 | FRIDAY, JULY |
TODAY:
MORNING MESSAGE
The Mooch, the Donald, and the Goldmanization of Government
Donald Trump’s White House seems more like a Quentin Tarantino movie every day. Amid allegations of broken laws and self-dealing at the highest levels, the president has now hired a Communications Director called “The Mooch.”
Join Us To Say Our Lives Are On The Line
On Saturday, July 29, people are coming together all across America at over 150 events and in Washington, D.C. to say affordable, effective health care saves lives.Join us July 29 at an event near you to say Our Lives Are On The Line.Protect Medicaid and health care for everyone in the country.
Senate Votes Against ‘Skinny” Health Repeal
Senate rejects slimmed down Obamacare repeal. NYT:“The Senate on Friday rejected a new, scaled-down Republican plan to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act, seemingly derailing the Republicans’ seven-year campaign to dismantle the health care law… The truncated Republican plan was far less than what Republicans once envisioned. Republican leaders, unable to overcome complaints from both moderate and conservative members of their caucus, said the skeletal plan was just a vehicle to permit negotiations with the House, which passed a much more ambitious repeal bill in early May.”
WV’s Sen. Capito votes for health repeal, 52 years after her father voted to create Medicaid & Medicare. Charlotte Gazette-Mail:“Over the last 52 years, Medicaid has saved countless lives, providing vital care for the elderly, the poor and the disabled. It also remains one of the most popular government programs in history, with strong majorities supporting it across party lines. But many — though not all — Republicans in Senate are rush headlong to gut it. Sen. Capito should not be one of those senators. She should stand with the more than 500,000 West Virginians who count on Medicaid to get us the care we need to live the healthiest, most independent lives possible.”
Defeat of ‘skinny’ bill ends, for now, health debate. NPR:“‘This is clearly a disappointing moment,’ Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said immediately after the bill failed… McConnell, who seemed to exhaust every trick in the procedural playbook to get to this point, seemed surprised and undercut by the result. The defeat ends — for now — the health care debate in Congress. The chamber adjourned following the defeat and there are no further Senate votes this week. In the short-term, the Senate intends to move on to defense legislation and the nomination of Christopher Wray to be the next FBI Director.”
House Approves Trump Spending, Border Wall
House Approves Spending Package, Border Wall and All“The House approved on Thursday a bundle of spending bills, including $1.57 billion that President Trump requested to build a wall along the Mexican border, which could serve as the opening salvo in a new congressional battle to keep the government funded. The nearly $790 billion package, which passed 235 to 192, would fund a slew of security-related government expenses and gave House Republicans a fresh victory on the cusp of a more than five-week recess. Five Republicans voted against the measure, and five Democrats voted for it. But the legislation is almost certain to fail in the Senate, where picking up the tab for Mr. Trump’s signature campaign promise — a border wall, which he has vowed Mexico ultimately will fund — is a deal-breaker for Democrats.”
Justice Dept. Argues Civil Rights Do Not Protect Gay Workers
Justice claims rights law doesn’t protect gay workers. BuzzFeed:“The US Justice Department on Wednesday argued in a major federal lawsuit that a 1964 civil rights law doesn’t protect gay workers from discrimination, thereby diverging from a separate, autonomous federal agency that had supported the gay plaintiff’s case. The Trump administration’s filing is unusual in part because the Justice Department isn’t a party in the case, and the department doesn’t typically weigh in on private employment lawsuits.”
GOP Senator Wants to Limit Trump’s Powers
Sen. Graham to introduce bill limiting Trump’s ability to fire the Special Counsel investigating him. New York Magazine:“Senator Lindsey Graham said Thursday that any attempt by President Trump to remove special counsel Robert Mueller “could be the beginning of the end of the Trump presidency,” and unveiled plans for legislation that would make it much harder for any special counsel to be fired… If Graham’s bill makes it through both the House and Senate, it would mark the second high-profile instance of Congress showing at least some willingness to constrain Trump’s power. The first will arrive on Trump’s desk any day now in the form of a bill that slaps new sanctions on Russia and removes his power to remove those sanctions without congressional approval.”
More from OurFuture.org:
Problems Posed By School Choice Can’t Be Ignored. Jeff Bryant:“Enraged school-choice advocates denying fact-based criticism from Randi Weingarten and the NAACP can’t continue to ignore the sordid past of their cause, and the problems posed for students and families by charter schools and vouchers today.”
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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