Showing posts with label The Hill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Hill. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

It Stays!!!

July 01, 2015 Alexander Bolton , Filibuster 0 Comments
Republicans Slam The Door On Scrapping The Filibuster

By Alexander Bolton, Jun. 30, 2015, The Hill

Senate Republicans appear to be closing the door on gutting the filibuster, brushing aside calls from GOP presidential hopefuls Jeb Bush and Scott Walker to consider lowering the 60-vote threshold for repealing ObamaCare.

Sources close to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) say there’s virtually no chance he will go along with abolishing the filibuster, something he has strongly criticized in the past.

It’s a point on which McConnell and his frequent antagonist, conservative Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), agree. Although Cruz often criticizes McConnell for lacking aggressiveness, he also views abolition of the legislative filibuster as a step too far.

Bush and Walker recently told conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt they would support lowering the threshold for major legislation from 60 votes to a simple majority. Curbing the power of the Senate minority would make it easier to repeal and replace ObamaCare in 2017.

The tactic is known as the “nuclear option” because using it is viewed by many as a drastic step that could permanently change how the chamber functions.


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Monday, June 29, 2015

But Sharpton's okay?!?

June 29, 2015 Donald Trump , Racial Comments 0 Comments
NBC Cuts Ties With Trump 

By Jesse Brynes, Jun. 29, 2015, The Hill

NBC is cutting its ties with Donald Trump over the 2016 Republican presidential candidate's recent remarks over immigrants.

"Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump," the network said in a statement Monday.

NBC also said it would no longer air the "Miss USA" and "Miss Universe" pageants on its network, which are produced with Trump.

The network has faced pressure to formally cut ties with Trump amid the controversy over comments he made at his presidential launch event earlier this month.

“They’re sending people who have a lot of problems,” Trump said of illegal immigration. "They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."

The remarks prompted Cristian de la Fuenta, the Chilean actor scheduled to host this year's Miss USA pageant, to quit. He described Trump as "a clown."

More: www.thehill.com

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He's Says What We're Thinking!!!

June 29, 2015 Donald Trump , Martin Matishak 0 Comments
Trump: ‘We Look Like We’re Beggars’ In Iran Nuclear Talks

By Martin Matishak, Jun. 28, 2015, The Hill

GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump says the Obama administration is making the U.S. “look like we’re beggars,” as they pursue a long-term deal on Iran’s nuclear program.

“We look like we’re beggars. We look like we’re sitting there begging,” Trump told John Catsimatidis on Sunday during “The Cats Roundtable” on New York’s AM 970.

“The Persians … are very good negotiators. The people representing Iran are master negotiators. They’re dealing with fools. They’re dealing with fools,” he said, adding that Obama is “not a negotiator.”

Trump said the U.S. and other Western powers “have the cards right now — soon we won’t have the cards — but we have the cards right now, and we should put sanctions much stronger, much harder.”

“Bring them to the table on our terms because they are really making a deal that is a deal that should not be made,” he added.


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Sunday, June 28, 2015

Now What, Dr. Carson?

June 28, 2015 Ben Carson , Christians 0 Comments
Ben Carson: 'Gay' Marriage 'Now Law Of The Land' 

Says government 'must never force Christians' to betray beliefs

By WND/The Hill, Jun.27, 2015

(THE HILL) GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson said he “strongly disagreed” with the Supreme Court’s decision Friday to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide but acknowledged it is “now the law of the land.”

“I call on Congress to make sure deeply held religious views are respected and protected,” Carson said in a statement issued following the court’s historic ruling. “The government must never force Christians to violate their religious beliefs.”

More: www.wnd.com

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"I think it’s always appropriate to take advantage of timing"

June 28, 2015 The Hill , Transgender Troops 0 Comments
Momentum Grows To Scrap Pentagon's Ban On Transgender Troops

By Martin Matishak, Jun. 27, 2015, The Hill

There is renewed energy on Capitol Hill to lift the Defense Department's ban on transgender troops.

