March 1, 2017

News and Views


LEAKS ON PROPOSED REPUBLICAN HEALTHCARE PLAN:
BENEFITS BASED ONLY ON AGE …. (TYPICAL REPUBLICAN IS THAT THERE’S NO “INCENTIVE” IF THE BENEFITS ARE WEIGHTED ACCORDING TO WHO IS LESS ABLE TO PAY AN INSURANCE OR HOSPITAL BILL). FAIR FOR ONE IS FAIR FOR ALL? DO WE HAVE A GUARANTEE THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO PAY THE BILL FOR A NECESSARY MEDICAL TREATMENT? NYET!!

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/details-leak-about-republican-plan-to-replace-obamacare/
Details leak about Republican plan to replace Obamacare
By NANCY CORDES CBS NEWS
March 1, 2017, 7:05 PM

Photograph -- Details have leaked out about the Republican plan to replace Obamacare. CBS NEWS
Play VIDEO -- Sen. Rubio on Trump's immigration plan, replacing Obamacare
Photograph -- cordes-gop-obamacare-2017-3-1.jpg, President Trump at the State of the Union. CBS NEWS
Play VIDEO -- In speech to Congress, President Trump says Obamacare is "collapsing"


On Capitol Hill, Republicans all agree on replacing Obamacare -- they just don’t agree on how.

Senate Republicans were briefed Wednesday on the latest version of the party’s Obamacare replacement plan.

“We should help Americans purchase their own coverage, through the use of tax credits and expanded Health Savings Accounts,” President Trump said, laying out the broad strokes.

In some ways, that resembles Obamacare, which helps Americans pay for insurance with a combination of income-based tax credits and subsidies. But the tax credits in a recently leaked draft of the Republican plan are based solely on age -- the wealthy and the poor get the same amount.

“Lower-income people would get significantly less help under these Republican tax credits,” says Larry Levitt of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which studies healthcare. “So far, these plans would likely result in significant reductions in the number of people insured.”

The vice president made the opposite case on Wednesday. “No one is going to fall through the cracks on this,” VP Mike Pence said on “Good Morning America.”

And Republicans argue that a simpler plan with fewer government mandates will unleash competition.

“The principles are good principles,” said Sen. Marco Rubio. “They’re the right ones.”

One big question remains: What Republicans would do about Medicaid. Obamacare expanded it by 11 million additional Americans -- at a cost of $1 trillion.

Some conservatives want to see that rolled back.

“If we repackage Obamacare and call it something else we haven’t succeeded,” said South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.

That’s the big challenge facing GOP leaders. They have vowed to move away from Obamacare -- and yet they are promising that no one is going to fall through the cracks. It’s awfully hard to do both.



HALF-TRUTHS, LIES AND ERRORS?

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fact-check-trumps-address-to-joint-session-of-congress/
Fact check: Trump's address to joint session of Congress
CBS/AP
February 28, 2017, 10:05 PM
Last Updated Mar 1, 2017 8:15 AM EST

As President Donald Trump delivered his address before a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, he made claims about the country and what’s changed since he was elected.

How many of his claims were true and how many weren’t?

CBS News looked into some of Mr. Trump’s facts and statements. Here are the facts:

CREATING JOBS:

Mr. Trump said his administration has coincided with announcements from top companies saying they will create new jobs in the U.S., claiming eight companies have announced they “will invest billions and billions of dollars in the United States and will create tens of thousands of new American jobs.” The eight countries [sic] to which Mr. Trump specifically referred are Ford, Fiat-Chrysler, General Motors, Sprint, Softbank, Lockheed, Intel and Walmart.

The verdict on this claim? Somewhat true, somewhat false.

Mr. Trump is correct that the companies he mentioned in his speech have announced they will be creating new U.S.-based jobs. However, many of these new jobs he mentions from each of these companies had been previously planned, not brought about by input or influence from Mr. Trump or his administration.

For example, Mr. Trump touted new jobs from Sprint and OneWeb back in December, taking credit for the companies’ U.S. investments. However, both companies had previously announced the job increases.

