Joseph Norris recently got a letter every business owner fears. His health insurance premiums would likely be increasing 19 percent next year. "I was a little shocked for sure," he said, recalling the notice on June 13, when New York insurers started releasing proposed health plan rates for 2015. Norris, 39, runs a small community publication in Malone, New York, about 60 miles north of Lake Placid. The town of about 14,500 residents is among the last stops before reaching Canada. His parents… Reported by bizjournals 1 day ago.

YourLifesolution.com is today publishing an explanation of why they feel it rarely makes financially sense to purchase less than $100,000 worth of life insurance.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) June 20, 2014

YourLifesolution.com, a service which instantly compares life insurance quotes entirely online, is today publishing an explanation of why they feel it rarely makes financially sense to purchase less than $100,000 worth of life insurance. "There are fixed costs built into every life insurance policy, and the cost-per-unit of life insurance generally drops at $100,000. In some cases it only costs 35-45% more for $100,000 of life insurance as compared to $50,000. It's simply pennywise and pound-foolish to go through the process and pay more for less", said Eric Smith, the founder of YourLifeSolution.com.

YourLifeSolution.com's Illustrated Difference Between $50,000 and $100,000 of Permanent Life Insurance:

40 year-old man's $50,000 rate $38 per month
40 year-old man's $75,000 rate $55 per month (45% more than 50k)
40 year-old man's $100,000 rate $56 per month (47% more than 50k, and only $1 more than 75k)

45 year-old woman's $50,000 rate $41 per month
45 year-old woman's $75,000 rate $59 per month (44% more than 50k)
45 year-old woman's $100,000 rate $60 per month (46% more than 50k, and $1 more than 75k)

50 year-old man's $50,000 rate $55 per month
50 year-old man's $75,000 rate $80 per month (27% more than 50k)
50 year-old man's $100,000 rate $86 per month (56% more than 50k)

According to YourLifeSolution.com, the carrier that offers the most competitive no-lapse universal life (lifetime term) coverage in this case is North American Company for Life and Health Insurance.

Consumers interested in instantly comparing their rates for permanent or term life insurance are encouraged to visit YourLifeSolution.com or call 888.374.2764. Reported by PRWeb 1 day ago.

· Must be an early winter: Housing Falters as Forecasters See U.S. Sales Dropping  (BBG)
· China Property Failures Seen as $33 Billion in Trusts Due (BBG)
· Iraqi forces ready push after Obama offers advisers (Reuters)
· Priorities: U.S. cuts aid to Uganda, cancels military exercise over anti-gay law (Reuters)
· Kurds' Takeover of Iraqi City of Kirkuk Strengthens Their Hand (WSJ)
· U.S. says government lab workers possibly exposed to anthrax (Reuters)
· Netflix Up 21% With Tesla: The best U.S. stocks this month are ones that just a few months ago were the biggest losers (BBG)
· Architects of Iraq Invasion Return to Blame Obama (BBG)
· Nato claims Moscow funding anti-fracking groups (FT)
· Lawmakers Skeptical GM Bosses Were Unaware of Defect (WSJ)
· Corinthian Colleges Warns of Possible Shutdown (WSJ)
· Taiwan's Quanta to start mass production of Apple's smartwatch in July (Reuters)
· China Miners’ Loss Is BHP’s Gain as Iron Prices Slump 44% (BBG)
· Icahn Urges Family Dollar CEO to Seek Sale ‘Immediately’ (BBG)
· ValueAct's Ubben Has a New Target: His Hedge-Fund Peers (WSJ)
· Sex Workers Protest as Soho Swaps Sleaze for Champagne  (BBG)
· Regulatory Scrutiny Transforms Washington's Political-Intelligence Business (WSJ)

 

*Overnight Media Digest*

WSJ

* Washington's political-intelligence business is going through a wrenching transformation in the face of heightened legal and regulatory scrutiny, including insider-trading probes. In recent months, a number of lobbyists have left the political-intelligence business, and several lobbying and law firms have created new internal procedures and protocols to guard against violating insider-trading rules. (http://on.wsj.com/1kTAuDs)

* Corinthian Colleges Inc, one of the country's largest for-profit education companies, warned Thursday that it may have to shut down after the Obama administration moved to restrict the company's access to federal funding. (http://on.wsj.com/1lFjoxN)

* General Motors Co's pinning of a decade-long failure to recall defective cars on a lone engineer is running into skepticism from lawmakers who say GM documents show dozens of people were alerted to ignition-switch defects during the past decade. (http://on.wsj.com/1ss73Ch)

* Two years after a bruising battle with unions, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne on Thursday canceled plans to shift 500 furloughed workers from a mostly idle Fiat plant in Turin to a nearby Maserati factory, according to a person familiar with the situation. Fiat has also shelved plans to use overtime at the same Maserati factory to meet booming demand for the luxury brand, the person said. (http://on.wsj.com/1l9qoTL)

* Harley-Davidson Inc, known for gasoline-powered motorcycles thundering with machismo, is testing a battery-powered model that it hopes will appeal to younger people concerned about the environment. (http://on.wsj.com/1iMqpIN)

* An Apple Inc "kill switch" to disable stolen iPhones appears to be reducing thefts, law-enforcement officials in New York and California said. Google Inc and Microsoft Corp are following Apple's lead, planning to put similar technology into devices using their software. (http://on.wsj.com/1jC5yrM)

 

FT

A stronger than expected demand from investors has led the Lloyds Banking Group to increase the amount of shares it is selling in its newly created TSB offshoot by about 40 percent.

The United States will be sending up to 300 "military advisers" to Iraq to help its embattled government fight back against Sunni insurgents who have pushed the country to the brink of a sectarian civil war.

The head of NATO has claimed Russian intelligence agencies are covertly funding and working with European environmental groups to campaign against fracking and maintain EU dependence on Russian gas.

British cabinet ministers have told the Prime Minister that "shambolic" IT provision by smaller firms has brought their departments to a virtual standstill in recent weeks.

 

NYT

* General Electric Co announced on Thursday a revised $13.5 billion bid for the energy business of the French conglomerate Alstom SA aimed at easing concerns of the Socialist government of President Francois Hollande. (http://nyti.ms/USFCCZ)

* Shares in Tianhe Chemicals Group rose on Friday in their trading debut in Hong Kong after the company raised about $650 million last week in an initial public offering. (http://nyti.ms/1ss7Z9F)

* Federal prosecutors and financial regulators have subpoenaed Congress in an investigation that could test the limits of federal insider trading laws. The investigation focuses on a Washington research company, Height Securities. Last year, it correctly predicted a change in government health care policy, prompting a surge in the stock prices of health insurance companies. (http://nyti.ms/1jC63lE)

* Microsoft Corp and Google Inc said Thursday that phones using their operating systems - including handsets produced by big names like Samsung, Nokia and Motorola - will have a so-called kill switch that can render the devices unusable after they have been reported stolen. Apple's iPhone has had a kill switch, called Activation Lock, since September. (http://nyti.ms/UklVU9)

* Computer security experts say hedge funds, with their vast pools of money and opaque nature, have become perfect targets for sophisticated cyber criminals. Over the past two years, experts say, hedge funds have fallen victim to targeted attacks. What makes them such ripe targets is that even as hedge funds expend millions in moving their trading operations online, they have not made the same investment in security. (http://nyti.ms/1ss8u3K)

 

Canada

THE GLOBE AND MAIL

* The Conservative government will cap the number of low-wage temporary foreign workers that employers can bring to Canada as part of sweeping policy reforms that will be announced on Friday. The government will limit the number of foreign workers that companies, such as restaurants, can have at any location based on a percentage of their work force. The measure is expected to cut in half the number of people brought into the country each year for low-wage positions, which was 31,000 last year. (http://bit.ly/1w1LlDC)

* Changes to the way federal transfers to provinces are calculated since the Stephen Harper government took power appear to have made Ontario a big loser under equalization programs and Alberta the big winner, according to Canada's budget watchdog. (http://bit.ly/1lE8nhD)

* Conservatives - including the Speaker of the House of Commons - have been feting Nigel Wright as Stephen Harper's former chief of staff leaves behind Ottawa and a brutal year to return to the private sector. Wright resigned his post a little over a year ago following the revelation he had secretly paid $90,000 of Senator Mike Duffy's contested expenses. The prime minister repudiated Wright publicly, calling him responsible for the "deception" and saying he was dismissed. (http://bit.ly/1nnhfDT)

Reports in the business section:

* The chief executive of Canada's best-known technology company was afforded a rare chance to boast on Thursday, as BlackBerry Ltd reported better-than-expected quarterly results. Although the smartphone maker still lost money in its fiscal first quarter on an adjusted basis, the loss was far less severe than most analysts expected. (http://bit.ly/Ulqde0)

* Approaching July 1 when the first aspects of the anti-spam law come into effect, companies have been taking advantage of their last days in which unsolicited emails are permitted to ask customers, prospective customers, recipients of newsletters, and others for consent to contact them in the future. (http://bit.ly/1ql5B0t)

* Most of Canada's largest public companies have done little to improve their disclosure to shareholders about their gender diversity practices, despite facing pending new regulations on the issue. A review of companies in the S&P/TSX 60 index show few are improving their diversity disclosure practices in advance of new disclosure rules expected to be finalized later this year by the Ontario Securities Commission, according to Sylvia Groves, president of Calgary-based consulting firm Governance Studio. (http://bit.ly/1jCvS5c)

* British Columbia Investment Management Corp, which manages money for public sector pension plans and public trusts in British Columbia, said its assets climbed to $114 billion as of March 31 from $102.8 billion a year earlier, due to strong 14.7 percent returns that outpaced passive benchmarks. BCIMC is Canada's fourth-largest pension fund manager. (http://bit.ly/1qxAYHr)

NATIONAL POST

* Some labor leaders so feared a Progressive Conservative victory in the June 12 election they "sold their souls" to back the Liberals, the president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union said on Thursday. "The labor movement was so afraid of Tim Hudak being elected that they sold their souls to the Liberals," said OPSEU president Smokey Thomas. (http://bit.ly/1lFa9NT)

* The Council of Canadians and the Canadian Federation of Students announced on Thursday they would challenge the Stephen Harper government's new election bill, hours before Governor General David Johnston was to grant royal assent, making it law. The two groups intend to challenge voter-ID provisions that critics say will make it harder for students, aboriginals and seniors to vote, and changes that limit the mandate of the chief electoral officer to promote voting. (http://bit.ly/1nnj17X)

FINANCIAL POST

* The Petronas-sponsored Pacific Northwest liquefied natural gas project is seeking debt-financing, reportedly for as much as $10 billion-$15 billion, for its LNG project on the West Coast. It would be the biggest debt financing deal in Canada. (http://bit.ly/1pqwFM4)

* BlackBerry Ltd Chief Executive John Chen recognizes the turnaround is still a work in progress. "Whether we get back to an iconic state, I don't know, but we certainly will try. Certainly there are a lot of opportunities and assets in the company," Chen said. (http://bit.ly/TdbP6s)

* Statistics Canada said on Thursday that private non-financial corporations increased their cash holdings to $630 billion in the first quarter of this year - up from $621 billion at the end of 2013. Corporations have been singled out by the Bank of Canada for not contributing more to the economic recovery, which has relied heavily on consumer spending for growth since the 2008-09 recession. (http://bit.ly/1lEeSkC)

 

China

CHINA SECURITIES JOURNAL

- SAIC Motor Corporation Limited will invest more funds to develop vehicles carrying its own brand, said Chairman Chen Hong.

