Subject: Daily News Clips 4/2/14
From: "Sam Losow" <[email-masked]>
To: "undisclosed-recipients:"
Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2014 10:10:28 -0400

*National News:*

Obama Claims Victory in Push for
Insurance<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/02/us/politics/obama-to-report-on-progress-of-health-care-law.html?ref=us>WASHINGTON
-- President Obama declared victory Tuesday in the government's aggressive
push to enroll seven million people in private health insurance plans under
the Affordable Care Act, even as his senior aides braced for an escalated
political battle over the law ahead of the fall's crucial midterm elections.

The milestone may be more significant politically than for what it says
about the law's potential impact on the American health system, which
remains unclear. But officials said it was unlikely to have much of an
impact on public perception of the law, and the announcement did little to
deflect immediate criticism from its Republican opponents.

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

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/paul-ryans-final-budget-plan-would-slash-5-trillion-in-next-decade/2014/04/01/9ee12c04-b9ba-11e3-96ae-f2c36d2b1245_story.html>
Paul Ryan's final budget slashes $5 trillion in 10
years<http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/paul-ryans-final-budget-plan-would-slash-5-trillion-in-next-decade/2014/04/01/9ee12c04-b9ba-11e3-96ae-f2c36d2b1245_story.html>

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) introduced a budget
proposal Tuesday that would cut more than $5 trillion in federal spending
over the next decade, primarily by effectively repealing President Obama's
signature health-care law and greatly reducing funding for social programs.

The 99-page plan<http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/politics/house-budget-committee-chairman-paul-ryans-fy-2015-budget-blueprint/905/>
is
Ryan's last manifesto on government austerity as head of the Budget
Committee. He has emerged as the GOP's leading light on fiscal policy in
recent years, but he is term-limited as head of the budget panel and vying
to become chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee next year
while considering a 2016 presidential bid.

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

*Earthquake rocks Chile and sets off tsunami*
A powerful earthquake hit Chile last night, precipitating massive
landslides and seven-foot tsunami waves. The quake, which reached a
magnitude of 8.2 on the Richter scale, struck about 60 miles northwest of
Iquique in the ocean. By morning the death toll had reached five, as two
people had heart attacks and three were crushed.
[*CNN*<http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/01/world/americas/chile-earthquake/index.html?hpt=hp_c2>
]

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

*Official confirms the NSA conducted warrantless electronic searches on
Americans*
In a letter to a Senate Democrat, the U.S.'s top intelligence official
confirmed that the National Security
Agency<http://theweek.com/article/index/256460/the-evolution-of-the-nsa>
has
engaged in warrantless searches on electronic communication data of
American citizens. James Clapper, the director of national intelligence,
admitted to the searches, but argued that they were legal. The number of
warrantless searches conducted to date was not disclosed. [*The
Guardian*<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/01/nsa-surveillance-loophole-americans-data>
]

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

*Kerry cancels meeting with Abbas*
Secretary of State John
Kerry<http://theweek.com/article/index/253852/will-john-kerrys-foreign-policy-successes-undercut-hillary-clinton>
canceled
a visit with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas after the latter
defied American wishes by signing onto 15 United Nations treaties, a move
that essentially asserted Palestinian statehood. The move came eight months
into the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, just as diplomats
were discussing extending the negotiations. Abbas had agreed not to sign
the treaties so long as Israel released 104 Palestinian prisoners, but
Israel did not free the last group of 26 on schedule. [*The Washington
Post*<http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/release-of-israeli-spy-could-spur-broader-deal-as-kerry-detours-to-mideast-in-bid-to-save-talks/2014/04/01/363d41a0-b998-11e3-96ae-f2c36d2b1245_story.html?hpid=z4>
]

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

*Japan ends decades-long ban on exporting weapons*
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reversed close to 50 years of precedent
when he overturned his country's ban on exporting weapons and military
hardware. The ban had been in place since the 1960s, as Japan renounced
armed conflict in the aftermath of World War II. The latest move was
supported by the U.S. government, which hopes Japan can increase its
military standing and counterbalance China's growing influence in the
region. [*The New York
Times*<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/02/world/asia/japan-ends-half-century-ban-on-weapons-exports.html?ref=world>
]

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

*Ukraine signs on to host NATO exercises*
Lawmakers in the
Ukraine<http://theweek.com/article/index/258201/ukraines-fraught-relationship-with-russia-a-brief-history>
have
unanimously agreed to host NATO military exercises. The country is not an
official member of NATO, but has been participating in joint exercises
since 1997. The vote comes on the heels of Russia's massive military
buildup on the Ukrainian border and takeover of Crimea. [*Global
Post*<http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/140401/ukraine-agrees-host-nato-war-games>
]

..........................................................................................
In pushing Obamacare, the White House is focused mostly on these 25
cities<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/04/01/in-pushing-obamacare-the-white-house-is-focused-mostly-on-these-25-cities/>

[image: The 25 cities targeted by the administration in its Obamacare push.
(Laris Karklis/Washington Post)]

*2016 Presidential News:*

What can Rick Santorum afford to do about
2016?<http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/rick-santorum-in-movie-exec-mode-considers-his-options-for-2016/2014/04/01/9cdf6e32-b908-11e3-899e-bb708e3539dd_story.html>

History says that Rick Santorum should be the next Republican nominee for
president. Republicans are wont to nominate the guy who came in second the
last time around (see: Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, John
McCain and Mitt Romney). Having won 11 states in 2012, Santorum should be
the front-runner.

The problem for him is that no one believes this will be the case.

"This has happened to me every single race I've run," Santorum says about
his underdog status in a Des Moines coffee shop. His hair has grayed and
his belly shrunk a bit since 2012. "I would have been surprised had it been
otherwise this time around."
*Biden News:*

*Beau Biden warns of tax scam*
Attorney General Beau Biden is warning Delawareans of bogus email messages
claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service's Taxpayer Advocacy
Service. They are actually a scam, Biden said.

The emails contain a fake case number, the Taxpayer Advocacy Center's
actual logo and reads:"Your reported 2013 income is flagged for review due
to a document processing error. Your case has been forwarded to the
Taxpayer Advocate Service for resolution assistance. To avoid delays
processing your 2013 filing contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service for
resolution assistance."

The email provides a link that asks for personal information from the
recipient, such as legal name and contact information.

Those who receive these bogus e-mails should not click on any of the links
or provide any of the information requested, Biden's office reports. The
e-mails should be forwarded to the IRS' designed account for fraudulent
emails, which [email-masked].

Biden's office also asks Delawareans to report suspicious activity to the
Consumer Protection Hotline at (800) 220-5424 or by sending an email
[email-masked].

*DE News:*

*E-book settlement nets $500,000 for Delaware*
Consumers in Delaware will start getting account credits or checks this
week as part of a partial settlement of 2012 E-book price-fixing lawsuits
brought by attorneys general in 33 states, including Delaware's Beau Biden.
The total settlement is $166 million, and of that sum, Delaware will get
$500,000 to divide up among residents here.

The suit was against Apple, Inc., as well as five of the six largest E-book
publishers in the country: Hachette Book Group Inc., HarperCollins
Publishers LLC, Simon & Schuster Inc., Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC, doing
business as Macmillan, and Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

"This settlement compensates Delawareans who were harmed by the publishers'
actions," Biden said. "The publishers colluded to deny consumers the lower
prices that normally result from competition."

The account credit or check will be based on the number of eligible E-books
bought by a consumer between April 1, 2010 to May 21, 2012. Eligible
consumers should review their email for communications from their E-book
retailer, or from the settlement administrator. For more information on the
settlements, visitwww.ebookagsettlements.com

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