Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/22467
4A – Daily News – Tuesday, January 4, 2011 WORLD BRIEFING GOPHouse to vote to repeal health care WASHINGTON (AP) — Eager to show who’s now in charge, the House’s new Republican majority plans to vote to repeal Presi- dent Barack Obama’s land- mark health care overhaul before he even shows up in their chamber to give his State of the Union address. Dramatic as that early showdown promises to be — the vote will be Jan. 12, Republicans said Monday — it will be just the first in a series of struggles expected to play out in the next few months. Obama returns Tuesday from his holiday vacation, fresh off lame- duck legislative victories late last year, and Republi- cans will be sworn in Wednesday, primed to chal- lenge him after gaining House control in last fall’s elections. Full repeal of the health care law is still a long shot. The House vote would be just the first, easiest step. But House Republicans vow they will follow up with dozens of attempts to hack away at what they derisively call ‘‘Obamacare.’’ The strategy is not risk- free for the Republicans, who won’t have a replace- ment plan of their own ready by the time of the repeal vote. But they say there’s no time to lose. Senate Democratic lead- ers are sending their own ‘‘you-don’t-scare-me’’ mes- sage. In a letter Monday to House Speaker-to-be John Boehner, they served notice that they’ll block any repeal, arguing it would kill popular provisions such as improved prescription coverage for Medicare. Agency says deepwater drilling can resume WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administra- tion said Monday it will allow 13 companies to resume deepwater drilling without any additional environmental scrutiny, just months after saying it would require strict reviews for new drilling in the wake of the BP oil spill. The government said it was not breaking its promise to require environ- mental reviews because the 13 companies — which include Chevron USA Inc. and Shell Offshore Inc. — had already started drilling the wells without detailed environmental studies. Drilling was suspended last year when the adminis- tration imposed a months- long moratorium following the BP spill. The ban was lifted in October, but drilling has not yet resumed in waters deeper than 500 feet in the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. officials said the 13 companies must comply with new policies and rules before resuming activity at 16 Gulf of Mexico wells. All but three are explorato- ry wells — the same type BP was drilling when the blowout of the Deepwater Horizon rig occurred. The April 20 explosion killed 11 workers and set off the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. ‘‘For those companies that were in the midst of operations at the time of the deepwater suspensions (last spring), today’s noti- fication is a significant step toward resuming their permitted activity,’’ said Michael Bromwich, direc- tor of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Reg- ulation and Enforcement. Navy probes raunchy videos by carrier officer NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Raunchy comedy videos made by a high-ranking Navy commander and shown to the crew of an air- craft carrier three or four years ago have suddenly proved an embarrassment to the Pentagon that could blight the officer’s career. The videos, released Sunday by a newspaper in this Navy port city, feature Capt. Owen Honors using gay slurs, pantomiming masturbation and staging suggestive shower scenes. They were played on the shipwide television system during weekly movie night when Honors was executive officer, or second in com- mand, of the USS Enter- prise. Honors has since become commander of the ship. Over the weekend, the Navy at first downplayed the videos as ‘‘humorous skits,’’ then called them ‘‘not acceptable’’ and said they are under investigation. gibbsautobodydsl@chiconet.com 780 EAST AVE. (behind Food Maxx) Since 1950 530-527-2649 WE ACCEPT ALL INSURANCE COMPANIES Voted BEST in Tehama County ‘06, ‘07, ‘08, ‘09 & ‘10 We understand you have a choice, thank you for choosing us! 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