International Study Shows US Health Care Is Lacking

A new study shows that Americans have more trouble paying health care bills than people in other rich countries, according to Reuters.  A third of Americans reported skipping filling a prescription or going without care, and 20 percent reported having trouble paying medical bills. Only 2 percent of people in Britain and 9 percent of people in France reported trouble paying medical bills, according to the study. The nonprofit group Commonwealth Fund conducted the study.

UK Students Organize Occupations to Protests Funding Cuts

British students staged occupations in their college campuses on Tuesday and Wednesday, less than a week after protests against education funding cuts turned violent in London. Students who organized occupations of buildings on the Sussex University campus are posting updates on their blog. Occupations are either ongoing or have occurred at Goldsmiths College and Manchester University as well, and Royal Hathaway University staged a protest last week when Conservative Party officials visited their campus, according to reports posted on protest web site www.libcom.org.

Protest Against UC Tuition Hikes Get Rowdy

Students took to the streets to protest an 8 percent fee hike in the University of California (UC) system on Wednesday, and 13 people were arrested after clashing with police outside a UC Board of Regents meeting in San Francisco, according to The Associated Press. The protest drew about 300 people, and ten of the 13 arrested were university students attempting to cross a police blockade. Police used pepper spray to fend off the angry students. The regents are expected to vote on a proposed tuition hike on Thursday.

Reid Says He Will Seek "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal - Again

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said he will make another attempt to push legislation with language that would repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" ban on openly gay military members, according to The New York Times. In September, Senate Republicans blocked the Democrat's first attempt to pass a repeal. Democrats are expected to push for the repeal, which is supported by the White House, after the Pentagon releases a report on "don't ask, don't tell" due on December 1.

Feds Could Seize Massey Energy Mine

Federal mine officials have extended a deadline for mine owner Massey Energy to comply with an investigation of a deadly explosion in a West Virginia mine that killed 29 miners in April, according to NPR.org.  If Massey Energy does not comply by Friday, then federal officials can seize the mine. Federal officials cited Massey Energy for impeding an investigation into the disaster and granted the company a deadline extension on Wednesday.

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