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Lieberman Threatens Reid: I Will Filibuster Health Care Reform

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Aetna/Prudential) is determined to carry out his threat to support a Republican filibuster of health care. Lieberman is now opposed to any bill with a public option OR an expanded Medicare provision: Lieberman delivered his ultimatum on CBS's Face the Nation and later to Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-NV) face.

According to the source, who was briefed on the exchange, Lieberman punctuated the discussion by telling the majority leader directly that he will vote against the bill if the Medicare buy-in and public option provisions remain in it. Roll Call reports that Lieberman said he would also support a Republican filibuster of legislation that included these provisions. "Leadership was definitely a bit surprised with the lines being drawn in the sand the way they were," said the source. "We expected that he would say critical things about [the bill]. But he is not even giving us a chance to get it scored. The pledge by Lieberman to oppose the bill represents a potentially huge setback for reform proponents, many of who saw the latest round of policy compromises as the last true chance to corral the needed votes. That said, leadership has several fallback options (none of them promising) should Lieberman follow through on the threat.

Only days ago. Lieberman said he was "open to looking at" Reid’s Medicare buy-in compromise. That must have been before Aetna and Blue Cross called Joe's office with their latest talking points. Cannot wait until the day when we can call this man FORMER Homeland Security Committee Chairman.

UPDATE: White House reportedly abandons Medicare compromise, tells Reid to cut a deal with Lieberman. The White House officially denies these reports but other reports suggest WH Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel personally lobbied Reid to deal with Lieberman.

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Nevada Brothels Are Now Open to Male Prostitutes

Male prostitutes are now eligible to work at Nevada's legal brothels after health codes were amended, reports the Las Vegas Sun.

A brothel industry lobbyist—in what could be considered a befuddling double standard—bemoaned the change, comparing it to the industry’s “Pearl Harbor.” He managed to voice concerns about homosexual sex entering the industry without ever saying "gay sex" or "homosexual." Men were previously barred in Nevada from the oldest profession because codes specified that prostitutes must undergo “cervical” testing for sexually transmitted diseases, which ruled out men.

Bobbi Davis, owner of the Shady Lady Ranch, a small brothel near Beatty, wanted to add male prostitutes to her stable of sex workers. And while there have been plans for brothels to hire men in the past, Davis made the first-ever request to have the Nevada State Board of Health add urethral exams to the guidelines. That allows male sex workers to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases. George Flint, the former Assemblies of God minister who has been lobbying for the Nevada Brothel Owners Association for 24 years, said he “reluctantly—and I underscore reluctantly” agrees to the change.

Men could start working at brothels as soon as the New Year. Male sex workers will be allowed to decide whether to accept male or female clients, just as the female prostitutes do now.

The former Assemblies of God minister turned whorehouse lobbyist "reluctantly agrees" to allow male hookers in brothels. So much for the "'sanctity" of prostitution.

Uganda Law Would Execute HIV+ Gays, Will Obama Cut AIDS Funds?

The short answer: No.

Over the weekend, Rod 2.0 updated the growing international backlash against Uganda's latest and most extreme, anti-gay proposal: The proposed offense of "aggravated homosexuality" where an HIV-positive gay men has sex with another man. The penalty would be death. The prime ministers of Britain and Canada have formally protested the proposal.

Last year, the small East African nation received some $287 million in funding from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Several members of Congress, including Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), want the Obama Administration to withhold funding for AIDS programs in Uganda unless legislators abandon the extreme legislation. Sorry but we don't tell countries how to legislate, PEPFAR Chief Coordinator Eric Goosby tells Newsweek.

My role is to be supportive and helpful to the patients who need these services. It is not to tell a country how to put forward their legislation. But I will engage them in conversation around my concern and knowledge of what this is going to do to that population, and our ability to stop the movement of the virus into the general population.

The Anti Homosexuality Bill proposes a three-year prison sentence for anyone who knows of the existence of a gay man or lesbian and fails to inform authorities. The penalties for failing to inform authorities of HIV-positive gay men are even more severe and would "criminalize key aspects of comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention education and imprison health-care workers who refuse to report sexually active gay patients to the police," notes Truth Wins Out.