SHANGHAI DAILY

- The prolonged effects of the slowdown in China's property market could hurt economic growth, but reforms to balance the economy will offset the negative impact, Moody's Investors Service said in Shanghai.

- Polluters face harsher penalties under a draft amendment to an air pollution prevention law reviewed by the Shanghai legislative body. Anyone found guilty of discharging major air pollutants without a licence faces a fine of up to 500,000 yuan ($80,645) compared to the current 100,000 yuan.

CHINA DAILY

- Two provincial-level officials from China's northern Shanxi province, Ling Zhengce and Du Shanxue, are under investigation for suspected serious discipline and law violations - an euphemism for corruption - China's anti-graft authority said on Thursday.

- China should consider flexible grain imports from international markets and take steps to ensure sustained growth in domestic output of staple grains for long-term food security, government officials and foreign exporters said on Thursday.

PEOPLE'S DAILY

- Mainland China and Hong Kong should strive hard towards implementing the "one country, two systems" policy and work together for prosperity, the newspaper said in its commentary.

 

Britain

The Telegraph

LLOYDS SELLS LARGER CHUNK OF TSB

(http://bit.ly/SWSQwM)

Lloyds Banking Group will sell a significantly bigger percentage of TSB than it had intended, after strong demand for shares in the challenger bank.

STERLING RISE COULD THREATEN EXPORTS, SAYS CBI

(http://bit.ly/1poTU9k)

Demand for UK manufacturing strengthened in June, amid concerns that the strengthening of sterling could put exports in jeopardy.

The Guardian

BE READY FOR INTEREST RATE RISES, BANK OF ENGLAND INSIDER WARNS MORTGAGE PAYERS

(http://bit.ly/1uGUPBF)

Britain's 10 million mortgage payers have been warned to ready themselves for dearer borrowing costs after a Bank of England policymaker said stronger-than-expected growth meant the era of ultra-cheap money was drawing to a close.

WEST COAST MAINLINE: VIRGIN TRAINS AND STAGECOACH ARE EXPECTED TO TRIPLE PROFITS

(http://bit.ly/1uHG0yP)

Sir Richard Branson's cumulative dividends from Virgin Trains are set to pass 300 million pounds after the government gave the firm a revised deal to run the west coast main line until 2017, with a probable one-year extension.

The Times

STRONG POUND THREAT TO EXPORTERS' HOPES

(http://thetim.es/SWT7zO)

A recovery in manufacturing on the back of rising exports could be in jeopardy after the pound broke the key $1.70 barrier for the first time in almost six years.

GOVERNMENT RAKES IN 1 BLN STG FROM HOUSING BOOM

(http://thetim.es/Tc01Bz)

Soaring house prices have earned the government nearly 1 billion pounds in extra stamp duty payments every year, research suggests.

The Independent

AMERICAN APPAREL FIRES FOUNDER DOV CHARNEY AFTER 'MISCONDUCT' INQUIRY

(http://ind.pn/1poVsjJ)

Board votes unanimously to remove founder Dov Charney and says company is 'larger than any one individual'

ROLLS-ROYCE ACTS TO APPEASE INVESTORS WITH 1 BLN STG BUYBACK

(http://ind.pn/1ypWBvy)

Rolls-Royce, the troubled aero-engine manufacturer, has moved to win back the support of investors with a 1 billion sweetener as it shelved plans for major acquisitions.

 

*Fly On The Wall 7:00 AM Market Snapshot*

ECONOMIC REPORTS
No major domestic economic reports scheduled today.

ANALYST RESEARCH

Upgrades

Autonation (AN) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman
Domtar (UFS) upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Citigroup
Entegris (ENTG) upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at First Analysis
Esterline (ESL) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Canaccord
Kinder Morgan Energy (KMP) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS
Kroger (KR) upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Goldman
Molson Coors (TAP) upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Morgan Stanley
Penske Automotive (PAG) upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Goldman

Downgrades

Cleco (CNL) downgraded to Hold from Buy at KeyBanc
Coach (COH) downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at BMO Capital
Coach (COH) downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at William Blair
Coach (COH) downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at HSBC
FXCM (FXCM) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citigroup
Idenix (IDIX) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at UBS
Oracle (ORCL) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citigroup
PS Business Parks (PSB) downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan
PetSmart (PETM) downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Wedbush
Pier 1 Imports (PIR) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank
Sonic Automotive (SAH) downgraded to Sell from Neutral at Goldman
Targa Resources Partners (NGLS) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Wunderlich

Initiations

Carter's (CRI) initiated with a Market Perform at Wells Fargo
Deckers Outdoor (DECK) initiated with an Outperform at Wells Fargo
International Flavors (IFF) initiated with a Neutral at UBS
Kinder Morgan (KMI) initiated with a Buy at UBS
Spectra Energy Partners (SEP) initiated with a Neutral at UBS
Spectra Energy (SE) initiated with a Neutral at UBS
Trulia (TRLA) initiated with a Perform at Oppenheimer
Veracyte (VCYT) initiated with an Overweight at Piper Jaffray
Zillow (Z) initiated with a Perform at Oppenheimer

COMPANY NEWS

Shire (SHPG) confirmed rejection of 'highly conditional' AbbVie (ABBV) proposal
Carl Icahn sent letter to Family Dollar CEO Howard Levine urging an 'immediate sale' of the company
Family Dollar (FDO) said board of directors and management team 'committed to acting in the best interests of the company and our shareholders'
Corinthian Colleges (COCO) warned on its ability to continue as going concern
Targa (TRGP), Targa Resources Partners (NGLS) terminated talks with Energy Transfer Equity (ETE)
Siemens (SIEGY), Mitsubishi raised cash portion of Alstom (ALSMY) offer to EUR8.2B (GE)
Nike (NKE) named eBay (EBAY) CEO John Donahoe to its board
Cubist (CBST) said the FDA accepted its NDA for its investigational antibiotic ceftolozane/tazobactam with Priority Review
Merrimack Pharmaceuticals (MACK) regained worldwide rights to commercialize MM-121
Molycorp (MCP) downgraded to Caa2 from Caa1 by Moody's, outlook stable

EARNINGS

Companies that beat consensus earnings expectations last night and today include:
Smith & Wesson (SWHC)

Companies that missed consensus earnings expectations include:
Oracle (ORCL)

Companies that matched consensus earnings expectations include:
TIBCO (TIBX)

Oracle (ORCL) sees Q1 adjusted EPS 62c-66c, consensus 64c
Oracle (ORCL) sees Q1 software license, cloud revenue up 6%-8% in U.S. dollars
TIBCO (TIBX) sees Q3 adjusted EPS 15c-19c, consensus 24c

NEWSPAPERS/WEBSITES

Apple (AAPL) targeting 50M 'iWatch' shipments in first year, Reuters says
Apple (AAPL) planning multiple designs for iWatch, WSJ reports
GKN (SKNLY) likely buyer for Spirit (SPR) Oklahoma plants, The Deal reports
Twitter sales leader Bain to take over business development, Re/code says
Judge says Justice Dept effort against Bank of America (BAC) to move forward, WSJ reports
Celgene (CELG) looks like a buy, Barron's says
Carlyle (CG), TPG aiming for $2.4B Healthscope IPO, Reuters reports

SYNDICATE

CyrusOne (CONE) 13.9M share Secondary priced at $23.25
Eclipse Resources (ECR) 30.3M share IPO priced at $27.00
Emerge Energy (EMES) files to sell 3.52M common units for holders
Excel Trust (EXL) files to sell 10M shares of common stock
Kindred Healthcare (KND) 9M share Secondary priced at $23.75
Kite Pharma (KITE) 7.5M share IPO priced at $17.00
Performance Sports Group (PSG) 7.097M share Secondary priced at $15.50
StoneMor Partners (STON) files to sell 1M common units for holders
Sunstone Hotel (SHO) files to sell 18M shares of common stock
Teekay Tankers (TNK) files to sell $200M in common stock Reported by Zero Hedge 1 day ago.

As a leading staffing source in the Army Medicine workforce, the U.S. Army Medicine Civilian Corps recognizes PTSD Awareness Month with persistent recruitment efforts, seeking qualified candidates to staff the Behavioral Health Service Line as well as other positions worldwide.

Fort Sam Houston, Texas (PRWEB) June 20, 2014

As a leading staffing source in the Army Medicine workforce, the U.S. Army Medicine Civilian Corps recognizes PTSD Awareness Month with persistent recruitment efforts, seeking qualified candidates to staff the Behavioral Health Service Line as well as other positions worldwide.

The Behavioral Health Service Line (BHSL) focuses on educating, screening and treating mental health issues, including PTSD. Behavioral Health programs such as Embedded Behavioral Health (EBH), Patient Centered Medical homes and School Behavioral Health provide convenient access to care for Soldiers and their families where they are located. Army Medicine now has several established EBH clinics across the force and continues to grow this effective behavioral health treatment model.

