Category: Republican

House intel chair: Media take Trump tweets too literally

The top Republican on the House intelligence committee said he has not seen any evidence to back President Donald Trump’s claim that the Obama administration wiretapped him during the 2016 campaign and suggested the news media were taking the president’s weekend tweets too literally. “The president is a neophyte to politics – he’s been doing this a little over a year,” Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., told reporters Tuesday.

WikiLeaks reveals CIA files describing hacking tools

WikiLeaks published thousands of documents Tuesday described as secret files about CIA hacking tools the government employs to break into users’ computers, mobile phones and even smart TVs from companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung. The documents describe clandestine methods for bypassing or defeating encryption, antivirus tools and other protective security features intended to keep the private information of citizens and corporations safe from prying eyes.

Intel chair: No evidence of wiretap

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said Tuesday that he had seen no evidence supporting President Donald Trump’s claim that his phones were tapped by the previous administration. But unlike many other members of Congress, Nunes did not demand that the administration explain the basis of Trump’s accusation, saying that “we were going to look into it anyway.”

10 Things to Know for Wednesday

This April 13, 2016, file photo shows the seal of the Central Intelligence Agency at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. An alleged CIA surveillance program disclosed by WikiLeaks on Tuesday, March 7, 2017, purportedly targeted security weaknesses in smart TVs, smartphones, personal computers and even cars, and enabled snooping that could circumvent encryption on communications apps such as Facebook’s WhatsApp.

Ex-US Rep. Betty Sutton is making 2018 bid for Ohio governor

Former U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton jumped into the 2018 governor’s race Tuesday, bringing a solid track record of election wins and fundraising that could position her as the initial Democratic front-runner. The 53-year-old lawyer from Barberton served three terms in Congress and eight years in the state Legislature, where she was the youngest woman ever elected at age 29. She also served on her local city and county councils.

Conservative backlash threatens to sink new GOP health bill

A powerful conservative backlash threatened to sink the new Republican health care bill less than 24 hours after its launch, even as President Donald Trump and congressional leaders began trying to sell the legislation as the long-promised GOP cure for “Obamacare. ” “We’re going to do something that’s great and I’m proud to support the replacement plan released by the House of Representatives,” Trump declared at the White House as he met with the House GOP vote-counting team Tuesday.

Trump praises health care bill, but conservatives skeptical

President Donald Trump and his top health official praised the new House Republican health care legislation Tuesday, even as surging conservative opposition complicated party leaders’ drive to sell the proposal to rank-and-file lawmakers and the public. Trump’s morning tweet lauding “our wonderful new Healthcare Bill” kicked off the day.

Chorus of conservatives slam the Republican ‘Obamacare’ repeal

A growing list of conservative groups and lawmakers balked on Tuesday at House Republicans’ plan to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, condemning the replacement health care bill “Obamacare 2.0.” , a Republican health care bill that maintains some of the most popular provisions of the 2010 Affordable Care Act and was revealed on Monday. . “The overwhelming response from our activists is, ‘This is not what we meant or expected when we voted for Congress to repeal Obamacare.

The Latest: Oklahoma woman dies trying to fight wildfire

Grass fires fanned by gusting winds scorched swaths of Kansas grassland Monday, forcing the evacuations of several towns and the closur… . Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Chaplain Jeff Thompson passes bags of chips to, from left to right, Suzanne Morgan, Carol Shaylor and Linda Nimmo Monday, March 6, 2017, inside an evacuation center at the Kansa… .

max_ehrenfreund

Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events Republicans’ new health-care bill is a mass transfer of wealth that cuts taxes for the wealthiest Americans while cutting federal benefits for the middle and working class. Just two provisions in the Republican plan would allow the richest households to pay an average of nearly $200,000 less under the Republican plan, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

House, Senate Conservative Republicans Plan Own Obamacare Repeal Bill

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., criticizes the House Republican healthcare reform plan as “Obamacare light” during a television interview on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. ( Conservative Republicans in Congress said on Tuesday they oppose aspects of the Republican leadership’s healthcare bill and they plan to introduce their own legislation on Wednesday to repeal Obamacare.

GOP congressman: Low-income people must choose iPhone or healthcare

A Republican congressman on Tuesday defended the GOP bill that would replace Obamacare, but he admitted people would likely lose coverage. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-UT, in a CNN interview responded to a question on the difference between “access” and “coverage” for low-income people by saying they would need to decide between insurance and gadgets.

The Latest: WikiLeaks says it reveals CIA hacking tools

The Latest on the publication by WikiLeaks of what it described as thousands of pages of confidential files about CIA hacking activities : Among the confidential documents published by WikiLeaks were a series of files purportedly attached to the CIA’s Operational Support Branch.

The Latest: Kansas governor warns dry weather will remain

Grass fires fanned by gusting winds scorched swaths of Kansas grassland Monday, forcing the evacuations of several towns and the closur… . Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Chaplain Jeff Thompson passes bags of chips to, from left to right, Suzanne Morgan, Carol Shaylor and Linda Nimmo Monday, March 6, 2017, inside an evacuation center at the Kansa… .

OU backs Senate letter calling to double security funds for Jewish, Muslim instiutions

The Orthodox Union is backing a bipartisan letter circulating in the Senate that calls for doubling security funding for non-profits, citing threats to both Jewish and Muslim institutions. “At a time when children being evacuated from daycare centers in response to repeated bomb threats and mosques are deliberately being set on fire, we must ensure that all organizations that face these threats have the support they need,” says the letter to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly authored by Sens. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.

