Editorial Note:
Readers, I waited until today to see if the historic treaty signed yesterday would even get a mention on the UN webpage. I looked not even a honorable mention on their site!
The UN was always hostile toward Israel, so, no shocker of the none response on their webpage.
But, despite of the apparent UN snub, the President and the three countries: Israel, UAE, and Bahrain made history yesterday, and the world should celebrate that achievement.
In order to review the events yesterday here are some press releases, and fact sheet from the White House:
Abraham Accords Peace Agreement: Treaty of Peace, Diplomatic Relations and Full Normalization Between the United Arab Emirates and the State of Israel
President Donald J. Trump is Promoting Peace and Stability in the Middle East.--WH Fact Sheet
SECURING HISTORIC AGREEMENTS: President Donald J. Trump hosted the official signing ceremony for the historic peace agreements between Israel and Arab nations.
Secretary of State: Registered voters in Washington do not need to request a mail-in ballot.
Press release issued on 9/11/20
https://www.sos.wa.gov/office/news-releases.aspx#/news/1416
OLYMPIA — Washington state voters may soon receive a postcard from the U.S. Postal Service encouraging voters to “plan ahead” for the Nov. 3 General Election. Among the recommendations is to request a mail-in or absentee ballot at least 15 days before Election Day.
The following is a statement by the Office of the Secretary of State in response to the “If you plan to vote by mail, plan ahead.” postcard.
“Voters in Washington do not need to request a ballot, as ballots are automatically mailed to all registered voters at least 18 days prior to Election Day. There is no need to sign up or request to receive a mail-in ballot to vote in the upcoming election,” said Secretary of State Kim Wyman. “Voters who are unsure if they are registered or if their address on file is current can log in to VoteWA.gov to confirm their registration information.
“The Office of the Secretary of State and county election officials were not made aware this mailer would be sent to Washington residents, nor were we apprised of its content. By the time we learned of the mailer and reached out to the postal service to inquire further, the mailers were already in the mail stream.”
Secretary Wyman recommends Washingtonians visit sos.wa.gov/elections for more information about election dates and deadlines, and how to locate a county elections office if they have any questions or concerns.
Senators Murray, Cantwell, Senate Democrats Call on Postmaster General to Immediately Reverse U.S. Postal Service Changes Causing Delays of Critical Medications to Americans.
Press release issued 9/15/20
WASHINGTON, DC – As widespread reports of United States Postal Service (USPS) delays continue to impact millions of Americans, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, joined 34 of their Senate colleagues in sending a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy calling on him to immediately reverse all operational and organizational changes that have resulted in delays of critical medications to Americans.
“The Postal Service is an essential public institution that must uphold its duty to serve every community. Your recently implemented changes pose an unacceptable threat and continue to have a devastating effect on communities that rely on consistent access to medication through the mail. We have received numerous reports from seniors about delays in receiving their prescriptions through the mail, leaving some without life-sustaining medication for days. Others have been forced to obtain emergency prescriptions from their doctors and pay out-of-pocket for medication because their original prescriptions covered by insurance never arrived,” the senators wrote.
“We call on you to immediately reverse all operational and organizational changes that have resulted in life-threatening delays of critical medications to Americans,” the senators continued. “Right now, the Postal Service is failing to meet the needs of many Americans and adhere to its mission of “prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas.” As we continue to fight this pandemic, the Postal Service is integral to keeping millions of Americans safe, especially seniors, people with chronic conditions, and people with disabilities.”
Senators Murray and Cantwell have been vocal in their support for the U.S. Postal Service and their opposition to Postmaster General DeJoy’s changes to mail services. Last month, the senators sent a letter to Postmaster DeJoy demanding answers about the changes in mail delivery that caused significant delays, as well as calling on DeJoy to testify before Congress about the delays. Also in August, Murray and Cantwell joined the entire Senate Democratic caucus in calling on the USPS to fix mail delays and avoid increasing costs for election mail as millions of Americans plan to vote by mail this fall. In July, Cantwell and Murray also joined their colleagues to introduce a resolution highlighting the importance of USPS and calling for increased funding to help the agency continue to perform its essential work amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Text of letter sent:
Dear Mr. DeJoy:
In your three months as U.S. Postmaster General, you have made detrimental operational and structural changes to the U.S. Postal Service. After facing criticism from members of Congress, states, and the public as well as lawsuits from multiple state attorneys general you announced the reversal of some—but not all—of these policies. Damage from your decisions has already been done as Americans continue to experience potentially life-threatening delays in the delivery of prescription medications. These delays will continue to disproportionately harm the same individuals who are most at risk during the COVID-19 crisis, including seniors, people with chronic conditions, and people with disabilities.
