Bridgegate: Prison for Christie allies

Bill Baroni, former deputy executive director of the Port Authority, was sentenced to 24 months in prison on Wednesday, and Bridget Anne Kelly, former deputy chief of staff in Christie’s office, was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Both also received a year of supervised release, 500 hours of community service, and fines.

In her sentencing of Baroni, Judge Susan Wigenton called the crimes “an outrageous abuse of power.” During Kelly’s sentencing, Wigenton said the case “culminates another unfortunate chapter in the history of New Jersey.

“It is very clear to me that the culture in Trenton was, if you aren’t with us, you’re against us,” Wigenton said.

The sentences came months after Baroni and Kelly were found guilty on seven counts in November, including conspiracy, fraud and civil rights deprivation.

“I let the people in Fort Lee down,” Baroni said in federal court in Newark.

Kelly’s voice was shaking and cracked several times as she spoke in court Wednesday afternoon.

“I never intended to harm anyone,” she said. “I accept full responsibility for the tone of my emails and text messages.”

Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni were convicted in November 2016.

The charges stemmed from the abrupt closure of local traffic lanes on the George Washington Bridge, one of the world’s busiest bridges, for four days in September 2013. The lane closures on the bridge, which connects Manhattan with Fort Lee, New Jersey, caused severe traffic delays that endangered citizens and posed a public safety risk, court documents state.

Prosecutors alleged the lane closures were part of a deliberate effort to punish the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, who did not endorse Republican incumbent Christie in his 2013 re-election bid.

The prosecution had recommended both Baroni and Kelly serve near the bottom of or just below the federal guidelines of 37 to 46 months in prison, according to court documents. In court, prosecutors agreed with the defense to lower Baroni’s recommended sentence to 24 to 30 months.

William Fitzpatrick, acting US Attorney of New Jersey, praised the court and said the sentences were fair and reasonable in a news conference afterward.

In separate statements, defense attorneys for Baroni and Kelly said they plan to appeal the case. Kelly, in a short statement, said the “fight is far from over.”

“I will not allow myself to be the scapegoat in this case, and I look very much forward to the appeal,” she said.

Christie was not charged with a crime in relation to Bridgegate. After the defendants were found guilty, he released a statement saying he was “saddened” by the case and repeated once again that he had no knowledge of the plot to close the lanes.

Still, the scandal tainted what had been one of the most popular governorships in America and later helped sink Christie’s fledgling presidential campaign.

‘Time for some traffic problems’

Emails and text messages released in January 2014 formed the basis of the charges. In one email, Kelly told former Port Authority official David Wildstein, “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.”

Kelly later said her messages contained “sarcasm and humor,” and she said that a day before sending the email, she had told Christie about traffic problems resulting from a study.

Baroni and Kelly’s actions cost the Port Authority $14,314.04, according to court documents, including the cost of hours misspent by Port Authority personnel and the expense of a traffic study that was ruined by the closure.

Baroni testified he believed the closures were part of a legitimate traffic study, an explanation that had been relayed to him by Wildstein, the accused mastermind of the incident. Wildstein, Christie’s high school classmate and longtime ally, pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to commit fraud on federally funded property and one civil rights violation.
David Wildstein, left, and Gov. Chris Christie were longtime political allies.

The prosecution recommended the court sentence Baroni and Kelly to serve time in prison, not only because they were found guilty but also because prosecutors believe a prison sentence would send “a clear and unmistakable message.”

The court documents state, “When dealing with public corruption, only imprisonment can effectively promote general deterrence.”

“As both Baroni and Kelly surely understood given their lengthy tenures in New Jersey government, crimes committed by public officials are particularly insidious because they destroy the community’s faith in its own public institutions,” the documents state.

In all, four Christie-associated political figures have been convicted of criminal charges in relation to Bridgegate, including Baroni, Kelly, Wildstein, and former Port Authority Chairman David Samson.

CNN’s Dominique Debucquoy-Dodley, Noah Gray and Tom Kludt contributed to this report.

With House investigation in limbo, Senate intelligence leaders to begin Trump-Russia hearings Thursday

Story highlights

  • The Senate intelligence committee will host a public hearing on Russia’s meddling into US elections
  • Their hearing comes a week after the House committee had public infighting

“This one is one of the biggest investigations the Hill has seen in my time here,” Chairman Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican, said at a news conference with committee vice-chairman Mark Warner. Burr’s been in the Senate since 2005, and served in the House since 1995.

