DL Open Thread: Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Making Black Lung Great Again:
When coal miners came to Washington in April, they posed behind President Trump at the White House, wearing their hard hats and thanking him for trying to reinvigorate their struggling industry.
But on Tuesday dozens of miners and their families will be in a more unusual position: protesting the Trump administration outside the Labor Department building, arguing it has failed to protect them from black lung disease, an incurable illness caused by inhaling coal and silica dust.
They have been waiting months for the government to enforce federal limits on silica dust, a carcinogen that has led to a recent spike in the disease. But mining industry groups have sued to block the rule, and the Trump administration has paused enforcement while the lawsuit plays out.
Labor unions, Democrats and a growing number of miners accuse the Trump administration of ignoring workers while using hundreds of millions of dollars in federal subsidies to bolster the companies that operate coal plants and mining operations.
The federal government has recognized the health threats that coal dust poses since 1969, when Congress passed the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act, which set health and safety standards for coal mining and required federal inspections and monitoring for black lung disease.
But now, after decades of improvements, the disease has made a disturbing resurgence, particularly among younger workers because of their exposure to a different material: silica dust. Experts said that is in part because of changing mining practices. Most of the thick coal seams in places like Appalachia have already been mined, and workers are increasingly cutting through more rock to reach coal, exposing them to silica dust.
Limits on silica exposure were supposed to take effect in April. But the National Sand Stone and Gravel Association, the National Mining Association and other industry groups asked a federal appeals court to block the rule, citing the cost to mine operators.
The Trump administration did not defend the rule in court. Instead, it agreed to delay enforcement and has since petitioned the court to prevent labor unions and a lung health association from intervening in the case. This month it asked for another court delay, citing the government shutdown.
West Virginia’s senators, Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice, both Republicans, declined to comment on the rule and the delays.
Democrats and labor unions accused the Trump administration of using coal miners as backdrops for photo opportunities while ignoring their health needs.
A Great Take On The Mideast Peace:
First, Donald Trump is a consummate bully, and when a bully is called for, there is no equal. In this case, it was obvious that for months, if not a year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the obstacle to ending the war. We know that because when Trump finally badgered him into ending it following Israel’s assassination strike in Qatar, the war ended. No doubt annoyed that Trump’s Qatari friends (and airplane supplier) were hit, he finally decided to act.
In other words, an end to the war quite likely could have come much sooner had Netanyahu not been an impediment and Trump not been disengaged for so long. Understand that as long as Trump was offering unconditional support to Netanyahu and cheering on violence, the war dragged on. When he stopped, the war could end.
That leads to the second major lesson from this horrific event: Unconditional support for the Israeli government no matter how destructive and objectionable its behavior is counterproductive for both countries. Now that Trump and the MAGA right are willing to use pressure on the Israeli government, neither U.S. political party is likely to return to the posture of unconditional support. If Trump can get tough, why not Congress and every future president? The Israel right-or-wrong position that AIPAC, right-wing Christians, and some American Jews have held is no longer unassailable.
Third, a real peace—e.g., complete Israeli withdrawal, a functional Arab government in Gaza, and a massive rebuilding—is exponentially more difficult to attain than the end of hostilities and the return of hostages. For one thing, it requires detailed, laborious negotiations for which Trump has no interest or capacity. One could easily see this dragging on for months.
Coby Owens Proposes Foreclosure Moratorium. I’m all for it:
Wilmington could put a year-long moratorium in place on some residential and commercial property foreclosures.
Property reassessment saw many property values jump, especially in low-income residential neighborhoods in Wilmington.
If passed, City Councilmember Coby Owens’s proposed ordinance will establish a year-long moratorium on residential and commercial foreclosures that saw their property taxes increase by 25% or more between Fiscal Years 25 and 26 following property reassessment.
Owens said he’s not sure how many people could be protected by the moratorium, but noted people are facing financial threats from all directions right now.
“We’re seeing people who are going to be affected by the federal government passing the Big, Beautiful Bill that has seen reductions from all different types of social programs…” Owens said. “So I think this could have an impact on a lot more people than what we’re thinking. But I can see a lot of people needing to take advantage of, ‘Hey, I just don’t have it right now.’”
The moratorium in Wilmington would only apply to property owners who are already on a payment plan, which people can request by contacting the city’s finance department.
Is This It For ‘Our Man In Pakistan’?:
For the past year, the Christina School Board has dealt with an unusual controversy for local government, whereby one of its elected members has lived at least some of his time far outside of the school district boundaries — in Pakistan.
On Wednesday, the school board may vote to oust the member, Naveed Baqir.
Last week, an attorney for the Christina School District told board members and Superintendent Deirdra Joyner in an email that he had recently asked Baqir to prove he had “been physically present” in the Christina School District during the three months since July 1.
The attorney, Michael Stafford, made the request in response to a bill lawmakers passed in June, requiring school board members to live within their district’s footprint for at least 75% of a given year.
Depending on Baqir’s response, Stafford said board members may consider a motion to declare a vacancy for his seat during its next meeting Wednesday. If they do not consider the motion, a resident of the district may also “file a lawsuit in Superior Court to have a vacancy declared,” Stafford said in his email.
When reached for comment, school board president Monica Moriak said she will ensure that board members address Baqir’s residency during Wednesday’s meeting. She also noted that she hadn’t personally heard from Baqir “in months,” saying her only interactions with him have been virtual during board meetings.
I think he’s a goner. W-wait, imagine if the General Assembly required its members ‘to live within their district’s footprint for at least 75% of a given year’. Dan Cruce would be ineligible to serve in the State Senate. Just sayin’.
What do you want to talk about?
