A federal judge in Texas has ruled that the entire Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional following the repeal of the law's individual mandate penalty, but administration officials said the law, which could end up before the Supreme Court, stands while the decision is appealed. Legal experts questioned the rationale behind the ruling's discussion of congressional intent, noting Congress considered unraveling the entire law but ultimately did not do so.
The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court to temporarily halt a case against President Donald Trump that claims he illegally benefited from his family's business. The department is looking to halt more than three dozen subpoenas seeking documents from the Trump Organization.
⋅ EdSurge
Educators do not have to decide between sticking to the curriculum and allowing students to be creative, says author and former art teacher Katie White, who notes that schools have room for both. In this interview, she shares how teachers can encourage the creative process in their classrooms and use observation to assess creative work.
⋅ Politico
Congress took a break for the weekend without a plan for heading off a partial shutdown of the US government next week. Talks on keeping the government running haven't progressed since President Donald Trump said he is willing to take the blame for a shutdown if he doesn't get funding to build a wall along the border with Mexico.
Hy-Vee has opened its first smaller-format, fresh-focused store under the name Fast & Fresh in Davenport, Iowa. The location is the size of a convenience store at 10,000 square feet but includes features such as a growler station, wood-oven pizzas, produce and meal kits.
⋅ Vox
An additional 4,655 Medicaid beneficiaries have lost coverage in Arkansas after failing for three months to comply with rules requiring them to work or participate in some equivalent activity for 80 hours per month, according to a state report. In total, 16,932 people have been dropped from the state's Medicaid program since the work requirements were implemented.
Bleacher Report was social media's most engaged sports brand in November with 373.9 million actions across Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, per Shareablee. ESPN took second place with 210.5 million engagements and Whistle Sports came in third with 115.4 million engagements.
While diesel-powered combustion engines are not likely to be overtaken anytime soon, the eventual arrival of electric-powered trucks will be a significant advancement, writes Seth Clevenger. Established manufacturers and startups are working on electric vehicle technology, though technological and infrastructure challenges remain.
Internet of things malware and cryptocurrency mining malware were both up more than 70% in the third quarter, according to the cybersecurity firm McAfee, as cybercriminals devise ways to better evade law enforcement. "As long as ransoms are paid and relatively easy attacks, such as phishing campaigns, are successful, bad actors will continue to use these techniques," said Christiaan Beek of McAfee.
The MyDRUG study will be launched by the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, which will focus on assessing treatments specifically for patients with high-risk multiple myeloma to improve therapy matching. "MyDRUG is a major milestone for the MMRF in terms of putting precision medicine to work for patients through our unique end-to-end model, which aims to deliver the right treatment to every patient living with myeloma," said MMRF President and CEO Paul Giusti.
The White House has issued a memorandum calling for reports and recommendations related to wireless technology, setting in motion a process intended to produce a national 5G connectivity strategy. At the same time, it made a blog post headlined "America Will Win the Global Race to 5G."
Google will spend $1 billion on a 1.7 million-square-foot Hudson Square campus in New York City with two buildings on Hudson Street and one on Washington Street. The company plans to occupy the Hudson Street locations in 2020 and the Washington Street building in 2022.
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke submitted his resignation Saturday, leaving at the end of the year amid over a dozen ethics investigations into his spending habits and other activities. Deputy Interior Secretary David Bernhardt is expected to be named acting secretary.
Delta Air Lines has launched a biometric international terminal at Georgia's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, featuring facial-recognition technology at check-in, the security checkpoint, boarding and Customs.
The Transportation Security Administration is ready to screen the record 45.7 million passengers projected to fly on domestic carriers between Dec. 20 and Jan. 6. The agency has deployed better scanning technology and more explosive-sniffing dogs.