GOP/HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS/PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS: “Donald Trump’s top campaign promise of repealing Obamacare remains unfinished as the President heads into Washington’s sweltering summer months. With the Republican Party’s most pressing undertaking stuck in limbo, GOP senators and aides are beginning to wonder about one undesirable outcome: that the Senate takes a vote on a health care bill in […]
Category: Politics
6/11/2017
POLITICS/PUERTO RICO/VOTING: “With schools shuttered, pensions at risk and the island under the authority of an oversight board in New York City, half a million Puerto Ricans voted overwhelmingly on Sunday [6-11-17] to become America’s 51st state, in a flawed election most voters sat out. With nearly all of the precincts reporting, 97 percent of […]
6/9/2017
GOP/PAUL RYAN/POLITICS: “Speaker Paul D. Ryan sought to excuse President Trump’s overtures to James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, about pulling the plug on an investigation as a stumble by a political novice unfamiliar with the strict conventions of the capital. ‘He’s just new to this,’ said Mr. Ryan, noting that Mr. Trump ‘wasn’t […]
6/8/2017
POLITICS/TRUMP PEOPLE/TOM COTTON: “To be a Senate Republican in President Trump’s Washington is to moonlight as a sort of executive life coach, coaxing the commander in chief toward discipline and conservative policy in the face of 140-character headwinds. And perhaps no lawmaker is more committed to this difficult work than the chamber’s youngest member: Senator […]
6/8/2017
DEMS/GOP/POLITICS: “Democrats are jumping on Georgia congressional candidate Karen Handel for saying she’s against a ‘livable wage’ during a debate in the Peach State Tuesday night. When asked about her position on minimum wage, Handel, a Republican, responded: ‘This is an example of a fundamental difference between a liberal and a conservative. I do not […]
6/8/2017
DEBT/ECONOMY/POLITICS: “Once again, economists must consider the risk that Congress may be unable to easily deal with the nation’s statutory borrowing limit. Forecasters in The Wall Street Journal’s monthly survey have raised their assessments of the risk facing the U.S. economy. For the first time since the presidential election, a majority of economists in the […]
6/8/2017
POLITICS: “Greg Gianforte, the Montana congressman-elect who is accused of ‘body slamming’ a Guardian reporter, sent a letter of apology and will plead no contest to the misdemeanor assault charge, according to documents. Gianforte also pledged to donate $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists, an organization that promotes press freedom, as part of a […]
6/8/2017
HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS: “Obamacare markets are undergoing a slow-motion meltdown as Republicans stoke a climate of uncertainty while struggling to agree on their own plan for overhauling American health care. The steady march of insurers that have announced plans to exit marketplaces in recent weeks leaves Obamacare customers in wide swaths of the country with potentially no […]
6/7/2017
POLITICS: “Senate intelligence committee Chairman Richard Burr shut down a line of questioning from California Sen. Kamala Harris at Wednesday’s high-profile hearing, admonishing her and other Democrats to stop cutting off witnesses. The move rankled some on Twitter who argued the North Carolina Republican was singling out Harris, one of three women on the intelligence […]
6/7/2017
POLITICS/RUSSIA/TRUMP FAMILY/ERIC TRUMP: “Eric Trump said Democrats who support the probe into his father’s campaign and Russia are ‘not even people’ and he has ‘never seen hatred like this.’ He also shared harsh criticism of the Democratic Party as a whole. ‘They’re imploding,’ Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Tuesday [6-6-17] night, adding: ‘They have […]
6/7/2017
HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS/PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS: “Republican senators are likely to keep a key Obamacare provision intended for people with pre-existing conditions as they craft their bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The move, however, could infuriate conservatives in their own ranks and set up a showdown with the House of Representatives, perhaps endangering the entire […]
6/6/2017
POLITICS/TAXES: “For six years, Gov. Sam Brownback carried out a signature philosophy of cutting taxes and shrinking government across Kansas, a state dominated by his fellow Republicans. But on Tuesday [6-6-17] night, the state’s Republican-held Legislature overrode Governor Brownback’s veto of a bill that would undo some of the tax cuts he pushed. The state […]
6/6/2017
CHINA/CLIMATE CHANGE/POLITICS: “California said it would cooperate with China on clean technology, emissions trading and other ‘climate-positive’ efforts in a bid to fill a gap left after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of the Paris climate accord last week. The government of California and China’s Ministry of Science and Technology will work together to […]
