Angelina Jolie advocates for U.S. domestic violence law

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Wednesday agreed on a deal to renew a long-lapsed law to strengthen domestic violence protections, just hours after Hollywood actor and humanitarian Angelina Jolie made a tearful speech of support.

Jolie's voice broke as she acknowledged the women and children "for whom this legislation comes too late" in a speech in Washington D.C.

"Standing here at the center of our nation's power, I can think only of everyone who has been made to feel powerless by their abusers by a system that failed to protect them," Jolie, wearing a black suit and pearls, said.

The Violence Against Women Act expired at the end of 2018 and U.S. President Joe Biden, who originally sponsored the bill as a senator in 1994, had campaigned on renewing it.

The House of Representatives approved its renewal in a 244-172 vote almost a year ago, but legislation stalled in Congress amid partisan disputes over access to guns and transgender issues.

"The reason many people struggle to leave abusive situations is that they have been made to feel worthless. When there is silence from a Congress too busy to renew the Violence Against Women Act for a decade, it reinforces that sense of worthlessness," said Jolie. "You think, I guess my abuser is right. I guess I'm not worth very much."

Republican Senators Joni Ernst and Lisa Murkowski and Democrats Dick Durbin and Dianne Feinstein issued a joint media release confirming they had reached a "compromise" deal to get the bill moving.

Biden said in a statement he was "grateful that this critical bipartisan bill is moving forward, and I look forward to Congress delivering it to my desk without delay."

-reuters-

US shutdown sends economy into uncharted waters

WASHINGTON - The US government shutdown on Saturday became the longest in history and is taking a growing bite out of the world's largest economy with each passing day, economists say.

While most of the 21 "lapses" in government spending since 1976 left barely a scratch on economic growth, the length of this shutdown makes it harder to say just how bad the impact could get.

"It's not a hard stretch to say that initially it's smaller and then it expands, the pain starts to widen," Beth Ann Bovino, chief US economist at S&P Global Ratings, told AFP. "Think of it as a butterfly effect."

With about a quarter of the federal workforce affected, the shutdown is currently squeezing an estimated $1.2 billion a week out of the economy, Bovino said, but that figure could grow if it drags on.

At the current rate, within 2 weeks it will have cost America more than the $5.7 billion US President Donald Trump is demanding for a wall on the border with Mexico, the dispute with Congress that led to the failure to pass funding for government operations.

Following extended closures in 1995 and 2013, the US economy continued to grow while stock markets mainly went sideways.

And GDP growth lost in one quarter can rebound in the next as the government springs back to life and workers recoup lost salaries. But some losses can never be recovered.

In myriad but often unseen ways, the $4 trillion federal budget is felt in the daily lives of all Americans, well beyond the 800,000 government workers now going without pay -- many of whom missed their first paychecks on Friday.

Switching off even a part of the government means that life force quickly begins to bleed away.

Payments to farmers and poor families, craft beer labels, food inspections and economic data all have fallen victim to the budget impasse. 

Meanwhile, tax refunds and borrower income verifications crucial to the mortgage industry were briefly up in the air with billions at stake.

"The tentacles start to touch many avenues of life and that's a very sad thing," Bovino said.

US Coast Guard cutters, their crews working without pay, on Monday began icebreaking at commercial ports in the frigid waters of Great Lakes near the Canadian border so local steel mills can remain supplied with iron ore.

Meanwhile, farmers cannot collect aid payments designed to help ease the pain caused by Trump's trade war with China.

HURTING THE POOREST MOST 

Small Business Administration loans to help mom-and-pop businesses trying to invest, hire and grow have been delayed.

There are no government loans for seeds or cattle feed and none of the regular Agriculture Department data about crop yields and commodity prices that farmers depend on to plan for the coming year.

Permits from some oil and gas drilling -- which feeds into GDP calculations -- are delayed.

Bloomberg estimates that government contractors are losing $200 million a day, cutting revenues for defense industry giants like Boeing, General Dynamics and Leidos.

