National
Four Republican senators spurn draft GOP health bill
The bill would end Obama's tax penalties on people who don't buy insurance - effectively ending the so-called individual mandate - and on larger companies that don't offer coverage to their workers. Several Republican senators have already said they oppose the bill, at least as of now. "It's simply not the answer", the Nevada Republican said at a news conference alongside Gov. [Full Article...]
Trump is willing to work with Senate Republicans on health care bill
The Republican healthcare bill was built behind closed doors, but now it's out in plain sight. The new draft of the bill from the Senate maintains the repeal of the Affordable Care Act as well as severe cuts to Medicaid . Iowa opted to expand, and has added more than 150,000 people to its rolls since 2014. Bernie Sanders went so far to call it " by far the most harmful piece of legisl... [Full Article...]
Four GOP Senators, including Johnson-WI, withhold support from health care bill
He said middle-class families with loved ones in nursing homes would see higher bills costing $2,000 or $3,000 more a month. He acknowledged that Republicans have long promised to repeal the ACA , but urged lawmakers to put aside partisan politics while working to address America's health care system. [Full Article...]
Diplomat who aided in Otto Warmbier's release to attend his funeral
Despite the uplifting celebration of his ex-classmate's life, Kraner lamented "a very bright future that we'll never know". Pyongyang's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said the U.S. President Donald Trump slammed Warmbier's detention and eventual death as "a total disgrace". By the time the United States extracted him, North Korean authorities said he had been comatose for over a year. [Full Article...]
New blow to GOP health bill: Nevada GOP Sen. Heller opposes
Erasing Obama's law has been a marquee pledge for Trump and virtually the entire party for years, and failure would be a shattering defeat for the GOP . "It's going to be very hard to get me to a yes", he said, noting that conservative Republican senators would likely be reluctant to add spending back to the measure. [Full Article...]
CNN brings courtroom sketch artist to White House press briefing
The White House has pulled the plug on cameras in some of their press briefings so CNN sent the next best thing - a sketch artist . With the White House banning cameras at some press briefings, CNN sent a sketch artist to "paint a picture for viewers who couldn't be in the room". [Full Article...]
Compare the Senate, GOP health bills and 'Obamacare' on key issues
Sens. Paul Ryan of Kentucky, Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin all said they would not support the current bill after its long-awaited reveal. Democrats said the bill would result in skimpier policies and higher out-of-pocket costs for many people and erode gains made under Obama that saw roughly 20 million more Americans gain coverage. [Full Article...]
Pentagon to be granted authority for decisions over troop deployment in Afghanistan
He added that the Trump administration is working on a comprehensive cyber defense strategy, but in the meantime the USA has enough understanding of Russia's cyber actions to defend against them. Mattis says, "Mr. Putin has chosen to be a strategic competitor". The broader regional U.S. strategy for Afghanistan remains unclear. Mattis also pitched for allying with Afghan forces to fight agai... [Full Article...]