CDC Cartoon

Romney leads among likely 2016 Iowa Republican caucusgoers in new poll

Iowa Republicans are hoping Mitt Romney will change his mind about running for president in 2016.
Despite the 2012 Republican nominee’s continued assertions that he will not run for president again, Romney is still the top pick for likely Iowa Republican 2016 caucusgoers, according to a Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa poll released Tuesday.
Romney was the top vote-getter in the poll with 17 percent and Dr. Ben Carson, a conservative neurosurgeon who has never held public office, came in second with 11 percent.
Carson told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Monday night that the chances of him running are “50/50.”
Iowa Republicans were less enthusiastic about other potential candidates, most of whom currently hold public office and are better nationally recognized.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul came in third in the poll with 10 percent, but New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush failed to make waves with 6 percent and 4 percent each.
The poll results came a day after Romney’s wife Ann insisted to the Los Angeles Times that there was no chance of a third Romney presidential bid.
“Done,” she said. “Completely. Not only Mitt and I are done, but the kids are done. Done. Done. Done.”
On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had a wide lead on the competition with 53 percent. Massachussets Sen. Elizabeth Warren came in second with 10 percent.

Pentagon withheld information about decades-old chemical weapons during Iraq War, report claims

This photo shows the interior of a chemical weapons facility in Iraq (AP)

American troops were exposed to chemical weapons multiple times in the years following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, while the Pentagon kept their discoveries of the expired or degraded weapons secret from investigators, fellow soldiers, and military doctors, according to a published report. 
The New York Times reported late Tuesday that American troops reported finding approximately 5,000 chemical warheads, shells, or aviation bombs in the years following the 2003 invasion of Iraq. On at least six occasions, soldiers were wounded by those weapons, which had been manufactured before 1991. In all, the paper reported that 17 U.S. soldiers and seven Iraqi police officers were exposed to chemical agents during the war. The U.S. government said its number was slightly higher, but did not release a specific figure. 
The paper reported that most of the agents were discovered around the Muthanna State Establishment northwest of Baghdad, which had been a center of chemical weapons production in the 1980s. The complex has been held by Islamic State militants since June. The Iraqi government told the United Nations that approximately 2,500 chemical rockets remained on the grounds of the facility when it had fallen to the militants. 
In the months after the 2003 invasion, The Times reports, the Pentagon first made searching for chemical weapons a lower priority in the midst of attacks from insurgents, then withheld data from high-level investigations, including the Iraq Study Group in 2004 and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in 2006. During the latter investigation, the paper reports, U.S. soldiers discovered more than 2,400 chemical rockets, some containing sarin gas, at a former Republican Guard compund. All appeared to have been buried before the first Gulf War in 1991. 
As late as 2010, Iraqi troops were discovering chemical weapons that appeared to have been collected elsewhere by U.S. or Iraqi army units and had not been secured properly, according to The Times. The ultimate responsibility for locating, securing, and destroying the weapons was to fall to Nouri al-Maliki's Iraqi government. The paper reports that a plan was drafted to entomb the Muthanna site in concrete, but the remains of the facility were overrun by Islamic State before the plan could be put into action. 
The Times also reports that as the U.S. stay in Iraq dragged on, doctors became less aware of how to treat wounds sustained by chemical weapons. Military officials reportedly attributed the soldiers' wounds to conventional weapons or other factors to prevent acknowledging the discovery of pre-1991 chemical weapons. In one case, a wounded soldier who suffered burns and blisters due to mustard gas was presented with a Purple Heart by former Secretary of the Army Peter Geren. Weeks later, he was told that he had been denied the medal because the Army had determined that his wounds had not been suffered in enemy action. 
The Army reportedly admitted to The Times that it had not followed its guidelines for treating soldiers exposed to chemical weapons in the years following the invasion. It vowed to identify troops and veterans who had been exposed and follow up on their cases.

