Archives: Morning Breakouts

Speaking at an economic forum in Madrid, Spain, "[t]he head of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO], Jose Graziano da Silva, warned Thursday of a major funding gap for activities in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa," Agence France-Presse reports. "He added that boosting food security entailed combining emergency action with support for family farming and smallholder production, as well as promoting long term development and reducing vulnerability to extreme events, like drought," the news agency writes (5/10). According to the U.N. News Centre, Graziano da Silva also called for the involvement of "civil society, private enterprise, international agencies, and the governments of developing and developed countries" to help fight chronic hunger and malnutrition -- which affects one of every seven people in the world -- because it "is a challenge too great for FAO or any government to overcome alone" (5/10).

In this pair of stories, The Associated Press offers "clarity" on some of the issues in play in the presidential campaign as well as a report from the campaign trail.

California Gov. Jerry Brown warns more budget cuts are coming, and many expect trims to health programs. In the meantime, a bid to reduce funding to federally qualified health centers in the state failed.

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a report about how a federal rule change might have unintended consequences for dialysis patients and details of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's veto of legislation to set up a state health exchange.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., has offered this amendment to the appropriations bill that provides funding to the Department of Justice and other agencies. It's part of the GOP's ongoing effort to target the health law. Also, during a House hearing, Republicans questioned spending levels at the Department of Health and Human Services.