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It's Friday, May 16th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Nigerian Muslims kill 2 Christian teachers Boko Haram Muslim terrorists recently targeted Christians traveling near a Nigerian army base along the deadly Damboa–Maiduguri highway, reports International Christian Concern. On May 12th, two Christian teachers were killed and several others were injured when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device allegedly planted by the Islamic terror group. Blessing Luka and Gideon Bitterleaf were both devoted Christian educators with the Damboa Local Education Authority. Pray that these Muslim murderers will be held accountable. Genesis 9:6 says, "Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind." More children in United Kingdom have gender dysphoria Soaring numbers of children in England and Wales are waiting for specialist gender care from the National Health Service -- as youngsters of any age are now eligible for referral after the health service “caved to the pressure” of transgender activists to remove age limits, reports The Daily Mail and World Magazine. Average waiting times have grown to more than two years for a confused child to get a first appointment at a specialist health service clinic, with 157 of those aged under ten. There were 6,225 confused kids on the national waiting list at the end of March. That's up 12 per cent from the same point a year earlier. Young children believed to have gender dysphoria are generally given counselling and therapy with their family, but thankfully no longer prescribed hormone treatments.  Indeed, Britain's National Health Service has moved away from a “medical model” in favor of a “holistic” approach to children's gender care, as per recommendations from the Cass Review. Puberty blockers are no longer prescribed to children for the treatment of gender dysphoria, after a ban last year was made permanent in December. Former FBI Director calls for Trump's assassination Former FBI Director James Comey is facing massive backlash after he posted a photo on his Instagram page calling for the assassination of President Donald Trump, reports Christian Talk show host Todd Starnes. An image of seashells that had been arranged on the beach to spell “86 47” was posted on Comey's personal Instagram account. The number “86” is code for killing someone. And, of course, “47” refers to the fact that Donald Trump is the 47th president of the United States. Comey wrote, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem tweeted, “Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of President Trump. [the Department of Homeland Security] and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.” And Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama tweeted, “This is a direct THREAT against President Trump, who has already survived two assassination attempts. BEYOND despicable. James Comey MUST face consequences.” RFK Jr. agrees to examine the dangers of Abortion Kill Pill A recent study by the Ethics and Public Policy Center on the Abortion Kill Pill, mifepristone, showed that 11% of women experience adverse effects serious enough to send them to the Emergency Room. That's 22 times higher than what the Food and Drug Administration claims.   Appearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on May 15th, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. agreed to a comprehensive review and relabeling of Mifepristone in response to a pointed question from Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, reports The Guardian. Listen. HAWLEY: “There's been a major study by the Ethics and Public Policy Center of 865,727 prescribed cases of mifepristone abortions, chemical abortions, between 2017 and 2023. This data shows the biggest study on mifepristone done, I think, ever, and it showed that nearly 11% of women experience very serious adverse health effects to include sepsis, hemorrhaging, infection, of course, emergency room visits. That rate is 22 times higher than the FDA's current label which says it's just 0.5 the incidence of serious adverse health events. “So, my question to you is this: You previously testified at the committee that you would do a top-to-bottom review of mifepristone. Do you continue to stand by that? And don't you think that this new data shows the need to do a review is, in fact, very pressing?” KENNEDY: “It's alarming, and clearly it indicates that, at very least, the label should be changed. I've asked Marty Makary, who's the director of FDA, to do a complete review and to report back.” HAWLEY: “Good!” South Carolina Supreme Court affirms Heartbeat Law The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the state may enforce its heartbeat-based abortion ban, rejecting an argument by Planned Parenthood to weaken the law, reports LifeSiteNews.com. Enacted in 2023, the law effectively bans most abortions after about six weeks gestation. South Carolina Republican Governor Henry McMaster told the Daily Wire, “Time and time again, we have defended the right to life in South Carolina, and time and time again, we have prevailed. Today's ruling is another clear and decisive victory that will ensure the lives of countless unborn children remain protected and that South Carolina continues to lead the charge in defending the sanctity of life.” Psalm 127:3 says, "Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward." Christian band under fire by atheists and superintendent And finally, a popular Christian band is under fire from atheists along with Davidson County Schools in North Carolina, reports Blue Ridge Broadcasting. The 3 Heath Brothers band had been invited to host an anti-bullying event at Hasty Elementary School. Their performance included a number of songs that mentioned God. Afterwards, they gave the kids a devotional pamphlet that included Bible verses. The Freedom From Religion Foundation was enraged over the performance and accused the school of being a recruiting ground for Christianity. The God-hating attorney, Madeline Ziegler, wrote, “The district cannot allow non-school persons to treat schools as a recruiting ground for their religious mission.  Public schools are not an appropriate place for outside adults to convince students to convert to Christianity.” Sadly, the School Superintendent Gregg Slate was just as horrified with the Christian band and wrote a lengthy letter of apology to the atheists. But then, the school district went a step further. They had the audacity to demand that the 3 Heath Brothers remove video of the event from their social media pages. A bizarre request indeed. School officials claim they were duped. But Nicholas Heath of the 3 Heath Brothers denied that there was any proselytizing or worship service at the event. Close And that's The Worldview on this Friday, May 16th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 4: 6:05pm- While testifying before the Senate's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was interrupted by protesters. Five protesters were ultimately removed from the hearing—including Ben & Jerry's ice cream co-founder Ben Cohen! 6:20pm- Dan McLaughlin—Senior Writer at National Review & a Fellow at National Review Institute—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss his latest article, “Put Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame—But Not Shoeless Joe.” You can read the full article here: https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/put-pete-rose-in-the-hall-of-fame-but-not-shoeless-joe/. 6:40pm- During Wednesday's House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) got into a heated exchange over the deportation of illegal migrant—and accused MS-13 gang member—Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Monday he's confident that the Trump administration's long-promised “big, beautiful bill” will reach the President's desk by Memorial Day. But Republicans face key hurdles before that can happen—including finalizing the bill's details and uniting a razor-thin majority behind it. Meanwhile, in a major shake-up, President Trump removed National Security Advisor Mike Waltz from his position, later announcing he's nominating the former Congressman as the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. FOX News Senior Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram breaks down the week's biggest developments in Washington—and what to watch next. Then, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy (R), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, joins to discuss two new legislative efforts aimed at combating antisemitism — the Antisemitism Awareness Act and a second bill focused on strengthening protections against anti-Jewish hate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Monday he's confident that the Trump administration's long-promised “big, beautiful bill” will reach the President's desk by Memorial Day. But Republicans face key hurdles before that can happen—including finalizing the bill's details and uniting a razor-thin majority behind it. Meanwhile, in a major shake-up, President Trump removed National Security Advisor Mike Waltz from his position, later announcing he's nominating the former Congressman as the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. FOX News Senior Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram breaks down the week's biggest developments in Washington—and what to watch next. Then, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy (R), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, joins to discuss two new legislative efforts aimed at combating antisemitism — the Antisemitism Awareness Act and a second bill focused on strengthening protections against anti-Jewish hate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Monday he's confident that the Trump administration's long-promised “big, beautiful bill” will reach the President's desk by Memorial Day. But Republicans face key hurdles before that can happen—including finalizing the bill's details and uniting a razor-thin majority behind it. Meanwhile, in a major shake-up, President Trump removed National Security Advisor Mike Waltz from his position, later announcing he's nominating the former Congressman as the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. FOX News Senior Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram breaks down the week's biggest developments in Washington—and what to watch next. Then, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy (R), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, joins to discuss two new legislative efforts aimed at combating antisemitism — the Antisemitism Awareness Act and a second bill focused on strengthening protections against anti-Jewish hate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Friday, March 21st, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus 1,300 people killed in Syria last week More than 1,300 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the past week in Syria, reports Open Doors. The BBC reported that a UK-based monitor has identified that “830 civilians were killed in ‘massacres' targeting Alawites on the west coast on Friday and Saturday.” Based in the Middle East, the Alawites are a sect of Islam that venerates a Muslim imam known as Ali. Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, known for his brutal dictatorship, is an Alawite himself, as was his father. The recent violence began with pro-Assad forces who attacked soldiers associated with the new government of Syria. Isaiah 59:7 says, “Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. They pursue evil schemes; acts of violence mark their ways.” Although the violence doesn't seem to be targeting Syrian Christians, followers of Jesus are scared in the midst of the violence. That's why on Sunday, March 9, many churches did not hold their Sunday services. Trump dismantles Department of Education President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to start dismantling the Department of Education. TRUMP: “Today we take a very historic action that was 45 years in the making. In a few moments, I will sign an Executive Order to begin eliminating the Federal Department of Education once and for all. (applause) Everybody knows it's right.” Immediately after the signing, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, the chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said in a post on X that he will “submit legislation” to accomplish Trump's goal of shutting down the Department of Education “as soon as possible.” Attorney General Pam Bondi investigating Tesla attacks as terrorism On Tuesday morning, five Tesla vehicles were set on fire in Las Vegas with Molotov cocktails and shot with a gun at a Tesla Collision Center.  That was the tenth such attack on Teslas since Trump's inauguration on January 20th, reports Fox News.  The Left has also violently targeted Teslas or Tesla dealerships in Salem, Oregon, Loveland, Colorado, Owings Mills, Maryland, Littleton, Massachusetts, Tigard, Oregon, North Charlston, South Carolina, Seattle, Washington, Dedham, Massachusetts, and Kansas City, Missouri. Attorney General Pam Bondi called the recent spate of arson attacks and vandalism against Tesla vehicles "nothing short of domestic terrorism" and promised harsh punishments for perpetrators if they are caught, reports ABC News. There's been a clear uptick in attacks on Teslas and Tesla dealerships since President Donald Trump took office and empowered Elon Musk to oversee a new Department of Government Efficiency that's slashing government spending. Appearing on Fox News, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was direct. LEAVITT: “President Trump condemns this violence. He is determined to restore law and order in our country, and he will ensure that the harshest penalties are pursued for those who are engaging in this vicious violence that we have seen targeted at this American company, Tesla, dealerships, Tesla employees and also innocent Americans who have chosen to drive these vehicles, many of them, ironically, are likely Democrats. “There is a major double standard here. The Democrats used to be the greatest cheerleaders for electric vehicles and for Tesla, the company, until Elon Musk decided to support and vote for Donald Trump. “So, the Trump Derangement Syndrome from the Left is on true display with these attacks. It is getting dangerous, and the White House wholeheartedly condemns it, and we applaud Attorney General Pam Bondi for investigating these acts as domestic terrorism, because that is what they are.” Will Dr. Oz support abortion and transgenderism now? Senate confirmation proceedings are underway for Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump's choice for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator. Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri is seeking answers about the TV personality's past liberal stances on abortion and transgender issues, reports LifeSiteNews.com. As recently as 2019, Oz had attacked abortion bans because he disputed that the heartbeat begins at six weeks gestation despite scientific proof. Appearing on The Breakfast Club radio show, Oz also indicated that fetal viability was the only reasonable benchmark for gestational protection. OZ: “If the child was viable outside the womb, then you don't want to kill that child. If the child was not going to be able to survive outside the mom, then the mom runs the show. This is a hard issue for everybody. I get it. But just being logical about it, if you think that the moment of conception, you've got a life, then why would you even wait six weeks?” Later, Dr. Oz made this remark. OZ: “If someone, deep in their heart, feels that the moment of conception is a human life, and they just can't deal with that life being harmed, they got to be heard. They can't get ignored. But that doesn't mean that's what the rule of the land is.” Plus, in 2010, Oz emerged as a critical, early backer of “transitioning” gender-confused minors, running an hour-long special about “transgender children” that promoted a 15-year-old girl who had undergone a double mastectomy at age 14 and an eight-year-old boy being raised as a girl named “Josie.” Over the course of his 2022 Senatorial campaign, Oz backtracked on both issues, declaring himself “100% Pro-Life” and denying that he supported transitioning minors, claiming that his hosting of the opposite position did not constitute endorsement. Steve Lawson: “I have sinned grievously.” And finally, former Pastor Steven Lawson, age 73, a prominent figure in the Reformed/Calvinist movement, has acknowledged that he has “sinned grievously,” speaking out for the first time about the September 20th scandal that removed him from ministry, reports The Christian Post.  Once a teaching fellow at Ligonier Ministries and the dean of Doctor of Ministry Studies at The Master's Seminary, Lawson, a married man, allegedly had a 5-year affair with a woman in her late 20s. In a series of now-deleted X posts, Phil Johnson, Director of Grace to You with John MacArthur, said last September that Lawson only informed the elders at Trinity Bible Church after "the girl's father had confronted Steve and threatened exposure. This was not a noble confession.” In an X post this past Wednesday, Lawson wrote: “I have sinned grievously against the Lord, against my wife, my family, and against countless numbers of you by having a sinful relationship with a woman not my wife. I am deeply broken that I have betrayed and deceived my wife, devastated my children, brought shame to the name of Christ, reproach upon His church, and harm to many ministries.” Lawson added, “I have been undergoing extensive counseling for the last five months to face the hard questions I need to address. I have dealt with sin issues that have been painfully exposed in my heart. I have submitted myself in weekly accountability to two pastors and to the elders of a local congregation, who have shepherded my soul.” 1 Timothy 3:1-2 says, “Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Friday, March 21st, in the year of our Lord 2025. Subscribe by Amazon Music or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Media spin, Leavitt lies, autos die?The GENIUS Stablecoin Act hands cronies a privatized surveillance-packed digital dollarUSAID's burning & shredding secrets like a CIA frontAI the Satanic Tool of Deception & DominionTrump axes CDC nominee Dave Weldon for daring to defy the vaccine racket2:30 CNN Poll Ignites The Hill and Breitbart in a Battle of Spin Over Poll About Trump's Ego-nomics 8:37 White House mouthpiece Caroline “Love It” gets roasted by an AP reporter for peddling tariff lies straight out of the Democrat playbookDon't worry it's not a tax for YOU — it will be paid by other people 14:18 Tariffs On, Tariffs Off — Flip Flopping in Mere HoursSo who's “winning”? 17:21 Trump's Tariffs Torpedo the F-150 and Trigger a Market MeltdownThe Ford F-150, America's top-selling truck, is caught in the crossfire as steel and aluminum costs skyrocket, threatening to jack up prices and gut Ford's profits. Wall Street's reeling—Dow plunges 1,000 points. Is this a cunning plot to crash cars and force you into Musk's creepy Cybercabs, or just reckless bullying to strong-arm the Fed? 26:35 Trump Tariffs on UK Steel? Labour WANTS Steel Plants ShutThe UK's last steel plants face extinction and Trump is ready to help.  Labour doesn't care, maybe on the same page as Trump 37:46 LIVE comments from audience and emails1:00:13 GENIUS Stablecoin Act: Here Comes the Crony Capitalist Digital Currency The so-called "GENIUS Stablecoin Bill" — officially the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins — a bipartisan crew of crypto-connected senators, is about propping up a failing dollar with a blockchain Band-Aid while handing obscene profits to the elite and creating a private version of CBDC. Picture this: a "stablecoin" tied to the shaky US dollar, dressed up as freedom but loaded with CBDC-style surveillance, asset-freezing powers, and a backdoor for the Federal Reserve to swoop in during "emergencies" (aka whenever they feel like it). A privatized digital shackle disguised as progress. 1:28:42 Tokenization Crypto Con Set to Enslave and Scam the WorldIs tokenization the shiny new frontier for capital markets? It promises blockchain magic to “grease the economy's wheels”—from rights to things that don't exist (yet) to enslaving high school athletes with “future earnings” tokens, this crypto scam reeks of the securitized mortgage meltdown all over again. 1:48:47 LIVE comments from audience 1:53:31 Covering Up Trump's Epstein Relationship: Leavitt, Tulsi, Bondi  1:56:40 BigEgg Cartel & Price Rigging: Another Look, a Different AngleIs this a calculated heist? 2:13:41 LIVE comments — commemorative coins for the show, 5 year anniversary of “the emergency”, and is there a plot to assassinate Infowars personnel? 2:20:27 USAID Staff Told to “Shred-and-Burn”The head of USAID just ordered a frantic shred-and-burn of all documents.  They act like a corrupt money laundering arm of the CIA — because they ARE 2:25:38 AI the Satanic Tool of Deception and Dominion AI isn't just tech, it's the devil's masterpiece! From cloning voices in every language to promising miracles like making the blind see, AI's a golden calf for a faithless world, a Leviathan of pride that tempts us to worship it. Elon Musk calls it a god, Jordan Peterson nods along, but this black-box beast—beyond our grasp yet ruling our courts and lives—whispers satanic subversion  to enslave us all in a soft cage of dependency and deception! 2:36:22 Massive Lawfare Against Trump Cuts — And a New Strategy to Stop the Lawsuits  The administration's fighting back with a slick injunction bond tactic—but is it enough to stop the judicial juggernaut? 2:45:22 Trump Dumps Dave Weldon: CDC Nominee Axed at the Last Second for the Vaccine Protection RacketDr. Dave Weldon, the former Congressman, physician, and vaccine skeptic tapped to lead the CDC, just got the boot from the Trump administration hours before his big Senate showdown! Set to face off with Senator Bill Cassidy, the Republican gatekeeper of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Weldon was poised to either sell his soul or stand firm on his controversial anti-vaccine stance. But in a jaw-dropping twist on March 13, 2025, the White House yanked his nomination 2:54:48 Vaccines Allergy Apocalypse: Proteins Poisoning Kids with Milk and Peanut Death TrapsVaccines aren't protecting—Nobel laureate (and eugenicist) Charles Richet knew it in 1913—injecting proteins flips immunity into a kill switchIf you would like to support the show and our family please consider subscribing monthly here: SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.com/the-david-knight-show Or you can send a donation throughMail: David Knight POB 994 Kodak, TN 37764Zelle: @DavidKnightShow@protonmail.comCash App at: $davidknightshowBTC to: bc1qkuec29hkuye4xse9unh7nptvu3y9qmv24vanh7Money should have intrinsic value AND transactional privacy: Go to DavidKnight.gold for great deals on physical gold/silverFor 10% off Gerald Celente's prescient Trends Journal, go to TrendsJournal.com and enter the code KNIGHTFor 10% off supplements and books, go to RNCstore.com and enter the code KNIGHTBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-david-knight-show--2653468/support.

Media spin, Leavitt lies, autos die?The GENIUS Stablecoin Act hands cronies a privatized surveillance-packed digital dollarUSAID's burning & shredding secrets like a CIA frontAI the Satanic Tool of Deception & DominionTrump axes CDC nominee Dave Weldon for daring to defy the vaccine racket2:30 CNN Poll Ignites The Hill and Breitbart in a Battle of Spin Over Poll About Trump's Ego-nomics 8:37 White House mouthpiece Caroline “Love It” gets roasted by an AP reporter for peddling tariff lies straight out of the Democrat playbookDon't worry it's not a tax for YOU — it will be paid by other people 14:18 Tariffs On, Tariffs Off — Flip Flopping in Mere HoursSo who's “winning”? 17:21 Trump's Tariffs Torpedo the F-150 and Trigger a Market MeltdownThe Ford F-150, America's top-selling truck, is caught in the crossfire as steel and aluminum costs skyrocket, threatening to jack up prices and gut Ford's profits. Wall Street's reeling—Dow plunges 1,000 points. Is this a cunning plot to crash cars and force you into Musk's creepy Cybercabs, or just reckless bullying to strong-arm the Fed? 26:35 Trump Tariffs on UK Steel? Labour WANTS Steel Plants ShutThe UK's last steel plants face extinction and Trump is ready to help.  Labour doesn't care, maybe on the same page as Trump 37:46 LIVE comments from audience and emails1:00:13 GENIUS Stablecoin Act: Here Comes the Crony Capitalist Digital Currency The so-called "GENIUS Stablecoin Bill" — officially the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins — a bipartisan crew of crypto-connected senators, is about propping up a failing dollar with a blockchain Band-Aid while handing obscene profits to the elite and creating a private version of CBDC. Picture this: a "stablecoin" tied to the shaky US dollar, dressed up as freedom but loaded with CBDC-style surveillance, asset-freezing powers, and a backdoor for the Federal Reserve to swoop in during "emergencies" (aka whenever they feel like it). A privatized digital shackle disguised as progress. 1:28:42 Tokenization Crypto Con Set to Enslave and Scam the WorldIs tokenization the shiny new frontier for capital markets? It promises blockchain magic to “grease the economy's wheels”—from rights to things that don't exist (yet) to enslaving high school athletes with “future earnings” tokens, this crypto scam reeks of the securitized mortgage meltdown all over again. 1:48:47 LIVE comments from audience 1:53:31 Covering Up Trump's Epstein Relationship: Leavitt, Tulsi, Bondi  1:56:40 BigEgg Cartel & Price Rigging: Another Look, a Different AngleIs this a calculated heist? 2:13:41 LIVE comments — commemorative coins for the show, 5 year anniversary of “the emergency”, and is there a plot to assassinate Infowars personnel? 2:20:27 USAID Staff Told to “Shred-and-Burn”The head of USAID just ordered a frantic shred-and-burn of all documents.  They act like a corrupt money laundering arm of the CIA — because they ARE 2:25:38 AI the Satanic Tool of Deception and Dominion AI isn't just tech, it's the devil's masterpiece! From cloning voices in every language to promising miracles like making the blind see, AI's a golden calf for a faithless world, a Leviathan of pride that tempts us to worship it. Elon Musk calls it a god, Jordan Peterson nods along, but this black-box beast—beyond our grasp yet ruling our courts and lives—whispers satanic subversion  to enslave us all in a soft cage of dependency and deception! 2:36:22 Massive Lawfare Against Trump Cuts — And a New Strategy to Stop the Lawsuits  The administration's fighting back with a slick injunction bond tactic—but is it enough to stop the judicial juggernaut? 2:45:22 Trump Dumps Dave Weldon: CDC Nominee Axed at the Last Second for the Vaccine Protection RacketDr. Dave Weldon, the former Congressman, physician, and vaccine skeptic tapped to lead the CDC, just got the boot from the Trump administration hours before his big Senate showdown! Set to face off with Senator Bill Cassidy, the Republican gatekeeper of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Weldon was poised to either sell his soul or stand firm on his controversial anti-vaccine stance. But in a jaw-dropping twist on March 13, 2025, the White House yanked his nomination 2:54:48 Vaccines Allergy Apocalypse: Proteins Poisoning Kids with Milk and Peanut Death TrapsVaccines aren't protecting—Nobel laureate (and eugenicist) Charles Richet knew it in 1913—injecting proteins flips immunity into a kill switchIf you would like to support the show and our family please consider subscribing monthly here: SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.com/the-david-knight-show Or you can send a donation throughMail: David Knight POB 994 Kodak, TN 37764Zelle: @DavidKnightShow@protonmail.comCash App at: $davidknightshowBTC to: bc1qkuec29hkuye4xse9unh7nptvu3y9qmv24vanh7Money should have intrinsic value AND transactional privacy: Go to DavidKnight.gold for great deals on physical gold/silverFor 10% off Gerald Celente's prescient Trends Journal, go to TrendsJournal.com and enter the code KNIGHTFor 10% off supplements and books, go to RNCstore.com and enter the code KNIGHTBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-david-knight-show--5282736/support.

