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New York Post
08-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Dem Rep. Wesley Bell, ex-‘Squad' congresswoman Cori Bush tout fund for nuclear radiation victims tucked into GOP bill that neither voted for
Rep. Wesley Bell (D-Mo.) and ex-'Squad' congresswoman Cori Bush at a Tuesday press conference in Missouri touted the expansion of a fund for nuclear radiation victims tucked into a Republican megabill that neither voted for. The onetime Democratic primary foes stood on opposite sides of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who introduced the provision, in a rare moment of bipartisanship following the months-long fight to pass President Trump's 'big beautiful bill.' 'You're not gonna always get everything you want and so there are some concerns and issues that many of us have with this budgetary bill,' Bell said of the multitrillion dollar tax-and-spending package Trump signed into law on July 4. Advertisement 'But at the same time, the folks who have been waiting a long time for compensation to be acknowledged for the pain and suffering,' he added. 'That's one thing that I can rejoice in.' Bush didn't step up to the mic to speak but hugged Hawley warmly before he began speaking with reporters. 3 Rep. Wesley Bell (D-Mo.) and ex-'Squad' congresswoman Cori Bush at a Tuesday press conference in Missouri touted the expansion of a fund for nuclear radiation victims tucked into a Republican megabill that neither voted for. KSDK News Advertisement Bell had waged a punishing primary fight against the Democratic incumbent last year that ultimately ousted her from representing Missouri's First Congressional District — after she served two terms marred by her outspoken anti-police and anti-Israel rhetoric and votes. 'Let me say this, AIPAC, I'm coming to tear your kingdom down,' Bush erupted at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee that spent $9 million backing Bell in the primary to help unseat her. Hawley had several times floated the provision to compensate survivors of cancers who were exposed to nuclear waste from the processing of uranium at a St. Louis chemical plant as part of Manhattan Project. The radioactive residue was known to be affecting residents who lived in the state near Coldwater Creek as early as 1949, according to reports, and the Missouri Republican's measure added language to the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of 1990 to aid those afflicted. Advertisement 3 Bush didn't step up to the mic to speak but hugged Hawley warmly before he began speaking with reporters. KSDK News The bill's text expanded federally covered health care eligibility for some treatments related to radiation-linked cancers to include Missouri Tennessee, Kentucky and Alaska and fully covered others in the Arizona, Nevada and Utah. Complete coverage was also extended to uranium mine workers. 'To look these good people in the eye and listen to their stories — and we've heard just a small selection of them today, this is the smallest slice of these stories you've heard today, this is truly the tip of the iceberg,' Hawley added Tuesday. Advertisement 'We're talking about millions of people who've been affected over the years, millions. So my, my strategy was simple. It was just allow force my colleagues to have to listen to these good folks, and we did it over and over.' 3 The Senate had twice-passed Hawley's provision as a standalone bill, but it never cleared the House until last Thursday. KSDK News The Senate had twice-passed the provision as a standalone bill, but it never cleared the House until last Thursday. 'I won't name names, but I had quite a few senators sitting on the floor with me as we were voting on this thing at whatever time of the morning, complaining to me, 'They were like, I can't believe you got this massive bill in here. How did this happen?'' Hawley revealed. 'And I said it happened because it's justice, but there's more to do.' No Democrats voted for the One Big Beautiful Act in either the House or the Senate, with party leaders decrying the tax cuts as a giveaway to billionaires. The introduction of work requirements for Medicaid and other tweaks to social safety net programs would remove health care coverage from millions of Americans, Democrats also charged, pointing to figures on the bill provided by the Congressional Budget Office. Advertisement 'We're gonna fight and … push back on what happened in this bill with respect to Medicaid and how it impacts so many people, so the work is not done,' Bell said Tuesday, before saying of the radiation fund: 'This is one piece of that bill that that I can be happy about and happy for the folks standing by.' The law is expected to raise the federal deficit by $3.9 trillion over the next decade, which rankled some budget hawks in the Republican conference. It still narrowly passed both chambers of Congress.
