Monday, July 3, 2017

Progressive Breakfast: Love Your Country? Save Health Care!








MORNING MESSAGE

Sarah Chaisson-Warner
Love Your Country? Save Health Care!
We have one more chance this Independence Day to stop the GOP’s health care repeal before it sickens, bankrupts, and even kills many of us. Remember: grassroots pressure works.

Health Care Maneuvers

GOP’s Plan B for Obamacare – repeal first, replace later – began with quiet push from Koch network. LA Times:“The influential Koch network, backed by the billionaire industrialists, floated the idea most recently at a retreat last weekend in Colorado Springs, Colo., where key conservative lawmakers heard an earful from frustrated GOP donors about the party’s failure to deliver on their signature campaign promise. Among those attending the gathering at the luxurious Broadmoor Hotel was Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, who has been working with the White House behind the scenes on the idea.”
Ohio governor calls out GOP attempt to buy off moderates with ‘anemic’ opioid funds. ThinkProgress:“Gov. John Kasich dismissed the $45 billion fund for opioid treatment that some Republicans have floated as a potential ‘sweetener’ for moderates as completely insufficient to address the problem… according to Kasich, that amount would not come close to solving the problem. ‘That would give me a billion over ten years? Not even quite that. It’s anemic. As I said to Senator Portman at one point, it’s like spitting in the ocean. It’s not enough.'”
Queer dance party descends on McConnell’s house, dancing with anger over health care repeal. City Paper:“A swanky stretch of C Street near the Capitol in Washington, D.C. is blocked by a raucous crowd dancing in front of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s house on an unseasonably cool summer evening. As music blasts from loudspeakers, the scene resembles a Pride block party as about 50 members of the LGBTQ community and their allies attempt to dance away their fears and anger over McConnell’s so-called health care bill, which was negotiated in secret.”

Trump Outrage

Trump tweets may incite violence against journalists. WaPo:“President Trump, who has reveled in his confrontational style with the news media, sparked fierce debate Sunday over whether he is inciting violence against journalists by posting a doctored video clip showing him bashing the head of a figure representing CNN. Trump’s latest provocation in his war with the media brought denunciations from Democrats, and some Republicans, who warned that the president’s conduct could endanger reporters as he seeks to undermine public trust in reporting about his administration.”
LA marchers call for Trump impeachment. LA Times:“Several thousand protesters marched through downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, waving signs and chanting, ‘Down, down, down with Trump — up, up, up with the people’ as they urged Congress to impeach the president. The peaceful demonstration was one of dozens of events held across the country Sunday, aimed at voicing displeasure with Trump and his White House.”
Bill to create panel that could remove Trump from office quietly picks up Democratic support. Yahoo News:“House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders have privately counseled their more militant members to forswear talk of impeaching President Trump, telling them the political support for such a step simply doesn’t exist in the GOP-controlled Congress. But 25 House Democrats, including the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, are now pushing an equally radical alternative: They are backing a bill that would create a congressional ‘oversight’ commission that could declare the president incapacitated, leading to his removal from office under the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.”
Dozens of states reject Kobach’s call for sensitive voting records. NPR:“More a dozen states said Friday that they would not, or could not, give a White House commission looking into voter fraud detailed voter registration data as requested. By Saturday, the number of states refusing to fully comply had doubled.”

Conflicts of Interest

DOJ corporate compliance watchdog resigns citing Trump’s conduct. The Hill:“A top Justice Department official who serves as a corporate compliance watchdog has left her job, saying she felt she could no longer force companies to comply with the government’s ethics laws when members of the administration she works for have conducted themselves in a manner that she claims would not be not tolerated.”
Trump ethics aide under fire for allowing billionaire Carl Icahn to skirt ethics rules. Common Dreams:“In a letter to the White House on Thursday, the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) warned that a top Trump administration ethics official may have violated the very rules he is required to enforce by allowing billionaire investor Carl Icahn — who has frequently advised President Donald Trump on a variety of issues — to skirt financial disclosure requirements. The business mogul has been profiting immensely from his position as informal advisor to President Trump.”
With the help of industry insiders and lobbyists, Scott Pruitt is rapidly changing the EPA. Salon:“Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt has only held the job for four months, but he has already made regulatory rollback’s ‘larger in scope than any other over so short a time in the agency’s 47-year history,’ according to the New York Times. Over 30 environmental rules have been undone, delayed or blocked.”

More from OurFuture.org:

Save Health Care for Nevada’s Small Businesses. Peter Frigeri:“GOP Senators like Nevada’s Dean Heller can take a stand for small businesses and working people by rejecting any plan that hurts not only communities and the economy, but also worsens the lives of tens of millions of ordinary people.”
Water, Jobs & Justice. Judith LeBlanc:“Judith LeBlanc, director of the Native Organizers Alliance, talks about “Water, Jobs & Justice” at the People’s Summit in Chicago with David Hunt, Lashaya Darisaw, Dennis Houlihan and other speakers.”
Campaigning & Governing for Transformational Change. Roger Hickey:“Roger Hickey, co-founder of Campaign for America’s Future, talks about “Campaigning & Governing for Transformational Change” at the People’s Summit in Chicago. Other speakers include Joe Salazar and Rep. Mark Pocan.”
Multi-Front Organizing for the Political Revolution. LeeAnn Hall:“LeeAnn Hall, co-director of People’s Action, talks about “Multi-Front Organizing for the Political Revolution” at the People’s Summit in Chicago. Other speakers include Linda Sarsour, Elisheva Johnson and Tomas Robles.”
Down-Ballot Revolutionaries. Amanda Weaver:“Amanda Weaver, executive director of Reclaim Chicago, speaks about “Down Ballot Revolutionaries” at the People’s Summit in Chicago, Illinois, with Khalid Kamau, Laurel Wales and other progressive organizers.”
Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People's Action.more »




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