Burr and Warner say they have 20 witnesses they plan to interview and have scheduled interviews with five of them so far. The committee leaders said that they are happy that President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and former campaign chairman Paul Manafort have agreed to testify, but they have not yet decided when they will bring them in.

“To date, we have made 20 requests for individuals to be interviewed by the committee,” Burr said. “As we stand here today, five are already scheduled on the books, and probably within the next 10 days the remaining 15 will have a scheduled date for those individuals to be interviewed by our staff. We anticipate inviting additional individuals to come and be interviewed, and ultimately some of those interviewed individuals may turn into private or public hearings by the committee, but yet to be determined.”

Among those the committee appears to have talked to: Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who resigned after he misled administration officials regarding his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States.

“It would be safe to say we have had conversations with a lot of people, and it would be safe to say Gen Flynn is a part of that list,” Burr said.

The Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation has garnered increased intention as the House investigation has stalled along partisan lines related to its chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes, and his communication with the White House related to the incidental collection of President Donald Trump and his aides.

Democrats have called on Nunes to step down from his post, while most Republicans in the chamber say they support Nunes.

The panel will hold its first public hearing Thursday.

12 of the best canalside hotels in Amsterdam

But one thing beats, and links, them all: Amsterdam’s canals.

Not only do these 17th-century transport routes lend the Dutch capital a certain grandeur, they also provide locals and visitors with a great place to soak up the city’s atmosphere.

Staying in a hotel that overlooks one of these elegant canals is one of the best ways to enjoy these waterways.

Here are 12 of the best luxury five-star canalside hotels Amsterdam has to offer.

Grand Hotel Amrâth Amsterdam

Few hotels in the city can beat the Grand Hotel Amrâth Amsterdam for both location and looks.

The five-star venue, which originally opened in 1916 as offices, sits within the Scheepvaarthuis, or shipping house, a classic building sitting right next to the city’s Central Station.

The Scheepvaarthuis’s radical expressionist design — Art Nouveau with a Dutch twist — went on to define the Amsterdam School of architecture, heavily influencing the look of subsequent modern buildings.

The Amrâth, recently extended to 40 rooms, offers sublime views over the spacious IJ, Amsterdam’s main waterfront, and the romantic Waalseilandsgracht canal.

Grand Hotel Amrâth Amsterdam, Prins Hendrikkade 108, Amsterdam; +31 20 552 0000

InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam

InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam: The city's "grande dame."

Located on the banks of the River Amstel, the InterContinental is known as the city’s grande dame, thanks to its longevity and rather formal appearance.

In 2017, the hotel is celebrating its 150th anniversary with festivities and a complete restoration of its palatial exterior.

The Royal Afternoon Tea provides the perfect chance to relax while staring out over the river.

InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam, Professor Tulpplein 1, Amsterdam; +31 20 622 6060

Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam

The classically beautiful Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam is made up of six traditional canalside palaces from the 17th century.

It sits on the Herengracht, and though it’s relatively new, it’s earned TripAdvisor’s 2017 Travelers’ Choice Award for the luxury category of The Netherlands.

The luxurious but modern decor feels airy, and the tulips in the private gardens add to the Dutch feel.

One of its restaurants, the Librije’s Zusje, has two Michelin stars.

An extra bonus: the honey served at breakfast comes from the hotel’s rooftop beehives.

Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam, Herengracht 542-556, Amsterdam; +31 20 718 4600

The Dylan Amsterdam

The Dylan is small and chic, a renovated boutique hotel dating back to the 17th century.

Heavy wooden joists give many of the rooms an original feel, but the decor and ambiance are very much modern and sleek.

The hotel sits on the “grachtengordel,” or Amsterdam’s central canal belt.

Shopping enthusiasts will happily stumble upon the Nine Streets upscale area just around the corner, full of boutiques and cute canalside cafes.

Dinner is served in the hotel at the brasserie Occo or the Michelin-starred Vinkeles.

The Dylan Amsterdam, Keizersgracht 384, Amsterdam; +31 20 530 2010

Pulitzer Amsterdam

Twenty-five connecting 17th- and 18th-century aristocratic canal houses make up the Pulitzer, resulting in a dazzling maze on the inside with a tranquil inner garden.

