2024-03-15
-
Senator Bernie Sanders this week [unveiled legislation](https://www.sanders.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/WIL241041.pdf) to reduce the standard workweek in the United States from 40 hours to 32, without a reduction in pay, saying Americans are working longer hours for less pay despite advances in technology and productivity. The law, if passed, would pare down the workweek over a four-year period, lowering the threshold at which workers would be eligible to receive overtime pay. The 40-hour workweek has stood as the standard in the United States since it became [enshrined in federal law in 1940](https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/20070828_RL32088_058e8327c6189b2b93b81be238390f7203a5bb0f.pdf). In a hearing on Thursday before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on the proposed law, Mr. Sanders, independent of Vermont, said profits from boosts in productivity over the decades had been reaped only by corporate leaders, and not shared with workers. “The sad reality is that Americans now work more hours than the people of any other wealthy nation,” he said, citing statistics that workers in the U.S. on average work for hundreds of hours longer each week than their counterparts in Japan, Britain and Germany. Senator Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana, said at the hearing such a reduction would hurt employers, ship jobs overseas and cause dramatic spikes in consumer prices. “It would threaten millions of small businesses operating on a razor-thin margin because they are unable to find enough workers,” Mr. Cassidy said. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F03%2F15%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Fbernie-sanders-work-week-bill.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F03%2F15%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Fbernie-sanders-work-week-bill.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F03%2F15%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Fbernie-sanders-work-week-bill.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F03%2F15%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Fbernie-sanders-work-week-bill.html).
-
Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont who twice ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, introduced [a bill](https://www.sanders.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/32-Hour-Workweek-Act_Fact-Sheet_FINAL.pdf) to establish a four-day US working week. Studies and pilot programmes have shown that four-day workweeks can increase productivity and happiness. Given Republican control of the House and a Senate split 51-49 in favour of Democrats, however, the legislation stands little chance of success. “Moving to a 32-hour workweek with no loss of pay is not a radical idea,” Sanders [said](https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-introduces-legislation-to-enact-a-32-hour-workweek-with-no-loss-in-pay/) on Thursday. “Today, American workers are over 400% more productive than they were in the 1940s. And yet millions of Americans are working longer hours for lower wages than they were decades ago. “That has got to change. The financial gains from the major advancements in artificial intelligence, automation and new technology must benefit the working class, not just corporate chief executives and wealthy stockholders on Wall Street. “It is time to reduce the stress level in our country and allow Americans to enjoy a better quality of life. It is time for a 32-hour workweek with no loss in pay.” The legislation is co-sponsored by Laphonza Butler, a Democratic senator from California, and Mark Takano, a House Democrat from the same state. Butler said: “The [Thirty-Two-Hour Workweek Act](https://www.sanders.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/WIL241041.pdf) would allow hard-working Americans to spend more time with their families while protecting their wages and making sure profits aren’t only going to a select few.” Takano hailed “transformative legislation that will be a win for both workers and workplaces”. Sanders’ office hailed endorsements from unions and campaign groups and cited predictions of a shorter workweek from business giants including Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, and Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JP Morgan Chase. “This bill underscores the escalating trend towards diminishing work hours,” said Dr Dale Whelehan, chief executive of [4 Day Week Global](https://www.4dayweek.com/), a pressure group. “Increasing evidence firmly supports that reducing working hours yields beneficial outcomes for businesses, individuals and the broader community … We are thrilled to support this endeavour … marking further progress towards a future of work that prioritises sustainable human performance and wellbeing.” Also on Thursday, Sanders staged a hearing of his Senate health, education, labor and pensions committee. [skip past newsletter promotion](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/15/bernie-sanders-four-day-workweek#EmailSignup-skip-link-13) Sign up to First Thing Our US morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it matters **Privacy Notice:** Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our [Privacy Policy](https://www.theguardian.com/help/privacy-policy). We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply. after newsletter promotion “One of the issues that we have to talk about is stress in this country, the fact that so many people are going to work exhausted physically and mentally,” Sanders said. “And the fact that we have not changed the Fair Labor Standards Act – this was in 1940 – we came up with the 40-hour workweek in 1940. Who is going to deny that the economy has … fundamentally and radically changed over that period of time?” Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, the ranking Republican on the committee, said 32-hour workweeks could work for individual businesses but should not be mandated. “We won’t maintain the status of being the world’s wealthiest nation if we kneecap the American economy with something which purports to be good for the American worker but indeed will lead to offshoring of jobs seeking for a lower-cost labour force,” Cassidy said. Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers union, had fiery words in return: “The truth is, working-class people aren’t lazy. They’re fed up. “They’re fed up with being left behind and stripped of dignity as wealth inequality in this nation, this world, spirals out of control. They’re fed up in America. In America, three families have as much wealth as the bottom 50% of citizens in this nation. That is criminal.”
2024-03-18
-
The Guardian reports that this week "Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont who twice ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, [introduced a bill to establish a four-day US working week](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/15/bernie-sanders-four-day-workweek)." _"Moving to a 32-hour workweek with no loss of pay is not a radical idea," Sanders [said on Thursday](https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-introduces-legislation-to-enact-a-32-hour-workweek-with-no-loss-in-pay/). "Today, American workers are over 400% more productive than they were in the 1940s. And yet millions of Americans are working longer hours for lower wages than they were decades ago. "That has got to change. The financial gains from the major advancements in artificial intelligence, automation and new technology must benefit the working class, not just corporate chief executives and wealthy stockholders on Wall Street. "It is time to reduce the stress level in our country and allow Americans to enjoy a better quality of life. It is time for a 32-hour workweek with no loss in pay." _ The proposed bill "has received the endorsement of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, United Auto Workers, the Service Employees International Union, the Association of Flight Attendants" — as well as several other labor unions, reports [USA Today](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/03/13/bernie-sanders-shorter-workweek-senate/72959569007/): _More than half of adults employed full time reported working more than 40 hours per week, according to a [2019 Gallup poll](https://news.gallup.com/poll/267206/women-hourly-workers-less-satisfied-job-aspects.aspx). It is time to reduce the stress level in our country and allow Americans to enjoy a better quality of life," Sanders said... More than [70 British companies started to test a four-day workweek last year](https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2022/09/22/4-day-workweek-trial-initial-results/8081484001/), and most respondents reported there has been no loss in productivity._ A [statement from Senator Sanders](https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-introduces-legislation-to-enact-a-32-hour-workweek-with-no-loss-in-pay/): _[Bill Gates](https://fortune.com/2023/11/23/bill-gates-microsoft-3-day-work-week-machines-make-food/), the founder of Microsoft, and [Jamie Dimon](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/03/jpmorgan-ceo-jamie-dimon-says-ai-could-bring-a-3-day-workweek.html), the CEO of JP Morgan Chase, predicted last year that advancements in technology would lead to a three or three-and-a-half-day workweek in the coming years. Despite these predictions, Americans now work [more hours](https://stats.oecd.org/viewhtml.aspx?datasetcode=ANHRS&lang=en) than the people of most other wealthy nations, but are [earning less per week](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=qozP) than they did 50 years ago, after adjusting for inflation._ "Sanders also pointed to other countries that have reduced their workweeks, such as France, Norway and Denmark," [adds NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/bernie-sanders-pushes-bill-establish-four-day-workweek-rcna143354). USA Today notes that "While Sanders' role as chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee places a greater focus on shortening the workweek, it is unlikely the bill will garner enough support from Republicans to become federal law and pass in both chambers." And political analysts who spoke to ABC News "cast doubt on the measure's chances of passage in a divided Congress where opposition from Republicans is all but certain," [reports ABC News](https://abcnews.go.com/Business/bernie-sanders-proposed-32-hour-workweek-pass-congress/story?id=108152411), "and even the extent of support among Democrats remains unclear."
