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Video of the Day

Before and after the fatal Ghost Ship fire in Oakland
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Today’s Hill Action

Senate Floor Schedule

HR 34: 21st Century Cures Act

Committee Hearings

There are no hearings today.

House Floor Schedule

HR 2726: Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin
Act

HR 6427: Creating Financial Prosperity for Businesses
and Investors Act

S 795: A bill to enhance whistleblower protection for
contractor and grantee employees.

HR 5015: Combat-Injured Veterans Tax Fairness Act

S 3395: Prescribed Burn Approval Act

S 1635: Department of State Operations Authorization
and Embassy Security Act

Committee Hearings

There are no hearings today.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Week Ahead: AT&T-Time Warner merger under scrutiny

The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on AT&T’s proposed $85 billion deal to purchase Time Warner.

Lawmakers will examine antitrust concerns over the planned tie-up between wireless
giant AT&T and an entertainment powerhouse that includes HBO, CNN and Warner Brothers.
The merger has become a political flash point, attracting critics from both sides
of the aisle.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has urged the Justice Department to kill the merger on the grounds that it would harm American consumers. “This merger represents a gross concentration of power that runs counter to the public good and should be blocked,” Sanders wrote in October.

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This Week in Cybersecurity: Dems press for information on Russian hacks

Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee are keeping up their pressure on the Obama administration to make more information public about alleged Russian meddling in the U.S. election.

“We believe there is additional information concerning the Russian Government and the U.S. election that should be declassified and released to the public,” the lawmakers, led by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), wrote in a brief letter to President Obama on Wednesday. “We are conveying specifics through classified channels.”They have not yet received a reply, according to Wyden’s office.

The letter was signed by Democratic Sens. Barbara Mikulski (Md.), Mark Warner (Va.), Martin
Heinrich (N.M.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) and ex-officio member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) along with Sen. Angus King (I-Maine).

Read more

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At Dakota pipeline protest, activists celebrate, mindful fight isn’t over

Thousands of protesters in North Dakota celebrated after the federal government ruled against a controversial pipeline project but were mindful the fight is not over, as the company building the line said it had no plans for re-routing the pipe.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said on Sunday it rejected an application to allow
the Dakota Access Pipeline to tunnel under Lake Oahe, a reservoir formed by a dam
on the Missouri River.

The decision came after months of protests from Native Americans and activists, who argued that the 1,172-mile (1,885-km) Dakota Access Pipeline would damage sacred lands and could contaminate the tribe’s water source. Energy Transfer Partners, in a joint statement with its partner, Sunoco Logistics Partners, said late on Sunday they do not intend to reroute the line, calling the Obama administration’s decision a “political action.” They said they still expect the project to be completed, noting that the Army Corps said they had followed all required legal procedures in the permitting process.

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Until tomorrow,
Lobbyit.com
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