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Thursday, dec 19
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Senate
Politics
Trump Taps Dr. Oz To Lead Medicare, Medicaid Services
President-elect Donald J. Trump has nominated Dr. Mehmet Oz to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), citing the Pennsylvania-educated heart surgeon’s decades-long dedication to healthcare innovation and public advocacy. The announcement came Tuesday, Nov. 19, as Trump highlighted Oz’s qualifications and ties to the Keystone State. Dr. Oz earned both his medical degree and MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine and Wharton Business School, making him an Ivy League-trained physician and business leader. Trump lauded his achievements in a statement, ca…
Politics
Former Trump Hater J.D. Vance, Yale Law School Grad, Selected As Trump's VP
Former President Donald Trump unveiled his vice presidential running mate late Monday afternoon, July 15. US Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, age 39, was announced as the pick by Trump on Truth Social just ahead of his appearance at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. The post reads as follows: "After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio. J.D. honorably served our Country in the Ma…
Politics
Covid-
19: Lamont's Emergency Powers Extended After Close State Senate Vote
Lawmakers in Connecticut narrowly approved a resolution to extend Gov. Ned Lamont’s emergency powers that were put in place at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic through the fall. The House voted to extend Lamont’s power through Thursday, Sept. 30 by a vote of 73 to 56, while the Senate vote was closer, ending with a 19 to 15 margin, making Connecticut one of the last states in the northeast to remain under a state of emergency due to COVID-19. Lamont first put Connecticut in a state of emergency in March 2020 when the virus first began rapidly spreading throughout the region. The govern…
Politics
Measure To Legalize Recreational Marijuana Use In CT Set For Lamont's Signature To Become Law
As soon as the ink is dry on Gov. Ned Lamont's pen, marijuana will be legal in Connecticut after the Senate gave its final approval for the growth and sale of marijuana The new legislation, approved on Thursday, June 17, would allow adults 21 or older to purchase and possess up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana beginning on Thursday, July 1. Commercial sales of recreational marijuana in the state would not start until May 2022. Gov. Ned Lamont, who has favored the bill, said he looks forward to signing the bill. "It's fitting that the bill legalizing the adult use of cannabis and addressin…
Police & Fire
Connecticut's 'Best Pizza' Bill Gets Sliced By Lawmakers
The push by lawmakers in Connecticut to make pizza the official “State Food” has officially run out of gas. House representatives voted last month to designate pizza as Connecticut’s state food, bringing it to the Senate, though the bill is now dead after it did not get a vote after failing to make it into a series of laws for Gov. Ned Lamont to review and sign into law. The legislation, Proposed House Bill 5656, would have amended chapter 33 of the Connecticut general statutes to “recognize the contribution of pizza to the state’s cuisine and economy.” Earlier story - Pie In The Sky: CT …
Politics
Covid-
19: CT House Extends Lamont's Emergency Declarations
House Democrats in Connecticut voted to keep Gov. Ned Lamont’s emergency powers in place, and the measure now moves to the Senate. On Thursday, March 25, House representatives voted 90 to 50 to extend 93 executive orders put in place by Lamont during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the governor reminded lawmakers that Connecticut is still in a state of emergency. The vote was split along party lines. “Infections are no longer going down, plateaued, and in fact picking up a little bit. We're not out of this yet,” Lamont said. Lamont’s orders are set to expire on Tuesday, April 20. Democrats are …
Politics
Covid-
19: Nursing Home Scandal Fallout Increases As More Dems Turn On Cuomo, Feds Launch Probe
The heat is on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo as he attempts to counter the fallout from both sides of the aisle over his handling of COVID-19 cases in the state’s nursing homes. Some state Democrats have joined in the cacophony of Republican voices expressing outrage over Cuomo’s administration underreporting and subsequent coverup of COVID-19-related nursing home deaths in New York. The federal government is now planning to launch a probe into the scandal that has turned Cuomo from an Emmy award-winning national figure touted for his daily COVID-19 briefings complete with power-point slides …
News
Covid-
19: Here's Who's Expected To Qualify For Third IRS Stimulus Check
Relief may be coming for millions of Americans after the Senate and House of Representatives took a major step forward by approving a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 package that includes a third round of stimulus checks. President Joe Biden has proposed sending $1,400 to every person who received stimulus checks during the first two rounds of payments, though it could be weeks until money starts showing up in bank accounts. The approvals by Congress will now lead to a “reconciliation” process in which congressional committees will draft a bill based on Biden’s sweeping proposal. Every adult taxpay…
Politics
Westchester Native Tony Blinken Sworn In As Secretary Of State
A prominent politician from the Hudson Valley will serve as America’s top diplomat after being sworn in as President Joe Biden’s Secretary of State. Yonkers native Antony "Tony" Blinken, age 58, a longtime confidant and aide of the new president, was approved by the Senate with a 78-22 bipartisan vote this week and will return to the White House following time spent as a top member of the Obama administration. From 2009 to 2013, Blinken was the Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President, where he was tasked with helping to craft foreign policy in t…
News
Ex-NY HS Wrestling Standout Who Smoked Pot In Senator's Office Says He Has No Regrets For Riot
A 26-year-old former high school wrestling standout in New York who went to community college in the Hudson Valley said he has “no regrets” after rioting at the U.S. Capitol and smoking weed in Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley’s office. After seeing a tweet from President Donald Trump, upstate New York resident Brandon Fellows - who attended Hudson Valley Community College - was one of the hundreds to flood the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 6 when protesters stormed the building, according to a new report by Bloomberg. Fellows, a standout high school wrestler at Niskayuna High School near Albany, …
