Alerts

BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT

On the same day Cigna posted a 92 percent increase in 3rd quarter profits, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) released the following statement condemning Cigna for its opposition to health care reform.

"Cigna opposes urgently needed health care reform, and today we know why. Millions of Americans are struggling to provide health care for their families, while Cigna today reported its third quarter profits had soared, nearly doubling. For Cigna, maintaining the status is a good thing – for America, it would be a disaster."

"Our health care reform bill helps the families and businesses that need affordable health care and want to stop price-gouging by insurers."

The Affordable Health Care for America Act, H.R. 3962, includes a number of provisions to prevent price-gouging and ensure premiums are reasonable. It requires publicly-disclosed justification of all premium increases before they go into effect and includes provisions, authored by Rep. Schakowsky, that require rate review of premiums so that excessive increases are denied.

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BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT

From the office of Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) on her amendnent to the PATRIOT Act, originally passed in 2001.

Continuing its consideration of the USA PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009 (H.R. 3845), the House Judiciary Committee yesterday passed on a voice vote an amendment offered by Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) to further rein in abuses of the 2001 PATRIOT Act and restore constitutional checks and balances.

H.R. 3845 reauthorizes, until December 31, 2013, two sections of the 2001 PATRIOT Act, but adds important modifications designed to balance the government's need to conduct valuable national security investigations and the protection of Americans' privacy interests.  It also allows the controversial so-called "Lone Wolf" provision, which the Justice Department testified has never been used, to sunset at the end of this year.

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BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office released the following on the GOP's proposed alternative to Democratic health care reform legislation:

As the House moves forward with the Affordable Health Care for America Act – comprehensive health insurance reform to protect consumers, hold insurance companies accountable, rein in health care costs, reduce the deficit, and cover 36 million uninsured Americans – and after more than 10 months of national debate on the importance of health reform, Congressional Republicans are talking about the 'ideas' in their yet to be unveiled proposal.

The Wall Street Journal headline tells the story: "GOP Health Bill Gives Insurers More Leeway"

"A House Republican health-care bill wouldn't seek to prevent health-insurance companies from denying sick people insurance, Minority Leader John Boehner said Monday." [Wall Street Journal, "GOP Health Bill Gives Insurers More Leeway," 11/2/09]

That's right -– Republicans would do nothing to stop health insurance companies from cherry-picking the healthiest of individuals for coverage at the expense of others. Failure to reform this critical element of the health insurance system will leave millions of Americans ineligible for coverage and will continue the crisis facing families across the country.

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BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT

November 2 Release from the Office of Senator Harry Reid

Spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Jim Manley, released the following statement today in response to news that Humana had a 65 percent jump in profit last quarter mostly due to their involvement with the Medicare Advantage Program:
 
“It’s no wonder why Humana has been misleading seniors about health insurance reform -- they saw their profits rise 65 percent last quarter and want to make sure the gravy train doesn’t

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BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT
by Margaret Smith

It's shocking enough to hear that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a small subset of the U.S. Dept. of Labor, dropped a whooping $87.4 million fine on oil giant BP.

It comes as even more of a shock, though, when you find out that BP has challenged the fine, as well as the hundreds of cited health and safety violations that came along with it, as more and more of their employees are being injured due to safety accidents, some being fatal.

Yet that's what happened last Friday when BP formally contested the fines and citations imposed by the OSHA for what officials said was the company's failure to correct safety hazards identified after the 2005 explosion that killed 15 workers and injured 170 more at its Texas City refinery, the third largest refinery in the country.

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BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT
by Meg White

Though the stretch of South Wacker Drive is more Wall Street than it is Wild West, this week it is the scene of what is billed as a "Showdown in Chicago." Monday morning, a large group of protesters crowded the block surrounding the downtown Chicago headquarters of Goldman Sachs.

"Bust up big banks! Bailout? No thanks!" they screamed in unison. Their target was the American Bankers Association (ABA), the largest lobby group for financial institutions, holding their annual convention in Chicago this week.

The protest was organized by National People's Action, a Chicago-based network of metropolitan, regional, and statewide organizations working to "build grassroots power." Despite their recruitment of local heavy-hitters including the Service Employees International Union and Action Now, with cross-promotion from national groups such as MoveOn.org to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, there was a genuine grassroots feel to the event.

As businessmen and women in suits skirting the crowd had to walk in front of a cordon of Chicago cops in the street in order to get by, protesters young and old held a combination of signs registering their disgust with financial institutions. One grandmotherly-looking woman held a sign that said "Kidz say Goldman sux." Another sign reached back to the language of Reaganomics, complaining of being "pissed" after "being trickled down on" for so long.

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BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT

We're excited about our new design and are making enhancements daily (for instance, the new BuzzFlash.com site loads a lot more quickly now), but we received a lot of e-mail that long time readers prefer the nearly 10-year-old BuzzFlash barebones site.

Since BuzzFlash is reader responsive, last week we reactivated the original BuzzFlash site as "Classic BuzzFlash at: http://classic.buzzflash.com

You can reach the original BuzzFlash site, which has the same content every day as the new design by putting it in your favorites, typing it into the toolbar at: http://classic.buzzflash.com, or going to the top of BuzzFlash.com and clicking "Classic BuzzFlash."

As far as feedback is concerned -- in general -- older readers preferred the simplicity of the old site, and younger readers preferred the contemporary design and navigability of the new site. So, to please our readers, you can pick your preferred option and get the same content!

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BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT

Friends,

It's the #1 question I'm constantly asked after people see my movie: "OK -- so NOW what can I DO?!"

You want something to do? Well, you've come to the right place! 'Cause I got 15 things you and I can do right now to fight back and try to fix this very broken system.

Here they are:

FIVE THINGS WE DEMAND THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS DO IMMEDIATELY:

1. Declare a moratorium on all home evictions. Not one more family should be thrown out of their home. The banks must adjust their monthly mortgage payments to be in line with what people's homes are now truly worth -- and what they can afford. Also, it must be stated by law: If you lose your job, you cannot be tossed out of your home.

2. Congress must join the civilized world and expand Medicare For All Americans. A single, nonprofit source must run a universal health care system that covers everyone. Medical bills are now the #1 cause of bankruptcies and evictions in this country. Medicare For All will end this misery. The bill to make this happen is called H.R. 3200. You must call AND write your members of Congress and demand its passage, no compromises allowed.

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BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT

Today, with both sadness and excitement, I announced that I am leaving Congress in January to accept the position of President of the Center for Middle East Peace, a non-profit institute devoted to achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

This decision was not easy: I love my job and my devoted staff, and have a long, close relationship with my constituents -- many of whom I've served for nearly 20 years.

Throughout my 13 years in Congress, I sought to be an advocate for democratic values and provide a voice to vitally important progressive causes. Whether it was working to end the use of torture by the Bush Administration, fighting for a legitimate vote during election 2000, successfully pushing for a voter verified paper trail in Florida, or our shared quest for genuine accountability these last few years -- I'm proud of the stands I've taken. I am even prouder to have had you standing with me.

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Statement by Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese
President Obama Addresses LGBT Community at Human Rights Campaign 13th Annual National Dinner on Saturday, October 10

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, released the following statement tonight after President Barack Obama spoke at the 13th Annual National Dinner.

"Tonight, President  Obama told LGBT Americans that his commitment to ending

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