Whistleblower: Medicaid managed-care firm improperly denied care to thousands
California Healthline's CHAD TERHUNE: "In early October, an executive at one of the nation’s largest physician-practice management firms handed her bosses the equivalent of a live grenade — a 20-page report that blew up the company and shook the world of managed care for poor patients across California."
"For years, she wrote, SynerMed, a behind-the-scenes administrator of medical groups and managed-care contracts, had improperly denied care to thousands of patients — most of them on Medicaid — and falsified documents to hide it."
"The violations were “widespread, systemic in nature,” according to the confidential Oct. 5 reportby the company’s senior director of compliance, Christine Babu. And they posed a “serious threat to members’ health and safety,” according to the report, which was obtained by Kaiser Health News."
READ MORE related to Health Care: Patients with rare diseases and congress square off over orphan drug tax credits -- California Healthline's SARAH JANE TRIBBLE
Orange County house hunters' woes: Listings plunge 17%
OC Register's JONATHAN LANSNER: "Orange County house hunters have one-sixth fewer existing homes to choose from this year."
"ReportsOnHousing’s latest report as of Nov. 16 shows the four-county Southern California region with the number of listed residences down by 16.2 percent in a year. New escrows in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties were down 1.8 percent. “Market time,” the report’s estimate of how quickly a typical residence goes from listing to escrow, was 69 days vs. 81 a year ago."
"Meanwhile, in Orange County there were 4,714 listings, down 941 or 17 percent. Limited supply is slowing sales with new escrows — 2,339 — down 25 or 1.1 percent. Market time was 61 days vs. 73 one year ago."
READ MORE related to Housing & Homelessness: Keeping families together helps reduce future homelessness -- BizJournal's KAREN MCCLAFLIN
De Leon's uphill journey toward a US Senate seat
Capitol Weekly's CHUCK MCFADDEN: "The contrast between Kevin de León and his political opponent Dianne Feinstein is stark."
"De León, the leader of the state Senate, grew up in the San Diego barrio of Logan Heights. His mother cleaned houses and did odd jobs to support the family."
"Feinstein grew up in a wealthy family in a posh section of San Francisco, the daughter of a prominent surgeon and a beautiful mother."
Gov. Brown tells environmentalists in SF to 'live lean and lightly'
The Chronicle's JOHN WILDERMUTH: "Technology alone isn’t going to be enough to save the world from the very real dangers of climate change, Gov. Jerry Brown told an audience of environmentalists in San Francisco on Wednesday night."
"People need “to live lean and lightly on the planet,” he said. “They need to think how they live and what’s important,” and that will be a profound shift in the world."
"Brown was speaking at the annual ClimateTech conference, a two-day event at the Metreon center, sponsored by the New York Times. The governor spent nearly an hour talking about climate issues with columnist Thomas Friedman and answering questions from the more than 150 people at the dinner."
READ MORE related to Environment: Conservationists face once-remote prospect in Arctic drilling fight: defeat -- NYT's LISA FRIEDMAN
Graduate students stage walkout at UCI, USC and across country over GOP tax plan
OC Register's ROXANA KOPETMAN: "Graduate students and their supporters walked out of their classrooms and research labs at campuses in Southern California and across the nation Wednesday to protest a GOP plan that would classify their tuition waivers as taxable income."
"Organized by graduate students at USC, thousands attended simultaneous rallies and a “Grad Tax Walk Out” on at least 60 campuses across 33 states. Students at all of the UC schools participated, organizers said, including UC Riverside, which held a “Grad Teach-In” featuring student speeches."
"The students said most of them live on small stipends and would be financially crushed if a GOP tax plan, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives this month, becomes law."
READ MORE related to Education: Teaching LGBT history complicated by historical figures who didn't 'out' themselves -- EdSource's THERESA HARRINGTON; More UC Berkeley students using food stamps than ever before -- Daily Californian's GIOIA VON STADEN; Southern Poverty Law Center talks responding to controversial right-wing speakers on UC Berkeley campus -- Daily Californian's ELLA COLBERT; About 100 graduate students, union workers swarm Sproul Plaza to protest Republican tax bill -- Daily Californian's HENRY TOLCHARD
GOP bill letting out-of-staters pack hidden guns in California clears hurdle
The Chronicle's CAROLYN LOCHHEAD: "The first congressional action on guns since a rash of recent mass shootings had a distinctly pro-firearms flavor Wednesday, as a House committee approved a bill to allow nearly anyone with a permit to carry concealed weapons across state lines — even into states such as California that tightly restrict them."
