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Video of the Day
Protesters March In North Carolina Over Keith Scott Decision
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Today’s Hill Action
Senate Floor Schedule
HR 6297: Iran Sanctions Extension Act
Committee Hearings
9:00 am: Agriculture Department Gender Discrimination
9:30 am: Littoral Combat Ship/Mission Module Programs
10:00 am: Iraq/Afghanistan Force Management Levels
2:00 pm: Restoring Power of the Purse
House Floor Schedule
HR 6392: Systemic Risk Designation Improvement Act
HR 933: A resolution providing amounts for further expenses of the Committee on Energy
Committee Hearings
There are no hearings today.
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Trump’s vow on Medicare in doubt after HHS choice
The selection of Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) to become Health and Human Services secretary
is testing President-elect Donald Trump‘s vow not to
cut Medicare.
During the campaign, Trump said he stood out from other Republicans because he did
not want to change the popular program.
“I’m not going to cut Social Security like every other Republican, and I’m not going
to cut Medicare or Medicaid,” Trump told the Daily Signal last year.
His campaign promoted the article’s headline – “Why Donald Trump Won’t Touch Your
Entitlements” – on its website.
But Price does want to touch entitlements.
He is a proponent of a plan, also backed by Speaker Paul
Ryan (R-Wis.), to turn Medicare into a “premium support” system, which Democrats
warn would end the program’s traditional guarantee of government-provided coverage
for seniors.
Read More
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OPEC Confounds Skeptics, Agrees to First Oil Cuts in 8 Years
OPEC confounded its doubters and sent crude oil prices soaring by agreeing to its
first production cuts in eight years.
The deal, designed to drain record global oil inventories, overcame disagreements
between the group’s three largest producers — Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq — and
ended a flirtation with free markets that started in 2014. It was also broader than
many had expected, extending beyond OPEC. Most strikingly, Russia agreed to unprecedented
cuts to its own output.
The impact on the energy world was immediate: benchmark oil prices gained as much
as 10 percent in New York and the share prices of energy companies around the globe
jumped alongside the currencies of large exporters. Whether that’s sustained will
depend on how strictly members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
stick to the agreement, something they haven’t always done in the past.
Read more
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New regs for Friday: Movie theaters, privacy, health
Friday’s edition of the Federal Register contains new rules for movie theaters,
privacy requirements for Internet service providers, and health insurance for the
children of same-sex partners who work for the government.
Here’s what is happening:
Movies: The Department of Justice (DOJ) is moving forward with new requirements for movie theaters.
Movie theaters must now provide closed captioning and audio descriptions for customers
who are deaf or blind.
The rule goes into effect in 45 days.
Health: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will continue providing health
insurance for the children of the same-sex partners of federal workers who are living
overseas, even if their parents are not married.
Read more
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Until tomorrow,
Lobbyit.com
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