Lawmakers view recent steps by the Pentagon and some of the armed services to expand protections for gay and lesbian troops as an opportunity to do away with the decades-old prohibition on allowing transgender troops to serve openly.

They are also taking note of other societal changes in calling for the ban on service by transgender trips to be lifted.

“In politics, I think it’s always appropriate to take advantage of timing. Whether it’s taking down the Confederate flag or creating equality in the military for transgender persons,” said Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.).

She plans to introduce legislation next month that calls on the Pentagon to immediately grant anti-discrimination protection for all service members, and their dependents, who identify as transgender.

The bill, which is still being drafted, would also direct the Defense secretary to hammer out new policies for transgender troops, from regulations about their uniforms to what treatments would be covered under Tricare, the military's healthcare system.

More: www.thehill.com

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Saturday, June 27, 2015

Whose House?

June 27, 2015 Heckler , LGBT 0 Comments
Transgender Heckler: Obama's Response 'Heartbreaking'

By Mark Hensch, Ju. 25, 2015, The Hill

An activist who heckled President Obama and was ejected from a White House reception wrote in an op-ed published on Thursday that she finds the president’s actions on transgender immigrants disheartening.

Jennicet Gutiérrez wrote in the Washington Blade that her protest on Wednesday evening is justified, given Obama’s past inaction on helping transgender immigrants.

“Last night I spoke out to demand respect and acknowledgment of our gender expression and the release of the estimated 75 transgender immigrants in detention right now,” Gutiérrez wrote.

“It is heartbreaking to see how raising these issues were received by the president and by those in attendance,” she wrote in the article titled, “I interrupted Obama because we need to be heard.”

“I stood for what is right,” she added. “Instead of silencing our voices, President Obama can also stand and do the right thing for our immigrant LGBTQ community.”


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Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Mitch McConnell pulls it off--Cruz opposes

June 24, 2015 Alexander Bolton , President Barack Obama 0 Comments
Senate Advances Fast-Track Trade Bill For Obama 

By Alexander Bolton, Jun. 23, 2015, The Hill

The Senate on Tuesday voted to advance President Obama’s trade agenda, approving a measure to end debate on fast-track authority.

The 60-37 motion sets up a vote on final passage on Wednesday. If the Senate approves fast-track or trade promotion authority (TPA), it would then be sent to Obama’s desk to become law.

Fast-track authority would allow Obama to send trade deals to Congress for up-or-down votes. The White House wants the authority to conclude negotiations on a sweeping trans-Pacific trade deal.

Thirteen Democrats backed fast-track in Tuesday’s vote, handing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) a major legislative victory. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) voted against the procedural motion.

The Democrats cast "yes" votes even though the trade package did not include a workers assistance program for people displaced by increased trade. The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program was a part of the last fast-track package approved by the Senate in May, but became a key part of opposition to the package among Democrats in the House.

To move fast-track forward, the White House and GOP leaders in both chambers decided to break TAA away from fast-track and to try to approve both in separate votes.


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Saturday, June 20, 2015

Mistake--They're Sitting Ducks

June 20, 2015 Gun Policy , Jesse Byrnes 0 Comments
Uber Changes Policy To Prohibit Guns In Cars 

By Jesse Byrnes, Jun. 19, 2015, The Hill

Ride-hailing company Uber has changed its policy to prohibit drivers and passengers from carrying guns in cars for trips arranged using its digital service.

Uber's updated legal page on its website includes a policy prohibiting "firearms of any kind in a vehicle" operated by an Uber driver, with violators potentially losing access to the app.

"We have adopted a no-firearms policy to ensure that both riders and drivers feel safe and comfortable on the platform," Uber's Matt McKenna said in a statement to the New Republic, which first reported the change in policy.

"We made this policy change after assessing existing policies and carefully reviewing recent feedback from both riders and driver-partners," McKenna added.


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Saturday, June 13, 2015

Breaking His Silence

June 13, 2015 Iraq , ISIS 1 Comments
GWBush: You Need Boots On The Ground 

By Jesse Brynes, Jun. 12, 2015, The Hill

The United States will need combat troops on the ground to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), former President George W. Bush suggested in a new interview.

