Overnight Defense: US-backed forces launch Syria offensive against ISIS | Trump glows in Nobel Peace Prize chatter | Trump 'seriously thinking' about 'Space Force'

View in your browser     THE TOPLINE: Forces backed by the United States have launched an offensive to drive ISIS from its final strongholds in northeast Syria, U.S. officials announced Tuesday. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the U.S. military and its international coalition, announced Tuesday that it would begin offensive operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the Middle Euphrates River Valley. "We continue to stand alongside our partners and ensure the liberation of all terrain held by ISIS terrorists," Maj. Gen. James Jarrard, commanding general of the Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, said in a statement. "This is a key milestone in bringing lasting stability to both Iraq and Syria." In a separate statement, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nuaert said that the "days of ISIS controlling territory and terrorizing the people of Syria are coming to an end."   Attempting to break last ISIS holdouts: Operations against ISIS in the Middle Eastern river valley stalled earlier this year after Turkey launched an offensive against Kurdish forces in Afrin, Syria. Many of the Kurdish fighters in the SDF -- which make up the bulk of that force -- left the fight against ISIS to go bolster fellow Kurds in Afrin. But the Kurdish fighters have been returning to the SDF since Turkey seized Afrin, Pentagon officials have said.  On Tuesday, the SDF promised to end ISIS's presence in eastern Syria "once and for all."   Mixed messages on progress: Pentagon officials have said ISIS has lost about 90 percent of the territory it once held in Iraq and Syria. That's down from a previous assessment that the terrorist group lost 98 percent of its territory -- a change Pentagon officials have attributed to ISIS gains in areas that were controlled by forces loyal to the Syrian President Bashar Assad. The latest offensive comes after President Trump promised last month that U.S. troops would be coming home "very soon." He's since walked that back, agreeing to leave U.S. troops in Syria until ISIS is defeated and suggesting he's open to leaving troops there beyond that.      MATTIS TEMPERS OUTLOOK ON AFGHANISTAN AFTER BOMBINGS: Defense Secretary James Mattis on Tuesday sought to temper media reports that the Pentagon has taken a more optimistic outlook on Afghanistan, a day after a pair of suicide bombings in Kabul killed at least 35 people, including 10 journalists. Mattis, when asked how to reconcile the bombings with recent Pentagon statements suggesting an improving outlook, said he would "not subscribe to that" line of thinking. "I don't know that that's been the message from this building. ... We said last August NATO is going to hold the line, we knew there would be tough fighting going forward," Mattis told reporters before meeting with Macedonian Defense Minister Radmila Šekerinska.   Deadly bombings: An affiliate group of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has claimed credit for the recent attack, the deadliest single incident against journalists in Afghanistan since 2002. After the first suicide bombing, another militant detonated his explosives after journalists convened to cover the first blast. Mattis said that while the military anticipates such attacks and "have been successful at blocking many of these ... unfortunately once in a while they get through." The White House on Tuesday also strongly condemned the attack. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said there was "absolutely no justification for such a senseless and heinous act."   Attacks come as Afghan security forces shrink...: The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) this week released a new report that found that Afghan army and police forces have shrunk by about 36,000 personnel in a year. The report also found that, since August 2016, insurgents have expanded control over parts of the country by 4 percent. About 14.5 percent of the country's total districts "were under insurgent control or influence - the highest level recorded since SIGAR began receiving district control data," according to the report.   ...and the military IDs a service member who was killed: The Pentagon on Tuesday identified a soldier who was killed the previous day during a combat operation in eastern Afghanistan. Spc. Gabriel D. Conde, 22, of Loveland, Colo., was killed in action by enemy gunfire in Tagab district, the Pentagon said in a statement. Conde was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Alaska, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.   