Subject: Daily News Clips 2/18/14
From: "Sam Losow" <[email-masked]>
To: "undisclosed-recipients:"
Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2014 09:56:42 -0500

*National News:*

*Republicans and Democrats renew debate over the stimulus*
The White House released a report on Monday crediting President
Obama's economic
stimulus law<http://www.theweek.com/article/index/224654/the-economic-recovery-proof-obamas-stimulus-worked>with
creating millions of jobs on the fifth anniversary of the legislation's
passage. Obama said the $787 billion law, passed when Democrats controlled
the House and the Senate, averted a second Great Depression. Republicans,
most of whom fought Obama over the stimulus, disputed the White House
claims. House Speaker John Boehner said it was nothing but "big promises
and big spending with little results."
[*Reuters*<http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/us-usa-economy-obama-idUSBREA1G1F920140217>
]

..........................................................................................

*Tesla's Musk reportedly met with Apple*
Tesla CEO Elon Musk reportedly met with Apple executives last spring, when
analysts were speculating that the iPhone and iPad maker might acquire the
electric car trailblazer, the *San Francisco Chronicle* reported Monday.
Officials at Tesla and Apple had no comment. Apple also has been looking
into medical devices, including technology to predict heart attacks. The
company has been accused of losing its innovative
edge<http://www.theweek.com/article/index/241416/why-apple-has-an-image-problem>
since
the death of Steve Jobs. "They need the next big thing," one analyst
said. [*San
Francisco Chronicle*<http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Apple-exploring-cars-medical-devices-to-reignite-5239850.php#page-1>
]
..........................................................................................

*U.N. panel says Kim Jong Un could be prosecuted*
A United Nations panel on Monday sent a letter to North Korean leader Kim
Jong Un warning that he could face prosecution for crimes against humanity.
The U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea said Kim
presides over a brutal
state<http://www.theweek.com/article/index/253878/5-theories-to-explain-north-koreas-big-mysterious-purge>
"that
does not have any parallel in the contemporary world," using everything
from murder to sexual violence to mass starvation to terrorize "the
population into submission."
[CNN<http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/17/world/asia/north-korea-un-report/>
]
..........................................................................................

*Pakistan halts peace talks with the Taliban*
Pakistan's government suspended peace talks with the Taliban on Monday
after militants reportedly killed 23 paramilitary soldiers they had taken
prisoner. A Taliban faction claimed responsibility, saying the prisoners --
members of the Frontier Corps -- were killed in retaliation for the alleged
killing of Taliban prisoners held by the government. "We want to make it
clear to the government that we know how to take revenge," said Omar Khalid
Khurasani, a spokesman for the Taliban in the Mohmand tribal region. [*The
New York Times*<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/18/world/asia/pakistan-suspends-taliban-peace-talks-over-killings.html?hp&_r=0>
]
..........................................................................................

U.S. Scolds Russia as It Weighs Options on Syrian
War<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/18/world/middleeast/russia-is-scolded-as-us-weighs-syria-options.html?ref=world>
Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday sharpened the Obama
administration's mounting criticism ofRussia's role in the escalating
violence in Syria, asserting that the Kremlin was undermining the prospects
of a negotiated solution by "contributing so many more weapons" and
political support to President Bashar al-Assad.

"They're, in fact, enabling Assad to double down, which is creating an
enormous problem," Mr. Kerry said in Jakarta, Indonesia, before he flew
here to confer with top officials of the United Arab Emirates, a gulf state
that has been a strong supporter of the Syrian opposition.

Mr. Kerry's tough criticism underscored the erosion of the Russian-American
partnership in Syria, and raised questions about the viability of the
United States' diplomatic strategy to help resolve the escalating crisis.