“The Civilian Corps is honored to work alongside our military counterpart to efficiently provide all health care needs, especially PTSD treatment, to Soldiers and their families,” says Dr. Joseph Harrison, Jr., Chief, Recruitment and Retention, Headquarters U.S. Army Medical Command, Civilian Human Resources Division.

Civilians, roughly 45,000, make up approximately 60% of the total Army Medicine workforce providing the day-to-day care for Army Soldiers, beneficiaries and their families at Army hospitals and clinics worldwide. Civilian providers continue to make a difference in Army Medicine Behavioral Health by providing preventative and effective treatment. The Civilian Corps has more than 2,500 job openings in different medical, dental and behavioral health professions. Behavioral Health positions available include Psychiatrists, Clinical Psychologists, Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners and more.

The Civilian Corps provides rewarding career opportunities for civilians to practice their medical specialty while serving those who serve their county. Employees are not subject to military requirements, such as enlistment or deployment, and receive excellent benefits, including flexible work schedules, competitive salaries, health insurance and access to state-of-the-art training and equipment.

For more information about the Civilian Corps and rewarding career opportunities, visit http://www.CivilianMedicalJobs.com. Reported by PRWeb 1 day ago.

LONDON, June 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, June 19, 2014, the NASDAQ Composite ended at 4,359.33, down 0.08%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished the session at 16,921.46, up 0.09% and the S&P 500 closed at 1,959.48, up 0.13%. During the trading session, six out of... Reported by PR Newswire 1 day ago.

DUBLIN, June 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/s5hblm/health_insurance) has announced the addition of the "Global Health Insurance Exchange (HIX) IT Market - Trends & Forecasts to 2018" report to their offering.... Reported by PR Newswire 1 day ago.

Did former Montana governor Brian Schweitzer's presidential ambitions just go down the tubes? I've been criticizing the press' focus on "gaffes" for a long time, but there are some things that, once you say them, are hard to put behind you. Schweitzer, who has always been known for being unfiltered, invited National Journal reporter Marin Cogan up to his house in Montana, and the result was rather interesting:



This was the week that Sen. Dianne Feinstein took to the Senate floor to accuse the CIA of spying on congressional staffers investigating the agency's treatment of terrorism suspects under the Bush administration. Schweitzer is incredulous that Feinstein—considered by her critics to be too close to the intelligence community—was now criticizing the agency. "She was the woman who was standing under the streetlight with her dress pulled all the way up over her knees, and now she says, 'I'm a nun,' when it comes to this spying!" he says. Then, he adds, quickly, "I mean, maybe that's the wrong metaphor—but she was all in!"

(It wasn't the only time Schweitzer was unable to hold his tongue. Last week, I called him on the night Majority Leader Eric Cantor was defeated in his GOP primary. "Don't hold this against me, but I'm going to blurt it out. How do I say this ... men in the South, they are a little effeminate," he offered when I mentioned the stunning news. When I asked him what he meant, he added, "They just have effeminate mannerisms. If you were just a regular person, you turned on the TV, and you saw Eric Cantor talking, I would say—and I'm fine with gay people, that's all right—but my gaydar is 60-70 percent. But he's not, I think, so I don't know. Again, I couldn't care less. I'm accepting.")



What I love about that is that the little voice telling Schweitzer to shut his mouth is not just in his head, but actually coming out of that very mouth. "Don't hold this against me, but I'm going to blurt it out." You know at that moment that Cogan was saying to herself, "Oh, this is going to be good." And so it was.

No one who has followed Schweitzer will be too surprised. He has built his political brand largely on that most precious of political commodities, "authenticity." If you took the political press' treatment of the authenticity question literally, you'd conclude that politicians who sound boring and rehearsed when they talk make worse leaders than politicians who are loose and unpredictable. There isn't any evidence to support this presumption, but that doesn't matter.

But there's a fine line between being "authentic" and just being a jerk, and even if you don't think Schweitzer crossed it here, chances are he will eventually. The real trick, you see, is to give people just enough authenticity, but not too much. To be careful, yet sound spontaneous. To avoid the talking points, but stick to the well-worn themes. If you're really good at it, you can sound like a down-home reg'lar fella while offending very few people. But Schweitzer isn't. And in the constant scrutiny that would come with a presidential campaign, the guy would be a regular gaffe machine.

That isn't to say that if he were just a little more restrained he'd have a good shot at getting the Democratic nomination for president. He's basically a conservative Democrat with a couple of liberal positions (like support for single-payer health insurance) thrown in. As Cogan says, liberals "might love his criticisms of Obama's foreign policy. But will they still love him when they realize he had an endorsement from the NRA? Or supported the Keystone pipeline? Will they accept him as a critic of Wall Street knowing he paired with a hedge fund to take over a mining company?" Even if there isn't one particular issue that would make Schweitzer unable to win over Democratic voters (they tend to be less doctrinaire and more forgiving when it comes to the occasional ideological impurity than Republican voters are), I seriously doubt that he'd be able to build and sustain enough support to seriously challenge Hillary Clinton. But who knows—I could be wrong. Reported by The American Prospect 23 hours ago.

Last Wednesday, I participated in a regional forum of the White House Working Families Summit that was held at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia. Coming from a small town in Southwest Georgia myself, I can relate to the unique challenges that rural Americans face. Growing up, my father worked seven days a week on our peanut and cattle farm with help from my mother. To make sure our family had a constant source of income and health insurance, my mother also worked off the farm at the local independent bank. I am fortunate to be the product of hard working parents who provided my sister and me with the best opportunities possible.All families have a right to have access to a good education system, affordable healthcare and jobs. Our rural families are concerned about creating strong prospects for their children, whether it is on or off the farm. But it is also essential that there are opportunities that will attract young people back to rural areas and help us secure the future of agriculture.The Obama Administration is committed to providing opportunities for working families across the country. That's why earlier this year President Obama created the Made in Rural America Export and Investment Initiative to help rural businesses and leaders take advantage of new investment opportunities and access new markets abroad.In rural America, transportation and market access issues create complex challenges for working families. During the summit, I spoke with Maxine Ayers, legal assistant by day and partner in a seven-generation family farm by night. Maxine is working hard to help prepare her son to take over the family farm. In addition to working her job and taking care of the farm, she is also responsible for her in-laws' medical care and must regularly drive two hours to get her in-laws the care they need. I also spoke with Dee Dee Darden, owner of a country store and farmer, who faces similar rural transportation hurdles. On top of running her store and farm, she must drive three to four hours to sell her livestock. While transportation issues are still a challenge, USDA brings economic opportunities to rural communities through programs such as the Rural Community Development Initiative and Rural Business Opportunity Grants.There are many ways that USDA is working to create opportunities in rural areas. First, we work to address issues of access and quality of life through efforts like Rural Development's community facilities and broadband programs. Second, we support new markets for farm and ranch products, at home and abroad. Whether it's promoting international trade, bringing products to local and regional markets or supporting the bio-based economy, USDA programs help expand opportunities for rural businesses to thrive. Third, your local USDA office can help you find programs for your community, your business and your family.In the United States, there are twice as many farmers that are ages 65 or older than those ages 45 or younger. As our aging farmers transition to retirement, it is crucial that we determine who the next generation of farmers and ranchers will be. It is easy to forget that one percent of the population is responsible for feeding the entire country and much of the world.Young, talented rural leaders are needed to help us tackle challenges like climate change, food security and the overall health of our economy. It was so promising to see college students in the audience who were passionate about farming and rural America. Whether it is their local FFA or 4-H chapter or serving in student government, I always encourage young folks to get involved in their local communities.I am proud to be from rural America, and I know that others feel the same sense of community that I do, but there are many challenges that rural residents face. Folks in rural America have an unparalleled amount of drive and passion that makes their communities a vibrant place to live. At USDA, we will continue to do everything we can to help working families succeed for generations to come.This post is part of a series produced by The White House in conjunction with its Working Families Summit, the goal of which is to help "create 21st-century workplaces that work for all Americans." Last week's regional summit in Petersburg, Virginia, was part of a series of events across the country leading up to the main event on June 23, 2014, in Washington, D.C. Read here to learn more about the effort. Reported by Huffington Post 21 hours ago.

