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Secretary Hillary Clinton defended her friend and former colleague Senator Dianne Feinstein, whose advanced age and failing health have prompted calls for her to resign from the Senate, saying that Feinsteins resignation would not be worth the tradeoff when it comes to judicial appointments.

In a wide-ranging interview Monday at the Chicago Humanities Festival, I asked the former Secretary of State why so many of her fellow Democrats were staying in office well into their 80s, even as the party has strengthened its bench of young talent. I specifically asked about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who refused to retire under a Democratic president and whose death at age 87 in September 2020 gave President Donald Trump a third Supreme Court appointment, and Feinstein, age 89, whose absence from the Senate for months has prompted questions about her fitness to serve. Clinton said she had a very negative response to my question.

Let me say a word about my friend and longtime colleague Dianne Feinstein, she continued. First of all, she has suffered greatly from the bout of shingles and encephalitis that she endured. Here is the dilemma for her: she got reelected, the people of California voted for her again, not very long ago. That was the voters decision to vote for her, and she has been a remarkable and very effective leader.

Heres the dilemma: the Republicans will not agree to add someone else to the Judiciary Committee if she retires, she continued, referencing Feinsteins powerful committee membership. (When Feinstein was absent from the Senate for nearly three months this year recovering from health issues, it created a logjam on the narrowly divided Judiciary Committee, since Democrats were unable to confirm President Joe Bidens judicial nominees without Republican support.) I want you to think about how crummy that is. I dont know in her heart about whether she really would or wouldnt, but right now, she cant. Because if were going to get judges confirmed, which is one of the most important continuing obligations that we have, then we cannot afford to have her seat vacant.

If Republicans were to say and do the decent thing and say, well this woman was gravely ill, she had just lost her husband to cancer of course we will let you fill this position if she retires. But they wont say that, she continued. So what are we supposed to do? All these people pushing her to retire: fine, we get no more judges? I dont think thats a good tradeoff.

Read More: Why Dianne Feinstein Shouldnt Quit

When I asked her again about the broader question of whether Democrats have allowed their leadership to get too old, she pushed back. I do not believe in broad questions about age, Clinton, age 75, said, adding that she also didnt believe in term limits. If you dont want to vote for somebody, dont vote for them. But dont impose some artificial check on the voters. I dont buy this whole debate. And frankly, a lot of the people pushing it, I dont understand what their real agenda is, because part of it is a bank shot against Joe Biden. And I think Joe Biden has done a very good job.

The comments came shortly after Clinton appeared at the Financial Times Weekend Festival in Washington D.C., where she was asked about the moment Biden, age 80, almost fell during the G-7 summit in Japan. There, she acknowledged his age could be an issue in the election. Well, I mean, its a concern for anyone. And weve had presidents whove fallen before who are a lot younger, and people didnt go into heart palpitations, Clinton responded. But his age is an issue. And people have every right to consider it.

At the Chicago Humanities Festival, Clinton did not mince words when she spoke about former President Donald Trump, age 76, currently running for president again in 2024. You have to think of him not as a former president or even as a presidential candidate so much as a cult leader, she said. He has a hold on a significant portion of the Republican Party.

He will most likely be the Republican nominee again, she continued. And be defeated by Joe Biden again.

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Write to Charlotte Alter at charlotte.alter@time.com.

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Hillary Clinton Says Dianne Feinstein Shouldn't Resign - TIME

Good Tuesday morning, Illinois. And what a pleasure to meet the deputy ambassadors of the EU countries based in D.C. who are visiting Chicago. I hope you get a chance to try the deep dish.

Hillary Clinton acknowledges the applause at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago with interviewer Charlotte Alter on Monday, May 22, 2023. | POLITICO's Shia Kapos

Hillary Clinton played all the hits at the Riviera in Chicago on Monday.

Striking a chord: The former U.S. senator, secretary of state and presidential candidate called former President Donald Trump a cult leader who will likely win the GOP presidential nomination. She pushed back at a question about older lawmakers not knowing when to hang it up.

And Clinton took vindication in a New York Times report that the Trump administration spent four years investigating the Clinton Foundation and didnt find a file a single charge.

Singing the blues: Of course, Clinton talked about feeling crummy about losing the 2016 election and disbelief after the 2020 election so dystopian, she said. And she hopes that bipartisanship can one day be a reality.

I remain an optimist, but an optimist who worries a lot, said Clinton, echoing her friend, the late Madeleine Albright.

