Maymont's tiny black bear turns 20
Why it matters: Due to his chronic conditions, he likely wouldn't be alive today if he was left in the wild.
Catch up quick: The American black bear has been with Maymont since May 2006, after the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources rescued him from a highway near Roanoke.
Little Bear is smaller than average due to his dwarfism and symptoms that mimic Addison's disease, Maymont spokesperson Melissa Abernathy tells us.
Those symptoms can include chronic fatigue and joint pain, which Abernathy says Maymont helps manage with medication.
That also means that his companion Big Bear, who is about his same age, is almost 100 pounds heavier than him (476 pounds vs. 384).
Fun fact: Abernathy tells Axios that Little Bear and Big Bear have a "big bro/little bro" relationship and that Little Bear's favorite napping spot is on the cliff.
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Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Trump's Labor Department proposes more than 60 rule changes in a push to deregulate workplaces
NEW YORK — The U.S. Department of Labor is aiming to rewrite or repeal more than 60 'obsolete' workplace regulations, ranging from minimum wage requirements for home health care workers and people with disabilities to standards governing exposure to harmful substances. If approved, the wide-ranging changes unveiled this month also would affect working conditions at constructions sites and in mines , and limit the government's ability to penalize employers if workers are injured or killed while engaging in inherently risky activities such as movie stunts or animal training. The Labor Department says the goal is to reduce costly, burdensome rules imposed under previous administrations, and to deliver on President Donald Trump's commitment to restore American prosperity through deregulation. 'The Department of Labor is proud to lead the way by eliminating unnecessary regulations that stifle growth and limit opportunity,' Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement, which boasted the 'most ambitious proposal to slash red tape of any department across the federal government.' Critics say the proposals would put workers at greater risk of harm , with women and members of minority groups bearing a disproportionate impact. 'People are at very great risk of dying on the job already,' Rebecca Reindel, the AFL-CIO union's occupational safety and health director, said. 'This is something that is only going to make the problem worse.' The proposed changes have several stages to get through before they can take effect, including a public comment period for each one. Here's a look at some of the rollbacks under consideration: Home health care workers help elderly or medically fragile people by preparing meals, administering medications, assisting with toilet use, accompanying clients to doctor appointments and performing other tasks. Under one of the Labor Department's proposals, an estimated 3.7 million workers employed by home care agencies could be paid below the federal minimum wage — currently $7.25 per hour — and made ineligible for overtime pay if they aren't covered by corresponding state laws . The proposed rule would reverse changes made in 2013 under former President Barack Obama and revert to a regulatory framework from 1975. The Labor Department says that by lowering labor and compliance costs, its revisions might expand the home care market and help keep frail individuals in their homes for longer. Judy Conti, director of government affairs at the National Employment Law Project, said her organization plans to work hard to defeat the proposal. Home health workers are subject to injuries from lifting clients, and 'before those (2013) regulations, it was very common for home care workers to work 50, 60 and maybe even more hours a week, without getting any overtime pay,' Conti said. Others endorse the proposal, including the Independent Women's Forum, a conservative nonprofit based in Virginia. Women often bear the brunt of family caregiving responsibilities , so making home care more affordable would help women balance work and personal responsibilities, the group's president, Carrie Lukas, said. 'We're pleased to see the Trump administration moving forward on rolling back some of what we saw as counterproductive micromanaging of relationships that were making it hard for people to get the care they need,' Lukas said. Samantha Sanders, director of government affairs and advocacy at the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute, said the repeal would not constitute a win for women. 'Saying we actually don't think they need those protections would be pretty devastating to a workforce that performs really essential work and is very heavily dominated by women, and women of color in particular,' Sanders said. Last year, the Labor Department finalized rules that provided protections to migrant farmworkers who held H-2A visas . The current administration says most of those rules placed unnecessary and costly requirements on employers. Under the new proposal, the Labor Department would rescind a requirement for most employer-provided transportation to have seat belts for those agriculture workers. The department is also proposing to reverse a 2024 rule that protected migrant farmworkers from retaliation for activities such as filing a complaint, testifying or participating in an investigation, hearing or proceeding. 'There's a long history of retaliation against workers who speak up against abuses in farm work. And with H-2A it's even worse because the employer can just not renew your visa,' said Lori Johnson, senior attorney at Farmworker Justice. Michael Marsh, president and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, applauded the deregulation efforts, saying farmers were hit with thousands of pages of regulations pertaining to migrant farmworkers in recent years. 