2024-04-06
-
  Sen. Bernie Sanders addresses Unite Here Local 11 workers protesting outside of Figueroa Hotel in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. Authorities are investigating a blaze that was set at his Burlington, Vt., office that same day. Damian Dovarganes/AP A fire broke out at Sen. Bernie Sanders' office in Burlington, Vt., on Friday, damaging the building but leaving occupants unharmed. Authorities in the state now say they are investigating it as arson and searching for an unidentified male suspect. The [Burlington Fire Department](https://www.facebook.com/Btvfire/posts/pfbid027N2azkp3R7ChwNGnBxhBmHnozRJRupD57PXWDXHYdU4XGjmjNGZqhBu7UqkLW7Mxl) said crews arrived at the Church Street office on Friday morning to find the sprinkler system and fire alarms activated, and a "fire in the vestibule between the elevator and the entrance door to Senator Bernard Sanders' office." "The fire was extinguished, and the Senator's office and surrounding offices were searched and cleared of occupants," they added. While no injuries were reported, authorities said the door to Sanders' office sustained moderate fire damage, and the third floor and floors below sustained significant water damage. The [brick building](http://www.lisztrestoration.com/project-portfolio/one-church-street-09-10--11) is home to several office and retail spaces. It formerly housed a Masonic temple and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to local alt-weekly newspaper [Seven Days](https://www.sevendaysvt.com/news/police-investigating-fire-at-sen-bernie-sanders-burlington-office-40595160). The fire department said later in the day that the fire marshal's office had deemed the fire "incendiary in nature," meaning [it was set intentionally](https://www.vermontpublic.org/podcast/brave-little-state/2021-11-18/what-caused-the-mysterious-2019-fire-that-destroyed-royaltons-beloved-eatons-sugar-house). The Vermont State Police and Burlington Police Department have taken on a joint investigation into the fire's origins. Burlington police say they are looking for an unknown male suspect, who sprayed a possible accelerant on the office door, set it on fire and fled the scene, according to The [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/bernie-sanders-vermont-office-fire-3eb328a83512460473f33a6a31390873). "A significant fire engulfed the door and part of the vestibule, impeding the egress of staff members who were working in the office and endangering their lives," police said in a statement. "The sprinkler system then engaged and largely extinguished the fire." Authorities have not determined a motive, and say the suspect remains at large. Police released a grainy photo of a man wearing an orange beanie, dark jacket, white Nike sneakers and what appears to be a tote bag. Sanders, who lives in Burlington and served as its mayor before being elected to Congress, was not in his office or even in the state at the time of the incident. He was rallying with [striking hotel workers](https://www.dailynews.com/2024/04/05/senator-bernie-sanders-joins-striking-workers-at-hotel-figueroa-in-downtown-l-a/) on the picket line in Los Angeles. "We are relieved that no one on our staff and, to our understanding, no one in the building was harmed," Sanders' state director Kathryn Van Haste said [in a statement](https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/05/politics/bernie-sanders-vermont-office-fire/index.html) to media outlets. She credited the quick work of local first responders, whom she said are now coordinating with U.S. Capitol Police and the Senate Sergeant at Arms. U.S. Capitol Police protect Congressional buildings as well as members of Congress, both in Washington, D.C., and their home districts. It [said in January](https://www.uscp.gov/media-center/press-releases/uscp-threat-assessment-cases-2023#:~:text=The%20USCP%20has%20made%20dozens,prevent%20potential%20attacks%20against%20lawmakers.) that threats against lawmakers had climbed last year, with its threat assessment section opening investigations into 8,008 cases. That's about 500 more than it saw in 2022, but still lower than the preceding two years.
2024-04-08
-
Authorities say they have arrested an alleged arsonist accused of setting the US senator [Bernie Sanders](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/bernie-sanders)’ Burlington, Vermont, office on fire while staff worked inside – but investigators have yet to release details about a possible a motive. A justice department [notification](https://www.justice.gov/usao-vt/pr/suspect-arrested-arson-burlington-office-senator-sanders) published on Sunday said Shant Soghomonian, 35, had been charged with using fire to damage the building but did not include any reason for his alleged actions. Soghomonian, who has also gone by the first name Michael, was listed as being from Northridge, California. He allegedly entered the building on Friday morning, went to the third floor where Sanders’ offices are situated, and sprayed the entry door with an accelerant. He then set fire to the door with a handheld lighter – all in view of a security camera that was recording video, the justice department said. Soghomonian then left through a staircase as the fire spread, damaging the door and triggering the sprinkler system. Several employees were in the progressive senator’s office at the time, though no injuries were reported. The Burlington police department said the fire engulfing the door and part of the vestibule had impeded “staff members who were working in the office” from exiting, which endangered their lives. In a statement to CNN, Sanders said: “I am deeply grateful to the swift, professional, coordinated efforts of local, state, and federal law enforcement in response to the fire at my [Vermont](https://www.theguardian.com/world/vermont) office.” The independent senator who votes in line with Democrats added that he was grateful none of his staff had been injured while describing his office’s commitment to serve those in his home state of Vermont “during these challenging times”. If convicted, Soghomonian could face between five and 20 years in prison as well as up to a $250,000 fine, according to the justice department. While no motive has been advanced for Soghomonian’s alleged actions, the arson attack comes as implied threats of political violence are becoming a feature of the 2024 presidential and congressional elections. Politicians on both sides of the aisle have in recent months been subjected to anonymous calls to law enforcement that invite an armed, potentially forceful emergency response. [skip past newsletter promotion](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/08/bernie-sanders-arson-suspect-arrested#EmailSignup-skip-link-11) Sign up to First Thing Our US morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it matters **Privacy Notice:** Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our [Privacy Policy](https://www.theguardian.com/help/privacy-policy). We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply. after newsletter promotion In early January, it was reported that at least three members of Congress had reported “swatting” incidents over the previous week, including Representative Brandon Williams of New York, Senator Rick Scott of Florida, and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, all Republicans. Maine’s Democratic secretary of state, Shenna Bellows, who ruled that Donald Trump should be ineligible to appear on the state’s 2024 primary ballot after the former president’s supporters attacked Congress on 6 January 2021, was also the target of a swatting call. The US supreme court later forced Bellows to reverse her decision.
