What’s interesting in the news today?

Things are escalating in Syria.

From TheTelegraph  “Britain is planning to join forces with America and launch military action against Syria within days in response to the gas attack believed to have been carried out by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces against his own people.”

“Royal Navy vessels are being readied to take part in a possible series of cruise missile strikes, alongside the United States, as military commanders finalise a list of potential targets.

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The IRS is at it again.

From TheDailyCaller  “The Internal Revenue Service is targeting the veterans’ organization the  American Legion, and a U.S. senator believes that Lois Lerner — a key figure in  the IRS scandal – is to blame.

“The IRS now requires American Legion posts to maintain dates of service and  character of service records for all members… The penalty for not having the  required proof of eligibility is, apparently, $1,000 per day,” the American  Legion stated.”

“The American Legion has recently learned of the so-called IRS ‘audit manual’  and is concerned that portions of it attempt to amend statutes passed by  Congress and approved by the president,” American Legion legal counsel  Philip Onderdonk, Jr. told The Daily Caller.

“Resolutions recommending action by the Legion’s legislative division on two  of the most egregious sections of the IRS document are being presented for a  vote by members at The American Legion’s annual national convention in Houston  [this] week. If the resolutions are adopted, the Legion will be empowered as a  body to urge correction of the veterans service organization-related portion(s)  of the IRS manual and suggest congressional review of the entire 38 section IRS  document,” Onderdonk said.”

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Remember Obama’s promises about keeping lobbyists out of his admin? Yeah, I guess like most of his promises, it has an expiration date.

From TheHill  “ObamaCare has become big business for an elite network of Washington lobbyists  and consultants who helped shape the law from the inside.
 
More than  30 former administration officials, lawmakers and congressional staffers who  worked on the healthcare law have set up shop on K Street since 2010.”

“Major lobbying firms such as Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock, The Glover Park  Group, Alston & Bird, BGR Group and Akin Gump can all boast an ObamaCare  insider on their lobbying roster — putting them in a prime position to land  coveted clients.”

So he won’t let lobbyists in, but he keeps cranking them out? I guess he didn’t mean his ObamaCare lobbyists.

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Maybe he needs to send some lobbyists out to the state and local levels on behalf of ObamaCare. They don’t seem to be getting the message.

From HotAir  “It’s been quite a week for ObamaCare, and we’re not even to the end of it yet.  First we find out that the White House missed half of the statutory deadlines in the bill and still has almost half of them left unaccomplished.  Next, UPS canceled spousal coverage because of the ACA, which will save it $60 million in costs, and CNBC described how employees might start petitioning their bosses to drop health insurance in order to score taxpayer-funded subsidies.  The AFL-CIO in Nevada finally discovered what a bad deal they’re getting, and Gallup confirmed that the more people know about ObamaCare, the less they like it.

Today, we find out that it’s not just the private sector that’s looking to recover ObamaCare costs at the expense of workers:

Many cash-strapped cities and counties facing the prospect of shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars in new health-care costs under the Affordable Care Act are opting instead to reduce the number of hours their part-time employees work.

The decisions to cut employee hours come 16 months before employers — including state and local governments — will be required to offer health care coverage to employees who work at least 30 hours a week. Some local officials said the cuts are happening now either because of labor contracts that must be negotiated in advance, or because the local governments worry that employees who work at least 30 hours in the months leading up to the January 2015 implementation date would need to be included in their health-care plans.”

And here’s even more that apparently need some of that sweet, sweet lobbying.

From FoxNews  “Delta Air Lines has issued an urgent warning about the impact of ObamaCare,  claiming the law’s implementation will contribute to a roughly $100 million  increase in health care costs next year alone. 

A representative with Delta confirmed the authenticity of the letter to  FoxNews.com. 

“Like many large companies, Delta faces significantly increased healthcare  costs in 2014 and beyond,” the company said in a statement on Friday. “Delta  will absorb the vast majority of those increased costs so that we can continue  providing a high value, high quality health plan. Consistent with our culture,  Delta will always keep the best interests of our people in mind in connection  with the healthcare and other benefits we provide.””

Looks like airfare will be rising, thanks to ObamaCare.

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INS agents are now being told not to arrest or deport illegal immigrants with children.

From TheWashingtonTimes  “The Obama administration issued a new   policy Friday  that says immigration agents should try not to arrest and  deport  illegal immigrant parents of minor children. The move  adds to the  categories  of people the administration is trying not  to  deport.

In a nine-page memo, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said agents  should use “prosecutorial discretion” to try   to avoid detaining parents and,  if parents are detained, agents should   make sure they have the ability to  visit with their children or   participate in family court proceedings.

The  move won praise from immigrant-rights groups who said it’s a  step   toward a less harsh detention policy. But a top Republican blasted  the  memo as  another effort by the Obama administration to circumvent  the  law.

“President  Obama has once again abused his authority and  unilaterally  refused to  enforce our current immigration laws by  directing U.S. Immigration  and  Customs Enforcement agents to stop  removing broad categories of unlawful  immigrants,” said House Judiciary   Committee Chairman Robert W.   Goodlatte, Virginia Republican.”

And no one will do a thing about it.

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