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Tonight on 360°, a brazen case of health care fraud at the world's largest pharmaceutical company. If a person had done what this company did, they would have locked him up and thrown away the key, but as you'll see that didn't happen. They got special treatment. Plus, more of Anderson's interview with Chaz Bono, who used to be Chastity. He explains why he made the transformation from female to male.
Scroll down to join the live chat during the program. It's your chance to share your thoughts on tonight's headlines. Keep in mind, you have a better chance of having your comment get past our moderators if you follow our rules.
Here are some of them:
1) Keep it short (we don't have time to read a "book")
2) Don't write in ALL CAPS (there's no need to yell)
3) Use your real name (first name only is fine)
4) No links
5) Watch your language (keep it G-rated; PG at worst - and that includes $#&*)
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Filed under: Live Blog |
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
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Tortoise and the hare-and Anderson, the hare, won!! But gosh I liked Ripa's strategy!
Good night and may God be with the whole staff on your dangerous quest for the news .
@Karoline, Los Angeles, "I don't think one has to be a perfect parent to be willing to help the kids who got even less than your own did in life."
As Nancy in Oregon said, " maybe he learned some things too late to help his own children."
However, I doubt they were unloved or wanted for anything.
Have a great night & weekend Anderson, Stephanie, Kira, Devna, Eliza, 360Team, Jo Ann, Mike, Gabriela, Megan, Starr, Dodie, David & Isabel, Gloria, Casey, Adelaide A.Smith, Devin, Nicole & Bloggers!
Wow, it's too bad I don't get a chance to watch Live, w/ AC & Kelly.
funny stuff. 😉
Have a great weekend everybody!
Jay Leno #1...ha Anderson is #1
Good night everyone. Gotta love the oreos.
Can you imagine if he had a picture of you? I don’t think I would ever sleep again.
Stephanie Elam again on a long workkingday!
Hi Anderson. TGIF!
Glad that you put their pic's on AC360 Anderson! 🙂
I hope that they are ALL alive & okay!
Nicole,
Nice see you again on Live Blog, tonight! 🙂 You are absolutely right!
Anderson is so best anchor job tonight!
I do not understand why it took so long to catch this serial killer after some many innocence lives were killed. I mean since the 1970s...
I agree Dulcie...it's like the Japanese text books omitting historical information.
I applaud the woman on the Dating Game to "won" the date with Alcala and refused to go out with him. Good for her!
although what Pfizer has done is inexcusable – has there been any stories regarding the tremendous amount of money these companies put into R&D – not to mention the YEARS!
Can we please remove Texas from the Union?! These ideas these conservatives come up with are ridiculous. Less talk about one of our FOUNDING FATHERS, Thomas Jefferson from our history books? What are you crazy?
I started working in hospitals when I was 15. Now, at 75, I have had three open heart operations and numerous serious vascular surgeries. Beginning at age 15, I have taken virtually every drug developed for treating high blood pressure and the illiness that often
occasion that condition. I have been a patient at some of the best hospitals in the country, including Mayo Clinic, Texas Heart Institute and Johns Hopkins. I have personally witnessed and been a victim of the decline in the quality of Americans physicians and surgeons and the increase in gross criminal behavior and greed that would put Wall Street to shame. I heartly agree with your guest: this horror show will continue until the criminals in Big Pharma, for-profit hospitals–administrators and physicians and surgeon–without exception receive mandatory, hardtime jail terms for the human and fiscal abuses they have committed against America and the American people.
Anderson-Thanks again for an awesome show, givng us the real news, and trying to keep people honest! The man who becomes a father figure to the gang members is a true hero. There are so many Americans that are truly doing their part to heal the world because as Michael Jackson said WE ARE THE WORLD. God bless you and everyone on the 360 team! Is the rebuilding of Port a Prince happening yet? I've heard some info from Samaritan's Purse that the supplies are there for new housing. Has it begun?
Not sure what to make of the textbook issue.
It seems like no matter what happens in any issue, SOMEBODY'S going to make a huge fuss over it.
I'm still in high school (granted, my history class is actually a college one, but regardless), but I've never noticed a liberal bias in any of my past history textbooks.
I usually identify with conservatives, but this seems a little ridiculous and wasteful.
OMG... He was a photographer?! OMG...it just gets worse & worse....
I REALLY do hope that there are NOT more murder victims!
If they are going to include discussions of the value of country music, then they'd better include the value of musical theater too! That's a uniquely American invention. It would be unAmerican to leave it out. 😉
Some of the examples of conservative values are silly; country music? However there is a liberal slant in education, particularly in colleges.
It’s time to individually place every U.S. Congressman and Senator on the spot for an up or down vote.
Question-Does a lack of appropriate legal action, against Pfizer Corporate, set a detrimental and irreversible precedent for the validity of Congress
I also agree with California state can sue Toyota companies, I am glad they are right..... I hope Toyota learned their lesson tonight.
"May history be recorded correctly in the texbook!'
Oh dear Lord, save us from politicians who want to influence education! I was appalled when Kansas decided that only creationism would be taught in public schools.
With these yahoos dictating what our kids can learn, no wonder the US is slipping in education. We'll never succeed in the world economy if politician dictate what can be taught. Science and math are probably two of the most important subjects to be competitive and we're making a mockery of them
It is an extraordinary thing for Father Boyle to provide that safe place, that loving environment and to see those kids as young people who need to be loved. It is just what is needed but nonetheless extraordinary. And it is good to see his programs growing and reaching out to more and more young people.
The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer!
@Jennifer
I wish more people like you would speak out on drug companies and what is going on with Pfizer and other drug companies. Greed and making more money is what they are interested in not helping people.
As bad as the reports have been about the waste and fraud in healthcare
it is Much Worse. Major stake holders associations and institutions have a stranglehold on healthcare.
Add the $2b judgment against Pfizer to the $1.4b judgment against Eli Lilly for illegally marketing antipsychotics for use on children and you still have not made a dent in the massive profits that the pharmaceutical companies make. They set aside large sums of money in advance for just this purpose. Too big to nail, indeed. Meta-analysis has recently shown that the antidepressants they profit from are only slightly more effective than a placebo. The problem is that placebos are not profit-makers so these meds stay on the market despite Black Box warnings (one step short of an outright ban) about such side effects as suididal and homicidal ideation along with a long list of other severe, even deadly effects. Wake up, America! Big pHARMa IS Big Brother!
There certainly needs to be parental responsibility for allowing children to join gangs as teens or younger. Cut out the new recruits and the gangs die.
@ JoAnn-I don't think one has to be a perfect parent to be willing to help the kids who got even less than your own did in life.
We can't really know about the Sheen family unless we interview them all for a few hundred hours.
Jo Ann, maybe he learned some things too late to help his own children. That would not be rare.
"Experts have a left wing tilt". Hmmmm. The value of country music? I'm not an expert but I'll have to consider the value of "it rained the day my mom got out of prison".
@ Linda, good suggestion, dropping the ads. Here we don't have them. A consumer group created a sort of medical problem an advertised for it and the demant grew and grew.. Works will work, same as dropping tobacco ads..
@ starr, to big to nail! LOL, never heard that one before..
Good reporting by Drew: loved the interview with Michael Moore yesterday!
@Nicole from the Netherlands,
Glad to see you on the Blog tonight! I hope that you were able to see the AC's interview with Father Boyle.
This "Dating Game" Killer is creepy, and at one time, he was thought of as being really good looking?! Creepy.
As a prescriber I can verify that not only Pfizer, but all drug reps that I come into contact with, only talk about a medication in terms of its FDA approval. Remember, ultimately it is the prescriber who must take responsibility for what he or she prescribes. If we do off label prescribing it is certainly not because a pharm rep suggested it. Often there are academic articles, other prescriber's experiences or extrapolations from our knowledge of pharmacology that support are decisions to use one drug vs. another.
@Starr the doctor's get these free vacations and stuff when they prescribe your meds using a certain pharma company, these companies reward them for using their brands.
Time everyone be held accountable. Enough is enough! Let the chips fall where they may. Lieing and getting away with it is the reason it continues. Do you know why they do what they do??? Because they can!!! I'm 57 years old and I think the reason things have gotten to the point it has is because a slap on the wrist is all they ever get. Don't make them pay a fine. seize their company and put someone in charge that will be held accountable until something can be done about their wrong doings. Show them this behavior won't be tolorated under no circumstances. I for one avoid medicine as much as possible do to the side affects. Our problem is we depend to much on medicine that in most cases does more harm than good. We need a more natural remedy or alternative to the modern day medication. Something needs to be done and now not later.
Just saw your story on Pfizer. Why am I not shocked and outraged?
I guess I'm beyond that stage already. When are WE THE PEOPLE going to wake up and take back this land of ours? How long will we allow the Big Corporations and the big banks to have their way with our elected representatives? Maybe our form of Democracy has outlived its usefulness; and, maybe it's time for the people to take back the the power into their own hands.
@Karoline, Los Angeles, "They are unloved and lost young people. So true."
It makes me wonder why Sheen has so many problems with his own kids.
If they highlight Reagan's "smaller government" I sure hope they will include the fact that he dragged into a mountain of debt!
For Pfizer to claim that it has set up an "internal investigation unit" to police its salesmen from wrongfully promoting its own drugs is like the fox saying it will stop itself from going into the chicken coop.
Your follow-up story should DEFINITELY be following the money trail from Pfizer, its subsidiaries and executive to the pols in Washington and all state capitals. That would be THE REAL story.
Otherwise, how could they get away with simply paying fines by shell companies?
Please keep up the pressure on these arrogant, amoral, highly-paid gangsters!!!!!
Wouldn't it be justice to require Pfizer to shore up the retiree medical plans of the companies that it acquired re Bextra? How about $11,000 annual for single, with decreasing benefits that will soon look like catastrophic coverage?
@Linda totally agree that drug commercials be banned from TV!
I can't believe this textbook issue. What is happening to our country?? What has happened to the TRUTH in history?
I see no solution for the Gang problem in East LA,I'm sorry to say that but I really don't......The gangs are too powerful....I've worked in the area for 15 years.......
@Jo Ann,
I agree! Father Boyle looks GREAT, and it's so good to see. It really is great to see someone there willing to help these gang members & former gang members stay out of trouble. They do need a role model.
"I hope Anderson continues to follow his progress."
I agree. I think that he will.
the problem is that this gang mentality is so old, and only now is it coming a bit out of being that, big, us vs them mentality amplified by the old bloods v crips issues back in the day. The parents of these kids are second, and third generation gang bangers who are completely immersed in the lifestyle. They can't escape the lifestyle anymore than the average person can effectively evade taxes. They get pulled back into it, and sometimes it becomes more dangerous to try and leave a neighborhood or a gang than it is to remain...
I think Father Boyle is probably being the best kind of father to others.
First time on the live blog -cool!
1. I love how Chaz speaks up about his experience changing gender.
2. I think Pfizer should get fined A LOT til it hurts them bad so they learn a lesson (even if "God forbid" their shareholders don't get a high dividend payment for 1 quarter – oops but business always come first before justice) – why the double standard between individual humans and those hiding behind a corporate name?
3. Cool to see Martin Sheen in the Hollenbeck gang series!
4. AC looks so cute 2nite 🙂