2024-04-12
-
  President Biden stands with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on April 3, 2024. Four years ago, Sanders endorsed Biden, and the former rivals worked together to craft policy proposals that bridged Democratic divides. Mark Schiefelbein/AP Four years ago this week, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders ended his second bid for the White House, effectively cementing Joe Biden's path to the Democratic presidential nomination. Sanders [threw his support behind Biden](https://www.npr.org/2020/04/13/833528203/bernie-sanders-endorses-joe-biden-for-president). And unlike [past displays](https://www.npr.org/2008/06/27/91975550/clinton-obama-unite-in-unity-n-h) of [party unity](https://www.npr.org/2016/07/12/485694830/watch-in-show-of-party-unity-bernie-sanders-expected-to-back-hillary-clinton#:~:text=Sanders%2C%20whose%20remarks%20lasted%20nearly,to%20stave%20off%20climate%20change.) after a primary fight, Biden and Sanders took a unique step to collaborate on a handful of policy-focused task forces in the hope of finding common ground between the candidates' coalitions. Over the course of several months, the task forces [produced a 110-page document](https://www.npr.org/2020/07/08/889189235/democratic-task-forces-deliver-biden-a-blueprint-for-a-progressive-presidency) focused on topics like the economy and climate, and Biden went on to incorporate a number of the recommendations into his campaign platform and first-term agenda. The partnership between Biden and Sanders helped deliver the Vermont senator's supporters, including young voters, into Biden's camp. Four years later, Sanders still backs Biden. The two appeared together recently in [a video](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLANGLPx/) posted on the Biden campaign's TikTok account. But as Biden seeks a second term with low approval ratings, he faces a new struggle to win over young voters who were crucial to his first election. And as an incumbent with no high-profile primary opponent to join forces with, a similar unity moment like the 2020 task forces may not be an option. To Sanders' chief political adviser, Faiz Shakir, part of the difference now is that Biden has to answer to his own record. "He owns the policy direction in a way that in 2020 he didn't," Shakir said. "He was offering policy directions and saying, 'Put me into office.' Now he owns the Middle East policy, Ukraine policy, migrant policy. There's an assumption, expectation, that Joe Biden has to deliver on different policy outcomes that particularly young people would like to see." And many young people don't like what they see. According to the latest [NPR/_PBS NewsHour_/Marist poll](https://www.npr.org/2024/04/07/1243264831/key-voting-groups-are-shifting-in-the-race-between-biden-and-trump), among voters under 30, 6 in 10 disapprove of Biden's job as president, the highest of any age group. But Shakir remains hopeful that the president can rally a voter coalition similar to what he had four years ago, partially because of Biden's ability to absorb critical feedback. "What has been a consistent thread of Joe Biden's life as a politician, he's in some sense not like Bernie Sanders, who I think has appropriately and stubbornly held certain positions and has been right about them," Shakir said. "Biden is authentic in that he's always indicated: I will move on my positions, on certain ones, if you can show me that the center or that the majority, that the movement is in a different place." ### Looking back at a unique partnership Sanders entered the 2020 primary with strong support among young voters. "He spoke to young people and their importance on a regular basis," said Shana Gallagher, Sanders' national student organizing director, in 2020. "And that is actually very rare for candidates to do, especially in a consistent, genuine way." Over two presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2020, Sanders rose in popularity among many young voters by backing key progressive issues, including a push for universal health care and significant increases in government spending to combat climate change. When Cristóbal Alex thinks back to April 2020, he recalls the value of Sanders' endorsement. "It was a very important one, maybe the most important ever," said Alex, who served as a senior adviser to the Biden campaign and sat on the immigration-focused policy task force. "Bernie played a huge role in bringing young folks over," he added. Carmel Martin was a senior policy adviser to Biden's 2020 campaign and coordinated the task forces. "It was a way that we could send a signal to the people who were supporting Sen. Sanders," Martin said. "That what they cared about mattered to President Biden as well." Allies of both the president and Sanders point to policies implemented throughout Biden's first term that can be linked back to the task forces — including [major investments in climate change prevention](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/07/1116190180/democrats-are-set-to-pass-a-major-climate-health-and-tax-bill-heres-whats-in-it) and [infrastructure](https://www.npr.org/2021/11/15/1055841358/biden-signs-1t-bipartisan-infrastructure-bill-into-law) and [attempts to relieve](https://www.npr.org/2024/03/21/1239931447/biden-student-loan-public-service-debt-forgiveness) billions in [student debt](https://www.npr.org/2024/04/08/1243071907/biden-student-loan-debt-relief-millions) — wins that Biden now touts on the campaign trail again. ### 4 years later, Biden holds on to those partnerships Sanders has continued to work with Biden throughout his first term, including holding [private meetings](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/06/bernie-sanders-joe-biden-2024/) over issue messaging. To the Biden campaign, a second term is about building on the work started four years ago. Because of that, they argue there isn't necessarily a need for another prominent coming-together moment that echoes the task forces. "We're already part of a coalition," said Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., a Biden campaign surrogate. "So we don't have to fight our way in. We just have to continue making our voices heard. And the president is still listening to us." Despite initially supporting and working for Sanders in the 2020 primary, Frost, who is the first Gen Z member of the U.S. House, has been pushing young voters to give Biden another chance. "I think progressives have always had a knack for being able to communicate to voters across party lines and help inspire disaffected voters," Frost said. "And I think whether it's Bernie \[Sanders\] or myself or many progressives, we still have something to give in terms of helping to influence the messaging, and not just the messaging but the action that backs up the messaging in this election so people can turn out." ### Divides remain among Democratic voters  But while many progressives like Frost and Sanders campaign for Biden, it's unclear how many of the policy wins they tout have resonated with younger voters. Just 1 in 10 voters under 30 say Biden's policies have helped them personally, according to a recent poll by [The New York Times and Siena College](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/03/05/us/elections/times-siena-poll-registered-voter-crosstabs.html). Instead, Biden is battling [lower enthusiasm](https://iop.harvard.edu/youth-poll/46th-edition-fall-2023) to vote compared with four years ago, as well as [doubts over his age](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/03/us/politics/biden-age-trump-poll.html). And he's faced pressure from many [younger voters](https://www.npr.org/2024/03/06/1236295096/super-tuesday-results-uncommitted-biden-gaza-israel) to demand a permanent cease-fire and stop additional aid to Israel in its war in Gaza — as the death toll climbs past 33,000, according to Gaza's health ministry. Despite his past popularity among progressives, Sanders is not entirely in lockstep with the left wing of the party on the issue. In the initial months after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people, according to Israel, Sanders received pushback from progressives, [including previous campaign staff](https://medium.com/@formerberniestaff/open-letter-to-senator-bernie-sanders-9d1c10d99e99), for refusing to call for a cease-fire. The Vermont senator has [acknowledged that the president's position on Israel](https://www.msnbc.com/ana-cabrera-reports/watch/sen-bernie-sanders-to-netanyahu-stop-murdering-civilians-208147013753) could cost him votes, particularly from [young voters](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/04/02/younger-americans-stand-out-in-their-views-of-the-israel-hamas-war/) and [nonwhite voters](https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/young-voters-and-israel-palestine-conflict). Biden's [public posture on the war](https://www.npr.org/2024/04/04/1242878083/biden-netanyahu-call-aid-workers-ceasefire) has changed. He now supports a temporary cease-fire and is more critical of Israel's continued military campaign. But he's yet to go to the extent many progressives want. When thinking about avenues to mend some of today's divisions, alums of the Sanders 2020 campaign draw back on Biden's willingness to collaborate four years ago. "Joe Biden is undeniably a politically astute leader," said Analilia Mejia, Sanders' 2020 political director. "Now, that doesn't mean perfection, but that means understanding where people are and understanding when there is a need to shift." Mejia, who coordinated the task forces for the Sanders side, argued that watching Biden begin to shift his position on U.S. involvement in the Israel war is a testament to his political skill. Shakir says Sanders is now urging Biden to lay out a second-term progressive agenda, and that Sanders has a frank pitch for Biden moving forward: Acknowledge problems and explain how they're being addressed. "Even on the issues where there's the most division," Shakir said, referencing the war in Gaza. "You don't have to mask it. Be honest with them. And it's the reason why we have to continue in this direction because the other choice would certainly set us backwards." The Biden campaign has six months to boost the youth vote. According to the latest [NPR/_PBS NewsHour_/Marist poll](https://maristpoll.marist.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NPR_PBS-NewsHour_Marist-Poll_USA-NOS-and-Tables_202403291554.pdf), a third of Gen Z and millennial voters have a good idea who they'll vote for but could still switch, and 17% have not made a decision. And when Shakir thinks about why young voters aren't on board yet, there's a simple answer. "They're not done pushing him," he explained. "And to his credit, Joe Biden's always indicated, yeah, keep pushing me."