Tourism at the country's 400 national parks normally generates a reported $18 million a day, but with some parks unattended and many services halted, local restaurants, hotels and shops are losing customers.

Government assistance to feed the poorest Americans is funded through next month only.

None of this includes the hardships felt by the 380,000 federal workers who have been furloughed or the 420,000 who are deemed "essential" but are working without pay.

They owe an estimated $438 million a month in rent and mortgage payments, according to the real estate firm Zillow.

Around the Washington region, home to about 20 percent of the federal work force, restaurants are sitting empty, taxis are idled and traffic increasingly moves with eerie ease along the capital's choked boulevards.

Yingrui Huang, an engineer for a defense contractor at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, told AFP his company is normally at work building weather satellites and telescopes for the government but is shuttered until further notice.

To fight boredom, he is now driving for the mobile ride hailing service Lyft but said he was most concerned hourly employees like janitors, cafeteria workers and secretaries.

"Their salaries are definitely lower than most of the engineering staff. They don't get the limelight. We don't think about them," he said.

Economic research on the last major shutdown in October 2013 found many federal workers were largely able to avoid sinking into debt -- delaying mortgage payments and shifting balances between credit cards.

But that shutdown lasted for barely 2 weeks -- one pay cycle -- and lawmakers at the time had quickly promised workers would receive back pay.

"It's possible that the effects will be greater for this shutdown," University of Chicago economist Constantine Yannelis, who studied the 2013 shutdown, told AFP.

"The longer a shutdown lasts, the more persistent a change in habits you could see."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Obama's New Health Insurance Markets Are on the Way

WASHINGTON -- Buying your own health insurance will never be the same.

This fall, new insurance markets called exchanges will open in each state, marking the long-awaited and much-debated debut of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

The goal is quality coverage for millions of uninsured people in the United States. What the reality will look like is anybody's guess -- from bureaucracy, confusion and indifference to seamless service and satisfied customers.

Exchanges will offer individuals and their families a choice of private health plans resembling what workers at major companies already get. The government will help many middle-class households pay their premiums, while low-income people will be referred to safety-net programs they might qualify for.

Most people will go online to pick a plan when open enrollment starts Oct. 1. Counselors will be available at call centers and in local communities, too. Some areas will get a storefront operation or kiosks at the mall. Translation to Spanish and other languages will be provided.

When you pick a plan, you'll no longer have to worry about getting turned down or charged more because of a medical problem. If you're a woman, you can't be charged a higher premium because of gender. Middle-aged people and those nearing retirement will get a price break: They can't be charged more than three times what younger customers pay, compared with six times or seven times today.

If all this sounds too good to be true, remember that nothing in life is free and change isn't easy.

Starting Jan. 1, 2014, when coverage takes effect in the exchanges, virtually everyone in the country will be required by law to have health insurance or face fines. The mandate is meant to get everybody paying into the insurance pool.

Obama's law is called the Affordable Care Act, but some people in the new markets might experience sticker shock over their premiums. Smokers will pay a financial penalty. Younger, well-to-do people who haven't seen the need for health insurance may not be eligible for income-based assistance with their premiums.

Many people, even if they get government help, will find that health insurance still doesn't come cheaply. Monthly premiums will be less than the mortgage or rent, but maybe more than a car loan. The coverage, however, will be more robust than most individual plans currently sold.

Consider a hypothetical family of four making $60,000 and headed by a 40-year-old. They'll be eligible for a government tax credit of $7,193 toward their annual premium of $12,130. But they'd still have to pay $4,937, about 8 percent of their income, or about $410 a month.

A lower-income family would get a better deal from the government's sliding-scale subsidies.

Consider a similar four-person family making $35,000. They'd get a $10,742 tax credit toward the $12,130 annual premium. They'd have to pay $1,388, about 4 percent of their income, or about $115 a month.

The figures come from the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation's online Health Reform Subsidy Calculator. But while the government assistance is called a tax credit and computed through the income tax system, the money doesn't come to you in a refund. It goes directly to insurers.

Obama's law is the biggest thing that's happened to health care since Medicare and Medicaid in the 1960s. But with open enrollment for exchange plans less than 10 months away, there's a dearth of consumer information. It's as if the consumer angle got drowned out by the political world's dispute over "Obamacare," the dismissive label coined by Republican foes.

Yet exchanges are coming to every state, even those led by staunch GOP opponents of the overhaul, such as Govs. Rick Perry of Texas and Nikki Haley of South Carolina. In their states and close to 20 others that are objecting, the exchanges will be operated by the federal government, over state opposition. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has pledged that every citizen will have access to an exchange come next Jan. 1, and few doubt her word.

But what's starting to dawn on Obama administration officials, activists, and important players in the health care industry is that the lack of consumer involvement, unless reversed, could turn the big health care launch into a dud. What if Obama cut the ribbon and nobody cared?

"The people who stand to benefit the most are the least aware of the changes that are coming," said Rachel Klein, executive director of Enroll America, a nonprofit that's trying to generate consumer enthusiasm.

"My biggest fear is that we get to Oct. 1 and people haven't heard there is help coming, and they won't benefit from it as soon as they can," she added. "I think it is a realistic fear."

Even the term "exchange" could be a stumbling block. It was invented by policy nerds. Although the law calls them "American Health Benefit Exchanges," Sebelius is starting to use the term "marketplaces" instead.

Polls underscore the concerns. A national survey last October found that only 37 percent of the uninsured said they would personally be better off because of the health care law. Twenty-three percent said they would be worse off in the Kaiser poll, while 31 percent said it would make no difference to them.

Insurers, hospitals, drug companies and other businesses that stand to benefit from the hundreds of billions of dollars the government will pump in to subsidize coverage aren't waiting for Washington to educate the public.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, for example, are trying to carve out a new role for themselves as explainers of the exchanges. Somewhere around 12 million people now purchase coverage individually, but the size of the market could double or triple with the new approach, and taxpayers will underwrite it.

"Consumers are expecting their health insurance provider to be a helpful navigator to them," said Maureen Sullivan, a senior vice president for the Blues' national association. "We see 2013 as a huge year for education."

One goal is to help consumers master the "metals," the four levels of coverage that will be available through exchange plans: bronze, silver, gold, and platinum.

Blue Cross is also working with tax preparer H&R Block, which is offering its customers a health insurance checkup at no additional charge this tax season. Returns filed this year for 2012 will be used by the government to help determine premium subsidies for 2014.

"This tax season is one of historical significance," said Meg Sutton, senior advisor for tax and health care at H&R Block. "The tax return you are filing is going to be key to determining your health care benefits on the exchange."

Only one state, Massachusetts, now has an exchange resembling what the administration wants to see around the country. After six years in business, the Health Connector enrolls about 240,000 Massachusetts residents. It was created under the health overhaul plan passed by Republican former Gov. Mitt Romney and has gotten generally positive reviews.

Connector customer Robert Schultz is a Boston area startup business consultant who got his MBA in 2008, when the economy was tanking. Yet he was able to find coverage when he graduated and hang on to his insurance through job changes since. Schultz says that's freed him to pursue his ambition of becoming a successful entrepreneur -- a job creator instead of an employee.

"It's being portrayed by opponents as being socialistic," Schultz said. "It is only socialistic in the sense of making sure that everybody in society is covered, because the cost of making sure everybody is covered in advance is much less than the cost of putting out fires."

The Connector's executive director, Glen Shor, said his state has proven the concept works and he's confident other states can succeed on their own terms.

"There is no backing away from all the challenges associated with expanding coverage," Shor said. "We are proud in Massachusetts that we overcame what had been years of policy paralysis."

source: dailyfinance.com

Obama picks female business executive for Interior

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama, under pressure over a lack of diversity in top cabinet appointments, on Wednesday picked business executive Sally Jewell to head the vast Interior Department.

Obama has been criticized for naming middle-aged white men to top jobs on his second-term team, but he has pledged to promote diversity in his other picks and has now settled on several prominent females.

