Obamacare, Dakota Access Pipeline, Macy’s: Your Wednesday evening roundup

Vice President-elect Mike Pence told Republican lawmakers Wednesday that the Trump administration will press for a fast path forward on gutting the Affordable Care Act , through a combination of legislative moves and early executive actions. Pence gave GOP lawmakers the rough outline of a battle-plan for dismantling Obamacare and laying the blame for current problems in the healthcare system at the Democrats’ feet.

Governor’s report: Salmon remain in trouble in Washington

A new state report finds that salmon throughout Washington remain in trouble with many species not recovering and fishing harvests declining in recent decades. The governor’s State of Salmon in Watersheds report Wednesday notes that seven of 15 salmon and steelhead species listed as federally threatened or endangered are getting worse or not improving.

Oklahoma superintendent seeks $221M boost for schools

Oklahoma state Rep. Leslie Osborn, R-Mustang, gestures as she talks with a colleague on the House floor in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. Oklahoma’s Department of Education says it needs $221 million more in funding for the next school year just to keep pace with student growth.

Meet Russia’s favorite congressman. He drunkenly arm-wrestled Putin to decide the Cold War.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher finally has his moment in the sun. With the election of Donald Trump and with building relations with Russia as a foreign policy priority, Rohrabacher’s long-standing and often lonely efforts to do the same are suddenly bearing fruit, as our Robert Costa reports : Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican ally of President-elect Donald Trump and a longtime enthusiast of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Wednesday that he is planning to lead a congressional delegation to Russia next month and expects to meet with Russian officials to discuss “how we can work with the Duma.”

Republicans vow to get rid of Obamacare but givea

Republicans vow to get rid of Obamacare but give no details Vice President-elect Mike Pence meets with GOP on dumping health care law, while Obama looks to defend. Check out this story on portclintonnewsherald.com: http://usat.ly/2hRPBqg Vice President-elect Mike Pence meets with Republican members of Congress Wednesday to discuss ways of dismantling the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.

Gaslighting and the Left’s War on Reality

Donald Trump’s victory over one of the most powerful political machines in American history has given mainstream America the opportunity to turn America onto a sensible course. The success or failure of that turnaround, however, depends largely on the ability of mainstream Americans to see through the left’s longstanding use of a vile political tactic known as gaslighting.

Kansas Congressman’s son ‘dabs’ during swearing-in photo op

A new Kansas Congressman is dishing out discipline after his 17-year-old son pulled a dance move resembling a sneeze during a photo shoot with House Speaker Paul Ryan after the U.S. House of Representatives swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol. During the photo shoot Tuesday, Cal Marshall held the Bible with his father and Ryan.

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United States President-elect Donald Trump has mocked an upcoming intelligence briefing on alleged Russian hacking in the U.S. presidential election, implying the U.S. authorities will fabricate the contents of the briefing. Trump tweeted that he was originally scheduled to receive the briefing on Tuesday, Jan. 3, but the meeting was delayed until Friday because “perhaps more time [was] needed to build a case.”

U.S. House makes it easier to repeal Obamacare, harder for lawmakers to protest

WASHINGTON — House Republicans, after dropping plans to eliminate an independent ethics office, approved new rules that would fine lawmakers if they broadcast from the floor, as Democrats did last year to demand new gun safety legislation. The rules package, which passed with no Democratic support, 234-193, also will make it easier for the House GOP to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which provides health insurance for more than 20 million Americans, without offering any way to replace their coverage.

Obama, Pence To Visit Capitol Hill for Healthcare Talks

President Barack Obama is traveling to the Capitol to give congressional Democrats advice on how to combat the Republican drive to dismantle his health care overhaul. Vice President-elect Mike Pence is meeting with GOP lawmakers to discuss the best way to send Obama’s cherished law to its graveyard and replace it with – well, something.

.com | California gets ready to protect foreigners from Trump

California, home to many foreigners without residence papers, is girding to fight any attempt by President-elect Donald Trump to expel them. Trump, who takes office on January 20, has vowed to deport from the country as many as three million immigrants with criminal records and build a wall along the border with Mexico.

Trump, with 2 tweets, helps push GOP reversal on ethics

Members of the House of Representatives, some joined by family, gather in the House chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, as the 115th Congress gets under way. Members of the House of Representatives, some joined by family, gather in the House chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, as the 115th Congress gets under way.

GOP Senator outlines Obamacare provisions on chopping block

With Republicans looking to make immediate progress on a repeal of the Affordable Care Act this month — and Democrats rallying on Capitol Hill Wednesday to try to preserve it — Sen. Bill Cassidy said American voters who favor repeal of the law have particular provisions in mind, and aren’t necessarily talking about the whole law. “Really we have to, if you will, differentiate between Obamacare — the penalties, the mandates, you gotta do this or the federal government is coming after you — and the other things that were in the bill that were put in there because it was a vehicle,” Cassidy said during the debut of CBSN’s new daily political show “Red and Blue.”

Rick Perry’s Texas giveaways: There’s something fishy about…

Donald Trump’s selection of Rick Perry to lead the Department of Energy has prompted many Democrats to question Perry’s qualifications for the position. While he governed a state rich in fossil fuels and wind energy, Perry has far less experience than President Obama’s two energy secretaries, both physicists, in the department’s primary work, such as tending the nuclear-weapons stockpile, handling nuclear waste and carrying out advanced scientific research.

