WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House announced a new $150 million initiative on Thursday to get uninsured Americans covered under President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law, as Republicans raised the volume on their calls for "Obamacare" to be repealed.

The enrollment program will funnel money to about 1,200 community health centers to hire and train thousands of workers who will help people obtain coverage through new subsidized online marketplaces and an expanded Medicaid program for the poor.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius also announced that she and other officials will travel the country to promote enrollment, as part of a larger public education and media campaign to begin this summer.

Public outreach is key to the success of Obama's landmark Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act because Democrats could be at risk in next year's congressional midterm elections if enrollment does not go well later this year and in early 2014.

But with the administration preparing for its summer campaign, Republicans have begun cranking up their opposition message machine.

House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell sent Obama a letter on Thursday saying they would not participate in picking members of a controversial panel called the Independent Payment Advisory Board, or IPAB, which the reform law created to recommend ways to restrain Medicare spending if program cost growth exceeds set targets.

"We believe Congress should repeal IPAB, just as we believe we ought to repeal the entire healthcare law," Boehner and McConnell said in their letter.

House Republicans, who have voted to repeal or cut funding for the law three dozen times, intend to vote again next week on another repeal that is expected to pass the House. As before, that effort will go nowhere in the Democratically controlled Senate.

Both the letter and the vote are largely symbolic but could signal growing Republican determination to get out in front of the administration's public outreach program with a message that could reinforce already widespread public dislike for the law.

BATTLE OVER WOMEN

"Republicans are taking advantage of the timing of uncertainty and a lack of education about the health reform law before the administration has time to tell its positive, popular aspects," said Julie Barnes, a healthcare expert at the consulting group Breakaway Policy Strategies.

The biggest piece of social legislation since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in the 1960s, the Affordable Care Act is expected to draw 7 million people next year to new state healthcare marketplaces, or exchanges, where low-to-moderate income families will be able to obtain private insurance at subsidized rates. Another 8 million people are expected to gain coverage through Medicaid.

Those figures compare with nearly 49 million Americans who lack health insurance.

Officials said the new $150 million outreach effort is being funded through an $11 billion community health center budget and will channel money to centers that operate 9,000 service delivery sites in all 50 states, serving approximately 21 million patients a year.

Open enrollment is set to begin on October 1, giving the administration barely five months to complete the Herculean task of establishing exchanges in 33 states that are unready or unwilling to create their own. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia plan to operate their own exchanges.

The Department of Health and Human Services has set aside about $1.26 billion for implementation this fiscal year, which ends September 30.

Because the law's main provisions are not set to begin until January 1, 2014, analysts say the administration faces a challenge overcoming public misunderstandings about the law to persuade enough young, healthy people to sign up for coverage to keep costs from soaring.

Healthy consumers are necessary to compensate for the added risks of insuring older or sick people, who use more healthcare services and are expected to sign up in large numbers.

On Friday, Obama will personally host a White House event to promote the law's benefits for women, who will get free coverage for preventive services such as mammograms.

McConnell, citing the event, delivered his own message about the healthcare law and women on Thursday.

"There are many ... small businesswomen who will see their dreams crushed under the weight of Obamacare's nearly 20,000 pages of regulations," he said on the floor of the Senate.

(Additional reporting by Thomas Ferraro and Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Fred Barbash, Jackie Frank and Philip Barbara)

LONDON (Reuters) - King Edward VIII may be best known for giving up the throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson, but it wasn't the first time his love affairs posed a threat to the British monarchy.

A new book by British barrister and former judge Andrew Rose unearths a little-known affair with a French courtesan 20 years before Edward's abdication, which ended in a rigged trial at the behest of the British establishment trying to protect a future king's reputation.

"The Prince, The Princess, and The Perfect Murder" details how the then-Prince of Wales's first great love, French courtesan Maggie Meller, blackmailed him to avoid the gallows after murdering her playboy Egyptian prince husband.

Meller was acquitted in a high profile trial at London's Old Bailey in 1923 despite the evidence stacked against her.

Rose said the acquittal was a shock but his research has now revealed an extraordinary story involving the murder trial, a secret cache of vanished letters and a cover-up to save the reputation of the future king.

Six years before her trial, Meller had an affair with the British prince. She used evidence from that relationship to force the royal household to lean on the establishment in an effort to get her off the hook and cover up the scandal, Rose told Reuters.