One of the best features of this stylish hotel is the possibility to walk around the city with one of the concierges, allowing guests to see Amsterdam through a local’s eyes.

Another option is to cruise the canals in the hotel’s stylish boat built in 1909.

Pulitzer Amsterdam, Prinsengracht 315 — 331, Amsterdam; +31 20 523 5235

Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam

The entrance gate of The Grand will be covered with tulips from April to mid-May.

The Grand was first a 15th-century convent, then housed royals before becoming the City Hall of Amsterdam.

Princess Beatrix, the former queen of The Netherlands, married Prince Claus in 1966 in the former council chamber here.

Though the hotel, which opened in 1992, is situated near the Red Light District, where sex workers legally ply their trade, it’s a quiet oasis away from the tourists.

Planning to visit Amsterdam in spring? The entrance gate will be covered with orange flowers for the Tulip Festival which runs from April 1 to May 14.

Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam, Oudezijds Voorburgwal 197; +31 20 555 3111

Luxury Suites

Newcomer Luxury Suites combines the services of a hotel with the independence of an apartment.

Order food or cook a homemade meal in the suite’s private kitchen.

The large and fully equipped suites overlook the Oudeschans, a wide canal at the east side of the city center, and are surrounded by typical Amsterdam warehouses.

The hotel offers packages including one for romance and another for diamond lovers.

Luxury Suites, Oudeschans 75, Amsterdam; +31 20 723 8300

Andaz Amsterdam

Andaz is located in a former library and designed by the renowned Dutch designer Marcel Wanders.

The hotel made no effort to make the interior traditional — more than 50 pieces of video art are on display, giving the place a modern feel splashed with Delft blue pottery and vases.

Andaz offers complimentary wine for a couple hours daily, as well as free bikes.

Rooms come with a choice of a view of the tranquil inner garden or the mesmerizing canal.

Andaz Amsterdam, Prinsengracht 587, Amsterdam, +31 20 523 1234

Hilton Amsterdam

Hilton Amsterdam throws one of the best herring parties in the country.
John and Yoko Ono held their famous “bed-in for peace” in one of the rooms here in 1969, the aptly named John and Yoko suite.
The hotel is within walking distance of the Amsterdam’s Museum Square where the Van Gogh Museum and the famous Dutch national museum Rijksmuseum are located.

The Dutch love their salted herring, and they also like to launch the season with a good party.

One of the most renowned ones is the private, invite-only, VIP, glamorous party held every year at the waterside garden in the Hilton Amsterdam.

Hilton Amsterdam, Apollolaan 138, Amsterdam; +31 20 710 6000

De L’Europe

Central as it comes, this hotel is near shopping, tourist attractions, the Red Light District, the Canal Ring and Amsterdam’s Central Station.

Built as an inn in 1636, the hotel has welcomed guests ever since.

The hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant Bord’Eau offers a great, reasonably priced three-course lunch menu.

This not only gives guests somewhere decent to eat, but also helps the ongoing campaign to convince locals that there’s more to lunch than just a sandwich.

De L’Europe, Nieuwe Doelenstraat 2-14, Amsterdam; +31 20 531 1777

NH Collection Amsterdam Doelen

NH Collection Amsterdam Doelen: Outstanding river views.

Rembrandt painted the famous Nachtwacht (The Night Watch) originally to be exhibited in the De Doelen, as the hotel was called in the 17th century.

After that, many VIPs booked rooms at the Doelen, such as Empress Elisabeth of Austria and The Beatles.

Stunning views over the River Amstel can be seen through the hotel’s grand windows.

All the rooms were renovated in 2016, giving it a grand but modern feeling.

NH Collection Amsterdam Doelen, Nieuwe Doelenstraat 26, Amsterdam; +31 20 554 0600

Hyatt Regency Amsterdam

Amsterdam’s newest five-star hotel officially opens in April 2017.

If a quieter stay is desired, the Hyatt — located near Amsterdam’s trendy and leafy east district — may suit.

Guest can take a stroll down to the nearby Oosterpark, have a drink at one of the many hip cafés in the neighborhood or visit the Tropenmuseum nearby, the museum about humans.

Indonesian dinner is available at the hotel bar and restaurant called Mama Makan.

