Senate Democrats stymied a bill that would roll back new water pollution regulations; the defeat recalled a Native American proverb about conservation, “Please don’t vote for that GOP water bill.” A study finds white men are comprising a larger and larger share of the mortality rate -- women are advised not to lean in. And Twitter finally put an end to superlative inflation by replacing the star-shaped “favorite” button with a heart-shaped “like” button -- we can finally scrap or proposal for a “very unique” button. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Tuesday, November 3rd, 2015:
*TODAY IS ELECTION DAY, NO REALLY* - Oh crap, a nation of civically disengaged citizens exclaims, who's running for comptroller, again? Christina Cassidy: "In Virginia, a swing state, Democrats are pushing to reverse a narrow Republican majority in the state Senate and empower Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe in negotiations with Republicans who control the state House...Closely watched is the battle for Kentucky's open gubernatorial seat...Republican Matt Bevin has been running as an outsider...Democrat Jack Conway has been emphasizing his support for early education programs while saying that 400,000 people could lose taxpayer-funded health insurance if Bevin is elected...In Houston, the nation's fourth-largest city, efforts to secure non-discrimination protections for gay and transgender people will face a key test." [AP]
*Jeff Young on the consequences of that Kentucky race*: "About 400,000 Kentuckians have qualified for Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act's more generous standards, and approximately 100,000 more signed up for private health insurance policies through Kynect, according to a spokeswoman for the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Families. The share of Kentucky residents without health coverage fell more than 11 percentage points between the end of 2013 and June 2015, Gallup reported in August...If Bevin defies these polls and emerges victorious Tuesday, his promises to roll back Obamacare in Kentucky could be tested as soon as he takes office. Ironically, the uncommon gubernatorial authority that enabled Beshear to implement the Affordable Care Act without having to go to the legislature could also empower Bevin to undo that legacy, despite Democrats controlling the state House of Representatives." [HuffPost]
Heh. Pay jebcanfixit.com a visit.
*RYAN DOESN'T RULE OUT APPROPRIATION RIDERS* - Will Planned Parenthood and the establishment of National Mike Enzi Day lead to a government shutdown? Laura Barron-Lopez: "Newly elected House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) left the door open on Tuesday to allowing controversial riders to be added to a forthcoming budget bill, which could put the government on the path to a shutdown. Ryan's predecessor, John Boehner (R-Ohio), crafted a deal on his way out the door that sets spending levels and lifts the debt ceiling, but Congress still needs to pass an omnibus budget bill to fill out the details of what will be funded. If House Republicans attach riders to that bill, things could get messy ahead of a Dec. 11 deadline to fund the government. Democrats have vowed to oppose an omnibus with controversial riders attached, such as one pushed by members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus that aims to defund Planned Parenthood. President Barack Obama has also threatened to veto legislation with such provisions attached." [HuffPost]
Comrade Obama disregarded the separations of powers with tremendous aplomb today by meeting with leading Democratic appropriators. Clearly this sucker could still go down. If only there were still a John to give D.C. abortion to. :-(
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*WHITE HOUSE SAYS IT WON'T POSTPONE KEYSTONE DECISION* - The White House has an opportunity for its own ACORN defunding. John Bennett: "One day after TransCanada Corp. asked the State Department to suspend a review of its application to build the $8 billion Keystone oil sands pipeline from Canada until at least mid-2016, *Press Secretary Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama still wants to make a decision about the project before he leaves office in January 2017*. 'Given how long it’s taken, it seems unusual to me to suggest that somehow it should be paused yet again,' Earnest told reporters, adding the State Department is still trying to fully understand just what TransCanada is requesting. 'When things that are worthy of technical consideration get politicized, that rarely speeds up the technical consideration,' Earnest continued. 'That … typically has the effect of slowing it down.'" [Roll Call]
*SENATE DEMS BLOCK BILL GUTTING WATER REGULATIONS* - The Association Of Sewage Pipes Jutting Out Of Hillsides And Unloading Sludge Into Bucolic Lakes strongly condemned the cloture vote's outcome. Mary Clare Jalonick: "*[The bill] would have forced the Obama administration to withdraw new federal rules to protect smaller streams, tributaries and wetlands from development and pollution*...The vote was 57-41, meaning Democrats have blocked the bill, for now Most Democrats say the Obama administration rules will safeguard drinking water for 117 million Americans and should remain in place. The White House threatened a veto of the bill, saying the regulations are 'essential to ensure clean water for future generations.' Republicans and a handful of Democrats from rural states say they fear a steady uptick in federal regulation of every stream and ditch. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on the Senate floor that the regulations are 'a cynical and overbearing power grab dressed awkwardly as some clean water measure.'" [AP]
*GOP WANTS TO OUTSOURCE TAX COLLECTION TO THIRD PARTY DEBT COLLECTORS* - Paul Ryan can probably talk P90X with the thick-necked gentlemen named "Pretty" who show up on poor people's doorsteps. Zach Carter: "House Republicans are pushing to give private debt collectors the right to target all unpaid tax bills, handing a traditional IRS responsibility over to an industry with a long record of consumer abuse. *Debt collection agencies frequently get into legal trouble for intimidating or misleading borrowers over their debts. The GOP is advocating to empower them with tax debts as part of an effort to pay for highway funding without raising taxes*. The idea is that private debt collection companies will be more aggressive with tax delinquents than IRS agents, thus generating more money for the U.S. Treasury...When the Senate passed its version of the highway bill this summer, it included the measure to privatize tax debt collection. If a similar provision is included in the House bill, it would be almost certain to become law." [HuffPost]
*House and Senate leaders released their 2016 legislative calendars today*. The Senate's August recess will last from July 18 through September. 5 to accommodate for the political conventions. Likewise, the House's recess will last from July 15th through September 5th. Kevin McCarthy noted in his statement that "District work weeks provide an invaluable opportunity for Members to meet with and listen to constituents: working families, seniors, and veterans." That or attend a financial services fundraiser at the Cleveland Hyatt Regency. Whatever!
