Fema, To Pay For Irene Damage, Delays Funds For Rebuilding In Tornado-ravaged Areas

By Daniel Chang, KFF Health News Jacqueline Saa has a genetic condition that leaves her unable to stand and walk on her own or hold a job. Every weekday for four years, Saa, 43, has relied on a home health aide to help her cook, bathe and dress, go to the doctor, pick up medications, and accomplish other daily tasks. She received coverage through Florida’s Medicaid program until it abruptly stopped at the end of March, she said. “Every day the anxiety builds,” said Saa, who lost her home health aide for 11 days, starting April 1, despite being eligible.

By MARK SHERMAN (Associated Press) WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a conservative-led attack that could have undermined the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The justices ruled 7-2 that the way the CFPB is funded does not violate the Constitution, reversing a lower court and drawing praises from consumers. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the majority opinion, splitting with his frequent allies, Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, who dissented. The CFPB was created after the 2008 financial crisis to regulate mortgages, car loans and other consumer finance.

By MICHAEL R. SISAK, JENNIFER PELTZ, MICHELLE L. PRICE and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER (Associated Press) NEW YORK — With prosecutors’ hush money case against Donald Trump barreling toward its end, their star witness will be back in the hot seat Thursday as defense lawyers try to chip away at Michael Cohen’s crucial testimony implicating the former president. The trial, now in its fourth week of testimony, is resuming in Manhattan with potentially explosive defense cross-examination of Cohen, whose credibility could determine the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s fate in the case. Cohen is prosecutors’ final witness — at least for now — as they try to prove Trump schemed to suppress a damaging story he feared would torpedo his 2016 presidential campaign and then falsified business records to cover it up. With the defense not expected to call many — if any — witnesses, Cohen’s cross-examination is a pivotal moment for Trump’s team, which must convince jurors that his once-loyal attorney and fixer can’t be believed.

Warm, sunny weather will shine over Denver Thursday as the last of Wednesday’s storm rolls out, according to the National Weather Service. Denver residents should enjoy time outdoors with plenty of sunshine and light wind Thursday and Friday before a new set of thunderstorms hits the city this weekend, NWS forecasters said. Temperatures in the metro area will reach the upper-70s Thursday before dipping down to 50 degrees overnight, forecasters said.

Two of Colorado’s most popular ski resorts are seeking approval from the U. S. Forest Service to build new gondolas out of their base areas, with construction possible during the summer of 2025. Breckenridge wants to build one from the Peak 9 base to an angled mid-station, where a new on-mountain beginner area would be developed, before continuing upward to terminate near the top of the existing A-Chair.

Bubbly good times Opens Friday. If you’re over Meow Wolf and have already visited Denver’s Museum of Illusions once or twice, try this weekend’s Bubble Planet: An Immersive Experience. The family-friendly installation includes 10 rooms of “optical illusions, multi-sensory displays, and plenty of opportunities for play, laughter and photos and Instagrammable moments,” organizers wrote. That includes virtual reality (for an extra fee) “and even a hot air balloon flight simulator.” OK, then!