New Year’s poll: Americans hopeful for a better 2017
Emotionally wrenching politics, foreign conflicts and shootings at home took a toll on Americans in 2016, but they are entering 2017 on an optimistic note, according to a new poll that found that a majority believes things are going to get better for the country next year. A look at the key findings of the Associated Press-Times Square Alliance poll: ___ SO HOW WAS 2016? Americans weren’t thrilled with the year. Only 18 percent said things for the country got better, 33 percent said things got worse, and 47 percent said it was unchanged from 2015. On a personal level, they were optimistic about 2017. Fifty-five percent said they believe things will be better for them in the coming year than in the year that just concluded. That’s a 12-point improvement from last year’s poll. Americans interviewed about the poll’s results expressed some of that optimism. “Next year will be better than this year, because people will have more jobs and they’ll have more money to spend,” said Bourema Tamboura, a Harlem resident behind the wheel of a New York car service. “I’m hoping 2017 will be better,” added Elizabeth Flynn, 62, an elementary schoolteacher from Peabody, Massachusetts. “You’ve got to be optimistic, and I’m going to try.” Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say 2016 was worse for the country than 2015. And Republicans are especially likely to feel that 2017 will be even better for them personally. University of Miami professor Benjamin Alsup said he needed only three words to explain why 2016 felt worse for him: “Trump, Trump, Trump!” Robert Greenstone, a New York commercial real estate broker, said the political discourse leading up to Republican Donald Trump‘s election as president played havoc with people’s emotions. “The amount of disinformation made people suspect of everything and everyone, even their neighbors,” he said. ____ U.S. ELECTION LEADS TOP NEWS EVENTS The U.S. elections top Americans’ list of 10 top news events in 2016. Three-quarters called the presidential election and Trump’s victory very or extremely important. Sixty-three percent ranked mass shootings and bombings in Orlando, Florida, and in Belgium, Turkey, Pakistan and France as personally important news stories of the year. Fifty-one percent said they found news stories about the deaths of people at the hands of police officers, or news about ambush attacks on police in three states, to be among the year’s most important news events. Fourth on the list are 43 percent who described the spread of the Zika virus as important. The three events described by the largest percentages of Americans as not too important included the death of Muhammad Ali (50 percent), approval of recreational marijuana use in four states (43 percent), and the death of Fidel Castro (40 percent). ____ TOP MOMENTS IN POP CULTURE AND SPORTS A majority of Americans, including 7 in 10 Midwesterners, called November’s World Series win for the Chicago Cubs to end their 108-year drought memorable. Of nine other pop-culture items tested, two were called memorable by about half of Americans: the death of Prince, David Bowie and Leonard Cohen; and the Olympic victories of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team. The two least-notable events for Americans, of the 10 possible choices in the poll, were the Angelina Jolie–Brad Pitt divorce filing and the “Pokemon Go” app game phenomenon, each described by most as forgettable. ____ RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR About half of Americans plan to celebrate the New Year at home. About 2 in 10 plan to go out to a friend or family member’s home, and 1 in 10 to a bar or restaurant. About a quarter don’t plan to celebrate at all. About 6 in 10 plan to watch the Times Square ball drop, nearly all of whom will watch on TV. ___ The AP-Times Square Alliance Poll of 1,007 adults was conducted online Dec. 9-11, using a sample drawn from GfK’s probability-based KnowledgePanel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3 percentage points. The poll is a cooperative effort between AP and the organizers of the Times Square New Year’s Eve Celebration, the Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment. The Alliance is a nonprofit group that seeks to promote Times Square, and Countdown Entertainment represents the owners of One Times Square and the New Year’s Eve Ball Drop. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Birmingham agency wins extension for Zika virus research
The Birmingham-based Southern Research is expanding its work on the Zika virus. The National Institutes of Health has awarded the non-profit organization a contract extension worth $650,000 to expand a screening effort to include testing of the virus. The goal of the work is to identify compounds that may serve as drug agents to combat Zika, which is transmitted by the bite of a tropical mosquito. Zika is so mild in people that most who get it don’t even know they are sick. But it is believed to cause serious birth defects if women are infected while pregnant. Health officials have been concerned mostly with helping women who are pregnant or about to become pregnant avoid the disease. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Congress works to finish Zika aid, prevent shutdown