The Q&A: Clintons comments came during an interview with Charlotte Alter, a Time correspondent and granddaughter of the late Joanne Alter, who in 1968 was the first woman to win a countywide election in Chicago when she was elected in commissioner for the Metropolitan Sanitary District,

The Chicago Humanities Festival sponsored the event, which was held at the 2,500-seat Riviera Theatre, built in the early 1900s as a movie theater.

First lady of Illinois MK Pritzker, who with husband Gov. JB Pritzker was a major donor to Clintons presidential campaign, attended Mondays event. The first lady also hosted a reception for Clinton at her home. The governor was in Springfield, where lawmakers are still trying to nail down a budget.

On Trump, Clinton said hell benefit from the winner-take-all rule that most GOP primaries follow in awarding delegates. So, he will most likely become the Republican nominee again, and he will be defeated by Joe Biden, Clinton said to applause from the crowd.

On ageism: Alter, who is 33, referred to Democratic disconnect with the younger generation and asked why smart people often make sort of foolish retirement choices. Specifically, Alter pointed to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and to Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Clinton bristled. You know, I have a very negative response to that question, she said, adding Ginsberg was energetic and sharp to the end and made the same judgment that a lot of men have made about staying on the job. Ginsberg had planned to retire had Clinton been elected president, Clinton noted.

As for Feinstein, Clinton said the Democratic senator from California has suffered greatly from the bout of shingles and encephalitis. But the real challenge is that Republicans will not agree to add someone else to the Judiciary Committee if she retires, Clinton said. Right now, she cant if were going to get judges confirmed.

SPOTTED: All the big names attended the reception for Clinton at the Pritzkers Chicago home: Ariel Investments John Rogers Jr., Black Opal CEO Desire Rogers, Johnson Publishing veteran Linda Johnson Rice, Conlon Public Strategies Kevin Conlon, businessman Kevin OKeefe, Northwestern Universitys Valerie Alexander, real estate developer Elzie Higginbottom, restaurateurs Karen and Phil Stefani, businessman Lee Miller, SPAAN Tech CEO Smita Shah, commentator Laura Schwartz, state Rep. Margaret Croke, attorney Lisa Duarte, businessman Raj Fernando, DSC Logistics CEO Ann Drake, business consultant Donna Zarcone, AmeriCorps board member Leslie Bluhm and environmentalist Wendy Abrams.

GUN TALK: Illinois and Chicago are strict about trying to clamp down on guns, yet crime rates are still higher than they should be. The thinking is that guns are harder to curb when theyre brought in from other states.

So when those states address gun issues, Illinois watches.

In Memphis, Tenn., federal investigators and local law enforcement officers are trying to slow down the proliferation of switches as a way to curb gun violence, according to The Associated Press. Illinois has already done that. Switches are devices that convert semiautomatic firearms into machine guns.

And get this: The Tennessee legislature is also planning a special session to focus on gun-related legislation. So what, you say, Illinois Democratic-led legislature has already done that. Yes, but Tennessees legislature is controlled by Republicans.

If you are MK Pritzker, Playbook would like to know what was on the menu for Hillary Clintons visit. Email [emailprotected].

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No official public events.

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At the Sagawau Environmental Learning Center at 10 a.m. to preside over a meeting of the Forest Preserves.

Thank you for reading Illinois Playbook! Drop me a line sometime: [emailprotected]

Senate passes Don Harmons bill to end courtroom venue shopping: The bill says only courtrooms in Sangamon and Cook counties can hear cases alleging a constitutional violation brought on by legislation or executive orders. Its to prevent efforts to take cases to counties that are more sympathetic, reports State Journal-Registers Patrick Keck.

Lawmakers approve bill requiring schools to notify parents of bullying within 24 hours, by NBC 5s Matt Stefanski

State Sen. Mattie Hunter celebrates resolution creating task force on Black immigrants, via The Defender

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Chicagos top cop ends training agreement with Texas firm with ties to ex-police superintendent: Professional Law Enforcement Training has been paid more than $1.3 million and is owned by a colleague of former Chicago Police Supt. David Brown, by Sun-Times Tom Schuba.

Dozens of new immigrants joining Chicago Public Schools as school year nears end: As many as 50 immigrant children staying temporarily at Piotrowski Park joined Zapata Academy in South Lawndale, and about a dozen youths may enroll in Little Village Lawndale High School, by Sun-Times Michael Loria.

Environmental racism is real. Ask Chicago: Like many cities, its coping with brownfields, pollution and minority neighborhoods with ill-health conditions, by Merrill Goozner for Washington Monthly.

