Here we go again. The Republican-controlled Congress—with the help of some Democrats—is trying to derail a new regulation from the Obama administration. This regulation aims to reduce the costs to Medicare of pharmaceuticals used in outpatient treatments. Doctors groups and PhRMA lobbyists have been pushing lawmakers hard to try to throw a spanner in the works, because they make more money when higher-cost drugs are used. But their lobbyist goofed up this week, shining a light on how Washington works.
Two experts called to speak about a controversial Medicare regulation submitted written testimony to a House subcommittee Tuesday that included identical and near-identical passages outlining their opposition to a plan that would cut how much physicians get paid to administer medicines to patients in their offices.
It’s usual for witnesses on the same side of an issue to share a point of view. It’s not normal for them to use the exact same words to articulate it.
So how did this happen? Not surprisingly, lobbyists were involved. […]
A lobbying firm called Hart Health Strategies does business with the organizations both witnesses represented.
“Both of our clients were asked to testify at yesterday’s hearing. We inadvertently merged the process parts of both testimonies. It was merely a clerical error,” Vicki Hart, the lobbying firm’s president, wrote in an email to The Huffington Post.
Why even bother to have "expert" witnesses (in this case Marcia Boyle, president of the Immune Deficiency Foundation, and Michael Schweitz, a Florida-based rheumatologist on behalf of the Alliance of Specialty Medicine and the Coalition of State Rheumatology Organizations) testify? Why not just put the lobbyists in the witness chairs? It's not like the Republicans calling these hearings are actually looking to be educated or illuminated on the issues. They want to have testimony that supports their ultimate actions—the actions that the same lobbyists who write the "expert" testimony are telling them to take.
Donald Trump is not shying away from attacking Hillary Clinton on foreign policy:
With national security looming as a potential vulnerability, Mr. Trump was unsparing in his criticism of the former secretary of state, saying she “knows nothing about national security” and dismissing her experience as irrelevant because “she’s incompetent.”
“She is grossly incompetent when it comes to national security. And ISIS sits back and laughs at her,” he said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Sunday.
To be sure, Trump will have plenty to say in criticizing Clinton on foreign policy, since her past decisions and positions are a matter of public record and she’s been honest about them. Meanwhile, Trump changes his claims about what positions he holds now and held in the past depending on his audience, and perhaps on his mood of the moment. It’s definitely hard to run against someone like Trump who isn’t bound by pesky considerations like reality. But even so, it’s doubtful Clinton would trade places with Trump when it comes to foreign policy credentials.
Officer Edward Nero, the second of six Baltimore police officers charged in the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, has been acquitted of all the charges he faced. Nero faced a judge in a bench trial rather than going before a jury.
Prosecutors argued during Nero's six-day trial that Nero, a former volunteer EMT and firefighter who has been with the Baltimore Police Department since 2012, committed a crime when he, along with Officer Garrett Miller and Lt. Brian Rice arrested and handcuffed Gray without probable cause after Gray ran unprovoked from police.
The state added that Nero committed reckless endangerment when he failed to seatbelt Gray in the transport van and that placed him in the position that led to his fatal injuries.
Nero's attorney Marc Zayon argued that the law allows for such a stop in high crime areas, Nero only touched Gray once and the police transport van driver, Officer Caesar Goodson, was ultimately responsible for placing a seat belt on Gray.
Also during the trial, Miller testified that he was the one who arrested and handcuffed Gray. Miller, a member of the department since 2012 is also charged with second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office in connection to Gray's death.
The judge reportedly stressed that testimony from Miller in explaining the verdict.
Wisconson Sen. Ron Johnson and his Koch backers have decided that the way to beat Russ Feingold, the Democrat running to regain this seat, is on veterans issues. They've already dug Johnson a pretty big hole by giving Feingold the opportunity to keep reminding veterans that Johnson and his Senate staff were completely out of touch when it came to a key veterans' healthcare issue. But it's even worse than that, since it opens Johnson up to all sorts of questions about his support for veterans.
Questions like: Where was he on Veterans Day last fall? It turns out he was in Philadelphia that day and the next, playing with service dogs and "for campaign-related events." About that campaign-related event: In its quarterly report to the FEC, Ron Johnson for Senate, Inc. revealed that it reimbursed the Union League of Philadelphia $1,479 for event space on November 12, 2015.
Today, the Union League is a private, members only, Five Star Platinum Club with over 3,500 members. Membership is in the vanguard of Philadelphia life, counting among our members many top leaders in business, academia, law, medicine, politics, religion, and the arts. Our members gather to socialize, dine, attend events, exercise and relax in one of the city's most beautiful and historic settings. As members of the Union League of Philadelphia, they are entitled to many exclusive privileges that further details how the League is the #1 City Club in the nation.
