Supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barrett was questioned by Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris over the Affordable Care Act, known popularly as Obamacare, during day two of the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing. Barrett made the claim that she was not aware of Donald Trump’s campaign promise to appoint justices who would dismantle Obamacare. Harris also tackled Barrett’s views on abortion, making a carefully laid-out case that despite Barrett’s equivocation and insistence that she is unbiased on the issue of reproductive rights, she is far from it. Republicans want to have Barrett confirmed before election day
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- Amy Coney Barrett dodges abortion, healthcare and election law questions
- Kamala Harris grilling prompts doubtful claim from Amy Coney Barrett
Guardian World News
Amy Coney Barrett supreme court nomination hearings begin in Washington – live
- Supreme court hearing sets stage for partisan clash
- Barrett was member of anti-abortion group that promoted clinic criticized for misleading women
- Barrett to say she will judge cases on law not personal views
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During the break in Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination hearing, Trump urged Republicans to push their own healthcare agenda in their opening statements.
“We will have Healthcare which is FAR BETTER than ObamaCare, at a FAR LOWER COST,” Trump said in a tweet. “PEOPLE WITH PRE EXISTING CONDITIONS WILL BE PROTECTED AT AN EVEN HIGHER LEVEL THAN NOW.”
We will have Healthcare which is FAR BETTER than ObamaCare, at a FAR LOWER COST - BIG PREMIUM REDUCTION. PEOPLE WITH PRE EXISTING CONDITIONS WILL BE PROTECTED AT AN EVEN HIGHER LEVEL THAN NOW. HIGHLY UNPOPULAR AND UNFAIR INDIVIDUAL MANDATE ALREADY TERMINATED. YOU’RE WELCOME!
We have reached the first break in Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination hearing before the Senate judiciary committee.
The hearing is scheduled to reconvene in about 35 minutes, when more members of the committee will deliver their opening statements.
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Trump claims he no longer has Covid-19 and is ‘immune’ – live updates
- Biden retains double-digit national lead over Trump as election looms
- Forecast projects 395,000 US Covid-19 deaths by February
- Taliban says it hopes Trump wins election
- Republicans express fears Trump will lose presidential election
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Democratic Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer has said Donald Trump’s supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barrett should, if confirmed, step aside from contentious cases.
Reuters reports:
Democratic opposition to Barrett on policy issues has focused on her possible role in deciding a case before the Supreme Court in which Trump and Republican-led states are seeking to invalidate the Affordable Care Act (ACA) healthcare law, often called Obamacare.
“She doesn’t come unbiased and that’s why she should recuse herself,” Schumer said on Sunday.
Donald Trump claims he is immune to Covid-19 – video
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Fears for Obamacare if Amy Coney Barrett confirmed to supreme court
Case due before court seeks to strike down landmark Affordable Care Act – which could leave millions of Americans adrift
This month, Congress is expected to begin confirmation hearings for Donald Trump’s nominee for the supreme court, Amy Coney Barrett. If confirmed, she could be the decisive vote in a case being heard days after the election, which seeks to strike down the landmark Affordable Care Act – a move that could leave millions of Americans without healthcare in the middle of a pandemic.
Related: Amy Coney Barrett: what will she mean for women's rights?
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Trump signals he won’t agree to rules changes for debates – live
- Trump: ‘Why would I allow the Debate Commission to change the rules?’
- McEnany refuses to outright condemn white supremacy at briefing
- Biden plans late-election in-person campaign push
- US officials were directed to make sympathetic comments about Kyle Rittenhouse, report says
- Facebook removes Trump ads with misleading refugee claims
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Frmo Erum Salam in Houston and Sam Levine in New York:
Texas is already one of the hardest places in America to vote, and Greg Abbott, the Texas governor, on Thursday made it even harder.
Related: Outrage as Texas governor orders closure of multiple ballot drop-off sites
A procedural vote on a bill that would stop Trump’s Justice Department from intervening in a lawsuit to strike down the Affordable Care Act has failed.
In a rare move, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer forced a procedural vote to consider the measure, in an attempt to force Republicans – many of whom had said they support protections for people with pre-existing conditions – to prove it with their votes. The bill would “protect the health care of hundreds of millions of people of the United States and prevent efforts of the Department of Justice to advocate courts to strike down the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” per Senate Democrats.
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Breonna Taylor: family attorney says wanton endangerment charge ‘doesn’t make sense’ – live updates
- Two officers shot amid Breonna Taylor killing charging decision
- Protesters despair for justice in Breonna Taylor killing
- Louisville: man charged in shooting of two officers
- Trump booed while paying respects to RBG
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Donald Trump said that Medicare beneficiaries will soon be receiving a $200 card in the mail to help them afford their prescriptions.