"The president will have to make that determination," Bush said in an interview published Friday with the Israel Hayom newspaper when asked if ISIS could be defeated without ground troops.

"My position was that you need to have boots on the ground," he said.

Bush made the comments days after President Obama said he was sending more troops to Iraq. Obama has authorized sending up to 450 additional U.S. troops "to train, advise, and assist" local Iraqi forces battling ISIS, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. They will not serve in combat.

There are currently 3,100 U.S. military members in Iraq, with all serving in an advisory role. The Obama administration has also opted for airstrikes to combat the terrorist group in Syria, where it has taken over large areas of land.

Bush said he faced the "very difficult decision" as president to double-down and send additional U.S. troops to Iraq amid mounting casualties and eroding public support for the war.

"I think history will show that al-Qaida in Iraq was defeated," said Bush, who in the interview described al Qaeda as "ISIS as far as I am concerned."

More: www.thehill.com

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Thursday, June 11, 2015

SCOTUS Could Wreck Obamacare!

June 11, 2015 HHS , Obamacare 0 Comments
Health Chief Burwell Hints At Planning For ObamaCare Decision

By Peter Sullivan, Jun. 10, 2015, The Hill

Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Mathews Burwell on Wednesday hinted at the administration’s planning for the looming ObamaCare Supreme Court case.

In previous testimony before Congress, Burwell had repeatedly declined to discuss any administration plan for King v. Burwell, which could invalidate subsidies that help 6.4 million people afford insurance in roughly three dozen states using the law's federal exchange.

But Burwell said Wednesday before the House Ways and Means Committee that the administration would do “everything we can” to deal with the fallout from a ruling against the law.

“We’ll do everything we can, we’re working to make sure we are ready to communicate to the states and do everything we can,” Burwell said.

Still, Burwell emphasized that most of the solution would lie with Congress and the states, because only they could restore the subsidies if the Supreme Court ruled that they cannot be distributed through the federal exchange.

More: www.thehill.com

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Friday, June 5, 2015

Uh, oh, now what?!?

June 05, 2015 EPA , Fracking 0 Comments
EPA: Fracking Not Causing Major Harm To Drinking Water

By Timothy Cama, Jun. 4, 2015, The Hill

Hydraulic fracturing has not caused any major harm to drinking water supplies, the Environmental Protection Agency concluded Thursday.

In what the EPA is calling the most comprehensive examination of existing data and science on the impact the controversial oil and natural gas drilling technique has on drinking water, it largely debunked concerns about extensive contamination of well water or other sources.

And while the draft report released Thursday is largely a win for industry, which has said for years that fracking is completely safe, the EPA recognized some “potential vulnerabilities in the water lifecycle that could impact drinking water.”

“EPA’s draft assessment will give state regulators, tribes and local communities and industry around the country a critical resource to identify how best to protect public health and their drinking water resources,” Thomas A. Burke, an EPA science adviser and top official in its research office, said in a statement.

“It is the most complete compilation of scientific data to date, including over 950 sources of information, published papers, numerous technical reports, information from stakeholders and peer-reviewed EPA scientific reports,” he said.

Read the full story: www.thehill.com

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"support for a temporary extension of Obama-Care subsidies"

June 05, 2015 GOP , ObamaCare Subsidies 0 Comments
GOP Open To Extending ObamaCare Subsidies 

By Peter Sullivan, Jun. 4, 2015, The Hill

House conservatives are hinting at support for a temporary extension of Obama-Care subsidies if the Supreme Court cripples the law, even as they set up a working group to develop their own plan.

The high court is set to rule later this month in the case of King v. Burwell, which could invalidate subsidies for millions of people in at least 34 states using the federally run marketplace. Republicans say they need to be ready to address people losing their coverage, but have yet to coalesce around a plan.

Now another proposal is in the works. Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus told The Hill they are setting up a group of four or five lawmakers, led by Rep. John Fleming (R-La.). The lawmakers will develop a plan meant to influence the main House working group led by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and two other panel chairmen, which Fleming complained is meeting in “secret.”