FYI: Indicted former Ald. Carrie Austin is collecting more than $114K annual city pension, records show, via WTTWs Heather Cherone and Jared Rutecki

Northwest Sides Marshall Fields complex is being transformed into a film studio, by Tribunes Brian J. Rogal

Millennium Park fox family is the latest Chicago wildlife to go viral, by Sun-Times Emmanuel Camarillo

Deal would allow Schaumburg police to access school cameras in emergencies, by Daily Heralds Eric Peterson

Bloomingdale mayor leads effort to go big in remaking Stratford Square, by Daily Heralds Katlyn Smith

We asked what you remember from your first day on the job.

Lisa Brasch: My boss left a vase of fresh cut lilacs on my new desk.

Lucas Hawley: I started at the Board of Review as an analyst on the same day as a Cook County Board meeting, so I was able to stop by and surprise Commissioner Deborah Sims, who I knew when I was going to school.

Conny Moody: As an analyst for the Illinois Bureau of the Budget (now called GOMB), I was handed a $1 billion proposed budget for a state agency and being told Please analyze this and be ready to present your analysis to Director [Joan] Walters at the end of the week. I met the deadline!

Jennifer Olaya, with the Illinois Secretary of State Securities Department: I was conferencing a case that was going to trial when one of the lawyers asked me, How long have you been working here? I looked at the courtroom clock and said, about 10 minutes. I ended up working at that job for six years!

Golnar Teimouri, former policy adviser to the mayor: On my first day at City Hall straight from Mayor Lori Lightfoots inauguration, I asked where the coffee was. I was told, Honey, this is the government. You go buy your own coffee.

Alison Pure-Slovin: Meeting the founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Rabbi Marvin Hier, in his L.A. office. I noticed the two Academy Awards he won for Holocaust documentaries and he then pointed me to the nearby bookcase, saying, what keeps the spirit of the Jewish people alive is contained in our sacred books, not the shiny awards

When do you always pick the same seat? Email [emailprotected]

Bruce Rauner, the former governor of Illinois, is weighing in on education issues in Florida, where hes now a resident, via South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Kara Demirjian Huss has been appointed to the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board. In her day job, Demirjian Huss is VP and global marketing director for TCCI Manufacturing, a technology and electric vehicle component manufacturing firm.

Driver arrested and Nazi flag seized after truck crashes into security barriers near the White House, via NBC News

Why the debt talks are McCarthys second job interview, by POLITICOs Olivia Beavers

Blood in the water for DeSantis: Trump world embraces Tim Scotts candidacy, by POLITICOs Meridith McGraw

Many transgender health bills came from a handful of far-right interest groups, The Associated Press finds

Exclusive: Paul Whelan tells CNN hes confident wheels are turning toward his release

COLUMN: Vivek Ramaswamy came to Chicagos South Shore to talk migrants. South Shore mostly stayed away, writes Sun-Times Rummana Hussain

Lesbian Icon Marge Summit Dies At 87: She was a community organizer and bar owner, who forced people to reckon with their prejudice against LGBTQ+ people in creative ways, writes Block Clubs Kayleigh Padar.

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When you offer a path to success for employees, they tend to take you up on it. The result is helping people achieve economic mobility and creating a culture of people who love their work.

In fact, 38,000 part-timers advanced to full-time positions between August 2018 and December 2022. And about 55% of our management team started in union jobs.

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Boston Scientific has added Sarah Macchiarola as director of international affairs and Whitney Craig as director of federal affairs. Macchiarola was VP of federal policy and government relations at the Illinois Health and Hospital Association. Craig was VP of federal affairs at AHIP.

MONDAYs ANSWER: Congrats to Matthew Beaudet for being first to answer that in 1842, William Bissell, a partner at Bissell and Shields law firm, was offended by a letter that Abraham Lincoln wrote to a local newspaper, so he challenged Lincoln to a duel. Lincoln accepted, though the two resolved the issue before it came down to a fight. In 1850, now Congressman Bissell infuriated Jefferson Davis, who challenged Bissell to a duel. Davis then decided against it.

TODAYs QUESTION: How many publicly elected Chicago mayors became publicly elected Chicago aldermen after serving as mayor? Email [emailprotected]

Chicago Buildings Department Commissioner Matthew Beaudet, who celebrates the big 6-0; Barrington Hills Plan Commissioner Kelly Mazeski, former Congressman Tom Corcoran and Jeremy Ennis, chief of staff to state Rep. Maurice West.

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Hillary Clinton live at the Riviera - POLITICO - POLITICO

THE BUZZ: If you want to finish first, declaring first can help. Just ask Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis.