2024-05-01
-
Ozempic is so hot right now that subsidies for the drug are being cut in Novo Nordisk's home countryThe skyrocketing popularity of the diabetes drug Ozempic has put a heavy burden on public spending in Denmark, the home country of the drug’s producer Novo Nordisk. In response, the Danish Medicines Agency [announced](https://laegemiddelstyrelsen.dk/da/nyheder/2024/de-fleste-typer-diabetesmedicin-bevarer-generelt-tilskud,-men-visse-glp-1-analoger-faar-strammere-klausul/) on Wednesday that it has decided to cut some subsidies for the drug, most known for its weight loss side effects. Starting this fall, the agency will only subsidize GLP-1s, the class of diabetes medications that Ozempic belongs to, for patients who can’t be treated with cheaper diabetes medications. The move is expected to shift half of cuurent GLP-1 users to cheaper alternatives, according to the agency. In 2023, the Danish government spent about [8% of all its medicine costs](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-01/ozempic-subsidies-cut-in-novo-nordisk-s-home-country-of-denmark?sref=P6Q0mxvj) —$200 million — on Ozempic, Bloomberg reported. The Danish Medicines Agency decided not to cut all subsidies for the drug after Novo Nordisk slashed the price for Ozempic in the country to [$125 from $188](https://medwatch.com/News/Pharma___Biotech/article17068421.ece). The agency said this cut alone would save the government over $70 million annually. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders took notice of the price cut. “If Novo can substantially reduce the price of Ozempic in Denmark, it must do the same in the US,” Sanders wrote on a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Last week, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders sent a letter to Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen announcing that the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, which Sanders chairs, has [launched an investigation into the high prices](https://qz.com/senate-probe-ozempic-bernie-sanders-1851433652) the company charges for its blockbuster diabetes and weight loss dugs. Sanders criticized the higher list price these medication have in the U.S. compared to other countries. The price of Ozempic in the U.S. is $969, while it’s only $155 in Canada and $59 in Germany, for example. The list price of Wegovy in the U.S. is $1,349, while in Germany it’s $140. “As important as these drugs are, they will not do any good for the millions of patients who cannot afford them,” Sanders wrote in a letter to Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen.
2024-05-28
-
Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk has finally responded to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’s criticism of the company’s high list prices for its popular diabetes and weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy. The company said the hefty price tag — about $1,000 for a month supply — comes after it provides rebates to patients and pays fees to middlemen in the complex U.S. health care system. It also said that it only keeps about 60% of the list price from Ozempic and Wegovy. Researchers at Yale University, King’s College Hospital in London, and Doctors Without Borders found that the cost to manufacture a month’s supply of Ozempic — including a profit margin — [is between $0.89 and $4.74](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2816824). For comparison, Ozempic’s [current list price](https://www.novocare.com/diabetes/products/ozempic/explaining-list-price.html) is $935.77 for four weekly injections. Although the price doesn’t reflect what customers pay after available rebates are applied, that’s almost a 20,000% markup. The list price of Wegovy — which has the same active ingredient as Ozempic but is prescribed for weight loss — is higher at $1,349 a month. Novo Nordisk wrote to Sanders on Friday saying it’s willing to work with Congress to address “systemic issues so that everyone who can benefit from its medicines is able to get them,” [Bloomberg reported](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-28/novo-blames-us-health-system-after-sanders-wegovy-criticism?srnd=industries-health&sref=P6Q0mxvj). Novo Nordisk added that it expects net prices for the drugs will continue to decline. The response was to a letter Sanders wrote in April to Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen announcing that the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, which Sanders chairs, has [launched an investigation into the high prices](https://qz.com/senate-probe-ozempic-bernie-sanders-1851433652) the company charges for its blockbuster diabetes and weight loss dugs. “In my view, the American people should not have to pay up to $1,349 a month for prescription drugs that cost less than $5 to manufacture and can be purchased at a fraction of this price in other developed countries,” Sanders wrote, referencing a recent study that [found it only costs $5 to produce a month’s supply of Wegovy and Ozempic](https://qz.com/ozempic-price-backlash-study-sanders-1851374290). The senator also warned that the drugs could potentially bankrupt Medicare and Medicaid. He cited researchers from Vanderbilt University and the University of Chicago that said it could cost [over $150 billion a year](http://over/%20$150%20billion%20a%20year/) for Medicare to cover Wegovy and other weight loss drugs. Novo Nordisk previously noted that it spent nearly $5 billion in research and development last year and that 75% of its gross earnings goes toward rebates and discounts for patients.
2024-06-11
-
Bernie Sanders has called a vote to subpoena a Novo Nordisk executive to testify on the company’s prices for Ozempic and Wegovy. The senator [announced Tuesday](https://x.com/SenSanders/status/1800540004911112571/photo/3) that the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) is set to vote Tuesday, June 18, on whether to subpoena Novo Nordisk president Doug Langa for a hearing on July 10. In April, the HELP committee [launched an investigation into the high prices](https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-chairman-sanders-launches-investigation-into-outrageously-high-price-of-ozempic-and-wegovy-in-the-united-states/) the company charges for its blockbuster diabetes and weight loss drugs. Sanders said the committee’s investigation found that the net cost of Ozempic in the United States is about $600 a month, well above the drug’s list price in other countries. Ozempic in Germany is just $59 for a month’s supply. The net price of Wegovy in the United States is $809, while it goes for $92 in the United Kingdom. Sanders alleges that Novo Nordisk has denied requests to appear before the committee. “The HELP Committee has reached out time and time again to Novo Nordisk to request their voluntary attendance at a hearing to discuss why they are charging Americans up to 10 or 15 times more for the exact same product sold in other countries,” Sanders [said in a statement](https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/elementor-93338/). “Unfortunately, despite all of our efforts, they have repeatedly denied our requests.” A Novo Nordisk spokesperson told Quartz in an emailed statement that a subpoena is not necessary since the company has cooperated with all of Sanders’s requests. “Every time the Chairman has made a request to Novo Nordisk we have responded and cooperated. On multiple occasions, we have communicated our CEO’S willingness to testify and offered several dates for a hearing,” said the spokesperson. It’s important to note that final price patients pay for these medications varies by patient and can depend on insurance coverage. A Morgan Stanley survey of GLP-1 users — the class of drug that Ozempic and Wegovy belong to — found that about two-third of respondents said their medication is fully covered by insurance. Patients who paid out-of-pocket said their average monthly payment was $196.
2024-06-14
-
 Bernie Sanders has called a vote to subpoena a Novo Nordisk executive to testify on the company’s prices for Ozempic and Wegovy. The senator [announced Tuesday](https://x.com/SenSanders/status/1800540004911112571/photo/3) that the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) is set to vote Tuesday, June 18, on whether to subpoena Novo Nordisk president Doug Langa for a hearing on July 10. [Read More](https://qz.com/ozempic-sanders-subpoena-1851532892)
2024-06-17
-
[Novo Nordisk](https://qz.com/novo-nordisk-ozempic-wegovy-history-1851340401) CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen has agreed to voluntarily testify in September before the Senate’s health committee to address the pharma giant’s high prices for its diabetes and weight loss drugs in the U.S. The agreement came days after after Sen. Bernie Sanders, chairman of Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), [called a vote to subpoena a Novo Nordisk executive](https://qz.com/ozempic-sanders-subpoena-1851532892). In April, the HELP committee [launched an investigation into the high prices](https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-chairman-sanders-launches-investigation-into-outrageously-high-price-of-ozempic-and-wegovy-in-the-united-states/) the company charges for its blockbuster drugs. “I enjoyed the opportunity of chatting with Mr. Jørgensen this afternoon and thank him for agreeing to voluntarily testify on a solo panel before the HELP Committee on the high cost of Ozempic and Wegovy in the United States,” [Sanders said in a statement Frida](https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-announces-ceo-of-novo-nordisk-to-voluntarily-testify-before-help-committee/)y. He added that the subpoena vote has been cancelled. “We look forward to discussing solutions that ensure access and affordability for all patients within the complex U.S. healthcare system,” a Novo Nordisk spokesperson said in statement. The hearing will take place in early September. Sanders said last week that the committee’s investigation found that the net cost of Ozempic in the U.S. is about $600 a month, well above the drug’s list price in other countries. Ozempic in Germany costs just $59 for a month’s supply. The net price of Wegovy in the U.S. is $809, while it goes for $92 in the United Kingdom. The final price patients pay for these medications varies by patient and can depend on insurance coverage. A Morgan Stanley survey of GLP-1 users — the class of drug that Ozempic and Wegovy belong to — found that about two-third of respondents said their medication is fully covered by insurance. Patients who paid out-of-pocket said their average monthly payment was $196.
