Posted on Categories News & Comment

PBC News & Comment: GOP House Rams Through Obamacare Repeal

Effectively issuing death sentences for millions, House GOP guts Obamacare in reckless, cavalier action to fund tax cuts for rich….–arms were twisted, plums were promised to get bare minimum 217 votes to repeal Affordable Care Act

–bill was passed without cost scoring, and many provisions were not known; bottom line: millions will lose coverage

–the bill includes 1-year defunding of Planned Parenthood Medicaid payments, about $550 million a year—none of which pays for abortions

–it also hammers funding for senior nursing home care, reports The Intercept

–GOP leader Jason Chaffetz wheels in for vote following fully covered foot surgery for a 12-year-old pre-existing condition

–Republicans took a huge risk in this vote, as the bill may never pass the senate, and House votes may be liability in elections next year

–Apple CEO Tim Cook pledges $1 billion to expand US manufacturing, with a bit of extortion attached

–FBI Director’s offhand remark indicates that Bill Clinton’s actions led Comey to go public last July, says Dana Milbank

–also in The Post, James Downie accepts Comey’s challenge to second-guess him

–Kevin Gosztola focuses on Comey’s comments about WikiLeaks at Shadowproof

The FBI Director’s Unsettling Argument For Why WikiLeaks Doesn’t Deserve First Amendment Protection

–in our latest in-depth interview, State Dept veteran Peter van Buren thinks the State Dept needs a shakeup, but Rex Tillerson isn’t likely to do it right

–45 grandstands for evangelicals with religious freedom order

–Russia, Iran and Turkey agree to create safe zones in Syria

–Trump plans to visit Saudia Arabia, Israel and the Vatican this month

–in new airline passenger confrontation, family is booted from Delta flight over seating dispute