Driven by a desire to free up endangered lawmakers to campaign, congressional negotiators are working to quickly complete a spending bill to prevent an election-season government shutdown and finally provide money to battle the threat of the Zika virus. The stopgap measure would keep the government running past the end of the budget year this month. It’s the only measure that has to pass before Congress adjourns for Election Day. As such, the talks have been tricky, with Republicans controlling Congress battling Democrats and the Obama administration. A controversy involving whether Planned Parenthood should be eligible for anti-Zika funding in Puerto Rico – which sparked a Democratic blockade of an earlier measure – appears to have been defused, lawmakers and aides say. But unrelated controversies over pesticide regulations, spending cuts and limitations on how many hours long-haul truckers can drive were sticking points over the weekend. Top Senate leaders hope to seal an agreement Monday in time for a procedural vote slated for early evening. If a deal isn’t reached, the vote could be postponed. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is eager to send vulnerable incumbents such as Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., and Richard Burr, R-N.C., back to their states to campaign. Any measure that’s going to prevent a shutdown on Oct. 1 will need the support of Democrats and a signature from President Barack Obama, and McConnell is better positioned to take charge since he has a less combative group of Senate Republicans than House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. On Saturday, Obama used his radio address to pressure Congress, listing unresolved business such as the emergency Zika money, aid to flood-ravaged Louisiana and Flint, Michigan, hit by lead-contaminated water, and the languishing Supreme Court nomination of Merrick Garland. “If any of these priorities matter to you, let your congressperson know,” Obama said. “And if they still refuse to do their jobs – well, you know what to do in November. Our government only works as well as the people we elect. And that’s entirely up to you.” The $1 billion-plus to fight the mosquito-borne Zika virus is months overdue. Republicans were slow to act on Obama’s February request and then sparked an imbroglio with Democrats by restricting new health grants for Puerto Rico to entities like public health providers and hospitals, a step that Republicans acknowledge was aimed at ensuring Planned Parenthood was ineligible to receive any funds. A proposed solution would move the money to different accounts and make sure Planned Parenthood remains eligible to receive it. Another proposal would temporarily ease pesticide spraying rules from Clean Water Act requirements for permits. Supporters say the permits are duplicative since pesticides are generally regulated by a different environmental law, but the idea is opposed by the administration, which says it’s an assault on environmental laws. Democrats also are opposed to pairing the Zika money with spending cuts intended to try to pay for it. Other disasters, like floods and emergency wildfire funds, haven’t required such offsetting cuts, and Democrats don’t want to set the precedent. But House conservatives insist on cuts, known in Washington-speak as offsets, and Democrats are willing to accept some – especially those that are painless, such as erasing money that wouldn’t be spent anyway under arcane budget rules. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
ADPH confirms 25 cases of Zika virus in 16 Alabama counties
The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) reports there have been a total of 25 confirmed, travel-related Zika virus cases across the Yellowhammer State as of 8 a.m. Aug. 15. Residents in 16 counties — Calhoun, Cullman, Etowah, Houston, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Madison, Mobile, Montgomery, Morgan, Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega and Tuscaloosa — have tested it positive for the virus. “We have been working with a variety of partners, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the medical community, to identify individuals who need to be tested for the Zika virus and with those who have tested positive,” State Health Officer Dr. Tom Miller said in a press release. “Additional precautions are needed for pregnant women and women of childbearing age. Public health environmentalists have been helping communities reduce mosquito breeding grounds around their homes and communities.” ADPH shared several tips on how to best protect yourself from mosquitoes and Zika virus: Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants Stay and sleep in places with air conditioning or window and door screens Remove standing water Wear an Environmental Protection Agency-registered repellent Zika virus is transmitted primarily through the bites of Aedes species mosquitoes and through sexual activity. Zika infection during pregnancy can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly that is a sign of incomplete brain development. Doctors have also found other problems in pregnancies and among fetuses and infants infected with Zika virus before birth. Currently, there is no vaccine or medicine for Zika. People infected with the Zika virus may have no symptoms, as it causes only mild symptoms in one out of five people. People usually do not get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika. For this reason, many people might not realize they have been infected. Alabama health officials say pregnant women should not travel to Zika-affected areas. “If a pregnant woman must travel to one of these areas, she should discuss the trip with her healthcare provider first and strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites during her travel.”
