Congress
The Congressional Budget Office says Obamacare repeal would be disastrous:
- The number of people who are uninsured would increase by 18 million in the first new plan year and 32 million in 2026
- premiums would be 20-25% more than they would be if the ACA were kept in place over the next year; if the ACA were fully repealed, premiums would increase by 50%
- a partial repeal that keeps the popular provisions of the ACA would lead insurers to leave the marketplace
Because the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology didn’t have enough climate change deniers among its members, it just added six more.
Republicans Plan to Roll Back Parts of the Landmark Endangered Species Act
Trump
The Obama administration is trying to undermine Trump’s legitimacy, says Putin. Wait, why is Putin worried about Trump’s legitimacy if they have nothing to do with one another?
Ex-Nixon lawyer: Not even Nixon ‘comes close to the level of corruption we know about Trump’
Remember when Kellyanne Conway’s husband represented Paula Jones in her suit against Bill Clinton and set the legal precedent that sitting presidents could be sued for actions that took place before they took office? Funny, that. A former Apprentice contestant is suing Trump for sexual assault.
Reed Cordish, named Wednesday as assistant to the president for Intergovernmental and Technology Initiatives, runs a real estate company that is being sued for hiring white men to beat up black clubgoers.
Nearly a third of House Democrats will not attend Trump’s inauguration, but representatives of Austria’s Nazi party will.
Transition Team & Cabinet Appointees
Betsy DeVos
Her hearing began tonight without completed ethics forms–a first. Senator Cassidy, who opened the hearing with some softball questions, has $230,000 in donations the DeVos family.
Among the rather stunning statements DeVos made:
- Local schools should decide whether to permit guns on campus, in case of grizzly bears. She said this to Chris Murphy, whose district included Newtown back when he was in the House.
- “It would be premature” to commit to maintaining Title IX standards on campus rape investigations.
- She admitted that Trump’s statements about grabbing women would constitute sexual assault on a college campus.
- States should decide whether schools should be required to meet special education requirements. DeVos did not appear to know that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a federal law. “So some states might be good to kids with disabilities, and other states might not be so good, and then what, people can just move around the country if they don’t like how their kids are being treated?” Tim Kaine asked. His questioning is worth watching.
- She would not rule out defunding public schools.
"How are you going to make sure people don't start fake universities like the President-Elect has?" – @SenWarren SAVAGE. #DeVosHearing
— Sarah Kravitz (@sarahkravitz13) January 18, 2017
For those who are new to the fascism watch, Betsy DeVos helps fund the Acton Institute, which published an article in November claiming that there is “dignity and meaning” in child labor:
I also think about their inner lives. They are working in the adult world, surrounded by cool bustling things and new technology. They are on the streets, in the factories, in the mines, with adults and with peers, learning and doing. They are being valued for what they do, which is to say being valued as people. They are earning money.
Whatever else you want to say about this, it’s an exciting life.
More on DeVos in my November 23 post and in this amazing Mother Jones article published earlier today. The Detroit Free Press also has a great deal of coverage.
If I had just one topic to discuss with my representatives tomorrow morning, my choice would be Betsy DeVos. The grizzly bears would be less damaging to public education.
Rex Tillerson
Tillerson will receive a full Senate vote even if the committee running his confirmation hearing votes “No.” This hasn’t happened since 1948.
Gen. Michael Flynn
A story containing previews of Mike Flynn’s proposals for his role as National Security Adviser includes a plan to consolidate intelligence agencies under his office:
Perhaps most significantly, the story says the “radical overhaul” Flynn is planning involves the elimination of the office of the Director of National Intelligence, an office created by President Bush in 2004, with power centralized under Flynn instead.
“The 16 agencies should no longer be accountable to the National Intelligence Director but only to the National Security Adviser,” Meyssan writes. “In other words, they will be accountable to General Flynn personally.”
Protests
Voting
What troubles local election officials is an increasing number of people in the last two election cycles who say their voter registration applications were completed online or at driver’s license offices, but whose names never made it to county election offices to be added to local voter rolls.
What You Can Do
Check the It’s Time to Fight website for a manageable weekly list of things to do. And holy hell, call your Senators about Betsy DeVos.
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