"This affair had been carefully airbrushed from history so the connection between the murder and the Prince of Wales was never drawn," Rose told Reuters.

"The royal household took steps to make sure that the prince's name did not come out in the trial to protect the reputation of the future king. It is amazing that she got away with it."

Rose's book, published by Coronet this week forms the basis of a TV documentary, "Edward VIII's Murderous Mistress", on Britain's Channel 4 later this month.

The latest book was a follow-on work from Rose's book about the trial, "Scandal at the Savoy", published in 1991.

He was intrigued by Marguerite Alibert, better known as Meller, who, dressed in a Chanel gown, shot her second husband, Egyptian Prince Fahmy Bey, at London's Savoy Hotel in 1923.

COVER UP FOR THE PRINCE

At the time her past reputation as a gold digger was brushed off and the focus was on her claim that she acted in self-defence to protect herself from her abusive husband.

But after his book was released, Meller's grandson contacted Rose, informing him of her affair with the prince, love letters between the two, and a memoir she wrote in 1934.

Rose said it took several years to trace the relationship, accessing unpublished documents in royal archives and private collections but also finding a trail of destroyed documents.

Rose said the prince's involvement came as a surprise but was in character as Edward, who abdicated in 1936 after less than a year on the throne, was a well-known womanizer.

"He was emotionally immature and feckless in his private life ... although he had enormous charm," said Rose.

"But you can be approachable and amusing and also neurotic, self-centred and unreliable. He spent his time chasing woman, had a string of love affairs and was always susceptible particularly to powerful women."

Rose said the prince's protectors were quick to move once Meller was arrested, negotiating with her to return the prince's letters that she had stored in Cairo.

The crucial part of the deal, however, was that she would not mention the prince in court and she stuck to that.

Her promiscuous past was never mentioned in court and the trial instead focused on the violent nature and perverted sexual tastes of her husband.

"Really this was a show trial," said Rose, "The authorities wanted Marguerite to be acquitted. A murder conviction would have been catastrophic for the Crown."

Meller was released and moved back to France where she lived the rest of her life in Paris, dying wealthy in 1971.

"This story really does show another side to Edward and how unsuitable he always was to be king," said Rose.

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith, editing by Paul Casciato)

Dubbed "Sony Smash Bros." by fans, after Nintendo's crossover brawler, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale features characters from Sony PlayStation games fighting each other in stages which mix their own titles. The characters featured include everyone from first-party favorites Nathan Drake (from Uncharted) and Sackboy (from Little Big Planet) to the armored Big Daddy from 2K Games' Bioshock.

None of the game's very few female characters have had their games featured.

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale

BioShock and BioShock 2

Sly Cooper

LittleBigPlanet

The PS Vita and PSP versions of LittleBigPlanet are also on sale, and neither are included with the PS3 games. The PSP version echoes the original platformer, while the PS Vita version is flexible enough to allow for more creative player-made games with touchscreen support. The less-well-received PS3 spinoff, LittleBigPlanet Karting, is the most expensive LBP title at $28 ($19.59 with PlayStation Plus).

Most of the God of War series (not the newest game), the entire inFAMOUS series, the Metal Gear Solid series minus Metal Gear Solid 4, the HD remakes of the PS2 Devil May Cry series, and several Twisted Metal games are all on sale as well.

Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.

LONDON (Reuters) - Scottish author Iain Banks, who announced this month he was suffering from terminal cancer, said he was "stunned" by the messages of support he has received from his fans.

The "Wasp Factory" author said he was deeply flattered and touched by all the responses left on the website Banksophilia, which was set up by his friend Martin Belk.

"Good grief! - what an outpouring of love, affection and respect. I honestly had no idea," he wrote.

"Discovering the sheer extent and depth of the feelings people have expressed on the message board over the past two weeks has been truly astounding," he added.

Banks, 59, said his problems came to light after a visit to his doctor about a sore back. Tests revealed he was not only suffering from jaundice but also cancer in his gall bladder.

He announced his illness on his website on April 3, before he canceled all future public engagements.

The author, who also writes science fiction under the name of Iain M Banks, said that as a late-stage gall bladder cancer patient he is only expected to live for a few months.

Banks has returned to Britain after a short honeymoon with his wife Adele in Paris and Venice to continue working on his new book "The Quarry."

Born in Fife, Banks studied at Stirling University before publishing "The Wasp Factory", his first novel, in 1984.

