The move would endanger the health of workers and military personnel –
Trump rolls out the red carpet for Putin in Alaska: NAJ screen shot
By Cristina Johnson and Glynn Wilson –
WASHINGTON, D.C. – While the administration of President Joe Biden had moved to finally ban all use of the deadly carcinogen asbestos in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency under President Donald Trump is reconsidering that ban, telling a federal appeals court it plans to reconsider on the last type of asbestos used in the U.S. to determine whether it went “beyond what is necessary.”
Investigators are now wondering what might be behind the move to reconsider in addition to the sweeping anti-science stance on the part of the Trump administration on many fronts. Could there also be a financial conflict of interest involved?
The UK Guardian reported on this back in 2018 during Trump’s first term, revealing that Trump’s face appeared on a Russian mining company brand of asbestos sold in many countries. Uralasbest, one of the world’s largest producers and sellers of asbestos, markets a product using Trump’s image and a brand stamped with his endorsement: “Approved by Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States.”
This clearly shows he has a financial interest in the company and product, as his family has become known for brand names on a host of products, from fragrances to watches, sneakers, vodka, whiskey and even Bibles. His greed and corruption knows no bounds.
Uralasbest, a Russian mining company and one of the world’s largest producers and sellers of asbestos, markets a product using Trump’s image and a brand stamped with his seal of approval: “Approved by Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States.” NAJ screen shot
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington revealed that the Trump Store online launched at least 168 new products costing over $13,803 between Election Day 2024 and Inauguration Day 2025.
“Trump seems determined to make merchandising the presidency seem normal,” the group said. “It’s up to us to remember that it is not.”
In a Facebook post, Uralasbest published pictures of its Trump-adorned chrysotile asbestos, saying: “Donald is on our side!” The post thanked Trump for supporting Scott Pruitt, the head of the E.P.A. who resigned in scandal at the time, and Trump called asbestos “100% safe after application.”
The company is located in the mining city of Asbest in the Ural Mountains, thus the product name, and is reported to have close ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin, who Trump just met with in Alaska in public and private.
What did they talk about alone in that limo? NAJ screen shot
Do you wonder what they talked about in the limo? Could it have been Russian possession of a Trump-Epstein pedophile tape? Maybe they discussed how Trump was going to continue paying his debt to the Russian Mob for bailing out his Atlantic City casinos when no American bank would loan him money? Maybe they discussed their partnership in the only company left in the world selling asbestos, and how to get rid of those pesky E.P.A. regulations so they can sell it in the U.S. market? In the old world, before Trump, this would have been impeachable. Not with this Congress, on recess in August hiding from the Epstein files.
Asbest was once known as the “dying city” due to its high rate of lung cancer and other asbestos-related health problems, the Guardian reported.
“Vladimir Putin and Russia’s asbestos industry stand to prosper mightily as a result of the Trump administration’s failure to ban asbestos in the U.S.,” said Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, at the time. “Helping Putin and Russian oligarchs amass fortunes by selling a product that kills thousands each year should never be the role of a U.S. president or the E.P.A., but this is the Trump administration,” he said sardonically.
Asbestos was once widely used in the U.S. for insulation and roofing but was classed by the federal government as a “known carcinogen.” Studies show that, when disturbed, asbestos fibers can become lodged in the lungs and cause mesothelioma and other cancers of the lung, larynx and ovaries. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, before Trump took office and hired lackeys to run it, about 2,500 Americans die from mesothelioma each year.
Trump called it “100% safe, once applied” in his 1997 book The Art of the Comeback. In the same tome, a Trump ghostwriter wrote: “I believe that the movement against asbestos was led by the mob, because it was often mob-related companies that would do the asbestos removal.”
He must have been speaking of the Italian Mob in the U.S., which Trump and his father had close ties with in the New York real estate business. Or maybe it is the Russian mob that has a hold over Trump for bailing him out when no American bank would loan him money when his casino in Atlantic City was going bankrupt in 2004, 2009 and 2014, eventually closing down completely in 2016 right before he was elected president the first time. How did he agree to cover those debts? That seems obvious now.
Related
In a recent episode of the Terry Gross show “Fresh Air” on NPR, a guest author revealed that Si Newhouse of Condé Nast magazines and the Newhouse newspaper chain with papers all over the country, including the three largest papers in Alabama, also had deep mob ties through Roy Cohn, also a Trump lawyer, adviser and confidant. Newhouse helped make Trump, publishing magazine cover stories about him and the book The Art of the Deal for Random House, a book publishing company he owned.
The author and New York Times reporter Michael M. Grynbaum published an excerpt of his book in the Times, revealing what Fortune magazine had reported back in 1998, an inconvenient truth that Newhouse and company spent so much money in its gilded lifestyle that it did not make much in the way of a profit. The Newhouse holding company, however, Advance, which was and continues to be private, was used to support his status-seeking magazines with revenue from his family’s more lucrative holdings in regional newspapers, like the Birmingham News and Times-Picayune in New Orleans, where staff writers and freelancers were paid a pittance in the non-union South.
