Daily Archives

September 24, 2017

19 posts · Sunday

GOP Health Care Bill Altered to Lure Two Senators

September 24, 2017 at 10:18 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) “will release a revised version of their health-care bill Monday aiming to send more health-care dollars to the states of key holdout Republicans,” the Washington Post reports.

“The Cassidy-Graham bill overhauls the Affordable Care Act by lumping together spending on subsidies and Medicaid expansion and redistributing it to states in the form of block grants. Alaska would get 3 percent more funding between 2020 and 2026 and Maine would get 43 percent more funding during that time period.”

“Republican senators from both states, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, have said they want to understand how Cassidy-Graham would affect their states before supporting the bill. Both have expressed deep opposition to cuts to health-care spending under previous versions.”

Is Trump All Talk on North Korea?

September 24, 2017 at 10:14 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “Mr. Trump’s willingness to casually threaten to annihilate a nuclear-armed foe was yet another reminder of the steep risks inherent in his brute-force approach to diplomacy. His strengths as a politician — the ability to appeal in a visceral way to the impulses of ordinary citizens — are a difficult fit for the meticulous calculations that his own advisers concede are crucial in dealing with Pyongyang.”

“The disconnect has led to a deep uncertainty about whether Mr. Trump is all talk or actually intends to act. The ambiguity could be strategic, part of an effort to intimidate Mr. Kim and keep him guessing. Or it could reflect a rash impulse by a leader with little foreign policy experience to vent his anger and stoke his supporters’ enthusiasm.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

September 24, 2017 at 8:25 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I don’t know what he’s going to do tomorrow. He changes his statements almost on a daily basis. So for me to spend my time trying to analyze what he says, I don’t know.”

— Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), in an interview on 60 Minutes, on President Trump.

Moore Holds 10-Point Lead Over Strange

September 24, 2017 at 8:22 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Optimus poll finds Roy Moore (R) leading Sen. Luther Strange (R) in the GOP Senate primary runoff, 55% to 45%.

Key finding: “80% of those surveyed and 86% of primary voters know Trump endorsed Strange, which is up 5% since Tuesday and 15% since last week. Moore has maintained similar leads throughout this period.”

Trump Issues New Travel Ban

September 24, 2017 at 8:13 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump “issued a new order banning almost all travel to the United States from seven countries, including most of the nations covered by his original travel ban, citing threats to national security posed by letting their citizens into the country,” the New York Times reports.

“Starting next month, most citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad and North Korea will be indefinitely banned from entering the United States, Mr. Trump said in a proclamation released Sunday night.”

Axios: “One obvious change is that, after the earlier policy was labeled a Muslim ban, the Trump administration has added countries that are not majority-Muslim.”

Obama Warned Zuckerberg About Fake News

September 24, 2017 at 8:12 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Nine days after Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg dismissed as ‘crazy’ the idea that fake news on his company’s social network played a key role in the U.S. election, President Obama pulled the youthful tech billionaire aside and delivered what he hoped would be a wake-up call,” the Washington Post reports.

“For months leading up to the vote, Obama and his top aides quietly agonized over how to respond to Russia’s brazen intervention on behalf of the Trump campaign without making matters worse… Now huddled in a private room on the sidelines of a meeting of world leaders in Lima, Peru, two months before Trump’s inauguration, Obama made a personal appeal to Zuckerberg to take the threat of fake news and political disinformation seriously. Unless Facebook and the government did more to address the threat, Obama warned, it would only get worse in the next presidential race.”

Kushner Used Private Email for White House Business

September 24, 2017 at 3:42 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Jared Kushner “has corresponded with other administration officials about White House matters through a private email account set up during the transition last December, part of a larger pattern of Trump administration aides using personal email accounts for government business,” Politico reports.

“Kushner uses his private account alongside his official White House email account, sometimes trading emails with senior White House officials, outside advisers and others about media coverage, event planning and other subjects, according to four people familiar with the correspondence. Politico has seen and verified about two dozen emails.”

Steelers Stay In Locker Room for National Anthem

September 24, 2017 at 12:46 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin said his team would remain in the locker room for the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner, the Sporting News reports.

Said Tomlin: “These are very divisive times for our country. For us, as a football team, it’s about us remaining solid. We are not gonna be divided by anything said by anyone.”

He added: “If a guy wants to go about his normal business and participate in the anthem, he shouldn’t be forced to choose sides. If a guy feels the need to do something, he shouldn’t be separated from his teammate who chooses not to. So we’re not participating today. That’s our decision. We’re gonna be 100 percent. We came here to play a football game. That’s our intentions, and we’re gonna play and play to win.”

Cruz Not Ready to Support Latest GOP Health Bill

September 24, 2017 at 12:16 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) told the Texas Tribune that he’s not ready to vote for the Graham-Cassidy health care bill which would repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Said Cruz: “Right now they don’t have my vote, and I don’t think they have Mike Lee’s either.”

