Donald Trump

Happening Today: Health Plan, Supreme Court, Chuck Berry, Autism, A-Rod

What to Know

  • Months after Scalia's death created a vacancy on the Supreme Court, hearings get underway on President Trump's nominee to replace him
  • Berry’s death spurred an outpouring of accolades for a man praised variously as a legend, pioneer and king who led us to hail rock 'n' roll
  • A-Rod and J-Lo are said to be dating and the pair were spotted at a New York Yankees spring training game together

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For Many Older Americans, Costs Rise Under GOP Plan

Among the groups hardest hit by the Republican health plan to replace the Affordable Care Act is one that swung for Donald Trump during last year's presidential race — older Americans who have not yet reached Medicare age. Many of those who buy their own health insurance stand to pay a lot more for their coverage. That is especially true for the nearly 3.4 million older Americans who have enrolled through the government marketplaces. Health care experts predict those older adults will end up buying skimpier plans with lower coverage and higher deductibles because that's all they will be able to afford. On top of that, the GOP plan allows insurers to charge older people five times what they charge younger customers, compared to three times under Obama's health care law.

Hearings Get Underway on Supreme Court Pick

Thirteen months after Antonin Scalia's death created a vacancy on the Supreme Court, hearings get underway on President Trump's nominee to replace him. Judge Neil Gorsuch, 49, is a respected, highly credentialed and conservative member of the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. His nomination has been cheered by Republicans and praised by some left-leaning legal scholars, and Democrats head into the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings divided over how hard to fight him. The first day of the hearings will feature opening statements from senators and Gorsuch himself.

Rock 'n' Roll's Rock, Chuck Berry, Dies

Chuck Berry’s death at age 90 spurred an outpouring of accolades for a man praised variously as a legend, pioneer and king who led us to hail, hail rock 'n' roll. From “Johnny B. Goode” to “Sweet Little Sixteen” to “Maybellene,” the duck-walking Berry bent strings — freeing the feet and the soul while unleashing the spirit lurking in the psyche of post-war teenagers. It’s tempting, but an oversimplification, to view Berry as a musical bridge between early rhythm-and-blues and the 1960s rock explosion. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Berry rose to fame in the 1950s as the American interstate system began connecting, at least physically, the divided country. All musical roads led to and sprouted anew from Berry, who took blues, gospel, big band and country and, wielding the power of electrification, melded them into a rollicking creation that traveled at lightening speed across the globe.

Thousands Flee Massive Wildfire

A wildfire burned its way through Boulder County, which officials said forced thousands of Coloradans from their homes. A man first reported seeing flames burning on the side of a mountain around 1:30 a.m., according to police. Officials then began telling people to leave the area. Eight aircraft were used to fight the fire, dropping buckets of water and fire retardant around the flames' perimeter. The fire had at one point reached 62 acres, the Boulder Office of Emergency Management estimated.

Tests Find Drugs, Alcohol in Blood of Airport Attacker

Blood tests determined that a suspected Islamic extremist consumed drugs and alcohol before a frenzied spree of violence that ended when he took a soldier hostage at Paris' Orly Airport and was shot dead by her fellow patrolmen. The Paris prosecutors' office said toxicology tests conducted as part of an autopsy found traces of cocaine and cannabis in the blood of the suspect, Ziyed Ben Belgacem. Yelling that he wanted to kill and die for Allah, Belgacem wrestled away a soldier's assault rifle but was shot to death by two other soldiers before he could fire the military-grade weapon in Orly's busy South Terminal, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said.

Caught on Camera: Toddler Twins Party All Night

Sleep? No thanks. These twin 2-year-old boys would rather party all night long. Their overnight antics were caught on the nanny cam. Watch all seven hours in just two minutes. The pair is caught on camera throwing pillows, sitting on the coach and even crawling in and out of their cribs. Later, an adult walks in, cleans up the mess they had just made and leaves. Then the twins continue with their hilarious antics. 

Muppet With Autism to Be Welcomed on 'Sesame Street'

Folks on Sesame Street have a way of making everyone feel accepted. That certainly goes for Julia, a Muppet youngster with blazing red hair, bright green eyes - and autism. Rather than being treated like an outsider, which too often is the plight of kids on the spectrum, Julia is one of the gang. For more than a year, Julia has existed in print and digital illustrations as the centerpiece of a multifaceted initiative by Sesame Workshop called "Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children." 

A-Rod Takes J-Lo out to the Ballgame

Take me out to the ballgame, A-Rod. You got it, J-Lo. Back at spring training with the New York Yankees as a guest instructor, Alex Rodriguez watched part of an exhibition game against the Baltimore Orioles in a suite with singer-actress Jennifer Lopez. The two are said to be dating. A-Rod has been linked romantically to other Hollywood stars in the past, including Kate Hudson and Cameron Diaz.

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