Hyatt Regency Amsterdam, Sarphatistraat 104, Amsterdam; +31 20 554 1234

Katja Brokke is a freelance journalist and editor from Amsterdam specializing in food, travel and media. Follow her on Twitter at @KatjaSchrijft or take a look at katjaschrijft.nl.

Greatest rise in heroin use was among white people, study says

More people die from drug overdoses than from guns or car accidents. At the peak of the AIDS epidemic in 1995, 43,115 people in the United States died from the disease.

Furthermore, since 1999, the number of overdoses from prescription opioids like oxycodone and hydrocodone, as well as illicit drugs like heroin, have quadrupled. In fact, heroin now accounts for one in four overdose deaths in the United States.

Now, a new study in the journal JAMA Psychiatry looks beyond the total number of overdose deaths to get a better picture of how heroin use patterns have changed since 2001. Since then, the number of people who have used heroin has increased almost five-fold, and the number of people who abuse heroin has approximately tripled.

The greatest increases in use occurred among white males.

Heroin use on the rise

The authors evaluated the responses of 79,402 individuals, as collected from the 2001-2002 and the 2012-2013 National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a longitudinal study conducted by the National Institutes of Health to evaluate alcohol and drug use and abuse. While heroin use between whites and non-whites was fairly similar in the 2001-2002 results, at 0.34% and 0.32% respectively, by 2012-2013 the percentage of whites who had used heroin jumped to 1.90%. Just 1.05% of non-whites in 2012-2013 used heroin. Heroin use also increased significantly among those with a high school education or less, as well as those who lived at less than 100% of the federal poverty line.

The authors of the new report write “these trends are concerning because increases in the prevalence of heroin use and use disorder have been occurring among vulnerable individuals who have few resources to overcome problems associated with use.”

According to a 2016 Surgeon General’s report on alcohol, drugs and health, only one in 10 of those with a substance use disorder receive any treatment.
“The good news is that among all drugs of abuse, heroin and opioids have by far the best treatment medications available. Methadone and buprenorphine have proven effectiveness data, they not only reduce the chances of dying from an opioid overdose by 50%, they support people being in recovery from their addiction and reduce health care costs and improve a wide array of other outcomes,” said Caleb Banta-Green, an associate professor of health services at the University of Washington. Banta-Green was not involved in the study.

Starting with prescription drugs

The study also confirmed the idea that many heroin users start by using prescription opioids like oxycodone and hydrocodone. Approximately one-third of all white heroin users reported using prescription drugs for non-medical purposes in 2001-2002. By 2013 more than half of all white heroin users started by initially using prescription drugs. For non-whites, the number of people who started by using prescription drugs before heroin actually dropped in the same time frame.

An accompanying editorial by Bertha Madras, a psychologist at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts and former deputy director in the White House’s Office of National Drug Control and Policy pointed to the shift in treating pain as a major factor in understanding the current crisis. She noted that in the past two decades, the number of opioid prescriptions has risen three-fold.

“This shift in practice norms was fueled by acceptance of low quality evidence that opioids are a relatively benign remedy for managing chronic pain,” she wrote. “These vast opioid supplies created a risk for diversion, opioid misuse and disorder, and overdose death.”

The study did not find any significant difference when looking at what age groups were using heroin, but heroin dependency and addiction was significantly higher for those below the age of 45 than those above. That should be a cause of concern, said Banta-Green, who noted that one of the costs of overdoses and abuse to society is lost productivity.

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A county-by-county study released Wednesday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, calculated that drug overdose deaths resulted in a 778 years of potential life lost for every hundred thousand people. This report also found that most of the increase in premature deaths in 15- to 44-year-olds is due to drug overdoses. And while no community is immune to this crisis, suburbs, which used to have the lowest rates of premature deaths from drug overdoses now have the highest rates.

The authors of the longitudinal study note that “heroin use appears to have become more socially acceptable among suburban and rural white individuals, perhaps because its effects seem so similar to those of widely available [prescription opioids].”

The findings of these new reports are in line with earlier research over the past two decades about increasing heroin and opioid overdoses. “The trend isn’t a surprise — the takeaway is what matters. Heroin use disorder is a serious medical condition with which individuals are likely to struggle for the rest of their life. We need to give them the tools they need to survive and thrive,” said Banta-Green.