Written in collaboration with Negar Avaregan, M.P.H*The Impact of HIV/AIDS on Women in America *Last year marked the 20^th anniversary of a critical change made to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) case definition of AIDS so that it would include women. Prior to 1993, HIV/AIDS was defined as a disease affecting only men. Two decades following this pivotal change, now is an opportune time to review the progress made in the fight against this disease and underscore what still needs to be done to end HIV/AIDS for women and girls in America.Today, women account for one in four of the more than 1.1 million Americans living with HIV, and one in five of the more than 50,000 new infections that occur every year. [1] In 2011, women of color accounted for two-thirds of new AIDS diagnoses among all women, with African-American women being disproportionately affected. At some point in their lifetimes, 1 in 32 black women, 1 in 106 Hispanic/Latina women, and 1 in 526 white women will be diagnosed with HIV in the U.S. [2] In 2010, 84 percent of women infected with HIV acquired the illness through heterosexual transmission, while 16 percent were infected by injection drug use. [3] By the end of 2010, 10 states represented the majority (68 percent) of all women living with an HIV diagnoses in the U.S., with New York and Florida having the greatest number of cases. Women represent one quarter of AIDS deaths in America.In recent years, there have been some promising signs suggesting that HIV infections are falling among women, including for black women, who account for roughly two-thirds of all new female HIV infections. Comparing rates from 2008 to 2010, there was a 21 percent decline in new infections among black women (7,700 to 6,100) as well as among women overall (12,025 to 9,500). [4] This was the first significant decrease after more than a decade of relatively steady HIV incidence among women. [5] While this evidence is encouraging, further research is needed to determine if the decrease among women is the beginning of a longer trend.*The Past*When HIV/AIDS first emerged in 1981, it was viewed as a disease of men who have sex with men (MSM). Although HIV was soon identified in women, the scientific community failed to address females as a unique target population for research. In addition to being omitted from the clinical definition of AIDS, women were also excluded from clinical trials of HIV/AIDS medications and preventive interventions. Trial inclusion/exclusion criteria at that time read, "No pregnant women and non-pregnant women allowed."As a result, women had more difficulty getting government disability payments than did men because the standard definition of AIDS at that time did not take into account many of the symptoms experienced by women including candidiasis (yeast infection), cervical cancer and pelvic inflammatory disease. Some hospitals would not even admit women to their HIV wards. Additionally, on average, women were dying of AIDS in half the time as men did from the disease and researchers did not understand why. This omission of women as a focus of research, treatment and prevention efforts at the beginning of the epidemic resulted in a rapid rise in the number of cases in women with HIV/AIDS in America and worldwide.In the mid 1980s, as a response to a report from the U.S. Public Health Service Task Force on Women's Health Issues, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued recommendations that women be included in all applicable research studies. [6] But these recommendations were loosely enforced. In 1987, women of childbearing age were excluded from participating in clinical trials unless they agreed to use birth control -- meanwhile receiving no support services such as childcare, transportation, or on-site gynecological care. [7]Furthermore, when scientists recognized that the HIV virus was being transmitted from mother to child, treatment programs primarily focused on preventing transmission to infants, with minimal attention to the long-term care of mothers. Myths about HIV in women were spreading throughout the media, including that most heterosexual women were not at risk for contracting HIV. This resulted in millions of women believing that they could not be infected with the virus and therefore not protecting themselves. [7] Moreover, data from studies that did include women were often not analyzed for sex differences in medication dosage, outcomes, and side effects.Neglecting women in the early years of the epidemic proved to be a major public health oversight and resulted in a startling development in the 21^st century: Worldwide, there are now more women than men living with HIV/AIDS.*Progress*A number of steps have since been taken to end AIDS in women. In 1985, I convened the first workshop on Women and AIDS at the NIH to stimulate research studies on this population group. In 1990, a protest occurred at the CDC headquarters with advocates demanding that the agency expand its AIDS definition to include disease symptoms specific to women. In May of that year, ACT UP members gathered at the NIH to protest the lack of women and people of color in clinical trials of drugs being tested to treat AIDS. Advocates also requested a national conference on women and HIV as well as a study of the natural history of HIV infection in women.[7]Furthermore, in 1990, the General Accounting Office (GAO) published a report, at the request of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues, which found that the NIH policy on women's inclusion in clinical research was not being adequately applied to research grant applications. I worked with other scientists and advocates to help bring these inequities to public and scientific attention at that time.As a result of these efforts, beginning in 1991, NIH strengthened its policy to require, rather than recommend, the inclusion of women in clinical research (when applicable). [6] However, the advocacy community believed more needed to be done. In 1993, the NIH Revitalization Act was passed by Congress that required women and minorities to be included in all research studies funded by the NIH. Additionally, in 1993, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released new guidelines on expectations regarding the inclusion of patients of both sexes in drug development, analyses, and assessments entitled "Guideline for the Study and Evaluation of Gender Differences in the Clinical Evaluation of Drugs." These guidelines addressed concerns that the drug development process did not include women in clinical trials and therefore there was inadequate information about the metabolism and side effects of medications in females.Another important development was the establishment of the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) to investigate the impact and progression of HIV in women. Primarily funded by the NIH, this nationwide study tracked 3,000 HIV-positive women and 1,000 high-risk HIV negative women and investigated the history and course of their HIV infection. The study has produced many important findings about the course of the disease in women including factors that increase the risk of the disease.[8]That same year, as the country's first Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women's Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), my work included ensuring that women's health issues were a major focus of all of the federal health agencies. I established the Women and AIDS Task Force within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with representation from more than 60 organizations and developed the National Centers of Excellence program at academic medical centers across the country. We worked with the CDC to revise its case definition of AIDS to include women, as well as to enact the 1995 FDA's policy change that recommended females be included as subjects in clinical trials. [6]These actions in the 1990s began a series of steps taken by the U.S. government to target women's issues in HIV/AIDS in research, diagnosis, treatment and prevention that have yielded life-saving dividends. For example today, women represent more than 50 percent of subjects in clinical research supported by the NIH; however, females are still underrepresented in studies conducted by pharmaceutical and medical device companies. This year, the NIH revised its policies to require that basic research studies where scientific theories are tested include both male and female animals and that data from this research be analyzed for sex differences.Researchers who work with cell cultures are also being encouraged to study cells derived from females as well as males, and to do separate analyses to determine sex differences at the cellular level. This is an important development because for decades, scientists have designed their hypothesis testing research by first experimenting on laboratory animals that were most often male. Researchers avoided using female animals because of the cost of adding this variable of hormone fluctuations to their projects as well as the concern that estrus cycle changes could alter the results of their experiments.As a result of this new national focus on women's health, research has shown that sex matters at the molecular, cellular, organ system levels and in the way the environmental factors impacts health. That is why it is imperative to target the unique needs of women in research, treatment, and prevention of HIV/AIDS as women are at a particularly high risk for acquiring the disease due to a combination of biological, economic, and social factors that increase their vulnerability to the virus.The transmission of HIV from a man to a woman is two to eight times more efficient than from a woman to a man. [9] Physiologically, women are more susceptible to HIV than men, and a woman's susceptibility to HIV infection is further increased if she or her partner has a sexually transmitted infection, if she has experienced genital trauma, or if her partner is HIV positive and has a high viral load. [10]Certain customs and practices surrounding gender roles and partner fidelity, along with economic dependency, can create power imbalances within relationships. This may result in women's reluctance to insist that their partners remain monogamous or use condoms, thereby increasing their vulnerability to HIV infections. [11] [12] A powerful tool to help women become more economically independent is education and occupational opportunities. Young women who stay in school are more likely to be exposed to HIV prevention messages, and are less likely to have an economic need to marry early. [13] With higher education and income, women are also more empowered to make healthier choices including protecting themselves from HIV/AIDS. In the United States, young women complete their education at a higher rate than young men. In fact, in 2013, 2 percent more young women graduated with a high school degree and 2.1 million more young women completed their bachelor's degree than young men of the same age. [14] However, in 2010, a smaller percentage of black and Hispanic women had completed high school or college compared with white women. [15]*Access to Care *Antiretroviral treatment (ARV) has resulted in making HIV/AIDS a treatable condition and has resulted in improved quality of life, reduced mortality, and a significantly reduced chance of transmitting the virus to others for women in the United States and worldwide. [16] Yet, more effort is needed to ensure access to these lifesaving medications and prevention strategies for all those women in need.Significant progress has been made in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) in the United States. PMTCT has decreased dramatically in America since its peak in 1991 as a result of over 1.5 million HIV-positive pregnant women receiving antiretroviral drugs to prevent the passing of the virus to their infants. [17] [18] Since the mid-1990s, preventative HIV testing and interventions have led to a 90 percent decline in the number of infants perinatally infected with HIV. In fact, transmission to infants has been virtually eliminated in America. [18] Perinatal HIV infections declined, from 193 in 2007 to 164 in 2010. [18] While PMTCT infections continue to remain low, the NIH's Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council (OARAC) updated their PMTCT guidelines and recommendations for use of antiretroviral drugs in pregnant HIV infected women for maternal health as a means to reduce perinatal HIV transmission in the United States. The guidelines provide recommendations for HIV-infected women contemplating pregnancy, as well as up to date reproductive options for HIV concordant and serodiscordant couples. New recommendations for use of ARV during pregnancy is addressed, as well as advanced information on HIV/Hepatitis C coinfection and HIV-2 infection and pregnancy.[19]Limited access to health care has compromised the health of HIV-positive women in the United States. As many as 15-20 percent do not know they are infected; only 41 percent of HIV positive women are in regular care, 36 percent are prescribed anti-retroviral medications, and only 26 percent are virally suppressed. [20] Challenges that prevent women from accessing the health services they need include stigma and discrimination as well as socio-economic and structural barriers including the lack of health insurance, poverty, cultural inequities, lack of transportation and violence.Two recent developments, the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA), should improve health care for women including advancing HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.The National HIV/AIDS Strategy, released in July 2010, details several actions that are needed to effectively address HIV/AIDS in women. The NHAS has three main goals: 1) decrease new infections, 2) improve health outcomes and access to care, and 3) reduce health disparities associated with HIV/AIDS. [21] Among the actions outlined in the National Strategy call for increasing the number of HIV clinical care providers as well as support services for women. [22]The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Actwhich passed in March 2010 is expanding health insurance coverage to an estimated 32 million Americans, over half of whom are women. [23] Under the ACA, insurance companies are prohibited from charging women more than men for premiums and they cannot deny coverage for pre-existing conditions including HIV/AIDS. [24] Health insurance must -- with no cost sharing -- cover certain preventive services to improve women's health, including free testing and counseling for HIV, sexually-transmitted infections, and intimate partner violence. [25] It is estimated that these ACA preventive services will benefit approximately 45 million women, [26] while also resulting in an additional 466,153 HIV tests done nationally by 2017. [27]Additionally, efforts are needed to ensure that insurance companies participating in the ACA cover at an affordable cost the lifesaving medications and other technologies that women need to treat and prevent HIV infection.*What's Needed*Since the passage of the NIH Revitalization Act over 20 years ago that mandated women be included in clinical trials, more than 90 NIH-supported studies on women and HIV have been conducted producing findings that have improved the treatment and prevention of the disease in women. [28] The CDC is also supporting the national dissemination of effective HIV behavioral interventions including many designed for women. An educational campaign is being conducted to increase HIV testing among African American women, aged 18-34; another campaign is fighting stigma by sharing stories of women who are living with HIV.Yet despite this significant progress, women continue to be under-represented and even excluded in some areas of HIV research and care. [29] Some studies still do not analyze for sex differences to provide women-specific evidence to guide prevention and treatment decisions. Women and men may differ in terms of susceptibility to HIV infection, the course of the infection, response to treatment, drug pharmacokinetics and toxicity. Basic science research using animal models where hypotheses are tested have often excluded females; but this will now change as a result of revisions to NIH grant policy issued this year requiring both female and male animals in such studies.Until recently, the FDA still did not require data analysis by sex in the drug and device approval process or in making recommendations about medication dosing. The omission of women and female animals from the development of the evidence base that informs medical practice has impeded health professionals' ability to identify and address important sex and racial/ethnic differences that could benefit the health of everyone. Thus, the impact of sex/gender differences needs to be better defined and addressed in both basic and clinical studies to improve patient care. [30]More effort is needed to increase the numbers of females participating in HIV/AIDS research and to provide sex-specific information about treatment, diagnosis, prevention and cure. It is our hope that the new guidelines required by the NIH will encourage such participation. Key knowledge gaps related to women and HIV/AIDS that require further attention include the impact of sex/gender differences on clinical management; how different ARVs and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) interact with endogenous and exogenous sex hormones and other drugs commonly used in clinical practice; evaluating health outcomes by sex/gender; increasing interventions to end violence against women; reducing the stigma and discrimination faced by women with HIV; and increasing access to HIV testing and care for women.*A Roadmap for Action*There are several critical steps that can be taken towards ending AIDS in America for women. Women and girls need better information with messages targeted to vulnerable groups, particularly women of color, about avoiding risky behaviors and how to access resources for prevention and treatment. Since 16 percent of women are infected with HIV through injection drug use, lifting the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange programs is a critical measure. Greater investment in behavioral research is needed to give women the tools they need to prevent HIV infection and to increase adherence to medication regimens. Educational campaigns must targeting specific populations of women and girls. The importance of routine HIV testing must be underscored that is now covered as a preventive benefit without any cost-sharing in the ACA.Listed below is a roadmap of high priority policies across all sectors of society for achieving an America without HIV/AIDS for women:· Make Women a Priority in America's National HIV/AIDS Strategy:Ensure that the National HIV/AIDS strategy implements policies across all sectors to empower women while promoting gender equality and the human rights of women and girls. [31] Provide women with the knowledge and tools they need to prevent HIV. Government agencies must address sex/gender in designing, implementing and evaluating research, services, and the health system.