"Passed by Republicans on a party-line vote, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, HR38, would require every state to recognize concealed-carry permits from every other state. It would also allow people from more than a dozen states that require no permits at all to carry hidden weapons to bring them into California and other states with stringent restrictions."
"Republicans billed the legislation as a response to gun mayhem, including the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history — the killings of 58 people at a country music concert in Las Vegas on Oct. 1 — and a church massacre in Sutherland Springs, Texas, three weeks ago that left 26 dead."
Ex-government lawyer pleads guilty in SF to obstruction of justice charges
The Chronicle's ANNIE MA: "A former Department of Justice attorney caught trying to cash in on his knowledge of sealed complaints against corporations pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and transportation of stolen property on Wednesday, officials said."
"Jeffrey Wertkin, 41 of Washington, D.C., was arrested Jan. 31 while trying to sell a copy of a sealed complaint to who he believed was a representative of the company named in the documents in exchange for $310,000 in cash. Wertkin traveled from his home to Cupertino for the transaction, which was actually an undercover FBI sting."
"Wertkin was charged on Nov. 1 with two counts of obstruction of justice and one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods. His guilty plea on all counts was accepted by U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney in the Northern District of California in San Francisco."
Senate GOP clears key hurdle on tax bill, moving closer to a final vote
WaPo's ERICA WERNER/DAMIAN PALETTA/MIKE DEBONIS: "A massive GOP tax bill cleared a key procedural hurdle in the Senate on Wednesday, as lawmakers voted 52 to 48 to move the legislation forward toward a showdown vote on final passage by week’s end."
"The party-line vote was an important victory for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and President Trump, signaling support and momentum for the legislation that overhauls the tax code for the first time in three decades while delivering enormous cuts to corporations and the wealthy."
"But it was not a guarantee of ultimate success, as several Republican lawmakers agreed to open debate on the bill so they could pursue amendments and have not yet committed to voting for final passage. Key issues that remained included how to prevent the bill from driving up the federal deficit by too much and whether to shift more of the legislation’s rewards from corporations, which are some of the bill’s main beneficiaries, to working-class families, who receive more modest benefits."
READ MORE related to Death & Taxes: It started as a tax cut. Now it could change American life. -- NYT's PETER S. GOODMAN/PATRICIA COHEN
Woman's effort to infiltrate The Washington Post dated back months
WaPo's BETH REINHARD/AARON C. DAVIS/ANDREW BA TRAN: "The failed effort by conservative activists to plant a false story about Senate candidate Roy Moore in The Washington Post was part of a months-long campaign to infiltrate The Post and other media outlets in Washington and New York, according to interviews, text messages and social media posts that have since been deleted."
"Starting in July, Jaime Phillips, an operative with the organization Project Veritas, which purports to expose media bias, joined two dozen networking groups related to either journalism or left-leaning politics. She signed up to attend 15 related events, often accompanied by a male companion, and appeared at least twice at gatherings for departing Post staffers."
"Phillips, 41, presented herself to journalists variously as the owner of a start-up looking to recruit writers, a graduate student studying national security or a contractor new to the area. This summer, she tweeted posts in support of gun control and critical of Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants — a departure from the spring when, on accounts that have since been deleted, she used the #MAGA hashtag and mocked the Women’s March on Washington that followed Trump’s inauguration as the “Midol March."
READ MORE related to PROJECT MENDACIUM: James O'Keefe, head of Project Veritas, vows further undercover operations: 'Being hated is a sign of respect' -- WaPo's JOEL ACHENBACH; James O'Keefe's credibility is on trial as DOJ seeks felony convictions for Trump protestors -- HuffPo's RYAN J. REILLY; Who is James O'keefe, and what's Project Veritas? -- CBS News; Here are some of Project Veritas's funders -- BuzzFeed's KENDALL TAGGART; Meet the people bankrolling James O'Keefe's group -- ThinkProgress's JOSH ISRAEL; Who's behind the 'Project Veritas' sting operation against The Washington Post? -- International Business Times' ALEX KOTCH
Industries that cheered Trump's climate regulation rollbacks now worry they'll go too far
LA Times' EVAN HALPER: "The energy companies and industry groups that successfully pushed the Trump administration to scrap Obama-era action on climate change have a new message for the fossil fuel enthusiasts now calling the shots: Don’t go too far."
"It is not clear the administration is listening."
"An intensifying debate between the climate change skeptics looking to strike a death blow to federal greenhouse gas restrictions and a growing chorus of electricity and manufacturing companies warning that such a move would backfire could ultimately test who has the most White House clout in setting energy policy — industry or the ideologues."
In SF, Russian ambassador to US speaks of cooperation
The Chronicle's ERIN ALLDAY: "In remarks alternately restrained and vividly frank, Anatoly Antonov, the new Russian ambassador to the United States, told a San Francisco crowd Wednesday that the two countries must put the past behind them and learn to at least work together again, if not quite embrace friendship, so that “the whole world can sleep well."
"Antonov’s speech at the Fairmont Hotel, which was hosted by the World Affairs Council, marked his first official visit to the Bay Area since taking the ambassadorship on Sept. 1. He was appointed ambassador by President Vladimir Putin amid a whirlwind of political turmoil spinning out of accusations that the Russians meddled in last year’s U.S. presidential election."
"The ambassador is in San Francisco for the next several days. Among his meetings with business leaders and others, he is scheduled to inspect the consulate building in San Francisco that was closed under orders from President Trump."
OP-ED: The national security emergency we're not talking about
MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT in a letter to WaPo: "America’s diplomatic professionals have issued a dire warning about the crisis facing the State Department: Scores of top diplomats, including some of our highest-ranked career Foreign Service officers, have left the agency at “a dizzying speed” over the past 10 months."
"The rapid loss of so many senior officers has a serious, immediate and tangible effect on the capacity of the United States to shape world events,” wrote former ambassador Barbara Stephenson, president of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA)."
"As a former secretary of state, I agree. This is not a story that has two sides. It is simply a fact that the United States relies on diplomacy as our first line of defense — to cement alliances, build coalitions, address global problems and find ways to protect our interests without resorting to military force. When we must use force, as in the fight against the Islamic State, our diplomats ensure that we can do so effectively and with the cooperation of other countries."
'I didn't break any rules': Man who disabled Trump's Twitter account speaks out
Sacramento Bee's NOEL HARRIS: "Earlier this month, Twitter was in a brief uproar over President Donald Trump."
"It wasn’t for anything he tweeted, but rather the 11 minutes on Nov. 2 that his account was disabled, cutting off access for his more than 40 million followers."
"Twitter first called it an accident but later said a customer support employee did it while working their last day with the company."
Elizabeth Warren wants marijuana answers from Trump health nominee
Forbes' TOM ANGELL: "The Trump administration should carefully consider how legalizing marijuana can help reduce opioid addiction and overdose deaths, Sen. Elizabeth Warren says."
"Medical marijuana has the potential to mitigate the effects of the opioid crisis," she wrote in a letter to Alex Azar, President Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)."
"Warren cited a recent American Journal of Public Health study that found legalization of cannabis in Colorado was associated with short-term reductions in opioid-related deaths, saying the results are "consistent with other data from states that have developed laws for medical or recreational marijuana use."
READ MORE related to Cannabis: Sacramento is one step closer to having recreational pot sales on Jan. 1 -- Sacramento Bee's BRAD BRANAN; Sessions hints at crackdown on recreational pot, affecting California, other states -- McClatchy DC's KATE IRBY/EMILY CADEI
Mueller's prosecutors are said to have interviewed Jared Kushner on Russia meeting
NYT's MATT APUZZO: "President Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, met this month with investigators working for Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, and answered questions about a meeting with aRussian ambassador during the presidential transition, according to a person briefed on the investigation."
