MORNING MESSAGE
The First 100 Days of Resistance
...it’s only been 98 days since that gloomy spectacle was followed by a global wave of women’s marches against Trump and the things he represents: greed, bigotry, sexism, and an old-fashioned Republican hatred of public service ... Two weeks after the resistance first appeared, it had already surpassed Trump in popularity, with a sixty percent approval rating that outstripped both Trump’s and the tea party’s at a similar moment in its history. But the movement was just getting started...
ACA Repeal Still Short
Republicans delay health care vote again. The Hill:“White House officials had been pushing for a vote by President Trump’s 100th day in office on Saturday, but it was clear Thursday night that the 216 GOP votes needed to pass the healthcare bill had not materialized. At least 21 Republicans had come out against the bill, with many more undecided. Leaders can only afford 22 GOP defections.”
More from NYT:“[The new bill] gave pause to some Republicans who were ready to vote in favor of the measure last month. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, Republican of Florida, planned to support the bill last month before it was pulled. But on Thursday, he acknowledged ‘a lot of red flags,’ including what would happen to people with pre-existing conditions. ‘How are they treated?’ he asked. ‘What options do they have?'”
Single-payer movement eyes California. The Nation’s John Nichols:“California could be America’s Saskatchewan if groundbreaking legislation continues to advance through the legislature. Urged on by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United and the Healthy California Campaign, the California state Senate Health Committee on Wednesday approved legislation to ‘guarantee health care for all California residents with comprehensive health services and an end to out of control co-pays and deductibles.'”
Redistributing Upward
Trump tax plan redistributes wealth upward. NYT:“President Trump’s proposal to slash individual and business taxes and erase a surtax that funds the Affordable Care Act would amount to a multitrillion-dollar shift from federal coffers to America’s richest families and their heirs …”
Blue state Republicans wary of tax plan. Bloomberg:“… at least three House Republicans criticized one of the key provisions — eliminating the deductibility of state and local taxes — estimated to raise $1.3 trillion over a decade. The largest beneficiaries of the tax break are in New York, New Jersey and California, all relatively high-tax blue states…”
Executive Orders Mainly Fluff
“Trump’s Executive Orders Are Mostly Theater” notes Politico:“99 days into his presidency, Trump’s high-profile orders have not actually undone Obama’s health reforms, financial regulations, or carbon restrictions. They’ve merely allowed him to announce his intentions to undo those policies in official document.”
But immigration a different story. Politico:“The interior-enforcement executive order that Trump signed during his first week in office dumped the Obama administration’s practice of prioritizing the arrests of serious criminals — a policy that allowed low-level immigration offenders to fly below the radar.”
Breakfast Sides
Trump zig-zags on NAFTA. NYT:“Congressional Republicans and business leaders urged Mr. Trump to reconsider [termination] … ‘Mr. President, America’s corn farmers helped elect you,’ Wesley Spurlock, president of the National Corn Growers Association, wrote in an open letter … Mr. Trump’s talk of withdrawing from Nafta might have been an effort to prod Congress into action. The White House wants Congress to authorize expedited approval of a reworked agreement — a process known as trade promotion authority — but so far, it has not been able to win support from congressional Republicans.”
Nebraska battles Keystone. NYT:“… if construction ever begins, opponents say they are willing to participate in civil disobedience. But opponents in Nebraska are betting that they can block the pipeline through other means. The State Public Service Commission, which will decide as early as mid-September whether to grant a permit for Keystone XL, will hold five days of hearings on the project in August.”
Weak GDP growth in first quarter. NYT:“The economy barely grew, expanding at an annual rate of only 0.7 percent … the weakest quarterly showing in three years … Most experts believe the economy is picking up speed now, with Wall Street looking for growth at an annual rate of 2.8 percent in the second quarter. But initial hopes have been repeatedly proven too rosy lately…”
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