Another example: Fiat-Chrysler announced in January that it would invest $1 billion in expanding plants in Michigan and Ohio, a move that is expected to create 2,000 jobs. However, company executives billed the announcement as a continuation of previous commitments and plans, rather than something affected by the new administration.

“This plan was in the works back in 2015,” Jodi Tinson, a spokeswoman for FCA, said to the site ThinkProgress. “This announcement … was just final confirmation.”

And Ford’s decision to abandon its plans for a new factory in Mexico is expected to create approximately 700 new jobs at its Michigan plant -- but the company made that decision separately from the Trump administration. Asked by Fox’s Neil Cavuto whether Ford would have made the same choices if Mr. Trump were not president, Ford CEO Mark Fields replied, “Yes, absolutely.”

Immigration’s impact on economy

President Trump blamed immigration for higher taxpayer costs, claiming that “[a]ccording to the National Academy of Sciences, our current immigration system costs America’s taxpayers many billions of dollars a year.”

The AP points out that this is not exactly what that report says. It says immigrants “contribute to government finances by paying taxes and add expenditures by consuming public services.”

The report found that while first-generation immigrants are more expensive to governments than their native-born counterparts, primarily at the state and local level, immigrants’ children “are among the strongest economic and fiscal contributors in the population.” This second generation contributed more in taxes on a per capita basis, for example, than did non-immigrants in the period studied, 1994-2013.

STOCK MARKET:

Mr. Trump claimed in his speech that stocks have increased in value by $3 trillion since he was elected.

This is true.

Mr. Trump appears to be correct on this, according to Bloomberg, which noted Tuesday, “Almost $3 trillion has been added to the value of U.S. stocks since Nov. 8, as the S&P 500 Index has surged 11 percent to a record and the Dow Jones Industrial Average just capped a 12th day of closing at an all-time high, matching its longest-ever streak set in 1987.”

F-35 COSTS:

Mr. Trump claimed during his speech that his administration has “saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by bringing down the price of the fantastic new F-35 jet fighter.”

Our fact check? Somewhat true, somewhat false.

Similar to Mr. Trump’s claims on job creation, this claim is true on its face: Lockheed Martin is reducing the costs of its F-35s. However, Aviation Week notes that Mr. Trump has overstated his role in the reductions: the plans to lower costs on the F-35 program were announced before Mr. Trump met with Lockheed Martin’s CEO.

MURDER RATE:

Mr. Trump claimed the U.S. murder rate in 2015 “experienced its largest single-year increase in nearly half a century.”

What’s the verdict on this claim? It’s true but misleading.

Yes, the increase in the murder rate year-over-year is among the biggest spikes in 47 years. But the murder rate itself is among the lowest it’s been over that same time period.

The Associated Press points out the murder rate in 2015, “stood at 4.9 murders per 100,000 people, a far cry from the rates in the 1970s, 1980s and most of the 1990s, when they were typically over 6 per 100,000, peaking at over 10 in 1980.”

In fact, the AP noted, the murder rate has dropped sharply in that period time, despite a recent spike.

Mr. Trump has said in previous speeches the murder rate is “as high as it’s been in 45 years.” That claim is false, according to FBI crime statistics.

FEDERAL DEBT:

Mr. Trump claimed that “in the last 8 years, the past Administration has put on more new debt than nearly all other Presidents combined.”

The verdict? Somewhat true, somewhat false.

It is true that the national debt nearly doubled under President Obama’s administration, going from $10.626 trillion when he took office to $19.947 trillion when he left office.

But the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget notes it’s more complicated than that:

“It is a vast overstatement to place the entire blame on Obama; rather, it’s complicated,” the organization said. “Some of the debt increase was already projected to occur before anything was signed by Obama. Moreover, spending and tax decisions are primarily the responsibility of Congress – at least officially – and often end up being the result of actions (or inactions) agreed upon by both Congress and the president.”

MIDDLE EAST SPENDING

Mr. Trump claimed during his speech that the U.S. has spent “approximately $6 trillion in the Middle East, all this while our infrastructure at home is crumbling.

The verdict? Somewhat true, somewhat false.

According to Politifact, this oft-cited statistic from Mr. Trump takes into account both U.S. spending in the Middle East that’s already taken place as well as spending that is expected in the coming years. So while the U.S. may eventually spend $6 trillion in the Middle East, it hasn’t yet reached that level.

Using data from the Congressional Research Service and a study from Brown University, among other sources, Politifact estimated in October that spending in the Middle East through 2017 would add up to approximately $4.79 billion -- more than $1 trillion below Mr. Trump’s estimate.

TRADE DEFICIT

Mr. Trump claimed the trade deficit last year was “nearly $800 billion.”

Our fact check? False.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis in December, https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/international/trade/2017/trad1216.htm:

“For 2016, the goods and services deficit was $502.3 billion, up $1.9 billion from $500.4 billion in 2015,” a report from the agencies said. “Exports were $2,209.4 billion in 2016, down $51.7 billion from 2015. Imports were $2,711.7 billion in 2016, down $49.9 billion from 2015.”



“SIMPLY TAKING PROACTIVE STEPS” A COUPLE OF WEEKS AFTER IT WAS PUBLISHED IN THE NEWS THAT THEIR RECORDS ARE UNDER SENATORIAL SCRUTINY, AND ALSO AFTER THE WHITE HOUSE SPECIFICALLY ASKED TWO REPUBLICAN LEGISLATORS TO MAKE CALLS TO NEWS OUTLETS TO KILL THEIR STORIES. “PROACTIVE,” MAYBE, BUT NOT SIMPLE, I DON’T THINK.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trumps-aides-told-to-preserve-russia-related-materials/
Trump's aides told to preserve Russia-related materials
CBS/AP
March 1, 2017, 10:11 PM

WASHINGTON -- The White House has confirmed to CBS News that White House counsel told the president’s aides to preserve emails and other materials that could be connected to various probes regarding Russian interference.

A White House official told CBS News’ Margaret Brennan that this is “simply taking proactive steps to push back against false and politically motivated attacks.”

What's next in investigation of Trump team's possible Russia contacts?
Play VIDEO
What's next in investigation of Trump team's possible Russia contacts?

White House lawyers instructed the president’s aides to preserve the materials on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press, which cited three administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly disclose the memo from White House counsel Don McGahn.

The instructions come after Senate Democrats last week asked the White House and law enforcement agencies to keep all materials involving contacts that Trump’s administration, campaign and transition team -- or anyone acting on their behalf -- have had with Russian government officials or their associates.

The Senate intelligence committee, which is investigating Russia’s role in the 2016 election, has also asked more than a dozen organizations, agencies and individuals to preserve relevant records.

President Donald Trump has been dogged by questions about his advisers’ ties to Russia since the campaign. Federal investigators have been looking into possible contacts between Trump advisers and Russia, while congressional committees are investigating Russia’s role in political hacking during the campaign.

The intelligence community has assessed that Russia’s hacking of Democratic groups and operatives was carried out to help Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.

One official said McGahn’s memo instructs White House staff to preserve material from Mr. Trump’s time in office, and for those who worked on the campaign, relevant material from the election.

A Trump spokesman said the White House was “simply taking proactive steps” and called the accusations of nefarious ties between the president and Russia “false and politically motivated attacks.”

Investigation launched into Russian interference in U.S. election
Play VIDEO
Investigation launched into Russian interference in U.S. election

Congressional staffers have said they are not aware of any evidence that materials related to Russia are not being preserved. But Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said last week: “There is real concern that some in the administration may try to cover up its ties to Russia by deleting emails, texts and other records that could shine a light on those connections. These records are likely to be the subject of executive branch as well as congressional investigations and must be preserved.”

Mr. Trump has denied having any knowledge that aides were in touch with Russian intelligence agents during the election, as reported by The New York Times. The White House has launched an aggressive effort to discredit the report, including enlisting GOP chairmen of the congressional intelligence committees to push back against it.