Politics
Trump Becomes Only President To Be Impeached Twice, This Time For 'Incitement Of Insurrection'
Donald John Trump is now the only president in U.S. history to be impeached twice by the House of Representatives. On Wednesday, Jan. 13 - just a week before the inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden and a week after the deadly pro-Trump riot at the Capitol building - the U.S. House voted to impeach Trump, a Republican, by a margin of 232-197 on one charge of incitement of insurrection. View the impeachment resolution here The vote was bipartisan. All 222 Democrats voted to impeach while 10 Republicans also did so, including GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney of Wyoming, daughter of form…
News
Capitol Hill Chaos: Lockdown Halts Electoral College Confirmation As Protesters Storm Building
The United States Capitol is in lockdown after pro-Trump protesters swarmed into the building just after the Electoral College confirmation process got underway on Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 6, Protesters waving Confederate and American flags as well as pro-Trump merchandise, moved past police and into the Capitol Building to disrupt the Senate’s confirmation of votes Joe Biden’s election to the presidency, according to the New York Times and multiple media reports. A clash between police and protesters broke out around noon on Wednesday. The chaos disrupted the proceedings and force…
News
Covid-
19: One In Three CT Businesses Have Closed, Many For Good
Since March, when the COVID-19 pandemic descended upon American businesses in full force, about one in three Connecticut businesses have closed, according to the Wall Street Journal. Although businesses throughout the country have been adversely affected, Connecticut stores have been especially hard-hit—in New York, New Jersey and the country as a whole, only a quarter of businesses have been forced to close their doors. Restaurants have been hit the hardest—about 600 have shut down, temporarily or permanently, and all are currently limited to 50 percent capacity by the state's …
News
Eversource Customers Hit With Increase On Their Electric Bills
Eversource has drawn the ire of its Connecticut customers who have just seen a sudden uptick in the price of their electric bills. There was an uproar from customers after seeing a rate increase earlier this month due to what Eversource says is a state-mandated agreement with the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant to purchase power. The rate increase took effect as of Wednesday, July 1. According to reports, some customers have seen their bill increase by more than $100. As part of a deal to keep the Millstone Nuclear Plant from closing early and taking one-third of the state's electric supply…
Politics
19-Year-Old Brother Of Sandy Hook Victim Announces Run For State Senate
The teenage brother of a Sandy Hook school shooting victim has thrown his hat in the ring and announced that he is planning to run for public office. JT Lewis, of Newtown, whose brother died in the December 2012 mass shooting and who is a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, announced his intentions to run for state Senate, claiming that current elected officials have fallen short. In a video posted on social media on Monday, July 15, the 19-year-old announced his plans. “After the Sandy Hook shooting, a mom and a little boy who just lost a son and a brother, made a call to their st…
Politics
Ocasio-Cortez Joins Bernie Sanders' Call For 15 Percent Cap On Credit Card Interest
Freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s latest major bill since taking office has a powerful backer. The 2007 Yorktown High School graduate and presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders just introduced a proposal to cap credit card interest rates at 15 percent this week, which would rein in the profits major banks can capitalize on. The legislation has been dubbed the “Loan Shark Prevention Act.” Currently, the national average annual percentage rate his 17.73 percent, while the median was sitting at 21.36 percent, according to CreditCards.com. “Despite the fact that banks can borro…
News
Thinly Staffed IRS Won't Issue Refunds During Shutdown
As tax season draws near, the Internal Revenue Service, thinly staffed due to the partial government shutdown, can’t currently issue any refunds. In addition, the IRS has not announced an official start date for the 2019 filing season. The IRS began the filing season last year on Jan. 29. The IRS is now working under non-filing season shutdown plans with only 12.5 percent of the IRS workforce authorized to work. The partial shutdown marked its 14th day on Friday, Jan. 4. As the standoff drags on, about 800,000 federal employees are working without pay or being furloughed. …
News
Limo That Crashed, Killing 20, Failed Inspection, Driver Did Not Have Proper License
The stretch limousine involved in the horrific crash that killed 20 adults over the weekend near Albany failed an inspection in September and was not supposed to be on the road, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday afternoon. The limo driver, identified as 53-year-old Scott Lisinicchia, also did not have the proper license to operate the vehicle, Cuomo told reporters at the Columbus Day Parade in New York City. Cuomo said the state is working on getting a cease-and-desist order to prevent the limousine company, Prestige Limousine, from operating until the National Transportation Safety Bo…
Neighbors
Senators Fight To Save Tax Break For Newman's Own Foundation In Westport
WESTPORT, Conn. — Over the past 25 years, Newman's Own Foundation in Westport has donated $512 million to charities. But a provision in ongoing federal budget negotiations could force the nonprofit founded by actor Paul Newman to close its doors due to a disastrous tax. U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) have written to Senate leaders for help for the nonprofit. When Paul Newman died in 2008, ownership of the actor’s eponymous food company, Newman’s Own, was turned over to the nonprofit foundation. It donates 100 percent of its profits after taxes to charity. Because…
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