Latest news with #Dr.Oz
Calgary Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Opinion: Feathers ruffled over expensive standoff on ostrich farm
A comic melodrama has been unfolding in the backwoods of the B.C. Okanagan. It involves all the usual theatre elements — a heroic farmer against an evil government oppressor, valiant supporters willing to lay down their lives to stop enforcers from carrying out their despicable intentions and, of course, a white knight from faraway coming to the rescue. Article content What makes it somewhat preposterous is that this spectacle involves the fate of 400 ostriches. This has entangled the bedraggled taxpayer, who is footing the bill to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars in government legal costs, numerous federal bureaucrats' time and local law enforcement attention. Article content Article content Article content The issue began when the ostriches contracted the H5N1 avian flu virus, and 69 were euthanized by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which wanted the remaining flock also culled. This is a standard procedure for controlling avian flu. That process has seen poultry euthanized by the hundreds of millions across North America. Article content Article content No one seems upset when all those unfortunate chickens are terminated, most of whom may not have had avian flu. However, chickens are small, unassuming creatures that have been part of the food supply for millenniums. Six-foot ostriches are a lot more majestic than the lowly chicken. They also have long eyelashes and large brown eyes that make them rather striking to humans. Their large stature, speed, crankiness and strength also make them rather intimidating. Article content In the hope of saving their ostriches, the owners fought the CFIA destruction order through the courts, which has been moderately successful in delaying the inevitable. In a stroke of genius, they began to plead their case in the court of public opinion, also known as social media. Article content Article content That instigated empathetic protesters to block a possible surreptitious ostrich seizure by CFIA enforcers. As luck would have it, that extensive publicity caught the attention of the U.S. Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy Jr. and a celebrity by the name of Dr. Oz, who is also a U.S. government official appointed by President Donald Trump. Article content These alleged experts wanted to relocate the remaining ostriches to the U.S. for research into their levels of immunity and antibodies. Stranger things have been done, but it does come from the Trump government. Article content As expected, CFIA bureaucrats refused the official U.S. request and instead enforced their authority by slamming a $20,000 fine on the owners. The CFIA wants the doomed ostriches disposed of quickly, but there are problems. Article content Ostriches are big, strong and difficult to handle. Mass shooting would be messy, and burying them on-site would have horrendous PR consequences. The local landfill has stated they don't want 400 ostrich carcasses. I suspect the local RCMP would also rather not deal with a media-savvy horde of angry, outraged, protesting ostrich lovers.
Politico
6 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Johnson tries to contain Epstein dissent
IN TODAY'S EDITION:— Republicans are getting impatient over Epstein— GOP leaders eye clawing back education funding— Dems slam today's GOP meeting with Dr. Oz Speaker Mike Johnson is managing a delicate balance between appeasing antsy Republicans over the Jeffrey Epstein files and buying President Donald Trump time by shutting down the House early for August recess. The Louisiana Republican tried to quell dissent in a closed-door House GOP meeting Tuesday. He told members to stay united, arguing it would take time for the administration to release files that would also protect the names of Epstein's victims, Meredith Lee Hill and Hailey Fuchs report. But Republicans are getting impatient. In an Oversight subcommittee hearing Tuesday, lawmakers voted to compel the full committee to subpoena Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. Oversight Chair James Comer later told reporters he had warned GOP leadership last week that if the Epstein files came up in his committee, most of his members would vote on the side of transparency. 'Everyone knew that,' Comer said, adding that his team will visit Maxwell in prison for the interview once they negotiate details with her attorneys. The saga has given Democrats just the platform they needed to land a successful blow on the White House. In her latest column, Rachael Bade outlines just how much the party has found their mojo in effectively hijacking the House and sticking it to Trump. Democratic efforts to further drive the MAGA wedge has legs beyond this week. The bipartisan bill led by Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna, which would compel the release of more files, could hit the floor as soon as lawmakers return in September. That means Republican leaders are bracing for Democrats to keep the Epstein issue hot during August recess. And some of their own members who are itching for an outlet acknowledge that five weeks off may not stop Johnson's headache. 'The Epstein issue has contributed to their desire to just get us out of town because they hope that the energy will dissipate,' Massie told reporters Tuesday. 