Month: November 2020

On Tuesday, during arguments in a landmark case challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh suggested they were inclined to favor “severing” the individual mandate from the rest of the ACA. The ACA provides affordable medical coverage to tens of millions of Americans over the past decade.

In the case, the high court is seeking to determine whether eliminating the mandate — the part of the law that required all uninsured Americans to buy health insurance through ACA exchanges or pay an income tax penalty — renders the entire healthcare law, known colloquially as Obamacare, unconstitutional.

Kavanaugh suggested the ACA could still pass constitutional muster without the mandate. Roberts later said he disagreed with a coalition of 18 Republican-led states headed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who argue the ACA was rendered unconstitutional by President Donald Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which removed the penalty and declared it illegal.

Some experts believe the case is the most important decision the Supreme Court will issue this term, which began last month and ends at the end of June. Striking down the ACA would cost as many as 20 million Americans their medical coverage and bring a tax cut to the wealthy.

Trump has been trying to repeal the ACA since he stepped into office. President-elect Joe Biden, who helped craft the 2010 law, said during his campaign that he would enhance and expand it.

Obamacare appears likely to survive Supreme Court challenge

Via abcnews.go.com

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh signaled Tuesday that they’re…

11/10/2020 1:46 PM

 

On Tuesday, democratic challenger Cal Cunningham conceded defeat to Sen. Thom Tillis in a highly contested U.S. Senate race in North Carolina. According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, Tillis had 2,642,884 votes or 48.71% to Cunningham’s 2,547,594 votes or 46.95%The presidential vote in the state is close enough that many major media outlets have not called the race for either President Donald Trump (49.96%) or President-elect Joe Biden (48.59%).

Cunningham, a lawyer and retired Army lieutenant colonel, posted on social media that he called Tillis to congratulate him on his win, tweeting: “The voters have spoken and I respect their decision. While the results of this election suggest there remain deep political divisions in our state and nation, the complete story of our country lies in what unites us: our faith and sense of confidence in our democracy, our civic values and common humanity, our shared aspiration to care for one another, and our belief that we live in a country that does exceptional things.”

Tillis acknowledged his win on social media, tweeting, “I am incredibly humbled by the chance to serve the people of North Carolina in the United States Senate for six more years and I pledge to continue keeping my promises and delivering results. I know that my job is fighting for the jobs of the hardworking people of our state, which is why my first post-election priority will be defeating COVID-19 and getting the economy back on track.”

Tillis was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014 and was also a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, serving as speaker starting in 2011.

         

Democrat Cal Cunningham concedes North Carolina Senate race

Via www.cbsnews.com

Democrat Cal Cunningham said he had called Republican Thom Tillis to concede the Senate election.

11/10/2020 5:12 PM

 

 Editorial credit: Jeffery Edwards / Shutterstock.com

On Monday, President-elect Joe Biden announced a new COVID-19 advisory task force to work towards controlling the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the United States. 

Biden’s transition team revealed the 13-member task force will be co-chaired by former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler and Marcella Nunez-Smith, a public health expert at the Yale School of Medicine. Other members are: Dr. Zeke Emanuel, Dr. Luciana Borio, Dr. Rick Bright, Dr. Atul Gawande, Dr. Celine Gounder, Dr. Julie Morita, Dr. Michael Osterholm, Dr. Robert Rodriguez, Dr. Eric Goosby and global health expert Loyce Pace. Twelve of the advisory team members are medical doctors, which follows through on promises Biden made to use a “science-based” approach to taming the coronavirus. “Dealing with the coronavirus pandemic is one of the most important battles our administration will face, and I will be informed by science and by experts,” Biden said.

During a televised briefing, Biden urged Americans to put aside their political differences and put the health of others first by wearing face masks. “I implore you, wear a mask,” he said, calling it the “single most effective thing we can do to stop the spread of COVID.” A mask, he said, “is not a political statement but it is a good way to start pulling the country together.”

Live Updates: Biden urges Americans to wear masks as focus turns to transition

Via www.cbsnews.com

Biden is forging ahead with preparations to take the reins of government in just 72 days.

11/09/2020 6:25 PM

 

Editorial credit: Stratos Brilakis / Shutterstock.com

President Donald Trump will lose special Twitter privileges he has as a government official when President-elect Joe Biden is sworn into office on Jan. 20.” A Twitter spokesperson said, “A critical function of our service is providing a place where people can openly and publicly respond to their leaders and hold them accountable. With this in mind, there are certain cases where it may be in the public interest to have access to certain tweets, even if they would otherwise be in violation of our rules.”

Twitter allows government officials to tweet things that otherwise may be removed for violating its rules due to a public-interest exception. Twitter confirmed that once Trump leaves office, he could be subject to a ban like any other user who incites violence or posts false information about voting and the COVID-19 pandemic. Twitter added that tweets from a world leader can still be removed if they promote terrorism, make direct threats against an individual, post private information or intimate photos without the subject’s consent or engage in child sexual exploitation or encourage self-harm.

Trump will lose special Twitter protections in January

Via www.nbcnews.com

U.S. President Donald Trump will be subject to the same Twitter rules as any other user when…

11/09/2020 10:11 AM

 

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