TV News LIES

Two teams of astronomers have discovered methyl isocyanate, an organic compound and chemical building block for life, surrounding newborn sun-like stars.

"This family of organic molecules is involved in the synthesis of peptides and amino acids, which, in the form of proteins, are the biological basis for life as we know it," researchers explained in a news release.

The infant star system, IRAS 16293-2422, has previously yielded evidence of sugar molecules.

More...

A new review paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that a growing body of empirical evidence shows how presidential elections can have effects on physical and mental health, and can influence behavior.

Specifically, they found evidence that suggests that the campaign and subsequent election of Donald Trump has had a negative effect on the mental well-being of Americans, and in particular those in marginalized groups who are vulnerable to discrimination.

Lawmakers in Texas largely failed to take significant action to address the state’s skyrocketing rate of pregnancy-related deaths just months after researchers found it to be the highest in not only the U.S., but the developed world.

Legislators introduced proposals to address the issue after a University of Maryland-led study found that Texas’ maternal mortality rate doubled between 2010 and 2012. But several key measures didn’t even make it to a legislative vote, falling victim to Republican infighting over other issues.

More...

President Donald Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the landmark Paris climate change agreement has drawn strong criticism both at home and abroad, with world and local leaders pledging their support for the accord regardless of Washington's withdrawal.

Trump announced on Thursday that he would abandon the agreement, saying it was his solemn duty to protect "America and its citizens". He said the US would "withdraw from the Paris climate accord, but begin negotiations to re-enter the Paris accord or a new transaction on terms that are fair to the United States".

Raymond J. Pfeifer, who spent eight months digging through the toxic debris of the collapsed World Trade Center for the remains of fellow firefighters and other victims and years lobbying, successfully, for health benefits for those who survived, died on Sunday in a hospice in Port Washington, N.Y. He was 59.

The cause was complications of cancers he contracted while searching the Lower Manhattan site after the 2001 terrorist attack, his wife, Caryn, said.

“I’m being poisoned, and I’m dying, every single day, because of terrorism,” Mr. Pfeifer told WPIX-TV in 2014.

Montana Republican congressional candidate Greg Gianforte was issued a citation late Wednesday after he allegedly “body-slammed” a reporter at a campaign event on the eve of a hotly contested special election.

Ben Jacobs, a reporter for The Guardian tweeted that Gianforte “body-slammed me and broke my glasses” at a campaign event in Bozeman, Montana — minutes before what was to be the last campaign rally of the campaign. Jacobs said he had asked Gianforte about a new budget analysis of House Republicans' effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

President Donald Trump plans to select Marc Kasowitz — his longtime, New York-based lawyer — to lead his outside legal team as an investigation of Russian election interference heats up, an administration official said.

Kasowitz has represented Trump in legal matters for decades and is considered to have the president’s trust. He has a well-established rapport with Trump and has spoken to him regularly since Trump was sworn into office.

In selecting Kasowitz, Trump once again is turning to a person with extensive experience working with him — rather than a seasoned, Washington-based operator — to deal with a high-profile challenge.