MORE SPACE FORCE CHATTER: Trump on Tuesday said his administration is "seriously thinking" about creating a new military branch known as the "Space Force." "You will be part of the five proud branches of the United States Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and the Coast Guard. And we're actually thinking of a sixth, and that would be the Space Force," Trump said in the White House Rose Garden while presenting the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy to the Army football team. "Does that make sense?" he asked. "You probably haven't even heard that. I'm just telling you now because we're getting very big in space, both militarily and for other reasons. And we are seriously thinking of the Space Force."   The background: Trump in March first pushed for the idea of creating a new military branch that would specialize in fighting and policy in space. "You know, I was saying it the other day -- because we're doing a tremendous amount of work in space -- I said, 'Maybe we need a new force, we'll call it the Space Force.' And I was not really serious, and then I said, 'What a great idea, maybe we'll have to do that. That could happen,'" Trump said during a speech at Air Station Miramar in San Diego at the time.   ON NORTH KOREA TALKS: Trump is basking in the glow of chatter that he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts on the Korea peninsula. Trump's supporters -- and even the South Korean president -- say that getting North Korea to denuclearize and end the Korean War would be a monumental achievement worthy of the prize.   But is a Nobel Peace Prize likely? It's far from sure, of course, that Trump's upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un will lead to a lasting peace deal, and Trump himself on Tuesday appeared to suggest that people are getting a bit ahead of themselves. "I just think that President Moon [Jae-in] was very nice when he suggested it," Trump said Tuesday when asked about his Nobel prospects. "I want to get peace. The main thing, we want to get peace. It was a big problem, and I think it's going to work out well. It's certainly possible that Trump could have been nominated for this year's peace prize, which former President Obama won in 2009. The cut-off for nominations is February 1, however, which came after the news of the Trump-Kim meeting. That means a 2019 nomination for Trump might be more likely.    Where the peace prize suggestion came from: The talk of Trump deserving a Nobel picked up after the Kim-Moon summit last week resulted in a joint declaration saying they are committed to denuclearizing the peninsula and ending the Korean War. South Korean President Moon suggested Trump might deserve a Nobel Peace Prize if peace on the Korean peninsula is achieved. Then on Friday, Rep. Luke Messer (R-Ind.), who is in a crowded Senate primary campaign, released a statement saying he was gathering support from his colleagues to nominate Trump for the award in 2019. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has also talked about Trump deserving the award if there's a peace deal.   ON TAP FOR TOMORROW Director of the Army National Guard Gen. Timothy Kadavy will speak at the Institute of Land Warfare Breakfast Series at 6:30 a.m. at the Association of the United States Army in Arlington, VA.  Dave Trachtenberg, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, will speak as part of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies' breakfast at 8 a.m. at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington, D.C.  Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson will speak at the annual Meeting of the U.S. Naval Institute at 4 p.m. at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.  Nonprofit debate series Intelligence Squared U.S. is hosting a debate tomorrow evening on the motion "Negotiations Can Denuclearize North Korea." It will live stream from D.C.    ICYMI: -- The Hill: US Russian fighter intercepts Navy plane over Baltic Sea: report -- The Hill: White House revises statement saying Iran 'has' secret nuclear weapons program -- The Hill: Kerry says Netanyahu showed why Iran nuclear deal was needed: 'It's working' -- The Hill: Pentagon weighs possible investigation into Trump's former VA pick -- The Hill: Opinion: If Trump pulls out of the Iran deal, what's our new strategy? -- The Hill: Opinion: Israel's intelligence coup accentuates Iran's nuclear threat  -- The Hill: Opinion: The details reveal the true danger of Iran's secret nuclear program -- The Hill: Opinion: US must avoid Soviet-era disarmament mistakes with North Korea's bioweapons -- Defense News: Trump gaffes on attack aircraft sale to Nigeria     Please send tips and comments to Rebecca Kheel, rkheel@thehill.com, and Ellen Mitchell, emitchell@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @thehill, @Rebecca_H_K, @EllenMitchell23         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Defense Newsletters     Forward Defense Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Overnight Finance: Trump delays tariffs for key trading partners | Dems want investigation into Mulvaney lobbyist remarks | Trump lawyer Cohen hit with $282K tax bill | Apple plans $100B stock buyback

