March 17, 2015

Really, that wasn't a joke...

March 17, 2015

Star Date 2525.04.01...

March 17, 2015

Only one in 10 know?

March 17, 2015

More trees...or else!

March 17, 2015

Iran is 'taking over Iraq' and Obama must put boots on the ground against Isil, warns Saudi Arabia

Thousands flee Isil-held Tikrit ahead of Iraqi assault as Saudi foreign minister calls for US coalition presence 'on the ground' to prevent Iran overrunning country

Saudi Arabia became the second key American ally in the Middle East to demand President Barack Obama change tack towards Iran on Thursday, as it called for US-led coalition "boots on the ground" to fight Isil.

Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, told John Kerry, the US secretary of state, that he risked allowing Iran to "take over Iraq", echoing Israel's recent concerns over the White House's policy toward Tehran.

The United States and its coalition allies are attacking Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) positions from the air in both Syria and Iraq, but refusing to send troops. As a result, outside Kurdish areas the offensive in both countries is heavily influenced by Iran and its proxy Shia militias such as Hizbollah.

This has raised serious concerns in Saudi Arabia, Iran's Sunni rival for Middle East dominance.

More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/11453242/Iran-is-taking-over-Iraq-and-Obama-must-put-boots-on-the-ground-against-Isil-warns-Saudi-Arabia.html

March 17, 2015

Novartis Pays $12.6M Fine for Giving Inaccurate Pricing Data to Medicare

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

In what the federal government says is the largest such settlement ever reached, Sandoz has agreed to pay $12.64 million to resolve allegations that it misrepresented pricing data on medicines that were provided to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Sandoz, which is owned by Novartis NVS -0.48% and markets hundreds of generic drugs in the U.S., allegedly misrepresented the average sales price data to Medicare between January 2010 and March 2012, according to a statement from the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

A Novartis spokeswoman writes that the drug maker did not admit to any liability or wrongdoing. “Sandoz continues to be committed to providing high-quality, affordable medicines to U.S. patients and conducting business with customers and the government with integrity.” As part of the settlement, Sandoz agreed to provide certification that it established a government pricing compliance program.

As the OIG explains, Medicare uses the pricing data to set payments for most drugs covered under Medicare Part B, which are typically administered by a physician or health care provider. These may include injectable or infused medicines for treating cancer and osteoarthritis, among other maladies.

http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/novartis-pays-126m-fine-for-giving-inaccurate-pricing-data-to-medicare

March 17, 2015

The largest official Facebook page in Congress!!!

Thanks to all of you who have Liked Sen. Sanders' @Facebook page. It is now the largest official page in Congress: https://www.facebook.com/senatorsanders

March 17, 2015

Bernie Sanders: That's a vision worth fighting for and why we must never ever give up.

March 17, 2015

Mega-church pastor wants $65M for private plane...

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) -
Leader of World Changers Church International Creflo Dollar is making an online plea for a new private jet, something he says is necessary to keep his ministry running properly.

"I am so determined to preach this gospel around this world because people are condemned," said Dollar.

The longtime mega-church pastor is taking to online crowd funding to buy a $65 million G650. On Friday, it was hard for WMC Action News 5's Felicia Bolton to find anyone who supported his request.

"I don't think that a $65 million jet is appropriate for a pastor," said John Wright.

In an online video, Dollar says the private plane he had before is now out of service after a series of malfunctions .

"We were on our way to the Pacific Ocean and about an hour into the trip," Dollar said. "The right engine went out."

The minister says the 30-year-old jet clocked in four million miles, mostly from spreading the gospel around the world.

Many people who spoke to WMC believe this minister can do a lot more with the money than use it on an expensive jet.

"I would like $65 million to, I don't know, maybe educate the kids in this country," said Krista Abbott. "Provide them with better education, maybe give some money to the homeless, maybe

More here and see the video at: http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/28464348/mega-church-pastor-wants-65-million-for-private-plane

March 17, 2015

Sanders: We Must Produce a Budget for America, Not Wealthy Special Interests...

WASHINGTON, March 15 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, today urged Republicans to work with the Democratic Caucus to produce a budget which represents the needs of the American middle class and not just the wealthiest and most powerful people in the country.

Sanders said a sensible budget must lay the groundwork for:
•Rebuilding crumbling infrastructure and creating millions of new jobs.
•Raising the minimum wage, improving overtime pay and addressing pay equity for women workers.
•Preventing cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
•Making college education affordable and ending the huge student debt crisis.
•Creating a tax system which is fair for working families and ends tax loopholes for large corporations.

“As the Senate moves to the debate over the budget, I hope very much that my Republican colleagues will not release a document that stands for the Robin Hood principle in reverse – as the House Ryan Republican budget did last year. We must not take from the poor to give to the rich. We must not cut programs that the elderly, the children, the sick, the poor and working families desperately depend upon, in order to give more tax breaks to large, profitable corporations,” Sanders said.

Sanders added that he and the Democratic members of the committee would vigorously oppose Republican ideas to:
•Continue mindless austerity with across the board cuts in all programs.
•Convert Medicaid and Food Stamps into a block grant program.
•Repeal the Affordable Care Act.
•Provide large tax cuts for the wealthy with incomes above $1 million a year and continued tax cuts for large corporations.
•Massive cuts to the social safety net over the next 10 years.

http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-we-must-produce-a-budget-for-america-not-wealthy-special-interests