Senate Republicans who defected on health care test vote

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, left, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Ak., were the only Republicans to vote against Tuesday's motion to proceed  (AP)

Vice President Mike Pence was needed in the Senate Tuesday to cast the tie-breaking vote on a motion to move forward with a bill to overhaul ObamaCare after two Republicans voted "no."

The votes by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Ak., eliminated the GOP's margin of error on the motion. Every other Republican senator voted "aye," while every Democratic senator joined Collins and Murkowski in voting "no."

Collins and Murkowski are among several moderate Senate Republicans concerned about possible Medicaid cuts in any ObamaCare overhaul. In separate statements last week, both women opposed an attempt by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to pass legislation repealing ObamaCare without new legislation in place.

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Murkowski — who backed a Senate bill repealing ObamaCare in 2015 that was vetoed by then-President Barack Obama, the law's namesake — said the Senate should "take a step back and engage in a bipartisan process to address the failures of [ObamaCare] and stabilize the individual markets."
Collins, who did not vote for the 2015 repeal, said that ObamaCare is "so interwoven in our health care system that to repeal it completely with no idea what it's going to be replaced with is not the right approach."
As for potential political consequences of their votes, Murkowski is not due to come up for re-election until 2022. Collins' turn will come in 2020, though she has not ruled out stepping down to run for governor of Maine next year.

Scaramucci: “If they don’t stop leaking I’m going to put them out on Pennsylvania Ave.”

Washington, D.C- Trey Yingst, OAN Chief White House Correspondent
The new White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci is cracking down on leaks. Already, one staffer has resigned as a result.
Michael Short, a former White House Press Assistant, resigned Tuesday after reports surfaced that he would be fired.
The resignation comes following a tumultuous week at the White House. On Friday Press Secretary Sean Spicer resigned following the news that Scaramucci would be the new Communications Director.
Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Scaramucci said the President has given him full authority to fire anyone in the administration if they leak to the press.
“You wanna sell postcards to the tourists outside the gate or work in the West Wing?” Scaramucci asked outside the West Wing.
When asked how he would address future leaks, Scaramucci said he would ‘fire everyone’ if necessary.
President Trump has expressed frustration with leaks coming out of his administration, leaving open questions about more resignations in the coming days.

Beijing Demands U.S. End Flights Over China’s Illegally Occupied Islands

China has been expanding its maritime activity over the past few years. (Reuters/PHOTO)

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Pearson Sharp
China takes an aggressive approach to defending islands its occupying illegally, warning U.S. aircraft to stay away.
A pair of armed Chinese fighter jets swooped in to harass a U.S. Navy Reconnaissance plane flight over the East China Sea on Sunday.
U.S. officials say the dangerous behavior nearly caused a collision.
One of the Chinese jets dove under the American plane, then climbed suddenly and popped up just in front of the U.S. pilots.
China dismissed the claims saying it didn’t happen, and then rushed to scold the U.S. for flying over its annexed territory.
Both of the Chinese jets were carrying air-to-air missiles, posing a legitimate threat to the unarmed Navy plane.
The U.S., the UN, and numerous nations in the region—including Japan, the Philippines, and Vietnam—have condemned China’s expansion.
Earlier this month, the U.S. sailed a destroyer near one of China’s annexed islands.

Amazon Political Cartoons

McCain to return to Senate on Tuesday ahead of crucial health care vote

Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., will return to the Senate on Tuesday -- the day of a crucial vote to open debate on legislation to repeal and replace ObamaCare, his office announced on Monday night. 

McCain, 80, has been recovering at home in Arizona following a brain tumor diagnosis.