Kounalakis is announcing that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Sen. Barbara Boxer are endorsing her gubernatorial bid, roughly three years before the first votes will be tallied. Those blessings from widely-recognized Democrats build Kounalakis credibility and nurture a sense of momentum that TBD-candidates cant claim. Those kinds of things can sway insiders with outsize campaign clout.

They wont attract the notice of California voters who arent watching the nascent 2026 campaign or reading this newsletter you know, normal people. But theyre certainly on the radar of people who can move money, marshal endorsements and help determine who prevails in the 2026 gubernatorial race.

Its a world Kounalakis knows well. She became the Obama administrations ambassador to Hungary in part because of her Democratic fundraising acumen. Her San Francisco apartment was a fixture of the West Coast big check circuit. Kounalakis then-neighbor and major money-mover, Susie Tompkins Buell, has already maxed out to Eleni 2026, as have criminal justice benefactor M. Quinn Delaney, tech titan Sheryl Sandberg and the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. The tribe, at the urging of Kounalakis last year, steered $5 million to enshrine abortion rights in Californias constitution.

Money isnt everything. But its both a necessity for a statewide campaign and an indicator of viability in the early days when a field is still coalescing. Kounalakis also had $4.4 million left over from her re-election campaign at the end of 2022 and a father developer Angelo Tsakopoulos who sunk millions of dollars into his daughters 2018 LG bid and presumably has some money left for 2026.

Shell have competition. Former State Controller Betty Yee has said shell run, and Attorney General Rob Bonta has publicly acknowledged his interest without committing to a run. Both would bring the recognition and connections that come with statewide office. Yee has deepened those connections as a California Democratic Party official; Bonta has broad support among criminal justice reformers and has telegraphed a focus on housing.

But Bonta would need to give up a second term as AG, since hes up for re-election in 2026. Yee would need to re-introduce herself to voters. Both start with less cash on hand than Kounalakis, particularly Yee. That gap could grow, as could the endorsement count. What happens in 2023 is already determining what will happen in 2026.

BUENOS DAS, good Thursday morning. The California Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments today in Chevrons challenge to Monterey Countys ban on oil and gas extraction a 2016 initiative that was supported by Assembly Speaker-elect Robert Rivas when he was a county supervisor. The high court is also expected to rule on a law limiting campaign contributions from players with business before local government.

Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit us up at [emailprotected] and [emailprotected] or follow us on Twitter @JeremyBWhite and @Lara_Korte.

A message from Kaiser Permanente:

Some health care experiences can be fragmented and impersonal, with the responsibility on the patient to make it work. But at Kaiser Permanente, everything works together to provide care and coverage that support the unique needs of more than 12.6 million members. Our health plan, primary care physicians, specialists, hospitals, labs and pharmacies are connected to enable personalized care that delivers high-quality clinical outcomes. See all that health care can be at kp.org/allcarecanbe.

WHERES GAVIN? In Richmond talking about his clean energy agenda.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: We will not hesitate to use the tools we have in our toolbox to prosecute. However, I strongly want to emphasize that the fentanyl crisis cant be solved solely by prosecution tools, and I certainly want to emphasize that our crisis cant be solved by the failed war-on-drug policies of the past. Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton during a legislative hearing on fentanyl.

WERE HIRING POLITICO is embarking on an exciting expansion in the Golden State and looking for another journalist to join our growing team as a California Playbook author. More in the job description here.

As, Nevada leaders reach tentative ballpark agreement, by The Associated Press Gabe Stern: The tentative agreement outlined in a joint statement indicates a funding bill will be introduced in the Nevada Legislature in the coming days, giving lawmakers less than two weeks to consider it before the session ends. The threat of a special legislative session looms if lawmakers cant agree on the terms by June 5.

Porter campaign privately pitches Dems to look beyond Schiffs money, by POLITICOs Christopher Cadelago: Among donors and some Democrats close to Porter, theres creeping fear that Schiffs sizable cash advantage and support from the likes of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could quickly harden the narrative with insiders that hes the prohibitive frontrunner for 2024 even if early public and private polls dont actually bear that out.

Musk, Thiel, Sacks and the new techy conservatives DeSantis needs to capture, by POLITICOs Ben Schreckinger: Ron DeSantis has found a lane. Now he has to find out if its wide enough to drive a winning campaign through. With Donald Trump holding a lock on the populist right, and the remnants of the GOP establishment split between several low-polling alternatives, Ron DeSantis is casting in his lot with a third group: very online, anti-woke Silicon Valley moguls.

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Californias health care minimum wage bill gets a haircut, by POLITICOs Rachel Bluth: In a session thats been dominated by talks of dire hospital finances and closing facilities, the minimum wage proposal fiercely fought by hospital interests always faced an uphill battle from moderate and rural Democrats. Slowing implementation may be what it takes to get it over the finish line.

