Some 163 million people in the U.S. live in areas that experienced dangerous heat on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service — sending “heat risk” forecasts in major cities (including New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Atlanta) into the most extreme risk category through Saturday. Part of the reason is the planet is warming dangerously, but Trump calls climate change a “hoax” and is encouraging more use of fossil fuels. Especially endangered are workers toiling under the hot sun, or in stifling warehouses, or in delivery trucks with no AC.Yet Trump’s pick to run the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, David Keeling, is weakening the agency’s own heat standards by removing specific inspection goals. OSHA’s Heat National Emphasis Program expired on April 8. Its proposed heat standard has been stalled.For many workers, heat standards are literally a matter of life and death. Every year, workers collapse, suffer permanent injuries, and die while doing their jobs in extreme heat. Years ago, when I ran the Labor Department, we had the toughest Occupational Health and Safety Administration in history, run by a truly committed worker advocate named Joe Dear. We made workplaces safer — reducing worker deaths and injuries.Since its inception in 1971, OSHA has reduced workplace-related fatalities by almost 63 percent. It has slashed the rate of serious workplace injuries and illnesses by 75 percent. But OSHA under Keeling is retreating from worker safety. Before Trump picked him to head OSHA, Keeling was Amazon’s top safety executive. During Keeling’s tenure at Amazon, a Senate report found that Amazon warehouses were twice as dangerous as those of its competitors.This year, we’ve already seen reports of Amazon workers dying on the job on a near monthly basis, including incidents in Oregon and North Carolina. Why would we trust Amazon’s safety head with the country’s workers?Before he was at Amazon, Keeling was in charge of safety at UPS. How did he do there? OSHA repeatedly cited UPS for exposing drivers to excessive heat. Federal investigators found at least 100 drivers were hospitalized for heat-related injuries between 2015 and 2018. UPS delivery trucks had no air conditioning until 2024, when it was won in a landmark collective bargaining agreement with the Teamsters.Now Keeling is head of OSHA, and OSHA is weakening its heat protection standards. Workers are already paying the price. Reports of worker deaths during extreme heat continue to emerge across the country. Heat exposure can trigger heat stroke, organ failure, and chronic kidney disease. These are among the most predictable workplace hazards, which means they can often be prevented with strong safety standards and rigorous enforcement.But instead of strengthening those protections, OSHA under Keeling has weakened them. At a time when record-breaking temperatures are becoming more frequent, retreating from enforcement sends a dangerous message that worker fatalities are a cost of doing business.When he was in charge of safety at Amazon, Amazon became notorious for dangerous warehouse conditions. When in charge of safety at UPS, UPS resisted providing air conditioning for delivery vehicles. Now, when the agency responsible for protecting millions of workers should be leading the fight against preventable heat deaths — it’s backing away from its most basic responsibility to protect people over profits.Robert Reich is a professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https://robertreich.substack.com/.
A 52-year-old man reportedly died in New York City on Thursday after setting himself on fire near the United Nations‘s headquarters. A protester with a Tibetan flag carried out the self-immolation, according to the New York Post. He was reportedly protesting China‘s occupation of Tibet. Papers that said “China Out of Tibet” were found at […]
Op-ed views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author. How America Created a Parallel Court System Where Due Process Vanishes, Children Become Commodities, and Judges […]
Op-ed views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author. Outsider Ambassador to Guatemala Can Combat Cartels President Donald Trump’s hemispheric counterterrorism agenda is on the […]
Law enforcement officials are expressing shock at the conditions that allegedly led to the death of a 7-year-old boy in Michigan.Paramedics were called to the home in Flint Township on Nov. 4, 2025, over the report of a child in distress.'It was just one of the most unbelievable scenes that the police have seen, that I've reviewed in my 22 years as prosecuting attorney.' They found Casper O'Brien having difficulty breathing and unable to move because he weighed 255 pounds, according to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office.His parents, Damien and Jessica O’Brien, had also packed the home with so many objects that it was difficult to move around. Police reported there was feces throughout the home because the toilet didn't work. They also said the boy had "some of the worst open sores and rashes they've ever seen." He died later that evening at a hospital.His parents were charged with one count of second-degree murder, one count of torture, and three counts of second-degree child abuse.Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said the autopsy showed the boy died of a heart muscle disease, and morbid obesity was listed as a contributing factor."What we allege is that he was not fed in a nutritious way," Leyton said. "He was neglected, and he was abused, and his diet is part of it, and not getting whatever help he needed because he was nonverbal as part of it. All that adds up to an extreme case of child abuse resulting in someone's death."They also found a 5-year-old child who was morbidly obese. She was found naked outside by officers and was dirty, with knots in her hair.Leyton gave a rundown of the evidence gathered in the case."We'll present the body camera footage," Leyton said. "We'll present the autopsy results. We'll present the fact that this child died from fairly natural causes brought on by the obesity and the lack of nutrition. And we'll present what we think as a case of neglect and abuse and torture."RELATED: People so 'extremely obese' they were almost bedridden starved 14-year-old girl until she weighed 35 pounds, police say The parents could face life in prison if convicted.Leyton expressed disbelief at the parents' behavior because the father had a good job with health insurance but had only taken the boy to a doctor once."They had called the veterinarian about one of their pets. They knew what to do for the dog, but they didn't do it for their own child," he added. "Sadly, he died because of neglect."Leyton said the case was difficult for the police — as well as Child Protective Services — to investigate. "It was just one of the most unbelievable scenes that the police have seen, that I've reviewed in my 22 years as prosecuting attorney," Leyton added. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
