Senator Sanders

Town Meetings Sen. Bernie Sanders will host a series of town meetings this weekend across southern Vermont, WPTZ and Fox 44 reported. “It’s enormously important that people have the opportunity to ask questions,” he told the Bennington Banner. LINK, VIDEO and VIDEO

Economic Stimulus in Vermont The stimulus package Congress passed last year to jump start the economy has pumped more than $1.3 billion into Vermont and created or saved 7,000 jobs in the state. “It has made a bad situation better. It could have been a lot worse without it,” Sen. Sanders told WPTZ. VIDEO

Medicare for All President Johnson in 1965 signed the law establishing Medicare and Medicaid. On the 45^th anniversary, Sen. Sanders and Reps. John Conyers and Dennis Kucinich said it has never been more important to have a strong Medicare-for-all movement, The Nation, The Hill and The Huffington Post reported. LINK, LINK and LINK

Food Stamps Congress has decided the best way to avoid widespread teacher layoffs and Medicaid cuts is to reduce food stamp spending, Jonathan Cohn wrote for The New Republic. Ezra Klein at The Washington Post called it “the Sophie's choice of budget decisions: Cut Medicaid? Fire teachers? Or slash food stamps?” Cohn, Klein and The Nation’s Chris Hayes on MSNBC noted that Sen. Sanders proposed reducing oil and gas subsidies by $35 billion. “Wouldn't that be a better place to look for money?” Cohn asked. LINK, LINK and VIDEO

Dairy Crisis The current milk pricing system is “devastating family farms across the country,” a Wisconsin farmer with the National Family Farm Coalition said during a conference call with reporters. He supports a bill to set the price for milk used for manufacturing at the national average cost of production. Sen. Sanders and Rep. Peter Welch are sponsoring bills to create a supply management system, the St. Albans Messenger reported. LINK

Skate City With some assistance from Sen. Sanders, Barre received a $133,000 grant to finance the planning and construction of “Skate City.” The new park that opened on Friday is part of a program to discourage substance abuse among youngsters, the Times Argus reported. LINK

International

Deadliest Month in Afghan War The deaths of at least 66 soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen have made July the deadliest-ever month for American troops in the nine-year war in Afghanistan, The New York Times reported. LINK

National

Recovery Loses Steam Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic activity, grew at a 2.4 percent annual rate in the April-through-June period, the government said Friday, down from 5 percent at the end of 2009 and 3.7 percent at the beginning of this year, The Washington Post reported. LINK

Consumer Bureau Sen. Christopher Dodd approached Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair in recent days to gauge whether she would be interested in running the new consumer-protection agency, according to The Wall Street Journal. LINK

Obama on Rangel President Obama on Friday called ethics charges against Rep. Charlie Rangel "very troubling" and said he hopes the longtime lawmaker can end his career with dignity, AP reported. A House panel that investigated Rangel recommended a reprimand, rather than a more serious censure or expulsion from office, the chairman of the panel said Friday. The New York Times reported. LINK

Rep. Waters Faces Ethics Charge A House panel is preparing to accuse Rep. Maxine Waters of at least one ethics violation in her efforts to help a bank with ties to her husband, according to the Los Angeles Times. LINK

Vermont

Power Deal Near Vermont's utilities and Hydro-Quebec won't make Saturday's deadline for completing a new long-term power-purchase contract, but officials said Friday they are confident a deal is close and an announcement will happen soon, The Associated Press reported. LINK

Rate Hike Green Mountain Power Corporation is asking state regulators to approve a 3.1 percent rate increase. The utility says it needs the increase to pay for its share of upgrades to the New England grid, as well as increases in taxes, depreciation and infrastructure investments, The Associated Press reported. LINK

West Nile Virus State officials say mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus have been found in the state for the first time this year. The mosquitoes were caught in a trap this week in Licester Junction. No human cases of West Nile have been reported in Vermont since 2003, The Associated Press reported. LINK