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House 2018: Rating Changes in 20 Districts — Republicans' 217-213 passage of the American Health Care Act on Thursday guarantees Democrats will have at least one major on-the-record vote to exploit in the next elections. Although it's the first of potentially many explosive votes …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Atlantic, New York Times, Rewire and New York Magazine
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About that Rose Garden health care photo with all the white guys.... (CNN)House Republicans marched to the White House on Thursday afternoon to celebrate their victory: Passage of the American Health Care Act. — President Trump welcomed them with a Rose Garden celebration.
Discussion:
The Atlantic and Hullabaloo


A Few Grafs That Explain Why America Hates Vacuous Political Reporting — As you may have heard, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives today passed a bill that would take health insurance away from more than 20 million people and make health insurance that many people have worse …


G.O.P. Cheers a Big Victory. But Has It Stirred a 'Hornet's Nest'?
Discussion:
Raw Story, Taylor Marsh, The Week and Daily Kos

Cook Report Moves 20 House Seats In Dems' Favor After O'Care Repeal Vote
Discussion:
Washington Post and The Week


No, the AHCA Doesn't Make Rape a Preexisting Condition — The latest less-than-truthful meme about Republicans' Affordable Health Care Act (AHCA), passed by the U.S. House on Thursday, is that it makes rape a “preexisting condition” for health-insurance purposes.
Discussion:
Shareblue, National Review, Vox, CNN, Business Insider, Refinery29, DCReport.org, New York Magazine, Slate and Mashable
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Senate Moves Obamacare Repeal to Slow Lane After House Squeaker
Discussion:
Mother Jones and Marginal REVOLUTION

In Rare Unity, Hospitals, Doctors and Insurers Criticize Health Bill
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, CNN, The Week, Common Dreams, Daily Kos, New York Magazine, Politico and Outside the Beltway

The House G.O.P.'s Shameful Health-Care Victory
Discussion:
US News, Hullabaloo, Business Insider, ThinkProgress, The Atlantic and The Guardian

HHS Secretary On Premium Hikes For The Older: 'Somebody's Going To Pay'
Discussion:
Daily Kos

If The Senate Doesn't Fix The House's Obamacare Replacement, The GOP Will Pay A Steep Price

White House fires its chief usher — the first woman in that job — The White House has fired its chief usher, Angella Reid, the first woman and second African American to hold the position. — When the White House residence staff arrived at work Friday morning, they were told that Reid …
Discussion:
CNN, Politico, Talking Points Memo, New York Times, New York Magazine, The Root, Shareblue, The Week, The Daily Caller and Axios


Anti-vaccine activists spark a state's worst measles outbreak in decades — MINNEAPOLIS — The young mother started getting advice early on from friends in the close-knit Somali immigrant community here. Don't let your children get the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella — it causes autism, they said.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and Outside the Beltway


Fox News trying to pull Jesse Watters from Bill O'Reilly comedy tour — This is why Bill O'Reilly was fired — Bill O'Reilly says his former protege at Fox News, Jesse Watters, will continue to make a series of public appearances with him this year. Fox News has other ideas.
Discussion:
Mediaite
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Mayoral candidate Bo Dietl admits Fox News hired him to dig up dirt on women making sexual harassment claims — Federal investigators looking into sexual harassment settlements and alleged intimidation tactics at Fox News are eyeing mayoral hopeful Bo Dietl's work for the network, according to reports.
Discussion:
Political Wire


Second Chance for ‘Obamacare’ Repeal. And for Reince Priebus. — WASHINGTON — The Republican health care overhaul might never become law, but it has already changed the life of one American: Reince Priebus, who knew it was his best and perhaps last hope of becoming an empowered White House chief of staff.
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'The White House just couldn't let this go' — Donald Trump had had it. — The Obamacare repeal bill that the president had just boasted was on the cusp of passage was suddenly in trouble again, and the president demanded to talk to the influential congressman who dropped a bombshell hours earlier …
Discussion:
Vox, Washington Post, Shakesville, Axios, Hit & Run and bradford-delong.com