The involvement of North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr and California Rep. Devin Nunes has sparked calls -- mostly from Democrats -- for a special prosecutor to investigate Russia’s role in the election and possible ties to Mr. Trump.

The White House has acknowledged that Michael Flynn, Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser, misled top officials about the nature of his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. Flynn initially told Vice President Mike Pence and other Trump advisers that he did not discuss sanctions with the envoy during the transition, though it was later revealed that he did.

The FBI interviewed Flynn about the contacts days after the inauguration. Mr. Trump fired Flynn after the discrepancies in his account were publicly revealed.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-trump-didnt-say-is-making-diplomats-nervous/
What Trump didn't say is making diplomats nervous
By MARGARET BRENNAN CBS NEWS
March 1, 2017, 9:16 PM

Photograph -- U.S. President Donald Trump greets Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin (C) and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (R) after delivering his first address to a joint session of Congress from the floor of the House of Representatives iin Washington, U.S., on Feb. 28, 2017. REUTERS/JIM LO SCALZO/POOL

President Trump’s speech Tuesday evening left diplomats and allies wondering exactly how he views America’s role in the world. He made no mention of the thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq or the small number in Syria, and he left unexplained why it is he’s expanding the fight against al Qaeda in Yemen.

Mr. Trump made a statement of support for Israel, and he didn’t elaborate on his calls for a new relationship with Russia. This has been worrying European allies in NATO, who, Mr. Trump said, should be spending more on their own defense.

Questions about Trumps foreign policy left unanswered in speech
Play VIDEO
Questions about Trumps foreign policy left unanswered in speech

The new budget the administration is preparing also contains little comfort for diplomats and allies, though a senior State Department aide told CBS News Wednesday that the Trump White House proposal to slash foreign aid - by as much as 30 to 40 percent - is simply the “opening salvo of the administration and a suggestion made by political wonks.” Further, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is “not looking at it through the same lens,” the aide added, suggesting it’s more of a “political message than an actual budget.”

Earlier Wednesday White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer responded to my question about how the president reconciles gutting foreign aid with his call Tuesday night in his joint address for “robust” engagement in the world. Spicer responded that “dollars do not decide engagement.” This is a sentiment that top U.S. aid recipients - Israel, Egypt, Pakistan - may disagree with.

The State Department senior aide said that Tillerson is “comfortable with his working relationship with President Trump” and speaks to him frequently by phone. The two were also having dinner together Wednesday. However, when pressed on the question of which portfolios the secretary of State runs, versus those of the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, the aide demurred.

Is the State Department losing influence on foreign policy?
Play VIDEO
Is the State Department losing influence on foreign policy?

Among other countries in his portfolio, Tillerson should count Iran, a rogue country that the State Department is in a unique position to directly communicate with, given the parameters of the Iran nuclear deal. However, the aide would not say whether Tillerson had reached out to his counterparts in Tehran yet or not.

I also asked about President Trump’s rare mention of his chief diplomat, but frequent public praise of “the Generals,” as Mr. Trump likes to refer to his Defense and Homeland Security secretaries who are both retired U.S. Marine Corps commanders. In response, the aide pointed to Mexico as one area of diplomacy where Tillerson’s skills are very much needed.

“The military is not going to help with Mexico,” the aide said. This issue “needs the soft touch of a diplomat.”

Tillerson views his role as the guy who “sets up the deal so that the president can close it,” said the senior aide, as opposed to Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. Tillerson has a more quiet and deliberate style.

At this point, the secretary does not yet have key positions like his deputy and policy planning director filled, but the aide said Tillerson has staff he needs, and he is “probing” and trying to identify where talent is within the building.


SOUNDS LIKE THE BEEFEATERS IN LONDON – JUST A TRADITION. THE ARTICLE BELOW STATES THIS DESIGNATED SURVIVOR IS NOT BRIEFED ON WHAT TO DO. NON SEQUITUR.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/joint-session-2017-the-history-of-the-designated-survivor/
Joint session 2017: The history of the "designated survivor"
By EMILY SCHULTHEIS CBS NEWS
February 28, 2017, 12:04 PM

Commentary: What to look for at Trump’s joint session address

As President Donald Trump prepares to give his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, all his top aides and Cabinet members will be in attendance -- except one.