2024-06-25
-
NPR'S Juana Summers speaks with Bob Bauer, the personal lawyer to President Biden, who stood in for Trump and Bernie Sanders in 2020 during mock-debates for the president to prep.
2024-07-13
-
Bernie Sanders has offered his backing to Joe Biden, dismissing calls for the man he described as the “most effective president in the modern history of our country” to stand down in the upcoming US presidential election. Sanders, the totemic progressive US senator, used an [opinion piece](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/13/opinion/joe-biden-president.html?partner=slack&smid=sl-share) in the New York Times to endorse Biden, who has come under increasing fire from fellow Democrats over his ability to beat Donald Trump following a disastrous televised debate between the two. “Despite my disagreements with him on particular issues, he has been the most effective president in the modern history of our country and is the strongest candidate to defeat [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) – a demagogue and pathological liar,” Sanders wrote. “It’s time to learn a lesson from the progressive and centrist forces in France who, despite profound political differences, came together this week to soundly defeat rightwing extremism.” Sanders joins Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another key figure on the left of the Democratic party, in voicing support for Biden, even as [upwards of 20 elected Democrats have called for him to step down](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/08/democrats-calling-joe-biden-to-step-down), citing his apparent frailty during the debate and his tough re-election prospects against Trump. So far, the only Democratic senator to call for Biden to stand down is Peter Welch who, like Sanders, an independent who largely votes with the Democrats, represents Vermont. Democrats that have joined a “circular firing squad” need to “stop the bickering and nit-picking” over Biden’s performance, Sanders wrote, and start focusing on Trump’s far greater problems, such as the former president’s felony convictions, him being found liable in a sexual abuse case, his bankruptcies, and what Sanders called “thousands of documented lies and falsehoods”. “I know: Mr Biden is old, is prone to gaffes, walks stiffly and had a disastrous debate with Mr Trump,” Sanders wrote. “But this I also know: a presidential election is not an entertainment contest. “Enough! Mr Biden may not be the ideal candidate, but he will be the candidate and should be the candidate.” Biden has insisted he will not drop out of November’s presidential election, despite polls showing he is either trailing or level with Trump. Biden [said](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/12/joe-biden-press-conference-today-election-nato-putin-harris-trump) he made a “stupid mistake” of being extremely busy before the debate, including tiring international trips. “Where’s Trump been?” the president said of his rival. “Riding around on his golf cart? Filling out his scorecard before he hits the ball?” The speculation over the future of the 81-year-old president’s future has prompted Trump, and his Republican allies, to [turn their fire somewhat](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/13/republicans-kamala-harris-biden) on Kamala Harris, the vice-president who is considered the most likely replacement for Biden. Trump unveiled a new, derisive nickname for the vice-president, “Laffin’ Kamala”, which he tested at a campaign rally in Florida this week.
2024-08-21
2024-09-11
-
Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has said he is prepared to pursue contempt charges against Steward Health Care CEO Ralph de la Torre if he fails to show up at a hearing Thursday despite being issued a subpoena BOSTON -- Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said Wednesday he is prepared to pursue contempt charges against Steward Health Care CEO Ralph de la Torre if he fails to show up at a hearing Thursday [despite being issued a subpoena.](https://apnews.com/article/steward-health-care-ceo-senate-subpoena-bankruptcy-62bb08339211d57e8c59395d62cb484d) Sanders said de la Torre needs to answer to the American people about how he was able to reap hundreds of millions of dollars while Steward Health Care, which operated about 30 hospitals nationwide, had to [file for bankruptcy in May](https://apnews.com/article/steward-health-care-massachusetts-bankruptcy-dddb6acbc19cea9f914d378c7aaf2cec). “This is something that is not going to go away,” Sanders told The Associated Press. “We will pursue this doggedly.” Steward has been working to sell its more than a half-dozen [hospitals in Massachusetts,](https://apnews.com/article/steward-hospitals-closing-massachusetts-torre-2ad77d38d57eee3bbe196895357b7087) but received inadequate bids for two other hospitals — Carney Hospital in Boston and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in the town of Ayer — both of which have closed as a result. A federal bankruptcy court last week approved the sale of Steward’s other Massachusetts hospitals. “He has decided not to show up because he doesn’t want to explain to the American people how horrific his greed has become," Sanders said. “Tell me about your yacht. Tell me about your fishing boat. I want to hear your justification for that. Tell that to the community where staff was laid off while you made $250 million.” Sanders said that to hold de la Torre in contempt would require a vote by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which he chairs, or — depending on what action they take — a vote of the full Senate. Lawyers de la Torre have said that he won’t testify before the [committee investigating](https://apnews.com/article/steward-health-care-senate-investigation-bankruptcy-86a84b1d4f7fe7910b270c9dbfed4e7b) the Dallas-based hospital company because a federal court order prohibits him from discussing anything during an ongoing reorganization and settlement effort. Sanders said there are plenty of questions de la Torre could still address. Lawyers for de la Torre also accused the committee of seeking to turn the hearing into “a pseudo-criminal proceeding in which they use the time, not to gather facts, but to convict Dr. de la Torre in the eyes of public opinion.” “It is not within this Committee’s purview to make predeterminations of alleged criminal misconduct under the auspices of an examination into Steward’s bankruptcy proceedings, and the fact that its Members have already done so smacks of a veiled attempt to sidestep Dr. de la Torre’s constitutional rights,” the lawyers said in a letter to Sanders last week. De la Torre hasn't ruled out testifying before the committee at a later date — a suggestion Sanders described as "100% a delaying tactic.” Sanders also said the committee has received no indication that de la Torre will change his mind and attend Thursday's hearing, which will also include testimony from nurses who worked at two of the hospitals owned by Steward in Massachusetts. ““You have a guy becoming fabulously wealthy while bankrupting hospitals and denying low income and middle income folks the health care they so desperately need,” Sanders said. He said that more than a dozen patients have died in Steward hospitals as a result of inadequate staffing or shortages of medical equipment. "When a hospital shuts down in a community, especially a low-income community, it’s a disaster. Where do people go? Where’s the nearest emergency room?” Sanders added. The committee’s options include holding de la Torre in criminal contempt, which could result in a trial and jail time; or civil contempt, which would result in fines until he appears. Both would require a Senate vote. De la Torre also refused invitations to testify at a Boston field hearing earlier this year chaired by Sen. Edward Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts and also a member of the committee.