· Increase Public Knowledge and Decrease Stigma and Discrimination:Eradicate stigma and discrimination against women living with HIV/AIDS through greater investment in community-specific educational and awareness campaigns.
· Increase the Focus on Sex Differences in HIV/AIDS Research and Programs:Focus research on the unique biological factors and the social, economic, and cultural issues that increase women's vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. Ensure that female animals are included in basic science studies and that results are reported and analyzed by sex.
· Reduce Barriers Faced by Women in Disadvantaged Populations:Re-evaluate existing HIV/AIDS programs to ensure that they address the social, economic, cultural, and linguistic needs of women from disadvantaged populations.
· Increase Women's Access to HIV Testing and Counseling Services:While over half of women in the U.S. ages 18-64 report having been tested for HIV at some point, only 22 percent were tested in the past year. Among those who are HIV positive, 31 percent were tested for HIV late in their illness. CDC guidelines for HIV testing and counseling should be incorporated into routine healthcare visits for all sexually active women. Screening should be repeated at least annually for those at high risk. [32]
· Improve Women's Reproductive Health:HIV is associated with women's reproductive health in many different ways. Women are more vulnerable to HIV infection and those who have other sexually transmitted infections are at increased risk for acquiring the virus. Implement evidenced-based public policies to promote sexual and reproductive health services for women and girls. Family planning sites provide an important entry point for reaching women who are at risk and living with HIV/AIDS.
· Invest in the Development of Female-Controlled and Other Prevention Methods: Promote the acceptability and use of the female condom. Continue studies to evaluate the effectiveness of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis with ARV medications) including long-acting PrEP preparations in women. Implement new federal guidelines for health care providers that recommend that PrEP be considered for women at high-risk for HIV infection (HIV-negative, heterosexual women who do not regularly use condoms during sex with partners of unknown HIV status). [33] Increase investments in microbicide development, as topical microbicides offer women a method to prevent HIV infection that can be used without negotiating with a partner, which often must occur when using condoms.
· Eliminate Mother-to-Child-Transmission (PMTCT):Continue to expand the availability of HIV screening programs, education programs, better surveillance, and treatment to eliminate perinatal transmission of HIV from mother to child in the U.S. While mother to child transmission has decreased dramatically in America since its peak in 1991 as a result of ARV treatment, some cases still occur each year, which represents missed opportunities for prevention.
· Health Care Professional Education: Provide education and training on sex/gender differences in HIV/AIDS in health care provider and scientists' professional training.
· Increase Women's Access to Health Care: Expand the sources of care for women in the U.S. including government programs such as Medicaid and Ryan White for those who are eligible. The ACA increases access to testing, prevention and treatment services for HIV/AIDS and other diseases for millions of women, and as implementation of the legislation proceeds, state and federal programs should be coordinated to enhance access to and affordability of comprehensive care for women to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. [34] Advocate for the expansion of Medicaid in states that opted out of this provision in the ACA. Ensure that the health data and reporting of outcomes collected by the ACA are analyzed for sex/gender, racial/ethnic and age differences. [30]
· Stop Violence Against Women: National, state, and local governments must enact and enforce laws and prevention and intervention programs to protect women from violence.
· Enforce Women's Rights and Expand their Opportunities, and Leadership in Society: Ensure the human rights of women and girls, and promote their education, empowerment, occupational opportunities, and participation and leadership in all sectors of society.
· Invest in global health and AIDS: Global health is America's health and America's health is global health. In an interdependent world, the spread of HIV/AIDS crosses state and national borders. Investing in global health is essential for humanitarian, economic and national security reasons. Strengthen investments and innovation in programs including PEPFAR and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria to improve women's health and the fight against AIDS worldwide.*Summary*Thirty years since the emergence of HIV in America, there are hopeful signs in recent years suggesting that the number of new infections is declining among women in the United States. To sustain this promising trend, continuing efforts to address the epidemic's impact on women, particularly women of color, are needed. For all too long, women's health had been neglected in research, in clinical settings, and in public policy. The intensified national focus on women and girls that began two decades ago in our country's domestic and foreign policy agendas including in the conduct of medical research and the provision of health services are not only critical steps towards empowering women, reducing their risk of HIV infection, and supporting women living with HIV and AIDS -- they are also critical steps towards increased prosperity and health for all people in the U.S. and worldwide.For more information about HIV/AIDS, please visit amfar.org and AIDS.gov.Rear Admiral Susan Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.A. (ret.) is the Public Health Editor of The Huffington Post. She is the Senior Policy and Medical Advisor at amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research in Washington, D.C. and also a Clinical Professor at Tufts and Georgetown University Schools of Medicine. Dr. Blumenthal served for more than 20 years in senior health leadership positions in the federal government in the Administrations of four U.S. Presidents including as Assistant Surgeon General of the United States, the first Deputy Assistant Secretary of Women's Health, and as Senior Global Health Advisor in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She also served as a White House advisor on health. Prior to these positions, Dr. Blumenthal was Chief of the Behavioral Medicine and Basic Prevention Research Branch and Chair of the Health and Behavior Coordinating Committee at the National Institutes of Health. She has chaired numerous national and global commissions and conferences and is the author of many scientific publications. Admiral Blumenthal has received numerous awards including honorary doctorates and has been decorated with the highest medals of the U.S. Public Health Service for her pioneering leadership and significant contributions to advancing health in the United States and worldwide. Named by the New York Times, the National Library of Medicine and the Medical Herald as one of the most influential women in medicine, Dr. Blumenthal was named the 2009 Health Leader of the Year by the Commissioned Officers Association and as a Rock Star of Science by the Geoffrey Beene Foundation. She is the recipient of the Rosalind Franklin Centennial Life in Discovery Award. Her work has included a focus on HIV/AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic in the early 1980s.Negar Avaregan, M.P.H. serves as an Allan Rosenfield Public Policy Fellow with amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research in Washington, D.C. Negar earned her Master of Public Health degree from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University and her B.A. from UCLA in International Development Studies.
References:
[1] "Women and HIV/AIDS in the United States." HIV/AIDS Policy. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Mar. 2013. Web. Feb. 2014. .[2] "HIV Among Women." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24 Apr. 2013. Web. Feb. 2014. .[3] "HIV Among Youth in the US." Centers for Disease Control Vital Signs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 08 Jan. 2013. Web. Feb. 2014. .[4] CDC. HiV Surveillance Supplemental Report, Vol. 17, No. 4; December 2012. Data are estimates and do not include U.S. dependent areas.[5] Hall HI et al. "Estimation of HIV Incidence in the United States." JAMA, Vol. 300, No. 5; August 2008.[6] "Inclusion of Women and Minorities In Clinical Research." NIH Office of Research on Women's Health. The National Institute of Health, 13 May 2013. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. .[7] Olufs, Cathy. "The AIDS Time Line." TheBody.com. Women Alive, Spring 2001. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. .[8] Roe, Joanna D. "Women's Interagency HIV Study, NIAID, NIH." Division of AIDS (DAIDS). National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases, 31 Jan. 2012. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. .[9] Cummins JE, Dezzutti CS. Sexual HIV-1 Transmission and Mucosal Defense Mechanisms.AIDS Rev. 2000; 2: 144-154.[10] Shattock R. Sexual Trauma and the Female Genital Tract. In Women Sexual Violence and HIV. amfAR Symposium. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 2005; 7-8.[11] Goodreau SM, Cassels S, Kasprzyk D, Montaño DE, Greek A, Morris M (2012). Concurrent partnerships, acute infection and HIV epidemic dynamics among young adults in Zimbabwe. J AIDS and Behavior. February; doi: 10.1007/s10461-010-9858-x, .[12] Gupta GR, Weiss E. Women's lives and sex: implications for AIDS prevention. Cult Med Psychiatry. 1993 Dec;17(4):399-12.[13] The World Bank. (2002). Education and HIV/AIDS: A window of hope. (page xvii) Available online at http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EDUCATION/Resources/278200-1099079877269/547664-1099080042112/Edu_HIVAIDS_window_hope.pdf. (date last accessed: )[14] "Educational Attainment in the United States: 2013 - Detailed Tables." Educational Attainment. United States Census, 2013. Web. 21 Feb. 2014. .[15] The United States Census Bureau. (2012). The 2012 statistical abstract. The national data book: Education. (Table 230: Educational Attainment by Race, Hispanic Origin, and Sex) Available online at http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0230.pdf.[16] HIV Among Pregnant Women, Infants, and Children. Rep. no. Fact Sheet. Centers for Disease Control. Web. June 2014. .[17] "Strategy for an AIDS-Free Generation." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 27 Nov. 2013. Web. June 2014. .[18] HIV Among Pregnant Women, Infants, and Children. Rep. no. Fact Sheet. Centers for Disease Control. Web. June 2014. [19] Recommendations for Use of Antiretroviral Drugs in Pregnant HIV-1-Infected Women for Maternal Health and Interventions to Reduce Perinatal HIV Transmission in the United States. Rep. AIDSinfo, 28 Mar. 2014. Web. June 2014. .[20] CDC. HIV in the United States: The States of Care; July 2012[21] The White House Office of National AIDS Policy. (2010). National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States. (page 8-9) Available online at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/NHAS.pdf.[22] The White House Office of National AIDS Policy. (2010). National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States. (page 21-29) Available online at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/NHAS.pdf[23] Kenney, Genevieve M., Stephen Zuckerman, Lisa Dubay, Michael Huntress, Victoria Lynch, Jennifer Haley, and Nathaniel Anderson. Opting in to the Medicaid Expansion under the ACA: Who Are the Uninsured Adults Who Could Gain Health Insurance Coverage? -Timely Analysis of Immediate Health Policy Issues. Rep. N.p.: n.p., 2012. Print.[24]HealthCare.gov. (2012). Women and the Affordable Care Act. Available online at http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2011/08/women.html.[25] HealthCare.gov. (31 July 2012). Newsroom: Affordable Care Act rules on expanding access to preventive services for women. Available online at http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2011/08/womensprevention08012011a.html.[26] Cuellar, A., Simmons, A., & Finegold, K. for the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, HHS. (2012). Research brief: The Affordable Care Act and women. (page 6) Available online at http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2012/ACA&Women/rb.pdf.[27] Wagner, Zachary, Yanyu Wu, and Neeraj Sood. "The Affordable Care Act May Increase The Number Of People Getting Tested For HIV By Nearly 500,000 By 2017."Health Affairs 33.3 (2014): 378-85. Web. Mar. 2014.[28] "What Works for Women and Girls: Evidence for HIV/AIDS Interventions." What Works for Women. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2014. .[29] Blumenthal, Susan, and Negar Avaregan. "America Without HIV/AIDS in Women: A Wish for This National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day." Editorial. Huffington Post 10 Mar. 2014: Print.[30] Blumenthal, Susan. "Women's Health: Decades Later, What's Still Neglected." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 08 Mar. 2011. Web. Mar. 2014.[31] Blumenthal, M.D. Susan. "Making AIDS History: Achieving an HIV-Free Generation." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 23 July 2012. Web. Mar. 2014.[32] Valenti, S.E., Szpunar, S.M., Saravolatz, L.D., & Johnson, L.B. (2012). Routine HIV testing in primary care clinics: a study evaluating patient and provider acceptance. The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 23(1), 87-91.[33] Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). Rep. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19 May 2014. Web. June 2014. .[34] Goldman, Dana, Timothy Juday, Mark T. Linthicum, Lisa Rosenblatt, and Daniel Seekins. "The Prospect Of A Generation Free Of HIV May Be Within Reach If The Right Policy Decisions Are Made." Health Affairs 33.3 (2014): 428-33. Web. Mar. 2014. Reported by Huffington Post 21 hours ago.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care has selected NutriSavings as its nutrition partner, becoming the first health insurance company in the U.S. to deploy the rewards-based nutrition program. Harvard Pilgrim will offer NutriSavings as a wellness benefit to its members in Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire.

