Defeated, some Republicans admit misstep in linking Obamacare fight to shutdown

'This isn't some damn game!” Republican House Speaker John Boehner boomed from Capitol Hill earlier this month, three days after the federal government shut down. However you wish to characterize the past few weeks, one thing is for certain: The GOP lost this battle.

“We fought the good fight, we just didn’t win,” a quieter, more conciliatory Boehner conceded Wednesday in an interview with Cincinnati’s WLW radio station.

And now, this particular fight appears to be at its end. Senate leaders announced Wednesday that they had struck a deal to re-open the government until Jan. 15 and raise the debt ceiling until Feb. 7, which would free up more time for budget negotiations. Republicans got very, very little in return.

On Wednesday afternoon, Boehner called all House GOP lawmakers to a private meeting in the basement of the Capitol building, the same room where they have met almost daily to discuss, debate, and even sing together during the shutdown, as they pieced together a strategy against Democrats, who from the beginning refused to negotiate with them.

Inside the meeting, Boehner urged fellow Republicans to join him in supporting the Senate deal and told them that they would “live to fight another day.” Before he spoke, his colleagues gave him a standing ovation.

As House Republicans filed out after the brief meeting, the lawmakers exuded mixed emotions: Relief that they could finally move on from this mess; sadness at the result; frustration at those who came up with the strategy in the first place; pride that they stuck to their guns; and determination that they wouldn’t make the same mistakes again. Some conceded that the strategy refusing to fund the government unless Obamacare is defunded or delayed had failed.

“That strategy did not work,” Florida Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart said. “This battle continues and will continue forever, just like the battle to control spending will continue. …We have to pick areas where we are going to win and that battle is never going to be easy. To me this was a tactical issue.”

“I don’t think the last six months have been all that constructive,” said Illinois Rep. Aaron Shock. “If the last two weeks have resulted in a different course of action moving forward, then I would say it will have been worth it, but if we go back to passing legislation that dies in the Senate ad nauseum, then I’m not sure that was a learning experience.”

But Rep. Justin Amash, a libertarian-leaning Republican from Michigan, pointed to one part of the exercise he saw as a victory: That it made President Barack Obama appear unreasonable.

“It proved to everyone that the president is completely unwilling to negotiate,” Amash said. “I think it really exposed the president as a man unwilling to compromise under any circumstances.”

Some of the chamber’s most conservative members, who had urged their leaders to fight to the end, expressed frustration that their message failed to resonate with voters.

“We tried from the very beginning to make this about bringing our family’s at least up to the same levels as corporations are being treated. We lost,” South Carolina Rep. Mick Mulvaney said during a luncheon Wednesday sponsored by the conservative Heritage Foundation. “We at least tried to make sure the political class didn’t benefit at the expense of American families. We lost that one as well.”

The 16-day shutdown and the impasse over the federal debt limit cost the economy an estimated $24 billion, according to an S&P estimate, and several polls show support for Republicans tanking in the month of October. Assuming the House and Senate pass the bipartisan deal negotiated by Senate leaders, Republicans will have little to show for their labor except for a short-term continuation of sequestration spending levels, income verification for the health exchanges established under Obamacare and a promise for a conference committee on the budget.

“It was worth it,” said Idaho Republican Rep. Raul Labrador. “Anytime you stand up for the American people, it’s worth it.”

One attitude not prevalent Wednesday—at least not publicly—was anger aimed at Boehner, who allowed the conservatives to test their strategy against his original wishes. (Boehner had initially preferred to challenge Obamacare through the debt ceiling debate, but he gave in to demands within the party to use the government shutdown as a bargaining tool.)

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, who once served as chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a group of the House’s most conservative members, said “there is absolutely no talk” of a coup against Boehner.

To some conservative lawmakers, Boehner did the best he could with the cards he was dealt.

“I’ve actually been really proud of Speaker Boehner the past few weeks, I don’t think he should be ashamed of anything he has done.” he said. “I’m more upset with my Republican conference to be honest with you. It’s the Republicans here who always want to fight, but they want to fight the next fight that have given Speaker Boehner the inability to be unsuccessful in this fight. So if anybody should be kicked out, it’s probably those Republicans and not Speaker Boehner.”

