Category: US Politics

Two Ohio Coal-Fired Plants to Close, Deepening Industry Decline

Electricity company Dayton Power & Light said on Monday it would shut down two coal-fired power plants in southern Ohio next year for economic reasons, a setback for the ailing coal industry but a victory for environmental activists. Republican President Donald Trump promised in his election campaign to restore U.S. coal jobs that he said had been destroyed by environmental regulations put into effect by his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama.

PENCE: ‘The Obamacare nightmare is about to end!’

Vice President Mike Pence delivered a strong endorsement Saturday morning of the GOP’s replacement bill for the Affordable Care Act, which was introduced earlier in the week by House Republican leadership and supported by President Donald Trump. Pence, who spoke to constitutents in Kentucky, highlighted some of the pitfalls of Obamacare, including rising premiums and a lack of carrier options.

House panel wants any evidence Trump’s phones were tapped

President Donald Trump, back center, meets, Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin, second from left, with his wife Merle Bari, left clockwise, Trump, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and his wife Hilary Geary, right, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and his fiancee Scottish actress Louise Linton, together with other members of his cabinet and the White House staff, Saturday, March 11, 2017, at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va.

How healthy are you? GOP bill would help employers find out

A bill in Congress could make it harder for workers to keep employers from getting access to their personal medical and genetic information and raise the financial penalties for those who opt out of workplace wellness programs. House Republicans are proposing legislation aimed at making it easier for companies to gather genetic data from workers and their families, including their children, when they collect it as part of a voluntary wellness program.

U.S. Hopes to Launch NAFTA Talks in Just Over 90 Days: Ross

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Friday that he hopes to launch formal talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico in a little over three months, setting in motion a campaign promise made by President Donald Trump. During his election campaign, Trump threatened to pull out of NAFTA, which he views as damaging to U.S. workers, unless it was renegotiated to his liking and reduced the U.S. trade deficit with Mexico.

Treasury calls on Congress to raise debt limit, begins steps to delay default

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday began taking “extraordinary measures” to delay the U.S. government from defaulting on its obligations, as he called on House Speaker Paul Ryan to lift the debt ceiling “at its first opportunity.” Mnuchin, in a letter to Ryan , said Treasury was now suspending the sale of certain state and local securities, a practice the federal government normally performs to assist with tax policies.

Trump’s Run of Dumb Luck

How quickly Washington forgets. It was only two weeks ago that the biggest story in the nation’s capital was how President Donald Trump’s aides were pressuring the FBI and allies in Congress to shoot down the stories whirling around about his associates’ ties to Russia.

Congress looks to overturn Obama internet privacy rules

PanARMENIAN.Net – Republicans in the U.S. Congress are moving to repeal regulations adopted by the Obama administration in October that would have subjected internet service providers to stricter scrutiny than websites to protect customers’ private data , Reuters reports. Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona introduced a resolution on Tuesday, March 7 backed by 34 other senators to undo the regulations under a provision that allows Congress to repeal recently approved federal regulations.

Congress May Overturn Obama-Era Rules on Internet Privacy

Republicans in the U.S. Congress are moving to repeal regulations adopted by the Obama administration in October that would have subjected internet service providers to stricter scrutiny than websites to protect customers' Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona introduced a resolution on Tuesday backed by 34 other senators to undo the regulations under a provision that allows Congress to repeal recently approved federal regulations. Representative Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, who chairs a House panel on telecommunications, introduced a companion measure on Wednesday.

6 changes the FCC has made in just six weeks

Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/2mI3xq2 One of the FCC’s moves under the new administration was the removal from the agenda an order that would require pay-TV providers make free apps so subscribers could watch programming without a set-top box. In just six weeks under the Trump administration, the Federal Communications Commission has quickly made its mark on issues such as Net neutrality and online privacy.

Senate Dems grill FCC chairman

Democrats grilled the new Republican chairman of the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday, at his first hearing before Congress since taking over the agency. In his first month on the job, Chairman Ajit Pai has quickly begun rolling back a number of Obama-era initiatives and regulations, and faced tough questions from Dems at the Senate Commerce Committee hearing.

Trump SEC Pick Made Millions Representing Banks and Hedge Funds

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission has earned $7.62 million since 2015 representing some of Wall Street’s biggest firms, including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital Management, according to a federal disclosure form. Jay Clayton, the Sullivan & Cromwell partner tapped by Trump, outlined his clients — and his potential conflicts — in a filing to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics that he signed in January.

Senators push FCC to keep its net neutrality rules

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission should reverse course and keep the net neutrality rules it passed just two years ago, several Democratic senators said Wednesday. The FCC has not yet moved to repeal the regulations prohibiting broadband providers from selectively blocking or slowing web traffic, but the agency’s new chairman, Republican Ajit Pai, has called the rules a “mistake.”

‘Disingenuous and absurd’: White House slams resurfaced…

The White House on Tuesday shot down resurfaced reports suggesting President Donald Trump met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in April, calling the accounts “disingenuous and absurd.” As revisited Tuesday by the liberal-leaning AmericaBlog , a report in the Wall Street Journal last May said Trump and Kislyak interacted at a reception that preceded a foreign-policy speech the then-Republican frontrunner gave at a Washington, DC, hotel.

Congress Takes Sledgehammer to Broadband Privacy Rules Through Congressional Review Act

Today Senator Jeff Flake introduced a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to repeal the broadband privacy rules enacted by the Federal Communications Commission last October. The rules protect consumer privacy by requiring ISPs to seek affirmative consent before using or disclosing their customers’ sensitive information, including web browsing and app usage history, for marketing purposes.

WikiLeaks Says It Has CIA Spy Tools as McCain Cites Dangers

The Central Intelligence Agency’s hackers have developed tools letting them break into devices to monitor conversations and messages, according to documents released by WikiLeaks that — if true — could expose U.S. operations in countries from North Korea to Iran. “If they can hack into the CIA they can hack into anyone,” Republican Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said of WikiLeaks.

Trump Set to Roll Back Federal Fuel-Economy Requirements

In this Jan. 18, 2017, file photo, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator-designate, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public … Works Committee. On inauguration eve, five law professors filed a brief in support of a 2015 regulation giving EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers discretion to regulate tributaries and wetlands far upstream from navigable lakes and rivers to protect water quality.

Conservative Republicans just ripped into the GOP’s…

Republican members of Congress held a press conference on Tuesday to denounce their party leadership’s American Health Care Act and said they would introduce their own Obamacare-repeal plan on Wednesday. Members of the House Freedom Caucus and Republican senators suggested the proposed legislation did not go far enough in repealing all the taxes and entitlements in the Affordable Care Act.

House, Senate Conservative Republicans Plan Own Obamacare Repeal Bill

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., criticizes the House Republican healthcare reform plan as “Obamacare light” during a television interview on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. ( Conservative Republicans in Congress said on Tuesday they oppose aspects of the Republican leadership’s healthcare bill and they plan to introduce their own legislation on Wednesday to repeal Obamacare.

If Jason Chaffetz wants to compare healthcare to iPhones, let’s do it the right way

Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events Speaking this morning on CNN in defense of House Republicans’ Obamacare replacement plan , Utah Republican Jason Chaffetz said that rather than “getting that new iPhone that they just love,” low-income Americans should take they money they would have spent on it and “invest it in their own health care.” Host Alisyn Camerota started the exchange by pointing out that “access for lower-income Americans doesn’t equal coverage.”

European Stocks Called Higher As Markets Get Boost From U.S. Government Focus

European stocks are expected to open higher Tuesday as investors take a Republican party plan to repeal ‘Obamacare’ as a sign the administration is shifting focus towards firmer policy objectives. European stocks are expected to open higher Tuesday, following a solid session in Asia, as investors take a Republican party plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act as a sign that the administration is shifting focus towards firmer policy objectives.

House GOP Finally Puts Out Repeal Plan

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., plans to send the bill to the House floor for a vote and then forward it to the Senate by the beginning of April. Employers would no longer face a tax for offering high-value “Cadillac” health plans under the latest House Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare.

4 Trump plans piecemeal budget release, obscurring broader fiscal picture

The Trump administration’s first budget proposal this month will not include any specific changes to the tax code or big programs like Medicare and Social Security, an administration official said, A focusing instead on boosting A defense spending and cutting other programs that are annually authorized by Congress. This budget proposal is expected to be released around March 16. Other budget proposals will come at a later date, the Office of Management and Budget spokesperson official said.

GOP Needs Trump’s Salesmanship to Advance New Obamacare Plan

Republicans in Congress hope a new draft bill released Monday night will jump-start their stalled Obamacare repeal effort, though the most important factor may be how hard President Donald Trump works to sell it to lawmakers. Two House committees released long-awaited draft measures that House Speaker Paul Ryan and GOP leaders negotiated with the White House, and made expedited plans to take up the measures Wednesday.

As president, Trump seeks answers on his own wiretap mystery

White House Press secretary Sean Spicer walks out of the West Wing of the White House in Washington to speak with members of the media, Monday, March 6, 2017. White House Press secretary Sean Spicer walks out of the West Wing of the White House in Washington to speak with members of the media, Monday, March 6, 2017.

Wall St Dips on Trump Tumult, North Korea Action

U.S. stocks pulled back on Monday in a broad decline as investors grew uneasy over the latest tumult surrounding the Trump administration and geopolitical tensions emanating from North Korea. The S&P 500 has rallied about 11 percent in the wake of President Donald Trump’s victory in November, with investors betting on the implementation of reduced regulations, lower taxes and increased infrastructure spending.

Marathon’s $89,000 Drug May Exploit Patients, U.S. Senators Say

Marathon Pharmaceuticals LLC is facing added criticism over the $89,000 price tag on its drug for a rare muscle disorder as a group of eight U.S. lawmakers said they’re concerned that it “exploits” patients. In a March 3 letter to Marathon Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Aronin, seven Democratic U.S. senators and one independent demanded information on the closely held drugmaker’s pricing practices and product development costs for Emflaza, used to treat lethal Duchenne muscular dystrophy.