Latest news with #Brien
India Gazette
28-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Constitutional body should not turn into party office," TMC slams ECI on revision in electoral rolls of Bihar
ANI 28 Jun 2025, 15:09 GMT+10 New Delhi [India], June 28 (ANI): Following the decision of the Election Commission of India to revise the electoral roll ahead of Bihar's elections, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O' Brien on Saturday stated that in the desperation to change or attempt to change things, one does desperate things. 'TMC has the highest regard for the Election Commission of India as a constitutional body, but the constitutional body should not turn into the branch office of the BJP. Why is this exercise being suddenly done right now? We have evidence that it is being done now because the latest BJP's internal survey for Bengal shows the BJP will get 46 to 49 seats in Bengal Assembly polls. In desperation to change or attempt to change things, you do these desperate things...' the TMC MP said in a press conference. He further stated that the ECI was conducting an exercise called the special intensive revision of the electoral roll in Bihar, which would also be followed in West Bengal. 'The ECI is conducting an exercise called special intensive revision of the electoral roll starting in Bihar, and then they said they'll follow it up in Bengal. Under this, new and existing voters have to submit proof of birth & birthplace for those born before July 1987. Proof of birth & birthplace for self and one parent for those born between July 1987 to December 2004. Proof of birth & birthplace for self and both parents for those born after December 2004. If these documents are not submitted within a month, your name will be deleted from the voter list,' Brien said. Derek O' Brien further stated that the EC was trying to bring back NRC in from the back door. 'The EC (Election Commission) is trying to bring the NRC in from the back door. In 1935 under the Nazis, you were supposed to be given an ancestor pass. Some proof of paper to show that you are an Indian citizen is this the new version of that Nazi Ancestor Pass?... All the INDIA bloc parties will take this up in and outside Parliament...' he added. (ANI)
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why stocks are up and oil is down as the US and Iran trade strikes
The US bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities on Sunday. Iran retaliated by striking a US base in Qatar. Traders expected lower stocks and higher oil after the initial attack. The opposite has happened. This is because Iran's response was seen as less aggressive than some expected. Investors were bracing for a wild day of trading on Monday after the US bombed Iran on Sunday. What transpired was volatile, but not in the way traders expected. The traditional risk-off response to the US attack on Iran would've amounted to selling in stocks and a spike in oil prices. That's initially what happened in overnight trading. But in the morning, shortly before the US equity market opened, stocks started coming back. Oil prices pared earlier losses as well. Those moves extended as the day progressed, especially in the afternoon when Iran announced retaliatory measures. The strikes on a US air base in Qatar were viewed as a half-measure that actually calmed nerves, at least somewhat. "Iran responded to the US attack because Iran needed to respond, not necessarily because they wanted to respond, and potentially have their country hit once again with US bombs, without any realistic ability to trade punches," Lou Brien, economic strategist at DWR Holdings, said in a client note. Brien described the response as "a matter of saving face, not a matter of going toe-to-toe." It's also possible that President Donald Trump's plea for oil prices to stay low helped spur the downward move in the commodity. Here's where the major market moves stood as of the 4 p.m. stock-market close in New York: S&P 500: 6,025.17, up 1% Dow Jones Industrial Average: 42,581.78, up 0.9% Crude oil: $68.63, down 7% This embedded content is not available in your region. "There wasn't much in the way of escalation so markets breathed a sigh of relief," Paul Hickey, cofounder of Bespoke Investment