Graham Predicts He’ll Get the Votes

September 24, 2017 at 11:16 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said the GOP would manage to round up the 50 votes necessary to pass Obamacare repeal through the Senate by the end of the next week, Politico reports.

But his path to 50 votes is unclear.

“Among the Senate’s 52 Republicans, Rand Paul of Kentucky and John McCain of Arizona have already said they will vote against the proposal, which would repeal Obamacare and replace it with block grants to the states. Maine Sen. Susan Collins said Sunday she would have a difficult time voting for the bill, and Senate Republicans also expect Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski to vote against it.”

NFL Owner Joins Players During Anthem Protest

September 24, 2017 at 10:59 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Less than three hours after President Trump called on NFL owners to suspend or fire players who protest during the national anthem, the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars — the first teams to play on Sunday — linked arms or took a knee during the playing of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ before the teams 9:30 a.m. EDT kickoff in London’s Wembley Stadium,” the Washington Post reports.

“Ravens Coach John Harbaugh joined his players, linking arms, and Ravens Hall of Famer Ray Lewis took a knee. Jaguars owner Shahid Khan, who had contributed $1 million to the Trump inauguration, locked arms with his players in what is believed to be the first visible participation in relation to anthem protests by a league owner.”

Trump Is Trying to Distract from His Big Losses

September 24, 2017 at 10:13 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Mike Allen quoted former Clinton advisor Doug Sosnik on what President Trump is trying to accomplish by attacking professional athletes who protest during the national anthem: “One of Trump’s typical moves is to toss a bomb out of nowhere to deflect what is really bothering him, in the hopes that the press will be distracted.”

He added: “There is a good chance that the candidate he endorsed and campaigned for will lose in the Alabama Senate primary. On top of that, it looks like … another failed Republican attempt to repeal Obamacare. So he figures that the shows on Sunday focusing on his fights with professional athletes is more appealing than a discussion about how he is becoming a loser.”

Collins Can’t See Voting for GOP Health Care Bill

September 24, 2017 at 10:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) told CNN that it would be “very difficult for me to envision a scenario” where she would vote for Republicans’ latest plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, but the Maine Republican said she wanted to wait for a Congressional Budget Office score of the Graham-Cassidy bill before rendering a final decision.

Opinion of Republican Party Falls to New Low

September 24, 2017 at 10:06 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new CNN poll finds that just 29% of Americans hold a favorable view of the Republican Party.

That is down 13 percentage points from March and is the lowest mark for the GOP since CNN began asking the question in 1992.

Quote of the Day

September 24, 2017 at 8:29 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I am deeply disappointed by the tone of the comments the president made on Friday. I am proud to be associated with so many players who make such tremendous contributions in positively impacting our communities. Their efforts, both on and off the field, help bring people together and make our community stronger. There is no greater unifier in this country than sports, and unfortunately, nothing more divisive than politics. I think our political leaders could learn a lot from from the lessons of teamwork and the importance of working together towards a common goal. Our players are intelligent, thoughtful, and I support their right to peacefully affect social change and raise awareness in a manner that they feel is most impactful.”

— New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, on Twitter.

Majority See Trump as a Dividing Force

September 24, 2017 at 8:15 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds most Americans see President Trump as a divisive figure who has yet to fulfill his campaign promise to positively change the way Washington works.

“More than twice as many Americans say Trump is doing more to divide the country than to unify it, 66% vs. 28%. The margin is significantly more negative than those recorded for Obama and Bush; at most, 55 percent of Americans said Obama or Bush was dividing the country.”

“Trump’s overall job approval rating has stabilized at 39% in the new poll after slipping to 36% in July. The shift is within the poll’s margin of sampling error but is mirrored in the small rise in other recent national polls.”

Trump Demands NFL Fire Players Who Kneel

September 24, 2017 at 7:59 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump on Sunday morning renewed his demand that NFL owners fire or suspend players who kneel during the national anthem in protest, again urging that fans should boycott the sport to force change,” the Washington Post reports.

Tweeted the president:

If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast. Fire or suspend!

NFL attendance and ratings are WAY DOWN. Boring games yes, but many stay away because they love our country. League should back U.S.

Yellin and Cohn Still on Shortlist for Fed Chair

September 24, 2017 at 7:02 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The White House has created a list of about a half-dozen candidates to be the next leader of the Federal Reserve, including its current chairwoman, Janet Yellen, and the president’s chief economic adviser, Gary Cohn,” the New York Times reports.

“The list also includes Jerome Powell, a member of the Fed’s board of governors; Kevin Warsh, a former Fed governor; and the Stanford University economist John Taylor… Preliminary interviews with some candidates have already begun with an eye toward presenting finalists to President Trump later this year.”