'I doubt that's the case.' GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING. Don't forget to wear your sneakers to the Hill today — the Sneaker Caucus is hosting its third annual Sneaker Day (with awards given to the five best sneakers at 1:45 p.m. in Longworth 1539). Air Jordan designer Wilson Smith Ill will speak on a panel at 1 p.m. Email your Inside Congress crew at crazor@ mmccarthy@ and bguggenheim@ Follow our live coverage at WHAT WE'RE WATCHINGWith help from Jordan Williams The House will vote on the China Financial Threat Mitigation Act of 2025, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025 and the Enhancing Multi-Class Share Disclosures Act under suspension of the rules at 3:30 p.m. The Senate will confirm Arielle Roth as assistant Commerce secretary for communications and information and John Hurley as undersecretary of Treasury for terrorism and financial crimes at 11 a.m. The Senate will vote on a motion to proceed to the fiscal 2026 MilCon-VA appropriations bill, as well as a cloture vote on Zachary Bluestone's nomination for U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri at 2 p.m. A confirmation vote on Bluestone is expected at 5 p.m., along with a cloture vote on Aaron Szabo's nomination be an assistant EPA administrator. — House Appropriations will mark up the fiscal 2026 National Security, State Department and Related Programs bill at 10 a.m. — House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar will hold a news conference at 10:15 a.m. — Ways and Means will meet with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer at 2 p.m. The rest of the week: The House will leave for August recess. The Senate will continue to work through appropriations bills and Trump's nominations. Pro subscribers receive this newsletter with a full congressional schedule and can browse our comprehensive calendar of markups, hearings and other notable events around Washington. Sign up for a demo. THE LEADERSHIP SUITE Dems debate shutdown strategy Democratic leaders emerged from a closed-door meeting on Tuesday without any specific ultimatums for Republicans, after discussing their government shutdown strategy ahead of the government funding deadline in 10 weeks. 'House and Senate Democrats are in complete and total alignment,' House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters after the meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. The two leaders privately huddled before bringing in a larger group of Democratic leaders. Leaders reiterated they are approaching negotiations in good faith and encouraged Republicans to do the same. Democrats 'want to pursue a bipartisan, bicameral appropriations process,' Schumer said, but 'the Republicans are making it extremely difficult to do that.' Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the House's top Democratic appropriator, said this is the worst appropriations process she has seen in her 34 years in Congress. 'It has not been what we have experienced,' DeLauro said. 'There's always been that give and take to pass the bills.' Privately, Democratic leaders have discussed the need to focus on how government funding affects 'people,' rather than how Republicans are undermining the government funding 'process,' two people granted anonymity to discuss the private talks said. Some Democrats are already making their opposition to the appropriations bills clear. Democratic Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff of California, Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Peter Welch of Vermont voted against the first procedural step of the Mil Con-VA appropriations bill. Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders also opposed moving forward with the package. GOP leaders eye second rescissions package Republican leaders are in talks with the White House about a second rescissions package, after pushing through the first rescissions package last week, Calen reports with Juan Perez Jr. and Eli Stokols. The package would include Education Department funding, which was first reported by The Daily Signal. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise did not disclose the specifics of upcoming rescissions but told Calen talks were well underway. 'We haven't made a final decision on what will be in the second rescissions package, but we're of course talking about it,' Scalise said. 'The administration is very interested in it.' Scalise also said the Trump administration is 'having talks with appropriators' and will ultimately decide when to send it over and what's in it. It's not clear how much the package would cut, but Johnson told Republicans in recent days this group of federal funding cuts won't be as big as the first, according to two people granted anonymity to share details of private discussions. POLICY RUNDOWN CRAPO EYES FUTURE TAX, HEALTH BILLS — Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo told reporters Tuesday he's looking at policies across his panel's jurisdiction to move in year-end legislative pursuits. 'We're going to be looking in the healthcare arena. We're going to be looking in the tax arena still,' said Crapo, noting bipartisan efforts last year to enact a legislative overhaul to pharmaceutical benefit managers, which act as intermediaries between drug manufacturers, health insurance plans and pharmacies. Crapo said he 'would not oppose' reversing a new limitation on gambling tax deductions implemented by the GOP's domestic policy bill, which caused a big stir in the betting industry. He also reiterated his support for addressing upcoding, a form of Medicare fraud where providers submit a claim for a costlier service than the one that was provided. The conversations around a bipartisan health deal are in a very early stage, with Johnson telling reporters Tuesday that an extension of Affordable Care Act premium tax credits — the main ask by Democrats in exchange for coming to the negotiating table — hasn't come up yet. Extending those credits would get an immense amount of pushback from deficit hawks in the House, however. House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris noted to reporters Monday that extending the premium tax credits would cost $300 billion and be 'a non-starter.' DEMS SLAM GOP MEETING WITH DR. OZ — Democrats on the House Ways and Means committee plan to call out Republicans for holding an off-the record roundtable with CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz this morning, said Rep. Jimmy Gomez, a committee Democrat. 