at least for now," Weinberg said. The result for consumers and businesses could be alonger waitfor relief on borrowing costs, as the Federal Reserve's benchmark rate helps determine what banks, credit card companies and other lenders charge borrowers. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}))}(); April inflation report shows impact of Trump tariffs on auto parts Key takeaways from Day 1 of Trump's Middle East trip MLB makes Pete Rose, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and others eligible for Hall of Fame

byRicky Wilson

in

May 13, 2025

Inflation rate rose by 2.3% in April, CPI report shows. Here's what it means.

Inflation rate rose by 2.3% in April, CPI report shows. Here's what it means. The Consumer Price Index in Aprilrose2.3% on an annual bas...

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Joe Biden Didn’t Recognize Old Friend George Clooney at 2024 Fundraiser: Report

Joe Biden Didn't Recognize Old Friend George Clooney at 2024 Fundraiser: Report

At a June 2024 fundraiser for the Biden presidential campaign, Joe Biden did not recognize longtime friend George Clooney. In the new book "Original Sin,"excerptedin The New Yorker, CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios' Alex Thompson tell the story of the Biden White House's ultimately failed attempt to control the story around his advanced age and his faculties. As the story indeed broke open following the disastrous June 27, 2024 debate between Biden and Donald Trump, Clooney's July 10 New York Timesop-edcalling for Biden to quit the race was a milestone in how bluntly it described the president's decline. More from Variety George Clooney's 'Good Night, and Good Luck' Recoups $9.5 Million Broadway Investment Joe Biden's 'The View' Interview Was a Botched Attempt to Restore His Legacy 'Jay Kelly' First Look: George Clooney Leads Noah Baumbach's New Movie as Netflix Sets Awards Season Release Dates for Theaters and Streaming Tapper and Thompson note that, before the fundraiser, Clooney and Biden had last met in 2022 at the Kennedy Center Honors, where the President called the actor "Amal Clooney's husband" and thanked him for his activism. By contrast, in 2024, Biden was reportedly unaware of with whom he was speaking until prompted that it was George Clooney. Tapper and Thompson write: "Clooney was shaken to his core. The president hadn't recognized him, a man he had known for years. Clooney had expressed concern about Biden's health before — a White House aide had told him a few months before that they were working on getting the president to take longer steps when he walked — but obviously the problem went far beyond his gait. This was much graver." Clooney, with Julia Roberts, was headlining the fundraiser, whichginned upat least $28 million but at which, the authors write, Biden was seen as "slow and almost catatonic" with "obvious brain freezes and clear signs of a mental slide." After a group interview between Biden, Jimmy Kimmel and Barack Obama, Kimmel and Obama began to walk offstage, but Biden made headlines for wandering to the edge of the stage alone. Tapper and Thompson also report that, ahead of Clooney's op-ed, the actor received word from Senator Joe Manchin that Democratic senators, as a group, "were planning to confront Biden, to try to convince him to step aside." Following a defiant July 8 letter in which Biden declared that attempts to push him aside were subverting democracy, Clooney, disgusted, reached out to Obama, who advised against, as "doing so would only make Biden dig in deeper." After writing the op-ed, Clooney sent it to media mogul and Democratic megadonor Jeffrey Katzenberg, who had attended sessions of Biden's debate prep. "Your process is not the correct one to get the end you desire, [Katzenberg] told Clooney. He really wanted Clooney to cut the line about the befogged Biden at the fundraiser being 'the same man we all witnessed at the debate.'" Clooney ignored him, and the Times published his op-ed on July 10, less than two weeks after the debate. Eleven days after that, Biden left the presidential race. "Original Sin," published by Penguin Press, will be available May 20. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.

byRicky Wilson

in

May 13, 2025

Joe Biden Didn’t Recognize Old Friend George Clooney at 2024 Fundraiser: Report

Joe Biden Didn't Recognize Old Friend George Clooney at 2024 Fundraiser: Report At a June 2024 fundraiser for the Biden presidential cam...