In 2008, he was named one of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945 in a list compiled by the Times newspaper.

Banks said he would be looking "seriously" at the medical advice and suggestions made by his fans and would continue to post the occasional update for as long as he is able.

"I feel treasured, I feel loved ... and I can't deny I've been made to feel very special indeed," he added.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)

April 27 (SportsDirect) - Highlights of Saturday's National Basketball Association playoff games

- - -

Bulls 142, Nets 134 (three overtimes)

Nate Robinson scored 34 points before fouling out as host Chicago recovered from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun Brooklyn and take a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference best-of-seven series.

Robinson scored 23 points in the fourth quarter, including 12 straight during a game-tying 14-0 run, and Joakim Noah hit the go-ahead shot in the third overtime for Chicago.

Carlos Boozer scored 21 points and Kirk Hinrich had 18 points and 14 assists for the Bulls, who will try to finish the series off in Monday's Game Five at Brooklyn. Deron Williams had 32 points and 10 assists, Brook Lopez had 26 points and 11 rebounds and Joe Johnson scored 22 points for Brooklyn.

The Nets were just 8-of-27 shooting in the three overtimes after making 57.1 percent in regulation.

The Bulls took a 121-119 lead with two seconds left in the first overtime when Robinson hit a running one-hand bank shot.

Brooklyn forced the second overtime when Johnson hit a 10-footer as time expired, and Lopez forced the third by hitting one of two free throws with 48.7 seconds left in the second extra session.

- - -

Thunder 104, Rockets 101

Kevin Durant hit the go-ahead three pointer with 41.9 seconds left and matched his career playoff high with 41 points as visiting Oklahoma City overcame the loss of Russell Westbrook and held off a potent Houston charge to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference best-of-seven series.

Serge Ibaka added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder and pressured Carlos Delfino into missing a tying 3-point attempt from the right corner as time expired.

Oklahoma City learned earlier Saturday that Westbrook is out for the postseason after undergoing knee surgery for an injury suffered in Game 2.

James Harden scored 30 points, Chandler Parsons added 21 and Francisco Garcia had 18 for the Rockets, who recovered from a 26-point first-half deficit to briefly take the lead in the final quarter.

Game 4 is Monday in Houston.

The Rockets trailed 78-62 with less than five minutes to go in the third quarter before catching fire to trail by four entering the final stanza.

Houston finally caught the Thunder at 91 on a three-pointer by Parsons with 5:45 left and took a 94-93 lead on a three-pointer by Delfino with 3:45 remaining.

- - -

Grizzlies 104, Clippers 83

Marc Gasol had 24 points and 13 rebounds and Zach Randolph had 24 and nine as host Memphis powered past Los Angeles to even the Western Conference best-of-seven series at 2-2.

Mike Conley added 15 points and 13 assists and Tayshaun Prince scored 15 points as the Grizzlies won their second straight game in the series. Game 5 is Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Blake Griffin had 19 points and 10 rebounds and Chris Paul scored 19 for the Clippers. Los Angeles shot just 41 percent from the field and was 4-for-21 from 3-point range.

The contest was tied at 62 late in the third quarter before Memphis went on a 14-5 surge to take a 76-67 lead on Quincy Pondexter's 3-pointer with 10:56 remaining.

A 3-pointer by Jamal Crawford had Los Angeles within six before Conley scored five points during a 12-0 spurt that gave the Grizzlies a 90-72 advantage with 5:31 left.

- - -

Hawks 90, Pacers 69

Al Horford recorded playoff career highs of 26 points and 16 rebounds as host Atlanta pulled within 2-1 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series with Indiana.

Josh Smith scored 14 points and Jeff Teague added 13 for the Hawks, who put on a defensive display by holding the Pacers to 27.2 percent shooting.

Atlanta will try to even the series when it hosts Game 4 on Monday.

David West scored 18 points and Paul George had 16 for Indiana, which committed 22 turnovers.

The Hawks took control early, holding the Pacers to 23.8 percent shooting in the first half to take a 54-30 lead into the break.

The Hawks stretched the lead to as much as 75-47 late in the third quarter and the Pacers never mounted a serious comeback attempt.(Editing by Gene Cherry/Ian Ransom)

The poll, conducted in the wake of the allegations, found that Cain’s popularity among registered Republicans declined by 9 points since the days before the allegations of the scandal were published. Among Republicans polled last week, on October 27 and 28, 66 percent said they had a favorable opinion of Cain. But just 57 percent of those polled on November 4 and 5 said they had a favorable opinion of the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza.