Bill Whalen

Years ago, the political strategist Dick Morris liked to suggest that America’s chief executive suffered from a split personality – a “Saturday night Bill Clinton” who lacked good moral judgment; a more pious “Sunday morning President Clinton” who was a devoted public servant. “Sunday Trump” is an orgy of panel shows dedicated to the controversy du jour – this weekend, Trump alleging that his predecessor ordered wiretaps for Trump Tower.

House GOP releases bill replacing Obama health care overhaul

House Republicans on Monday released their long-awaited plan for unraveling former President Barack Obama’s health care law, a package that would scale back the government’s role in helping people afford coverage and likely leave more Americans uninsured. House committees planned to begin voting on the 123-page legislation Wednesday, launching what could be the year’s defining battle in Congress and capping seven years of Republican vows to repeal the 2010 law.

RIP, DNC

Here in the long-ago Democratic stronghold of Alabama, the party is all but dead, say some of its disheartened members. Consider: Not a single statewide office is held by a Democrat; the state legislature is dominated by Republicans with just 33 Democrats out of 105 House seats and eight of 35 Senate seats.

The House Plan To Repeal And Replace Has Been Unveiled

House Republicans on Monday released their long-awaited plan for unraveling former President Barack Obama’s health care law, a package that would scale back the government’s role in helping people afford coverage and likely leave more Americans uninsured. House committees planned to begin voting on the 123-page legislation Wednesday, launching what could be the year’s defining battle in Congress and capping seven years of Republican vows to repeal the 2010 law.

GOP Senators Cry Foul Over Medicaid Expansion Repeal

The House Republican plan to phase out the Obamacare Medicaid expansion by 2020 may be a nonstarter for some Senate Republicans-and could potentially threaten the larger repeal-and-replace process. Shortly before House lawmakers revealed a revamped version of their Obamacare repeal-and-replace bill Monday evening, four Republican senators sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying they would not support an earlier draft from Feb. 10 that repeals Medicaid expansion because it “does not meet the test of stability for individuals currently enrolled in the program.”

Black’s Balancing Act: The Budget Gavel and a Possible Governor Run

Just three weeks into her new job as House Budget Committee chair-and 20 months before an election that could be pivotal to her political future-Diane Black already faces a tricky balancing act. The Tennessee Republican, whose foray into leadership came unexpectedly when Tom Price was tapped for the Cabinet last January, will now oversee the budget reconciliation process expected to serve as a vehicle for both Obamacare repeal and tax reform this year.

How protesters forced Rubio out of a second Florida office

A second office landlord in Florida has kicked Republican Sen. Marco Rubio out due to continued protests outside the two buildings both officials said were interfering with building operations. On Monday, Rubio’s spokesperson said the landlord at his Jacksonville office had alerted them that the month-to-month lease would be discontinued due to the distracting activity taking place out front of the facility.

Housing a Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson speaks

Ben Carson just referred to slaves as ‘immigrants’ Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson referred to slaves as “immigrants” while speaking Monday to department employees. Check out this story on jacksonsun.com: http://usat.ly/2mxkV0Q “That’s what America is about, a land of dreams and opportunity,” Carson said.

Reuters: GOP repeal plan will emerge this week

The Republican Party’s long-awaited plan to undo ObamaCare will finally emerge this week, according to Reuters . Two months into the new session of Congress and their first real opportunity to make good on promises to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the legislative language will get published for debate in the House and Senate.

White House aides defend Trumpa s wiretapping claim

White House officials on Monday defended President Donald Trump’s explosive claim that Barack Obama tapped Trump’s telephones during last year’s election, although they won’t say exactly where that information came from and left open the possibility that it isn’t true. The comments came even as FBI Director James Comey privately asked the Justice Department to dispute the claim because he believed the allegations were false.

The Daily Briefing: Activists host a In Memoriama for the Sen. Rob Portman town hall that never was

About 200 people filled the rows of the First Unitarian Universalist Church on Sunday night in honor of Sen. Rob Portman’s town hall that never was. The In Memoriam, hosted by activist organization Indivisible Columbus, was a tongue-in-cheek gathering for local speakers to deliver eulogies on everything from immigration rights to facts, education, and representative democracy.

Senate Marine veteran pushes new war authorization

A Marine veteran newly elected to the Senate is hoping to reignite calls for Congress to pass its first new war authorization of U.S. military operations in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere since 2002. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., a former Marine intelligence officer who sits on the Foreign Relations Committee, introduced a bill last week that could reopen the debate over war powers as President Donald Trump reviews a new Pentagon strategy against the Islamic State group and wages new bombing in Yemen.

Jennifer Burns:

Ayn Rand is dead. It’s been 35 years since hundreds of mourners filed by her coffin , but it has been only four months since she truly died as a force in American politics.

Kathleen Parker:

Here in the long-ago Democratic stronghold of Alabama, the party is all but dead, say some of its disheartened members. Consider: Not a single statewide office is held by a Democrat; the state Legislature is dominated by Republicans with just 33 Democrats out of 105 House seats and eight of 35 Senate seats.

Trump hotel is the place to be in the nationa s capital

At a circular booth in the middle of the Trump International Hotel’s balcony restaurant, President Donald Trump dined on his steak – well-done, with ketchup – while chatting with British Brexit politician Nigel Farage. A few days later, major Republican donors Doug Deason and Doug Manchester, in town for the president’s address to Congress, sipped coffee at the hotel with Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.