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White House tries to salvage GOP health-care proposal as criticism mounts

Source: WaPo

March 14 at 7:43 PM

The White House launched an intensive effort Tuesday to salvage support for the Republican plan to revise the Affordable Care Act, even as a growing number of lawmakers weighed in against the proposal.

One day after the Congressional Budget Office released its analysis showing that 14 million fewer Americans would be insured next year under the GOP plan, Vice President Pence and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price went to Capitol Hill to rally backing for the proposal.

But widespread dissatisfaction among House and Senate lawmakers — conservatives and moderates alike — showed no signs of dissipating, increasing the chances that House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) will have difficulty passing the bill if it goes to the House floor in the next two weeks, not to mention whether it can collect a majority in the Senate.

“I have serious concerns about the current draft of the House bill,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) said in an interview Tuesday. “As written, I do not believe the House bill would pass the Senate.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/conservative-lawmakers-continue-to-push-back-on-obamacare-plan/2017/03/14/f7331e70-08aa-11e7-93dc-00f9bdd74ed1_story.html?hpid=hp_rhp-top-table-main_obamacare-1050a%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.04dec7e44ca6

L.A. County Sheriff's Department switches from silver to gold belt buckles at a cost of $300,000

Source: L.A. Times

March 14, 2017, 4:00 AM PDT

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is getting down to brass tactics.

Sheriff’s officials are spending $300,000 on items they say would make deputies look more professional in their jobs and could help make them safer.

But the taxpayer dollars won’t go toward tools such as higher-quality ballistic vests, backup guns or body cameras, all of which are optional items that deputies have to pay for on their own.

Instead, Sheriff Jim McDonnell is spending the money on a minor cosmetic makeover of deputies’ uniforms: changing the color of their belt buckles and other metal pieces of gear from silver to gold. That way, the metallic bits — all made of brass — will match the gold-hued tie clips, lapel pins and six-pointed star badges that deputies already wear, McDonnell said.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-sheriff-belt-buckle-20170313-story.html

Canadian Girl Guides cancel US travel ahead of ban

Source: BBC News

1 hour ago

Girl Guides of Canada has cancelled all trips to the United States until further notice because it fears problems at the border.

The announcement comes days before President Donald Trump's new US travel ban comes into effect on Thursday.

In a statement, the group said the "ability of all our members to equally enter this country is currently uncertain".

The suspension includes short trips and all travel through US airports. The group has also scrapped a planned summer camping trip to California in favour of an alternate destination.

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39261789