The Bernie Buzz

As you know, Republicans in Congress are holding firm on their plan to eliminate subsidies for Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage. That plan would cause massive premium hikes for tens of thousands of Vermonters. In addition, they continue to insist that 15 million Americans, including 45,000 in Vermont, lose their health insurance entirely because of massive cuts to Medicaid and the ACA.

Decent and affordable housing is a human right. Period. But throughout our state, too many Vermonters are being squeezed between stagnating wages and the skyrocketing cost of housing. Whether it is Burlington, Brattleboro, Saint Johnsbury or Bennington — and all the places in between — the cost of housing is soaring and becoming less and less affordable

Few people deny that Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics are going to have a profound impact on the United States and the world. The question is: who benefits and who gets hurt? How do we use this transformational technology to improve life for all Americans, and not just the billionaires who own the technology.

If you have seen or read the news lately, you have undoubtedly heard that the government shut down last night. It can be hard to cut through all the noise of cable news and social media and really understand what is going on in our nation’s capital. Let me tell you more about what is happening, and what I believe we should be doing to fund the government and improve the lives of Vermonters and people throughout the country.

On Tuesday night, after ABC reconsidered its decision to remove Kimmel from the air, millions of Americans tuned in to watch his return to late-night television. His opening monologue has already been viewed over 26 million times. But Vermonters were denied the chance to see it when it originally aired. Nexstar Media Group, which owns ABC affiliate WVNY in Vermont and some 200 stations around the country, refused to broadcast it.

On July 31, Dr. Susan Monarez was sworn in as our nation’s first Senate-confirmed director of the CDC. At her swearing-in ceremony, Secretary Kennedy called Dr. Monarez “a public health expert with unimpeachable scientific credentials.” Less than a month later, on August 27, Dr. Monarez was fired because she refused to rubber stamp Secretary Kennedy’s dangerous agenda to substantially limit the use of safe and effective vaccines. In my view, that action would endanger the lives of the American people and people throughout the world.