Dorothy Abernathy, regional media director of The Associated Press, shares 10 things you need to know Tuesday, March 14, 2017. Look for full stories on these late-breaking news items and much more in West Virginia newspapers.
1. CRITICS OF GOP HEALTH BILL GET AMMO FROM BUDGET SCORE
A few House and Senate conservatives are in open revolt and moderate Republicans are queasy about big cuts to the Medicaid safety net for the poor.
2. NOR’EASTER LASHES REGION
A powerful late winter storm is beginning to whip the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, prompting flight cancellations, school closures and warnings to stay off the roads.
3. TEXAS EFFORT FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD ALTERNATIVE STUMBLES
An AP review found the nonprofit Heidi Group has done little of the outreach it promised, such as helping clinics promote their services on Facebook, or airing public service announcements.
4. ISLAMIC STATE GROUP ALREADY LOOKING PAST MOSUL
Militants are positioning themselves to defend the remains of its so-called “caliphate” in Syria and wage an insurgent campaign in Iraq.
5. WHERE AMERICANS FOLLOW THROUGH ON TRUMP VOW
In New Zealand, the number of those from the United States who applied for a grant of citizenship rose by 70 percent in the 12 weeks following his election, AP finds.
6. PIRATES HIJACK FREIGHTER OFF SOMALIA’S COAST
The hijacking of the oil tanker with eight Sri Lankan crew members is the first of a large commercial vessel on the crucial global trade route since 2012.
7. HIGH COST OF BLOCKING INFORMATION
An AP analysis of new U.S. data finds the Obama administration in 2016 spent a record $36.2 million on legal costs defending its refusal to turn over federal records under the Freedom of Information Act.
8. WHAT RARE STEP CITY HAS TAKEN
Everett, Washington, is suing Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, alleging the drugmaker knowingly allowed pills to be funneled into the black market in the community.
9. WHY DISNEY WON’T SCREEN MOVIE IN MALAYSIA
“Beauty and the Beast” is shelved in the mainly Muslim country, even though film censors say it had been approved with a minor cut involving a “gay moment.”
10. MARCH MADNESS CONTENDING WITH FIERCE STORM
Villanova and UConn, the top teams in the NCAA Tournament for the men and women, have games scheduled in Buffalo, New York, and Connecticut.
