Why North Carolina might be the most innovative health care state in America

Why North Carolina might be the most innovative health care state in America-politico: The state and its largest private insurer are working together to transform how health care is delivered state-wide.

Four spending bills on the move; Democrats eye allocations

Four spending bills on the move; Democrats eye allocations deal-rollcall: Democratic leaders Tuesday called for bicameral talks to reconcile competing spending allocations for long-delayed fiscal 2020 appropriations bills. With barely five weeks left before the current stopgap funding measure runs dry, congressional leaders are scrambling to make headway on appropriations for the fiscal year that began on Oct.1. Lawmakers have already acknowledged that another stopgap could be needed to fund at least part of the government and avoid a shutdown before Thanksgiving.

Cash surge puts more Senate races in play

Cash surge puts more Senate races in play-thehill: An early rush of big money into key states has both Democrats and Republicans eyeing as many as a dozen potentially competitive U.S. Senate seats up for election next year as voter interest in a riveting presidential contest upends what had appeared to be a narrow map. Both parties have spent a year fighting for position in states like Arizona, Colorado and Maine, where vulnerable Republicans are seeking reelection, and in Alabama, where Sen. Doug Jones (D) is running for a full term in a deep-red state.

Buttigieg surges in Iowa poll

Buttigieg surges in Iowa poll-politico: A new Iowa survey of the 2020 Democratic presidential race shows Pete Buttigieg surging in the first-in-the-nation caucus state, locked in a three-way race with front-runners Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren. Eighteen percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers back the former vice president, while 17 percent favor the Massachusetts senator and 13 percent prefer the South Bend, Indiana, mayor, according to a Suffolk University/USA TODAY poll released Monday.

Mulvaney admission deals blow to White House impeachment defense

Mulvaney admission deals blow to White House impeachment defense-thehill: The White House defense against Democrats’ impeachment inquiry suffered a major blow Thursday with acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney’s admission that aid for Ukraine was linked to President Trump’s desire for the country to pursue a political probe related to the 2016 election. The stunning admission marked the first time a White House official had publicly undermined Trump's repeated denials of any quid pro quo. It also coincided with a host of current and former administration officials raising concerns during closed-door testimony about the administration’s Ukraine policy

U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings dies; longtime Baltimore advocate was key figure in Trump impeachment inquiry

U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings dies; longtime Baltimore advocate was key figure in Trump impeachment inquiry-baltimoresun: U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings of Baltimore, a committee chairman known for his devotion to Baltimore and civil rights and for blunt and passionate speechmaking, died of longstanding health problems early Thursday morning, his office said. He was 68 years old. The Democrat, a key figure in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump as chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, died at Gilchrist Hospice Care at approximately 2:45 A.M., a spokeswoman said.

Schumer seeks focus on health care amid impeachment fever

Schumer seeks focus on health care amid impeachment fever-thehill: Senate Democrats plan to force vulnerable Republicans to vote on legislation that would overturn a controversial Trump administration directive on ObamaCare. The strategy shows Democrats will continue playing offense on ObamaCare, which for years was a political liability for the party. The 2010 law was by and large unpopular until the GOP nearly eradicated it during the last Congress.