Watch as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies in his second confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for the position of Secretary of Health and Human Services.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-highwire-with-del-bigtree--3620606/support.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (01/30/2025): 3:05pm- On Wednesday night, an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas carrying 64 people collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter at Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, D.C. The collision caused both aircrafts to fall into the Potomac River. 3:15pm- In a press conference to address the deadly collision at Reagan National Airport, President Donald Trump suggested diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and hiring practices may have played a role in the disaster. When asked by reporters why he believed DEI may have had an impact, Trump responded: “because I have common sense.” 3:20pm- On Thursday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services, testified before the Senate Health Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. During one exchange, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) claimed that America's healthcare system is broken—Kennedy adroitly noted that members of Congress, including Sanders, have accepted “millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry.” 3:40pm- On Thursday, Donald Trump's nominee to serve as FBI Director, Kash Patel, participated in a confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. 4:00pm- In a press conference to address the deadly collision at Reagan National Airport, President Donald Trump suggested diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and hiring practices may have played a role in the disaster. When asked by reporters why he believed DEI may have had an impact, Trump responded: “because I have common sense.” 4:30pm- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has advanced Elise Stefanik's confirmation vote to become U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations—she is expected to be confirmed by the full Senate next week. Similarly, Doug Burgum is expected to be confirmed as Secretary of the Interior. Rich says he can't even remember Burgum's confirmation hearing—Matt suggests it's because it was completely uneventful because no one asked about his rattlesnake recipes or his well-kept hair. 4:40pm- On Thursday, Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as Director of National Intelligence, testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee. In her opening statement, Gabbard—a former Congressmember and currently serving as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves—said the weaponization of the intelligence community “must end.” She also vociferously denied being a “puppet” for Trump, Vladimir Putin, Bashar al-Assad, Narendra Modi, or anyone else as Democrats have baselessly claimed. 5:05pm During her confirmation hearing, Tulsi Gabbard was asked if she believes Edward Snowden is a traitor. In her response, Gabbard laid out four steps she would take to guarantee there is never a similar intelligence leak. Following the hearing, Senator James Lankford (R-OK) said he was “surprised” by Gabbard's answer—noting that it “doesn't seem like a hard question.” According to reports, Lankford is believed to be undecided about voting to confirm Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. 5:30pm- During Robert Kennedy Jr.'s confirmation hearing, Senator Rand Paul grilled Democrats and explained that people are becoming vaccine hesitant because they don't trust government—noting COVID-19 vaccine mandates for young children despite scientific evidence suggesting it was unnecessary. 5:45pm- On Thursday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services, testified before the Senate Health Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. During one exchange, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) claimed that America's healthcare system is broken—Kennedy adroitly noted that members of Congress, including Sanders, have accepted “millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry.” 6:00pm- Penn State Basketball

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 1: 3:05pm- On Wednesday night, an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas carrying 64 people collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter at Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, D.C. The collision caused both aircrafts to fall into the Potomac River. 3:15pm- In a press conference to address the deadly collision at Reagan National Airport, President Donald Trump suggested diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and hiring practices may have played a role in the disaster. When asked by reporters why he believed DEI may have had an impact, Trump responded: “because I have common sense.” 3:20pm- On Thursday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services, testified before the Senate Health Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. During one exchange, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) claimed that America's healthcare system is broken—Kennedy adroitly noted that members of Congress, including Sanders, have accepted “millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry.” 3:40pm- On Thursday, Donald Trump's nominee to serve as FBI Director, Kash Patel, participated in a confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 3: 5:05pm During her confirmation hearing, Tulsi Gabbard was asked if she believes Edward Snowden is a traitor. In her response, Gabbard laid out four steps she would take to guarantee there is never a similar intelligence leak. Following the hearing, Senator James Lankford (R-OK) said he was “surprised” by Gabbard's answer—noting that it “doesn't seem like a hard question.” According to reports, Lankford is believed to be undecided about voting to confirm Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. 5:30pm- During Robert Kennedy Jr.'s confirmation hearing, Senator Rand Paul grilled Democrats and explained that people are becoming vaccine hesitant because they don't trust government—noting COVID-19 vaccine mandates for young children despite scientific evidence suggesting it was unnecessary. 5:45pm- On Thursday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services, testified before the Senate Health Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. During one exchange, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) claimed that America's healthcare system is broken—Kennedy adroitly noted that members of Congress, including Sanders, have accepted “millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry.” 6:00pm- Penn State Basketball

Subscriber-only episodeSend us a textResources for the Community:___________________________________________________________________https://linktr.ee/theplussidezpodcast Ro - Telehealth for GLP1 weight management https://ro.co/weight-loss/?utm_source=plussidez&utm_medium=partnership&utm_campaign=comms_yt&utm_content=45497&utm_term=55Health Education Labor & Pensions  Committee Website  https://www.help.senate.gov/Direct Link to Senate Hearing https://www.help.senate.gov/hearings/why-is-novo-nordisk-charging-americans-with-diabetes-and-obesity-outrageously-high-prices-for-ozempic-and-wegovy___________________________________________________________________On September 24, 2024, the U.S. Senate's Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee held a crucial hearing titled "Why Is Novo Nordisk Charging Americans with Diabetes and Obesity Outrageously High Prices for Ozempic and Wegovy?" This hearing gained even greater significance with the recent news of the Tirzepatide injection being removed from the FDA's shortage list, emphasizing the ongoing challenges in medication accessibility.In a tense atmosphere, Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Jorgensen faced rigorous questioning about the soaring prices of these essential diabetes and obesity medications. Lawmakers and healthcare advocates pressed for transparency, shedding light on broader issues of healthcare affordability that affect millions of Americans.With the stakes exceptionally high, the revelations from this hearing are poised to ignite further discussions in the ongoing battle for equitable healthcare access nationwide. The event not only highlighted the urgent need for reform but also called into question the ethics of pharmaceutical pricing in the United States, underlining the critical importance of making life-saving medications affordable for all.This is the Highlight reel from the 2 hour hearing showing what The PlusSidez believes to be crucial take away,______________________________________________________________________⭐️Mounjaro Stanley⭐️griffintumblerco.Etsy.comUse code PODCAST10 for $ OFF______________________________________________________________________Join this channel to get access to perks:   / @theplussidez_____________________________________________________________________#Mounjaro #MounjaroJourney #Ozempic #Semaglutide #tirzepatide  #GLP1 #Obesity #zepbound #wegovy  Kim Carlos, Executive Producer TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@dmfkim?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dmfkimonmounjaro?igsh=aDF6dnlmbHBoYmJn&utm_source=qr Kat Carter, Associate Producer TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@katcarter7?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mrskatcarter?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

The United States is unique among industrialized nations. Lucky for us, we can accumulate medical debt! Most industrialized and some developing nations have national healthcare programs that guarantee care to their residents. But we in the richest nation in the world have the freedom to get insurance through the free market, and go into debt when it doesn't cover the care we need! USA USA USA! According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), while over 90% of Americans have health insurance, we owe at least $220 billion in medical debt. Approximately 14 million people owe more than $1,000, and about 3 million owe more than $10,000. When the debt is cast more widely to those who have put medical bills on their credit cards or borrowed money to pay them, KFF found that 41% of adults have healthcare debt. According to the US Census Bureau in 2021, Black and Latinx households are disproportionately affected by medical debt.   Today we'll dive into the topic of medical debt: who has it, who profits off it, and what can we do about it?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZPd1kFbEuE Show Notes What causes medical debt? Believe it or not, our freewheeling use of the healthcare system is not to blame. In the US medical debt is caused by the high prices charged by hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and insurance companies. While most industrialized nations have some means of controlling prices, in the United States the healthcare industry sets prices more or less however they want. As a result, according to a nationwide poll in 2022, over a five year period more than half of US adults report going into debt because of medical bills.  Debt is preventing Americans from saving for retirement, paying for college, or buying a home.  The 2022 poll found that 1 in 7 people reported being denied care due to unpaid bills. Two-thirds of those polled reported putting off necessary care due to cost.  This is all despite the Affordable Care Act expanding insurance coverage to more Americans than ever before. Insurance companies increasingly shift costs onto patients, with higher deductibles and more claim denials. According to the 2022 KFF poll, 61% of insured Americans had medical debt in the previous five years.  What makes medical debt so dangerous? We know health systems are denying care to patients who have unpaid bills. And we know people put off care so they don't incur more debt. Those barriers to care make us sicker, and they disproportionately impact people with higher rates of chronic conditions. The Commonwealth Fund found that 54% of people with employer coverage who skipped or delayed care reported getting sicker; 61% in individual market plans and 63% with Medicare reported the same. A 2024 study published in the Journal of American Medical Association found that medical debt is associated with higher mortality and premature death. What happens when you can't pay your medical debt? When you think about all the real people on the end of those medical debts, that makes it all the harder to swallow a fact that gets relatively little attention in the broader conversation. Medical debt collection is a for-profit business. In many cases, non-profit hospitals sell debts to for-profit medical debt collections agencies. Some health systems even operate their own for-profit debt collection arms. Think of it: They set the prices for their services as high as they want, and on the other end of the equation, they're making money off debt collection.  Dr. Luke Messac of Brigham and Women's Hospital testified at a July hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that he learned that his and many other hospitals as well as collection agencies report sick, vulnerable patients to credit bureaus, garnish wages, seize bank accounts, and seek warrants for their arrest. And again, we have to highlight the evil practice of hospital systems that restrict patients from getting n...

Too many politicians are too beholden to the healthcare industry to propose any meaningful change. That's not true of the Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Senator Bernie Sanders. Since 2016, his ideas have animated some of the most important changes in healthcare policy. Abdul reflects on the need for big ideas–and why we don't get them that often. Then he interviews Senator Bernie Sanders on the 32-hour workweek, his Long COVID moonshot, and the price of GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic.  This show would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. America Dissected invites you to check them out. This episode was brought to you by: Marguerite Casey Foundation who invites you to sign up for their book club at caseygrants.org/bookclub Article who invites you to check out their spring and summer home collection at article.com/AD. Make sure to use promo code AD at checkout to save $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more.

In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to the Labour MP for East Ham and Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee Stephen Timms. Stephen has been an MP for over 30 years and shares his experiences and views on pensions and a whole lot more. In a V-FM Podcast first, this episode was recorded with a live audience at the DG Publishing DC Strategic Summit. 

The number of reported scams involving QR codes has nearly quadrupled in less than three years according to figures seen by Money Box. The data was revealed by City of London Police and gathered from reports made to Action Fraud. The Charted Institute of Trading Standards is warning those reports are likely to be just the tip of the iceberg. We'll hear the story of one woman who was scammed after using a QR code in a car park.The government's cost of living support payments to help people on low incomes cope with rising bills have not been enough to meet the scale of the problem. That's the warning from Parliament's Work and Pensions Committee which this week called on the government to consider widening the eligibility for future payments. The Department for Work and Pensions says the payments have provided a significant financial boost to millions of households and are just one part of the record £94 billion support package - which includes a 10.1% rise to benefits earlier this year and a more than £2 billion Household Support Fund to help with the cost of household essentials.A young disabled man was denied access to a high interest savings account - after his parents, who have a court order to deal with his finances, tried to open the account. How common is this and what can you do? And what can you expect from the Autumn Statement?Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Joanna Morris and Jo Krasner Producer: Dan Whitworth Researcher: Sandra Hardial Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12pm, Saturday 18th November 2023)

State Sen. Bill Eigel (R-Weldon Spring), who chairs the Missouri Senate Veterans, Military Affairs and Pensions Committee, has formally kicked off his GOP gubernatorial campaign. Senator Eigel joined us live on 939 the Eagle's "Wake Up Mid-Missouri, telling listeners that there were more than 1,000 people at Friday's campaign kickoff event in St. Charles County. Senator Eigel says it's time "to send a bold conservative reformer who will be a champion for the people of this great state and bring a reckoning to the Jefferson City swamp." He blasted two fellow Republicans during the live interview, Governor Mike Parson and Senate Appropriations Committee chairman Lincoln Hough (R-Springfield). He criticized their spending proposals, saying Missouri's state operating budget has grown from $20-billion in 2010 to $53-billion in 2023:

House and Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I- Vt.), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, introduced the Raise the Wage Act, which would gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $17 by 2028, or more than double the current federal minimum wage of $7.25. The legislation would also seek to eliminate the tipped sub-minimum wage over the next seven years (and eliminate the tip credit for workers with disabilities over the next five years).

Ep236:  There's no debate that Artificial Intelligence is impacting Human Resources. However, while some fear we're on a reckless path towards an Extinction-Level event, we're going to slow it down, take a breath, narrow our focus, and concentrate first on avoiding a Career-Ending event. Back by popular demand is Jenn Betts, an expert in the impact of technology in the workplace. We discuss what AI tools are being embraced, what legal snags to consider, and what's already in the works when it comes to legislation. Lawyer on the Clock: 3:29 - The senate Chambers Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee advanced legislation to overhaul labor laws governing unionization, paid sick leave, and wage discrimination.  10:25 - Employees at the Afton Starbucks in St. Louis have petitioned with the Service Employees International Union to organize.  Philburt's Phorum: 13:23 - Fun with AI apps that make Phil and Burt sing and dance. The Employers' Lounge: Is HR Ready for AI at Work? 16:47 - There is an interesting gap in what different people and organizations consider Artificial Intelligence when reporting on if they use it in their HR processes. It can be as simple as a chat bot.  23:16 - The EEOC has concerns about disparate impacts when using these technologies in the hiring process, and has issued some guidance.  27:05 - New York City has a blockbuster law, which is the first to place detailed, robust requirements related to employer use of AI in the workplace.    Host(s):  Phil Brandt, President and CEO, AAIM Employers' Association Burt Garland, Shareholder, Ogletree Deakins   Special Guest(s):  Jenn Betts, Office Managing Shareholder, Co-Chair of Technology Practice Group - Ogletree Deakins Powered by AAIM Employers' Association and Ogletree Deakins, a Feature Group USA production 

In this weekend's episode, three interviews from this week's Washington Journal: First – Former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida David Weinstein discusses President Trump's federal documents case and what's next. Then – National Coalition for History's Lee White discusses the role of the Presidential Records Act in the Trump classified documents case  Plus, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy - the top Republican on the Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee - - discusses his proposal to shore up Social security. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Howard Schultz's morning coffee came with a shot of reproach today, as the former Starbucks CEO testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Tuesday, March 28th, 2023. We start today with the heartbreaking situation that unfolded in Nashville TN, Three children and three staff members were gunned down at a private Christian school in Nashville on Monday before the shooter, a heavily armed 28-year-old woman, was killed by police, authorities said. The shooting unfolded at The Covenant School on Burton Hills Boulevard where officers "engaged" the attacker, described by Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake as a woman who appears to be a former student at the school. Nashville School Shooting: Police chief provides update- Play 0:05-2:42 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/school-shooting-tennessee-leaves-multiple-injured-shooter-dead-officia-rcna76841 Shooting at Nashville Christian school leaves at least 3 children and 3 adults dead, officials say The shooter was identified as Audrey Hale, a Nashville resident, three law enforcement officials briefed on the matter told NBC News. The shooter was killed on the school's second floor, a police spokesperson said. She had two "assault-type rifles and a handgun," according to the official. Students of the school, which serves preschool students through sixth graders, were being bused to Woodmont Baptist Church, two miles away, to be reunited with their parents. Police said they first got calls about the shooter at 10:13 a.m. CT and Nashville firefighters first reported their personnel were responding to an “active aggressor” at 10:39 a.m. CT. "The police department response was swift," police spokesperson Don Aaron told reporters. Five police officers came upon the shooter and two opened fire on her, Aaron said. The shooter entered the school through a "side entrance" on the first floor, he added. It was not clear how the shooter gained access to the school. One officer was hurt by shattered glass, officials said. The names and ages of the victims have not been released. The chief said the families of all six victims had been notified. Please lift that school, and those affected families in your prayers. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/education/republicans-introduce-resolution-scrap-student-forgiveness Republicans announce resolution to scrap Biden student loan forgiveness plan Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) announced legislation Monday to scrap President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness program. Under the resolution, Congress will express disapproval of the student loan cancellation plan to overturn the program, which is stuck in limbo amid a court battle. The resolution will need a simple majority to clear the Senate and is expected to draw a veto from Biden. On the Senate side, Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) are backing the Congressional Review Act resolution alongside Cassidy, the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Biden unveiled the student loan forgiveness plan last August to much fanfare from progressives. Under the initiative, borrowers with an annual income of $125,000 or less can have up to $10,000 in federal student loans canceled, while those who received Pell Grants during their schooling can have up to $20,000 wiped out. The program stems from the 2003 HEROES Act, which grants the executive power to relieve student loan debt in times of national emergency or war. Critics have pointed out that Biden deemed the COVID-19 pandemic was "over" in a 60 Minutes interview last year. The pandemic was used as justification for using the HEROES Act. Last November, a lower court in Texas halted the program amid pending legal challenges. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the program's legality by June or July. The White House says it has amassed roughly 26 million applications and approved 16 million for relief, but cancellation has not yet taken place amid the legal wrangling. Biden used his veto power for the first time last week to reject a resolution that would've nixed a Labor Department rule permitting retirement plans to take into account environmental, social, and governance considerations in investment decisions. https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/fdic-first-citizens-bank-reached-deal-purchase-silicon-valley-bank FDIC says First Citizens Bank has reached deal to purchase Silicon Valley Bank The Silicon Valley Bank finally has a buyer. On Sunday, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company of Raleigh, North Carolina entered a purchase agreement for all deposits and loans of Silicon Valley Bridge Bank, National Association. "The 17 former branches of Silicon Valley Bridge Bank, National Association, will open as First–Citizens Bank & Trust Company on Monday, March 27, 2023," the FDIC said in a statement. "Customers of Silicon Valley Bridge Bank, National Association, should continue to use their current branch until they receive notice from First–Citizens Bank & Trust Company that systems conversions have been completed to allow full–service banking at all of its other branch locations," the statement continued. Depositors of the Santa Clara, California-located bank will automatically become depositors of First–Citizens Bank & Trust Company, according to the statement, and all deposits will be assumed and insured by First–Citizens Bank & Trust Company, up to the insurance limit. The FDIC said: "As of March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bridge Bank, National Association, had approximately $167 billion in total assets and about $119 billion in total deposits. Today's transaction included the purchase of about $72 billion of Silicon Valley Bridge Bank, National Association's assets at a discount of $16.5 billion." In addition, approximately $90 billion in securities and other assets will remain in the receivership for disposition by the FDIC. According to the statement, the FDIC and First–Citizens Bank & Trust Company entered into a "loss–share transaction" on all commercial loans it purchased from Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). The FDIC estimated SVB's failure cost approximately $20 billion, although a cost will be more accurately determined when the FDIC terminates the receivership, it said. The FDIC created Silicon Valley Bridge Bank after the California Department of Financial Protection & Innovation closed Silicon Valley Bank on Friday, March 10. All of the deposits—both insured and uninsured—were transferred to the bridge bank. Alps Precious Metals Group THE PAST WEEK HAS BROUGHT SOME “EXCITEMENT” TO THE MARKETS. BANK RUNS. STOCK COLLAPSES. WHAT WAS THOUGHT TO BE STABLE SUDDENLY APPEARS UNSTABLE. AND YET, GOLD’S PRICE *WENT UP* AS THE HEADLINES BECAME MORE OMINOUS. ALPS PRECIOUS METALS WAS ESTABLISHED BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT ONE’S HARD-EARNED WEALTH FROM THE SERIOUS FINANCIAL PROBLEMS THAT ARE UPON US IS BY OWNING PHYSICAL GOLD AND SILVER. CALL JAMES HUNTER OF ALPS AT 251-377-2197, AND VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.ALPSPMG.COM TO DISCOVER HOW YOU CAN BUY PHYSICAL PRECIOUS METALS FOR YOUR INVESTMENT AND IRA PORTFOLIOS. OWN THE ASSET GOD SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED AS “GOOD” IN THE 2ND CHAPTER OF GENESIS, AND OBTAIN A PEACE OF MIND THAT CAN BE HAD WITH FEW OTHER INVESTMENTS. AGAIN, CALL JAMES HUNTER OF ALPS PRECIOUS METALS AT 251-377-2197, AND VISIT WWW.ALPSPMG.COM TO LEARN HOW TO OWN THE BEDROCK ASSET OF THE AGES.  https://thepostmillennial.com/portland-area-school-administrator-arrested-in-sex-sting?utm_campaign=64487 Progressive Portland area school administrator arrested in human sex trafficking sting Eight men, including a Portland-area high school administrator, were arrested and charged in relation to their alleged participation in a sex trafficking sting conducted by local law enforcement. As announced by the city of Lake Oswego's police department, they "conducted a human sex trafficking mission with the assistance of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, Oregon City Police, Milwaukie Police, and Sandy Police," on Thursday, March 23, 2023. "During the operation, decoys (law enforcement officers) were contacted by men who offered to pay money in exchange for the decoys to perform requested sexual acts," the department stated, going on to describe how the eight suspects allegedly agreed to meet with the supposed trafficking victims, and were subsequently "arrested and charged with the relevant crimes." Suspects Stephen R. Berry, Maximilien Aquitaine, Austin L. Olson, Vincent S. Namauleg, German D. Pascual, Jake R. Walt, and Erik J. Bjorman were all cited and released for Commercial Sexual Solicitation, officials said. However, according to the Lake Oswego Police Department, the assistant principal of Centennial High School in Gresham, Oregon was hit with additional charges. "Terrance A. Schloth (1/11/71) of Gresham, OR initially gave a false name and refused to identify himself," police stated. "As a result, he was lodged at the Clackamas County Jail in order to get a positive identification. He was charged for Commercial Sexual Solicitation (ORS 167.008) and the additional charge of Giving False Information to a Peace Officer in Connection with a Citation (ORS 162.385)." According to 52-year-old Schloth's LinkedIn page, he had been working in education for over 27 years, going from a Reynolds High School physical education teacher, to educational leader, to dean of students, and eventually serving as the assistant principal in 2014 before moving to the Centennial School District. Schloth was a progressive. His LinkedIn boasts of anti-bullying and restorative justice initiatives. According to his school profile, two of the accused administrator's children attend Centennial as well. The school district placed Schloth on administrative leave following his arrest, Conan Daily reported.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Tuesday, March 28th, 2023. We start today with the heartbreaking situation that unfolded in Nashville TN, Three children and three staff members were gunned down at a private Christian school in Nashville on Monday before the shooter, a heavily armed 28-year-old woman, was killed by police, authorities said. The shooting unfolded at The Covenant School on Burton Hills Boulevard where officers "engaged" the attacker, described by Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake as a woman who appears to be a former student at the school. Nashville School Shooting: Police chief provides update- Play 0:05-2:42 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/school-shooting-tennessee-leaves-multiple-injured-shooter-dead-officia-rcna76841 Shooting at Nashville Christian school leaves at least 3 children and 3 adults dead, officials say The shooter was identified as Audrey Hale, a Nashville resident, three law enforcement officials briefed on the matter told NBC News. The shooter was killed on the school's second floor, a police spokesperson said. She had two "assault-type rifles and a handgun," according to the official. Students of the school, which serves preschool students through sixth graders, were being bused to Woodmont Baptist Church, two miles away, to be reunited with their parents. Police said they first got calls about the shooter at 10:13 a.m. CT and Nashville firefighters first reported their personnel were responding to an “active aggressor” at 10:39 a.m. CT. "The police department response was swift," police spokesperson Don Aaron told reporters. Five police officers came upon the shooter and two opened fire on her, Aaron said. The shooter entered the school through a "side entrance" on the first floor, he added. It was not clear how the shooter gained access to the school. One officer was hurt by shattered glass, officials said. The names and ages of the victims have not been released. The chief said the families of all six victims had been notified. Please lift that school, and those affected families in your prayers. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/education/republicans-introduce-resolution-scrap-student-forgiveness Republicans announce resolution to scrap Biden student loan forgiveness plan Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) announced legislation Monday to scrap President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness program. Under the resolution, Congress will express disapproval of the student loan cancellation plan to overturn the program, which is stuck in limbo amid a court battle. The resolution will need a simple majority to clear the Senate and is expected to draw a veto from Biden. On the Senate side, Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) are backing the Congressional Review Act resolution alongside Cassidy, the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Biden unveiled the student loan forgiveness plan last August to much fanfare from progressives. Under the initiative, borrowers with an annual income of $125,000 or less can have up to $10,000 in federal student loans canceled, while those who received Pell Grants during their schooling can have up to $20,000 wiped out. The program stems from the 2003 HEROES Act, which grants the executive power to relieve student loan debt in times of national emergency or war. Critics have pointed out that Biden deemed the COVID-19 pandemic was "over" in a 60 Minutes interview last year. The pandemic was used as justification for using the HEROES Act. Last November, a lower court in Texas halted the program amid pending legal challenges. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the program's legality by June or July. The White House says it has amassed roughly 26 million applications and approved 16 million for relief, but cancellation has not yet taken place amid the legal wrangling. Biden used his veto power for the first time last week to reject a resolution that would've nixed a Labor Department rule permitting retirement plans to take into account environmental, social, and governance considerations in investment decisions. https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/fdic-first-citizens-bank-reached-deal-purchase-silicon-valley-bank FDIC says First Citizens Bank has reached deal to purchase Silicon Valley Bank The Silicon Valley Bank finally has a buyer. On Sunday, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company of Raleigh, North Carolina entered a purchase agreement for all deposits and loans of Silicon Valley Bridge Bank, National Association. "The 17 former branches of Silicon Valley Bridge Bank, National Association, will open as First–Citizens Bank & Trust Company on Monday, March 27, 2023," the FDIC said in a statement. "Customers of Silicon Valley Bridge Bank, National Association, should continue to use their current branch until they receive notice from First–Citizens Bank & Trust Company that systems conversions have been completed to allow full–service banking at all of its other branch locations," the statement continued. Depositors of the Santa Clara, California-located bank will automatically become depositors of First–Citizens Bank & Trust Company, according to the statement, and all deposits will be assumed and insured by First–Citizens Bank & Trust Company, up to the insurance limit. The FDIC said: "As of March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bridge Bank, National Association, had approximately $167 billion in total assets and about $119 billion in total deposits. Today's transaction included the purchase of about $72 billion of Silicon Valley Bridge Bank, National Association's assets at a discount of $16.5 billion." In addition, approximately $90 billion in securities and other assets will remain in the receivership for disposition by the FDIC. According to the statement, the FDIC and First–Citizens Bank & Trust Company entered into a "loss–share transaction" on all commercial loans it purchased from Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). The FDIC estimated SVB's failure cost approximately $20 billion, although a cost will be more accurately determined when the FDIC terminates the receivership, it said. The FDIC created Silicon Valley Bridge Bank after the California Department of Financial Protection & Innovation closed Silicon Valley Bank on Friday, March 10. All of the deposits—both insured and uninsured—were transferred to the bridge bank. Alps Precious Metals Group THE PAST WEEK HAS BROUGHT SOME “EXCITEMENT” TO THE MARKETS. BANK RUNS. STOCK COLLAPSES. WHAT WAS THOUGHT TO BE STABLE SUDDENLY APPEARS UNSTABLE. AND YET, GOLD’S PRICE *WENT UP* AS THE HEADLINES BECAME MORE OMINOUS. ALPS PRECIOUS METALS WAS ESTABLISHED BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT ONE’S HARD-EARNED WEALTH FROM THE SERIOUS FINANCIAL PROBLEMS THAT ARE UPON US IS BY OWNING PHYSICAL GOLD AND SILVER. CALL JAMES HUNTER OF ALPS AT 251-377-2197, AND VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.ALPSPMG.COM TO DISCOVER HOW YOU CAN BUY PHYSICAL PRECIOUS METALS FOR YOUR INVESTMENT AND IRA PORTFOLIOS. OWN THE ASSET GOD SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED AS “GOOD” IN THE 2ND CHAPTER OF GENESIS, AND OBTAIN A PEACE OF MIND THAT CAN BE HAD WITH FEW OTHER INVESTMENTS. AGAIN, CALL JAMES HUNTER OF ALPS PRECIOUS METALS AT 251-377-2197, AND VISIT WWW.ALPSPMG.COM TO LEARN HOW TO OWN THE BEDROCK ASSET OF THE AGES.  https://thepostmillennial.com/portland-area-school-administrator-arrested-in-sex-sting?utm_campaign=64487 Progressive Portland area school administrator arrested in human sex trafficking sting Eight men, including a Portland-area high school administrator, were arrested and charged in relation to their alleged participation in a sex trafficking sting conducted by local law enforcement. As announced by the city of Lake Oswego's police department, they "conducted a human sex trafficking mission with the assistance of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, Oregon City Police, Milwaukie Police, and Sandy Police," on Thursday, March 23, 2023. "During the operation, decoys (law enforcement officers) were contacted by men who offered to pay money in exchange for the decoys to perform requested sexual acts," the department stated, going on to describe how the eight suspects allegedly agreed to meet with the supposed trafficking victims, and were subsequently "arrested and charged with the relevant crimes." Suspects Stephen R. Berry, Maximilien Aquitaine, Austin L. Olson, Vincent S. Namauleg, German D. Pascual, Jake R. Walt, and Erik J. Bjorman were all cited and released for Commercial Sexual Solicitation, officials said. However, according to the Lake Oswego Police Department, the assistant principal of Centennial High School in Gresham, Oregon was hit with additional charges. "Terrance A. Schloth (1/11/71) of Gresham, OR initially gave a false name and refused to identify himself," police stated. "As a result, he was lodged at the Clackamas County Jail in order to get a positive identification. He was charged for Commercial Sexual Solicitation (ORS 167.008) and the additional charge of Giving False Information to a Peace Officer in Connection with a Citation (ORS 162.385)." According to 52-year-old Schloth's LinkedIn page, he had been working in education for over 27 years, going from a Reynolds High School physical education teacher, to educational leader, to dean of students, and eventually serving as the assistant principal in 2014 before moving to the Centennial School District. Schloth was a progressive. His LinkedIn boasts of anti-bullying and restorative justice initiatives. According to his school profile, two of the accused administrator's children attend Centennial as well. The school district placed Schloth on administrative leave following his arrest, Conan Daily reported.

