June 4, 2019 Issue, Page 4 of 8

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[email protected] Serving Western Oklahoma Since 1901 i i Inertia is one { j constant in D. C. The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City In arecent column, William A. Galston with the Brook- ings Institution invited readers to imagine an immigration bill that would do the following: Limit family based green cards and shift to skills-based criteria for those seeking permanent residency in the “RENAULT AND FIAT-CHRISLER BRE TALKING MERGER.” United States. Require a workplace-verification system for employers. More weapons to fight Spend more than $40 billion for border security overa decade, order an additional 700 miles of border fencing, and require that additional border barriers be built before opiods in Oklahoma acting to give permanent legal status to immigrants already here illegally. Provide legal status for “Dreamers” and give adult mi- grants who are here illegally a chance for permanent legal status after completing a demanding 10-year process. All these, Galston noted, were part of a bill that the U.S. The Oklahoman, Oklahoma to handle the case on a contin- Joe Harroz Jr., interim The OUHSC is the state’s Senate approved by a vote of 68-32 in 2013, but which City gency basis. They'll receive president of the University of largest health care research never got a vote in the House because then-Speaker John 15 percent of the settlement Oklahoma, expressed similar organization. OU officials The start ofthe state’s trial amount, with the remainder views on Sunday when OU note that its research in Boehner didn’t allow one. That move “doomed America’s against pharmaceutical com- going into the state treasury announced plans to create a tobacco prevention and con- best chance of avoiding the poisonous rancor that Candidate panies ensured that the fight to be used on opioid-related National Research Center for trol is recognized as among Trump exploited and President Trump has done little to against opioid abuse would matters. Some lawmakers Addiction Care by expand- the top 2% nationally by the abate,” Galston wrote in The Wall Street Journal. make headlines this week, but were unhappy that a $270 ing the university's existing National Cancer Institute, and they're being made in other million settlement reached in programs in this area. that OU scientists are pursu- Six years later, Congress seems no closer to producing an ways as well. March with Purdue Pharma This will be the state’s first ing breakthroughs in treating immigration bill that might make it through both chambers Prior to court proceedings was not funneled to the state attempt to comprehensively other addictions. and garner the president's signature. getting underway Tuesday, for disbursement. address addiction -- whether Officials would like to have one of the companies that had Instead, about $200 million it’s opioids, tobacco or obesity $271.5 million to expand the Trump recently proposed a revised immigration plan, one been targeted in the lawsuit, ofthat will go to the Okla- -- as a disease and deliver National Research Center for that calls for using a points-based system favoring highly Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, homa State University Center “groundbreaking research Addiction Care. Today OUH- skilled immigrants instead ofthe family based system that agreed to an $85 million for Wellness and Recovery developments,” Harroz said. SC has roughly $15 million has been in place for years. settlement. Attorney General in Tulsa, which plans to Dr. Jason Sanders, provost in active addiction research ‘Mike Hunter announced the establish anational center on and senior vice president of grant funding and a similar It also proposes a border security trust fund that would settlement Sunday. addiction. the OU Health Sciences Cen- amount in pending addiction be paid for with fees collected at border crossings. The Also covered in the agree- At the time, Dr. Kayse ter, says OU looks forward research grant proposals. latest plan doesn’t address Dreamers, who are immigrants ment were four affiliated drug Shrum, president of the OSU to working with OSU and Harroz envisions turning companies that have now Health Sciences Center, other partners to prevent and the opioid crisis on its head brought to the United States as children. been dropped from the state’s noted that Oklahoma fares treat opioid addiction and through additional training, ‘Trump's proposal was immediately rejected by Demo- lawsuit, which accused them poorly in many health rank- all other forms of addiction. investment and leadership. cratic leaders in Congress, which is no surprise given their of creating a public nuisance ings and “this is an opportu- The Health Sciences Center “This crisis can be part of our that led to