Former President Obama quipped that former first lady Michelle Obama’s official portrait captured her looking “fine” during an unveiling at the White House on Wednesday.
“I want to thank [artist] Sharon Sprung for capturing everything I love about Michelle. Her grace, her intelligence, and the fact that she is fine,” Obama said during the unveiling of the portraits in the East Room, prompting loud applause and claps from the audience.
“She is. Her portra...
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White House reveals official portraits of Barack, Michelle Obama
President Biden praised Barack Obama as one of “the most consequential presidents in our history” as he unveiled the ex-commander in chief and Michelle Obama’s official portraits in a long-delayed ceremony at the White House.
"There are a few people I've ever known with more integrity, decency and moral courage than Barack Obama,” Biden said on Wednesday in the East Room — packed with alumni of the Obama administration — as the former first family looked on.
"The...
Florida’s Medicaid ban on gender-affirming care likely violates Affordable Care Act, Health Department says
Story at a glance
- A new Florida rule that prohibits transgender people from using Medicaid to help pay for gender-affirming health care likely violates Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), agencies in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told Changing America.
- Under Section 1557, health programs that receive federal funds are prohibited from discriminating based on six protected characteristics, including sex.
Federal judge rules against Obamacare coverage of HIV prevention drugs
A federal judge in Texas struck down a key provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires insurers and employers to cover HIV prevention drugs, ruling that the requirement violates the religious freedom of a Christian-owned company.
The ruling by Judge Reed O'Connor — who previously struck down the entire ObamaCare law before it was upheld by the Supreme Court — was a partial victory for the challengers.
It was not immediately clear what kind of impact the ruling...
Obamacare can’t require coverage for certain HIV prevention drugs, federal judge rules
A federal judge in Texas on Wednesday struck down an Affordable Care Act requirement that insurers and employers offer plans that cover HIV-prevention drugs.
Why it matters that Republicans are abandoning their ACA attacks
The GOP Party spent much of the last decade with a single message related to health care policy: Repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Not anymore.
Biden’s student loan bailout treats hard-working Americans as chumps on Labor Day
President Biden’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 of student loans per borrower is bad policy for numerous reasons. It adds nearly $1 trillion to the national debt. It fuels inflation. And it is illegal executive overreach. (The Job Creators Network Foundation’s Legal Action Fund is currently considering legal options to block it.)
The bailout is also fundamentally unfair to most Americans who never earned an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. These hard-working folks are forced ...
‘Rooted’ Latino festival plants seeds in Aspen
ASPEN, COLO. – A group of Latino artists, communicators, politicians and advocates are congregating in Colorado this week for the Raizado Festival, a gathering that seeks to address issues affecting the community in media, organizing and politics.
Organizers of the Raizado Festival — the name is Spanish for "rooted" — purposely chose Aspen, a place where powerful groups hold summits that direct the future of industry, philanthropy and civil society organizations.
"Ov...
White House faces legal questions with student loan forgiveness plan
The White House has stepped into tricky legal territory with a plan to erase $10,000 in federal student loan debt for millions of borrowers.
The plan is expected to face legal challenges, which would cause uncertainty for borrowers who stand to benefit from the new policy.
At the same time, there are also expected to be challenges for those planning to sue the administration over the plan.
Demonstrating standing in the case in particular is seen...
Reconciliation can be a game changer for pro-worker policies
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) does many valuable things: It reduces prescription drug prices, combats climate change and makes corporations pay a minimum tax. One of the more consequential and lasting impacts of the new law, however, could be that it highlights how Congress can move forward with pro-worker legislation. Until the Senate filibuster is reformed, the most likely path for Congress to support workers and their labor unions lies with budget reconciliation&nb...