A former rival of Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY) said Wednesday that he has a theory to explain why the Staten Island congressman has a history of outbursts like the one that drew headlines following Tuesday's State Of The Union: steroids.

Mark Murphy, a Democrat who lost a House race against Grimm in 2012, spoke to TPM and said that while he has no direct evidence he believes that steroid use is responsible for multiple incidents where Grimm and a man he described as the congressman's "bodyguard" have lost their cool.

"These guys are wrapped so tight from the steroids that they're on, it's insane," Murphy said.

Murphy, the real estate developer son of former Rep. John Murphy (D-NY), later went on to add: "I have no knowledge whether or not they're on steroids, but they just seem wound so tight it would seem that they are on something."

Grimm's office declined to comment.

"Thank you for your solicitation for additional comment from Congressman Grimm. I am in receipt of your request," spokesman Nick Iacono wrote in an email to TPM. "The Congressman will not be giving any additional comments on this matter at this time."

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/murphy-grimm-steroids

Rep. Michael Grimm didn’t know whom he was dealing with on Tuesday when he threatened to throw NY1 reporter Michael Scotto off the US Capitol balcony and “break you in half. Like a boy.”

The journalist is related to Anthony Scotto, former head of the Brooklyn longshoremen’s union and a former boss in the Gambino crime family.

“Michael is a tough reporter, and in true Scotto fashion, he’s not easily intimidated!” “Good Day New York” host Rosanna Scotto, Michael’s cousin and Anthony’s daughter, told me.

“Grimm’s outlook may be grim,” laughed one Brooklynite. “Is he nuts, or what?”


http://pagesix.com/2014/01/29/rep-grimm-couldnt-intimidate-scotto/

A pair of Utah lawmakers are looking to fight a school lunch policy that resulted in the seizure lunches for 40 students whose parents had outstanding balances.

"To me this rises to the level of bullying," Sen. Todd Weiler (R) said according to the Salt Lake Tribune. "Children were humiliated."

Weiler and state Sen. Jim Dabakis (D) visited Uintah Elementary School in Salt Lake City on Thursday in response to a Tribune report that the lunches of 40 students were thrown away because their parents owed money to the school.

The lawmakers held a press conference to address the policy. They said the plan on working together to craft legislation to make sure students at the school "don't go hungry at school" according to the Tribune.

Weiler said someone should be fired over the policy.

"I think it's an abuse of power," Weiler continued. "The person came into a school and used her power to humiliate and embarrass children and I think we ought to draw a line and say that's not acceptable behavior."


http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/utah-lawmakers-lunches-weiler-dabakis

Up to 40 kids at Uintah Elementary picked up their lunches Tuesday, then watched as the meals were taken and thrown away because of outstanding balances on their accounts — a move that shocked and angered parents.

"It was pretty traumatic and humiliating," said Erica Lukes, whose 11-year-old daughter had her cafeteria lunch taken from her as she stood in line Tuesday at Uintah Elementary.

Lukes said as far as she knew, she was all paid up. "I think it’s despicable," she said. "These are young children that shouldn’t be punished or humiliated for something the parents obviously need to clear up."

Jason Olsen, a Salt Lake City District spokesman, said the district’s child-nutrition department became aware that Uintah had a large number of students who owed money for lunches.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/57468293-78/lunches-olsen-lunch-district.html.csp

When a moderator for a recent Georgia Republican primary debate asked candidates by a show of hands whether they would vote to extend benefits for the thousands of American workers who have been stuck with long-term unemployment, the question was met with an awkward pause.

At the Mayor's Day Senate Forum in Atlanta earlier in the week, none of the six candidates raised their hands in favor of extending benefits, but when the opposite question was asked -- who would vote against such a proposal -- all six candidates raised their hands. Rep. Paul Broun's (R-GA) arm shot up the fastest.

The candidates' reaction could indicate that the extension of unemployment benefits could become an issue in Republican primaries.

There are 66,729 people on extended unemployment benefits in the state of Georgia, about 1.4 percent of the state's nearly 5 million-person workforce. The state's unemployment rate is 7.4 percent according to the Associated Press, hovering a bit above the national average.