“Senator McCain looks forward to returning to the United States Senate tomorrow to continue working on important legislation, including health care reform, the National Defense Authorization Act, and new sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea," his office said in a statement.
With McCain's return - and barring any other absences - there will now be a full complement of senators on hand for the health care test vote.
JOHN MCCAIN HAS BRAIN TUMOR, HOSPITAL SAYS
That includes 52 Republicans and 48 senators who caucus with the Democrats. Republicans can lose only two votes and have Vice President Pence vote to break the tie and start debate.
A tweet from McCain's account Monday night read: "Look forward to returning to Senate tomorrow to continue work on health care reform, defense bill & #RussiaSanctions."
McCain was diagnosed with a brain tumor following a July 14 craniotomy to remove a blood clot from above his left eye, the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix said last week.
The hospital's examination of the tissue revealed that a primary brain tumor, know as a glioblastoma, was associated with the blood clot.
TRUMP CALLS OBAMACARE 'BIG, FAT, UGLY LIE'
Earlier Monday, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, discussed plans to get McCain back to the Senate.
"They were trying to get approval [from his doctors] for his travel arrangements. I've personally volunteered to rent an RV," Cornyn said, according to Politico.
Fox News' Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Trump asks if The Washington Post is an Amazon 'lobbyist weapon'

President Trump took to Twitter late Monday to call out The Washington Post and asked if Amazon’s billionaire-owner Jeff Bezos is using the paper as a “lobbyist weapon against Congress.”

“Is Fake News Washington Post being used as a lobbyist weapon against Congress to keep Politicians from looking into Amazon no-tax monopoly?” Trump tweeted.

Bezos bought the paper in 2013. He made the purchase as an individual and Amazon.com Inc. was not involved.
Trump was apparently upset with the paper's report on Syria.
Amazon.com collects state sales taxes in all 45 states with a sales tax and the District of Columbia, according to their website. State governments have sought to capture sales taxes lost to internet retailers, though they have struggled with a 1992 Supreme Court ruling that retailers must have a physical presence in a state before officials can make them collect sales tax.
This is not the first time that Trump has taken aim at the website’s use of the tax system. In June, Trump took to Twitter and blasted the “#AmazonWashingtonPost, sometimes referred to as the guardian of Amazon not paying internet takes (which they should).”
Both Amazon and The Post, in June, did not respond to Trump’s tweet.
Kim Ruebin, a senior fellow in the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, told CBS’ MoneyWatch at the time, "They're (Amazon) being good citizens, and they're collecting the taxes and remitting it. … If you want more and more of your deliveries to be done in a day or two, you actually need warehouses and physical presence in places to get your goods to other places."
Bezos was one of a number of technology executives who visited the White House recently for a strategy session on modernizing government.
In 2015, he wrote that Bezos bought the Post “for purposes of keeping taxes down at his no profit company, @amazon.” He added that “If @amazon ever had to pay fair taxes, its stock would crash and it would crumble like a paper bag. The @washingtonpost scam is saving it!”

GOP Senators Are Expected to Hold Obamacare Repeal Vote This Week

In this July 18, 2017 photo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. There are many reasons why the Senate will probably reject Republicans’ crowning bill razing much of “Obamacare.” There are fewer why Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell might revive it and avert a GOP humiliation. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

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Senate Republicans are determined to make way on the repeal of Obamacare.
GOP senators are set to return to Washington Monday, and talk with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on which repeal bill to bring up for a procedural vote.
Ultimately, it will be up to McConnell to pick either the House’s partial repeal measure, or the Senate’s own repeal and replace bill.
If the House measure is chosen its unclear what the replacement will be.
President Trump has pushed Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare, but said he would accept its repeal if senators can’t come to an agreement.
The vote’s expected to come as early as Tuesday, and will allow senators to begin debate and make amendments.

Trump Administration to Roll Back Obama-Era Fracking Regulation

OAN Newsroom
The Trump administration is set to roll-back another Obama-era rule, making it easier to frack on public lands.
The Interior Department is sending a proposal in an effort to completely repeal the federal hydraulic fracturing rule implemented by former President Obama.
The administration claims the current regulation would cost the oil and gas industry around $45 million dollars annually.
The latest rollback keeps President Trump’s campaign promise to end regulations limiting fossil fuel production.