FOCUS: Harvey Wasserman | Will Landmark Court Decision Speed Diablo's Demise?

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FOCUS: Harvey Wasserman | Will Landmark Court Decision Speed Diablo's Demise?

Harvey Wasserman, Reader Supported News
Wasserman writes: "The suit says Diablo's owners illegally conspired with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to weaken seismic standards."
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Overnight Healthcare: White House has no backup plan for ObamaCare

The White House warned Tuesday that it has no backup plan if the Supreme Court strikes down the healthcare subsidies at the heart of ObamaCare, dramatically raising the stakes for the justices' decision this summer. A message from IBM and Epic: We are trusted market leaders in Health IT. Together, we bring a complete end-to-end Electronic Health Record that will give military families the nation’s top rated patient-centric, open, and interoperable system, today and into the future. onemilitaryhealth.com SPONSOR-GENERATED CONTENT Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell wrote in a letter to GOP leaders that the administration has "no plans" to avert disaster in case of a plaintiff victory. If the court rules against the White House in King v. Burwell, people in 37 states would lose their ObamaCare subsidies. That decision, Burwell said, would cause "massive damage to our health care system." Burwell's insistence that there is no Supreme Court "plan B" is a far cry from her previous remarks on the court case. Before the ObamaCare deadline on Feb. 15, the HHS chief repeatedly refused to discuss the case and said her staff remained focus on enrollment. She said then, and reiterated on Tuesday, that the administration will prevail in court. "We are confident that we will prevail because the text and structure of the Affordable Care Act demonstrates that citizens in every state would be entitled to tax credits, regardless of whether they purchased their insurance on a federal or state marketplace," Burwell wrote. GOP: WHITE HOUSE BURYING HEAD IN SAND: Republicans are already using the letter to portray the White House as ignorant of the case's consequences. "It's hard to fathom that the administration would bury its head in the sand and fail to engage in any contingency planning," said Rep, Joe Pitts (R-Pa.), who chairs the health subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He said he plans to grill Burwell on more details when she testifies before his committee on Thursday. Republicans on the Hill have also been amplifying rhetoric about their own back-up plans for ObamaCare. Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) announced Monday that he was working on his own plan, which he reiterated in light of Burwell's letter. "I'm committed to working with my Republican colleagues on how Congress can respond to help those hurt by Obamacare's broken promises, including those in a post King v. Burwell world," Hatch wrote in a statement Tuesday. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who leads the Senate Republican Policy Committee, also stressed that the GOP was readying its own plan. "Republicans are preparing for the ruling and are committed to helping the millions of Americans who have been hurt by the White House's decision to illegally implement Obamacare," Barrasso wrote. EARLY OBAMACARE FILERS GET A BREAK: About 50,000 who already filed their taxes using the wrong ObamaCare tax form are no longer being forced to re-file. The Internal Revenue Service released a statement late Tuesday that said it "will not pursue the collection of any additional taxes from these individuals based on updated information in the corrected forms." Still, it says some people may want to re-file because they could be getting shortchanged if they use the wrong information. Those who received the wrong forms but have not yet filed are being encouraged to wait until they receive new forms. Read more here: HUGE DROP IN UNINSURED: The rate of people without health insurance dropped 3.5 percentage points last year, its lowest level in the seven years for which Gallup data is available. The biggest decrease occurred in states that both expanded Medicaid under ObamaCare and set up their own insurance marketplaces under the law – which also signals a general buy-in of the law. Nearly all states that did both are run by Democrats. Arkansas saw the largest drop in its uninsured rate, down 11 points to around 11 percent. Kentucky, Oregon and Washington state followed in experiencing big drops. All have Democratic governors. Read more here.  ... AND MORE FROM 'THE GOOD NEWS DEPARTMENT: ObamaCare has led to substantial savings in prescription drug costs and a strong increase in the use of preventive services, administration officials announced Tuesday. "Our parents and grandparents on Medicare saved more than $15 billion on prescription drugs since President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act in 2010," Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said. Those savings amount to nearly $1,600 per person enrolled in Medicare -- an increase from about $1,400 in average savings last year. Burwell delivered the announcement -- which she joked came from the agency's "good news department" -- in front of thousands of doctors at the annual D.C. meeting of the American Medical Association. Read more here. CHIP FUNDING BILL COMING TOGETHER: Top Republicans are moving forward with an effort to extend funding for the soon-to-expire Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). A discussion draft released Tuesday would keep the program going with most of its current provisions – but does not set a new timeline for how long. The effort is led by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts (R-Pa.). The current funding stream dries up by September, which could cause 1 million children to lose coverage. Tuesday's schedule HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell will testify before the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee. The American Medical Association will hold the second day of its national advocacy conference. The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues will hold a briefing on the public health response to Ebola. State by state Kentucky becomes last state to extend ObamaCare deadline Idaho lawmaker asks if woman can swallow camera for gynecological exam before medical abortion California lawmaker looks to ban chewing tobacco at baseball games What we're reading Humana, Aetna predict drop in Medicare funding for 2016 More tax complications arise from HealthCare.gov Big U.S. majority favors mandatory vaccinations FDA wants more data on sunscreen additives before approval What you might have missed from The Hill HHS watchdog to investigate ObamaCare subsidies, security Rehab hospitals press Congress to avert payment cuts Jonathan Gruber likely overbilled Vermont government, auditor finds Please send tips and comments to Sarah Ferris, sferris@thehill.com, and Peter Sullivan, psullivan@thehill.com. Follow on Twitter: @thehill, @sarahnferris, @PeterSullivan4

The Guardian today - Australia edition

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CBC News Online - Toronto Digest - 2015-02-24

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A Toronto mystery deepens: Was it a tunnel or a bunker? Tue, 24 Feb 2015 15:19:36 EST A Toronto mystery deepens: Was it a tunnel or a bunker? Tue, 24 Feb 2015 15:19:36 EST There are many questions about a mysterious tunnel discovered near York University last month, including what it should be called. Read More Wynne fires back at PC critic over new sex-ed curriculum Tue, 24 Feb 2015 17:04:56 EST A few hundred people gathered outside the Ontario legislature Tuesday to protest the province's revised sex-education curriculum, while inside Premier Kathleen Wynne went on the attack against an Opposition critic. Read More Chris Brown denied entry to Canada before Toronto, Montreal shows Tue, 24 Feb 2015 16:53:33 EST Chris Brown was denied permission to cross the border into Canada ahead of two sold-out shows in Toronto and Montreal, the R&B singer tweeted his 14 million followers on Tuesday. Read More Canadian Oscar winner Craig Mann recounts his wild night Tue, 24 Feb 2015 17:29:06 EST Winning the Oscar is one thing. Actually accepting the trophy in front of a celeb-studded crowd, on live TV, is another. Read More Teaching assistants could strike at York, University of Toronto: CUPE Tue, 24 Feb 2015 17:05:46 EST The union representing teaching assistants and other academic staff at Ontario's two largest universities warns a strike as early as Thursday could jeopardize the school year for thousands of students. Read More More Headlines Students win legal battle against mandatory breathalyzer test Ontario woman among dead in Texas shooting Harshalkumar Desai froze to death, police say Toronto tunnel posed no threat to Pan Am Games, police say Hazel McCallion gets a new job Car plunges off Highway 403 overpass in Mississauga Toronto Blue Jays spring training: 6 stories to watch GFL withdraws $100K sponsorship to keep some city rinks open, Tim Hortons steps in Mystery tunnel found near Pan Am Games venue Cremated remains of loved one stolen during Etobicoke break-in