Politics

Law Newz reports: Chaos erupted in the Senate today as hearings began on the Graham-Cassidy bill which aims to repeal and replace Obamacare. Almost as soon as the gavels went down to initiate the hearings, pro-healthcare protesters with the organization ADAPT–which stands for Americans Disabled Attendant Programs Today–made their presence felt. A chant began, “No cuts to Medicaid, save our …

The Hill reports: White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will answer questions from reporters Monday afternoon. It’s the first briefing since President Trump attacked NFL players who kneel during the national anthem. “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right …

The Associated Press reports: North Korea’s top diplomat said Monday that President Donald Trump’s tweet that leader Kim Jong Un “won’t be around much longer” was a declaration of war against his country by the United States. Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters that what he called Trump’s “declaration of war” gives North Korea “every right” under the U.N. …

The Washington Post reports: A senior figure in the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany says party co-leader Frauke Petry should quit, amid deepening infighting a day after its strong showing in national elections. Petry, who is co-chairwoman of AfD, announced Monday that she won’t join its new parliamentary caucus and walked out of a news conference. She’s been sidelined in the …

The Daily Beast reports: Anthony Weiner was sentenced to 21 months in prison Monday on federal charges of sending pornography and sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl. “Transmitting obscenity to a minor to induce her to engage in sexually explicit conduct by video chat and photo — is far from mere ‘sexting,'” prosecutors implored the judge. Weiner pleaded guilty …

Buzzfeed reports: Steve Bannon plotted to plant a mole inside Facebook, according to emails sent days before the Breitbart boss took over Donald Trump’s campaign and obtained by BuzzFeed News. The email exchange with a conservative Washington operative reveals the importance that the giant tech platform — now reeling from its role in the 2016 election — held for one …

AL.com reports: A primary win by “Ray” Moore would open Alabama’s U.S. Senate seat to Democrats, President Donald Trump told radio-hosts “Rick and Bubba” this morning. Trump called the popular syndicated radio show on Monday, just days after appearing at a Huntsville, Alabama rally for Republican Senate candidate Luther Strange. “Luther Strange is going to be a great Senator,” Trump …

Uproxx reports: “Yesterday, I thought the president — overall his remarks Friday and his tweets Saturday — made everything worse,” noted Fox News personality Brian Kilmeade. As damning as Kilmeade’s condemnation here may seem, however, the Fox & Friends co-host tagged it onto a two-minute explanation for why the explosive NFL anthem protests were actually President Obama’s fault. “People should …

CNN reports: Sen. John McCain’s brain cancer is “very, very serious,” the Arizona Republican said in an interview Sunday night, adding that doctors told him “it’s a very poor prognosis.” “So I just said, ‘I understand. Now we’re going to do what we can, get the best doctors we can find and do the best we can. And at the …

“I certainly disagree with what he said. I thought it was just divisive. Like I said, I just want to support my teammates. I am never one to say, ‘Oh, that is wrong. That is right.’ I do believe in what I believe in. I believe in bringing people together and respect and love and trust. Those are the values …

The New York Times reports: Angela Merkel is headed toward a fourth term as German chancellor, according to normally reliable exit polls released just after the polls closed in Germany. But the polls also show that a far-right party, Alternative for Germany, has gotten some 13.5 percent of the vote, a significant showing of voter anger over immigration and inequality. …

Politico reports: Sen. Ted Cruz said Sunday that he doesn’t support the latest Obamacare repeal plan drafted by Sens. Bill Cassidy and Lindsey Graham and suggested that the proposal also lacks the vote of Sen. Mike Lee. The Texas Republican said at the Texas Tribune festival in Austin that he and Lee had offered amendments to the Graham-Cassidy proposal that …

The Associated Press reports: Sen. Susan Collins on Sunday all but closed the door to supporting last-ditch Republican health care bill, leaving her party’s drive to uproot President Barack Obama’s health care law dangling by an increasingly slender thread. Already two GOP senators, Rand Paul of Kentucky and John McCain of Arizona, have said they would vote against the legislation, …

The New York Times reports: President Trump on Saturday morning lashed out at Senator John McCain of Arizona for breaking with him and opposing Republicans’ latest plan to roll back the Affordable Care Act, saying the senator had let his state down and been deceived by Democrats into abandoning a promise. In a series of angrily worded tweets sent from …

AL.com reports: The president is making his first trip to Alabama since taking office in January to headline the campaign rally for Sen. Luther Strange. But the early birds in line to get the best seats for the rally said they were there to see Trump, not Strange. Waylon Turner of Scottsboro said he was the first in line at …

The Washington Post reports: HHS Secretary Price’s office this week has sought to justify his use of chartered jets, first reported Wednesday by Politico, saying that the secretary’s office has routinely evaluated the most effective way for him to travel and has turned to chartered flights when necessary for Price to manage one of the largest executive branch agencies while …

The Associated Press reports: Russia’s foreign minister says relations with the United States are suffering because the Obama administration was “small-hearted” and “revengeful” and says Moscow has not seen any “facts” that it interfered in the election that brought President Donald Trump to power. Sergey Lavrov said former president Barack Obama “put this time bomb in U.S.-Russian relations,” which he …

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: When asked how she views the world “right now,” former first lady Michelle Obama had less of an answer and more of a gut reaction. She cringed and quietly groaned. “I don’t have much of a poker voice,” Obama said with a laugh. Though she didn’t mention President Donald Trump by name — a leader …

The New York Times reports: Reversing a key part of government policy on campus sexual assault, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Friday issued new temporary rules that could give accused students greater protection against campus rape and sexual misconduct claims. Ms. DeVos said that colleges may now use a higher standard of evidence before finding students responsible for sexual assault, …

The Associated Press reports: Spain will deploy police reinforcements to Catalonia to help maintain order if an independence referendum pledged by Catalan officials but opposed by the national government goes ahead, officials said Friday. The measure came amid rising tension between Spanish and Catalan authorities over the planned Oct. 1 ballot. Civil Guard police this week arrested around a dozen …