Today in 5 Lines
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer downplayed the Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of the new House Republican health-care plan, saying the CBO is “pretty good at dollars, not as good at people.” Vice President Mike Pence and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill amid concerns over the Republican health-care plan. The Justice Department charged eight current and former U.S. Navy officials with corruption and other crimes in the years-long “Fat Leonard” bribery scandal. The Federal Reserve began a two-day policy meeting and is expected to raise federal interest rates at the end of the meeting on Wednesday. More than 5,400 flights were canceled, and many schools and public offices were closed on Tuesday as a major winter storm hit the Northeast.
Today on The Atlantic
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Alternative Universe: Molly Ball captures Kellyanne Conway’s journey from her small New Jersey hometown to her role as President Trump’s adviser and “most skilled spin artist.”
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Left Behind: House Speaker Paul Ryan’s American Health Care Act may succeed in cutting the deficit and reducing average premiums, but it would also leave older, sick, and low-income Americans unable to afford health insurance. (Vann R. Newkirk II)
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A Threat to Civilization: Alex Wagner explains how Iowa Representative Steve King’s comment on Twitter about restoring “our civilization with somebody else's babies” underscores the challenges she’s endured as the daughter of a white father and an immigrant mother.