The “designated survivor” is one member of the U.S. Cabinet who’s whisked out of D.C. by U.S. Secret Service in case of a catastrophic attack on the Capitol.

It’s a position that is fairly shrouded in mystery -- and has even inspired a primetime show, “Designated Survivor,” in which a fictional Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is the only one to survive when an explosion kills the president and the rest of his Cabinet during a State of the Union address.

How to watch Trump’s address to joint session of Congress

As Mr. Trump speaks at the Capitol tonight and his designated survivor is taken out of the city to wait out his speech, here’s some background about the position and why it exists:

Trump to tout accomplishments in speech to Congress tonight
Play VIDEO
Trump to tout accomplishments in speech to Congress tonight

Who is the designated survivor on Tuesday?

The White House hasn’t announced the designated survivor yet. That person is usually typically announced shortly before the speech or event. Check back for updates.

Joint Session 2017: Why isn’t Trump’s speech called a “State of the Union” address?
Why is there a designated survivor?

The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 created a line of succession if the president dies or is incapacitated: first to take office would be the vice president, followed by the speaker of the U.S. House, the president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, the secretary of State, the secretary of the Treasury, the secretary of Defense, and so on.

But during big events like State of the Union addresses and presidential inaugurations, all of the country’s top politicians are gathered in one place: the president, the vice president, members of the Cabinet and almost the entire Congress -- and all of the people in the presidential line of succession -- are in the audience.

In the event of a major attack on the Capitol during one of these events, the designated survivor is selected among the Cabinet members who are somewhere in the presidential line of succession. He or she would be the one official to maintain continuity of the current government should there be a catastrophic attack.

Who chooses the designated survivor?

The president and his staff choose the designated survivor. They can choose anyone in the line of succession -- assuming that person is eligible to be president, meaning they must be at least 35 years old and a natural-born U.S. citizen. (During the Clinton administration, for example, Czechoslovakia-born Secretary of State Madeleine Albright would have been ineligible to be the designated survivor.)

Lessons from past presidents' speeches to Congress
Play VIDEO
Lessons from past presidents' speeches to Congress
When did the practice start?

According to the Senate Historical Office, the practice began in the 1960s or potentially earlier -- thought to coincide with the Cold War era, when the threat of nuclear attacks began. However, the identity of the designated survivor was often not made public until the 1980s. The Senate Historical Office has a list of every State of the Union’s designated survivor since former President Ronald Reagan’s 1984 address (Housing and Urban Development Secretary Samuel R. Pierce Jr.)

Since 2003, one member of each house of Congress has also not attended the speech in order to also preserve legislative succession in the event of an attack.

What’s known about where and when they go?

There’s very little information publicly available on the subject of where the designated survivor goes and exactly when they leave -- and purposely so, since they could also be a target in the event of a large-scale attack on the U.S.

What is known is this: the designated survivor gets presidential-level security from the U.S. Secret Service, and is taken to an undisclosed secure facility outside of Washington. A military aide accompanies them carrying the “nuclear football,” or the briefcase containing the country’s nuclear war codes. The designated survivor is not briefed on what to do if something actually happened to the president.

Who else has served as a designated survivor?

In January, then-Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson served as the designated survivor during Mr. Trump’s inauguration. Since an incoming president can’t formally have his Cabinet confirmed and installed until he has been sworn in, the Inauguration Day designated survivors come from the outgoing president’s cabinet. Then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who was originally nominated to the post under former President George W. Bush but stayed on under President Obama, was the designated survivor during Obama’s inauguration in 2009.

During the Obama administration, designated survivors included Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx (in 2015), Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (in 2012) and Attorney General Eric Holder (during the 2009 joint session address). And during the Bush administration, Attorney General John Ashcroft (in 2003), Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans (in 2004 and 2005) and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (in 2007) served as designated survivors.