While working on their own ideas, Freedom Caucus members are also open to something like Sen. Ron Johnson’s (R-Wis.) idea to temporarily extend subsidies.

Read the full story: www.thehill.com

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Thursday, June 4, 2015

Bi-partisan opposition

June 04, 2015 House Speaker John Boehner , Scott Wong 0 Comments
Boehner On Obamatrade--'We Don't Have Votes'

By Scott Wong, Jun. 3, 2015, The Hill

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Wednesday said he's hopeful the House will pass legislation this month granting President Obama fast-track trade powers, but said the votes aren't there yet.

“I don't think we're quite there yet,” Boehner said in an interview on Fox News Radio's “Kilmeade & Friends.”

“But over the next couple weeks, we hope to get this bill on the floor and get it passed. It's an important priority for the country,” he said.

Boehner acknowledged some in his party are opposing the fast-track legislation, known as Trade Promotion Authority or TPA, simply because they don't trust Obama.

But the Speaker added: “This is not about the president; frankly, it's about the country. It’s why I've worked with the president on a number of trade agreements over the course of his tenure and my tenure as Speaker,” including deals with Panama and South Korea.

Read the full story: www.thehill.com

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Thursday, May 28, 2015

Isn't It Called AFFORDABLE Care Act

May 28, 2015 Health Affairs blog , Obamacare 0 Comments
Overhead Costs Exploding Under ObamaCare, Study Finds

By Sarah Ferris, May 27, 2015, The Hill

Five years after the passage of ObamaCare, there is one expense that’s still causing sticker shock across the healthcare industry: overhead costs.

The administrative costs for healthcare plans are expected to explode by more than a quarter of a trillion dollars over the next decade, according to a new study published by the Health Affairs blog.

The $270 billion in new costs, for both private insurance companies and government programs, will be “over and above what would have been expected had the law not been enacted,” one of the authors, David Himmelstein, wrote Wednesday.

Those costs will be particularly high this year, when overhead is expected to make up 45 percent of all federal spending related to the Affordable Care Act. By 2022, that ratio will decrease to about 20 percent of federal spending related to the law.

The study is based on data from both the government’s National Health Expenditure Projections and the Congressional Budget Office. Both authors are members of Physicians for a National Health Program, which advocates for a single-payer system.

Read the full story: www.thehill.com

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Sunday, May 17, 2015

Gloves Off! Paul Throws Down--Again

May 17, 2015 Benghazi , Elliot Smilowitz 0 Comments
Paul: Benghazi should ‘forever preclude’ Hillary from presidency

By Elliot Smilowitz, May 16, 2015, The Hill

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) charged hard after Hillary Clinton on Saturday, saying her responsibility for the 2012 Benghazi, Libya, attacks shows she should never be president.

“I think that Hillary Clinton’s failure to defend our ambassador should forever preclude her from that office,” Paul said at the Iowa Republican Party’s Lincoln Dinner on Saturday.

He accused Clinton, at the time the secretary of State, of failing to adequately protect U.S. Embassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three other Americans who died in the 2012 attacks.

“The one thing you have to do as Commander in Chief is defend America and its interest,” Paul said.

He further said Clinton was to blame for Libya becoming what he called a “failed state.”

“Gadhafi is gone, but what’s left?”

Both Paul and Clinton are running for their respective parties’ nominations for the White House in 2016.

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Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Smile When You Call Me That!

May 13, 2015 Jordan Fabian , President Barack Obama 1 Comments
White House Expects Apology From Dem Who Suggested Obama Was Sexist 

Credit:  The Hill
By Jordan Fabian, May 13, 2015, The Hill

The White House on Wednesday said it expects Sen. Sherrod Brown to apologize for calling President Obama’s criticism of Sen. Elizabeth Warren sexist.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest called Brown (D-Ohio) a “stand-up guy” who has worked well with the president in the past.