Robert Bentley approves emergency funding for Zika response
Gov. Robert Bentley has approved $250,000 in emergency funds to go toward fighting the Zika virus and mosquito control efforts in Alabama. Bentley authorized the funding Friday after receiving a request for mitigation assistance from the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH). “As we continue to see cases of Zika around the country, we want to make sure Alabama is prepared as possible to respond quickly, should the need arise,” Bentley said in a release. “The funds that I have authorized are available if Alabama needs to respond and if ADPH needs to move quickly with mosquito control efforts. We do not expect the need for these funds, but I am glad to ensure the state is prepared to respond immediately to the virus.” The ADPH continues to follow closely the current situation with the Zika virus and adjusts the state’s response plan accordingly. “We are very pleased that Gov. Bentley has approved the use of emergency funds to assist us with combatting Zika in Alabama, State Health Officer Dr. Tom Miller said. “It is very likely that we will have local transmission of the Zika virus by mosquitos like Florida is now experiencing. These funds will assist us to respond aggressively to protect our citizens. This is especially important for pregnant women and their unborn babies, since Zika can cause severe birth defects.” Public health environmentalists have been working with communities across the state to reduce mosquito breeding. They also conduct courtesy yard inspections for people in the vicinity of those who have tested positive for Zika. To date, there are 15 confirmed cases of the Zika virus in five Alabama counties.
Martha Roby: Democrats’ dangerous game with Zika funding
In June I relayed the good news that the House had passed appropriations legislation providing funding for our nation’s response to the Zika virus. It is important for Congress to ensure agencies like the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health, and others have the resources they need to combat the disease and prevent it from spreading. Sadly, two months later, that compromise funding bill has yet to become law. Why? Senate Democrats, led by Democratic Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, have twice blocked the legislation by denying the majority the 60 votes needed to allow a vote on the bill. The Wall Street Journal opines further that “they walked out on their own bill on Thursday to use the issue as a campaign bludgeon against Republicans.” Is that fair? Let’s review their stated objections: First, Senate Democrats take issue with temporarily waiving a requirement to obtain a permit from the Environmental Protection Agency to use certain proven mosquito-killing sprays like DDT. However, killing mosquitoes is exactly what we need to be doing right now and an emergency waiver of this kind can help states and communities quickly respond to the Zika threat without a bureaucratic permitting delay. Furthermore, the bill specifically requires any pesticide used to already be approved under and applied in compliance with The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. Next, Senate Democrats objected to the bill offsetting the cost by reallocating $543 million from Obamacare funding. However, the Obamacare money in question is leftover funding meant for setting up healthcare exchanges in territories that became unnecessary — and unused — when Puerto Rico expanded Medicaid. Finding unspent funds to help offset the costs of emergency spending is basic fiscal responsibility, not a reason to block a bill. Finally, and probably most importantly, Senate Democrats are upset the Zika appropriations bill does not allocate funding for Planned Parenthood, arguing it leaves women without care options. But, that’s not true. The bill allocates $40 million for community health centers that are more plentiful and offer a wider range of care, plus $6 million for the National Health Service Corps and $95 million to the Social Services Grant Program that can distribute funds for preventive care to the most at-risk areas. It is simply not the job of the federal government to fund the nation’s largest abortion provider, and it is unconscionable that Senate Democrats would block funding aimed to help protect pregnant women and babies because their friends at Planned Parenthood don’t get a cut. Of course, President Obama has taken the Senate Democrats’ side for the most part. However, as Roll Call reports, the president’s spokesmen are having a hard time explaining why, amid all the clamoring for more funding from Congress, the administration has yet to tap into at least $385 million in unspent funds it could quickly access without congressional approval to combat Zika. The Zika threat is real and it is here. Critical legislation is one step (and about four Senate votes) away from the president’s desk. A public health crisis of this magnitude is no time to block emergency funding in the name of politics. ••• Martha Roby represents Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. She lives in Montgomery, Alabama with her husband, Riley, and their two children.