Meditating can help you live to 100

In the past, my family and friends would’ve typically described me as pleasant but hurried. My baseline restlessness and edginess, however, have now nearly vanished.

Without difficulty, I have sustained attention when my young children spend time with me. Instead of constant surveillance of my phone, there is an ability to quickly hyper-focus on the task is at hand and a corresponding joy of living in a distraction-less world.

This change seems to have started the end of last year, after I spent a morning meditating with the Dalai Lama.

First off: Yes, I do feel a little ridiculous writing a line like that, and I didn’t feel worthy of his invitation at the time. Even though I meditate, I’ve never been sure whether I was using proper technique or whether there was an acceptable way to meditate in the presence of His Holiness.

If he was looking forward to a good meditation partner, I worried he was unlikely to find it in me. Even my posture is terrible when sitting cross-legged on the floor. My back starts to hurt, followed by my knees. Thus, my breathing, which is supposed to drive my focus, sounds raspy and uneven. All this makes my mind race instead of slowing down and calming.

Just thinking about meditating with His Holiness was making me anxious.

Nevertheless, who says “no” to a chance to meditate with the Dalai Lama? I agreed to join him early the next morning at his private residence.

A practice that begins at 3 a.m.

At 81 years, old, the Dalai Lama keeps a very active schedule. I met him in Mundgod, India, at the Drepung Monastery, where he was overseeing a symposium bridging Buddhism and science.

The monastery itself is a dazzling bejeweled structure built 600 years ago. Inside, there are enormous golden Buddhas standing next to ornate walls. The discussion hall itself is grand but warm, with doors and windows open to the hot South Indian sun.

For three days, his Holiness moderated sessions on weighty metaphysical topics such as the criteria for valid reasoning, the fundamental constituents of the universe, origins of life and the subjective experience of the mind.

It was fascinating and mind-bending — but also mentally exhausting. It was difficult to stay awake, let alone keep up with the rapid-fire debate between the Buddhists and the scientists. Yet his Holiness was mentally engaged and inquisitive throughout, even more remarkable given more than half the comments were being translated for him.

The Dalai Lama typically wakes about 2:40 a.m. and starts his daily meditation routine at 3 a.m., even as most of his staff is still snoozing.

This was the backdrop when one of his senior staff members picked me up outside the monastery early one morning. We drove in a three-car convoy to the gates outside his private residence.

From there, several more staff members escorted us to a small conference room where his security detail was slowly waking and drinking their morning tea. Finally, his chief of staff walked me just outside the personal quarters of the Dalai Lama.

Meditating is hard for him, too

There were a few minor instructions before we entered. Eye contact is not a problem, and shaking hands is acceptable if you use two hands, not just one. Try not to turn your back to him when leaving the room, and instead walk backward, as much as possible facing him. When sitting cross-legged on the floor, don’t point your feet at the Dalai Lama. And the correct address is “your holiness.”

Shortly after, the doors opened, and I nervously walked into a very modest room where the Dalai Lama was sitting on a raised platform, already deep in meditation. I slipped off my shoes, sat cross-legged at a slight angle on the floor to avoid my toes being pointed in his direction, closed my eyes and started to focus on my breathing.

All my meditation insecurities immediately started to kick in. After a few minutes, I heard his deep, distinctive baritone voice: “Any questions?”

I looked up and saw his smiling face, starting to break into his characteristic head-bobbing laugh.

“This is hard for me,” I said.

“Me, too!” he exclaimed. “After doing daily for 60 years, it is still hard.”

It was at once surprising and reassuring to hear him say this. The Dalai Lama, Buddhist monk and spiritual leader of Tibet, also has trouble meditating.

“I think you will like analytical meditation,” he told me. Instead of focusing on a chosen object, as in single-point meditation, he suggested I think about a problem I was trying to solve, a topic I may have read about recently or one of the philosophical areas from the earlier sessions.

He wanted me to separate the problem or issue from everything else by placing it in a large, clear bubble. With my eyes closed, I thought of something nagging at me — something I couldn’t quite solve. As I placed the physical embodiment of this problem into the bubble, several things started to happen very naturally.

The problem was now directly in front of me, floating weightlessly. In my mind, I could rotate it, spin it or flip it upside-down. It was an exercise to develop hyper-focus.