Will the Obama Administration's official policy on executing HIV positive gay men in Africa become "We don't tell countries how to legislate?" That's not much "change" from the Bush Administration which was also giving taxpayer money to fund violence and discrimination against gay men. Not much change at all.

Thanks MICHELANGELO SIGNORILE

Some Background ... 
Uganda's Museveni: European Gays "Recruiting" in Africa
Uganda: Death Penalty for "Aggravated Homosexuality"
Anti-Gay Activists March on Parliament
Uganda Anti-Gay Conference Day Two
UG Anti-Gay Conference
Rare Court Victory for Uganda Gays
Uganda Launches Major Anti-Gay Offensive
Uganda' Muslim Cleric: Exile Gays
Uganda Ethics Minister Advises Gays to Leave

Dean Responds to Lieberman's Threat to Filibuster Health Care

Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean responds to Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I-Aetna) threat to support a Republican filibuster of health care reform if bill includes a public option. Via Americablog: Dean says Lieberman should resign as chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee if supports the obstructionist move.

"I think that [Lieberman] is a very complicated guy," said Dean. "He does [confuse me] because he says he's a principled guy but there's nothing principled about holding up a bill... If he was a principled guy he'd resign his chairmanship. If you are with a caucus you don't owe the leader any vote on any substance," Dean added. "I have no problem with him voting against the public option... You owe it to Harry Reid to allow him to run the Senate. And if you're not willing to do that the proper thing to do is to step aside."

Support the bill or don't support the bill. If the Senator from Prudential wants to block the bill then he should removed from his committee chairmanship. And it's about damn time, too.

UPDATE: HuffPo chronicles the shifting rationale behind Lieberman's opposition to the public option. What will he say next?

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HUD Threatens to Cut Washington D.C.'s HIV/AIDS Funding

Federal officials warn Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty they may cut off more than $12 million in funding for the District of Columbia's HIV/AIDS program. This would be the first time in the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development's AIDS housing program's 18-year history that money would be withheld from a city based on "poor performance", reports the Washington Post.

"Assistant Secretary Mercedes M. Márquez said HUD will send a letter to the city this week stipulating that no new AIDS housing money will be awarded unless the D.C. Department of Health's HIV/AIDS Administration improves its tracking of services and spending. Márquez also wrote last week to D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D), saying she was "deeply concerned" about a recent Washington Post series that found the HIV/AIDS Administration had paid more than $25 million to nonprofit groups that delivered substandard care or failed to account for their work."

HUD officials say getting financial records from the District government is "like pulling teeth, reports City Paper.

In recent years, the District's HIV/AIDS Office has been criticized for not filling key management posts and lacking a strategic plan to counter DC's soaring seroconversion rates. At least 3 percent of Washington D.C. residents have either HIV or AIDS. The District of Columbia's HIV rate is the highest in the country and "higher than West Africa and on par with Uganda and some parts of Kenya." Black gay men continue to be most affected by DC's HIV/AIDS crisis.

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American Medical Association Calls for Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

The nation's largest doctors' group joins the growing chorus of voices to repeal the military's failed 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy. The American Medical Association approved a resolution calling for the complete repeal of the policy that prohibits gay and lesbians from serving openly in the U.S. armed forces.

The group also voted to declare that gay marriage bans "contribute to health disparities" for gay couples and their children. Both gay-rights policies were adopted Tuesday at the AMA's 2009 Interim Meeting of House Delegates in Houston. The resolution says DADT creates an "ethical dilemma" for gay service members and the doctors who treat them. The DADT resolution passed "with overwhelming support from its [the AMA's] membership and virtually no opposition", notes Servicemembers United.

The doctor's lobby reiterated support for ongoing health care reform efforts, in Washington. AMA leaders supported the trillion-dollar health care reform package that passed the House on Saturday.

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Health Care Bill Passes House 220-215, Key LGBT Provisions

The House of Representatives narrowly approved a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s health care system. The House passed the $1 trillion the Affordable Health Care for America Act, H.R. 3962, on a 220 to 215 vote late Saturday night. Thirty-nine Democrats voted no. Only one Republican, Louisiana's Joseph Cao, voted for the bill.