"The questions focused on a meeting in December between Mr. Kushner, the ambassador and Michael T. Flynn, who at the time was the president’s incoming national security adviser, the person said on Wednesday."
"Prosecutors also asked Mr. Kushner about other interactions between Mr. Flynn and the Russian government, the person briefed on the investigation said. Mr. Flynn was fired in February after misleading Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations during the transition with Sergey I. Kislyak, who was then the Russian ambassador to the United States."
What Yellen says should 'keep people awake at night'
Townhall's LEAH BARKOUKIS: "Outgoing Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said Wednesday in testimony before Congress that the United States’ soaring debt “should be a very significant concern."
"I would simply say that I am very worried about the sustainability of the U.S. debt trajectory," Yellen said. "Our current debt-to-GDP ratio of about 75 percent is not frightening but it's also not low."
"It's the type of thing that should keep people awake at night," she added."
Sacramento eyes new bike, pedestrian paths
Capitol Weekly's RIN CARBIN: "Hikers and bikers — a hefty portion of the population in California’s flat and leafy capital — may be in for some good times."
"Sacramento residents may see new and wider pedestrian and bicycle paths on local streets over the next few years, courtesy of a major infusion of state funding intended to improve safety and air quality, and encourage people to leave their cars in the garage."
"A yearly increase for bicycle and pedestrian projects throughout California — $100 million per year for the next 10 years, totaling $1 billion — aims to increase pedestrian, bicyclist and transit usage and reduce fatalities."
Trump is promoting hatred, says husband of murdered MP Jo Cox
The Guardian's MATTHEW WEAVER: "Brendan Cox, the widower of the murdered MP Jo Cox, has continued to rebuke Donald Trump after the president stood by his promotion of unverified Islamophobic hate videos in the face of international condemnation."
"In a defiant tweet, Trump publicly rebuked Theresa May over her criticism of his decision to retweet anti-Muslim propaganda videos from the far-right group Britain First, by urging her to focus on Islamic terrorism."
"Cox hit back at the president in a tweet urging Trump to focus on daily mass shootings in the US and the poor state of American healthcare."
READ MORE related to POTUS45: Trump retweets 5-year-old violent videos from Syria, Egypt -- AP; Trump veers past guardrails, feeling impervious to the uproar he causes -- WaPo's PHILIP RUCKER/ASHLEY PARKER; Trump's retweets elevate a tiny fringe group of anti-Muslim activists in Britain -- WaPo's WILLIAM BOOTH/KARLAM ADAM; The many myths of Reaganite Protectionism -- National Review's COLIN GRABOW/SCOTT LINCICOME; British far-right group exults over attention from Trump -- NYT's DAN BILEFSKY/STEPHEN CASTLE
BuzzFeed's JESSICA SIMONE/DAVID MACK: "Matt Lauer — the longtime host of Today, the prominent face of NBC News, and one of the most powerful and highly-paid men in American media — was swiftly fired on Wednesday after a colleague complained of "inappropriate sexual behavior."
"The unidentified woman reported Lauer's behavior to the company on Monday night, NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack told staff in a memo, prompting an immediate investigation."
"It represented, after serious review, a clear violation of our company’s standards," Lack said of Lauer's alleged behavior."
READ MORE related to Boy's Club: Attorney: Conyers to fight sexual misconduct allegations -- AP's COREY WILLIAMS/MIKE HOUSEHOLDER; Why sexual predators endure in the political world -- The Chronicle's JOE GAROFOLI; Matt Lauer was the king of 'Today,' but his reign was not benevolent -- LA Times' MARY MCNAMARA; Garrison Keillor off the air after misconduct allegations -- AP's JEFF BAENEN; Fifth woman, an Army vet, accuses Franken of groping her -- Townhall's LEAH BARKOUKIS
Trump's Counselor Kellyanne Conway is now leading his opioids strategy
BuzzFeed's DAN VERGANO: "Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday announced that pollster Kellyanne Conway, 50, counselor to President Donald Trump, would oversee White House efforts to combat the opioid overdose epidemic."
