September 14, 2016 » THE DISTRICT SENTINEL news co-op

Dem Congressman: GOP Knows “Only Alternative is Single-Payer

September 14, 2016 by Sam Knight

A Democratic congressman said that Republicans aren’t offering a unique alternative to Obamacare because they know that the only working substitute would be Medicare-for-all. Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) made the accusations on Wednesday, at a House committee hearing set up by Republicans to criticize the Affordable Care Act (ACA). “The reason they have not proposed a viable alternative to the ACA, other than going back to pre-ACA situation, I’m convinced, is because the only other alternative is single-payer,” Yarmuth said. The law has come under…

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Thanks to Streamlining, the DOJ Generated Fewer “New” Secrets in 2015

September 14, 2016 by Sam Sacks

An internal inspector general gave high marks to the Department of Justice for correcting its classification procedures, and cutting down on the number of secrets it creates. The watchdog described “significant improvements” at the department, which reduced its original classification decisions down to zero in 2015 from 4,455 in 2013, when the IG conducted its first audit. The dramatic drop was primarily a result of DOJ officials having a “better understanding” of the classification process. In its prior 2013 audit, the IG noted that individuals…

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White House Boasting After Income Report Downplays Falling Oil Prices

September 14, 2016 by Sam Knight

President Obama has touted this week’s Census report on poverty and income as evidence that his economic policies are working. “We lifted 3.5 million people out of poverty–the largest one-year drop in the poverty rate since 1968,” he said Tuesday. But the claims obscure an actor who inadvertently helped boost American incomes last year: the Government of Saudi Arabia. The data released by the Census Bureau showed that inflation-adjusted median incomes had increased for the first time since 2007, by an impressive 5.2 percent. This…

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