5 groups set up in National Task Force

When Sara Altschule took a 23andMe ancestry test, the results confirmed what she already suspected - She is 77 percent Ashkenazi Jewish.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and CDC Director Robert Redfield will appear before a Senate committee on May 12.; Credit: Patrick Semansky/AP

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will join Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield and other administration representatives in testifying before a Senate committee on May 12.

The announcement comes as members of President Trump's coronavirus task force are being asked to limit their appearances on Capitol Hill despite ongoing calls from lawmakers for more oversight into the administration's coronavirus response. Last week, the Trump administration blocked Fauci from appearing before a House committee on the subject of spending on coronavirus testing.

President Trump told reporters Tuesday that he doesn't want the officials appearing before House Democrats.

"The House is a setup," Trump said. "The House is a bunch of Trump haters."

White House officials gave a less adversarial explanation when justifying the decision to limit task force testimony in a memo to top congressional aides.

"For primary response departments, including HHS, DHS, and State, in order to preserve department-wide resources, no more than one COVID-related hearing should be agreed to with the department's primary House and Senate authorizing committee and appropriations subcommittee in the month of May, for a total of no more than four COVID-related hearings department-wide," the memo stated.

Congressional Democrats are demanding greater oversight over the roughly $3 trillion that has already been approved for the coronavirus response. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has launched a new select committee to conduct the oversight, but Republicans have so far refused to name members to the panel despite the plan to make the panel bipartisan.

The Senate hearing was announced shortly after the administration sent the memo to Capitol Hill banning committee appearances from task force members during May unless approved by the White House chief of staff.

Deputy White House Press Secretary Judd Deere said the decision to block Fauci from the House committee appearance was intended to allow him to focus on his primary task of overseeing the coronavirus response.

"While the Trump Administration continues its whole-of-government response to COVID-19, including safely opening up America again and expediting vaccine development, it is counter-productive to have the very individuals involved in those efforts appearing at Congressional hearings," Deere said. "We are committed to working with Congress to offer testimony at the appropriate time."

Fauci, Redfield, HHS Assistant Secretary Brett Giroir and FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn are scheduled to discuss "safely getting back to work and back to school" when they appear before the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions — or HELP — Committee next Tuesday.

Senate Democrats, including Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the HELP committee, have called for the administration to provide greater transparency and a nationwide plan for testing. So far their demands have not received a response.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Two judges appointed by President Trump to the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals prevailed Tuesday in a ruling that clears the way for the executions of four inmates.

The only dissenter in the 3-2 ruling was Judge David Tatel, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton. The judges were reviewing a lower court's injunction that had blocked the scheduled executions.

The decision was seen as a win for Trump's Justice Department, which issued new guidelines last July that would have allowed the federal government to carry out its first executions in 16 years.

The fates of the four men remain unresolved because their death sentences were sent back to the lower court for further proceedings.

In December, the U.S. Supreme Court declined the Justice Department's request to vacate the lower court's injunction that scuttled the planned executions.

At issue is the question of whether the condemned men should be put to death by the injection of only one barbiturate — pentobarbital — as called for in the Justice Department's July 2019 memo.

Many of the 28 states where the death penalty is still legal require a lethal injection cocktail containing not one but three barbiturates. Those states include Indiana, where the scheduled executions were to take place.

Pharmaceutical companies have stopped producing at least one of the three drugs used in that lethal mixture, and several botched executions have resulted from some states using untested formulas.

The 1994 Federal Death Penalty Act calls for executions to be carried out "in the manner prescribed by the law of the State in which the sentence is imposed."

Judge Gregory Katsas argues in his majority opinion that the "manner prescribed" simply refers to the method of execution rather than the protocols each state follows in carrying out each kind of execution.

"The government says that 'manner' here means 'method'," Katsas writes, "such that the FDPA regulates only the top-line choice among execution methods such as hanging, electrocution, or lethal injection. In my view, the government is correct."

Judge Neomi Rao, in a concurring opinion, argues that while the word "manner" refers not only to the method of execution, it cannot be interpreted in isolation. "It is a broad, flexible term," she says, "whose specificity depends on context."

In his dissent, Tatel says the best understanding of the 1994 statute is that it "requires federal executions to be carried out using the same procedures that states use to execute their own prisoners.

"Had Congress intended to authorize the Attorney General to adopt a uniform execution protocol," Tatel argues, "it knew exactly how to do so."

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

The development of future recycling technologies must be informed by data about products and materials that will enter the waste stream, but such forecasts are subject to a high level of uncertainty. In this study, researchers have proposed a methodology for predicting emerging waste materials, applying it to silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) panels. The findings show that closed-loop recycling — when post-consumer waste is recycled to make new products — of PV panel materials could mitigate up to 0.2% of the annual environmental impact of Flanders1, Belgium, if suitable technology was developed.

