https://twitter.com/TopherSpiro/status/858678848145285121
Here’s a tweet that captures the latest horror version of Trumpcare:
Here is the new version of Trumpcare all in one place.
Circulate if you find helpful. pic.twitter.com/9B9NDOcars
— Andy Slavitt 🇮🇱 🇺🇦 (@ASlavitt) April 28, 2017
Here’s an outline of the Race to the Bottom Newest Amendment from Balloon Juice’s Richard Mayhew:
Networks and the credit card model for health insurance
by David Anderson
at7:09 am on April 28, 2017If you loved credit card companies and how they all were headquartered in South Dakota to take advantage of their very lender friendly laws before the passage of the CARD Act, you will love the health care vision of Rep. Jim Jordan.
…………………The vision is that the House Freedom Caucus/MacArthur Amendment is attached to the AHCA. The AHCA passes the House and Senate without major modification. At least one state opts for the waiver to allow for medical underwriting and gutting essential health benefits by replacing a federal standard with a state standard. A minimal essential health benefit package could still include prescription drugs but only require generic drugs and very common, low cost brand drugs. Specialty drugs including most chemotherapy agents, cystic fibrosis treatments, Hep-C cures and coagulation disorder treatments could be excluded from the minimally required list.
A second bill would also be passed that would allow for insurance to be sold across state lines. And that gets us to the individual health insurance market looking like the pre-CARD Act credit card market. Most states may still require guarantee issue and community rating but the states mandating these restrictions either will not have any in-state insurers offering products in the individual market or their locally regulated individual market effectively work as a high risk pool.
Now, this looks horrible.Because, it IS horrible.
Poll came out this week that less than 20% of the American people liked the previous version of Trumpcare. And, this is worse.
So, WHY, do they continue with this horror show?
Never ever forget..
Trumpcare is a TAXCUT BILL MASQUERADING as a healthcare bill.
Also, as Mayhew points out where they get their taxcuts from:
Medicaid is the key. The AHCA is still cutting $800 billion plus from Medicaid over a decade and this is the point of resistance for the Tuesday Morning Group, a group of 40 to 50 less conservative Republicans who are likely to represent districts that are vulnerable in wave elections.
Let them know that this is important and that killing Medicaid kicks them out of a job in 2018.
From DailyKos:
Trumpcare is chock-full of tax cuts for the rich. That’s the primary thing about it—that, and killing Medicaid. In the proposed $880 billion cut from Medicaid in the next decade is going to provide those tax cuts to the richest—and the new version of the bill they’re considering is aimed at making those tax cuts happen faster!
Please continue to call. Please continue to fight. And, if you are in a blue district, call a few from the list of the GOP/Hillary vulnerable (GOPers where Hillary won their district in 2016):
California 10 R+1 Jeff Denham
California 21 D+2 David Valadao
Arizona 2 R+3 Martha McSally
California 25 R+3 Steve Knight
California 39 R+5 Ed Royce
California 45 R+7 Mimi Walters
California 48 R+7 Dana Rohrabacher
California 49 R+4 Darrell Issa
Colorado 6 D+1 Mike Coffman
Florida 26 EVEN Carlos Curbelo
Florida 27 R+1 Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Illinois 6 R+4 Peter Roskam
Kansas 3 R+6 Kevin Yoder
Minnesota 3 R+2 Erik Paulsen
New Jersey 7 R+6 Leonard Lance
Pennsylvania 6 R+2 Ryan Costello
Pennsylvania 7 R+2 Patrick Meehan
Texas 7 R+13 John Culberson
Texas 23 R+3 Will Hurd
Texas 32 R+10 Pete Sessions
Virginia 10 R+2 Barbara Comstock
Washington 8 R+1 Dave Reichert
Capitol Hill switchboard at (202) 224-3121
HOW MANY COULD LOSE COVERAGE IN EACH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
HOW MANY HAVE PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS IN EACH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
https://twitter.com/AARPadvocates/status/858404020351885312/photo/1
https://twitter.com/thehill/status/859239367168188416
To avoid a shutdown, Congress ignores Trump’s demands
05/01/17 12:30 PM—UPDATED 05/01/17 12:51 PM
By Steve Benen
When Congress passed a measure on Friday to prevent a government shutdown, it was a stopgap measure that kept the lights on for a week. Lawmakers were really just buying themselves a little time so they could finish a broader spending package that would fund the government through the end of the fiscal year.
