Across the globe, animals from household pets to marine
wildlife are developing chronic diseases once thought to primarily affect
humans.
Dogs, cats, dairy cows, and sea turtles are showing increasing rates of
cancer, obesity, diabetes, and joint degeneration.
Understanding what drives
this rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is essential not only for
protecting animal health but also for improving human well-being.
Despite the
growing urgency, comprehensive and interdisciplinary research on animal NCDs
remains limited.
In a globalized world, diseases and their social and economic impacts do not stay within national boundaries. Increased rates of untreated HIV in any part of the world increase the risk of transmission for U.S. citizens.
Changes made in the first year of Donald Trump’s second term to address the global HIV epidemic, however, may not keep Americans safe.
In September 2025, the U.S. Department of State announced its America First Global Health Strategy, a plan that aims to make “America safer, stronger, and more prosperous” by encouraging other governments to take responsibility for their citizens’ health and to promote U.S. commercial and faith-based interests.
It includes the commitment to purchase and distribute the breakthrough HIV preventive drug lenacapavir for up to 2 million people – principally pregnant and breastfeeding women – in 10 countries heavily affected by HIV.
Donald Trump has
given a “full, complete, and unconditional” pardon to a long list of allies who
conspired to help him overturn his loss in the 2020 election.
Late Sunday night, Justice Department attorney Ed
Martin posted a list of over 70 people who would receive
pardons. Many of the figures included were named as unindicted co-conspirators
or charged at the state level for their roles in the plot to knowingly spread
false claims of widespread voter fraud in an attempt to push states to reject
former President Joe Biden’s victories in key swing states and pressure Vice
President Mike Pence into
stopping the certification of the election.
Among those pardoned are Trump lawyers Rudy
Giuliani and Sidney Powell, who publicly promoted baseless claims of a
vast conspiracy against the president to the public, claiming that the election
was stolen by a cabal of foreign infiltrators and scheming election officials.
They later faced defamation lawsuits for these claims, and in legal
proceedings, Giuliani conceded he
made false statements about election workers, while Powell’s
lawyers argued that “no reasonable person” would conclude her
public claims were statements of fact.
Trump also pardoned former chief of staff Mark Meadows, who
acted as a facilitator between the president and state officials he attempted
to bully into saying he won the election. Aside from the president himself,
Meadows was the highest-ranking White House staffer
on the phone call in which Trump asked Georgia’s Republican
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” him enough votes to be declared
the winner of the election.
Also receiving pardons were attorneys John Eastman and
Kenneth Chesebro. They were part of what Pence called Trump’s “gaggle of crackpot lawyers,” who
concocted the tortured legal theory that the vice president could declare
Biden’s victory in swing states illegitimate and anoint Trump as the winner.
Eastman privately admitted to Trump that the scheme was
illegal but pressed ahead with it anyway, culminating in the January 6,
2021, insurrection at the US Capitol, during which Trump supporters chanted,
“Hang Mike Pence,” and tried to stop the election results from being certified.
Here are some key excerpts from Jill’s interview, edited for
clarity.
Age: 42
Party affiliation: Democrat
Family: Mother-Christine Fonnemann, Father-
Francis Fonnemann III, Brothers-Mark Fonnemann, Brian Fonnemann. I live with my
beloved animals being my dog Zsa Zsa, Vega my cat, my bearded dragon Javier and
my elderly adopted corn snake Raphaello who had a rough start in life.
Education: 2001 Westerly High School
Graduate-Senior, Superlative-Class Individualist
Occupation: Beverage director at the Charlestown
Rathskeller Tavern
Previous or Current Elected Office: Charlestown
Parks and Recreation Commission, January 2023-Present, as well as The Parks and
Recreation Office Subcommittee
Describe the other issues that define your campaign
platform. The most time sensitive issue facing our ward is the repair
of the western wall of our breachway. This will avoid future damage to our
aquatic life, estuaries, oyster farms and ecosystem.
The reconstruction of the breachway is imperative to the
people of Charlestown and to the economic health of our town. We rely on summer
vacationers to visit while supporting local restaurants, shops, beaches and all
of our other adjacent businesses. This directly hits home given my work in the
restaurant industry.
The other issues that also define my campaign platform are:
Work
to maintain Charlestown's low tax rate through fiscally responsible
policies
Support
affordable housing initiatives that will allow Charlestown’s seniors and
children to afford housing in our town
Make
our children a priority by supporting our schools, quality education,
sports programs, and extracurricular activities.
Continue
to support our local businesses
Work
to protect our environment, open spaces and restoration of the Charlestown
Breachway.
I am a
big supporter of our environment and dark skies. I am an avid hiker,
camper and lover of the outdoors. I feel like I can actually breathe and
be at complete peace when I am surrounded by nature.
I will
also promote rehabbing run down, vacant, eyesores of buildings in town.
Preserve
the historic aspect that the town encompasses. I live in one of the 10
oldest houses in town built in 1732
What are the critical differences between you and other
candidates seeking this post?