thousands of addic- nity for us to be recognized as has “a unique opportunity” to history,” he said, “rather than feelings for the president. However, several Republicans tions and deaths in Oklahoma. aleader in solving a problem make a difference through its a debilitating and devastating also said they weren't sold, either. Sen. Susan Collins of Hunter saluted the work of ina very serious public health assets and training programs, impact on our future.” Amen Maine, for example, said any immigration plan worth the the outside attorneys he hired crisis.” Sanders aid. to that. time should include a fix for Dreamers. The lack of atten- tion to such things as the guest worker program is a concern for many on both sides of the aisle. “t's past time to put the county first, and immigration would be a great place to start,” Galston wrote. That's a noble pursuit, one we have long supported, but there ap- pears to be no will to make it happen. Election security should The rancor between Trump and congressional leaders won't help. Last week, Trump called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “Crazy Nancy” after she questioned his fitness to be focus for Congress remain in office. This followed Trump abruptly walking out of a meeting with Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck puters and networks used by The Oklahoman, Oklahoma agencies’ conclusion, and said guidelines. City the Clinton campaign. They Russian efforts “demonstrat- Also, the Democratic heads Schumer and others regarding a potential infrastructure stole private information, ed a significant escalation in of three House committees plan. Democrats in Congress then released that informa- directness, level of activity, One late-night comedian said Trump vowed not to work used special counsel Robert tion through fake online and scope ofeffort compared recently reintroduced the Mueller’s remarks about identities and through the to previous operations.” Election Security Act, aimed with Democrats on anything until they stop investigating his investigation into Don- organization WikiLeaks. The There is little reason to at protecting our election him. “So, the Democrats have a choice,” he said, “inves- ald Trump and the 2016 releases were designed and believe the Russians won't systems against cyberattacks. tigate Trump and nothing gets done, or don’t investigate presidential campaign to gird timed to interfere with our keep trying, which makes It would require President their calls for impeachment. election and damage a presi- itimperative that steps are Trump and nothing gets done.” Republicans, meanwhile, ar- dential candidate.” taken to keep our elections se- ‘Trump to produce a “national That about covers it these days in Washington, on immi- gued that Mueller didn’t say Mueller had detailed the cure. “We need to decide as a strategy for protecting demo- gration or anything else. anything that wasn’t included work of the Russians in his country, what are we going to cratic institutions.” in the report he issued several report, noting that the goal do about this issue? And that’s ‘Trump, unfortunately, weeks ago. was to sow dissent in this legitimate issue to ask both hasn’t shown much interest in As this dance continues, as country and hobble Hillary parties about,” Michael Allen, leading on this issue. James Have a letter to it surely will for some time to come, members of both Clinton’s run for the presi- dency. Mueller’s report also a former National Security Council member, said on Fox Clapper, former Director of the editor? Email parties should be careful not said the Russian campaign News. National Intelligence, said to ignore what Mueller said at dated to 2014. Some efforts are underway. he felt Muller’s statement the outset of his appearance, Disclosure of the 2016 Sen, James Lankford, R- it to editor@ and reiterated at the close meddling wasn’t new -- soon Oklahoma City, is one of four Wednesday was an attempt -- Russia tried mightily to after Trump was elected, U.S. co-sponsors (two Democrats, to do so. ecdailynews.com interfere with the election. Russian intelligence intelligence officials reported that Russia had ramped up two Republicans) of a bill that would place a cybersecurity “There were multiple, systematic efforts to interfere or stop by 206 W. officers “launched a con- its cyber-spying and other certed attack on our political operations in advance of the expert from the Department of Homeland Security on in our election,” Mueller said. election. In early 2018, the the committee charged with “That allegation deserves the Broadway, Elk City. system,” Mueller said. They “used sophisticated cyber Senate Intelligence Commit- developing the guidelines for attention of every American.” techniques to hack into com- tee affirmed the intelligence voting systems’ cybersecurity Yes, it does.