text: Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):   Obama Wrong on Trade: President Barack Obama released his annual trade agenda this week in an indication that the administration plans to push for the same NAFTA-style trade policies it has in the past, John Nichols wrote for The Nation. Sen. Bernie Sanders has criticized NAFTA, calling it a horrendous ?ÛÏrace to the bottom?Û? for lower wages and fewer good-paying jobs.   Shame on Senators Who Blocked Veterans Bill: ?ÛÏWhat does it take to shame these senators,?Û? Jon Stewart asked on the Daily Show segment that ridiculed Sens. Richard Burr and Jeff Sessions and Marco Rubio.   Pope Francis: Pope Francis' emphasis on economic issues has resonated with elected officials in the United States. Sen. Sanders said he considered the pope a ?ÛÏstrong ally?Û? on the issue of income inequality, the student newspaper service UWIRE reported.   Crimea Votes to Join Russia: Crimea's parliament voted to join Russia on Thursday and its Moscow-backed government set a referendum within 10 days on the decision in a dramatic escalation of the crisis over the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula, Reuters reported. An effort by the United States to broker the first face-to-face diplomatic meeting between Russia and Ukraine over the Crimea confrontation failed on Wednesday, but Russia?Ûªs foreign minister said there would be more discussions in the days ahead, The New York Times reported.  Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/030614