Pink Sheet reporter and editors discuss Moderna CEO's Stéphane Bancel's defense of his company and COVID-19 vaccine pricing at the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, the NIH denying a petition to use government march-in rights for Xtandi, and Tofersen receiving a positive US FDA advisory committee recommendation for use in ALS. More on these topics from The Pink Sheet: Moderna CEO Hearing Highlights Dissatisfaction With Patient Assistance Programs https://pink.pharmaintelligence.informa.com/PS147930/Moderna-CEO-Hearing-Highlights-Dissatisfaction-With-Patient-Assistance-Programs Moderna CEO Reminds People About Value Of Government Negotiations At Senate Hearing https://pink.pharmaintelligence.informa.com/PS147939/Moderna-CEO-Reminds-People-About-Value-Of-Government-Negotiations-At-Senate-Hearing After Xtandi, Will Government Ever Seek March-In Rights Over Drug Pricing? https://pink.pharmaintelligence.informa.com/PS147929/After-Xtandi-Will-Government-Ever-Seek-MarchIn-Rights-Over-Drug-Pricing Xtandi Still Faces Likely US Price Cut Even As It Avoids ‘March In' Proceeding https://pink.pharmaintelligence.informa.com/PS147940/Xtandi-Still-Faces-Likely-US-Price-Cut-Even-As-It-Avoids-March-In-Proceeding Accelerated Approval Is US FDA Panel's Preferred Path For Biogen/Ionis's Tofersen In ALS https://pink.pharmaintelligence.informa.com/PS147918/Accelerated-Approval-Is-US-FDA-Panels-Preferred-Path-For-BiogenIoniss-Tofersen-In-ALS Accelerated Approval: Potential Sources Of Confirmatory Evidence Weighed At Tofersen Review https://pink.pharmaintelligence.informa.com/PS147937/Accelerated-Approval-Potential-Sources-Of-Confirmatory-Evidence-Weighed-At-Tofersen-Review

Senator Rand Paul grilled Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel over the occurrences of myocarditis in young men who take the COVID-19 vaccine. At a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing, Bancel disclosed a $400 million payment to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from Moderna as part of a deal between the government agency and the drug company for mRNA technology and intellectual property rights. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew got a verbal smackdown from the House Energy and Commerce Committee this morning. During the hearing, Chew promoted Project Texas, TikTok's plan to address U.S. security and privacy concerns. Chew told the committee that employees of Douyin, China's TikTok equivalent, can currently access U.S. user data in China. A newly released letter from 2018 shows that Michael Cohen used his own personal funds to pay $130,000 to Stormy Daniels and that neither The Trump Organization nor Trump's campaign were party to the transaction and did not reimburse Cohen for the payment directly or indirectly. California students are still unable to go to school today as Los Angeles teachers and staff walk out on strike.  Today's Sponsor: Right now, you can save $200 on an Eden Pure OxiLeaf II Thunderstorm 3-pack for whole-home protection. You get three units for under $200. Put one in your basement, bedroom, family room, kitchen, or anywhere you need clean, fresh air. Go to http://www.edenpuredeals.com and enter discount code SARA to save $200. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The banking system troubles that appeared to be easing yesterday, came rumbling back this morning with word that the struggling Swiss bank Credit Suisse was in deeper trouble than previously thought. Then came news that two credit rating firms had downgraded First Republic Bank to junk status. Those two factors sent markets plunging. Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, who chairs the Senate Health, Education Labor and Pensions Committee joins Anderson to talk about the banking trouble and a bill that caps the price of insulin at $20 per vial. Also, a key development in Russia's downing of an American drone over the Black Sea yesterday. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price joins Anderson.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 740 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls. David Rothkopf is the CEO of The Rothkopf Group, host of the Deep State Radio podcast. Listen to his show, follow him on twitter and get his new book American Resistance:The Inside Story of How the Deep State Saved the Nation Listen to his show, follow him on twitter and get his new book The Rothkopf Group produces podcasts including Deep State Radio, National Security Magazine, custom programming for clients and it organizes live interactive web-based and live forums. Rothkopf is a contributing columnist to The Daily Beast and a member of the Board of Contributors of USA Today.  He is the author of hundreds articles on international, national security and political themes for publications that include the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, the Financial Times, the Daily Beast, Foreign Policy and Foreign Affairs. He is also a regular commentator on broadcast media worldwide. His previous books include Great Questions of Tomorrow, National Insecurity: American Leadership in an Age of Fear, Power, Inc.: The Epic Rivalry Between Big Business and Government—and the Reckoning That Lies Ahead , Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They Are Making, and Running the World: The Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power. His most recent book is The Great Questions of Tomorrow. Rothkopf has taught international affairs at Columbia University, Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins University. He has served as a member of a number of boards and advisory boards including those associated with the U.S. Institute of Peace, IREX, the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, the Progressive Policy Institute, and the Center for the Study of the Presidency. Previously, Rothkopf served as CEO and Editor of the FP Group, publishers of Foreign Policy Magazine, CEO of Garten Rothkopf and was the founder and CEO of Intellibridge Corporation, an open source intelligence provider to government and private sector organizations. Prior to that he served as managing director of Kissinger Associates. Rothkopf served as deputy undersecretary of commerce for international trade policy in the Clinton administration and played a central role in developing the administration's groundbreaking Big Emerging Markets Initiative. Before government, Rothkopf was founder and CEO of International Media Partners and editor and publisher of the CEO Magazine and Emerging Markets newspaper. He also served as chairman of the CEO Institute. He is a graduate of Columbia College of Columbia University and attended the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. _________________________________________________________ 55 minutes Kimberly Knackstedt Kim Knackstedt is a senior fellow and co-director of The Century Foundation's Disability Economic Justice Collaborative, where her work focuses on economic justice for people with disabilities and their families. She previously has served in disability policy positions in Congress and the White House. She brings experience as a classroom teacher of students with disabilities and as a person with chronic illness to her policy perspectives. In 2016, Kim was the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Public Policy Fellow, serving on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. From 2017 to 2019, she served as the disability policy advisor for Chairman Bobby Scott on the Committee on Education and Labor in the U.S. House of Representatives. From 2019 to 2021, she was the senior disability policy advisor for Senator Patty Murray on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in the U.S. Senate.  In January 2021, Kim was appointed as the first director of disability policy for the Domestic Policy Council for the Biden–Harris Administration. Kim received her Bachelor of Education in special education and elementary education from Gonzaga University, Master of Science in Education in special education from the University of Kansas, and PhD in special education and policy from the University of Kansas. Kim grew up in Oregon and lived in Kansas for several years before moving to Washington, D.C. Pete on YouTube Pete on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page

Committees are the place to expose or ignore the misdoings of companies & organizations. It is no wonder that corporate lobbyists are scared that Bernie will direct the committee they need. Last night I read the Politico article titled “‘Not business as usual': Health lobbyists brace for Bernie Sanders,” which brought a huge smile. Senator Bernie Sanders will lead the Senate's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. He will determine what to highlight in the healthcare industry. And there is much to highlight to the American people. The article's first few paragraphs said it all. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/politicsdoneright/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/politicsdoneright/support

We cover recent inquiries on pension freedom and saving for retirement; the stronger nudge and increasing take-up of guidance; preventing pension scams; how to build on auto-enrolment; the current inquiry on LDI investing and forthcoming work on DB pensions.

ep207:  What does the legalization of marijuana for recreational use mean to you and your workplace? Should you update your policies? Change background check procedures? Anticipate increased workers comp and unemployment claims? Master Sergeant Tyler Jenkins from the Missouri State Highway Patrol revisits the show to share tips on recognizing common signs of being under the influence of weed at work. And as always, we cover all the breaking news you need to know as you manage your business and people.   0:15 - Today on This Week at Work. 3:15 - Steamy evidence that perhaps Phil didn't follow his own suggestions from episode 206 on office parties.   Lawyer on the Clock:   5:51 - Biden's pick for the top EEOC attorney, Karla Gilbride, gets Senate panel approval. The Senate Health, Labor and Pensions Committee voted to advance the nomination of Jessica Lumen.    9:25 - Burt challenges Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's claims that the shortfall in labor force participation in the US, mostly due to excess retirements, is going to turn around soon. And the House passed legislation to preempt a nationwide rail shutdown.   Philburt's Phorum:    16:08 - “You've Got a Friend in (Weed).” Cheech/Chong, Snoop/Martha, and Elon.   The Employer's Lounge: Holiday Office Party Risk vs. Reward   19:00 - Master Sergeant Tyler Jenkins from the Missouri State Highway Patrol joins Phil and Burt to discuss Weed at Work as Missouri passes legislation to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.   21:09 - Tips on how to spot workers when under the influence of marijuana (Indicia of Impairment).   24:30 - Is there a reliable medical test to determine if someone is under the influence of marijuana?   26:15 - Exceptions to the recent change in marijuana law and how to manage the workplace from an employer's or human resource professional's perspective.   Host(s):  Phil Brandt, President and CEO of AAIM Employers' Association Burton Garland, Shareholder, Ogletree Deakins   Guest(s): Master Sergeant T. R. Jenkins, Drug Recognition Expert with the Missouri State Highway Patrol - Zone 9, St. Charles County   Powered by AAIM Employers' Association and Ogletree Deakins, a Feature Group USA production 

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a gastroenterologist, is a contender to chair the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee if Republicans can eke out control of the Senate. Ben Leonard talks with Alice Miranda Ollstein about his recent conversation with Cassidy, who is a telehealth proponent and has repeatedly warned about hackers targeting hospitals and other health care organizations. Plus, Lauren Gardner takes Pulse Check's 60 second challenge.

GOTV. Listen to KITM, then GOTV. Knock on doors from now through election day and tell them David Waldman sent you. OK, you're out there GOTV-ing. Democrats are out there trying to hold the line. It's not over yet. Now how much would Republicans really need to win to ruin everything? Not much. David explains how duly-elected Democrats may have their seats contested, and how Republicans can evade pesky precedent, or abuse the rules and procedures to cause trouble. While that's happening, expect trouble for anyone straying from established Christian values, such as synagogues, and donut shops.  Special guest Joan McCarter makes a surprise Friday visit to GOTV, and to go over Republican post-election plans, all of them stupid, none of them good. Rand Paul's pursed-lip smirk might soon be weaponized as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Republicans will use the debt-ceiling again, not just to bend Democratic will into destroying any recent gains, and sacking the economy for 2024, but to raze Social Security and Medicare. So, GOTV. Or you could donate.

Interested in purchasing the book? Order here: https://amzn.to/3R4RWfT Ankit Mahadevia is the founder and CEO of Spero Therapeutics, an organization committed to fighting the threat of infectious disease through the development of novel medicines. Over his career, he has led the formation of nine companies, including Spero, several of which are trading on the Nasdaq exchange and several others acquired by large pharmaceutical organizations. Through these companies, he has raised over $1 billion for the development of novel therapeutics, and built multiple high performing management teams. He and the companies he built have won multiple awards for their culture, including Boston Business Journal's “Best Places to Work” Award and Glassdoor's “Top 50 CEOs of 2021” (#15 nationwide). Prior to these roles, Ankit advised on and supported investments in the biotechnology sector as a Venture Partner at Atlas Venture, a Cambridge, MA venture capital firm. He held previous positions at organizations including Genentech, McKinsey & Company, the United States Government Accountability Office, and the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. He has spoken widely on entrepreneurship and leadership, including at Harvard University, Columbia University, Northwestern University, MIT, and the Berkeley Forum. Ankit received his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA from Northwestern University. He lives in Chestnut Hill, MA with his wife and two sons.

Veterans In Politics- Season 5, Episode 3  with  Dr Neil Shastri-HurstSoldier, surgeon and Conservative campaignerNeil Shastri-Hurst was brought up in a tradition of public service. Neil's parents both worked for the NHS; his mother a nurse and his father a GP of forty years. They passed that dedication down to Neil and, following in their footsteps, he went on to study medicine.Whilst at medical school, Neil joined the British Army as a Medical Officer — serving our country's national interests in the UK and overseas. Neil understands the challenges facing our veterans, servicemen and women, and their families. He remains a passionate advocate for our Armed Forces and maintains close links with the military community.  In 2021, Neil was appointed a member of the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committee by the Veterans Minister, Leo Docherty MP.Neil worked as a surgeon in the NHS, caring for both civilians and military personnel who have sustained catastrophic and life changing injuries.  A peripheral neuropathy prevented Neil from continuing with his surgical career. Whilst an unexpected set back, Neil used this as an opportunity to re-evaluate and channel his skills in a new direction, retraining as a barrister specialising in healthcare related law.Since leaving regular military service, Neil has been actively involved in politics. He has served as an officer of the Voluntary Party at Constituency, Area, and Regional level. He has played an active role in numerous local and national campaigns, including standing as a parliamentary candidate. He unsuccessfully fought the North Shropshire by election for the Conservatives, a very public campaign, but is determined more than ever to use this experience in order to continue to stand up and serve again.More on Neil here: About Neil Shastri-Hurst | Dr Neil Shastri-HurstNOTE- Please rate us on Apple Podcasts, donate or become our mate on our website HERE:  Donate - CampaignForce

On this special edition of the FTAdviser Podcast, news editor Amy Austin is joined by chair of the BMA's Pensions Committee, Vishal Sharma and Graham Crossley, NHS pension specialist advisor at Quilter,to discuss how pension tax issues are causing doctors to leave the profession and what the government should to to attempt to stop this.The FTAdviser Podcast is the podcast for financial advisers, brought to you by FTAdviser. Each week, FTAdviser is joined by guests from the industry to discuss the week in news and pressing industry issues. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With the Supreme Court considering a decision that could overturn Roe v. Wade, lawmakers who support abortion rights are searching for ways to codify reproductive rights. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the highest-ranking female Democrat in the Senate and chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

With the Supreme Court considering a decision that could overturn Roe v. Wade, lawmakers who support abortion rights are searching for ways to codify reproductive rights. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the highest-ranking female Democrat in the Senate and chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

With the Supreme Court considering a decision that could overturn Roe v. Wade, lawmakers who support abortion rights are searching for ways to codify reproductive rights. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the highest-ranking female Democrat in the Senate and chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

With the Supreme Court considering a decision that could overturn Roe v. Wade, lawmakers who support abortion rights are searching for ways to codify reproductive rights. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the highest-ranking female Democrat in the Senate and chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