President Obama has been deeply reluctant for nearly three years to get the
United States directly involved in Syria's civil war, and pulled back the
threat of cruise missile strikes in September after Mr. Assad's agreement
to eliminate his chemical arsenal. While chemicals for making poison gas
are leaving the country, behind schedule, Mr. Assad's conventional attacks
on civilians have escalated significantly, and now Mr. Obama is calling for
a review of what one senior official called "both old and new options" to
bolster opposition forces and ease a desperate humanitarian crisis
..........................................................................................
U.S. seeks prisoner swap with
Taliban<http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-seeks-prisoner-swap-with-taliban-to-free-army-sgt-bowe-bergdahl/2014/02/17/f142ed50-9590-11e3-afce-3e7c922ef31e_story.html>

In an effort to free American captive Bowe
Bergdahl<http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/sgt-bowe-bergdahls-capture-remains-amystery/2014/01/15/4f8ef686-7e28-11e3-9556-4a4bf7bcbd84_story.html>
before
the bulk of U.S. forces leave Afghanistan this year, the Obama
administration has decided to try to resume talks with the Taliban and
sweeten an offer to trade Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,
for the Army sergeant, current and former officials said.

Five members of the Afghan Taliban who have been held at Guantanamo for
years would be released to protective custody in Qatar in exchange for the
release of Bergdahl, who was captured in Afghanistan in 2009 and is thought
to be held in Pakistan by the Haqqani network, an allied insurgent group.

..........................................................................................
Student debt may hurt housing
recovery<http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/student-debt-may-hurt-housing-recovery-by-hampering-first-time-buyers/2014/02/17/d90c7c1e-94bf-11e3-83b9-1f024193bb84_story.html>

The growing student loan burden carried by millions of Americans threatens
to undermine the housing recovery's momentum by discouraging, or even
blocking, a generation of potential buyers from purchasing their first
homes.

Recent improvements in the housing market have been fueled largely by
investors who snapped up homes in the past few years. But that demand is
waning as prices climb andmortgage rates
rise<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/where-we-live/wp/2014/01/14/higher-interest-rates-will-slow-housing-market-growth-in-2014/>.
An analysis by the Mortgage Bankers Association found that loan
applications for home purchases have slipped nearly 20 percent in the past
four months compared with the same period a year earlier.
..........................................................................................

NRSC raised $4.62 million in
January<http://www.politico.com/story/2014/02/national-republican-senatorial-committee-nrsc-january-fundraising-103602.html?hp=l6>

Committee officials plan to announce they have more than $10 million on
hand - and no debt.

*Opinion:*

A danger to free
speech<http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/katrina-vanden-heuvel-comcast-time-warner-doesnt-pass-the-smell-test/2014/02/18/4b00e120-9808-11e3-afce-3e7c922ef31e_story.html>

Cable merger is bad for consumers. One thing is certain about Comcast's
proposed $45 billion
merger<http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/comcast-time-warner-agree-to-merge-in-45-billion-deal/2014/02/13/7b778d60-9469-11e3-84e1-27626c5ef5fb_story.html>
with
Time Warner Cable: It doesn't pass the smell test. Comcast claims that the
combination of the number one and number two cable companies will somehow
enhance rather than diminish competition and lead to greater consumer
satisfaction. Don't worry, Godzilla will play nice on the playground.
..........................................................................................

The right idea<http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ej-dionne-jr-raising-the-minimum-wage-is-the-right-idea-for-the-right/2014/02/16/b83cf4f0-95dc-11e3-8461-8a24c7bf0653_story.html>

There is a magnificent public policy that achieves many of the goals
conservative politicians regularly extol. These include promoting work over
dependency, reducing the cost of social welfare programs, fostering
economic growth and strengthening families.

The policy in question is raising the minimum wage. The only mystery is why
so few conservative politicians see the issue this way. Rank-and-file
conservatives know better. ADecember Washington Post/ABC News
poll<http://www.washingtonpost.com/page/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2013/12/18/National-Politics/Polling/question_12599.xml?uuid=d4Y6wGehEeOZe5ITsX2slw>
found
that 53 percent of self-described conservatives supported a minimum wage
increase. Republican politicians who are so solicitous of conservative
opinion need to follow the moral and practical intuitions of those they say
they represent.
*DE News:*
*House Speaker opposes gas tax hike....today*
The Democratic Speaker of the state House of Representatives has come out
against Gov. Jack Markell's plan to raise Delaware's gas tax by 10 cents,
to 33 cents a gallon, to pay for new roadway spending.

Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth, is the latest Democrat to oppose
Markell's plan, which would authorize new taxes and borrowing to pay for
$500 million in transportation improvements over the next five years.

House Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst has already expressed opposition to
the gas tax hike, joining lawmakers in both parties, many of whom face
re-election in November and want to avoid a vote on higher taxes.

Schwartzkopf told WDEL's Amy Cherry, "If I had to vote today, it would be a
no vote based on my district."

UPDATE: Schwartzkopf said his vote will reflect his district, where
residents currently oppose any gas tax increase. "Today they're a no vote,"
Schwartzkopf said. "It doesn't mean they'll be a no vote in a month." The
speaker said lawmakers supporting the proposal have to "educate the public"
on the benefits of raising the gas tax to pay for necessary road and bridge
improvements.

Markell's proposal would also automatically trigger additional increases in
the gas tax to keep pace with inflation.

Schwartzkopf told The News Journal this week the indexing proposal would
make the gas tax hike an even tougher sell in Legislative Hall. "We have a
tough road with the 10-cent hike," Schwartzkopf said. "I don't know the
indexing makes it any easier. It does make it harder."

Markell has warned lawmakers that voting no means dramatically reduced
roads spending in their districts and across the state. "It would be
ridiculous when states around us are making these kinds of investments that
are important for economic development and safety we're not making them,"
Markell said in remarks to the Council on Transportation this week.

But that may be little comfort for lawmakers facing re-election in
November, who are hearing opposition to higher taxes from residents in
their districts.

Schwartzkopf told WDEL that he needs a commitment from Markell to make
safety improvements along Del. 1 in his beach district to consider voting
for the gas hike. "Before they'd ever get my yes vote, there better be a
commitment to do Route 1," he said.
..........................................................................................
*Denn calls out insurance companie*Lt. Gov. Matt Denn railed against
workers' comp insurers on Monday, saying they treat premium-setting filings
"as the equivalent of a rug bazaar, throwing out facially absurd rate
increase requests" and expecting Delaware's insurance regulators to
negotiate.
Denn's remarks, delivered at a Wilmington event hosted by the Delaware
State Bar Association, come as businesses cope with soaring workers'
compensation premiums, which cover treatment and lost wages for workers
injured on the job.

The lieutenant governor on Monday targeted the Delaware Compensation Rating
Bureau, which represents insurance carriers in premium-setting negotiations
with state regulators.

The bureau attracted attention from businesses and lawmakers in 2012 when
it asked the Delaware Department of Insurance to approve a 40 percent
increase in insurance premiums and later settled for a 17 percent hike.
Carriers are seeking a similar increase now.

"The workers compensation rate review process is not supposed to be a
high-stakes poker game," Denn said, according to prepared remarks. "The
requests by the carriers should be serious requests, and there should be a
high level of scrutiny that includes the ability to get information outside
that provided by the insurance carriers in their application."

Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart and the rating bureau are
locked in another fight over increasing workers' comp premiums.

Late last year, the rating bureau requested another 40 percent rate hike,
on top of the 17 percent increase approved by Stewart in early 2013.
Medical data justify only a 9.5-11 percent increase, according to numbers
presented by "ratepayer advocate" established by General Assembly reforms
passed last year.

Denn and other members of a task force studying additional reforms urged
regulators in writing to deny the bureau's latest request, saying medical
data necessary to study the filing is missing or incomplete.

Also on Monday, Denn called for additional reforms in the General Assembly,
including steps to reduce the cost that providers charge for treating
workers' comp injuries, and make it easier to obtain medical data from the
insurance industry.

"The most important tool we have to detect problems in the system and keep
the carriers honest when it comes to rates is the facts, and we are still
not getting the facts," Denn said.

-- 
Sam Losow
*Finance Assistant*
Beau Biden, DE Attorney General
Office: (302) 295-8340
Cell: (202) 821-3399
[email-masked]