Congress apparently averts government shutdown by striking relatively non-obnoxious deal to fund our government through September. The deal (if it passes!) will preserve almost all EPA funding, increase renewable energy funding and National Institutes of Health funding, and cover a Medicaid shortfall in Puerto Rico and permanently extend retired coal miners' health benefits. How did we get this out of a unified Republican government? Because we spoke out and wouldn't quit. Make no mistake, Congress didn't "get this done" -- the American people did.
Trump Administration Chief of Staff Reince Priebus says the Administration has considered amending the Constitution, apparently to protect him from criticism. It's really not a good sign when our President thinks of criticism as a personal attack, let alone that he would change the Constitution, possibly, as Mr. Priebus all but says, by effectively abolishing the First Amendment. They say they're against "false" stories about Mr. Trump, but gosh, doesn't the President have the biggest megaphone in the country? If Mr. Trump uses his megaphone to whine incessantly, that isn't the media's fault, and good Americans sure don't need to coddle him.
Dean Baker at TruthOut reminds us that Mr. Trump didn't strike a deal on currency manipulation with China while he met with its President last month -- but he sure did get some Chinese trademarks for his daughter's clothing brand. This, again, is the kind of sickness, immorality, and decadence we ought to attack (versus, say, whatever Melania Trump's immigration status was all those years ago), because it sure looks like he sold out his votaries in order to get something for his daughter.
Speaking of the Great Man, Mr. Trump "seems unaware" that his health care plan essentially makes the pre-existing conditions ban meaningless by allowing states to "opt out" of them. No use playing the stupid-or-evil game, because of course he knows what's in his plan and what's not -- the biggest mistake we make is in assuming these assholes are just dumb, when they're actually malicious. Seriously, I've long thought this 1986 Saturday Night Live skit to be much closer to the truth about Our Glorious Leaders. (Kudos, at least, to Face the Nation for not covering the bill like it's a horserace. You know, the way Chuck Todd would.)
Finally, we have some evidence that Mr. Trump's votaries on Reddit may be breaking with the Great Man on net neutrality. Net neutrality has Actual Bipartisan Support, as you know, but I remember Tea Partiers being a lot more unified in their opposition to net neutrality -- a few said they didn't want big corporations to run the internet, but they hated their government more, particularly when run by Teh Furriner, so of course they opposed net neutrality. The good news? Most Trump votaries used to be Tea Partiers (who in turn used to be Bush Derangement Syndrome voters), so this skepticism is an improvement.
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