A Guide to the President’s Proposed (and Politicized) Health Care Plans President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump meet with survivors, families, hospital staff, and first responders, Wednesday, August 7, 2019, at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo Credit: Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks, Public Domain) … [Read more...]
About Scott Berls
Up in Smoke: A Recap of Vaping’s Legal and PR Issues
In just five years, vaping has turned from a hot national trend into a roaring wildfire of public health and legal concerns. Keeping track of this on-going story, and looking through the public relations smoke from the vaping companies, isn’t always easy. This article is a complete up-to-date guide to help you keep track of the latest: What … [Read more...]
Trump Administration Pushes for Unprecedented Liquidation of Alaska’s Public Lands
Is the Alaskan wilderness for sale? Millions of acres of public lands face sale, transfer or exploitation as the Trump Administration signals the start of one of the largest liquidations of public lands in the nation’s history. Proponents say major upheaval to Alaska’s land and wildlife is necessary to combat the state’s snowballing … [Read more...]
Death in the Desert
For decades, the U.S. government has used deaths as a metric when measuring the security of the border. At over 100,000 square miles, the Sonoran Desert is a hot, harsh wasteland which stretches across the U.S.-Mexico border. It’s a desert which tells a story. Scattered across the red sand, among the sagebrush and cacti, you’ll find … [Read more...]
Contaminated Heart Medication Leads to Massive Lawsuits
Extent of Patient Exposure Remains Unknown All prescription medications have a risk of side effects. Typically, those side effects include sleepiness, nausea and other mild issues. Certainly, nobody expects to take a prescription drug and wind up with cancer as a result. Unfortunately, a deadly carcinogen has contaminated an ingredient … [Read more...]
Lead Poisoning Epidemic Engulfs Syracuse, New York
Lead-Based Paint Harming Hundreds of Children in Low-Income Areas The dangers of lead are nothing new. For over 100 years, people have been aware exposure to lead can cause a variety of health problems, and that children are particularly at risk. But lead-based dangers were considered relatively under control. Lead has been banned from gasoline, … [Read more...]
9th Circuit Court Rules DACA Allowed to Continue
Fate of Childhood Immigrants Soon Likely in the Hands of Supreme Court While 800,000 DACA recipients currently reside within the United States, they can just as easily be described as living in a state of limbo. Between recent court rulings, potential future court rulings and ever-present hostility from the Trump Administration, the status of DACA … [Read more...]
Chicago Struggles to Implement Consent Decree
Massive Police Department Reforms Opposed by Federal Government, Police Unions On October 20, 2014, a 17-year-old African American named Laquan McDonald was fatally shot by Chicago Police Office Jason Van Dyke. Initially, the police department claimed the shooting was justified because the teen had been erratically brandishing a knife. However, … [Read more...]
Court Rules Federal Obamacare Subsidy Payments Must Be Made
Despite the continued efforts of the Trump Administration, the Affordable Care Act refuses to die. A recent attempt to end subsidy payments was reversed by a federal court – and the government could now be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars. What exactly happened and how could your health coverage be affected? Here’s a closer … [Read more...]
Can Civil Litigation Help Curb Human Sex Trafficking?
Human sex trafficking has the dubious distinction of being one of the fastest growing crimes in the world – as well as one of the hardest to stop. But a new, somewhat unusual legal strategy is showing great promise in fighting a terrible industry. Instead of focusing on criminal prosecution, victims are filing civil lawsuits. How can civil … [Read more...]
