Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), his party’s nominee against incumbent Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, made national headlines on Friday when he dismissed the first set of allegations of attempted rape against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as “absurd.” His reasoning: the parties involved were drunk teens and the alleged sexual assault was ““supposedly an attempt or something that never went anywhere.”
But just one day before his suggestion that attemp...
ThinkProgress
Trump’s dramatic new plan to label immigrants a ‘public charge,’ explained
Immigrants who utilize virtually all public benefits risk jeopardizing their ability to stay in the country under new rules announced by the Trump administration.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will require immigration caseworkers to take into account a number of additional factors in considering applications for immigration visas (like work visas or family-based visas) or green cards (permanent residency).
Immigrants who opt to use such benefits — even for U...
Vulnerable Republicans omit key detail in campaign ads touting their work on the opioid crisis
When it comes to health care, Republican incumbents are waging defensive campaigns, attacking challengers who support Medicare for All or defusing criticism over their position on pre-existing conditions. But some vulnerable conservatives have found solace in one bipartisan issue: the opioid crisis.
Drug overdoses are ravaging Republicans and Democrats alike. So in an effort to capture more voters, Republican incumbents in tight races are touting their legislative work on combating ...
Republicans who voted to repeal pre-existing conditions protections run ads pretending they didn’t
The Affordable Care Act of 2010 banned the long-standing practice of health insurers discriminating against customers on the basis of their pre-existing conditions. The Trumpcare legislation that narrowly passed the House of Representatives last May would have repealed these protections and replaced them with a system in which insurers could charge much higher premiums to those patients. Now, vulnerable House Republicans who voted for the wildly unpopular bill have to defend their votes th...
The subtle way Neil Gorsuch stabbed Brett Kavanaugh in the back
As recently as two years ago, there was a very clear playbook for federal appeals court judges who hoped to someday sit on the Supreme Court. Keep your head down. Build prestige in the subtle ways judges gain status within the elite ranks of the legal profession. And whatever you do, don’t take positions on issues that inflame political debate about the Supreme Court.
There’s at least one exception to this rule. Justice Samuel Alito had a very clear anti-abortion record ...
Absurd GOP attack ads claim candidates who back Medicare for All want to take away your health care
Faced with tough November races, several Republicans who supported GOP-led proposals to roll back Americans’ health coverage are now attacking their Democratic opponents for supposedly threatening Americans’ health care access by supporting a “Medicare for all” system — which would extend the existing Medicare program’s protections to cover everyone.
Republican Reps. Andy Barr (KY-6), Dave Brat (VA-7), and Kevin Yoder (KS-3) all voted for the Trum...
Republicans in swing districts are scared to tell voters the truth about Planned Parenthood
Since anti-abortion advocates released a series of selectively edited and highly misleading videos in 2015 intended to give the false impression that Planned Parenthood clinics inappropriately profit from the sale of aborted fetuses, Republicans in Congress have repeatedly tried to cut off all federal funding that goes to the health non-profit. But as the 2018 midterms draw near, few Republican House candidates in swing districts are talking about it at all — even those who are runni...
Patient advocate groups sue Trump administration over skimpy health plans
Seven patient advocate and health care groups are suing the Trump administration for expanding short-term limited duration plans, cheap health insurance with a history of discrimination.
These groups — representing patients, providers, and insurers — accuse the Trump administration of jeopardizing health care for the most vulnerable, as these short-term plans can skirt consumer protections outlined in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and deny people with pre-existing condit...
A slew of down-ballot progressive victories will hold Andrew Cuomo’s feet to the fire
Progressive insurgents toppled six Democratic state senators in New York’s primary elections Thursday night, decimating a group of breakaway Democrats formerly known as the Independent Democratic Caucus (IDC) that caucused with Republicans — and likely reshaping the state legislature for years to come.
While Gov. Andrew Cuomo easily won his Democratic primary, staving off a primary challenge from actress-turned-activist Cynthia Nixon, it was a big night for progressives ...
Former Afghan refugee wins New Hampshire primary, ousting 4-term incumbent in state legislature
Safiya Wazir, a 27-year-old former refugee from Afghanistan who is now an American citizen, beat out four-term New Hampshire state Rep. Dick Patten (D) in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night.
If she defeats her Republican opponent in November, Wazir would become the first refugee to ever serve in public office in the state. She immigrated to Concord, New Hampshire about 11 years ago, as the Taliban consolidated power in Afghanistan.
Patten ran a negative campaign against ...