Congressional Dish

The Federal Aviation Administration performs the essential work of keeping airplanes from crashing into each other in the sky; in this episode, we take a look at the new law that temporarily funds the FAA and makes some important changes to aviation law. We also travel back in time to the week after 9/11 to examine the origin of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and we examine some ideas that the current leaders of Congress have for the future of air travel in the United States and beyond. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! H.R. 636: FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016 Title I: FAA Extension Funding Extends FAA funding through September 30, 2017 Extends fuel and ticket taxes through September 30, 2017 Title II: Aviation Safety Critical Reform Safety Establishes a deadline of April 30, 2017 for the FAA to have a pilots records database online and available for use. Creates a maximum $25,000 fine for pointing a laser pointer at an aircraft or in the path of an aircraft. Prohibits the FAA from hiring newly trained air traffic controllers over the age of 35 The FAA must make sure that each employee of repair stations outside of the United States are given pre-employment background checks Drone Safety Over the next two years, the FAA and industry will have two work together to develop a method of remotely identifying drone operators. Starting in three years, drone manufacturers will have to include safety notices informing customers of drone safety laws and regulations. The FAA will work together with the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to authorize drone use for firefighting and utility repairs. A person who uses a drone to interfere with firefighting operations, law enforcement, or emergency response can be fined up to $20,000. The FAA will conduct a pilot program testing unmanned aircraft detection systems. In the next year, the FAA and NASA will conduct tests of drones crashing into various sized airplanes and helicopters. Time Sensitive Aviation Reform By July 2017, regulations must be in effect requiring airlines to automatically refund bag fees to anyone whose bags are not delivered within 12 hours after the arrival of a domestic flight or 15 hours after the arrival of an international flight. FAA needs to submit a report, including public comments, about the risks of eliminating contract weather observer service at 57 airports and can not discontinue contract weather observer service before October 1, 2017. FAA must enact regulations requiring pilots of small airplanes to have driver's licenses and pass all medical tests required for a drivers license, completes a medical education course, Airlines will have to let passengers off a plane if it's waiting on the tarmac for 3 hours of a domestic flight or 4 hours for an international flight. Title III: Aviation Security TSA PreCheck Expansion TSA will add "multiple private sector application capabilities" for citizens to use to enroll including online enrollment, kiosks, tablets, or staffed laptop stations. Private sector will collect biometric identification information with "comparable" privacy standards to the standards developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology Private risk assessments will be used instead of fingerprint-based criminal history records checks Private administrators will be allowed to charge fees in excess of the costs of administering the program. Securing Aviation from Foreign Entry Points and Guarding Airports Through Enhanced Security TSA Administrator will be allowed donate security screening equipment to foreign airports with direct flights to the United States TSA must create an international training program to train authorities of foreign governments in air transportation security. Aviation Security Enhancement and Oversight Enacts stricter vetting requirements for people granted access to secure sections of airports Checkpoints of the Future Creates a new pilot program at between 3 and 6 airports that will test new technologies and new baggage and personal screening systems. Services, supplies, equipment, personnel, and facilities can be obtained from the private sector for the pilot programs. Sound Clip Sources: Hearings Hearing: Aviation Security, Joint House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Senate Appropriations Committee, September 20, 2001. Witnesses: Gerald Dillingham, Associate Director of the General Accounting Office Jane Garvey, Administration, FAA Kenneth Mead, Inspector General of the Department of Transportation Norman Mineta, Secretary of the Department of Transportation Hank Queen, Vice President of Boeing's Engineering and Product Integrity division Timestamps and Transcripts {54:15} Kenneth Mead: Given the scope and complexity of the security challenge as we know it now, coupled with the long-standing history of problems with the aviation security program, I think the time's come to revisit the option of vesting governance of the program and responsibility for the provision of security in one federal organization or not-for-profit federal corporation. This doesn't mean that everybody has to be a federal employee, but it does mean a much more robust federal presence and control. That entity would have security as its primary and central focus, profession, and mission. Under our current system, we've asked FAA to oversee and regulate aviation security, and those charged with providing the security—the airlines and the airports—themselves face other priorities, missions, and indeed, in some cases, competing economic pressures. And I think a centralized, consolidated approach with a security mission would require passenger and baggage screeners to have uniform, more rigorous training, and performance standards applicable nationwide, and I think that would result in more consistent security across this country and have higher quality also. {1:22:46} Harold Rogers: Now, I want to ask you about Dulles. Did you check on the employees of the screening operation at Dulles Airport?Kenneth Mead: Yes. We're checking on the citizens— Harold Rogers: Tell us the makeup of the staff there, in terms of their citizenship in the U.S., for example. Kenneth Mead: Yes. A substantial percentage of them are not U.S. citizens. Harold Rogers: What percent? Kenneth Mead: I think it's about 80%. It may be somewhat more. {1:26:40} Harold Rogers: What about the turnover rate, Mr. Dillingham? I've been reading the GAO's report on aviation security, issued June of 2000. I think you're the principal author, are you not?Gerald Dillingham: Yes, sir. Harold Rogers: Tell us about the type of personnel that's screening companies you're hiring around the country at the airports to screen for terrorists. Gerald Dillingham: Let me go back just a little bit to the point you raised before. Screeners don't have to be U.S. citizens. They can have a resident alien card as well. The other point you raised with regard to Argenbright, I think Argenbright is also a foreign-owned company as well. And with regard to the types of personnel that are being hired, one of the requirements is that you have a high school diploma or a GED. We have not checked the records of individual companies, but in the course of doing our work, we clearly got the idea that this was not a job where you would find the most skilled workers. Harold Rogers: They're minimum-wage jobs, are they not? Gerald Dillingham: Yes, sir. Harold Rogers: And the turnover rate is exorbitantly high, is it not? Gerald Dillingham: Yes, sir. Harold Rogers: In one airport the turnover rate is 400% a year, correct? Gerald Dillingham: Yes, sir. Harold Rogers: In Atlanta it's 375% a year. At Baltimore-Washington, 155; Boston Logan, 207; Chicago O'Hare, 200; and Houston, 237% a year; at St. Louis, 416% a year. Is that correct? Gerald Dillingham: Yes, sir. Harold Rogers: So these are untrained, inexperienced, the lowest-paid personnel, many of them certainly noncitizens, and by a company that got the contract by the lowest bid. Gerald Dillingham: Yes, sir. Harold Rogers: Now, what's wrong with this picture? Gerald Dillingham: I think the picture is clear to everyone. {2:28:58} Carolyn Kilpatrick: This company that's in 46 airports, that had the low-bid contract, that's noncitizens, that handles securities, and has criminal convictions, who hired them?Norman Mineta: The airline is the one that contracts with each… Carolyn Kilpatrick: An airline. One airline. So did they all go together and hire them, or each airline hires them on its own? Norman Mineta: The airline hires the company and then the airlines—well, let me have Ken maybe go into that because he's maybe got the list of airports with the contractors. Kenneth Mead: Yeah. The different airlines can hire the same security company, and that does happen. Carolyn Kilpatrick: Obviously. Low bids, so they're going for cheapness. Kenneth Mead: Right. And some airports, Dulles, for example, you have the airlines get together there, and they hire one vendor, and in the case of Dulles, it's Argenbright. In the case of other airports, where you have an airline, say, that has a dedicated concourse, and you have two or three concourses at that airport, you may have, in fact, three different firms providing the security— Carolyn Kilpatrick: Okay, thank you. Kenneth Mead: —each hired by a separate airline. Hearing: Review of ATC Reform Proposals, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, February 10, 2016. Transcript Witnesses: Mr. Paul Rinaldi, President, National Air Traffic Controllers Association Written Testimony Mr. Nicholas E. Calio, President and Chief Executive Officer, Airlines for America Written Testimony Mr. Ed Bolen, President and CEO, National Business Aviation Association Written Testimony Mr. Robert Poole, Director of Transportation Policy, Reason Foundation Written Testimony Timestamps and Transcripts {13:00} Bill Shuster: A key reform in this bill takes the ATC out of the Federal Government, and establishes a federally chartered, independent, not-for-profit corporation to provide that service. This corporation will be governed by a board representing the system's users. {17:55} Bill Shuster: But I just want to say that August of this year, Canadians will launch their first satellites into space, and by the end of 2017, they will have over 70 satellites launched. They will have their GPS system up in space. Currently, today, we can only see 30 percent of the airspace on our current technology. When they deploy those 70 or so satellites, they will be able to see 100 percent of the airspace in the globe, the Canadians. I am told there's already 15 or 16 countries that have signed up for their services. So Canadians, the NAV CAN, and their partners, they're developing this system. I believe they are going to become the dominant controller of airspace in the world. They're going to be able to fly planes over the North Atlantic and over the Pacific, straighter lines, closer together, more efficiently; and that's when we're going to really see our loss in leadership in the world, when it comes to controlling airspace and being the gold standard. {19:10} Bill Shuster: Again, this corporation we're setting up is completely independent of the Federal Government. This is not a government corporation, a quasi-governmental entity, or a GSE. It is not that. The Federal Government will not back the obligations, the financial obligations, for this corporation. The corporation will simply provide a service. {27:27} Pete DeFazio: We're talking about an asset—no one's valued it—worth between $30 billion and $50 billion that will be given to the private corporation free of charge. That's unprecedented. There have been two privatizations: one privatization in Canada—they paid $1.4 billion; it was later found that it was undervalued by about $1 billion. I believe in Britain they paid a little over $1 billion for it. We're going to take a much larger entity, controlling a lot of real estate, some in some very expensive areas like New York City, and we are going to give it to a private corporation, and the day after they establish, they can do with those assets whatever they wish. They can sell them, and we have no say. {30:11} Pete DeFazio: If someone controls the routes, and they control the conditions under which you access those routes, and they control the investment in the system itself, which means maybe we don't want to invest in things that serve medium and small cities—they aren't profit centers; why should we be putting investment there—you know, we are keeping control of the airspace? I guess there's some technical way we're keeping control of it, but none of that will be subject to any elected representative. {1:00:05} Ed Bolen: Our nation's air traffic control system is a monopoly, and it will stay a monopoly, going forward. The airlines, for 30 years, have been lobbying Congress so that they can seize control of that natural monopoly and exert their authority over it. We think that is a fatally flawed concept. The public airspace belongs to the public, and it should be run for the public's benefit. Do we really think that, given control of this monopoly, the airlines would run it for every American's benefit? Reading the headlines over the past year would suggest that's probably not the case. ''Airline Consolidation Hits Small Cities the Hardest,'' wrote the Wall Street Journal; ''Justice Department Investigating Potential Airline Price Collusion,'' wrote the Washington Post; ''Airline Complaints on the Rise'' was a headline in the Hill; ''Airlines Reap Record Profits and Passengers Get Peanuts.'' That appeared in the New York Times this past weekend. {1:02:30} Ed Bolen: We're talking about giving them unbridled authority