In Maryland, the Montgomery County Council has introduced a resolution deeming racism a public health crisis.
In an interview with Cheddar, councilmember Will Jawando says disparities the black community faces are staggering. Recent social uprisings might have lit the flame under Jawando to introduce the resolution but the issue of racial inequality goes back hundreds of years, he said.
"Racism is the direct result, for 401 years, we've been either property or legally discriminated against for most of that time," Jawando told Cheddar.
In Montgomery County, systemic racism is not limited to just over-assertive and sometimes lethal policing of the black community, he said. It's also running rampant in the healthcare system. As COVID-19 continues to ravage communities of color nationwide, 18 percent of the black population in his county makes up a quarter of the deaths related to the virus.
For Jawando, racism in the Washington DC suburb is simply a reflection of society on a smaller scale.
"If you look at maternal health and childbirth, black women die at three times the rate," he said. "When they come in with problems, often doctors — look at Serena Williams — don't believe that they're sick."
Introducing the resolution, which he expects to pass next week, is a first step for curing the public health crisis in his county, Jawando said, but he hopes the measure is eventually recognized on both the state and federal levels. He also supports other methods of combating racism including the growing call to defund police departments nationwide.
"We shouldn't have stats driven by policing," he explained. "De-escalation, that should be rewarded just as much as we reward arrests and tickets."
Robin Koval, CEO and president of the anti-smoking Truth Initiative spoke to Cheddar on Thursday about the FDA's decision to seek restrictions on flavored nicotine products and menthol cigarettes. She said she's pleased with the progress, but is calling for more robust restrictions.
The FDA is moving forward with its proposal to restrict sales of most flavored e-cigarettes including popular brand Juul.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
Amazon announced Tuesday that it will split its second headquarters in two, placing half the workforce in New York City and the other half in Northern Virginia. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is a supporter of the move and told Cheddar its residual impact will benefit the entire region.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) spoke with Cheddar's J.D. Durkin about Amazon's move to Crystal City and what it means for the people of Virginia. "This is both going to be an economic driver and, frankly, put this region more on the map as a tech headquarters," Warner told Cheddar.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018.
While President Trump and Florida Gov. Rick Scott continue to claim the recount in three tight Florida races is rampant with abuse, state law enforcement authorities say they have no concrete allegation of voter fraud to investigate. Ana Ceballos, politics reporter for the USA Today Network in Florida, updated Cheddar on the latest.
Not many Californians are pleased with President Trump's weekend Twitter response to the wildfires that are devastating parts of California ー especially not Congressman-elect Harley Rouda. Fresh off a victory in California's 48th Congressional District, the newly-elected House Democrat had some choice words for the president during an interview on Cheddar Monday.
Over the weekend, the NRA criticized doctors for advocating for gun control by telling them to "stay in your lane." That was swiftly met with an online movement of doctors sharing their stories of seeing the aftermath of gun violence up close.
Dr. Ana Maria Lopez, president of the American College of Physicians, told Cheddar that physicians live by a code that requires them to address gun violence as a crisis.
