Obama Reportedly Knew Millions Wouldn't Keep Insurance - Business Insider

Obama Reportedly Knew Millions Wouldn't Keep Insurance - Business Insider: "The Obama administration has known for at least three years that millions of Americans would not be able to keep their current health care plans, despite repeated promises to the contrary made by President Barack Obama, NBC News reports, citing sources “deeply involved” in Obamacare."

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Gunman holed up in N.C. CVS store surrenders - CBS News

Gunman holed up in N.C. CVS store surrenders - CBS News: "A would-be robber entered a CVS store in North Carolina with a scoped rifle early Friday and took three employees hostage before eventually releasing them and then surrendering himself, police said.

CBS Charlotte affiliate WBTV-TV reports that police in Belmont, N.C., identified the suspect as Edward Scott Russ, 46."

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CGI Federal landed the Healthcare.gov contract. Here’s how it fights for the ones it loses.

CGI Federal landed the Healthcare.gov contract. Here’s how it fights for the ones it loses.: "Consider Section 8 rental subsidies. For CGI, the business of handling the low-income housing program started back in 1999, when the Department of Housing and Urban Development -- under pressure to downsize its in-house operations -- started outsourcing the job to public housing authorities around the country. The housing authorities would subcontract with IT providers like CGI Federal, which mopped up more than 25 percent of the $200-300 million or so in fees that came from HUD every year. CGI, the biggest of all the subcontractors, provides the infrastructure and support to route housing subsidies to landlords and monitor for compliance with HUD rules."

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Teacher Colleen Ritzer Allegedly Killed By 14-Year-Old - Business Insider

This is the second kid this week!

Teacher Colleen Ritzer Allegedly Killed By 14-Year-Old - Business Insider: "A Massachusetts town has shut down its schools after a 24-year-old math teacher was found dead outside of Danvers High School, The Boston Globe reports.
A 14-year-old boy is in custody and facing a murder charge, according to The Globe. Officials have not named the boy because he is a juvenile."

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Boy Shoots Himself Babysitter's Gun - Business Insider

Texas again!

Boy Shoots Himself Babysitter's Gun - Business Insider: "A 5-year-old Texas boy accidentally shot himself with his babysitter's gun while she was napping on Monday, M. Alex Johnson of NBC News reports.
The babysitter, Melissa Ann Ringhard, has been arrested on a felony charge of abandoning or endangering a child, which carries a sentence of six months to two years."

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NJ Gov. Christie Drops Gay Marriage Appeal | Here & Now

NJ Gov. Christie Drops Gay Marriage Appeal | Here & Now: "Gov. Chris Christie has dropped his appeal to legalized same-sex marriages on Monday, hours after gay couples began immediately taking advantage of a court ruling that compelled the state to become the 14th in the nation to recognize same-sex nuptials."

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Republicans Plan To Ride Obamacare Disaster To 2014 Electoral Victory - Business Insider

Republicans Plan To Ride Obamacare Disaster To 2014 Electoral Victory - Business Insider: ""Obamacare" escaped unharmed from the government shutdown Republicans hoped would stop it, but just as quickly they have opened a new line of attack — one handed to them by the administration itself."

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HHS Plans Tech Surge To Fix Website - Business Insider

HHS Plans Tech Surge To Fix Website - Business Insider: "Now, the administration says it plans to deploy a programming A-Team to address the issue.

That's according to a blog item posted Sunday on the Department of Health and Human Services' website, under the heading "Tech Surge."  "

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Star CEO says he told McDonnell of loan to first lady - Richmond Times-Dispatch: Government And Politics

Star CEO says he told McDonnell of loan to first lady - Richmond Times-Dispatch: Government And Politics: "Williams told investigators he insisted on the meeting in the governor’s office to ensure that McDonnell knew about the loan, the source said.
The Star executive provided the loan to the McDonnells at a time when the family was falling into debt from its real estate holdings, but Williams told investigators he was unaware that Maureen McDonnell turned around and invested a portion of the money in Star stock, the source said."

