White House steps up damage control on healthcare rollout

U.S. President Barack Obama stands with Affordable Care act registrants and beneficiaries as he speaks about healthcare from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington October 21, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Jason Reed

By David Lawder and Mark Felsenthal

WASHINGTON | Wed Oct 23, 2013 7:18pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House sought to limit the political damage from the troubled rollout of the government's healthcare website on Wednesday as Republicans increased the pressure to delay parts of President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy.

Obama administration officials held a closed-door briefing for Democrats in the House of Representatives and a private session with insurance company executives to discuss efforts to fix the Healthcare.gov website.

Republican critics in Congress demanded a delay in a requirement of the healthcare law that uninsured Americans must purchase insurance or face a tax penalty and said they would intensify their investigations into the launch of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, known as "Obamacare."

"It is our job to hold them accountable, and when it comes to Obamacare clearly there is a lot to hold accountable," House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner told reporters on Wednesday.

The administration is trying to preserve Democratic Party unity on the issue, which showed signs of fraying. The head of the Democratic National Committee, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, told MSNBC the administration should be willing to extend the open-enrollment period for people to sign up for insurance. It ends on March 31.

Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina, the third-ranking House Democrat, criticized the website for forcing consumers to provide private information before deciding what kind of health insurance plan they want to buy.

"I've talked to too many people who tell me before they ever get around to figuring out what it is they want to buy, they're having to answer questions that they don't feel they should be answering," Clyburn said.

Max Baucus, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement that he hopes to meet with other committee members in the coming weeks, but said he would wait until after the website is repaired.

Republicans are not waiting. The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday will hear from the top contractors responsible for the program, including website developer CGI Federal.

'WORKING HARD TO FIX THE PROBLEMS'

Online exchanges, or marketplaces, were designed to be the main way for millions of uninsured Americans to research and buy health insurance plans under the law, but the October 1 debut has been marred by technical glitches that have kept many from signing on and making purchases. Those unable to sign up online can call a toll-free telephone number as an alternative.

The administration has so far declined to disclose the number of enrollments, either online or by telephone.

A prolonged delay in getting Healthcare.gov to work could jeopardize White House efforts to sign up as many as 7 million people in 2014, the first full year the law takes effect. The administration this week began what it called a "tech surge," bringing in experts led by the administration's top economic aide Jeffrey Zients to analyze and fix the problems.

"I think what we learned is they're working hard to fix the problems," Representative Sander Levin of Michigan, senior Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, said after Wednesday's briefing.

The Health and Human Services Department will begin regular news briefings on Thursday to provide updates on "the progress that's being made and on the efforts that are being undertaken, both to address the technical problems and to make the whole experience for American consumers better," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

House Democrats said there was no discussion in the briefing about whether the problems should lead to a delay of the individual requirement that every American have insurance or pay a tax penalty. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated a delay would reduce enrollment significantly.

REPUBLICANS DEMAND DELAY

Republicans, who have fought the healthcare law as an unwarranted extension of the federal government, said the requirement should be delayed until the problems with the rollout are resolved.

"With so many unanswered questions and the problems arising around this rollout, it doesn't make any sense to impose this one percent mandate tax on the American people," House Republican Leader Eric Cantor told reporters on Wednesday.

Republicans have repeatedly tried to derail or delay the healthcare law since taking control of the House in the 2010 elections. They demanded more answers on Wednesday about the scope of the problems.

Three committees in the Republican-controlled House have announced investigations of the law's rollout, which Cantor described as "nothing short of a debacle."

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has been the focal point of criticism and Republicans have demanded she step down, but so far the White House has rallied around her.

Denis McDonough, the White House chief of staff, told the New York Times on Tuesday that Sebelius "has the president's confidence. And she knows that."

In the same article, an unidentified White House aide also appeared to try to distance Sebelius from the website troubles, and was quoted as saying, "Kathleen has the title, but she doesn't have the responsibility or in many respects the kind of wide authority and access to the president that she really needs to make a difference."