One example that sets me apart from the other candidates is
that I am the only candidate that is known for organizing/executing large
scale, well attended events that directly give back to our residents, more
often than not, single handedly.
I realize that I don't have as much experience as the other
two candidates possess, as they have been involved in commissions/councils and
organizations much longer than I have. But I should say that one of the two
candidates is 37 years older and the other 28 years older than I. I truly hope
my past precedes me at my 42 years of age. I am a quick study and will delve
into research to be well informed. I am not afraid of a challenge either.
I have a large presence in our community and am known for
being kind and staying true to my word. I am a natural mediator/peacemaker, I
will always fight for what I think is right
I refuse to join in on any nonsense that may rear its head
in the next month. I am not intimidated and will refrain from fueling any
upcoming negative tactics that may rear their ugly head in the next month. But
I do know that if you give into being scared and freezing, you will never know
how to learn and grow.
I feel like I have the ability to see different sides of a
story by actually listening to people. These days everyone is shouting so
loudly at each other, instead of hearing what people actually have to say. It
costs nothing to be respectful of the fact that we are all different and people
feel differently about things.
People know that they can continue to rely on me to lend a
helping hand/shoulder to cry on/offer advice to anyone in need.
Nothing in life has ever been handed to me and I know what
it is like to struggle. Everything I have achieved, I have earned myself
through self teachings. I have to say that the person I have grown to be makes
me proud. I strive to be the best version of myself that I can be, which of
course is a lifelong practice.
I have the drive, motivation, creativity and unstoppable
energy to put 100% into this endeavor. I am not afraid of a challenge, no
matter how big or small and refused to be classified as a quitter. I am a quick
study and will delve into researching a topic and educating myself. Working in
the restaurant industry for over 28 years will teach you how to deal with every
kind of person of all walks of life and grow the thickest skin.
I can talk to, relate, listen and create an instant rapport
with most people. I am constantly putting out small fires through rational
thinking, strategy, empathy and grace. I work well in high stress/hectic
situations and thrive in that environment. I am a natural leader, my own person
and dance, (not walk,) to the beat of my own drum. I have never been one to
fold or conform to what social society teaches us to be if I don't agree with
it. My high school superlative was class individualist and I haven't lost any
momentum since.
Long story short, I truly hope to add to the existing
positive momentum that we have seen with the Town Council for the past two
years. I aim and very much look forward to working for the people in our town
and working cooperatively with the Charlestown Town Council and the State of
Rhode Island. If given the chance to be elected, I vow that I will ensure that
all of this happens.
The Election has
already begun
Early voting, in person at Town Hall, began on November 12.
Mail ballots will soon be arriving for those who requested them. Mine arrived on Saturday, meaning Cathy and I will proudly vote for Jill.
Special
elections like this rarely draw many voters – I’d be surprised if more than
1000 ballots get cast. Those of you who pay attention to town politics, such as
most Progressive Charlestown readers, will make the difference.
While the Charlestown Residents United (CRU) will continue
to hold at least four of the five Town Council seats, adding Jill will give
Charlestown an excellent shot of new blood. As I’ve made plain HERE
and HERE
and HERE,
returning CCA spokesperson Bonnita Van Slyke to the Council would be a terrible
mistake.
While I am 76 and not dead yet, I often do feel my age and
recognize that though Charlestown has a rapidly aging population, we need
younger leaders. Jill has that youthful enthusiasm and drive to serve that are,
for me at least, a distant memory.
I’m glad Jill brought up the issue of age. Typically, no one
ever does in Charlestown elections given that, with some exceptions, most
candidates are Boomers like me. Age cost Joe Biden the 2024 election and age is
currently causing mayhem and chaos in our nation. It’s an issue that can’t be
ignored.
I’m voting for Jill and for Charlestown’s future. Hope you
will, too.
However, the Trump administration is now moving to rescind that 2009 endangerment finding so it can reverse U.S. climate progress and help boost fossil fuel industries, including lifting limits on greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and power plants. The administration’s arguments for doing so are not only factually wrong, they’re deeply dangerous to Americans’ health and safety.
As physicians, epidemiologists and environmental healthscientists who study these effects, we’ve seen growing evidence of the connections between climate change and harm to people’s health. More importantly, we see ways humanity can improve health by tackling climate change.
Here’s a look at the risks and some of the steps individuals and governments can take to reduce them.
Drinking coffee can protect against atrial fibrillation
(A-Fib), a common heart rhythm disorder that causes rapid, irregular heartbeat
and can lead to stroke and heart failure.
Doctors typically recommend that people with heart issues
like A-Fib avoid caffeine out of fear that it will trigger symptoms. But a
study by UC San Francisco and the University of Adelaide has concluded that
drinking a cup of caffeinated coffee a day reduced
A-Fib by 39%.
"Coffee increases physical activity which
is known to reduce atrial fibrillation," said Gregory M. Marcus, MD, MAS,
who holds the Endowed Professorship in Atrial Fibrillation Research and is an
electrophysiologist at UCSF Health. Marcus is the senior author of the paper,
which appears Nov. 9 in JAMA. "Caffeine is also a diuretic, which could
potentially reduce blood
pressure and in turn lessen A-Fib risk. Several other ingredients in
coffee also have anti-inflammatory
properties that could have positive effects."