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Jeb Bush says GOP needs ‘agenda’ - Tal Kopan - POLITICO.com

Jeb Bush says GOP needs ‘agenda’ - Tal Kopan - POLITICO.com: "“We have to have an agenda, we just can’t be against what’s in front of Washington, D.C.,” Bush said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Thursday. “Much of what goes on in Washington is completely irrelevant to the lives of everyday people. I mean it’s just amazing.”" 'via Blog this'

Workers Are Opting For Part-Time Positions - Business Insider

Workers Are Opting For Part-Time Positions - Business Insider: "At the beginning of 2014, there may be millions of full-time workers who transition to part-time status.
The surge in part-timers is expected for two reasons. First, many believe the Affordable Care Act, commonly called the ACA or Obamacare, has resulted in companies cutting employee hours to get around providing health care to employees working more than 30 hours a week."

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Tammy Duckworth: GOP exploiting veterans - Tal Kopan - POLITICO.com

Tammy Duckworth: GOP exploiting veterans - Tal Kopan - POLITICO.com:
Iraq war veteran Rep. Tammy Duckworth charged that Republicans were using veterans to make a scene at the World War II Memorial, saying those who served deserve a “heck of a lot more” from Washington.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/tammy-duckworth-veterans-government-shutdown-2013-97778.html#ixzz2hzwzBMBE
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The Government Shutdown Has Cost The Economy $24 Billion | ThinkProgress

The Government Shutdown Has Cost The Economy $24 Billion | ThinkProgress: "Standard & Poor’s calculates that the shutdown that has so far lasted just over two weeks has taken $24 billion out of the economy, shaving at least 0.6 percent off of GDP in the fourth quarter.
The agency had originally predicted a 3 percent growth rate in GDP this quarter, noting that “we thought politicians would have learned from 2011 and taken steps to avoid things like a government shutdown and the possibility of a sovereign default.” But now recognizing that “our forecast didn’t hold,” it has reduced that estimate to 2 percent."

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Medal of Honor Awardee Embodies the Best of His Generation - The Daily Beast

Thank you CPT Swenson!

Medal of Honor Awardee Embodies the Best of His Generation - The Daily Beast: "President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor yesterday to former Army Captain William Swenson, the first Army officer since Vietnam to receive our nation’s highest military honor. The story of Swenson reveals a man who values truth and service, not just because of his actions in Afghanistan, but also through his actions after. Brave, disillusioned, resolute - in a variety of ways, Swenson personifies the best of the men and women who joined the military after 9/11 and then spent over a decade fighting two brushfire wars on the other side of the world."

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Explosion, fire at Smith County oil storage facility | KETK | East Texas News, Weather and Sports | Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville

Explosion, fire at Smith County oil storage facility | KETK | East Texas News, Weather and Sports | Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville: "Smith County firefighters have been monitoring an oil storage facility throughout the night after a reported explosion and fire.

It happened around 10 p.m., just off Sandflat Road.

No one was injured and no evacuations have been ordered.

We're told one pump jack, three storage tanks and several vessels were destroyed."

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Rand Paul: Tie Debt Ceiling To Raising Age For Social Security And Medicare

Don't wait do it immediately, and not gradually!  Nice trick but I'm not buying it.  Reagan in 1985 with the (Alan) Greenspan Commission was good enough.

Rand Paul: Tie Debt Ceiling To Raising Age For Social Security And Medicare: "Rand Paul: Tie Debt Ceiling To Raising Age For Social Security And Medicare
In a radio interview airing Sunday night, Sen. Rand Paul suggested adding changes to Social Security and Medicare into the debt ceiling debate. “Rising the age on social security gradually a couple months a year for younger people is a way to fix the imbalance,” he said."

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Chris Christie Slams Congress - The Daily Beast

Scan -

Chris Christie Slams Congress - The Daily Beast: "The compromise-friendly New Jersey governor tells Lloyd Grove he thinks Washington—including his own party—has failed at its only job: keep the government running."

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The GOP’s Backdoor Impeachment Scheme - The Daily Beast

Awesome article.
The GOP’s Backdoor Impeachment Scheme - The Daily Beast: "Republicans have lost at the ballot box and the Supreme Court, so they’ve decided to nullify President Obama another way: keep his government from working, period."

