U.S. House: DC Statehood Debate & Vote - LIVE on C-SPAN
APRIL 22, 2021
U.S. House of Representatives
House Session
The House will consider a bill making the District of Columbia the 51st state, to be known as Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, and provide equal representation in Congress.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?510997-1/house-session
House GOP to probe Biden associate's massive no-bid contract to hold illegal immigrant children
By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Updated: 8:39 a.m. on Thursday, April 22, 2021
House Republicans are questioning the Homeland Security Department’s decision to award a hefty no-bid contract to care for illegal immigrant children to Family Endeavors, a company that Republican lawmakers said has never handled a work order this big.
The contract, worth up to $529.5 million, is more than 12 times Family Endeavors’ total budget and was signed just months after the company hired a member of the Biden transition team as its senior director of federal affairs, said Republicans on the House Oversight and Reform Committee and the Homeland Security Committee.
“President Biden’s open borders policies created the crisis at our southern border, and now his administration appears to be exploiting it by funneling a massive no-bid contract to a nonprofit linked to their transition team,” said Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the top Republican on the oversight committee. “President Biden and Vice President Harris haven’t spent a second at the border, but they are spending hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars to reward political allies.”
Rep. John Katko of New York, the ranking Republican on the homeland security panel, said awarding the contract to Endeavors was a bungle that undercuts confidence in the Biden administration’s ability to fix the border situation.
He said Endeavors doesn’t have a record of working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, one of the government agencies involved in handling illegal immigrant children, which makes it odd that the company was able to win the contract.
Mr. Katko also cited “alleged conflicts of interest between Endeavor’s leadership and the Biden administration.”
In their letter, the Republicans homed in on Endeavors’ move to appoint Andrew Lorenzen-Strait to the top federal affairs post at the company. Mr. Lorenzen-Strait, a former ICE official, was on the Biden transition team, and his hiring was announced on Jan. 20, the day Mr. Biden took office.
The Endeavors contract with the Department of Health and Human Services was first reported this month by Axios, sparking a number of questions from lawmakers. Endeavors also has a contact with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, first reported by The Washington Examiner.
Mr. Comer and Mr. Katko, as ranking members, bring serious firepower to the effort to probe the deal.
They asked HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra to disclose any communications his department had with Family Endeavors, any communication with Mr. Lorenzen-Strait and justification documents for the contract itself.
The contract was awarded as part of a scramble by the Biden team to get a handle on the surge of illegal immigrant children crossing the border.
Under the law, the children are supposed to be shipped from custody of border authorities, where they are kept in holding cells, to the Health and Human Services Department within 72 hours. HHS holds the children in facilities run by contractors such as Endeavors while the government searches for sponsors to take custody of the children on a more permanent basis.
The cost of housing has soared in recent years as more and more children stream north from Central America.
Before the first surge, which began in 2013 and peaked in 2014, HHS spent about $100 million a year on its Unaccompanied Alien Children program. It reached more than $800 million in 2014, dipped back below $500 million in 2015 and then jumped again in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Last year, HHS spent $1.75 billion.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been expecting the Biden administration to need to submit a request for emergency funding, but administration officials have repeatedly said they don’t have any plans right now to ask for more money.
Family Endeavors also won a no-bid contract with ICE valued at $86.9 million. That contract is to provide for 1,239 beds for ICE to process migrant families and provide space to hold those who test positive for COVID-19.
(continued…)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/apr/21/house-gop-probe-massive-no-bid-contract-hold-illeg/
(page 2 continued…)
The company’s CEO, in a reply to The Washington Times, confirmed the ICE contract but referred questions to ICE.
HHS didn’t respond Wednesday afternoon to a request for comment.
March shattered the monthly record for the number of unaccompanied juveniles caught at the border. April’s numbers are running slightly lower, though border experts say that could be because more families are getting into the U.S. together and don’t see a need to separate their children anymore.
More than 20,500 children are currently in HHS-run facilities, and the number is rapidly rising, given the trends. Over the past week, Border Patrol agents caught an average of nearly 500 unaccompanied children each day. HHS averaged only about 315 children released per day.