Bradley Byrne to Barack Obama: use unspent Zika funds
As the Zika virus continues to spread across the country, the Obama Administration is sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars intended to fight the virus. Alabama 1st District U.S. Congressman Bradley Byrne wants to change that. Wednesday, Byrne sent a letter to President Barack Obama calling on his administration to use the unspent money fighting the virus rather than continuing to try and score political points. “The Zika virus is a real and serious threat to the United States, especially here on the Gulf Coast, ” said Byrne. “It is incredibly troubling that the Obama Administration is sitting on unspent funds that could be used to fight the Zika virus right now, but they are instead spending all their time trying to score political points.” In April, the Obama Administration announced that $589 million in mostly unspent money from the Ebola disease would be redirected to combat the Zika virus. As of last Friday, the Office of Management and Budget confirmed that $385 million of that money remains unspent. Despite its failure to spend the money it has available, the Obama Administration continues to demand Congress approve a $1.9 billion anti-Zika plan they submitted in February that includes no funding offsets. Instead of using Obama’s plan, the House passed a $1.1 billion funding bill to address the virus, but the bill was blocked by Senate Democrats and did not pass before the Congressional summer recess. In recent days, Florida state health officials have confirmed nearly 15 cases of the virus being transmitted within the United States. On Monday, federal officials issued an unprecedented warning, advising pregnant women and their sexual partners to avoid an area north of Miami’s downtown. Administration officials say this increases the urgency for more funding. Byrne agrees. “Additional funding is necessary, and I continue to call on the Senate to pass our responsible $1.1 billion package to help with Zika prevention, research, and treatment,” continued Byrne. “However, until the process moves forward, the Obama Administration should use the money they have available right now.” Read Byrne’s full letter below: Dear President Obama: As the representative of a district threatened by the Zika virus, I am writing to express my great concern at your Administration’s allocation of resources to combat Zika. Since February, you have urged Congress to appropriate $1.9 billion to combat Zika. Congressional Republicans joined your call for an immediate response to this crisis; however, at a time when this country is $19 trillion in debt, my colleagues and I have simply asked that any funding be targeted and offset from other spending. To that end, House Republicans requested the large amount of money left over from the Ebola threat be used to address the Zika virus. I was pleased your Administration announced on April 6, 2016 that $589 million, the majority of which was unspent Ebola funding, would be redirected to combat the Zika virus. However, as of last Friday, the Office of Management and Budget confirmed that of this $589 million, $385 million is unspent. Astonishingly, as your demand for $1.9 billion continues, 65 percent of the funds already available to the Administration for Zika have not been used. Now, in the nearly four months since April 6, the Zika threat is upon us. Zika has reached Florida and may spread into Alabama soon. For the first time in history, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a travel warning inside the continental United States for pregnant women. Moreover, in Puerto Rico, positive tests of the virus have jumped from 14 percent in February to 64 percent in June, and 2 percent of the island’s blood supply has tested positive for the Zika virus. I agree that additional funding is necessary, which is why the House passed a $1.1 billion bill on a bipartisan basis to fund Zika prevention, treatment, and research. Despite the fact our bill includes the same level of funding that previously received overwhelming support in the Senate, our bill has fallen victim to a filibuster by Senate Democrats. It seems that some people are more interested in using the Zika virus as a tool to score political points on the campaign trail instead of actually working to address the serious issue. The threat of Zika is too important to the people of Alabama and other southern states for the current situation to continue. I urge you to take immediate action to ensure the available funding resources are swiftly and properly allocated by federal agencies to combat the Zika threat.