These days, the GOP comes across as hating Obamacare more than loving their countrymen, and the nation is returning that ire (PDF). Less than a quarter of Americans view the Republicans favorably, and a majority dislikes them, three-in-10 intensely. The GOP’s goal of recapturing the Senate in 2014 is now looking more like a dream than a reality, as Republicans are “forced to explain why they are not to blame and why Americans should trust them to govern both houses of Congress when the one they do run is in such disarray.” Indeed.
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The Army’s $5 billion New Uniform Already Being Replaced - The Daily Beast

SCAN-
The Army’s $5 billion New Uniform Already Being Replaced - The Daily Beast: "Eight years after spending $5 billion on a heavily-criticized universal camouflage pattern, the Army is back at the drawing board looking for a new design that’s estimated to cost another $4 billion."

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Shiller: Housing Not A Great Investment - Business Insider

Shiller: Housing Not A Great Investment - Business Insider: "Robert Shiller: "Absolutely! Housing traditionally is not viewed as a great investment. It takes maintenance, it depreciates, it goes out of style. All of those are problems. And there's technical progress in housing. So, new ones are better...

"So, why was it considered an investment? That was a fad. That was an idea that took hold in the early 2000's. And I don't expect it to come back. Not with the same force. So people might just decide, "Yeah, I'll diversify my portfolio. I'll live in a rental." That is a very sensible thing for many people to do."

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Fox News gaffe helps Muslim cultural museum

FoxBadNews hits again!

Fox News gaffe helps Muslim cultural museum: "A round of applause for “Fox & Friends” host Anna Kooiman. Two weekends ago, she committed the inexcusable error of taking seriously a “story” on the Web site of the National Reporter saying that President Obama had dug into his own pocket to fund the International Museum of Muslim Cultures. Here’s how she put it: “We’re going to talk a little bit later in the show, too, about some things that are continuing to be funded and President Obama has offered to pay out of his own pocket for the Museum of Muslim Culture, out of his own pocket.”"

Below is FN's BS tweet: hidden from FN viewers.  

This is par for the course.
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Tea Partier Larry Klayman to Obama: ‘Put the Quran down’ | theGrio

I get the rhetoric but not the religious bigotry!  
Tea Partier Larry Klayman to Obama: ‘Put the Quran down’ | theGrio: "The Tea Party and conservatives have been criticized for years for conflating President Obama and the Muslim religion. Despite the president’s frequent insistence that he is a Christian, some members of the right refuse to believe him and have even passed bans on Sharia Law around the country in the wake of his election." 'via Blog this'

Meet 13 debt ceiling truthers - Salon.com

Meet 13 debt ceiling truthers - Salon.com: "With that cheery picture in mind, here are 13 of the more head-slapping examples of debt ceiling trutherism from GOP officials. As Paul Krugman recently put it, “God help us all.”"

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Daily Beast Slams GOP Debt-Ceiling ‘Denialists’ and ‘Truthers’ | NewsBusters

Daily Beast Slams GOP Debt-Ceiling ‘Denialists’ and ‘Truthers’ | NewsBusters: "The Daily Beast is ramping up the attacks on conservatives who don’t believe a catastrophe would result if the United States reaches its debt limit. On Monday, the Beast churned out a story ripping debt-ceiling “denialists,” and on Tuesday, another article slammed debt-ceiling “truthers.”

Patricia Murphy’s Monday article, titled “The GOP’s Top 10 Debt Ceiling Denialists,” was a sort of opinion/straight news hybrid infused with more than a hint of derision. Murphy essentially mocked the “denialists” in her opening paragraph:"

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Corker: It's now about spending caps - POLITICO.com

Corker: It's now about spending caps - POLITICO.com: "Sen. Bob Corker said Sunday the standoff in Washington was now about spending levels — not Obamacare — and knocked Democrats for trying to break the spending caps put in place in 2011 under the Budget Control Act.

And he said there had been no progress toward a deal this weekend, which saw the collapse of talks between House Republicans and the White House. “The last 24 hours have not been good,” Corker said on “Fox News Sunday.”

The Tennessee Republican dinged his own party for what he characterized as an “overreach” in trying to defund Obamacare as part of any deal to fund the government, saying that was “not something that was achievable.”"