While we hope that your recent policy reversals will curtail some of the harmful effects and delays we have seen, we continue to have grave concerns regarding widespread delays in the delivery of critical medications that millions of Americans rely upon every day. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is now more important than ever for Americans to have safe and timely access to their medications from their homes. For years, Americans have entrusted the Postal Service to deliver essential goods—yet during this public health crisis, a number of Americans continue to await needed medications that are lost or delayed in the mail.
The Postal Service is an essential public institution that must uphold its duty to serve every community. Your recently implemented changes pose an unacceptable threat and continue to have a devastating effect on communities that rely on consistent access to medication through the mail. We have received numerous reports from seniors about delays in receiving their prescriptions through the mail, leaving some without life-sustaining medication for days. Others have been forced to obtain emergency prescriptions from their doctors and pay out-of-pocket for medication because their original prescriptions covered by insurance never arrived.
The National Association of Letter Carriers reported that the Postal Service delivers 1.2 billion prescription drug shipments each year – amounting to four million shipments every day, six days a week. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Mail Order Pharmacy provides prescriptions to approximately 80 percent of all veterans via mail, processing 470,000 prescriptions daily. Despite these figures, “prescription medication can only be as effective as a patient’s ability to access it.”
The Postal Service’s role in delivering medications to Americans has only grown during the COVID-19 crisis. When COVID-19 stay-at-home orders began in March, mail-order prescriptions reportedly increased by 21 percent from the year prior. What was previously a routine visit to the pharmacy now places millions of Americans at an increased risk of exposure to COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises Americans to “limit in-person visits to the pharmacy” and, if possible, to use drive-thru windows, mail-order, or other delivery services to pick up medications. As Postal Service delays cause Americans to worry when, if at all, they will receive their next supply of medication in the mail, patients across the country may be forced to seek their prescriptions in person at a pharmacy—increasing their risk of exposure to COVID-19 at a time when staying home is vital to their health and well-being.
We call on you to immediately reverse all operational and organizational changes that have resulted in life-threatening delays of critical medications to Americans. As you noted, “it is imperative for the Postal Service to operate efficiently and effectively, while continuing to provide service that meets the needs of [its] customers.” Right now, the Postal Service is failing to meet the needs of many Americans and adhere to its mission of “prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas.” As we continue to fight this pandemic, the Postal Service is integral to keeping millions of Americans safe, especially seniors, people with chronic conditions, and people with disabilities.
To that end, please provide the following information by September 21, 2020:
What considerations did you give to mail-order medications before implementing the recent operational and structural changes throughout the Postal Service?
What, if any, actions did you take to prevent potential delays in the delivery of mail-order medications? If you made no specific adjustments or considerations, please explain why.
What steps, if any, does the Postal Service intend to take to address existing delays in the delivery of mail-ordered prescriptions that have occurred as a result of the operational and structural changes you implemented?
Please identify the operational and structural changes implemented during your tenure that you plan to reverse.
Please explain how you decided which changes to reverse, as well as your rationale for each reversal.
Do you plan to re-implement any of these changes after the November 2020 election? If so, what safeguards will you put in place to avoid significant mail delays and keep Americans safe?
Please identify the operational and structural changes implemented during your tenure that you chose not to reverse.
Please explain your justification for each decision.
Please explain the consequences these changes could have for the ability of Americans to receive their medications in a timely and consistent manner through the mail, and whether the Postal Service has adopted safeguards to address these issues.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
IN OTHER HEADLINES...
WORLD NEWS HEADLINES:
Climate change: Record northern heat, fuels concerns over US wildfire destruction.
The northern hemisphere experienced its warmest August ever, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Tuesday, amid searing conditions that have contributed to devastating wildfires on the west coast of the United States.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/09/1072412
Venezuela abuses amounted to crimes against humanity: UN-appointed panel.
Grave rights violations against anti-government protesters in Venezuela, “amounted to crimes against humanity”, UN-appointed rights investigators said in their first report on abuses inside the Latin American nation.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/09/1072512
Governments urged to protect poor against modern slavery, step up development financing.
Unless governments act now, millions of the world’s most vulnerable people could be pushed into contemporary forms of slavery and other exploitation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a UN independent human rights expert has said.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/09/1072492
New General Assembly underscores ‘necessity of multilateralism’
The 75th session of the UN General Assembly opened on Tuesday with a moment of silence against the unprecedented backdrop of the COVID pandemic, as the new president told delegates that the coronavirus had driven home the value of multilateralism “to address our collective challenges”.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/09/1072432
In International Day Message, Secretary-General Urges World to Lay Down Weapons, Stand Together for Peace---UN Press release
https://www.un.org/press/en/2020/sgsm20257.doc.htm
New President Echoes Call by Predecessor for Progressive, Multilateral Action to Defeat COVID-19, as General Assembly Concludes Current Session, Opens Seventy-Fifth
The General Assembly concluded its seventy-fourth session on Tuesday, with outgoing President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande (Nigeria) praising delegates for their progressive action, most notably in passing a widely co-sponsored resolution at the outset of COVID-19 epidemic to ensure fair global access to medicines and vaccines.---UN PRESS RELEASE
https://www.un.org/press/en/2020/ga12264.doc.htm
Amid Increased Fighting, Threat of Famine in Yemen, Warring Parties Must Work towards Nationwide Ceasefire Declaration, Top Officials Tell Security Council--UN PRESS RELEASE
https://www.un.org/press/en/2020/sc14301.doc.htm
NATIONAL
President Donald J. Trump Approves Oregon Disaster Declaration.--WH
US STATE DEPT.
