memeorandum: Repeal first, ask questions later (Caitlin Owens/Axios)

2:20 PM ET, September 20, 2017

Top Items:

Jeff Stein / Vox:

GOP senators are rushing to pass Graham-Cassidy. We asked 9 to explain what it does. — Republican senators are struggling to articulate why they are rushing to pass their last-ditch effort to repeal and replace Obamacare over the next 10 days before running into their September 30 deadline.

Discussion: ABC News, Slate, National Review, Politicus USA, Daily Kos, Jezebel, ACA Signups, The Week, ThinkProgress, Bloomberg, Common Dreams and The Nation

Avalere Health:

Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson Bill Would Reduce Federal Funding to States by $215 Billion — New analysis from Avalere finds that the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson (GCHJ) bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would lead to a reduction in federal funding to states …

Discussion: Vox, Washington Post, ThinkProgress, National Review, Politico, Balloon Juice, CNN and Common Dreams

Sarah Kliff / Vox:

I've covered the GOP repeal plans since day one. Graham-Cassidy is the most radical. — Other Republican plans create a poorly funded version of Obamacare. This one blows up the law entirely. — I have spent the bulk of 2017 writing about the different Republican plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Discussion: ACA Signups and Refinery29

Caitlin Owens / Axios:

Repeal first, ask questions later — Senate Republicans are on the verge of passing a sweeping health care bill not only without knowing what's in it, but without particularly caring. The political abstraction of “Obamacare” — and the seven years of promises to “repeal Obamacare” …

Discussion: Politico, The Atlantic, ABC News, New York Magazine, New York Times, FierceHealthcare, Mother Jones, Raw Story, Informed Comment, Los Angeles Times, VTDigger and Gothamist

Jonathan Cohn / HuffPost:
Bill Cassidy Responds To Jimmy Kimmel By Doubling Down On The Dishonesty

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Vox, Mother Jones, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Daily Kos, FierceHealthcare, No More Mister Nice Blog and Washington Post

Amber Phillips / Washington Post:
How well does Jimmy Kimmel understand the GOP health-care bill?

Discussion: Common Dreams, Politicus USA and twitchy.com

Burgess Everett / Politico:
McConnell spokeswoman: Senate to vote next week on Graham-Cassidy

Discussion: Vox and The Week

Josh Barro / Business Insider:
The new healthcare bill includes an ‘Alaska Purchase’ to woo a key senator

Discussion: Daily Kos

Sarah Frostenson / Politico:
Graham-Cassidy health care bill: What you need to know

Discussion: Raw Story

Emily Gee / Center for American ProgressCenter …:
Coverage Losses by State Under the Graham-Cassidy Bill to Repeal the ACA

Discussion: The Commonwealth Fund, ThinkProgress, Shareblue and ACA Signups

Dylan Scott / Vox:
Jimmy Kimmel: new Obamacare repeal bill flunks the Jimmy Kimmel Test

Discussion: Daily Wire, Mediaite, Axios and Shareblue

Burgess Everett / Politico:
Republicans rip Rand for rejecting Obamacare repeal

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Monthly, Axios, The Week, Shakesville, Vox, Politicus USA and Political Wire

Jonathan Cohn / HuffPost:
The Sponsors Of Obamacare Repeal Are Trying To Fool America — And Fellow Republicans

Discussion: The Week, ThinkProgress, Vox, Business Insider, Balloon Juice, Common Dreams and The Hill

The Daily Beast:

Russians Appear to Use Facebook to Push Pro-Trump ‘Flash Mobs’ in Florida … Suspected Russia propagandists on Facebook tried to organize more than a dozen pro-Trump rallies in Florida during last year's election, The Daily Beast has learned. — The demonstrations—at least …

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Verge, Politicus USA, Raw Story and Mother Jones

Wall Street Journal:

Special Counsel's Office Interviewed Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein — Interview could be a sign that Rosenstein isn't seen as a central witness, as he hasn't withdrawn himself from his oversight role — Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office has interviewed Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein …

Discussion: The Hill, Above the Law, CNN, RedState, Politico, Talking Points Memo, The Week and Raw Story

Gregg Jarrett / Fox News:
Sessions should resign, but not before taking action against Clinton, Comey and Rice

Discussion: Conservative News Today and The Gateway Pundit

CNN:
Exclusive: Mueller team's focus on Manafort spans 11 years

Rachana Pradhan / Politico:

Price's private-jet travel breaks precedent — In a sharp departure from his predecessors, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price last week took private jets on five separate flights for official business, at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars more than commercial travel.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Washington Post, CNN, Political Wire, ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo, IJR, The Daily Caller, New York Magazine, Common Dreams, AOL, NBC News, KTLA, The Week, Daily Kos, Mediaite, Raw Story and Axios

Craig Silverman / BuzzFeed:

Trump Is Using Targeted Facebook Ads To Reassure Supporters He Will Build The Border Wall — The personal Facebook pages of the president and vice president are running dark post ads that promise “A WALL (NOT A FENCE),” while asking for donations. — President Donald Trump …

