NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
➊ Navajo health care: The Navajo Nation is seeking to become one of the first Native American tribes to create its own managed health care entity, the tribe recently announced. The tribe said it plans to work toward a managed health care offering under New Mexico’s Medicaid program. Navajos access care at lower rates and experience worse outcomes when compared to the average Medicaid populations. About 75,000 Navajos living in New Mexico are eligible for Medicaid. Navajo Nation Counselor Daniel Tso said the new entity will improve access and quality of care on the largest Native American reservation.
➋ Book lawsuit: Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden violated secrecy agreements with the U.S. government that allow it to claim proceeds from a memoir he published earlier this year, a judge ruled this week. U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady in Alexandria, Va., ruled that Snowden is liable for breach of contract with the government because he published “Permanent Record” without submitting it for a prepublication review, in violation of agreements he signed with both the NSA and the Central Intelligence Agency. In the book, Snowden explains how he viewed himself as a whistleblower by revealing details about the government’s collection of emails, phone calls and internet activity in the name of national security.
➌ Winning millions: A winning Mega Millions ticket worth $372 million was sold at a Giant Eagle supermarket in Mentor, a suburb of Cleveland. The winning numbers drawn on Tuesday, were: 2230535556 +16. It’s the 20th Mega Millions jackpot ticket sold in Ohio since the Ohio Lottery began selling Mega Millions in 2002. The ticket holder used the auto lotto feature to purchase the winning ticket. Ohio Lottery players have 180 days from the draw date to make their claim.
➍ Tornado storms: At least two dozen tornadoes hit the Southeast this week in a deadly outbreak of severe weather, the National Weather Service said. Survey teams found evidence that twisters struck from western Louisiana to southern Georgia on Monday and Tuesday, with 10 tornadoes in Mississippi alone. Nine others touched down in Alabama. The strongest storm, with winds of as high as 160 mph, left a path 62 miles long in Louisiana between the cities of DeRidder and Alexandria. Storm surveys were continuing Wednesday. A husband and wife died when a tornado struck their home in north Alabama, and a woman was killed in a twister in Louisiana. Another person died in Kentucky. ➎ Reelection bid: Republican Sen. Susan Collins officially launched her bid for reelection Wednesday, setting up an expensive and closely watched battle that’s starting against the backdrop of impeachment proceedings against President Trump. Collins’ campaign for a fifth term could be her most difficult race yet and is projected to be the most expensive political race in Maine history. The 66yearold centrist is viewed as freshly vulnerable in a state where a tradition of political independence is clashing with rising polarization and partisanship.