Would you take advice on cutting deficits from corporate CEOs whose lobbyists and tax lawyers finagle lucrative tax breaks that help their bottom lines but hurt the rest of us?  Sen. Bernie Sanders issued a must-read report on Thursday on CEOs and deficits. In what President Obama thought was an off-the-record conversation with the Des Moines Register editorial board, he was blunt about his hope to reach a "grand bargain" with congressional Republicans on spending cuts during the first six months of next year. A transcript of the conversation was made public on Wednesday when Sanders was equally blunt in calling on the White House to keep Obama's 2008 promise not to cut Social Security.

CEOs and Deficits 

More than 80 CEOs called Thursday for Congress to cut deficits. Sanders on the same day released a report detailing how many of the companies headed by the same CEOs have avoided taxes, sent American jobs overseas and took taxpayer bailouts.  "There really is no shame," Sanders said.  "The Wall Street leaders whose recklessness and illegal behavior caused this terrible recession are now lecturing the American people on the need for courage to deal with the nation's finances and deficit crisis. Before telling us why we should cut Social Security, Medicare and other vitally important programs, these CEOs might want to take a hard look at their responsibility for causing the deficit and this terrible recession."

A ‘Grand Bargain' 

In an interview made public on Wednesday, President Obama vowed to forge a "grand bargain" with Republicans to reduce the national debt. Sanders is working with seniors organizations, veterans groups and labor unions on a campaign to convince the president and Senate Democrats not to go along with any deal that cuts Social Security benefits. "We're doing our best right now to make sure that the president comes on board the position he had four years ago: that Social Security has nothing to do with the deficit and that Social Security should not be cut," Sanders told The Huffington Post. Sanders previously expressed concerns in a Senate floor speech and in private conversations with top officials at the White House. "Unlike four years ago," Sanders told The Washington Post, "the president has not been outspoken in saying he's not going to cut Social Security."

A Fair and Progressive Budget 

Sanders has laid out a detailed plan to reduce red ink by making corporations and the wealthiest Americans who have never had it so good pay their fair share. He also would cut spending.  He would reduce, for example, the Pentagon budget which has grown exponentially in recent years.  He also would save money by letting Medicare negotiate for better prices from pharmaceutical companies for prescription drugs.

Women Veterans 

A new Women's Comprehensive Care Center opened at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in White River Junction, Vt. It is one of 153 VA facilities for women serving the growing number of female veterans. "This facility is about keeping our promise to the brave women who have served in uniform. As a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, I have worked hard to make sure that Vermont veterans get the quality health care they have earned and deserve," Sanders said at a ceremony on Monday. "I am happy to say that we have made significant progress."

George McGovern 

Former Sen. George McGovern, the Democratic nominee for president in 1972, died last Sunday. He was 90. "George McGovern was a champion for progressive values in America. As a bomber pilot in World War II, he saw the horrors of war and became a strong advocate for world peace. As a U.S. senator, he grasped the tragedy of world hunger and fought to develop nutrition and agricultural programs to prevent starvation. At home, he advocated health care for all, defended working families and the poor, and was in the vanguard of the movement for civil rights for women and minorities."