Mr. Comer and Mr. Katko were joined by two dozen colleagues on their letter, including Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee.
HHS’s unaccompanied children program has awarded more than 1,600 contracts since 2008. Family Endeavors was listed for just one: a $2 million award this fiscal year to conduct home study and post-release services for children as they are placed with sponsors.
The new contract is worth up to $529.5 million, and $255.2 million has already been obligated, Mr. Comer and Mr. Katko said.
The no-bid contract was justified, ICE said, because speed was so critical that the contract couldn’t go through normal procedures. The agency said Endeavors’ $352.64 rate per bed per day was in line with what other contractors were charging.
“This action is required due to the urgency and time sensitivity of the situation coupled with the complexity of the services required,” ICE wrote in the justification document, which was signed late last month by ICE’s chief procurement officer, Soraya Correa, among others.
Mr. Lorenzen-Strait worked at ICE for more than a decade and ended his service in May 2019, when he was deputy assistant director for custody programs, overseeing the agency’s detention and release of migrants, including families.
(end)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/apr/21/house-gop-probe-massive-no-bid-contract-hold-illeg/
Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie charged with perjury; his lawyer says he doesn’t know why
By SCOTT TRAVIS, LISA J. HURIASH and RAFAEL OLMEDA
SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL |
APR 21, 2021 AT 8:22 PM
Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie was arrested Wednesday on a perjury charge.
Broward County’s school superintendent and the district’s chief lawyer were arrested Wednesday as part of a statewide grand jury spawned by the school massacre in Parkland more than three years ago.
Superintendent Robert Runcie, an administrator hired a decade ago to clean up corruption, was indicted on a charge of perjury in an official proceeding, a third-degree felony.
General Counsel Barbara Myrick was arrested on a charge of unlawful disclosure of statewide grand jury proceedings, also a third-degree felony.
DOCUMENTS: Read the indictments of Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie and school attorney Barbara Myrick »
The surprising indictments — just days after the grand jury finished meeting — saddened Runcie’s supporters, raised claims of political influence and delighted critics who have blamed Runcie for the Parkland tragedy.
Gov. Ron DeSantis impaneled the grand jury in 2019, the year after a teenage gunman with a semi-automatic rifle killed 17 staff and students and wounded 17 more at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day 2018.
Agents of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested Runcie, 59, for testimony he gave to the grand jury on March 31 and April 1. Myrick, 72, is accused of improperly sharing grand jury information between March 31 and April 14.
Runcie’s indictment says he gave untruthful testimony before the grand jury, and it lists four areas the panel was focusing on:
Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie was arrested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and charged with perjury on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office booking website.
Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie was arrested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and charged with perjury on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office booking website. (Broward Sheriff’s Office/Courtesy)
Whether refusal or failure to follow the mandates of school-related safety laws, such as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Act, results in unnecessary and avoidable risk to students across the state.
Whether public entities committed — and continue to commit — fraud and deceit by accepting state funds conditioned on implementation of certain safety measures while knowingly failing to act.
Whether school officials committed — and continue to commit — fraud and deceit by mismanaging, failing to use, and diverting funds from multimillion-dollar bonds specifically solicited for school safety initiatives.
Whether school officials violated and continue to violate state law by systematically underreporting incidents of criminal activity to the Department of Education.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel reported in December 2018 that countless crimes that take place on school campuses are never reported to the state, defying state laws and leaving parents with the false impression that children are safer than they are.
The grand jury’s primary focus was to review school safety in the wake of the shooting, but it has expanded its scope to include corruption and mismanagement in school district operations.
Former Chief Information Officer Tony Hunter was arrested in January, charged with bid rigging and bribery as a result of the grand jury. Prosecutors say he directed a $17 million technology contract to a friend. Hunter has pleaded not guilty and denies wrongdoing.
The school district and the grand jury started reviewing Hunter’s actions after the Sun Sentinel questioned the technology deal and Hunter’s ties to the vendor while reporting directly to Runcie.