'They could have done this as a hearing with the full bells and whistles… allow reporters to come in, but they're choosing not to,' Gomez said in an interview. 'I think they know we'd kick the crap out of them… [Oz] might play a doctor on TV, but he's not an administrator. He doesn't know the job.' Republicans, meanwhile, say they have plenty of items on their agenda for the bipartisan briefing. Rep. Aaron Bean, for instance, intends to press Oz on the importance of legislation he co-sponsored with committee member Rep. Kevin Hern, which would require CMS to provide more accurate data to consumers on different kinds of Medicare plans. HOUSE GOP KEEN TO SCRAP CAP GAINS ON HOUSE SALES — House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith appeared receptive Tuesday to Trump's idea to eliminate capital gains on sales of homes. When asked about whether he would seek to codify the proposal in legislation, Smith told reporters on Wednesday, 'I'm always looking for tax cuts on Americans.' Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has a new bill that would do just that. Committee Rep. Ron Estes, however, said in an interview Tuesday he's not sure the legislation would increase housing supply, while another member of the panel, Rep. Lloyd Smucker, said he'd have to look at the proposal's total cost. Financial Services member Andy Barr lauded the idea in an interview Tuesday and said Republicans should eliminate capital gains taxes on investment properties, too: ''Yes' on the president's idea, great idea. And build on that.' SENATE GOP UNVEILS NEW CRYPTO BILL — Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott and Sens. Cynthia Lummis, Bill Hagerty and Bernie Moreno released draft legislation Tuesday for a digital asset market structure overhaul,Jasper Goodman reports. It's the Senate's version of the House's CLARITY ACT, which passed the House on July 17 with support from 78 Democrats and would divvy up regulation of digital assets under the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Best of POLITICO Pro and E&E: CAMPAIGN STOP HARDER GETS A REMATCH — Former Stockton, California Mayor Kevin Lincoln has launched another bid to unseat Democratic Rep. Josh Harder, Juliann Ventura reports. Lincoln, a Republican who unseated prominent Democrat Michael Tubbs in an upset in Stockton's 2021 mayoral race, lost to Harder in last year's House contest by fewer than 4 percentage points. Harder's Central Valley seat is a target for the NRCC. JOB BOARD Abigail Gost is now comms director for Rep. Rob Wittman. She most recently was deputy comms director for Rep. Brad Finstad. Greer Foster is now director of scheduling for Rep. Michael Cloud. She most recently was acting deputy scheduler and assistant to the chief for Sen. James Lankford. Iyanla Kollock has been promoted to legislative director for Rep. Shomari Figures. Scott Prutting joins the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council as special assistant. Scott was previously a policy analyst for the Interior subcommittee on House Appropriations. Tammy Pham has been promoted to legislative director for Rep. Sylvia Garcia. TUNNEL TALK MEMBER SECURITY UPDATE — House lawmakers are getting an increase in funds they can use for personal security, including at their homes, our Katherine Tully-McManus reports amid an increase in threats against lawmakers. The announcement came during the closed-door GOP conference meeting Tuesday morning, during which House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil announced an 'updated Member security framework.' A growing number of lawmakers have asked for more protection when outside the Capitol grounds. GOODBYE LONGWORTH DUNKIN' — House eateries originally scheduled to close at the end of the week will close starting today as lawmakers leave early for recess. Get your last Capitol medium iced from Dunks. THE BEST OF THE REST Young Progressives Are Figuring Out How to Use Zohran Mamdani's Playbook, from Oriana González and Shifra Dayak at NOTUS John Thune Tells Ruthless Podcast He's Ready To Help Fix Transfer Portal, NIL Problems In College Sports, from Trey Wallace at OutKick HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sen. Raphael Warnock … former Rep. John Hall … POLITICO's Lisa Kashinsky and Jake Traylor … Stephanie Grisham … Dean Aguillen of OGR … David Brock … Mary Crane of Targeted Victory … Reuters' Erin Banco … Judy Lichtman … Edelman's Courtney Gray Haupt … Tracie Pough … Gabriel Barnett … Newsmax's Jon Glasgow … Monica Venzke of American Bridge 21st Century … State's Kenya James … Monica Lewinsky … former Justice Anthony Kennedy TRIVIA TUESDAY'S ANSWER: Jamie Gillespie correctly answered that the only U.S. president who was born on the Fourth of July was Calvin Coolidge. TODAY'S QUESTION, from Ben Jacobs: Republicans passed a proposal in committee to name the opera house at the Kennedy Center after Melania Trump. Which president's daughter pursued a career as an opera singer? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Conan O'Brien Jokes About Dr. Oz Taking Over His Studio In ‘Late Night' Return
