10/30/17 - Trump tweets NO COLLUSION!
10/30/17 - Paul Manafort indicted for funneling money, pleads not guilty
10/29/17 - Roger Stone Jr. suspended from twitter after tirade against Don Lemon
10/28/17 - WSJ calls for investigation into the FBI, Hillary Clinton and for Mueller to resign
10/27/17 - First charges approved in the Mueller investigation
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
repealing and replacing Obamacare
[10/19/17] Shutdown of insurance subsidies could mean more free insurance coverage
[10/17/17] Alexander and Murray reach bipartisan deal to restore subsidies
[10/13/17] Eighteen U.S. states vowed to sue President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday to stop him from scrapping a key component of Obamacare, subsidies to insurers that help millions of low-income people pay medical expenses
[10/13/17] Trump to stop subsidy payments to insurers
[10/2/17] There is nothing sacred about single-payer
[9/26/17] Trump to work with Democrats
[9/26/17] GOP healthcare bill fails again
[9/22/17] McCain opposes this bill too
[9/21/17] Senator Cassidy health care fact check
[9/21/17] Santorum on Paul on health care bill
[9/21/17] Rand Paul: new plan keeps Obamacare funding giving more to Republican states
[9/20/17] Huelskoetter: Graham-Cassidy is the most harmful version yet.
[9/20/17] Ned Ryun: Graham-Cassidy is like lukewarm gruel but better than ObamaCare
[9/20/17] Kimmel blasts Brian Kilmeade too
[9/20/17] It would depend on where Billy Kimmel lives
[9/20/17] Jimmy Kimmel blasts Graham-Cassidy bill
[8/10/17] - Trump tells McConnell to get back to work
[7/31/17] - Should Trump let Obamacare fail? (Yes / No)
[7/28/17] McCain votes no on Obamacare repeal, wants input from both sides of the aisle
[5/7/17] Charlie Munger on healthcare
[5/4/17] Relieved Republicans muscled their health care bill through the House today, taking their biggest step toward dismantling the Obama health care overhaul since Donald Trump took office. They won passage only after overcoming their own divisions that nearly sank the measure six weeks ago.
The measure skirted through the House by a thin 217-213 vote, as all voting Democrats and a group of mostly moderate Republican holdouts voted no. A defeat would have been politically devastating for President Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
Passage was a product of heavy lobbying by the White House and Republicans leaders, plus late revisions that nailed down the final supporters needed. The bill now faces an uncertain fate in the Senate, where even GOP lawmakers say major changes are likely.
[3/14/17] health care bill fact check
[3/13/17] President Donald Trump's administration on Monday rejected a report by the U.S. Congressional Budget Office that concluded millions of Americans would lose health insurance under a Republican plan to dismantle Obamacare.
U.S. health secretary Tom Price told reporters at the White House that the administration strenuously disagreed with the report, which he said did not look at the full Republican plan and did not take into account regulatory reforms and other efforts to reform healthcare.
[3/13/17] Fourteen million Americans would lose medical insurance by next year under a Republican plan to dismantle Obamacare, the nonpartisan U.S. Congressional Budget Office said on Monday in a report that dealt a potential setback to President Donald Trump's first major legislative initiative.
The eagerly awaited CBO report also forecast that 24 million more people would be uninsured in 2026 if the plan being considered in the House of Representatives were adopted. Obamacare enabled about 20 million previously uninsured Americans to obtain medical insurance.
The CBO projected that 52 million people would be uninsured by 2026 if the bill became law, compared to 28 million who would not have coverage that year if former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law remained unchanged.
[3/6/17] House Republicans unveiled on Monday their long-awaited plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, scrapping the mandate for most Americans to have health insurance in favor of a new system of tax credits to induce people to buy insurance on the open market.
The bill sets the stage for a bitter debate over the possible dismantling of the most significant health care law in a half-century. In its place would be a health law that would be far more oriented to the free market and would make far-reaching changes to a vast part of the American economy.
