Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Tuesday accused President Obama of attempting to "bully" house Republicans with his press conference Monday demanding that Congress raise the debt ceiling.“This president is deliberately seeking confrontation,” Gingrich told CBS News. “I think he’s going out of his way to bully the House Republicans.”During the press conference, Obama said the threat of default was "irresponsible" and "absurd," demanding that the House GOP extend the debt ceiling independent of negotiations on a comprehensive debt deal.“They will not collect a ransom in exchange for not crashing the American economy,” Obama said. “The full faith and credit of the United States of America is not a bargaining chip.” On Tuesday, Gingrich cautioned his former colleagues that they might not have the political ability to win a fight over the debt ceiling.“I don’t think we should pick fights where we are in a position that we can’t, in fact, in the end, enforce our will, because we have no evidence that Barack Obama’s going to compromise,” Gingrich said. “Nothing he’s done in the last couple of months would imply that he’s going to compromise.”Rather, Gingrich recommended using continuing resolutions and the threat of the automatic sequester, set to be implemented at the end of February."There are dozens of places you can dramatically change spending without having to get involved in a general crisis over the U.S. debt," Gingrich said.View Comments
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Fox News Host Fed Up With GOP Refusal To Offer Specific Debt Ceiling Plan
Tea Party Congressman Steve King (R-IA) appeared on Fox News Tuesday morning to argue in favor of shutting down the federal government and breaching the debt ceiling if President Obama does not agree to drastic spending reductions. “We can start shutting down the appropriations. We can dig in,” King explained. “We must have cuts to go along with any debt increase. They must be substantial. There must be a line.”
But when pressed for specific spending cuts the GOP could support by host Martha MacCallum, King demurred, arguing that any details Republicans offer would simply be attacked as political fotter:
MACCALLUM: I guess what I’m asking for is in terms of a plan, I mean, are you going to put forth something that says, we, the House Republicans believe that this program should be cut, this agency should be cut, these are the spending cuts that we would outline in order to offset the increase in the debt ceiling? We believe that there needs to be cuts and these are what they would be? Are you going to do that?
KING: You know Martha, we’re going to get together this weekend and we’re gona crunch all that out. So I don’t want to presume that there is consensus there I might adhere to. [...]
MACCALLUM: You need to sell that idea to the American people with specifics and with a plan and say we’re the House GOP. Here’s what we would do. Here are the programs we would cut in order to reach parity over the next five years. We may never get this, but we want the American people to understand what we stand for. Is that something we can expect?
KING: Well, Martha, I take your point that we need to sell it with specifics. But you also understand as soon as a specific is put out there, it is attacked by the spending piranhas on the other side.
Watch it:
King’s approach mirrors the tactic of the Republican leadership, which refused to offer spending specifics throughout the debate over the so-called “fiscal cliff,” instead demanding that Democrats detail reductions the GOP might agree to.
Republicans point to the Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) budget as evidence of the cuts they’ve proposed, but that document is not an appropriations bill that specifies where the cuts will come from.
Conservatives Expect Rhode Island To Protect Discrimination Against Same-Sex Marriages
This afternoon, the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee will hold its first hearing on a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. Coalitions have already formed on both sides of the issue with Rhode Islanders United for Marriage supporting equality and the National Organization for Marriage’s Rhode Island for Marriage opposing it. It seems conservatives will not be holding back in their assault on the rights of same-sex couples, as demonstrated by the testimony Alliance Defending Freedom attorney Kellie Fiedorek will offer at today’s meeting:
FIEDOREK: Religious freedom belongs to everyone, not just a handful of people. The government cannot limit constitutionally protected religious liberties in a way that’s foreign to our Constitution. This bill fails to ensure that those liberties of every Rhode Island citizen will be respected. The First Amendment’s guarantee of religious freedom for all Americans is not limited to the four walls of a church.
The OneNewsNow article highlighting Fiedorek’s remarks clarify her intention that justices, judges, court commissioners, business owners, and counselors should all have protections to not recognize same-sex marriages.
Unfortunately, this is a realistic problem for the Rhode Island legislation. When lawmakers attempted to pass marriage equality in 2011, they ended up settling on a civil unions bill with some of the most extreme “religious exemptions” of any similar bill in the country. According to that law, administrators at religion-run schools, hospitals, and businesses can simply refuse to treat civil unions as valid if doing so violates their religious beliefs, essentially making legal recognition of civil unions pointless. Combined with the access and recognition of same-sex marriages from neighboring states, it’s unsurprising that civil unions have been “a complete failure” in the state, with less than 100 couples bothering to get one after the law had been in effect over a year.
Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I), who is eager for the new legislation to pass, issued an executive order last May requiring all state agencies to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. The kind of exemptions ADF is demanding could essentially roll back protections married same-sex couples already enjoy. Fortunately, there is little reason for lawmakers to cave to such inordinate invitations to discriminate, as 56 percent of voters support marriage equality.
ANALYSIS-Drug industry bets on new blockbusters in 2013
* R&D improving as steepest part of patent cliff passes
* Cancer, diabetes, MS, hepatitis drugs in focus in 2013
* Big year for GSK, Roche, Lilly, Biogen, Gilead, Novo
LONDON/NEW YORK, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Drugmakers are betting that a new wave of medicines for cancer, diabetes, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and hepatitis will shape up as tomorrow's blockbusters in the coming 12 months.
With the industry regaining some of its swagger after winning 39 new drug approvals last year - a record only beaten in 1996 - there are signs the improving trend could continue through 2013.
Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, Eli Lilly, Biogen Idec, Gilead Sciences and Novo Nordisk are among those with important new products reaching a critical point in development this year.
The industry needs a winning streak after delivering poor returns for years due to a wave of patent expiries. Now companies are emerging from that patent "cliff" and the balance of losses to new opportunities is improving.
European drugmakers, for example, have the potential to deliver new drugs from 2013 to 2015 with peak annual sales of $64 billion (or $27 billion after adjusting for the risk of failure), while fresh patent losses in the period will be only $12 billion, according to Deutsche Bank estimates.
Simon Friend, global pharmaceutical leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, agrees the picture is improving. But he warns it is still too early to say that drug companies are out of the woods, especially with governments and insurers taking an increasingly tough line on paying for new medicines.
"Productivity is starting to turn the corner - but the other big issue is whether the industry can get the prices it needs for new products," he said.
Still, analysts say interest in the sector from growth funds is now picking up and investors are taking a closer look at drug pipelines - a trend to watch as Johnson & Johnson and Novartis kick off the reporting season next week.
BIOGEN AIMS FOR BEST IN CLASS
A number of key research and development bets on potential multibillion-dollar-a-year products will play out in 2013.
One of the most highly anticipated approvals of the year, likely to come in the first quarter, is for Biogen's multiple sclerosis (MS) drug BG-12.
It will be the third oral MS drug to market after Gilenya from Novartis and Sanofi's Aubagio, but many investors already see it as best in class. That has helped Biogen shares nearly treble over the past three years.
"It's going to be priced very high, it will have a rapid market uptake and it's going to have a timely approval because the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) can't afford to keep a drug like this off the market," said Raghuram Selvaraju, head of healthcare equity research with Aegis Capital.
Doctors treating diabetes are also likely to have new drugs before the year is out, with a new class of medicines that work via the kidneys seen entering the fray.
The SGLT2 inhibitors for type 2 diabetes had a setback when dapagliflozin from AstraZeneca and Bristol-Meyers Squibb was rejected by the FDA over safety concerns.
But Johnson & Johnson is likely to get an FDA green light for its canagliflozin after an expert advisory panel last week recommended its approval, and Morningstar analyst Damien Conover sees a SGLT2 market of around $7 billion by 2020.
Novo Nordisk, meanwhile, is banking on a new ultra long-lasting insulin, Tresiba, to keep it out in front as leader in diabetes care. It also has a major chance in the obesity market, if it can prove its existing medicine liraglutide is safe and effective in weight loss.
The picture should become clear this year for regimens to treat hepatitis C without the need for injections, as closely watched Phase III data from Gilead and Abbvie reveals long-term cure rates for the liver disease.
An all-oral therapy with a high cure rate and low relapse rates would be sure to garner billions in annual sales. Gilead's sofosbuvir, acquired with the $11 billion purchase of Pharmasset, is seen as the clear leader in a crowded race but Abbvie has also had impressive early data for its products.
Cancer - the disease with the highest R&D investment - offers openings for a number of companies, with particular excitement centred on Lilly's ramucirumab, which could be filed to treat gastric cancer this year and has a far bigger commercial potential in breast cancer.
Lilly is a prime example of a pharmaceutical company that has the wind back in its R&D sails. While still facing the daunting December patent expiration of its nearly $5 billion a year antidepressant Cymbalta, Lilly now has 13 drugs in Phase III development - the most at any one time in its history.