(continued…)
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-ne-robert-runcie-arrested-20210421-vv6rp3c65raqzl2w6khdtmkeny-story.html
(page 2 continued…)
The indictment against Myrick claims she knowingly disclosed grand jury proceedings to someone outside the grand jury room and/or identified people referred to or under investigation by the grand jury.
The exact allegations against Runcie and Myrick are unknown, however, because grand jury proceedings are secret. Even their attorneys say they don’t know.
Michael Dutko, an attorney representing Runcie, said his client wonders, “What is it they say I lied about?”
“We told him we would know when we saw the indictment,” Dutko said. “But all the indictment does is track the statute.”
J. David Bogenschutz, Myrick’s attorney, said he hasn’t even seen her indictment.
“I’m actually very surprised that any indictment or any information is out there that the lawyers representing them don’t even know what it’s about,” he said. “I can’t tell you what the [indictment] says or comment on what it means at this point.”
The Florida Attorney General’s Office released the indictments but said it would provide no other information.
Critics have long said the grand jury was politically motivated, a way for a Republican governor to oust Democratic leaders for issues related to the Parkland shooting.
DeSantis removed Democratic Sheriff Scott Israel shortly after taking office, but he had no power to act on Runcie, who is appointed rather than elected.
“It is a sad day in Broward County and across Florida when politics become more important than the interests of our students,” Runcie’s lawyers — Dutko, Jeremy Kroll and Johnny McCray Jr. — wrote in a statement Wednesday.
Runcie and Myrick both were arrested at their attorneys’ offices and released from jail on their own recognizance.
Runcie plans to plead not guilty, his lawyers say. Myrick will either plead not guilty or stand mute and allow the court to enter a plea, Bogenschutz said.
The Harvard-educated Runcie came to the Broward school district from Chicago in 2011 to fix a system embroiled in a corruption scandal. He forged strong ties in the business community, which still supports him, and survived a movement to remove him as superintendent after Parkland. He makes $356,000 a year.
Myrick has been general counsel since 2016 and a district employee since 2002. She makes $220,000.
Both Runcie and Myrick intend to stay on the job, although that decision will be up to the School Board.
Board member Debbi Hixon said Runcie’s chief of staff, Jeff Moquin, is overseeing operations for the rest of the week.
Board member Nora Rupert, a longtime Runcie critic, emailed Moquin and School Board members asking for an emergency meeting, but she said she hasn’t received a response.
“I was very surprised when I learned about it this morning,” Rupert said of the charges. “The School Board is obviously still in control of the district, and we will be in conversations with our attorneys about how we move forward.”
School Board Chairwoman Rosalind Osgood issued a statement Wednesday saying the district would “operate as normal under the District’s leadership team” right now.
The School Board “will provide transparency, accountability and integrity as we continue to focus on delivering the highest quality educational experience for our students, teachers and staff,” she said.
School Board member Lori Alhadeff, who has given unsatisfactory evaluations to both Runcie and Myrick, said on Facebook that she has asked Alan Strauss, chief of human resources, to review ‘”all school board policies” in light of the arrests.
“As more specific details come to light, I will act accordingly, in the best interest of the students and staff” of Broward schools, she wrote.
Lisa Maxwell, who represents school leaders through the Broward Principals and Assistants Association, said the issues won’t affect school operations.
“The district provides support, but the principals manage the schools and will continue to do so,” she said.
Runcie did not attend Tuesday’s School Board meeting, which was rare for him. Myrick did attend.
(end)
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-ne-robert-runcie-arrested-20210421-vv6rp3c65raqzl2w6khdtmkeny-story.html
BROWARD COUNTY NEWS
LOCAL NEWS
DOCUMENTS: Read the indictments of Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie and school attorney Barbara Myrick
By DAVID SCHUTZ
SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL |
APR 21, 2021 AT 12:55 PM
Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie was arrested April 21, 2021, and charged with perjury in an official proceeding. District General Counsel Barbara Myrick was indicted on a charge of unlawful disclosure of statewide grand jury proceedings, also a third-degree felony.