The Senate is reportedly making movement on extending unemployment benefits. Politico reported on wednesday that bipartisan talks on extending unemployment benefits seem to be moving forward. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said he plans to have a vote on extending benefits next week.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/georgia-senate-candidates-oppose-extending-unemployment-benefits

It's been about eight years since I left frozen Michigan and moved to Northern California, and, outside of one frigid week, is the warmest and driest winter I've ever experienced.

Texas gubernatorial hopeful Wendy Davis brushed off criticism about her life story from Bristol Palin, saying that nothing Palin accused her of was true.

Davis was responding to a blog post from the daughter of former Gov. Sarah Palin, who wrote last week amid questions about the timeline of Davis’s personal biography, slamming her for allegedly leaving her kids behind with her ex-husband after finishing law school.

“Gosh, children are sooo inconvenient, huh? I’m glad my mother didn’t put motherhood on the shelf when she was elected to City Council, then became our mayor, then governor,” Palin wrote, addressing her comments to liberals. “I know you would rather think about Wendy Davis, so let’s get back to her. She’s more your type of woman. She left her kid, husband, made it into a false ‘made-for-tv-movie-type tale’ and then demanded that Texans have the right to kill babies. That’s the woman you libs can really get behind!”
(QUIZ: Do you know Wendy Davis?)

Davis was asked about the comments in a Monday interview with Fusion’s Jorge Ramos, where she dismissed the criticism.
“I think there obviously is a threat that people across Texas are connecting with me and connecting with the reality of my life story,” Davis said, when asked why the attack was so personal.

She continued: “With all due respect to Ms. Palin, of course, nothing that was said in that tweet is true. I’m very proud of the mother I have been to my daughters. I have always been and will always be the most important female in their lives. They are the most important thing to me and I’m very proud I’ve been able to be a role model, a friend, a mother to these two beautiful girls I’ve raised.”



http://www.politico.com/story/2014/01/wendy-davis-bristol-palin-102708.html#ixzz2rpVItS99

"Are you better off than you were 29 years ago?"


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2014/01/29/hitting-mitch-mcconnell-over-health-care-in-kentucky/

A new Public Policy Polling survey in Georgia finds Michelle Nunn (D) leading all four potential GOP rivals for U.S. Senate.

Nunn edges Rep. Paul Broun (R), 42% to 41%, tops Rep. Jack Kingston (R), 44% to 42%, beats Karen Handel (R), 44% to 40%, and leads Rep. Phil Gingrey (R), 45% to 41%.


http://politicalwire.com/archives/2014/01/29/nunn_leads_all_rivals_in_georgia.html

“In order to ensure that our technology was ready for the Affordable Care Act, our company chose to postpone a number of product updates until 2015. One of these was to begin making family coverage available to same-sex married couples and domestic partners (same-sex or opposite-sex) in our ACA-approved plans.

We should have more thoughtfully considered this decision, with full appreciation of the impact it would have on same-sex married couples and domestic partners. We’re sorry we failed to do so.

Our employees have worked with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Insurance over the past week to update our plans in order to make family coverage available sooner. Those whose policies have been cancelled can reenroll in family coverage, and we’ll work with these families to make this process as easy and seamless as possible. We appreciate our customers’ willingness to bear with us as we work to make these changes quickly. ”

• Starting Monday, same-sex married couples and anyone in a domestic partnership may purchase new family coverage on or off the Exchange for an effective date of March 1.
• Domestic partners and same-sex married couples who enrolled separately on ACA plans can convert them into family plans retroactive to their original effective date.
• Small groups will have the option to offer coverage for same-sex married couples and domestic partners beginning with new and renewed plans effective April 1, 2014.
• This change affects all of BCBSNC’s ACA plans, whether purchased on or off the exchange.

According to a statement from BCBS, approximately 20 couples had been denied family coverage under the previous policy.

The change comes following an online town hall meeting hosted by Equality NC drawing attention to cancellations of married, same-sex couples' BCBS insurance policies in the ACA marketplace.

http://equalitync.org/latest/news/bcbs_coverage_to_gay/