Handel Beats Ossoff in Most Expensive House Contest Ever
Not peachy. Republican Karen Handel won the special election Tuesday for Georgia’s 6th District House seat, defeating Democrat Jon Ossoff with 52% of the vote. The race was the most expensive House race in U.S. history. In South Carolina, Republican Ralph Norman also won the state’s 5th District, defeating Democrat Archie Parnell. There have been five special Congressional elections since November with no change in the numerical makeup of the House. Republicans retained seats in Kansas, Montana, South Carolina and Georgia. Democrats kept a seat in California. (A Tuesday night Trump tweet got the score wrong.) Tuesday’s wins could give Republicans more confidence to dismantle Obamacare and replace it with legislation that would give a tax cut to the richest in our nation.
Vote-a-rama. Senate Republicans are set to unveil Trumpcare on Thursday just days ahead of the expected vote next week. They don’t yet know how many people would be left without insurance under the Senate version. The Indivisible group is urging people to submit amendments and include their comments on healthcare to slow down the process.
No science here. The Environmental Protection Agency has given notice to dozens of scientists that they will not be renewed in their roles in advising the agency. Members of the EPA’s Board of Scientific Counselors whose terms end in August will not see them renewed, according to an email sent to members and obtained by The Washington Post, though they can reapply for their posts.
In like Flynn. Michael Flynn heard CIA secrets during the 25 days he was our nation’s national security adviser despite concern that he was vulnerable to Russian blackmail. CIA Director Mike Pompeo regularly briefed Trump on the nation’s most sensitive intelligence as Flynn listened. The daily briefing is a summary of what our nation’s spies think are the most pressing issues facing our country.
Landlord Trump. Trump’s proposed budget would cut programs that help the homeless and shelter the poor, but private landlords, including Trump, won’t see cuts to a federal housing subsidy. Trump made at least $5 million from January 2016 to mid-April from Starrett City in Brooklyn, the nation’s largest federally subsidized housing complex. The air conditioning in the development hasn’t been working and tenants have been using fans. Starrett City has received $38.3 million in federal subsidies so far this year.