Corporate landlords California buying spree alarms tenants: I only earn enough to pay the rent, by CalMatters Alejandro Lazo and Wendy Fry: Two years ago, Blackstone bought a portfolio of 66 relatively low-rent apartment buildings in San Diego County from a well-known charitable foundation for $1.48 billion. This year, tenants of those 5,800 dwellings say theyre worried about rent increases, maintenance issues and potential evictions.

Its time to honor a pioneering California woman badly mistreated in her day, opines Erwin Chemerinsky in The Sacramento Bee: It is long overdue to remember and honor Rose Bird, the first woman to serve as a member of a governors cabinet and the first woman to serve as chief justice of the California Supreme Court. A resolution now pending in the California legislature, Senate Concurrent Resolution 47, introduced by Senator Steve Glazer (D-Orinda), would do just that by renaming a rose garden plaza outside the State Capitol in Birds honor.

The luxury shopping oasis emerging in San Franciscos struggling downtown, by The Wall Street Journals Jim Carlton and Suzanne Kapner: Full tour buses are rumbling again through Union Square, this citys most well-known retail area, and business is brisk at high-end luxury stores. But one thing is still largely missing: local residents.

Survivors of solitary confinement face the California governors veto pen, by Bolts Piper French: With no movement since lawmakers passed the solitary reforms last year, advocates for ending the practice including Morris and other survivors of prolonged solitary confinement are once again urging Newsom to support the Mandela reforms, which have been filed again for this legislative session under Assembly Bill 280.

At L.A. City College, student reporters decry censorship at public, on-campus events, by the Los Angeles Times Melissa Gomez.

Not what it used to be: How downtown Oaklands recovery compares to San Franciscos, by the San Francisco Chronicles Sarah Ravani and Roland Li.

Sacramento County supervisors approve big raises for themselves. Heres how much they make, by The Sacramento Bees Ariane Lange.

California girls face anti-trans attacks as they head to track championship, by the San Francisco Chronicles Marisa Ingemi.

Kenneth Anger dies: Underground film pioneer influenced Scorsese, Lynch, by the Los Angeles Times Alex Dobuzinskis.

A message from Kaiser Permanente:

Kaiser Permanente is a value-based, integrated health care system that delivers equitable, high-quality, affordable care and coverage. Our highly sought-after physicians are solely focused on our members and are empowered to provide innovative, evidence-based care that helps keep people healthy and solves some of the most difficult challenges in medicine.

The result is exceptional value for our members, patients and communities. Thats why Kaiser Permanente is annually recognized among the top hospitals, medical groups and health plans in the nation. See all that health care can be at kp.org/allcarecanbe.

CALIFORNIA POLICY IS ALWAYS CHANGING: Know your next move. From Sacramento to Silicon Valley, POLITICO California Pro provides policy professionals with the in-depth reporting and tools they need to get ahead of policy trends and political developments shaping the Golden State. To learn more about the exclusive insight and analysis this subscriber-only service offers, click here.

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Kounalakis, Clinton and California clout - POLITICO - POLITICO

Steve Marcus

Former Secretary of State and former first lady Hillary Clinton tours the Foundation for Recovery in Las Vegas Wednesday, May 24, 2023. A tour and news conference by Clinton at the Foundation for Recovery office were part of the efforts by the Clinton Global Initiative to prevent overdosedeaths.

By Casey Harrison (contact)

Thursday, May 25, 2023 | 2 a.m.

Rob Banghart estimates overdosing on heroin or opioids more than a dozen times while living on the streets of Las Vegas. He bluntly says he shouldnt be alive.

Id be lying if I gave an exact number (of overdoses), Banghart told the crowd Wednesday at the Foundation for Recovery in the central valley, before continuing into a story of how he was revived by another homeless person who was carrying the overdose-reversing drug naloxone one night.

Banghart, who says he is sober and now serves as the outreach director Foundation for Recovery, was one of two individuals who shared his fight with addiction with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was at the Foundation for Recovery to meet with 30 volunteers assembling overdose distribution kits.

The group is a community nonprofit led by volunteers and staff in recovery from mental health and substance abuse disorders.

Each kit comes with three vials of naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, as well as individually-packaged syringes, alcohol wipes and latex gloves. Since 2019, the Clinton Foundation has supplied more than 20,000 doses of naloxone to the Foundation for Recovery and more than 720,000 doses to additional community organizations across 21 states.

Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, told the Sun after the event that the Clinton Foundation had worked closely with the Foundation for Recovery since launching an overdose awareness campaign in 2011. She said the Foundation for Recovery had become a model for other states because it offered services like one-on-one counseling and job training under a single statewide initiative.

Theyre a great example of a statewide effort and was one of the first brick-and-mortar support centers, Clinton said. To tackle this crisis, I think were going to need the public and private sectors to come together. I really do.

The Clintons also have been affected by the nations opioid epidemic, she said.

Clinton has known personally of five young people who have died in recent years, ranging from a former State Department staffer, to a neighbor across the street from their New York home, or the daughter of a dear friend, she said.

Estimates released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest approximately 109,680 people in the U.S. died from drug overdose in 2022, with the majority of those stemming from opioid or fentanyl use. That number has risen every year since 2018, when under 70,000 overdose deaths were recorded.

In Nevada, 949 people died of drug overdoses in 2021, according to the CDC.

For those like Banghart, or Donica Martinez, who also met with Clinton to share her experience of being revived with naloxone, having access to such an antidote can not only be the difference between life and death but can also serve as a vital wakeup call to finally seek help.

Martinez had been homeless for about seven years, and was with friends when she began overdosing. Fortunately for her, those she was with already had Narcan on them.

This Narcan was there because of the fact we have organizations like this, street outreach organizations, that pass these out to us, said Martinez, who has been sober for more than a year. If it was not given that day, then I would not be here today.

Sean ODonnell, executive director of the Foundation for Recovery, presented a plaque to Clinton on behalf of the Las Vegas mayors office and city council proclaiming May 24, 2023, Secretary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation Day throughout the city. Councilwoman Victoria Seaman, a Republican running for mayor, was also in attendance.

Whether its partnering with state or local officials, nonprofit organizations, faith leaders or a combination of those, Clinton says she believes it will take the totality of a community to put judgment aside and help those who are in clear need of it.

They cant recover if we ignore them, dismiss them, marginalize them, mistreat them or deny resources for them and think prison is the next answer instead, Clinton said. It is all about separating us from the differences that divide us and finding common ground because when we work together, guess what, we get really great things done.

New technologies

Clinton was joined in her tour by Joe Kiani, founder and CEO of Masimo, a medical technology company that specializes in wearable health devices. Company representatives were there to showcase two devices that have the potential to provide life-saving intervention during a potential overdose.

The so-called Opioid Halo contains a pulse oximeter sensor attached to the users fingertip while connected to a wristband that is also worn by the user, each of which are connected to the users smartphone via Bluetooth connection. The device provides real-time monitoring to watch for slowed breathing and will send audible alerts to the wearer and designated safety contacts.

The Halo also has a setting that will dispatch a wellness call that could lead to an EMS dispatch, Kiani said. We can hopefully save tens of thousands of lives a year, Kiani said, adding that it gained approval from the Food and Drug Administration just last month. This is basically taking what we have in hospitals, and shortening it down to a wearable sensor that can last for about a week, if you wanted to wear it all day and all night.

Kiani also demonstrated a device called the Bridge, a small electrical nerve stimulation device worn behind the ear that he says helps significantly reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms, and is designed for use in medication-assisted therapy with substances like naltrexone to wean patients from opioid dependency.

A prescription is required to obtain the Bridge, but studies show opioid withdrawal symptoms decreased by as much as 85% within one hour of use, according to Masimos website.

Ive heard people tell me this: Theyre addicts and they first take opioids to get high, but then they take opioids because they cant deal with the withdrawal, Kiani said. The withdrawals are so painful that it makes them vomit, its painful, (and) its really unfortunate.

Clinton said Kiani had been the most extraordinary partner when it comes to outside-the-box solutions to the ongoing crisis.

(Kiani) is someone who is truly on the frontlines trying to find ways to help people not just overdose, but prevent overdoses and then assist with recovery, Clinton said.

What to do in an overdose situation

Those interested in learning more about the overdose readiness kit, which are available to companies, EMTs, police and members of the public at no cost, can visit forrecovery.org.

Naloxone typically comes in a vial or nasal spray form. Nasal spray applicators work by simply putting the nozzle up a nostril and spraying it, while it is encouraged to administer a syringe of naloxone to any general area of large muscle, like the thigh, upper arm or buttocks.

Visible indicators like blue lips or fingertips may indicate the body isnt receiving much new oxygen, especially if the person suspected of overdosing is lethargic or unresponsive, said Chris Marx, a training specialist at the foundation.

Most often, their breathing will be short and shallow, and their pupils will appear extremely small. Almost like the tip of a pen, Marx said.