If confirmed by the Senate, Jewell -- who heads Recreational Equipment Inc., an outdoors retail chain -- will succeed Ken Salazar at Interior, which manages US national resources, wildlife, tribal issues and national parks.

"She knows the link between conservation and good jobs," said Obama as he introduced Jewell at the White House.

"She knows that there's no contradiction between being good stewards of the land and our economic progress -- that, in fact, those two things need to go hand and hand.

"She's shown that a company with more than $1 billion in sales can do the right thing for our planet," Obama said.

Jewell's nomination was welcomed by the National Wildlife Federation, which said that hunters, anglers, hikers, kayakers and bird watchers would welcome her first-hand understanding of how to protect national treasures.

The Western Energy Alliance, a trade association for oil and natural gas firms, welcomed the fact that Jewell, had previously worked for Mobil Oil Corporation.

"Her experience as a petroleum engineer and business leader will bring a unique perspective to an office that is key to our nation's energy portfolio," said alliance president Tim Wigley.

Obama had been under pressure to add more diversity to his new cabinet after picking Chuck Hagel, John Kerry and Jack Lew, to serve as the secretaries of Defense, State and Treasury.

In January, Obama nominated high-powered New York prosecutor and organized crime-buster Mary Jo White to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission to implement his Wall Street reforms.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

US Navy will answer for damage to Tubbataha - VFACOM

MANILA - The Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFACOM) said the Philippine government will demand an explanation from the US government and hold those responsible for the damage done to the Tubbataha Reef due to the grounding of a minesweeper in the World Heritage Site.

"[Sinasabi ng] VFA na sila ay dapat sumunod sa ating batas. So ito nga ang epekto ng VFA - sila ay dapat sumunod sa ating batas. Sila ay ating pinananagot," VFACOM Executive Director Edilberto Adan told ABS-CBN's "Umagang Kay Ganda."

"They assured us they are cooperating with any action we will take. We are asserting our sovereignty here to make sure that accountability is established at kung ano man ang dapat panagutan, haharapin nila yan."

He denied crew members of the US Navy ship that ran aground beginning Thursday have been released. He said the rescued crew members were taken aboard another US ship but have remained in the country as investigations continue.

"Hindi accurate ang statement na iyon. Sila ay inilapat lamang sa mga rescue vessels na dumating dahil nga iyung ship ay floundering. Nandoon pa rin sila sa US ships na dumating," he said.

Adan was reacting to the claim of Clemente Bautista, Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment national coordinator, that the crew members have left the area without being probed.

The USS Guardian had come from a port call in Subic Bay and was on its way to Indonesia when it ran aground the Tubbataha Reef early morning Thursday. At least 10 meters of the coral reef have been damaged.

The US Navy blamed a faulty navigation chart data that may have misplaced the location of Tubbataha Reef for the grounding.

Lame

Bautista described the US Navy's explanation about the incident as "lame", citing the warship's supposed advanced capabilities.

"Ang USS Guardian ay kilala bilang isang may mahusay na navigation equipment at nakakapagtaka ay papuntang Indonesia ito. Eh pataas ang direction nila, hindi pababa," he said.

Militant group Kadamay also raised fears of a possible "cover-up" into the incident, citing the close ties between the US and the Philippines.

"Malacanang's preferred silence only leads us to believe of a highly possible cover-up in the investigation, and considering the overwhelming puppetry and subservience of the Aquino administration to the US government, and the latter's deeply-entrenched influence on the Philippine politics," Kadamay said in a statement.

Extrication underway

According to Adan, US and Philippine teams were already in the area to extricate the warship and prevent further damage to the corals at the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The US Navy said that there has been no change on the ship's condition and there are no traces of an oil slick.

"Dalawa na ang salvage tugboats doon at meron isang darating na isang special purpose ship. Ang purpose nito is to control environmental damage kung sakaling may oil spill na tinatawag," he said.

