I didn't find it irritating as much as I found it interesting. I've just put politics aside and I don't use Facebook so I suppose that's why it didn't bother me.
That segment on opioids and drug distributors, lobbyists, DEA lawyers switching teams, shitty congressmen etc...
So frustrating to watch exposes on such egregious things and realize nothing will change and there's nothing you can do.
That second story on the felon turned superstar lawyer/Georgtown law professor was super interesting to me. Had never heard of that guy or his story even though I've lived in Nebraska my whole life. Hell The.Barron.of.Miles lived in David City for a couple years.
60 Minutes killed it tonight. Just incredible stuff as usual. I hope I’m an old man in 50 years and they’re still doing their thing.
One of the best episodes I can remember. The opioid piece was fantastic, Whittaker and Kroft are amazing. Just an excellent way to fully explain how fucking corrupt our government is. It always impacts me to see how congressional staff is so shook when someone from 60 minutes with their cameras shows up. Congressmen hate being put on the spot because they all know they're fucking over our country, one way or another.
Whittaker: “hi I’m Bill Whittaker with 60 Minutes” Random secretary: [oh shit face] “uhhh yes, let me get Jane who has nothing to do with any of this” Jane: [oh shit face] “ohhhh hiiiiiiiii!!!! Thanks for coming!!!!! Can you give me just one second? [calls Capitol Police]
Good work 60 Minutes.... http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/355780-trump-drug-czar-nominee-withdraws Trump drug czar nominee withdraws BY REBECCA SAVRANSKY AND RACHEL ROUBEIN - 10/17/17 Rep. Tom Marino (R-Pa.) is withdrawing his name from consideration as the nation's drug czar, President Trump announced Tuesday. "Rep.Tom Marino has informed me that he is withdrawing his name from consideration as drug czar. Tom is a fine man and a great Congressman!" Trump tweeted. The withdrawal followed a Washington Post-60 Minutes investigation that highlighted his support for legislation that weakened the government's ability to go after drug companies that critics said contributed to the nation's opioid crisis. Marino was a leader in passing the legislation last year that made it tougher for the Drug Enforcement Administration to stop suspicious shipments of drugs. The pharmaceutical industry heavily lobbied for the bill and showered Marino with campaign contributions. The DEA, ONDCP and Department of Health and Human Services don't have Senate-confirmed heads of their agencies, and all three play a role in the federal response to the opioid epidemic. President Trump said at a Monday press conference he would likely officially declare the opioid epidemic a national emergency next week. It's unclear what new authorities that would entail, as the move would be unprecedented for drug abuse. A number of senators, including a key centrist, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), on Monday had called for the president to withdraw his nomination. Marino — an early Trump supporter — was nominated to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy in early September with little public fanfare, but the joint Washington Post-60 Minutes investigation was sure to have made the confirmation process much harder. On Monday, Trump didn’t offer a full-throated endorsement of his nominee and said he would be taking the new reports “very seriously.” “We’re going to be looking into Tom,” Trump said Monday. When asked if Marino’s sponsorship of the law undermined Trump’s confidence in his nominee, the president said, “Well, he’s a good man. I have not spoken to him, but I will speak to him and I’ll make that determination. And if I think it’s 1 percent negative to doing what we want to do, I will make a change, yes.” The investigation would have put GOP senators, particularly those who hail from states hit hard by the opioid epidemic, in a tough spot. They would have had to choose between opposing Trump or supporting a nominee who was receiving criticism for suggestions that he helped hamper the effort to fight the opioid epidemic. According to the investigative report, Marino was a chief advocate of a bill, passed in 2016, that reportedly undermined the DEA’s effort to stop the flow of prescription painkillers — drugs that have contributed heavily to the opioid epidemic. The legislation passed in both the House and Senate without objection and President Obama signed it into law. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) had come to the defense of Marino, and took to the Senate floor Monday to “set the record straight.” Hatch — who sponsored the legislation in the Senate — said he negotiated the bill with the DEA. “Let’s be clear that DEA and DOJ themselves generated the language that critics now claim is so problematic,” Hatch said, adding the DEA and Department of Justice could have stopped the bill at any time. “Senator Hatch does not believe one flawed report should derail a nominee who has a long history of fighting illegal drug use and of helping individuals with chronic conditions obtain treatment,” Hatch’s spokesman, Matt Whitlock, wrote in an email on Monday. “The Senator looks forward to discussing these important issues with Representative Marino further in his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.” But some advocacy organizations were calling on their members to oppose the nomination. And Marino was facing a public backlash from Democrats. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said "confirming Rep. Marino as our nation's drug czar is like putting the wolf in charge of the henhouse.” “The American people deserve someone totally committed to fighting the opioid crisis, not someone who has labored on behalf of the drug industry,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Monday. Manchin — who hails from a state grappling with one of the worst opioid epidemics in the country — sent a letter to Trump Monday urging him to withdraw Marino’s nomination. “The legislation that Congressman Marino pushed has tied the hands of the DEA in their efforts to enforce our nation’s laws and ensure that these wholesalers and other industry actors alert authorities to these suspicious orders instead of simply profiting from them,” Manchin wrote in the letter. “His advocacy for this legislation demonstrates that Congressman Marino either does not fully understand the scope and devastation of this epidemic or ties to industry overrode those concerns. Either option leaves him unfit to serve as the head of the ONDCP.” West Virginia’s other senator, Shelley Moore Capito, also expressed doubts, saying in an emailed statement Monday that Marino would need "to address the accusations that were raised" in the report.
Good job by 60 Minutes. Its interesting that Marino will be the fall guy but there was zero opposition in congress and Obama signed the bill into law. There was no pushback from a single politician in Washington.
Don’t know a lot about drug sales but can you shed some light on why/how so many doctors are grossly over prescribing these very dangerous drugs? Only complaint about the piece is that took it light on the doctors I thought. Seem like they are as much to blame as the companies, but I’d like to hear your take on it
I am going to take a guess that it has mostly to do with administrators pressuring docs to play ball. Pain scales, patient reviews, sympton treatment. Interested to hear an irl doctor's thoughts though.
There was an American Greed on the pill mills/doctors down in Florida that were seeing like 700 people a day and prescribing pills like they were candy. People were driving down from KY, WV, etc., to get there pills. Then they started dying/OD on the way home and things eventually started to unravel. They set up these shops in strip malls and the neighboring companies started becoming aware as well with the type of people that started flooding the parking lots. http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/i...doled-out-drugs-to-700-patients-a-day-7848520 https://www.dailystrength.org/group/chronic-pain/discussion/american-greed-ep-11-florida-pill-mills
Im ashamed to say ive never watched a single second of this show. But the tease during the Pit/Cin game got my attention. That first part was fantastic. Guess ill be reading this thread thru and catching up.
You know you're getting to be an old fart yourself when you make your comment in the quoted's comment. Son, you're ready for 60 Minutes.
Download the 60 minutes app and profit (there may be a small fee, I forget, but it gives you unlimited access)
Usually love all 60 Minutes segments but the one on the fake wine/Koch brother was lame. I guess I just don't have sympathy if the top 1% of 1%ers get duped. Many more important stories out there to be told.
Its a very interesting world. It's incredible what Rudy was able to do and the people he was able to fool
Was another story that American Greed covered first. Still interesting as hell, but that's back to back wks of 60 Minutes doing a story that they did.