Latest news with #GovernmentAccountabilityProject
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Biden Admin accused of covering up 'cancer clusters' after major 2023 health emergency
The Biden administration has been accused of covering up the devastating reality of a potential Ohio cancer cluster. A new whistleblower report shows Biden and authorities like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ignored and failed to publish health data after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023. The Government Accountability Project has obtained federal emails and documents alleging the government knew there would be 'inevitable health impacts' from the incident. They also claim the Biden administration knew residents would need health checkups for at least 20 years after the spill — but failed to disclose that to the public. The chemicals released during the disaster, many of which are known carcinogens, spilled into the soil of the 5,000-person town and the nearby Ohio River. They also spread through the air in massive 'really toxic' smoke plumes,' which could increase the risk of 'cancer clusters' forming, according to the head of the watchdog group. Two years later, East Palestine residents are still exposed to a dozen chemicals linked to respiratory issues, fatigue, high blood pressure, leukemia and kidney, lung, liver and brain cancer. And a recent paper found 540,000 square miles, spanning 16 states, were exposed to traces of volatile chemicals during the disaster. Lesley Pacey, an investigator with the Government Accountability Project, told NewsNation: 'They knew that there would be the potential for cancer clusters. 'These documents confirm what East Palestine residents have feared: government officials knew about the serious health risks posed by the derailment and controlled burn but deliberately kept this information from the community.' Pacey obtained FEMA documents and emails between the agency and the White House, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Justice and the National Security council, which showed the people of East Palestine are still prone to devastating health consequences. According to Pacey, the emails noted 'the occurrence of a cancer-cluster in [East Palestine] is not zero' and urged efforts 'to identify cancer clusters.' The Government Accountability Project's report also revealed the Biden administration allegedly thought East Palestine residents would need at least 20 years of medical checks following the incident. The Project also determined the findings 'point to inevitable health impacts.' Over a dozen chemicals were in the rail cars, including several carcinogens. Vinyl chloride, for example, travels through the blood and gets broken down by the liver into even more toxic chemicals. When breathed in over many years, it can cause liver and nerve damage and leave people with a weakened immune system. Exposure to the gas is also associated with a heightened risk of a rare form of liver cancer (hepatic angiosarcoma), as well as primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma), brain and lung cancers, lymphoma and leukemia. When burned, vinyl chloride creates hydrogen chloride and phosgene — a highly toxic, colorless gas with a strong odor that can cause vomiting and breathing trouble and was used as a chemical weapon in World War I. Trichloroethylene, meanwhile, is a clear liquid used as a solvent in for rubbers, fats, oils, waxes and resins. It's also a known carcinogen that has been linked to kidney and liver cancer, as well as non-Hodgkin lymphoma. And colorless liquid butyl acrylate has been linked to irritation in the eyes, including redness and tearing up, a scratchy throat, issues with breathing and redness and cracking of the skin. Continued exposure over months and years can cause the skin to itch and affected areas to ooze. Sil Caggiano, a hazardous materials specialist and former fire department chief, told WKBN 27 First News in 2023: 'We basically nuked a town with chemicals so we could get a railroad open.'
New York Times
16-03-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
As Voice of America Goes Dark, Some Broadcasts Are Replaced by Music
For more than 80 years, Voice of America transmitted the news into countries, many of them authoritarian, where reliable sources of information about the outside world were often hard to come by. Now those broadcasts — long viewed as an important part of U.S. efforts to promote democracy and transparency overseas — are flickering out. Hours after President Trump signed an executive order on Friday calling for the dismantling of the federal agency that oversees Voice of America, hundreds of journalists, executives and other employees at the organization's headquarters in Washington were informed that they were being put on paid leave. Employees said they quickly lost access to their work email and other communications programs. Much of Voice of America's content is produced in Washington and then transmitted to a network of affiliates worldwide. With most of Voice of America's work force locked out, at least some of its radio frequencies in Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere went dark or began airing nothing but music, employees said. In other cases, radio, television and digital outlets that used Voice of America programming will remain online but without contributions from the United States. Some of those affiliates also carry content provided by state media from countries like Russia and China, which Voice of America's programming had, in effect, countered. 'They have pulled the plug operationally,' said David K. Seide, a lawyer at the Government Accountability Project who defends federal whistle-blowers and who represents some Voice of America journalists. Mr. Seide said he was considering legal challenges aimed at reinstating Voice of America journalists. The American Foreign Service Association, whose ranks include Voice of America employees, said it 'will mount a vigorous defense' of those employees. The Trump administration's efforts to shut down Voice of America are part of a broader campaign to weaken the news media. The White House, for example, has barred The Associated Press from covering certain events over its refusal to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. Mr. Trump and his allies have sued news outlets, and his allies have said they are eyeing more litigation. Voice of America began broadcasting in 1942, part of a federal effort during World War II to combat Nazi propaganda in Latin America and elsewhere. During the Cold War, its shortwave radio broadcasts behind the Iron Curtain were part of the U.S. government's campaign to counter communism and foster freedom. At least until this weekend, Voice of America transmitted reports in dozens of languages and reached hundreds of millions of listeners outside the United States, including in countries like China and Iran, whose governments impose strict controls on outside news sources. Voice of America's charter was designed to protect its editorial independence from whichever administration is in power. Its mandate is to serve as a reliable source of news, to present 'a balanced and comprehensive' portrait of America, and to 'present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively.' In Mr. Trump's first term, the White House repeatedly railed against what it saw as Voice of America's liberal bias. The administration's efforts to align the taxpayer-financed broadcaster with Mr. Trump's agenda, including by conducting internal investigations of some of its journalists, were later deemed improper by federal investigators. This year, Mr. Trump has moved swiftly to quiet the broadcaster. He tapped a right-wing former TV news anchor, Kari Lake, to run Voice of America. Even before she arrived, the broadcaster began discouraging its journalists from saying or writing things that could be construed as critical of Mr. Trump — part of an attempt that its leaders hoped would help fend off attacks by the president. The White House on Saturday issued a news release denouncing what it said was the broadcaster's role in spreading 'radical propaganda' and accusing its employees of entrenched left-wing bias. It is the same critique that Mr. Trump and his allies routinely make about the traditional media. Steven Herman, a longtime Voice of America correspondent, was put on an extended 'excused absence' this month, pending a human-resources investigation into his social media posts about the Trump administration. On Saturday, he published what he described as a 'requiem' for the broadcaster. 'To effectively shutter the Voice of America is to dim a beacon that burned bright during some of the darkest hours since 1942,' Mr. Herman wrote.