Newton, MA (PRWEB) June 20, 2014

Harvard Pilgrim subscribers who enroll in NutriSavings will earn financial rewards based on their healthy grocery purchases, and will access digital tools to improve their nutritional IQ and enhance their grocery shopping experience. Harvard Pilgrim rolled out NutriSavings under the brand EatRight RewardsSM in a pilot to their employees. The pilot measured the current shopping habits of employees along with the effect incentives had on purchase behavior. Harvard Pilgrim was recently approved by insurance regulators in Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, to roll out the program to members.

“The costs of obesity and other chronic diseases associated with poor nutrition are staggering to both employees and employers,” said Gerard Bridi, NutriSavings' CEO. “NutriSavings believes in the power of better nutrition to improve health, boost productivity and reduce employee absenteeism. We are pleased to see high employee engagement levels at Harvard Pilgrim and attribute this to the fact that grocery shopping is universal and a necessity. Nutrition touches people each and every day – at work and at the dinner table.”

More than 70% of healthcare expenses stem from obesity-related chronic illnesses. In the United States, where medical coverage is provided by employers, this represents an estimated cost of $850 per employee per month. NutriSavings addresses this epidemic by educating and incentivizing employees to eat healthier.

Several measures were used to determine pilot program success including employee engagement and shopping basket score change over time. Employee engagement is measured by tracking the number of employees who enroll their supermarket loyalty cards and use it while grocery shopping. More than one-third of Harvard Pilgrim employees participated in the pilot program, recording more than 4,000 shopping trips. More than 65% of their shopping trips registered average shopping basket nutritional scores of 60 or higher on a scale of 1 to 100 with 100 as the best. The average shopping basket score nationally has been calculated at between 30 and 45.

“We are thrilled to see that Harvard Pilgrim employees are making healthier choices,” said Niraj Jetly, NutriSavings SVP, COO/CIO. “The universality of the grocery shopping experience is evident from the fact that we are seeing higher levels of engagement for employees in the age groups of 31 and above.”

NutriSavings created the first online ecosystem where produce growers, employers, health plans, wellness organizations, and food and beverage companies join forces to get employees healthy. Harvard Pilgrim’s EatRight Rewards RewardsSM members and their families have access to exclusive e-discounts on healthy foods, offered by major food and beverage companies. On their desktop, tablet or smartphone, participants also have online access to nutrition panels, ingredient lists, and nutritional scores on more than 100,000 products, along with healthy recipes and practical tips from nutritionists and dietitians, which they can share with others.

“What better way to encourage people to eat well than to put money in their pockets for choosing healthy foods,” said Eric H. Schultz, President and CEO of Harvard Pilgrim. “We want our employees and members to lead happy, healthy lives and good nutrition plays an important role in making that happen. Eating healthy can lead to weight loss and reductions in cholesterol, blood pressure and sugar levels. These factors help to lower overall health insurance costs.”

A study of US businesses conducted in 2013 by the National Business Group on Health (NGBH) revealed an increase in spending on programs to promote balanced nutrition and regular physical exercise. This year, approximately 95% of American companies plan to set up incentive programs, and expect to spend $594 per employee per year on average, or more than twice as much as in 2009. NutriSavings partners with large employers and health plans to deliver incentive-based nutrition programs that educate employees on better nutrition and reward them for buying healthy food products.

Sources: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mercer, Fidelity & National Business Group on Health

About NutriSavings

NutriSavings is an online ecosystem where employers, health plans, food and beverage companies, and produce growers, join forces to get employees healthy. We are on a mission to improve the health of the U.S. workforce and reduce the enormous costs associated with obesity and other chronic diseases through better nutrition. NutriSavings is the first measurable nutrition benefit solution that is designed to change shopping behavior and incentivize healthy food purchases. Our solution is integrated with the nation’s largest supermarket chains, enabling participants to see their grocery basket nutritional score in near real-time. NutriSavings is a joint-venture between Edenred, the world leader in employee benefits, and SavingStar, the only national fully digital grocery savings service in the U.S.

About Edenred
Edenred, which invented the Ticket Restaurant® meal voucher and is the world leader in prepaid corporate services, designs and manages solutions that improve the efficiency of organizations and purchasing power to individuals.

By ensuring that allocated funds are used specifically as intended, these solutions enable companies to more effectively manage their:· Employee benefits (Ticket Restaurant®, Ticket Alimentación, Ticket CESU, Childcare Vouchers, etc.)
· Expense management process (Ticket Car, Ticket Clean Way, Repom, etc.)
· Incentive and rewards programs (Ticket Compliments, Ticket Kadéos, etc.)

The Group also supports public institutions in managing their social programs.

Edenred operates in 41 countries, with more than 6,000 employees, nearly 640,000 companies and public sector clients, 1.4 million affiliated merchants and 40 million beneficiaries. In 2013, total issue volume amounted to $17.5 billion, of which almost 60% was generated in emerging markets.

Ticket Restaurant® and all other tradenames of Edenred products and services are registered trademarks of Edenred SA.

About Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care is a not-for-profit health plan serving more than one million members in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. It provides innovative approaches to health improvement and disease management, unique online tools that speed and simplify key transactions for employers and providers and personalized health support. Please visit http://www.harvardpilgrim.org. Harvard Pilgrim is the #1 private health plan in America according to an annual ranking of the nation’s best health plans by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).*

*NCQA’s Private Health Insurance Plan Rankings, 2013-14, HMO/POS. S. Reported by PRWeb 21 hours ago.

Insurers are moving toward tiered offerings, with rewards in the form of better or cheaper coverage for healthier behavior. Reported by NYTimes.com 20 hours ago.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, the state’s largest health insurer, launched a private health insurance exchange, giving companies with more than 50 employees another option in seeking to meet new federal guidelines. Called BlueBenefits Center, employers can send their employees to the exchange, which opens up a broad set of health insurance options, with a wide range of premium, coverage and co-pay options. Typically, company human resource departments, particularly for smaller… Reported by bizjournals 20 hours ago.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Friday announced the creation of a new chief executive position to oversee operations of the federal Obamacare marketplace that provides private health insurance to consumers in 36 U.S. states. Reported by Reuters 20 hours ago.

Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell announced a series of management changes Friday intended to consolidate responsibilities for the operations of the federal health insurance marketplace — something critics have urged since the troubled rollout of HealthCare.gov last year. Reported by Washington Post 19 hours ago.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, the state’s largest health insurer, has launched a private health insurance exchange, giving companies with more than 50 employees another option for meeting new federal guidelines. The exchange is called the BlueBenefits Center. Employers can send their employees to the exchange, which opens up a broad set of health-insurance options with a wide range of premium, coverage and co-pay levels. Typically, company human-resources departments, particularly… Reported by bizjournals 19 hours ago.

- In her first major management shakeup since becoming U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, Sylvia Mathews Burwell on Friday announced the creation of three new administrative positions, including a Marketplace CEO to run HealthCare.gov, the federal health insurance exchange used by 36 states. Reported by Miami Herald 17 hours ago.