"More than 64,000 people died in the US of drug overdoses in 2016, largely from opioids such as heroin, fentanyl, and prescription painkillers. Trump declared a national public health emergency over the crisis in October, and calls have emerged for an opioids "czar" to lead crisis response efforts in the last year."
"Looks like Conway has the job. Trump has asked her "to coordinate and lead the effort from the White House," Sessions said at a news conference in remarks that went beyond prepared ones from the event."
LA Weekly staff is slashed as Semanal Media finishes buying the publication
LA Times' LAUREN RAAB: "LA Weekly’s staff was gutted Wednesday as Voice Media Group completed its sale of the alternative newsweekly to a newly created company, Semanal Media."
"Nine of the 13 members of the editorial staff lost their jobs, including all the top editors and all but one of the staff writers."
"“To have such deep, devastating cuts — it’s beyond anything we could have ever fathomed,” said Mara Shalhoup, who until Wednesday was the editor of LA Weekly. Publisher Matt Cooperstein lost his job too, as did some staffers on the business and marketing teams, she said."
SF set to become first US city to price all metered parking based on demand
The Chronicle's MICHAEL CABANATUAN: "Surge pricing could be coming to every parking meter in San Francisco in 2018 under a plan being considered by the Municipal Transportation Agency."
"Under the proposal, each of the city’s 30,200 meters would be subject to hourly rates that vary depending on demand. The charges would fluctuate block by block and by time of day. For example, a neighborhood with a lot of restaurants might see higher meter rates during evenings than during other times of the day."
"MTA officials say the approach is intended to increase the availability of coveted city parking spaces, particularly in areas where demand is high. People unwilling to pay the higher rates might seek parking farther away, remain for a shorter period of time, or leave their car at home."
UK faces calls to cancel Trump's state visit over tweets
AP's GREGORY KATZ: "Growing calls to cancel President Donald Trump's state visit to Britain have put Queen Elizabeth II — who would host the U.S. president — in a difficult position."
"In Britain's constitutional monarchy, the queen invites foreign leaders to state visits — regarded as a great honor — on the advice of Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office."
"In this case, it was the prime minister, Theresa May, who extended the invitation to Trump on the queen's behalf just days after Trump assumed office."
What North Korean photos say about new ballistic missile
AP's ERIC TALMADGE: "North Korea released dozens of photos Thursday of the Hwasong-15, a new intercontinental ballistic missile it claims can reach any target in the continental United States. The photo dump, published in the paper and online editions of the ruling party's official daily, is a goldmine for rocket experts trying to parse reality from bluster."
"Their general conclusion is that it's bigger, more advanced and comes with a domestically made mobile launcher that will make it harder than ever to pre-emptively destroy. But there's a potentially major catch: it might not have the power to go much farther than the West Coast if it is loaded down with a real nuclear warhead, not a dummy like the one it carried in its test launch on Wednesday."
"Here's a closer look:"
READ MORE related to North Korean Crisis: Washington eyes a Cold War strategy against North Korea -- NYT's DAVID E. SANGER
Japan inspects drifting boat carrying 10 North Koreans
READ MORE related to AP's MARI YAMAGUCHI: "Japanese authorities on Thursday inspected a decrepit boat with 10 men aboard identifying themselves as North Koreans drifting in rough seas off the northern island of Hokkaido."
"Coast guard officials said they boarded the wooden boat and started inspection after towing it to a safer area. Officials spotted the boat off the western coast of Matsumae town Tuesday but rough seas prevented them from approaching it."
"The coast guard said the men earlier communicated in Korean via loud speakers and a message board saying they were from North Korea and taking refuge at a nearby island due to rough weather. It was not immediately known whether the boat was involved in illegal fishing inside Japan's 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone."
Ex-NYPD detective admits having sex with witness during inquiry into Robert Durst's missing wife
LA Times' MARISA GERBER: "Retired New York police Det. Michael Struk testified Wednesday that during his investigation into the disappearance of Robert Durst’s wife three decades ago he had sex with a witness."
"Would you agree, a prosecutor asked, that your actions were “about as unprofessional as you could get?"
“Yes,” Struk responded."
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The Roundup is compiled by Associate Editor Geoff Howard. Questions? Comments? Feedback? Email him at geoff@capitolweekly.net
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