Like Republicans, it appears Boehner will also live to fight another day.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/republicans-concede-defeat--but-some-say-it-was-worth-it-221214587.html
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Is Pitbull 'Mr. Education'? Rapper Opens Charter School In Miami

Pitbull is one of a growing list of celebrities who have opened their wallets or given their names to charter schools.

Jeff Daly/AP

Pitbull is one of a growing list of celebrities who have opened their wallets or given their names to charter schools.

Jeff Daly/AP

Rapper Pitbull (Armando Christian Pérez) is the latest in a long list of celebrities lending their star power to the flourishing charter school movement. Alicia Keyes, Denzel Washington, Shakira, Oprah — all support or sponsor charter schools.

The Sports Leadership And Management Academy (SLAM), Pitbull's new public charter school for students in grades six through 12, opened this fall in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood. Pitbull says SLAM's sports theme has a vocational bent as a way to hook kids for whom school is boring.

"If sports is what you love, one way or another, it's a business you can get involved with ... whether you're a therapist, an attorney, a broadcaster," he says. "They're already labeling me 'Mr. Education.' "

It's an interesting twist, considering that at the last school Pitbull attended, the principal couldn't wait to get rid of him. "He literally told me, 'I don't want you in my school ... gonna give you your diploma ... get out of here.' "

Pitbull's parting words were: "Thank you."

Seventeen-year-old Austin Rivera says he transferred to SLAM after Pitbull spoke at his previous school. "He came from nothing and became something huge. ... It shows like not a lot of people are handed everything," Austin says.

"[A] lot of these kids are so creative ... but no one believes in them. ... No one motives them," Pitbull says. "I relate to them ... but then I give it to them raw."

The rapper's parents fled Cuba and settled in Miami, where they struggled. His father went to jail for dealing drugs. And at 16, Pitbull began dealing, too — and rapping. He chose the name "Pitbull" because, he says, pit bulls are too stupid to lose. The name and the "outlaw" image stuck.

Pitbull's breakthrough hit came in 2004 with a song titled "Culo," a vulgar word in Spanish and "booty" in the rap vernacular.

It wasn't long before Pitbull was making millions, touring with rappers Eminem and 50 Cent. Pitbull's problems with drugs and alcohol, his womanizing and his profanity-laced lyrics didn't exactly qualify him for opening a charter school. Surprisingly, parents and educators at SLAM didn't think that should disqualify him, either.

Critics say Pitbull is not the issue. It's the school itself that they find objectionable.

"[I] don't know if it's going to provide something useful at the end of the day," says Raquel Regalado, who is on the Miami-Dade County Public Schools' school board. "I guess you can expect Pitbull to show up every now and then, and that's cool if you're a Pitbull fan ... [but] how does that translate into academic achievement? That's the difficult part of this that parents don't understand. ... I think it's a marketing ploy, honestly."

Nina Reese, who heads the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, says she's not about to apologize for supporting the rapper's school.

"Whether it's Pitbull or Meryl Streep in Rhode Island or Sandra Bullock in Louisiana," she says, "charters do benefit from celebrities because public schools, they do have to market themselves to families because these are schools of choice."

Reese says she has no problem with Pitbull's music, either.

"We're not endorsing his music, but welcoming him as an investor," Reese says. Besides, she adds, everybody is entitled to their own tastes. "I admit that I'm a fan of his music."

Three of Pitbull's six children attend charter schools.

"I'm not just a charter school advocate. ... I'm a charter school parent," Pitbull said when talking at this year's National Charter School Conference in D.C. "And that makes me one of you."

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/10/15/234683081/is-pitbull-mr-education-rapper-opens-charter-school-in-miami?ft=1&f=1013
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Four suspected migrants killed as boat capsizes off Miami

MIAMI (Reuters) - A small boat carrying 15 suspected migrants from Haiti and Jamaica capsized off the coast of Miami, killing four of the six women aboard, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday.

Coast Guard crew members found the survivors clinging to the hull of the 15 to 20 foot (4.5-6 meter) power boat after getting a call at about 1 a.m. EDT (0500 GMT) from a 911 dispatch center in Miami, said Petty Officer Sabrina Laberdesque.

