GOP plans to cut tax rates and brackets

Congressional Republicans are planning to simplify a complicated tax code that rewards wealthy people with smart accountants, as well as corporations that can easily shift profits and jobs overseas. Overhauling the nation’s tax system is a heavy political lift that could ultimately affect families at every income level and businesses of every size.

Train route between Scranton, New York City not yet a reality

MICHAEL J. MULLEN / TIMES-SHAMROCK FILE U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, who holds a seat on the Appropriations Committee, has turned the train’s revival into his mission in Congress. Larry Malski, president of the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority, rode the last passenger train that ran between Scranton and New York City on Jan. 5, 1970, and remains optimistic he can ride the next one.

Lawmaker proposes involuntary commitment for drug treatment

Those struggling with drug addiction could be hospitalized against their will under a bill being proposed by a New Hampshire lawmaker. State Sen. Jeb Bradley, a Republican from Wolfeboro, is proposing amending the state law that allows authorities to involuntarily commit people suffering from serious mental illness who pose a threat to themselves.

The fight to save Medicare and Medicaid begins in January

Donald Trump has won the presidency after narrowly carrying a few states to put him above 270 electoral votes.But according… Senate Republicans refused to give President Obama’s pick to replace Supreme Court Justice Scalia even the courtesy of a… You’ve heard a lot less from Republicans, including popular vote loser Donald Trump, about plans to privatize Medicare and gut Medicaid under the new administration. In fact, House Speaker Paul Ryan has seemed to cool off a bit on the whole idea.

article

Republicans are united on repealing President Barack Obama’s health care law, but ideologically and practically speaking, they’re in different camps over replacing it. Getting the factions together won’t be easy.

Pipeline uncertainty illustrates broader concerns for tribes

For hundreds of protesters, it was cause to cheer when the Obama administration this month declined to issue an easement for the Dakota Access pipeline’s final segment. But that elation was dampened by the uncertainty of what comes next: a Donald Trump-led White House that might be far less attuned to issues affecting Native Americans.

25 congressional members question plant-based “milk” label

Got milk? Twenty-five bipartisan members of Congress said if it’s from soybeans, almond or rice, it should not be labeled as milk. Democratic Vermont Rep. Peter Welch and Republican Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson, leading the charge against “fake milk,” signed a letter along with other Congressional members, asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to investigate and take action against manufacturers of “milk” that doesn’t come from cows.

Republicans on taxes: Cut rates, brackets but what about deficit

Congressional Republicans are planning a massive overhaul of the nation’s tax system next year, a heavy political lift that could ultimately affect families at every income level and businesses of every size. Their goal is to simplify a complicated tax code that rewards wealthy people with smart accountants, and corporations that can easily shift profits – and jobs – overseas.

This Christmas my prayers are for the people of Aleppo

It is a Christmas accompanied by the horrors of mass executions of women and children, airstrikes and barrel bombing of civilians – and mostly world silence in response. Americans witnessed neatly edited clips of human suffering in Aleppo as its residents made heartbreaking pleas for the world to save them.

Santhigram Kerala Ayurveda Opens One More Midwest Location at Naperville, Illinois

Santhigram Kerala Ayurvedic Company of US proudly announces the launching of its 5th Ayurveda Wellness Center in the Midwest after successful operation of its other Midwest Centers in Milwaukee, Chicago, Houston, and Dallas, at 664 S Route 59, Naperville, IL. Santhigram Kerala Ayurvedic Company of US proudly announces the launching of its 5th Ayurveda Wellness Center in the Midwest after successful operation of its other Midwest Centers in Milwaukee, Chicago, Houston, and Dallas, at 664 S Route 59, Naperville, IL .

Report ties top cop Eddie Johnson to LaQuan McDonald shooting aftermath

New problems for Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson. The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Johnson, who was a police Deputy Superintendent when white officer Jason VanDyke shot and killed black teenager LaQuan McDonald in October of 2014, was among a group of top police officials who saw the dashcam video of the shooting just days after it occurred.

NY Times: Trump Seeks Path for Mexico Wall

President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has contacted border officials to ask where a wall could be constructed along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to The New York Times. Trump referred to the “big, beautiful wall” as a key campaign promise, one he said would combat illegal immigration, and his aides continue to say that border wall construction is a priority for the new administration.

Stocks could suffer as Trump trade policy takes shape

The year-end stocks rally on the heels of the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president was built on expectations of reduced regulations, big tax cuts and a large fiscal stimulus. Traders work on the floor at the opening of the day’s trading at the New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., December 22, 2016.

Bill to jumpstart research, speed up treatment options

A bill signed by President Barack Obama recently is looking to bring medical breakthroughs and tackle some of the largest health challenges facing Americans. Now a law, the 21st Century Cures Act will speed up the federal review process while reducing bureaucracy needed to approve new medical treatment options.

Release of emails by Chicago mayor doesna t end dispute

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s decision to release thousands of pages of private emails does not end a dispute in Illinois about public access to such emails from him and other officials when they deal with government business. Emanuel announced late Wednesday that he had settled a lawsuit by a government watchdog group over emails from his personal accounts, but it allows him and his personal lawyer to decide which emails are public records and which are not.

License issued for $1B Montana power storage project

A Montana company has been granted a license to build a $1 billion, 400-megawatt power storage project in the central part of the state that would supplement electricity from wind turbines and other sources, according to documents released Thursday by federal regulators. The 50-year license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission allows Absaroka Energy, of Bozeman, Montana, to construct and operate the project on a 177-acre site near the tiny town of Martinsdale, home to fewer than 100 people.

Trump meets with one-time adversary David Koch at Mar-a-Lago

President-elect Donald Trump may be making peace with the Koch brothers, the influential Republican billionaires who frequently criticized him during the election campaign. Sources familiar with the impromptu meeting told the Washington Post that Mr. Trump had met with billionaire businessman and philanthropist David Koch at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach.

Capitol Report: Senate Dems say Wells Fargo not responding to fraud info requests

US Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, holds up copies of Wells Fargo earnings call transcripts as she questions John Stumpf, then chairman and CEO of Wells Fargo The bank’s management has so far failed to answer all the questions the committee members have put to it, the letter says, following its settlement with multiple regulatory authorities in September for multi-year fraudulent sales practices. The letter , jointly signed by nine Democrats including Ranking Member Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, again asked Wells Fargo’s board for a status report on its ongoing investigation of the fraud and a detailed timeline of when the board learned about the illegal practices and actions it took.

Next 25 Articles

President Obama sat down with The Atlantic’s Ta-Nehisi Coates for a series of interviews for Coates’ ‘My President Was Black’ feature, and the president had a lot to say about race and the media in the past eight years. The Atlantic yesterday and today posted the first and second of those interviews, and in both he invoked Fox News and Rush Limbaugh in talking about public perceptions of himself.

Eugene Robinson:Who in the Gop will stand up to Trump?

President-elect Donald Trump’s victory tour was more than just an opportunity to strut and preen around the country like a peacock with a comb-over. It was a warning to Republican leaders in Congress that Trump intends to be in charge — and that there will be consequences if the party establishment does not fall in line.