PBC News & Comment: Senate GOP Health Bill is Really, Really Mean

Employer-provided healthcare is optional under GOP plan, putting the vast majority of Americans at the mercy of “free market”….--the “reverse Robin Hood” plan steals from the poor to enable tax cuts for the rich
--elimination of employer mandate exponentially expands the ranks of people with negative impact from this “reform”
--abortion opponents may reject the bill, as Senate rules limit inclusion of non-budget issues
--Trump says this draft “needs negotiation”
--Trump ends the guessing game he started, says he did not tape Comey chats
--45 rallies his fans in Iowa, rambles about solar panels on border wall, and a new welfare ban for immigrants, which is already the law
--leaks from Special Counsel and Senate Intel report that Trump made DNI leader Coats and NSA boss Rogers “uncomfortable” by asking them to deny “collusion”
--unverified claims of attempted Russian hacking of election sites draw headlines, while ignoring likely American suspects with means, motive and history
--national leader of secretaries of state group complains that feds have not shared any useful info about alleged hacking attempts, or how to prevent future tries
--The Intercept, ignoring its bungling of leak from Reality Winner, exaggerates the info she leaked, and notes that Sen. Warner wants her prosecuted
--FOIA yields another gem for Jason Leopold, report from inspector general about DNI employee who broke lots of rules, snooped on Ed Snowden’s files 357 times
--NY Times reports that IDT was hit by two different spyware attacks by software stolen from NSA by Shadow Brokers, much worse than WannaCry ransomware
--Bradblog summarizes Georgia special election: 100% unverifiable
--in defensive response to calls for her to step down, Nancy Pelosi says “I’m worth the trouble, frankly
--Uber staffers are circulating petition to bring back bad boy Travis Kalanick
--in our new in-depth interview, Steve Early talks about his book, Refinery Town, which details the progressive renaissance in Chevron-dominated Richmond, CA
--next door in Berkeley, a council meeting about militarized police training brought aggressive police response to protesters
--Oakland’s rogue police department is slammed by court-ordered investigation of coverup in case of teenage prostitute who serviced many Oakland cops