That deal came together last night, which is good news for those hoping to avoid a shutdown, but bad news for Donald Trump, who made specific requests for this budget agreement, each of which were largely ignored.
…………………….
Remember, we’re supposed to believe Trump is a world-class negotiator, who knows how to strike deals that ostensibly work in his favor. And yet, we’re now presented with still more evidence to the contrary.
As for the road ahead, there are two things to watch. The first is this week: Congress will have to pass this bipartisan compromise by Friday, and though the agreement enjoys the grudging support of the GOP leadership, it’ll be interesting to see just how many rank-and-file Republicans balk (and just how much GOP leaders have to rely on Democrats to pass the bill).
The second thing to keep an eye on is the fall: Democrats are pleased with how this process unfolded, but it was a four-month spending bill on the table. Republicans are likely to fight far more aggressively in the fall, when Congress takes up spending for the next fiscal year.
Fact-Checkers Can’t Keep Up With Trump’s Lies
by Nancy LeTourneau May 1, 2017 4:06 PM
In this Trump era, we really should give a shout-out to the people who have the overwhelming job of trying to fact-check what the president says. Glenn Kessler and Michelle Ye Hee Lee, who do that job for the Washington Post, just admitted that they can’t keep up with the president’s lies.
President Trump is the most fact-challenged politician that The Fact Checker has ever encountered. He earned 59 Four-Pinocchio ratings during his campaign as president. Since then, he’s earned 16 more Four-Pinocchio ratings.
………………………..
To mark the first 100 days of the most “fact-challenged politician,” they took a moment to count up the lies. Even I was surprised at the volume.
Fact-Checkers Can’t Keep Up With Trump’s Lies
by Nancy LeTourneau May 1, 2017 4:06 PM
At this point in his presidency, Donald Trump’s ego is coming into conflict with the lack of any actual accomplishments. In order to sustain his delusions about himself, he is becoming increasingly untethered from reality. We see that as he continues to obsess about his “historic win” over three months ago and his claim that he has accomplished more than previous presidents in such a short amount of time.
But in a couple of interviews lately, the delusions fed by Trump’s own ignorance are quite astounding. When the topic of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict came up in his discussion with Reuters last week, the president said this:
The implication is that everyone who has worked on peace in the Middle East over the last several decades — including U.S. presidents dating back to LBJ — was simply unaware of the fact that this was a relatively easy problem to solve. Or perhaps none of them had the exemplary deal-making skills that our current president possesses. Either way, that is nothing short of a delusion based on ignorance.
Facing Abject Failure, Trump’s Delusions Are Expanding
by Nancy LeTourneau May 1, 2017 1:50 PM
At this point in his presidency, Donald Trump’s ego is coming into conflict with the lack of any actual accomplishments. In order to sustain his delusions about himself, he is becoming increasingly untethered from reality. We see that as he continues to obsess about his “historic win” over three months ago and his claim that he has accomplished more than previous presidents in such a short amount of time.
But in a couple of interviews lately, the delusions fed by Trump’s own ignorance are quite astounding. When the topic of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict came up in his discussion with Reuters last week, the president said this:
The implication is that everyone who has worked on peace in the Middle East over the last several decades — including U.S. presidents dating back to LBJ — was simply unaware of the fact that this was a relatively easy problem to solve. Or perhaps none of them had the exemplary deal-making skills that our current president possesses. Either way, that is nothing short of a delusion based on ignorance.