Lawsuit: Boys endured public shaming, violence following racist Instagram incident — ALBANY — Four Albany High School juniors punished for their roles in a racist Instagram posting incident have sued the school district and administration, alleging their free speech rights were violated …
Discussion:
KRON4.com, IJR, AOL and CBS San Francisco
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Watch: Chris Collins admits he didn't read health care bill — WASHINGTON - Rep. Chris Collins told CNN that he didn't read the entire Republican health care bill that the House passed Thursday. — And then he told The Buffalo News that he was unaware of a key provision in the bill …


Judicial Watch: Two Trump trips to Mar-a-Lago cost more than $1 million — The conservative legal watchdog organization Judicial Watch says President Trump's flights to the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for two weekends in February and March cost taxpayers $1,281,420.
Discussion:
Washington Post and Judicial Watch
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Islamic State magazine steers followers to U.S. gun shows for ‘easy’ access to weapons — In August, a former Islamic State recruit caused a stir when he described how the terrorist organization sought to exploit America's lax gun laws. — “They say the Americans are dumb …
Discussion:
Defense One and twitchy.com


Deputy press secretary substitutes for Spicer — Washington (CNN)White House press secretary Sean Spicer won't be at the podium Friday, but he doesn't have the day off. — Sarah Huckabee Sanders, President Donald Trump's deputy White House press secretary, will do her first on-camera briefing …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Joe.My.God. and Washington Free Beacon
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Trump: I'm staying at NJ golf club to avoid disrupting NYC, save money
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Politicus USA, Talking Points Memo, TheBlaze, Washington Times, CBS New York and Joe.My.God.


Senate Asks Trump Associates for Records of Communication With Russians — WASHINGTON — The Senate Intelligence Committee, seeking to accelerate its broad investigation into Russian meddling in the presidential election, has asked a number of high-profile Trump campaign associates to hand …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Talking Points Memo, Occupy Democrats, Business Insider and Axios

Trump budget would effectively kill drug control office — President Donald Trump's fiscal 2018 budget would cut about 95 percent of funding for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, effectively ending its mission as the lead agency in charge of combating the opioid crisis and other drug epidemics …
Discussion:
Vox, Washington Post, Occupy Democrats, Hit & Run, Mediaite, Axios and Washington Free Beacon

Ivanka Trump Wrote a Painfully Oblivious Book for Basically No One — Ivanka Trump, a daughter of and aide to the man whose election drove women to mount the largest protest in American history, has published a new book. It's about how women can best achieve personal satisfaction and professional success.
Discussion:
The Atlantic, CNN, Talking Points Memo, NPR, EW.com, PerezHilton, NBC News and BizPac Review
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Rape charges to be dropped against immigrant teens in Md. case — Maryland prosecutors will drop rape and sex offense charges against two immigrant teens accused of attacking a 14-year-old classmate in a high school bathroom stall, according to attorneys in a case that shocked local parents …
Discussion:
Hit & Run and Washington Free Beacon

There are diseases hidden in ice, and they are waking up — Long-dormant bacteria and viruses, trapped in ice and permafrost for centuries, are reviving as Earth's climate warms — Throughout history, humans have existed side-by-side with bacteria and viruses.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and Axios


GOP senator: ObamaCare repeal must pass ‘Jimmy Kimmel test’ — Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said on Friday that a Senate plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare should pass the “Jimmy Kimmel test,” after the comedian revealed his son was born with a heart defect. — “I ask does it pass the Jimmy Kimmel test?
Discussion:
Political Wire

How Democrats Can Win in the West — HELENA, MONT. — I AM no fan of Neil Gorsuch or his legal theories, but his appointment to the Supreme Court raises a question that Democrats must answer. Justice Gorsuch is the first person from the Mountain States named to the court since Ronald Reagan chose Sandra …