Michigan congresswoman stood by impeachment comment as her office says: ‘Tlaib was elected to shake up Washington’
- Protect the Guardian’s independent reporting with a contribution and help us reach our $1m goal by 7 January
On their first full day in power, House Democrats voted to jump into into a court battle defending the Affordable Care Act as part of their rules package.
From the Associated Press, new poll shows Americans increasingly concerned with immigration:
As much of the U.S. government remains shut down over President Donald Trump’s insistence on funding for his border wall, nearly half of Americans identify immigration as a top issue for the government to work on this year.
Continue reading...
US news
Medicare for All: ‘huge step’ for proposal as Pelosi agrees to hold hearings – live
- Legislation would create universal health care system
- President accuses Democrats of ‘presidential harassment’
- Nancy Pelosi to be sworn in as House speaker
- Sign up to the Guardian’s new US morning briefing
Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, one of the two first Muslim Congresswomen who will take office today, will take her oath of office on a copy of the Koran owned by Thomas Jefferson, per the Detroit Free Press.
Fun fact: When Rashida Tlaib, a Muslim, is sworn in as the first Palestinian-American woman in Congress today, she will take the oath of office using Thomas Jefferson’s personal copy of the Quran. https://t.co/wZ6I2eKq3v
The new 116th Congress has now officially convened.
Vice President Mike Pence is swearing in members of the Senate. House members are preparing to be sworn in.
Continue reading...
US election meddling: Russia running ‘active and ongoing’ operations – live
- Report on Russian interference prepared for the Senate accuses Facebook, Google and Twitter of impeding the investigation
- Russian disinformation campaign used every social media platform to help Trump in 2016 election and after he took office
- Help us reach our $1m goal. Make a year-end contribution
- Get the new US morning briefing. Sign up
6.43pm GMT
A doctor who helped draft Obamacare said he’s “not particul...
Fate of Obama’s health law set to be decided by supreme court – again
Democratic state attorneys pledge to appeal Texas judge’s decision to strike down Affordable Care Act
The future of the Affordable Care Act is once again set to be decided by the US supreme court, amid warnings from experts that healthcare access for millions of Americans hangs in the balance.
A coalition of Democratic state attorneys has vowed to appeal a late-Friday decision by a federal judge in Texas to strike down the entire ACA, also known as Obamacare, as unconstitutional.
Continue reading...
US federal judge rules Obama healthcare law unconstitutional
Fort Worth judge issued his decision, agreeing with 20 states challenging the law, on the eve of the 2019 sign-up deadline
A US federal judge in Texas ruled on Friday that the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, is unconstitutional, a decision that was likely to be appealed to the supreme court.
US district judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth agreed with a coalition of 20 states that a change in tax law last year eliminating a penalty for not having health insurance invalidated the entire Obamacare law.
Continue reading...
How Republicans are turning US states into labs of anti-democracy
The party’s brazen efforts to rewire state legislature poses a greater threat than Trump – and will be all the harder to tackle
America’s federal system of government is, in theory, key to the strength of its democracy. As opposed to citizens in the more centralized states of Europe, Americans get to vote for a huge array of local offices, policies and ballot initiatives that can influence their lives for the better. Innovation in the states can be healthy for the whole country, such as when healthcare reform in Massachusetts provided inspiration for the Affordable Care Act. The supreme court justice Louis Brandeis famously praised US states as laboratories which could “try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country”.
Related: Voter suppression is an all-American problem we can fight – and win | Cas Mudde
Continue reading...
Voting rights, marijuana and tampons: the night in ballot measures
State passes largest expansion of voting rights in decades as Massachusetts affirms transgender protections
- Midterm elections – live updates
- Midterms results – live tracker
- Share your reaction to the midterms results
It’s not all about the red v blue. In dozens of states, voters cast ballots Tuesday on issues ranging from voting rights and climate change to gun control and taxing tech to fund homeless services. Four states will see voters weigh in on...
Midterm elections: Sean Hannity accused of lying about Trump rally as Beto O’Rourke delivers final message – live
- Fox News host campaigned onstage with Trump after claiming he wouldn’t
- Everything you need to know about the midterms
- Are you voting? Tell us about it
- Sign up for Guardian US morning briefing
3.09pm GMT
Guardian readers have been in touch about how they’re voting and the reasons why. For Lynne in New Mexico, universal healthcare and abortion rights are key issues. “I’d like to see universal healthcare provi...
Has Obamacare become a winning issue for Democrats?
Democrats were once reluctant to engage with attacks on the law. But in the midterms campaign, the tide has turned
Donald Trump would like to believe it’s all about him. And there is no doubt that the extraordinarily divisive US president has helped drive turnout on both sides of the midterm elections.
But after their catastrophe of 2016, when Hillary Clinton was criticised for lacking a clear message to compete with “Make America great again”, Democrats realised that a pure anti-Trump message would not be enough. Instead, many have maintained a laser-like focus on a single issue: protecting Americans’ healthcare.
Continue reading...
Trump claims ignorance over racist election advert after Fox and Facebook pull it – live
President said ‘I don’t know about it’ when asked about the advert that included false claims and was criticized for stoking fear of immigrants
- Everything you need to know about the midterms
- Sign up for Guardian’s new US morning briefing
10.36pm GMT
Trump is in Indiana. Why Indiana? He hopes to tip the senate race away from Democratic incumbent Joe Donnelly and toward challenger Mike Braun, a former R...