As of Wednesday afternoon (Nov. 7, 4:45pm eastern time) seven candidates with science degrees have won seats in US Congress. An eighth candidate, Kim Schrier, a pediatrician running for Washington’s eighth district, is six percentage points ahead of her Republican oppone...
US Senate
Trump said black people were ‘too stupid’ to vote for him, claims Michael Cohen – live
Cohen told Vanity Fair that Trump ‘repeatedly used racist language before his presidency’. Meanwhile, Obama speaks in Florida before midterms
- Sign up for Guardian US morning briefing
7.44pm GMT
Pramila Jayapal, a Washington state congresswoman, is one of hundreds of Democrats now running on single-payer healthcare, a monumental shift to the left for the party which – even when it controlled Congress and the White House in 200...
Republican moderate Susan Collins undecided on final tax cut vote
- Maine senator who helped sink healthcare repeal voted for Senate tax bill
- Insists ‘4% cut in Medicare that could go into effect will not go into effect’
The Republican Susan Collins, whose support was crucial in passing the Senate tax reform bill earlier this month, said on Sunday she has not yet decided if she will back the final measure negotiated by House and Senate leaders.
The Maine moderate has laid out conditions for her support of a final “conference committee” version of the tax proposal. They include assurances that Medicare payments will not be cut and that Republicans will support two healthcare bills aimed at reducing premium costs.
Continue reading...
The Guardian view on elections in the US: cause for (cautious) celebration | Editorial
Sizable victories for the Democrats in a series of races offer cheer after a year of Donald Trump. But the party should not feel too reassuredIt was the boost they needed. The jubilation of Democrats as they celebrated the results of Tuesday’s elections owed much to the despair of one year before, when they learned that Donald Trump was on his way to the White House, as well as to the extraordinary events since, which have amplified his unfitness for the presidency and the extent of Russia...
Senators reach bipartisan deal to salvage Obamacare subsidies Trump eliminated
Republican Lamar Alexander and Democrat Patty Murray reach deal to help insurance companies cover medical needs of low-income Americans
Senators have moved to salvage Obamacare following Donald Trump’s decision last week to scrap critical subsidies that underpin the health law.
Republican senator Lamar Alexander announced on Tuesday that he had reached a deal with Democrat Patty Murray to fund the federal payments – intended to help insurance companies cover the medical needs of low-income Americans – in exchange for allowing states more regulatory flexibility under the Affordable Care Act.
Continue reading...
McConnell and Trump put on show of unity as Bannon urges Republican ‘war’
- President says he and Senate leader are ‘closer than ever before’
- ‘He is failing’: Trump strikes out solo as friends worry and enemies circle
Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell appeared side-by-side in the Rose Garden after lunch at the White House on Monday in a show of solidarity after the president’s former chief strategist called for the metaphorical assassination of the Senate majority leader.
Trump insisted he and McConnell are “closer than ever before”, despite publicly criticizing the Republican leader for the Senate’s failure to enact the president’s legislative agenda, including Republicans’ failure to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which Trump called a “disgrace”.
Continue reading...
Trump claims ‘Obamacare is dead’ despite failure to repeal legislation
- ‘It’s gone. There is no such thing as Obamacare any more’
- President slashed federal healthcare subsidies for lower-income Americans
Donald Trump on Monday absolved himself of responsibility for Republicans’ failure to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and predicted that voters will blame Democrats if the law crumbles under a sustained assault from his administration.
Related: McConnell and Trump meet for lunch after Bannon calls for Republican 'war'
Continue reading...
Trump responds to critics of healthcare order with claim ‘millions’ will benefit
The president tweeted Saturday that he’s ‘very proud’ of executive order, despite analysts, politicians and others saying millions of people would in fact suffer
Donald Trump on Saturday heralded his latest moves to undermine Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, tweeting that “millions of people” would benefit from his executive order on access to cheaper insurance and his scrapping of federal subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Related: 'He is failing': Trump strikes out solo as friends worry and enemies circle
Continue reading...