The House Republican bill would roll back the expansion of Medicaid that has provided coverage to more than 10 million people in 31 states, reducing federal payments for many new beneficiaries. It also would effectively scrap the unpopular requirement that people have insurance and eliminate tax penalties for those who go without. The requirement for larger employers to offer coverage to their full-time employees would also be eliminated.
[10/17/17] Alexander and Murray reach bipartisan deal to restore subsidies
[10/13/17] Eighteen U.S. states vowed to sue President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday to stop him from scrapping a key component of Obamacare, subsidies to insurers that help millions of low-income people pay medical expenses
[10/13/17] Trump to stop subsidy payments to insurers
[10/2/17] There is nothing sacred about single-payer
[9/26/17] Trump to work with Democrats
[9/26/17] GOP healthcare bill fails again
[9/22/17] McCain opposes this bill too
[9/21/17] Senator Cassidy health care fact check
[9/21/17] Santorum on Paul on health care bill
[9/21/17] Rand Paul: new plan keeps Obamacare funding giving more to Republican states
[9/20/17] Huelskoetter: Graham-Cassidy is the most harmful version yet.
[9/20/17] Ned Ryun: Graham-Cassidy is like lukewarm gruel but better than ObamaCare
[9/20/17] Kimmel blasts Brian Kilmeade too
[9/20/17] It would depend on where Billy Kimmel lives
[9/20/17] Jimmy Kimmel blasts Graham-Cassidy bill
[8/10/17] - Trump tells McConnell to get back to work
[7/31/17] - Should Trump let Obamacare fail? (Yes / No)
[7/28/17] McCain votes no on Obamacare repeal, wants input from both sides of the aisle
[5/7/17] Charlie Munger on healthcare
[5/4/17] Relieved Republicans muscled their health care bill through the House today, taking their biggest step toward dismantling the Obama health care overhaul since Donald Trump took office. They won passage only after overcoming their own divisions that nearly sank the measure six weeks ago.
The measure skirted through the House by a thin 217-213 vote, as all voting Democrats and a group of mostly moderate Republican holdouts voted no. A defeat would have been politically devastating for President Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
Passage was a product of heavy lobbying by the White House and Republicans leaders, plus late revisions that nailed down the final supporters needed. The bill now faces an uncertain fate in the Senate, where even GOP lawmakers say major changes are likely.
[3/14/17] health care bill fact check
[3/13/17] President Donald Trump's administration on Monday rejected a report by the U.S. Congressional Budget Office that concluded millions of Americans would lose health insurance under a Republican plan to dismantle Obamacare.
U.S. health secretary Tom Price told reporters at the White House that the administration strenuously disagreed with the report, which he said did not look at the full Republican plan and did not take into account regulatory reforms and other efforts to reform healthcare.
[3/13/17] Fourteen million Americans would lose medical insurance by next year under a Republican plan to dismantle Obamacare, the nonpartisan U.S. Congressional Budget Office said on Monday in a report that dealt a potential setback to President Donald Trump's first major legislative initiative.
The eagerly awaited CBO report also forecast that 24 million more people would be uninsured in 2026 if the plan being considered in the House of Representatives were adopted. Obamacare enabled about 20 million previously uninsured Americans to obtain medical insurance.
The CBO projected that 52 million people would be uninsured by 2026 if the bill became law, compared to 28 million who would not have coverage that year if former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law remained unchanged.
[3/6/17] House Republicans unveiled on Monday their long-awaited plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, scrapping the mandate for most Americans to have health insurance in favor of a new system of tax credits to induce people to buy insurance on the open market.
The bill sets the stage for a bitter debate over the possible dismantling of the most significant health care law in a half-century. In its place would be a health law that would be far more oriented to the free market and would make far-reaching changes to a vast part of the American economy.
The House Republican bill would roll back the expansion of Medicaid that has provided coverage to more than 10 million people in 31 states, reducing federal payments for many new beneficiaries. It also would effectively scrap the unpopular requirement that people have insurance and eliminate tax penalties for those who go without. The requirement for larger employers to offer coverage to their full-time employees would also be eliminated.
