By  CAP Action War Room

Today’s Top News

2014 is already off to a running start. Here’s today’s news to know.

• Supreme Court Stays Marriage Equality In Utah: Though today’s order will come as a disappointment to the many same-sex couples whose marriages are now in limbo until this case is finally resolved, it is not a particularly surprising order. Nor does it reveal much about how the justices view the merits of the case.

• This Week’s Cold Front Could Be Deadly For The Homeless: As temperatures plunge below zero across the country this week, public health officials are urging Americans to stay inside. But that’s not always an option for the extreme poor.

• After Bar Brawl Escalates Into A Deadly Shooting, Court Lets Shooter Off Thanks To Stand Your Ground: Gabriel Mobley claimed he feared imminent deadly harm when he shot dead two men outside a Chili’s restaurant. But before he fired the gun, he had time to go to his car and retrieve it.

• Koch Groups Alone Raised More In 2012 Than Candidates Spent During Entire 2000 Presidential Election: A political network linked to conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch raised $407 million in the last presidential election.

• The 7 Worst Moments Of Liz Cheney’s Aborted Senate Campaign: Liz Cheney, a former George W. Bush administration state department official and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, announced Monday that she will end her primary challenge to Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), a third-term Senator who ranked as the eighth most conservative member of the Senate in 2012. Her less-than-five-month campaign was plagued by poor press and political missteps. Here’s a look back at the worst of them.

• One Of The Steubenville Rapists Has Been Freed After 9 Months: Ma’lik Richmond, one of the two young football players who was found “delinquent” of having raped a young girl in Steubenville, OH, last year, has been freed from his sentence at a juvenile detention facility. Though the sentence was supposed to carry a minimum of one year in detention, Richmond got out early on good behavior. He served nine months.

• Seattle’s Mayor Is Pushing For A $15 Minimum Wage: After a $15 wage was approved by voters in a nearby town, Seattle is gearing up to do the same.

• Why Health Care Costs Continue To Slow Down So Dramatically: New government data reveals that the annual growth in health spending hit historic lows over the past four years.

• Security Experts Ask Senators To Pull Back Iran Sanctions Bill: Experts led by former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan Ryan Crocker ask that Sens. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) not move forward with their Iran sanctions bill at this time.

• Janet Napolitano’s Views Have Evolved To Support Marriage Equality: Janet Napolitano, who will be leading the U.S. delegation to the Olympics, has come out for marriage equality.

By  CAP Action War Room

Obamacare Numbers to Know

Yesterday was a big day for millions of Americans. The health coverage they received under the Affordable Care Act went into effect. For many of these millions, it may be the first time they’ve ever had the security of quality, affordable health coverage.

Here are some key numbers to know as we enter this new, exciting phase of Obamacare:

2,000,000….the record number of Americans who visited HealthCare.gov on December 23.

6,000,000+….the total number of Americans who have obtained health coverage through the state and federal health care marketplaces or Medicaid since October 1.

2,100,000+….the number of Americans who have obtained private health insurance through the state and federal health care marketplaces.

3,900,000….the number of Americans who were found to be eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program just during the months of October and November alone.

4,800,000….the number of low-income Americans who will not receive health coverage simply because Republican governors and legislatures in half the states are refusing to expand Medicaid.

10,000….the actual number of Americans nationwide who “would be unable to renew their cancelled policies, unable to receive subsidized coverage through the marketplace or Medicaid, and unable to enroll in catastrophic coverage,” which is a far cry from Republican claims that 5 million people would lose coverage because their substandard plans were cancelled by insurance companies.

BOTTOM LINE: Obamacare is working and millions of Americans have health coverage right now thanks to the Affordable Care Act — and millions more will get covered before open enrollment ends in March. Every Republican attempt to dismantle, disrupt, and destroy the law is now an attempt to take away coverage from these Americans and the tens of millions of others who have benefited from the law, including women, seniors, young people, and those with pre-existing conditions.