Group, told Business Insider. "But we were also trading sideways for the two weeks leading up to the event, and I don't think it was ever considered a major concern." After Iran's limited retaliatory strikes, further options appear limited. The country relies on oil revenue from the Strait and may not want to anger additional oil-exporting neighbors, and has fewer proxies and allies willing or able to help than in the past. Investors have also been pricing in geopolitical risks for months, especially given the Israel-Hamas conflict and Israel's recent attacks on Iranian military leaders and Tehran's proxies such as Hezbollah. However, Trump has raised the prospect of "regime change" and suggested further strikes aren't off the table, meaning the possibility of escalation remains. The president's tariffs have already muddied the outlook for global growth, and the renewed possibility of America getting roped into a military campaign in the Middle East once again gives investors plenty to chew over. Disruptions to the global oil supply could fuel inflation and curb growth, meaning the economic stakes are high for much of the world. "The situation is evolving rapidly, and the ultimate consequences remain uncertain, requiring investors to stay alert as new developments arise," Hakan Kaya, senior portfolio manager at Neuberger Berman, said in a morning note. It's clear a negative market panic hasn't taken hold as yet, but the US strikes have created a dust cloud of uncertainty and raised additional risks to market watchers. Read the original article on Business Insider Sign in to access your portfolio
Calgary Herald
13-06-2025
- General
- Calgary Herald
Cameras, satellite collars helping to track wildlife movement in Highway 3 corridor
As part of efforts to reduce vehicle-animal collisions along an increasingly busy Highway 3 in southwest Alberta, motion-sensitive cameras have been installed and some wildlife have been fitted with satellite collars to study their movement. Article content So far, about 80 motion-sensitive cameras have been set up, and 20 elk, nine mule deer, and eight grizzly bears are now wearing satellite collars. Article content Article content Article content The multi-year Reconnecting the Rockies Alberta research project will shed light on wildlife movement along a 56-kilomere stretch of the Highway 3 transportation corridor in the Crowsnest Pass. Article content Article content A group of researchers and organizations, including Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, Biodiversity Pathways, Miistakis Institute, Nature Conservancy of Canada, University of British Columbia Okanagan and Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, is working together on the project. Article content The data gathered will help inform Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors plans to install wildlife crossings, which include overpasses and underpasses, along the provincial highway. The work also involves adding wildlife exclusion fencing. The province says mitigation projects on provincial highways — in place along Highway 1 for years — can help reduce animal-vehicle collisions by 80 per cent. Between 2015 and 2020, animal-vehicle collisions accounted for roughly 60 per cent of reported collisions on rural highways. Article content Article content Emilie Brien, the Nature Conservancy of Canada's natural area manager for the Castle-Crowsnest Watershed, said many animals cross Highway 3 and the chances of them getting hit is climbing as the section of the provincial highway in southwest Alberta gets busier. Article content Alberta government data from 2015 to 2024 shows an increasing volume of traffic along Highway 3 in the Crowsnest Pass over the past 10 years. Article content 'We've kind of reached the point where, so many animals, so many cars, of course you're going to have collisions,' said Brien, who's based in the Crowsnest Pass community of Coleman, about 160 kilometres southwest of Calgary. Article content Along Highway 1, the crossings have made a 'massive' difference, drastically reducing animal-vehicle collisions, said Brien. All species — including deer, elk, wolves and foxes — use the crossings, but some take up to three years to get used to them, she said.
