Canada Reaches Trade Deal with U.S.

The U.S. and Canada reached the basis of a free trade deal Sunday night, a senior Canadian government official said. The agreement preserved a NAFTA dispute-resolution process that the U.S. wanted to jettison, the official told The Associated Press ahead of an official announcement. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity. The agreement also exempts tariffs on 2.6 million cars. On dairy Canada essentially gave the U.S. the same access it offered in the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement that President Donald Trump rejected. “It’s a good day for Canada,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said as he left ... Read More

FBI Contacts Second Kavanaugh Accuser, Suggesting Wider Probe

The FBI has contacted Deborah Ramirez in connection with its investigation of sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The bureau’s contact with Ramirez confirms it will not confine its inquiry to the first set of allegations brought by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, though it is not yet clear which other accusations federal investigators might pursue. “She has agreed to cooperate with their investigation,” Ramirez attorney John Clune said in a statement to The Washington Post. “Out of respect for the integrity of the process, we will have no further comment at this time.” Ramirez claims Kavanaugh ... Read More

Obamacare Premiums Continue to Rise

Obamacare has wreaked havoc on America’s individual and small group health insurance markets. For the last four years, while lavish taxpayer subsidies insulated low-income people from soaring premiums and deductibles, millions of middle-class Americans in the individual Affordable Care Act coverage markets felt both blasts. At the same time, they lost their old plans and found fewer options available. They also found that, despite repeated assurances, they could not “keep their doctors.” How bad is it? From 2013 to 2017, premiums more than doubled. This year, average premiums for standard Obamacare plans shot up by a third. Deductibles now average $8,292 for “standard plan” family coverage, and ... Read More

White House Will Side With Environmentalists Before The US Supreme Court

The Trump administration will defend before the U.S. Supreme Court an Obama-era decision to effectively take control of roughly 1,500 acres of private property in the name of an endangered frog that hasn’t been seen in decades. The Supreme Court will kick off its new term hearing oral arguments over whether or not the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) can designate Louisiana land as critical habitat for the dusky gopher frog, despite it not being seen in the state for more than thirty years. The plaintiffs, landowner Edward Poitevent and timber company Weyerhaeuser Co., argue FWS can’t designate unoccupied, uninhabitable land as critical ... Read More

California Governor Vetoes Abortion Bill for University Campuses

California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill on Sunday that would have mandated California public universities to provide abortion pills, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. SB320, introduced by Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, would have required university health centers to offer women medical abortions on campus by Jan. 1, 2022. The majority of the funds-- $9.6 million-- would come from private donors, The Sacramento Bee reported. The bill also required a $200,000 grant to the University of California and California State University systems to provide 24-hour phone service to abortion medication recipients, according to the report. In his veto message, Gov. Brown called the bill ... Read More