Page 6 - 4-24-15 Friday's Edition

Presidential News
Gov. Scott And Republican House
Rapper Killer Mike To Attend White House Correspondents’ Dinner
KILLER MIKE
Atlanta rapper, Killer Mike is invited to this Satur- day's White House Correspon- dents' Dinner, which takes place on April 25-- the day after he's scheduled to give a talk on race relations at MIT. He will be there on behalf of The Huff- ington Post.
Cecily Strong of Satur- day Night Live will host.
Mike has spoken and writ- ten about the subject of race re- lations multiple times on stage, in USA Today, on CNN, in an Instagram post, and in a Bill- board op-ed.
President Obama Visits Everglades National Park On Earth Day
Legislators Get Support From Florida Chamber On Not Expanding Medicaid
EVERGLADES NA- TIONAL PARK, Fla. — Pres- ident Obama on Wednesday made his first visit to the Florida Ever- glades, to demand action on climate change.
Standing in front of a marsh at the entrance of the 1.5-million-acre Everglades National Park, President Obama commemorated the 45th Earth Day, designating a national historic landmark at the Miami home of the en- vironmentalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas, who led efforts to rescue the vast area of grasses and forests.
“You can see what makes this unique landscape so magical,” the President told a small crowd of community leaders and Park Service em- ployees and guests. But he added a warning: “Climate
change is threatening this treasure and the communi- ties that depend on it, which includes almost all of South Florida. And if we don’t act, there may not be an Ever- glades as we know it. The message was an effort to re- inforce what the president hopes will be a central part of his legacy: a sustained push to get the United States and the rest of the world to con- front the effects of climate change."We do not have time to deny the effects of climate change," President Obama said, standing in front of a sawgrass prairie on the east- ern edge of the 1.5 million acre wetland.
"This is not some impossi- ble problem that we cannot solve," he said. "We can solve it if we have some political will."
TALLAHASSEE — Re- publican Gov. Rick Scott has threatened Florida legis- lators with a special session and vetoes of their bills over the last few days, and now he has received support from one of the biggest political allies, the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber has dropped its support of ex- panding Medicaid under Obamacare.
The chamber’s health care proposal had included drawing down $50 billion in federal money to expand Medicaid, only if the plan in- cluded spending protections proposed by the group. Rick Scott and House Re- publicans oppose Medicaid expansion.
Thanks to the Florida Senate, the issue has brought state budget negotiations to a halt. The Senate’s budget includes $2.8 billion for ex- pansion and $2.1 billion for the Low Income Pool, a pot of local and federal money hospitals use to care for the indigent. The LIP money must be approved by the
feds, which have said that will only happen if Florida expands Medicaid.
In a statement released Tuesday, Gov. Scott said if lawmakers don’t start the budget process, he will call them into a special legisla- tive session and push them to pass a budget that funds only the state’s critical needs.
That same day, chamber President Mark Wilson circulated a memo to his board of directors informing them of the group’s policy change, dropping support for Medicaid expansion.
Wilson said the cham- ber will focus on the LIP funding. “I believe the im- mediate focus should be on securing passage of the Sen- ate’s plan for LIP funding,” he wrote. This seems mute, because the LIP funding will not be supported by the Fed- eral government if Medicaid is not expanded.
The chamber did not fully endorse a Senate plan to ex- pand Medicaid but said it would have “preferred” the plan.
College Football National Champions Visit With President Obama
The Ohio State team presented President Obama with a #44 jersey.
President Obama wel- comed the reigning college football national champion Ohio State Buckeyes to the White House on Monday af- ternoon and praised their re- silience, character and each of their three quarterbacks.
President Obama came prepared with plenty of jokes for the ceremony in the East Room, thanking crop-topped running back Ezekiel El- liott for tucking in his shirt, mimicking defensive end Joey Bosa's famous shrug pose and even referring to Ohio State rival Michigan as the "Team Up North."
He also was quick to point out his campaign promise in 2008 to bring a playoff to college football as the reason the Buckeyes were even being honored.
"This was a historic year in college football, the coun- try got to enjoy its first ever college football playoffs,” President Obama said. "And I will say it, it was about time. I cannot claim full credit, but I will point out that I pushed for a playoff
system in 2008.
"I said I would throw my
weight around, and Politi- Fact keeps track of whether politicians keep their prom- ises -- you're welcome Amer- ica."
The Buckeyes, at least, were clearly thankful for the opportunity. And they made the most of the chance to cel- ebrate the fact that they took advantage of it, bringing a game ball from the title game and a personalized No. 44 jersey with President Obama's name on it.
After arriving in the morning, the Buckeyes toured the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial before heading to the White House for a tour and a chance to shake hands with the Presi- dent.
For Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, it was his third visit as a national champion and first with the Buckeyes, which also prompted a crack from the President since he had "only done it twice -- and for the same team both times."
PAGE 6-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2015