Here are the official indictments filed in the Florida Supreme Court:
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-ne-runcie-myrick-indictment-documents-20210421-zhajbduyfnbhvhbze5fvwrj4qm-story.html
https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/20685514/runcie-indictment.pdf
https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/20685515/myrick-indictment.pdf
30 DEFENDANTS INDICTED IN R.I.C.O. LARGE-SCALE DRUG DISTRIBUTION ORGANIZATION; 3 DEFENDANTS INDICTED ON MURDER CHARGES OF DEMOND TALLY
MAYS LANDING— An Atlantic County Grand Jury has handed up an indictment against 30 defendants who were part of a Racketeer Influenced & Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, large-scale drug distribution organization where $2.6 million in cash has been seized and three of the men named in the indictment are also charged in connection to the fatal February 2019 shooting of Demond Tally in Atlantic City, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner announced.
From March 2017, to the present date an investigation was conducted by the ACPO Guns, Gangs and Narcotics Unit into Steven Martinez, 27, and Shiraz Khan, 31, for operating a large-scale drug distribution organization in Atlantic County since 2016. As the leaders of this organization Martinez and Khan supplied large quantities of narcotics, including, heroin, cocaine, Suboxone, Percocet and marijuana to be sold by various individuals who operated as drug dealers for the organization.
“The four year investigation of the activities of the criminal organization led by Steven Martinez and Shiraz Kahn is a credit to the women and men of the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office and many of the local law enforcement agencies that provided assistance, such as Egg Harbor Twp. Police Department, Atlantic City Police Department, and Galloway Twp. Police Department,” said Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner.
Khan continued to operate this drug distribution organization while incarcerated at the Atlantic County Justice Facility by utilizing cellphones and narcotics he had smuggled into the jail by Correctional Police Officer Luis Mercado, 26. Several other individuals in this investigation were previously arrested for possession of firearms and the distribution of CDS for the organization during the course of this investigation. Atlantic County Correctional Police Lt. Patrick Robinson assisted in this investigation through the Investigations Unit at the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
“The hard work by law enforcement culminated in the indictment of thirty individuals for numerous crimes, including but not limited to murder, distribution and possession of large quantities of drugs, and money laundering,” Prosecutor Tyner said.
Assets seized during the course of this extensive investigation include: $2.6 million U.S. currency, eight parcels of land in locations, including Hamilton Township, Pleasantville and Buena Borough and three vehicles.
Khan, Martinez, and several other members of this organization were known to be armed and dangerous. In addition to narcotics offenses in the indictment Martinez, along with Shamar Scott, 25, and Deshawn Hose, 23, are responsible for the shooting and killing of Demond Tally, 45, Feb. 10, 2019. Atlantic City Police Department responded to ShotSpotter at 5:13 a.m., on Feb. 10, 2019 in the area of Presbyterian Ave., in Atlantic City, where Tally was found shot. Tally was transported to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center City Campus Trauma Unit, where he was pronounced deceased. Martinez, Scott and Hose are charged and have each been indicted with Murder and Conspiracy charges in connection to the fatal shooting of Tally.
“Effective partnerships between law enforcement agencies at all levels of government are essential to public safety. This extensive investigation is an example of the great teamwork that exists here in Atlantic County. While we know that these charges will not bring their loved one back, we hope that this will bring some comfort and peace to the Tally family,” Atlantic City Police Interim Officer in Charge James A. Sarkos.
Investigations are ongoing in connection to other acts of violence committed by this organization. This investigation and ongoing investigations are a cooperative effort by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, Atlantic County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, Atlantic County Sheriff’s Office, Atlantic City Police Department, Egg Harbor Township Police Department and Galloway Township Police Department.
Chief Assistant Prosecutor Seth Levy represents the state in the matters.