Marx said that naloxone had no negative side effects for someone who hasnt ingested an opioid. But when intervening in a potential overdose, every second matters, meaning its better to administer naloxone than nothing at all.

Once an initial dose of naloxone has been administered, call 911 and begin doing CPR, if possible, Marx said. If the person is still unresponsive after two or three minutes, administer another dose before attempting additional CPR.

When speaking to 911 dispatchers, Marx said, its important to relay to them if a person is not breathing or unresponsive, and that may increase response time from first responders. Nevada law also allows for people to call police to report an overdose without fear of facing legal action if acting in good faith.

When it comes to storing naloxone, the drug has a two-year shelf life, according to the FDA. Naloxone should not be stored in areas exposed to direct sunlight or extreme heat, Marx said.

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Hillary Clinton praises overdose awareness campaign in visit to Las ... - Las Vegas Sun

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John Durhams final report blasts the FBI for using the so-called Steele dossier, a compilation of unconfirmed claims about Donald Trump and Russia, without sufficiently considering the chance that Steeles findings contained deliberate Russian falsehoods. But Durham himself relies substantially on a sketchy intelligence product that may be Russian disinformation to push a partisan political narrative. And he does not even note the irony.

Durham, the special counsel who former Attorney General Bill Barr selected in 2019 to look into the origins of the FBIs Trump-Russia investigation, may have succeeded in his apparent goal of serving up reheated scraps for a familiar retinue of hardcore Donald Trump defenders to feast on. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) announced last week he wants Durham to appear before the committee on Thursday. But that testimony remains unscheduled. The Judiciary Committee did not respond to questions about the delay, which occurred with Durham facing substantial criticism.

Obituaries for his four-year, $7 million investigation have noted Durhams repeated failures to secure courtroom convictions and pointed out how meek his conclusions were compared to the wild expectations of Trump fans. But a different shortcoming in Durhams workits astounding hypocrisymay not be getting the attention it deserves.

The special counsels 306-page report refers 65 times to the Clinton Plan intelligence. That is a claim that Hillary Clinton, on July 26, 2016, approved a plan to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security services. Where does this supposed intelligence come from? Those very same Russian security services. The report notes that the Clinton Plan intelligence came from a Russian intelligence analysis that US intelligence agencies got their hands on.

Think about that. To figure out how an American presidential campaign supposedly went about attacking a rival campaign, Durham relied on information US intelligence gathered on claims made by Russian intelligence agents about what they supposedly found by spying on Americans. Thats a pretty roundabout way to learn the kind of information youd expect to see inPlaybook. And this game of spy telephone wasactually even longer than Durham details. According to the New York Times, US spies obtained their insight into Russian intelligence thinking from Dutch intelligence, which was spying on the Russians as the Russians spied on Americans. Durham seems to have found no other confirmation for his Clinton Plan intelligence. Thats reason enough for skepticism.

But there is a bigger problem. Russian security servicesdidhack Clintons campaign to help Trump, according to the entire US intelligence community and the Senate Intelligence Committee. Yet Durham relies on those Russian spies for insight into how Clinton reacted to the hack. That is like the cops citing a bank robber who says the bank framed him.

Durham admits that the Clinton Plan intelligence may be a fabrication. Then he cites it anyway, extensively. He laments the FBIs startling and inexplicable failure to use the supposed plan to put the breaks on the bureaus Trump-Russia probe. He also suggests Clintons machinations may have in part triggered the FBIs investigation.

Durham doesnt explain that claim,but that didnt concern Trump defenders. The Russian collusion conspiracy was invented by Clinton operatives, frequent Trump apologist Jonathan Turley wrotein the New York Post. The Russian hoax was a figment of Hillary Clintons imagination, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) declared.

Thisisnt just false.Itwould require time travel. Durham himself confirms that the FBI launched its investigation into Trump and Russia based on events that occurred months prior to Clintons alleged July 26 approval of the plan.In April 2016, George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign,met with a professor with Kremlin ties, who informed him that Russia had obtained dirt onClinton in the form of thousands of emails, as Robert Muellers final report noted. A week later, according to Mueller, Papadopoulos suggested to a representative of a foreign government that the Trump Campaign had received indications from the Russian government that it could assist the Campaign through the anonymous release of damaging material. When hacked Democratic emails were indeed publishedby WikiLeaks on July 22this foreign diplomat alerted US officials about what Papadopoulos had said. The FBI quickly launched an official investigation into the Trump campaigns Russia ties in response to that tip, Durham notes, while arguing they should have begun only a preliminary investigation.

