Omnibus Bill--
Late last night the U.S. House of Representatives passed a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill to prevent the government from shutting down through September. There was a House fight over a provision included in the bill by lobbyists for Citicorp to ease regulations on high risk investments by banks, but the bill squeaked by the House passing with 219 votes to 206.
Capitol Protest--
Black lawmakers and staff held a protest on Capitol Hill on Thursday. With hands up on the steps of the Capitol, they showed solidarity with protesters throughout the country over the killing of unarmed black men by police.
Transgender Health--
Governor Cuomo announced action to help ensure transgender New Yorkers receive equal access to health insurance coverage. New York's financial regulators advised health insurers statewide to cover transgender treatment deemed to be medically necessary.
Torture Report--
CIA Director Brennan acknowledged that agency officers did "abhorrent" things to detainees but defended the overall post-9/11 interrogation program for stopping attacks and saving lives in an unprecedented television address Thursday.
He was responding to the Torture Report released by Senator Dianne Feinstein and the Senate intelligence Committee on Tuesday. The report denounced the systematic use of torture by the CIA during the Bush years.
As Brennan defended the agency and criticized the report, Feinstein tweeted findings from the Torture Report refuting what Brennan said.
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