Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., announced Thursday that 12 Republicans and 12 Democrats signed on to co-sponsor their bipartisan deal aimed at stabilizing the Affordable Care Act markets. Alexander expects the proposal to "become law in some fashion before the end of the year," despite a lack of commitment by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to bring it to the Senate floor for a vote.
The California Senate says a law firm will investigate allegations of sexual harassment at the Capitol after numerous women shared stories online and with the media about sexual intimidation. Lawmakers have protected settlements from public disclosure through specially crafted legislation, but some officials are working to grant whistleblower protection to staff members and to end a culture of intimidation and retaliation.
College and university financial aid officials say if the federal Perkins Loan program ends, they may be forced to find alternate aid sources, including private loans, to help students stay in school. An extension of the loan program, which provides small as-needed loans to students, expired in September.
Republican leaders in the House and Senate are working to release tax legislation text in the next few weeks to meet the White House's goal of passing tax reform by the end of the year. The timeline became accelerated when the House chose to vote on the Senate's version of the budget, said Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Kroger's Executive Vice President of Retail Operations Fred Morganthall will retire from his post at the end of next month, with Executive Vice President of Merchandising Mike Donnelly set to add operations to his duties as new chief operating officer, the retailer said. The news comes after Kroger announced last week that executive Katie Walfram would retire.
LARKR, a telepsychiatry app that employs state-certified therapists throughout the US, offers group therapy sessions via multilocation and multiuser conferences, and consultations for patients younger than 18. App users can access live therapy sessions on demand and schedule ongoing sessions from the same licensed therapist.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau's president, Randall Rothenberg, will testify today before Congress with a prepared statement that asks for an industry-regulated approach "by which digital media companies will police their supply chains for bad actors, and provide greater transparency into who is putting what into their sites." Rothenberg is appearing before an information technology House subcommittee as lawmakers consider proposed federal regulation of digital political advertising.
Amazon has received 238 proposals from municipalities hoping to win its second North American headquarters, the e-commerce giant said Monday. Several locations in Canada and Mexico were among the applicants, which came from 54 districts, provinces, states and territories, and only seven US states did not submit any proposals.
Kaspersky Labs said it will open transparency centers to allow governments to review its software in a bid to regain trust. The company said that it will be a global initiative, but it did not specify who would be performing the independent review.
Imprimis Pharmaceuticals CEO Mark Baum said the firm will start selling a lower-cost alternative to Allergan's dry-eye drug Restasis next month, charging 99 cents for the first month's supply and a starting price of $79 for refills. Plans for the customizable topical cyclosporine formulation follow Allergan's transfer of Restasis patents to a Native American tribe to guard against patent challenges; a federal judge invalidated the patents.
Comcast is planning a digital transformation that will combine machine learning, artificial intelligence, hardware and software to create a comprehensive smart home platform that can predict what a user needs. "Our strategy is to be at the nexus of three technologies: Interconnected devices, machine learning and ambient voice," says Senior Vice President Sridhar Solur.
GLX Constructors, Green Line Partners and Walsh Barletta Granite are competing for the largest contract of the $2.2 billion extension to the Green Line in the Boston area. However, only two of them submitted bids within the $1.3 billion budget, according to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
The Energy Information Administration is expected to announce a 3-million-barrel drop in US crude supplies for last week in what would be a fifth consecutive drop, according to a Bloomberg survey.
The Transportation Security Administration has begun requiring travelers at Florida's Orlando International Airport to unpack electronics larger than a cellphone for special screening. Passengers enrolled in PreCheck will not be required to do this.
In partnership with wellness real estate firm Delos, the famed Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills has created seven Wellness Rooms. Circadian lighting, vitamin C-infused shower water and exclusive meditations by Deepak Chopra are among the hotel's features.