VAERS COVID VaccineAdverse Event Reports1,195,934 Reports Through March 18, 202226,059 DEATHS143,554 HOSPITALIZATIONS124,777 URGENT CARE183,634 DOCTOR OFFICE VISITS9,500 ANAPHYLAXIS14,827 BELL'S PALSY4,377 Miscarriages13,360 Heart Attacks36,662 Myocarditis/Pericarditis47,676 Permanently Disabled6,164 Thrombocytopenia/Low Platelet29,444 Life Threatening40,929 Severe Allergic Reaction13,012 ShinglesGOP Senators Introduce Bill to Help Victims of COVID-19 Vaccine InjuryUncover DC - Michelle Edwards - March 18, 2022A group of Republican Senators recently joined together to introduce a bill to provide assistance to Americans who have suffered adverse reactions to the COVID-19 “vaccines.” Called the Countermeasure Injury Compensation Amendment Act, the bill would amend the current Countermeasure Injury Compensation Act (CICP), which has failed to provide redress measures for patients who have suffered negative responses to the shots exploited to promote public health during the COVID-19 public health emergency. U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), and U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) are sponsoring the bill which would create a commission to identify injuries directly caused by the COVID-19 experimental “vaccines.” Currently, federal law has two different compensation programs for individuals who suffer severe adverse reactions to vaccines. The first, introduced in 1986, is called the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). Making it impossible to sue vaccine manufacturers, VICP was established as a “no-fault alternative to the traditional tort system,” offering limited compensation to adults and children injured by certain vaccines.The second is the CICP, which provides compensation for injuries experienced due to products delivered during explicit public health emergencies. As pointed out by Sen. Lee, CICP compensates individuals for injuries and deaths that result from “covered countermeasures”—like COVID-19 “vaccines”—under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act). The legislation is intended to improve how COVID-19 countermeasure claims are adjudicated by the CICP. The bill introduced by the Senators would make critical adjustments to the CICP to ensure those injured by emergency countermeasures deployed during the “historic COVID-19 pandemic” are served. Bill S.3810, which has been referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, would:Reform the CICP to provide claimants the same framework for adjudication, award determination, and statute of limitations as exists under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.Create a commission to identify the injuries directly caused as a result of receipt of a COVID-19 covered countermeasure.Require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to amend the covered countermeasure injury table for COVID-19 to include injuries determined by the commission.Allow previously submitted claims that have not been compensated to be resubmitted and approved claims to be compensated the same as new claims.Since the start of the pandemic, Sen. Johnson has been a leading advocate for healthcare freedom, early treatment, and justice for those injured or killed following receipt of COVID-19 “vaccines.” In January, he held a five-and-a-half-hour discussion in Washington D.C. with doctors and medical experts called “COVID-19: A Second Opinion.” A video of the hearing posted by Sen. Johnson has been seen by nearly 2.3 million people. The eye-opening conference assisted in shining a light on what many experts and individual citizens view as a failed U.S. government response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. David Martin's Lawsuit Against Biden: The COVID Injection is a BioweaponDr. David Martin recently filed the first in a series of lawsuits in Federal Court “to get the truth out” about COVID-19 gene therapy injections and “take back America from the COVID pandemic scare.” In what he calls a “multi-step process,” Martin explains the first lawsuit will put into the public record “that the COVID vaccine is not a vaccine.” Instead, Martin explains the Injections are experimental gene therapies “known to kill people, known to actually stay inside of the human body for over 60 days producing pathogens that are scheduled toxins.”The lawsuit, Griner v. Biden et al., was filed on Mar. 4, 2022, in the U.S. District Court in Utah on behalf of Devan Griner, MD, a double-board certified surgeon and widely published author who has transformed the lives of hundreds of children in Utah and beyond. Besides naming Joe Biden, defendants include Xavier Becerra of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as well as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and its leaders.We wrote this case so that the immunity shield falls away from the manufacturers and all of the injuries and deaths become civil liabilities to the manufacturers.Dr. David MartinThe Reactivation of Latent DNA Viruses: Shingles, Herpes, Epstein-Barr, etc.Dr. Robert Malone joined rappers Jimmy Levy and Hi-Rez to discuss censorship, Hollywood, and corruption yesterday.One of the things that really stood out to me in this in-depth interview was what Dr. Malone said about people's adverse events to the so-called vaccine.I do know that one of the known adverse events that is never discussed. I mean, there's a number of these that are out there that there's huge amounts of data supporting, but CDC never talks about. One of those is reactivation of latent DNA viruses. The one that everybody knows about because you can't pretend not to recognize is the reactivation of shingles. Okay, shingles hurts.Okay, so that's a latent DNA virus that's hiding in your nerves that, for some reason, post-vaccination, in a fraction of people comes out, and you get the disease right. Now, it's not just the shingles virus. It's herpes viruses… it's a bunch of these latent DNA viruses. So does something come out after the jab? Yeah, these DNA viruses, for sure. We know in laboratory studies that they're alterations in T cell signal function toll-like receptor expression, display, something's going on with the T cells not clear how long they last.If you're having these DNA viruses jump out, it's because the thing that's been keeping the lid on the box has been released.And then you have this laboratory data, and then down this particular rabbit hole, there's the emerging anecdotal data, having to do with cancer. And a number of pathologists saying, in oncologists, people that study cancer and treat cancer, saying, We think we're seeing unusual cancer, it's unusually aggressive, coming up in people that shouldn't be getting it at times in their life when they shouldn't be having it. Okay, so now we're seeing, you know, multiple points along the line, that saying, This isn't so good, right. So, you know, in response to the question, Is there stuff that's coming out after the jab? Yeah.Dr. Robert MaloneCOVID Is Just a Skirmish—We Have a Much Bigger ProblemRED VOICE MEDIA - MARCH 22, 2022If you thought all the lies surrounding the so-called COVID19 pandemic were bad, just wait until you find out about the more significant driving forces behind it and so much more.We are far from being over the real challenge that the COVID is; I think just a skirmish. We have a much bigger problem, in my opinion. And it has to do with this rising totalitarianism. Your own Governor Gavin Newsom, I don't know if you know, is trained by the World Economic Forum. So is Governor Inslee in Washington? So is Pete Buttigieg. So is Justin Trudeau, so is his finance minister. So is the Prime Minister of New Zealand. So is Macron in France. The list is enormous. And there, it's not just in politics. They're in banking, they're all over in tech. And they have a clear agenda, which is not aligned with the US Constitution. They're those folks are invested in, in a worldview that believes that the nation-state is obsolete. And they are actively trying to advance the cause of a one-world government that will supplant national governance. And so, do we have enough people that are aware of this? No. That's the big battle. You know, it's I really, really do feel that this COVID situation is just a skirmish. And the bigger battle is against censorship and control and a growing global totalitarianism.Dr. Robert MaloneWe Are Allowing Human Organisms To Become Bioweapon Factories [VIDEO]STEW PETERS SHOW - MARCH 23, 2022So we're now up to our fourth Covid shot here in the U.S., and Fauci is talking about possibly doing another round of lockdowns too. Heck, it might happen. Half this country are sheep and will fall for anything, it seems.Dr. David Martin recently warned what the ultimate long-term purpose of all this will be: Exposing humanity to constant forcible gene editing via MRNA vaccines and who knows what else.COVID Was a Ploy to Transcribe a Computer-Synthesized Model into the Human GenomeThis is a pandemic of the bio weaponization of the human organism! This is not [about] public health, and Anthony Fauci is the architect of this genocide.Dr. David MartinDr. Martin will also be speaking at the April Let's Go Brandon Rally.

This is Toby Sumpter with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Tuesday, June 29, 2021. Plug: Fight Laugh Feast University is offering two new online classes starting this July! Get the whole family involved and participate in live online classes via Zoom. Hangout with fellow friends of the network, and learn together with the whole family. We have two classes beginning in July: The first class is with Comedian John Branyan called: Life is Hardy Har Hard: A Comedy Workshop for Christians and Jesse Sumpter: Education is Warfare: How to Start a School So go to https://flfnetwork.com/flf-edu/ to find out more and to sign up now. Classes are limited to only 25 spots! Air Force Fighter Pilot Suspended Over Mask Mandate https://lc.org/newsroom/details/062421-fighter-pilot-suspended-over-mask-mandate An Air Force fighter pilot in Mississippi has been disciplined, including suspension from flight status, suspension from access to classified information, and subjection to non-judicial punishment by his commanding officers, after the Air Force revoked initial approval given to his religious accommodation request. The pilot sought the religious accommodation from the requirement to otherwise wear a COVID mask while working on military property.  Liberty Counsel sent a letter on behalf of Captain “John Doe” to Acting Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF) John P. Roth at the Pentagon, requesting the religious accommodation and that any disciplinary measures against him be reversed or revoked. Even though the Air Force has invested more than $2,000,000 in Captain “Doe's” training, he has now been relieved of his duties despite seeking a religious accommodation. Multiple Department of Defense, Air Force and base policies explicitly require a “religious exemption” among other exceptions to the COVID mask mandates.  The SECAF memorandum for all Air Force personnel was released on February 16, 2021. The memo states that all personnel performing official duties must wear COVID masks and maintain physical distancing, unless they qualify for one of numerous exceptions. In total, there are eight Department of the Air Force exceptions for not wearing a mask, including one for a religious exemption. Two chaplains verified Captain “Doe's” religious beliefs are sincerely held. Since Captain “Doe's” Christian beliefs do not permit him to wear a mask, he submitted his initial religious accommodation request to his squadron commander on March 14, 2021. His squadron and group commanders both approved the request, and he returned to work without a COVID mask, flying for the squadron. Their decision was overturned by the wing commander and Captain “Doe's” request was denied. Captain “Doe” then used all of his available leave (more than 30 days) as he appealed the wing commander's decision, attempting to prevent a conflict between his orders and his faith. His subsequent appeals were denied, and his last appeal now rests in Acting Secretary Roth's hands.  I'm told this air force pilot is a listener of CrossPolitic.  Democrats Block Bill to Revoke Mask Mandate on Public Transportation https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/559954-democrats-block-gop-bill-lift-mask-mandate-public-transportation Republican Sens. Rick Scott (Fla.) and Mike Lee (Utah) were thwarted by Democrats on Wednesday when they attempted to pass a bill that would revoke the Biden administration's mask requirement on public transportation. The federal mask mandate for interstate transit is set to expire in September. It requires masks on airplanes, in airports, on buses and on rail systems. “We cannot pretend this pandemic is over. This virus is still spreading, it is still mutating, it is still costing lives, and it is still leaving survivors with long-haul symptoms. And, the new delta variant is more contagious, likely to send people to the hospital, and already in our country,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said when she blocked the GOP bill. Scott and Lee cited the nation's vaccination rates in arguing that the mask mandate imposes unnecessary expectations and consequences on families and children. “Now the science is clear that broad mask mandates aren't necessary. Unfortunately, the CDC has decided to buck the science when it comes to travel and it is still requiring face masks on public transportation,” Scott said on the Senate floor. “Why is the CDC signally out airlines and public transportation? It doesn't make any sense,” he added. The federal mask mandate went into effect in February with an expiration date of May 11, which the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has since extended to Sept. 13. President Biden signed an executive order on his first full day in office directing federal agencies to “immediately take action” to mandate the use of masks on trains, intercity buses, ferries and in airports. Scott and Lee introduced their legislation last week, with Rep. Dan Crenshaw(R-Texas) sponsoring a companion measure in the House. Scott said on Wednesday that airlines and other private companies should be able to make their own decisions about mandating masks. Before the mandate expiration date was pushed back to September, airlines and unions lobbied TSA to extend it, arguing that the safety and health of workers and passengers were at risk without the mandate. “If the airline or other company decides it wants to implement a mask policy, so be it. This does not prohibit them from doing so. I've been clear, private companies should be able to make decisions that they feel is appropriate for their employees and their customers,” Scott said. Meanwhile, In Manitoba, Canada, the Pastors are Joining the Government's Vaccine Push https://fb.watch/6pZYHk0zha/ Play Audio Here's Pastor Kyle Penner Grace Mennonite Church threatening Christians in Manitoba that they won't be able to get back to in person worship if they don't get vaccinated.  Plug: Fight Laugh Feast Conference in Lebanon, TN, just outside of Nashville.  Sex is inherently political. What you do in the privacy of the bedroom never stays there. It always impacts the world. A culture is either built on the fruitfulness of a godly union between one man and one woman, or else it dies from self-inflicted fruitlessness and sexual rebellion against God. Fornication and divorce blunt the power of the family and leave legacies of addiction, incarceration, and poverty. Homosexuality and transgenderism cannot produce children and disfigure everyone involved. You cannot have the fruit of a thriving civilization without the tree of sexual obedience to our Maker. Only the gospel of Jesus heals and restores our sexuality for the blessing of the world. Unfortunately, far too many Christians have been taught to trust in an emasculated Jesus who makes genderless disciples who are often just as confused and fruitless as the world. Worldview matters, the nuclear family matters, definitions of male and female matter, godly children matter. Our sexual choices and values are building and cultivating a particular kind of public square. Join us in Lebanon, TN with Pastor Douglas Wilson, Voddie Baucham, Doug TenNapel, David Bahnsen, and then on Saturday will have 9 SWAT talks with over 20 speakers armig you to go out into the world to take dominion with your gifts and abilities. Registration is live now: flfnetwork.com/politics-of-sex/ Seating is limited!  Matt Hacock – UK's Health Chief Resigns After Breaching Covid Rules https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jun/26/matt-hancock-resigns-after-questions-over-relationship-with-aide Play Audio: 0:00-0:23 https://www.npr.org/2021/06/26/1010588807/uk-health-minister-resigns-kissing-coronavirus-rules LONDON (AP) — U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who has led the country's response to the coronavirus, resigned Saturday, a day after apologizing for breaching social distancing rules with an aide with whom he was allegedly having an affair. Hancock had been under growing pressure since the tabloid Sun newspaper published images showing him and senior aide Gina Coladangelo kissing in an office at the Department of Health. The Sun said the closed circuit television images were taken May 6 — 11 days before lockdown rules were eased to allow hugs and other physical contact with people outside one's own household. GOATS AND SODA  Coronavirus FAQ: I've Been Vaccinated. Do I Need To Worry About Variants? In a resignation letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Hancock said the government owed it "to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down." "And those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them and that's why I've got to resign," he wrote. Johnson said he was sorry to receive Hancock's resignation and that he "should leave office very proud of what you have achieved — not just in tackling the pandemic, but even before COVID-19 struck us." Article continues after sponsor message Johnson had earlier expressed confidence in Hancock despite widespread calls to fire him.  Jonathan Ashworth, health spokesman for the opposition Labour Party, said "it is right that Matt Hancock has resigned. But why didn't Boris Johnson have the guts to sack him and why did he say the matter was closed?" Some lawmakers from the governing Conservatives had also called on Hancock to quit because he wasn't practicing what he has been preaching during the pandemic. CORONAVIRUS UPDATES  The Pandemic Led To The Biggest Drop In U.S. Life Expectancy Since WWII, Study Finds "The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis," Hancock, who is married, said in his letter of resignation. "I want to reiterate my apology for breaking the guidance, and apologize to my family and loved ones for putting them through this," he said. "I also need (to) be with my children at this time." Hancock, 42, is the latest in a string of British officials to be accused of breaching restrictions they imposed on the rest of the population to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The government is also facing questions about the circumstances in which Hancock hired Coladangelo, a university friend who was appointed to his department last year. She was initially employed as an unpaid adviser and this year became a non-executive director at the Department of Health, a role that pays about 15,000 pounds ($21,000) a year. THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS  New COVID-19 Outbreaks Are Driving Some Places Back Under Lockdown And Behind Masks Johnson's Conservative government has been branded a "chumocracy" by critics for hiring special advisers and contractors from outside the civil service without long-customary levels of scrutiny. Hancock's department has been accused of waiving procurement rules to award lucrative contracts for protective equipment and other medical essentials, often to personal contacts. Hancock has said he was driven by the need to secure essential supplies quickly at the height of the outbreak. Hancock has faced weeks of pressure since the prime minister's former top aide, Dominic Cummings, accused him of botching the government's response to the pandemic. Cummings, now a bitter critic of the government he once served, told lawmakers last month that Hancock "should have been fired" for alleged lies and errors. He also published a WhatsApp message in which Johnson branded Hancock "totally (expletive) hopeless." Cummings himself was accused of breaking the rules and undermining the government's "stay home" message when he drove 250 miles (400 kilometers) across England to his parents' home during the spring 2020 lockdown. Johnson resisted pressure to fire him, but Cummings left his job in November amid a power struggle in the prime minister's office. Psalm of the Day: Psalm 104 https://open.spotify.com/track/2LWJjQXMK9XNaOEefEhdb3?si=e03b792761544b20 Play Audio: 0:00-1:01 Trinity Psalter and Book of Psalms for Worship on Spotify This is Toby Sumpter with Crosspolitic News. You can find this and all of our shows at Crosspolitic.com or on our app, which you can download at your favorite app store, just search “Fight Laugh Feast”. A reminder: if you see news stories and links that you think we should cover on the daily news brief, please send them to news @ crosspolitic.com and don't forget to check deft wire dot com where we are constantly posting all our stories.  Support Rowdy Christian media, and share this show or become a Fight Laugh Feast Club Member. You always get a free Fight Laugh Feast t-shirt with a membership and remember if you didn't make it to the Fight Laugh Feast Conference or Rally, club members have access to all the talks and lots more. Join today and have a great day.

HOUR 1Tom S returns to the show after a trip to Phoenix and discusses his plane being over-fueled in Seattle and the weather in AZU.S. emissions climb 6.2 and coal burned for electricity spiked over 17% / (MB) https://www.morningbrew.com/daily/stories/climate-US-emissions-climbed?Russia says it won't allow talks with the U.S. to go on much longer re Ukraine / (CBS) https://www.cbsnews.com/video/talks-between-us-and-russia-continue-amid-tensions-over-ukraine/#xWoodcarver Mike on Russia, Putin, and China's monitoring of it allGeorgia defeats Alabama / https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/33039261/georgia-bulldogs-take-control-4th-quarter-win-rematch-vs-alabama-crimson-tide-first-college-football-national-championship-1980First genetically modified pig heart transplanted into 57-year-old Maryland man / (NYT) https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/10/health/heart-transplant-pig-bennett.html?LIVE Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing testimony to address the federal response to new COVID-19 variants with CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, and others.HOUR 2LIVE Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing testimony to address the federal response to new COVID-19 variants with CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, and others.Home COVID tests to be covered by insurance at up to 8 per person per month / (AP) https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-cb49a8458f33a698c3a4f3b721835270?LIVE Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing testimony to address the federal response to new COVID-19 variants with CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, and others.Mayor Dave Bronson with COVID-19 testing updateMicky Boyer from Capstone with a COVID-19 update

This weeks NAAFI Break guest is Research Fellow, Dr Graham Cable, who since our interview has moved on from his post at The Forces in Mind Trust Research Centre, a Big Lottery Fund endowed spend-out charitable Trust, whose aim is to provide an evidence base that will influence and underpin policy making and service delivery in order to enable Veterans and their families to lead successful civilian lives as they transition from the serving military community.I wanted to hear from someone involved in research, how policy is influenced and how can the stories of our transitions that we have heard on the NAAFI Break, may be able to be used.A very insightful conversation and my recent connection to Graham has spurred me on personally to enroll into Higher Education. You're never too old to learn!Bio Graham is currently leading learning with @QA_Ltd, supporting public and private sector clients in determining, developing, deploying, managing and continuously improving technology-enhanced blended learning solutions.Volunteer support to UK and international military veterans via public appointment as Vice Chair of the South East England Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committee (appointed by the UK Minister for Defence People and Veterans) and current and former professional and voluntary academic roles, including membership of the (US) Veterans Studies Association Advisory Board.Doctor of Education, published in the area of military-to-civilian transitional support and healthcare, with doctoral thesis focused on educational transition from the UK Armed Forces (former military education and training officer). 

Former British Army officer, now Dr. Graham Cable, is a Research Fellow in the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) Research Centre based at the Veterans & Families Institute for Military Social Research, Anglia Ruskin University (in the UK). His role is to provide advice and guidance to FiMT-funded researchers commissioned from among UK based research organizations (including other universities), and to author publicly accessible summaries and reviews of that research; all in support of FiMT's wider objectives to enable ex-military personnel make a successful and sustainable transition to civilian life. He also acts as his university's Armed Forces Community Inclusion Lead working alongside leadership, teaching, and support staff to ensure accessibility of courses and staff roles for serving regular and reserve military personnel, as well as veterans and family members. His former military career was cut short by medical discharge, which heralded a difficult transition, prompting him to undertake his doctorate to explore the experience. Graham saw his thesis as a means to continue his own lifelong learning journey, and to encourage other military leavers and veterans to do the same. It was this enduring sense of educational duty that brought him to his current role, as well as to membership of an international community of like-minded scholars and professionals; which led to this podcast. Graham publishes and peer reviews academic papers, supervises postgraduate (including doctoral) dissertations, and undertakes teaching and examining roles. He has also been appointed by the UK Government's Minister for Defence People and Veterans as a member of his regional Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committee, which ensures veterans are supported in his local area. He has recently been invited to join the editorial team of an international veterans' studies journal. Between leaving the Army and taking up his current position, Graham acted as a consultant in various NATO headquarters, as well as in teaching and undertaking professional roles in other universities. He is a member of the UK's Chartered Institute of Linguists (fluent in Spanish) and Chartered Management Institute. Just as he is determined to succeed in his own military-to-civilian transition, he strives to ensure others can do the same and sees education as fundamental to this. He discusses that in this podcast.

A Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Tuesday showcased testimonies in support of a national program for paid family and medical leave. CQ Roll Call's Caitlin Reilly reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Tuesday showcased testimonies in support of a national program for paid family and medical leave. CQ Roll Call's Caitlin Reilly reports.

Ann Pickering is an Advisor to KPMG LLP, appointed in June 2020. She recently stood down from her role as Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief of Staff at Telefònica O2 UK, a role she had held since 2008. She was also a member of the UK Executive Team, Global HR Executive Team, as well as Chair of the Pensions Committee and Responsible Business Forum. Ann’s long career at Telefònica O2 began in 2004 as Head of HR Customer Service becoming Human Resource Director in 2008, a role she held for 10 years. In 2017 she took on the dual role of HR Director and Chief of Staff. In her early career Ann held HR roles at Xansa PLC (now Steria PLC) Fidelity Investments Services Ltd and Marks & Spencer PLC. Ann was voted ‘UK’s Most Influential HR Director’ in 2018, and Top 5 ranking prior and post this; in 2019 she was recognised in the HERoes global top 50 Women Role Model list. (‘Women who are ‘leading by example and driving change to increase gender diversity in the workplace’) Ann currently has a number of non executive and educational interests. She is a trustee of Breast Cancer Now, as well as Step Up To Serve, a social action charity for 10-20 year olds. She is a visiting professor of HRM and Employability at Sheffield University Management School and also chairs the school’s Advisory Board. Ann is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Personnel Development and holds a BA in English from the University of London. She was a CBI nominated Employment Tribunal member between 1995 and 2008. Her Leadership tip – Start by Starting #InspiringLeadership #leadership #CEO #MotivationalSpeaker #teamcoach #InclusiveLeadership #Boards See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Did you know that America's minimum wage was first made law with the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which established a federal minimum wage at $0.25 an hour? However, it didn't cover executives, seasonal employees, and some other groups. Former President Roosevelt said, "It seems to me to be equally plain that no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country." The Indiana minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, the same as the federal minimum wage. The Indiana minimum wage was last increased in 2008 when it was raised by $0.60. State Representative Pat Boy put forward House Bill 1345 to slowly increase the minimum wage to $11 an hour by December 31, 2022. But it didn't make it past an Employment, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing. In today's SOUND OFF episode, we talk about the minimum wage and whether our listeners think it should be increased. CREDITS: Dennis Siddall (Producer), Jeff Wuggazer (Editor), Nate Loucks (Host), Bryant Dabney (Guest) SOUND OFF is a community conversation show that airs every Monday and Friday on 96.7 the Eagle in LaPorte County, Indiana. SOUND OFF is a Spoon River Media production.

President Joe Biden's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, on Tuesday appeared for his first of two Senate confirmation hearings before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. CQ Roll Call health care reporter Mary Ellen McIntire reports on his testimony as Republican senators needle his record.

President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, on Tuesday appeared for his first of two Senate confirmation hearings before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. CQ Roll Call health care reporter Mary Ellen McIntire reports on his testimony as Republican senators needle his record. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senator Patty Murray joins us for a wide-ranging town hall discussion, touching on everything from Trump's acquittal to the state of the GOP, the COVID rescue package, her essential work in the pandemic recovery as the new chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and her thoughts on the filibuster.

Podcast: The current law governing transfers is not fit for purpose and there are too many bodies involved in handling pension scams, according to Work and Pensions Committee chair Stephen Timms.Pensions Expert podcast has ranked third on the 'Top 15 Pension Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021' from Feedspot. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This episode features testimony by Word&Way Editor & President Brian Kaylor before the Missouri Senate Health and Pensions Committee on Jan. 20. The hearing featured debate on several bills designed to limit government restrictions during a pandemic. Kaylor argued against three bills that would create special religious exemptions for religious gatherings and groups. He also penned a Missouri Independent op-ed on the issue after testifying. (This episode is sponsored in part by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.)

Bringing the Washington, DC Healthcare Policy Experience to Quinnipiac University “A critical part of that has to be understanding how policies develop and the implications that both national and state policies have on the ability to deliver high-quality care.”— Dr. Matthew O’Connor, Dean & Professor of Finance According to statistics, all Boomers will turn 65 by 2030. This will be about 20% of the American population, approximately 70 million Americans. It's estimated that we will need at least 3.5 million additional health care professionals and triple the number of direct care workers. It's going to create a crisis in staffing and health care.  Part One of ‘Bringing the Washington, DC Healthcare Policy Experience to Quinnipiac University’ The Institute of Medicine Landmark report for an aging America on building the healthcare workforce stated that unless action is taken immediately, the healthcare workforce will lack the capacity in both size and ability to meet the needs of older patients in the future. NAS calls it a crisis.  This is why the training of healthcare leaders, particularly in aging policy, is critical to developing good leadership and strategies that can help them understand how the organization needs to function in a very high-quality environment.  Another component is that they must understand what goes on in D.C. and how it impacts the delivery system. Such as how providers are reimbursed, how quality is measured, how money is appropriated for NIH research programs. And, it’s important to show appreciation towards the medical professionals and social workers who are “in the trenches”. They have a practical perspective on how things are being done. “There has to be an appreciation of the medical professionals, what the social workers bring to the table, and how they think that we need to work more as a team.” — Angela S. Mattie, Esq., MPH Therefore, given the aging demographic and the lack of providers to take care of these people, there is a need to train graduate students and practitioners on health policy and how things impact their business. As well as to show appreciation towards what the social workers are bringing to the table. When you think about health care organizations, there are two critical areas. There's the clinical care that's provided. That's the front and center. All clinical care is provided within an organizational framework. And those organizations have to function well. They have to be able to execute on tasks. And, then there is the management vs leadership. They have to be able to have good management policies and good quality control.  Part Two of ‘Bringing the Washington, DC Healthcare Policy Experience to Quinnipiac University’ According to Professor Mattie, there are four pillars of training: First:  We need an interdisciplinary approach to health care. We have a med school, a law school, a school of nursing, a health science program with multiple disciplines, the health care coverage in our school of communication, healthcare analytics, coverage in our College of Arts and Sciences, and an engineering school that's also interested in how they can contribute broadly in the area of health care.  Second: Healthcare leaders need business skills and business students need a deep understanding of healthcare specific to each discipline.  Third: COVID has shown us that we need to train healthcare providers to have crisis management skills. How to set up field hospitals, train staff and take care of patients and plan. This won’t be our own …leadership skills and soft skills like emotional intelligence. Fourth: And to teach students how federal and state policies impact our communities and our health.  And how to partner with those in the field to have access to the expertise in the field in order to do this. “Universities can contribute to training the next generation of healthcare leaders with an interdisciplinary focus.” —  Angela S. Mattie, Esq., MPH For any students interested, Quinnipiac University has an MBA program that allows a concentration in health care management, and they have a degree in organizational leadership that has a concentration in health care. Quinnipiac has a business analytics program that has health care analytics courses as well. We are experiencing phenomenal and very rapid changes in everything from artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, and even wearable technologies that will impact healthcare. — Dr. Matthew O’Connor, Dean and Professor of Finance The role and future of technology are also critical areas that healthcare leaders will need to understand when they get out into practice.  Professor Mattie was a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow for the US Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee in 2000-2001. So, what was different in this Fellowship with a placement in the House, and how did the pandemic impact the fellowship? Angela completed her RWJF Health Policy Fellowship during the 9/11 terrorist attacks - and during her Health and Aging Policy Fellowship, we have experienced our first pandemic. One of the key things that she worked on as a Fellow was patient safety legislation for good reasons.  Professor Mattie’s father was a victim of a patient safety event. She remained silent about her story despite many years of working with the health care community, thinking it might impact her relationships with others. And the moment she decided to step up and shared it recently, she saw the difference it made to many people’s lives to share her story. The importance of advocacy and telling your story can’t be underscored enough.  As a result, she met a lot of constituents over ground funding for various diseases. Angela remembers one particular group that came in from cystic fibrosis with the lobbyists and various people from the advocacy organizations. They also came in with two moms with the same case. One of the mothers brought a Russian stacking doll with her. Each one of the dolls were episodes that her poor daughter had gone through such as the cost of the episodes. Including hospital admission, 10 day stay, her ventilator, and medicine costs. This was a powerful visual to see.  On another note, The Health and Aging Policy Fellowship has greatly impacted Professor Mattie’s next career steps. She is truly honored and privileged to be a Quinnipiac University (QU) Albert Schweitzer Fellowship recipient this year, which allows her to continue her work. The institute was established to introduce Schweitzer's philosophy, a preference for life to a broader audience. What better way to do that than help bring policy and aging policy to our Quinnipiac community!  Together with Dr. O’Connor, they’re going to establish this health care policy immersion program with a focus on an interdisciplinary team of students and also looking toward individuals who have the ability to make a positive impact on health policy development. So, paying it forward and also developing those that might have an interest in engaging policy or policy in general.  Again, for any students interested, Quinnipiac University has an MBA program that allows a concentration in health care management, and they have a degree in organizational leadership that has a concentration in health care. Quinnipiac has a business analytics program that has health care analytics courses as well. About Dr. Matthew O’Connor Dr. Matthew O’Connor is Dean and Professor of Finance in the School of Business at Quinnipiac University. He has been with Quinnipiac since 1999, when he was appointed Assistant Professor of Finance. From 2005 to 2008, he served as Chair of the Finance Department. In 2008, he was appointed Interim Dean of the School of Business, and in 2009 he was appointed Dean. As Dean, Dr. O’Connor led the school’s efforts to expand its graduate programs, including launching the online MBA and online Masters programs in Business Analytics and Organizational Leadership.   Under his leadership, the business school stewarded the successful design, development, and launch of the School of Engineering. Conscious of the need to provide value to students, Dr. O’Connor also led efforts to develop accelerated dual-degree undergraduate to graduate programs, significantly reducing the time and cost of comprehensive higher education.   Dr. O’Connor is committed to the university’s teacher-scholar model. He launched and continues to teach the Finance program’s student managed portfolio course, which now has $3.0 million of assets under management. Additional teaching areas include undergraduate and graduate courses in Corporate Finance, Financial Modeling, Investments, and Portfolio Management. In 2005, Dr. O’Connor was honored with a Quinnipiac University Excellence in Teaching Award. In 2010, Dr. O’Connor was honored with the SIFE Most Supportive Dean of the Year Award. Dr. O’Connor has published in prestigious journals such as the Journal of Banking and Finance, the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Corporate Finance, the Journal of Applied Business and Economics, the Financial Services Review, and the Financial Review.   Highly committed to professional service, Dr. O’Connor served two terms on the Initial Accreditation Committee for AACSB, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, International. He also serves on the boards of United Methodist Homes, the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, and Junior Achievement of Southwest New England. He is a Corporator for Ion Bank and a former Director at CEU.com, the Technology Investment Fund, and ReSET, the Social Enterprise Trust. Prior to joining Quinnipiac University, Dr. O’Connor worked as a Treasury Analyst for Rogers Corporation and an Actuarial Analyst for MassMutual Life Insurance, Co.   Angela S. Mattie, Esq., MPH   Angela Mattie, a professor of management in the School of Business and director of the long-term care and compliance certificate program. She also holds an appointment at the medical school at Quinnipiac University (QU).  At Quinnipiac, she created a corporate compliance certificate program, the first program accredited by the national association.  Ms. Mattie and her colleagues received the International Compliance Award for their contributions to healthcare compliance.   Angela completed the 2017 Bruce Bradley, Leapfrog fellowship designed for corporate professionals who want to take an active role in steering employees and their families to safer, higher-quality hospitals and health care systems.   In 2019-2020, she was named a Health & Aging Policy Fellow with a placement in Representative DeLauro’s Washington, DC office. Prof. Mattie serves on several boards, including Trinity Health of New England, where she chairs the Board’s quality & safety committee. She is also a member of St. Mary’s Hospital’s Quality Committee, Board Member of the CT Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and serves as the faculty director/advisor for the Quinnipiac University ACHE student chapter. She is the 2012 recipient of the Distinguished Faculty/Advisor Award from CT ACHE and the 2013 Center of Excellence in Teaching Award from Quinnipiac University.   Prior to joining Quinnipiac, Angela was Vice-President, Performance Improvement for Sisters of Providence Health Care System (SPHS).  As a member of the executive team, she had oversight responsibilities for legal, quality, risk management, worker’s compensation, infection control, HIPAA privacy implementation, and corporate compliance.   In 2000-2001, Angela was selected for the competitive Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowship.  She served as a health policy fellow for the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.  During her Fellowship, she was on leave from Anthem, Inc. in the corporate office of medical policy.  In her role with Anthem, Inc., Ms. Mattie was responsible for designing risk-reduction strategies and project implementation for uniform medical policy for the corporation. Before joining Anthem, Inc., Ms. Mattie was Assistant Vice-President, Quality Improvement Services with The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA). She had responsibility for a clinical research program that received state and national recognition.  She is frequently called upon by the media for views on healthcare issues and has numerous healthcare management publications and presentations at national conferences. Ms. Mattie received her Master’s Degree in Public Health (M.P.H.) with distinction from Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) at the University of Connecticut School Of Law, and an undergraduate degree, summa cum laude from Quinnipiac University. She is the proud mother of a MSW and still likes rock-n-roll music. About Melissa Batchelor, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN I earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (‘96) and Master of Science in Nursing (‘00) as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) School of Nursing (SON). I truly enjoy working with the complex medical needs of older adults. I worked full-time for five years as FNP in geriatric primary care across many long-term care settings (skilled nursing homes, assisted living, home and office visits) then transitioned into academic nursing in 2005, joining the faculty at UNCW SON as a lecturer. I obtained my PhD in Nursing and a post-Master’s Certificate in Nursing Education from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing (’11) and then joined the faculty at Duke University School of Nursing as an Assistant Professor. My family moved to northern Virginia in 2015 and led to me joining the faculty at George Washington University (GW) School of Nursing in 2018 as a (tenured) Associate Professor where I am also the Director of the GW Center for Aging, Health and Humanities. Find out more about her work at https://melissabphd.com/

Laura Schifter, Ed. D., is a Senior Fellow leading K12 Climate Action with the Aspen Institute, a lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a fellow with the Century Foundation. Previously, she worked as a policy and research consultant, a senior education and disability advisor for Rep. George Miller (D-CA) on the Committee on Education and Labor, and an education fellow for Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. After graduating from college, she taught elementary school in San Francisco. Laura earned an Ed.D. in Education Policy, Leadership, and Instructional Practice and an Ed.M. in Mind, Brain, and Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. in American Studies from Amherst College. Laura is also the mother of three daughters, Ellie, Issie, and Thea, and she hopes that engaging more people on climate change can help build a sustainable future for them and the next generation. https://www.k12climateaction.org/ https://nexuspmg.com/

How do you make sure that people get advice before they cash in their pension funds early? The latest figures show that more than £2 billion was released early by nearly 350,000 people in the three months to September. Only about one in 30 of the people who take money out get guidance or advice about their decision. The Government’s answer is what it calls a ‘stronger nudge’ and on Monday it is expected to set out its plans to MPs as a new Pension Bill comes to its finale in the House of Commons. Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, Stephen Timms MP, thinks a nudge is not enough. The Warm Home Discount gives customers on low incomes or in particular family circumstances £140 off one winter energy bill but Money Box has heard that some people who should be eligible to receive the discount are being refused because the scheme is running out of money and suppliers are tightening up the conditions. We speak to the boss of Utilita. How to talk to children about money and 19,000 investors want to know why they have not been able to get their hands on their missing millions for well over a year. Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researcher: Darin Graham Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Richard Vadon

This episode is brought to you by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Blue Shield companies are supporting health care partners on the frontline of this unprecedented fight. Ensuring patients don't have to worry about costs. Caring when it counts the most, for the Health of America. Dr. Kavita Patel is a Nonresident Fellow at the Brookings Institution and a practicing primary care physician in Washington, DC.  She previously served in the Obama Administration as a senior aide to Valerie Jarrett, where she played a critical role in health reform, financial regulatory reform, and economic recovery policies.   Dr. Patel also has a deep understanding of Capitol Hill from her time spent on the late Senator Ted Kennedy's staff as deputy staff director for the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.    Kavita and I have worked together for years, including at the Bipartisan Policy Center and The Aspen Group, and she always has her finger on the pulse when it comes to the latest on healthcare policy.  Today, we're placing a timely focus on how healthcare can help schools reopen safely.   

Patty Murray has been busy. As the ranking member on the U.S. Senate's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, the senior senator from the state of Washington is intimately involved in developing legislation to guide federal oversight of the areas of American life most impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic. In the last month alone she introduced the Coronavirus Child Care and Education Relief Act and issued a white paper calling for legislation that would assure that a vaccine be made available to all Americans. But Murray is also in the minority. At a time when so much is at stake, the Democratic lawmaker is tasked with both identifying solutions that she believes will save many lives and pushing them through a legislative process dominated by Republicans at a moment of hyper-partisanship. On this week's edition of the Crosscut Talks podcast we speak with the Senator about her efforts to shore up schools and day care providers, the deep frustration she has for the Trump administration's approach to the pandemic and how, exactly, she plans to turn her plans into action. Plus, Crosscut reporter David Kroman delivers the latest on the Seattle's efforts to rethink public safety and policing.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, John Kiriakou is joined by Ted Rall, an award-winning commentator and editorial cartoonist whose work you can find at www.rall.com.New coronavirus infection cases are surging across the country, with marked increases in 45 states over the past 14 days. Dr. Anthony Fauci said yesterday before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee that he would not be surprised to see 100,000 new infections per day in the coming weeks. Even the Republican governors of Texas, Florida, and Arizona said yesterday that they had reopened their states too soon. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that he was considering a third coronavirus stimulus bill that would extend unemployment benefits. Accusations continue to fly that Russian military intelligence paid the Taliban a bounty to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan, although there is little in the way of evidence. The Wall Street Journal reported that NSA strenuously objected to the report, saying there was no evidence that it was true, while former National Security Advisor Susan Rice offered an opinion in the New York Times that it was true and that both President Trump and Vice President Pence live in a state of denial. Ben Norton, a journalist with the Grayzone and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast, joins the show. Supporters of Medicaid expansion won a narrow victory in conservative Oklahoma yesterday where a ballot measure passed with slightly over 50 percent of the vote. In Colorado, an right-wing insurgent congressional candidate who is a follower of the conspiracy group Q-Anon, defeated incumbent Republican Congressman Scott Tipton, despite being outspent 4-1. Meanwhile, mail-in ballots in Kentucky have been counted and Amy McGrath has won the Democratic nomination for Senate. She will take on Mitch McConnell in November. John speaks with Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter, a columnist for CounterPunch, and a contributor to The Nation, Extra! and Salon.com whose writings are at ThisCantBeHappening.net. The Israeli government was widely expected to present to the cabinet today a plan to annex as much as 30 percent of the West Bank. That’s what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s deal with Knesset Speaker Benny Gantz allowed for. But it didn’t happen, even after a meeting yesterday between Netanyahu, a White House envoy, and the US Ambassador to Israel. Miko Peled, the author of “The General’s Son - A Journey of an Israeli in Palestine,” and of "Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five,” joins the show. Wednesday’s weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.Wednesday’s regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, joins the show.

It is hard to imagine anyone more self-assuredly stupid than Kentucky Senator Libertarian Op'famologist Rand Paul, but he never ceases to remind us and he put on a master dumbass class today in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Never trust an expert, he confidently declared. Then Dr. Fauci explained that it is entirely possible we will see 100,000 COVID-19 cases per day in the near future if we don't get our act together. HINT: there are more than enough contagiously stupid people in the U.S. to assure we will NOT get our act together. SCOTUS proved itself more than capable of spitting on the First Amendment by foisting support of religious institutions upon the taxpayers, as we wait for them to render their Trump decision and skedaddle out of town for the next three months.

In today’s episode we break down the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing that heard from America’s leading public health officials. The news about the pandemic is grim. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sen. Lamar Alexander chairs the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which held a hearing Tuesday about the Trump administration's handling of coronavirus. Alexander himself is in quarantine after a possible exposure, and he joins Judy Woodruff from his Tennessee home to discuss federal pandemic aid, his state's plans to reopen and President Trump's crisis response. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Today’s show features: Mike Braun, U.S. Senator for Indiana and Member of the Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, on today’s Senate hearing with members of the Coronavirus Task Force. Andy Barr, U.S. Representative for the 6th district of Kentucky, on a newly formed special congressional task force to investigate China’s global agenda, including its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dan Celia, Nationally Syndicated Radio Host and President and CEO of Financial Issues Stewardship Ministries, on a UN report saying that the economic devastation from the coronavirus could eventually kill more than the virus itself. Scott Rasmussen, Pollster and Publisher of ScottRasmussen.com, on his new survey showing 60 percent of voters believe every business that establishes safe social distancing protocols should be allowed to open. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/loving-liberty/support

The Republican-led Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a remote hearing on the country's handling of the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday. Committee Chair Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Ranking Member Sen. Patty Murry (D-WA) and four witnesses — Stephen Hahn, head of the Food and Drug Administration; Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Brett Giroir, an assistant secretary in the Department of Health and Human Services who is in charge of coronavirus testing; and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases — appeared remotely in the unusual session. Each member of the committee had a five-minute period to ask questions and receive answers. What did we learn from this?It amazes me. No matter how much we discuss this, no matter how egregious this is and how undemocratic it is, Republicans and sometimes Democrats continue to purge voters from the rolls. "American civil rights groups on Monday moved to intervene in a lawsuit filed by the right-wing activist group Judicial Watch that critics warn could result in 'the unnecessary and potentially disenfranchising purges' of voter rolls in three Pennsylvania counties ahead of the November elections," Common Dreams reported Monday. How concerned should we be about what's going on?There's a great article in MintPress News titled "How Big Wireless Lobbied Governments to Build 5G For Citizen Data Collection and Surveillance." In it, Derick Broze says, "While selling 5G technology to the public as a means for faster downloads, Big Wireless — comprising a web of telecom companies, lobbyists and law firms — is spending millions to lobby governments the world over to implement the next generation of cellular technology because of its potential for data collection and surveillance of citizens." What are we to make of this?Why does the US keep trying and failing to deport a former CIA operative back to Haiti? Who is Emmanuel “Toto” Constant? First, what was the Raboteau massacre, and how does this relate to the 1991 US-backed coup that forced President Jean-Bertrande Aristide out of Haiti?GUESTS:Dr. Yolandra Hancock — Board-certified pediatrician and obesity medicine specialist who combines her hands-on clinical experience and public health expertise with her passion for building vibrant families and communities by providing patient-empowering, best-in-class health and wellness care to children and adolescents who are fighting childhood obesity. Greg Palast — Award-winning investigative reporter featured in The Guardian, Nation Magazine, Rolling Stone Magazine, BBC and other high profile media outlets. He covered Venezuela for The Guardian and BBC Television's "Newsnight." His BBC reports are the basis of his film "The Assassination of Hugo Chavez."Derrick Broze — Investigative journalist, documentary filmmaker, activist, and author from Houston, Texas. He is the founder of The Conscious Resistance Network.Raul Diego — MintPress News staff writer, independent photojournalist, researcher, writer and documentary filmmaker.

Today's show features: Mike Braun, U.S. Senator for Indiana and Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, on today's Senate hearing with members of the Coronavirus Task Force; Andy Barr, U.S. Representative for the 6th district

In this episode of Hymans Robertson On… our host Victoria Panormo, Senior DC Investment Consultant, presents our first DC Quarterly Review. In this episode Victoria gives a brief overview of the latest important developments in DC. In this show she covers the PLSA retirement living standards (1.07), the FCA and Government responses to the Work and Pensions Committee’s recommendations on pension costs and transparencies (3.42), as well as the latest on the DC master trust market (6.05). You can find links to all the content that is referenced by visiting www.hymans.co.uk/podcasts

Influential women understand that connection extends far beyond passing out business cards or schmoozing. This podcast features Nancy Segal talking about how her depth of connections led to extraordinary changes. From litigating the last bastion of discrimination against weight requirements for female flight attendants to her delight in being a matchmaker, Nancy exemplifies how respectful relationships bring power to women. Nancy Segal is the Executive Director of Government Relations for Educational Testing Services (ETS) in Washington, D.C. Segal oversees policy experts that address education and workforce issues in the United States and 180 other countries. Prior to joining ETS, she was Associate Vice President at ACT, Inc., overseeing federal relations. Her experience includes being Legislative Director of the National Parent Teacher Association and later, Counsel for the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Segal began her professional life as an employment, labor and civil rights attorney. She served as counsel to the late Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Segal holds a B.A. in political science from Oberlin College and a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law. She has published numerous articles with respect to discrimination case law.

As many UK schools break for half term, chef Romy Gill and Sheila Dillon focus on our national problem with holiday hunger. Earlier this year, a UN special rapporteur found poverty in the UK to be "systematic" and "tragic". The Work and Pensions Committee published a separate report suggesting that while poverty rates are much higher in households where no-one works, almost one in 10 households with children where all adults work full-time are in poverty. In the school holidays, food budgets are stretched even further. Now a charity from India, who regularly feed 1.76 million school children, says it can help. In this programme, Romy visits a holiday club in Croydon in South London where Akshaya Patra are working with local groups and trialling a new way of providing school meals. Could the organisation's success in India help solve a UK holiday hunger crisis? Presented by Sheila Dillon and Romy Gill. Produced in Bristol by Clare Salisbury.

