No Medicaid decision from Fla. Legislature

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Democratic leaders want Republican Gov. Rick Scott to veto the state budget or call a special session after the Legislature adjourned without passing an expansion of the state's Medicaid program.

House Democratic Leader Perry Thurston said some low-income Floridians are not benefiting from the budget.

In an unusual alliance, Scott, Senate Republicans, Democrats, Florida hospitals, health advocates and a diverse mix of business and labor groups all supported a bill that would have drawn down more than $50 billion from the federal government over the next decade. That would have allowed an estimated 1.1 million low-income Floridians to purchase private insurance.

But leaders in the GOP-led Florida House refused to consider that proposal, saying they didn't want to take funds tied to President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. Florida lawmakers adjourned their legislative session Friday night.

Via Yahoo News!

Greece future decision time

Greek protesters, enraged over the prospect of additional austerity measures, have thrown Athens into chaos.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The next week could decide the outcome of the debt crisis in Greece -- and the financial future of Europe along with it.

On Wednesday, the Greek Parliament is scheduled to vote on a raft of new painful austerity provisions, on top of the belt-tightening measures implemented last year.

The stakes are high, because Greece must approve the additional belt-tightening in order to win the last $17 billion of a $156 billion debt crisis relief package that was granted last year by its European neighbors.

The European Commission is hoping that the Parliament will approve the plan. "These measures, once fully implemented, will enable Greece to meet the agreed targets and remain on track," said the Commission on Friday.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou survived a vote of confidence last week, but his hold on power is tenuous as he tries to convince Parliament to pass the measures.

The new austerity measures include reductions in the pay of public workers and an increase in the attrition of public jobs, according to Marko Mrsnik, the lead analyst in the Standard & Poor's downgrade of Greek debt on June 13. The new austerity measures are worth an estimated $112 billion to the Greek economy, according to Deutsche Bank analyst Jim Reid.

On July 3, finance ministers of the European Union will vote on whether to approve the fifth and final tranche of funding from the bailout.

These hurdles must be cleared if Greece is to be eligible for yet another bailout from its European neighbors, which is a strong possibility, given the country's debt crisis.

Greece desperately needs the financial support, or it could run the risk of defaulting on its debts. Mrsnik, as part of his downgrade, said Greece was "increasingly likely" to default on some of its debt.

If this happens, it would disrupt the European banking system, which could, in turn, disrupt banks and markets in the United States.

Greece has been spending beyond its means, which has also been a problem in the United States. But in Greece, the problem is more pronounced, partly because the country and its economy are smaller and less diverse.

The Greek economy has been decidedly weak -- weaker than the United States -- with unemployment soaring up to 16.2%, compared to 11.6% in March 2010, according to Mrsnik.

But over the last year, the economic malaise and high unemployment has been exasperated by the austerity measures implemented in 2010, said Mrsnik. Those measures include pension cuts; a sales tax boost; excise taxes on fuel, cigarettes, alcohol and luxury goods; tougher eligibility for disability benefits; and a hike in the retirement age to 65 from as low as 61.

The specter of additional austerity measures has fanned the flames of recent violent protests in Athens. Many of the protesters are young Greeks who face dim prospects in finding jobs.

These protesters tend to blame the rich for the country's woes, since rampant tax evasion has been a major contributor to the Greek tragedy. Tax dodgers have undermined public financing in a country that is dependent upon socialist supports such as the publicly funded pension system.

Reining in tax dodgers is at the top of the list of the new reforms. 

First Published: June 27, 2011: 5:26 AM ET

CNN

Japan utility delays decision on halting reactors

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese power company postponed its decision Saturday on a government request that it halt three reactors at a coastal nuclear plant until safety measures can be improved to guard against future earthquakes and tsunamis.

A woman strolls in a deserted street in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan on Friday.

Shutting down the reactors would likely worsen power shortages expected this summer.

On Friday, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said he had asked Chubu Electric Power Co. to suspend operation of the reactors at the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station in Shizuoka prefecture until a seawall is built and backup systems are improved. Though not legally binding, the request is a virtual order.

