Taken from: CNN. com Online report WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Senate passed groundbreaking legislation Thursday that would make it a federal crime to assault an individual because of his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. The expanded federal hate crimes law now goes to President Obama’s desk. Obama has pledged to sign the measure, which was added to a $680 billion defense authorization bill. President George W. Bush had threatened to veto a similar measure.

WASHINGTON – A bill to make violence against gays and lesbians a federal crime cleared the Senate Thursday and is headed to the White House for final approval. The 68-29 vote was a victory for civil rights groups that have been fighting for years to expand the federal hate-crimes law beyond attacks motivated by bias based on religion, race, national origin or color. The new bill, which President Obama is expected to sign, includes penalties for assaults based on a victim’s sexual orientation, gender, disability or gender identity.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Democrats focused on Thursday on a potential compromise on a government-run “public” health insurance option that would create a national plan but let states opt out if they chose. The compromise, designed to resolve one of the most contentious issues in a broad healthcare overhaul, would create a national public insurance option to compete with insurers but allow states to choose an alternative or not participate.

WASHINGTON — Senior Senate Democrats at work with White House officials on health care legislation are strongly considering a requirement for the federal government to sell insurance in direct competition with private industry, officials said Thursday, with individual states permitted to drop out of the system. Liberals in Congress long have viewed such an approach, called a public option, as an essential ingredient of the effort to overhaul the nation’s health care system , and President Barack Obama has said frequently he favors it.

(For a TAKE-A-LOOK on U.S. healthcare reform [nN20512341]) * Senate Democrats focus on public insurance option * Compromise would let states opt out of plan WASHINGTON, Oct 22 (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Democratsfocused on Thursday on a potential compromise on agovernment-run “public” health insurance option that wouldcreate a national plan but let states opt out if they chose.

On Thursday came more signals from News Corp. that Hulu will charge for at least some of its films and TV shows. Chase Carey, News Corp.’s deputy chairman, suggested in comments he made at the OnScreen Media Summit that it’s just a matter of time before Hulu, the video service founded by News Corp. and NBC Universal, launches a subscription service . “I think a free model is a very difficult way to capture the value of our content,” Carey said, according to a report Broadcasting & Cable, which co-hosted the conference.