News roundup: Obamacare repeal bill expected to include Lee-Cruz amendment
Obamacare repeal bill expected to include Lee-Cruz amendment. Lee isn't sure he'll vote for health care bill he hasn't seen.
Category Archives: US Politics
George Will: Fixing the ‘rotting carcass’ tax code
Cynics are said to be people who are prematurely disappointed about the future. Such dyspepsia is encouraged by watching Republicans struggle to move on from the dog's breakfast they have made of health care reform to the mare's nest of tax reform.
Senators begin negotiations on new VA Choice Program
Members of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee gained feedback this week about three draft proposals to reform how and when veterans seek private-sector health care, setting the stage for negotiations between Democrats and Republicans on what might be the biggest task for the committee this year. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., the chairman of the committee, said an "amazing amount" has been accomplished so far this session and he contributed it to an amendable relationship between Republicans and Democrats on the committee.
Trump seeks consensus with France despite differences
President Donald Trump and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, are looking to set aside differences on trade and climate change and find common ground as they meet Thursday ahead of Bastille Day celebrations in Paris. Trump arrived in the French capital after an overnight flight from Washington and hours before his meeting with Macron to tackle potential solutions to the crisis in Syria and broader counterterrorism strategies.
Grassley to call former Trump campaign chairman before Senate committee
U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley said Wednesday morning he would call President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Grassley, Iowa's senior Republican senator, serves as chairman of the judiciary committee - one of several committees conducting investigations into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian government to influence the 2016 presidential election.
The next director of the FBI faces a tough audience
CHRISTOPHER WRAY acquitted himself well during his hearing before the Senate judiciary committee on July 12th. At times slightly awkward, the performance demanded fully four and a half hours.
Gov’t to report on solvency of Social Security, Medicare
Republicans in Washington have been clamouring for years to address the long-term financial problems of Social Security and Medicare. On Thursday, the trustees who oversee the programs are scheduled to issue their annual warning about the finances of the federal government's two largest benefit programs.
NORC Poll: Three-quarters in US say they lack influence
Linda Bell, a beekeeper and farmer who makes about $11,000 per year, feels Washington power brokers have no intention of making health care affordable. WASHINGTON - Linda Bell, a beekeeper and farmer who makes about $11,000 per year, feels Washington power brokers have no intention of making health care affordable.
Afghan girls will be allowed into US for robotics contest
In this Thursday, July 6, 2017, file photo, teenagers from the Afghanistan Robotic House, a private training institute, practice at the Better Idea Organization center, in Herat, Afghanistan. U.S. President Donald Trump intervened to allow the group of Afghan girls into the country to participate in a robotics competition.
Lawmakers reach initial deal to expand GI education bill
President Donald Trump arrived in Paris Thursday hoping to convince wary European allies that the door to working closely with his administration is not closed, despite diverging policy views on a number of key... President Donald Trump arrived in Paris Thursday hoping to convince wary European allies that the door to working closely with his administration is not closed, despite diverging policy views on a number of key issues. AP-NORC Poll: Three-quarters of people in the U.S. feel they have too little influence in Washington, while most say lobbyists, rich people and big businesses have too much.
Alabama GOP Senate Candidates Fight Over Loyalty to Trump
Alabama Senate candidate, Rep. Mo Brooks, says he supported President Donald Trump in the general election, after backing Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the primary. President Donald Trump may be embroiled in scandal in Washington, D.C. But in Alabama - a state he won by nearly 30 points last fall - he remains extremely popular.
A Friendly Face: Pence Deployed to Governors
Vice President Mike Pence, seen here on Capitol Hill on Tuesday with Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Donald Trump, will address health care, education and infrastructure at the NGA conference in Rhode Island on Friday. Vice President Mike Pence on Friday will continue his quiet campaign as the Trump administration's ultimate inside player when he tries to convince governors to view President Donald Trump as a partner on issues such as health care and infrastructure.
Talk of Bipartisan Health Care Bill Emerges Amid Floundering GOP Effort
The Republican effort to overhaul the U.S. health insurance system appears to be floundering, as GOP senators await additional details on a new draft of the legislation. While the initiative remains in limbo, more lawmakers are openly exploring the possibility of a bipartisan health care bill.
Opinion: Demanding Dignity From Leaders Comes With a Complicated History
Our slave-owning third president, Thomas Jefferson, is a reminder that our leaders have always been flawed, Curtis writes. The room - 14 feet, 8 inches wide and 13 feet long - has no windows.
Brazilians torn after former president’s conviction
Former Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been convicted on corruption charges, leaving Brazilians torn over the news. Grace Lee reports.
Gradually, Senate GOP abandoning the president
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., flanked by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the Republican Conference chairman, left, and Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., laughs as he holds his first news conference since the Republican health care bill collapsed last week due to opposition within the GOP ranks, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017, on Capitol Hill Washington.
The Latest: McConnell praises new effort to repeal Obamacare
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is praising a last-ditch Republican bill to repeal and replace "Obamacare" - the latest sign the GOP's repeal effort may be back from the dead. McConnell calls the bill by Sens. Bill Cassidy and Lindsey Graham "an intriguing idea, and one that has a great deal of support."
Schumer still pushing to add sailors’ names to Vietnam Memorial Wall
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer is continuing to lobby to get members of the military killed during the Vietnam War added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. During a meeting with Defense Secretary James Mattis, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer urged Secretary Mattis to grant Terry Lee Henderson of Mayville, Larry Reilly Jr., and the names of 72 other sailors who died on the U.S.S. Frank E. Evans the honor and respect of being added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. Schumer explained the Department of Defense has delayed adding Frank E. Evans 74 to the wall, citing a rule which limits recognition on the memorial wall to sailors who died within a designated combat zone.
Senate prepares for new version of healthcare bill
The new healthcare bill is expected to include Sen. Ted Cruz's amendment allowing insurance companies to offer plans to do not satisfy all of Obamacare's requirements for essential care as long as they have at least one plan that does. But some centrist Republicans have voiced concerns that the amendment might make care for those with pre-existing conditions prohibitively expensive.
Trump leaves for Paris with Russia troubles brewing at home
President Trump left for his third trip abroad on Wednesday amid yet another cloud of controversy at home in what has become a familiar pattern for his foreign travel. Trump's visit to Paris for Bastille Day - during which France marks a key moment at the outset of the French Revolution with annual celebrations - comes less than a week after he returned from the G-20 summit in Germany and less than two days after his son published documents that suggested high-level campaign officials accepted a meeting with a Russian lawyer peddling "sensitive" information about Hillary Clinton during the presidential race.