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Star Scientific chief believed McDonnell was helping firm get funding - The Washington Post

Nothing to see here!

Star Scientific chief believed McDonnell was helping firm get funding - The Washington Post: "A wealthy political donor has told federal prosecutors that he believed that Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell was helping his company get state research funding at the same time the executive was providing McDonnell’s family with gifts and money, according to two people familiar with the donor’s account.

E-mails obtained through the Freedom of Information Act also show that researchers and scientists working with the company thought that McDonnell (R) and his wife, Maureen, wanted the company to receive the funding from the state’s tobacco commission. The researchers were in communication with Star Scientific Inc. officials during the same months that Chief Executive Jonnie R. Williams Sr. said he believed McDonnell was helping, the e-mails show."

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Ben Carson compares Obamacare to slavery - POLITICO.com Print View

Ben Carson compares Obamacare to slavery - POLITICO.com Print View: "Dr. Ben Carson, a conservative commentator and neurosurgeon, on Friday likened the health care law to slavery.

“Obamacare is really, I think, the worst thing to happen to the nation since slavery,” Carson said, speaking at the Values Voter Summit. “And it is slavery, in a way.”

Carson, who is African American, added to applause, “It was never about health care. It was about control.”

During an address punctuated with cheers, Carson also said that there’s no such thing as a “war on women.” Smiling, he noted that pregnant women are typically treated politely, and said that the real war is on unborn children."

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Ken Cuccinelli ad: Terry McAuliffe ‘despicable’ - James Hohmann - POLITICO.com

Ken Cuccinelli ad: Terry McAuliffe ‘despicable’ - James Hohmann - POLITICO.com: "Ken Cuccinelli’s campaign released its most brutal ad yet Friday in the very nasty Virginia governor’s race. “Despicable” highlights Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s investment with Joseph Caramadre, who pleaded guilty in Rhode Island to identity theft and wire fraud charges in a death-benefits scheme in 2012." 'via Blog this'

Obama signs bill to provide military death benefits during shutdown - POLITICO.com

Obama signs bill to provide military death benefits during shutdown - POLITICO.com: "President Barack Obama on Thursday evening signed a House bill that allows the families of fallen troops to continue collecting benefits. The president had pledged Wednesday to fix the lapse in funding as soon as possible.

The full White House statement:

On Thursday, October 10, 2013, the President signed into law:

H.J. Res. 91, which provides continuing appropriations for standard death gratuities and related survivor benefits for survivors of deceased military service members of the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2014, and for other purposes."

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GOP Congressman Who Slammed Democrats For Fundraising Over Shutdown Is Fundraising Over Shutdown

As a conservative I'd still vote for him!

GOP Congressman Who Slammed Democrats For Fundraising Over Shutdown Is Fundraising Over Shutdown: "Arizona Republican Rep. David Schweikert, who recently blamed Democrats for shutting down the government in order to fundraise, is slamming Democrats once again for fundraising and allegedly collecting email addresses, in a fundraising email of his own.
Schweikert said in an email obtained Tuesday he was “disturbed” that Democrats are collecting emails during the shutdown, saying “we deserve better” and “truly, I’m disappointed.”"

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Man Shot and Killed for Stealing Beer in Texas | Care2 Causes

Texas!!

Man Shot and Killed for Stealing Beer in Texas | Care2 Causes: "The West is known for its quick draw culture, but shooting a man to death for stealing some beer seems like a bit much. On Saturday night, a Texas Quick Stop owner shot and killed a thief who was attempting to make off with two cases of beer, and had made it almost to the doorway of the store with his loot. Neighbors and the media have been quick to blame the victim by pointing out that he was a “known gang member,” as though alleged gang affiliations might justify the decision to use lethal force. (Such language is also used in a form of racial coding to imply that the victim wasn’t white, as many people assume gangs only contain people of color.)"

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Disney World offers full-time jobs to 427 part-timers - Orlando Sentinel

Disney World offers full-time jobs to 427 part-timers - Orlando Sentinel: "Walt Disney World has offered to elevate 427 part-time workers to full-time status because those employees have worked enough hours during the past year to qualify as full-timers under the federal Affordable Care Act.