View in your browser     Happy Tuesday and welcome back to Overnight Finance, where all of our favorite readers are exempted from tariffs forever. I'm Sylvan Lane, and here's your nightly guide to everything affecting your bills, bank account and bottom line.   See something I missed? Let me know at slane@thehill.com or tweet me @SylvanLane. And if you like your newsletter, you can subscribe to it here: http://bit.ly/1NxxW2N.   THE BIG DEAL: President Trump is delaying a decision on implementing steel and aluminum tariffs for several close U.S. trading partners, avoiding a major trade skirmish for now.  Trump is pushing the decisions to June 1 for the European Union (EU), Canada and Mexico while reaching preliminary agreements with several other U.S. allies ahead of a looming midnight deadline, the White House announced on Monday evening. Negotiations will continue for the next 30 days with the 28-member bloc, as well as Canada and Mexico. The White House said this would be the final period to reach a deal with the key trading partners. The administration has also reached agreements in principle on tariffs with Australia, Argentina and Brazil, which are expected to be completed in the next month. The countries, which represent major metals exporters to the United States, have been in negotiations for weeks with the Trump administration to avoid steep tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum. The Hill's Vicki Needham and Niv Elis tell us more here.    EU, UK call for permanent exemption: The European Union and the United Kingdom urged the White House to grant them permanent exemptions from steep steel and aluminum tariffs to avoid further inflaming trade tensions. U.S. allies keen to work with Washington and other trading partners on global overcapacity of steel say Trump's decision to delay the tariffs by a month only creates more problems.  "The U.S. decision prolongs market uncertainty, which is already affecting business decisions," the European Commission said in a statement. "The EU should be fully and permanently exempted from these measures, as they cannot be justified on the grounds of national security," the Commission said. Read more here.   What comes next: Canada and Mexico, which have repeatedly said they expect a permanent exemption from the tariffs, were not given any guarantees despite weeks of recent negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Talks on NAFTA, which have been ongoing for the past month in Washington, will resume on May 7.  Trade leaders in Mexico and Canada have rejected Trump's attempts to tie their tariff treatment to the outcome of the massive trade agreement. The EU, which has been a vocal critic of the tariffs, has threatened $3.5 billion in retaliatory tariffs on jeans, motorcycles and orange juice if Trump follows through with metals tariffs.     ON TAP FOR TOMORROW Center for Responsible Lending and several civil rights groups host a discussion on the Federal Housing Administration, 8:45 a.m. The Brookings Institution hosts an event on the future of trade in U.S.-Japan relations, 10 a.m. The Heritage Foundation hosts an event entitled "Deconstructing the Administrative State: How Corporations and Big Government Collaborate," 11 a.m.   LEADING THE DAY Senate Dems request investigation of Mulvaney over lobbyist remarks: A group of Senate Democrats want federal investigators to probe if Mick Mulvaney, Trump's budget director and the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), broke a law that limits political activities for federal employees.  Mulvaney, who is both the director of the Office of Management and Budget and the interim chief of the CFPB, told bankers last week that when he was a member of Congress he had a "hierarchy" and would only consider meeting with lobbyists who donated to his campaigns.  "If you were a lobbyist who never gave us money, I didn't talk to you. If you were a lobbyist who gave us money, I might talk to you. If you came from back home and sat in my lobby, I would talk to you without exception, regardless of the financial contributions," Mulvaney said. Democratic Sens. Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Ron Wyden (Ore.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.) and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) sent a letter to the Office of Special Counsel on Tuesday asking for an investigation of whether Mulvaney violated the Hatch Act. The Hill's Jordain Carney has more on the request here.   