Chicago mayor offers budget to cut gap, warns on pensions
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday proposed a 2014 budget that reduces an ongoing imbalance between revenue and spending by about a two-thirds, but he warned that the city’s outlook could worsen if state lawmakers fail to deliv…
Senate Democrat hopes to convene panel on Obamacare
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic Senator Max Baucus hopes to meet with other members of the Senate Finance Committee to discuss ways to examine Obamacare’s troubled website, Healthcare.gov, a spokesman said on Wednesday.
California governor imposes 60-day ban on bus driver strike
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – California Governor Jerry Brown intervened on Wednesday to block 1,800 San Francisco-area bus drivers and other workers from walking off their jobs just as the traffic-clogged region is recovering from a massive commuter rail …
Democrat holds narrowing lead in Virginia governor’s race
RICHMOND, Virginia (Reuters) – Democratic Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe holds a narrowing lead over Republican rival Ken Cuccinelli, with a strong showing by the race’s Libertarian entrant possibly affecting the outcome, a poll relea…
Obamacare fight sparks jump in political fundraising
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The budget and debt standoff in Washington that led to a U.S. government shutdown this month was a fundraising boon for Democratic groups, which had one of their most lucrative months of the year.
Obama assures Germany’s Merkel U.S. not monitoring her communications: White House
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Wednesday sought to assure German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the United States is not monitoring her communications after Merkel raised the issue with Obama.
Rainmaker mayor Booker leaves Newark still largely unrenewed
NEWARK, New Jersey (Reuters) – When Cory Booker became mayor of Newark, New Jersey, in 2006, he said he was on a mission to help the hardscrabble city turn the corner on years of crime and decay and make it a national example of urban renewal.
U.S. House Republicans commit to delay of Obamacare tax provision
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Congressional Republican leaders said on Wednesday they were committed to delaying a tax penalty provision in the health care law and would use oversight powers to hold President Barack Obama’s administration “accountable” for pr…
U.S. House Democrat Pelosi: Do not delay health care program, fix it
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration should focus on fixing problems with the launch of government-run online health care insurance exchanges instead of delaying an enrollment deadline for the program, U.S. House of Representatives Democrati…
Ohio conservative lawmakers sue to stop Medicaid expansion
(Reuters) – Six Ohio Republican lawmakers have filed a lawsuit to challenge Governor John Kasich’s plan to expand Medicaid coverage for the poor under President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform law.