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With Trump's plans for America's 250th in mind, Iowa lawmakers don't want cities to limit fireworks

With Trump's plans for America's 250th in mind, Iowa lawmakers don't want cities to limit fireworks

Iowa lawmakers wantPresident Donald Trumpto know that their state is eager to be at the center of next year's celebration of the nation's 250th birthday and shares his vision of fireworks filling the skies — so much so that they don't want local officials blocking any small, neighborhood displays. The Republican-controlled Legislature passed a bill this week that would ban local limits on people setting off their own rockets, mortars, aerial spinners and Roman candles on July 3 or 4, or Dec. 31. There was nothing to stop big, public shows — say, a Fourth of July display as part of Trump's proposed"Great American State Fair"in Iowa's capital of Des Moines — but a relative handful of cities, including Des Moines, haven't allowed people to shoot them off, even on the nation's birthday or New Year's Eve. The bill headed to Republican Gov. Kim Reynold's desk after the state House approved it Tuesday,51-39,with the GOP majority overriding Democrats' concerns that it could undermine fire safety or harm military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Des Moines and at least six of its suburbs, as well as the cities of Ames, Cedar Rapids and Dubuque bar people from setting off their own fireworks even on Independence Day. In arguing for the bill, Republican state Rep. Bill Gustoff quoted founding fatherJohn Adams'desire for national celebrations involving parades and "illuminations" of fireworks, from "one end of this continent to the other." Gustoff, who is from the Des Moines area, also cited the proposal Trumpfirst floated in 2023to have a yearlong national exposition on the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. "Mr. President, we welcome that idea in Iowa and we're ready, willing and able to host the party," Gustoff said during Tuesday's short debate. "We need to enable Iowans to be part of that celebration." While communities around the world have celebrated events with fireworks for hundreds of years, people's fondness for setting them off themselves has often been a bane of local police and firefighters. Still, only one state —Adams' home of Massachusetts— imposes an outright ban on their use by individual consumers. For years, Pennsylvania only allowed the use of sparklers and similar novelty fireworks. But in 2017, it permitted the sale of the full array of products, onlyto narrow those salesin 2022 to July 2-4 and Dec. 31 amid complaints. Georgia ended a decades-long ban on consumer fireworksin 2015and doesn't allow cities and counties to restrict them. Iowa banned consumer sales of fireworks for decades, spurred on bya June 1931 firethat engulfed about 100 buildings in the small town of Spencer, which started with a sparkler at a drugstore. However, in 2017, Iowa lawmakers allowed cities and counties to license firework sellers and allow people to set off fireworks from June 1 through July 8 and from Dec. 10 through Jan. 3. Iowa state health department datashows that in 2017, the number of fireworks-related emergency room visits in Iowa nearly doubled from 2016 and remained higher than pre-legalization levels through 2023. The state associations for fire marshals, fire chiefs, firefighters and emergency managers, opposed the fireworks law, as did the Iowa League of Cities. Democratic state Rep. Larry McBurney, from the Des Moines area, said the flash, noise and smell of gunpowder from fireworks can trigger veterans' PTSD. Fellow Democratic state Rep. Eric Gjerde, a Cedar Rapids police officer, said people who call to complain about fireworks in his city often think they're hearing gunfire. "We have to take every single one of those extremely seriously, so we send multiple officers to investigate," he told his colleagues. Fireworks manufacturers and retailers supported the bill, as did the state association for retail stores and the small-government, free-market group Americans for Prosperity. But in arguing in favor of the bill, Gustoff cited next year's celebration ofthe Declaration of Independence'ssigning in 1776. "Current law allows a patchwork of ordinances that are a trap for the unwary, patriotic American in Iowa who simply wants to celebrate Independence Day the way it was intended by our founding fathers," he said. ___ Associated Press Writers Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa; Jeff Amy in Atlanta and Marc Levy, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, also contributed.

byRicky Wilson

in

May 13, 2025

With Trump's plans for America's 250th in mind, Iowa lawmakers don't want cities to limit fireworks

With Trump's plans for America's 250th in mind, Iowa lawmakers don't want cities to limit fireworks Iowa lawmakers wantPresident...

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