Trump lawyer Michael Cohen hit with $282k tax bill in New York: President Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes relating to his ownership of a number of New York City taxi cabs, Bloomberg News reports. Cohen in April was hit with state warrants for $185,000 in unpaid taxes on his taxi companies, a hefty sum that raises his total tax debt on a number of various taxi firms to $282,000, according to the report. The top Trump aide built his wealth owning taxi medallions in Chicago and New York before eventually joining the Trump Organization as Trump's personal "fixer," the news outlet noted. FBI agents during a raid of Cohen's offices sought information related to the medallions, possibly signaling a new look at his finances. Cohen himself reportedly owns around 30 medallions for taxis in New York and owns about 22 cabs in Chicago.   Apple announces $100-billion stock buyback fueled by tax-cut profits: Apple plans to buy back $100 billion in shares, the company announced Tuesday. The move comes as Apple beat quarterly revenue and profit projections from analysts and as the company reaps the benefits of massive tax cuts from the Republican tax law. The new buyback comes on top of an existing plan to repurchase $210 billion worth of shares. The company increased its dividends by 16 percent as well, raising them to 73 cents a share. Here's more from The Hill's Ali Breland.   Further reading: Investment boom from Trump's tax cut has yet to appear -- The New York Times   MARKET CHECK: Stocks were mixed Tuesday as losses in industrials and consumer goods battled with gains in tech shares. The Dow Jones Industrial Average sunk 64 points (0.27 percent) on the day while the Nasdaq gained close to 1 percent, boosted by Apple's positive earnings report. The S&P 500 rose 0.25 percent.   FINANCE IN FOCUS: Lawmakers are pushing to bolster the power of a secretive federal panel that monitors foreign investments for national security risks. The House and Senate are close to acting on a bipartisan proposal that would expand the kinds of business deals that can be blocked or impeded by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. (CFIUS), an interagency committee led by the Treasury secretary. The Trump administration has endorsed the bill, which would expand the jurisdiction of CFIUS and add layers of national security analysis to the panel's reviews. Check TheHill.com tomorrow morning for my full look at how lawmakers want to empower CFIUS and why those plans are sending chills throughout the business world.   GOOD TO KNOW The top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee is urging the Treasury Department and IRS to issue guidance "as soon as possible" on a new deduction for business income created by the GOP tax law. U.S. factory managers are fuming about Trump's tariffs, according to Bloomberg. Ether, the second-most-valuable cryptocurrency, is under regulatory scrutiny, according to The Wall Street Journal. President Trump's proposed tariffs on Chinese imports, combined with retaliation promised by Beijing, would hurt the economy and cause U.S. job losses, a new study showed on Tuesday. Chipmaker stocks jumped late Tuesday after Apple reported steady iPhone sales, easing fears of a significant decline.   ODDS AND ENDS The Republican National Committee (RNC) has spent nearly a quarter of a million dollars on a Trump Organization resort in Florida ahead of its conference there this week, financial disclosure documents show.     Write us with tips, suggestions and news: slane@thehill.com, vneedham@thehill.com, njagoda@thehill.com, and nelis@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @SylvanLane,  @VickofTheHill, @NJagoda, and @NivElis.         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Finance Newsletters     Forward Finance Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Overnight Health Care — Sponsored by PCMA — Trump officials delay decision on Medicaid lifetime limits | Former Trump HHS chief warns ObmaCare mandate repeal will raise costs | CDC sees bug-borne illnesses on the rise

Sponsored by Pharmaceutical Care Management Association | View in Browser     Welcome to Overnight Health Care, sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association.    It's Throwback Tuesday, where a former HHS secretary -- who resigned after using taxpayer money to fly on private and military jets -- is back in the news. Also, allegations of a "raid" on Trump's medical records, a troubling statistic from a new poll and a warning from the CDC.   But first... Trump officials abruptly pull back from decision on Medicaid lifetime limits. The Trump administration was going to make major news today rejecting Medciaid lifetime limits in Kansas, but the announcement was cancelled at the last minute, sources say.  Here's what happened: CMS Administrator Seema Verma was going to make the announcement at a media availability on Tuesday afternoon, but internal administration disagreements led to the announcement being abruptly canceled. The media availability went on anyway, but no news was announced.  Why it matters: Rejecting lifetime limits in Medicaid would be a significant move by the Trump administration drawing a line against a new level of restrictions on the program. Democrats had pressured the administration to reject the proposals.  