'Can you imagine a farmer and his or her spouse trying to navigate 3,000 new pages of regulation in 18 months and then be liable for every one of them?' he asked. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration , part of the Labor Department, wants to rescind a requirement for employers to provide adequate lighting at construction sites, saying the regulation doesn't substantially reduce a significant risk. OSHA said if employers fail to correct lighting deficiencies at construction worksites, the agency can issue citations under its 'general duty clause.' The clause requires employers to provide a place of employment free from recognized hazards which are likely to cause death or serious physical harm. Worker advocates think getting rid of a specific construction site requirement is a bad idea. 'There have been many fatalities where workers fall through a hole in the floor, where there's not adequate lighting,' Reindel said. 'It's a very obvious thing that employers should address, but unfortunately it's one of those things where we need a standard, and it's violated all the time.' Several proposals could impact safety procedures for mines. For example, employers have to submit plans for ventilation and preventing roof collapses in coal mines for review by the Labor Department's Mine Safety and Health Administration . Currently, MSHA district managers can require mine operators to take additional steps to improve those plans. The Labor Department wants to end that authority, saying the current regulations give the district manager the ability to draft and create laws without soliciting comments or action by Congress. Similarly, the department is proposing to strip district managers of their ability to require changes to mine health and safety training programs. The general duty clause allows OSHA to punish employers for unsafe working conditions when there's no specific standard in place to cover a situation. An OSHA proposal would exclude the agency from applying the clause to prohibit, restrict or penalize employers for 'inherently risky professional activities that are intrinsic to professional, athletic, or entertainment occupations.' A preliminary analysis identified athletes, actors, dancers, musicians, other entertainers and journalists as among the types of workers the limitation would apply to. 'It is simply not plausible to assert that Congress, when passing the Occupational Safety and Health Act, silently intended to authorize the Department of Labor to eliminate familiar sports and entertainment practices, such as punt returns in the NFL, speeding in NASCAR, or the whale show at SeaWorld ,' the proposed rule reads. Debbie Berkowitz, who served as OSHA chief of staff during the Obama administration, said she thinks limiting the agency's enforcement authority would be a mistake. 'Once you start taking that threat away, you could return to where they'll throw safety to the wind, because there are other production pressures they have,' Berkowitz said.
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Trump's vein diagnosis gives rare glimpse into health issues
The White House's announcement that President Trump has a common chronic vein condition marked a rare glimpse into the health of the oldest person to be elected U.S. president, whose campaign and administration have long projected him as the picture of strength and vitality. Trump, 79, has chronic venous insufficiency, according to the White House physician. The condition occurs when a person's leg veins struggle to pump blood back to the heart, causing blood to pool. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made the disclosure at the top of a routine press briefing late last week, after images had been circulating online of Trump with swollen legs at the FIFA Club World Cup and a bruised hand covered in makeup. 'I know that many in the media have been speculating about bruising on the president's hand and also swelling in the president's legs. So, in the effort of transparency, the president wanted me to share a note from his physician with all of you today,' Leavitt said, before outlining Trump's condition. She said the bruising on his hands is 'consistent with minor-soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen.' The White House later released a more detailed memo from the White House physician. Critics have accused Trump of trying to hide the true details of his health behind bluster, so the announcement of a specific diagnosis came with some surprise — and a certain amount of skepticism. Barbara Perry, a presidential historian and professor at the University of Virginia, called it 'a rather sudden turnaround from the Trump White House.' Perry commended the administration on its transparency but noted the public needs to believe what it's being told. 