*ACTBLUE HELPING SANDERS TAKE ACTIVIST GRANDMAS' MONEY* - Eric Lichtblau and Nick Corasaniti: "The success of... [ActBlue] can be seen most starkly in the latest fund-raising report filed by Mr. Sanders, its most prominent political client at the moment. A whopping 74 percent of the $26 million that Mr. Sanders raised came through ActBlue, an online platform that lets people donate a few dollars at a time to Democrats — and Democrats only -- with just a few clicks. Eighty-eight percent of contributions to Mr. Sanders came from donations of $200 or less...ActBlue has now built one of the most valuable databases in modern-day politics: a list of the 1.7 million stalwart Democrats who registered in its 'Express' program, and provided not only personal information but also their credit cards to make donations in seconds. Many donors have set up recurring monthly payments, and the group shares the names of the donors with the campaigns…*One reason ActBlue has been so successful is that Democratic committees in Washington have effectively ceded major online fund-raising to the group* -- something Republicans have been reluctant to do with any outside entity." [NYT]
*No no no no no no no no no no no no no no*: "Employees of a Vermont company have launched a side business selling underwear featuring a black-and-white drawing of the face of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders...the underwear, which features the message 'Feel the Bern,' is available for men and women and costs $15 plus shipping and handling." [AP]
*HILLARY RETAKES NH LEAD* - Janie Valencia: "Forty-eight percent of likely Democratic voters in the state now support Clinton while 45 percent stand behind Sanders, a difference well within the poll's 4.9-point margin of error. *Clinton has gained 7 percentage points since a Monmouth University poll in September while Sanders has taken a 4-point dip*." [HuffPost]
*BEN CARSON TO EVERYONE, CONSTANTLY: O HAI* - A true American would defend themselves from intrusive Ben Carson phone calls by shooting their Android. Rosie Gray: "Carson has relied on tactics that elicit lots of small dollar donations from grassroots supporters, like direct mail and telephone calls. *But now, people who are receiving the calls are starting to complain about the frequency with which they’re getting them and the difficulty of getting off the list*. Conservative blogger John Ekdahl tweeted on Monday that he had received three calls over the course of the day...Other complaints about the phone calls have appeared on Twitter....It’s not unusual for a campaign to deploy robocalls and telemarketing tactics. But Carson appears to be using these tactics very aggressively and in an increasing volume over the past couple months. " [BuzzFeed]
If you want to see more of Scott Walker's ham sandwich, be sure to check out the next JV debate.
*Vice is launching a 24-7 news channel*. Don't expect to see it in airports. [HuffPost's Michael Calderone]
And Jon Stewart is coming to HBO!
*BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR* - Here's a dog bursting a giant water balloon
*NOBODY WORRIED ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE* - Because we'll be dead before it gets REALLY bad, right? Sorry kids. Seth Borenstein: "Americans are hot but not too bothered by global warming. *Most Americans know the climate is changing, but they say they are just not that worried about it*, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. And that is keeping the American public from demanding and getting the changes that are necessary to prevent global warming from reaching a crisis, according to climate and social scientists." [AP]*COMFORT FOOD*
- Walter Isaacson explains the theory of relativity.
- How to sound smart in a TED talk.
- A poverty simulator.
*TWITTERAMA*
@proffjeffjarvis: It's called the Stars and Stripes Forever, not the Hearts and Stripes Forever
@MEPFuller: You ever wonder how the people behind those handwritten signs advertising that they'll buy your house with "ca$h" ever got all that money?
@EliseFoley: Sounds like twitter finally saw the fault in our stars
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Reported by Huffington Post 8 hours ago.
STONY BROOK, N.Y., Nov. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Softheon, Inc., a proven leader in health insurance marketplace integration and a certified Web Broker Entity, has announced that it has remediated and achieved a 94% effectuation rate for 2016 ACA Passive Renewals for insurers running...
Reported by PR Newswire 14 hours ago.
DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FINEOS Corporation, a market leading provider of core processing systems for Life, Accident and Health insurance, kicked off its ninth annual FINEOS Global Summit in Washington DC today. A record number of representatives from 40 leading insurance organisations from around the world gathered in the Mandarin Oriental hotel to hear FINEOS’ product roadmap and plans for growth. This year’s event is sponsored by PwC and focuses on the theme of Connect - Transform - Excel. T
Reported by Business Wire 13 hours ago.