But officials with the Service Trades Council, the coalition of unions that represents more than 30,000 full-time and part-time workers at Disney World, say they are hesitant to accept the offer because it could mean elevating some employees over more-senior part-timers who have been waiting for full-time positions.

The 427 part-time workers whom Disney would make full-time represent a tiny sliver of the giant resort's total part-time workforce. Disney has approximately 24,000 part-time employees."

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Ted Cruz Is Already Protesting the Shutdown He Asked For - Elspeth Reeve - The Atlantic Wire

Ted Cruz Is Already Protesting the Shutdown He Asked For - Elspeth Reeve - The Atlantic Wire:

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Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul caught on hot mic - Burgess Everett - POLITICO.com

Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul caught on hot mic - Burgess Everett - POLITICO.com: "Kentucky GOP Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul were caught discussing on Wednesday night Republican messaging strategy during a hot mic moment in a Senate office building. After a CNN news hit, Paul came over to a “wired up” McConnell, who was sitting in front of a camera for his own interview. During the brief exchange, Paul suggested that Republicans would sound more reasonable if they struck a conciliatory tone on government funding than Democrats, who maintain that they won’t alter Obamacare as a condition of reopening the government." 'via Blog this'

Meet Butch Matthews, A Republican Who Came To Love Obamacare After Realizing It Will Save Him $13,000 | ThinkProgress

Meet Butch Matthews, A Republican Who Came To Love Obamacare After Realizing It Will Save Him $13,000 | ThinkProgress: "Butch Matthews is a 61-year-old former small business owner from Little Rock, Arkansas who used to wake up every morning at 4 A.M. to deliver canned beverages to retailers before retiring in 2010. A lifelong Republican, he was heavily skeptical of the Affordable Care Act when it first passed. “I did not think that Obamacare was going to be a good plan, I did not think that it was going to help me at all,” he told ThinkProgress over the phone."

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Man shot at mother's funeral stable - 14 News, WFIE, Evansville, Henderson, Owensboro

People with Dementia shouldn't have weapons.

14 News, WFIE, Evansville, Henderson, Owensboro

Man shot at mother's funeral stable - 14 News, WFIE, Evansville, Henderson, Owensboro: "A Sumter County man was shot in the chest as he attended his mother's funeral at Concord Methodist Church in Sumter County Wednesday afternoon.

53 year old Jack Aycock was shot in the chest outside Concord Methodist Church just west of Americus. He was taken to Phoebe Sumter Hospital for surgery and has been listed in stable condition."

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Va. Democrats sue McDonnell, Cuccinelli, elections board; claim voters could be wrongly purged - The Washington Post

Here they go again; Purging Records!
Va. Democrats sue McDonnell, Cuccinelli, elections board; claim voters could be wrongly purged - The Washington Post:
Virginia Democrats on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit against Republican Ken Cuccinelli, Gov. Bob McDonnell and the state elections board, claiming tens of thousands of voters are at risk of being wrongly purged from voter rolls ahead of the state’s gubernatorial election.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, was not listed on the court’s electronic docket, but a copy was obtained by The Associated Press.
The Democratic Party of Virginia accuses election officials, including Cuccinelli in his role as Attorney General, of pressing forward with a plan to potentially purge 57,000 registered voters because an interstate database shows them registered in multiple states. But Democrats say the list is filled with errors and thousands could be wrongly disenfranchised.
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Fox News Website Trumpets Government 'Slimdown,' Not Shutdown

Fox News Website Trumpets Government 'Slimdown,' Not Shutdown: ""Shutdown"? What's a "shutdown"?

If you were looking at the Fox News website, you might think you were in a different universe than the one where everyone is talking about a government shutdown.

What we have, according to the network, is a "slimdown." The government's not frozen and crippled -- it's just losing a little weight!"

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George W. Bush's Education Law, No Child Left Behind, Abandoned By Texas

George W. Bush's Education Law, No Child Left Behind, Abandoned By Texas: "It's official. Texas is leaving behind George W. Bush's baby -- the No Child Left Behind education law.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced Monday that he approved the application of Texas, Bush's home state, for a waiver from the No Child Left Behind Act. This makes Texas the 42nd state to receive permission to ditch the notorious education law's most onerous strictures."

'via Blog this'