Megan Provost Joins Farm Foundation As VP/Policy & Programs

MEGAN PROVOST JOINS FARM FOUNDATION AS VP/POLICY & PROGRAMS Sep. 20, 2017 Source: Farm Foundation news release Farm Foundation President Constance Cullman today announced that Megan Provost will join the Farm Foundation as Vice President of Policy and Programs effective Oct. 2, 2017. "We are pleased to add Megan's expertise in food and agriculture policy issues to the Foundation program team," said Cullman.

Editorial: Standardized testing needs work

So it goes that a subdued Einstein is a slower Einstein, robbed of original thought, his genius stolen away in the name of decorum. Whether the drug for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder would have transformed the German physicist into a dullard is a subject for researchers and activists to debate.

‘Scam’: Kimmel Slams ‘Kimmel Test’ Senator’s Bill

Late night host Jimmy Kimmel sounded off on Wednesday to blast Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy for his part in crafting the latest GOP health care proposal that, Kimmel said, goes against the promises the senator had made to him on his show. Kimmel had discussed health care with Cassidy after the late-night host revealed in early May that his newborn son had open-heart surgery to fix birth defects.

NCW Health | The right, the left and the center

After a two-week vacation, I'm finding the need just to catch up on what's happening on the national scene in terms of our plan for national health care. So, I'll be taking a look at a new push from the right to repeal Obamacare, the Cassidy-Graham Plan; last week's proposal from the left, a Medicare for All bill sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders; and a more centrist attempt by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, to find a bipartisan solution For as little as 27 cents a day, you can have complete access to all the local news, photos and video content from North Central Washington's primary news source.

What Happened? A Horrible Candidate Lost

So far, I have refrained from weighing in on Hillary Clinton's post-mortem, What Happened , even though, as one of the few pundits who predicted that Donald Trump would win the presidential election, I perhaps can claim at least some insight into what happened. Why did I foresee that Trump would win? Not because I anticipated or understood what became the Trump phenomenon.

Republicans Eye Last-Ditch Attempt to Repeal Obamacare, Again

But in a startling reversal of fortune over the last week, Republicans lawmakers have resuscitated a new effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. The bill in question, Graham-Cassidy, named for its co-sponsors Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Bill Cassidy, has earned the White House's backing, and received tacit support on Tuesday from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Clinton Backpedals on PossiblyContesting 2016 Election Results

Hillary Clinton walked back her controversial comments on Tuesday after floating the idea of the possibility of contesting the 2016 election in wake of mounting evidence showing Russian interference. "I think no one, including me, is saying we will contest the election," Clinton clarified speaking at a Mic roundtable in New York on Tuesday.

Bentley weighed ‘trickle-down effect’ in appointing Strange

When scandal-plagued former Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley appointed his state's then-attorney general Luther Strange to the U.S. Senate, Bentley apparently considered it a good thing that he would get to name a new attorney general. Strange's appointment to fill Sen. Jeff Sessions' seat came as Bentley faced an impeachment investigation by state lawmakers for the fallout of an alleged affair with a staffer.

AP sources: GOP tentatively agrees to $1.5T plan on tax cuts

Top Republicans on a key Senate panel have reached a tentative agreement on a tax plan that would add about $1.5 trillion to the government's $20 trillion debt over 10 years, according to congressional officials. Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, a member of the chamber's dwindling band of deficit hawks, said on Tuesday that Republicans have "potentially gotten to a very good place" on agreeing to how much the upcoming tax measure might cost, once the Senate's tax writers have blended together rate cuts, additional revenue raised through curbing tax breaks, and the beneficial effects of what he called "pro-growth tax reform."

Reinsurance approval costly for Minnesota

Minnesota is at risk of losing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for the state's health care program for the working poor as it pursues a waiver aimed at lowering premiums for people buying insurance through the state exchange. Gov. Mark Dayton wrote Tuesday to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price urging President Donald Trump's administration to "reverse this very destructive financial penalty" to MinnesotaCare, the state's program that covers those who make too much to qualify for Medicaid but can't afford private coverage.

Latino Congressional Democrats Arrested Protesting DACA Suspension at Trump Tower

U.S. Reps. Adriano Espaillat , Luis GutiA rrez and Raul Grijalva , along with City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, were arrested in front of Trump Tower for a civil disobedience action that urged passage of the DREAM Act, which benefits undocumented youth brought to the U.S. in early childhood.

Judge Bars Discussion of Prostitution Claims from Menendez Trial

Judge William H. Walls on Wednesday forbid attorneys from discussing claims that U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez frequented prostitutes in the Dominican Republic, claims that were investigated by the FBI in 2012 and never supported with any evidence. According to defense attorneys representing Menendez and co-defendant Salomon Melgen in the ongoing federal corruption trial, the prostitution allegations provide critical context behind statements made by Menendez in 2013.

Senate leader praises revived GOP health law repeal drive – Tue, 19 Sep 2017 PST

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday praised the revived Republican effort to uproot former President Barack Obama's health care law, giving a public boost to a proposal that's given new life to a drive that seemed all but dead weeks ago. McConnell, R-Ky., said the bill would let states "implement better health care ideas by taking more decision-making power out of Washington" and letting local officials decide what "works better in their own particular states."

Alexander Juggles Bipartisan Health Care Deal With GOP Repeal Effort

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., has been trying to assemble support for a measure to stabilize the health insurance industry, but could run into interference because of GOP efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act . The Tennessee Republican, who chairs the Senate, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, is facing a difficult quandary on health care that Democrats say could undermine a bipartisan reputation he has spent years cultivating and simultaneously determine the fate of the nation's insurance system.

It’s Alive!!! How the repeal and replacement of Obamacare could still happen

The last time anyone paid much attention to the Republican effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act was when it was failing on the Senate floor in late July. That was the end of the end, we were told.

A little bit of this, a little bit of that. Judge in Menendez case offers Jewish recipe for evidence

NEWARK -- The judge in the federal corruption case of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez indicated Tuesday that he is willing to let the jury hear some evidence on a case by case basis likening his decision to the traditional Jewish stew, tzimmes. Before the jury entered the courtroom for the eighth day of the New Jersey Democrat's bribery trial, attorneys in the case had argued a motion the government filed to suppress evidence related to the senator's official acts in other cases.

Senate leader praises revived GOP health law repeal drive

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday praised the revived Republican effort to uproot former President Barack Obama's health care law, giving a public boost to a proposal that's given new life to a drive that seemed all but dead earlier this summer. McConnell, R-Ky., said the bill would let states "implement better health care ideas by taking more decision-making power out of Washington."