2024-09-17
-
Sen. Bernie Sanders said on Tuesday that CEOs at major generic pharma companies have told him that they are willing to sell a generic version of Ozempic for hundreds of dollars cheaper than the popular diabetes drug’s current list price. “They have studied the math, and they tell me that they can sell a generic version of Ozempic, the exact same drug that Novo Nordisk ([NVO](https://qz.com/quote/NVO)) is manufacturing, to Americans [for less than $100 a month](https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-announces-generic-pharma-companies-willing-to-sell-ozempic-for-less-than-100/),” Sanders said at an [expert roundtable event](https://x.com/SenSanders/status/1836050990652653611) he hosted in Capitol Hill. Sanders, who serves as the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP), made the comments just a week before Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen is set to [testify](https://www.help.senate.gov/hearings/why-is-novo-nordisk-charging-americans-with-diabetes-and-obesity-outrageously-high-prices-for-ozempic-and-wegovy) before the committee to address the pharma giant’s high U.S. prices. In April, the HELP committee [launched an investigation into the high prices](https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-chairman-sanders-launches-investigation-into-outrageously-high-price-of-ozempic-and-wegovy-in-the-united-states/) the company charges for its blockbuster diabetes and weight loss drugs. The committee’s investigation found that the net cost of Ozempic in the U.S. is about $600 a month (its retail price is [$968.52](https://www.novocare.com/diabetes/products/ozempic/explaining-list-price.html)), well above the drug’s price in other countries. In Germany, for example, Ozempic costs just $59 for a month’s supply. “We appreciate that it is frustrating that each country has its own healthcare system but making isolated and limited comparisons ignores this fundamental fact,” a Novo Nordisk spokesperson told Quartz in an emailed statement. “We have and will continue to cooperate with policymakers on real solutions and are proud of the benefit our discoveries have brought to treat and defeat chronic diseases like diabetes and obesity.” The company spokesperson added that the net price of Ozempic has fallen 40% since launching in the U.S. and that over 80% of Americans with insurance only pay $25 or less per month for the drug.
2024-09-25
-
The health benefits of blockbuster weight loss drugs are bridging the stark political divide in the United States. Progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said on Tuesday, in a [Senate committee hearing](https://qz.com/ozempic-novo-nordisk-wegovy-ceo-senate-testimony-1851656166) on high anti-obesity drug prices, that he agreed with Elon Musk, a supporter of Former President Donald Trump, when it comes to expanding access to GLP-1 weight loss drugs. These treatments, which mimic a hormone that regulates appetite and blood sugar, have shown remarkable effectiveness in treating obesity and type 2 diabetes. The most popular GLP-1 drugs on the market are Ozempic ([NVO](https://qz.com/quote/NVO)) and Wegovy, both of which are produced by Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk. “Solving obesity greatly reduces risk of other diseases, especially diabetes, and improves quality of life. We do need to find a way to make appetite inhibitors available to anyone who wants them,” Musk posted last week on X ([TSLA](https://qz.com/quote/TSLA)), the social media platform he owns. The post was made in response to a post about Sen. Sanders claiming that generic drug companies have said they can sell cheaper versions of these medications for less than $100 a month. In the U.S., the list price — a drug’s price without health insurance — for Ozempic is $968.52 for a month’s supply. The list price of Wegovy in the U.S. is $1,349.02. The cost of these popular medications is [already much cheaper in other countries](https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-chairman-sanders-launches-investigation-into-outrageously-high-price-of-ozempic-and-wegovy-in-the-united-states/). For example, Ozempic is just $59 in Germany and Wegovy is only $92 in the U.K. “I don’t agree with Bernie about many things, but I do on this,” Musk wrote. Sen. Sanders [grilled Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen](https://qz.com/novo-nordisk-congress-ceo-testimony-1851655576) Tuesday morning during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), regarding what the company charges for its blockbuster drugs in the U.S. Sen. Sanders said that Novo Nordisk has made $50 billion in sales from Ozempic and Wegovy since 2018 — with 72% of that revenue coming from U.S. sales, Sen. Sanders said at Tuesday’s hearing. “In other words, the United States is Novo Nordisk’s cash cow for Ozempic and Wegovy,” Sen. Sanders said. At one point, Sen. Sanders quoted Musk’s tweet and said that “Mr. Musk is right.” Later that day, Musk posted on X that he really is “[with Bernie on this one](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1838758206585094625).”
2024-09-28
-
 The health benefits of blockbuster weight loss drugs are bridging the stark political divide in the United States. Progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said on Tuesday, in a [Senate committee hearing](https://qz.com/ozempic-novo-nordisk-wegovy-ceo-senate-testimony-1851656166) on high anti-obesity drug prices, that he agreed with Elon Musk, a supporter of Former President Donald Trump, when it comes to expanding access to GLP-1 weight loss drugs. [Read More](https://qz.com/elon-musk-bernie-sanders-ozempic-1851657342)
2024-10-29
-
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez likened Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant remarks to the words of Adolf Hitler and sought to rally progressive support for Kamala Harris with Bernie Sanders at a rally on Monday night in Madison, Wisconsin. The New York congresswoman called the election a “precipice” and condemned the former president’s [Madison Square Garden rally](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/28/biden-harris-racist-comments-trump-msg-rally), where a comic referred to Puerto Rico as “garbage”, spurring widespread outrage on the island. “They knew exactly what they were doing; let’s dispense with this idea that this is a joke,” said [Ocasio-Cortez](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/alexandria-ocasio-cortez). She denounced Trump’s guests for saying “absolutely horrific things” about women and minorities. “It’s the same kind of logic that says a Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx has no business connecting with the community of Madison, [Wisconsin](https://www.theguardian.com/world/wisconsin),” said Ocasio-Cortez, in a speech that sought to reject Trump’s racist rally and project a vision of unity. “When we hear an individual, whether it’s [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) or one of his cronies on a stage, talking about our fellow Americans as a pile of garbage, know that he’s talking about us, he’s talking about you,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “When he calls us, our service members and veterans, suckers and losers, he’s talking about you.” She urged voters to recognize the New York rally not as an aberration but as evidence of the Trump movement’s fascist ideology and accused him of “\[echoing\] the words of Adolf Hitler”. Madison and its suburbs reliably generate broad support for Democratic party candidates – and the [Harris](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/kamala-harris) campaign is especially focused on turning out as many voters as possible there to help deliver the swing state to the vice-president on 5 November. “A win in this state, if you haven’t yet heard, is decided by around three votes in every single ward,” said Gaby Schmidt, regional organizing director for Wisconsin’s Democratic coordinated campaign. Schmidt described Wisconsin’s nail-bitingly narrow electoral margins and urged audience members to text 10 friends or family members to get out the vote for Harris before the event ended. “We all know that’s the difference between winning and losing.” * **Don’t miss important US election coverage. [Get our free app](https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3) and sign up for election alerts** “Tonight is about making a progressive case for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz,” said Mark Pocan, a progressive US congressman who represents Dane county voters. For Pocan – and the speakers who followed – this meant underscoring Trump’s authoritarian rhetoric and impulses and casting Harris as open to the bold policy measures of the progressive left. “Trump is taking the role of the fascist authoritarian, and he wants to scare the shit out of you,” said Pocan. [skip past newsletter promotion](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/28/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-bernie-sanders-kamala-harris#EmailSignup-skip-link-12) Sign up to The Stakes — US Election Edition The Guardian guides you through the chaos of a hugely consequential presidential election **Privacy Notice:** Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our [Privacy Policy](https://www.theguardian.com/help/privacy-policy). We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply. after newsletter promotion Bernie Sanders opened on a similar note. “You have Mike Pence saying I can’t support the guy I worked with for four years,” said Sanders. “We cannot allow someone to be president of the United States who is a pathological liar and who is working night and day to undermine American democracy.” For the rest of his speech, Sanders focused on his bread and butter issues: protecting the working class and his vision for a social safety net for Americans. He walked through the Biden administration’s efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs and stack the National Labor Relations Board with union-friendly administrators, and called for bold measures to address poverty and inequality. He denounced the student and medical debt crises and called for tax hikes on the ultra-wealthy. “We have got to cancel all medical debt in America,” said Sanders, noting that many Trump supporters had legitimate reason to be upset. “There are a lot of angry people in America, and you know what, people have a right to be angry.” Sanders accused Trump of misdirecting legitimate anger over “corporate greed” toward minority communities, calling Trump’s rhetoric a form of demagoguery. “What we have got to do is bring our people together,” concluded Sanders, “to create an agenda that speaks to the needs of the working class of this country.”