The drop off comes primarily from Cain’s less enthusiastic supporters. The percentage of Republicans who say they hold a ‘very favorable’ opinion of him has dropped by only 3 percentage points. The percentage of voters who say they hold a ‘somewhat favorable’ view of him has dropped by 6 points.

The sexual harassment allegations seem unlikely to go away: they have been widely reported, and 88 percent of Republicans say they have heard of them, as have 81 percent of Democrats and 64 percent of independents.

That said, Republicans remain somewhat uncertain on the whether or not there is any truth to the allegations. Thirty-two percent say they think it is likely that the allegations are true, while 27 percent they are likely untrue. Very few — 7 percent — say they strongly believe the allegations are true, and just 10 percent say they strongly believe the allegations are untrue. Twenty-four percent say they don’t know. Among independents who have an opinion, most believe the allegations to be likely true. However, over half of independents express no opinion.

Almost half of Republicans say the reported allegations have no bearing on how they feel about Cain. But 35 percent say it makes them feel less favorably about him, while just 14 percent say it improves their opinion of him.

The results suggest that while many Republicans are still giving Cain the benefit of the doubt, the longer the story stays in the news, the worse things will get for him.

An ABC/Washington Post poll conducted in the first three days after the story broke on Monday October 31 saw little change in Cain’s popularity. Most Republicans surveyed said the allegations were not serious, and Cain ran within 2 points of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on the ballot.

Moreover, the Cain campaign reported a large outpouring of donations to the campaign in the days following the allegations, as many conservatives stood by him, calling the allegations a “high tech lynching.”

But the continuing decline suggests that the allegations are sinking into voters’ consciousness. The longer the story stays in the news and the more details that emerge, the more Cain is likely to see his support erode.

The Ipsos poll was conducted from November 4 to November 5, and surveyed 836 registered voters, including 343 Republicans.

Read more stories from The Daily Caller

Broadcaster ABC said on Thursday that the April 22 episode of "Castle," which follows a crime novelist and New York police detective, will switch dates with the April 29 episode.

Series star Stana Katic said on Twitter that the move was made "out of respect" for the victims from the twin blasts near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The bombings killed At least three people and injured 176.

Broadcaster Fox on Tuesday pulled a recent episode of animated series "Family Guy" from rebroadcast because it had an unconnected storyline of the Boston Marathon and a bombing.

ABC is owned by Walt Disney Co and Fox by News Corp.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Sandra Maler)

After going 2-14 to match the worst finish in franchise history, the Chiefs will have the top pick in the NFL draft for the first time. But there's no clear-cut No. 1 choice this year, and certainly no must-have franchise quarterback such as Andrew Luck on the board.

The Chiefs were in need of a QB, too, hence the joke. But they solved that problem for the time being when they shipped their second-round pick and a conditional choice in next year's draft to the San Francisco 49ers to land a former No. 1 overall pick, Alex Smith.

Now, the Chiefs are left to choose the best available on Thursday night.

"We're exploring our options," said general manager John Dorsey, adding that there's four players who the Chiefs were trying to nitpick in their final days of preparation.

"You still have to give yourself some options and kind of see how these four guys play, and watch the games as they're played," Dorsey said. "You understand they're people. Now, let's watch them play their respective position."

Dorsey wouldn't divulge which four players the Chiefs are considering, but common sense says at least two play the same position: Luke Joeckel of Texas A&M and Eric Fisher of Central Michigan, who are widely considered the best two offensive tackles available.

The Chiefs are almost certain to choose a blindside protector for Smith with their lone first-round pick, in part because of an uncertain situation surrounding incumbent Branden Albert.

Kansas City franchised the big left tackle after failing to reach a long-term contract with him, and Albert has made it clear that he wants stability. So the Chiefs have granted the Dolphins permission to speak with Albert's representatives, and the assumption is that a trade could be in place for a draft pick at some point before the weekend.

Even if a deal isn't worked out, the franchise tender that Albert signed only locks him up for next season, so the Chiefs could still be looking at a long-term solution at the position.

"Branden Albert is a good football player. We wouldn't have stuck the franchise tag on him if he wasn't," Dorsey said. "It's my job to explore all options, and that's kind of what's going on."