That sounds a bit swanky, huh? You don't even need the "traditional décor […] accented in rich leather, patinated wood and polished marble," or the "distinguished collection of art and artifacts" to figure this place—and its membership—is what you might call upper crust. And not just upper crust. "Our admission process is intended to make sure that we admit only individuals of honor and integrity, individuals who believe in the principles on which our nation was founded—individual liberty, free markets and limited government—and individuals who support the free-enterprise system." That's Joan Carter, the Union League's first female president, speaking in 2011. Ironically, as late as 2012, the Club still had tables reserved for men only in its dining room.
The presumptive Republican nominee for President of United States has had several very deep, thoughtful things to say about the issue of climate change.
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This very expensive GLOBAL WARMING bullshit has got to stop. Our planet is freezing, record low temps,and our GW scientists are stuck in ice
Univision anchor Jorge Ramos faced off with Donald Trump during a press event last year.
Univision anchor Jorge Ramos faced off with Donald Trump during a press event last year.
The Spanish-language broadcaster Univision has attracted 106,000 people to 145 events aimed at increasing voter registration and citizenship applications among Latinos. Catherine Ho reports:
Univision announced in February it would seek to register three million new Latino voters — the estimated number of young Latinos who have turned 18 and become eligible to vote since 2012 — ahead of the November election.
The network has since rolled out an aggressive public service and advertising campaign, in English and Spanish, on its 126 television and radio stations across the United Statesand social media platforms. And it is partnering with several Latino civil rights, political and advocacy groups to host town halls, staff community call centers, and launch a new texting tool that about 130,000 people from all 50 states have subscribed to.
Just one more effort that’s sure to help increase Latino voter participation in ways that could well determine the outcome of 2016.
●House: Thursday offered a potent reminder that the Republican civil war remains just as intense on Capitol Hill as it does on the presidential campaign trail—and is offering up new potential victims for Democrats to eviscerate. Let's set the scene: On Wednesday, House Republicans passed a defense spending bill that would have allowed federal contractors to use their claimed religious beliefs as an excuse to fire LGBT people. Nice guys, huh?
Fighting back, Democratic Rep. Sean Maloney offered an amendment to a different defense appropriations bill the following day that would have overturned this anti-LGBT provision. Amazingly enough, despite the GOP's wide majority in the chamber, it passed.
Or so it appeared. As the clock for the two-minute vote expired, 182 Democrats and 35 Republicans joined together to give Maloney's amendment 217 votes; the rest of the GOP could only muster up 206 votes against it. That's math simple enough even for the Republican leadership to understand—and indeed it did. Republicans held the vote open for another six minutes, enough time to coerce seven of their number to switch their votes "quietly from the back benches," as Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer put it.
But few congressional shenanigans get past Hoyer, and soon after, he tweeted out a list of the turncoats. It's an interesting assemblage, to say the least. Of the seven, fully four are potentially vulnerable this fall: California Reps. David Valadao and Jeff Denham; Iowa Rep. David Young; and Maine Rep. Bruce Poliquin. While all of these men are quite conservative, they all at least had the brains to oppose this particularly instance of anti-LGBT bigotry … but not enough fortitude to resist when their party leaders came demanding obedience.
And that's a real problem, because all four of the districts represented by this group went for Barack Obama in 2012, and all four are on Daily Kos Elections' list of races that either will be or could become competitive in November. The coverage of this skullduggery has already been unflattering, and this quartet will not only get painted by their Democratic opponents as bigots but as flip-floppers, too.
Oh, and if you're wondering why the GOP was so insistent on making sure the Maloney amendment failed, Rep. Charlie Dent, one of the provision's Republican supporters, explained that the more conservative members of his party didn't want to get stuck voting for a defense bill with a pro-LGBT amendment attached to it. So House GOP leaders figured they'd sacrifice a few congressman in bluer seats to protect the ultra-wingnuts from possible primary challenges. The Republican war rages on—and only Democrats stand to benefit.
I’m usually happy by the time Monday rolls around, because by that time, I’ve mostly stopped keeping up with the news for 48 hours or so. But then it becomes Monday.
The good news about the news on Monday, as well as on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and about every other Friday, is that Greg Dworkin reads it for me. And that always makes it easier to take.
Like they say, if you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention. And if you’re not paying attention, you’ve come to the right place!
Who was it that I saw saying that they wished they knew of a quick and easy way to support the Kagro in the Morning show?
Was that you?
I thought so!
Well, now you can help justify the continued occupation of the “family room” at KITM World Headquarters by our “high-tech studio” with simple and easy PayPal donations, or recurring, monthly subscriptions! For you hipsters, we offer the same monthly option, but with a fancier name, through the KITMPatreon account!
And remember, the more of you who contribute, the less I feel like an idiot for doing this. Come on, that’s important!
Did you happen to miss our last LIVE show? You can catch it here:
The annual Webby Awards---”honoring excellence on the internet”---were handed out earlier this month, and one the things I appreciate most about them is that their acceptance speeches are limited to just five words. (I think the orchestra starts playing 'em off after word #3.) Here are some of the best of 2016's batch:
"Stay turnt! Black lives matter."
