- Show live from KTLK AM1150, Los Angeles.
- "Brunch with Bernie" with Senator Bernie Sanders, Independent of Vermont. He's on the Health Care and Education committee. Health care. Supply of oil is high, demand down, so why are prices up? Kerry's 10 year trigger? We're back up to 10 Democrats not favoring the pubic option. On Wednesday Thom was asked something like, "If the House passes single payer or the public option, but the Senate does not have the votes for them because of the blue dog Democrats and passes a version with little or no public option, and it comes out of conference and goes back to Senate with a good option in, how many votes will be needed?"He thinks 50 to pass a conference report, but they can wreak havoc getting it to a vote, for example filibustering the names of the conferees, if they want to stop it happening. His amendment to the tourism bill wanting to go after excessive speculation of oil futures, which affects gas prices and tourism. The Republicans refused to let the whole bill come to the floor. 1300 private health care companies. Fraud in for-profit insurance, hospitals, suppliers. What Wendell Potter said on the show. Hearing, rescission, acne example. $430 million fine for Pfizer subsidiary, list of others showing systemic fraud.
Single payer vs. public option. The Finance Committee is very conservative, Baucus is trying to make it bipartisan and all the Republicans are against a public option. He is on the Health committee which has strong public plan. The two committees will merge their work and we will see what happens. There is overwhelming public support, it will be a struggle. Russ Feingold said you will not have health care reform without a public option. What about Obama? Would be opposed to something without a public option? He's not seen anything. Obama talked about a strong public plan when campaigning, but has to deal with Max Baucus. People must rally, all 59 Democratic Senators, hopefully 60, should vote for a public option. People are having to work just for health insurance. Have any senators ever gone without insurance or managed with large copays, or been told their claim was denied? Health care rant. It is a political issue. They should have 60 votes for cloture, even if they do not all vote for the bill, Democrats should take responsibility, Baucus should not be negotiating with Republicans.
The Iraq war, why are they not withdrawing contractors? Privatization. Rally tomorrow for single payer in Salem Oregon. Physicians for a National Health Program. 60% of health care costs are met by the taxpayer, sooner or later. To find the money repeal Bush tax cuts. Priorities. We're spending billions in Iraq, etc. We don't have to spend more. It does not ask for money, it does away with waste, profiteering. The Democrats who are not for the public option. Bingaman has flipped. The others are confusing, like Cantwell calling the co-op option a public option. The Senate Finance Committee is tripling the excise on alcohol, which affects small craft breweries but won't affect the big guys. Bernie gets it. Corporate crime crisis. The consumer protection act of 2002 by Paul Wellstone needs reviving.
- Bumper Music: a selection of Michael Jackson songs, for example "Thriller", "Beat It".
- Guest: Christy Harvey, Director of Strategic Communications at the Center for American Progress, MicCheckradio.org. She was in DC with a terrible cold. Daniel Choi the Arabic speaker dismissed under Don't Ask Don't Tell, has his first hearing in front of military Tuesday in Syracuse, NY. Petition for an end to the policy. Michael Jackson's family is saying his death was due to an overdose of Demerol, his doctor has vanished. Cap and trade, Clean Energy Act. 80% of the credits will be given away - Europeans say the should be sold. It's better than nothing. Some support, pass to get momentum for more, break the watershed. Nancy Pelosi is trying to get votes.
The Department of Defense wants no more F22s, nor do the Pentagon or anyone in the military, yet Congress are about to buy some. Obama is questioning. It is a fascinating case study. It was created to fight soviet MIGs, but has parts made in 44 different states. Barney Frank said this fight is the only time the F22 will see combat. The workers should be able to move to other military equipment that can be used. John Cook, Mayor of El Paso, said, "I never mind going to a lynching as long as I'm the guy holding the rope, not wearing it". He said it was supposed to be a joke. How Bush's wars are hurting military families, a Pentagon study found a quarter of kids have serious problems coping, one third dropped grades or showed behavior problems. Not enough has been done to help. Problems, wounds continue after they come back. Michelle Bachman is against the census count, because it can be used for things like the Japanese internment?
