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Federal judge considers having ICE jails inspected by the court following live testimony

Melody G. Gillette

A Miami federal judge is considering having three South Florida immigration detention centers inspected by a court-appointed “fact-finder,” after detainees gave live, scathing testimonies Thursday about the deteriorating conditions behind bars as COVID-19 rapidly spreads.

During a virtual court hearing held Thursday via Zoom, U.S. District Judge Marcia G. Cooke told U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement that she would soon be deciding whether to assign a “special master” or “professional observer” with the aim of finding out if her court orders — which were designed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus — have actually been followed.

“You’re getting my drift here?” Cooke asked Dexter Lee, an assistant U.S. attorney representing ICE in an ongoing lawsuit seeking the release of detainees at the Krome Processing Center in Miami-Dade, the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach and the Glades Detention Center in Moore Haven.

Lee said the agency would oppose the

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The Soviet Vaccine Strategy That Could Be a Coronavirus Weapon

Melody G. Gillette
Photo credit: Bettmann - Getty Images
Photo credit: Bettmann – Getty Images

From Popular Mechanics

  • Medical researchers around the world are testing live polio vaccine for a secondary ability to prevent COVID-19 (coronavirus) for a short time.

  • Proponents say this could hold humankind over until a true vaccine is developed.

  • Scientists don’t understand why live vaccines have this effect, but they speculate it’s a broad immune response.

Medical researchers suggest there could be a stopgap way to reduce the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). They’re cautiously discussing and beginning to test a secondary effect of the “live virus” polio vaccine as a way to prevent transmission.

This effect isn’t a true vaccine, or effective for nearly the same length as a vaccine, or even a treatment of any kind. But when someone is inoculated with the “live virus” polio vaccine, they almost always have extended immunity to many other viruses for about a

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14 foods with wonderfully healthy fats that you should add to your plate

Melody G. Gillette
Eating fat won't make you fat, if you do it right.
Eating fat won’t make you fat, if you do it right.

Shutterstock

  • Fat is an essential part of any diet, it’s critical for the health of our cells, and helps our body absorb other nutrients.

  • Healthful, fatty foods that are a great addition to any diet include oatmeal, eggs, chia seeds, and tofu.

  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Fat in food has gotten an unfair reputation as a belly-bulging demon that can wreck your diet and cause you to gain weight.

But the truth is, we need some fat in our diets to survive. The proper amount of the right kind of fat can fuel your body and help feed your brain. Many studies have shown that people who eat more fat don’t get more fat, nor do they have higher rates of other health problems like cancer or heart disease. 

It’s true that fat packs a

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Bacteria live on our eyeballs — and understanding their role could help treat common eye diseases

Melody G. Gillette
<span class="caption">The eye has a collection of microbes living on the surface that keep it healthy. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="link rapid-noclick-resp" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/human-eye-medical-detail-1345654691?src=3EN65aoLrSklI70CS0rGYw-1-0&studio=1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:photoJS/Shutterstock.com">photoJS/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
The eye has a collection of microbes living on the surface that keep it healthy. photoJS/Shutterstock.com

You may be familiar with the idea that your gut and skin are home to a collection of microbes – fungi, bacteria and viruses – that are vital for keeping you healthy. But did you know that your eyes also host a unique menagerie of microbes? Together, they’re called the eye microbiome. When these microbes are out of balance – too many or too few of certain types – eye diseases may emerge.

With a recent study showing bacteria live on the surface of the eye and stimulate protective immunity, scientists are beginning to discover the microbial factors that can be exploited to create innovative therapies for a range of eye disorders like Dry Eye Disease, Sjogren’s Syndrome and corneal scarring. One day it may be possible to engineer bacteria to

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