“Nobody’s seen this before. These cards are incredible,” Trump said. “I will always take care of our wonderful senior citizens.”
While unveiling his “America First Healthcare Plan” in a speech in Charlotte, North Carolina, Donald Trump is veering away from healthcare and is trying to paint the Democratic party as “socialism”.
“Under the Democrats plan, costs would skyrocket,” he said. “Seniors, they’ve been paying their entire lives.” Trump said, seeming to talk about healthcare, but then seemed to veer off saying that the Democrats support “socialism and open borders”.
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Coronavirus Australia live update: premier Daniel Andrews to hold press conference as Victoria records 28 new Covid cases
Covid-19 restrictions ease in regional Victoria today as economists and international students call for expansion of jobkeeper. Follow all today’s news
- Follow our global coronavirus live blog
- International students struggle to survive
- Cuts to jobkeeper will take $9.9bn out of economy by Christmas
- Full Story: the loneliness of Melbourne’s lockdown
In two weeks time, the telehealth medicare rebates expire.
On that same day, private health insurance premiums are scheduled to increase (after being delayed because of the pandemic)
Labor knows the pandemic is far from over, and supports calls from across the health sector for the items to be extended from 1 October.
Labor has also consistently called for Greg Hunt to reconsider the 2.92 per cent private health insurance premium hike that is due on the same day.
This report will be very, very interesting.
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety will issue a special report on the COVID-19 pandemic in aged care ahead of its Final Report, due on 26 February 2021. The report will be delivered to the Governor-General on Wednesday, 30 September 2020 #auspol #COVID19Aus
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Trump heads to Michigan as row over Woodward coronavirus revelations continues – live
- Trump will travel to Michigan today for campaign event
- At least seven dead and thousands displaced as fires scorch US west
- Pelosi: Trump’s comments to Woodward showed ‘contempt for the American people’
- Trump tries to stir up panic over recent anti-racism protests
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Here’s where the day stands so far:
Senior administration official Seema Verma is facing questions over her consultant fees that were paid with taxpayer dollars.
Politico reports:
When Seema Verma, the Trump administration’s top Medicaid official, went to a reporter’s home in November 2018 for a ‘Girl’s Night’ thrown in her honor, taxpayers footed the bill to organize the event: $2,933.
When Verma wrote an op-ed on Fox News’ website that fall, touting President Donald Trump’s changes to Obamacare, taxpayers got charged for one consultant’s price to place it: $977.
That Seema Verma is still running CMS says everything that needs to be said about how seriously this administration takes shameless graft and transparent corruption from its own appointees—which is to say, not at all:https://t.co/f8PD9LNu3E
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Trump criticized for reported military comments: ‘He doesn’t understand bravery’ – live
- Report: Trump called American war dead ‘suckers’
- US unemployment fell to 8.4% last month
- Could western Pennsylvania win Trump a second term?
- New York police hunt car that drove into BLM protesters
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During the press conference, Biden was asked a few more questions on Trump’s comments on voting, mask-wearing, ongoing Russian election interference and the economic agreement between Serbia and Kosovo.
“It is a felony!” he said of Trump’s illegal suggestion that voters vote twice.
Asked about Qanon and Trump’s refusal to denounce the conspiracy and its followers, replied: “I’ve been a big supporter of mental health.”
He said supporters of the theory should avail themselves of the mental health resources provided by the Affordable Care Act.
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Coronavirus Australia live: Victoria reports 113 new cases and 15 deaths and NSW records 12 cases
Senate censures aged care minister Richard Colbeck and security firms involved in guarding Melbourne quarantine hotels continue giving evidence at the state’s inquiry. Follow live news and updates today
- Follow the global live blog
- Australian stats interactive
- NSW cases map; NSW hotspots list
- Queensland hotspots list
- Sign up for Guardian Australia’s coronavirus email
In other news:
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has welcomed an interim parliamentary committee report that recommends that Medicare-subsidised telehealth be made permanent.
We are pleased that the interim report of the select committee on financial technology and regulatory technology has backed the RACGP’s calls for telehealth to be made permanent in its recommendations.
With the September deadline looming, patients and GPs urgently need clarity on the future of telehealth and e-prescribing services. Patients with long-term conditions are already being booked in for appointments after 30 September, and general practices need to know whether telehealth is an option.
The last thing we need is a lack of clarity or significant disruption for patients and GPs across the country. Telehealth must be extended while we work on a suitable long-term solution.
The House is about to adjourn, but Labor has moved a motion to try and get the sitting to continue (which will fail).
And oh God, I have just been told we might end up sitting for four weeks straight after budget, because the quarantine for the MPs is a little too difficult to wrangle.
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