Dallas nurses allege 'no protocol, no system' in treatment of Ebola patient

Nurses at a Dallas hospital have claimed that a haphazard and sloppy care system was maintained during the treatment of Thomas Eric Duncan, who became the first person to die of the Ebola virus in America last week. 
The caregivers at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital alleged that Duncan was left in an open area of the hospital's emergency room for hours and that nurses worked for days without protective gear in a statement released late Tuesday by the largest U.S. nurses' union. 
The statement from the nurses came two days after one of their own, 26-year-old Nina Pham, tested positive for the virus and entered treatment at the hospital. She is listed as being in stable condition. Pham was one of over 70 staffers who cared for Duncan during his illness and who are being monitored for possible infection.  
Deborah Burger of National Nurses United claimed that the nurses were forced to use medical tape to secure openings in their garments, worried that their necks and heads were exposed as they cared for a patient whose symptoms included explosive diarrhea and projectile vomiting.
RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director of Nurses United, said the statement came from "several" and "a few" nurses, but she refused repeated inquiries to state how many. She said the organization had vetted the claims, and that the nurses cited were in a position to know what had occurred at the hospital. She refused to elaborate.
Wendell Watson, a Presbyterian spokesman, did not respond to specific claims by the nurses but said the hospital has not received similar complaints.
"Patient and employee safety is our greatest priority and we take compliance very seriously," he said in a statement. "We have numerous measures in place to provide a safe working environment, including mandatory annual training and a 24/7 hotline and other mechanisms that allow for anonymous reporting."
He said the hospital would "review and respond to any concerns raised by our nurses and all employees."
Among the other allegations raised by the nurses are that Duncan's lab samples were allowed to travel through the hospital's pneumatic tubes, opening the possibility of contaminating the specimen delivery system. The nurses also alleged that hazardous waste was allowed to pile up to the ceiling.
The statement also claimed that Duncan was initially kept in a non-isolated area of the hospital's emergency room for several hours before being moved. Patients who were exposed to him were allegedly only kept in isolation for a day before being moved to be with other patients. In the same vein, the nurses claim that they were made to treat other patients while also treating Duncan, and were offered no more than an optional seminar to deal with changing guidelines. 
 "There was no advance preparedness on what to do with the patient, there was no protocol, there was no system," Burger said.
Even today, Burger said, some hospital staff at the Dallas hospital do not have proper equipment to handle the outbreak.
"Hospital managers have assured nurses that proper equipment has been ordered but it has not arrived yet," she said.
The nurses' statement said they had to "interact with Mr. Duncan with whatever protective equipment was available," even as he produced "a lot of contagious fluids." Duncan's medical records, which his family shared with The Associated Press, underscore some of those concerns.
Almost 12 hours after he arrived in the emergency room by ambulance, his hospital chart says Duncan "continues to have explosive diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and projectile vomiting." He was feverish and in pain.
When Ebola was suspected but unconfirmed, a doctor wrote "using the disposable shoe covers should also be considered." At that point, by all protocols, those shoe covers should have been mandatory to prevent anyone from tracking contagious body fluids around the hospital.
A few days later, however, entries in the hospital charts suggest that protection was improving.
"RN entered room in Tyvek suits, triple gloves, triple boots, and respirator cap in place," wrote a nurse.
The Presbyterian nurses are not represented by Nurses United or any other union. DeMoro and Burger said the nurses claimed they had been warned by the hospital not to speak to the media or they would be fired. They did not specify whether the nurses making the claims were among Duncan's caregivers.
The AP has attempted since last week to contact dozens of individuals involved in Duncan's care. Those who responded to reporters' inquiries have so far been unwilling to speak.
David R. Wright, deputy regional administrator for the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which monitors patient safety and has the authority to withhold federal funding, said his agency is going to want to get all of the information the nurses provided.
"We can't talk about whether we're going to investigate or not, but we'd be interested in hearing that information," he said.
CDC officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Duncan first sought care at the hospital's ER late on Sept. 25 and was sent home the next morning. He was rushed by ambulance back to the hospital on Sept. 28. Unlike his first visit, mention of his recent arrival from Liberia immediately roused suspicion of an Ebola risk, records show.
The CDC said Tuesday 76 people at the hospital could have been exposed to Duncan after his second ER visit. Another 48 people are being monitored for possible exposure before he was hospitalized.

Turkey Categorically Denies Letting U.S. Use Their Air base Against ISIS

WASHINGTON — Turkish leaders on Monday denied they had struck an agreement with the United States over using their bases to bomb ISIS militants in Syria — an embarrassing diplomatic setback a day after US leaders touted the deal.
On Sunday, US defense officials said Turkey would allow the use of its bases — including the key southern one of Incirlik 100 miles from Syria’s border — in operations against the jihadists.
National Security Adviser Susan Rice also hailed an agreement to train moderate Syrian forces at Turkish facilities. “That’s a new commitment, and one that we very much welcome,” she said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
But Monday, Turkish officials rejected the US claims.
“There is no new agreement with the United States,” a Turkish official said. “Negotiations are continuing.”