Less intuitively, as the bubble was rising, it was also disentangling itself from any other attachments, such as subjective emotional considerations. I could visualize it, as the problem isolated itself, and came into a clear-eyed view.

Too often, we allow unrelated emotional factors to blur the elegant and practical solutions right in front of us. It can be dispiriting and frustrating. Through analytical meditation, His Holiness told me, we can use logic and reason to more clearly identify the question at hand, separate it from irrelevant considerations, erase doubt and brightly illuminate the answers. It was simple and sensible. Most important, for me — it worked.

Meditation for skeptics

As a neuroscientist, I never expected that a Buddhist monk, even the Dalai Lama, would teach me how to better incorporate deduction and critical thinking to my life — but that is what happened.

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It changed me. And I am better for it. I practice analytical meditation every day, usually early in the morning. The first two minutes are still the hardest, as I create my thought bubble and let it float above me. After that, I reach what can best be described as a “flow” state, in which 20 to 30 minutes pass easily.

I am more convinced than ever that even the most ardent skeptics could find success with analytical meditation.

Over the holidays, I spent as much time as possible relaying the Dalai Lama’s teachings to my family and friends and teaching them basic principles of analytical meditation. This was the gift I most wanted to share with them. And now with you.

April Ryan: The press is ‘under attack by this administration’

Story highlights

  • “I happen to be a black woman, but I’m part of the press,” Ryan said
  • Spicer told Ryan to “stop shaking your head” at a White House briefing

“We are — the press is — under attack. We are under attack by this administration,” American Urban Radio Networks correspondent April Ryan said on CNN’s “New Day.” “It’s about discrediting credible media.”

Spicer told Ryan at Tuesday’s briefing to “stop shaking your head” and accused her of being “hell-bent on trying to make sure that whatever image you want to tell about this White House stays,” after she asked him about the investigation into contacts between Trump campaign associates and Russian officials.

Ryan, one of the few black female journalists in the press briefing room, declined to say if she thought Spicer treated women journalists differently but did highlight another recent incident involving Spicer and another female journalist.

“I happen to be a black woman, but I’m part of the press,” she said. “But this is part of a series of two women this week who have been in the news over something with the press secretary.”

“I just see from the weekend that reporter from Politico who he called an idiot and then this situation, it’s showing a pattern,” Ryan added.

Ryan was referring to a Saturday tweet from Politico’s Tara Palmeri that said President Donald Trump is considering removing White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. Spicer denied her report.
“She is an idiot with no real sources,” Spicer told Breitbart News in an email.

Spicer and Ryan had a much more positive exchange at Wednesday’s briefing when Ryan was the first journalist the press secretary called on. The two exchanged pleasantries while smiling and laughing as others in the room laughed.

Ryan previously had a tense exchange in February with Trump over his desire to meet with black lawmakers.

When questioned on whether he planned to meet with the Congressional Black Caucus, a group of African-American lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Trump asked Ryan if she could organize it herself.

“No,” Ryan replied, adding that she was “just a reporter.”

Clinton makes political remarks

“There is no place I’d rather be than here with you,” Clinton said, before adding: “Other than the White House.”

During her keynote address at the annual conference hosted by the Professional BusinessWomen of California, Clinton spoke largely about women’s equality and peppered in criticism of President Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

“Obviously the outcome of the election wasn’t the one I hoped for, worked for, but I will never stop speaking out for common sense benefits that will allow moms and dads to stay on the job,” Clinton said.

Besides a few comments in public gatherings and tweets from her personal account, Clinton has largely laid low since the election. She was spotted after the election in the woods near her New York home and, along with her husband former President Bill Clinton, she attended Trump’s inauguration.

She called Republicans’ attempted replacement for the Affordable Care Act “a disastrous bill,” adding that the Trump administration has been “met with a wave of resistance” that indicates the protests against Trump’s policies are just getting started.

“People who had never been active in politics told their stories at town hall meetings.” Clinton said. “They were people who had something to say and were determined to be heard.”

During the question and answer portion of her appearance, she grew incredulous at the GOP health care debate.

“Really? Take away maternity care?” Clinton said. “Who do these people talk to?”

Clinton also focused on issues like inclusivity and diversity of women in the workplace and the need for the private sector to make better efforts to bring more women to the table.

