Jon Stewart calls on Biden admin to help vets sickened by uranium exposure
Comedian Jon Stewart is pushing the Biden administration to fix a loophole in a veterans aid bill. The bill left out some U.S. troops who responded overseas after 9/11 then got sick.
The U.S. military deployed special operations forces to Uzbekistan just a few weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to a base in Karshi-Khanabad, known as K2. Soviet troops left K2, an air base used for chemical weapons processing, littered with debris including highly radioactive uranium powder.
Since then, thousands of U.S. military veterans who served at K2 reported complex medical conditions. Research showed radiation exposure caused those conditions.
In 2022, President Joe Biden signed a massive veterans aid bill, known as the PACT Act. While it does address many of the health issues plaguing K2 veterans, it does not include coverage for radiation exposure.
K2 veterans have asked the Department of Veterans Affairs for help for years. However, the agency said it is still working with the Pentagon to study the issue and determine whether to add radiation exposure coverage.
“Imagine you’re stationed inside the meth lab on ‘Breaking Bad,’” Stewart said in an interview with The Associated Press. “These guys were exposed to a toxic soup of basically an exploded chemicals and nuclear weapon facility.”
Stewart, most famously known for his work on “The Daily Show,” has long advocated for firefighters and emergency personnel who responded to 9/11. He also testified for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who came home with cancers or other serious illnesses after exposure to toxins while deployed.
Stewart called the PACT Act “an immense improvement.” However, he said a small adjustment to address the radiation exposure at K2 could fulfill the PACT Act’s intent.
Prominent Democrats suggest ways to replace Biden as nominee
President Joe Biden appears safe as the Democratic presidential nominee — at least for now. The Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus, two of the most powerful groups on Capitol Hill, announced they still support him.
However, there are a growing number of lawmakers who have stated publicly that Biden should drop out before the Democratic National Convention (DNC). If he does, he could release his delegates from their obligation to support him and the party would have an open convention.
However, some prominent Democrats want to make sure left-leaning voters have their say, not just party leaders. Here are a few suggestions:
Democratic presidential consultant James Carville said it’s only a matter of time before Biden drops out. He wrote in a New York Times op-ed, “The jig is up, and the sooner Mr. Biden and Democratic leaders accept this, the better.”
Carville proposed that former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton host four town halls between now and the DNC in August. He suggested the former presidents choose eight candidates to participate, including Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Town halls will give Americans a fresh look at Ms. Harris and introduce them to our deep bench of smart, dynamic, tested leaders,” Carville wrote. “In addition, Democratic delegates will get to further grill and stress-test these leaders in public and private meetings before a formal vote of all the delegates at the Democratic convention.”
Comedian Jon Stewart suggested an open convention with a twist, and criticized those who said there isn’t enough time.
“119 days,” Stewart said on “The Daily Show,” Monday, July 8. “There are contestants on ‘The Bachelor‘ who will get married and divorced between now and the election. We have nothing but time.”
Stewart said candidates who want to challenge Biden should be able to make their case the first day of the convention in Chicago.
The winners of round one would go head-to-head against Biden on Tuesday, Aug. 20. The party can have a day to think about it on Wednesday, Aug. 21, and it will have its nominee on Thursday, Aug. 22, which is when Biden is currently scheduled to accept the nomination anyway.
“You could televise the whole thing,” Stewart said. “You could call it, I don’t know, ‘The Apprentice.’”
The reality is, if Biden doesn’t step down on his own, it’s highly unlikely he could be replaced.
The Democratic Party’s rules state, “All delegates to the National Convention pledged to a presidential candidate shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them.”
Technically, some could say they couldn’t vote for Biden in good conscience. However, Biden has 3,894 pledged delegates and needs 1,968 at the convention to officially become the nominee, so nearly 2,000 would need to defect.
Alabama set to conduct first nitrogen gas execution in U.S.: The Morning Rundown, Jan. 25, 2024
Alabama is set to conduct the first execution of a death row inmate by nitrogen gas in U.S. history. And the FAA halts Boeing from expanding its production on certain planes following the Alaska Airlines midair scare. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Thursday, Jan 25, 2024.
Get up to speed on the stories leading the day every weekday morning. Get The Morning RundownTM newsletter straight to your inbox!
Alabama to proceed with first nitrogen gas execution in the U.S.
The first execution of a death row inmate by nitrogen gas is expected to take place within hours in Alabama after the Supreme Court declined to halt the inmate’s request to pause the execution. The court did not explain its ruling on Wednesday, Jan. 24, as the justices did not side with Kenneth Smith and his attorneys.