Even still, Verma hinted Tuesday that she opposes the idea. "We're trying to think about all of the nuances here," Verma told reporters, speaking in general about lifetime limit proposals. "We understand that people's circumstances change over time and that they may actually get into a job and then maybe something happens in a few years."  Read more here.        SPONSORED CONTENT   Pharmaceutical Care Management Association Where PBM tools are used, a new report shows net spending – including the combined impact of drug prices, generic vs. brand drug use, and the overall number of prescriptions – declined by 2.1% last year. Spending increased in 2017 through channels not managed by PBMs. Learn how PBMs are part of the solution to reducing Rx costs at DrugBenefitSolutions.com.       Democrats are seizing on Tom Price's remark that the repeal of ObamaCare's individual mandate would drive up costs. Key quote: "That may help, but it still is nibbling at the side," Price, the former Trump HHS chief, told the World Health Care Congress, according to multiple reports. "And there are many, and I'm one of them, who believes that that actually will harm the pool in the exchange market, because you'll likely have individuals who are younger and healthier not participating in that market, and consequently, that drives up the cost for other folks within that market." The politics: Democrats are giddy at Price's remarks, believing it bolsters their argument that Republicans will be to blame if premiums increase this year. (The GOP repealed the individual mandate in their tax bill.) "We couldn't have said it any better ourselves," Matt House, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), said in email highlighting Price's comments. They are also pointing out the apparent hypocrisy of Price's remarks, given that when he was HHS Secretary, he was advocating for the exact thing he now says is harmful. In a 2017 interview with ABC's Martha Raddatz, Price said the mandate was driving up premiums and was harming patients. "Well, the individual mandate is one of those things that actually is driving up the costs for the American people in terms of coverage," Price said. "So what we're trying to do is make it so that ObamaCare is no longer harming the patients of this land. No longer driving up costs, no longer making it so they've got coverage but no care. And the individual mandate is one of those things." Read more here.   Price's remarks weren't the only ammunition Democrats found on Tuesday. A new survey conducted by the Commonwealth Fund found that about 4 million Americans have lost insurance in the last two years. Democrats were quick to attribute that decline to actions taken by the Trump administration. Key findings from the poll: The uninsured rate was up significantly compared with 2016 among adults with an individual income of about $30,000 and a family income of about $61,000. People who identified as Republican also had significantly higher uninsured rates, rising from 7.9 percent in 2016 to 13.9 percent in the current period. About 60 percent of all adults surveyed said they were aware that the GOP tax bill included a repeal of the individual mandate penalty, and 9 percent of people who get their insurance through the individual market said they were planning to drop coverage as a result. The blame game: The report pointed to specific actions taken by the Trump administration, from repealing the individual mandate to allowing insurance companies to offer short-term health plans that don't have to cover pre-existing conditions. The administration also slashed the advertising budget for enrolling people in ObamaCare by 90 percent, and cut funds for local groups that help people sign up for coverage. Read more here.   Meanwhile, a coalition of anti-abortion groups is calling on the Trump administration to cut Planned Parenthood off from family planning grants. More than 85 anti-abortion groups signed a letter Tuesday saying that the family planning money, known as Title X, should not go to Planned Parenthood and other groups that perform or refer women for abortions. This shift would reinstate a regulation put in place by President Reagan. Key quote: "The result of this policy is simply to separate the Title X network of family planning providers from abortionists like Planned Parenthood – the nation's largest abortion chain," states the letter, which was signed by leading anti-abortion groups like Susan B. Anthony List and National Right to Life. Read more here.     Federal regulators aren't happy with some companies making and selling e-cigarette liquids, and are cracking down on packaging resembling kid-friendly items. At issue: Some of the products resemble juice boxes, whipped cream containers and even cookies.   