US House Republicans set to vote on repealing Obamacare

U.S. House Republicans were moving ahead on Friday with legislation aimed at dismantling Obamacare , despite concerns about not having a replacement for the healthcare program and the potential financial costs in repealing President Barack Obama’s landmark law. Moderate Republican Representative Charlie Dent said he had reservations about voting for the effort to start a repeal but would not say whether he would vote for or against it.

Reid: FBI director’s letter cost Democrats the election, Senate

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said Monday FBI Director James Comey was “heavily involved as a partisan” in the weeks leading up to the election and that Comey’s actions handed the presidency to Donald Trump. The retiring Nevada Democrat said Democrats “would have won the majority in the Senate and would have won the presidency but for Comey.”

Honest, truthful scientist fired by DOE for not defending Obama’s climate action plan

The U.S. Department of Energy is the latest government agency to be exposed for putting politics over principle after it was revealed that a top DOE scientist was fired simply for telling the truth about climate change. Reports indicate that Noelle Metting was basically canned by the Obama administration when she was caught answering questions from a legislative committee honestly, which apparently is a major no-no when it comes to anything related to climate change policy .

A Trump tweet that doesn’t spark outrage in Chicago

President-elect Donald Trump ‘s tweets often trigger what is now commonly referred to as Trump Derangement Syndrome, or TDS. You’ve seen the symptoms: the wailing and shrieking of tortured liberals; their references to Hitler and the end of days or whatever dark prophecies can be tweeted with two left thumbs.

Trump objects after House GOP votes to gut ethics office

President-elect Donald Trump criticized House Republicans Tuesday for making one of their first acts a vote to gut the independent Office of Congressional Ethics, arguing that tax reform and health care should be higher priorities. “With all that Congress has to work on, do they really have to make the weakening of the Independent Ethics Watchdog, as unfair as it may be, their number one act and priority,” Trump asked over Twitter the morning after the surprise and secretive move by the House GOP.

GOP drops weakening of ethics office, challenged by Trump

House Republicans reversed themselves Tuesday under pressure from President-elect Donald Trump, and dropped plans to swiftly gut an independent congressional ethics board. GOP drops weakening of ethics office, challenged by Trump WASHINGTON – House Republicans reversed themselves Tuesday under pressure from President-elect Donald Trump, and dropped plans to swiftly gut an independent congressional ethics board.

Desperation

The mainstream media are abuzz with claims that House Republicans have voted to ” gut ” or ” eviscerate ” the Office of Congressional Ethics , or to strip it of its independence. Perpetual House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi claimed Republicans had ” eliminated ” the oversight body, and linked the move to President-elect Donald Trump, claiming that the House Republicans’ move represents a violation of Trump’s campaign promise to “drain the swamp” in Washington.

GOP commands new Congress dogged by ethics office vote

The new Republican-led Congress lined up to be sworn in Tuesday, facing questions about a secretive move to gut an independent ethics board that drew criticism from President-elect Donald Trump over the priorities of GOP leaders. Trump, who takes office later this month, challenged the decision to immediately weaken the Office of Congressional Ethics, arguing that tax reform and health care are more important.

Republicans primed for push to dismantle Obama’s policies

Members of the 115th Congress will be sworn in at noon Tuesday, setting off an aggressive campaign by Republicans who control the House and Senate to dismantle eight years of President Barack Obama’s Democratic policies. The first and biggest target is Obama’s signature health care law, which Republicans have long sought to gut and blamed as a primary cause for a economic recovery.

House GOP votes to gut independent ethics office

House Republicans have voted to eviscerate the Office of Congressional Ethics, the independent body created in 2008 to investigate allegations of misconduct by lawmakers after several bribery and corruption scandals sent members to prison. The ethics change, which prompted an outcry from Democrats and government watchdog groups, is part of a rules package that the full House will vote on Tuesday.

Morning Bits

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi speaks at her weekly news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 17. One is precedent, two is a trend . “Another way for Australia to demonstrate its unswerving support for Israel, as the Middle East’s only liberal, pluralist democracy, might be to join any move by the Trump administration to move its embassy to Jerusalem.”

Congress returns with aggressive conservative agenda

As a new Congress convenes Tuesday, Republicans will arrive with a long and aggressive to-do list, emboldened by majorities in the House and the Senate and the promise of President-elect Donald Trump. Working from a blueprint of the last half-decade, they’re anxious to enact the conservative policy agenda that a Democratic White House has thwarted, undoing much of President Barack Obama’s legacy in the process.

Paul Ryan expected to be re-elected as House speaker Tuesday

Paul Ryan is expected to be easily re-elected Tuesday as speaker of the House, kicking off the new Congress and marking a quiet end following a year that saw both parties questioning their congressional leadership. Ryan was re-elected by the House Republican conference in November to serve a second term as speaker of the House.

Ex-death row inmate in Ohio wants new trial amid new doubts

A one-time death row inmate in Ohio whose sentence was commuted to life in prison has asked a judge for a new trial based on concerns that have surfaced about a former state crime lab worker. Attorneys for Kevin Keith are questioning whether the state forensic expert provided unreliable testimony against him at his 1994 trial.