'Do we have complete information now? We don't know that. We only know what they have told us, and we have to presume that it is accurate,' Perry said. It's not unusual for an administration to be reticent about sharing a president's personal health information, and there's no legal requirement for an administration to be transparent about it. Perry noted there's a tension between what a president wants to disclose and what the American people have a vested interest in knowing. There's no incentive for anyone in the administration — let alone the White House physicians — to be truthful and transparent about the person who could fire them. Perry said she would put Trump toward the same end of the transparency spectrum as former President Biden, who dropped out of the race last summer after a debate performance where he appeared unfocused, confused and unable to respond to many of Trump's attacks. Biden's White House denied reports of any mental decline. But by the end of his term, the public had lost confidence in his ability to lead. Trump during the campaign often boasted of his physical health and stamina as he sought to draw a contrast with Biden. While in office, he has continued to accuse Biden and his aides of covering up the alleged mental decline, and Trump's GOP allies in Congress have launched an investigation into what those White House aides knew. Yet Trump has hardly been forthcoming himself. When he was infected with COVID-19 in fall 2020, the administration did not release many details about his condition or treatment. His physician Sean Conley repeatedly downplayed the seriousness of the illness. It wasn't until months later — after the publication of a book from former chief of staff Mark Meadows and investigation by The New York Times — that the public learned just how seriously ill the president was. The Times reported Trump's blood oxygen was so low before he was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that officials believed he would need to be put on a ventilator. He recovered after being granted special access to an unapproved drug to fight the virus. Trump during the campaign pledged to release his medical records but then did not share even basic health data. Like much of Trump's medical history, the information that has been released has been largely hyperbolic. In 2015, Trump released a letter from his then-physician Harold Bornstein that said he would be the healthiest president in history. Two years later, Bornstein admitted Trump dictated the letter himself. During his first term in 2018, Trump's former White House doctor Ronny Jackson, now an ally in Congress, said the president had 'incredibly good genes' and joked that he might live to 200 years old if he had a healthier diet. Current White House physician Sean Barbabella wrote in a memo after Trump's annual physical in April that the president lives an active lifestyle that includes 'frequent victories in golf events.' Barbabella pronounced Trump 'fully fit' to execute the duties of the presidency. Trump will be 82 at the end of his term, which would make him the oldest person to hold the office, beating Biden's mark by just a few months. Even after he was grazed by a would-be assassin's bullet in July 2024, the Trump campaign provided very little information about his recovery or any lingering health effects. Jeffrey Kuhlman, who served as former President Obama's physician from 2009-13 and ran the White House Medical Unit for former President George W. Bush, said he thinks the current administration realized Trump's physical condition couldn't be hidden. 'It's at least a breath of fresh air' to see transparency about 'conditions the rest of us could see already,' Kuhlman said. 'Presidents don't like to talk about their health unless they are forced to. When you have bruises on your hands and swollen ankles … you don't get brownie points for this.' Kuhlman, who wrote a 2024 book about his experiences as a White House doctor, said he was heartened to see a memo from Trump's White House physician that was 'competent and factual.' 'I'm not sure it's a turning point in transparency, but it is promising to at least see a doctor write something factual, and have a competent workup,' Kuhlman said. 'This is the first [memo] that's been written by a doctor instead of by Trump himself.'
2 hours ago
Trump's Labor Department in push to deregulate workplaces
NEW YORK -- The U.S. Department of Labor is aiming to rewrite or repeal more than 60 'obsolete' workplace regulations, ranging from minimum wage requirements for home health care workers and people with disabilities to standards governing exposure to harmful substances. If approved, the wide-ranging changes unveiled this month also would affect working conditions at constructions sites and in mines, and limit the government's ability to penalize employers if workers are injured or killed while engaging in inherently risky activities such as movie stunts or animal training. The Labor Department says the goal is to reduce costly, burdensome rules imposed under previous administrations, and to deliver on President Donald Trump's commitment to restore American prosperity through deregulation. 'The Department of Labor is proud to lead the way by eliminating unnecessary regulations that stifle growth and limit opportunity,' Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement, which boasted the 'most ambitious proposal to slash red tape of any department across the federal government.' Critics say the proposals would put workers at greater risk of harm, with women and members of minority groups bearing a disproportionate impact. "People are at very great risk of dying on the job already,' Rebecca Reindel, the AFL-CIO union's occupational safety and health director, said. 