A three-step chemical process could successfully recover high-purity silicon from recycled photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, new tests show. The scientists behind the research say that recycling not only helps the PV industry meet regulatory requirements, but also reduces pressure on demand for raw materials.

IIF urged that the hearing should specially involve medical health professionals, academics from IITs and digital rights and public policy experts to provide inputs.

IIF urged that the hearing should specially involve medical health professionals, academics from IITs and digital rights and public policy experts to provide inputs.

Solar panels are attractive to aquatic insects because they reflect light in a similar way to water, indicates recent research. This has ecological implications, especially if insects lay eggs on the panels. However, if panels are surrounded by white borders and divided by white grids, they are considerably less attractive to the insects.

CULPEPER — The Route 29 New Baltimore Advisory Group will hold its second meeting in Warrenton on Thursday to continue its discussions about improvements to improve safety and efficient movement of traffic on the Route 29 corridor between Warrenton and Prince William County.

Media Release

Media Release

Media Release

Video: Team of chemical engineers from Austin are creating solar cells that are light, flexible, efficient and affordable.

Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health will convene today to hear about the effects of everyday chemicals on the health of children.

Two inventors have built a table-sized, automated factory that can quickly manufacture pocket-sized solar panels that last longer and are cheaper than current p

Months ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference, French Parliament approves aggressive new commercial building rules.

California approved new rules that require new homes and low-rise apartment buildings to use solar panels starting in 2020.

The final report by President Obama's oil spill commission concludes that the Deepwater Horizon blowout and subsequent massive oil spill was caused by a series

With the right rebates, solar panels can offer a return on investment far higher than you'll find in the S&P 500.

Learn how solar panels convert the sun’s rays into energy in this DOE video.

New report says toxic chemicals are causing Americans 'grievous harm' that could be prevented by better government oversight.

NASCAR racetracks are at the heart of red-state America, but here they are installing photovoltaic farms, running on ethanol and biodiesel, and mowing the lawn

Even partial shade can dramatically cut an entire solar array's output — but not any more. An award-winning team believes it has the answer.

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How Solar Panels Help Green Trains

Bicyclists have a 20-mile bike lane in South Korea conveniently covered by a solar roof.

This David vs. Goliath story could impact the future of renewable energy everywhere.

In 'agrivoltaics,' crops and solar panels not only share land and sunlight, but also help each other function more efficiently.

A program in Colorado's Delta County aims to ensure a brighter future for the next generation.

Works great, looks great.(NYP)

The provider also works with LV, Axa, Ageas and RSA.

Geo Underwriting’s FlexiLet home product will be available via Applied TAM and Applied Epic.

The provider also works with Axa, Ageas, LV Broker, RSA and UK General.

B+E CEO Camille Renshaw will speak at the ICSC West Florida Idea Exchange panel on "Women in Leadership: The Future of Relationships and Branding," on Wednesday, March 25, at the Tampa Convention Center.

Jinpo Solar a global leader in designing and manufacturing solar panels, has started OEM manufacturing for Solar PV Panels, solar power system,Solar Thermal Collectors.

53rd Pacific Marine Expo, the West Coast's largest commercial marine and fishing trade show, set for the CenturyLink Field Event Center Nov. 21 through Nov. 23. Last year's Expo attracted more than 6,000 visitors from 40 states and 24 countries.

"Pebble Mine: The Changing Minds" Keynote Panel set to provide an in-depth discussion of the recent Army Corp of Engineers' Draft Environmental Impact Statement on Pebble Mine Development in Bristol Bay at 2019 Pacific Marine Expo.

The event is a Southeast-focused educational networking meeting for Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) to discuss investment strategy, global trends and best practices.

Dec 4-5, 2019 in Greenville, SC

Reflective Inc. Chevron and Battenburg panels. Increased Visibility. Decreased Accidents.

Beta testing to be expanded to new installations; Management team now has over 100 years of combined industry experience with two new director-level appointments

Losing data is one of the most painful moments of a systems administrator. This can either stop a whole company for days (or even weeks), and generate a huge loss of profit.

Discussion Will Spotlight Why Women Should Take the Lead in Politics Awards Presentation Will Honor Local Notables

David E. Hartley, CPA, CISA, partner and Director + Advisory Services, is speaking on a cybersecurity panel at the 2019 St. Louis CIO Executive Leadership Summit on Thursday, October 3. The summit, Future State 2025 – Driving the Digital Roadmap… Read More

The post David Hartley Speaking on Cybersecurity Panel at CIO Executive Leadership Summit appeared first on Anders CPAs.

"I want to provide a platform where the voices of people living with disability are heard."