Conan O'Brien was full of praise and laughs on his return to Late Night. O'Brien used to host the show, which is now hosted by Seth Meyers, for 16 years and he returned last night for the first time since leaving. More from Deadline John Mulaney's 'Everybody's Live' Drums Up Renewed Hope For Musicians On Late-Night TV 2025 Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming 'The Tonight Show's Jimmy Fallon Wasn't Prepared For People Disliking Him: "Some People Want You To Fail" He joked about what NBC turned his studio into after he left. 'Between my show, the Late Night show that I took over from Letterman, and then SNL, if you add those up I was here almost 20 years in this building and then I didn't come here for a long time. Then I came back briefly and they showed me my old studio and it was Dr. Oz,' he said. Meyers replied, 'We thought that was a nice tribute.' 'You know what it's like 'I'm going to go see the house where I grew up, that little gingerbread… and it's a Jiffy Lube. They said, 'You missed Dr. Oz' and I'm like 'No, I didn't'. I'm not sure he's a real doctor,' O'Brien added. O'Brien, who also briefly hosted The Tonight Show, reminisced about segments from his version of Late Night including Horse Riding A Horse, Shoeverine and The Always Disappointing FedEx Pope. 'I've always had a very cartoonish sense of humor,' he said. He also paid tribute to his writers and Meyers writers and said that the latter does a 'beautiful' job with his show. 'You have found the things that you really love to do that pop. We're on in this very late-night time slot. There's a giant orchestra, there's a lot of noise and I'm just banging my triangle. If you just stay true to what you believe in and you keep doing it with purpose, eventually they'll only hear the triangle. I think you and your staff is proof – there's a lot of noise and there's more late-night than there's ever been, there's the internet – you're competing with all of this noise that I didn't have to compete with but you just keep doubling down on sharp, smart, this is what we want to do and not trying to do what someone else does and it cuts through the fog. It's really beautiful,' he added. [youtube Best of Deadline 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery
New York Post
26-05-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Dr. Oz offers to keep targeted Canadian ostriches at his Fla. ranch: ‘Have to get them out'
Dr. Oz has joined the flock. The TV doc-turned-Trump administration bigwig is adding his name to a bid to rescue hundreds of ostriches facing a death sentence in Canada — offering his sprawling Florida ranch as the flock's new home. 'We're sticking our necks out for the birds,' said Oz, whose full name is Mehmet Cengiz Oz, to The Post on Monday. Advertisement Oz threw his ranch into the ring after Big Apple supermarket billionaire John Catsimatidis announced he was joining activists trying to save 400 of the flightless birds facing certain death in British Columbia over bird-flu fears and then US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. followed suit. 'The Canadians should stop putting their heads in the sand,' Oz said. 'We just have to get [the ostriches] out of Canada. 5 Mehmet Cengiz Oz, better known as Dr. Oz, has offered his Florida ranch to house hundreds of Canadian ostriches headed for the death chamber amid bird-flu fears. CHRIS KLEPONIS/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Advertisement 'It doesn't help anyone to kill all the birds.' Oz is offering his 900-acre ranch in Okeechobee, Fla., as a solution — leading to an overjoyed Catsimatidis, an animal lover. 'I'm thrilled,' Catsimatidis told The Post on Monday. 'Bring the ostriches to Dr. Oz in Florida where they will be safe. I agree with RFK and Dr. Oz that the ostriches aren't sick.' The Canadian government has insisted the birds need to be destroyed because the deadly, highly contagious flu was found in two ostrich carcasses on the farm in December. Advertisement But Oz and other supporters of the remaining ostriches said the avian virus likely ran its course through the flock already and that the remaining birds probably have immunity. 'We should study the birds to see the likelihood of them getting infected,' he said. 'The Canadians don't seem to want to do this.' 5 Canadian officials said about 400 ostriches in British Columbia need to be put down to stop the spread of avian flu. Gusak – 5 US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kenney Jr. and. Oz are birds of a feather when it comes to the ostriches. AP Advertisement On Friday, Kennedy shot off a letter to the Canadian agency urging its officials to think it over. 'Ostriches can live up to 50 years, providing the opportunity for future insights into immune longevity associated with the H5N1 virus,' Kennedy wrote. 'The indiscriminate destruction of entire flocks without up-to-date testing and evaluation can have significant consequences, including the loss of valuable genetic stork that may help explain risk factors for H5N1 mortality,' the letter said. This may be important for future agricultural resilience.' 5 Big Apple mogul John Catsimatidis (center) brought more national attention to the ostriches' plight. LP Media 5 A flock of ostriches in Canada could be put down because officials fear the spread of avian flu in the Great White North. Facebook/Universal Ostrich Farm Catsimatidis praised Kennedy for the move, and Oz, who is the administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, also quickly got on board. He said he spoke directly to the ostrich-farm owner, who seemed open to the idea of transferring the birds to his US property. Advertisement 'I can house the birds. She agreed,' Oz said. 'It's not just about ostriches,' Oz said. 'It's about all the birds. I'd rather the scientists make the determination — not bureaucrats. We found out what happened during the COVID pandemic, when the bureaucrats made all the decisions.'