“Advancing the rights and opportunities of women and girls is the great unfinished business of the 21st century,” she said, while noting that women’s representation in Washington is “the lowest it’s been in a generation.”

‘A lifetime of practice’

The former secretary of state also responded to racially charged incidents directed at two prominent black women today.

In one, White House press Secretary Sean Spicer told April Ryan, a longtime White House correspondent and one of the few black women journalists in the press briefing room, to “stop shaking your head” and accused her of being “hell-bent on trying to make sure that whatever image you want to tell about this White House stays.”

In another, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly came under fire for racist comments mocking Rep. Maxine Waters’ hair, saying her hair looked like a “James Brown wig.”

O’Reilly later apologized, but not after a slew of controversy. Tuesday, Clinton said Waters had been “taunted by a racist joke about her hair.”

Women of color, said Clinton, have “a lifetime of practice taking precisely these kinds of indignities in stride.”

‘Resist, insist’

On the policy front, Clinton criticized the US for still not having a national paid family leave policy and said those who do benefit from such policies are often among the highest income workers. Clinton called on the private sector to do more to help.

“You’re the people who figured out how to fit computers in the palms of our hands,” she said. “You have the power.”

But overall, Clinton offered an optimistic tone in the face of Trump’s victory.

“Where some see a dark vision of carnage, I see a light shining on creativity and opportunity,” she said, referencing the inaugural address.

She offered the audience her new mantra: “Resist, insist, persist, enlist.”

She encouraged the audience to “resist actions that go against our values as Americans,” insist on “putting people first,” “persist” like Sen. Elizabeth Warren did when she was prevented from reading a letter written by Coretta Scott King about Sen. Jeff Sessions, and “enlist” others by running for office or opening a business.

“I’ll be right there with you every step of the way,” she said.

What caused deadly outbreak at these hospitals

UPMC informed the Allegheny County Health Department, Pennsylvania Department of Health, and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that its independent testing led UPMC officials to believe the linens were the likely source of the outbreak, according to the emails.

The new emails reveal additional testing seeking to pinpoint the source of the outbreak.

An email sent May 5, 2016, by Jeff Miller, a field epidemiologist for the CDC, said that environmental samples were taken on February 21, 22 and April 21, 2016, at UPMC Presbyterian and Montefiore hospitals and Paris Co. laundry facilities. The testing was requested by UPMC and conducted by an independent contractor.

A whole genome sequencing report by an independent laboratory based on these specimens “[suggests] that fungi from Paris have been brought into the [Presbyterian University Hospital] laundry,” according to the report provided in the email.

“It is looking more likely than ever, that the linen vendor is the more likely potential source of mucor as you can see by the reports,” said an email sent by Allegheny County Health Department Chief Epidemiologist LuAnn Brink on June 21, 2016, in which she shared “notes from UPMC.” It is unknown who from UPMC sent Brink the notes. Mucor is a species of mucormycosis, which are fungal spores commonly found outdoors. However, they can cause a rare and sometimes fatal fungal infection in patients who are immunocompromised, according to the CDC.

A whole genome sequencing report compares environmental samples from which the DNA has been extracted and sequenced to show the fingerprint of the sample at a high resolution, according to Dr. Barun Mathema, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health who CNN contacted independently on Monday.

“Nobody is a 100% sure, if you read carefully, there will always be a bit of a wiggle room caveat,” said Mathema, who was not involved in testing the samples from Pittsburgh. In general, it is rare that epidemiological testing comes to an absolutely conclusive result because of variables that come into play when epidemiologists attempt to replicate the exact environment in which the case occurred.

Additional testing

This isn’t the first report to link the mold outbreak to hospital linens. In a separate, UPMC-contracted internal report, testing conducted on February 1, 2016 by hospital environmental specialists Andrew Streifel and Michael Buck found a heavy buildup of lint and mold near the Paris Co. linen facility vent through which unfiltered air dried the linens.

When Streifel and Buck went to the hospitals and tested linen from Paris Co., a cart of wet sheets delivered to the Montefiore laundry storage area bore “heavy fungal growth of Mucor and rhizopus,” according to their report, which was not made public until early 2017.

“Our hospitals are safe, and our ongoing monitoring and testing show no evidence of a mold outbreak. We and the nation’s top health regulators have found no definitive or unifying cause of the previous infections, which are known to occur on occasion at most major medical centers,” UPMC spokeswoman Allison Hydzik said in a statement to CNN when asked to respond to the contents of these emails.

