Latest news with #Lankford
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Lankford: Trump ‘trying to de-escalate' by deploying National Guard to Los Angeles
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said President Trump's decision to deploy 2,000 National Guardsmen to the Los Angeles area without a governor's signoff is an effort to 'de-escalate' the situation. 'I think what President Trump's trying to do is pretty clear. He's trying to de-escalate all the tensions that are there,' he said during an interview on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' He compared the situation to the 2020 protests in Portland, Ore., when monthlong demonstrations erupted after the killings of Black Americans like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. 'What President Trump is trying to do is say, 'This is not going to take weeks this time. We're not going to allow this to be able to spiral out of control,'' Lankford said. 'If someone violates the law, no matter what state that they're in, they're in violation of a federal law, they should face consequences for that,' he continued. When host Kristen Welker noted that California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said there was no unmet need for law enforcement, the LAPD stated that the protests were peaceful, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that active-duty Marines could be mobilized, Lankford brushed it off. 'Active-duty Marines are not going to be put into local law enforcement,' he said. 'They would be in support roles on it, as we have at the border. We have active-duty military at the border, but they're not doing law enforcement tasks. They're doing logistical tasks behind the scenes.' Lankford praised the LAPD for their work, but said, 'it's clear that they're being overwhelmed.' Lankford's statement comes amid protests in Los Angeles, expressing outrage over raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
BOCES spurs regional entrepreneurship project
An entrepreneurship project delegation visited Chenango County on May 14 and 15 to explore the feasibility of including the area in a multi-state network of entrepreneurial hubs. The visit was arranged by Martha Ryan, DCMO BOCES Public and School Liaison, who co-wrote the grant supporting the initial phase of the project, according to a BOCES news release. The $189,720 grant from Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies 'seeks to lay the groundwork for developing a network of community-based small business incubators to provide resources to support and grow small businesses in rural areas of six Appalachian states, including New York,' the release stated. 'My goal for this effort is to develop a stronger network to connect our DCMO BOCES CTE students to careers as business owners,' Ryan said. The team was in Chenango County to conduct interviews, focus groups, and tours to identify resources and opportunities that could be included in the initiative. Pamela Lankford, from Building Bridges 2 Careers, an economic development organization based in Marietta, Ohio, and Denny Hummer, assistant director of Business Incubation at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, toured local businesses including Chobani and Golden Artist Colors in Columbus, Rentals To Go in Norwich, and also met with Chris Hayes, an owner of multiple businesses in Norwich. 'It was a fun and insightful day getting to tour local businesses, learning about all the ways Chobani gives back and the history of Golden Artist Paints,' Lankford said. 'But the highlight for me was learning about RTG and their evolution, and most importantly getting to see the longhorns,' she added, referring to the distinctive cattle raised on the RTG property. They also met at the DCMO BOCES Support Services Center with a group of government, business and non-profit agency leaders, the release stated. 'There is certainly no doubt that community leaders want to make sure entrepreneurs have all of the resources and support they need to be successful,' Lankford said. After their two days in Chenango County, the team returned to their home states to continue work on this phase of the initiative. 'We are very excited to finish up our visits so that we can begin compiling the data and information and find similarities and ways these rural communities can help each other build their base of entrepreneurship,' Lankford said.
Int'l Business Times
5 days ago
- Health
- Int'l Business Times
GOP Senator Ridiculed for Insisting Americans 'Transitioning From Medicaid' Will Get Insurance From Employers: 'Do Employers Know?'