Senator Lamar Alexander is a two-term Governor of Tennessee, a former U.S. Secretary of Education under George H.W. Bush, and today Chairs the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.  He is an enigma in today's political climate, achieving major bipartisan legislative victories like the “21st Century Cures Act” and “Every Student Succeeds Act,” while Washington is gridlocked by partisanship.  He is one of the most powerful people in health care today, and also one of the most respected, pragmatic and productive members of Congress.  In this conversation Senator Alexander shares how he's navigated Congress as an effective lawmaker, and what's next on the health policy agenda. Learn More: https://asecondopinionpodcast.com/

Introduction... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Okey Enyia, Founder of Enyia Strategies whose company focuses is on health policy, and consulting on ways to influence policy issues related to health equity and disparities. With the political climate being as it is we can no longer avoid the needed conversation on how policy affects our everyday lives. As we sit down with what got led him to politics, his experience as a former medical student and how hitting rock bottom changed his life for the better. We also get to talk about his new book "Indisputable - The Story of a Favored Son", to see the motivation for it, the process of writing it and what he hopes to see come from the book. Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify Sponsors: Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10) Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you) Links/Resources: Enyia Strategies - http://www.enyiastrategies.com LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/in/okeyenyia Social Links: Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/ If you are looking to help the show out Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.#lunchlearnpod Episode 106 Transcript   Introduction Dr. Berry And welcome to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. I’m your host, Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of DrBerryPierre.com as well as Pierre Medical consulting. Helping you empower yourself with better health with the number one podcast, for patient advocacy helping you empower yourself with better health. And so fitting that today we are gonna talking about health advocacy. AndI have a special guest for you guys today, Okey Enyia, who is the founder and CEO of Enyia Strategies, a health policy consulting firm that provides advising research, support policy analysis, project management and legislative strategy for individuals and entities seeking measurable ways to influence policy on issues related to health equity, health disparities, social determinants of health and health in all policies. He also helps entry level and make career professionals find ways to maximize their career advancement aspiration by reviewing resumes, cover letters, facilitating interview, preparation and providing a roadmap for a successful transition from higher education into the workforce and entrepreneurship. Okey was a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Health Policy fellow from 2014 and 2016. He worked three years with members of Congress on a wide range of issues areas in the context of health education, foreign policy, civil rights, voting rights and advocacy. He was a master's degree in public health from Chicago State University and a Bachelor's of Science degree in Biology and Biochemistry from Lewis University, Romeoville in Illinois. He resides in Maryland. Enjoys cooking, reading and traveling and really the most important thing you guys I've harped on it before that, yes we can talk about being healthy and understanding taking medications and taking right medications. Being healthy is the way to go. Well you have to understand that there are a lot of forces at hand that play a role in people being healthy and I know especially as I find a lot in physicians right, where they don't like to talk about politics and the effects of politics on the way we practice medicine. But it is extremely true. So I wanted to bring someone who really on the ground floor like actually they're working with people who are making these laws that are sometimes good and a lot of times is not very good in your everyday order of health, right? So let's get ready for another amazing episode. If you had not had a chance, go ahead subscribe to our podcast. Leave me a five star review and let Okey knows he was such an amazing guest on a podcast today. You guys have a great and bless day.     Episode Transcript Dr. Berry: And again, thank you. Lunch and Learn community, heard an amazing introduction on today's guest who I'm excited for, to kind of, you know, bring a little light on health policy, which is, that is a taboo topic. You know, a lot of people don’t like. It’s not sexy. I know a lot of people don’t like to talk about, but again, when you got people who are kind of, in their field doing it and I wanted to kind of, make sure I bring that expert here. So, okay, first of all, thank you for coming to the episode of Lunch and Learn community. Okey Enyia: Thank you so much for having me. Dr. Berry: So I want to, and I said your bio was absolutely fantastic, right? But I always like to kind of, you know, starting to beginning, right? Like tell, tell us Lunch and Learn community, a little bit about yourselves in your own words. And then I want to, I want to rev up and I want to kind of talk about, you know, what were some of your goals and aspirations as you were going through your journey? Okey Enyia: Sure. So my background is in medicine, public health, policy research and teaching. I'm a former House and Senate staffer on Capitol Hill and now I work at the Department of Health Human Services where I report to the Assistant Secretary for preparedness and response. And so I have a social justice background as a grassroots activists. I consider myself a scholar activist and I bring is the nuance, you know, on the ground perspective to the policy space, particularly as it relates to African Americans and African American men in particular. So enjoy talking about my experience, my journey, how I got to this point. I'm the oldest of six children. I have two brothers and three sisters. My parents are from Nigeria. I grew up on the south side of Chicago and I moved to Maryland in 2014 to work as a staffer on Capitol Hill. And so I'm also getting a doctorate in public health with a focus in health policy at the George Washington University Institute School of Public Health where I plan on further explore the intersections of race, gender equity, health and policy as who they is to the lived experiences of African American men and boys over the life course. So that is some of my background. I'm also an author, entrepreneur. I've just released my first self-published book dated 2018 that also clinical. My life experience from Childhood High School, College, Grad School, Med school, Capitol Hill, and into our, into author entrepreneurship. So I'm excited to share some more details about my experiences and hopefully it serves as an inspiration and as a way to help people kind of try it out their path, sign purpose to overcome adversity and to pursue destiny. Dr. Berry: I love it. So six siblings, part of six siblings. Are you the oldest? Are you the youngest? Where do you fall? Okey Enyia: Yeah. So I'm the oldest of six children. I have two brothers and three sisters. Dr. Berry: And that's tough because you kind of, have to, you're the lead. Okey Enyia: Right. Yes. I have the, you know, it's a blessing and a challenge to be the pioneer, to be the first, you know. To kind of make the effort to lead by example. You know, the first born usually has a little bit more pressure put on them, you know, from pen. Well, you know, so yeah. Dr. Berry: Now when we look at, we're okay. Is that today when you were growing up, you know, the oldest kind of, leading the charge, is this kind of where you envision yourself? Okey Enyia: Not necessarily. I actually was in the Nigerian culture. You know, we, there's this tendency to, you know, we are known to be high achievers, right? We value higher education. You know, we are very driven, very ambitious. And so my personal goal growing up was to become a medical doctor. And so, which is not entirely unusual, particularly within the context of the Nigerian culture where it's, you know, it's how the doctor, lawyer, engineer, professor, something like that. Dr. Berry: High level. This is what we expected. (Right, exactly). The oldest. I'm pretty sure that carry an additional set of burden, on top of the burden it carries just wanting to obtain those professions. Okey Enyia: Absolutely. So, you know, we have been kind of to carry on a mantle, you know, of sorts. Um, it definitely made the journey much smaller, interesting and enriching. But I didn't, so maybe about five years ago, five or six years ago, I didn't envision what I'm doing right now on Capitol Hill. Because again, I'll, I know I, I kind of grew up thinking that I'll be serving as a position in terms of direct patient care. But what ended up happening was that it went from direct patient care, public health, to now health policy on a much broader scale. And so that's kind of a hard. Dr. Berry: Full disclosure, Lunch and Learn community. I have a public health degree as well. I've talked about in prior episodes that I am 100% sure I'm a different physician because of the public. Because it definitely correct, you know, add to it. Like I felt that as a just a general physician. Yeah, it was great with the one on one, but I always found myself asking, well if this person in front of me is dealing with this blood person, is diabetes, his cholesterol, what is that community dealing with? What are the community related problems that kind of put this person who I'm just happening to be taken care of in front of me? Okey Enyia: Right? And so what you're getting at is what framed as the social determinants of health, where you know, one's health outcomes or outcomes can be determined by where you are born, live, work, play, worship. And so, you know, all of those factors know it's beyond just the patient, the patient physician relationship. It's what are the, what are the social context, you know. What type of environment, you know, place matters. And so what type of environment, you know, and what type of influences our emotions to inform or to impact the extent to which you're able to really live the best quality of life possible. Dr. Berry: And I, I definitely, so first Lunch and Learn community I want to kind of what we're going to give the, the, the World Health Organization definition of health policy, but I want to as, okay. Like what is, what does he feel health policy is to him? Like, because I think it's depending on who you talked to it said you get a different kind of interpretation. So the World Health Organization says health policy refers to decisions, plans and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific health care goals within a society and explicit health policy can achieve several things at the defines visions for the future, which in turn helps establish targets and points of reference for the short and medium term. It outlines priorities and the expected roles at different groups and then builds consensus and informs people. So that's the, yeah, that's the textbook definition of health policy. But when, when you, when you talk about health policy and your extra tease, like what does that mean to you? Okey Enyia: Yeah, so to me personally, there's an interplay of several factors and I used the social justice framework as the backdrop or African foundation that informs my work. And so for me it's an interplay between power, politics, economics and influence. And so it's, it's a matter of the extent to which one is able to get to the decision making table with data research and compelling story to make a case to help change minds or to better inform. Whether it's a in the course of a conversation or in times of college proposals for legislation at the local state and federal levels. And so, you know, all of those factors play into what, you know, I believe policy is and does. And so for me in terms of health policy, so what I bring to bear is the health space and all of those nuances, particularly as it relates to people of color and how I can better drive the conversation around. How to better influence and impact policies on behalf of people of color. Dr. Berry: Is that something that always kind of attracted you to it? And I want to talk, cause I know, I know you kind of mentioned you were on path to be a physician and we'll, we'll talk about when did that divert, but then just the race and ethnicity, like behind health policy. Was that something that was always kind of drew you to it or you just, while you're going through that package, just realize you were kind of magnetizing that area? Okey Enyia: Yeah, so I evolved into it. I come from, from a lineage and a legacy of Dalit activists, of entrepreneurs, ministers, educators, teachers, and so, you know, this, it's so it's in my blood to be an advocate, to be someone that has a passion for speaking truth to power, to serving as a scholar. And so as I lived… Dr. Berry: I hope you heard that truth, to power and that's powerful. I love it. Okey Enyia: Yeah. And so, and so as I've lived and I have experiences, whether it's in College or Grad School or Med School or wherever. My passion for really putting voice and language to be issues and challenges that people of color face had, you know, has evolved and has strengthened. And as I have educated myself as I have lived as a conscious black male in this society, I've been better able to inform, to influence, to impact, you know, to raise awareness around issues of race. And ethnicity and cultural competency and you know, all of those things that really inform policy in some way, shape or form. And so I think the pivot point for me, I think came in med school because while I was seeing patients, but at the same time, I just felt this burning desire to effect much broader change. And, you know, having seen patients of color treated differently, talked to differently, you know, all of that just fueled my passion to say, okay, beyond the patient position and counter what been, can be done in terms of public health or in a policy space that can it help to address these issues that I'm seeing pay out, you know, on the ground. Dr. Berry: Now, if you ask like cause I, I take care of patients in a hospital, I take care patients in outpatient clinic and I think a lot of times the, the general person doesn't realize the impact these policies that are there, that are around them that are making decisions for them actually have on how, how I take care of them in the hospital or how I take care of them. And the outpatient, you know, space is, do you find that conversation difficult to translate? Like to really explain to a person like no, no, no. Like what I'm doing here in DC, like affect somebody in like California and Arkansas and Florida and New York even though you can't necessarily see it personally. Okey Enyia: Yeah. So that's something that I've come to better appreciate about the and making process because you know, if you wanted to find a, in terms of, so for example, I served on the Senate side, I worked on the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee and where I got a chance to really understand the various policy levers that can be pulled to effect some type of change, at least at the federal government level. And so what that entailed was as a staffer doing research to draft a memo or to help to draft a bill that includes the language to main, to people of color or two black women, two black men or two Hispanics. And so ensuring that you're able to include language in bills or proposals or include language in a clause statement that the number of Congress would read on the House or Senate floor. That's also an example of influencing policy. Dr. Berry: Can you ever find yourself? I'm sorry to interrupt you. Can you ever find yourself if you were not in that room, maybe left out? Like if you're not in there saying, hey, we need it. Like talk about the black man. If he, if do you think if you weren't there, like that wouldn't even come into fruition? Okey Enyia: Correct. And I lived at it every day because I can tell you now in the meetings that I attended, in these hearings and briefings on the Hill, literally if I wasn’t in the room, at the table, the conversation would be different. Right? And so, and so I find myself, you know, I lived to give, I'm on about seven, seven leadership and lifting as I climb. And so for me, it's not just about me getting into the table, but how can I create a pipeline to ensure that other people of color who have the education, the, have the passion to help to inform your colleagues who don't look like you or don't share your background? How can we create kind of a ground well and you know, really kind of build out a staffing, a staffing infrastructure that will bring in people of color or bring in more nuance diversity and inclusion and equity conversations to help to draft those privacy that affects the general public. Right? So yes, there are times when literally, if I wasn't there in the room, some things wouldn't have happened if I wasn't there in a room. Some decisions might have been made differently. So while on one hand your presence matters, but to take it further, you, you being able to articulate in a compelling way which was supported by data and stories, your cases then it's, you know, it, it becomes much more challenging for very nuanced policy to be drafted into get across the finish line. So yeah. Dr. Berry: You mentioned cultural competency and I can tell you when I was a student Med student and we had to take that, I think it was like a three week course. It wasn't, it wasn't long. And I remember sitting there being like, uh, Duh, like of course he should do that. And I remember some of my classmates were like, really enamor. Like, this was really like the first time, like someone saying like, Oh, you know, it's actually not a good idea to talk this way. Or like it's like in, and I think that's what sometimes gets lost on, especially when you're in this space, when you're in the know like yourself, like you know, like we should be there. But it's, it's almost surprising that like if you don't actually speak up, people are going to be like, people aren't going to like pick up like, oh actually I actually should include minorities and like I actually should actually look out for them. So thank you for, you know, carrying that light, cause it's gotta be hard. Right. Cause I would assume that it's not a lot of black males doing what you're doing. Like, I would, I would love to see what that room looks like when you go to a meeting and everybody else's there just to kind of be able to do that. You know, the quote unquote headcount. Okey Enyia: Yup. Absolutely. You know, and, and you know, so let's say in a room full of about a hundred staffers on the, on the House or Senate staff for example, as far as black males. So there'd be maybe triple, two or three, five max and then, and then there's usually the higher percentage of black women than black men. Dr. Berry: I was going to ask that because I wonder, like, I see it, I see him at school, but I was wondering like, even in that space, the women much more represented, not as, not as much as it should, but more than us. Right. Let's talk, let's talk a little bit about just some of the adversity that you had the face to even get to where you're at today. And obviously still up and growing. Let's talk about, you know, because we talked about, we were in medical school, right, but, and medical school, right? Like what were, what, what was the thoughts there? What was happening? What were, what were some things that you wish could have been different? Okey Enyia: Yeah. So over the course of a decade I had study and taken the medical college admissions test four times. And then I applied to med school three times before finally getting into me at school. And the last one that I took, the mcab was actually in a post back program called Medpre which is southern Illinois University in Carbondale. And so I was able to get in and in my cohort, I think the class size was 72, in my cohort. And out of that 72 I think, I think for black males and I think maybe two or three black females. And so going to a predominantly white. Dr. Berry: And Lunch and Learn community, I just want to let you know I went to Nova, it was about two half, and we have three. This ratio is not surprising unfortunately. Okey Enyia: Right? And so you know, just kind of having to work and study and out of rhyme one, right? So you're studying and you are dealing with, you're dealing with hostile fascinates who are sharing information and you're dealing with passive aggressiveness. You're dealing with in the context of an environment is that while I think the school did make efforts to create a safe environment and as a welcoming environment as possible, it's still, you know, you know, the new ones just kind of daily interactions, you know, made it much more of a challenge for me as the kind of right now and to do well in the coursework and also to maintain fantasies for that matter. And so having to work in infants, again I give the programs or the school credit for making an effort, but at the same time, if you go to any predominantly white institution, usually the, one of the largest challenges is how do you best create the most welcoming, safe environment for anyone to attend that school and then we have a number of those, you know, kind of factor into it. It makes it that much more difficult for you to really be able to focus and to perform well on the exams and pass the course shift and pass the board exams and whatnot. So this is that. There is, but fortunately for me, I guess even getting into Middle School, I knew that my vision was going to be a lot bigger than just seeing patients as a physician. And so it went from the right patient care, but then the pivot into public health and then going from there. So it was a lot of, a lot of, the support was there, but it wasn't enough for me to perform at my peak. So I actually ended up leaving, may have school and I moved back home to recalibrate. It took about a year or so for me just to kind of be calibrate from the experience of constant being questioned my competence question, you know, just trying to get my identity back whole and just the self care, the mental health and emotional health. So, so just getting all of that's together. It took about… Dr. Berry: And Lunch and Learn community, I just want to tell you that this story, like is, is not an anomaly. This story is one that many of us who are in a space that were to say minority is probably more of an exaggeration. Like it's, like almost like a spec sometimes where we don't even feel like we kinda belong because we're like, yeah, again, I was in the class of 200 plus and it was three of us and I would look around. I'm like, wow, this, that this story. Like when, when he tells the story, like I just, I picture myself back at Nova, I pictured myself having to take tests and having to answer questions knowing that I was unfortunately be representative of the whole black male community when I answered a question right. If I got it wrong, like I let the whole community down, right? Like that was, that was, that's a burden that you have to face on top of what medical school is, which is one of the most, very things ever. So I appreciate it because you tell a story that is an anomaly, enlightening and true, but resonates to a lot of people like you. And I'm pretty sure you probably talked to others who felt right in this ill like, like, yeah, Lunch and Learn community. You could see me. I just, the whole time he's talking about… Okey Enyia: Exactly. And so part of it too is to work though syndrome. As you mentioned, gonna questioning or doubting whether you belong and just gonna work through that. I mean, so you know, after I had moved back home to be calibrate, the question became, okay, well what's next? And in my case I was, I was already considering giving, getting a master's in public health. And so I applied to a few programs in Chicago and I got into Chicago State University, which is a minority serving institution, which was a phenomenal experience for me. And it helped me to heal and to become whole and to get my confidence back because I was surrounded by people that looked like me and faculty that look like me. And that affirmed me. And as an aside, a quick shout out to HBC news, you know, definitely have low for them, you know. So my dad actually taught at Coppin State University in Maryland very early on in his career. And so back, I remember, I think maybe I was in first, second grade I was, I brought me to the campus and, and just to kind of, and also expose me to the campus. And I always remembered that that's how that I was walking on that campus. And yeah, and that left an indelible impression on me that just as set as day. And so once I kind of with the graduate program, I mean because of my previous training, I just go through the program, probably love them public health. I found my stride in terms of health policy and social justice and that nexus. And that further informs my avenge work and the intersections of social justice, you know, health, black men and boys and policy. And so after I graduated from Chicago State University, I was thinking, I'm like, okay, well what's next? So is it at that for our program? Is that a fellowship? You know, what's next? And so I have to go through a little process and trying to figure out, you know, get some clarity around my next move. And fortunately I had some good mentors and advisors who are helpful and in providing some clarity and some encouragement to, to me to continue to move forward. And so I applied, I have taken the JRB once and I've got in to Chicago state with that score. But then prior to that program piece. I actually took the GRE I think two or three more times before finally getting answering. But two of the program that I'm at now at GW and also applied to the doctoral programs, I think it was three times between I think 2013 and 2017 now just prior to that, I had gotten into my fellowship, which is named the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation health policy fellowship, which was where I was able to work a year on the house side and Congress and a year on the Senate side as a health staffer policy staffer. And so I went from my graduate degree in public health at Chicago State University to my two year fellowship and Congress, which wrapped up in 2016. And then I made the pivot into that a parchment of health and services in 2016, which is where I'm at currently. And I just started my, my 12 program last fall. So this is the second semester of my doctoral program. And, and, and so this is where we are. Dr. Berry: What's a normal day? I'm naive, right? I'm in south Florida right? I don't know what goes on in that BCA. I just assume everyone's like around the White House. I don't know. Okey Enyia: Yeah. So you know, for me, obviously it's different for each person, but for me it's, my day usually is made up of meetings with colleagues and writing policies or policies, attending hearings and briefings either in house or the Senate to repair for policy decisions that might be coming down the road as it relates to some issue area that say the ACA for example, or, or if it's the primary industry, there's a whole host of interests and you know, kind of issue areas that we can tap into. And so for me right now, my current space is in BD, in the preparedness space. And so anything that pertains to natural disasters, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, Ebola, Zika, emerging threats. So anything that needs to, those types of challenges, that is the current space that I work in. And so again, part of what I bring to the table where the conversation is the social justice bent in terms of health equity and health disparities. And so how do we lift up the communities of color, how to kind of lift up the most vulnerable populations to ensure that they get the support, the resources that they need to recover when things happen, you know, whether it's a hurricane or some of the threat, how do we assure that people of color or communities of color are not left out of the conversation? Dr. Berry: And we appreciate you for sitting at that table. Definitely. If you had to and of like if someone said, well, okay, what's like the most pressing issue right now from a health policy standpoint that I and south Florida you should be worried about? I will would you say? (Yeah. I think. Thinking national) Right. So, you know, I, I hear a lot about the affordable care act. I hear a lot about they may cancel this and they asked, they may cancel that. Like, like what is, what are your thoughts? Okey Enyia: Yes. So I haven't studied the demographics in Florida in terms of whether you are a Medicaid expansion state. But you know, certainly part of the strategy as a physician would be to make every effort to get involved at the local state or federal levels as it relates to out of the ACA or Medicare, Medicaid. Like those issues are very important and salient. And especially now as we are approaching the 2020 presidential elections with, with Medicare for all being high on the list of priorities as it relates to those who lean left that is definitely have priority. And then kind of tacked on to that. Dr. Berry: Physicians, health care workers. If you're in this field like a, like you said, you, you should know. And uh, for those who are Lunch and Learn community in Florida and we are not Medicaid state because our governor is whatever. Okey Enyia: I'm in DC, but you know, I do have a good sense of nationwide kind of what states are Medicaid friendly. And I know that, you know, what politics I had. So I was following the races with answers…and you’re right. And so certainly he has his hand on the call of national health politics and, and so I would definitely encourage, especially again in the run up to 2020 to really get up to speed on the nuances of the Medicare for all states because even now in fact this morning I saw several articles speaking to the fact that I think it was and Louisiana, a federal judge denied or is making a case or dismantling the ACA. And so there are stakes level efforts being made to dismantle the ACA. This has been going on since March 23rd of 2010 when the bill was signed into law by President Obama. And so we know the dozens of efforts that the ride has made to this mass. And so again, if you'd being left, if you are a progressive, then part of your responsibility is to ensure that you are up to speed on what's happening and that you are able to work closely and collaboratively with people that share your views and your values in ways that would be able to move the needle to ensure that self-care is protected. And that is a human rights.  Dr. Berry: I love it. So people ask me all the time. Dr. Berry, you podcast, you blog, do videos and you’re physician. Like how do you have the time? So I got to ask with all of the amount of work you do, how we got to, okay, the author like tell us about that. I want, because I want to talk about this book. I want to talk about the why. I want to talk about what was your influence, who at float. Let’s get to that. Like how did becoming, was that something you always wanted to do? Like did you always have a book in you? Okey Enyia: No. I don’t think. I think and this part of the part about it write about in the book is that maybe over the past maybe seven to 10 years I would get just in passing and just not, you know, candid conversation as I live life as I navigate it from one space to the next, I would kind of get some type of signal or some type of, you know, something someone would share some things just kind of, with to say well you know, you should write a book, you know, you use your experiences would help a lot of people. And even when that was shared, you know, I didn't really pay it any mind because I was focused on actually trying to get through med school and get through Grad school and you know, find a job and you know, so I wasn't in the headspace to really kind of say, okay, yeah this might be good to start to put pen to paper and not, it just kind of evolved. And so I think it had to have been a swing. I seen, maybe it's 2016 it's around that time where, wow. While I was in the Senate, my thing, I was like, okay, you know, my experiences like my trials, my fails, my challenges getting into med school tries to get into that 12 programs, you know, that it is so important to document. And so I began to journal actually I think maybe it was 2011 or so. And so my journal was helpful in terms of, and having just kind of like a frame rail, but like an outline that I was able to, to build out. And so by the time talking about 2010, 2011 till now, in fact, I was able to leverage a lot of the content that our journal daily into a format that helped me to really frame my experience in a way that was helpful. And so part of my interest and passion was to leave a legacy for generations to come and also to become an entrepreneur. How do you turn your pain into purpose? And ultimately into profit, right? Dr. Berry: Lunch and Learn community, I hope you heard those things, turning your pain into purpose. And then most importantly, into profit. Okey Enyia: Absolutely. Because you know, I believe you know that nothing happens by accident. And you know, frankly, as a, as a man of faith, as a Christian, you know, I'm like, okay, you know, how can I be the best, the most, the best impact possible? How can I make this world better than how I found it in some way, shape or form? And so that, those are things that really drove me and motivated me to be, to sit down to write the book. And so practically speaking, it took about 40 actual riding hours over the course of 90 days to write the book just to, just to do like a big brain dump, just get everything out, get to journal together and just get everything together in one document. And then I hired a writing coach, I hired a business coach to also help me to kind of ensure that I was one about this whole writing, publishing process the right way. So I'm a self-published author. I started writing it in December of 2017 and I finished the first draft in March and think it was February of 2018 and then I took about four months to edit, tend to get a proof read and then I was launched it on my birthday last year, which is November 22nd and then it became the question of okay, taking that content now. Right, and how do I best leverage and maximize the content in this book. And so multiple revenue streams. And so that's where I'm at right now is really kind of exploring the various ways in which I could take the content, how to get a job on Capitol Hill, how to get a job in the workforce, how to find your passions, your purpose, you know, just framing the content in a way that will be helpful and can be plugged into different areas and networks. Dr. Berry: Oh I love it. Was your influence, cause obviously the trials that you went through playing a huge role in being able to put that pen to paper? Did you, did you delve in with a lot of experience even when you were on the hill even when you were like in the thick of things within government that also like make the book as well? Okey Enyia: Yes. It is very transparent, you know, I include all of my experiences how I got into med school, how I got into my doctoral program is on Capitol Hill, as a black author, author entrepreneurship and it's a very transparent, we meet with lays out the framework that I'm helping to drive conversations and that covers a wide range of issue areas as it relates to mental health and well-being, self-care epidemic, the stem fields, the school to prison pipeline, health disparities, health equity, health and all policies. My time on Capitol Hill, like it's all in there. Dr. Berry: Love it. That's absolutely amazing. And putting on my, you know, the arms because we're, we're both in that field from neuro standpoint cause I definitely can see where you know, you, you have courses whether you have, whether you're speaking right? You know, cause I think you have a story I think people should hear right? And whether we're talking about high school students, college students, like me, I mean honestly even professional who really need to hear like, hey, I'm here, I'm doing the work and this is how you can do to work with me. Okey Enyia: Absolutely. And you know, I'll also plug the fact that it also talked about my experience in Nigeria, which also my sense of identity and culture, you know, which are, which helped me to get to this point as well. So I definitely have to give a shout out to my culture and my people kind of draw a parallel between Nigeria and Black Panther as well in terms of, you know, living in a country that rules ran by people of color and how empowering that is. And so I definitely want to kind of plug that as well. Dr. Berry: I love it. How can someone who is interested in working with you, interested in learning from you obviously interested in getting this book right? Like let's get this promo going, right? Like how can I get in touch with you? Let them know. Wherever you're at, you have social media outlets, web, give them the details. Okey Enyia: Absolutely. So my website, I’m also a consultant which is part of my business model, my website is Enyia Strategies which is spelled E, N as in Nancy, Y, I, A Strategies dot com, that’s my website. Where you can find my book. If you want person signed copy you can go to my website and I will ship you out a person signed copy. You can also find my book on Amazon and Kindle. I’m going on the book, since I launched it almost every weekend I'm doing a book signing somewhere. As far as social media, my Instagram is Enyia Strategies, my Twitter also is Enyia Strategies. I'm on Linkedin as my name O K E Y, the last name is Enyia – E N Y I A. On Facebook account. You can also find me on YouTube as my name Okey Enyia - O K E Y E N Y I A. Also Periscope as Enyia strategies and what else? I think that covers social media, so IG, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Periscope, YouTube, Website. My email list. If you go to my website or my email list enyiastrategies.com. I'm in the process of actually creating an online course that is focused on creating a career roadmap for individuals who are, who are challenged. We're trying to pivot from the state college to grasp at a workforce, and so I help people to successfully transition from one point to the next by creating a roadmap for them to, to navigate throughout the workforce in that fashion. So I'd have to talk about how to network, how to find mentors, how to negotiate salary, soft skills, email etiquette, phone etiquette, how to search for jobs in government or elsewhere, how to find purpose and destiny and passions and get clarity around your purpose. You know, that's, that's where the big for me, so that's the online course that I'm creating. I'm hoping to launch it very soon and I'm excited about what's ahead. Dr. Berry: I love it. Lunch and Learn community, if you’re driving, listening at work, all of those links will be in the show notes, so we'll make sure you get a chance. I'm also going to be giving away a Kindle version of his book as well too because I definitely think this says a person that you meet, because again, I've been, I've been following him for about, I think almost like a year or so on LinkedIn. And when I first started I was like, oh, okay, this is the person that I might, I'm going to have to keep kind of close because when you see people working and doing work, they don't even have to say it. You just, they're, they're so busy working, you could just notice like, oh, this person's actually been, some move him. And so he was definitely someone who I was ecstatic about getting on the show to kind of talk to you guys, because I know, again, I know health policy, I know politics isn't sexy, but it is extremely important. I promise you that medication that you're picking up at your local pharmacy, there's some policy that's made it to a price that it is that, that point, right? So don't think that you are immune and in this bubble that some type of policy does not affect what you're doing here in your little community. Okey Enyia: Absolutely. Absolutely. It's so important to be able to frame issues and challenges and policies. What kind of context the person that lives, you know, day to day. So how do you best? And I think in terms of how to find relevancy with what's going on at the federal level with what's going on at the state level and then what's happening locally. You know, all politics is local, you know, power, influence, economics, education, like all of those nuances. And so part of it for me is helping to drive the conversation and create a narrative that makes the, what is oftentimes, the aim office, products and making process relevance and the main, and makes sense and connected. Right. Dr. Berry: I love it. And before I let you go, I was last, I always ask this question, how can even though, how can what you do empower others to take better control of their health? Okey Enyia: Yeah. So, you know, I always say that change starts with you and I think being, being willing to change, which is very difficult at times, you know, that's being human and just, you know, living, having a heart to serve and being willing to seek out support and help. For example, for me, especially now it's a question of strategy of normalizing self-care. So I go see a black nurse psychologist biweekly. I'm going to gym weekly. As I mentioned earlier, I'm a Christian, so I go to church weekly. I eat well and I try to. And so because I've been exposed to this lifestyle, to these values, I'm better able to, and I'm blessed to be able to share my experiences in a transparent way that hopefully will encourage you to make some positive changes. And so that is also a part of what drove me to about the book to say I'd have to go through personally and then for the thing that I did or that have helped me to get to where I am today, where I am hopefully inspiring people and I'm helping to change people's lives. How based upon you know, my story. That is what drives me and, and my hope is that the opportunity that should made available to me on your podcast and said other radio interviews and TV interviews and speaking engagements that this is one way in which I am hopefully leaving a legacy and making a strong impact. So. Dr. Berry: I love it. I love it. Again, Lunch and Learn, amazing guest. Thank you for tuning in and we'll see you guys next week. Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