UPMC “will address specific allegations in court and not in the media,” Hydzik said.

The Allegheny County Health Department provided CNN with the emails, which were incorrectly redacted to reveal more information than intended. The emails were provided in response to an open records request under the state’s Right to Know Law. The county records department withheld several other emails on the grounds of privacy for patients’ information.

“While we were made aware of all steps that UPMC was taking to identify potential sources, including looking at linens, there was no identification of the linens as the source of the outbreak. Similarly, as has already been stated by the department, ACHD was an observer in this process, not the regulatory agency looking into this,” Allegheny County Health Department spokeswoman Melissa Wade said in a statement to CNN when asked about the emails.

“Our products are safe. We have nothing to hide. We have followed and continue to follow protocols of the Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council by providing hygienically clean linens to our customers,” Paris Co. CEO Dave Stern said in a statement to CNN when asked about the content of the emails.

CDC and state officials respond

In a phone interview this week, Sharon Watkins, director of the bureau of epidemiology for the Pennsylvania Department of Health said the mold investigation is continuing. At no time has the state or the CDC determined that linens were the most likely cause of the UPMC mold outbreak, she said.

“I don’t know why anyone would say that,” Watkins said, referring to the email that said “the linen vendor is the more likely potential source of mucor.”

UPMC is required to provide the Pennsylvania Department of Health with regular updates concerning the investigation, Pennsylvania Department of Health spokeswoman April Hutcheson said.

Since May 2016, the Pennsylvania health department has been “in constant consultation with the CDC on this issue, including epidemiological evaluation of new information, a site visit, and current review of system-wide UPMC data,” Hutcheson told CNN in a statement when asked about the emails.

“There is no evidence to indicate an ongoing outbreak at this time; however, the state health department is in the process of reviewing additional information as part of the ongoing investigation.”

The UPMC hospital system mold outbreak began in October 2014. By September 2015, four patients had died of fungal infections at UPMC Presbyterian and Montefiore hospitals. By that time, the transplant ICU at Presbyterian had temporarily closed.

In September 2015, while the Presbyterian transplant ICU was closed, the CDC investigated possible sources of the mold outbreak. The results of the investigation were published in the May 2016 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Investigators said that the fatal infections were not attributed to the mold-covered linens, but rather to ventilation that may have allowed dust and mold spores to enter the hospital rooms.

The CDC maintains that conclusion despite what the newly uncovered emails say, Skinner said. The CDC findings were not addressed in the recently released emails.

In May 2016, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf again requested the CDC consult with the state health department and UPMC because a fifth fungal infection recipient had been identified in the Presbyterian ICU, CDC spokesperson Tom Skinner told CNN when asked about the content of the emails. Wolf’s press secretary, J.J. Abbott, confirmed the request in an email to CNN.

That additional patient was Daniel Krieg, a kidney transplant patient who died in July 2016. UPMC medical reports show Krieg had fungal pneumonia and that fungal-infected sections of his left lung were removed. A CDC representative returned to UPMC on June 22, 2016, with officials from the state and county departments of health to discuss the outbreak and Krieg’s case, Skinner told CNN on Monday.

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An agenda in the newly revealed emails said health officials were to discuss laundry processes at Presbyterian, Montefiore, and Shadyside hospitals at the June 22, 2016 CDC visit.

The day before that visit, an June 21, 2016, email sent by Brink also said that UPMC was working with the linen vendor to “improve their product.” The email also said the hospital system was “aggressively pursuing” an alternative linen solution for all transplant patients in the ICU at Presbyterian hospital.

UPMC said in a January 2016 statement that high-risk transplant patients would receive linens with a lower bacterial count going forward. Hospital linens are required to be “hygienically clean,” according to the Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council. (PDF) That means linens are not sterile, but in a clean state, free of pathogens in sufficient numbers to minimize risk of infection, and the clean textiles are not inadvertently contaminated before use, according to the CDC.

“Despite the lack of a definitive source, UPMC still went above and beyond state and federal recommendations in order to implement changes to protect our patients. One of the many changes includes the provision of specially treated bioburden-reduced linens to our highest risk transplant patients,” UPMC spokeswoman Hydzik told CNN previously.

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Scientology, explained

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