Pictures are here, as well as copies of the warning letters the Food and Drug Administration and Federal Trade Commission sent to the companies. Next steps: The FDA and Federal Trade Commission asked the companies to respond within 15 business days on specific actions to address the agency's concerns. If they don't comply, additional action may follow, such as a seizure or an injunction. From the other side: Nick Warrender -- CEO of Lifted Liquids, which received a warning letter -- said the company already changed the packaging resembling Warheads candies in November 2017. The product was taken off shelves, he said, and the logo was changed to resemble a bearded man vaping. He said he was surprised to receive the letter since the changes were made six months ago. Other companies could not be reached immediately for comment. Read more here.   It's almost summer, which means it's bug season. The CDC is warning that the U.S. public health system is not prepared to fight back against an increasing number of illnesses borne from flea, tick and mosquito bites. The numbers: New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show more than 640,000 cases of illness caused by mosquito, tick and flea bites between 2004 and 2016, with a three-fold increase over that span.  The numbers of confirmed new transmissions jumped from just 27,000 in 2004 to more than 96,000 in 2016, the CDC said. The solution: The increasing number of transmissions is worrying to some scientists who say those pathogens represent a growing risk to the country. Local and state health departments are on the front lines, and CDC said they need to be better at tracking, diagnosing and reporting cases. There also needs to be greater support of those agencies from the federal level. Read more here.   Trump's former doctor on Tuesday claimed that his office was "raided" by Trump associates who made off with the president's medical records. President Trump's longtime personal doctor in New York says a trio of Trump associates showed up at his office without notice in February 2017 and seized the president's medical records. "They must have been here for 25 minutes or 30 minutes. It created a lot of chaos," Dr. Harold Bornstein told NBC News, adding that he felt "raped, frightened and sad." He said Trump bodyguard Keith Schiller, a lawyer and a third person took lab reports and medical charts. White House responds: Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the records were transferred to the White House medical unit, calling it "standard operating procedure" and denying the characterization of a "raid." Read more here.         SPONSORED CONTENT   Pharmaceutical Care Management Association Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have outlined several policy solutions to ensure patients receive opioid prescriptions when safe and medically appropriate. One important solution would be requiring e-prescribing of controlled substances in Medicare (S. 2460 / H.R. 3528, the Every Prescription Conveyed Securely Act). A new study by the Opioid Safety Alliance finds this could save taxpayers $13 billion over 10 years.       Latest on Trump's former VA nominee. The White House confirmed Tuesday that Adm. Ronny Jackson is no longer serving as President Trump's personal physician. "He's still an active-duty Navy doctor assigned to the White House but upon his nomination to the Department of Veterans Affairs as secretary, an acting doctor was put in his place, and Dr. Conley will remain there," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said during Tuesday's press briefing. Trump nominated Jackson to serve as Veterans Affairs (VA) secretary. Jackson withdrew his nomination last week after allegations of improper behavior. Sean Conley, a Navy veteran, is performing Jackson's duties. Read more here.   What we're reading The doctor will text you now: 98point6 taking virtual primary care nationwide (Seattle Times) ObamaCare chief doubts that more advertising would increase enrollment (Washington Examiner) Medicare chief says it's time health care caught up to other industries to benefit consumers (CNBC) She didn't get treated at the ER. But she got a $5,751 bill anyway. (Vox)   State by state    Major health initiative targets 3 Indianapolis neighborhoods with high diabetes rates (Indianapolis Business Journal) Ohio submits Medicaid work requirements for federal approval (AP) Kentucky leaders back McConnell's effort to address effect of opioids on workforce (WFPL)   From The Hill's opinion pages Short-term health plans are the right path for Trump to improve the marketplace     Send tips and comments to Jessie Hellmann, jhellmann@thehill.com; Peter Sullivan, psullivan@thehill.com; Rachel Roubein, rroubein@thehill.com; and Nathaniel Weixel, nweixel@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @thehill, @jessiehellmann, @PeterSullivan4, @rachel_roubein, and @NateWeixel.         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Healthcare Newsletters     Forward Healthcare Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.