Guns, immigration and Zika top agenda as Congress returns
Gun control, immigration and money to combat the Zika virus top the congressional agenda as lawmakers sprint toward the political conventions this month and a seven-week summer recess. Amid all that, Republicans plan to squeeze in a meeting with Donald Trump on Thursday. The House and Senate have just eight legislative days before their break, and lawmakers have scheduled a handful of politically charged votes with implications for incumbents in November’s election. In the House, legislation to fight terrorism and a gun control measure that already failed in the Senate are planned for this week. House Speaker Paul Ryan said a GOP plan to keep suspected terrorists from obtaining firearms would do so “without compromising a citizen’s basic bill of rights,” including the rights to bear arms and receive due process under the law. In the Senate, immigration bills and legislation to impose labeling on genetically modified food are on tap. Unclear is whether Republicans and Democrats can resolve the dispute over funds for the mosquito-borne Zika virus now that summer is in full swing, or whether the matter will have to wait until September when Congress returns. A look at the issues: ___ ZIKA Back in February, President Barack Obama requested $1.9 billion in emergency money to fight Zika, which causes grave birth defects and has infected 287 pregnant women in the United States and 250 in U.S. territories, according to the most recent numbers from the Centers for Disease Control. Congress has failed to fund the request as the issue has been caught up in partisan fights and the typical dysfunction. House Republicans rammed through a bill that would provide $1.1 billion by cutting money from other government agencies. The legislation, to the anger of Democrats, would bar new funding for Planned Parenthood clinics in Puerto Rico and allow pesticide spraying that environmentalists argue would be harmful. Senate Democrats have blocked the bill and another vote is expected this week, although progress is unlikely. ___ GUN CONTROL Bowing to election-year pressure from Democrats, Ryan, R-Wis., says the House will vote on a GOP proposal aimed at keeping suspected terrorists from obtaining firearms, a measure backed by the National Rifle Association. Democrats want to vote on their own gun control bills, and they haven’t ruled out a return to disruptive tactics if they’re rebuffed. Ryan indicated on Tuesday that Democrats are unlikely to get a vote. Democrats staged a sit-in on the House floor that lasted nearly 26 hours last month to call attention to their demand for gun-control votes. The sit-in followed the June 12 mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, that killed 49 people and heightened attention on the national toll taken by firearms. The GOP bill would let the government block firearms purchases for suspected terrorists, but only if prosecutors can prove in court that the buyer is involved in terrorism. It would also establish a new office within the Department of Homeland Security to focus on preventing extremist groups from recruiting followers. Democrats say the Republican bill is too weak. They want votes on one measure expanding background check requirements for gun buyers, and a second banning firearms sales to terror suspects without requiring prosecutors to first prove the buyer was embarking on terrorism. ___ FAA REAUTHORIZATION Key House and Senate lawmakers are close to a deal on a bill to extend the Federal Aviation Administration’s programs and policies, which are due to expire on July 15. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., chairman of the House Transportation Committee, has agreed to temporarily drop his contentious plan to privatize the nation’s air traffic control system in order to allow a bill to move forward. Negotiations have focused on what policy provisions to include in the extension. There is strong support in both chambers to include an array of proposals to enhance airports security in light of recent airport attacks in Istanbul and Brussels. Proposals to extend new protections to airline consumers, relax medical requirements for private pilots and lift some restrictions on commercial drone flights are also under discussion. ___ TRUMP House and Senate Republicans are slated to meet with the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee less than two weeks before the party convention in Cleveland. Among those expected to attend the separate sessions are Sens. Bob Corker of Tennessee, Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Joni Ernst of Iowa, all of whom have been mentioned as possible running mates for the blustery billionaire. Trump’s short list of possible vice presidential candidates is heavy with Washington insiders who could