The first-term Republican congressman from Kansas had Medicaid advocates seeing red.
Category: US News
House passes bill to restrict legal claims against companies
The House has approved a bill that would make it harder for individuals or groups to bring legal claims against companies in consumer disputes, employment discrimination cases and other areas. Lawmakers approved the Republican-sponsored measure, 220-201, Thursday night.
Americans oppose bathroom laws limiting transgender rights: poll
The majority of respondents to a new U.S. poll opposed laws barring transgender people from using bathrooms consistent with their gender identities and indicated growing acceptance for gay rights, a nonpartisan research group said on Friday. Fifty-three percent of the Americans surveyed oppose laws requiring transgender people to use bathrooms that correspond to their sex at birth, according to the national poll by the Public Religion Research Institute.
US spies still won’t tell Congress the number of Americans caught in dragnet
In 2013, a National Security Agency contractor named Edward Snowden revealed US surveillance programs that involved the massive and warrantless gathering of Americans’ electronic communications. Two of the programs, called Upstream and Prism , are allowed under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
GOP Health Plan Could Be Bitter Pill For California’s Obamacare Exchange
Republicans are touting their health plan as the right medicine for ailing insurance markets across the country, from Arizona to Tennessee. But California never landed in sick bay.
Drebes: Richard’s surrender creates tentative peace
The Republicans have unquestioned control of the Missouri Senate. They hold 24 of the 34 seats.
Republicans Just Made Trump’s Reelection a Whole Lot Tougher
President Donald Trump has thrown his full weight behind the House Republicans’ plan to overturn Obamacare. But he might end up regretting that move in 2020.
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Legal challenges against Trump’s revised trave… . Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin speaks at a news conference Thursday, March 9, 2107, in Honolulu.
New administration seeks resignations of 46 US attorneys
Attorney General Jeff Sessions is seeking the resignations of 46 U.S. attorneys who were holdovers from the Obama administration. Many of the federal prosecutors who were nominated by President Barack Obama have already left their positions, but the nearly four dozen who stayed on in the first weeks of the Trump administration have been asked to leave “in order to ensure a uniform transition,” Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said Friday.
AP Explains: What’s behind ouster of South Korean leader
In a historic rulin… . Protesters react after hearing the Constitutional Court’s verdict during a rally calling for impeachment of President Park Geun-hye near the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 10, 2017.
Japan bats away U.S. complaint on autos
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga speaks to media during a news conference in this photo taken by Kyodo February 12, 2017. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via Japan rejected U.S. demands for more access to Japan’s car market on Friday, casting doubt over whether it can avoid friction over autos and agriculture imports at high level bilateral talks on economic relations next month.
Threats to Jewish groups in U.S. and UK linked: investigators
PanARMENIAN.Net – Scotland Yard and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating more than a hundred bomb threats made to Jewish groups in the United States and Britain since Jan. 7, U.S. and UK law enforcement and Jewish community officials said, according to Reuters. Investigators said there is evidence that some of the U.S. and British bomb threats are linked.
Which Side Is Gen. Mattis On?
Aa debate over the military’s budget is emerging between defense hawks on Capitol Hill and fiscal hawks in the Trump administration. The fiscal hawks, chief among them Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney, want the next annual defense budget set at $603 billion, a 3 percent increase from the last Obama budget request.
Today in Trump: March 10, 2017
Most election forecasters found themselves in a social media buzzsaw the day after Donald Trump stunned the country with his triumph over Hillary Clinton. Major political oddsmakers had predicted a Clinton win, and famed numbers savant Nate Silver announced the day before the election, “Clinton is a 71 percent favorite to win the election.”
EPA chief unconvinced on CO2 link to global warming
The Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt to run the Environmental Protection Agency over the objections of Democrats and environmentalists worried he will gut the agency, as the administration readies executive orders to ease regulation on drillers and miners. Photo: Reuters/Carlos Barria The new head of the Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday he is not convinced that carbon dioxide from human activity is the main driver of climate change and said he wants Congress to weigh in on whether CO2 is a harmful pollutant that should be regulated.