One of the 11 survivors was taken to a hospital for medical attention but was later released into the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, authorities said.

Commander Darren Caprara, chief response officer for the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Miami, told reporters it was difficult to ascertain the exact number of people aboard the "overloaded vessel" when it capsized about seven miles off Miami. But he said a search operation had been called off by Wednesday afternoon.

"We have every reason to believe that we have found all the people at sea. The final number was 15. It turned out to be nine males and six females," he said.

He said the bodies of the four women killed were discovered when the Coast Guard righted the vessel. A male survivor who clung to life in an air pocket under the vessel was found at the same time, Caprara said.

Laberdesque did not have information about the origin of the capsized vessel but said its occupants were all believed to be either Haitian or Jamaican nationals.

(Reporting by Tom Brown, additional reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Bob Burgdorfer)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/four-dead-11-rescued-capsized-boat-off-miami-130430138.html
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Wall Street ends lower, futures fall after Fitch rating move

By Ryan Vlastelica

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell in a volatile session on Tuesday as the impasse over the debt ceiling in Washington continued with no sign of progress toward a resolution.

After the market closed, futures indicated continued pressure after Fitch Ratings placed the United States' 'AAA' rating on rating watch negative, citing the debt ceiling gridlock.

"Although Fitch continues to believe that the debt ceiling will be raised soon, the political brinkmanship and reduced financing flexibility could increase the risk of a U.S. default," the rating agency wrote in a statement.

The move echoed a similar action by Standard & Poor's in August 2011, when the agency downgraded the U.S. credit rating because of political gridlock related to the debt ceiling.

Futures fell, with S&P 500 futures down 10.7 points, Dow Jones industrial average futures off 122 points and Nasdaq 100 futures down 7.5 points.

"The last time this sort of thing happened, the practical effect on markets wasn't significant. But this time, I don't know what the impact could be," said John Carey, portfolio manager at Pioneer Investment Management in Boston, which has about $200 billion in assets under management.

"At some point this will really start to matter, and if nothing else, it highlights the concern people have about the budgetary situation. It lets investors know that this kind of risk is on the horizon."

During Tuesday's session, traders held off making big bets given the political uncertainty, which overshadowed some key corporate earnings. Selling accelerated during the afternoon after Senator Richard Durbin said Senate negotiations had been suspended until House Speaker John Boehner can work out a fiscal plan that can proceed in the House of Representatives.

Losses were broad, with all 10 S&P 500 sectors falling on the day. Three-fourths of stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange ended lower, while 68 percent of Nasdaq-listed shares fell.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> ended down 133.25 points, or 0.87 percent, at 15,168.01. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> was down 12.08 points, or 0.71 percent, at 1,698.06. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> was down 21.26 points, or 0.56 percent, at 3,794.01.

Despite the day's decline, the S&P remains above its key moving averages, which have been serving as support. The index is currently about 0.6 percent above its 14-day moving average.

Lawmakers have until October 17 to agree to extend the $16.7 trillion U.S. borrowing limit or the country will risk an unprecedented debt default. The White House and Senate rejected the House's latest offer, while Republican leaders also failed to get support for the plan from rank and file members within their party.

Markets have largely avoided steep losses on optimism that lawmakers would agree to end the partial government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling. At the same time, volatility has spiked as the deadline approaches with little obvious progress. The CBOE Volatility index <.vix> jumped 16 percent and is up more than 40 percent over the past four weeks.

"The odds that there won't be a deal over the next month are near zero, but there is some chance we won't see something by the 17th. If that happens ... we could easily correct 3-5 percent," said Jim McDonald, who helps oversee $803 billion as chief investment strategist at Chicago-based Northern Trust Global Investments.

"While the market has climbed over the past two weeks," he added, "that would reverse if there was any real concern" about missing the deadline.

Among other assets, crude oil fell 1.5 percent, while gold, which is viewed as a safe haven, rose 0.7 percent.

The situation in Washington has driven trading lately, overshadowing the beginning of a busy week of earnings. Citigroup Inc reported weaker-than-expected results as the bank was hit by a double-digit drop in bond trading revenue for the quarter, sending its shares down 1.5 percent to $48.86.