West Australian
06-06-2025
- General
- West Australian
Worn playground removed as City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder begins audit of parks and play spaces
An aging, worn playground has been removed from a Hannans park as the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder conducts as audit of local parks and play areas. The play equipment — aside from a set of swings — at the park in Compton Court, near Hannans Primary School, has been removed after the city identified it was worn and required replacing. Rather than investing in short-term repairs, city chief executive Andrew Brien said the city opted to remove the equipment and work on a full replacement. 'We're currently seeking quotes for new equipment, and we'll have a better idea of the timeline once those are received,' he said. 'The goal is to replace it with a new playground that better meets current standards, is fun and suited to the space.' Mr Brien said the work was part of a city-wide audit of playgrounds to ensure they aligned with Australian Standards. He said a full report on future playground upgrades and replacements would go before council in August, and the city would keep the community updated. 'We know how important parks and playgrounds are for local families, and we're committed to ensuring they remain safe, well-maintained, and enjoyable for everyone,' he said.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Who's afraid of Big Pharma? Not the R.I. House's lone independent
Rep. Jon D. Brien, a Woonsocket independent, is seen on the floor of the Rhode Island House of Representatives on April 29, 2025, waiting for the day's session to begin. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) When Big Pharma lobbyists came to the Rhode Island State House April 10 to oppose legislation that would hurt drugmakers' profits, Woonsocket independent Rep. Jon D. Brien was ready for them. Brien, the sole independent in the 75 seats of the House of Representatives, was there to introduce his bill that would shield a federal drug pricing mandate from manufacturer intervention. 'They've come from far away to tell you, 'The sky shall fall in the state of Rhode Island if you pass this legislation,'' Brien told the House Committee on Health and Human Services. 'And I assure you … it will not.' H5634 aims to stop drugmakers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from controlling patient access to discounted prescription drugs under the 340B Drug Pricing Program. Congress created the program in 1992 to help safety net clinics and hospitals 'stretch scarce federal resources as far as possible,' according to program overseer, the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Under 340B, providers buy drugs from manufacturers or wholesalers at a federally set minimum discount of 23.1% off the average retail price, although the discount for providers is typically 25% to 50%. Providers are then reimbursed for the drug's standard price by insurers, and the clinic's savings are reinvested in more patient services. The feds don't pay the difference — the manufacturer eats the discount. Drugmakers continue to participate so they can have their drugs covered by Medicaid and Medicare, but some have recently tried to block providers from contracting with multiple pharmacies to fill 340B prescriptions. Outsourcing dispensing, manufacturers argue, is the latest example of how providers are profiting off a system designed to reduce customer costs for outpatient drugs. 'This legislature needs to fight back,' Brien told the committee. 'Pharmacy benefit managers, insurers and drug manufacturers are bleeding our safety net providers dry with discriminatory, profit-driven tactics. They're slashing reimbursements, clawing back funds, and steering prescriptions to their own pharmacies, crippling health centers and hospitals that serve our most vulnerable residents.' When Rhode Island Current caught up with Brien a week later, he remained firm on his bill's importance for protecting Rhode Islanders. 'Who are we going to prioritize this legislative session: Big Pharma or the people of Rhode Island?' Brien asked. 'It'll be hard to go back to them and tell them why this didn't pass, because I sure as hell am not going to sugarcoat it if it doesn't.' He was glad to see testimony supporting the legislation far outweigh opposition at the hearing. The bill was held for further study, which happens to every bill upon its debut. But what makes Brien's bill unique is the list of strange bedfellows backing it. Co-sponsors include two Republicans, Reps. Marie Hopkins of Warwick and David Place of Burrillville, and two Democrats, Reps. Megan Cotter of Exeter and Jacquelyn Baginski of Cranston — a rare show of tripartisan teamwork. 'Without question, the most consensus building piece of legislation that I've ever submitted,' Brien tweeted about the bill on April 29. Brien, who sports an image of Tulsi Gabbard being sworn in as director of national intelligence as his X header, won his House District 49 seat in 2022. Like Gabbard, Brien was once a Democrat. An attorney who specializes in personal injury, criminal defense, DUIs and expungements, Brien held the Rhode Island House District 50 seat from 2007 to 2013 when he lived in Woonsocket's Globe District, before moving to the city's North End. (The District 50 seat now belongs to Democratic Rep. Stephen Casey.) 