It’s been a heck of a week in D.C. On Tuesday afternoon, the Senate held a high-drama, high-stakes vote to move on a proposal to repeal and/or replace the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). That kicked off a frankly bonkers week of politics and politicking, with debate — and Senators’ support — all over the map. In the wee small hours of Friday morning, that effort finally shambled to a halt, fatally collapsing on itself. But is this actually the end of Congressional efforts to undo the ACA? [More]
Government Policy
FDA Considering Lowering Level Of Nicotine Allowed In Cigarettes To Reduce Addiction
By 7.28.17
Could your future cigarette purchase come with a little less nicotine? It’s possible, as the FDA revealed today a new multi-year roadmap intended to protect kids and reduce tobacco-related disease and death. [More]
Obamacare Repeal Effort Falls Flat As GOP Can’t Muster Votes In Senate
By 7.27.17 — Updated: 7.28.17
After three days of debate and several fruitless votes on amendments, the Senate Republicans were unable to obtain enough support to pass their so-called “skinny” repeal of the Affordable Care Act. [More]
Judge Rules That Politician Violated First Amendment By Banning Critical Commenter
By 7.27.17
With politicians — most notably our current President — using social media to communicate directly to the world, the question is now being asked whether a lawmaker is violating the First Amendment when they actively block people from following them online. One federal court has chimed in, finding that a politician in Virginia crossed the line when she temporarily banned a constituent from commenting on her Facebook page. [More]
Is Obamacare “Skinny Repeal” Actually The Senate’s Plan, Or A Way To Bring Back The House Version Instead?
By 7.27.17 — Updated: 7.28.17
UPDATE: We now know exactly what was in the “skinny” repeal bill, but any theorizing about lawmakers’ ulterior motives or hidden agendas is now moot, after Senate Republicans failed to get majority support for the legislation. [More]
Insurance Companies, Actuaries, Physicians Warn Against Repeal Of Obamacare’s ‘Individual Mandate’
By 7.27.17
The various “repeal and replace” factions have targeted different aspects of the Affordable Care Act: Some want to slash Medicaid; some want to cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood; some say they must repeal taxes on tanning salons. One goal they all have in common is to get rid of the law’s “individual mandate,” the requirement that most people must have some sort of health insurance or pay a penalty. Now the insurance industry, along with physicians, and risk-assessing actuaries, are warning the Senate that gutting this mandate could cause big problems down the road. [More]
GOP Proposes, Then Immediately Rejects Plan For Single-Payer Health Insurance
By 7.27.17
Since the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, Republican lawmakers have repeatedly decried it as “socialized” or “government-run” healthcare while calling for its repeal. But it was a GOP senator who today introduced legislation that, if passed, would have provided single-payer, government-run Medicare for everyone. [More]
Trump Administration Tells Court: Civil Rights Law Doesn’t Ban Discrimination Against LGBT Workers
By 7.27.17
The landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin,” but does the ban on sex-related discrimination extend to sexual orientation? Not according to the Trump administration, which recently told a federal appeals court that this protection only applies to equal treatment of male and female workers. [More]
First Attempt At Repeal-Only Of Obamacare Falls Short In Senate
By 7.26.17
After falling far short of the votes needed to move forward with its sweeping measure to repeal and replace large parts of the Affordable Care Act, the Senate took another vote this afternoon, this time on a bill that simply repeals key aspects of the ACA without including any replacement. [More]
Expect Airport Security Delays As TSA Starts Scanning Tablets Separately From Carry-On Bags
By 7.26.17
If you’re one of the many air travelers who uses a tablet to play games, watch videos, read, or do work while flying, be warned that your device will soon be subject to the same sort of security screening that has been given to laptop computers for years. And even if you’re not carrying a tablet in your bag, you should probably expect longer waits at airport checkpoints. [More]
Good News From The IRS: Tax Refund Identity Theft Is Way Down This Year
By 7.26.17
This tax season, you may remember Consumerist reminding you to file as early as possible, especially if you were expecting a refund or receiving certain tax credits aimed at lower-income Americans. New anti-fraud measures taken by the Internal Revenue Service and better awareness of the problem have apparently helped: The IRS reports that tax refund fraud has decreased. [More]
After SCOTUS Ruling, Some Rush To Trademark Racially Charged Terms, Symbols
By 7.26.17
The same day that the Supreme Court ruled that it’s unconstitutional for the Patent and Trademark Office to ban racially charged or offensive trademarks, some people jumped at the chance to get trademark protection on a variety of products — from apparel to beer — bearing brand names and symbols that range from highly questionable to inflammatory. [More]
Senate Votes Down Controversial Repeal, Replace Plan For Obamacare; More Proposals To Come
By 7.25.17 — Updated: 7.26.17
Hours after the Senate needed Vice President Mike Pence to break a 50-50 tie to move forward with debate on healthcare, the GOP’s controversial repeal-and-replace plan has come up several votes short of being accepted. Yet this is far from the end for this matter. [More]
Additional Parts Of Obamacare Repeal Bill Break Senate Rules, Says Parliamentarian
By 7.25.17
The Senate Parliamentarian — the nonpartisan official who advises the upper chamber on the rules regarding legislative matters — has added to her previous list of concerns about the Republican bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, raising new concerns about the GOP’s ability to pass the legislation in its current state. [More]
House Votes To Strip Bank & Credit Card Customers Of Constitutional Right To A Day In Court
By 7.25.17
Because the Sixth and Seventh Amendments of the U.S. Constitution are apparently less important than making sure that banks, credit card companies, student loan companies, and other financial services be allowed to behave badly with impunity, the House of Representatives has voted to overturn a new federal regulation that would have helped American consumers hold these companies accountable through the legal system. [More]
Senate Votes To Move Forward With Debate On Obamacare Repeal Bill; What Happens Now?
By 7.25.17
The Senate narrowly voted today to move forward with its still-vague plan to repeal and possibly replace the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). The vote itself was a nail-biter — but the high drama is only just beginning, as the Senate now has to hammer out the details of what, exactly, it is proposing to replace the ACA with. [More]
Report: Senate Obamacare Replacement Vote This Afternoon May Be On “Skinny Repeal” Bill
By 7.25.17
The Senate is scheduled to start a procedure around 2:15 p.m. (Eastern time) today that could drastically change health care law in this country — but nobody, including Senators, seems to know exactly what the vote is on. In the last remaining hours before the votes are cast, here’s what we do know. [More]
United Airlines Says It “Misunderstood” TSA About Non-Existent Ban On Comic Books
By 7.24.17
Now that the Transportation Security Administration has called shenanigans on United Airlines’ claim that folks leaving last weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con could not stow their comics in their checked bags, the airline is admitting that it was wrong about this bizarre request being any sort of federal requirement. [More]