2024-11-15
-
As the Democratic Party grapples with its sweeping electoral loss and a new political reality, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has been resolute about his diagnosis of where the party went wrong. “It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them,” he said in a [statement](https://x.com/BernieSanders/status/1854271157135941698) after the 2024 presidential election. This week — when Republicans cemented their control of the House, giving President-elect Donald J. Trump a [unified Congress](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/13/us/elections/republican-house-trifecta.html) to enact his agenda — Senator Sanders spoke to Michael Barbaro, host of the New York Times podcast “The Daily,” about his take. The two discussed the fallout of the election and where Mr. Sanders sees the Democratic Party going from here. Below are takeaways [from their conversation](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/15/podcasts/the-daily/bernie-sanders-democratic-party.html), with excerpts edited for length and clarity. You can listen to their full conversation on “The Daily.” When asked how he felt about being in the minority with Trump poised to bring an aggressive agenda to Congress, Mr. Sanders said, “Our job is to rally the American people to make it clear, especially to working people, that we need an economy and a government that works for all and to expose as best we can what Trump and his administration are doing.” Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F15%2Fpodcasts%2Fbernie-sanders-democratic-party-daily.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F15%2Fpodcasts%2Fbernie-sanders-democratic-party-daily.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F15%2Fpodcasts%2Fbernie-sanders-democratic-party-daily.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F15%2Fpodcasts%2Fbernie-sanders-democratic-party-daily.html).
2024-11-26
-
As the Democratic Party debates where to go after its 2024 drubbing, we’re going to spend the next two episodes of the show featuring two very different perspectives on the way forward. After Trump won the election, Bernie Sanders released a blistering statement saying, “It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them.” And Bernie’s advisers and allies have been making their own versions of this argument and jockeying for the positions that would help them rebuild the Democratic Party around this vision. Some have floated Bernie’s 2020 campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, to be the next chair of the Democratic National Committee. And Faiz sent me an email after the episode with Patrick Ruffini, the Republican pollster who’s been tracking the movement of working class voters to the G.O.P., saying there was a friendly debate he wanted to have here: That Bernie, or at least Bernie-ism, is the obvious answer, and Democrats simply refuse to see it. And the fact that they refuse to see it says something very telling about the party. At the same time, I’ve heard from a lot of Democrats who are annoyed, to say the least, about this attack from Sanders’s world: Democrats abandoned the working class? Biden has been the most economically populist president of the modern era. He’s been the most pro-labor president of the modern era. And what did it get him — or Harris? And if democratic socialism, if Bernie-ism, is the answer to winning back these voters, why don’t you see democratic socialists winning in red districts? So this is a rich conversation, and it’s a very real debate among Democrats right now. And Faiz Shakir, whom I’ve known for years, is a great person to have on to talk about it. He has seen the Democratic Party from every vantage point. He didn’t just work for Sanders. He’s worked in senior positions for Nancy Pelosi, for Harry Reid, for the A.C.L.U. He co-founded ThinkProgress, and he’s currently the executive director of the pro-worker nonprofit media organization More Perfect Union. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F26%2Fopinion%2Fezra-klein-podcast-faiz-shakir.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F26%2Fopinion%2Fezra-klein-podcast-faiz-shakir.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F26%2Fopinion%2Fezra-klein-podcast-faiz-shakir.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F26%2Fopinion%2Fezra-klein-podcast-faiz-shakir.html).
2024-12-09
-
They feel frustrated by the status quo, and they’re fed up with the system. They don’t trust politicians, and they want revolutionary change. They are men, many of them younger, who are looking for a champion. Once, they liked Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont as a presidential candidate. This election, they voted for Donald J. Trump. The number of Sanders supporters who have gone MAGA is [most likely](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/8/24/16194086/bernie-trump-voters-study) a sliver of the electorate. But they illustrate an important pattern in American politics, political scientists say, one that might help explain Mr. Trump’s success with young men in particular. [For certain voters, political preferences are defined](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ajps.12616) not by party, but by their attitudes about the ruling class — whether they trust people in power, or think they’ve rigged the system against ordinary people. In the final New York Times/Siena College national [poll in late October](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/10/27/us/elections/times-siena-poll-crosstabs.html), nearly two-thirds of voters said the government was “mostly working to benefit itself and the elites,” rather than “the people and the country.” Eighty-two percent of Trump voters said so, twice as many as Kamala Harris voters. The idea resonated in particular with men and younger voters, the poll found — groups that Mr. Trump especially courted in this election and that Mr. Sanders did well with in his Democratic primary campaigns in 2016 and 2020. “The connective tissue from Trump to Sanders is something akin to populism — the ruling class sucks — and that rhetoric [plays well](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ps-political-science-and-politics/article/primary-distrust-political-distrust-and-support-for-the-insurgent-candidacies-of-donald-trump-and-bernie-sanders-in-the-2016-primary/578E3061392DDE1BF3BE3F615054F97A) among a certain class of people who don’t feel the government works for them,” said Joshua Dyck, a political science professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F09%2Fupshot%2Fvoters-trump-bernie-sanders.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F09%2Fupshot%2Fvoters-trump-bernie-sanders.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F09%2Fupshot%2Fvoters-trump-bernie-sanders.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F09%2Fupshot%2Fvoters-trump-bernie-sanders.html).
2024-12-11
-
Elon Musk, the [richest person alive](https://qz.com/elon-musk-net-worth-wealth-spacex-tesla-xai-bezos-meta-1851718701) and the co-head of President-elect Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is doubling down on his support for expanding access to affordable GLP-1 weight-loss medications like Ozempic. “Nothing would do more to improve the health, lifespan and quality of life for Americans than making GLP inhibitors super low cost to the public. Nothing else is even close,” Musk wrote Wednesday morning in a [post](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1866783835507302881) on X, the social media site he owns. [GLP-1 medications](https://qz.com/ozempic-wegovy-zepbound-weight-loss-drugs-cost-effects-1851660134?_gl=1*1qflgv0*_ga*NTg4NjM0ODk5LjE3MDY1NjAzNDU.*_ga_V4QNJTT5L0*MTczMjYzMzUxNC41NDMuMS4xNzMyNjM1ODMxLjU3LjAuMA..) are a class of drugs made popular by [Novo Nordisk’s diabetes treatment, Ozempic](https://qz.com/ozempic-weight-loss-drug-novo-nordisk-1851483167). These drugs mimic a hormone that regulates appetite and blood sugar and have become highly sought after as treatments for obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Recent studies and clinical trials have been finding that these drugs also have health benefits [beyond weight loss](https://qz.com/ozempic-weight-loss-drugs-health-benefits-research-1851687755?_gl=1*mjv2j9*_ga*NTg4NjM0ODk5LjE3MDY1NjAzNDU.*_ga_V4QNJTT5L0*MTczMzk0MzE2Mi41OTAuMS4xNzMzOTQ0MzY3LjYwLjAuMA..). Popular brands on the market also include Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s ([LLY\-0.45%](https://qz.com/quote/LLY)) Zepbound. Soaring demand for these treatments has turned Novo Nordisk ([NVO+2.32%](https://qz.com/quote/NVO)) and Eli Lilly into the largest pharma companies in the world. This isn’t Musk’s first time expressing his support for the use of these popular treatments. In 2022, he posted on X that he had used [Wegovy](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1576367983051489281). Recently, he [agreed with Sen. Bernie Sanders’s](https://qz.com/elon-musk-bernie-sanders-ozempic-1851657342) efforts to bring down the costs of expensive GLP-1 drugs. “Solving obesity greatly reduces risk of other diseases, especially diabetes, and improves quality of life. We do need to find a way to make appetite inhibitors available to anyone who wants them,” Musk wrote in a [post](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1836131972525232380) in September. The remarks were made in response to a post about Sen. Sanders claiming that generic drug companies have said they can sell cheaper versions of these medications for less than $100 a month. In the U.S., the list price — a drug’s price without health insurance — for Ozempic is $968.52 for a month’s supply. The list price of Wegovy in the U.S. is $1,349.02. The cost of these popular medications is [already much cheaper in other countries](https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-chairman-sanders-launches-investigation-into-outrageously-high-price-of-ozempic-and-wegovy-in-the-united-states/). For example, Ozempic is just $59 in Germany, and Wegovy is only $92 in the U.K. “I don’t agree with Bernie about many things, but I do on this,” Musk wrote. Sen. Sanders [grilled Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen](https://qz.com/novo-nordisk-congress-ceo-testimony-1851655576) in September during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) regarding what the company charges in the U.S. for its blockbuster drugs.