Newhouse took all the profits from covering Alabama football and such, reportedly 20 percent or better for much of the last half of the 20th century, and never spent much by way of public service in the states and towns where they operated. So this is how they funded his lavish lifestyle and those of his chosen “star” writers in New York.
S.I. Newhouse, the owner of Condé Nast, and Graydon Carter, the longtime editor in chief of Vanity Fair, at a Vanity Fair Oscar Party in 2007. In its heyday, the editors at the magazine publisher were accustomed to seemingly endless budgets and luxury perks: NAJ screen shot
The ghost writer who did the Trump book for Newhouse revealed in The New Yorker before he was elected that Trump’s great business acumen was pure tabloid fiction.
Related: So Newhouse Gave Us Trump: Now They Will Profit by Taking Him Down?
Back in 2012, the future president tweeted that the World Trade Center “would never have burned down” after the September 11, 2001 attacks if asbestos hadn’t been removed from the building. But of course you can’t believe a word Trump utters. None of it is true, but it’s all reported by every news outlet in the land as if it had validity. Lies layered over lies like nothing Orwell could have dreamed up.
“By allowing asbestos to remain legal, the Trump administration would be responsible for a flood of asbestos imports from Russia and other countries into the U.S., as well as the wave of illnesses and deaths that will continue for years to come,” said Linda Reinstein, co-founder and president of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization.
Brazil used to be responsible for the bulk of asbestos exports to the U.S., but joined about 60 other countries in banning the product a few years ago, leaving Russia as the major source of asbestos shipped to the U.S.
Trump branded asbestos!
President Obama on Putin
As tensions were building between the U.S. and the Kremlin in 2016 over election-related hacking, President Barack Obama dismissed Russia as a “smaller,” “weaker country.” But he warned that it could pose a serious threat if Americans “abandon” democratic values.
Responding to intelligence reports that Russia sought to disrupt the presidential election through cyberattacks in 2016, as well as joining Steve Bannon and Cambridge Analytica’s social media campaign to promote Trump and smear Hillary Clinton, President Obama was harsh in his assessment of the Kremlin.
“The Russians can’t change us or significantly weaken us,” he said at his end-of-year press conference. “They are a smaller country, they are a weaker country, their economy doesn’t produce anything that anybody wants to buy except oil and gas and arms. They don’t innovate.”
Now we know they also mine, manufacture and sell asbestos, with Trump’s name and face on it.
Obama also suggested that Russia and its strongman president, Vladimir Putin, could stand to “weaken” the U.S. if it loosens its commitment to democracy.
“They can impact us if we lose track of who we are,” Obama said. “They can impact us if we abandon our values.”
Clearly this has happened, with Trump as the messenger and partner, who called veterans who voted for him, “Losers and suckers.”
Impacts on the Military
According to the U.S. Navy, this country has grappled for generations with the devastating legacy of asbestos, a natural mineral previously regarded as indispensable to military operations throughout much of the 20th century due to its tenacity and affordability. Yet what was once deemed beneficial has since been recognized as a deadly occupational hazard, with mounting research strongly associating it with a myriad of severe diseases, including lung cancer.
Initial restrictions on most asbestos-containing materials were not enforced in the U.S. until 1989. By then, thousands of service members and shipyard workers had already been exposed. Chrysotile asbestos was still being legally imported for more than two decades, putting service members at risk. In 2002, mining operations for asbestos officially ceased in the U.S. due to numerous lawsuits. Under President Biden, the E.P.A. finally prohibited all mining and importation in 2024.
These protections are once again hanging in the balance. In June 2025, the E.P.A. under the Trump administration expressed in a court filing its intention to reconsider the chrysotile ban within approximately 30 months to reassess whether its scope had been “reasonable.”
“While this decision may be good news for some chemical manufacturers, it risks dismantling hard-won safeguards and reopening the door for asbestos to infiltrate military supply chains and affiliated industrial hubs again,” said a spokesperson for the Navy, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution.
The Deadly Asbestos Legacy in the Military
Asbestos had long been a pervasive occupational hazard in the military, taking a deadly toll on thousands of members exposed. Valued for its versatility, this material has become integral in the construction and maintenance of vessels, aircraft, tanks, trucks, and other equipment, especially back during World War II. Among its different forms, chrysotile – commonly known as “white asbestos” – was the most exploited, accounting for 95 percent of all asbestos applications and productions worldwide.
“Yet while its properties made it very helpful for the military, asbestos dust is highly dangerous,” the spokesperson said. “The tiny mineral fibers can become trapped in the lungs and other organs, causing chronic inflammation that often develops decades later into fatal conditions such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.”
