House votes to delay health care provisions
House votes to delay health care provisions
WASHINGTON — The Republican-led House voted Wednesday to delay core provisions of President Barack Obama’s health care law, emboldened by the administration’s concession that requiring companies to provide coverage for their workers next year may be too complicated.
After a day of heated rhetoric, the House voted largely along party lines, 264-161, to delay by one year the so-called employer mandate of the Affordable Care Act. It voted 251-174 to extend a similar grace period to virtually all Americans who will be required to obtain coverage beginning Jan. 1, the linchpin of the law.
The dual political-show votes marked the 38th time the GOP majority has tried to eliminate, remove its funding or scale back the unpopular law since Republicans took control of the House in January 2011. The House legislation stands no chance in the Democratic-run Senate.
Queen Elizabeth II approves gay marriage
LONDON — The French like to make fun of the British, joking about their repressed ways in matters of the heart. But when it came time to debate same-sex marriage, it was France that betrayed a deep conservative streak in sometimes violent protests — while the British showed themselves to be modern and tolerant.
With little fanfare or controversy, Britain announced Wednesday that Queen Elizabeth II — hardly a social radical — had signed into law a bill legalizing same-sex marriages in England and Wales. France has also legalized gay marriages, but only after a series of gigantic protests attracting families from the traditional heartland that revealed a deeply split society.
Official word that the queen had approved the bill drew cheers in the usually sedate House of Commons.
There were British political figures and religious leaders vehemently opposed to gay marriage but the opposition never reached a fever pitch, in part because the same-sex marriage bill had broad public support and the backing of the leaders of the three major political parties.
Judge scolds suspect in Ohio kidnappings
CLEVELAND — A man accused of holding three women captive for a decade was scolded repeatedly by a judge to raise his head and open his eyes in a brief court appearance where he pleaded not guilty Wednesday to nearly 1,000 counts of kidnap, rape and other crimes.
For the most part, Ariel Castro, 53, responded to the judge’s questions with one-word answers as he faced charges that included 512 counts of kidnapping and 446 counts of rape.
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Pamela Barker repeatedly told him to raise his head and keep his eyes open so “I make sure that you are listening to me and understanding what I’m saying, OK?”
“I’m trying,” said Castro, who in past court appearances had kept his head down and his chin tucked on his chest.
Castro has been jailed since his arrest on May 6 shortly after the women escaped to freedom.
Castro is scheduled for trial on Aug. 5, a date that could be delayed if the defense requests more preparation time. His legal team has hinted Castro would plead guilty if the death penalty was off the table. The judge continued his bond at $8 million.
Senate keeps promise by smallest of margins
WASHINGTON — The Senate voted by the slimmest margin Wednesday to end a filibuster against President Barack Obama’s choice to head the Labor Department, as this week’s agreement averting a poisonous partisan clash over nominations and the chamber’s rules barely survived its toughest test so far.
In a 60-40 vote, six Republicans joined 52 Democrats to halt delaying tactics aimed at killing Thomas Perez’s nomination.
It takes 60 votes to end filibusters.
By wire sources