Sebelius, who will testify to Congress next week, and McDonough attended the session with insurance company executives. They included the chief executives of WellPoint Inc, Humana Inc and Aetna Inc among others.

WellPoint raised its 2013 membership and profit forecasts in part to reflect coming market changes under the law, its chief executive, Joseph Swedish, said in a statement on Wednesday.

(Additional reporting by Amanda Becker, Richard Cowan, Roberta Rampton and Susan Heavey in Washington, Caroline Humer in New York; Writing by John Whitesides; Editing by Fred Barbash, Karey Van Hall, and Grant McCool)

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Mercedes S-Class Magic Body Control ad is clucking awesome

This is a new ad from Mercedes-Benz. At no point does it show an automobile. Instead, it stars animals, but not the sort you might normally see in car commercial. This ad is all about chickens. It is bizarre, to say the least, with Diana Ross and the Supremes belting it out in the background, but it all kind of comes together when you realize just what Mercedes is hawking (yeah, pun intended).

It's for the manufacturer's Magic Body Control, found on the new S-Class. The system basically analyzes the road and prepares the suspension accordingly, leading to a ride that is, in the words of our own Chris Paukert "nothing short of spooky." You can read about it in our full review of the 2014 S550. Take a look below for the 53-second spot.

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Atlanta Pest Control Company, North Fulton Pest Solutions, Discusses Periodic 17 Year Cicadas

    NORCROSS, GA, August 05, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Atlanta pest control specialists, North Fulton Pest Solutions, would like to take a moment to talk about cicadas. Residents along the east coast have recently experienced or are currently experiencing the buzzing melody this orchestra of insects puts on display, notes the Atlanta pest control firm. It may be hard to believe, but cicadas live underground for nearly their entire lives, waiting for the precise moment before they die to mate and prolong their species. Timing is very precious for these creatures, as they must quickly come to the surface and find a mate. According to the Atlanta pest control company, this is why we hear that loud buzzing. The males vibrate their bodies in order to attract females. The ritual becomes that much more astounding when realizing that it only occurs once every 13 to 17 years for the periodical cicada that recently made their presence known along the east coast.

The periodic 17 year cicada differs from the annual cicada that many are more familiar with here in Atlanta. The annual cicada is larger in comparison to the periodic cicada and green bodied. The periodical cicada is black bodied and red eyed making it quite easy to distinguish from its annual counterpart.

Many people may find the cicada chorus annoying, due largely to the fact that the sheer number of bugs that participate in the musical event can create an extremely loud and repetitive noise. However, the Atlanta pest control business says it is a unique opportunity to witness one of Mother Nature's most interesting occurrences. According to Blake Edwards, Vice President of North Fulton Pest Solutions, "periodic cicadas have a tough life. They have a very short period in which to find a mate, and many of them fall victim to predators or are unsuccessful in this regard. For those lucky enough to hear the sounds of the 17 year cicada, just know it's a phenomenon nearly two decades in the making. It's really quite astounding when you think about it!"

North Fulton Pest Solutions is a leading Atlanta pest control agency. To learn more about the services they offer including mosquito, termite, and wildlife control, please visit http://www.northfultonexterminating.com.

About North Fulton Pest Solutions:
Founded in 1970, North Fulton Pest Solutions is a family-owned and operated pest control company in Atlanta, Ga. With an A+ rating and zero complaints with the Better Business Bureau, North Fulton Pest Solutions is Atlanta's most trusted source for pest control, termite treatments, mosquito control and wildlife removal.

For more information, please visit http://www.northfultonexterminating.com.

For all media inquiries, please contact:

Allie Petit
Content Manager
Cardinal Web Solutions
http://www.CardinalWebSolutions.com

---
Press release service and press release distribution provided by http://www.24-7pressrelease.com

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Infrared Control Inflatable Flying Giant Dolphin Swimmer

5 foot giant inflatable flying Dolphin Swimmer! Realistic features and an extended Infrared Radio Control range. Plus, your Super Fliers swim in 5 directional control movements and have a 360 degree turning circle. Made from durable nylon that provides hours and hours of fun for everyone. Stays inflated for weeks with helium, then simply re-inflate your Super Fliers again for hours and hours of more fun!