The severity of this crisis has been reflected in national studies. From 1999 to 2017, asbestos-related diseases tragically claimed about 236,981 to 277,654 lives, with 12,000 to 15,000 deaths each year. Some of the hardest hit regions in this period were Florida, with 18,206 reported fatalities, and North Carolina with 6,577 deaths from asbestos related illnesses. At the same time, Tennessee reported 4,935 deaths, while Alabama reported 3,845 deaths. Arkansas reported 1,848 cases and Washington, D.C. reported 223 deaths.
The Biden ban would have still allowed some manufacturers up to 12 years to phase out its use, a provision that followed lobbying efforts by trade groups like the American Chemistry Council. The delay would “move the nation backward, once again putting lives at risk,” said Linda Reinstein, president and co-founder of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, an advocacy nonprofit. The group said it planned to challenge the E.P.A.’s motion to delay, and ask the Fifth Circuit to continue reviewing the 2024 rule.
“Although this issue has raised concerns for everyone in society,” the Navy spokesperson said, “it has disproportionately affected veterans due to prolonged asbestos exposure in contaminated bases like Fort Novosel in Alabama, Naval Air Station Cecil Field in Florida, and Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.”
Roughly 30 percent of the 2,000 to 3,000 annual mesothelioma diagnoses occur among former service members, a disconcerting finding considering that this occupational group comprises only 7 percent of the country’s total adult population. Navy veterans’ asbestos exposure has been particularly significant since they both lived and worked on ships where asbestos was used. A study revealed that such personnel – together with merchant marine seamen – ranked second in mesothelioma cases nationwide next to shipyard workers.
“This reality emphasizes even more the need for a comprehensive asbestos ban that intends to protect not only service members but also the entire community,” the spokesperson said.
EPA’s Reconsideration of Asbestos Ban is Dangerous
The EPA’s plan to revisit the chrysotile asbestos ban is a risk that is even more alarming when considered alongside earlier progressive measures recognizing the persistence as well as long-term health consequences of toxic exposures in military service. Among these is the Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022, which acknowledged that veterans affected by asbestos and other environmental contaminants were indeed entitled to healthcare services and compensation. Making this more comprehensive, the Department of Veterans Affairs added more than 20 presumptive conditions, ensuring that illnesses linked to environmental hazards – including asbestos exposure – receive prompt recognition and support.
“While this measure represents meaningful progress, it cannot counteract the danger posed if asbestos is permitted back into federal and military supply chains,” the spokesperson said. “It’s important to note that chrysotile is already a well-documented carcinogen that has been responsible for the suffering of thousands of service members in the past. So, revisiting that policy now simply disregards those decades of scientific research and regulatory efforts, which will possibly expose future generations to the very hazards the 2024 restriction intended to eliminate.”
“Maintaining the chrysotile ban is not just a regulatory option,” the spokesperson added. “It is a strong commitment to public health and a profound recognition of the sacrifices made by our veterans. An attempt to weaken or overturn this crucial protection would send a dangerous message that administrative convenience is more important than human safety, and that it is acceptable to set aside years of dedicated research and advocacy any time. Veterans deserve assurance that their health and safety are our top priorities, and preserving the asbestos ban is critical to upholding that responsibility.”
After production ended in the U.S. and later Brazil and most countries banned it, this left Russia with a near monopoly. We now know it also carries the name and image of the president of the United States. Let that sink in.
The presence of asbestos in older homes even added to the health risks for firefighters battling the California wildfires this year.
A bill introduced in 2023 by Senator Jeff Merkley, Democrat of Oregon, would ban imports of all asbestos. It has not been introduced in this session in 2025. Senator Merkley said he would “continue to explore all options, including legislation, to phase out all dangerous asbestos fibers and provide stronger protections for our health.”
The latest development at the Trump E.P. A. was first reported by The New York Times, although they did not deal with the threats to members of the military or Trump’s blatant conflict of interest.
About the Authors
Cristina Johnson is a Navy veteran advocate for Asbestos Ships Organization, a nonprofit whose primary mission is to raise awareness and educate veterans about the dangers of asbestos exposure on Navy ships and assist them in navigating the VA claims process.
Glynn Wilson is a long-time reporter and writer covering science, health and environmental issues, a charter member of the Society for Environmental Journalism in 1990 with more than three decades of experience. He’s also a political reporter and investigative journalist who has covered Trump since he first showed up on the national political scene at that first big stadium rally in Mobile, Alabama, and won over the working class crowd. Sometimes he goes off into travel and nature writing like Henry David Thoreau, John McPhee or Ed Abbey. Sometimes he practices explanatory journalism and analysis, like the New York Times does some of the time. Other times, he veers off into a little new journalism, literary style, like Hunter S. Thompson. Everything else is Rock ‘n’ Roll.
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