Last December, a Republican judge named Reed O’Connor handed down an opinion purporting to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act. The case, Texas v. United States, was brought by several Republican officials who manipulated the process used to assign judges to cases in order to get this case into O’Connor’s courtroom.
O’Connor, a former Republican Capitol Hill staffer, has a history of striking down policies supported by Democrats on highly dubi...
Republicans
Democrats and Republicans agree on some surprising issues, but not on how to solve them
Americans are deeply divided along political lines, and most believe that polarization will only get worse in the future, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
Still, the poll also found a surprising degree of overlap between the two...
Trump denies white nationalism is growing threat – live
President disagrees far-right threat is rising when asked about deadly New Zealand mosque attack. Follow the latest US politics news
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8.17pm GMT
More from Donald Trump’s remarks before vetoing the congressional resolution to block his national emergency at the southern border, where he doubled down on his portrayal of immigrants as invaders and criminals:
He called it...
Fox News condemns host Jeanine Pirro’s attack on Ilhan Omar – live
- Fox News host went after Omar for wearing hijab
- Network: ‘We strongly condemn Jeanine Pirro’s comments’
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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s advisers are skeptical to say the least about his potential presidential bid.
De Blasio, who traveled to South Carolina this weekend, has said he won’t rule out jumping into the already crowded 2020 Democratic primary field.
Donald Trump will be unveiling his proposal for the federal budget today.
The president’s budget doesn’t carry the weight that it once did, Reuters reports. Congress is expected to largely ignore it. The proposed budget for 2020 comes a month after its deadline, which the White House has blamed on the government shutdown.
Trump’s plan for the 2020 budget year will propose cuts to many domestic programs favored by lawmakers in both parties but leave alone politically popular retirement programs such as Medicare and Social Security.
Washington probably will devote months to wrestling over erasing the last remnants of a failed 2011 budget deal that would otherwise cut core Pentagon operations by $71 billion and domestic agencies and foreign aid by $55 billion. Top lawmakers are pushing for a reprise of three prior deals to use spending cuts or new revenues and prop up additional spending rather than defray deficits that are again approaching $1 trillion.
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Pence attacks ‘hard-left’ Democrats in rant against socialism – live updates
Vice-president criticizes Green New Deal and Medicare for All and claims choice in next election is between ‘freedom and socialism’
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8.47pm GMT
The Democratic-led House oversight committee has issued a warning to Donald Trump’s counsel, demanding that the White House turn over documents related to security clearances for some of the president’s close advisers.
Elija...
Trump ‘unhappy’ with new shutdown deal – live updates
- Tentative deal includes $1.375bn for border security
- Schumer: ‘I urge President Trump to sign this agreement’
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A House vote on the border security deal to avoid another government shutdown could come as early as tomorrow according to Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.
Hoyer says Hse could vote on border security pkg "maybe as early as tomorrow"
A number of Democrats will unveil legislation on Wednesday that will allow people between the ages of 50-64 to buy into Medicare. The idea of expanding Medicare has long been popular among Democrats. There were past proposals to allow people over 55 to buy in and, on the left, Medicare for All has become a rallying cry.
A new name to add to your Democratic health proposal lexicon: “Medicare at 50.” pic.twitter.com/50kdCCp4MQ
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Trump gets ready for State of the Union address – live news
- Trump to give speech to hostile audience in House
- President aims for reboot and calls for American unity
Donald Trump is expected to pick Treasury Department official David Malpass to head the World Bank, Politico reports.
The choice is a clear sign the Trump administration is looking to rein in international financial institutions, according to Politico. Malpass has been critical of the World Bank, global organizations like it “have grown larger and more intrusive” and “the challenge of refocusing them has become urgent and more difficult.”
A top aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told health insurance executives that Democratic leadership has deep reservations about single payer healthcare, the Intercept reports.
Wendell Primus, Pelosi’s top healthcare adviser, met with Blue Cross Blue Shield executives in December and told them Democrats were more focused on lowering prescription drug prices, rather than pushing for “Medicare for All” as some progressives would prefer.
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Number of uninsured Americans increases by 7m in four years
Survey results come after Republican attacks on government-backed health programs, including the Affordable Care Act
About 7 million fewer Americans have health insurance today than did four years ago, a new survey has found, the highest uninsured rate since 2014. The results come after sustained Republican attacks on government-backed health schemes, including the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.
The survey’s findings come as the public is incre...
The US government owes federal workers over $5 billion in back pay
The US government shutdown has blown a nearly $5.3 billion ...
Will Florida’s new Republican governor keep his vow of bipartisanship?
So far, Ron DeSantis has nominated prominent Democrats to lead and pledged his support to the environment and clean water
Two months after narrowly winning a contentious election in which he nailed his colors firmly to the mast of Trumpism, Ron DeSantis will be sworn in as Florida’s 46th governor on Tuesday with voters in the nation’s third most populous state still unsure exactly what they will be getting.
Many of the Republican’s picks for his new administration during the seven weeks’ transition since his progressive Democratic opponent Andrew Gillum conceded have, predictably, followed his predecessor Rick Scott’s brand of hardline conservatism. For example, Mary Mayhew, his choice to lead Florida’s healthcare agency, served the White House in blocking expansion of the Medicaid program that provides health insurance for the poor. And DeSantis’s key advisor and former state House speaker, Richard Corcoran, is a right-wing ideologue who will become the next commissioner of education.
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