Today in 5 Lines
Using a PowerPoint presentation, House Speaker Paul Ryan made the case for the new health-care bill and told Republicans “this is the closest we will ever get to repealing and replacing Obamacare.” Two House committees approved the legislation after several hours of debate. Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, said in an interview that carbon dioxide is not a “primary contributor” to global warming, a statement that goes against scientific evidence to the contrary. Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman reportedly accepted Trump’s offer to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Russia. In an interview with Politico, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell dismissed Donald Trump’s claim that Mexico will pay for the construction of a wall on the U.S.- Mexico border.
Today on The Atlantic
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‘The New Party of No’: On the road to redemption, Democrats must win voters over with a compelling vision, but first, they must take a “Tylenol versus Advil” approach, as House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi calls it. Because, Michelle Cottle writes: “In midterm politics, as in pain relief, rule No. 1 is to destroy the other guy’s credibility. You can sort the rest out later.”
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In Time: Matt Ford chronicled the encounters between Donald Trump’s associates and the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak, to better understand the context surrounding those meetings. View the timeline here.
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No Comment: Donald Trump is no stranger to making outlandish claims, and he has succeeded in convincing others to, at least publicly, defend them. By accusing former President Obama of wiretapping, Trump has made an allegation that even his staunchest supporters refuse to stand behind. (David A. Graham)