Brooklyn congressman recites Biggie lyrics on house floor
‘It was all a dream!’ Brooklyn congressman recites Biggie lyrics on the house floor to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the rapper’s death A New York City congressman recited Biggie lyrics on the House floor on Thursday in a tribute to the rapper on the anniversary of his death. Thursday was the 20th anniversary of the legendary Biggie Smalls’ murder, and Brooklyn Congressman Hankeem Jeffries took the opportunity to honor him on the Congress floor.
Top generals testify against proposed State Dept. cuts
The two top U.S. generals in charge of military operations in Africa and the Middle East told the Senate Armed Service Committee on Thursday proposed budget cuts at the State Department could hamper the joint departmental effort to fight extremism. “We work very closely with various agencies,” said Marine Corps Gen.
Japan, US conduct navy drill in East China Sea as – warning’ to North Korea
The Japanese and US navies are conducting joint exercises in the East China Sea as tension intensifies in the region following North Korea’s missile tests , local media reported on Friday. The two sides launched the drill earlier this week, involving Japanese destroyers and a US Navy carrier strike group, the Sankei Shimbun daily and Kyodo News said, quoting unnamed Japanese and US government sources.
Huntsman in exile: Did appointment make way for Hatch?
For a second time, a president is sending Jon Huntsman overseas on an assignment that could block his political ambitions. President Donald Trump’s decision to tap the Republican former Utah governor as the US ambassador to Russia puts Huntsman on the sidelines the day before veteran Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch announced his plans Thursday to run for another term in 2018.
Poll: Alpharetta democrat leading in conservative district
Georgia’s 6th district seat, which is traditionally Republican dominated, was held by Tom Price before he was sworn in as Secretary of Health and Human Services for the Trump administration in February. Ossoff has never held an elected position, but his online campaign titled “Make Trump Furious,” led to nearly $3 million in donations.
Trump vs. Trump: President’s credibility gap like Grand Canyon
The contradictions in both the president’s rhetoric and his approach to governing were there from the beginning of the speech. He started, somewhat oddly, by conflating the last day of Black History Month with the attacks on Jewish cemeteries and community centers across the country and saying that bigotry had no place in American life.
Australian report urges ban on foreign political donations2 min ago
An Australian parliamentary committee has recommended a ban on political donations from foreign companies and individuals. Unlike the United States and many other countries that ban foreign donations, Australian law has never distinguished between donors from Australia and overseas.
Sean Spicer, barred from Air Force One, avoids the cameras
He is the US president’s most prominent political spokesman but his high profile didn’t protect Sean Spicer from being temporarily banished from Air Force One. Spicer was among a group of Donald Trump’s senior aides who were banned from the presidential aircraft a week ago after Trump erupted in frustration at his staff during an Oval Office meeting.
Republicans retain Hackman as party chairwoman
By a vote of 59-17, Hackman was chosen Saturday by local GOP precinct committee members over fellow Republican Lisa Deaton. Other incumbent party officers who ran unopposed were also re-elected to serve another term.
Fire ravages home in Harvest
Some say it’s a big headache, others say it’s a big fix to traffic backups on one of Montgomery busiest roadways. A construction project on Chantilly Parkway is in its final stages and officials say it should make traveling the road safer.
Michigan’s indifference toward Flint continues to defy logic
You might have thought the Snyder administration would have learned trying to keep information about Flint hidden doesn’t work. Last week, state officials refused to take part in a scheduled meeting in which a team of university researchers were to present their preliminary findings about a mysterious outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Flint.
Trump’s better ban
As written, the old order banned travel into the United States by citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries, even if they had green cards. The administration backed down from that quickly, but didn’t change the text of the order.