State officials are checking to see if Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of California violated state law by creating overly narrow, hard-to-use Obamacare networks on the Covered California exchange and elsewhere in the individual health insurance marketplace. The Department of Managed Health Care has started "non-routine surveys" of provider networks that Anthem and Blue Shield offer to the individual market, Shelley Rouillard, the agency's director, said in a Friday afternoon statement to the… Reported by bizjournals 15 hours ago.

Lately not a day goes by without new reports of an escalating drug-overdose crisis in New York. Overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death, touching every community in the state. But solutions to this problem are in reach. In response, this week Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a package of legislation that seeks to address the issue, including reforming health insurance to make sure that people are not denied coverage for drug treatment. I applaud this approach by our state's leadership.

However, not mentioned during the press conference is a major bill that will immediately save lives by preventing overdose deaths from heroin and prescription opioids, which unanimously passed the New York legislature more than a month ago and now awaits Gov. Cuomo's signature.

The bill builds on 10 years of work in New York to distribute an antidote medication called naloxone (also known as Narcan) to people likely to witness an overdose, especially people who use drugs themselves, as well as to friends and family members. Easy to administer, fast-acting, and non-toxic, naloxone temporarily blocks opioids like heroin or OxyContin, allowing someone suffering from an overdose to begin breathing again. Scientific research has found that in locations with high-coverage naloxone distribution, heroin deaths have fallen by as much as 50 percent.

If signed into law, doctors would be allowed to issue "non-patient specific orders" to healthcare workers and pharmacists to distribute naloxone without themselves having to be present to write a prescription. It's especially needed in suburban and rural communities where there are fewer resources for overdose prevention and a limited number of doctors prescribing naloxone. Similar laws have been adopted in other states, including California, Massachusetts, and North Carolina.

My boots will be among the first on the ground putting this into practice in New York. As a member of VOCAL-NY, a grassroots advocacy group, and co-leader of a citywide network of people who use drugs, the new policy would deputize us to dispense naloxone kits when and where needed, along with overdose-prevention education and first-aid training. For me this is about giving back to the community after coming through my own struggles and learning how to save lives myself. And on a practical level, peer-led training and naloxone distribution will increase coverage of these services and bring skills and tools closer to those who are at risk of overdose.

Recently, a fellow peer outreach worker told me about her experience reversing an overdose in her own home. Her first instinct was to turn around and run before she realized she had been trained and had an overdose-prevention kit. She fumbled through the steps -- it was her first time -- but she did it. When I asked her if she would do it again, she said she would jump into it without hesitation. It's not just groups like mine that feel this way: Naloxone access has been endorsed by the American Medical Association, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and many others.

Naloxone won't stop the overdose epidemic on its own. Many factors contribute to overdose deaths: intense stigma surrounding drug use, criminalization of people who use drugs, and lack of access to drug treatment, housing, and employment. We need broad political and community leadership to address these issues in order to make New York a healthier, safer place.

Meanwhile, drug use is here, has been here, and will continue to be here. We cannot arrest our way out of problems related to drug use, but we can help people stay alive and healthy and make sure we are there for them to support any positive change. I urge Gov. Cuomo to sign this legislation immediately and help us send the message that New York values the lives of people who use drugs. Reported by Huffington Post 14 hours ago.

NDB now offers industry leading HIPAA security audits and regulatory compliance assessment services for Covered Entities (CE) and Business Associates (BA) in South Florida, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and other surrounding areas. With the passing of the Final Omnibus Ruling in January, 2013, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act now has increased regulatory compliance powers, those that come with large penalties and costly fines.

Miami, FL (PRWEB) June 20, 2014

NDB Accountants & Consultants (NDB) now offers industry leading HIPAA security audits and regulatory compliance assessment services for Covered Entities (CE) and Business Associates (BA) in South Florida, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and other surrounding areas.

With the passing of the Final Omnibus Ruling in January, 2013, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act now has increased regulatory compliance powers, those that come with large penalties and costly fines. It means that now’s the time for South Florida healthcare providers to get serious about ensuring the safety and security of Protected Health Information (PHI), and the proven and trusted HIPAA security experts at NDB are ready and willing to help.

NDB has years of regulatory compliance and HIPAA specific expertise and can help develop all mandated information security and operational specific policies, procedures and processes as mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. More specifically, NDB can assist in implementing necessary controls and drafting all information security policy documents for the HIPAA Security Rule and Privacy Rule provisions.

The HPAA security audits and assessment services for South Florida businesses offered exclusively by NDB include an in-depth HIPAA Policy Packet, along with essential security awareness training documentation, forms, checklists, and more. Trust the experts at NDB for South Florida HIPAA compliance by calling NDB’s healthcare and cyber security expert Charles Denyer today at 1-800-277-5415, ext. 705, or via email at cdenyer(at)ndbcpa.com. Reported by PRWeb 12 hours ago.

Today, we're going to have a special edition of the talking points, where we get to know a Montana politician who seems to be seriously considering taking on Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016. But before we do so, it was a busy week otherwise, so let's just dive right into it. First, a look at what's going with Republicans.

Three separate Republican scandals were in the news this week, as Wisconsin governor Scott Walker was accused of running a criminal scheme out of his office, Congressman Don Young of Alaska was dinged by the House Ethics Committee for airplane rides he should have paid for himself, and prosecutors seem to be closing in on New Jersey governor Chris Christie. But even with all of that going on, the most shocking thing a Republican did wasn't actually a scandal per se, merely scandalous.

Thad Cochran faces a runoff election next week to be the Republican nominee for the Senate seat he now holds. It is expected to be a tight race. Cochran is out there fighting for every vote -- even the bestiality vote. Yes, you read that right. Here he is, addressing a rural Mississippi audience:



I grew up coming down here for Christmas. My father's family was here. My mother's family was from rural Hinds County in Utica. It was fun, it was an adventure to be out there in the country and to see what goes on. Picking up pecans -- from that to all kinds of indecent things with animals. And I know some of you know what that is.



Hoo boy. Not much more you can say about that one, is there?

There was news from the Washington Post this week, but not in the ordinary way. Two Post writers made some news of their own, as Dana Milbank annoyed righties by pointing out just how intolerant a recent righty gathering was. Meanwhile, George Will was yanked from a newspaper his column has been running in, for a column he wrote a few weeks ago where he took a rather bizarre position on campus sexual assault.

The news media (at least the televised portion) showed without a shadow of a doubt that they have not learned one single lesson from their coverage in the run-up to the Iraq war. I mean, even Glenn Beck (of all people) now admits that "liberals were right" about going in to Iraq, but the producers of teevee news have yet to realize this, it appears. Last Sunday morning, by my count, the broadcast political interview shows (on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox) had a total of nine Republicans on, which was "balanced" by two Democrats. The likely reason for this is that people like John McCain can be reliably counted upon to rant and rave, which the producers feel makes for "good television."

This trend continued during the week, as pretty much everyone who got Iraq fundamentally and tragically wrong before we invaded was invited to share their views about what to do now. In what universe is this any way to run the news: "Let's see... who should we ask what to do now... Oh, hey, I know -- how about all the people who got it wrong last time around?"

At least Megyn Kelley (on Fox News, of all places) realized that interviewing Dick Cheney involved quite a bit of tossing reality down the memory hole, as she asked him, point-blank:



Time and time again, history has proven that you got it wrong as well in Iraq, sir. You said there was no doubt Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. You said we would be greeted as liberators, you said the Iraq insurgency was in the last throes, back in 2005, and you said that after our intervention extremists would have to 'rethink their strategy of jihad.' Now, with almost $1 trillion spent there, with almost 4,500 American lives lost there, what do you say to those who say you were so wrong about so much at the expense of so many?



Sadly, most of the rest of the media were unaware of the ironies involved. Why else would Paul Bremer be interviewed on CNN? Or Paul Wolfowitz invited on air to share his flawed worldview once again? Huffington Post had some fun with this, suggesting proper captioning for these guests, to inform the viewers. Hey, people who book guests for news shows, here's a crazy idea: why not invite on the air the people who were right about the desirability of invading Iraq to share their views of the current situation? I'd love to hear what Dennis Kucinich thinks about things, for instance. Or Vice President Biden (more on this in a moment), for that matter.

Let's see, what else? Hard data is coming in on Obamacare, and most of the numbers are good -- much better than the naysayers had predicted. The media largely ignored this news, however.

Approval ratings for Congress have sunk even lower, but as the Washington Post points out, that doesn't mean most of them won't get re-elected.

The Washington football team (which we have taken to calling the Washington Racist Slurs) lost their trademark in court because of its offensive nature, but the team expects to win on appeal (as it did the previous time it lost its trademark), so stay tuned. In a related item, Republican ex-congresscritter Joe Walsh (remember him?) lost his radio job when he had a hard time understanding which racism is acceptable and which isn't on the airwaves.

Democrats in the Senate are trying to expand overtime pay for millions of Americans, but the media largely ignored this development. President Obama got some judges confirmed, which made a bit of history, but the media also ignored this story as well.

In marijuana news, New York is poised to become the 23rd state to legalize medical marijuana (although with serious restrictions). Just two more states and half the country will have gotten on board! The Senate is debating a few moves on drug laws, both considering changing the law which currently bars any marijuana user (even in a state where medical marijuana is legal) from owning guns, and also taking up the idea the House already passed which would zero out the Justice Department's budget for targeting any legal medical marijuana business or user (in states where it has been legalized). However, not everyone is cheering legal marijuana, as the Pope "just said no" (we just couldn't resist that one).

And finally, in the "you just can't make this stuff up, folks" department, it was revealed this week that the C.I.A. considered a propaganda effort to create a "demon toy" of Osama Bin Laden, to scare children in Muslim countries. The plan was ultimately nixed, but the photos are worth checking out. Your tax dollars at work!

 

Governor Terry McAuliffe of Virginia is fighting hard to get the Medicaid expansion to his state, and this week he used his line-item veto in this struggle, for which he deserves at least an *Honorable Mention*. He's got a long fight ahead of him, and victory is by no means assured -- but he might just go ahead and do it on his own, without getting the legislature to act. So stay tuned, this fight may become a bigger issue as we get closer to November's election.