The United States Sanctions Russian Nationals for Phishing Campaign.
Today, in a coordinated action with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned two Russian nationals for their involvement in a sophisticated phishing campaign in 2017 and 2018 that targeted customers of two U.S.-based, and one foreign-based, virtual asset service providers, commonly known as cryptocurrency exchanges. American citizens and businesses were among the victims of this malicious cyber-enabled activity, which resulted in combined losses of at least $16.8 million.
https://www.state.gov/the-united-states-sanctions-russian-nationals-for-phishing-campaign/
Seven International Cyber Defendants, Including “Apt41” Actors, Charged In Connection With Computer Intrusion Campaigns Against More Than 100 Victims Globally
Two Defendants Arrested in Malaysia; Remaining Five Defendants, One of Whom Allegedly Boasted of Connections to the Chinese Ministry of State Security, are Fugitives in China--DOJ
Dept. of Education: Secretary DeVos Launches New Web Tool to Help Parents, Educators Easily Access School Spending Data.
HUD SECRETARY BEN CARSON AND ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR VISIT OPPORTUNITY ZONE PROJECT IN WILMINGTON
https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_20_146
CDC Releases Indicators for Dynamic School Decision-Making.
Today, CDC released indicators to help schools make dynamic decisions about in-person learning as local conditions evolve throughout the pandemic.
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/s0915-dynamic-school-decision-making.html
USDA Assists Farmers, Ranchers, and Communities Affected by Western Wildfires.
BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS:
Treasury Sanctions Russian Cyber Actors for Virtual Currency Theft---US Treasury Dept.
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1123
IRS reminds taxpayers who filed an extension that the Oct. 15 due date approaches.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF $40 MILLION TO ADDRESS RURAL HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE SHORTAGES.
https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20200915
STATE NEWS HEADLINES:
AG FERGUSON: WASHINGTONIANS WHO ATTENDED ITT TECH TO GET NEARLY $6 MILLION IN DEBT RELIEF.
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced that 816 former ITT Tech students in Washington state will receive $5.9 million in debt relief. This amount covers all outstanding debts these borrowers owe to PEAKS Trust. The debt forgiveness resolves an investigation launched by Ferguson and a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general into unfair and deceptive lending practices by PEAKS Trust, a private loan program created to fund loans for the for-profit college ITT Tech. Today’s court filing also requires PEAKS to dissolve.
Justice G. Helen Whitener Named 2020 Recipient of “Passing the Torch Award” from Washington Women Lawyers
September 16, 2020
Washington Supreme Court Justice G. Helen Whitener has been named the 2020 recipient of Washington Women Lawyers (WWL) “Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst Passing the Torch Award,” which will be presented by the WWL in October.
http://www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/?fa=newsinfo.internetdetail&newsid=38660
August 2020 Monthly Employment Report
OLYMPIA – Washington’s economy added 19,800 jobs in August and the state’s preliminary seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate for August decreased from 10.2 percent (adjusted) to 8.5 percent according to the Employment Security Department (ESD).
https://esd.wa.gov/newsroom/august-2020-monthly-employment-report
In other news...
The Trump Peace Deals Won’t End the Jihad Against Israel, But They Help---PJ MEDIA
Leftmedia: GOP Should Want a Biden Win So Violence Ends
This argument reveals just how worried Democrats are about a Trump victory.---Patriot Post
California’s Disastrous Forest Mismanagement--National Review
Governor’s authoritarian orders during pandemic ruled unconstitutional--Washington Times
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/sep/16/gubernatorial-orders-regulating-travel-work-and-as/
SHOCK: ABC Hails ‘Empathetic’ Trump’s ‘Calm,’ ‘Pretty Good’ Town Hall---News Busters
Biden Blasted For ‘Beyond Patronizing’ Incident Trying To Appeal To Latinos By Playing Spanish Sex Song---Daily Wire
Seattle City Council to foot legal bill for socialist councilwoman facing recall---FOX NEWS
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/seattle-kshama-sawant-recall-legal-defense
Makes you wonder who is really running the Bidden campaign!?
Clup
SATURDAY AT 2 PM PDT – 3:30 PM PDT
Port Angeles speaking engagement