to make decisions about access, about rates, charges, about infrastructure. This is a sweeping transfer of authority. {1:31:12} Don Young: Will the gentleman yield? Let's talk about the board.Bill Shuster: Certainly. Don Young: You got four big airlines board members. Bill Shuster: Right. Don Young: NATCA now is supporting it. And I question that, by the way. I fought for you every inch of the way, and we want to find out what is behind that. General aviation has one. Unknown: Two. Don Young: Two? Unknown: General aviation has two. Don Young: OK, two. Where's the other one? Bill Shuster: Two to the government. Don Young: Two—and who are they going to be? Do we have any input on that? No. We do not. The president has—— Bill Shuster: The Department of Transportation will have it. Don Young: The president. And we're the Congress of the United States. I'd feel a lot better if we were to appoint them. Why should we let a president appoint them? This is our job as legislators. If we're going to change the system, let us change it with us having some control over it, financially. And the board members should be appointed from the Congress. I am not going to give any president any more authority. That is the wrong—we have done this over and over again. We give the president—we might as well have a king. I don't want a king. Hearing: Airport Security Wait Times, House Homeland Security Committee, May 25, 2016. Witness: Peter Neffenger, Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Timestamps and Transcripts {09:20} Bennie Thompson: In fiscal year 2011, there were approximately 45,000 TSOs screening 642 million passengers. In FY 2016, TSA had 3,000 fewer TSOs screening roughly 740 million anticipated passengers, almost 100 million more passengers and 3,000 fewer screeners. {11:11} Bennie Thompson: TSA should have access to all of the aviation security fees collected by the flying public to bolster security. Yet, the passage of the Budget Act of 2013, TSA is required to divert $13 billion collected in security fees toward the deficit reduction for the next 10 years. This year alone, 1.25 billion has been diverted. {29:40} Michael McCaul: And finally, do you support—well, I can't say—do you support the concept of expanding TSA's pre-check program, which, I think, would move a lot of people in the long lines into the pre-check lines, which, I think, would solve many of these problems as well.Pete Neffenger: Absolutely. In fact, that's one of my fundamental priorities is to dramatically expand the pre-check population and dramatically expand the capability to enroll people in pre-check. {48:30} Pete Neffenger: Right now we do not seem to have trouble meeting our recruiting targets. We have a large pool of people that have been pre-vetted. That's why we were able to rapidly begin to hire that 768 because we had a large pool of available applicants that had been screened that were looking for work. I still want to work on bringing more of that back in house than is currently done. As you know, we work through a private contractor to do our hiring and recruiting right now. {49:53} Mike Rogers: I plan to introduce legislation to transform TSA from an HR nightmare to a security-focused organization by reforming and greatly expanding the Screening Partnership Program. Having worked on these issues for more than a decade, I've seen that TSA can do a mission when it's given a clear, succinct mission. My bill is going to allow more airports to hire qualified private contractors, capable of managing day-to-day operations, and make TSA the driving force to oversee intelligence-based security strategies. {1:41:30} Buddy Carter: You and I have spoken before about privatization, and as you know, in full disclosure, I'm really big on privatization. Atlanta and the bigger airports are indicating to us, or at least to me, that it's beyond the scope of a bureaucracy to be able to do this, and I just don't get a warm and fuzzy feeling that you're embracing privatization here. Congress passed the Screening Partnership Program. Tell me what you're doing to implement that? We need to get to a point where you're on the other side of the table; you're asking the questions and overseeing this as opposed to being here answering the questions from us.Pete Neffenger: We've made a lot of changes to streamline that process. I was concerned that it takes a long time because it has to go out on bid, it has to go out on contract and the like. I have said repeatedly that the law allows for this. I will work with any airport that's interested. In fact, I have directed airports like Atlanta to go out and talk to San Francisco because that's the only large category x airport that has a contracted screening force, and we'll continue to work with them. I think that there are things that we can do. We are somewhat hampered by the way the federal acquisition rules work. Remember, that's a workforce that's contracted to the Federal Government, not through the— Buddy Carter: Hold on. I don't mean to interrupt you, but I want to know. You say you're hampered. I want to know how I can help you to become unhampered, if that's a word. Pete Neffenger: Well, as I said, we follow the contracting rules under the Federal Government contracting requirements. It's a contract to the Federal Government, so I want to make sure that it's fair and is open competition and you have to give people the opportunity to participate in that. We'll work with anybody who wants to do that. Buddy Carter: Well, understand that I want to work with you so that we can streamline that process. I still don't get the feeling that you're embracing it, and I want to know what you're doing to encourage it, to the privatization of it. Pete Neffenger: Well, again, it's up to the airport to determine whether they want to do it. We advertise its availability, we make available information about it. There's a screening private partnership office that manages that. Additional Sound Clips Video: People Lay on the Floor at JFK Airport as Police Team Search, Daily Mail, August 21, 2016. Video: JFK Airport Shooting Evacuation After Shots Fired JFK Terminal, YouTube, August 15, 2016. Television News Clip: JFK Airport Scare, CBS New York, August 14, 2016. Television News Clip: Nightmarish Lines Continue At Airport Security Checkpoints, CBS Chicago, May 16, 2016. Television News Clip: Passengers Stranded at O'Hare Airport Due to Long TSA Lines By John Garcia and Laura Podesta, ABC News Chicago, May 16, 2016. Television News Clip: Drones Interfere With Wildfire Battle in California, CBS This Morning, July 20, 2015. Television News Clip: American Airlines Passengers Stuck on Tarmac for Several Hours, ABC News, March 2, 2015. Additional Reading Article: Scenes From the Terrifying, Already Forgotten JFK Airport Shooting That Wasn't By David Wallace-Wells, New York Magazine, August 15, 2016. Article: FAA Reauthorization Protects Weather Observer Program, Spokane International Airport, Aviation Pros, July 14, 2016. Article: Senate Overwhelmingly Passes Bipartisan FAA Bill Without Air-Traffic Control Privatization By Andy Pasztor, The Wall Street Journal, April 19, 2016. Article: FAA Seeks To Cut Airport Weather Observers By Elaine Kauh, AVWeb, February 5, 2016. Article: Republican House Measure Seeks Independent Air-Traffic Control Board By Andy Pasztor, The Wall Street Journal, February 3, 2016. Article When Retirement Becomes a Crisis By Joseph Coughlin and Luke Yoquinto, Slate, February 2, 2016. Article: The Disturbing Truth About How Airplanes Are Maintained Today By James B. Steele, Vanity Fair, December 2015. Article: Union: Chronic Shortage of Air Traffic Controllers a Crisis By Joan Lowy, PBS Newshour, October 14, 2015. Article: TSA Body Scanner Lobbyist Now Overseeing Spending on TSA Security By Lee Fang, The Intercept, May 27, 2015. Press Release: Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2015 Homeland Security Bill, The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, May 27, 2014. Article: 'Naked Scanner' Maker OSI Falls After Losing TSA Order By Jeff Plungis. Bloomberg, December 6, 2013. Article: FAA Plan to Terminate Airport Weather Observers Raises Travel Safety Concerns By Jason Samenow, The Washington Post, May 1, 2013. Article: Airlines Reluctant to Pay $6.6B for NextGen Air Transportation System By Jill R. Aitoro, Washington Business Journal, April 9, 2013. Article: Efforts Grow To Convince Airlines Of NextGen Worth By John Croft, Aviation Daily, October 5, 2012. Article: This Week in History: Ronald Reagan Fires 11,345 Air Traffic Controllers By Cody Carlson, Deseret News, August 5, 2012. Article: Obama Signs Bill Ending Partial FAA Shutdown By The CNN Wire Staff, CNN, August 5, 2011. Article: Everything You Need To Know About the FAA Shutdown In One Post By Dylan Matthews, The Washington Post, August 3, 2011. Article Congress Heads Home Without Extending FAA Funding By Ashley Halsey III, The Washington Post, August 2, 2011. Article: Partial FAA Shutdown Cripples Operations for Third Day By Ashley Halsey III, The Washington Post, July 25, 2011. Article: New Air Traffic Control System At Crossroads By Joan Lowy, Yahoo News, July 5, 2011. Article: Fear Pays: Chertoff, Ex-Security Officials Slammed For Cashing In On Government Experience By Marcus Baram, The Huffington Post, November 23, 2010. Article: The Airport Scanner Scam By James Ridgeway, Mother Jones, January 4, 2010. Article: DHS and TSA Have Researched, Developed, and Begun Deploying Passenger Checkpoint Screening Technologies, but Continue to Face Challenges, U.S. Government Accountability Office, October 7, 2009. Additional Information Open Secrets: Representative Bill Shuster Career Profile 9-11 Commission Report, National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, July 22, 2004. Chapter 1: "We Have Some Planes" Reports FAA Continues To Face Challenges in Ensuring Enough Fully Trained Controllers at Critical Facilities, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, January 11, 2016. Federal Civil Aviation Programs: In Brief By Bart Elias, Congressional Research Service, December 16, 2013. Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations

Congress goes on vacation; the Executive Branch escalates a war. In this episode, we look back at the 2011 Libya regime change to understand why we are bombing again in 2016. Executive Producer: Anonymous Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Sound Clip Sources: Hearings Department of Defense Libya Briefing: Defense Department Briefing, Peter Cook, Department of Defense Press Secretary, August 1, 2016. Timestamps and Transcripts {00:31} Peter Cook: I want to begin today with an update on the campaign to defeat ISIL wherever it tries to spread. Today at the request of Libya's Government of National Accord, the United States conducted precision air strikes against ISIL targets in Sirte, Libya to support GNA-affiliated forces seeking to defeat ISIL and its primary stronghold in Libya. These strikes were authorized by the president, following a recommendation from Secretary Carter and Chairman Dunford. They are consistent with our approach of combating ISIL by working with capable and motivated local partners. GNA-aligned forces have had success in recapturing territory from ISIL, and additional U.S. strikes will continue to target ISIL in Sirte and enable the GNA to make a decisive, strategic advance. As you may have seen earlier today, Prime Minister al-Sarraj, the head of the GNA, announced that he had specifically requested these strikes as part of the GNA's campaign to defeat ISIL in Libya. As we've said for some time, the United States supports the GNA. We would be prepared to carefully consider any requests for military assistance. We have now responded to that request, and we'll continue to work closely with the GNA to help the government restore stability and security in Libya. {05:37} Reporter: And then how long the campaign will last? Cook: Again, we'll be in—this will depend on the requests of support from the GNA, and we're proceeding along that line. We don't have an endpoint at this particular moment in time, but we'll be working closely with the GNA. {13:35} Reporter: Previous intelligence estimates had ISIS at a fighting force of around—up to 6,000, I believe. Is that the current assessment that you guys have? Cook: The assessment numbers that I've seen, and, again, I would—it's hard to gauge ISIL numbers anywhere, but I've seen that number, at least our assessment is that it's been reduced, and the number may be closer to 1,000 now. Reporter: That was in Libya, all together? Cook: In Libya, all together. Reporter: Okay. And lastly— Cook: I'm sorry. That's specific to Sirte, but that's the predominant area where ISIL has, in terms of geography, has occupied. So… Reporter: Got it. {15:50} Reporter: So there was a strike today, one in February that you confirmed previously. Is this the third strike now? Was there one before the one in February? Cook: Yes, there was an earlier strike. I believe it was November was the first strike against ISIL by U.S. military. {16:50} Reporter: In answer to a previous question, you said initially there were no U.S. forces on the ground, and then you seemed to clarify later you meant specifically to this operation. Are you saying that right now there are—are you making it clear there are no U.S. teams of any kind on the ground, or are you just specifically saying there are no U.S. on the ground related to this particular operation? Cook: I'm—this is specific to this operation. I'm not going to get into what we've talked about previously, the small number of U.S. forces that will be on the ground in Libya. They've been in and out, and I'm not going to get into that any further. {24:50} Reporter: You keep