Jean-Claude Juncker calls Theresa May ‘deluded’ after disastrous Brexit talks
The European Union has warned that it is “more likely than not” that Brexit talks will fail after Jean Claude Juncker accused Theresa May of being “deluded” in the wake of a tense Downing Street dinner.
The President of the European Commission launched a scathing attack on Mrs May after the meeting on Wednesday last week, the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported, telling the PM “I’m leaving Downing Street 10 times more sceptical than I was before.”
He reportedly claimed during the meeting that Brexit “cannot be a success” and threatened to end talks without a trade deal if Britain refuses to pay a “divorce” bill.
PLEASE keep calling (202)225-3121 for the U.S. House switchboard operator.
You are making a difference. #NOtoZombiecare#NotThisTime https://t.co/VGFX65yOiQ
— meta (@metaquest) May 1, 2017
Their tears and envy are so delicious. 😂 😂 😂
I hope the Obamas make GAZILLIONS post White House.https://t.co/PMAMTbmwgp
— Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) April 30, 2017
“Always stay gracious. Best revenge is your paper.” https://t.co/HjjeoqLCE7
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) April 30, 2017
They’re going to be real salty when Bo and Sunny find an agent and start raking in cash for public petting tours. 😂https://t.co/PMAMTbmwgp
— Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) April 30, 2017
1. Obama isn’t running anywhere. 2. He’s done being treated like 3/5. 3. Sit your hypocrite ass down. https://t.co/qmLs9CSRaD
— Still Standing (@IrisRimon) May 1, 2017
Quadruplets from a Cincinnati suburb choose to attend Yale University together over other top schools in the country https://t.co/iusoFLeaFm pic.twitter.com/Kwshh9Ey8J
— ABC News (@ABC) May 1, 2017
BREAKING: Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) tells me he’s a NO on new GOP health bill! Brings to 22 the number of NO votes https://t.co/MFBvOPW9qP
— Scott Wong (@scottwongDC) May 1, 2017
“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear.”
― Marcus Tullius Cicero
https://twitter.com/foreignpolicy77/status/859083826659823616
Thank you, God. The entire network needs to go.
https://twitter.com/gabrielsherman/status/859108816880889856
Trump walks away in middle of @CBSNews interview as soon as he gets pressed on his bogus Obama wire-tapping claims pic.twitter.com/JUD0wstZeI
— Aaron Vallely (@Vallmeister) May 1, 2017
Tell that truth, Al
https://mobile.twitter.com/AlGiordano/status/859081487198670849
What say you, phony azz Ivanka?
CNN: Trump ending Michelle Obama’s girls education program
BY OLIVIA BEAVERS – 05/01/17 01:18 PM EDT
President Trump plans to end ‘Let Girls Learn,’ former first lady Michelle Obama’s girls education program, according to a Monday CNN report.
CNN exclusive: Trump administration ending Michelle Obama’s girls education program, effective immediately — via @Kevinliptakcnn
— David Wright (@DavidWright_CNN) May 1, 2017
“Moving forward, we will not continue to use the Let Girls Learn brand or maintain a stand-alone program,” an email from Peace Corps acting director Sheila Crowley to employees reportedly reads.
The Trump administration gave order to cease the program’s operation immediately, according to an internal document obtained by CNN.
Aspects of ‘Let Girls Learn’ will continue, although the brand name of the program will no longer be used.
The Obamas started the program in 2015. It aimed to increase educational opportunities for young girls in developing countries.
“‘Let Girls Learn’ provided a platform to showcase Peace Corps’ strength in community development, shining a bright light on the work of our Volunteers all over the world,” Crowley continued. “We are so proud of what ‘Let Girls Learn’ accomplished and we have all of you to thank for this success.”
Sad. This is about destroying everything with the Obama name attached to it.
Despicable.
Mnuchin defends proposal to eliminate tax deduction that benefits Californians
by James Rufus Koren
Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin on Monday stumped for the Trump administration tax plan rolled out last week, saying that a simpler tax code and lower corporate taxes — combined with other Trump-backed policies — will lead to robust economic growth.
Speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference, a Beverly Hills confab for investors, Mnuchin said he has been meeting weekly with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and others and believes a final tax plan will have the support of Congress — despite concern that it could add significantly the federal deficit.
“We absolutely share the same vision of what we’re trying to do,” Mnuchin said during an on-stage interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo. “We’re all on the same page.”
The tax plan, as laid out in a one-page outline released last week, calls for what Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs banker and Hollywood film financier, said was “one of the biggest tax cuts in American history.”
……………………….
He maintained that the cuts can be paid for by eliminating deductions and by the higher economic growth they would spur. But he cautioned the plan remains a work in progress and that any estimates of how much the plan might add to the federal budget deficit are preliminary.
“When we come out with all the details, it’ll be scored,” he said.
He also defended the proposal to eliminate the federal deduction for state income taxes. That itemized deduction is something that residents of high-income states such as California rely upon to lower their federal tax rate.
……………..
“We don’t think it’s the federal government’s job to be subsidizing states,” Mnuchin said. “Some states have zero income taxes, some have high income taxes. … For people like me who live in California, you’re going to be stuck with higher taxes that you can’t deduct.”
But he added there were no plans to remove other cherished deductions.
“Charitable deductions, that’s something we support,” he said. “And mortgage interest, that’s kinda like apple pie.”
Trump sees US policymaking process as ‘archaic’ and ‘a bad thing’
05/01/17 11:30 AM
By Steve Benen
Donald Trump conceded last week he’s surprised by the difficulties of the presidency. “This is more work than in my previous life,” the Republican told Reuters. “I thought it would be easier.”
Part of this extends from the fact that Trump knew very little about the job he sought, having no real sense of what a president does, but he’s also learning the basics of how a bill becomes a law – and he doesn’t seem to care for it. Here’s what the president told Fox News the other day:
Trump’s frustrations are, to a degree, understandable. The legislative and policymaking process is difficult by design. There are any number of choke points, procedural hurdles, institutional checks, legal limits, and court interventions.
This is, however, a feature of the American system, not a bug. The process is arduous because it was created to be that way: the point has long been to prevent reckless policymaking by having a system that’s slow and demanding.
Congressional Republicans Dump Trump On Spending Bill
by Nancy LeTourneau May 1, 2017 10:17 AM
Last week Congress passed a short-term spending bill to avoid a government shutdown through Friday. Before the end of this week, they need to pass a longer-term version to keep the government funded until September. As I noted last week, passage of the short-term version demonstrated that Republicans are likely to need Democratic votes to get it passed.
Today we learn that an agreement was reached on how to move forward with a spending bill through September.
Notice that the bill not only rejects Trump’s demand to fund his border wall. It also rejects increased funding for his deportation force and attempt to de-fund sanctuary cities. That is a huge blow to the nativists in his administration. But even more telling, it specifically stops him from being able to use increased funding for border security to pay for his wall.
Another Brick in the Wall: The End of Black and Latino Republicanism
by D.R. Tucker
April 30, 2017 11:00 AM
Remember Marco Gutierrez, the right-wing hack who hitched his sorry star to Donald Trump last year? Gutierrez gained infamy when he told MSNBC’s Joy Reid:
What the truck? We don’t hear much from Marco anymore, nor do we hear much about the right-wing efforts to lure Latinos into the Republican Party: Donald Trump’s antics have effectively killed that project dead. Good.
It wasn’t that long ago when right-wing operatives were promoting the dubious idea that African-Americans and Latinos were “natural conservatives” who were “trapped” inside the Democratic Party. It would only require some effort to get them voting the right way, these operatives insisted, as they rewrote history in an effort to achieve their goal (remember the old “Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican” BS?).
One can debate when this bizarre project unofficially ended: the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the right-wing revolt against immigration reform in 2007, and the right-wing media infrastructure’s embrace of George Zimmerman as a folk hero for taking Trayvon Martin’s life in 2012 are all sound choices for the de facto end of this weird operation. Of course, the official end of the GOP’s attempt to attract the support of anyone besides rural whites and billionaires was November 8, 2016.