(Article goes on to list defendants and their charges…)
https://www.acpo.org/30-defendants-indicted-in-r-i-c-o-large-scale-drug-distribution-organization-3-defendants-indicted-on-murder-charges-of-demond-tally/
Reminder
Frankspeech.com still up but no live feed. Catch Big Daddy Mike Lindell still going off on FAKENEWs ADAM DUKE of LEADSTORIES who is responsible for FACT CHECKING for the likes of FAKEBOOK and TWITTER has been spewing lies about Mike Lindell and blocking his documentary. Get in here, share Mike Lindell's link!
https://lindelltv.com/
https://lindelltv.com/
https://lindelltv.com/
https://lindelltv.com/
https://lindelltv.com/
'He will be dearly missed by so many': '''Doctor among 2 victims in fatal Tesla crash
Authorities on Wednesday identified the victims in Saturday's fiery Tesla crash.'''
Catherine Thorbecke
ByCatherine Thorbecke
April 21, 2021, 3:47 PM
• 6 min read
The two victims in the fatal Tesla crash that occurred this past weekend in Texas have been identified as William Varner and Everette Talbot, the local medical examiner's office said Wednesday.
The fiery crash involved a 2019 Tesla Model S car, and local authorities said there is no indication that anyone was in the driver's seat when the car swerved off the road and hit a tree.
The vehicle subsequently burst into flames and burned for over four hours even as firefighters doused it with 30,000 gallons of water. Eventually, firefighters had to let the fire burn itself out.
Varner, 59, was an anesthesiologist who worked at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center. The hospital's senior vice president remembered him as a "tremendous human being" in a statement to ABC News on Wednesday.
"Dr. Varner was a tremendous human being who personally impacted many throughout our Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center family over the years," Justin Kendrick, the medical center's SVP and CEO said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to his entire family, and also to those who had the privilege of working and serving alongside him in various capacities. He will be dearly missed by so many."
Tony Good, the vice president of communications at U.S. Anesthesia Partners, Varner's official employer, told ABC News on Wednesday that they "were saddened to hear of the death of one of our physicians over the weekend."
"Dr. Varner spent his life caring for others, and now we are focused on caring for his colleagues and family, helping them to cope with this sudden and unexpected loss," Good added.
Further information about Talbot's background was not immediately available. ABC News' local affiliate KTRK-TV in Houston reported that he was a 69-year-old engineer and friends with Varner.
Earlier this week, the National Transportation Safety Board and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced in separate statements that both federal agencies were sending teams to help investigate the fatal crash.
The vehicle had an autopilot option, and investigators are working to determine if it was in use at the time of the crash.
Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman told ABC News earlier this week that one victim was found in the front passenger seat and the other in the backseat – meaning that nobody appeared to be in the driver's seat operating the vehicle.
Tesla's chief executive Elon Musk replied to a Twitter comment on a Wall Street Journal article about the crash earlier this week to say that he doesn't believe autopilot was on during the crash.
"Data logs recovered so far show Autopilot was not enabled & this car did not purchase FSD [Full Self Driving software]," Musk wrote on Monday. "Moreover, standard Autopilot would require lane lines to turn on, which this street did not have."
On Wednesday, the electric vehicle tycoon responded to another tweet featuring a video of automotive engineer Sandy Munro touting the safety of Tesla's autopilot function.
"Sandy Munro knows what he’s talking about," he wrote.
Meanwhile, Constable Herman told KTRK that investigators are "100% sure" that no one was driving the vehicle at the time of the crash.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/dearly-missed-doctor-victims-fatal-tesla-crash/story?id=77219045&cid=social_twitter_abcn
A.) Over the target gorepornfag is here. OR B.) But also anime and gerbil aren't baking as far as I know and MNR is ghost town, so could be that. I pick B.
APRIL 01, 2021
|
JUDICIAL WATCH
Judicial Watch Obtains Additional Records of FDA Purchases of Fetal Tissue for ‘Humanized Mice’ Project; Agency Wanted ‘Fresh, Shipped on Wet Ice’ Fetal Organs
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced that it received an additional 575 pages of records from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) showing the agency spent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to buy human fetal tissue from California-based Advanced Bioscience Resources (ABR). The tissue was used in creating “humanized mice” to test “biologic drug products.”