- Bumper Music: Don't Cry for me Right Wing Media, Matthew Filipowicz.
- Article: Sanford to Star in Telenovela El Gobernador Caliente, Andy Borowitz.
- Video: Maria Belen Chapur (Shapur?): Mark Sanford's Mistress (Photo, News, Video, Info).
- Thom and other liberal hosts will return to 1480 AM Phoenix KPHX July 6.
- Predatory health care, lawyers between you and your doctor. Keep on calling them and the local Democratic party, and labor councils who have relationships with people like Baucus. Participate, like Thom in Reno on Sunday.
- On Thom's site there is a free live video stream, a free live audio stream, a free live message board and a free chat room where Thom hangs out during the show. There are also podcasts.
- We pay for the military to protect us, fire protection, why not health care protection?
- Video: HAARM.org - Fire Care. SEIU. Foot fire. The Center for Responsive Politics statistics on where they got their money. Check out business vs. labor.
- Tax credits for offshoring.
- It will likely get worse before there is enough pressure to make it better. The Depression brought about FDR but also Mussolini, etc.
- Conservatives want to conserve predatory health care. The Danish conservatives on the show from Denmark would not do away with health care.
- Economic rape of the country. George Bush war criminal. An affiliate in Dallas covers his house. Documents have been released showing that Bush still intended going into Iraq after it was certain there were no WMD.
- Article: Memo confirms Bush and Blair knew claims Iraq had WMDs were lies.
- CEO's money depends on stock prices, as a result of tax change. Stockholder's interest is short term. Their income should be tied to the lowest paid in the corporation. The average CEO had worked his way up in company over decades, their loyalty is to stock price not the company.
- Michael Jackson in 2006 for Earth Day sang a song called "Earth Song". He gave away a lot, had 30 charities. Farrah Fawcett was in a Robert Greenwald movie, "The Burning Bed". Ed McMahon died too.
- Plug-In Vehicle Tracker: What’s Coming, When.
- Save oil for medical uses and plastics. Prop 65 California. Burning it gives cancer, waste. Get transport off oil.
- Article: US man accused of using casket sans cadaver to smuggle marijuana in Dallas.
- What did Tony Blair get out of agreeing to go to war n Iraq? A seat on the Carlisle Group. 15 years ago, Hillary was talking about health care, the battle is with the same old enemies. Thom wants to be another Rush?
- The explosion of obesity down to 3 year olds. Watch Food Inc. Thom suspects high fructose corn syrup. Find out what is causing diseases.
- Article: Miniskirt-Clad Man Looking At Porn At Gym Arrested.
- Control of the media. Seven big insurance companies. Five for media. Too big. The Sherman Anti-Trust Act.
- They are selling oil leases this week.
- Bumper Music: What a Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong. Thanks.
- Member of day was mstaggerlee who won a copy of a DVD of
in which Thom appears, for saying on today's blog,
KEWL! I just went to gravatar.com to add an avatar to accompany my posts here. Then, I came back to do a “test post” to see if it worked, and discovered that I didn’t even need to … my prior posts already display the avatar that I added!
Ain’t it swell when things work better than you expect?
- Thom once asked Tancredo, what legislation have you passed that helps the people not the corporations? Time to ask again?
- Victoria Jones of Talk Radio News. Gibbs was asked why there was no written statement about Michael Jackson. Republicans are upset about the climate change vote today, the Democrats added a 300 page amendment this morning. 217-205 test vote, very close. Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth oppose it. Others are for it. It begins cap and trade, but very weak. It will be a boon to Wall Street.
- On Monday, Thom will confront Peter Ferrara, General Counsel at the American Civil Rights Union who claims the CIA torture memos did not contain approval for the use torture on detainees... Plus Doug Cunningham of Workers Independent News will be here with an update of all the news from the labor front...