Hillary Clinton touts affordable higher education at $225G Las Vegas speech

Hillary Clinton called for businesses to collaborate with universities to make higher education more affordable at a $225,000 speech Monday night at the annual University of Nevada Las Vegas Foundation dinner. 
"Higher education shouldn’t be a privilege for those able to afford it," Clinton told a crowd of approximately 900 people. "It should be an opportunity widely available for anybody with the talent, determination and ambition."
The former Secretary of State said that many students are affected by student loan debt "that can feel like an anchor dragging them down," and praised President Obama for increasing federal Pell grants by $1,000. 
Clinton first made headlines in June for the address when it was revealed UNLV is paying Clinton the steep rate to speak at the foundation's ritzy dinner at the Bellagio hotel and casino. 
UNLV students protested her visit, insisting the university instead spend the money on scholarships -- as tuition at the school will increase by 17 percent over the next four years. 
“You could give scholarships to thousands of students, benefit research on campus, give more students grants for research and studying,” Daniel Waqar, student relations director for the UNLV Student Government, told Nevada political journalist Jon Ralston in June. 
The top donor tables at the event cost between $3,000 and $20,000 each. The university says that the UNLV Foundation raised over $350,000 from those donors alone, while an additional $235,000 was raised from a pledge drive held during the dinner, more than recouping the cost of Clinton's speech. 
The speaking fee is expected to go toward the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation. 
Monday's event was just the latest of many high-priced talks the Clintons routinely have given -- which clashed with Hillary Clinton's claim during her recent book tour that she and her husband were "dead broke" when they left the White House in 2001. 
Before appearing at the Bellagio, Clinton made a stop in Denver to campaign for Colorado Sen. Mark Udall and later appeared at a Nevada Democratic Party fundraiser in Las Vegas with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The Las Vegas Sun reported that VIP tickets to the fundraiser at the Aria resort cost $10,000 each.
This was Clinton’s third official visit to Sin City since March. Most recently, she spoke at the Clean Energy Summit in September.

Greg Abbott shrugs off Wendy Davis 'wheelchair' ad, says it's 'her prerogative'

WASHINGTON –  Texas Attorney General and GOP gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott shrugged off a campaign ad by Democrat Wendy Davis invoking the accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down and left him relying on the use of a wheelchair.
"If she wants to attack a guy in a wheelchair, that's her prerogative," Abbott told Fox News' Sean Hannity Monday evening. "As for me, I'm running a different type of campaign ... I will focus on the future of Texas while my opponent continues to attack me."
Davis dug in Monday in the face of heavy criticism, claiming at a Fort Worth news conference that the ad was designed to portray Abbott as someone who worked against the disabled. During her remarks, Davis was flanked by disability rights activists, including two people in wheelchairs. 
Asked by a reporter if the ad exploits Abbott’s disability, Davis said, “This ad is about one thing. And one thing only. It’s about Greg Abbott’s hypocrisy.”
Abbott disagreed, telling Hannity, "It shows that her campaign is focused on one thing, and that is attacking me ... I don't think it's going to sell real well, so I'm going to stay focused on the future." The candidate then linked Davis' campaign to President Obama, saying, "Most of what I'm running on is trying to solve the problems he has created, even here in Texas. My opponent is having to run from Barack Obama, and all she can do is attack me."
The ad from Davis has faced bipartisan criticism since its release late last week. Seizing on this, Abbott’s camp on Monday released a compilation of sound bites from political roundtables and panel discussions criticizing Davis’ ad and likening it to a “Hail Mary” pass. The Abbott campaign website likewise is filled with clips of criticism of the ad. The head of the Texas GOP called it "despicable." 
The 30-second Davis ad released Friday goes where no campaign ad of hers has gone before. It opens with an image of a wheelchair, and then criticizes Abbott for allegedly not doing enough to help other victims, despite himself receiving a large monetary settlement after a falling branch paralyzed him. It criticizes Abbott, currently the Texas attorney general, for supporting legislation that limits awards on legal settlements and other positions. 
The narrator in the ad says, “A tree fell on Greg Abbott. He sued and got millions. Since then, he’s spent his career working against other victims.” 
Texas GOP Chairman Steve Munisteri swiftly called on Davis to apologize to the disabled community. 
"I expect in campaigns that candidates will run negative and misleading ads; however, I never expected a candidate to use another candidate's physical disability as a prop in an ad or to their advantage," Munisteri said in a statement. "The Wendy Davis ad is easily the most offensive and despicable ad I have seen in my 42 years in politics. ... Using a wheelchair as a prop for political advantage is an affront to all disabled people." 
Davis, though, defended the ad.
“In 1984, Greg Abbott sought out and received justice following a horrible injury, rightly so … receiving millions of dollars. And I’m glad, he deserved justice for the terrible tragedy that he endured,” Davis said during the press conference. “But then he turned around and built his career working to deny the very same justice that he received to his fellow Texans rightly seeking it for themselves.” 
Davis’ ad is the first by an Abbott opponent to make an issue of his use of a wheelchair, though Abbott’s own ads have drawn attention to his disability.
“Some politicians talk about having a spine of steel. I actually have one,” Abbott said in 2013 when he launched his gubernatorial campaign.
Davis spokesman Zac Patkanas also defended the ad to The Associated Press, calling it "incredibly powerful" and a fair critique of Abbott as a hypocrite when it comes to his personal health versus public policy.