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SUBSCRIBER - Document Control Manager , Edmonton, AB

Copyright 2011 InfoMine Inc. All Rights Reserved.      Developed and maintained by InfoMine Inc., Vancouver, BC, Canada.

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Months After Newtown, Obama Seeks to Regain Momentum on Gun Control

“The notion that two months or three months after something as horrific as what happened in Newtown happens and we’ve moved on to other things?” Mr. Obama said in remarks at the White House, surrounded by relatives and friends of victims of gun violence, including some from Newtown. “That’s not who we are. That’s not who we are. And I want to make sure every American is listening today.”

The president has just a small window in which to persuade Congress to back a series of gun control measures that will come up for a vote in the Senate early next month. And his remarks, delivered in an impassioned and off-script manner, were aimed at reviving the impetus that gun-control advocates fear they are losing as more time passes since the shootings.

A filibuster threat is growing in the Senate. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, has said a ban on certain styles of semiautomatic weapons is virtually assured of defeat. And a senior Republican senator who opposes the president’s efforts, Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, is now floating a competing gun bill.

These complications only add to the strain surrounding negotiations over a bipartisan bill that would strengthen the background check system for gun purchases — talks that have so far drawn the support of only one Republican, Mark Kirk of Illinois.

As senators at the heart of those negotiations returned to their home states this week, their staffs continued to try to reach consensus back in Washington. But they have yet to produce anything more than an outline of what legislation might look like.

Mr. Obama’s appearance, from the East Room of the White House, suggested just how delicate the situation had become. Rather than read from teleprompters, he seemed to speak extemporaneously much of the time and expressed irritation in a way that he generally does not. At some moments, he paused and took a breath as if collecting himself and circled back to some of his points for emphasis.

“Shame on us if we’ve forgotten,” he said.“I haven’t forgotten those kids. Shame on us if we’ve forgotten.”

The renewed push by the president, who will travel to Colorado next week to rally support for new gun measures, is just one piece in a broader nationwide effort, timed to coincide with the two-week Congressional recess, by gun control groups like the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s coalition.

At the same time, the National Rifle Association is activating its base, ensuring that Congressional offices and town hall meetings over the next week will be swamped with competing agendas on how to combat gun violence.

“What we face right now is the most dire threat to the association and to our freedom,” said Andrew Arulanandam, an N.R.A. spokesman.

Indeed, gun rights activists are being challenged by a highly coordinated and expensive effort to defeat them, not to mention a galvanized group of voters who were outraged by the Newtown shooting and have pledged to volunteer.

The Brady Campaign this week began a campaign to call and e-mail thousands of supporters, urging them to attend more than 150 Congressional town hall meetings, many in Republican-leaning states where Democrats are up for re-election.

“Basically we’re saying, ‘Drop everything. There’s a town hall tonight,’ ” said Brian Malte, the director of mobilization for the Brady Campaign.

People will be equipped with talking points like poll numbers that show 9 out of 10 Americans support universal background checks, including 7 out of 10 N.R.A. members. And they will be encouraged to ask their senators and representatives direct questions like, “Do you support universal background checks?” Mr. Bloomberg’s group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, said it was convening 120 events across the nation in support of gun measures, including in Columbus, Ohio; Durham, N.C.; and Golden, Colo. The group began a $12 million ad campaign aimed at 15 senators this week.

“Americans want this, and today Americans are making their voices heard,” said the group’s chairman, John Feinblatt.

Michael Cooper contributed reporting from New York, and Elizabeth Maker from Connecticut.

View the original article here

Months After Newtown, Obama Seeks to Regain Momentum on Gun Control

“The notion that two months or three months after something as horrific as what happened in Newtown happens and we’ve moved on to other things?” Mr. Obama said in remarks at the White House, surrounded by relatives and friends of victims of gun violence, including some from Newtown. “That’s not who we are. That’s not who we are. And I want to make sure every American is listening today.”