The government is reviewing the safety of the country's 54 atomic reactors since a March 11 earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in the north. The disaster left more than 25,000 people dead or missing on the northeast coast.

The Hamaoka plant, which is about 125 miles west of Tokyo in an area where a major quake is expected within decades, has been a major concern for years.

Chubu Electric executives failed to reach a decision after discussing the request Saturday afternoon and decided to meet again after the weekend, company official Mikio Inomata said.

At issue is how to make up for the power shortages that would result from the shutdown of the three reactors. Inomata said they account for more than 10 percent of the company's power supply.

Chubu Electric has estimated maximum output of about 30 million kilowatts this summer with the three Hamaoka reactors running, with estimated demand of about 26 million kilowatts.

"It would be tight," Inomata said, adding that officials are discussing the possibility of boosting output from gas, oil and coal-fueled power plants and purchasing power from other utility companies.

Kan said the shutdown request was for the "people's safety."

"If an accident occurs at Hamaoka, it could create serious consequences," he said Friday.

He noted that experts estimate there is a 90%chance that a quake with a magnitude of 8.0 or higher will strike the region within 30 years.

Since the March 11 disasters, Chubu Electric has drawn up safety measures that include building a 40-foot-high seawall nearly a mile long over the next two to three years, company officials said. The company also promised to install additional emergency backup generators and other equipment and improve the water tightness of the reactor buildings.

The plant does not have a concrete sea barrier now. Sand hills between the ocean and the plant are about 32 to 50 feet high, deemed enough to defend against a tsunami around 26 feet high, officials said.

Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu called Friday's government request "a wise decision" and vowed to secure alternative sources of energy.

Residents of Shizuoka have long demanded a shutdown of the Hamaoka reactors. About 79,800 people live within a 6-mile radius of the plant.

The Hamaoka plant provides power to around 16 million people in central Japan including nearby Aichi, home of Toyota Motor Corp.

Automakers and other industries have had troubles with interrupted supply lines, parts shortages and damage to manufacturing plants because of the March 11 disasters.

The nationwide newspaper Yomiuri welcomed the government request to shut down the reactors despite concerns about a power crunch.

"The idea is to use the lesson we learned (from Fukushima)," the Yomiuri said, urging other utilities to also improve safety. "An accident and subsequent release of radiation could paralyze the entire country."

Thousands of people joined an anti-nuclear march Saturday in Tokyo's crowded Shibuya shopping and entertainment district, chanting "No nuke plants!"

The Fukushima Dai-ichi plant lost its power and cooling systems in the magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami, triggering the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

Radiation leaks have forced 80,000 people living within a 12-mile radius of the plant to leave their homes.

Since the Fukushima crisis unfolded, officials have acknowledged that tsunami safety measures at Japanese nuclear power plants are insufficient.

Tokyo Electric Power Co., operator of the Fukushima plant, has said the tsunami that wrecked critical power and cooling systems there was at least 46 feet high.

It said radioactivity inside the No. 1 reactor building has fallen to levels deemed safe for people wearing protective suits to enter after workers rapidly installed air filtering equipment Thursday — their first entry since shortly after the tsunami. Workers are to begin preparations as early as Sunday to install a cooling system.

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U.S. appeals court OKs decision blocking Arizona immigration law

Undocumented immigrants walk in Arizona's Sonoran Desert after illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on January 19. STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: An immigrant activist says, "This decisions says ... Gov. Brewer is wrong"Brewer says the ruling harms "the safety and well-being of Arizonans"U.S. appeals court judges on Monday affirm an earlier ruling on Arizona's SB 1070That ruling had blocked key provisions of the law, just before they became lawRELATED TOPICSImmigrationArizonaU.S. Court of AppealsU.S. Department of Justice (CNN) -- A federal appeals court on Monday affirmed a previous injunction of Arizona's controversial immigration law, another setback for legislation that has drawn sharp opposition from President Barack Obama's administration.