2024-12-16
-
Amazon ignored warnings about workplace injuries and manipulated data, Bernie Sanders-led probe saysAmazon ([AMZN+2.30%](https://qz.com/quote/AMZN)) manipulates its workplace injury data and rejected recommendations to improve safety conditions for its workers, according to a Senate investigation into labor rules at the U.S.’s largest online retailer. The [160-report](https://www.help.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/amazon_investigation.pdf) is the result of Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders’ [investigation](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/bernie-sanders-announces-investigation-amazons-safety-record-rcna90223) into the company’s “abysmal safety record” that he launched last year. Sanders leads the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee. The report says Amazon manipulates workplace injury data to make its warehouses appear safer than they actually are by cherry-picking statistics. The committee found that Amazon workplaces recorded 30% more injuries in 2023 than the warehousing industry average that year and that, over the last seven years, Amazon warehouse workers were consistently almost twice as likely to be injured as their colleagues in warehouses operated by others in the industry. More than two-thirds of Amazon’s warehouses have above-average injury rates, according to the report. The committee said it had interviewed more than 130 workers and met with almost 500 who shared some 1,400 documents supporting their stories. Amazon gave the committee 285 documents, or less than a quarter of what was requested, according to the report. Amazon said it had cooperated with the probe despite Sanders’ “pre-conceived narrative” and that an invitation for the senator to visit one of its facilities went unanswered. “Sen. Sanders’ report is wrong on the facts and weaves together out-of-date documents and unverifiable anecdotes to create a pre-conceived narrative that he and his allies have been pushing for the past 18 months,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement. In a blog post on Monday, Amazon [criticized](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/policy-news-views/amazon-response-to-senator-bernie-sanders-report-on-workplace-safety) the committee’s citation of two internal studies, Project Elderwand and Project Soteria. The studies, respectively, found that Amazon workers were routinely doing more work than recommended to avoid injuries in order to meet quotas and that a faster pace of work led to more injuries. Recommendations from both studies found that Amazon should take action to keep workers from injuring themselves in the name of productivity. Soteria recommended that Amazon suspend discipline for employees who failed to meet targets. In the end, Amazon executives rejected the recommendations, according to the Senate report. After a test of how Elderwand’s recommendations, including requiring additional breaks, would impact “customer experience,” executives declined to implement the changes. The report also alleges that Amazon management instructs workers to “keep the line moving at all costs,” referring to conveyor belts in facilities, even if workers passed out. Although workers can hit emergency “stop” buttons on the belts, managers “often reprimand workers” for using them, the report said. “I don’t even use Amazon anymore, I’d rather wait… than have some poor employee in an Amazon warehouse get battered and bruised so I can get my book within six hours,” one worker told the Senate committee. “People don’t see that, they think it just appears by magic. But it doesn’t, it appears by blood, sweat, and tears.” The report’s findings come after years of [allegations](https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/aug/13/amazon-labor-nlrb) by [federal](https://qz.com/amazon-fined-for-warehouse-safety-violations-1850005916) and [state](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/06/18/amazon-fine-labor-law-california/) regulators that Amazon has violated labor laws. Last year, several [warehouses](https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/region2/08032023) were cited by federal regulators for exposing workers to high risks of some injuries. Amazon notes that a Washington state judge in July [threw out four serious safety violations](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/07/25/amazon-workers-safety-washington-dismiss/) Amazon had been charged with in recent years. In their decision, Judge Stephen Pfeifer wrote that “Amazon presented persuasive evidence it has a robust safety and health program.” CBS News ([PARA\-1.39%](https://qz.com/quote/PARA)) [reported](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/amazon-trucking-contractors-have-higher-rates-of-safety-violations/) earlier this month that Amazon trucking contractors have higher rates of safety violations, while Amazon Logistics is being [investigated](https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/amazon-logistics-under-investigation-for-alleged-labor-violations/) by Seattle’s Office of Labor Standards for alleged violations. Amazon workers represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters voted last week to [authorize](https://thehill.com/business/5040750-amazon-union-new-york-strike/) a strike if the company failed to agree to bargaining dates by Sunday. In November, thousands of workers went on strike to demand better pay and working conditions during one of the company’s busiest weekends of the year.
2025-01-28
-
The Vermont senator [Bernie Sanders](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/bernie-sanders) has blasted the [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) administration’s order to freeze all [federal loans and grants](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/28/trump-pauses-grants-loans), describing it as a “dangerous move towards authoritarianism” in America. The order, which is scheduled to begin at 5pm ET on Tuesday, was ordered in a [memo](https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/da3a3829590efbb7/b0c025ff-full.pdf) from the US president’s acting head of the Office of Management and Budget on Monday evening. The directive instructs all federal agencies to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligations or disbursement of all federal financial assistance”. The memo did not state which groups or programs would be affected but said that the freeze would not apply to social security or Medicare. [skip past newsletter promotion](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/28/trump-federal-loans-grants-bernie-sanders#EmailSignup-skip-link-3) Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration **Privacy Notice:** Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our [Privacy Policy](https://www.theguardian.com/help/privacy-policy). We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply. after newsletter promotion [ What Trump didn’t say in his inauguration speech | Bernie Sanders ](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/23/bernie-sanders-trump-inauguration-speech) On Tuesday, Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate leader from New York said that the pause would probably affect [universities, the non-profit sector](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/28/trump-pauses-grants-loans), food assistance programs, hospitals, community health centers, organizations that assist disabled veterans and more. On Tuesday, Sanders joined many Senate [Democrats](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/democrats) in denouncing the order, and said in a statement that the freeze would have a “devastating impact on the health and wellbeing of millions of children, seniors on fixed incomes, and the most vulnerable people in our country”. “It is a dangerous move towards authoritarianism and it is blatantly unconstitutional,” Sanders said. “Our founding fathers explicitly gave Congress the power of the purse. Under our system of checks and balances, no president has the right to choose which laws to follow and which laws to ignore.” Further, the senator said that the order “raises more questions than it answers” including whether community health centers will receive the federal grants they need to continue to provide primary healthcare to millions of Americans. “This unconstitutional memo must be rescinded,” Sanders said. “The American people – Democrats, [Republicans](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/republicans) and Independents – must come together to defeat this move towards authoritarianism.” He concluded: “If President Trump wants to change our nation’s laws he has the right to ask Congress to change them. He does not have the right to violate the United States constitution. He is not a king.” The Connecticut attorney general, William Tong, a Democrat, said on Tuesday morning that attorneys general across the country were preparing imminent legal action to challenge the order. New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, [said](https://x.com/NewYorkStateAG/status/1884271636230332562) that her office “will be taking imminent legal action against this administration’s unconstitutional pause on federal funding”.