6/5/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/POLITICS/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Few Republicans were quicker to embrace President Trump’s campaign last year than Jeff Sessions, and his reward was one of the most prestigious jobs in America. But more than four months into his presidency, Mr. Trump has grown sour on Mr. Sessions, now his attorney general, blaming him for various troubles […]
6/5/2017
HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS: “Senate Republicans return to the daunting task this week of crafting a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act — but both in private and in public, senators and their aides are expressing little sign of progress or reason for confidence that they can make good on their campaign promise. Behind the […]
6/5/2017
INTELLIGENCE/POLITICS/RUSSIA: “House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Monday [6-5-17] it would be ‘very incriminating’ if the White House tried to block former FBI Director James Comey’s from testifying before Congress later this week. ‘There’s a possibility of obstruction of justice, flirting with it, in any event, coming out of the White House,’ Pelosi, appearing on […]
6/5/217
AMBASSADOR/CABINET/POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump accused Democrats in the Senate of slowing the confirmation process for his appointees, including foreign ambassadors, even though Senate rules allow Republicans, the chamber’s majority party, to move appointees along without Democratic votes. ‘Dems are taking forever to approve my people, including Ambassadors. They are nothing but OBSTRUCTIONISTS! Want […]
6/4/2017
HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS: “Hundreds of miles from the health care debate that will begin again this week in Congress, lobstermen here are out in force, bees are furiously pollinating the state’s famous blueberries and part-time workers are preparing for another summer tourist season. As a result of their short-term spike in income, many of Maine’s working class […]
6/2/2017
CLIMATE CHANGE/ENERGY/POLITICS: “A day after President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord, states and cities around the country are vowing to adhere to their own aggressive climate policies, independent of the federal government. Twenty states and Washington have adopted their own greenhouse gas emission targets, according to the Center for […]
5/31/2017
OIL/POLITICS: “The Trump administration ordered a review of oil reserves and production on Alaska’s vast public lands, an early step in potentially opening more areas of the state to drilling—including the now-protected Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signed the order Wednesday [5-31-17] in Anchorage, Alaska. The move is likely to add to […]
6/1/2017
CLIMATE CONTROL/ENERGY/FOREIGN POLICY/POLITICS: “Leaders from around the world maintained a defiant front on Thursday [6-1-17] after President Trump announced that he would withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement. President Emmanuel Macron of France, speaking in French before switching to English, said he believed Mr. Trump was making a mistake. He then extended an […]
6/1/2017
CLIMATE CHANGE/POLITICS: “President Trump announced on Thursday [6-1-17] that the United States would withdraw from the Paris climate accord, weakening efforts to combat global warming and embracing isolationist voices in his White House who argued that the agreement was a pernicious threat to the economy and American sovereignty. In a speech from the Rose Garden, […]
6/1/2017
HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS: “Senate Republicans set on reworking the Affordable Care Act are considering taxing employer-sponsored health insurance plans, a move that would meet stiff resistance from companies and potentially raise taxes on millions of people who get coverage on the job. The move could raise billions in revenue that could be used to help stabilize the […]
6/1/2017
CLIMATE CHANGE/POLITICS: “Congressional West Coast Democrats are calling on their states’ governors to uphold the core tenets of the Paris climate agreement in the wake of President Donald Trump’s expected move to pull the US out of the worldwide accord. Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Jared Huffman of California, and Suzan DelBene of Washington, along […]
5/31/2017
CLIMATE CHANGE/POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Momentous arguments inside the West Wing over the future of the Paris climate accord became a messy public spectacle on Wednesday [5-31-7], with some aides saying that President Trump had decided to abandon the landmark global warming agreement while others insisted that no decision had been made. Three administration officials with […]
5/31/2017
CLIMATE CHANGE/POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Democrats quickly denounced the Trump administration’s expected move to withdraw from the Paris climate accord Wednesday [5-31-7], calling it a political decision with grave ramifications for the well-being of the planet. The decision, which will be announced this week, would put the US at odds with nearly every other nation on […]
5/31/2017
HEALTHCARE/POLITICS: “Hopefully Republican Senators, good people all, can quickly get together and pass a new (repeal & replace) HEALTHCARE bill. Add saved $’s.” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 31, 2017 08:05am […]
5/30/2017