Sunday, October 08, 2017
gun-related deaths
[10/8/17] The empirical literature on firearm policy is complex, but most studies
support one clear conclusion: Places with more guns have more
gun-related deaths and violence. After reviewing 130 studies in 10
different countries, one comprehensive analysis in Epidemiologic Reviews
determined that laws restricting the purchase of and access to firearms
were strongly associated with lower rates of homicide and unintentional
deaths.
Strict regulations cannot protect us from all gun violence — but they can dramatically reduce it.
There is no better example of their potential for success than here in Hawaii. In 2014, Hawaii had the lowest firearm death rate in the nation, with a mere 2.6 gun deaths per 100,000 residents, compared to a rate of 14.8 in Nevada and an astonishing rate of 19.2 in Alaska.
[5/7/09] Hawaii continues to have the lowest rate of gun-related deaths in the nation, which state officials and a national organization attribute to Hawaii's strict gun laws and low gun ownership.
Hawaii had 2.58 gun deaths per 100,000 residents, while Louisiana, the highest, had a rate of 19.58, according to a Violence Policy Center report. The national average was 10.32, according to 2006 data the center used from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Only 9.7 percent of households in Hawaii owned a gun, compared with 45.6 in Louisiana.
"More guns means more gun death and injury. Fewer guns means less death and injury. It's a simple equation," said Kristen Rand, the center's legislative director.
* * * [6/10/09]
Let's see.. The top 5 states in gun related deaths are Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Mississippi, Nevada. I wonder if they're all Republican states? (Not to be political, but I was just wondering.)
It was hard to pinpoint, but according to this map of the 2010 Senate races, LA is barely GOP, AL strong GOP, AK barely GOP, MS (grey, but both Senators republican), NV strong democrat.
OK, how about going by who they voted for in the last Presidential Election.
Louisiana (McCain)
Alabama (McCain)
Alaska (McCain)
Mississippi (McCain)
Nevada (Obama)
How about the states with the least gun death percentages?
Hawaii (Obama)
Massachusetts (Obama)
Rhode Island (Obama)
Connecticut (Obama)
New York (Obama)
OK, I'm detecting a trend here.
Strict regulations cannot protect us from all gun violence — but they can dramatically reduce it.
There is no better example of their potential for success than here in Hawaii. In 2014, Hawaii had the lowest firearm death rate in the nation, with a mere 2.6 gun deaths per 100,000 residents, compared to a rate of 14.8 in Nevada and an astonishing rate of 19.2 in Alaska.
[5/7/09] Hawaii continues to have the lowest rate of gun-related deaths in the nation, which state officials and a national organization attribute to Hawaii's strict gun laws and low gun ownership.
Hawaii had 2.58 gun deaths per 100,000 residents, while Louisiana, the highest, had a rate of 19.58, according to a Violence Policy Center report. The national average was 10.32, according to 2006 data the center used from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Only 9.7 percent of households in Hawaii owned a gun, compared with 45.6 in Louisiana.
"More guns means more gun death and injury. Fewer guns means less death and injury. It's a simple equation," said Kristen Rand, the center's legislative director.
* * * [6/10/09]
Let's see.. The top 5 states in gun related deaths are Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Mississippi, Nevada. I wonder if they're all Republican states? (Not to be political, but I was just wondering.)
It was hard to pinpoint, but according to this map of the 2010 Senate races, LA is barely GOP, AL strong GOP, AK barely GOP, MS (grey, but both Senators republican), NV strong democrat.
OK, how about going by who they voted for in the last Presidential Election.
Louisiana (McCain)
Alabama (McCain)
Alaska (McCain)
Mississippi (McCain)
Nevada (Obama)
How about the states with the least gun death percentages?
Hawaii (Obama)
Massachusetts (Obama)
Rhode Island (Obama)
Connecticut (Obama)
New York (Obama)
OK, I'm detecting a trend here.
Monday, October 02, 2017
Las Vegas shooting
LAS VEGAS — Perched in his suite at a high-rise hotel overlooking the Vegas Strip, a 64-year-old retiree with no real criminal history and no known affiliations with terror groups rained bullets down into a crowd at a country music festival Sunday, killing at least 59 people and injuring hundreds more in the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history.
The attack, at least initially, was as inexplicable as it was horrifying. Law enforcement officials said they could not immediately tell what drove Stephen Paddock to fire at thousands of unsuspecting concertgoers from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino before killing himself.
Authorities said a sweep of law enforcement databases showed Paddock had no known run-ins with police, and — despite the Islamic State’s repeated claims otherwise — investigators also could not find any connections to international terrorist groups. He was the son of a notorious bank robber and his own crime demonstrated some amount of sophisticated planning.
Police said he stayed in a large hotel suite for several days and aroused no suspicion, bringing with him an arsenal of 23 guns — their calibers ranging from .223 to .308, some with scopes — authorities said. One of the weapons he apparently used in the attack was an AK-47 type rifle, with a stand used to steady it for firing, people familiar with the case said. He fired, without warning, from an elevated position on an open-air venue, leaving his victims few options to avoid harm.
***
In the hours after a Las Vegas gunman mowed down more than 50 people Sunday night, Washington sent an implicit, but clear, message: Do not expect the capital to attempt to stop the next mass shooting.
Critics of Washington’s refusal to budge on gun control point out that the United States regulates many things to keep them out of the hands of evil and insane people — explosives or the ability to control an airplane, for example. The Republican posture is increasingly frustrating to Democrats and gun control activists who are beginning to boycott the predictable moments of unification that commonly occur in the hours after mass shootings — hoping their refusal to participate will call attention to the inaction.
But the Democratic protests will almost certainly have no impact on the larger gun control debate. Most observers point to the fact that the country refused to pass gun laws after the December 2012 Newtown mass shooting in which 26 people — including 20 children ages 6 and 7 — were killed. At that time, Democrats controlled the White House and the Senate.
Polling shows Republican voters support some gun control measures. Nearly 90 percent of GOP voters say that the mentally ill should not be able to purchase a gun, according to a June survey by the Pew Research Center. Seventy-seven percent want background checks for private sales or weapons purchased at gun shows. And 54 percent would ban the assault-style weapons that are frequently used in mass shootings.
But the Republican Party’s energized base is quick to turn on anyone seen as soft on the Second Amendment, leaving GOP candidates competing to show who is more pro-gun. In a recent Senate primary in Alabama, Republican Roy Moore pulled out a gun during a campaign rally to show how much likes weapons. He beat incumbent Luther Strange.
***
The casualties in the attack exceeded those of the Pulse nightclub tragedy in Florida more than a year ago. As with the Pulse attack, the Las Vegas shooting led to prompt calls from Democrats – not just Clinton – for gun legislation, though the party has struggled to tighten laws even when the Obama administration was in power.
Connecticut’s senators, who have been especially outspoken on gun control ever since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, were among the first to issue statements Monday.
“Nowhere but America do horrific large-scale mass shootings happen with this degree of regularity,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said in a statement. “This must stop. It is positively infuriating that my colleagues in Congress are so afraid of the gun industry that they pretend there aren't public policy responses to this epidemic. There are, and the thoughts and prayers of politicians are cruelly hollow if they are paired with continued legislative indifference. It's time for Congress to get off its ass and do something."
Connecticut’s other Democratic senator, Richard Blumenthal, issued a similar statement.
“It has been barely a year since what was previously the largest mass shooting in American history – the deadly attack at Pulse nightclub. In the interim, thousands more have been lost to the daily, ruthless toll of gun violence. Still, Congress refuses to act. I am more than frustrated, I am furious,” he said.
As the lawmakers seemed to acknowledge, gun legislation stands little chance of passing under a Republican-controlled Congress and White House.
After the Pulse shooting, Senate Democrats launched a 15-hour filibuster followed by a Democratic sit-in on the House floor in a high-profile push for gun control legislation. But the divided Senate ultimately rejected all four gun measures put on the floor for a vote.
***
It’s been almost five years since a gunman mowed down students and teachers at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. But Congress has rejected just about every attempted gun safety measure since then—more than 100 all totaled, although many are duplicative—and passage is even less likely following the mass shooting in Las Vegas.