ABR, a nonprofit, human fetal tissue “procurement” firm, has been the subject of criminal referrals from both U.S. House and Senate committees investigating human fetal tissue trafficking and whether Planned Parenthood or any other entity was illegally profiting from transfers of organs harvested from aborted human fetuses. Federal law regulates the purchase and acceptance of human fetal tissue for research purposes. It is unlawful to “acquire, receive, or otherwise transfer any human fetal tissue for valuable consideration if the transfer affects interstate commerce.”
The records include the following communications between ABR procurement manager Perrin Larton and FDA research veterinary medical official Dr. Kristina Howard between January 2011 and April 2018:
Howard’s September 27, 2012, application sent to Larton indicating that ABR would be paid $12,000 up front for “tissue purchases.” The contract provided for the provision of human fetal tissue with a gestational age of 16 to 24 weeks, including “One set of tissue (thymus/liver) approx. twice monthly.” It was to be shipped “Fresh; shipped on wet ice.”
Howard’s May 10, 2012, email to Larton bearing the subject line “Tissue Delivery” and saying, “Just wanted to follow up with you regarding the tissue deliveries. We have three batches of mice that still need to be humanized, so please keep us on the schedule every week until we manage to receive three sets of tissue.”
Howard’s October 17, 2012, email to Larton about the gender of an aborted fetus from which an organ was harvested: “I wanted to check with your records on the sex of the tissue we received today. It was Liver #4505.” Larton responded, “The techs were not able to identify the gender. We only check external genitalia and if it’s not there … due to the nature of the termination procedure… we have no way of telling.” Howard replied, “Thank you for explaining that to me. I have some leftover cells to sex it.”
A May 9, 2013, email exchange in which Howard complained to Larton about Fedex x-raying the packages in which fetal organs had been shipped. Howard wrote, “Our package was x-rayed and the tissues could not be used.” Larton responded, “DAMN … they were wonderful tissues. I procured them! I’m training a new tech in Minneapolis and I told her how important it is to put the DO NOT X-RAY stickers on the package. Of course if you have an IMBECILE on the Fedex side … but then, now it’s a moot point.” Howard replied, “Yes, we were absolutely heartbroken. They were beautiful tissues and to lose them like that was awful.”
An August 26, 2015, email exchange in which the FDA’s Howard wrote, “As always, we are requesting liver and thymus for each date.” ABR’s Larton responds, “I’ll put you on the schedule for your requested tissue delivery dates.” Howard replies, “Thanks Perrin! Btw, are you planning to attend the humanized mouse workshop in Zurich in January?” Larton then writes, “Yes. Linda and I will both be attending. Will we see you there?” Howard replies, “Assuming the gov’t allows me to go, I will be there. I have lots of data!”
(continued…)
https://www.judicialwatch.org/press-releases/humanized-mice-fda/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=press_release
(page 2 continued…)
A June 9, 2016, email exchange in which Howard tells Larton, “We have a very important and timing-wise challenging, surgery the week of June 20. We will be making dual humanized BLT mice (human liver and the BLT surgery) at the same time.” Larton replies, “Does the tissue HAVE to come from a male fetus? It really helps when we can send either, especially since this is an important and time sensitive surgery.” Howard replied, “It is strongly preferred to have a male fetus if at all possible. However, after we dose the mice, we have to proceed with the surgery, so at that point undetermined sex or female is better than no tissue. I know in some cases it is impossible to tell what the sex is, however, I don’t know what proportion of your tissues are in that category.”
A July 22, 2016, email in which Howard asked Larton if she knew “about tissue for tomorrow yet?” Larton replied, “This week I’m working with a doctor who induces fetal demise at 20 weeks. The other doctors who staff this clinic won’t induce fetal demise until 22 weeks … and of course … this week we had 4 21 week [sic] cases that all had been injected with digoxin on Wednesday so the tissue is unusable. I’ll have you on next week and prioritize your request.”
