Bernie Buzz: The Netanyahu Speech

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Take the poll: Should Speaker Boehner have notified the president before inviting the Israeli prime minister to address Congress?

U.S. led negotiations to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon are at an important, difficult stage. A hotly-contested Israeli election is two weeks away. At this critical time in a volatile region, House Speaker Boehner asked Prime Minister Netanyahu to address Congress. Ignoring protocol, neither one checked with the White House, which strongly disapproves. Bernie was the first of a growing number of senators to say they won’t go to the speech next Tuesday. Boehner’s invitation politicizes U.S. foreign policy, improperly injects Congress into Israeli politics and undermines President Obama's lead role in charting U.S. foreign policy, Bernie said in an interview for the “PBS NewsHour.

Watch the PBS NewsHour

Listen Carefully to the Pope Bernie welcomes Pope Francis’ visit to the United States this fall. In a speech on the Senate floor, Bernie urged members of Congress to study carefully the Pope's very strong statements on poverty, income and wealth inequality and the growing economic and political power of the very rich. Watch

Pipeline Veto Welcomed President Obama on Tuesday vetoed legislation that would allow construction of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to Texas. “This veto tells the world that our nation takes seriously the planetary crisis of global warming and that we will not support legislation that would let a Canadian oil company ship some of the dirtiest oil on the planet across the United States," Bernie said. Read more

The People Win on Net Neutrality The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved new rules to keep the Internet open and free. Millions of Americans weighed in, including 50,000 people who sent Bernie emails that he forwarded to the FCC. They said Internet service providers should offer a neutral gateway to everything on the Internet. “The FCC vote shows that ordinary Americans can make a difference when they stand up to powerful corporate interests and Washington lobbyists,” Bernie said. Read more

Income Inequality With 99 percent of new income going to the top 1 percent, Sanders has laid out plans to reduce income inequality in America. He told The Wall Street Journal he’s fighting for a fair tax system that asks the wealthy and large corporations to pay their fair share. He would raise the minimum wage to a living wage and end payday discrimination against women workers. To create millions of good-paying jobs, he proposed a $1 trillion investment in rebuilding our nation’s crumbling infrastructure. Watch the interview

Coming Events

National Press Club: Bernie will speak at a National Press Club luncheon on Monday, March 9.

Must Reads

Deeper Ties to Corporate Cash for Doubtful Climate Researcher Justin Gillis and John Schwartz for The New York Times

Aging water infrastructure remains a $1-billion headache in Los Angeles Ben Poston and Matt Stevens for the Los Angeles Times

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