Court delays Obamacare contraception mandate for 2 nonprofits
Updated 2:51 p.m. ET, 1/1/2014
(CNN) - The Supreme Court has temporarily delayed key requirements of the Affordable Care Act impacting religious-affiliated groups, accelerating another high-stakes legal test for the sweeping law championed by President Barack Obama.
In a surprising twist just hours before the start of the New Year when most major rules of Obamacare were set to take effect, Justice Sonia Sotomayor exempted two Catholic Church-affiliated nonprofits from having to provide contraceptive coverage to employees of face fines for non-compliance.
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Chief Justice laments budget, sequester impact on federal courts
Washington (CNN) - Lamenting he is ringing in the new year with an old concern, Chief Justice John Roberts is again warning leaders in the other two branches of government that continuing budget shortfalls and sequestration cuts will create a "bleak" future for the fair administration of justice in the nation's federal courts.
In his annual year-end report on the judiciary, Roberts on Tuesday said the courts have already made significant unilateral cuts in funding, adding a prolonged reduction by Congress would be extremely hard to overcome.
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Video: Congress moves on after forgettable 2013
CNN's Dana Bash talks to U.S. senators about the past year's political gridlock on Capitol Hill
Catholic groups ask Supreme Court to delay Obamacare mandate
Updated 6:23 p.m. ET, 12/31/2013
Washington (CNN) - A group of Catholic organizations, in an emergency appeal on Tuesday, asked the Supreme Court to delay the Obamacare requirement that certain religious-affiliated groups provide contraception and "abortion-inducing drug" coverage to their workers.
Archdioceses in Washington, D.C., Tennessee and Michigan - along with affiliated groups that include Catholic University - asked Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Elena Kagan to block enforcement of the employer mandates under the Affordable Care Act set to take effect on Wednesday.
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Hillary Clinton urges extending benefits for jobless
(CNN) - Hillary Clinton is weighing in on an issue that's a top priority right now for the White House and congressional Democrats: Unemployment insurance.
"10 years ago I was proud to begin working on bipartisan efforts to save unemployment insurance. Let's do it again quickly in this new year," the former Secretary of State and potential Democratic presidential contender tweeted Tuesday.
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Utah asks Supreme Court to block same-sex marriage
(CNN) - Utah officials have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to immediately block enforcement of a federal judge's ruling allowing same-sex couples to be legally married in the state.
An emergency appeal was filed on Tuesday with Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who could rule herself or ask the rest of the court to weigh in.
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Arkansas governor asks for lieutenant governor's resignation
Washington (CNN) – Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat, has asked Republican Lieutenant Gov. Mark Darr, the state's second in command, to resign over campaign finance impropriety.
Beebe called Darr on Tuesday to ask for his resignation, according to a spokesman for Beebe, after an Arkansas ethics commission ruled that Darr had broken 11 campaign finance laws since 2010.
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More than two million enrolled in Obamacare
Washington (CNN) - More than two million people will have health insurance under Obamacare at the start of 2014, the Department of Health and Human Services said on Tuesday.
The figure made public in a department statement includes people who have signed up through federal and state marketplaces set up under the politically charged health care reforms championed by President Barack Obama.
FULL STORYThe top 12 campaign questions of 2014
(CNN) - Voters head to the polls next November for midterm elections and there's a ton at stake: Possible shifts in control of the U.S. Senate and House and some very interesting gubernatorial races with potential national implications. There is also Hillary Clinton – what will she do about 2016? Ditto for Chris Christie and a bunch of other Republicans who may hold White House ambitions. What impact will Obamacare and the economy have on the electorate?
Here's a rundown on the key political questions for 2014:
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2014: How are you going to say it?
Washington (CNN) – Say this out loud: 2014.
How did you say it? "Twenty fourteen" or two-thousand and fourteen?"
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- Federal judge says insurers no longer have to provide some preventive care services, including cancer and heart screenings, at no cost
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- Republican leaders and Trump loyalists on Capitol Hill rally behind the former president after indictment
- Florida House passes bill extending ban on sexual orientation and gender identity instruction to 8th grade
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