Fwd: Public Hearing Would Have Made Obama?s ?Health Care Rationing Czar? Unconfirmable, GOP Senator Says

Today's Headlines Thursday, July 15, 2010

Public Hearing Would Have Made Obama's 'Health Care Rationing Czar' Unconfirmable, GOP Senator Says Washington (CNSNews.com) – President Obama recess-appointed his new Medicare and Medicaid chief because a Senate confirmation hearing for Dr. Donald Berwick would have made him "unconfirmable," said Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). "But now the president has what he wanted. What he wanted is a health care rationing czar. And that's what he has," Barrasso added. Berwick has openly advocated the redistribution of wealth as part of a health care plan. Obesity Rating for Every American Must Be Included in Stimulus-Mandated Electronic Health Records, Says HHS (CNSNews.com) – New federal regulations issued this week stipulate that the electronic health records, which all Americans are supposed to have by 2014 under the terms of the stimulus law that President Barack Obama signed last year, must record not only the traditional measures of height and weight, but also the Body Mass Index: a measure of obesity. The law also requires that these electronic health records be available--with appropriate security measures--on a national exchange. Step Right Up and Get Your Free Health Care... (CNSNews.com) - The Obama administration on Wednesday issued regulations requiring new, private health care plans to cover preventive services without charge -- no co-payments, deductibles, or coinsurance. The free preventive services will include screenings and counseling for obese children; special, pregnancy-tailored counseling to help pregnant women quit smoking and avoid alcohol use; screening for obesity, and counseling to promote sustained weight loss; and tobacco cessation interventions, such as counseling or medication to help individuals quit. Democrat Accuses Pro-Life Groups of 'Politicizing' Abortion Issue to Undermine Health Care Reform (CNSNews.com) - Several Democrats say pro-life conservatives have it wrong: They say the $160 million taxpayer dollars going to fund Pennsylvania's new high-risk insurance pool will not fund abortion, except in cases of rape or incest, or where the "life of the woman would be endangered." But given the way the guidelines are written, under the Pennsylvania plan, "federal funds will subsidize coverage of abortion performed for any reason, except sex selection," says the National Right to Life Committee. Senators Turn Up the Heat on BP Over Claims of a Lockerbie Deal (CNSNews.com) – Four U.S. senators turned up the pressure on BP Wednesday, demanding that the oil giant release to Congress private and public communications relating to last year's early release by British authorities of the Libyan convicted in the Lockerbie bombing. The four Democrats also secured an agreement from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to "look into" allegations that Abdel Basset al-Megrahi's release was linked to a lucrative BP oil deal in Libya. Vietnam Publication Aims to Counter Human Rights Criticism From 'Hostile Forces' (CNSNews.com) - As the U.S. and Vietnam mark the 15th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties, Hanoi has published its first "human rights magazine" at a time when some in the U.S. are demanding that concerns about human rights abuses in the communist-ruled state get greater attention. The publication released on Wednesday "also helps inform people about the plots of hostile forces who use democracy and human rights issues to sabotage national construction and development." CNSNEWS.COM VIDEO Axelrod: 'No Administration Has Been Tougher' on Immigration Enforcement than Obama Administration (CNSNews.com) - When making the case for the Obama administration's legal challenge to Arizona's new law against illegal immigration, White House senior adviser David Axelrod said "no administration has been tougher" on immigration enforcement than the Obama administration. "We can't have - we can't have a patchwork of 50 states developing their own immigration policy," Axelrod told host Chris Wallace on the July 11 edition of "Fox News Sunday." "I understand the frustration of people in Arizona. They want the federal government to step up and deal with this problem once and for all, and that's what we want to do." OTHER CNSNEWS.COM HEADLINES Nine States Join Legal Brief Backing Arizona's Immigration Law David Letterman Can't Resist More Bristol Palin Jokes 'Vacation Liberty School' Aims to Re-Teach Civics With Focus on Faith Revs. Sharpton and Jackson Downplay Tea Party 'Racism' Issue Rubio Calls Federal Oil Spill Response 'Abysmal' Obama, Criticized for Economy, to Promote Electric Vehicles in Michigan Obama Promises to Help House Democrats Helena School Board, Blasted Over Sex Ed Proposal for Young Children, May Reconsider Five Afghan Health Workers Kidnapped in Afghanistan Dick Cheney Recuperating After Surgery to Install Heart Pump Donate Today! Please help CNSNews.com keep bringing you 'The Right News - Right Now!' Make a contribution to CNSNews.com today. It's fast, simple and secure. Help CNSNews.com and Donate Today!  NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP White House fiscal commission looks abroad for formula to curtail the nation's deficits Senate Republicans want a hearing on recess-appointee Berwick Senior Republicans aren't banking on Senate takeover; have no legislative strategy Obama's Justice Dept. won't go after sanctuary cities Companies pile up cash but remain hesitant to add jobs U.S. home foreclosures reach record high in second quarter House Democrats hit boiling point over perceived lack of White House support Panel urges federal probe following 'grave' testimony in Black Panther case State Dept. mulls terror designation for Turkish charity behind Gaza 'aid' ship The scary state of retirement savings Fund-raising lifts Romney's 2012 prospects Dems tiptoe around Bush tax cuts Senate GOP: Small businesses would suffer if tax cuts expire Karl Rove discusses his 'biggest mistake in the White House' Arizona officials warn of hot pavement dangers in triple-digit heat COMMENTARY Obama's Race War By Ben Shapiro The Obama administration is racist. They are using that racism to let black criminals off the hook, justify illegal immigration, hamstring law enforcement across the country, and push redistribution as a solution to supposed continuing discrimination against "people of color." A Failed Obama Hero By Walter E. Williams Between 1787 and 1930, our nation saw both mild and severe economic downturns that lasted from one to seven years. Back then, no one considered it to be the business of the federal government to try to get the economy out of a depression because there was no constitutional authority to do so. It took Herbert Hoover, FDR and a frightened and derelict U.S. Supreme Court to turn what might have been a three- or four-year sharp downturn into a 15-year meltdown.