Senator has led congressional opposition to exploitation of Arctic Refuge for years
Press release dated 11.16.20
administration’s rush to approve leases to drill in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge before President-elect Biden is sworn into office:
“President Trump’s last-ditch effort to shortcut environmental laws and jam through Arctic Refuge drilling on his way out the door will not stand up to court scrutiny. Efforts to short-circuit the review process and ignore the law will fail, just as they did for the controversial Bristol Bay mining project. This administration should be focusing on how to ensure a smooth transition rather than trying to expedite legally-deficient projects that will degrade our nation’s public lands. America is an Arctic nation with an emerging northwest passage, making this region an important opportunity for outdoor travel and tourism.”
Throughout her time in the Senate, Cantwell has been the leading congressional champion of the Arctic Refuge and repeatedly fought back against efforts to drill in the pristine wilderness. Last September, Cantwell introduced legislation to permanently protect the refuge from oil and gas drilling. She has repeatedly voiced support for protecting the refuge and has cosponsored multiple bills to designate its coastal plain as a wilderness area. In December of 2005, Cantwell led a historic filibuster that reversed a backdoor maneuver in the Senate to allow drilling in the refuge.
AG FERGUSON: JUDGE FINDS OPIOID DISTRIBUTOR IN CONTEMPT OF COURT FOR REFUSING TO DISCLOSE DOCUMENTS AND MAKE KEY WITNESSES AVAILABLE FOR TESTIMONY
Press release issued 11.18.20
SEATTLE — A King County Superior Court judge found AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp., one of the largest prescription opioid distributors in the world, in contempt of court for failing to turn over important documents and attempting to shield key witnesses from testifying. AmerisourceBergen is one of the three companies Attorney General Bob Ferguson sued in March 2019 for unlawfully contributing to Washington state’s opioid epidemic.
Judge Marshall Ferguson ordered yesterday that within seven days, the opioid distributor must hand over unredacted records from its corporate board from 2006 through 2018. Further, the judge ordered the company to produce witnesses who could speak to specific topics requested by the state. Judge Ferguson ordered AmerisourceBergen pay for the state’s legal costs incurred in bringing the motion for contempt.
“AmerisourceBergen spent months delaying and attempting to obstruct our investigation,” Ferguson said. “Their misconduct failed. Stall tactics won’t stop us from uncovering and exposing their unlawful conduct that devastated Washington families. While attempting to conceal evidence and shield witnesses, this powerful company continued its obstruction by demanding that the state produce terabytes of data about Washington’s residents. We are going to hold this powerful corporation accountable for their role in fueling the opioid crisis.”
AmerisourceBergen, along with McKesson Corp. and Cardinal Health Inc. supply the majority of opioids coming into Washington state. They are listed in the top 15 of the Fortune 500 list based on 2017 revenue.
In July 2019, Judge Ferguson rejected the distributors’ attempt to dismiss the lawsuit.
Case background
Ferguson’s lawsuit, filed in March, asserts that McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp. made billions of dollars feeding the opioid epidemic, shipping huge amounts of oxycodone, fentanyl, hydrocodone and other prescription opioids into the state even when they knew or should have known those drugs were likely to end up in the hands of drug dealers and addicts.
Opioid distributors are legally required to monitor the size and frequency of prescription opioid orders to identify suspicious orders that could be diverted into the illegal drug market. Distributors are required to stop these suspicious shipments and report them to the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
Instead, McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen have faced repeated actions from the DEA for continuously failing to stop and report suspicious opioid shipments, paying hundreds of millions in fines for their failure to follow the rules.
Based on shipping data, a conservative calculation suggests these companies may have shipped more than 250,000 suspicious orders into Washington state between 2006 and 2014. A less conservative calculation puts that number more than 3 ½ times that high, at nearly a million.
Ferguson accuses McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen of violating the state Consumer Protection Act for filling thousands of suspicious orders in Washington state without adequately identifying them or reporting them. Their actions, Ferguson asserts, helped fuel the opioid epidemic in Washington state.
Ferguson’s lawsuit seeks civil penalties and damages from the companies. He also asks the court to order the distributors to give up the profits they made in Washington as a result of their illegal conduct. Sales of opioids are worth billions every year nationwide, and Washington’s portion is expected to be in the millions.
The surrendered profits will be used to remediate the effects of the opioid epidemic, possibly funding treatment, education and more.
Prescriptions and sales of opioids in Washington skyrocketed more than 500 percent between 1997 and 2011. In 2011, at the peak of overall sales in Washington, more than 112 million daily doses of all prescription opioids were dispensed in the state — enough for a 16-day supply for every woman, man and child in Washington.
In 2015, there were eight counties with more prescriptions than population, led by Asotin, with nearly 1 ½ prescriptions per person. The other counties were Clallam, Grays Harbor, Columbia, Garfield, Pend Orielle, Lewis and Benton.
In 2008, there were 16 counties with more prescriptions than people.
Between 2006 and 2017, opioid overdoses killed more than 8,000 Washingtonians, more than were killed by car accidents or firearms. The majority of drug overdose deaths in Washington state involve opioids.
Assistant Attorneys General Martha Rodriguez Lopez, Andrew Hughes, Tad Robinson O’Neill and Jeffrey Grant are handling the case for Washington.
IN OTHER STATE HEADLINES
Inslee appoints Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH new secretary of health
Gov. Jay Inslee today appointed Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH as the new Washington state secretary of health starting December 21. Dr. Shah currently serves as executive director and local health authority for Harris County Public Health in Texas.
https://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/inslee-appoints-umair-shah-md-mph-new-secretary-health
EDITORIAL NOTE: Just a minute Governor Inslee, this election isn't over, Loren Clup is contesting the election, for the same reason President Trump is doing it, for possible voter fraud.