The president has just a small window in which to persuade Congress to back a series of gun control measures that will come up for a vote in the Senate early next month. And his remarks, delivered in an impassioned and off-script manner, were aimed at reviving the impetus that gun-control advocates fear they are losing as more time passes since the shootings.

A filibuster threat is growing in the Senate. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, has said a ban on certain styles of semiautomatic weapons is virtually assured of defeat. And a senior Republican senator who opposes the president’s efforts, Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, is now floating a competing gun bill.

These complications only add to the strain surrounding negotiations over a bipartisan bill that would strengthen the background check system for gun purchases — talks that have so far drawn the support of only one Republican, Mark Kirk of Illinois.

As senators at the heart of those negotiations returned to their home states this week, their staffs continued to try to reach consensus back in Washington. But they have yet to produce anything more than an outline of what legislation might look like.

Mr. Obama’s appearance, from the East Room of the White House, suggested just how delicate the situation had become. Rather than read from teleprompters, he seemed to speak extemporaneously much of the time and expressed irritation in a way that he generally does not. At some moments, he paused and took a breath as if collecting himself and circled back to some of his points for emphasis.

“Shame on us if we’ve forgotten,” he said.“I haven’t forgotten those kids. Shame on us if we’ve forgotten.”

The renewed push by the president, who will travel to Colorado next week to rally support for new gun measures, is just one piece in a broader nationwide effort, timed to coincide with the two-week Congressional recess, by gun control groups like the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s coalition.

At the same time, the National Rifle Association is activating its base, ensuring that Congressional offices and town hall meetings over the next week will be swamped with competing agendas on how to combat gun violence.

“What we face right now is the most dire threat to the association and to our freedom,” said Andrew Arulanandam, an N.R.A. spokesman.

Indeed, gun rights activists are being challenged by a highly coordinated and expensive effort to defeat them, not to mention a galvanized group of voters who were outraged by the Newtown shooting and have pledged to volunteer.

The Brady Campaign this week began a campaign to call and e-mail thousands of supporters, urging them to attend more than 150 Congressional town hall meetings, many in Republican-leaning states where Democrats are up for re-election.

“Basically we’re saying, ‘Drop everything. There’s a town hall tonight,’ ” said Brian Malte, the director of mobilization for the Brady Campaign.

People will be equipped with talking points like poll numbers that show 9 out of 10 Americans support universal background checks, including 7 out of 10 N.R.A. members. And they will be encouraged to ask their senators and representatives direct questions like, “Do you support universal background checks?” Mr. Bloomberg’s group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, said it was convening 120 events across the nation in support of gun measures, including in Columbus, Ohio; Durham, N.C.; and Golden, Colo. The group began a $12 million ad campaign aimed at 15 senators this week.

“Americans want this, and today Americans are making their voices heard,” said the group’s chairman, John Feinblatt.

Michael Cooper contributed reporting from New York, and Elizabeth Maker from Connecticut.

View the original article here

Months After Newtown, Obama Seeks to Regain Momentum on Gun Control

“The notion that two months or three months after something as horrific as what happened in Newtown happens and we’ve moved on to other things?” Mr. Obama said in remarks at the White House, surrounded by relatives and friends of victims of gun violence, including some from Newtown. “That’s not who we are. That’s not who we are. And I want to make sure every American is listening today.”

The president has just a small window in which to persuade Congress to back a series of gun control measures that will come up for a vote in the Senate early next month. And his remarks, delivered in an impassioned and off-script manner, were aimed at reviving the impetus that gun-control advocates fear they are losing as more time passes since the shootings.

A filibuster threat is growing in the Senate. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, has said a ban on certain styles of semiautomatic weapons is virtually assured of defeat. And a senior Republican senator who opposes the president’s efforts, Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, is now floating a competing gun bill.

These complications only add to the strain surrounding negotiations over a bipartisan bill that would strengthen the background check system for gun purchases — talks that have so far drawn the support of only one Republican, Mark Kirk of Illinois.

As senators at the heart of those negotiations returned to their home states this week, their staffs continued to try to reach consensus back in Washington. But they have yet to produce anything more than an outline of what legislation might look like.