Meanwhile, U.S. 7th Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Scott Swift said he "greatly regret(s) any damage this incident has caused to the Tubbataha Reef"

"We know the significance of the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park and its importance as a World heritage Site. Its protection is vital, and we take seriously our obligations to protect and preserve the maritime environment," Swift said in a statement.

UNESCO declared the Tubbataha Reef a World Heritage Site in 1993. It covers 130,028 hectares and is home to thousands of marine species. – with ANC

source: abs-cbnnews.com

GOP whip says Obama wants more spending

A top House Republican insisted the Obama administration's goal in the fiscal cliff talks was to get more money for spending rather than deficit reduction.

Republican Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., contended the White House's insistence on higher taxes for wealthy Americans was accompanied by plans to actually increase government spending at a time when major cuts were vital.

"We have spent all this time talking about revenue, but as we watched, our government continued to spend more," McCarthy said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." "This is really about spending."

McCarthy accused Obama of ignoring constructive ideas from the Republicans and banking on post-election campaigning in order to build public support for his approach.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., countered the Democrats had already agreed to significant spending cuts, and said U.S. voters indeed agreed with the president's approach, particularly in terms of taxes for upper-income Americans. "The American people spoke on this issue in the election. I'd say to House Speaker (John) Boehner and Congressman McCarthy, listen to what the American people said in the election."

source: upi.com

Obama mulls new cabinet picks

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama, fresh from re-election and facing a new clash with Congress, got back to work Thursday, with an important item on his to-do list -- stocking his new cabinet.

Obama is expected to lose heavyweights including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, for most if not all of his second four-year term.

The president will also likely have to make changes to his White House staff with some senior aides, exhausted by a crisis-strewn four years, expected to move on and others shifting to different jobs in the administration.

Speculation is already rife about who will replace Clinton, who has reiterated that she wants to reclaim a private life put on hold by decades in the spotlight.

Clinton has said she has no interest in another White House race, but the campaign blitz for Obama by her husband former president Bill Clinton, and the power couple's passion for top-level politics, has sparked renewed speculation.

Until Clinton makes her final decision known, the Democratic Party's other possible 2016 presidential candidates will likely hold their fire, as the former first lady would be a prohibitive favorite if she did run.

UN ambassador Susan Rice, who has been close to Obama for years, has long been seen as a likely replacement for Clinton at the State Department, despite being caught up in the furor over the raid in the US consulate in Benghazi.

Another possible contender is John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, whose stock rose with Obama after he played Republican nominee Mitt Romney in practice runs for the recent presidential debates.

Rice would be the second African American woman in the job after Condoleezza Rice, to whom she is not related. She is known at the United Nations for an assertive manner and is not shy about pounding home the US point of view.

A report in Russia's Kommersant newspaper Thursday said that Moscow, with whom Rice has clashed heatedly over Syria, would prefer to see Kerry get the job, at a sensitive time between Obama and restored President Vladimir Putin.

"It would be more difficult for Moscow to work with Washington" if Rice became Secretary of State, the unnamed Russian official was quoted as saying.

Kerry would have to step down from the Senate, however, and there is concern that his Massachusetts berth could fall prey to Republican Scott Brown, who lost a race with Democrat Elizabeth Warren for the state's other Senate seat.

White House sources said that the usual timetable for replacing cabinet members -- in plenty of time for confirmation by the Senate after the presidential inauguration in January -- could slip this time.

Geithner and Panetta are key figures in the year-end budget and tax showdown looming with Republicans, and may not move on until the so called "fiscal cliff" drama is resolved.

Some insiders talk about White House chief of staff Jacob Lew, himself a budget specialist, as a possible successor for Geithner while others speculate that Obama may reach for someone with business credentials to improve his shaky standing with the corporate world.

Panetta is expected to leave the administration at some point, but he did not serve for the full four-year first term, having taken over just last year from Robert Gates, a holdover from the previous Bush administration.

Also known as a budget specialist, Panetta may stay in place until expected spending reductions are factored in to the Pentagon's budgetary plan to return to his walnut farm in California's Carmel Valley.

The current favorite to succeed him is Michele Flournoy, who served as under secretary of defense for policy early in Obama's first term.

Her appointment may appeal to Obama's sense of history as she would be the first woman to hold the role.

Should Flournoy not get the job, some defense analysts think the current deputy defense secretary Ashton Carter could be in the frame.

There may also be other cabinet departures. It is unclear whether Attorney General Eric Holder, a close associate of Obama who has had a bruising from Republicans, will stay on.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan is expected to remain in place to pilot through Congress Obama's reform program, likely a highlight of his second term agenda.

Obama may also have some shuffling to do at the White House, especially if Lew moves to Treasury. The president's political guru David Plouffe is expected to leave and there may be other high profile departures.

It is unclear so far whether White House press secretary Jay Carney will stay. If he leaves, Obama's campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki has been mentioned as a possible replacement.

The president sparked speculation on Tuesday when he said he wanted to sit down with Romney to work out how they could take the country forward.

Obama's first term "Team of Rivals" approach of choosing former political foes such as Clinton, modeled on that of his hero Abraham Lincoln, could apply in Romney's case, perhaps in the Commerce Secretary job.

However, it is unclear whether Romney would be prepared to swallow his pride and work for the man who vanquished him in a bitter White House campaign.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

US 'ready' to help Philippines after deadly storm

WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent condolences to the Philippines Saturday after more than 600 people were feared killed in a storm, and said the United States stood "ready" to help.

Relief workers said that 440 people had died and nearly 200 left missing after tropical storm Washi (local codename Sendong) wreaked havoc in the southern Philippines, unleashing mammoth floods across vast areas of the country and destroying whole neighborhoods.

"On behalf of President (Barack) Obama and the people of the United States, I want to send my deepest condolences for the devastation and loss of life caused by flooding from Tropical Storm Washi," Clinton said in a statement.

"The US government stands ready to assist Philippine authorities as they respond to this tragedy."

The top US diplomat said "our thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected."

About 20,000 soldiers have been mobilized in a huge rescue and relief operation across the stricken north coast of the island of Mindanao, where the major ports of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan were worst hit.

President Benigno Aquino expressed concern at the extent of the tragedy and ordered government agencies to map out areas in the country most vulnerable to future flash floods. — AFP

source:gmanetwork.com

Report: 130+ domain names taken down in piracy crackdown

United States authorities took down some 130 domain names as they continued to crack down on counterfeit and piracy-related websites.

The latest crackdown took place just a few days before “Cyber Monday,” according to an article on Torrentfreak.com.

It said the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have resumed “Operation In Our Sites,” the domain name seizing initiative designed to crack down on online piracy and counterfeiting.

According to Torrentfreak.com, the new round comes a year after 82 domains, including Torrent-Finder, were taken over in 2010.

Cyber Monday refers to the Monday following Thanksgiving where consumers are persuaded to shop online.

TorrentFreak posted on its site a list of some 130 domains taken over by the US government in the last 24 hours.

"The authorities have yet to comment via official channels, but we assume that they will use the same justification for the domain seizures as they did last year," it said.

TorrentFreak also noted that this year's action appears to be limited to sites that directly charge visitors for their services.

It said most of the domains are linked to the selling of counterfeit clothing (such as 17nflshop.com), and at least one (autocd.com) sold pirated auto software.

"Last year several sites were taken down because they allowed their users to access free music and movie downloads, and these were followed by several streaming services a few months later. No similar sites have been reported in the current round," TorrentFreak said.

On the other hand, many torrent site owners began to work on backup plans in case they too become a target, after the November 2010 seizures were covered widely in the press.

A few dozen sites have switched over to alternative domains, and other torrent site operators have purchased additional backup domains just in case.

A separate article on CNET noted most of the domain names suggest sites that traffic in counterfeit clothing items: cheap-louisvuitton-replica.com, nfljerseyswhole.com, uggbootsclearanceoutletstores.com, and so on.

"The list is also sprinkled with names that suggest digital piracy: dvdsetonline.com, for example," it added. —MRT/LBG, GMA News

source:gmanetwork.com