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WASHINGTON (AP) — WikiLeaks says documents it obtained show that the CIA targeted everyday gadgets such as smartphones as part of a surveillance program. The hacks have allowed the CIA to collect audio and other messages from apps such as Facebook's WhatsApp before the data got encrypted. According to WikiLeaks, the CIA knew about several flaws in software made by Apple, Google, Samsung and others but didn't tell the companies about them. Disclosing such vulnerabilities is supposed to be common practice so companies could fix them before hackers use them.
WASHINGTON (AP) — White House spokesman Sean Spicer says the president is "absolutely committed" to the new House Republican health care legislation, as several conservative groups line up in opposition to the plan. President Donald Trump earlier in the day praised what he called the "wonderful new Healthcare Bill," adding that it is now "out for review and negotiation." Conservative groups came out against the plan. An official with Heritage Action for America said in a statement that the proposal "not only accepts the flawed progressive premises of Obamacare but expands upon them."
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House GOP health bill would cut more than 20 taxes that were enacted under President Barack Obama's heath law. This would save taxpayers nearly $600 billion over the next decade — with the bulk of the money going to the wealthy. The estimate does not include the cost of new tax credits to help people buy health insurance. Those estimates are not yet public. The biggest tax cut would eliminate a 3.8 percent tax on investment income for high-income individuals and families. Congressional estimates show that eliminating the tax would save these taxpayers $158 billion over the next decade. According to the non-partisan Tax Policy Center, about 90 percent of the benefit from repealing the tax would go to the top 1 percent of earners, who make $700,000 or more.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee says the panel has overwhelmingly approved of Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster's shift to the White House to be President Donald Trump's national security adviser. Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona spoke to reporters after the committee met with McMaster behind closed doors to discuss his shift from a military assignment to one of the most important in U.S. government. The committee's approval sets up a vote in the full Senate on McMaster's rank. National security advisers aren't subject to Senate confirmation. But McMaster elected to stay on active duty, and generals of his grade need the chamber's approval when they're promoted or get new assignments.
OAK GROVE, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri couple, Mark and Jennifer Swartz, moved into their first home in Oak Grove last November. Today, a slab is all that's left, after a storm tore it apart. Mark Swartz says it's painful to lose everything, but that he and his wife are grateful to be alive. They were eating dinner at a restaurant when the storm hit, and they believe they would have been killed if they'd been home -- because the house had no basement. Emergency officials say 483 homes and 10 to 12 commercial buildings were damaged in Oak Grove, just north of Kansas City, during last night's storms.
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