U.S. Senate Republicans abandoned their last-ditch effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act last week ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline to do so with a simple majority of 50 votes. That decision came after U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) joined...
Former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore handily defeated sitting U.S. Sen. Luther Strange (R-Alabama) in a special primary runoff last Tuesday to determine the Republican who will potentially serve out the term of now-Attorney General Jeff...
For the last few years, California has held its primary elections in June, which, in 2016, was after Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump had already become their respective parties’ presumptive nominees. Under a bill ( SB 568 ) signed by Gov. Jerry...
DHS CONTACTS STATES ABOUT 2016 ELECTION HACKING The Department of Homeland Security directly notified election officials in 21 states last month that they had been targeted by hackers connected to the Russian government during the 2016 election campaign...
Last week President Donald Trump and Republican congressional leaders outlined their plan for a sweeping overhaul of the federal tax code. While many details of the plan still have to be worked out, it currently calls for a 4.6 percent reduction in the...
There are currently three bills dealing with the collection of sales taxes from out-of-state sellers pending in Congress: the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2017 (SB 976) and the Remote Transactions Parity Act of 2017 (HR 2193) , both of which would allow...
Last week Standard & Poor’s lowered the bond rating for Hartford, Connecticut from B- to CCC, a four-grade drop. That news was bad enough, particularly coming after another four-grade drop in the city’s rating, from BB to B-, less than...
BIG DISPARITIES IN ECONOMIC RECOVERY BETWEEN US ZIP CODES Fifty-two percent of the new jobs created in the first few years of the recovery from the Great Recession came in the 20 percent of U.S. ZIP codes that were already among the most prosperous...
Seven states have set minimum staffing levels for dialysis clinics through administrative regulations, according to analysis by the Service Employees International Union. California also considered an SEIU-backed bill ( SB 349 ) this year that, if passed...
Three mornings every week for the last few years California resident Dave Kennedy grabs his headphones, a reading tablet and a few pillows and makes a 15-minute drive to the dialysis clinic nearest his home in the foothills east of Sacramento. Once there...
Napoléon Bonaparte once said, “Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.” We may be firmly ensconced in the digital media age, but his remarks still hold true—whether you’re a would-be emperor...
From an early age, we hear phrases like, “ There’s no such thing as a free lunch ,” “Free comes at a price” and “Nothing is free.” These sayings capture the truth that there are few things in life that are truly...
Fear- a strong unpleasant feeling caused by being aware of danger or expecting something displeasing to happen. We all experience fear in different forms and often times, it’s just unavoidable. But the fear of missing information with your development...
The core skills of the modern P R professional are based on gaining the most important currency for companies today: Trust. Consumers are more connected than ever, and they have countless options of brands to follow, shop, support and share. Brands...
Brand reputation has never been more important in influencing consumer and stakeholder decisions. At the same time, brand image can alter extremely quickly thanks to the increasingly instant nature of the media and the profile of public opinion. Witness...
If you thought politics couldn’t sink any lower...wait for it...guess again. That’s because, as Cleveland.com reports , TV talk show host Jerry Springer, a.k.a. “The King of Trash TV” is pondering a run at the Ohio governor’s...
Speaking of surrealistic, how about Sen. Kid Rock? And if self-proclaimed rocks are your thing, perhaps President Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson? Or if sharks are more your style, how about Dallas Mavericks owner and Shark Tank panelist Mark Cuban...
For many folks the initial training in the fine art of driving a car comes from a parent. In my case, said training came from my mother...and I still have the ringing in my right ear to prove it. Now Stateline reports that a growing number of states are...
California Assembly Gives Final Approval The CALIFORNIA Assembly gives final approval to a bill making the first year of community college free for in-state students going full time. The measure ( AB 19 ) now goes to Gov. Jerry Brown (D) (ASSOCIATED...
California Signs SB 17 The CALIFORNIA Senate gives final passage to a measure ( SB 17 ) requiring drug makers to give a public explanation for some price increases. The bill, believed to be the first in the nation to require such transparency in pharmaceutical...
California Governor Signs Marijuana Bill Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs a bill ( SB 65 ) banning the smoking of marijuana or ingestion of marijuana products while driving or riding in a vehicle, starting Jan. 1 when recreational pot becomes legal in the...
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) said this week that public universities should cut programs that don’t produce workers for the high-paying jobs the economy needs. Bevin said that producing graduates who can fill the kind of jobs he’s trying to...
Missouri House Members Fail to Override Veto House members fail to override a veto by Gov. Eric Greitens (R) on a spending bill ( HCB 3 ) that will mean budget cuts to senior services will remain in place for now. Legislative leaders say they’ll...
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) reached an agreement this week with Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D) to make changes to California’s “Sanctuary State” bill ( SB 54 ), adding specified circumstances when law enforcement should share information...
The Delaware River Basin Commission, which manages water resources in that mid-Atlantic watershed, adopted a resolution this week to issue draft rules that would permanently ban hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for oil and gas in the basin. The rules...