'We are all of vast and varying ideologies, but we all believe the same thing,' Brien said over the phone. 'And the same thing is we got to get this bill passed.' Last year, Brien introduced the same legislation, which died in committee. It's why Cotter, whose western, rural Rhode Island district spans 100 square miles of Richmond and most of Exeter, sought him out this year. Brien's bill, she said, could help local health clinics survive, especially those in the state's rural and underserved areas. 'This bill could be the difference between some of them staying open and some of closing,' Cotter said. Across the rotunda, however, the Senate version of the bill remains firmly partisan. S0114, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Bridget Valverde of North Kingstown alongside seven Democrats, most of them progressives, was held for further study after its hearing on March 20. Brien's fight for 340B comes from his own backyard. Thundermist Health Center in downtown Woonsocket in Brien's district is a federally qualified health center which serves over 63,000 patients annually, including low-income and uninsured people, and it participates in the 340B program. It then reinvests the savings into other services, like an onsite food bank. Last year, Thundermist had to lay off 130 workers and eliminate its tobacco cessation program after losing roughly $5.6 million in 340B revenue, Matthew Roman, the center's chief operating officer, told the House committee. The loss came even after Thundermist worked with a national firm to recover maximum revenue from the program. Thundermist staff said the patient experience has been affected by moves by manufacturers to refuse or heavily limit shipments of 340B discounted products to multiple pharmacies — a not uncommon request for providers, who will contract with multiple pharmacies so patients can fill their medicines closer to home. Some Thundermist patients now have to visit different pharmacies depending on which manufacturer made their medication, Chris Durigan, the health center's director of clinical pharmacy services, told lawmakers at the hearing. Peter Bancroft, CEO of WellOne Primary Medical and Dental Care which has four locations in Rhode Island, shared a similar story. About a year and a half ago, WellOne used to subsidize about 40,000 $5 prescriptions monthly in its discount program. Now, the center is writing around 10,000 of those prescriptions a month, because of manufacturer restrictions that steer the discounted drugs toward one pharmacy. 'We had to pick one that was quote, unquote 'centralized,'' Bancroft said. 'Well, if you think there's a central pharmacy between Burrillville and North Kingstown and Scituate and Foster. We ended up going to the pharmacy in Chepachet. Our patients from North Kingstown are not driving to Chepachet to get their $5 prescription.' Other community health clinics offered testimony in support of Brien's and Valverde's bills. Providence Community Health Centers lost $9 million in 340B revenue in four years. WellOne faces a $2.1 million deficit in fiscal year 2025, with $1.7 million tied directly to lost 340B earnings. Wood River Health, which has three locations across the state, reported a $1 million loss in revenue over two years. CharterCARE doesn't yet benefit from 340B at its for-profit, safety net hospitals, but it wants the program intact as its properties — Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in North Providence and Roger Williams Medical Center in Providence — transition to nonprofit, 340B-eligible status after a protracted but soon-to-be-concluded change in ownership. Jeffrey Dandurand, the health system's pharmacy director, submitted written testimony that 'a key aspect of our strategic transition plan…is dependent on participation in the 340B program.' The Hospital Association of Rhode Island supports the legislation and submitted written testimony, and the town of Burrillville passed a resolution in support. Pharmaceutical manufacturers, however, are unhappy with the use of contract pharmacies, which can be any third-party drugstore including chains like CVS and Walgreens. In 2010, HRSA allowed providers to use unlimited contract pharmacies, fostering abundant growth. Since then, the number of contract pharmacies has grown 12,000%, and there were more than 200,000 contract pharmacy agreements inked between 2013 and 2024 — numbers that come from a report funded by PhRMA, a major pharmaceutical lobbying and trade group. Brien's Republican co-sponsors on the House health committee were unmoved by the arguments of Brian Jordan, a lobbyist for PhRMA, that the root issue of 340B's problems 'always goes back to low Medicaid reimbursement.' 'It almost sounds like you just don't like the program, and you're trying to restrict the program as much as possible,' said Rep. David Place of Burrillville. First-term Rep. Marie Hopkins of Warwick dug into Jordan's assertion that facilities are using 340B for profit. These are places already operating on 'shoestring' budgets, she offered, and 340B is a way to recoup costs. 'It's not how the program was originally intended,' Jordan said. 'I mean, it's a revenue source. Why not increase the sales tax, something like that?' 