It was the same Russian hack, not Hillary Clinton, that drove media attention, even before the documents were leaked to the public. A June 14, 2016, Washington Post reportRussian Government Hackers Penetrated DNC, Stole Opposition Research on Trumpkicked off a boatload of stories about Trumps financial ties to Russia andhis fawning posture toward Vladimir Putin.

And for all weve heardabout Muellers failure touncover collusion or a criminal conspiracy between Trump and Russia, Durham in fact failed to dent the conclusion, reached by multiple investigations, that Trumps campaign knew of and expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts, as Mueller wrote. The Trump campaigns litany of sketchy Russian contacts included campaign chief Paul Manaforts secret 2016 contacts with a man the Senate Intelligence Committee labeled a Russian intelligence officer, who was seeking Trumps backing for a Kremlin-approved plan that would have given Russia effective control of eastern Ukraine. Manafort meanwhile provided his Russian contact with campaign polling data. All by itself, the machinations of Manafort, whom the committee called a grave counterintelligence threat, refute Trumps hoax claims.

Russias hacking, and Trumps effort to exploit it, along with his extensive lies about the topic, drove media and law enforcement attention to it. Clintons campaign, as Durham labored to show, did try to exploit the scandal. But Clinton didnt invent it. Or if she did, as weve noted before, she had the extraordinary luck of making up an accusation that turned out to be correct.

Durham evades this problem by focusing on Clinton supporters efforts to highlight allegations about Trump and Russia that did not pan outin particular the campaigns funding of the Steele dossier, the series of memos of unverified human intelligence that British ex-spook Christoper Steele compiled as opposition research on Trump. Steeles stuff didnt cause the FBI investigation. The agents only saw Steeles memos in mid-September, long after launching the probe, as Durham notes. Nor did the material factor in the conclusions of the probes conducted by Mueller or Senate Intelligence Committee.

But the FBI did use the Steeles memos in FISA applications allowing them to spy on Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. And Durham rips the bureau for relying on unvetted and unverified rumors. Durham also argues that the FBI failed to fully consider the possibility that Steeles primary sub-source, Igor Danchenkoa Russian-born US residentwho was once the subject of a US counterintelligence probemisled Steele to help the Kremlin.

In not resolving Danchenkos status vis-a-vis the Russian intelligence services, it appears the FBI never gave appropriate consideration to the possibility that the intelligence Danchenko was providing to Steelewas, in whole or in part, Russian disinformation, Durham says.

But Durham levels this criticism while leaning heavily on information that indisputably came from Russian intelligence, which has an obvious motive to mislead Americans. The Clinton Plan intelligence, like the Steele dossier, also came from a series of memos, the New York Times reported in January. But these memos were notjustpotentially influenced by Russian spies. They were written by Russian intelligence analysts, who claimed to base them on conversations involving American victims of Russian hacking. According to the Times, the memos made demonstrably inconsistent, inaccurate or exaggerated claims, and some U.S. analysts believed Russia may have deliberately seeded them with disinformation.

Durham admits, the first time he cites the Clinton Plan intelligence, that it may be total bullshit. The report quotes former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe. who, when he declassified some of the same information in October 2020, said the Russian claims were unconfirmed and might reflect exaggeration or fabrication. Durham also quotes three Clinton aides separately calling the allegation ridiculous and notes that Clinton said that the claim struck her as Russian disinformation. But Durham does not otherwise address the possibility that the Russian analysis was a deliberate lie.

Instead he leans heavily on the supposed intelligence. And like the FBI officials who used Steeles memos to justify surveilling Page, Durham cited the Russian memos in court to advance his cause. The same Russian memos that included the Clinton Plan allegation also claimed that the Russians had snooped on communications between an official at the Open Society Foundationsthe pro-democracy organization founded by George Sorosand Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, then head of the Democratic National Committee. The Russians claimed the duo had discussed a promise by then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch to limit the Justice Departments probe into Clintons handling of State Department emails. But, as the Washington Post first reported in 2017, no other evidence supported this claim, and US officials suspected it was deliberate disinformation.

Still Durham cited the memos as evidence in a bid to obtain a secret federal court order to seize the Open Society officials emails, according to the Times. After a judge found his evidence was too weak for a warrant, Durham used grand-jury power to demand documents and testimony directly from Open Society and forced the groupto cooperate. He seems to have found nothing.

Durham used possible Russian disinformation while attacking the FBI for using possible Russian disinformation. That may seem confusing, but it helps clarify what the special counsel has been up to for the last four years.Working to arm Donald Trump and his allies with talking points to fault what they call the weaponization of government, Durham made himself their weapon.

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John Durham's Report Used Sketchy Intelligence That Might Be ... - Mother Jones