On Saturday, David Fahrenthold wrote that “more than a year after Republicans first pledged to ‘repeal and replace’ President Obama’s new health-care law, the GOP is still struggling to answer a basic question. Replace it . . . with what?”This shouldn’t be such a problem. Health care is a big issue. It’s been around a long time….
Category: Law
Immigration dragnet snares Americans
A growing number of United States citizens have been detained under Obama administration programs intended to detect illegal immigrants who are arrested by local police. In a spate of recent cases across the country, American citizens have been confined in local jails after federal immigration agents, acting on flawed information from Department of Homeland Security…
New Data: Obamacare Extended Health Coverage To At Least 2.5 Million Young Adults
At least 2.5 million younger Americans now have health insurance as a result of a provision in the Affordable Care Act that allows adults to stay on their parents’ health care plans until 26 years of age, the Associated Press reports. The Obama administration is expected to release additional data later this afternoon: Using unpublished…
The Return Of Debtor’s Prisons: Thousands Of Americans Jailed For Not Paying Their Bills
More than a third of all states now allow borrowers who don’t pay their bills to be jailed, even when debtor’s prisons have been explicitly banned by state constitutions. A report by the American Civil Liberties Union found that people were imprisoned even when the cost of doing so exceeded the amount of debt they…
Berwick: Don’t Blame Medicare, Medicaid. It’s The Delivery System
Berwick said the 2010 federal health law is changing how doctors and hospitals are paid and deliver care though such new arrangements as accountable care organizations, which are designed to improve coordination and lower costs. But he said it is unclear whether such efforts would produce results quickly enough to hold off critics, including most…
No Driver’s License? We’re Taking Your Kids.
For instance, at the June hearing that terminated the Mendez’s parental rights, they were peppered with seemingly irrelevant questions about their English-speaking ability and immigration status. “Describe for the court why even three years after [the children went into the state’s custody] you cannot speak English without an interpreter,” asked Bruce Kling, special assistant attorney…
Meet the Obese, Uninsured, Unemployed, Cigarette Smoking Plaintiff Suing to Strike Down Health Care Reform
Ms. Brown, 56 years old, had health-care insurance for herself and her husband several years ago but dropped it because the $1,100-a-month cost was prohibitive, she said in an interview. Referring to the health overhaul, she said: “No one has the right to try to control how you spend your money.” When the…
Senate Votes To Let Military Detain Americans Indefinitely, White House Threatens Veto
“Congress is essentially authorizing the indefinite imprisonment of American citizens, without charge,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein D-Calif., who offered another amendment — which has not yet gotten a vote — that she said would correct the problem. “We are not a nation that locks up its citizens without charge. “Backers of military detention of Americans…
“Repeat violent offenders get to walk while casual pot smokers get terrorized by SWAT teams”
A year and a half ago she was beaten by a neighborhood thug outside of a city bar. It took months of do-it-yourself sleuthing, a meeting with a city alderman and a public shaming in a community newspaper before the Chicago Police Department would pay any attention to her. About a year later, Shaver got…
So Fla’s Secret Private Prison
In one of South Floridas upscale, rural enclaves, where peacocks roam and horse trails are as common as sidewalks, town leaders decided to bring in much of their money from an unusual business: a prison. Only the leaders of Southwest Ranches kept their plans quiet from residents for almost a decade, and the project has…
Arizona Supreme Court Overturns Gov. Jan Brewer’s Removal Of Redistricting Chair
The Arizona Supreme Court dealt Republican Gov. Jan Brewer a blow Thursday, overturning her decision to oust the chairwoman of the state’s independent redistricting commission. The Arizona Republic reported that the court found that Brewer’s removal of Colleen Coyle Mathis did not meet state constitution guidelines. Brewer removed Mathis on Nov. 2, with…
Scalia and Thomas dine with healthcare law challengers as court takes case
The lawyer who will stand before the court and argue that the law should be thrown out is likely to be Paul Clement, who served as U.S. solicitor general during the George W. Bush administration. Clement’s law firm, Bancroft PLLC, was one of almost two dozen firms that helped sponsor the annual dinner…
Scores arrested as police clear NY Occupy camp
Hundreds of police officers, some in riot gear, descended on Zuccotti Park after midnight Tuesday in a surprise sweep of the Occupy Wall Street headquarters. Some protesters were chained to trees and each other but were nevertheless removed from the park, which was cleared in less than three hours in what appeared to…
Mayor Jean Quan’s Legal Adviser Quits Over Clearing Of Occupy Oakland Camp
As a platoon of Oakland Police Department officers began clearing out Occupy Oakland’s encampment for a second time at Frank Ogawa Plaza downtown, one of Mayor Jean Quan’s advisers resigned in protest. Quan’s legal adviser Dan Siegel announced his decision via Twitter early this morning. Siegel tweeted: No longer Mayor Quan’s legal advisor. Resigned at…
Warner Bros: we issued takedowns for files we never saw, didn’t own copyright to
In a Monday court filing, Warner Brothers admitted that it has issued takedown notices for files without looking at them first. The studio also acknowledged that it issued takedown notices for a number of URLs that its adversary, the locker site Hotfile, says were obviously not Warner Brothers’ content. Hotfile has been locked in a…
Man Outed As Undercover Cop At Occupy Oakland Condemns Police Brutality, Supports The Movement
Across the country, police have used undercover and/or plainsclothed police officers to monitor occupations and protests that are a part of the 99 Percent Movement. Earlier today, the Tennessean published excerpts from emails sent by the Tennessee Highway Patrol that confirmed not only that police were infiltrating Occupy Nashville but that they were hoping for…
Paramilitary Policing From Seattle to Occupy Wall Street
My support for a militaristic solution caused all hell to break loose. Rocks, bottles and newspaper racks went flying. Windows were smashed, stores were looted, fires lighted; and more gas filled the streets, with some cops clearly overreacting, escalating and prolonging the conflict. The “Battle in Seattle,” as the WTO protests and their…
Viacom so devastated by piracy that CEO gets $50 million raise
Last year, Viacom, whose Paramount subsidiary is an MPAA member, told the Wall Street Journal that “a new wave of digital piracy could threaten the US media business” if it lost its copyright infringement case against YouTube. Similarly, the MPAA has argued that “when profits are reduced, the studios have fewer dollars to invest in…
Apple Crops In Washington At Risk Because Of Other States Extreme Immigration Laws
Washington apple growers could have had one of the best apple harvests in the state’s history — if not for the lack of workers. Orchard owners say a federal immigration crackdown and extreme anti-immigrant laws in states like Alabama and Arizona have scared off many of their workers. Some farmers have tried to…
Poll: Ohio Set To Vote Big Against Kasich’s Anti-Union Law
A new survey from Public Policy Polling (D) shows Ohio Democrats and public employee unions likely to win a big victory on Tuesday in the referendum on Republican Gov. John Kasich’s anti-public union bill, SB-5. The poll shows only 36% of Ohioans will vote to support the law, while a decisive 59% oppose…