In light of this reality, Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX)–an African-American Republican who represents a heavily Latino district–is a man without a real political home:
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 4/28/17
Russian pro-democracy movement resists Putin’s oppression
Vladimir Kara-Murza, vice-chairman of Open Russia, an international Russian pro-democracy movement, talks with Rachel Maddow about the risks of opposing Vladimir Putin in Russia and the resilience of Russia’s pro-democracy, anti-Putin movement.
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 4/28/17
Trump team did vet Flynn, hired him anyway: NBC News
Rachel Maddow reports a scoop from NBC News that the Donald Trump transition team and the White House did do a background check on Mike Flynn. Also, a source tells NBC News they were aware of Flynn’s business ties to Turkey, but hired him to be Trump’s National Security Adviser anyway.
‘It always bothers me when members of a family, who have never been elected, show up suddenly as official state representatives’, says Mr Gabriel – I couldn’t agree more!
German minister just said what no foreign politician dares to about Ivanka Trump https://t.co/i9RWv64DSQ
— Donna NoShock (@NoShock) May 1, 2017
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 4/28/17
Best New Thing: Karen Handel’s accidental b-roll audio
Rachel Maddow shares some of the audio that was (presumably mistakenly?) left on a large collection of b-roll video of Georgia Republican congressional candidate Karen Handel.
Trump’s tax plan ‘would be Kansas on steroids’
04/28/17 04:55 PM
By Steve Benen
Shortly after the 2012 elections, with Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s (R) radical economic experiment already underway, then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said of his former colleague’s plan, “This is exactly the sort of thing we want to do here, in Washington, but can’t, at least for now.”
The Republican senator was referring, of course, to President Obama standing in the way of Congress imposing a Kansas-style experiment on the entire country.
That’s no longer a concern for GOP policymakers. On the contrary, with Donald Trump in the White House, McConnell’s dream of bringing Brownback’s Kansas experiment to the nation is now possible, and the administration’s ridiculous new tax outline suggests many Republican officials intend to follow Topeka’s lead.
With this in mind, the Kansas City Star’s editorial board offered some worthwhile advice this week.
Asked about health care, Trump trips over his own ignorance
05/01/17 08:00 AM—UPDATED 05/01/17 08:55 AM
By Steve Benen
Donald Trump recently noted that he’s been working on health care for most of his presidency, which is true to the extent that he’s tried to push a bill through Congress. But what Trump hasn’t done is learn anything about the issue, the debate, or the legislation he’s eager to sign.
Yesterday, for example, the president appeared on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” and host John Dickerson did his best to ask Trump to explain the plan the White House is championing, with a particular emphasis on one of its most controversial provisions. The president argued:
“Pre-existing conditions are in the bill. And I just watched another network than yours, and they were saying, ‘Pre-existing is not covered.’ Pre-existing conditions are in the bill. And I mandate it. I said, ‘Has to be.’”
When Dickerson pressed Trump on whether he’s prepared to “guarantee” protections to those with pre-existing conditions, the president replied, “We actually have – we actually have a clause that guarantees.”
There is no such clause. The Republican bill guts benefits for consumers with pre-existing conditions, clearing the way for states to do the exact opposite of what Trump said yesterday. (GOP leaders have been reduced to telling worried lawmakers that most states won’t take advantage of the option, but under the Republican blueprint, the financial pressure on states to roll back protections like these would be significant.)
Trump’s foreign policy sinks even lower with invitation to Duterte
05/01/17 08:30 AM—UPDATED 05/01/17 09:01 AM
By Steve Benen
Just over the last couple of weeks, Donald trump has congratulated Turkey for abandoning democracy, offered tacit support for a fascist presidential candidate in France, and publicly praised North Korea’s communist dictator.
