U.S. Government

As Nicotine Dose Increases, So Must Awareness of the Pitfalls of FDA Regulation

The Harvard School of Public Health released a study Thursday revealing that the amount of nicotine in cigarettes has increased significantly since the major American tobacco companies signed the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) in 1998. Predictably, Philip Morris (PM), in a media release available at their web site, denies the study results. The U.S. Surgeon General in 1988 warned that nicotine is as addictive as heroin and cocaine, but these drugs don't have decades of sophisticated R&D behind them aimed at heightening their addictiveness. Cigarettes, among the most highly engineered consumer products in the world, deliver nicotine into more people's bodies more times every day than aspirin. Still, they remain unregulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

House Democrats Wrap-Up "First 100 Hours" Agenda with Passage of Energy Bill

In only forty-two hours of floor time, the Democratic-led House successfully passed all six of its "first 100 hours" initiatives. The final bill, the CLEAN (Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation) Energy Act of 2007, passed in a 264-163 vote last Friday. If approved by the Senate and signed into law by President Bush, the bill would do the following:

Political Mood Swings on Drug Industry Direct-to-Consumer Ads

Submitted by Bob Burton on

The $4 billion a year spent by the drug industry on direct-to-consumer advertising promoting drugs is generating a political backlash. "There's a lot of support for a ban on direct-to-consumer advertising, and the Democrats know it," said Gary Ruskin, Commercial Alert's executive director.

No
Main Source: 
Indianapolis Star, January 21, 2007
Topics: 
Advertising
U.S. Congress
Health
Pharmaceuticals
U.S. Government

Spin Doctor Outed As 'Health' Adviser on Guantanamo Prisoner

Submitted by Bob Burton on

George Bush meets Alexander Downer in Canberra.The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, recently sought to downplay concerns about the mental health of an Australian citizen, David Hicks, who has been imprisoned in

No
Main Source: 
The Australian, January 20, 2007
Topics: 
Issue Management
Terrorism
Public Diplomacy
Human Rights
International
Public Relations
Secrecy
U.S. Government
War / Peace

New transparency in Congress

If you look beyond the headlines of the recently passed ethics reform bills, a revolutionary leap forward in transparency has been made by two members of Congress. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) have each begun posting their schedules online, which we have included in their Congresspedia profiles (see here for Gillibrand and here for Tester). The idea of letting constituents know how their elected officials spend their day seems basic but, to my knowledge, has never been tried before.

Tester has thus far kept his previous schedules available in an online archive and Congresspedia has begun archiving Gillibrand's on the wiki, so don't worry if you don't catch her schedule on a particular day.

Gazprom Plans PR Blitz

Submitted by Bob Burton on

Gazprom pipelineGazprom, the Russian gas company that supplies approximately one quarter of Europe's gas needs, is planning a PR and lobbying campaign in Europe and the U.S. to improve its image, after it cut off gas supplies to the Ukraine in 2006 and Belarus in 2007.

No
Main Source: 
Kommersant (Moscow), January 16, 2007
Topics: 
Crisis Management
Issue Management
Corporations
International
Lobbying
Public Relations
U.S. Government

Want Your Own Educational Radio Station? Here's Your Chance

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

"The Federal Communications Commission will accept applications for new full power non-commercial educational (NCE) FM radio station licenses sometime this year, perhaps in late spring," writes Carmen Ausserer. "Typically, the FCC gives between one and three months notice before opening the filing window, which will likely last only five days." The process will end a six-year FCC freeze on new full-power licenses.

No
Main Source: 
Lasar's Letter, January 17, 2007
Topics: 
Activism
Education
Media
U.S. Government

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