Associated Press - page 621

A new analysis finds the nation’s health care overhaul deserves a place in advertising history as the focus of extraordinarily high spending on negative political TV ads that have gone largely unanswered by the law’s supporters. The report, released Friday by nonpartisan analysts Kantar Media CMAG, estimates that $445 million was spent on political TV ads mentioning the law since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Spending on negative ads outpaced positive ones by more than 15…

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Darden is setting Red Lobster adrift, but betting that it can still turn around Olive Garden’s fortunes. The company, which is based in Orlando, Florida, said Friday that it would sell its seafood chain to investment firm Golden Gate Capital in a $2.1 billion cash deal. The announcement came despite objections from some shareholders to the plan separate Red Lobster, which was announced late last year. Both Olive Garden and Red Lobster have been losing customers in recent years, even…

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A central Florida man says he stabbed a friend and his dog over the last can of beer. While waiting at the Marion County jail to make a court appearance Tuesday, Daniel Trent told the Ocala Star-Banner that he stabbed Mark Durham in self-defense Sunday night. Trent is charged with second-degree murder. He says he argued with Durham over the last can of Natural Ice, after they had finished two cases of beer. Trent says Durham grabbed a knife from Trent’s…

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Younger voters would face higher retirement ages but all Americans could join federal retirement accounts in a plan proposed by Sen. Marco Rubio in his latest in a series of national policy prescriptions. Rubio, a first-term Republican senator from Florida who is weighing a presidential bid, was addressing in a speech set for delivery Tuesday how older Americans would fare in retirement. He was proposing an overhaul of federal programs to help younger workers save for their retirement, as well…

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Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan courted some of Wall Street’s most powerful political benefactors on Monday, insisting that love, friendship and “traditional marriage” can combat poverty better than government programs. The prospective Republican presidential contenders were featured guests at an award ceremony hosted by the Manhattan Institute, a right-leaning think tank led by high-profile Republican donor Paul Singer. Like others gathered in the midtown Manhattan ballroom Monday night, Singer already has begun sizing up the…

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Three measures responding to complaints about Florida’s move to Common Core standards have been signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott. Scott on Monday signed a bill (SB 864) that would allow parents to object to school textbooks. The governor also signed a bill that would bar school districts from being able to collect student data like fingerprints. The measure (SB 188) would also bar the collection of information on the political or religious affiliation of students and parents. Scott…

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The Florida Supreme Court will be able to grant law licenses to non-citizens under a measure signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott. On Monday, Scott signed the bill (HB 755), which responds to a recent state Supreme Court decision. The court ruled people in the country illegally can’t be issued law licenses. The case involved Jose Godinez-Samperio, who was seeking his license after passing the bar in 2011. Godinez-Samperio came to the United States with his parents on a…

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