'This is something that is only going to make the problem worse.' The proposed changes have several stages to get through before they can take effect, including a public comment period for each one. Here's a look at some of the rollbacks under consideration: Home health care workers help elderly or medically fragile people by preparing meals, administering medications, assisting with toilet use, accompanying clients to doctor appointments and performing other tasks. Under one of the Labor Department's proposals, an estimated 3.7 million workers employed by home care agencies could be paid below the federal minimum wage — currently $7.25 per hour — and made ineligible for overtime pay if they aren't covered by corresponding state laws. The proposed rule would reverse changes made in 2013 under former President Barack Obama and revert to a regulatory framework from 1975. The Labor Department says that by lowering labor and compliance costs, its revisions might expand the home care market and help keep frail individuals in their homes for longer. Judy Conti, director of government affairs at the National Employment Law Project, said her organization plans to work hard to defeat the proposal. Home health workers are subject to injuries from lifting clients, and "before those (2013) regulations, it was very common for home care workers to work 50, 60 and maybe even more hours a week, without getting any overtime pay,' Conti said. Others endorse the proposal, including the Independent Women's Forum, a conservative nonprofit based in Virginia. Women often bear the brunt of family caregiving responsibilities, so making home care more affordable would help women balance work and personal responsibilities, the group's president, Carrie Lukas, said. 'We're pleased to see the Trump administration moving forward on rolling back some of what we saw as counterproductive micromanaging of relationships that were making it hard for people to get the care they need,' Lukas said. Samantha Sanders, director of government affairs and advocacy at the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute, said the repeal would not constitute a win for women. 'Saying we actually don't think they need those protections would be pretty devastating to a workforce that performs really essential work and is very heavily dominated by women, and women of color in particular,' Sanders said. Last year, the Labor Department finalized rules that provided protections to migrant farmworkers who held H-2A visas. The current administration says most of those rules placed unnecessary and costly requirements on employers. Under the new proposal, the Labor Department would rescind a requirement for most employer-provided transportation to have seat belts for those agriculture workers. The department is also proposing to reverse a 2024 rule that protected migrant farmworkers from retaliation for activities such as filing a complaint, testifying or participating in an investigation, hearing or proceeding. 'There's a long history of retaliation against workers who speak up against abuses in farm work. And with H-2A it's even worse because the employer can just not renew your visa,' said Lori Johnson, senior attorney at Farmworker Justice. Michael Marsh, president and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, applauded the deregulation efforts, saying farmers were hit with thousands of pages of regulations pertaining to migrant farmworkers in recent years. 'Can you imagine a farmer and his or her spouse trying to navigate 3,000 new pages of regulation in 18 months and then be liable for every one of them?" he asked. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, part of the Labor Department, wants to rescind a requirement for employers to provide adequate lighting at construction sites, saying the regulation doesn't substantially reduce a significant risk. OSHA said if employers fail to correct lighting deficiencies at construction worksites, the agency can issue citations under its 'general duty clause.' The clause requires employers to provide a place of employment free from recognized hazards which are likely to cause death or serious physical harm. Worker advocates think getting rid of a specific construction site requirement is a bad idea. 'There have been many fatalities where workers fall through a hole in the floor, where there's not adequate lighting,' Reindel said. 'It's a very obvious thing that employers should address, but unfortunately it's one of those things where we need a standard, and it's violated all the time.' Several proposals could impact safety procedures for mines. For example, employers have to submit plans for ventilation and preventing roof collapses in coal mines for review by the Labor Department's Mine Safety and Health Administration. Currently, MSHA district managers can require mine operators to take additional steps to improve those plans. The Labor Department wants to end that authority, saying the current regulations give the district manager the ability to draft and create laws without soliciting comments or action by Congress. Similarly, the department is proposing to strip district managers of their ability to require changes to mine health and safety training programs. The general duty clause allows OSHA to punish employers for unsafe working conditions when there's no specific standard in place to cover a situation. An OSHA proposal would exclude the agency from applying the clause to prohibit, restrict or penalize employers for 'inherently risky professional activities that are intrinsic to professional, athletic, or entertainment occupations.' A preliminary analysis identified athletes, actors, dancers, musicians, other entertainers and journalists as among the types of workers the limitation would apply to. 'It is simply not plausible to assert that Congress, when passing the Occupational Safety and Health Act, silently intended to authorize the Department of Labor to eliminate familiar sports and entertainment practices, such as punt returns in the NFL, speeding in NASCAR, or the whale show at SeaWorld,' the proposed rule reads. Debbie Berkowitz, who served as OSHA chief of staff during the Obama administration, said she thinks limiting the agency's enforcement authority would be a mistake. 'Once you start taking that threat away, you could return to where they'll throw safety to the wind, because there are other production pressures they have," Berkowitz said.