help usher his agenda through Congress. ____ IMMIGRATION Senate Democrats are expected to block a GOP bill that would withhold congressional funding from so-called sanctuary cities that shield residents from federal immigration authorities. Republicans also are proposing a bill to impose a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for any person who illegally re-enters the country after being removed. Republicans have pushed for action since last year when 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle was shot in San Francisco. The man charged in the killing was in the country illegally despite a long criminal record and multiple prior deportations. He had been released by San Francisco authorities despite a request from federal immigration authorities to keep him detained. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Martha Roby: The Zika threat and our response
.By now you’ve probably heard of the Zika Virus and the harm it has caused in Brazil and other South and Central American countries. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Zika is comparable to the West Nile Virus, spread by mosquitoes and can cause fever, rash, joint pain and eye irritation. The real threat, however, is for pregnant women and their babies. Though rarely fatal, Zika can cause serious birth defects in newborn babies if an expectant mother is infected. Zika is also a growing threat in the United States, particularly here in the South where mosquitoes flourish in the Summertime. As of May 25, 591 Zika infections have been reported in the United States, including at least 162 in pregnant women. So far, all infections have be the result of travel and not local transmissions. This past week I met with CDC Director Dr. Thomas Freiden in my office for a briefing on the Zika situation. His team of experts is hard at work combatting this virus by closely monitoring its movement, controlling the mosquito population and educating the public about how best to avoid infections. The website www.CDC.gov/Zika is a great resource for anyone seeking information about the virus. Congress is also taking action to ensure our country is prepared to prevent and combat a Zika outbreak. The House recently passed bipartisan legislation to encourage the development, testing and distribution of a Zika vaccine as well as the Zika Vector Control Act to remove Environmental Protection Agency restrictions on mosquito sprays that can be essential to preventing infections. Of course, in situations like these it is also important to ensure our response agencies have the resources they need to meet the emerging threat. However, instead of writing a “blank check,” the House Appropriations Committee has sought to be responsible with the use of taxpayers’ money in crafting a funding plan. First, we insisted the Administration use existing funds left over from the Ebola outbreak response to meet any emergency needs. Next, we crafted a plan that includes $622 million allocated between the CDC, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Biomedical Advances Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and other agencies helping to administer Zika response and vaccine development. This appropriation is fully paid for through reprograming unused administrative funding from Health and Human Services and additional leftover Ebola response accounts. Finally, the House plan also places important constraints on the use of these funds and requires full transparency for how they are spent. House Speaker Paul Ryan asked me to serve on the Conference Committee charged with working out the differences between the House and Senate versions of Zika funding bills. I will work alongside my colleagues to reach a final bill that provides the needed resources to combat this virus while remaining responsible with the taxpayers’ hard-earned money. ••• Martha Roby represents Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. She lives in Montgomery, Alabama, with her husband, Riley, and their two children.
State health agency confirms first Zika case in Alabama
Alabama health officials say they’ve confirmed the first travel-related case of the Zika virus in the state. The Alabama Department of Public Health issued a statement Wednesday saying a resident of Morgan County in the Tennessee Valley tested positive for the virus. Acting State Health Officer Tom Miller says more cases probably will show up in Alabama. The Zika virus spreads through a certain type of mosquito. It moved quickly through Latin America before showing up in the United States, most often in people who have traveled. Federal and state officials say cases of the virus have been confirmed in 12 states and the District of Columbia. The virus is suspected of causing a defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads.