The bill requires individuals to have health insurance and for larger businesses to provide it to their employees. It also includes a public health insurance option not tied to Medicare.

While it is unlikely LGBT families will be included in definitions of "family" for health care coverage, the LGBT community will receive some key benefits, such as non-discrimination protections and some tax advantages. Most importantly: The bill incorporates the Early Treatment for HIV Act and allows states to cover early HIV treatment under Medicaid programs instead of withholding treatment for Medicaid recipients until they develop full-blown AIDS. That's important for black gay men, who often learn they are HIV positive in later stages. LGBT benefits are fully explained here. 

The bill now moves to the Senate where conservatives and Sen. Joe Lieberman threaten a filibuster.

Watch the final moments of the vote AFTER THE JUMP.

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SA Olympics Suspends Chuene and ASA Over Caster Semenya

Dramatic update to the case of South African middle distance runner Caster Semenya. The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee has suspended Athletics South Africa President Leonard Chuene, the entire board and other ASA employees "for their handling of the Caster Semenya gender fiasco", reports Independent Online. SASOC suspended ASA after the athletics body challenged its authority to suspend Chuene. 

The 18-year-old University of Pretoria athlete has been the subject of a gender controversy since winning the 800m race in record time at the IAAF games. The results of complex gender tests were leaked last week that reveal she is intersexed with internal testes and no uterus or ovaries. Chuene previously denied gender verification tests were begun on Semenya before Berlin. IAAF sources say ASA was "well aware" of Caster Semenya's medical condition and did not tell her.

R20's Coverage on Caster Semenya ...
SA Athletics Chief Admits Lying About Tests
Semenya In Trauma Counseling After Tests Leaked
Semenya Withdraws from Race After Intersex Reports
SA Sprinter Caster Semenya Gets Makeover
"Elevated Testosterone" Levels in Caster Semenya
Gender Testing Ordered for Gold Medalist Semenya
Report: Semenya Intersex, Internal Testes, No Ovaries

Pelosi and Democrats Introduce House Health Care Reform Bill

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled the a newer version of the Affordable Health Care for America Act (HR 3962). The bill will cost $900 billion over 10 years and extends health coverage to 36 million Americans. That's 6-7 million more than the Senate Finance Committee’s version. The 1900-page bill includes a weakened public health insurance option but an historic expansion of Medicaid, the Washington Post reports.

The bill includes a version of the "public option" preferred by moderates and raises Medicaid eligibility levels to 150 percent of the federal poverty level for all adults, a steeper increase than in earlier drafts....The House legislation aims to provide health insurance of one form or another to 96 percent of all Americans at an expected cost just below $900 billion over 10 years, without increasing the federal budget deficit for at least 20 years, House Democrats said. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he will include a similar public provision in the Senate bill with an "opt out" clause for states that don't want to participate.

Four page summary here. The full text here. The top 14 provisions that take effect immediately here. The implementation timeline here.

The stronger, Medicare plus 5% provision was solidly backed by House progressives but lacked enough votes to pass. WaPo adds: "Rural Democrats strongly opposed that approach because of the potentially ruinous effect on doctors and hospitals in their districts, where Medicare rates are generally well below the national average."

While Medicare +5 would have been stronger, negotiated rates are not the worst thing. But many progressives are not enthused and question if too many concessions were made.

 

Via MSNBC, watch Pelosi introduce the bill, Howard Dean on Olbermann critique the bill and fabulous Rep. Alan Grayson on The Ed Show support the plan AFTER THE JUMP.

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Oguchi Onyewu to Have Knee Surgery, Out for 3-4 Months

Oguchi Onyewu's body is sculpted to ridiculous perfection in the brand new ESPN The Magazine's "Body Issue". Unfortunately the AC Milan defender is undergoing knee surgery today in Los Angeles, USA Today reports. The torn tendon was sustained while playing for the United States in last week's World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica.

Onyewu's injury came a day after teammate Charlie Davies was seriously injured in a car crash. The usual recovery time is three-to-four months. Team USA hopes their star defender will recover in time for the World Cup.

If anyone wants to visit Oguchi in hospital to help him feel better ...