POLITICS/SUPREME COURT/VOTING: “During a lull between elections, the Supreme Court is taking on a hot-button political issue that could change the way legislative lines are drawn across the country. It’s called gerrymandering — a term that arises from a district shaped like a salamander that was drawn during the 1810 term of Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge […]
5/30/2017
POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. Senate should switch to 51 votes, immediately, and get Healthcare and TAX CUTS approved, fast and easy. Dems would do it, no doubt!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 30, 2017 08:59am […]
5/29/2017
POLITICS: “The special election in Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District is on its way to being the most expensive U.S. representative’s race in history, already exceeding $37 million with several weeks still to go before the runoff vote on June 20. Two candidates, Democrat Jon Ossoff, who has never held elected office, and Republican Karen Handel, […]
5/28/2017
FAKE NEWS/MEDIA/POLITICS: “The Fake News Media works hard at disparaging & demeaning my use of social media because they don’t want America to hear the real story!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 28, 2017 07:20pm […]
5/28/2017
HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS: “I suggest that we add more dollars to Healthcare and make it the best anywhere. ObamaCare is dead – the Republicans will do much better!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 28, 2017 06:57pm […]
5/28/2017
FAKE NEWS/MEDIA/POLITICS: “Does anyone notice how the Montana Congressional race was such a big deal to Dems & Fake News until the Republican won? V was poorly covered” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 28, 2017 07:45am […]
5/28/2017
POLITICS/TAXES: “The massive TAX CUTS/REFORM that I have submitted is moving along in the process very well, actually ahead of schedule. Big benefits to all!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 28, 2017 07:07am […]
5/28/2017
POLITICS: “Big win in Montana for Republicans!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 28, 2017 07:02am […]
5/28/2017
POLITICS: “Big win in Montana for Republicans! We” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 28, 2017 06:57am […]
5/26/2017
HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS/PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS: “Shortly after President Trump took office, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, met privately with his colleagues to discuss the Republican agenda. Repealing the Affordable Care Act was at the top, he said. But replacing it would be really hard. Mr. McConnell was right. The many meetings Republicans held to discuss […]
5/26/2017
INTELLIGENCE/LEGAL/POLITICS/RUSSIA: “Rep. Devin Nunes, who stepped aside from leading the House intelligence committee’s Russia probe under a cloud of controversy, still is in charge of a key decision: Whether to issue subpoenas to obtain records and testimony central to the investigation. In a private meeting this week, House intelligence committee members discussed their plans to […]
5/25/2017
MIKE PENCE/POLITICS: “Vice President Mike Pence’s attempt to peel away House Republicans to support the White House’s tax plan spurred a backlash among a critical bloc of conservative lawmakers Wednesday, Hill sources said. Pence pressed Republican Study Committee Chairman Mark Walker to poll his members to see if they would split with House Speaker Paul […]
5/26/2017
POLITICS/SUPPORTERS: “The angry forces that propelled President Trump’s rise are beginning to frame and define the rest of the Republican Party. When GOP House candidate Greg Gianforte assaulted a reporter who had attempted to ask him a question Wednesday night in Montana, many saw not an isolated outburst by an individual, but the obvious, violent […]
5/25/2017
FBI/INTELLIGENCE/POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Federal Bureau of Investigation has declined for now to give the House Oversight Committee documents it had requested regarding communications between former FBI chief James Comey and President Donald Trump, the head of the panel said on Thursday [5-25-17]. The FBI said it was still evaluating the request, which had a […]
5/28/2017
POLITICS/TRUMP FAMILY/DONALD JR/ERIC TRUMP: “While President Donald Trump has been out of the country meeting with foreign leaders on his first official overseas trip, members of his family have been working back home to increase their engagement with the Republican party establishment. Two of Trump’s sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, along with Eric’s wife, Lara, […]
5/25/2017
HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS: “The Republican senator who made headlines for insisting the GOP health care bill pass the ‘Jimmy Kimmel test’ said the health care replacement plan does nothing to address President Donald Trump’s past pledges for comprehensive care. ‘We have to, if you will, fulfill President Trump’s campaign promise,’ Sen. Bill Cassidy told CNN’s Chris Cuomo […]
5/25/2017
LEGAL/POLITICS/TRUMP PEOPLE/GREG GIANFORTE: “Greg Gianforte, the Republican candidate in Montana’s special congressional election, has been charged with misdemeanor assault after he allegedly body slammed a reporter and broke his glasses on Wednesday [5-23-17] night. The altercation took place at Gianforte’s campaign headquarters in Bozeman, Montana, the night before the state’s special election. It sent political […]