A-Fib has been increasing in recent years along with obesity
and the aging population. A-Fib, which has been diagnosed in more than 10
million U.S. adults, is estimated to affect up to 1 in 3 people.
Researchers named their study DECAF for Does Eliminating
Coffee Avoid Fibrillation? It is the first randomized clinical trial to
investigate the link between caffeinated coffee and A-Fib.
Donald Trump rode back into office by leaning on the same
faux populist refrain he weaponized a decade ago: immigrants are “taking
your jobs!”
Since then, Trump has launched an immigration crackdown of
historic proportions. Yet rather than turning things around for American
workers, we’re seeing the weakest labor market in years.
The Department of Homeland Security claims that
1.6 million undocumented immigrants have left the country voluntarily since
Trump took office. Another 527,000 have been deported as a result of sweeping
and often
brutal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
That should mean more job openings for U.S.-born workers,
right? Wrong. Over the same period, employers announced more
than 946,000 job cuts — the highest year-to-date total since
2020 — while hiring plans have fallen to
a 14-year low.
The forced removal of so many workers is projected to
shrink the nation’s gross domestic product by as much as 6.8 percent — a deeper
hit than the one sustained during the Great Recession.
In key industries, the results will be even worse.
For instance, with immigrants accounting for nearly
a third of long-term care workers, half of all nursing homes
have stopped
taking new residents. Meanwhile, family farms, already thinly staffed, have
been watching their immigrant workforce dwindle —
a trend with worrying
implications for food production.
Trump’s brand of right-wing populism twists economic pain
into a national grievance. It insists that ordinary people struggle not because
of billionaires, lobbyists, and political insiders — all of whom the president
golfs alongside — but because of migrants.
“For anyone holding their breath,” someone said online a
couple weeks ago, “waiting for this fascist Trump regime to hit rock bottom:
There is no rock bottom. Their depravity will continue to shock the world, week
after week, for as long as they hold power.”
It is a good time to reflect on how true this statement is
as we approach the one-year anniversary of Donald “Poisoning Our Blood” Trump’s
second presidential election.
Mad “king” Trump is now blowing up random boats,
slaughtering innocents in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, claiming without a
hint of a wisp of a scent of evidence that the people he is massacring in cold
violation of international and national law and basic decency are “enemy
combatant” narco traffickers “at war with the United States.”
Trump is gathering major military forces off the coast
of Venezuela in
preparation for a likely regime-change war on that nation. He may also
attack Colombia,
whose president has angered him by criticizing his extrajudicial executions in
international waters.
Trump and the key people around him... are dedicated sociopathic
fascists eager to stamp out the last embers of American democracy, decency,
deliberation, and rule
of law by any and all means “necessary.”
Former SNAP recipients will join masses of federal workers Trump
has thrown out of work on food lines
as Trump demands $230 million from his Department of
Justice as “compensation” for its (badly belated) indictment (under
former President Joe
Biden) of Trump for… you know, trying to overthrow electoral democracy and
the rule of law at the end of his first horrific administration (and for
absconding with classified documents and obstructing efforts to retrieve them).
Trump has just maniacally torn down the East Wing of
the White House,
planning to replace that former historic landmark with a gargantuan, gaudy
ballroom funded by some of his favorite capitulating corporations, including
the tech giants Google,
Meta, and Palantir and the leading “defense” firm Lockheed Martin.
When most people think about immigration enforcement, they picture border crossings and airport checkpoints. But the new front line may be your social media feed.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has published a request for information for private-sector contractors to launch a round-the-clock social media monitoring program. The request states that private contractors will be paid to comb through “Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, VK, Flickr, Myspace, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Reddit, WhatsApp, YouTube, etc.,” turning public posts into enforcement leads that feed directly into ICE’s databases.
The request for information reads like something out of a cyber thriller: dozens of analysts working in shifts, strict deadlines measured in minutes, a tiered system of prioritizing high-risk individuals, and the latest software keeping constant watch.
I am a researcher who studies the intersection of data governance, digital technologies and the U.S. federal government. I believe that the ICE request for information also signals a concerning if logical next step in a longer trend, one that moves the U.S. border from the physical world into the digital.
DO NOT take medical advice from Trump or Bobby Jr.
BMJ Group
An extensive review of existing studies, published in The
BMJ on November 10, finds no clear evidence that using acetaminophen
(Tylenol) during pregnancy increases the risk of autism or ADHD in children.
The new analysis was conducted in response to growing public debate about the
safety of acetaminophen use while pregnant.
Researchers reported that the reliability of earlier studies
and reviews on this topic is rated as low to critically low. They noted that
any apparent associations observed in past studies may be influenced by factors
shared within families, such as genetics and environmental conditions, rather
than by the medication itself.
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In key industries, the results will be even worse.
He is sending $20 billion to Argentina to back
his fellow far-right president there as 42 million US Americans face hunger because he is
cutting off their Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