What could the Republican president do to make matters worse? He could embrace the murderous autocrat who leads the Philippines.
https://twitter.com/HeavySan/status/858992143284801542
White House is looking at changing laws that protect U.S. press
05/01/17 10:00 AM
By Steve Benen
Donald Trump’s hostility towards journalism isn’t exactly new, but there have long been questions about what, if anything, the Republican intends to do about it.
About a month ago, while whining on Twitter about the New York Times, the president asked rhetorically whether it’s time to “change libel laws,” presumably to allow Trump to target news organizations he doesn’t like in court.
The bluster wasn’t followed by any presidential actions, so the tweet came and went fairly quickly, but the subject returned to the fore yesterday when White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus talked to ABC News’ Jon Karl.
How Trump changes his mind (or how his aides do it for him)
04/28/17 12:57 PM
By Steve Benen
Donald Trump’s difficulties with the presidential learning curve are well documented. He didn’t realize health care policy was “complicated”; he didn’t know there are limits to China’s influence over North Korea; he didn’t understand how much he likes various policies he campaigned against; he had no idea being president would be so difficult; the list goes on.
It’s worth pausing, though, to appreciate how Trump changes his mind about things. For example, the president apparently overhauled his entire understanding of Asia-Pacific after “listening for 10 minutes” to China’s Xi Jinping.
And what about the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which the American president was poised to abandon tomorrow? Trump gave up on his plan and explained his reversal yesterday, saying he spoke with Canadian and Mexican leaders on Wednesday, and they asked him not to walk away from the policy. “I like both of these gentlemen very much,” he said.
………………………………
The Washington Post offered a behind-the-scenes peek on how the president’s team convinced him to change course.
Gov’t $ pkg has no money for wall, nor cuts $ for sanctuary cities. No Planned Parenthood cut. No non-defense cut.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) May 1, 2017
Pelosi: ‘We have eliminated more than 160 Republican poison pill riders…The omnibus does not fund Trump’s immoral and unwise border wall.’ pic.twitter.com/fb2R3GZObV
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 1, 2017
Schumer: “The bill ensures taxpayer dollars aren’t used to fund an ineffective border wall, excludes poison pill riders…” pic.twitter.com/EjAkKPDPC9
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 1, 2017
While mainstream media has been obsessed with Trump’s latest hijinks, Ben Carson has been doing serious damage https://t.co/n1uUXP1Uux pic.twitter.com/sZyiLs1Zku
— Raw Story (@RawStory) May 1, 2017
Can someone confirm if the exemption for MoCs & staff is still in MacArthur amendment?
cc @ASlavitt @sarahkliff @TopherSpiro
— Andrew Armstrong (@typeting) May 1, 2017
Yes, Zombie Trumpcare is so bad Republicans still don’t want it for themselves. https://t.co/da2HFzGq0a
— Topher Spiro (@TopherSpiro) May 1, 2017
Police kill suspect in fatal San Diego pool party shooting
By GREGORY BULL Associated Press
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Police shot and killed a 49-year-old man suspected of shooting seven people Sunday at a birthday pool party in an apartment complex near the University of California, San Diego, authorities said.
Authorities said the suspect, a white man identified as Peter Selis, shot four black women, two black men and one Latino man, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported (http://bit.ly/2plxCfS).
Rikky Galiendes, 27, heard gunshots around 6 p.m.and went to look outside his sixth-story apartment when he spotted a man bleeding and running near the pool below. Galiendes told The Associated Press that he called out to ask if the man needed help when his roommate grabbed him, yanked him down and then pointed toward a man sitting in a chair with a gun.
“When we looked over the balcony, he was just sitting down with a gun on his lap,” Galiendes said. “He was calm, you know. I mean from my perspective, the guy was ready to do whatever he was going to do. He shot at people having a good time and having a party.”
Galiendes and his roommate ran back inside and called police. They stayed indoors until neighbors yelled that it was safe to come out. Galiendes said it was a horrifying scene.
This week is key
https://mobile.twitter.com/TopherSpiro/status/858825977258004481
Please make the phone calls. Please spread the word about this horrible legislation.
Good Morning, Everyone😄😄😄