An August 5, 2016, email from un unidentified individual at ABR informing Howard that ABR was “not able to procure for you today,” referring to human fetal tissue. Howard replied, “Given how old the mice are (12 weeks) we will use frozen tissue. Fresh tissue is always our preference, but I don’t think we can wait another week. We are going to receive more mice in early Sept so we will try for more tissue then. I hope supply issues will resolve themselves by that time.” Larton, who was CCd on the email, responded, “It’s so frustrating. We’re also working with a new doctor in one of the busiest clinics… not a good combo! The tissue is awful!”
A May 25, 2017, email in which Howard asked Larton “How likely is it that we could get tissue tomorrow?” Larton responded, “Quite likely. I don’t know how many cases will be available, but you’re the only researcher that will take tissue this Saturday.” Howard replied, “Great news! We have mice that need to be made.” Howard also thanks Perrin, “Btw, last week’s tissue was amazing!”
A September 22, 2017, email in which Lorton wrote to Howard: “We did get tissue for you today. Is it to be addressed to you for pick up at the station?” Howard responded, “Yay! Happy to hear tissue is available. By chance do you know how many weeks it is?” Larton responded, “The tissue is 15 weeks. Due to the Rosh Hashanah holiday … the clinics were closed yesterday … so no real large tissue today.” Howard replied, “I didn’t realize that the holiday would interfere with clinic operations. Thanks again for getting the tissue.” Larton responded, “We didn’t either … but … many of the doctors are Jewish!”
An April 5, 2018, email in which Howard wrote to Perrin, “[W]hile we (like everyone else) are desperate for tissue each week, this week and especially next week are important for us to get tissue. We are trying to get several new staff qualified for our surgery (so they can participate in the other scheduled surgeries) and we must have fresh tissue to do that. I realize tissue is always hit or miss, but if it is possible to prioritize us these two weeks, it would be greatly appreciated.” Larton replied, “I just let everyone know to prioritize your request today and if we don’t get it today, tomorrow”
A June 18, 2018, email in which the FDA’s Howard asked ABR’s Perrin to bill the FDA for “four (4) sets of tissue for July, however, to ensure they are covered on the existing PO [purchase order], can they all be billed for July 6 – as we did last year as time was running out?” Perrin replied, “I’m sure [name redacted] won’t have a problem billing to the existing PO since you’ve done it in the past.”
In September 2018, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) terminated the contract with ABR. HHS said it “was not sufficiently assured that contract included the appropriate protections applicable to fetal tissue research or met all other procurement requirements.”
(continued…)
https://www.judicialwatch.org/press-releases/humanized-mice-fda/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=press_release
(continued page 3…)
Judicial Watch received the records as a result a March 2019 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against HHS, of which the FDA is a part (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department Health and Human Services (No. 1:19-cv-00876)).
“These fetal organ trafficking documents shock the conscience and show potentially illegal use of tax dollars to purchase organs of the unborn killed through abortion,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
Judicial Watch recently announced that the federal court overseeing this same March 2019 lawsuit had ordered HHS to release previously withheld portions of records about its purchases of organs harvested from aborted human fetuses. The court found “there is reason to question” whether the transactions violate federal law barring the sale of fetal organs.
The decision notes that ABR:
sold second-trimester livers and thymi for hundreds of dollars apiece. The same for brains, eyes, and lungs. After tacking on fees for services like shipping and cleaning, ABR could collect over $2,000 on a single fetus it purchased from Planned Parenthood for $60. The federal government participated in this potentially illicit trade for years.
The court also found it “dubious” that a FOIA exception invoked by the government could be used to “shield illegal business practices under the guise of ‘confidential business information’” and declared that “[t]here is reason to question the lawfulness of the transaction between the Government and ABR.”
This is the third set of records released by Judicial Watch as the result of its March 2019 lawsuit. Other sets, which also includes records obtained from the National Institutes of Health, were released in February 2020 and June 2020.
(end)
https://www.judicialwatch.org/press-releases/humanized-mice-fda/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=press_release
>>13486621 TY anon
DIG frens, I gotta get a few chores done and get ready for work. Wkfag out. Godspeed