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Gas Stations Must Request Temporary License from Department of Agriculture

May 23, 2008 -- HARRISBURG – With gas prices exceeding $4 per gallon in some areas, older fuel pumps may display half gallon prices in coming weeks, said Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell today. The total cost of gas will remain the same.

Old gas pump: Photo by Bitter Girl (CC)    » read more »

Record-Breaking Agreement Requires Company to Submit Ads to FDA Prior to Airing

May 20, 2008 -- Chicago - Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan today announced a landmark financial settlement with Merck and Company, Inc., that also requires the pharmaceutical manufacturer to submit television drug advertisements to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for review before their broadcast.    » read more »

Boise – The State of Idaho will receive more than $1.1 million as a result of a consent judgment with Merck and Company, Inc., Attorney General Lawrence Wasden announced today. Wasden’s office filed a consent judgment resolving a three-year investigation by 30 states concerning the company’s deceptive promotion of the drug Vioxx.

The judgment, filed Tuesday in Fourth District Court in Ada County, will largely restrict Merck’s ability to deceptively promote any Merck product.    » read more »

Company was under investigation for marketing of anti-inflammatory drug

May 20, 2008 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum today filed a stipulated consent judgment with Merck and Company, Inc. resolving a three-year investigation that targeted the company’s promotion of the prescription drug Vioxx.

Merck Vioxx

The agreement provides $58 million to the 30 participating states, of which Florida’s share will be more than $3.5 million. The judgment, filed today in the Broward County Circuit Court and pending court approval, will largely restrict Merck’s ability to promote any Merck product in a manner that may be deceptive.    » read more »

May 20, 2008 -- SAN DIEGO -- California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced a “groundbreaking settlement” with Merck & Co. which requires the pharmaceutical manufacturer to obtain Federal Drug Administration approval before running any television drug advertisements for new pain medications.

“Merck’s aggressive television advertising convinced hundreds of thousands of consumers to seek Vioxx prescriptions before the drug’s risk were fully understood,” Attorney General Brown said. “Today’s groundbreaking settlement prevents Merck from releasing new television drug advertisements without obtaining federal approval.”    » read more »

Bright Pages to refund up to $3 million to defrauded customers, reform business practices and pay $150,000 penalty

NEW YORK, N.Y. (May 12, 2008) - New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a settlement agreement with a national online directory service for defrauding thousands of small businesses and not-for-profits across New York state and the nation.

Under the terms of the court-ordered settlement, the company will pay a $150,000 penalty and up to $3 million in restitution to defrauded customers.    » read more »

May 6, 2008 -- Tonight, John McCain will attend a fundraiser for his presidential campaign in Michigan. According to the invitation, he will be joined by the chair of his Michigan Victory 08 committee, John Rakolta, Jr., and McCain Michigan co-chairman Robert Liggett.

John McCain: Photo by Kyle Tsui (CC)

What the invitation does not say, however, is that Rakolta and Liggett were two of the key backers of an organization that helped finance an ad that compared Democrats to Adolf Hitler in the 2006 election.    » read more »

Daschle: Obama will stop sending billions to Iraq, start investing American economy

May 06, 2008 -- Sioux Falls, SD - Senator Barack Obama's South Dakota campaign today begins airing a new radio ad featuring former South Dakota Senator and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.

Barack Obama greeting supporters: Photo by Barack Obama campaign (CC)

In the ad, Daschle - who was one of Obama's earliest public supporters - asks South Dakotans to join him in backing the candidate who will "put you first - not the special interests."    » read more »

May 03, 2008 -- Chicago, IL - Today, the Obama campaign announced that it will air new two-minute ads in Indiana and North Carolina entitled "Minute." The ads will air predominantly during the evening news on Monday, but will play in some markets as soon as Sunday evening.

Barack Obama: Photo by Barack Obama campaign

In the new spots, Obama makes his closing argument to Indiana and North Carolina voters, outlining his plans to put an end to the divisive, calculated politics in Washington. In the ads, Obama continues to speak out against a gas tax holiday, which is nothing more than Washington politics as usual at its worst.    » read more »

Attorney General Says ‘Blow' Energy Drink Glorifying Drug Culture

May 2, 2008 -- Chicago – Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is demanding that a Las Vegas company discontinue its cocaine-themed marketing and sale of an energy drink mix that glorifies drug culture and has raised serious health concerns due to its high caffeine content.

Blow drink mix: Photo courtesy Illinois Attorney General's office

In a letter sent earlier this week to the President of Kingpin Concepts, Inc., Attorney General Madigan demanded that the company immediately cease all marketing and sales of the energy drink called Blow in the state of Illinois.    » read more »

April 27, 2008 -- On NBC's Meet the Press this morning, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean announced that the DNC will air its second television advertisement of the 2008 Presidential Election season. Entitled "100," the ad will begin airing on cable networks nationally next week.

US Army soldiers honor fallen comrades in Iraq: U.S. Army Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division honor fallen service members at Kirkuk Regional Air Base/ Forward Operating Base Warrior, Iraq, April 7, 2007. Photo by Senior Airman Bradley A. Lail    » read more »

April 23, 2008 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter today signed into law a measure that strengthens protections against spammers and another that supports the 9Health Fair, which has provided low-cost health care tests and screenings for Coloradans for 25 years.

House Bill 1178 makes a violation of the federal CAN-SPAM Act a deceptive trade practice, and invokes the Attorney General's enforcement authority and other available remedies under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act.

Spam email    » read more »

April 21, 2008 -- Today Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and DNC Political Director David Boundy announced the rollout of a new field effort to register voters and talk to them about why McCain is the wrong choice for America's future. The rollout coincides with the launch of the DNC's ad, "Better Off," which will be used at organizing events across the country.

Senator John McCain meets with Ronald Reagan in 1986    » read more »

April 21, 2008 -- Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, in formal testimony today, called again for a prohibition against drug company gifts and other benefits provided to doctors that may improperly influence health care decisions.

Pharmaceutical drug companies spend more than $11 billion annually to market prescription drugs - most of it directed at health care providers.

Pills: Photo by e-magic (CC)

Research has repeatedly found that such gifts influence health care provider decisions.    » read more »

Announces Historic Investment in Marketing Michigan

April 18, 2008 -- LANSING - Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today signed into law a package of bills establishing the Michigan Promotion Program, an aggressive $60 million marketing push to boost the state's tourism and business attraction efforts.

Mackinac Bridge, Michigan: Photo by Steve Prakope (CC)

The initiative - passed with overwhelming bipartisan support - is part of an overall job creation and economic stimulus package proposed by the governor in her State of the State address earlier this year.    » read more »