Smith’s legal team was looking for more time to argue that the state trying to execute him for a second time would be unconstitutional, falling under the category of cruel and unusual punishment. An appeals court also declined to halt the execution.
Execution by nitrogen gas is only approved in three states: Alabama, Oklahoma, and Mississippi. But Alabama is the only state to outline its protocol so far, saying it will use a mask to deliver the nitrogen.
Critics of the new method include the United Nations, whose Human Rights Office said it “could amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment under international human rights law.” The Alabama Attorney’s General office claimed the use of nitrogen gas is the “most painless and humane method of execution known to man.”
Ohio bans gender-affirming care for minors
Despite a veto from Gov. Mike DeWine, Ohio’s Republican-dominated senate voted to ban gender-affirming care for minors and bar transgender women and girls from competing on sports teams. In a senate vote to override DeWine’s veto, the law passed and bans gender-affirming surgeries and hormone therapies and restricts mental health care for transgender patients under 18. The law also bars transgender girls and women from joining girls’ and women’s sports teams from K through 12 and collegiate sports.
The law is expected to go into effect in 90 days, after it was pushed through in a 24-8 vote in the state senate. One Republican voted against the measure. While Gov. DeWine vetoed the measure, citing government overreach, he did sign an executive order in early January banning gender-affirming surgeries for minors, even though medical professionals have insisted those surgeries aren’t happening in the state.
“This choice is clear. Joe Biden bet on the American worker while Donald Trump blamed the American worker,” UAW President Shawn Fain said.
In 2023, the UAW orchestrated a massive walk-out during negotiations with Detroit’s Big Three automakers for better wages. The months-long strike ended with historic deals signed by the union, and President Biden became the first modern-day president to hit a picket line in a show of support for the American worker.
This is why Fain said the choice is clear, calling former President Donald Trump a “scab,” and added that he is a billionaire who does not represent the American worker; he is the type of “company man trying to squeeze the American worker.”
UAW’s endorsement is a big win for Biden as he looks to garner more support from working-class Americans. The UAW also endorsed Biden during the 2020 election.
U.N.’s top court to make initial ruling in Israel genocide case
Should the 17-judge panel grant South Africa’s requests, it’s unclear if Israel will comply with the court’s order. While rulings by the court are legally binding, there is no way to enforce them.
Israel has called the genocide allegations “grossly distorted,” saying the country has a right to defend itself and it is fighting Hamas, not Palestinian civilians. The United States has called South Africa’s case meritless.
FAA approves path for grounded Boeing jets to return after panel incident
Boeing said it will work with the airlines to complete these inspections. Alaska and United Airlines, which have been forced to cancel hundreds of flights consistently, said they expect to have some of the planes back in service by this weekend. At the same time, the FAA is not allowing Boeing to expand production of the 737 Max jets.
The FAA said that the halt is needed to ensure accountability by Boeing, adding that it will not agree to any requests for expansion until Boeing resolves quality control issues.
Jon Stewart returning to host ‘The Daily Show’ on Mondays
This time around, Stewart will only be on Monday nights and only throughout the 2024 presidential election cycle. Stewart most recently hosted a show on Apple TV+, but it was canceled after two seasons following reports of conflict between Stewart and Apple over its coverage of China and artificial intelligence.
Along with part-time hosting duties, Stewart will also serve as executive producer for every episode of “The Daily Show” through 2025.
Apple cancels Jon Stewart’s show after creative differences, Cook’s China trip
Apple has reportedly decided to cancel its show, “The Problem with Jon Stewart,” just weeks before it was set to begin shooting its third season. The comedy-news program aired on Apple TV+ and featured unfiltered critiques of current affairs.
According to The New York Times, Stewart told staff on Thursday Oct. 19, that “potential show topics related to China and artificial intelligence were causing concern among Apple executives.”
There were allegedly disagreements over guests, as well.
The Hollywood Reporter’s sources said Apple told Stewart they needed to be “aligned” on the show topics. When Stewart wanted full creative control, the company threatened to cancel, so the former “Daily Show” host walked away.
Apple did not respond to requests for a statement.
This situation is not the first time that an American entertainment project has made adjustments with Chinese in mind. The 2012 remake of “Red Dawn” initially featured Chinese villains. However, due to pushback in Chinese state media, MGM digitally altered the villains to be North Korean and replaced all related flags and symbols.
Apple’s reported decision to cancel the show coincides with CEO Tim Cook’s second visit to China this year. The tech giant has been facing sluggish iPhone 15 sales in the country. Cook met with the information technology minister following a recent announcement regarding new regulations for app stores.