Roche's aim to consolidate its position as the leading player in cancer looks within reach in 2013 with approval expected for new breast cancer treatment T-DM1.
The Swiss group may also start to show its promise in neuroscience, with pivotal trial data due in 2013 for bitopertin, a new kind of schizophrenia drug that analysts estimate could generate sales of more than $3 billion a year.
GLAXOSMITHKLINE'S BIG YEAR
GlaxoSmithKline perhaps has the most riding on 2013, with six new drugs submitted for approval in lung disease, diabetes, cancer and HIV, as well as Phase III clinical results due on two high-risk, high-reward projects in heart disease and cancer.
Darapladib, designed to fight clogged arteries in a different way to statins, could, in theory, become a $10 billion-a-year seller, while MAGE-A3 may prove equally revolutionary for lung cancer and melanoma. But in both cases GSK is pushing the scientific boundaries and the chances of success are considered below average.
Drug development still remains a risky business.
Last year's tally of drug approvals was lifted in part by a large number of niche drugs for rare diseases. Success in drugs for common diseases was more elusive, as highlighted by the failure of clinical trials for two experimental Alzheimer's drugs.
"The industry has done a lot to try and improve productivity and has corrected a lot of past mistakes," said Deutsche Bank analyst Richard Parkes, who highlights fewer failures in final Phase III testing as a key measure of success.
"It's too early to say whether this is going to be a sustained break-out from the trend but the efforts that have been put in place should at least improve the efficiency of what is being spent."
(Editing by Peter Graff)
Flu outbreak felt in Ky. hospitals, workplaces
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The statewide flu outbreak has become bad enough to prompt a central Kentucky hospital complex to place temporary restrictions on visiting patients, while health care workers brace for the coming weeks when influenza usually hits its peak.
Responding to a flu level considered widespread in the Bluegrass state, University of Kentucky health care officials said Monday that no one under age 18 would be allowed to visit patients at UK Hospital, Kentucky Children's Hospital and UK Good Samaritan Hospital in Lexington.
Only two visitors will be allowed in a patient's room at one time, and visitors may be told to wear masks, gloves or gowns.
"We understand how important visitation is, but we also want to make sure that we are not introducing other infection ... to the patient as well, and to our health-care workers," said Kim Blanton, UK HealthCare interim director for infection prevention and control.
Exceptions for compassionate visits will be made on a case-by-case basis, officials said.
The flu surge hit Kentucky sooner than usual and its spread is being felt from health clinics to workplaces.
At UPS' worldwide air hub in Louisville, the work force has been hit by sporadic cases of the flu, said company spokesman Jeff Wafford, but illnesses among the approximately 21,000-person work force haven't slowed the processing of packages.
"People are sick and we've seen people out here and there," he said. "We've seen in it the office and out in the hub as well."
Kentucky's level of flu has been widespread for the past five weeks, which is earlier than usual, said Gwenda Bond, a spokeswoman for the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
"We cannot predict whether that level will increase or wane as we move forward," Bond said.
Flu season typically peaks in late January and early February, health officials said.
State health officials said they are not aware of any shortages of flu vaccines, though it's possible that individual doctors might run out of vaccine. Health officials are recommending that everyone 6 months or older receive a flu shot.
"At this time, providers continue to report high, but not overwhelming, demand at hospitals and doctor's offices," Bond said.
In eastern Kentucky, the number of flu cases has dropped in recent days at Harlan ARH hospital, following a spurt in cases about three weeks ago, spokesman Mark Bell said.
"We're expecting in another week or so to get hit by that second wave," he said.
Flu symptoms can include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.
Health officials in northern Kentucky say a man died recently from complications of the flu. State health officials said the victim, who was not identified, suffered from multiple chronic health conditions.
State health officials count only pediatric deaths, and say there have been none so far.
San Diego Mayor Halts Prosecutions Of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
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San Diego Mayor Bob Filner ordered city officials to cease crackdowns of medical marijuana dispensaries Thursday, reiterating his support to “ensuring the people who legitimately need [medical marijuana] for relief of pain are not kept from accessing it.” The city’s police and code compliance officials had been cracking down on the dispensaries for violating city zoning rules, and Filner’s order will halt pending prosecutions against a dozen dispensaries. But about 100 others have already been shuttered by the effort, and the order will not affect those dispensaries.
