Day: December 17, 2016

Trump aide plays down prospect of upending ‘one China’ policy

President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming White House chief of staff on Sunday played down the prospect that Trump would revisit Washington’s decades-old “one China” policy, even though he suggested as much a week ago. Since 1979, the United States has acknowledged Taiwan as part of “one China” but Trump prompted a diplomatic protest from Beijing after he accepted a congratulatory phone call on his election win from President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan on Dec. 2. “We are not suggesting that we’re revisiting ‘one China’ policy right now,” Trump aide Reince Priebus said on “Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace.”

Anthem-Cigna Deal Cast by U.S. as Risk to Patients, Providers

Anthem Inc. and the U.S. Justice Department extended their clash over whether the insurer’s planned takeover of rival Cigna Corp. will raise costs, as government witnesses testified Friday that the deal will harm health-care providers and patients. Frank Gorse, a vice president at Patient First, which operates urgent-care centers in the Mid-Atlantic region, said he’s concerned the merger will squeeze providers due to Anthem’s lower payouts, harming patient services.

Obama, rapping Putin, says US could strike back on cyber

President Barack Obama put Russia’s Vladimir Putin on notice Friday that the U.S. could use offensive cyber muscle to retaliate for interference in the U.S. presidential election, his strongest suggestion to date that Putin had been well aware of campaign email hacking. Caught in the middle of a post-election controversy over Russian hacking, Obama strongly defended his administration’s response, including his refusal before the voting to ascribe motive to the meddling or to discuss now what effect it might have had.

Trump taps conservative SC Rep. Mulvaney as budget chief

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Mulvaney as his budget director, naming a tough-on-spending conservativ… WASHINGTON – President-elect Donald Trump has tapped South Carolina GOP Rep. Mick Mulvaney as his budget director, naming a tough-on-spending conservative and an advocate of balancing the federal budget to the important post. An official on Trump’s transition team, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter before it is officially announced, confirmed Trump’s pick Friday evening.

Top Trump aide forming group to back White House agenda

One of President-elect Donald Trump’s top campaign advisers is moving forward with plans to form a nonprofit group that will support the Republican’s agenda in the White House. The group is being formed with the backing of Trump and his family, according to two people with knowledge of the plans.

FLOTUS: White House Needs ‘Grown-Up’ in Times of Crisis

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive for a reception to honor recipients of the 2016 Kennedy Center Honors in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016. Michelle Obama says the White House needs a “grown-up” and the nation will come to appreciate President Barack Obama.

FDA Increases Transparency of Adverse Event Data for Cosmetics and Foods

On December 6th, FDA announced that it is publicly releasing data received by the Agency’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition about adverse events related to cosmetics and foods, including both conventional foods and dietary supplements. Adverse events can be any negative reaction to a product, such as a serious illness or allergic reactions, or other complaints like packaging problems, that are received through FDA’s voluntary adverse event reporting systems for these classes of regulated products .

Nation-Now 47 mins ago 11:29 p.m.Don’t call it soy milk, Vermont congressman says

Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., is asking the Food and Drug Administration to enforce the definition of “milk” – as in, a beverage that comes from cows – and require non-dairy drinks that currently market themselves as “milk” to find another name. Welch argues that plant-based products using the name “milk” are freeloading off milk ads paid for by dairy farmers, such as the “Got Milk?” campaign.

Don’t shoot the messenger

It is difficult to divine whether Gov. Sam Brownback enjoys living in a state of denial – or if he actually believes repeating misleading statements often enough will convince Kansans they are true.

Judge upholds California Electoral College mandate

San Jose >> A federal judge is rejecting a challenge to California’s requirement that Electoral College members vote for the statewide winner of the presidential election. An attorney for elector Vinz Koller says the judge issued his decision following a hearing on Friday.

More thoughts about Hillary’s loss

The Marshall Independent published two columns from syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts and, more recently, an opinion from a Redwood Falls subscriber. The common thread seems to be that Trump won the election, but didn’t deserve to! Nowhere was Hillary Clinton’s loss even mentioned let alone reasons for such loss presented despite all the ares of obvious concern, for example, economy, trade, wages, etc.

Oklahoma Republican lawmaker abandons anti-abortion bathroom signs law

An Oklahoma Republican lawmaker on Friday abandoned a measure that required public bathrooms to display anti-abortion signs after an outcry from business leaders and health providers who said it would cost millions of dollars. Republican Sen. A.J. Griffin, who had sponsored the original bill passed by the Legislature, proposed an amendment that would require the signs only at abortion providers and would direct the state Department of Health to launch a social media campaign on how to avoid abortions.