A Republican Senator is being ridiculed online for stating that the millions of people that will be removed from Medicaid if President Donald Trump's "one big, beautiful bill" passes will then transition to employer-provided healthcare. Oklahoma Senator James Lankford appeared on CNBC's 'Squawk Box' in conversation with host Rebecca Quick on Thursday, where he discussed the potential impacts of the Trump-back GOP spending bill. "People are screaming and saying, 'It's kicking people off Medicaid.' It's not kicking people off Medicaid. It's transitioning from Medicaid to employer-provided healthcare. So yes, we've got 10 million people that are not gonna be on Medicaid, but they then are gonna be on employer-provided healthcare," said Lankford. Social media users reacted incredulously, mocking Lankford for assuming that millions of people would immediately have access to employer provided healthcare options. "Do the employers who don't provide health insurance know??" said one user. "Except when your minimum wage job has no healthcare," said another. "So it's kicking people off medicaid," wrote a third. "That's IF the employer provides healthcare that is affordable! These are working poor who live paycheck to paycheck and have little left to afford healthcare!" concurred a fourth. Lankford, who is a member of the Finance Committee, met with Trump to discuss the tax and spending bill on Wednesday. He continued to outline what exactly legislators discussed with Trump in the meeting. "About a two hour conversation about what's happening on taxes, what are agreements going to be, what direction we're going to try and take. It was broad in many areas. The House has already passed their piece, the Senate has got to pass our piece then that's going to line up with the House and the President has got to sign. It's very important that we align all three right now, so it was a coordination meeting yesterday quite frankly," said Lankford. Originally published on Latin Times
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Some schools cancel band trip to Williston because of measles cases; parade to go on
Vials of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are displayed on a counter at a Walgreens Pharmacy on Jan. 26, 2015. (Photo by Illustration) Bands from Minot middle schools have canceled their planned trip to the Williston Band Day parade Saturday due the measles outbreak, according to a message sent to Minot-area parents from school administrators. 'We understand this news may be disappointing for our young musicians who were looking forward to this event,' the message states. 'We share in their disappointment and want to assure you that this decision was not made lightly. It was made out of an abundance of caution to protect the health of our students and families.' As of Friday afternoon, North Dakota's confirmed measles case total remains at nine, all of which are in Williams County. The first confirmed case of measles in North Dakota was reported May 2, with three additional cases confirmed over the weekend. That total increased to nine cases Tuesday, including potential measles exposures to three Williams County schools. All nine cases are people who were not vaccinated. Williston Basin School District 7 required about 180 unvaccinated students to quarantine for 21 days. That number has dropped to 150 after some parents provided proof of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine for their children, said Paula Lankford, spokesperson for the district. Those students will be allowed to return to in-person instruction. No new confirmed measles cases over the last three days is a good thing, said Molly Howell, immunization director for the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, but it does not mean the state is out of the woods yet. About 180 students under quarantine amid measles outbreak in Williams County 'The incubation period for measles, the time period from when you were exposed to when you develop the disease, can be as long as 21 days,' Howell said. Howell said to declare an outbreak officially over, two full incubation periods must pass with no new cases, which for measles would be 42 days. Lankford said the annual Band Day Parade on Saturday will continue as scheduled with more than a dozen bands from across the state and the drum line for the New York Giants participating in the event. 'At this point, as a city or school district, nothing is being canceled, postponed or held back in any of the plans,' she said. Lankford added that high school sports and other afterschool activities were not affected by the quarantine. In a notice posted to its website, the city of Williston shared North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services guidance that recommends 'all residents and travelers to Williams County ensure they are vaccinated against measles.' Residents wishing to not attend the parade and remain home due to safety concerns can watch a livestream of Saturday's Williston Band Day parade through the Williston Convention and Visitors Bureau Facebook page. Lankford also said there have been no issues in providing course materials to the students under the 21-day quarantine to ensure they can complete the school year. The last day of school for the district will be May 23. The measles outbreak prompted the Upper Missouri District Health Unity to host special walk-in vaccination clinics in Williston on Thursday and Friday. Daphne Clark, spokesperson for the Upper Missouri District Health Unit, said the organization administered about 120 MMR immunizations on Thursday and, as of Friday afternoon, the foot traffic at the walk-in site had been 'steady all day.' 'We're seeing a lot of those 6-month to the 11-month (kids) getting that first dose and then that 12-month and older getting that second dose early,' Clark said. She said some attendees were also getting caught up on other vaccinations, such as COVID-19 immunizations, while they attended the clinic. The Upper Missouri District Health Unit holds regular walk-in vaccination clinic days at its Williston office on Thursdays from 3 to 5:30 p.m. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its weekly measles cases on Friday and reported an additional 66 measles cases were confirmed this week, bringing the nationwide total to 1,001 confirmed cases across 30 states. Of those cases, 30%, 299 cases, involve children under the age of 5. School-age children between ages 5 to 19 represent 38% of the total measles cases nationwide. Hospitalizations were required in 13% of all measles cases across the country. Children under 5 years of age accounted for more than half of the total hospitalizations. Three deaths have been connected to the nationwide measles outbreak. None of the deaths involve cases in North Dakota. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
