After 26 years, the US has lost its measles elimination status | CNN
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Thanks to widespread vaccination, measles had been considered “eliminated” as a continually transmitting illness in the United States since 2000. But not anymore.

Thanks to widespread vaccination, measles had been considered “eliminated” as a continually transmitting illness in the United States since 2000 – but not anymore.

An independent commission of experts that reports to the director of the Pan American Health Organization determined that the US no longer qualified as having eliminated measles, a source close to the process told CNN on Friday. The news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The decision was widely expected after years of falling vaccination levels and surging case counts, but it’s still a black mark on the nation’s public health policy.

  • arrow74@lemmy.zip
    1·
    1 day ago

    Large portions of the act expired in 2020 and it didn’t erase seperation of powers. It did allow the executive branch to do more but Congress still retained the ability to stop it with a 2/3rds vote or a simple majority if the executive branch agreed. The normal legislative process was still in effect.

    While I disagree with the act in many ways, claiming it entirely removed seperation of powers is just demonstrably false.

    • A_norny_mousse@piefed.socialEnglish
      1·
      11 hours ago

      OK however ruling by decree is still unthinkable in most “democratic” countries. I thought it had something to do with the Patriot Act.

      Also this:

      Basically imagine the AFD controls every power in the government. If I recall Germany has some more rigidity in the constitution with certain provisions that can never be changed. Which helps a lot, but overall the German system is strikingly similar to the American one. It is a bit more refined though

      That’s pretty much what happened in 1933, and that’s why it’s “a bit more refined” now.

      • arrow74@lemmy.zip
        1·
        11 hours ago

        Oh no executive orders are rather old. They became a bigger deal in the 1920s with the creation of many of our government agencies.

        However they’re still limited in scope. Trump has used them to do some things that no one ever thought the president would like renaming the fucking Gulf. Then there are things he’s doing that are flat out illegal, but the issue is every branch is controlled by his party that won’t stop him. Even the war in Iran was illegal from the start as the bill that empowers the president to act is supposed to only be used for imminent threats, but even if it was an imminent threat he has exceeded the legal length of its use without further congressional approval. The issue is still that his party controls all branches and will not stop him.

        Even still some of his crazier executive orders have been swatted down by the courts like the time he tried to fire all the federal employees or tried to strip birthright citizenship.

        Frankly we are in a very unprecedented situation that I do agree shows the need for more limits, but I have to question if these limits would even matter. If you control all the branches it really makes you free to do mostly whatever you want.

        A good way to think of how the President’s power is supposed to work is that he gets to use his power to direct government agencies in carrying out their legally appointed mandates. Congress establishes the mission and sends funds. The president directs the agency. Some funds are earmarked to be spent on certain things other funds are more general. So the forest service for example the president can order they focus more on preservation within the scope of their agency. In Trump’s case he ordered they focus on resource permits, like mining and oil, which is part of the agencies scope/mission as well.