Related News Story:
‘There will be lawsuits’: Culp campaign ramps up claims of voter fraud, refusal to concede--MY NORTHWEST
https://mynorthwest.com/2316038/loren-culp-claims-voter-fraud-lawsuits/
PUBLIC INVITED TO WEIGH IN ON NEXT PHASE OF RECREATION PLANNING FOR GINKGO/WANAPUM
Virtual meeting will present alternative approaches to consider
OLYMPIA – Nov. 17, 2020 – Washington State Parks invites the public to a virtual meeting to learn more about ongoing recreation planning for Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park and Wanapum Recreation Area. The online meeting will focus on alternative approaches for addressing issues at the two recreation areas.
https://parks.state.wa.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=658
WSDOT seeks comment on 4-year program of multimodal transportation projects--WSDOT
IN OTHER HEADLINE NEWS...
WORLD NEWS HEADLINES:
Extortion, bio-warfare and terrorism: Extremists are exploiting the pandemic, says UN report.
Criminals and violent extremists are exploiting the pandemic to build their support networks, undermine trust in government and even weaponize the virus, according to a research report published on Wednesday by the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI). ---UN NEWS CENTER
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/11/1077932
Silent Pandemic: Overuse renders antimicrobials less effective – UN agriculture agency
People, plants and animals around the world are dying from untreatable infections – even with the best medicines available – due to a rise in antimicrobial resistance, the UN food agriculture agency said on Wednesday, kicking off World Antimicrobial Awareness Week. --UN NEWS CENTER
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/11/1077972
Backed by space technology, Asia-Pacific countries power sustainable development.
Asian and Pacific nations are increasingly leveraging space technology and geospatial information to respond to challenges on the ground, including in their efforts to contain the spread and mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new United Nations report. --UN NEWS CENTER
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/11/1077902
Violence, insecurity continues to plague South Sudan communities.
Over 1,000 people have been killed and more than 400 abducted in the past six months in intercommunal violence in South Sudan, amid fears that tensions may worsen with the onset of the dry season, the UN envoy for the country has said. --UN NEWS CENTER
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/11/1077982
NATIONAL HEADLINES:
Presidential Message on Antibiotic Awareness Week, 2020.
When safely and appropriately prescribed, antibiotics are critical tools used to save lives in the United States and around the world. During Antibiotic Awareness Week, we reaffirm our commitment to responsible antibiotic stewardship and acknowledge the contributions of American medical professionals.---WH PRESS REALEASE
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/presidential-message-antibiotic-awareness-week-2020/
Trump Administration Reduces Wildfire Risk Across Record 5.4 Million Acres.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt announced today that the Department of the Interior reduced wildfire risk across 1.5 million acres of Interior-managed lands in FY 2020, bringing its total to 5.4 million acres since 2017. This is the most acreage treated during a Presidential term since Interior started tracking the data in 2003 and an increase of 49% compared to the last four years of the previous administration.--Dept. of Interior
Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Ends.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) joins the global public health community in marking the end of the Ebola Virus Disease (Ebola) outbreak in Equateur Province. Today marks 42 days, or two incubation periods, since the last survivor tested negative for the virus. This allows the DRC Ministry of Health (MOH) and the World Health Organization to officially announce the outbreak over.--CDC
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/s1118-democratic-republic-congo-ebola-ends.html
BUSINESS & FINANCE:
Agencies announce threshold for smaller loan exemption from appraisal requirements for higher-priced mortgage loans--THE FED
https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/bcreg20201118a.htm
IRS Advisory Council issues 2020 Annual Report
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council (IRSAC) today issued its annual report for 2020 PDF, including recommendations to the IRS on new and continuing issues in tax administration.--IRS
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-advisory-council-issues-2020-annual-report
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ANNOUNCES PROPOSED RULE ADOPTING STANDARDS FOR ELECTRIC MOTOR-DRIVEN MINE EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) today announced a proposed rule incorporating national and international voluntary consensus standards related to electric motor-driven mine equipment and accessories.---Dept. of labor
https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/msha/msha20201118
Treasury Targets Vast Supreme Leader Patronage Network and Iran’s Minister of Intelligence.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action today against a key patronage network for the Supreme Leader of Iran, the Islamic Revolution Mostazafan Foundation (Bonyad Mostazafan, or the Foundation), an immense conglomerate of some 160 holdings in key sectors of Iran’s economy, including finance, energy, construction, and mining. While Bonyad Mostazafan is ostensibly a charitable organization charged with providing benefits to the poor and oppressed, its holdings are expropriated from the Iranian people and are used by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to enrich his office, reward his political allies, and persecute the regime’s enemies.--US TREASURY DEPT.
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1185
IN OTHER HEADLINES YOU WON'T SEE ON THE DNC PRESS
Entire Local Election in Nevada Thrown Out After 'Discrepancies' Found--PJ MEDIA
All Eyes on Georgia Senate Races
Control of the Senate hinges on the winners of both Peach State races.--The Patriot Post
https://patriotpost.us/articles/74980-all-eyes-on-georgia-senate-races-2020-11-18
Trump Pays $3 Million for Partial Recount in Wisconsin--NEWS MAX
https://www.newsmax.com/politics/election-2020-wisconsin/2020/11/18/id/997642/
Gov. Ron DeSantis ‘will not lock down’ Florida as coronavirus crackdowns sweep country--Washington Times
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/nov/18/ron-desantis-will-not-lock-down-florida-as-coronav/
TODAY'S TOP VIDEO
CLUP HASN'T CONCENDED YET
From the Campaign manager
Questioning the Vote count
https://www.facebook.com/CulpforGovernor/videos/802174860618321
FIGHT FOR YOUR COUNTRY!
BIBLE VERSE today
John 17:17 (New King James Version)
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
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