Black America Web
21-05-2025
- Climate
- Black America Web
Op-Ed: A Tornado Just Destroyed Black St. Louis, It's Time For Black America To Unite
Source: KSDK News / Youtube The time is approximately 3:00 a.m. We currently don't know the time since losing our electricity. All of our devices have since died. The food in the refrigerator went bad and the edible food was thrown on a BBQ grill days ago. How are the children? They are getting restless in the house without internet access and the ability to use their devices. Of course, they can play outside all day, and do. But the heat is rising and we are in line for more storms. The reality is, who wants to play when you're hungry and homeless? Oh, I forgot to mention that a tornado just came through our city and destroyed it. No, decimated it. I thought I was going to die, as did many others. Please send your condolences to the five families who lost loved ones during the storm. St. Louis, Mo., the city that birthed legends: Dick Gregory, Bill Clay, Cori Bush, Freeman Bosley, Sr., Arthur Ashe, Ronald Isley, Fred Sanford, Tina Turner, Annie Malone and Nelly, is in ruins. The Arch that people come from miles around and other states to see is on the Black side of town. It too felt the powerful effects of last Friday's tornado. We are now five days into dealing with the aftereffects of the tornado. Folks keep saying how resilient Black people are, how we get through the toughest of times and situations. But all this talk of time reminds me that we need about 5,000 watches and radios down here. Many of us have no way to communicate other than word of mouth. Let me paint the picture for you of the devastation as we are facing this 'new normal' living under Trump in 2025. We are living through a storm that displaced and unhoused over 90,000 black residents within 21 minutes on May 16. This day will be our new holocaust since slavery that we tell our grandchildren about for years to come. About a week ago, Trump fired the Head of FEMA, so I guess emergency help from the government is off the table? You can't drive safely through our streets because 100-year-old trees are blocking the way. The police are out redirecting traffic and foot traffic away from the white part of town that was barely affected by the tornado or storm. Even sadder than the lack of help disbursed by Republican Governor Mike Kehoe is the lack of access to food in black communities that are already food deserts. In a state that loves to tout its agricultural business acumen, the logistics for getting food and water to Black voters is going to be the nail in the coffin for the Republicans in 2026, or should be. As for newly elected Democrat Mayor Cara Spencer, who routed incumbent Mayor Tishaura Jones, the first Black female mayor of St. Louis City—she has been missing in action, and so have her services for us. She ran and won on being able to deliver basic services to Black people better than a Black mayor. She is doing a worse job than her predecessor. Often, what gets lost behind all the politics is the loss of life behind bad politics being enacted in the name of democracy. We here in the Lou are not without loss of Black institutions and life. The great Centennial Christian Church and a beautiful statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., located in the Fountain Park neighborhood of northwest Saint Louis, took a direct hit from the storm. The church collapsed, injuring more than 10 and claiming the life of the one black elderly woman who was a staple in the community. Further north, in the blackest parts of town where my family lives, a Black elder passed around the corner in the 4100 block of Margaretta Ave. She was one of at least seven deaths that have been confirmed. The hood where the former congresswoman Cori Bush lived has been turned into a third world country that looks less like any city or municipal district in the United States of America and more like Haiti after the earthquake in 2010. I speak more so of a visibly third-world country because, depending on the house, they were already living in third-world conditions right here in America in 2025. How so? Well, for starters, the few thousand houses that remain without any collateral damage from the tornado or storm must now house a population of just over 80,000 people. With over 75,000 being black. Like my mama and yo mama, Black. Back to Africa Black, but ain't been back since slavery type of Black. All in one part of the city. The tornado ravaged our only form of shelter, which prevented them from being homeless. We may just be the largest homeless city in the western hemisphere. Yes, surpassing Skid Row. And now we are here with another forecast that predicts a new round of storms bearing down on us. Photo Courtesy of Michael Brown Sr. Despite knowing that we are a resilient race of people, we are tired of 'resilient' being our crowning glory, word to St. Louis Author Ayaba Sibongile. As a person who is going through 72-plus hours without electricity, heat, hot water, and access to cooked food unless I can walk at least one mile and another mile back home. I am still boots on the ground serving my people. Sidenote: As a Black organizer and writer living in these conditions, we are desperate and we need help to continue helping our people. Last year, I watched as Black people raised over 100 million dollars in three days for Former VP Kamala Harris' presidential run. We sure could use that right now to heal, restore and rebuild Black St. Louis. Formerly a Hall on Kings Highway and Page The water is limited. We are facing limited access to healthy drinking water, food, shelter or a healthcare provider. The asbestos dust, the lead dust, and particles from fiberglass insulation permeating the air make it even more dangerous and unsafe for us in our tornado-torn communities. Even more difficult is making sure everyone is accounted for and getting the resources to those most in need. For example, if we collect enough resources for everyone, we can't get them to folks because the roads are blocked. Our elders need proper refrigeration for their medicine. There are people dependent on oxygen machines who are without electricity. At this point, we are facing life and death. Desperate, starving people start speaking the language of the unheard quickly. Photo Courtesy of Chris Philips But these are our living conditions and we desperately need your help, Black World. From Black celebrities, to rappers, politicians, to African Heads of State, we need emergency resources to help us survive the previous storm and to prepare for the upcoming ones. As well as resources to rebuild Black St. Louis. Ultimately, we need a group of Black experts, medical doctors, architects, faith leaders, freedom-fighting visionaries, and Black elders to come together and create a plan to rebuild Black Saint Louis. Each one will play their role in addressing the vast needs and the way forward. That starts with preparing our people's hearts, minds, spirits, and bodies to withstand another storm. Tory Russell Reporting Live From St. Louis, Peace Tory Russell is a Ferguson Uprising organizer, internationally recognized Black movement leader, speaker and political strategist. He currently serves as the Director of Organizing at the International Black Freedom Alliance. He has previously written and created content for NewsOne, such as iOne Digital's groundbreaking podcast series, 'Witness to History: Ferguson 10. ' SEE ALSO: The Fight's Not Over: We Walked Edmund Pettus Bridge 60 Years After Bloody Sunday How Trump Officially Ending DEI On Paper Could Be A Blessing In Disguise SEE ALSO Op-Ed: A Tornado Just Destroyed Black St. Louis, It's Time For Black America To Unite was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