'When I go to the mechanic, and I pay the $299 for tires, I know that he got them for $100,' Hopkins said. 'But there is a cost associated with his providing the service. That's how business works. I see this the same way, and you're trying to scoop out their revenue source.' Hopkins' arguments echoed those of hospital trade groups, like a 2024 American Hospital Association report that cited a $30 billion growth in the 340B program over five years, while the drug market grew $330 billion in that same time. Other sources like the Drug Channels Institute analyzed HRSA data to show that the 340B program grew $12.6 billion in a single year, accounting for $66 billion overall revenue in 2023. 'Everyone in the drug channel — hospitals, federal grantees, PBMs, pharmacies, plan sponsors, employers, insurers, wholesalers, technology vendors, consultants, and more — profits from the billions of 340B dollars that are sloshing around the system,' the institute's founder Adam J. Fein wrote in 2024. PhRMA's Jordan and Rep. Hopkins did agree there should be more rigorous oversight of 340B. As drafted, the Rhode Island legislation does not permit audits beyond those already performed by the federal government. Cara Sammartino, an associate professor at Johnson & Wales who chairs the school's public health program, urged lawmakers in written testimony to strike that clause, as vagueness in federal audit laws allows 340B entities to audit themselves or hire contractors to do it. 'When I go to the mechanic, and I pay the $299 for tires, I know that he got them for $100. But there is a cost associated with his providing the service. That's how business works. I see this the same way, and you're trying to scoop out their revenue source. – Rep. Marie Hopkins, a Warwick Republican, to a pharmaceutical lobbyist a House committee hearing Brien told Rhode Island Current the idea that 340B providers aren't audited is an industry 'red herring…All the legislation says is that these institutions can't be audited more than the federal government requires them to be.' In 2023, Minnesota became the first state to require annual reporting from 340B entities. A 2024 report found that 13% of providers — mostly large hospitals — earned 80% of 340B revenue, while safety net clinics earned the least. Meanwhile, $120 million went to contract pharmacies and third-party administrators, echoing drugmakers' assertions that the program is lucrative. Similarly, a 2021 white paper by the Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service found that hospitals represented 60% of 340B sites in 2020. Unlike non-hospital entities covered by the program, 340B hospitals 'are not required to use 340B savings to serve vulnerable populations, nor are they required to report how 340B revenues are used,' according to the report. Johns Hopkins University Professor of Accounting Ge Bai wrote in a 2023 testimony before a U.S. Congressional subcommittee that 'many tax-exempt hospitals have been deviating from their original charitable pursuits to focus on expanding their market share and enhancing profitability,' a motive that also includes 340B, since 'eligible tax-exempt hospitals…can generate substantial profits by providing these drugs to well insured patients,' Bai wrote. Asked about the Rhode Island bill, Bai said over email, 'The bill, if passed, would represent a win for 340B hospitals in RI and a loss for pharmaceutical companies.' But, she added, 'the scale of the 340B program has been ballooning.' She pointed to an April 15 executive order from President Donald Trump likely to affect the program by requiring greater oversight and regulation of Medicare and Medicaid payments for drugs. Brien and Valverde want Rhode Island to follow in the footsteps of 33 states that have passed laws to defend contract pharmacy use or prohibit PBM discrimination against 340B entities. The legislation has invoked both specific legal challenges and broader ones. Judges in the D.C. and Third Circuits ruled that the 340B statute says nothing about where or how drugs must be dispensed — ultimately a blow against contract pharmacies. Conversely, it seemed as if the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services would resume the course set for HRSA under the Biden administration when, in March, HRSA continued litigation over drugmakers' Medicaid contracts if they offered alternative rebates in violation of 340B. An HHS spokesperson said via email that the agency does not comment on ongoing litigation, and would not provide an on-record comment about the future of the 340B program. States have already been sued for trying to enshrine 340B protections, Brien said at the hearing, and some emerged victorious. The possibility of defeat in court was not enough to deter Brien. He cited lawsuits against proposals for truck tolls and high-capacity magazine bans filed before the relevant bills even hit the House or Senate floor. Brien asked his colleagues: 'Since when does this institution not pass legislation for fear of a lawsuit?' Over the phone, Brien remained hopeful. 'I intend to do a full court press on this thing. It's my number one priority. It's the number one priority of a number of legislators,' he said. 'It comes down to, 'Will leadership stand with Big Pharma or the people of Rhode Island?'' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