But our *Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week* this week is being awarded for actions taken in the past. Way back in 2006, two men created a plan for a political solution in Iraq. One of them was a senator, and he pushed the plan as hard as he could -- to no avail, unfortunately. But this week, with the developing situation in Iraq, a whole bunch of people began talking about this plan once again, because it might have avoided what is now happening. I wrote an entire article on the subject on Wednesday, and I titled it: "Biden Was Right."

Vice President Joe Biden certainly deserves some credit, even if it is eight years late, for championing the idea to divide Iraq into three federated states. This is happening right now in Iraq (in a de facto sort of way, rather than Biden's de jure plan), which is why so much attention is now being paid to what Biden was urging back then. If Biden's plan had been adopted, it might have avoided a whole lot of bloodshed and it certainly would have avoided wasting eight years in the meantime.

Which is why, belated though it is, Joe Biden deserves the attention his plan is now getting, and he certainly also deserves our *Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week* award.

[Congratulate Vice President Joe Biden via the White House contact page, to let him know you appreciate his efforts.]

 

This is going to sound a little rough, since we are about to turn over the talking points section to him, but the *Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week* this week was former governor of Montana Brian Schweitzer.

Two of the quotes we're using below fall into the "not ready for prime time" category in politics. Schweitzer's public persona is one of "straight-talkin', rough-edged politician," which can indeed do wonders, especially for a man genuinely from cowboy country (unlike, say, Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush). But at times this can slip very quickly into comments that sink candidacies, as others (mostly Tea Partiers, but not exclusively) have found in recent years. While neither one of the quotes below would absolutely disqualify Schweitzer from a run at the presidency, one has to wonder what else will pop out of his mouth out on the campaign trail.

So we're awarding this week's *MDDOTW* to Brian Schweitzer in a very cautionary manner. If he really is serious about a national campaign, he's got to learn to phrase things a little better.

[Brian Schweitzer is currently a private citizen and has not announced as a candidate, so our policy is not to provide contact information, sorry.]

 

*Volume 309* (6/20/14)

Brian Schweitzer made a splash in the news this week, with two lengthy articles written about him and his obvious desire to challenge Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. Like many, I hadn't seen or heard Schweitzer much, although I have been aware of his ambitions ever since he declined to run for Senate to replace Max Baucus (a race he would have likely won, and one which will also likely now fall to the Republicans since he didn't run).

Schweitzer could be called a "mountain state Democrat," meaning his views on subjects like guns are not going to be the same as coastal Democrats. But he's a savvy politician who knows the value of political theater. As governor, he once gave a news conference where he used hot irons to "brand" Republican bills (bills he called "bat-crap crazy") with the word "VETO," and he won his first campaign in part by busing senior citizens across the border to Canada to buy cheap prescription drugs.

But since Hillary Clinton has gotten a huge amount of press recently, we thought it was worth examining Brian Schweitzer, in his own words, to present another possible candidate for 2016. These quotes are all from a lengthy article in the National Journal and an interview Schweitzer recently gave to Salon. There were plenty of quotable moments in both articles (including some digs at fellow Democrat and fellow Montanan Max Baucus), so we suggest you read them in full to learn more about who Schweitzer is and what he thinks of the future. The excerpts below contain the two worst things he said, and what we felt were the five best things he said. The press reaction (what there was of it) mostly focused on the first two quotes, it should be mentioned.

 *   Maybe that's the wrong metaphor*Schweitzer was asked about the National Security Agency spying, and about what we should do with Edward Snowden. The gaffe came after Schweitzer talked in general on the subject:



If you believe that a politician wouldn't use information gained on citizens to their political benefit, then you are extremely naive. Because they always have, and they will now. Simply stated, we have liberties in this country that no other people on the planet have, individual liberties. What about the generals in the N.S.A. that knew that they were violating our civil rights? What are we doing about that?



What made the news, though, was his reaction to Senator Dianne Feinstein, who had just (when the National Journal interview took place) taken to the Senate floor to denounce N.S.A. spying on Senate staffers. Of Feinstein, Schweitzer said:



She was the woman who was standing under the streetlight with her dress pulled all the way up over her knees, and now she says "I'm a nun" when it comes to this spying! I mean, maybe that's the wrong metaphor -- but she was all in!



 *   How to write off the South*Democrats aren't exactly strong in the South these days, but this one quote may kill any chance of changing that (for Schweitzer, at least). This one also came from the National Journal article, as a non-sequitur added from a later interview, after the news of Eric Cantor's primary loss broke:



Don't hold this against me, but I'm going to blurt it out. How do I say this... men in the South, they are a little effeminate. They just have effeminate mannerisms. If you were just a regular person, you turned on the TV, and you saw Eric Cantor talking, I would say -- and I'm fine with gay people, that's all right -- but my gaydar is 60-70 percent. But he's not, I think, so I don't know. Again, I couldn't care less. I'm accepting.



 *   If a bus ran over a congressman...*Moving on to the positive things Schweitzer had to say, here is the reason he wasn't interested in running for Congress:



Congress is a miserable place. If a bus ran over a senator or a congressman tomorrow, we wouldn't even miss them. Because all they have is [one] vote [out of 100 or 435]. They don't get to run anything. They sit around and wait until the train starts leaving the station, and if it looks like the wheels are moving a little bit fast, they start moving quickly to get on the train and issue a press release: "I am now a cosponsor of the train that was heading east!"



 *   You were so wrong*Schweitzer is outspoken on the Iraq war, how we got into it, and the fact that the media is now fawning over the people who got it wrong back then.



I don't want to hear revision [sic] history from Lindsey Graham or George Bush people or Wolfowitz or Perle. I don't want to hear anybody who supported going into Iraq saying, "Oh, well, gee, if only we would've stayed there longer..." You've lost your right to give me an opinion because you were so wrong and so many people lost their lives.

I'm passionate about this. The second day I was governor of Montana, I got in a Blackhawk helicopter and I went to my first funeral for a young man who came back dead [from Iraq]. The day that I was sworn in, I had no idea that I would be governor during the longest period of war in the history of the state. I had no idea that I would go to more of these funerals than any governor in the history of Montana. And at every single one of them I seethed with anger -- anger at those people in Washington, D.C., who decided to send these people to their deaths, and maimed people. Because it was a false mission from the beginning... I looked around during these funerals, and I saw the grieving families, and I hugged the grieving mothers, and I did everything I could do to comfort them. I didn't see those [pro-war] senators. I didn't see those people at the Department of Defense who sent them [to Iraq]. I didn't see them at those funerals, helping those families get back on their feet.

. . .

To have been so wrong so recently about a thing and a place -- and now offering opinions on the same place -- I think you've lost your credibility. Here's the way I see it: If somebody lights fire to your barn and all your livestock get out, they don't get to complain because the livestock are eating their corn. They burned the barn down!



 *   Who cares?*Schweitzer can sound a lot like Rand Paul, when discussing foreign affairs. He draws on his own experience, since he spent a year working in Libya in 1980, and then more time doing his own contracting in Saudi Arabia (Schweitzer's first career was as a soil engineer).



I saw the world. You don't even know anybody else who lived in the Middle East for seven years. You don't know anybody else who went there without speaking a single word of Arabic and learned it and started his own business and did business in Arabic in the most closed society in the Middle East. I did business directly with princes, sheiks, royal family, and built huge, huge projects there.



This, according to the article, left him with the impression that the United States should not act as the world's police force. The following is an earlier quote, given to Dave Weigel for a Slate article. When asked about the future in Afghanistan, this was Schweitzer's reaction:



If it all goes to hell in a handbasket, that's fine. That happened after Alexander the Great left; that happened after the Russians left. Who cares? They live in the Stone Age.



 *   How to speak Republicanese*Schweitzer was also in the news recently because he attended an event put on by Mitt Romney, which featured mostly Republican presidential contenders. He explains how Democrats should have sold the single-payer idea, using language his audience can relate to:



I said to them, "As I look around the room, raise your hand if you are a director or a major shareholder of a corporation with more than $2 billion market cap." Lots and lots of hands went up.... From $2 billion and above, almost all of them are self-insured when it comes to health insurance. Nearly every state, including Montana and most every state that you come from, we are self-insured for our employees when it comes to healthcare. Since most of the corporations in America figured out that you don't want to give 15-20 percent of your healthcare dollars away to health insurance companies, and most of the states have figured that out, did it surprise you that when the federal government decided to expand healthcare to people who didn't already have it, that we turned to the insurance companies and gave them 20 percent? Didn't that strike you as odd, that all the corporations and states have figured it out but the federal government couldn't?



 *   Free trade, except for the drug companies*How to speak Republicanese, part two. Speaking further about the Romney gathering, Schweitzer rips into the prescription drug companies and the carve-out they got in all the free trade mania.



I don't think there was anybody in the room [at the Romney event] that voted for Democrats. But as I was explaining the single-payer system to them in that way, they were nodding their heads. And then I said to them, back in the '90s when most of you in the room thought it was a good idea to have free trade all over the world... I was in Montana and I was raising cattle and wheat and barley and other crops and [said,] "Oh, my God! If that border was going to open from Saskatchewan and Alberta and all that cheap grain and all those cheap cattle were going to flow across the border, I may lose my farm." But nobody was listening to me because I was told that I needed to become more efficient, that free trade would create efficiencies, and if you find that on your farm you can't grow wheat as inexpensively as they can in Alberta or Saskatchewan, then you would switch crops. You'll find something. That's the order. That's free trade. So you all clapped your hands and got free trade passed. But why did you allow the pharmaceutical industry to carve themselves out so that everything made in Canada and the United States could freely move back and forth except one thing: pharmaceuticals? So now in Canada, like the rest of the industrialized world, they pay a third or even 10 percent of what we do for medicine, and you did nothing about it....

As I looked around the room in the eyes of these people who wouldn't necessarily agree with me on anything, I [had] just described what we got wrong in the healthcare bill and how we can fix it, and I wasn't seeing people who were disagreeing with me. There was one. He worked for a pharmaceutical company.... He chewed my ass afterwards. But for the most part the rest of them didn't. I said to this guy as he was chewing my ass, "I thought you were a capitalist. I thought you, being a capitalist, you would agree with all those other people who told me that if I went out of business raising wheat because somebody could raise it cheaper, that that was just the way it works with free trade. Apparently you're not a capitalist, or you're just a crony capitalist. I'm not sure."



 

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  Reported by Huffington Post 11 hours ago.