The ads trace back to a group called Conservatives for Lower Health Care Costs (CLHCC), which is registered in Delaware by the Corporation Trust Co. in Wilmington, Delaware. That company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wolters Kluwer, a multi-national information services company based in the Netherlands with operations in more than 35 countries.
David Feider, a spokesman at Wolters Kluwer, said in an email that the company serves as the registered agent “for literally hundreds of thousands of businesses across the country.”
For over two decades, the military industry has consistently spent more than $100 million per year lobbying policymakers to influence policies and spending decisions that support its financial interests. In addition to these lobbying expenditures, the industry contributes tens of millions of dollars to political candidates and committees each election cycle. The sheer scale of this spending buys significant political influence, and the data suggests that this approach is paying off.
According to the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology – a group that provides the DVD that will be shown at the library – the first film, “China’s Battle With Crippling Waters,” is about harmful effects of naturally high levels of fluoride in some drinking water.
China embarked upon a pursuit of water fluoridation for about 20 years before backing away entirely from it in the 1980s. Parts of the country have high levels of naturally occurring fluoride, which one study has linked to developmental difficulties in children.
Major Health Breakthrough in China — Fluorosis Rates Plummet. In a groundbreaking report, researchers reveal a significant decrease in dental fluorosis among children in China between 2009 to 2022. Once plagued by high fluoride levels in drinking water causing serious dental health issues, China has seen a remarkable turnaround. The detection rate in kids aged 8–12 dropped dramatically, from nearly 35% to just over 10%. The study suggests a shifting landscape of public health priorities, with a demand for revised policies that no longer only target high-incidence areas but include robust monitoring systems and early warning measures to control fluoride exposure. Data sourced from the Chinese CDC’s Endemic Disease Control Center point to a success story in public health with implications that could impact fluorosis prevention worldwide. Despite the improvements, cities like Tianjin remain at high risk, signaling the need for targeted local action. Journalists are encouraged to explore this story of triumph over a longstanding public health issue.
Recent analysis shows that over the past 10 years child labor violations across the U.S. have tripled, reports the Washington Post. Investigators have uncovered an uptick in labor violations in standard work for teens, like fast food-restaurants and other service industries. Multiple instances of minors working in dangerous jobs that federal law prohibits, like meatpacking, manufacturing, and construction, have also been uncovered at increasing rates. Despite that, at least 16 states have one or more bills to weaken their child labor laws. What’s going on?
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While most states have tougher laws than the federal rules, some Republican lawmakers seek to undo those restrictions in their state. These lawmakers are backed in their efforts by restaurant, liquor, and home builders’ associations, who stand to benefit from an expanded low-wage worker pool if the changes pass. Protection stripping legislation for six states was drafted or lobbied for by Florida-based lobbying group, the Foundation for Government Accountability, which fights to promote conservative interests like restricting access to anti-poverty programs. There are some states, like Colorado and Virginia, fighting the trend and enacting legislation to dial up penalties for violations. Rep. Sheila Lieder (D) introduced a bill in Colorado to raise the fines for violators saying that at $20 per offense, the current penalties were not high enough to effectively dissuade employers from violating child labor laws.
Do No Harm, a coalition of anti-trans doctors, nurses, and medical professionals, released a database of all the hospitals and medical centers in the U.S. that provide gender-affirming care for trans youth today.
The organization’s executive director, Kristina Rasmussen, previously was chief of staff to former Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican, and served as president of the Illinois Policy Institute [State Policy Network], a conservative think tank, according to her LinkedIn profile.
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It won a $250,000 award last year called the Gregor Peterson Prize. Its previous recipients include the Center for American Liberty, led by Harmeet Dhillon, a lawyer who advised former President Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign and who is representing Cole in her lawsuit against Kaiser Permanente over gender-transition treatments she now says she regrets. The prize was announced in December at a summit held by the American Legislative Exchange Council [State Policy Network], a prominent provider of conservative model legislation.
Leaks expose a secret effort by retired National Endowment for Democracy leader Carl Gershman to consolidate war-hungry neoconservative control over Iran’s opposition, while channeling US government funds into his own pet regime change initiatives.
Editor’s Note:If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 to connect with a trained counselor, or visit the 988 Lifeline website.
People taking semaglutide, the popular medication for diabetes and weight loss, are more likely to report having thoughts of suicide compared with those taking other drugs, according to a new study of an international drug safety database. But the finding is the latest see-saw of scientific evidence on the risk of depression and suicide tied to the popular medications — and critics say evidence that the drugs cause problems with mood is limited.
I am an epidemiologist, currently funded by GlaxoSmithKline. I initially studied physiology at BSc and PhD level in Manchester. Since then, I spent several years at the UK Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and in the pharmaceutical industry investigating adverse effects of drugs – both in clinical trials and post-marketing. I completed the MSc in epidemiology at LSHTM in 2005.
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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