About 180 students under quarantine amid measles outbreak in Williams County
Blood sample positive with measles virus. (iStock / Getty Images Plus) About 180 Williston-area students are isolating at home after three schools were notified by public health officials of measles exposure on their campuses. Unvaccinated students at Missouri Ridge Elementary, Williston Middle School and Williston High School were told they need to isolate for 21 days to ensure they were not infected, said Paula Lankford, spokesperson for Williston Basin School District 7. The precaution is to prevent students from unknowingly spreading the virus to others. Health officials on Tuesday confirmed nine cases of measles in Williams County in northwest North Dakota. Daphne Clark, spokesperson for the Upper Missouri District Health Unit, said the measles cases are considered part of an outbreak because health officials believe community spread is occurring without direct contact with known carriers of the illness. Four people diagnosed with measles were in Williston schools while infectious, the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services said. The entire campuses of the affected schools were considered exposed, Lankford said. The quarantine requirement affects some unvaccinated fourth grade students who were touring Williston Middle School on the day of the exposure, Lankford said. It also affects a few other students who don't attend the affected schools but shared a bus ride with an exposed student, she said. 'Each of the schools is going to work with those families that are excluded to ensure that they have educational opportunities for their kids and connections with teachers through digital means,' Lankford said. The Williston school district has a total enrollment of about 5,300 students. Lankford encouraged parents, students or community members to contact their school or health care provider if they have questions. 'What's obviously on our side is that there is not that much school left,' Lankford said. 'We are done here on May 23rd.' If Williston High School seniors under quarantine do not show any symptoms after their 21-day isolation, they will be allowed to participate in graduation commencement at the end of May, she said. Of the confirmed cases, two are children under 10; five are between ages 10 and 19; one is between 30 and 39 and one is between 40 and 49, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The first case reported Friday was a Williams County child who is believed to have contracted measles from an out-of-state visitor. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccination rate for Williams County kindergarten students is 81% for the 2024-25 school year, down from 87% two years ago, according to the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services. The rate is 95% for seventh graders and 97% for 11th graders. Public health officials say 95% is needed to prevent community spread. The Upper Missouri District Health Unit, which serves Williams County as well as Divide, McKenzie and Mountrail counties, is holding walk-in vaccination clinics at 110 W. Broadway, Williston, from 1-7 p.m. Thursday and 8:30 to 6 p.m. Friday. 'I feel like we maybe will be busy,' Clark said. 'We're fielding some phone calls today with people with questions, but you never know what that'll look like when it actually becomes time.' Clark said anyone experiencing cold symptoms or anyone who has been in contact with a carrier of the illness should not attend the vaccination clinic. Clark said those people should quarantine themselves for 21 days to prevent further spread of the disease. 'I think the biggest thing is, if they are a case contact or they are sick, don't come to the clinic,' she said. The vaccinations are not free of charge, she said, so clinic attendees will want to bring their private health insurance cards with them. Depending on their ages, those without health insurance could be eligible for reduced pricing through a state-funded vaccination program. 'I think there's a lot of concern and I just recommend people go to trusted sites to get their information,' Clark said of community members who may be vaccine hesitant. She added the North Dakota Health and Human Services website is a good source for those looking for more information on the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines. Those planning on attending the walk-in MMR vaccine clinic in Williston can fill out the organization's immunization consent form ahead of time to speed up the process once they arrive. The form can be found on the Upper Missouri District Health Unit website. CHI St. Alexius Health medical center in Williston also urged people with symptoms to stay home and call a health care provider prior to coming to the clinic. CHI needed to temporarily close its Williston walk-in clinic on Wednesday after a possible measles exposure was reported, according to a social media post by the health care provider. Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, runny nose, eye irritation followed by a body-wide rash. For information about measles, vaccines or local clinic availability, contact the HHS Immunization Unit at 701-328-2378 or visit Health officials also urged anyone who visited the Williston Walmart between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on April 29 to monitor for symptoms and contact a health care provider if symptoms develop. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
