WASHINGTON
Medicare premium to rise
Medicare has announced the “Part B” premium for 2017, and for most beneficiaries it’s a modest increase. Next year’s tiny Social Security cost-of-living increase means that about 70 percent of Medicare recipients will be protected from rising medical costs. For this group, the average premium will be about $109 a month. That’s about 4 percent more than the $104.90 they paid this year. Medicare’s Part B covers outpatient services such as office visits.
SAN DIEGO
Settlement in Trump case?
Donald Trump’s attorneys on Thursday agreed to enter settlement talks in a class-action fraud lawsuit involving the president-elect and his now-defunct Trump University, raising the possibility of a quick end to the 6½-year-old case just before it goes to trial. Daniel Petrocelli, Trump’s lead attorney on the case, also asked to delay the trial to early next year. Both sides accepted U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel’s offer to work with U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Miller, who is based in San Diego, on a possible settlement. Patrick Coughlin, an attorney for the former students who sued, told reporters that previous attempts failed. “We’ve been miles apart,” he said outside the courthouse.
TRENTON, N.J.
Plea to impeach Christie
A spokesman for Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says a Democratic lawmaker’s suggestion her colleagues should consider impeaching Christie after two of his aides were convicted in the George Washington Bridge lane-closing case is “ridiculous.” Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg on Thursday called on Democratic Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto to consider the impeachment. Weinberg says there was “considerable testimony” during trial that Christie knew about the conspiracy in which three allies closed lanes of the country’s busiest bridge and caused traffic jams to retaliate against Fort Lee’s Democratic mayor for not endorsing him. Christie has denied any knowledge of the lane closures. Christie failed in his presidential bid this year and is heading up Donald Trump’s White House transition team.
ROCHESTER, N.Y.
Little People enshrined
At long last, a big honor for the Little People. After seven times as finalists for the National Toy Hall of Fame, the tiny tenants of Fisher-Price’s house, barn and school bus were enshrined Thursday. They were joined by the swing and Dungeons & Dragons for 2016.
Compiled from wire reports.