comparing this to the strikes at the—strikes in November and February, which were going after a high-value individuals. They were after specific individuals versus my understanding of this—correct me if I'm wrong—is this is the beginning of a campaign, an air campaign in Libya, in which the U.S. military is supporting GNA militias who have pledged their loyalty to the GNA. Is that fair? Is this the beginning of—president has approved these strikes and they will continue until Sirte is liberated. Cook: They will continue as long as the GNA is requesting—Reporter: But they don't have to put in the request every single time. There is now this blanket authority that exists for the U.S. military to strike when the GNA puts in their requests, right? Cook: These requests—these requests will be carefully coordinated with the GNA. This all originates from GNA requests for assistance, and the president has given the authority for us to have—to carefully consider those requests. Reporter: Okay. But just to be clear, because I think comparing this to these two previous strikes that were going after individuals, each one, it sounds as if this is—these were strikes that were carried out today and that's to be the end of it. But this is the beginning of an air campaign over Libya, correct? Cook: We are prepared to carry out more strikes in coordination with the GNA if those requests are forthcoming, and so— Reporter: Again, the request has been granted, right? There was—with the GNA— Cook: The authorization has been granted. {28:30} Reporter: Under what legal authority are these strikes being conducted? Cook: The 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force, similar to our previous air strikes in Libya. {33:17} Reporter And one last thing. You've made many references to civilians in Sirte. What is the U.S. estimate of how many civilians remain in Sirte? Cook: I'll try to get that number for you; I don't know that offhand. {35:00} Reporter: Peter, were leaflets dropped on that tank and those vehicles before the air strikes? Cook: I'm not aware that they were. Hearing: U.S. Africa Command and National Guard Bureau Nominations, Senate Armed Services Committee, June 21, 2016. Witnesses: Lieutenant General Thomas Waldhauser, Director for Joint Force Development for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, nominee for AFRICOM director Joseph Lengyel, Chief of National Guard Bureau Timestamps and Transcripts {20:35} Lt. General Waldhauser: We have two significant objectives for the United States: one is to get the Government of National Accord up and running, and the second is to disrupt Libya—disrupt ISIL inside Libya. {22:40} Senator John McCain: So, right now you don't think we need additional U.S. military presence. Waldhauser: At the moment, no.McCain: "At the moment" means to me, we don't have a strategy. I don't know what "at the moment"—unfortunately, this administration has reacted "at the moment" with incrementalism, mission creep, a gradual escalation in Iraq and Syria, and I don't want to see the same thing in Libya, but I'm beginning to see the same thing. Do we have a strategy for Libya, or are we just acting in an ad hoc fashion, which was—it's been the case, as we've watched ISIS establish, metastasize, and grow in Libya. Waldhauser: Well, as indicated, the two strategic objectives that we do have for Libya is to assist the— McCain: I know the objectives; do we have a strategy? Waldhauser: To continue to support that right at this point in time, I am not aware of any overall grand strategy at this point. {1:03:55} Senator Angus King: Does the GNA control the military and the police forces? Waldhauser: Senator, and to my knowledge I would not use the word "control;" I think at the moment these militias, it seems to me, appear to be working in a direction that Sarraj would like to go, but I would, at this point and if confirmed I'll look into this, but I would not use the word "control" for the GNA over the militias. King: But ultimately that's going to have to happen if they're going to control the territory. Waldhauser: Ultimately it will have to happen because you won't have a secure and working government unless they have control of a military, and in this case numerous militias across that country. Hearing: U.S. Policy Toward Libya, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, June 15, 2016. Witness Jonathan Winer, State Department Special Envoy for Libya Timestamps and Transcripts {20:50} Senator Ben Cardin: Could you tell us whether the administration is anticipating sending up an authorization to Congress for its military campaign in Libya? Winer: I don't know of a military campaign in Libya being contemplated, Senator. {28:15} Winer: I think that the problem is not so much pumping it out and losing it—there's still room for further exploration, further development—as it is the problem of too much money going out and not enough coming in, where the IMF has said to us, for example, there is no solution, no reforms, they can take if they're not producing their oil. Senator David Perdue: Their debt situation's already in a crisis level. Winer: Their very difficult economic situation right now is a result of not pumping their oil. They should be pumping 1.5 million a day; they've been pumping less than 400,000 a day. Last week I talked with the head of the petroleum forces and said, you've got to turn the oil back on. Now he now supports the Government of National Accord, his forces have been fighting to get rid of Daesh, and I think that oil is going to be turned on. It's absolutely critical. There are forces in the West—there's Zintan, they've shutdown formed in 40,000 barrels a day because some of their concerns have not met.Perdue: And does ISIS, since that's such an important economic issue—I'm sorry to interrupt— Winer: Yes, sir. Perdue: But, does ISIS pose a threat to that oil production, even if they could turn it up? Winer: To the production, yes. To exploitation, probably not. The pipelines run north-south, south-north, and they are not really exploitable in Libya in the way they've been exploitable in Iraq. Daesh did attack the oil crescent area and destroyed some terminals, some areas where oil was being stored at the terminals, and that's probably reduced their capacity some, but it's quite limited damage at this point. One of the things that's really impressive about the efforts against Daesh in the Sirte region and the oil crescent region is it's begun to push them away from their ability to threaten Libya's future oil production. So that's a significant development. But the Libyans need to draw together and address one another's grievances so that everybody agrees to allow the oil to be pumped again. Hearing: The Path Forward in Libya, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, March 3. 2016. Witnesses Fred Wehrey - Senior Associate, Middle East Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Claudia Gazzini - Senior Analyst, Libya, International Crisis Group Timestamps and Transcripts {23:10} Fred Wehrey: I just returned last night from Libya, where I saw first hand the country's humanitarian plight, political divisions, and the struggle against the self-proclaimed Islamic State. I spoke to the young militia fighters who are on the front lines against the Islamic State. I heard stories from the victims of its atrocities. What struck me most is that Libya's fragmentation into armed militias, tribes, and towns has created a vacuum that the Islamic State is exploiting, and this dissolution also presents a number of risks for U.S. and Western strategy against the Islamic State. First, there is no national military command through which the U.S. and its allies can channel counterterrorism aid; the country is split between two loose constellations of armed actors, so-called Dignity camp in the East and the Dawn camp in the West. Now, over the last year, these two factions have fragmented, splintered, to the point that they exist in name only, and although the factions signed an agreement in December for a new Government of National Accord, that government remains stillborn and unable to exert its authority. A key stumbling block is the question of who and what faction will control the country's armed forces, but perhaps most worrisome is that these two camps are still, in my view, more focused on viewing each other as a threat rather than the Islamic State. Many are, in fact, using the danger posed by the Islamic State as a pretext to wage war against local rivals over political supremacy, turf, and economic spoils. Both sides accuse the other of with the Islamic State. {30:24} Claudia Gazzini: The country's economic situation is also dire. Libya, as you know, is an oil-rich country, but over the past two years, production of crude oil has plummeted because of attacks on oil fields and oil terminals. The drop in oil prices has forced the country to run a deficit of up to two, three billion dollars a month, and this has rapidly drained the country's reserves of foreign currency, which are now between 50 and 60 billion dollars, less than half of what they were just two years ago. {36:31} Senator Bob Corker Speaking of special operators, right now it appears there's a wide variety of foreign special operations forces on the ground in Libya. Both U.S. and Europe have bold plans for supporting the GNA. If the GNA is supported under heavy Western hand does that cause—does that not cause them to lack legitimacy in the eyes of Libyans? {38:15} Wehrey: There is the sense that this is the third government, that it's been imposed, and so, yeah, if there is military support flowing to that government, it could create some dissonance. {58:25} Senator Ed Markey: Dr. Wehrey, the Wall Street Journal recently reported that the United States military and some allies, including France and the UK, have for months been preparing plans for a second intervention into Libya to support a potential Government of National Accord. The report also said that we and our partners have already established a coalition coordinating center in Rome. Sound Clip Sources: News & Documentaries RT Newscast: US Looks On Libya as McDonald's – Gaddafi's Son, Reported by Maria Finoshina, RT, June 30, 2011. RT Newscast: Gaddafi Gold-For-Oil, Dollar-Doom Plans Behind Libya 'Mission'?, Reported by Laura Emmett, RT, May 5, 2011. BBC Documentary on Libya: Before Rats Freedom & Democracy in Lybia (2008): Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Additional Hearings, Documentaries, and News Segments Hearing: CIA Intelligence Activities in Libya, Senate Select Intelligence Committee, June 16, 2016. Documentary: Pipeline to Paradise (Gaddafi's Gift to Libya), By Winfried Spinler (2001), Published on YouTube November 14, 2013. Hearing: Examining The U.S. Policy Response to Entrenched African Leadership, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, April 18. 2012. Hillary Clinton CBS New Interview: Hillary Clinton on Gaddafi: We Came, We Saw, He Died, CBS News, October 20, 2011. Hearing: Libya and War Powers, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, June 28, 2011. Hearing: War Powers and U.S. Operations in Libya , House Foreign Affairs Committee, May 25, 2011. Hearing: Perspectives on the Crisis in Libya, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, April 6, 2011. Hearing: U.S. Security Interests in Libya, House Foreign Affairs Committee, March 31, 2011. Hearing: U.S. Operations in Libya, Senate Armed Services Committee, March 29, 2011. U.N. Security Council Meeting on Libya, United Nations Security Council, March 17, 2011. Al Jazeera English Television Broadcast: Libyan Leader Moammar Qadhafi Address, February 22, 2011. Current News Libya 2016 Article: Italy Reportedly Sends Special Forces to Libya By Tom Kington, Defense News, August 11, 2016. Article: US-backed Forces in Libya Liberate Most of IS Group Stronghold of Sirte By News Wires, France 24, August 11, 2016. Article: French Special Forces Withdraw from Libya's Benghazi By Saifuddin al-Trabulsi and Osama Ali, Anadolu Agency, August 11, 2016. Article: U.S. Special Operations Troops Aiding Libyan Forces in Major Battle Against Islamic State By Missy Ryan and Sudarsan Raghavan, The Washington Post, August 9, 2016. Article: Libya: Free Saif ! Free the Nation! By Eric Draitser, Sri Lanka Guardian, August 9, 2016. Press Briefing: United States Department of State Daily Press Briefing, Spokesperson John Kirby, August 2, 2016. Article: Obama Approves 30-day Airstrike Mission Against ISIS in Libya By Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press, Fox News, August 2, 2016. Article: U.S. is Bombing Libya Again, 5 Years After NATO War Destabilized the Country By Ben Norton, Salon, August 2, 2016. Article: Aug. 1: The U.S. Intensifies Its Fight in Libya, Stratfor, August 1, 2016. Article: Gaddafi's Ghosts: Return of the Libyan Jamahiriya By Dan Glazebrook, RT, July 30, 2016. Article: Deal to Open Libya's Ras Lanuf and Es Sider Oil Ports, Al Jazeera, July 30, 2016. Article: Libya: Tripoli Condemns French Military Involvement, Al Jazeera, July 21, 2016. Article: France Confirms Three Soldiers Killed in Libya, Al Jazeera, July 20, 2016. Article: Freedom for Saif al-Islam Gaddafi! Freedom for Libya! By Eric Draitser, New Eastern Outlook, July 14, 2016. Article: Libya: Leaked Tapes Suggest West Supports Haftar, Al Jazeera, July 9, 2016. Article: Gaddafi Son Saif al-Islam 'Freed After Death Sentence Quashed' By Chris Stephen, The Guardian, July 7, 2016. Article: U.S. Special Forces Take the Fight to ISIS in Libya By Nick Paton Walsh, CNN World News, May 26, 2016. Executive Order by Preseident Barack Obama: Blocking Property And Suspending Entry Into The United States Of Persons Contributing To The Situation In Libya, The White