Johnson & Johnson reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results on strong growth for its prescription drugs, while Coca-Cola Co reported revenue slightly under expectations.

J&J rose 0.1 percent to $89.93 while Coca-Cola fell 0.7 percent to $37.66. Both companies are Dow components.

Intel Corp shares reversed early gains and fell 0.9 percent after the market closed after it reported revenue that topped expectations. Yahoo Inc also lost its initial post-market gains, trading flat after its results, while CSX Corp held on to slight after-hour gains.

Shares of Teradata Corp fell 18.4 percent to $42.91, a day after the data analytics firm cut its full-year earnings forecast.

With 7 percent of S&P 500 companies having reported, 52.8 percent have reported profits that topped expectations, according to Thomson Reuters data, below the historical average of 63 percent. There have also been fewer companies beating revenue forecasts this quarter.

FedEx , the world's No. 2 package carrier, authorized a share repurchase program of up to 32 million of its outstanding shares of common stock, sending its shares up 4.1 percent to $120.08.

On the downside, J.C. Penney Co Inc sank 8.9 percent to $7.17 as a company spokesperson denied a market rumor that the department store chain had hired bankruptcy counsel. The stock has fallen 63 percent so far this year.

Data showed the pace of growth in New York state's manufacturing sector slipped this month to its slowest since May, but business optimism stayed strong.

(Editing by Nick Zieminski and Dan Grebler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-futures-dip-citi-earnings-115931637--finance.html
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In Deep Blue New Jersey, A Tea Party Show Of Strength

New Jersey will choose a new U.S. Senator Wednesday. Pundits thought Newark Mayor Cory Booker would win it easily, but the Democratic Party's rising star is facing a tougher than expected challenge from Tea Party Republican Steve Lonegan — a sign of the Tea Party's growing stature in deep blue New Jersey.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NprProgramsATC/~3/wLhBDfeb6kU/story.php
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Red Bull Releases Incredible POV Video of 128,000-Foot Stratos Jump

It’s been one year since Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner made the highest jump of all time. The Red Bull Stratos project was part science, part adventure, and of course part caffeinated beverage promotion overload. In the end, the successful leap from 127,851 feet set a new height mark, and Baumgartner became the first person ever to exceed the sound barrier in free fall.

But the flight wasn’t without its drama. As many watched live last year, Baumgartner entered a spin about a minute into the flight. A relatively mild instability beginning about 25 seconds into the jump appeared to stabilize as he accelerated towards his top speed of Mach 1.25 (844 mph). But as Baumgartner continued to fall through the very thin air, the lack of control was apparent and the spin progressed into something that looks much worse from his point of view than it did from the outside.

In the video above, you can see him transition onto his back, and the rate of spin accelerates (along with his heart rate), as he passes about 90,000 feet.

Soon thereafter, he begins to use his arms in an effort to control the spin, much as a figure skater can change their rate of rotation on the ice. Baumgartner tries using just one at arm at a time to regain control, and eventually the veteran skydiver manages to stabilize his free fall after more than 20 heart-pumping seconds.

After that it’s a relatively calm — if you think breaking the sound barrier in an astronaut suit is calm — with three more minutes of free fall to the ground as the sky transitions from black to blue. Eventually he deploys his parachute and enjoys a few more minutes before touching down in the New Mexico desert.

In addition to the impressive POV video above, Red Bull has released a feature-length documentary about the Red Bull Stratos project that can be seen here.

Source: http://feeds.wired.com/c/35185/f/661370/s/327ecec8/sc/13/l/0L0Swired0N0Cautopia0C20A130C10A0Cpov0Ered0Ebull0Estratos0Ejump0C/story01.htm
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Online Fitness Startup Wello Launches Monthly Subscriptions For Individual And Group Training Sessions

Since launching last year, online fitness startups Wello has been trying to democratize training with Google Hangout-like video conferencing sessions. By doing so, Wello enables its customers to get into shape in their own homes and on their own time, while also offering up individual and group training sessions that are usually much cheaper than purchasing through your local gym.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/sTEldOhFd5Q/
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