---Black Lives Matter (Social Movement of the Year)
"Racist trolls, you can't hide."
---W3haus
"Rockin' and rovin' on Mars."
---NASA/JPL
That’s six words, you hack.
"We got FLOTUS to rap."
---College Humor
"Beat cancer, got a Webby."
---Natalie Sun
"The internet adds 10 pixels."
---Hollywood Reporter
"News doesn't have to suck."
---Reuters TV
"Thank you Donald Trump...asshole."
---The Simpsons
"Won't you be our neighbor?"
---PBS Kids
"Goats just wanna have fun."
---Goats of Anarchy
Eat yer heart out, haiku.
Cheers and Jeers starts below the fold... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]
Last week an openly gay man, Eric Fanning, became secretary of the Army. Read that sentence again and contemplate what it reveals about how much and how quickly American society has changed. Only five years ago, openly gay people were barred from serving in its armed forces. During Mr. Fanning’s lengthy confirmation process, his sexual orientation was simply not an issue. That is a tribute to those who fought so hard to repeal the ban, and a measure of the nation’s at times uncertain, but as yet unfailing, march toward equality.
In retrospect the fight that convulsed this country over whether gay Americans should serve in uniform seems senseless, almost absurd. Yet it is instructive, if only because a Pentagon plan to allow transgender Americans to serve openly in uniform remains stalled by a similar, albeit quieter, debate.
When President Obama declared in 2011 that he wanted U.S. foreign policy to pivot to Asia, some derided the move as a clumsy attempt to flee the messy conflicts of the Middle East.
But the pivot has actually worked pretty well – as will be evident when Obama travels to Asia this week. Almost every country in the region is clamoring for a closer relationship with the United States.
The most striking case is Vietnam, most of whose leaders are old enough to have fought in their country’s war with the United States. The communist regime has been openly courting a deeper military relationship, and has even invited the U.S. Navy to return to Cam Ranh Bay, its base during much of the war. During his visit, Obama is expected to announce an expansion of American military sales.
Last week The Washington Post published a piece about black millennials and voting, the headline of which boldly declared: “Despite Black Lives Matter, young black Americans aren’t voting in higher numbers.” The headline and the story were both unsurprising and frustrating, a disturbing affirmation that, for all of the talk about young black America in the media, we’re still far from understood.
Unlike white millennials, we aren’t allowed to deviate from norms, to be untraditional. We have to follow strict standards and conventions. We have to be acceptable and respectable. We can’t have nuanced views and ideology, and if we have the nerve, the audacity to be angry, we better have something to show for it.
The Post’s article only affirms that sentiment, and as the primary election post-mortems begin, we can expect to hear a lot more of it. The piece claims that, despite all the work and visibility of groups like Black Lives Matter, there’s been a decrease in young black voting in 2016, implying that the movement has failed to produce electoral success. “The generation of African Americans pushing criminal-justice issues and institutional racism to the forefront of the presidential election had little effect at the ballot box during this primary season,” it notes, before pivoting to a “concerned” conversation over black youth turnout.
But there’s a problem with that frame—actually, a few of them. First, Black Lives Matter never claimed to represent all black youth or be responsible for mobilizing an entire generation at the polls. Black Lives Matter organizers have said repeatedly that voter mobilization isn’t a priority and that they were not endorsing a presidential candidate in this election.
Black Lives Matter activist and California State University professor Melina Abdullah summed up the strategy on Democracy Now! in early March: “We’re not telling people not to vote, we’re simply not endorsing any presidential candidate, recognizing that where we want to put our time and energy is in the development of people to act in their own interests and on their own behalf.” [...}
After being the subject of a critical story emanating from Washington regarding the drug trade in Afghanistan, Afghani President Hamid Karzai shot back:
President Hamid Karzai today demanded justice for Afghan prisoner abuse by American interrogators, and he blamed the United States and Britain, not his government, for the slow progress of anti-drug efforts in his country. He also said he would ask President Bush for greater control over Afghan affairs as part of a longer-term strategic partnership.
. . . Mr. Karzai underscored cooperation with the United States, but also insisted that Afghans' sense of independence and self-reliance was growing. "No Afghan is a puppet, you know," he said in a Fox News interview. "There is a stronger ownership of the Afghan government and the Afghan people now.”
It remained unclear how much his criticisms were intended for Afghan consumption, or whether his meeting with Mr. Bush might be rendered less comfortable than past such encounters, which have generally been portrayed as relaxed and amicable.
His comments, nonetheless, came at a delicate and unexpectedly contentious moment, a day after Mr. Karzai had expressed dismay over reports of abuses of Afghan prisoners - "it has shocked me thoroughly," he said Saturday in Kabul - and as Mr. Karzai's help in eradicating opium poppies in Afghanistan was being questioned by the United States.
Monday through Friday you can catch the Kagro in the Morning Show 9 AM ET by dropping in here, or you can download the Stitcher app (found in the app stores or at Stitcher.com), and find a live stream there, by searching for "Netroots Radio.”