Discussion: Shakesville

CNN:

Hurricane Maria makes landfall in Puerto Rico with 155-mph winds — San Juan, Puerto Rico (CNN)Hurricane Maria made landfall Wednesday morning in southeast Puerto Rico as a strong Category 4 storm, the National Hurricane Center said. — Maria slammed the island with winds of 155 mph …

Washington Post:
Puerto Rico entirely without power as Hurricane Maria hammers island with force not seen in ‘modern history’

Discussion: Balloon Juice

León Krauze / Washington Post:

Mexico needs help now. Can President Trump overcome his grudges and provide it? — After a devastating earthquake, it's time for solidarity. — Early in the morning of Sept. 19, 1985, a ferocious earthquake shook Mexico City. For almost two minutes, the wobbly metropolis trembled and jumped …

Discussion: The Guardian

Joshua Partlow / Washington Post:
Death toll in Mexico earthquake rises as citizens frantically look for the missing

Discussion: TalkLeft and CityLab

Hillel Italie / Associated Press:

AP Exclusive: Clinton book has sold more than 300,000 copies — https://apnews.com/d84bb58cfa234b3fb24e 009d6c31a497 — Link copied! — NEW YORK (AP) — Hillary Clinton's “What Happened” had a big debut. — Clinton's book about her stunning loss in 2016 to Donald Trump sold …

Discussion: Vox, Political Wire and Washington Free Beacon

Kim Hjelmgaard / USA Today:

There is meddling in Germany's election — not by Russia, but by U.S. right wing — Less than a week before Sunday's vote that is likely to hand German Chancellor Angela Merkel a fourth term, evidence of anticipated Russian meddling has yet to materialize, but U.S. right-wing groups have interfered, according to German researchers.

Discussion: Raw Story

Pete Kasperowicz / Washington Examiner:

John Kerry doesn't rule out 2020 White House run — Former senator and Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday he has no plans to run for president in 2020, but didn't rule out the idea. — “I don't have any plans right now, honestly,” Kerry said on MSNBC when asked if he might make another run.

Discussion: RedState, The Daily Caller and Washington Free Beacon

Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:
Clinton criticizes Trump's ‘rocket man’ nickname for North Korean leader

Discussion: Politico, People.com, RT, Business Insider, Towleroad, Washington Free Beacon, The Week, Axios, TheBlaze, Still4Hill, Raw Story, Mediaite and IJR

Benjamin Haas / Politico:

The Electoral College Is a National Security Threat — In Federalist No. 68, his pseudonymous essay on “The Mode of Electing the President,” Alexander Hamilton wrote that the Electoral College could shield the United States “from the desire in foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils.”

Discussion: RedState, TheBlaze, National Review and twitchy.com

Louis Nelson / Politico:

Trump: ‘I have decided’ on Iran deal — but won't share yet — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has made up his mind on whether the U.S. will remain party to the Iran nuclear deal — but won't say just yet what that decision is. — “I have decided” Trump repeated three times …

Discussion: ABC News and Axios

Max Greenwood / The Hill:
Iran's president warns Trump: Exiting nuclear deal ‘would carry a high cost’

Discussion: IJR

Steven Shepard / Politico:

Trump rebounds after polling slide — President Donald Trump's summer swoon appears to be over. — After months of declining poll numbers, the president's approval ratings have stabilized — and even ticked up slightly — over the past month. — Following a low of 39 percent …

Discussion: Vox, Washington Post, Business Insider, The Week and AOL

CNN:

Trump judicial nominee said transgender children are part of 'Satan's plan', defended ‘conversion therapy’ — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — (CNN)In a pair of 2015 speeches, President Donald Trump's nominee for a federal judgeship in Texas described transgender children as evidence of “Satan's plan …

Discussion: The Stranger … and Raw Story

Borys Kit / Hollywood Reporter:

Linda Hamilton Set to Return to ‘Terminator’ Franchise (Exclusive) — With James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger involved, it's a reunion more than 25 years in the making. — She'll be back. — After waving hasta la vista, baby, more than 25 years ago, Linda Hamilton is returning …

Discussion: Mashable, ABC News, IndieWire, Consequence of Sound, Gizmodo, The Guardian, The Blast and Engadget

Claire Atkinson / NBC News:

Networks Pass on Sean Spicer for Paid Contributor Role — The big five news organizations have passed on offering former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer a job as an exclusive paid contributor, network sources confirmed to NBC News Tuesday. — Since Spicer exited the White House …

Discussion: Shareblue, Talking Points Memo, New York Times, The Daily Caller, NBC News, Washington Free Beacon, Mediaite, Political Wire and Axios

Adam Ciralsky / Vanity Fair:

Is Trump Mulling Peter Thiel for a Top Intelligence Advisory Post? — Venture capitalist Peter Thiel has been quietly advising the Trump administration for months. Now—as sources say he could be in line for a top intelligence oversight role—Steve Bannon, White House officials, friends …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo