Thursday, March 23, 2017

Trump and Ryan Forces Fail to get Needed Votes

The big news of the day is that there will be no row-call vote in Congress for the Health Care measure.  This was the House vote.  The US Senate hasn't taken up this bill yet, but when it does it is expected to fail by an even greater margin.  The Trump and Ryan forces simply lack the votes.  They need to delay the vote some more so they can do the necessary arm twisting and deal making with individual congress-men.  The Freedom Caucus is making a whole bunch of fresh demands like eliminating caticlis-mic coverage and terminating policies.   The other news of the day is of course yesterday’s story about how perhaps Trump people in the campaign were overheard in conversations with Russia that our side captured.  They supposedly aren’t even supposed to listen to the American half of the conversation, which seems a strange request to make.  The congress chairman told Trump before he told his ranking member, which is against protocol.  I don’t see how this Trump administration can forever continue to sweep scandal after scandal under the rug, but so far he’s done a pretty good job of it.  There is so much of the government that is already in Trump administration hands that finding an independent prosecutor seems highly unlikely now.

Washington (CNN) The House hopes to vote on legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare Friday morning, following a day of drama and multiple high-level, tension-filled meetings, a White House official said.  President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan have been lobbying members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and also moderate Republicans in an attempt to reach the 216 votes they need to pass the bill.  Republicans can't lose more than 21 of their caucus and still pass the bill, since no Democrats are expected to support it. According to CNN's ongoing whip count, 26 House Republicans have said they will vote against the bill, and four more have indicated they are likely to oppose it, though negotiations were ongoing Thursday.  Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows said there are "30 to 40" votes against the bill at this point.  "We have not gotten enough of our members to get to yes at this point," Meadows said Thursday afternoon.  Meadows called the long-standing plan to vote on Thursday -- the seven-year anniversary of President Barack Obama signing the Affordable Care Act -- an "artificial deadline."

NY Senator Chuck Schummer in a speech today said that he would vote to filibuster the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court.  He said that all of Obama’s picks for the High Court met the sixty vote standard as did some of Bush’s nominees.  Chuck says if this candidate cannot meet the bar of sixty votes in the senate the solution is not to change the rules, as Mitch Mc Connell has threatened to do, but to change candidates.  I agree. 

(Last Sunday morning) I went to the store after cereal and got my dollar coffee.  In the morning here I got coffee with milk, and got a second such coffee from Paul, which woke me up.  The good thing is I was done with breakfast before “Meet the Press” came on the air.  I had a lot of ideas for blogging about the Trump administration.  The big news is that Supreme Court justice candidate will be testifying tomorrow.  Also FBI head James Comey will be testifying tomorrow.  He’s the mole in the Trump administration.  If I were congress I’d be grilling him extra intensely to get the truth out of him.

(Tuesday March 14th.)  I watched Days of our Lives and today could be called ethics and evaluation day.  Bill had to leave to see Dr Kim at one thirty.  I went and smoked my remaining butt in the pack and then headed to the snack line.  It was four after two but I was still late.  I got in the money draw line.  Gabby was weaving in and out among the people.  It was Glenda and then Luan and then Muffin, and all three of those took a long time.  Then it was that other Ron.  I got in there just past 2:20.  I got my fifteen dollars from Jennifer and took too chocolates. Gabby was watching me count my money but she wanted the chocolates I was holding.  I ate them and got in the reasonably short line to see Dr Saran.  When I had been in the Tess line I had heart palpitations.  I was afraid I’d have more of them now and the doctor would think I was really sick.  Silva engaged me in conversation.  Right off I told the doctor that I had been sick with the flu for two weeks.  Also that I had been coughing all that time and nasal clogging and tiredness and tightness in the stomach area. I told Dr Saran that often when I ate I felt better despite not feeling hungry beforehand.   Dr Saran wasn’t going to prescribe anti-biotics, which I’m sure I need.  My temperature was below normal and my blood pressure was on the low end despite the fact I could feel my veins throbbing.  He prescribed cough medicine and nasal spray.  That will help me get more needed oxygen.  I returned to the room and Nora told me not to go in because she had just mopped.  I went out for a smoke.   She doesn’t seem to have dusted and the corner of the desk still feels dirty. 

Police have identified Khalid Masood as the man who carried out the Westminster attack, as the death toll rose to five.   Al Qaeda has taken credit for this car attack.  Kent-born Masood, who was shot dead by police, had not been the subject of any current police investigations, but had a range of previous convictions.
The 52-year-old was believed to have been living in the West Midlands.  PC Keith Palmer, 48, Aysha Frade and US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, were killed on Wednesday, while a 75-year-old man died on Thursday evening.  The man had been receiving medical treatment in hospital but his life support was withdrawn.
The so-called Islamic State group has said it was behind the attack.
Three women and five men were arrested in London and Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts following Wednesday's attack.

  • A woman aged 39 was arrested in east London
  • A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were arrested in Birmingham
  • A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 were arrested at another address in Birmingham
  • A man aged 58 was arrested at an address in Birmingham
  • Bullets keep coming

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