Joeckel has been considered the top available player, regardless of position, for months after protecting Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel last season at Texas A&M. The 6-foot-6, 306-pound tackle has excellent footwork and is technically sound, and that's what has made him stand out among a deep class of offensive tackles.

There has also been a late groundswell of support for the 6-foot-7, 306-pound Fisher. He didn't go up against the same kind of competition that Joeckel played in the Southeastern Conference, but he has exhibited the kind of mean streak on the football field that is coveted in a lineman.

"They're both really fine football players," said Dorsey, who wouldn't speak in detail on any specific players. "I think this year the offensive line position has some true prospects in it."

The Chiefs could also use help along the defensive line, at middle linebacker and even at running back, but the consensus among most draft experts is that those needs can wait.

Their priority is to upgrade along the offensive line.

"They've been fairly safe picks over the years," Chiefs coach Andy Reid added. "You evaluate the success rate with all the positions, and you'll come back to the offensive line and say, 'Yeah, that's a fairly safe pick, offensive tackle.'"

It's not the eye-catching pick that's going to energize fans, though, even if the reality is that no such player appears available. Luck and Robert Griffin III provided that kind of appeal in last year's draft, but there is a dearth of high-end quarterback prospects this season.

Otherwise, the Chiefs wouldn't have such a decision on their hands.

Kansas City was also listening to trade offers in the final days before the draft, and Dorsey made it clear that he would consider moving out of the top pick for the right deal.

"You have to weigh so many variables and options for the betterment of this organization," he said. "When you sit in this seat, you're not only responsible for yourself, but you're responsible for numerous other things within this organization. So, you have to weigh those factors in. At the end of the day, you have to do what's best for this organization."

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc is building a data center near Des Moines, Iowa, to bolster its computing power as it rolls out new services and as the growing use of smartphones increase the pressure on its infrastructure.

This facility in Altoona, Iowa, will be the social networking company's fourth since 2010, when Facebook began construction on its first data center in Prineville, Oregon.

Facebook would not disclose the cost of the new data center, but said it would be within the $1.8 billion in capital expenditures that it projected for 2013 in January. A report in the Des Moines Register on Friday, citing unnamed sources, pegged the facility's total cost at $1.5 billion.

Facebook said it received approval for the data center from the Altoona City Council on Tuesday. Iowa officials have been courting Internet companies to build data centers in the state, enticing them with tax incentives.

The new data center, which will be built on a 200-acre plot of former wheat and soy fields purchased by Facebook, comes as the company's 1 billion-plus users are increasingly accessing the service on smartphones and tablets.

Jay Parikh, Facebook's vice president of engineering, said users typically came to the site throughout the day, sending messages and uploading photos. Supporting that ongoing usage while maintaining the ability to offer new services requires more infrastructure, Parikh told Reuters last week.

"We don't ever want to not be able to launch a product because we don't have the compute ready for some new awesome product," Parikh said.

Instagram, the popular photo-sharing service that Facebook acquired in 2012, is also a factor. Amazon.com Inc's Amazon Web Services hosts the service, but Facebook plans to move it to its own equipment and infrastructure by the time the Iowa data center is operational.

FOCUSED ON ENERGY

The company plans to break ground in June and expects the data center to be up and running by the end of 2014, said Tom Furlong, vice president of site operations.

The initial facility will be a 476,000-square-foot building, based on the same energy-efficient architecture that Facebook designed for its other data centers, but there will be room to expand and build up to three buildings.

The company, which has committed to a minimum investment of $300 million, will receive $18 million in state tax benefits and various other financial incentives from Iowa.

Facebook said it was exploring options for renewable energy for the data center, in keeping with its goal of getting 25 percent of such facilities' power from renewable sources by 2015. The site's supplier, MidAmerican, gets a quarter of its energy from wind power.

Energy use by Internet data centers is increasingly in the public spotlight because of the proliferation of a new crop of "cloud-based" Web services that store user data on remote servers.

Last week, Google said Duke Energy Corp, the energy provider for its North Carolina data center, would offer a renewable power option for the company and other large corporate customers in the region.

Greenpeace criticized Facebook in 2010 for relying too much on coal power at its first data center in Oregon. The company struck an agreement with the environmental group the following year to increase its use of renewable energy.

Facebook plans to rely primarily on renewable energy to power its Lulea, Sweden, data center, which is under construction.

(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)