| | | | Is the GOP's Obamacare replacement bill dead on arrival? | | Per CNN's MJ Lee: That didn't take long. The Republican Party's freshly unveiled bill to repeal Obamacare is already in trouble.
Conservatives are branding it "Obamacare Lite." A leading House Freedom Caucus member, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, says he's filing his own "clean" bill to repeal Obamacare, rather than the GOP leadership's "Obamacare in a different form." Lending heft to the conservative opposition: The Club for Growth and Heritage Action both panned the legislation, as did the Koch network -- FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity. Those groups are major funders of GOP candidates -- and, sometimes, of their primary opponents.
"I don't think it's ever going to arrive in the Senate. I think it's dead on arrival in the House," Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said. (For that to happen, the Freedom Caucus' willingness to fight Trump will be tested, Politico's Rachael Bade writes.)
Moderate Republicans have concerns, too. Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski has expressed frustration about the effort to tie Planned Parenthood to the health care measure. "I don't think that the Planned Parenthood defund should be in the ACA bill that we're dealing with. Just don't think so," she said.
White House to the rescue? Vice President Mike Pence was on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to push the bill. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price called it a "work in progress." And President Donald Trump weighed in with this tweet: | | Health care polling download: Per a new CNN/ORC poll, the public largely opposes cuts to Medicaid funding, supports some elements of Obamacare, but is split on its individual mandate to purchase health insurance.
Here are the nitty-gritty details: 48% support and 50% oppose the individual mandate. Meanwhile, 87% support Obamacare's coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, and 61% don't want to cut Medicaid spending from Obamacare's levels. Shifting tax credits from an income-based system to one that's driven by age, another idea incorporated in the new proposal, also divides the public, with 46% in favor and 50% opposed. And a new provision, mentioned by Trump in his address to Congress last week, to allow insurers to sell coverage in any state regardless of where they are licensed, generates greater support, with 66% in favor and 31% opposed. | | "It's hard to come to any other conclusion than he just perjured himself." -- Minnesota Sen. Al Franken, telling CNN's Jake Tapper he now believes that Attorney General Jeff Sessions committed perjury during his confirmation hearing when he did not disclose meetings with the Russian ambassador. | | | | The Washington Post's Jenna Johnson points out that President Donald Trump spent two hours watching "Fox and Friends" this morning -- and live-tweeting his thoughts on their segments. Some of his hot takes: | | Hill leaders walk away from Trump on wiretap allegations | | The top Republicans investigating Russia's interference in the US election declined Tuesday to back up President Donald Trump's claims that then-President Barack Obama wiretapped his Manhattan headquarters last year -- leaving the White House on its own to explain the stunning allegation, per CNN's Tom LoBianco.
Here's House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes: "A lot of the things he says, you guys take literally."
And Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr: "We're going to go anywhere there is intelligence or facts that send us. So I'm not going to limit it one way or the other. But we don't have anything today that would send us in that direction, but that's not to say that we might not find something."
And No. 2 Senate Republican John Cornyn: "I don't know what the basis of his statement is."
Mark your calendars: The first public hearing in the House on Russia's meddling in US elections will be March 20, Nunes said. Nunes said he has invited FBI Director James Comey and National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers, as well as former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, to testify. | | A Trump surprise: A White House tour group got a huge surprise this morning as President Donald Trump himself made an appearance. The tour group, including many children, cheered and screamed as the President popped out from behind a room divider.
"Work hard, everybody, work hard," Trump said, standing in front of a portrait of former first lady Hillary Clinton. More from CNN's Betsy Klein. | | 3 things you might have missed today | | Clinton reflects: Speaking at a women's empowerment event in New York, Hillary Clinton stressed the need for more women in politics, while talking about her own resilience after her November election loss to President Donald Trump. More from CNN's Dan Merica.
FOIA gives us photos from the inaugurations: The National Park Service released a series of aerial and ground shots showing the crowd sizes during the last three presidential inaugurations -- and the turnout represented in the photos for Trump's inauguration was smaller than that of his predecessor President Barack Obama. More from CNN's Deena Zaru.
Graham and Trump swap digits: If you recall, Trump once read GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham's cell phone number at a public event -- causing Graham to have to cancel the number and get a new phone. It appears they've buried the hatchet and swapped digits after a lunch at the White House today. Another story from Betsy. | | | The former British intelligence agent who compiled a dossier of allegations on President Donald Trump's ties to Russia has spoken for the first time since his report reverberated around the world. ... Rep. Elijah Cummings, at long last, is set to sit down Wednesday with Trump to try to find common ground, after a public back-and-forth over prescription drug prices. | | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Check out Five Things for Your New Day, CNN's morning newsletter. Give us five minutes, and we'll brief you on all the news and buzz people will be talking about. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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