We bring you a taster of our recent appearance on Connected Local Gov TV, in which LGiU researcher Andrew Walker, Southwark Cabinet Member for Housing Stephanie Cryan, and Dawn Eckersley from the East London Housing Partnership discuss the drivers behind the housing crisis. Followed by run-down of recent LGiU member-only housing policy briefings such as international lessons for tackling homelessness and Housing First schemes, as well as findings of the Work and Pensions Committee review of Universal Credit. Plus our regular roundup of the highlights from LGiU Daily News, including stories about Yorkshire devo, modern slavery, green transport infrastructure, LOBOs, private tower block cladding, as well as some more lighthearted stories about toad roads and Del Boy statues in And Finally. Hosted by Ingrid Koehler and Jennifer Glover. Tweet us @LGiU

Since seating the 116th Congress three weeks ago, there has been a lot going on in Washington. Tom Netting of CSPEN, the Central States Private Education Network, which represents schools nationwide to public policymakers in Washington and throughout the nation, joins us to give an update on what we can expect out of the 116th Congress with respect to higher education, the 2019 Negotiated Rulemaking process, and the Education Department reorganization. The 116th Congress Given a split Congress, we can expect some changes in higher ed, and perhaps this may be what is needed to move the Higher Education Act and other policies through.  Changing Players The big news coming out of the Senate is that Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn) has announced this will be his last two years in Congress. He has led the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee since 2015, and he, along with Sen. Patti Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Democratic party, have done a considerable amount of work in a bipartisan fashion. The new chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee is Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA). Rep. Scott has served in multiple roles on the committee, including chairman and ranking member, and is very familiar with the process and leadership of the committee. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), the former committee chair, will be the ranking member. The good news is that similar to Alexander and Murray in the Senate, Scott, and Fox have good rapport and have worked in a bipartisan fashion, and we have four individuals who, despite their differences, can work together and have the opportunity to push things across the finish line. Higher Education Act Reauthorizing the Higher Education Act is one of those things which needs pushing. Reauthorization is should happen every 5 to 6 years, but has been delayed the last three times – it has been 11 years since the last reauthorization, and the previous two were in 2008 and 1998, 10 years apart. Getting this to the finish line is critical. In the last 11 years, there have been a number of changes that require legislative action. For example, students need revisions to help support them in their access to higher education; institutions need help in bringing innovation and other aspects forward; and Congress and the Department and the community need the opportunity to bring necessary reforms to the table. The HEA is one of the few remaining education issues on which Sen. Alexander has not put his stamp. Given he's a former Secretary of Education and former chancellor of the University of Tennessee, this is something very near and dear to his heart, and we expect this is high on his list of things to accomplish. Negotiated Rule Making The first session of the 2019 Negotiated Rulemaking process began last week with the Accreditation and Innovation (full) committee in session, and the three subcommittees met on Friday. For those who are unfamiliar with the Neg Reg process as it is sometimes called, there is a full committee comprised of 16 primary and 16 alternate members representing the various constituencies in higher education, and three subcommittees focusing on faith-based entities, TEACH grants, and distance learning. A significant amount of the work will be done at the subcommittee level, who will report out to the full committee for approval/disapproval of the recommendations. There are two significant differences between this and previous Neg Reg processes. First, the Department is using what they are calling consensus buckets in an attempt to gain consensus around individual issues or proposals so that if one set does contain full consensus, they can move that forward as a consensus proposal even if others do not. This is a distinct difference from the all or nothing proposals of the past negotiated rulemaking processes, and gives hope that negotiators might have a shot at completing a very ambitious agenda, or at least some pieces of it. The alternative is that for those areas which are not completed to consensus, the Department will issue its guidance which may be in opposition to many constituencies’ desires. The other difference is who is permitted to speak at committee meetings. The Department attempted to limit discussion to the primary negotiator and allow the alternate only to speak if the primary was not in attendance, (in the past you had both the primary and alternate negotiator being able to speak as they saw fit), but there was pushback from the committee. Ultimately, the protocol was modified to provide for limited circumstances in which both the primary and the alternate would speak. This seemed to work out well in the full committee deliberations. Committee Meetings Report The full committee got off to a good (but late because of weather) start with discussions about accreditation and the agenda. There was some drama at the beginning – seating the state higher education executive officers (SHEEAs) and state attorneys general in the groups. It was ultimately decided that the SHEEAs would be seated on the full committee and states attorneys general will be seated as primary negotiator at a distance education and educational innovation subcommittee. Some of the biggest issues that negotiators will be examining are credit hour and substantive interaction definitions and how those impact competency-based education and federal financial aid. Much of this work will be done at the subcommittee level, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out with the consensus buckets. Schedule The current schedule is that the full committee will meet the weeks of February 10 and March 25, and subcommittees will meet in the week prior to the full committee. The formal Neg Reg process will end on March 28 if all things remain on schedule, but that is predicated on getting all the work done that is necessary, as well as achieving consensus on one or more of the various consensus buckets. We can expect to see interim reports coming out from CSPEN and the various news agencies that report on higher ed news following each of the sessions. Final Report Out Expect to see summaries for those items for which consensus was reached in early April, but for those areas that did not reach consensus, we will be left to speculate on where the conversations of the negotiations left off, where the department positioning was and what we might anticipate it to be as the process goes forward. As is the case with previously negotiated rulemaking, the Department will have the months of April and May (and probably into June) to develop its notice of proposed rulemaking, and probably will publish it in the summer for comments. The final regulations should be published on or about November 1 of this year in order for them to become effective by July 1, 2020. Giving Input to the Process If someone wishes to give input, they can find the list of participants at the Department of Education's website. Also, if you would like to access the live YouTube and streaming videos of the of the negotiations as they take place, here is the link. Department of Education Reorganization The Department of Education recently announced a reorganization, much of which is linked to the Department’s notion of next-generation FSA (federal student financial aid). The Department is looking to first reform the delivery mechanism for federal student financial aid and the backend. They have started building the new system infrastructure geared towards getting better and more accessible information to the individual borrowers and students. They intend to use platforms that utilize mobile devices, as well as the web and the Internet, to bring more information to the consumer in real time on everything from their past applications to their specific loan data. The next step is how to deal with the responsibilities of the Department as it relates to the delivery of FSA. This includes the servicers and the collection activities on the far back end. There have been a couple of starts and stops with this that have resulted in the courts being involved to determine who should be involved and how they should be involved, but hopefully this will lead to a better way to do FSA. As part of the reorg, they have filled 24+ vacancies. These are high- to mid-level individuals across the entire spectrum of the higher education, including elementary, secondary, office of civil rights, and others. Hopefully, filling these vacancies will allow the Department to provide more guidance and information in areas such as Borrower Defense to Repayment Regulations and Gainful Employment. This reorg is not without some concern. There is downsizing going on at the same time, and many are concerned this is a signal to those that believe that the Department should be abolished. Additionally, there are those who view this as yet another way support both the Trump and the Republican agenda by putting people in place who favor some communities to the detriment of others, e.g. for-profit over community colleges or traditional higher education institutions. Government Shutdown The current Washington shut down has not affected the Department of Education too much as it was part of the Labor HHS appropriations bill previously passed by the Senate. However, there are a number of other agencies that affect the Department, e.g., the Federal Register – until guidance is published in the Federal Register, it cannot take effect. Thus, the Department may have completed the BDR guidance, but it cannot go into effect. Cybersecurity Cybersecurity is coming up on people’s radar again, not that it should have ever left. The issue was raised at the FSA conference in two presentations by Department of Ed personnel, who stressed that this area is ever-changing. Institutional leadership must be mindful of cybersecurity as it relates to protection of personal data and compliance. The Department is saying that they can help, so reach out to them. Bullet Points: Drill down on key points of the interview:   Given a split Congress, we can expect some changes in higher ed, and perhaps this may be what is needed to move the Higher Education Act and other policies through. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn) has announced this will be his last two years in Congress.  He chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The new chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee is Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA). The good news is that similar to Alexander and Murray in the Senate, Scott and Fox have good rapport and have worked in a bipartisan fashion, and we have four individuals who, despite their differences, can work together and have the opportunity to push things across the finish line. Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act is should happen every 5 to 6 years, but has been delayed the last three times – it has been 11 years since the last reauthorization, and the previous two were in 2008 and 1998, 10 years apart. The first session of the 2019 Negotiated Rule Making process began last week with the Accreditation and Innovation (full) committee in session, and the three subcommittees, faith-based entities, TEACH grants, and distance learning, met on Friday. Some of the biggest issues that negotiators will be examining are credit hour and substantive interaction definitions and how those impact competency-based education and federal financial aid. The current Neg Reg schedule is that the full committee will meet the weeks of February 10 and March 25, and subcommittees will meet in the week prior to the full committee. The formal Neg Reg process will end on March 28 if all things remain on schedule. Expect to see summaries for those items for which consensus was reached in early April, but for those areas that did not reach consensus, we will be left to speculate on where the conversations of the negotiations left off, where the department positioning was and what we might anticipate it to be as the process goes forward. If someone wishes to give input, they can find the list of participants at the Department of Education's website. Also, if you would like to access the live YouTube and streaming videos of the of the negotiations as they take place, here is the link. The Department of Education recently announced a reorganization, much of which is linked to the Department’s notion of next-generation FSA (federal student financial aid). As part of the reorg, they have filled 24+ vacancies. These are high- to mid-level individuals across the entire spectrum of the higher education, including elementary, secondary, office of civil rights, and others. Hopefully, filling these vacancies will allow the Department to provide more guidance and information in areas such as Borrower Defense to Repayment Regulations and Gainful Employment. The current Washington shut down has not affected the Department of Education too much as it was part of the Labor HHS appropriations bill previously passed by the Senate. However, there are a number of other agencies that affect the Department, e.g., the Federal Register – until guidance is published in the Federal Register, it cannot take effect. Cybersecurity is coming up on people’s radar again, not that it should have ever left. The issue was raised at the FSA conference in two presentations by Department of Ed personnel, who stressed that this area is ever-changing. Institutional leadership must be mindful of cybersecurity as it relates to protection of personal data and compliance. The Department is saying that they can help, so reach out to them. Links to Articles, Apps, or websites mentioned during the interview: Sen. Lamar Alexander Sen. Patti Murray Congressman Bobby Scott Rep. Virginia Foxx 2019 Negotiated Rulemaking process Neg Reg list of participants Department of Education Live streaming link Guests Social Media Links: Tom Netting LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-netting-9214755/ CSPEN LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/6954716/ Tom Netting Twitter - @t_netting Your Social Media Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdrumm/ Twitter: @thechangeldr Email: podcast@changinghighered.com

Doug Walter, JD, is the Associate Executive Director for Government Relations for the American Psychological Association Practice Organization. He served as Legislative and Regulatory Counsel since 1995 and has represented psychologists before Congress and regulatory agencies since 1991. Walter participated in development of President Clinton’s Health Security Act in 1993. He helped draft the Bipartisan Consensus Managed Care Improvement Act, sponsored by Congressmen John D. Dingell and Charlie Norwood, which passed the House of Representatives in 1999. Mr. Walter was a principle negotiator in discussions between mental health and insurance advocates that led to passage of the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Treatment Act of 2008. He helped formulate the privacy protections in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Privacy Rule and in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, and he is a leading health privacy advocate in Washington, D.C. In 2008, Walter was chosen by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to represent the mental health and substance use communities in public “stakeholders” meetings to develop, and he drafted portions of the legislation that was enacted into law as the Affordable Care Act of 2010.   Diane M. Pedulla, JD, is the Director of Regulatory Affairs at the American Psychological Association Practice Organization. She is responsible for monitoring federal laws and policies that affect the independent practice of psychology, including Medicare coverage, reimbursement and quality reporting.