“I’m confident after he has gotten a chance to take a look at the comments he made yesterday that he’ll find a way to apologize,” Earnest said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

Earnest later sought to clarify he "didn't dictate" whether Brown should apologize.
At his daily press briefing, The spokesman said he "wouldn't necessarily expect a public apology" from the Ohio senator.

Brown is a chief critic of Obama’s trade agenda, and on Tuesday, he said the president disrespected Warren (D-Mass.), another leading anti-trade Democrat, when he responded to her comments on the issue.

The Ohio senator ripped Obama for calling Warren by her first name.

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Sigh, How About Singing Some Songs?

May 13, 2015 Cher , Mark Hensch 0 Comments
Singer Cher Rips GOP Over Amtrak Funding 

May 13, 2015, By Mark Hensch, The Hill

Singer Cher criticized Republicans on Wednesday for cutting Amtrak’s funding after one of its trains crashed the night before.

“Hrs ago, Republicans chose 2 cut Some of The meager Funds, 4 AMTRAK!!” Cher tweeted.

“They did this EVEN AFTER the Train Crash & loss of Life, last nite!!” she said.

“Majority of GOP congressmen & senators don’t give a flying Fk about the wellbeing of Americans,” Cher said in a separate tweet. “They defund Everything PPL DESPERATELY NEED.”

Cher’s remarks followed Northeast Regional Train 188’s derailment in Philadelphia late Tuesday.

The House hit Amtrak with reductionsWednesday as part of a $55 billon funding bill for the departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.

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Sunday, May 10, 2015

Were We Lied To?

May 10, 2015 Osama bin Laden , President Barack Obama 0 Comments
Report: Obama lied about bin Laden raid

By Mark Hensch, May 10, The Hill

An expose published on Sunday alleges that President Obama deceived Americans with his narrative of the 2011 assassination of Osama bin Laden.

Author Seymour M. Hersh accuses Obama of rushing to take credit for the al Qaeda leader's death.

This decision, Hersh argues in the London Review of Books, forced the military and intelligence communities to scramble and then corroborate the president’s version of events.

“High-level lying nonetheless remains the modus operandi of U.S. policy, along with secret prisons, drone attacks, Special Forces night raids, bypassing the chain of command, and cutting out those who might say no,” Hersh wrote of the Obama administration’s counterterrorism policies.

Hersh based his report on a single, anonymous source. This individual, he said, is a “retired senior intelligence official who was knowledgeable about the initial intelligence about bin Laden’s presence in Abottabad.”

Hersh’s source alleged that the Pakistani government had an active role in approving and implementing the raid on bin Laden’s compound.

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Monday, January 12, 2015

Most expensive race--EVER?!

January 12, 2015 Antonio Villaraigosa , Cameron Joseph 0 Comments
California: The $1B Senate Race?

Cameron Joseph, Jan. 8, 2015, The Hill

That could also yield some surprises. A pair of Democrats could advance to the fall election if no Republicans mount a serious bid, scrambling campaign strategy; a primary race to the left could quickly flip to a focus on independents for both candidates.

In addition to Harris, Newsom and Steyer former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) may be in the mix, along with California Secretary of State Alex Padilla (D). And Golden State Democrats say L.A. County supervisor Hilda Solis (D) and Reps. John Garamendi, Loretta Sanchez, Raul Ruiz, Adam Schiff and Jackie Speier have all hinted they may look at a statewide bid.

Read more: www.thehill.com


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Has Hillary lost Jay?

January 12, 2015 Bill Maher , Hillary Clinton 0 Comments
Jay Leno: Hillary Clinton 'Seems Very Slow'

Lydia Wheeler, Jan. 10, 2015, The Hill

While on the HBO show “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Jay Leno said Hillary Clinton seems “very slow" and appears to be older than Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren despite their 18-month age difference.

“I don’t see the fire,” he said of the likely Democratic presidential contender in a clip of the show on The Daily Caller. “Her and Elizabeth Warren are almost the same age and I see Elizabeth Warren come out throwing punches boom, boom, boom, boom, boom,” he said with his fist up jabbing the air.

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