5/24/2017
HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS: “A bill passed by U.S. House Republicans would cause 23 million people to lose healthcare coverage by 2026 while de-stabilizing health insurance markets in some states and making it hard for sick people to buy insurance, a budget watchdog agency said on Wednesday [5-24-17]. The Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan group of experts who […]
5/24/2017
FDA/POLITICS: “U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell told Reuters on Wednesday [5-24-17] he expects bipartisan support for approval of a bill authorizing taxpayer and industry funding for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The bill to reauthorize the Prescription Drug User Fee Act would let the FDA continue to collect hundreds of millions of dollars […]
5/24/2017
BUDGET/HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS: “When Republicans in the House of Representatives voted narrowly to repeal and replace Obamacare earlier this month, they weren’t entirely sure of the bill’s impact on the deficit or on the millions of Americans who gained coverage through the health reform law. Three weeks later, they’re about to find out. The Congressional Budget Office, […]
5/24/2017
2016 ELECTION/CLIMATE CHANGE/ETHICS/INTELLIGENCE/POLITICS/RUSSIA: “Senate Democrats are accusing the White House of purposely ignoring requests for information on issues ranging from the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in U.S. elections, to ethics waivers given to top officials and changes in environmental rules. At issue are the routine requests that members of Congress make to federal agencies […]
5/23/2017
CLIMATE CHANGE/POLITICS: “The environmental ministers of Canada and Mexico went to San Francisco last month to sign a global pact — drafted largely by California — to lower planet-warming greenhouse pollution. Gov. Jerry Brown flies to China next month to meet with climate leaders there on a campaign to curb global warming. And a battery […]
5/23/2017
BUDGET/POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICK MULVANEY: “Finally some good news for President Trump: His new budget stands absolutely no chance of being enacted by Congress. Moving forward with the cuts outlined in the $4.1 trillion spending plan created by the budget director, Mick Mulvaney, formerly one of the most determined fiscal hawks in Congress, would no […]
5/23/2017
BORDER/POLITICS/TAXES/TRADE DEALS: “After months on life support, the border adjustment tax looks as if it’s finally dead. The sharp divisions that make overhauling the tax code a monumental task were on full display on Tuesday [5-23-17] as Republicans in Congress and the Trump administration publicly panned the provision at the heart of House Speaker Paul […]
5/23/2017
ETHICS/POLITICS: “The House’s most powerful investigative gavel is set to land in the hands of Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) with little drama once Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz leaves Congress next month, according to multiple members and aides familiar with the behind-the-scenes discussions about the post. Chaffetz (R-Utah) is stepping down June […]
5/23/2017
BUDGET/ECONOMY/POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s claim that his budget will erase the deficit in 10 years relies on an accounting gimmick. His economic advisers have insisted for months that his proposal to slash tax rates can be revenue neutral, meaning the tax code will collect as much money as it does today after cutting […]
5/22/2017
POLITICS: “This year, federal courts have been litigating a steady stream of gerrymandering claims. And most of the electoral maps the courts have knocked down were drawn by Republicans. That’s good news for Democrats: They have an opportunity in several states to draw more favorable congressional and state legislative maps ahead of 2018 elections. And […]
5/21/2017
POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Republicans on Sunday [5-21-17] inched away from President Trump amid mounting evidence that he may have sought to interfere in the federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. In a sign of growing anxiety, several important Republicans expressed discomfort with Mr. Trump’s firing of the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, […]
5/18/2017
HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS: “In defending their efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Republican leaders in Congress argue that the insurance marketplaces created by the law are failing. They aren’t completely wrong… The Republican plan to replace Obamacare would do little to stabilize the exchanges. But there is a better way to provide insurance to the 11 […]
5/18/2017
POLITICS: “Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the Republican leading the House committee responsible for conducting oversight and investigations of the White House, plans to step down from Congress at the end of June. Mr. Chaffetz, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, on Thursday [5-18-17] posted a letter to his website saying that […]
5/18/2017
EPA/POLITICS: “A Senate committee Thursday [5-18-17] approved a measure that would set a single national standard for ballast water discharges from maritime vessels, pre-empting states from enacting stricter standards and, critics say, exposing the Great Lakes to greater danger from invasive species. Thursday’s voice vote by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee represented a […]
5/18/2017
POLITICS: “The chairman of the House oversight and government reform committee, Jason Chaffetz, is leaving Congress on June 30, the Utah Republican announced Thursday [5-18-17]. ‘As you know, after careful consideration and long discussion with my wife, Julie, we agree the time has come for us to move on from this part of our life,’ […]
5/18/2017
HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS: “More than a dozen Democratic attorneys general on Thursday [5-18-17] sought to intervene to defend a key part of the Obamacare healthcare law — subsidy payments to insurance companies — which is under threat in a court case. The 16 attorneys general, led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and New York Attorney General […]
5/18/2017
BUDGET/POLITICS/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICK MULVANEY: “To advance a tax overhaul this year, congressional Republicans first must clear a tricky hurdle: They need to agree on a budget. In many years, budget resolutions are superfluous or impossible because the House and Senate are controlled by different parties. In fact, in eight of the past 15 years, Congress didn’t […]
5/17/2017
POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Did you hear the one about the Russians paying off the future president of the United States? It seems House Republicans have. Their two highest-ranking members on Wednesday walked into a firestorm of their own making, negotiating the latest Republican headache after The Washington Post reported that Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, […]
5/17/2017
POLITICS/RUSSIA: “A month before Donald Trump clinched the Republican nomination, one of his closest allies in Congress — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy — made a politically explosive assertion in a private conversation on Capitol Hill with his fellow GOP leaders: that Trump could be the beneficiary of payments from Russian President Vladimir Putin. ‘There’s […]
5/17/2017
POLITICS: “Around the U.S., cross-party battles between governors and attorneys general are heating up in what some observers see as another sign of increasingly divisive national politics seeping into state offices. Maine’s Republican Gov. Paul LePage sued state Democratic Attorney General Janet Mills earlier this month, accusing Ms. Mills of refusing to legally represent the […]
5/17/2017
2016 ELECTION/POLITICS/RUSSIA: “Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives said on Wednesday [5-17-17] they would try to force a vote on an independent commission to investigate Russia and the 2016 U.S. election, and whether there was collusion between President Donald Trump’s associates and Moscow. They said two Republicans, Representatives Walter Jones and Justin Amash, […]
5/17/2017
POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “After a week of tumult and negative news, the protective Republican wall around President Donald Trump is starting to crack. Leading Republican politicians are becoming more vocal in their complaints, while networks are struggling to find Republicans willing to go on-air to defend the president… ‘We’ve seen this movie before,’ Sen. John […]
5/17/2017
JAMES COMEY/POLITICS/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “A growing chorus of congressional Republicans are calling for former FBI Director James Comey to testify before Congress about his interactions President Donald Trump — including whether Trump tried to obstruct the criminal probe into ex-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. And more Republicans appeared open to appointing a special prosecutor or […]
5/17/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/INTELLIGENCE/ISRAEL/POLITICS/RUSSIA: “As politicians in Israel raced to alleviate concerns over US President Donald Trump’s alleged disclosure of classified Israeli information to the Russians, the country’s former top spy has warned of the damage the episode could do to US-Israeli intelligence sharing and to Israel’s ability to gather information on ISIS. Israeli intelligence was a […]
5/17/2017
LEAKS/POLITICS/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday [5-16-17] that U.S. President Donald Trump had not divulged any secrets during a meeting in Washington with Russian officials and offered to prove it by supplying Congress with a transcript. But a leading U.S. Republican politician said he would have little faith in any notes Putin might […]
5/17/2017
LEGAL/POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The elephant in the room whenever talking about Donald Trump and the Russia investigation is the big ‘I’ word — impeachment. The word had been in the not-so-far reaches of liberal conspiracy talk since Trump was elected. There’s a web site with more than 976,000 signed onto a petition encouraging Congress to […]
5/16/2017
POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “For months, President Trump’s senior advisers had planned his first foreign trip with hopes of investing it with historic grandeur: a tour of the world’s three great monotheistic religions, capped by an address to the Muslim world in Saudi Arabia that will serve as Mr. Trump’s answer to the speech former President […]
5/16/2017
FBI/JOHN CORNYN/POLITICS: “Sen. John Cornyn, the second ranking Republican in the Senate, has asked to be removed from consideration to be the next FBI director, the Texan said in a statement. ‘Now more than ever the country needs a well-credentialed, independent FBI Director,’ Cornyn said. ‘I’ve informed the Administration that I’m committed to helping them […]
5/16/2017
GUNS/POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A convergence of state and federal legislation could ease restrictions on carrying concealed firearms nationwide, a long-sought goal of gun-rights activists that their opponents say would threaten public safety. More states are giving their residents the right to carry a concealed handgun without permission from authorities—including two this year, bringing the total […]
5/15/2017
BUDGET/HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS/PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS: “Senate negotiators, meeting stiff resistance to the House’s plans to sharply reduce the scope and reach of Medicaid, are discussing a compromise that would maintain the program’s expansion under the Affordable Care Act but subject that larger version of Medicaid to new spending limits. With 62 senators, including 20 Republicans, coming from states […]
5/15/2017
POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “As President Donald Trump grapples with the fallout from his firing of Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey, a House election here will test whether it is politically safer for Republicans to be with Mr. Trump than against him. Greg Gianforte, the GOP businessman running to fill Montana’s only House seat, […]
5/15/2017
HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS: “Republican senators are grappling this week with how they can find consensus between their moderate and conservative factions on health care while still managing to get the 50 votes they need to gut the Affordable Care Act. It’s tough math and although it is early in the process, so far the GOP’s health care […]
5/15/2017
POLITICS: “GOP Rep. Mo Brooks announced Monday [5-15-17] morning that he will run in Alabama’s special Senate election later this year. Brooks confirmed his campaign in an interview with Dale Jackson on WVNN, a radio station in Huntsville. His entry adds another challenger to the field against Sen. Luther Strange, a Republican who was appointed […]
5/14/2017
HEALTHCARE/POLITICS/PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS: “Conservative Senate Republicans are weighing faster and steeper cuts to Medicaid that could drop millions of people from coverage and mark the biggest changes to the program in its 52-year history. The plan being pushed by lawmakers such as Mike Lee (R., Utah) is likely to face resistance from centrist GOP senators who […]
5/14/2017
FBI/POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Senate Republicans, increasingly unnerved by President Trump’s volatility and unpopularity, are starting to show signs of breaking away from him as they try to forge a more traditional Republican agenda and protect their political fortunes. Several Republicans have openly questioned Mr. Trump’s decision to fire the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, and […]
5/14/2017
FBI/JAMES COMEY/POLITICS: “President Trump’s abrupt dismissal last week of the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, and his subsequent allusion to taped conversations with Mr. Comey continued to roil Washington on Sunday [5-14-17]. In televised appearances, lawmakers in both parties said that the recordings could or should come to light if they exist, while a former […]
5/14/2017
FBI/POLITICS: “Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday [5-14-17] that the Senate should refuse to confirm a new FBI director until the Department of Justice appoints a special counsel to lead a probe into allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. ‘I think there are a lot of Democrats who feel that way,’ […]
5/12/2017
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS/POLITICS/TREASURY: “A Treasury Department unit that specializes in combating money-laundering will share financial records with an expanding Senate probe into possible ties between Russia and President Donald Trump and his associates, according to people familiar with the matter. The Senate Intelligence Committee requested the records from Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, […]
5/12/2017
2016 ELECTION/POLITICS/RUSSIA: “Again, the story that there was collusion between the Russians & Trump campaign was fabricated by Dems as an excuse for losing the election.” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 12, 2017 04:51am […]
5/12/2017
FBI/JAMES COMEY/POLITICS: “Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has agreed to brief the full Senate next week on the firing of FBI Director James Comey, a spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters Friday [5-12-17]. ‘Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein’s office has confirmed to Senator Schumer’s office that Mr. Rosenstein will come to brief the […]
5/10/2017
FBI/INTELLIGENCE/JAMES COMEY/POLITICS/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump’s stunning firing of the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, injected another volatile ingredient into the partisanship already engulfing the capital and threatened to overwhelm Republican efforts to turn their government control into legislative success. The decision to replace Mr. Comey also increased the prospect of another contentious confirmation fight […]
5/10/2017
FBI/JAMES COMEY/POLITICS/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, on Wednesday [5-10-17] defended President Trump’s firing of the director of the F.B.I., James B. Comey, resisting Democratic calls to challenge the president and support a broader inquiry of Russian interference in the election. ‘Today we’ll no doubt hear calls for […]
5/10/2017
POLITICS: “The Democrats should be ashamed. This is a disgrace! #DrainTheSwamp https://t.co/UfbKEECm2V” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 10, 2017 07:14pm […]
5/10/2107
FBI/JAMES COMEY/POLITICS/RUSSIA: “Dems have been complaining for months & months about Dir. Comey. Now that he has been fired they PRETEND to be aggrieved. Phony hypocrites!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 10, 2017 02:23pm […]
5/10/2017
CLIMATE CHANGE/ENERGY/POLITICS: “In a blow to administration efforts to free the oil and gas industry from Obama-era environmental rules, a Senate resolution to revoke a rule to limit leaks and flaring of methane from oil and gas production on federal lands fell short of votes 49-51 on Wednesday [5-10-17]. The surprise vote outcome came after […]
5/10/2017
JAMES COMEY/POLITICS/RUSSIA: “The Democrats have said some of the worst things about James Comey, including the fact that he should be fired, but now they play so sad!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 10, 2017 06:10am […]
5/9/2017
JAMES COMEY/POLITICS/RUSSIA: “Cryin’ Chuck Schumer stated recently, ‘I do not have confidence in him (James Comey) any longer.’ Then acts so indignant. #draintheswamp” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 9, 2017 09:42pm […]
5/8/2017
POLITICS/SALLY YATES: “Ask Sally Yates, under oath, if she knows how classified information got into the newspapers soon after she explained it to W.H. Counsel.” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 8, 2017 09:43am […]
5/7/2017
HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS: “Republican Senators will not let the American people down! ObamaCare premiums and deductibles are way up – it was a lie and it is dead!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 7, 2017 07:49am […]
5/7/2017
FAKE NEWS/MEDIA/POLITICS: “When will the Fake Media ask about the Dems dealings with Russia & why the DNC wouldn’t allow the FBI to check their server or investigate?” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 7, 2017 06:15am […]
5/5/2017
HEALTHCARE/POLITICS: “Passage of the House’s health-care bill gives the Obamacare repeal effort new life after months of wrangling, but key Republican senators are already pushing it aside to write their own bill with no clear timetable to act. The narrowly passed House measure can’t get anywhere near the 51 votes needed as is, even though […]
5/5/2017
HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS: “Big win in the House – very exciting! But when everything comes together with the inclusion of Phase 2, we will have truly great healthcare!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 5, 2017 07:52am […]
5/4/2017
HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS: “Hospitals, doctors, health insurers and some consumer groups, with few exceptions, are speaking with one voice and urging significant changes to the Republican health care legislation that passed the House on Thursday [5-4-17]. The bill’s impact is wide-ranging, potentially affecting not only the millions who could lose coverage through deep cuts in Medicaid or no […]
5/4/2017
HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS: “The House on Thursday [5-4-17] narrowly approved a bill to repeal and replace major parts of the Affordable Care Act, as Republicans recovered from their earlier failures and moved a step closer to delivering their promise to reshape American health care without mandated insurance coverage. The vote, 217-213, on President Trump’s 105th day in […]
5/4/2017
2016 ELECTION/INTELLIGENCE/POLITICS/RUSSIA: “The leaders of a House of Representatives probe of possible Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election said they had a ‘successful’ hearing on Thursday [5-4-17], projecting unity after a partisan division had threatened to derail their investigation. Representatives Mike Conaway, the new Republican leader of the House Intelligence Committee probe, and Adam […]
5/4/2017
POLITICS/RELIGION/TRUMP EXEC ORDER: “President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday [5-4-17] that could allow churches and other religious organizations to become more active politically. The order, which Trump inked during a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden, directs the IRS to exercise “maximum enforcement discretion” over the Johnson amendment, which prevents churches and […]