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Medicare Advantage plans may cover things like pet food, golf fees and ski passes
Some Medicare Advantage plans are offering enrollees surprising supplemental benefits to boost their health, though a new report notes that those benefits have been extended to expenses with a less direct impact on health — such as golf equipment, pet supplies and more. A report in the Manhattan Institute's City Journal notes that Medicare Advantage, which was devised as a way to make Medicare more cost-efficient by having private insurers manage the health coverage of enrollees, has seen the expansion of its supplemental benefits over time. The program saw steady enrollment gains and yielded savings in the mid-2010s by rooting out unnecessarily expensive procedures and using those funds to offer enrollees more affordable premiums and reduced out-of-pocket costs. Medicare Advantage's supplemental benefits were initially limited to additional benefits such as dental and vision plans that had a connection to health. Congress enacted changes to Medicare Advantage plans through the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, which broadened the definition to allow them to offer supplemental benefits that had a "reasonable expectation of improving or maintaining the health or overall function" of enrollees dealing with chronic illnesses. Dr. Oz Uncovers Shocking Medicaid Flaw That Is Costing Us Billions, Warns People Are 'Gaming' The System While the supplemental benefits were still required to be related to health or hospitalizations, the looser definition allowed those benefits to be used on expenses like groceries, as well as sporting and social activities that could offer a less direct boost to an enrollee's health. Read On The Fox Business App The particular benefits in Medicare Advantage plans vary by provider, but the City Journal's report noted that some offer greens fees at golf courses and ski passes, as well as food and supplies for pets, hunting licenses and entry fees for social clubs. The Federal Budget Deficit Keeps Growing And The Congressional Budget Office Has Solutions Eligibility for Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill (SSBCI), as the benefits are known, has grown as the majority of Medicare beneficiaries have chronic medical conditions, while plan payments have gone up. Coding has also become more complex, and increased enrollment by relatively younger, healthier enrollees has created a dynamic where the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission noted that it "overpays for beneficiaries who have very low costs, and underpays for beneficiaries who have very high costs." That has resulted in Medicare's payments to Medicare Advantage plans increasing from 112% to 120% of the program's estimated costs for directly paying for beneficiaries' medical services from 2015 to 2024. Additionally, the report noted that overpayments to plans increased from $18 billion to $77 billion each year, which was attributed in part to expanded supplemental benefits. Cbo Says Us Budget Deficits To Widen, National Debt To Surge To 156% Of Gdp "Medicare Advantage was intended to be a cost-saving alternative to traditional Medicare. But overpayments to plans have left taxpayers on the hook for an additional $1 trillion over the next decade," wrote Manhattan Institute senior fellow Chris Pope. The report noted that the idea of cutting overpayments to Medicare Advantage has received bipartisan support in Congress and could provide spending reductions in congressional Republicans' tax cut package to offset some of the lost tax revenue under the proposal. "If Republicans want to make a real dent in the budget deficit — and head off Democratic plans to redirect the savings into expanding other social programs — they should move to rein in payments and use the savings to ease the burden on taxpayers," Pope article source: Medicare Advantage plans may cover things like pet food, golf fees and ski passes Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
