GMDC: Barack Obama Makes An Appearance At The White House

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Good Morning DC,

Your top news stories of today are below. 

THE WHITE HOUSE

Today, Obama will be back at the White House. At 1:30 PM, Obama will join Biden and Harris to deliver remarks on the Affordable Care Act and lowering health care costs for families. 

For single people, “affordable” means health coverage that costs less than about 10 percent of their income. Families however, under the current provisions have to pay  25 or 30 percent of income to get coverage through their employer without any financial help. 

Today, the  Treasury will propose a rule that family members who have to pay more than 10 percent of income for their health coverage will be able to get financial help under the ACA.

The White House expects that 200,000 uninsured people get coverage as a direct result of this new rule. 

Biden will also sign today an executive order that directs agencies to continue their efforts to strengthen access to healthcare. 

The executive order will focus on the following:

• Making it easier for people to enroll in and keep their coverage.
• Helping people better understand their coverage options 
• Strengthening and improving  benefits and access to healthcare providers.
• Improving the comprehensiveness of coverage and protecting Americans from low-quality health insurance.
• Continuing to make health coverage more accessible and affordable by expanding eligibility and lowering costs for Americans with ACA, Medicare, or Medicaid coverage.
• Connecting people to healthcare services by improving access to providers 
• Taking steps to help reduce the burden of medical debt that far too many Americans experience.

DIGITAL ASSETS

The UK Treasury has asked the Royal Mint to create an NFT in a move to secure Britain’s place at the forefront of digital assets. Expect the NFT to be ready as soon as this summer.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

President Joe Biden reiterated that President Putin is a “war criminal” as he exited Marine One on his arrival from Delaware. “This guy is brutal,” said Biden, promising to “continue to add sanctions.”

Question: Do you agree that it’s genocide?

Biden: No, I think it is a war crime.

Across the pond, the UK government has decided to privatize Channel 4 before the next general election. Who will be a new owner? There is a possibility of foreign ownership and the UK government is looking to sell the network for  £1bn.  They say that any new owner would have to pass a “fit and proper persons” test. The Culture Secretary, Nadine Dorries, is behind the proposal. Channel 4 has been publicly owned for 40 years but they make money from advertising. Labour MPs are reacting in rage calling the move a politically motivated “cultural vandalism.”  

The West must not lift sanctions against Russia until all its troops have left Ukraine, according to Liz Truss. At a meeting in Warsaw with the Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, she discussed bringing sanctions against Russia at the maximum level. 

David Smith, 57, a British security guard at the UK embassy, suspected of spying for Russia, will be extradited from Germany to the UK. He has been accused of giving Moscow the names of British officials.

Do women have a penis? Jacob Rees-Mogg’s answer is a simple “No.”  During LBC’s Call the Cabinet he cited the Bible and dismissed the idea that a woman could have a penis. “God made man in his own image. He made man and he made woman. He made both of them.”

And that’s a wrap for this Tuesday morning, April 5, 2022. Good Morning DC will be back tomorrow to bring you the latest first. 

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