“We won the Mueller probe. We’re going to win this one. Here we go! I tell you what. If Mueller was a war this is a skirmish.”
— Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow, quoted by Politico.
Obamacare Has Made People Healthier
Washington Post: “Poor people in Michigan with asthma and diabetes were admitted to the hospital less often after they joined Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. More than 25,000 Ohio smokers got help through the state’s Medicaid expansion that led them to quit. And around the country, patients with advanced kidney disease who went on dialysis were more likely to be alive a year later if they lived in a Medicaid-expansion state.”
“Such findings are part of an emerging mosaic of evidence that, nearly a decade after it became one of the most polarizing health-care laws in U.S. history, the ACA is making some Americans healthier — and less likely to die.”
Pelosi Notes Polls Have Shifted on Impeachment
Washington Post: “On a conference call with House Democrats on Sunday afternoon, Pelosi told her colleagues that public sentiment — something she had frequently cited as an obstacle to pursuing impeachment — had begun to swing around.”
Said Pelosi: “The polls have changed drastically about this… Our tone must be prayerful, respectful, solemn, worthy of the Constitution.”
McConnell Confirms Senate Would Take Up Impeachment
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed to CNBC that the Senate would have to take up impeachment of President Trump if the House effectively votes to charge the president.
Said McConnell: “I would have no choice but to take it up. How long you are on it is a different matter, but I would have no choice but to take it up based on a Senate rule on impeachment.”
Kremlin Wants to Approve Release of Trump-Putin Calls
“The Kremlin said on Monday that Washington would need Russian consent to publish transcripts of phone calls between President Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin,” Reuters reports.
“Congress is determined to get access to Trump’s calls with Putin and other world leaders, the House Intelligence Committee’s chairman said on Sunday, citing concerns that the Republican president may have jeopardized national security.”
Chris Collins Set to Plead Guilty
Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) is set to change his not-guilty plea on federal insider trading charges to guilty tomorrow afternoon, CNBC reports.
“Shortly after his arrest, Collins had suspended his reelection campaign for New York’s 27th congressional district. But just over a month later, Collins restarted the campaign — and won in the 2018 midterms.”
Castro Won’t Drop Out If He Fails to Make Debate
Despite a claim made in a recent fundraising email, Julián Castro’s campaign manager told CBS News that the former Obama housing secretary won’t end his presidential bid if he’s unable to qualify for the fifth Democratic debate.
Another Texas Republican Calls It Quits
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) announced he will not seek re-election next year.
He is the sixth House Republican from Texas to announce he will not seek re-election next year.
Quote of the Day
“No one should be confused by the current phony, one sided, partisan impeachment. I led a serious impeachment effort with a special counsel who said President Clinton was guilty on count fter count. Look at our rules for fairness and the lynch mob approach of Schiff and Pelosi.”
— Former Speaker Newt Gingrich, on Twitter.
Another Woman Says She Was Groped by Al Franken
A former staffer for Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) told New York magazine that she was groped by former Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) at an event in 2006.
She said that when it was her turn to be photographed with Franken, “he puts his hand on my ass. He’s telling the photographer, ‘Take another one. I think I blinked. Take another one.’ And I’m just frozen. It’s so violating. And then he gives me a little squeeze on my buttock, and I am bright red. I don’t say anything at the time, but I felt deeply, deeply uncomfortable.”
The GOP’s Defense of Trump Shows Why He’s In Trouble
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Ukrainian Prosecutor Says No Reason to Investigate Biden
A Ukrainian ex-prosecutor general told the BBC there is no reason for his country to investigate President Trump’s political rival Joe Biden.
Yuriy Lutsenko said any investigation into Biden and his son would have to start in the U.S.: “I don’t know any reason to investigate Joe Biden or Hunter Biden according to Ukrainian law.”
‘Fellow Republicans, There’s Still Time to Save Your Soul’
Jeff Flake: “In my case, I had not supported the president’s election. One year into his presidency, I knew that I could not support his reelection. While I had hoped that I could still run for reelection to the Senate in 2018 as someone who would help to provide a check on the president’s worst impulses, it soon became apparent that this was not what Republican primary voters in my state were looking for. Whatever reservations they might have had when they voted for Donald Trump, one year into his presidency they wanted a senator who was all in…”
“Our country will have more presidents. But principles, well, we get just one crack at those. For those who want to put America first, it is critically important at this moment in the life of our country that we all, here and now, do just that.”
“Trust me when I say that you can go elsewhere for a job. But you cannot go elsewhere for a soul.”
Another Whistleblower Complaint May Be Released
House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) said he’s consulting lawyers about whether to make public a complaint by a federal employee about possible misconduct in the Internal Revenue Service’s auditing of President Trump, Bloomberg reports.
Bullock Eyes Public Financing for 2020 Bid
Associated Press: “Steve Bullock will apply to be the first — and perhaps only — Democrat in the presidential primary who accepts public financing for his campaign, a potentially risky move that could give his struggling fundraising a boost but would also require the Montana governor to abide by a cap on the amount of money he can spend.”
Booker Reaches Fundraising Goal to Stay In Race
Cory Booker announced to supporters that his campaign has raised the $1.7 million it said it needed to stay in the 2020 race.
Some Independents Reject Left Turn by Democrats
Alexander Agadjanian: “Political science research suggests that moderates generally fare better in elections, but much of our current understanding is speculative: There has been little directly relevant data on how voters are reacting in the moment. Are swing voters being put off? Are Democratic voters excited and more likely to stick with their party?”
“In a recent survey experiment I conducted, the evidence pointed to both these possibilities, but with one pattern much more pronounced than the other.”
“The embrace of progressivism solidifies support among Democratic survey respondents when thinking about the 2020 general election. But it repels independents, with a negative effect that is stronger and clearer than the signs of enthusiasm generated among Democrats.”
Ads for ‘Trumpcare’ Are Everywhere
Axios: “Do a quick search for health insurance, and you’ll find plenty of ads for ‘Trumpcare’ plans that cost $59 or less per month. But there’s a catch: Trumpcare doesn’t exist, and many of these advertised plans offer bare-bones coverage.”
“For people who buy health insurance on their own instead of receiving it through an employer, searching for a plan is already challenging. And deceptive marketing only makes it harder, especially when these plans will leave consumers on the hook for potentially ruinous medical bills.”
