Who is the highest paid official in the District?
Not Mayor Vincent Gray. City Administrator Allen Lew enjoys the biggest paycheck in city government, taking home $295,000 a year. The salary of Lew, who runs the government on a day-to-day basis, is higher than that of Vice President Biden, who makes $230,700 annually. Gray earns $200,000 a year and trails several other top leaders, including Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier and D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson.
What happens if states opt out of the Medicaid expansion?
A number of Republican governors are considering opting out of the Medicaid expansion required under the federal health care law. The expansion would allow anyone who makes up to 133 percent of the poverty level to be eligible for Medicaid. States that opt out will not get federal funding to help residents buy health insurance who can’t afford to buy it on their own and don’t qualify for Medicaid.
Are economic sanctions on Iran having any effect?
The U.S. imposed banking sanctions and European Union nations declared an oil embargo against Iran about two weeks ago to protest what the West sees as Iranian plans to acquire a nuclear weapon. The impact of the sanctions was never officially acknowledged until this week when the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Ali Larijani, claimed 20 percent of his country’s economic problems were being caused by the sanctions.
