Consumers brace for premium hikes while lawmakers grasp at remedies

As some insurers angle for hefty premium hikes and concerns grow that more Americans will wind up uninsured, the federal health law is likely - once again - to play big in both parties' strategies for the contentious 2018 election. Candidates are already honing talking points: Is the current dysfunction the result of the law or of GOP attempts to dismantle it? The impact of changes to the law made by Republicans over the past year - modifications short of the "repeal and replace" they promised - is becoming clear.

Senate backs effort to restore ‘net neutrality’

Senate Democrats, joined by three Republicans, pushed through a measure Wednesday intended to revive Obama-era internet rules that ensured equal treatment for all web traffic, though opposition in the House and the White House seems insurmountable. Republicans on the short end of the 52-47 vote described the effort to reinstate "net neutrality" rules as "political theater" because the GOP-controlled House is not expected to take up the issue and the Senate's margin could not overcome a presidential veto.

Senate backs effort to restore ‘net neutrality’ rules

From left, Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Pa., Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y., and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., leave a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 16, 2018, after the Senate passed a resolution to reverse the FCC decision to end net neutrality.

Trump’s pick to run Labor’s pension agency: Mitch McConnell’s brother-in-law

That might be welcome news for Trump voters who want the president to fulfill a promise to "drain the swamp" and rid the capital of the politically connected. Yet his nominee, Gordon Hartogensis, is well known to some of Washington's most politically influential: He is the brother-in-law of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.

Senate Democrats force vote to reinstate net neutrality

More than a dozen Democratic senators called publicly Wednesday for reinstating net neutrality protections, and moved to force a vote on the proposal. The issue galvanizes Democrats and is poised to pass the Senate, but it faces an uphill battle in the House and would likely be vetoed by President Donald Trump if it somehow gets to his desk.

GOP frets over ex-con seeking primary win in West Virginia

Republican Don Blankenship doesn't care if his party and his president don't think he can beat Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin this fall. The former coal mining executive - an ex-convict released from prison less than a year ago - is willing to risk his personal fortune and the GOP's golden opportunity in West Virginia for the chance to prove them all wrong.

Why Mueller Is One Contestant Trump Can’t Easily Fire: QuickTake

President Donald Trump has mused publicly about firing Robert Mueller, whose investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign has spilled over to Trump's associates and sparked a separate probe of the president's longtime personal lawyer. Trump tried to oust Mueller at least once, according to news reports, fueling legal debates over whether he really has that authority.

Mark Zuckerberg Refuses to Admit How Facebook Works: Gadfly

The most troubling takeaway from two days of congressional hearings on Facebook Inc. was this: Mark Zuckerberg didn't want to explain how the social network operates. The Facebook CEO ducked questions from lawmakers about what types of information the company collects and how it uses the data for advertising purposes.

Deutsche Bank Nominates John Thain to Supervisory Board

John Thain, who was also CEO of the New York Stock Exchange and President and Chief Operating Officer of Goldman Sachs GS, is currently a member of the board of directors of Uber Technologies. Deutsche Bank AG said on Wednesday, April 4, that it had proposed four new representatives of shareholders to sit on its supervisory board, including John Thain, in a reshuffle.

APNewsBreak: US suspects cellphone spying devices in DC

For the first time, the U.S. government has publicly acknowledged the existence in Washington of what appear to be rogue devices that foreign spies and criminals could be using to track individual cellphones and intercept calls and messages. The use of what are known as cellphone-site simulators by foreign powers has long been a concern, but American intelligence and law enforcement agencies - which use such eavesdropping equipment themselves - have been silent on the issue until now.

FCC Chief Cites Concerns on Spy Threats From Chinese Telecoms Firms

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, in a letter sent to lawmakers earlier this week , said he shares the concerns of U.S. lawmakers about espionage threats from Chinese smartphone maker Huawei and plans to take "proactive steps" to ensure the integrity of the U.S. communications supply chain . From a report: Pai said he shares concerns over the "security threat that Huawei and other Chinese technology companies pose to our communications networks."

White House Memo: Newly Emboldened, Trump Says What He Really Feels

For months, President Trump's legal advisers implored him to avoid so much as mentioning the name of Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, in his tweets, and to do nothing to provoke him or suggest his investigation is not proper. Ignoring that advice over the weekend was the decision of a president who ultimately trusts only his own instincts, and now believes he has settled into the job enough to rely on them rather than the people who advise him.