Senator Sanders

Health Care Republicans “We need comprehensive, universal, cost-effective health care. I want Republicans to come on board, but at the end of the day, with 60 people in the Democratic caucus, what is most important is that we pass real health care reforms which improve the lives of our people. If Republicans don't want to participate, if all they want to do is filibuster, that's their problem. I think we've got to go ahead,” Sanders said on MSNBC. VIDEO 

Health Care Democrats  “The word has got to go out from the president on down that every member of that caucus has got to vote to stop a Republican filibuster, and if some conservative Democrats chose not to vote for a strong pubic option, let them peel off, let them go back home and explain their reasons.” Sanders told Laura Flanders on Grit TV. VIDEO

Letters from Vermont Sen. Sanders has put out a booklet of stories from around the country about health-care coverage woes, The Burlington Free Press reported. "It is my intention to read some of these letters on the floor of the Senate. Every American needs to hear what’s going on with health care in this country," Sanders said. LINK

Credit Cards Banks are getting "stingy" and denying credit cards to millions of Americans. “Huge lenders need to be told in no uncertain terms: Use the money that the American people gave you to increase lending to responsible consumers and small business owners, and stop ripping off the American people by charging usurious interest rates and sky-high fees,” Sanders wrote in a USA Today op-ed. LINK

Financial Safety Calling for creation of a new Financial Product Safety Commission to protect consumers from abusive lenders, Vermont's independent Sen. Bernard Sanders recently announced a $130,000 federal grant to boost financial literacy for young Vermonters, the Rutland Herald reported today. LINK

International

Iran Protests Thousands of Iranians poured into the streets of Tehran on Thursday, clapping, chanting, almost mocking the authorities as they once again turned out in large numbers in defiance of the government’s threat to crush their protests with violence, The New York Times reported. LINK

National

New GM Attorneys are expected to officially usher the new General Motors out of bankruptcy protection on Friday. Once the world's largest automaker, the troubled company is expected to emerge cleansed of massive debt and contracts that would have sunk it without federal loans, AP reported. LINK

Health Care Senate Democratic leaders appeared open Thursday to establishing a non-government cooperative as part of a U.S. health-care overhaul. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sen. Charles Schumer said they were amenable to considering a cooperative -- perhaps in lieu of a government-run insurance plan -- to compete with private insurers as part of the effort to reduce the country's health-care costs and expand coverage to uninsured Americans, according to The Wall Street Journal. LINK

Climate Change Senate Democrats have punted climate change deeper into the fall, a delay that underscores the steep climb the White House faces in convincing Congress — and the world — to dramatically slash greenhouse gas emissions. The decision came Thursday, a day after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid met with White House energy adviser Carol Browner and six Senate committee chairmen and the group realized it would need additional time to finesse a deal that could pass the Senate, Politico reported. LINK

AIG Plans More Bonuses American International Group is preparing to pay millions of dollars more in bonuses to several dozen top corporate executives after an earlier round of payments four months ago set off a national furor, The Washington Post reported. The troubled insurance giant has been pressing the federal government to bless the payments in hopes of shielding itself from renewed public outrage. LINK

Goold Axed The Congressional Progressive Caucus has fired Bill Goold, its executive director, leaving the House Democrats’ liberal wing without a staff-level chief as they head into a critical legislative fight on health care. The reasons behind the dismissal are not yet clear. “He’s no longer with the caucus,” CPC spokesman Carl Rauscher said. “It’s a personnel matter and we can’t really discuss personnel matters,” Roll Call reported. LINK

Vermont

Dr. Dean Former Gov. Howard Dean is stumping for “real” health care reform that includes a government-sponsored option, using news conferences, interviews and a new book to pressure Congress to act, The Associated Press, The Burlington Free Press, Vermont Press Bureau and Bennington Banner reported. LINK, LINK and LINK

Child Nutrition Only about 20 percent of students who receive free and reduced meals at school are receiving summer nutrition. Child nutrition programs are up for reauthorization in Congress and the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger are pushing lawmakers to expand the program, WCAX reported. LINK

Swine Flu State officials charged with preparing for a swine flu emergency traveled to Washington, D.C., on Thursday to hear what the Obama administration is doing in case of a major public health outbreak, the Vermont Press Bureau reported. LINK

Eagle-Times Folds The Eagle-Times, a daily newspaper that served the city of Claremont and communities on both sides of the Connecticut River, published its last edition Thursday. Harvey Hill, publisher and owner of the paper, told employees that he would file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy today, the Rutland Herald reported. LINK

Fire in St. J At least four fire departments are battling a 4-alarm fire in downtown St. Johnsbury this morning. The fire is believed to have started late last night in a convenience store on Main Street, just yards from the Fairbanks Museum.  There are apartments above the store, and nine families have been displaced by the fire. The town manager says there have been no injuries, Vermont Public Radio reported. LINK

Supreme Court A Caledonian-Record editorial on the nomination of Judge Sonya Sotomayor to the Supreme Court called Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy “one of the most ruthless, mad attack dog Democrats in Washington” who “savaged and spewed venom all over federal judge nominations and blocked most of them from even being voted upon.” LINK