Republicans' Health-care Bill Just Claimed Its First Political Victim

“Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) has 218 signatures on a discharge petition to get his disaster tax relief bill to the House floor,” Punchbowl News reports. “That’s enough backing to force a House vote and a rare mark to hit. Discharge petitions, which force leadership’s hand, are almost never successful. The earliest the petition would come up would likely be early June, given there’s a waiting period before signatories could take their next steps.”

“Nadine Menendez, who is currently under indictment for bribery and extortion charges alongside her husband, has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will require a mastectomy,” Politico reports.

“The House was in session at the Capitol on Thursday, but thanks to the latest procession of Republicans reporting for duty in front of a Manhattan criminal courthouse to show support for former President Donald J. Trump at his trial, the party risked ceding its control of the floor,” the New York Times reports. “Almost a dozen House Republicans showed up at the courthouse on Thursday…” “Republicans control the House by such a slim margin, 217-213, that just two defections can sink legislation if all members are present and voting — and just a few absences can erase their majority altogether.

Jonathan Last: “You don’t want to hear this, but what if Biden is a disaster? What if he can’t string five words together and gets lost and confused? What if, post-debate, Biden’s numbers crater?” “Well, by stress-testing this possibility on June 27, Democrats are still ahead of the convention and could, in theory, swap out candidates should Biden decide to step aside.” “I don’t think that’s going to happen.

“Larry Hogan, the former two-term Republican governor of Maryland who this week won his party’s nomination for the state’s open Senate seat, said in an interview on Thursday that he supports legislation to codify abortion rights in federal law, describing himself as ‘pro-choice’ in a remarkable pivot as he heads into a highly competitive race,” the New York Times reports. “Mr.

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