Mr. Obama’s appearance, from the East Room of the White House, suggested just how delicate the situation had become. Rather than read from teleprompters, he seemed to speak extemporaneously much of the time and expressed irritation in a way that he generally does not. At some moments, he paused and took a breath as if collecting himself and circled back to some of his points for emphasis.

“Shame on us if we’ve forgotten,” he said.“I haven’t forgotten those kids. Shame on us if we’ve forgotten.”

The renewed push by the president, who will travel to Colorado next week to rally support for new gun measures, is just one piece in a broader nationwide effort, timed to coincide with the two-week Congressional recess, by gun control groups like the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s coalition.

At the same time, the National Rifle Association is activating its base, ensuring that Congressional offices and town hall meetings over the next week will be swamped with competing agendas on how to combat gun violence.

“What we face right now is the most dire threat to the association and to our freedom,” said Andrew Arulanandam, an N.R.A. spokesman.

Indeed, gun rights activists are being challenged by a highly coordinated and expensive effort to defeat them, not to mention a galvanized group of voters who were outraged by the Newtown shooting and have pledged to volunteer.

The Brady Campaign this week began a campaign to call and e-mail thousands of supporters, urging them to attend more than 150 Congressional town hall meetings, many in Republican-leaning states where Democrats are up for re-election.

“Basically we’re saying, ‘Drop everything. There’s a town hall tonight,’ ” said Brian Malte, the director of mobilization for the Brady Campaign.

People will be equipped with talking points like poll numbers that show 9 out of 10 Americans support universal background checks, including 7 out of 10 N.R.A. members. And they will be encouraged to ask their senators and representatives direct questions like, “Do you support universal background checks?” Mr. Bloomberg’s group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, said it was convening 120 events across the nation in support of gun measures, including in Columbus, Ohio; Durham, N.C.; and Golden, Colo. The group began a $12 million ad campaign aimed at 15 senators this week.

“Americans want this, and today Americans are making their voices heard,” said the group’s chairman, John Feinblatt.

Michael Cooper contributed reporting from New York, and Elizabeth Maker from Connecticut.

View the original article here

Doubts about Troika and China's Measures to Control Property Market Dominated Headlines

ONG Focus | Insights | Written by Oil N' Gold | Mon Mar 04 13 23:57 ET

Headlines in 2 Germany newspapers unveiled doubts about the Troika among ECB policymakers. The immediate aftermath of the Italian election was the decline of the Sentix index. Meanwhile, the market focus was China’s property tax measures. This, together with the drop in non-manufacturing PMI in the world’s second largest economy, caused the CSI300 to plunge more than -4%. Wall Street climbed higher on late trading with the DJIA and the S&P 500 indices gaining +0.27% and +0.46% respectively.

Die Welt reported that some ECB members were worried about the central bank’s participation in the Eurozone rescue efforts as these might create a conflict of interest and compromise its independence. The newspaper cited that “the level of discomfort has reached such a level that there are considerations among some important members of the ECB to leave the troika entirely”. Yet, ECB board member Joerg Asmussen commented that the ECB would not leave the troika and stressed that the members “don’t see any threat to our independence while we are participating in the troika". Asmussen stated that “the ECB participation in the troika is key. We have great knowledge about Europe, its institutions, its economy and we especially provide expertise on macroeconomic and especially financial sector issues. We will not withdraw from the troika”.

In China, the non-manufacturing PMI slipped to 52.1 in February from 54 in January. Yet, the key issue leading to the selloff of Chinese stocks was concerns over government’s measures to control property price rises. These measures include an increase in income tax on homeowners who made profit from a property sale. If one buys a second home in cities where property prices increase rapidly, he/she has to pay higher interest and down payments home.

The RBA left the cash rate unchanged at 3% in March. Policymakers stated that further easing might be required as inflationary conditions remained benign. On the dataflow, the Eurozone retail sales probably added +0.3% m/m in January, following a -0.8% decline a month ago. The final data for services PMI might have stayed unchanged in 47.3 in February. In the US, the ISM non-manufacturing index might have slipped -0.2 point to 55 in February.

 

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