The attack, at least initially, was as inexplicable as it was horrifying. Law enforcement officials said they could not immediately tell what drove Stephen Paddock to fire at thousands of unsuspecting concertgoers from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino before killing himself.
Authorities said a sweep of law enforcement databases showed Paddock had no known run-ins with police, and — despite the Islamic State’s repeated claims otherwise — investigators also could not find any connections to international terrorist groups. He was the son of a notorious bank robber and his own crime demonstrated some amount of sophisticated planning.
Police said he stayed in a large hotel suite for several days and aroused no suspicion, bringing with him an arsenal of 23 guns — their calibers ranging from .223 to .308, some with scopes — authorities said. One of the weapons he apparently used in the attack was an AK-47 type rifle, with a stand used to steady it for firing, people familiar with the case said. He fired, without warning, from an elevated position on an open-air venue, leaving his victims few options to avoid harm.
***
In the hours after a Las Vegas gunman mowed down more than 50 people Sunday night, Washington sent an implicit, but clear, message: Do not expect the capital to attempt to stop the next mass shooting.
Critics of Washington’s refusal to budge on gun control point out that the United States regulates many things to keep them out of the hands of evil and insane people — explosives or the ability to control an airplane, for example. The Republican posture is increasingly frustrating to Democrats and gun control activists who are beginning to boycott the predictable moments of unification that commonly occur in the hours after mass shootings — hoping their refusal to participate will call attention to the inaction.
But the Democratic protests will almost certainly have no impact on the larger gun control debate. Most observers point to the fact that the country refused to pass gun laws after the December 2012 Newtown mass shooting in which 26 people — including 20 children ages 6 and 7 — were killed. At that time, Democrats controlled the White House and the Senate.
Polling shows Republican voters support some gun control measures. Nearly 90 percent of GOP voters say that the mentally ill should not be able to purchase a gun, according to a June survey by the Pew Research Center. Seventy-seven percent want background checks for private sales or weapons purchased at gun shows. And 54 percent would ban the assault-style weapons that are frequently used in mass shootings.
But the Republican Party’s energized base is quick to turn on anyone seen as soft on the Second Amendment, leaving GOP candidates competing to show who is more pro-gun. In a recent Senate primary in Alabama, Republican Roy Moore pulled out a gun during a campaign rally to show how much likes weapons. He beat incumbent Luther Strange.
***
The casualties in the attack exceeded those of the Pulse nightclub tragedy in Florida more than a year ago. As with the Pulse attack, the Las Vegas shooting led to prompt calls from Democrats – not just Clinton – for gun legislation, though the party has struggled to tighten laws even when the Obama administration was in power.
Connecticut’s senators, who have been especially outspoken on gun control ever since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, were among the first to issue statements Monday.
“Nowhere but America do horrific large-scale mass shootings happen with this degree of regularity,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said in a statement. “This must stop. It is positively infuriating that my colleagues in Congress are so afraid of the gun industry that they pretend there aren't public policy responses to this epidemic. There are, and the thoughts and prayers of politicians are cruelly hollow if they are paired with continued legislative indifference. It's time for Congress to get off its ass and do something."
Connecticut’s other Democratic senator, Richard Blumenthal, issued a similar statement.
“It has been barely a year since what was previously the largest mass shooting in American history – the deadly attack at Pulse nightclub. In the interim, thousands more have been lost to the daily, ruthless toll of gun violence. Still, Congress refuses to act. I am more than frustrated, I am furious,” he said.
As the lawmakers seemed to acknowledge, gun legislation stands little chance of passing under a Republican-controlled Congress and White House.
After the Pulse shooting, Senate Democrats launched a 15-hour filibuster followed by a Democratic sit-in on the House floor in a high-profile push for gun control legislation. But the divided Senate ultimately rejected all four gun measures put on the floor for a vote.
***
It’s been almost five years since a gunman mowed down students and teachers at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. But Congress has rejected just about every attempted gun safety measure since then—more than 100 all totaled, although many are duplicative—and passage is even less likely following the mass shooting in Las Vegas.
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