Nominee for elections director lacks clear experience
Anson P. Bowe, the former tugboat engineer nominated for the post of Lucas County elections director, has had a variety of jobs, but little on his official record that directly relates to the job of overseeing the 140 full and part-time staffers who run elections here, a Blade investigation shows. Mr. Bowe, 53, who just transferred his address from a house in Fulton County’s Delta owned by his mother, Ann F. Mather, to a house in South Toledo owned by a friend, said he has experience in elections, managing employees, and handling financial and legal documents that isn’t necessarily spelled out in his resume.
Politics fire up late-night
Not even two months into Donald J. Trump’s presidency, and it’s clear his administration and the conservative tilt in Washington has fired up the monologues of late-night television. On Tuesday, for example, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel took a jab at the just-unveiled and much-anticipated health-care plan by House Republicans: “This is the one that’s supposed to replace Obamacare, they’re calling it the American Health Care Act.
Noel J. Francisco, Trump’s solicitor general pick, fought Obama on recess appointments
President Trump ‘s pick for solicitor general – the government’s chief lawyer to the Supreme Court – has been there before. Noel J. Francisco won a 9-0 spanking of President Obama over his illegal recess appointments, fought the administration to a draw on the Obamacare contraceptive mandate and won the release of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell after convincing the justices that the corruption charges were bogus.
Robinson: Health care plan reflects GOP moral irresponsibility
It’s time to put an end to the myth that Republicans believe in fiscal responsibility. Saving taxpayer dollars takes a back seat to the ideological imperative of blaming and shaming the poor.
Tillerson steps away from possible pipeline decisions
Secretary of State designate Rex Tillerson pauses during a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 4, 2017. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson , who previously served as the CEO of oil and gas giant ExxonMobil , has recused himself from any decisions regarding the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
Denver FBI honors youth program partly funded by pot taxes
The Denver FBI honored a youth dropout prevention group Thursday, apparently without realizing it is partially funded with taxes from the marijuana industry. The U.S. Justice Department, the FBI’s parent agency, considers the marijuana industry operating in Colorado and other states illegal, and new U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has indicated he wants stronger enforcement of federal law.
Marijuana crackdown is so yesterday
We’re disappointed that White House press secretary Sean Spicer recently said “greater enforcement” of federal drug laws, including prohibition of marijuana, is coming. “There’s a federal law that we need to abide by when it comes to recreational marijuana and other drugs of that nature,” he said.
ACLU Proves (Again) They Are Partisan Left-Wing Hacks
Jeff Sessions gave answers in his confirmation hearing some people do not like. Senator Al Franken, who is more comfortable writing scripts, didn’t ask the right questions and Sessions responses in context were about contacts with Russian officials about matters of the Presidential campaign.
Trump Pushes Health Bill, But Ryan Owns It
Republican lawmakers don’t want to cross the President, especially since he could walk away and leave the House holding the bag. House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis.
Rex Tillerson recuses himself from Keystone pipeline decision
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has recused himself from TransCanada’s application for a presidential permit for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, the State Department says. President Donald Trump signed executive orders on Tuesday to advance the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Keystone Pipeline.
Rep. Eric Swalwell posts website on Trump-Russia connection
Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell has launched a website to document the personal, social and business connections between the Russian government and members of the Trump administration – and the threats of such links to U.S. interests. In an interview Thursday, the East Bay congressman called it a “living, breathing guide to what is happening” and noted that the site is evolving along with the story.
GOP leaders claim momentum as health bill clears hurdles
Republican leaders drove their long-promised legislation to dismantle Barack Obama’s health care law over its first big hurdles in the House on Thursday, claiming fresh momentum despite cries of protest from right, left and After grueling all-night sessions, the Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees both approved their portions of the bill along party-line votes. The legislation, strongly supported by President Donald Trump, would eliminate the unpopular tax penalties for the uninsured under the Affordable Care Act, replacing Obama’s law with a conservative blueprint likely to cover far fewer people but – Republicans hope – increase choice.
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The mayor of the Mississippi city where a train hit a bus, killing four Texas tourists, is vowing to close some railroad crossings and make others safer. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s new deputy governor is scheduled to receive half of her pay out of an employee health care account that is more than $4 billion behind on its bills due to the state’s budget crisis.