In its ruling, a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit sided with the U.S. Justice Department and against Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who signed the measure known as SB 1070 into law last year.

Among other things, this legislation would have required local law enforcement in Arizona to apprehend and help deport illegal immigrants. The Obama administration sued, arguing that only the federal government has that authority.

That lawsuit led to U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton's decision last July, which temporarily blocked the law's most contested parts just a day before they were scheduled to go into effect. That included the requirement that local police officers should check a person's immigration status while enforcing other laws.

Monday's decision came more than five months after both sides presented their cases in San Francisco to the federal appeals court judges. The ruling was written by federal Judge Richard Anthony Paez and supported in full by Judge John Noonan. Judge Carlos Bea partially concurred and partially dissented from the ruling opinion.

"We hold that the district court did not abuse its discretion," the ruling states. "Therefore, we affirm the district court's preliminary injunction order enjoining these certain provisions of SB 1070."

Arizona's governor and attorney general will now consider "their legal options," according to a statement, including possibly an immediate petition to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Brewer claimed Monday in this statement that the latest decision "does harm to the safety and well-being of Arizonans who suffer the negative effects of illegal immigration."

"For decades, the federal government has neglected its constitutional duty to American citizens by failing to secure the border," she said. "States like Arizona have borne the brunt of that failure."

Those on the other side of the issue, including key figures in Arizona's immigrant community, applauded the ruling.

'What this decision says is that Governor Brewer is wrong," Lydia Guzman of Somos America, an activist group focused on promoting social justice and equal rights for immigrant communities in Arizona, told reporters Monday. "This decision shows a victory on the side of justice and it shows that civil rights prevails."

The ruling is the biproduct of a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department that challenged six of the Arizona law's provisions, meaning other parts of the law went into effect in July. That includes a ban on "sanctuary cities": municipalities with laws or policies that render them relatively safe for undocumented immigrants. Bolton's ruling also allowed a provision making it illegal to hire day laborers if doing so impedes traffic. In addition, the ruling allowed parts of the law dealing with sanctions for employers who hire illegal immigrants.

Republican lawmakers, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and other state governments were among those filing briefs with the appeals court supporting Arizona's argument. The Mexican government, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the city of Tucson, Arizona, were among those filing briefs supporting the Justice Department's side.

In its lawsuit, the Justice Department challenged only six of the Arizona law's provisions, meaning others went into effect in July. That includes a ban on "sanctuary cities": municipalities with laws or policies that render them relatively safe for undocumented immigrants. Bolton's ruling also allowed a provision making it illegal to hire day laborers if doing so impedes traffic. In addition, the ruling allowed parts of the law dealing with sanctions for employers who hire illegal immigrants.

The decision Monday sides with the U.S. Justice Department, largely on the argument that federal immigration policy would be greatly undermined -- as might America's standing in the world -- if individual states adopted their own separate immigration laws. Doing so, the ruling contends, equates to a given state adopting its own foreign policy, one that may be in opposition to national policy.

"That 50 individual states or one individual state should have a foreign policy is absurdity too gross to be entertained. In matters affecting the intercourse of the federal nation with other nations, the federal nation must speak with one voice," the ruling says.

Brewer, along with Attorney General Tom Horne, on Monday said the appeals court relied too much on testimony from "foreign governments," calling it wrong to give such nations "the de facto right to veto the duly-enacted laws of a sovereign state of the United States."

In his partial dissent -- which represents his opinion, but does not equate to law -- Bea contended that local and state officers do have a role in addressing federal immigration laws.

"Congress intended that state officers be free to inquire of the federal officers into the immigration status of any person, without any direction or supervision of such federal officers -- and the federal officers 'shall respond' to any such inquiry," he writes.

In February, Brewer announced that Arizona had filed a countersuit against the federal government, seeking the authority to implement its own border security efforts.

At that time, Homeland Security Department spokesman Matt Chandler called Arizona's court claim a "meritless" one that "does nothing to secure the border."

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