Former Congressman Tom Price is our new Secretary of Health and Human Services, making him the chief law enforcement officer of health care policy in the United States. In this episode, hear highlights from his Senate confirmation hearings as we search for clues as to the Republican Party plans for repealing the Affordable Care Act. We also examine the 21st Century Cures Act, which was signed into law in December. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD048: The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) CD123: Health or Profits Bill Outline H.R. 34: 21st Century Cures Act Bill Highlights Title I: Innovation Projects & State Response to Opioid Abuse Authorizes funding for research programs, if money is appropriated Authorizes $1 billion for grants for States to deal with the opioid abuse crisis The effects of this spending on the Pay as you Go budget will not be counted Title II: Discovery Creates privacy protections for people who participate as subjects in medical research studies Orders the Secretary of Health and Human Services to a do a review of reporting regulations for researchers in search of regulations to cut, including regulations on reporting financial conflicts of interest and research animal care. Allows contractors to collect payments on behalf of the Secretary of Health and Human Services Title III: Development Gives the Secretary of Health and Human Services additional data options for approving drug applications Expedites the review process for new "regenerative advanced therapy" drugs, which includes drugs "intended to treat, modify, reverse or cure a serious or life-threatening disease or condition" or is a therapy that involves human cells. Allows antibacterial and antifungal drugs to be approved after only being tested on a "limited population" The drugs will have have a "Limited Population" label Speeds up the FDA approval process for new medical devices that help with life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating conditions and that have no existing alternatives. Devices addressing rare diseases or conditions are allowed be approved with lower standards for effectiveness; this provision expands the definition of "rare" by doubling the number of people affected from 4,000 to 8,000. Each FDA employee involved in drug approvals will get training for how to make their reviews least burdensome. Title IV: Delivery The new Secretary of Health and Human Services will have to develop a strategy to "reduce regulatory and administrative burdens (such as doucmentation requirements) relating to the use of electronic health records" Prohibits health information technology developers from certification if their system allows information blocking. Developers, networks, or exchanges caught blocking information can be fined $1 million per violation. "Public-private partnerships" will develop the rules for exchanging health record information. Creates a job in the Medicare & Medicaid Services department for an investigator of pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturer complaints. Title V: Savings Reduced funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund Sells more oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Title VII: Ensuring Mental and Substance Use Disorders Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Programs Keep Pace With Technology Authorizes money to be used for mental health services and substance abuse treatment Title IX: Promoting Access to Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Care Creates a telephone and online service to help people locate mental health services and substance abuse treatment centers. Title XIV: Mental health and safe communities Creates a pilot program to test the idea of having court cases with mentally ill defendants heard in "drug or mental health courts" Title XVII: Other Medicare Provisions Prevents the government from canceling contracts with Medicare Advantage organizations due to their failure to achieve a minimum quality rating before 2019. Additional Reading Article: Trump's HHS Nominee Got A Sweetheart Deal From A Foreign Biotech Firm by Jay Hancock and Rachel Bluth, Kaiser Health News, February 13, 2017. Article: Tom Price belongs to a doctors group with unorthodox views on government and health care by Amy Goldstein, The Washington Post, February 9, 2017. Article: New stock questions plague HHS nominee Tom Price as confirmation vote nears by Jayne O'Donnell, USA Today, February 8, 2017. Article: HHS Pick Price Made 'Brazen' Stock Trades While His Committee Was Under Scrutiny by Marisa Taylor and Christina Jewett, Kaiser Health News, February 7, 2017. Article: Tom Price, Dr. Personal Enrichment by David Leonhardt, The New York Times, February 7, 2017. Article: Donald Trump's Cabinet Pick Invested in 6 Drug Companies Before Medicare Fight by Sam Frizell, TIME, January 17, 2017. Article: First on CNN: Trump's Cabinet pick invested in company, then introduced a bill to help it by Manu Raju, CNN, January 17, 2017. Publication: How Repealing Portions of the Affordable Care Act Would Affect Health Insurance Coverage and Premiums, Congressional Budget Office, January 17, 2017. Article: Under 21st Century Cures legislation, stem cell advocates expect regulatory shortcuts by Kelly Servick, Science, December 12, 2016. Article: Highlights of Medical Device Related Provision in the 21st Century Cures Act by Jeffrey K. Shapiro and Jennifer D. Newberger, FDA Law Blog, December 8, 2016. Article: Republicans reach deal to pass Cures Act by end of year, but Democrats pushing for changes by Sheila Kaplan, STAT, November 27, 2016. Article: Introduction to Budget "Reconciliation" by David Reich and Richard Kogan, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, November 9, 2016. Article: PhRMA companies push hard on House bill to ease testing of new drugs by Alex Lazar, OpenSecrets.org, June 16, 2015. References Financial Disclosure: Periodic Transaction Report: Thomas Price, United States House of Representatives, September 6, 2016. OpenSecrets: Senator Mitch McConnell 42 U.S. Code: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Cornell University Law School. Senate Vote: H.R. 34: 21st Century Cures Act Innate Immunotherapeutics:Top 20 Shareholders Innate Immunotherapeutics: Company Overview GovTrack: H.R. 4848 (114th): HIP Act Sound Clip Sources Hearing: Health and Human Services Secretary Confirmation, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, January 18, 2017 (Part 1) and January 24, 2017 (Part 2). Watch on CSPAN Part 1 Part 2 Timestamps & Transcripts Part 1 47:45 Senator Patty Murray: I want to review the facts. You purchased stock in Innate Immunotherapeutics, a company working to develop new drugs, on four separate occasions between January 2015 and August 2016. You made the decision to purchase that stock, not a broker. Yes or no. Tom Price: That was a decision that I made, yes. Murray: You were offered an opportunity to purchase stock at a lower price than was available to the general public. Yes or no. Price: The initial purchase in January of 2015 was at the market price. The secondary purchase in June through August, September of 2016 was at a price that was available to individuals who were participating in a private-placement offering. Murray:It was lower than was available to the general public, correct? Price: I don’t know that it was. It was the same price that everybody paid for the private-placement offering. Murray: Well, Congressman Chris Collins, who sits on President-elect Trump’s transition team, is both an investor and a board member of the company. He was reportedly overheard just last week off the House floor, bragging about how he had made people millionaires from a stock tip. Congressman Price, in our meeting, you informed me that you made these purchases based on conversations with Representative Collins. Is that correct? Price: No. What I— Murray: Well, that is what you said to me in my office. Price: What I believe I said to you was that I learned of the company from Congressman Collins. Murray: What I recall our conversation was that you had a conversation with Collins and then decided to purchase the stock. Price: No, that’s not correct. Murray: Well, that is what I remember you hearing it—say—in my office. In that conversation, did Representative Collins tell you anything that could be considered “a stock tip?” Yes or no. Price: I don’t believe so, no. Murray: Well, if you’re telling me he gave you information about a company, you were offered shares in the company at prices not available to the public, you bought those shares, is that not a stock tip? Price: Well, that’s not what happened. What happened was that he mentioned—he talked about the company and the work that they were doing in trying to solve the challenge of progressive secondary multiple sclerosis which is a very debilitating disease and one that I— Murray: I’m well aware of that, but— Price: —had the opportunity to treat patients when I was in practice. Murray: I’m aware— Price: I studied the company for a period of time and felt that it had some significant merit and promise, and purchased the initial shares on the stock exchange itself. Murray: Congressman Price, I have very limited time. Let me go on. Your purchases occurred while the 21st Century Cures Act, which had several provisions that could impact drug developers like Innate Immunotherapeutics, was being negotiated, and, again, just days before you were notified to prepare for a final vote on the bill. Congressman, do you believe it is appropriate for a senior member of Congress actively involved in policymaking in the health sector to repeatedly personally invest in a drug company that could benefit from those actions? Yes or no. Price: Well, that's not what happened. 1:06:50 Senator Bernie Sanders: The United States of America is the only major country on earth that does not guarantee healthcare to all people as a right. Canada does it; every major country in Europe does it. Do you believe that healthcare is a right of all Americans, whether they’re rich or they’re poor? Should people, because they are Americans, be able to go to the doctor when they need to, be able to go into a hospital, because they are Americans? Tom Price: Yes. We’re a compassionate society— Sanders: No, we are not a compassionate society. In terms of our relationship to poor and working people, our record is worse than virtually any other country on earth; we have the highest rate of childhood poverty of any other major country on earth; and half of our senior, older workers have nothing set aside for retirement. So I don’t think, compared to other countries, we are particularly compassionate. But my question is, in Canada, in other countries, all people have the right to get healthcare, do you believe we should move in that direction? Price: If you want to talk about other countries’ healthcare systems, there are consequences to the decisions that they’ve made just as there are consequences to the decision that we’ve made. I believe, and I look forward to working with you to make certain, that every single American has access to the highest-quality care and coverage that is possible. Sanders: “Has access to” does not mean that they are guaranteed healthcare. I have access to buying a ten-million-dollar home; I don’t have the money to do that. Price: And that’s why we believe it’s appropriate to put in place a system that gives every person the financial feasibility to be able to purchase the coverage that they want for themselves and for their family, again, not what the government forces them to buy. Sanders: Yeah, but if they don’t have any—well, it’s a long dissert. Thank you very much. Price: Thank you. 1:46:34 Senator Michael Bennet: So, I ask you, sir, are you aware that behind closed doors Republican leadership wrote into this bill that any replacement to the Affordable Care Act would be exempt from Senate rules that prohibit large increases to the deficit? Tom Price: As you may know, Senator, I stepped aside as chairman of the budget committee at the beginning of this year, and so I wasn’t involved in the writing of— Bennet: You have been the budget committee chairman during the rise of the Tea Party; you are a member of the Tea Party Caucus; you have said over and over again, as other people have, that the reason you’ve come to Washington is to reduce our deficit and reduce our debt. I assume you’re very well aware of the vehicle that is being used to repeal the Affordable Care Act. This is not— Price: Yes. Bennet: —some small piece of legislation. This is the Republican budget. Price: Yes, I'm aware of the bill. Yes. Bennet: But do you support a budget that increases the debt by $10 trillion? Price: No. What I support is an opportunity to use reconciliation to address the real challenges in the Affordable Care Act and to make certain that we put in place at the same time a provision that allows us to move the healthcare system in a much better direction— Bennet: Do you support the budget that was passed by the Senate Republicans— Price: I support— Bennet:—to repeal the Affordable Care Act that adds $10 trillion of debt to the budget deficit? Price: Well, the reconciliation bill is yet to come. I support the process that allows for and provides for the fiscal year ’17 reconciliation bill to come forward. 2:38:37 Senator Chris Murphy: But do you direct your broker around ethical guidelines? Do you tell him, for instance, not to invest in companies that are directly connected to your advocacy? Because it seems like a great deal: as a broker, he can just sit back, take a look— Tom Price: She. Murphy: —at the positions that you’re taking— Price: She. She can sit back. Murphy: She can—she can sit back— Price: Yeah. Murphy: —in this case—look at the legislative positions you’re taking, and invest in companies that she thinks are going to increase in value based on your legislative activities, and you can claim separation from that because you didn’t have a conversation. Price:Well, that’s a nefarious arrangement that I’m really astounded by. The fact of the matter is that I have had no conversations with my broker about any political activity at all, other than her— Murphy: Then why wouldn’t you tell her— Price: —other than her congratulating— Murphy: Why— Price: —me on my election. Murphy: But why wouldn’t you at least tell her, “Hey, listen; stay clear of any companies that are directly affected by my legislative work”? Price: Because the agreement that we have is that she provide a diversified portfolio, which is exactly what virtually every one of you have in your investment opportunities, and make certain that in order to protect one’s assets that there’s a diversified arrangement for purchase of stocks. I knew nothing about— Murphy: But you couldn’t have— Price: —those purchases. Murphy: But you couldn’t have a diversified portfolio while staying clear of the six companies that were directly affected by your work on an issue? Price: Well, as I said, I didn’t have any knowledge of those purchases. Murphy: Okay. 2:54:20 Senator Elizabeth Warren: One of the companies—it’s the company raised by Mr. Franken, Senator Franken—and that is Zimmer Biomet. They’re one of the world’s leading manufacturers of hip and knees, and they make more money if they can charge higher prices and sell more of their products. The company knows this, and so do the stock analysts. So on March 17, 2016 you purchased stock in Zimmer Biomet. Exactly six days after you bought the stock, on March 23, 2016, you introduced a bill in the House called the Hip Act that would require HHS secretary to suspend regulations affecting the payment for hip and knee replacements. Is that correct? Tom Price: I think the BPCI program to which I think you referred I’m a strong supporter of because it keeps the decision making in the— Warren: I’m not asking you about why you support it. I’m just asking, did you buy the stock, and then did you introduce a bill that would be helpful to the companies you just bought stock in? Price: The stock was bought by a direct—by a broker who was making those decisions. I wasn’t making those decisions. Warren: Okay, so you said you weren’t making those decisions. Let me just make sure that I understand. These are your stock trades, though. They are listed under your name, right? Price: They’re made on my behalf, yes. Warren:Okay. Was the stock purchased through an index fund? Price: I don't believe so. Warren: Through a passively managed mutual fund? Price: No. It’s a broker— Warren: Through an actively managed mutual fund? Price: It’s a broker-directed account. Warren: Through a blind trust? So, let’s just be clear. This is not just a stockbroker, someone you pay to handle the paperwork. This is someone who buys stock at your direction. This is someone who buys and sells the stock you want them to buy and sell. Price: Not true. Warren: So when you found out that— Price: That’s not true, Senator. Warren: Well, because you decide not to tell them—wink, wink, nod, nod—and we’re all just supposed to believe that? Price: It’s what members of this committee, it’s the manner of which— Warren: Well, I’m not one of them. Price: —members of this committee—Well, I understand that— Warren: So, let me just keep asking about this. Price: —but it’s important to appreciate that that’s the case. Warren:Then, I want to understand. When you found out that your broker had made this trade without your knowledge, did you reprimand her? Price: What—what I did was comply— Warren: Well, you found out that she made it. Price: What I did was comply— Warren: Did you fire her? Did you sell the stock? Price: What I did was comply with the rules of the House in an ethical and legal and— Warren: I didn’t ask whether or not the rules of the House— Price: —above-board manner— Warren: —let you do this. Price: —and in a transparent way. Warren: You know, all right. So, your periodic transaction report notes that you were notified of this trade on April 4, 2016. Did you take additional actions after that date to advance[audio cuts out] the company that you now own stock in? Price: I’m offended by the insinuation, Senator. Warren: Well, let me just read what you did. You may be offended, but here’s what you did. Congressional records show that after you were personally notified of this trade, which you said you didn’t know about in advance, that you added 23 out of your bill’s 24 co-sponsors; that also after you were notified of this stock transaction, you sent a letter to CMS, calling on them to cease all current and future planned mandatory initiatives under the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation; and just so there was no misunderstanding about who you were trying to help, you specifically mentioned— Unknown Speaker: Your two minutes are up, Senator Warren. Thank you. Warren: —hip and knee replacement. 2:58:20 Senator Johnny Isakson: This is very important for us to all understand under the disclosure rules that we have and the way it operates, any of us could make the mistakes that are being alleged. I’m sure Senator Franken had no idea that he owned part of Philip Morris when he made the statement he made about tobacco companies, but he has a WisdomTree Equity Income Fund investment, as disclosed in his disclosure, which owns Philip Morris. So, it’s entirely possible for any of us to have somebody make an investment on our behalf and us not know where that money is invested because of the very way it works. I don’t say that to, in any way, embarrass Mr. Franken but to make a point that any one of us who have mutual funds or investment managers or people who do that, it’s entirely possible for us not to know, and to try and imply that somebody’s being obfuscating something or in otherwise denying something that’s a fact, it’s just not the fair thing to do, and I just wanted to make that point. Senator Al Franken: This is different than mutual funds. Isakson: It’s an investment in Philip Morris. Unknown Speaker: Alright. Unknown Speaker: Thank you. Warren: And my question was about what do you do after he had notice. Unknown Speaker: Senator Warren, your time has been generously… Senator Kaine. 3:21:09 Senator Tim Kaine: Do you agree with the president-elect that the replacement for the Affordable Care Act must ensure that there is insurance for everybody? Tom Price: I have stated it here and— Kaine: Right. Price: —always that it’s incredibly important that we have a system that allows for every single American to have access to the kind of coverage that they need and desire. Kaine: And he’s— 3:31:52 Senator Patty Murray: You admitted to me in our meeting that you, in your own words, talked with Congressman Collins about Innate Immuno. This inspired you to you, in your own words, study the company and then purchase its stock, and you did so without a broker. Yes or no. Tom Price: No. Murray: Without a broker. Price: I did not. Murray: You told me that you did this one on your own without the broker. Yes? Price: No, I did it through a broker. I directed the broker to purchase the stock, but I did it through a broker. Murray: You directed the broker to purchase particularly that stock. Price: That's correct. Murray: Yeah. 3:34:42 Senator Patty Murray: Will you commit to ensuring all 18 FDA-approved methods of contraception continue to be covered so that women do not have to go back to paying extra costs for birth control? Tom Price: What I will commit to and assure is that women and all Americans need to know that we believe strongly that every single American ought to have access to the kind of coverage and care that they desire and want. 3:36:38 Senator Patty Murray: The Office of Minority Health was reauthorized as part of the ACA. So will you commit to maintaining and supporting this office and its work? Tom Price: I will commit to be certain that minorities in this country are treated in a way that makes certain—makes absolutely certain—that they have access to the highest-quality care. Murray: So you will not commit to the Office of Minority Health being maintained. Price: I think it’s important that we think about the patient at the center of all this. Our commitment, my commitment, to you is to make certain that minority patients and all patients in this country have access to the highest-quality care. Murray: But in particular—so you won’t commit to the Office of Minority— Price: We—Look, there are different ways to handle things. I can’t commit to you to do something in a department that one, I’m not in—I haven’t gotten it yet— Murray: But you will be. Price: —and— Murray: You will be, and— Price: Let me put forward a possible position that I might find myself in. The individuals within the department come to me and they say, we’ve got a great idea for being able to find greater efficiencies within the department itself, and it results in merging this agency and that agency— Murray: I think—I think that— Price: —and we’ll call it something else. Murray: Yeah. I—okay. Price: And we will address the issues of minority health— Murray: I just have a minute left, and I hear your answer. Price: —in a big, big way— Murray: You’re not committed, okay. Price: —and make certain that it is responsive to patients. Part 2 14:50 Senator Ron Wyden: Congressman Price owns stock in an Australian biomedical firm called Innate Immunotherapeutics. His first stock purchase came in 2015 after consulting Representative Chris Collins, the company’s top shareholder and a member of its board. In 2016 the congressman was invited to participate in a special stock sale called a private placement. The company offered the private placement to raise funds for testing on an experimental treatment it intends to put up for FDA approval. Through this private placement, the congressman increased his stake in the company more than 500 percent. He has said he was unaware he paid a price below market value. It is hard to see how this claim passes the smell test. Company filings with the Australia’s stock exchange clearly state that this specific private placement would be made at below-market prices. The treasury department handbook on private placement states, and I will quote, they “are offered only to sophisticated investors in a nonpublic manner.” The congressman also said last week he directed the stock purchase himself, departing from what he said was typical practice. Then, there’s the matter of what was omitted from the congressman’s notarized disclosures. The congressman’s stake in Innate is more than five times larger than the figure he reported to ethic’s officials when he became a nominee. He disclosed owning less than $50,000 of Innate stock. At the time the disclosure was filed, by my calculation, his shares had a value of more than $250,000. Today his stake is valued at more than a half million dollars. Based on the math, it appears that the private placement was excluded entirely from the congressman’s financial disclosure. This company’s fortunes could be affected directly by legislation and treaties that come before the Congress. 30:49 Senator Orrin Hatch: First, is there anything that you are aware of in your background that might present a conflict of interest with the duties of the office to which you have been nominated? Tom Price: I do not. 51:36 Senator Ron Wyden: Will you commit to not implementing the order until the replacement plan is in place? Tom Price: As I mentioned, Senator, what I commit to you and what I commit to the American people is to keep patients the center of healthcare, and what that means to me is making certain that every single American has access to affordable health coverage that will provide the highest-quality healthcare that the world can provide. 1:24:34 Senator Richard Burr: Are you covered by the STOCK Act, legislation passed by Congress that requires you and every other member to publicly disclose all sales and purchases of assets within 30 days? Tom Price: Yes, sir. Burr: Now, you’ve been accused of not providing the committee of information related to your tax and financial records that were required of you. Are there any records you have been asked to provide that you have refused to provide? Price: None whatsoever. Burr: So all of your records are in. Price: Absolutely. Burr: Now, I’ve got to ask you, does it trouble you at all that as a nominee to serve in this administration that some want to hold you to a different standard than you as a member of Congress, and I might say the same standard that they currently buy and sell and trade assets on? Does it burn you that they want to hold you to a different standard now that you’re a nominee than they are as a member? Price: Well, I—we know what’s going on here. Burr: Oh, we do. Price: I mean— Burr: We do. Price: It’s—and I understand. And as my wife tells me, I volunteered for this, so… 1:26:49 Senator Richard Burr: As the nominee and hopefully—and I think you will be—the secretary of HHS, what are the main goals of an Obamacare replacement plan? Tom Price: Main goals, as I mentioned, are outlined in those principles, that is imperative that we have a system that’s accessible for every single American; that’s affordable for every single American; that is incentivizes and provides the highest-quality healthcare that the world knows; and provides choices to patients so that they’re the ones selecting who’s treating them, when, where, and the like. So it’s complicated to do, but it’s pretty simple stuff. 1:34:58 Senator Johnny Isakson: Any one of us can take a financial disclosure—and there’s something called desperate impact, where you take two facts—one over here and one over there—to make a wrong. Any one of us could do it to disrupt or misdirect people’s thoughts on somebody. It’s been happening to you a lot because people have taken things that you have disclosed and tried to extrapolate some evil that would keep you from being secretary of HHS when, in fact, it shouldn’t be true. For example, if you go to Senator Wyden’s annual report, he owns an interest in BlackRock Floating Rate Income Fund. The major holding of that fund is Valeant Pharmaceuticals. They’re the people we jumped all over for 2700 percent increases last year in pharmaceutical products. But we’re not accusing the ranking member of being for raising pharmaceutical prices, but you could take that extrapolation out of that and then indict somebody and accuse them. Is that not true? 1:51:30 Senator Michael Bennet: I wonder whether you also believe that it’s essential that there be a floor for insurance providers. You know, some of the things that the Affordable Care Act require for coverage include outpatient care; emergency services; hospitalization; maternity and newborn care; prescription drugs; rehab services; lab services; preventative care, such as birth control and mammograms; pediatric services, like vaccines; routine dental exams for children younger than 19. I’m not going to ask you to go through each one of those, but directionally, are we headed to a world where people in rural America have to settle for coverage for catastrophic care; are we headed to a place where there is regulation of insurance providers that say if you are going to be an insurance market, you need—particularly if we’re in a world where your son had crossed state lines —there has to be a floor of the services you’re willing to pay for? Tom Price: I think there has to be absolutely credible coverage, and I think that it’s important that the coverage—that individuals ought to be able to purchase this coverage that they want. 1:56:45 Senator Pat Toomey: When we talk about repeal, sometimes I hear people say, well, we’ve got to keep coverage of pre-existing conditions because, you know, we’ve got to keep that. And when I hear that, I think that we’re missing something here, and here’s what I’m getting at. There’s obviously a number of Americans who suffer from chronic, expensive healthcare needs. They’ve had these conditions sometimes all their lives, sometimes for some other period of time. And for many of them the proper care for those conditions is unaffordable. I think we agree that we want to make sure those people get the healthcare they need. Now, one way to force it is to force insurance companies to provide health-insurance coverage for someone as soon as they show up, regardless of what condition they have, which is kind of like asking the property casualty company to rebuild the house after it’s burned down. But that’s only one way to deal with this, and so am I correct: is it your view that there are other perhaps more effective ways—since, after all, Obamacare’s in a collapse—to make sure that people with these pre-existing chronic conditions get the healthcare that they need at an affordable price without necessarily having the guaranteed-issue mandate in the general population? Tom Price: I think there are other options, and I think it’s important, again, to appreciate that the position that we currently find ourselves in, with policy in this nation, is that those folks, in a very short period of time, are going to have nothing because of the collapse of the market. 2:18:05 Tom Price: Every single individual ought to be able to have access to coverage. 2:29:45 Senator Tim Scott: My last question has to do with the employer-sponsored healthcare system that we’re so accustomed to in this country, that provides about 175 million Americans with their insurance. In my home state of South Carolina, of course, we have about two and a half million people covered by their employer coverage. If confirmed as HHS secretary, how would you support American employers in their effort to provide effective family health coverage in a consistent and affordable manner? Said differently, there’s been some conversation about looking for ways to decouple having health insurance through your employer. Tom Price: I think the employer system has been absolutely a remarkable success in allowing individuals to gain coverage that they otherwise might not gain. I think that preserving the employer system is imperative. That being said, I think that there may be ways in which individual employers—I’ve heard from employers who say, if you just give me an opportunity to provide my employee the kind of resources so that he or she is able to select the coverage that they want, then that makes more sense to them. And if that works from a voluntary standpoint for employers and for employees, then it may be something to look at. Scott: That would be more like the HRA approach where— Price: Exactly. Scott: —employer funds an account, and the employee chooses the health insurance, not necessarily under the umbrella of the employer specifically. Price: Exactly. And gains the same tax benefit. 2:58:00 Tom Price: What I’m for is making certain, again, that the Medicaid population has access to the highest-quality care possible, and we’ll do everything to improve that because right now so many in the Medicaid population don’t have access to the highest-quality care. 3:20:50 Tom Price: Our goal is to make certain that seniors have access to the highest-quality healthcare possible at an affordable price. Senator Bob Menendez: Well, access without the ability to afford it, and I’ll end on this— Price: That's what I said, affordable price. 3:28:45 Senator Sherrod Brown: If you and he are working together, are you going to suggest to him that we find a way in repeal and replace to make sure there is guaranteed healthcare for our nation’s veterans? Tom Price: Well, I think it’s vital, again, as I’ve mentioned before, that every single American have access to affordable coverage that’s of high quality, and that’s our goal, and that’s our commitment. 3:30:52 [regarding a disabled child coverd by Medicaid] Tom Price: We are absolutely committed to making certain that that child and every other child and every other individual in this nation has access to the highest-quality care possible. Senator Bob Casey Jr.: Okay, so not an access—he will have the medical care that he has right now or better—if you can come up with a better level of care, that’s fine—but he will have at least the coverage of Medicaid and all that that entails that he has right now. And that’s either a yes or no; that’s not— Price: No, it’s not a yes or no because the fact of the matter is that in order for the current law to change, you all have to change it— Casey: No, but here’s— Price: —and if I’m given the privilege of leading at the Department of Health and Human Services— Casey: Here’s why it’s yes— Price: and I respond to— Casey: You should stop talking around this. You have led the fight in the House, backed up by Speaker Ryan, for years— Price: To improve Medicaid. Casey: —to block grant Medicaid, okay? Price: To improve Medicaid. Casey: To block grant Medicaid. What that means is, states will have to decide whether or not this child gets the Medicaid that he deserves. That’s what happens. So you push it back to the states and hope it works out… Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations