The following is a rundown of the day’s news drawn from other media sources with topics curated just for Money and Markets readers: personal security and freedom, Obamacare, Olympic games report.
Personal Security and Freedom:
NSA Vows to Spy Even More
The government is considering enlarging the National Security Agency’s controversial collection of Americans’ phone records–an unintended consequence of lawsuits seeking to stop the surveillance program, according to officials.
Snowden : ‘Overclassification’ is Danger to Democracy
“The decline of democracy begins when the domain of the government expands beyond the borders of its public’s knowledge,” he insisted. “It can no longer hold the most senior members of its society to necessary account for serious wrongdoing because the evidence of that wrongdoing is itself a secret.”
Democrats Press Attorney General on Secret FBI Letters
Agents at the NSA need to get a court order to search phone records, but no similar order is necessary for the National Security Letters. It was unclear why the FBI uses the secret letters because federal officials seem to be able to get the same information through the phone records database.
New Test Suggests Antidepressant Paxil May Promote Breast Cancer
This is important because as many as a quarter of women being treated for breast cancer suffer from depression — a condition most commonly treated with antidepressants including Paxil, which has been on the market since 1992.
Muslims ‘Warned in Fatwa not to Live on Mars’
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment (GAIAE) in the United Arab Emirates said that anyone making such a “hazardous trip” is likely to die for “no righteous reason”. They would therefore be liable to a “punishment similar to that of suicide in the Hereafter”.
Obamacare:
Fourth Georgia Hospital Closes Due to Obamacare Payment Cuts
The hospital is suffering from serious cash-flow problems, largely due to the area’s 23 percent uninsured population, and hopes to reopen as “some kind of urgent care center,” CEO Karen O’Neal said.
Health Law’s Impact Has Only Begun
The law upended existing health-insurance arrangements for millions of people. To many of them, the law feels like “the redistribution of wealth theory.” So far, 3.3 million have signed up for plans through the new government marketplaces, federal officials said Feb. 12.
Man’s Surgery on Hold as Doctors Deny Covered California Coverage
“I can’t sleep on my back,” he said. “I roll around all night, because I can’t lay flat. I can’t lay anywhere for more than five, 10 minutes.” “We get this coverage and go to the best doctor to fix Chris, and they tell us we’re out of network,” said his wife Tammy.
Obamacare — a Danger to American Exceptionalism
“With Obamacare, the Democratic Party has foisted the most regressive tax possible on America. This ruthless assault on the middle class is all so we can have a health care system more like every other country has.”
Olympic Games Report:
Pinkeye and Awkward Interviews Outshine Athletes
Through the first 11 days of NBC’s coverage, Sochi had yet to produce a breakout personality. The biggest stories were the anchor’s weeklong conjunctivitis-induced absence and alpine skier Bode Miller crying after being prodded about his dead brother by NBC correspondent.
U.S. Third in Olypic Medals Count
In the total Olympic medals count, United States are third, outmatched only by Germany and Norway, both having more golden medals. United States has the most bronze medals on the top 10 list, having won 11.
Bode Miller Skis Last Race in Sochi, Likely His Olympic Finale
“It’s tough to have my last race here look like that,” Miller said. “But I feel really good about where I am. I feel like I did my best. I came out with a medal, so I’m happy.”
Russia Hockey Team Eliminated
Russia crashed out of the Olympic Games hockey tournament Wednesday, slumping to a 3-1 defeat to Finland in a dismal quarter-final performance that prompted jeers from their shell-shocked fans.
Best wishes,
The Money and Markets Team
