Danger Dust

A CNN investigation has found that in just five months, President Donald Trump dismantled the safety net that has for years protected miners from lung disease, aided those already afflicted and kept miners safe on the job.

Since January, “impact” inspections targeting mines with immediate dangers or the most troubling records of health and safety violations have dropped by 75 percent from the same period a year ago, according to data from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). They are at their lowest level for any year with data available since such “impact” inspections began in 2010.