40 people were arrested in Georgia
“Medicaid expansion now!” was the rallying cry this week of a rising grassroots movement spreading across the South. Nearly 40 people were arrested at the Georgia State Senate on Tuesday protesting a bill that would bar the expansion of Medicaid. Georgia has the fifth-highest number of uninsured people of any state in the country. Under the Affordable Care Act, an estimated 650,000 additional residents would be eligible for Medicaid. But Georgia is one of a number of Republican-led states that have opted out of such Medicaid expansion. The protest at the Georgia State Senate was the largest to date by Moral Monday Georgia, an outgrowth of the Moral Monday movement that began in North Carolina.
Heavy Smog Grips Beijing
Residents of Beijing are suffering through a sixth day of heavy smog. On Monday, authorities issued the second-highest level of pollution alert for a second time after it was used for the first time ever on Friday. During an orange alert, children and the elderly are warned not to go outside. Dozens of factories have shut down in a bid to curb pollution.
France Bans Monsanto GM Corn
France has banned the agribusiness giant Monsanto’s genetically modified corn ahead of the annual season of sowing maize. Monsanto’s GM corn is the only variety allowed in the European Union. But France has long attempted to ban all GM crops, alleging threats to health and the environment.