Although medical marijuana has been legal in California since 1996, the city of San Diego never implemented zoning rules for where dispensaries may locate. Filner told an audience from the city’s chapter of Americans for Safe Access earlier last week that he would work to pass a zoning law, and halted prosecutions pending the proposal of such an ordinance. The order does not affect federal officials’ authority to crack down on dispensaries, as they have in more than 200 cases in San Diego and the surrounding areas, in the continuing federal-state showdown over both medical and recreational marijuana.
Readout of Vice President Biden’s Call with President Pahor of Slovenia
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For Immediate Release January 11, 2013 Readout of Vice President Biden’s Call with President Pahor of SloveniaVice President Biden today spoke to President Borut Pahor of the Republic of Slovenia to congratulate him on his election victory and recent inauguration, and to reinforce the alliance between the United States and Slovenia. The Vice President thanked President Pahor, who had previously served as Prime Minister of Slovenia from 2008-2012, for Slovenia’s significant contributions to international peace and stability, including deployments in NATO missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo. They also discussed a range of other political and economic issues, including Slovenia’s contributions to the broader region’s Euro-Atlantic integration.
Before taking questions from the assembled journalists, the President took a moment to reflect on the past four years, and look ahead to his agenda for the next term, which includes new jobs, new opportunity, and new security for the middle class
January 12, 2013 5:30 AM ESTWeekly Address: Ending the War in Afghanistan and Rebuilding AmericaPresident Obama talks about the bipartisan agreement that Congress reached this week which prevented a middle-class tax hike, congratulates the newly sworn-in members of Congress, and looks forward to working with the new Congress in the new year to continue to grow our economy and shrink our deficits in a balanced way.
January 11, 2013 4:50 PM ESTPresident Obama Hosts President KarzaiWe'll soon reach a milestone in Afghanistan -- when Afghan forces take full responsibility for their nation's security and the war draws to a close.
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Over 700 veterans may have been exposed to the HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C viruses after a medical oversight allowed insulin pens to be shared between multiple patients at a Buffalo, NY hospital. According to hospital officials, the insulin pens — which are each supposed to be designated for a single patient, to help prevent the spread of diseases — were used incorrectly over a two-year period.
In November, pharmacy inspection rounds revealed that the hospital was storing insulin pens in supply drawers without any patient labels on them — despite the fact that the federal government has been warning against the practice of sharing insulin needles for years. In 2009, after a similar incident at a Texas hospital put more than 2,000 patients at risk, the Food and Drug Administration issued an alert about the issue.
“What has happened can only be described as the grossest of irresponsible and dangerous behavior,” Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said of the incident. And representatives from the Buffalo area, including Rep. Brian Higgins (D) and Rep. Chris Collins (R), are now seeking an investigation into the hospital’s practices:
“Beyond the fact that the error occurred at all, most concerning was the length of time it took the Buffalo VA to catch the error — over two years, as well as the three-month delay in informing patients who may have been exposed,” Higgins, whose district includes the city of Buffalo, wrote in a letter to the VA on Monday. “Also detail why affected patients weren’t notified immediately.” [...]
“Unfortunately, since the day that new technology was introduced at the VA, they did not have a protocol in place that let the nurses know they were not supposed to use the cartridge on more than one patient,” Republican U.S. Rep. Chris Collins told CNN affiliate WGRZ. Collins also called the situation in Buffalo “unacceptable.” [...]
Higgins has also requested a detailed response outlining what steps will be taken to prevent any similar issues in the future.
An official from the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Melissa Schaefer, told the Associated Press the CDC believes these incidents still go underreported despite previous warnings from federal public health officials. Part of the problem may be that some medical professionals, like the staff at the Buffalo-area hospital, may believe it’s safe to reuse insulin pens if they simply change the needle within the pen.
But Scaefer explained that’s not the case. “Reuse of insulin pens for more than one patient essentially is akin to syringe reuse,” she said. “You can get back flow of blood into that syringe or cartridge that contains the insulin and then you potentially expose others patients. And changing the needle wouldn’t make it safe for multi-patient use.”
Poll Shows Voters Expect, And Want, Gun Laws
A new poll released Monday from The Hill shows that Americans are expecting stronger gun laws as a response to the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. In a survey of voters, only 19 percent said that the tragedy made them want looser gun laws. Forty seven percent said it made them want stronger laws. Of those surveyed, 11 percent said that gun laws in the US were too strict. Forty nine percent said they should be stronger. Those numbers split along party lines: Around 75 percent of Democrats believe that gun laws are too weak, but only 24 percent of Republicans agreed.
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