House Office of the Press Secretary, April 19, 2016. Article: Who is Libya's New Prime Minister-Designate Fayez Al Sarraj?, The National, April 7, 2016. Article: Libya's UN-Backed Government Sails Into Tripoli, Al Jazeera, March 31, 2016. Article: Chief of Libya's New UN-Backed Government Arrives in Tripoli By Chris Stephen, The Guardian, March 30, 2016. Article: Exposing the Libyan Agenda: a Closer Look at Hillary's Emails By Ellen Brown, Counter Punch, March 14, 2016. Article: Even Critics Understate How Catastrophically Bad the Hillary Clinton-led NATO Bombing of Libya Was By Ben Norton, Salon, March 2, 2016. Article: Hillary Clinton, 'Smart Power' and a Dictator's Fall By Jo Becker and Scott Shane, The New York Times, February 27, 2016. Article: U.S. Scrambles to Contain Growing ISIS Threat in Libya By Eric Schmitt, The New York Times, February 21, 2016. Article: U.S. Bombing in Libya Reveals Limits of Strategy Against ISIS By Declan Walsh, Ben Hubbard and Eric Schmitt, The New York Times, February 19, 2016. Article: Obama Readies to Fight in Libya, Again By Jack Smith, CounterPunch, February 5, 2016. Article: Obama Is Pressed to Open Military Front Against ISIS in Libya By Eric Schmitt, The New York Times, February 4, 2016. Article: Opening a New Front Against ISIS in Libya By The Editorial Board, The New York Times, January 26, 2016. Article: Libyan Oil, Gold, and Qaddafi: The Strange Email Sidney Blumenthal Sent Hillary Clinton In 2011 By Avi Asher-Schapiro, Vice News, January 12, 2016. The Guardian News Reports on Libya The New York Times News about Arab League Additional Reading Libya 2011 to 2015 Article: Syria Exposes Threat Between Obama and Clinton By Peter Baker, The New York Times, October 3, 2015. Article: Gaddafi Loyalists Stage Rare Protest in Eastern Libya, Reuters, August 4, 2015. Article: Where in the World Is the U.S. Military? By David Vine, Politico Magazine, July/August 2015. Article: Tyler Drumheller Was the Man Behind Hillary Clinton's Private Libya Intel, Sources Say By Benjamin Siegel and John Parkinson, ABC News, June 17, 2015. Article: War Crime: NATO Deliberately Destroyed Libya's Water Infrastructure By Nafeez Ahmed, Truthout, May 30, 2015. Article: How NATO Deliberately Destroyed Libya's Water Infrastructure By Nafeez Ahmed, The Cutting Edge, May 13, 2015. Article: Human Trafficker Gets Busy as Libya Migrant Crisis Worsens By Caroline Alexander and Salma El Wardany, Bloomberg, May 10, 2015. Article: East's Bid to Control Libya Oil Wealth Likely to Fail By Ulf Laessing, Reuters, March 23, 2015. Article: Khalifa Haftar Sworn in as Libya Army Chief, Al Jazeera, March 9, 2015. Article: Libya Clashes Force Oil Port Closure, Al Jazeera, December 14, 2014. Article: The Startling Size of US Military Operations in Africa By Nick Turse, Mother Jones, September 6, 2013. Article: Libya's "Water Wars" and Gaddafi's Great Man-Made River Project By Mathaba, May 13, 2013. Article: Election Results in Libya Break an Islamist Wave By David D. Kirkpatrick, The New York Times, July 8, 2012. Article: Braving Areas of Violence, Voters Try to Reshape Libya By David D. Kirkpatrick, The New York Times, July 7, 2012. Article: An Erratic Leader, Brutal and Defiant to the End By Neil MacFarquhar, The New York Times, October 20, 2011. Article: Foreign Oil, Gas Firms Returning to Libya, CBS News/Associated Press, September 2, 2011. Article: World Powers Free Up Billions to Rebuild Libya By John Irish and Keith Weir, Reuters, September 1, 2011. Article: The Race is On for Libya's Oil, with Britain and France Both Staking a Claim By Julian Borger and Terry Macalister, The Guardian, September 1, 2011. Article: NATO Bombs the Great Man-Made River, Human Rights Investigations, July 27, 2011. Article: Rebels Say Qaddafi Must Face Trial as Airstrikes Hit Tripoli By Associated Pess, Fox News World, July 22, 2011. Article: Libya Rebels Get Formal Backing, and $30 Billion By Sebnem Arsu and Steven Erlanger, The New York Times, July 15, 2011. Article: Conflict in Libya: U.S. Oil Companies Sit on Sidelines as Gaddafi Maintains Hold By Steven Mufson, The Washington Post, June 10, 2011. Article: AFRICOM's Libyan Expedition By Jonathan Stevenson, Foreign Affairs, May 9, 2011. Article: Nine Killed in NATO Attack on Sirte, Reuters, April 22, 2011. Article: Libyan Rebel Council Forms Oil Company to Replace Qaddafi's By Bill Varner, Bloomberg, March 22, 2011. Article: France and Britain Lead Military Push on Libya By Steven Erlanger, The New York Times, March 18, 2011. Article: As U.N. Backs Military Action in Libya, U.S. Role Is Unclear By Dan Bilefsky and Mark Landler, The New York Times, March 17, 2011. Article: Clinton Meets in Paris With Libyan Rebel Leader By Steven Lee Myers, The New York Times, March 14, 2011. Article: Map of the Day: This Is Where Libya's Oil Infrastructure Is Located By Joe Weisenthal, Business Insider, February 28, 2011. President Barack Obama Executive Order: Executive Order 13566 --Libya, The White House Office of the Press Secretary, February 25, 2011. Libya Prior to 2011 Article: African Union Names Gaddafi as Head, Al Jazeera, February 2, 2009. Article: The Years of Wheelus By Walter J. Boyne, Air Force Magazine, January 2008. Article: Africa United in Rejecting US Request for Military HQ By Simon Tisdall, The Guardian, June 26, 2007. Article: Behind Gaddafi's Diplomatic Turnaround By Scott McLeod, Time, May 18, 2006. Article: Libya's Thirst for 'Fossil Water' By John Watkins, BBC News, March 18, 2006. Article: 350 Libyans Trained to Oust Qaddafi Are to Come to U.S. By Neil A. Lewis, May 17, 1991. E Book/Pdf: The Green Book By Muammar Al Qaddafi, Originally published 1975. Owners vs. Producers Housing Additional Information GreenStream Pipeline GreenStream Pipeline Activity Human Rights Watch Website Encyclopaedia Britannica Online: Great Man-Made River (GMR) Energy Information Administration: 2007 Libya Energy Data, Statistics WikiLeaks: Hillary Clinton Email Archive: "Tick Tock On Libya", September 2, 2011. Wikileaks: Hillary Clinton Email: "Lots of New Intel; Possible Libyan Collapse. Sid", March 27, 2011. Wikileaks: Hillary Clinton Email Archive: "H: France's Client & Q's Gold. Sid", March 4, 2011. Wikipedia: General People's Committee Reports Libya: Transition and U.S. Policy By Christopher M. Blanchard, Congressional Research Service, May 13, 2016. Appendix B. U.S. Assistance to Libya FY2010-FY2015 Total Energy 2013 Report on Activities in Libya Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations

Netroots Nation is an annual political conference where "progressive" politicians, journalists, and activists gather to exchange ideas. In this episode, Jen highlights her experience at Netroots Nation 2016. Included are an update on the status of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and other interesting insights into the current state of the Democratic Party's political base. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Sound Clip Sources Netroots Nation Introduction Clip: Hillary Clinton Addresses Netroots Nation 2016, YouTube, July 16, 2016. Additional Reading Article: The Man Behind Citizens United Gears Up for Hillary Clinton Attacks By Fredreka Schouten, USA Today, July 20, 2016. Article: A Novel About War With China Strikes a Chord at the Pentagon By Dan De Luce, Foreign Policy, May 15, 2016. Article: Inside Hillary Clinton's Big-Money Cavalry By Dave Levinthal, The Center for Public Integrity, April 7, 2016. Article: Who, What, Why: What is skunk water?, BBC News, September 12, 2015. Article: US Defense Bill Worth $1.5B To Israel's Plasan Sasa By Globes Online, Israel Business News, January 7, 2010. Book: Merchants of Doubt By Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway, May 24, 2011. Additional Information Netroots Nation Online Sessions Keep It in the Ground: Getting the Federal Government Out of the Fossil Fuel Business TPP: Trade "Trump-ing" the Election How the Next President Can Bust Up Big Corporations We're Taking on Wall Street and the Big Banks Mistral Security Website: Crowd Control - Skunk Supreme Court of the United States Blog: Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission Case Files OpenSecrets: Hillary Clinton 2016 Presidential Candidacy Fundraising Summary Data OpenSecrets: Saban Capital Group 2016 Election Cycle Contribution Data Documentary: Merchants of Doubt Directed by Robert Kenner, 2015. Reports The Redistricting Majority Project 2012 Summary Report, January 4, 2013. Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations

Impeachment: A serious punishment for serious corruption. In this episode, learn why Congress has begun the process of impeaching IRS Commissioner John Koskinen and how his impeachment would prevent light from being shined upon dark money in politics. Executive Producer: Anonymous Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Bill Outlines H.R. 5253: Preventing IRS Abuse and Protecting Free Speech Act Prohibits tax exempt organizations from being required to disclose any information about their contributors, including the person's name, address, or the amount of their contribution or gift on their annual tax returns. Passed the House of Representatives 240-182 Author: Peter Roskam (IL-6) Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 5053 – Preventing IRS Abuse and Protecting Free Speech Act By Representative Peter Roskam and 25 cosponsors, Executive Office of the President, June 13, 2016. H.Res. 737: Condemning and censuring John A. Koskinen, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue Suggests that John Koskinen should resign or be fired by the President Suggests that John Koskinen be denied his all of his retirement payments from the Federal government S. 1728: Access to Court Challenges for Exempt Status Seekers (ACCESS) Act of 2015 Allows the United States Tax Court, the United States Court of Federal Claims, or the district court of the United States for the District of Columbia to determine qualifications for 501(c)4 status if the IRS hasn't made the determination after 270 days. S. 1578: Taxpayer Bill of Rights Enhancement Act of 2015 Congress must be notified why the IRS Commissioner decides NOT to fire an employee Requires IRS employee emails to be stored for 15 years and then be stored in the National Archives Quadruples criminal penalties for unauthorized disclosures and inspections. Prohibits IRS employees from using personal email accounts for official business Gives organizations the ability to challenge their denials of tax exempt status in court S.942: Fair Treatment for All Gifts Act Expands the tax deduction for charitable giving to include gifts to 501(c)4 organizations S. 949: Small Business Taxpayer Bill of Rights Defines a "small business" as one that makes less than $50 million a year Increases fines for unauthorized inspection or disclosure of tax returns by 10 times the current penalties Institutes mandatory unpaid leave for at least 30 days for any IRS employee that reviews an application for tax exempt status "using any methodology that applies disproportionate scrutiny to any applicant based on the ideology expressed in the name or purpose of the organization". Allows the United States Tax Court, the United States Court of Federal Claims, or the district court of the United States for the District of Columbia to determine qualifications for 501(c)4 status if the IRS hasn't made the determination after 270 days. Orders the Treasury Inspector General to Investigate criteria used to evaluate applications for tax exempt status to determine whether the criteria discriminates against taxpayers on the basis of race, religion, or political ideology. S. 283: Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act of 2015 The standard used to determine whether an organization is a 501(c)4 social welfare organization that was used on January 1, 2010 will be the standard used, and it cannot be changed before February 28, 2017. Speaker Paul Ryan's version of this bill prohibits the standard from changing before December 31, 2017. Sound Clip Sources Hearing: Examining the Allegations of Misconduct Against IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, Part II, House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, June 22, 2016. Hearing: Conduct of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, May 24, 2016. Hearing: Internal Revenue Service Targeting Investigation, Senate Finance Committee, October 27, 2015. Additional Reading Article: Freedom Caucus Ups Pressure to Impeach IRS Commissioner By Daniel Newhauser, Government Executive, June 30, 2016. Article: IRS Targeting Scandal: Citizens United, Lois Lerner And The $20M Tax Saga That Won't Go Away By Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, June 24, 2016. Article: The Show Trial of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen By Norm Ornstein, The Atlantic, June 22, 2016. Article: IRS Chief Koskinen Fights First Appointee Impeachment Since 1876 By Lynnley Browning, Chicago Tribune, June 21, 2016. Article: House Approves Koch-backed Bill to Shield Donors' Names By Fredreka Schouten, USA Today, June 14, 2016. Article: Appropriations Bill 'Handcuffs'IRS on Political Group Activities By Colleen Murphy, Bloomberg Bureau of National Affairs, June 13, 2016. Article: How Crossroads GPS Beat the IRS and Became a Social Welfare Group By Robert Maguire, Open Secrets, February 12, 2016. Article: Inside the Billion-Dollar Battle for Puerto Rico's Future By Jonathan Mahler and Nicholas Confessore, The New York Times, December 19, 2015. Article: Exelon Amends Reports Concerning Contributions To Trade Groups By Michael Beckel, The Center for Public Integrity, January 29, 2014. Article: Follow the Corporate Cash Flow to Nonprofits By Chris Zubak-Skees, The Center for Public Integrity, January 16, 2014. Article: At Least 1 in 4 Dark Money Dollars in 2012 Had Koch Links By Robert Maguire, OpenSecrets, December 3, 2013. Article: The IRS Tea Party Scandal, Explained By Andy Kroll, Mother Jones, November 21, 2013. Additional Information SourceWatch: 60 Plus Association OpenSecrets: Political Nonprofits (Dark Money) Reports IRS Return Selection: Wage and Investment Division Should Define Audit Objectives and Refine Other Internal Controls, United States Government Accountability Office, December 2015. Finance Committee Releases Bipartisan IRS Report By Aaron Forbes and Julia Lawless, United States Senate Committee on Finance, August 5, 2015. Inappropriate Criteria Were Used to Identify Tax-Exempt Applications for Review By Treasury Inspector General For Tax Administration, May 14, 2013. The Internal Revenue Service's Processing Of 501(c)(3) And 501(c)(4) Applications For Tax-Exempt Status Submitted By ''Political Advocacy'' By The United States Senate Committee on Finance, August 5, 2015. Organizations From 2010–2013 Part 1 The Report Part 2 Letters Part 3 Emails Part 4 Documents Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations

Puerto Rico is in trouble and only the U.S. Congress can help the island of U.S. citizens. Does the bill quickly moving through Congress actually help Puerto Rico? Executive Producer: Kevin Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! H.R. 5278: "Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act" (PROMESA) Bill Highlights Definitions "Territorial instrumentality": "Any political subdivision, public agency, instrumentality - including any instrumentality that is also a bank - or public corporation of a territory, and this term should be broadly construed to effectuate the purposes of this Act." Title 1: Establishment and Organization of Oversight Board Purpose: "To provide a method for a covered territory to achieve fiscal responsibility and access tot he capital markets." Constitutional Justification for the Board Article IV, section 3 of the Constitution "Provides Congress the power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations for territories." Records Access The Oversight Board will have the power to demand budgets from any public agency. The Oversight Board has the power to exclude any public agency from the requirements of this law. Oversight Board Membership Seven unpaid members appointed by the President. Six of the selections will be from lists created by Congress. Two people must be selected from two different lists submitted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives Two people must be picked from a list created by the Majority Leader of the Senate One person must be selected from a list created by the House Minority Leader One person must be selected from a list created by the Senate Minority Leader One person will be picked by the President Only one person on the board has to be a territory resident or "have a primary place of business in the territory" The appointments must be done by September 15, 2016 The Governor, or his designee, will be an "ex officio member" with no voting rights. Term of service: 3 years Removal: Can be done by the President "only for cause" Expired terms: The member can serve until someone else is appointed. Consecutive terms are allowed Member Qualifications Must have "knowledge and expertise in finance, municipal bond markets, management, law, or the organization or operation of business or government" No one who has worked for the territory's government is allowed on the Oversight Board Rules for the Oversight Board The Oversight Board will write the laws governing it's own activities The work of the Oversight Board can be privatized Majority Rule Needed To: Approve of fiscal plans Approve a budget To waive a law To approve or disapprove an infrastructure project Territorial Laws The Oversight Board can change the territory's laws "with the greatest degree of independence practicable" The Oversight Board may conduct their business behind closed doors. Paid Staff Executive Director The Board will determine his/her salary The Executive Director can hire as many staff members as he wants and decide how much they get paid, as long as none of them get more than he does. Gifts Are allowed but need to be publicly disclosed Exemption from Laws "The Executive Director and staff of the Oversight Board may be appointed and paid without regard to any provision of the laws of the covered territory or the Federal Government governing appointments and salaries. Any provision of the laws of the covered territory governing procurement shall not apply to the Oversight Board." Powers of the Oversight Board Data Collection The Oversight Board "shall have the right to secure copies, whether written or electronic, of such records, documents, information, data, or metadata from the territorial government" The banks can voluntarily submit information about how much money they think they're owed Subpeona Power Failure to obey an Oversight Board will be punished in court according to territorial laws. Strikes Prohibited The Oversight Board must "ensure prompt enforcement" of any territorial laws "prohibiting public sector employees from participating in a strike or lockout Lawsuits Against the Board Any legal action against the Oversight Board must be filed in a United States district court for the territory, or in the US District Court for Hawaii if that territory doesn't have one. The courts are not allowed to consider challenges to the Oversight Board's certification determinations Oversight Board Funding The Oversight Board will be funded by the permanent budget of the territory in an amount chosen by the Oversight Board. Until the territory creates the law providing permanent funding, the territory must transfer whatever the Oversight Board requests in its budget - at least 2 million dollars per month - to a fund controlled by the Oversight Board. The Oversight Board will have the ability to give some money back Oversight of the Oversight Board The territory is prohibited from exercising any oversight of the Oversight Board activities or from enacting any law related to the Oversight Board that "defeat the purposes of this Act" Title II: Responsibilities of the Oversight Board Approval of Fiscal Plans Fiscal plans submitted by the Governor will have to get certification from the Oversight Board. A fiscal plan developed by the Oversight Board will be deemed approved by the Governor Approval of Budgets If the Governor and Legislature don't have a budget certified by the first day of the fiscal year, the Oversight Board's budget will be deemed approved. Contract Reviews The Oversight Board can require review of government to government contracts that compete with the private sector "to ensure such proposed contracts promote market competition" Sense of Congress: Territorial government should be a "facilitator and not a competitor to private enterprise' If a "contract, rule, regulation, or executive order" fails to comply with Oversight Board policies, the Oversight Board can prevent "execution and enforcement of the contract, rule, executive order, or regulation." The Oversight Board will be able to rescind any law enacted between May 4, 2016 and the day all members and the Chair of the Oversight Board are appointed. They can't rescind laws that comply with a court order, implement a Federal Government program, implement laws that match Oversight Board policies, or maintain Federally funded mass transportation assets. The Oversight Board is allowed to make recommendations to change how pensions are paid to government employees and to transfer government services and entities to the private sector The Board will have the authority to cut budgets for services, institute hiring freezes, and cut off agencies from making financial transactions. Approval of debt restructuring plans Will need the approval of 5/7 Oversight Board members As long as the Oversight Board is in operation, the territorial government can't make any transactions related to it's debt. Termination of Oversight Board The territory needs to balance its budget for 4 consecutive years and the Oversight Board must certify that the banks are willing to lend to the territorial government No Full Faith & Credit of the United States The territories' debt is not backed by and will not be paid by the United States. Title III: Adjustments of Debts Allows Puerto Rico to have some ability under Chapter 11 (the bankruptcy chapter) to restructure it's debt. Banks ("creditors") that don't consent to a payment moritorium will not be bound by it. Title IV: Miscellaneous Minimum Wage Allows the Governor of Puerto Rico to [lower the minimum wage to $4.25/hr for new employees under age 25 until the Oversight Board is terminated, not more than four years. Lawsuit Freeze Lawsuits against Puerto Rico for repayment are prohibited from the day of enactment of this law until February 15, 2017 or six months after the Oversight Board is created. Title V: Puerto Rico Infrastructure Revitalization Revitalization Coordinator There will be a Revitalization Coordinator under the command of the Oversight Board, who will be appointed by the Governor from a list of three names selected by the Oversight Board. The Revitalization Coordinator must have experience in the planning, predevelopment, financing, development, operations, engineering, or market participation of infrastructure projects who isn't currently contracting with the government of Puerto Rico and was not a former government employee after 2012. The Revitalization Coordinator will be paid no more than the Executive Director. Project Assessments Will include how the project contributes "to transitioning to privatize generation capacities in Puerto Rico" Expedited Permits Relevant agencies of Puerto Rico's government need to create an expedited permitting process for the infrastructure projects declared "critical" by the Revitalization Coordinator. The expedited permitting processes will be operated as if the Governor had declared an emergency under Puerto Rican law. "Any transactions, processes, projects, works, or programs essential to the completion of a Critical Project shall continue to be processed and completed under such Expedited Permitting Process regardless of the termination of the Oversight Board" If a project is determined by "the Planning Board" to likely affect the implementation of existing Puerto Rican land use plans or an approved Integrated Resource Plan, the project will be "deemed ineligible" for Critical Project designation. The Oversight Board can waive any law that would "adversely impact the Expedited Permitting Process Limited Access to Courts Lawsuits against a "critical project" must be brought within 30 days of the decision the lawsuit would challenge. Vote June 9, 2016: Passed the House of Representatives 297-127 Sound Clip Sources TV Episode: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Puerto Rico (HBO), April 17 2016. TV Episode: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: U.S. Territories (HBO), March 8, 2015. Hearing: H.R. 5278 Full Committee Markup, House Committee on Natural Resources, May 25, 2016. Hearing: H.R. 5278 Full Committee Markup, House Committee on Natural Resources, May 24, 2016. Hearing: Puerto Rico's Debt Crisis and Its Impact on the Bond Markets, House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, February 25, 2016. Hearing: Puerto Rico's Fiscal Problems: Examining the Source and Exploring the Solution, United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, December 1, 2015. Hearing: The Broken State of Puerto Rico, Senate Judiciary Committee, December 1, 2015. Additional Reading Article: Democrats Could Slow Passage of Puerto Rico Rescue Bill By Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press, ABC News, June 21, 2016. Article: Hedge Funds Sue Puerto Rico in N.Y. Over Fiscal Crisis Law By Erik Larson, Bloomberg, June 21, 2016. Article: Supreme Court Says No to Puerto Rico's Bankruptcy Law By Rachel Greszler, The Daily Signal, June 13, 2016. Article: Supreme Court rules Puerto Rico can't restructure debt By Lydia Wheeler, The Hill, June 13, 2016. Article: Congress' Proposal to Restrict Legal Proceedings in Puerto Rico Debt Crisis Could Trigger Chaos By Rachel Greszler and Salim Furth, The Daily Signal, June 8, 2016. Article: Bernie Sanders leads liberals' fight against Puerto Rico rescue bill By Mike DeBonis, The Washington Post, May 23, 2016. Articles: News about Tea Party Movement, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times, The New York Times, Last Updated May 23, 2016. Article: The Vultures' Vultures: How A New Hedge-Fund Strategy Is Corrupting Washington By Ryan Grim and Paul Blumenthal, The Huffington Post, May 13, 2016. Articles: News about Mutual Funds and E.T.F.'s, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times, The New York Times, Last Updated May 7, 2016. Article: Mystery: Strom Thurmond, Puerto Rico and bankruptcy protection By Jon Greenberg, Politifact, April 27, 2016. Article: Puerto Rico woos US investors with huge tax breaks as locals fund debt crisis By Rupert Neate, The Guardian, February 14, 2016. Article: The Price Of Inequality For Puerto Rico By Maria Levis, Health Affairs Blog, December 29, 2015. Article: Inside the Billion-Dollar Battle for Puerto Rico's Future By Jonathan Mahler and Nicholas Confessore, The New York Times, December 19, 2015. Article: Is this 1917 law suffocating Puerto Rico's economy? By Chris Bury, PBS, August 13, 2015. Article: For Puerto Rico, There is a Better Way A Second Look at the Commonwealth's Finances and Options Going Forward, By Jose Fajgenbaum, Jorge Guzman, and Claudio Loser, Centennial Group International, July 2015. Article: Here Are the Winners and Losers of Puerto Rico's Debt Crisis By Michelle Kaske, Bloomberg, May 19, 2015. Article: Puerto Rico Fighting to Keep Its Tax Breaks for Businesses By Larry Rohter, The New York Times, May 10, 1993. Additional Information Documentary: THE LAST COLONY: A Close Look At Puerto Rico's Unique Relationship With The United States Website: House Natural Resources Committee Puerto Rico Legislation, May 25, 2016. OpenSecrets: Career Profile for Rep. Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina's 5th disctrict Website: Summary of Puerto Rico Tax Incentives OpenSecrets: Career Profile for Rep. Sean P Duffy of Wisconsin's 7th District OpenSecrets: Lobbyists lobbying on H.R.4900: PROMESA House Natural Resources Section by Section Summary of H.R. 5278 Foraker Act, April 12, 1900, Establishing the initial government structure of Puerto Rico. Jones Act of 1917, provided Puerto Ricans with American citizenship and established maritime laws that Puerto Rico would be ruled by, among other things. Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, February 6, 1952. Reports Puerto Rico's Political Status and the 2012 Plebiscite: Background and Key Questions By R. Sam Garrett, June 25, 2013. Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations

Transportation: We all need it, and Congress funded it. In this episode, we take a detailed look into the FAST Act, which funds our national transportation network for the next five years. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! H.R. 22: FAST Act ("Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act) Bill Highlights Division A - Surface Transportation Title I - Federal-Aid Highways Funding level Highways will get an average of 41 billion per year. Private Freight Grants: $500 million can go to private rail freight companies to upgrade rail infrastructure; the Federal share of these projects is capped at 60%. Acceleration of Projects Creates a pilot program that will allow States to conduct environmental reviews, using their own State laws, instead of using the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Capped at 5 States The State can only be approved if the Secretary of Transportation determines the laws of the State are at least as stringent as the Federal requirements. No lawsuits will be allowed, challenging the permit approval, after 2 years. The program will sunset in 12 years Miscellaneous The Department of Transportation will identify national corridors for installation of electric car charging stations and hydrogen, propane, and natural gas refueling stations by the end of 2016. The goal is to have the charging and refueling stations deployed by September 30, 2020. Allows the Department of Transportation to move swallows from under bridges that need fixing until the Interior Department issues final rules. The Secretary of the Interior can suspend the authorization to move the swallows. Title III - Public Transportation Funding level The Mass Transit Account will provide and caps expenditures at an average of $9.7 billion per year. $199 million for positive train control installation, which can be used to pay for up to 80% of the cost. Buy American Requires American steel, iron, or manufactured goods to be purchased, when possible. Title IV - Highway Traffic Safety Provides grants to States in return for their establishment of laws that prohibit texting and driving. Prohibits Federal grant money from funding for State & local programs for checking for motorcycle helmet usage or checkpoints for motorcycle monitoring. Impaired Driving Provides grants to States for implementation of drunk driving laws. Orders a study and report to Congress on marijuana-impaired driving by the end of 2016. Title V - Motor Carrier Safety Drug Test Expansion Allows companies to conduct preemployment and random tests of commercial drivers for alcohol and controlled substances using hair testing as an alternative to urine testing. Allows for religious exemptions Title VI - Innovation Highway User Fees Grants will be provided to States that create user-fee programs for funding the Highway Trust Fund. The goal is to test the design and public acceptance of two or more user fee systems. Private vendors can be used to operate the fee collection systems. The fees collected will not be considered "tolls" Public Access to Research A database of all Department of Transportation research projects will be available on a public website and updated once per year. Title VII - Hazardous Materials Transportation Special permits Speeds up the decision time for special permits for transporting hazardous material by 60 days The decisions will be available to the public "Wetlines" Requires the Secretary of Transportation to kill a proposed rule that would have prohibited the transportation of flammable liquids in the pipes underneath tankers Transportation of flammable liquids by rail Within a year, the Secretary of Transportation has to create regulations to require railroads to report accurate, real-time information about hazardous liquids being transported to the local fusion centers, who will share the information with State and local first responders. Tank cars that do not meet Federal standards can still be used to transport oil and ethanol until 2018 or May 2025, depending on the type of tank car. The Secretary of Transportation can extend the deadlines for up to 2 years The Secretary of Transportation will have 180 days to create regulations to make sure that tank cars modified to meet Federal standards be equipped with insulating blankets that have been approved by the Secretary. Title XI - Rail Funding Levels Amtrak, which owns the tracks and passenger cars operating in the Northeast, will get an average of $519 million per year. For Amtrak operations in the rest of the country, where private freight companies own our tracks, Amtrak will receive an average of $1 billion per year. Food and Beverage Reform Amtrak will have 90 days to develop a plan to eliminate the operating loss associated with offering food and beverages on Amtrak trains in a way that doesn't eliminate any Amtrak employee positions Amtrak will be cut off from Federal funds to cover food and beverage related operating losses in December 2021. Pets on Trains Amtrak will have one year to launch a pilot program allowing dogs and cats on trains Gulf Coast Rail A working group will be created and have nine months to develop a recommendation for the best option for restoring intercity rail passenger transportation between New Orleans, LA and Orlando, FL. Privatizing long distance routes The Secretary of Transportation will have to create a pilot program by mid-2017 that will allow non-Amtrak companies to operate up to 3 long distance passenger rail routes. The non-Amtrak operator will have control of the route for four years and it can be renewed once for an additional four year period. The operator will be given an operating subsidy for up to 90% of what the government is giving Amtrak. The non-Amtrak operator can be the private company that owns the tracks, another private company that has an agreement with the track owners or the States. The non-Amtrak operator will be given access to Amtrak's reservation system, stations, and operations facilities and will be required to give hiring preferences to the Amtrak employees laid off because of the transfer. Cameras on Trains By the end of 2017, the Secretary of Transportation must create regulations requiring inward and outward facing cameras in the control cabs on all passenger trains Liability Cap Amtrak can not be held liable for more than $295 million for the fatal accident that occurred on May 12, 2015. Title XXIV - Motor Vehicle Safety Recall Information The Secretary of Transportation will have until the end of 2017 to create a public website for easily accessible information on vehicle safety recalls. Information about recalls will have to be sent to consumers electronically in addition to first class mail. There will be a two year pilot program testing the idea of States informing customers of recalls when they register their vehicles. Doubles the amount of time consumers get to have their recalled tires replaced from 60 days to 180 days. Rental Car Safety Rental car companies with more than 35 cars can sell, lease, or rent out cars only after they have fixed whatever was recalled. They can continue to rent out the cars until the solution is available, if it is not immediately available at the time they are notified. Motor Safety Violation Penalties Increases the penalties from $5,000 per violation to $21,000 per violation, capped at $105 million. Driver Privacy Information from a car's event data recorder can only be accessed by someone other than the owner or lessee if it's authorized by a court, is provided willingly by the owner/lessee, is needed for emergency response purposes, or is for traffic safety research and the personally identifiable information is hidden. Tires The Secretary of Transportation will create regulations for tire fuel efficiency minimum performance standards, taking steps to ensure that wet traction functionality is not effected. Creates a publicly searchable electronic database for tire recall information Whistleblowers If a whistleblower gives credible and unique information about a safety problem to the Secretary of Transportation that results in sanctions, the whistleblower can get between 10 and 30 percent of the award. Title XXXII - Offsets Passport Denials for Tax Delinquencies If a person has a seriously delinquent tax debt over $50,000, the Secretary of State must deny new passports and can revoke, or limit existing passports. Privatize Tax Collection Forces the Treasury Secretary to issue at least one contract for tax collection services by April 2016. Customs Fees Increases a list of customs fees every year with inflation. Federal Reserve Funds Limits the amount of money that can be held by the Federal Reserve banks to $10 billion and transfers the remainder to the general fund of the Treasury. Adjusts dividends for Federal Reserve stockholders to the lower of the rate of the 10 year Treasury notes or 6 percent Strategic Petroleum Reserve Requires the Secretary of Energy to sell at least 66 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and deposit the money into the general fund of the Treasury. The amount sold may be increased at the discretion of the Energy Secretary until the revenue totals $6.2 billion. Crop Insurance Profits Repeals a part of the Bipartisan Budget Act that caps the returns for crop insurance providers at 8.9% Oil & Gas Royalties Eliminates interest payments that oil and gas companies could accrue on overpayments. PAYGO Scorecard The effects of this law on the budget will not be counted Title LI - Taxpayer protection provisions and increased accountability Export-Import Bank Reauthorizes the Export-Import bank until September 30, 2019 and reduces the amount of loans, guarantees, and insurance the Export-Import bank can have outstanding to $135 billion (from $140 billion). Requires the Export-Import bank to hold 5% of it's funds in reserve to protect against losses. Requires independent audits of the Export-Import bank's portfolio Creates a pilot program that allows the Export-Import Bank to enter into contracts to "share risks". The amount of liability allowed to be transferred is capped at a total of $10 billion. Title LV - Other Matters Environmental Law Waivers In an emergency during which there is a sudden increase in energy demand - which includes during a war that the United States is involved in - "any party" that follows an order to generate electricity can not be sued for violating "any Federal, State, or local environmental law or regulation". The order that allows immunity for breaking environmental laws will expire in 90 days, but the order can be renewed as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission "determines necessary to meet the emergency and serve the public interest." If the emergency order is set aside by a court, the immunity remains. Strategic Transformer Reserve The Secretary of Energy will have one year to create a plan to store spare large power transformers and substations that are critical infrastructure or support military installations. Title LXXI - Improving Access to Capital for Emerging Growth Companies Makes it easier and faster for a company that makes under $1 billion per year to offer stock to the public. Title LXXII - Disclosure Modernization and Simplification Reduces paperwork for companies that make under $1 billion per year and want to offer stock to the public. Title LXXIII - Bullion and Collectible Coin Production Efficiency and Cost Savings Removes the requirement that collectable coins be 10% copper Title LXXIV - SBIC Advisors Relief Investment advisors who solely advise small business investment companies will be able to be excluded from registration requirements even if they are managing assets over $150 million (current limit for exemption from registration requirements). Title LXXV - Eliminate Privacy Notice Confusion Banks will not have to mail privacy notices to their customers if they haven't changed their policies since the last disclosure was sent. Title LXXVI - Reforming Access for Investments in Startup Enterprises Allows privately held shares to be sold to "accredited investors" without registering the securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Title LXXXII - Capital Access for Small Community Financial Institutions Allows privately insured credit unions to become members of Federal Home Loan Banks if they are FDIC eligible or are certified by the State If the State doesn't get to it in under 6 months, the application is deemed approved. Title LXXXIII - Small Bank Exam Cycle Reform Doubles the size of a bank that counts as a "small bank" from banks that have less than $500 million to banks that have less than $1 billion for the purpose of allowing those banks to have on-site examinations by regulators every 18 months instead of every year. Sound Clip Sources Hearing: House Rules Committee Meeting on Highway Bill Amendments-Part 1, November 3, 2015. Hearing: House Rules Committee Meeting on Highway Bill Amendments, Part 2, November 3, 2015. Hearing: Federal Railroad Administration Confirmation Hearing, Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, September 17, 2015 Hearing: Positive Train Control, House Transportation Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, June 24, 2015. Hearing: Amtrak Derailment, House Transportation and Infrastructer Committee, June 2, 2015. Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes Congressional Dish Episode 99: April Takes a Turn By Jennifer Briney, June 27, 2015 Congressional Dish Episode 73: Amtrak, By Jennifer Briney, June 24, 2014 Congressional Dish Episode 62: The Farm Bill By Jennifer Briney, February 8, 2014. Reports Federal Public Transportation Program: In Brief By William J. Mallett, December 28, 2015. Congressional Budget Office: H.R. 22, the FAST Act, December 2, 2015. Additional Reading Article: Rental companies now have to repair recalled cars By Chris Isidore, CNN Money, June 1, 2016. Article: NTSB: Philly Amtrak crash engineer's fault By Bill Cummings, CtPost, May 17, 2016. Article: With RAISE Act, Congress Paves Way For Private Secondary Markets By Shriram Bhashyam, TechCrunch, December 20, 2015. Article: Highway Bill Restores Crop Insurance Funding Cut in Budget Deal, Insurance Journal, December 4, 2015. Article: Fewer Taxpayer Giveaways Would Cut The Fat, Not 'Cripple' Crop Insurance By Shannon Van Hoesen, Environmental Working Group, December 3, 2015. Article: FAST Act (H.R. 22): Surface Transportation Conference Report Released By Robert S. Kirk, December 2, 2015. Article: $305B highway bill taps Fed, oil reserves By Keith Lang, The Hill, December 1, 2015. Article: Congress votes to delay rail safety mandate by 3 to 5 years, fund transportation programs By Joan Lowy, U.S. News and World Report, October 28, 2015. Article: Ag Committee Leaders Stand United Against Reopening Farm Bill to New Crop Insurance Cuts By Meghan Cline, United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, October 27, 2015. Article: 'Devastating' crop insurance cut sends lawmakers scrambling By Philip Brasher, Agri-Pulse, October 27, 2015. Article: Rail-safety deadline extension hitched to must-pass bill on transit funding By Ashley Halsey III and Michael Laris, The Washington Post, October 27, 2015. Article: Deadline for train safety technology undercut by industry lobbying By Ashley Halsey III and Michael Laris, The Washington Post, October 25, 2015. Article: Stop pretending you know what the Export-Import Bank is By Simone Pathe, PBS, September 15, 2014. Article: REUTERS SUMMIT-U.S. Ex-Im bank would back Airbus sales -Hochberg By Alwyn Scott and Tim Hepher, Reuters, September 10, 2014. Article: CARGO TANK TRUCKS: Improved Incident Data and Regulatory Analysis Would Better Inform Decisions about Safety Risks By Susan A. Fleming, U.S. Government Accountability Office, September 11, 2013. Article: How the cult of shareholder value wrecked American business By Steven Pearlstein, The Washington Post, September 9, 2013. Article: NTTC Asks LaHood to Halt Rulemaking On Wetlines Procedures, Tanker Design By Timothy Cama, Transport Topics, October 10, 2011. Article: Hazardous Materials: Safety Requirements for External Product Piping on Cargo Tanks Transporting Flammable Liquids By Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, January 27, 2011. Additional Information U.S. Department of Homeland Security Budget-in-Brief Fiscal Year 2016 U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Budget Estimates, Fiscal Year 2016 Metra Website: Positive Train Control Joint Explanatory Statement explaining the FAST Act OpenSecrets: Profile of National Tank Truck Carriers Inc OpenSecrets: Top Contributors to Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Bill Shuster OpenSecrets: Top Contributing Industries for Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Bill Shuster OpenSecrets: Career Profile for Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio's 15th district Website: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Website: Export-Import Bank of the United States Website: Risk Management Agency/U.S. Department of Agriculture: Crop Insurance Providers List for 2016 Website: Department of Transportation Fact Sheet Website: United States Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics: Transportation Fatalities by Mode YouTube: 9/11 hijackers at Dulles Airport, October 3, 2008. Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations

Beware: Opinions ahead! In this special episode, Jen discusses who she will vote for in the June 7th Presidential Primary. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Podcast Awards Thank you for nominating Congressional Dish for the 2016 Podcast Awards! Please VOTE HERE every day starting on May 29th North Carolina Podcast Are you interested in co-creating a Congressional Dish style podcast about North Carolina? Email Amy Howard: ahoward at ralieghonlineradio.com Sound Clip Sources YouTube: "She's Baldly Lying": Dana Frank Responds to Hillary Clinton's Defense of Her Role in Honduras Coup, April 13, 2016. YouTube: Trump Campaign Event in Bluffton, South Carolina: Trump says you will find Saudi Arabia did 9 11 and no WWIII over Syria, February 25, 2016. YouTube: NBC News-YouTube Democratic Candidates Debate, January 17, 2016. YouTube: Trump on 9/11 Truth & 28 Pages CNN"s Republican Town Hall, February 18, 2016. YouTube: Hillary Clinton National Security Address, November 19, 2015. YouTube: Hillary Clinton vs. Bernie Sanders on Whether to Invade Iraq - 2002, October 2002 Additional Reading Article: CLO Debt Market Peps Up by Sam Goldfarb, Wall Street Journal, May 22, 2016. Article: How Hillary Clinton Became a Hawk by Mark Landler, The New York Times Magazine, April 21, 2016. Article: How Clinton's email scandal took root by Robert O'Harrow Jr., The Washington Post, March 27, 2016. Article: DRUGS, DAMS, AND POWER: THE MURDER OF HONDURAN ACTIVIST BERTA CÁCERES by Danielle Marie Mackey, The Intercept, March 11, 2016. Article: The Clinton-Backed Honduran Regime Is Picking Off Indigenous Leaders by Greg Grandin, The Nation, March 3, 2016. Article: THE LIBYA GAMBLE PART 1: Hillary Clinton,'Smart Power' and a Dictator's Fall by Jo Becker and Scott Shane, The New York Times, February 27, 2016. Article: THE LIBYA GAMBLE PART 2: A New Libya, With 'Very Little Time Left' by Scott Shane and Jo Becker, The New York Times, February 27, 2016. Article: The Dangerous Path Toward Mining Law Reform in Honduras by Lynn Holland, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, December 18, 2015. Article: During Honduras Crisis, Clinton Suggested Back Channel With Lobbyist Lanny Davis by Lee Fang, The Intercept, July 6, 2015. Article: The Wedding That a U.S. Drone Strike Turned Into a Funeral by Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, January 9, 2014. Article: Drone Attacks at Funerals of People Killed in Drone Strikes by Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, October 24, 2013. Article: Get the Data: Obama's terror drones by Chris Woods, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, February 4, 2012. Article: Honduras: President Signs ALBA Agreement by Francisco Macías, The Library of Congress, September 11, 2008. Additional Information Website: Carl Icahn Biography by Colin Dodds, Investopedia. Hillary Clinton Top Industries, federal election data 2016 Hillary Clinton Contributions by Industry, 2008 Cycle Votes: Authorization for Use of Military Force: September 14, 2001 Hillary: Yes Bernie: Yes Votes: USA PATRIOT ACT Bernie": No Hillary: Yes Votes: USA PATRIOT Reauthorization Bernie: No Hillary: Yes Votes: Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Bernie: No Hillary: Yes Votes: The bank bailout Bernie: No Hillary: Yes Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations

The Internet is a powerful international communications tool; how does the 114th Congress plan to change how it's governed? In this episode, learn about the bills that are moving through Congress that could have a direct effect on the future of the Internet. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Bills Highlighted in This Episode H.R. 2666: No Rate Regulation of Broadband Internet Access Act Bill Highlights Prohibits the Federal Communications Commission from regulating the rates charged for Internet access The FCC can regulate rates of a company that accepts Federal government money for universal service This bill does not apply to data roaming and interconnection Votes Passed the House of Representatives 241-173 Author Rep. Adam Kinzinger (IL-16) Organizations Lobbying For This Bill AT&T Comcast US Telecom Association Time Warner H.R. 4596: Small Business Broadband Deployment Act Bill Highlights Paragraphs 162 through 184 of the FCC's net neutrality order will not apply to small businesses for 5 years Information the "small businesses" would be exempt from having to provide customers includes: Information about promotional rates, including the duration of the promotion and the full monthly charge the customer will incur after the promotion expires All one-time and/or recurring fees, including modem rental fees, installation charges, service charges, and early termination fees. Actual network performance A "small business" is one that has fewer than 250,000 subscribers Votes Passed the House of Representatives 411-0 Author Rep. Greg Walden (OR-2) Organizations Lobbying For This Bill Cellular Telecom & Internet Association US Telecom Association H.R. 699: Email Privacy Act Bill Highlights Prohibits electronic communication services from disclosing the contents of communications that the company is holding or maintaining (without this bill, only communications "stored" would be protected). Eliminates the current law that allows the government to access using only subpoenas (as opposed to warrants) for electronic communications that have been stored more than 180 days Replaces the 180 divider with new text that requires warrants regardless of the amount of time the information is stored. Allows the electronic communication services to notify their customers of a received warrant, court order, subpoena, or request, if they want to. Expands the amount of time the government may delay notification of customers about a warrant, subpoena, order, or other directive from 90 days to 180 days. Eliminates a current provision of law that requires the government to inform the customer about the information the government requested and why the notification was delayed. Vote Passed the House of Representatives 419-0 Author Rep. Kevin Yoder (KS-3) Organizations Lobbying For This Bill Yahoo Google AT&T Facebook Twitter Deutsche Bank H.R. 805: DOTCOM Act of 2015 Bill Highlights Prohibits the transition of NTIA's functions in Internet domain name registry until 30 days after Congress receives a report outlining the transition plan. Votes Passed the House of Representatives 378-25 Author Rep. John Shimkus(IL-15) Organizations that lobbyed on H.R. 805 Verisign Sound Clip Sources Hearing: Privatizing the Internet Assigned Number Authority (not available on C-SPAN), House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, March 17, 2016. Hearing: Stakeholder Perspectives on the IANA Transition (not available on C-SPAN), House Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, May 13, 2015. Hearing: Email Privacy Act, House Judiciary Committee, December 1, 3015. Additional Information Proposal to Transition the Stewardship of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) Functions from the U.S. Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to the Global Multistakeholder Community, March 2016. Report to Congress: The Future of Internet Governance: Should the US Relinquish Its Authority over ICANN? by Lennard Kruger, Congressional Research Service, March 22, 2016. Report to Congress: Internet Governance and the Domain Name System: Issues for Congress by Lennard Kruger, Congressional Research Service, March 23, 2016. Hearing: Preserving the Multistakeholder Model of Internet Governance, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, February 25, 2015. Hearing: Stakeholder Perspectives on ICANN: The .Sucks Domain and Essential Steps to Guarantee Trust and Accountability in the Internet's Operation, House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet, May 13, 2015. Hearing: Internet Governance Progress After ICANN 53 (not available on C-SPAN), House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, July 8, 2015. Federal Communications Commission Report and Order on Remand, Declaratory Ruling, and Order, February 2015. Verisign/ICANN Proposal in Response to NTIA Request ICANNWiki: Internet Assigned Numbers Authority Webpage: Lobbyists working for LHD & Associates Webpage: Information about LHD & Associates Additional Reading Article: We the networks, The Economist, March 5, 2016. Article: Net Neutrality Is in More Danger Than Ever by Klint Finley, Wired, March 1, 2016. Article: Email privacy bill gets long-awaited hearing by Mario Trujillo, The Hill, November 30 2o15. Article: The United Nations has a radical, dangerous vision for the future of the Web by Caitlin Dewey, The Washington Post, September 24, 2015. Article: WHAT'S GOING ON BETWEEN NTIA, ICANN AND VERISIGN? by Milton Mueller, Internet Governance Project, August 18, 2015. Article: Changes to Domain Name Rules Place User Privacy in Jeopardy by Jeremy Malcom and Mitch Stoltz, Electronic Frontier Foundation, June 23, 2015. Article: Doing the ICANN-can, The Economist, March 20, 2014 Article: The U.S. is relinquishing control of domain names. Here's why. by Sam Gustin, Fortune, March 17, 2014. Press Release: NTIA Announces Intent to Transition Key Internet Domain Name Functions by NTIA Office of Public Affairs, March 14, 2014. Article: Internet tax moratorium extended again by Grant Gross, PC World, December 15, 2014. Scholarly Journal: Domain Names, Globalization, and Internet Governance by Marshall Leaffer, Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies Vol. 6: Iss. 1, Article 5, Fall 1998. Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations

Two defense contractors went on a podcast and everything they said was true. In this episode, discover the shocking extent to which our government has privatized wartime operations. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! 2016 Podcast Awards Please Nominate Congressional Dish by April 30, 2016 Sound Clip Sources Ari Shaffir's Skeptic Tank Episode #257 "Money for Nothing", March 19, 2016. Hearing: Wartime Contracting, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, September 21, 2011. Hearing: Wartime Contracting, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Financial and Contracting Oversight, July 16, 2013. Additional Reading Article: Northrop Grumman moving Counter-Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (C-RAM) capabilities to brigade combat teams by John Keller, Military and Aerospace Electronics, March 9, 2016. Congressional Research Service Report: Egypt: Background and U.S. Relations by Jeremy M. Sharp, Congressional Research Service, February 25, 2016. Special Military Assistance Benefits for Egypt Investor Report: Northrop Grumman 2015 Annual Investor Report, February 1, 2016. Bill Text: Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2016 December 15, 2015. Foreign Military Financing Program Congressional Research Service Report: Department of Defense Contractor and Troop Levels in Iraq and Afghanistan: 2007-2015 by Heidi M. Peters, Moshe Schwartz, and Lawrence Kapp, Congressional Research Service, December 1, 2015. Data on Contractors released starting September 2007 Article: Meet the impressive guns protecting U.S. bases from rocket attacks in Afghanistan by Dan Lamothe, The Washington Post, October 21, 2015. Article: Dark cloud of legal trouble begins to lift away from Louis Berger byPete Troilo, Jeff Tyson, Devex, August 31, 2015. Article: Pine Gap's new spy role revealed by Philip Dorling, The Sydney Morning Herald, May 31, 2015. Nautilus Institute Report: Expanded Communications Satellite Surveillance and Intelligence Activities Utilising Multi-beam Antenna Systems by Desmond Ball, Duncan Campbell, Bill Robinson and Richard Tanter, May 28, 2015. Article: Satellite photos of Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan, before and after U.S. withdrawal by Dan Lamothe, The Washington Post, May 20, 2015. Article: Blog: Northrop to Continue Developing C-RAM Command and Control System, Signal AFCEA, April 7, 2015. Defense Contract Audit Agency Report: Report to Congress on FY 2014 Activities Department of Defense, Defense Contract Audit Agency, March 25, 2015. Article: "Disturbing" Waste In Afghanistan: How The U.S. Trashed Troops' Health And Squandered Millions by Neal Ungerleider, Fast Company, February 18, 2015. Article Getting Out Of Afghanistan by E.B. Boyd, Fast Company, January 28, 2015. Article: Northrop Grumman Awarded C-RAM Contract – DoD Daily Contracts by Lindy Kyzer, Clearancejobs.com, August 15, 2013. Article: Australian outback station at forefront of US spying arsenal by Philip Dorling, The Age, July 26, 2013. Congressional Research Service Report: Department of Defense's Use of Contractors to Support Military Operations: Background, Analysis, and Issues for Congress by Moshe Schwartz and Jennifer Church, Congressional Research Service, May 17, 2013. Government Accountability Office Report: Additional Steps Needed to Help Determine the Right Size and Composition of DOD's Total Workforce, May 2013. Article: Sen. Claire McCaskill leaps hurdles to overhauling wartime contracting by Lindsay Wise, McClatchy Newspapers, January 19, 2013. Bill Text: Contracting Provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, December 28, 2012. Article: The 25 Biggest Defense Companies In America by Eloise Lee and Robert Johnson, Buisness Insider, March 13, 2012. Article: Northrop Grumman receives counter-rocket, artillery and mortar contract from U.S. Army by Skyler Frink, Military and Aerospace Electronics, February 1, 2012. Article: Northrop Grumman (NOC) Gets $124M Contract for C-RAM Systems, StreetInsider.com, October 31, 2011. Commission on Wartime Contracting Report, August 2011. Congressional Research Service Report: Department of Defense Contractors in Afghanistan and Iraq: Background and Analysis by Moshe Schwartz and Joyprada Swain, Congressional Research Service, May 13, 2011. List of Congressional Hearings Type of Work Performed by Contractors Article: U.S. Supersizes Afghan Mega-Base as Withdrawal Date Looms by Spencer Ackerman, Wired, August 9, 2010. Article: Halliburton, KBR, and Iraq war contracting: A history so far by Angie Drobnic Holan, Politifact, June 9, 2010. News Release: U.S. Army Awards Northrop Grumman Major C-RAM Systems Integration Delivery Order by Sudi Bruni, Northrop Grumman Corporation, November 10, 2009. Additional Information Webpage: Northrop Grumman 2014 Election Cycle Lobbying and Campaign Contributions, March 9, 2015. Indeed.com Job Openings: Cable Installer and Technician for U.S. Base In Afghanistan Protective Security Specialist, AEGIS LLC Inventory / Warehouse Assistant Manager, Pacific Architects and Engineers, Inc. Webpage: USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives April 15, 2016. USAID Budget Report Fiscal Year 2017 March 16, 2016. Webpage: Senate Homeland Security Commitee Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Wikipedia: Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (C-RAM) Podcast Interviews Featuring Jennifer Briney: Liberty on Point with Tony Bottoms, April 20, 2016. Crush The Street, April 14, 2016. Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)

Health: Is there anything more important? In this episode, we examine three bills that moved through Congress in 2016 which would have a direct effect on the health of American citizens. Would the changes benefit you? This episode is dedicated to the loving memory of Nathan Brightbill. He will be forever loved and missed. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Bills Highlighted in this Episode H.R.3762:Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015 Bill Highlights Defunds the Prevention and Public Health Fund Rescinds money for States operating their own health insurance exchanges Eliminates the last year of a temporary fee to be paid by health insurance companies to fund care for "high risk individuals" Repeals limits on out of pocket health expenses for low income families Repeals the eligibility requirements for getting health care as individuals Repeals the advance payment of tax credits to help low income people pay for their individual premiums Eliminates the small business tax credit for companies with less than 25 employees and provide health insurance for their employees Eliminates the tax penalty for people who don't get their own health insurance Eliminates the tax penalty for large employers who don't provide their employees health insurance and backdates it to protect large companies who didn't provide health insurance in 2015 Cut off money to States that give money to any organization that provides abortions (Planned Parenthood) Greatly reduces the amount of money for Medicaid, which is health care for poor people Repeals the 2.3% Medical Device Tax on the manufactures of large medical equipment, even though it was suspended for two years by the omnibus Transfers over $379 billion from the Treasury to the Federal Hospital Insurance Fund, which is where our payroll taxes go and is used to fund Medicare. Congressional Budget Office Report Analysis of H.R. 3762 Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act December 11, 2015 Vote Senate: 52 -47 House 240 - 181 Vetoed by President Obama Author Rep. Tom Price of Georgia's 6th district Organizations Lobbying For H.R. 3762 Medtronic Inc.: 6 times Has more than doubled it's lobbyist spending since 2008 - spends about $5 million per year Manufacturers expensive medical devices; the ones that have to pay a 2.3% medical device tax In 2014, gave out over a quarter million directly to members of Congress Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America: 15 times Represents drug companies and spent $18.4 million on lobbyists in 2015 America's Health Insurance Plans: 20 times US Chamber of Commerce: 41 times Organizations Lobbying Against H.R. 3762 Planned Parenthood: 4 times H.R. 1927: Fairness in Class Action Litigation and Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency Act of 2016 (FACT Act) Bill Highlights Federal courts would be prohibited from certifying any class action lawsuit unless every person in the lawsuit has suffered "the same type and scope of injury" as the named class representative A trust set up for a company that has gone bankrupt but still owes money to claimants has to publicly report the name and exposure history of each person and the basis of the payments to that person The information would not include their "confidential" medical record or their social security number The trust would have to provide payment information or information about payment demands from the trust if the request is about liability of asbestos exposure These disclosure requirements would be valid for all Chapter 11 cases. Vote Passed the House of Representatives: 211-188 President Obama issued a Veto threat Author Bob Goodlatte of Virginia's 6th District Biggest contributor during his career has been the National Auto Dealers Association Organizations Lobbying For H.R. 1927: Property Casualty Insurers Association of America: 8 times US Chamber of Commerce: 6 times Honeywell International: 3 times Organizations Lobbying Against H.R. 1927: American Association for Justice: 30 times American Bar Association: 13 times H.R. 2017: Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2015 Bill Highlights Amends disclosure requirements for chain restaurants with more than 20 locations Instead of requiring the restaurants to display "the number of calories in the standard menu item, as usually prepared and offered for sale", the restaurant would be given the choice to display: The number of calories in the whole item The number of servings and the calories per serving or The number of calories per however the restaurant chooses to divide it Restaurants where "the majority" of orders are placed by off-premises customers, the restaurant may choose to only provide nutrition information by "a remote-access menu" (such as a menu available on the Internet) as the sole method of disclosure instead of on-premises writings" Allows buffet and self-serve restaurants to publish nutrition information on the Internet instead of on a sign adjacent to each food, if they choose to. Nutrition information "shall be treated as having a reasonable basis even if such disclosures vary from actual nutrient content" Regulations for enforcing this bill will have to be created within a year. The bill then prohibits any regulations regarding nutritional information at restaurants, including regulations that have already taken affect, from taking effect until 2 years after the new regulations are done, killing all nutritional information requirement for three years. Restaurants will not have to have their nutritional information certified for accuracy. Restaurants "shall not be liable in any civil action in Federal or State court" for violating nutritional information laws. Vote Passed the House of Representatives 266-144 Author Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington's 5th district Organizations Lobbying For This Bill National Restaurant Association Safeway Inc. YUM! Brands Little Caesar Enterprises Domino's Pizza Sound Clip Sources Hearing: Rules Committee Hearing H.R. 712, 1155, SA to H.R. 3762, Rules Committee January 5th, 2016 Hearing: H.R. 1927, the "Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act of 2015, April 29, 2015 Commercial (YouTube): Domino's Pizza Turnaround Additional Reading Article: Ford spent $40 million to reshape asbestos science by Jim Morris, Center for Public Integrity, February 16, 2016. Article: Absestos class action bill faces hurdles by Mark Hofmann, Business Insurance, January 17, 2016. Article: Domino's Just Unveiled a Radical Pizza Delivery Car That Took 4 Years to Build by David Gianatasio, October 22, 2015. Article: Honeywell agrees to settle Jersey City chromium lawsuit for $10 million by Michelangelo Conte, The Jersey Journal, June 9, 2015. Article: Honeywell Hit With $10.9M Verdict in Asbestos Suit by Igor Kossov, Law360, June 2, 2014. Article: The Asbestos Scam, Part 2 by Joe Nocera, New York Times, January 12, 2014. United States Government Accountability Office Report: Asbestos Injury Compensation: The Role and Administration of Asbestos Trusts , September, 2011. Article: Virginia jury hands down $25M verdict in asbestos case, by Jason L. Kennedy, March 20, 2011. Article: Honeywell Says Asbestos Verdict Was More Thank It Had Disclosed by Alex Berenson, New York Times, April 18, 2002. Article: Health Industry Sees Wish List Made Into Law, Robert Pear, NYT, Dec 6, 1999. Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations