| Obamacare overhaul: Why GOP says it's not about the number of people covered Posted: 13 Mar 2017 02:55 PM PDT ![Obamacare overhaul: Why GOP says it's not about the number of people covered]( "Obamacare overhaul: Why GOP says it's not about the number of people covered") The number of uninsured Americans would rise by a total of 24 million by 2026 under the Republican American Health Care Act, according to a key independent analysis – but the end goal was never about the number of people covered, President Trump's budget point-man says. It comes down to a philosophical difference between Republicans and Democrats on the role of government in health care, observers explain. On Monday, the independent Congressional Budget Office estimated that the GOP legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would reduce federal deficits by $337 billion over 10 years, a point that's sure to cheer many.
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| No taxes for teachers: California tries to hold on to good educators Posted: 13 Mar 2017 02:45 PM PDT ![No taxes for teachers: California tries to hold on to good educators]( "No taxes for teachers: California tries to hold on to good educators") A new bill proposed in the California State Senate would completely eliminate income tax for teachers who have been in the profession for six years. Senate Bill 807, also known as the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act, is an attempt to provide incentives for teachers to stay in the profession in a state troubled by a shortage of educators. The California bill would be the first of its kind in both the state and the country to attempt to incentivize veteran teachers in this way. There are a number of reasons for the teacher shortage in California and the rest of the US, says David Steiner, executive director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy in Baltimore.
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| Utah sets lowest DUI limit in country: anomaly or trendsetter? Posted: 13 Mar 2017 02:29 PM PDT ![Utah sets lowest DUI limit in country: anomaly or trendsetter?]( "Utah sets lowest DUI limit in country: anomaly or trendsetter?") Drivers in Utah will be subject to the nation's tightest drinking and driving laws, if a bill passed by the state's legislature reducing the legal blood-alcohol content for driving from 0.08 to 0.05 goes into effect. Drivers continue to get behind the wheel while intoxicated despite advocacy campaigns that have raised awareness of the issue and efforts by legislators to bring greater restrictions and punishments for impaired driving. The approach to combating the public health issue has taken two prongs: punishing those who drink and drive and getting them off the road, and sending a message that driving under the influence isn't socially acceptable.
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| The challenge of fragile states Posted: 13 Mar 2017 01:23 PM PDT ![The challenge of fragile states]( "The challenge of fragile states") Some states stand out for their unwillingness or inability to offer proper governance – like Somalia, where much of the nation has remained outside the recognized government's control, or Yemen, where a devastating civil war and famine are ravaging the countryside. A recent report from several think tanks defined such states as having the "absence or breakdown of a social contract between people and their government." More specifically, says Stewart Patrick, director of the International Institutions and Global Governance program at the Council on Foreign Relations, what may be lacking is basic physical security, both against threats from outside a country and against violence within. There may also be deficiencies in political administration, economic management, and social provisions.
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| Are this Iowa congressman's views on immigration racist? Posted: 13 Mar 2017 01:01 PM PDT ![Are this Iowa congressman's views on immigration racist?]( "Are this Iowa congressman's views on immigration racist?") Republican Rep. Steve King took to Twitter on Sunday afternoon to express support for the nationalist Dutch politician Geert Wilders, writing: "Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny.
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| What new video reveals about the Michael Brown shooting Posted: 13 Mar 2017 12:35 PM PDT ![What new video reveals about the Michael Brown shooting]( "What new video reveals about the Michael Brown shooting") Previously unreleased video of Michael Brown hours before he was shot by police in 2014 has a documentary filmmaker and an attorney for the convenience store at odds over the significance of the footage. One of the filmmakers, Jason Pollock, told The New York Times that the bag Mr. Brown is seen leaving on the counter contains marijuana, a trade with the clerk for cigarillos that Mr. Brown left behind.
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| Brexit revives Scottish independence bid Posted: 13 Mar 2017 12:26 PM PDT ![Brexit revives Scottish independence bid]( "Brexit revives Scottish independence bid") As Britain prepares to trigger Article 50, to formally initiate its separation from the European Union, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced Monday that she will request a second referendum to vote on Scottish independence. A 2014 independence attempt by the Scottish Nationalist Party, leading to the resignation of SNP leader and First Minister Alex Salmond, failed.
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| Marines to Syria: Can US withstand pull of expanded military conflict? Posted: 13 Mar 2017 11:16 AM PDT ![Marines to Syria: Can US withstand pull of expanded military conflict?]( "Marines to Syria: Can US withstand pull of expanded military conflict?") The 400 Marines dispatched to northern Syria last week to back up US-trained rebel forces battling the so-called Islamic State were plunked down into a war of acute risk and geopolitical complexity that is entering its seventh year. Little fanfare accompanied announcement of the relatively diminutive deployment of an advanced artillery unit and support forces – a mission that brings to about 700 the total number of US troops on the ground in Syria, where a brutal civil war has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians and combatants and displaced millions. Recommended: How well do you understand the conflict in Syria?
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| This week at the White House: Angela Merkel and a Saudi prince Posted: 13 Mar 2017 09:58 AM PDT ![This week at the White House: Angela Merkel and a Saudi prince]( "This week at the White House: Angela Merkel and a Saudi prince") President Trump has said German Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to accept nearly 1 million asylum seekers in 2015 was a "disaster." He has openly implied NATO is obsolete, and he celebrated Britain's "Brexit" vote to leave the European bloc in which Germany is a leader. Ms. Merkel, for her part, congratulated Mr. Trump on his election win by lecturing him on democratic values, and patiently explained to the new president in January how his travel ban violated the Geneva Conventions. In their first face-to-face meeting, they plan to have productive talks about the European Union, trade, and the threat of Russia.
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| Podcast: What to expect from Trump on cybersecurity Posted: 13 Mar 2017 09:06 AM PDT ![Podcast: What to expect from Trump on cybersecurity]( "Podcast: What to expect from Trump on cybersecurity") President Trump has faced criticism for failing to strongly condemn Russia for allegedly interfering in November's election with political hacks, leaks, and fake news. But at least one former Obama administration official thinks there's reason for hope when it comes to the Trump administration's policy to tackle digital security.
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| You'll never shop alone again Posted: 13 Mar 2017 07:46 AM PDT ![You'll never shop alone again]( "You'll never shop alone again") Ever feel like someone – or something – is watching you when you're shopping? You're probably right.
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| Can Trump unite Republicans over healthcare and a new budget? Posted: 13 Mar 2017 06:59 AM PDT ![Can Trump unite Republicans over healthcare and a new budget?]( "Can Trump unite Republicans over healthcare and a new budget?") Does President Trump have what it takes to reunite a fractured Republican party? The president is set to reveal his fiscal budget for 2018 on Thursday, potentially deepening existing divides between GOP lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Congress. The budget comes as Republicans prepare Monday for a Congressional Budget Office analysis of the "repeal and replace" healthcare plan.
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| Bring a regime to justice? In Seoul, rights groups play long game on N. Korea. Posted: 13 Mar 2017 03:37 AM PDT ![Bring a regime to justice? In Seoul, rights groups play long game on N. Korea.]( "Bring a regime to justice? In Seoul, rights groups play long game on N. Korea.") As the Malaysian police seek further evidence to back their suspicions that the North Korean government was behind last month's assassination of Kim Jong-nam in Kuala Lumpur, international investigators are gathering testimony to put top North Korean leaders on trial for a much broader range of heinous crimes. The UN special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea on Monday called on the world to bring members of the dictatorial regime to justice at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. The international community "must be guided by the pursuit of justice and accountability as a core tenet of the United Nations," said Tomas Ojea Quintana, introducing a report on accountability to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
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| Why a House bill wants workers' genetic information Posted: 12 Mar 2017 02:20 PM PDT ![Why a House bill wants workers' genetic information]( "Why a House bill wants workers' genetic information") Since 2008, Americans have been protected from being penalized for refusing a genetic test in the workplace or having to share the results with their employer. Passed along party lines, the bill, put forward by chairwoman Rep. Virginia Foxx (R) of North Carolina, is now under review by other House committees. If enacted, the legislation would mean that employees who refuse to submit to a genetic test as part of their office's voluntary wellness program could lose out on up to a 30 percent reduction in health insurance costs.
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