Oregon gov's fiancee reportedly helped buy land for marijuana grow in 1997

Cylvia Hayes, the fiancee of Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, jointly bought land intended to be used for an illegal marijuana growing operation in 1997, according to a published report. 
KOIN-TV reported late Monday that Hayes bought the $245,000 property in Washington state with another man using a $15,000 down payment in November of that year. The man who sold the couple the land told the station that they soon stopped making payments and records showed that Hayes gave up her interest in the property in April 1998. She moved to Oregon three months later. 
Hayes issued a statement saying that she was "not proud of that brief period of time" and claimed that "I was involved in an abusive relationship with a dangerous man." KION reports that the ex-boyfriend, whose name has not been released, has a history of domestic violence convictions.
Last week, Hayes admitted that she was paid to enter a fraudulent marriage to help an Ethiopian immigrant remain in the United States, also in 1997. She's also under fire for earning money from organizations seeking to influence state policy.
The man who sold Hayes and her then-boyfriend the land, a real estate broker named Patrick Siemion, told KOIN, "There was somewhat of a leader-follower [dynamic] there, and she was leading and the gentleman was following."
"She did all the talking, all the negotiating," Siemion told The Oregonian. "I remember her saying, `Oh this is just the perfect place, we're so happy to have it.'"
Hayes said she was never financially involved in the marijuana grow, and shortly after moving there "began to make plans to get away. 
"I did not pay any part of the down payment or mortgage payments," she said. "I had no money. The money I had received in July 1997 for entering a fraudulent marriage was used as I have previously stated -- to purchase a laptop and pay school expenses."
Siemion told The Oregonian that he found marijuana trimmings in an upstairs bedroom after the property went into foreclosure. He said he did not see marijuana plants but found fertilizer and irrigation tubing that he considered evidence of a grow.
Hayes got engaged over the summer to Kitzhaber, the Democratic governor who is seeking a fourth term in next month's election.
Kitzhaber's Republican rival, state Rep. Dennis Richardson, has tried to keep the focus on Hayes' consulting work, arguing that Hayes' outside work is part of a pattern of missteps that show Kitzhaber's administration is "inept and unethical."
Kitzhaber on Monday asked a state commission for a formal opinion on whether Hayes is subject to state ethics laws and, if so, whether she's broken them.
Kitzhaber says his office has taken care to make sure that Hayes' consulting work doesn't pose a conflict of interest, including proactively reviewing her contracts before she agreed to work. But all three contracts made public by the governor's office were reviewed only after they went into effect.
A decision by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission is unlikely to come before the election. The commission can take up to 120 days to respond, and there are no scheduled meetings before the Nov. 4 election.
Before Kitzhaber was elected governor, Hayes ran a consulting business, 3E Strategies, that worked on renewable energy issues. As first lady, she's taken a public and active role, advising the governor on energy policy while advocating programs that reduce hunger and poverty. She's uncompensated and has continued her outside consulting.
The governor's office has released copies of three contracts from 2013 worth nearly $86,000, along with draft and final conflict disclosure forms. The drafts, dated in July 2013, suggest Hayes couldn't use her first lady title in her consulting work or any state facilities, including Mahonia Hall, the governor's official residence.
But the final versions of the documents include exceptions, allowing Hayes to call herself first lady in "a biographical profile" and use Mahonia Hall for meetings on contracts already obtained.
Rachel Wray, a spokeswoman for Kitzhaber's office, said the documents were changed after Hayes "asked for clarification."