Congress Returns To Health Care Mess, Trump Lobs DACA Termination At Congress, And Google's Suppression Of Ideas

September 5th, 2017 Top Stories --------------------------------------------------------------- [Happy September! Congress Returns To A Health Care Clusterf**k]( The Gist: Amid looming deadlines for Congress to avoid the twin calamities of a government shutdown and a debt default, lawmakers are also scrambling to pass legislation to stabilize Obamacare’s marketplaces and reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) before it expires at the end of the month. A ruling Friday from the Senate parliamentarian that Congress has only until the end of September to attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act with a simple majority vote complicates things even further. Now, instead of spinning to their constituents that they will circle back to Obamacare repeal eventually, or dragging the zombie bill along until a riper political moment, Republicans must either scramble to act or admit defeat. [Trump Reportedly Asked Aides For ‘Way Out’ Of Campaign Pledge To End DACA]( The Gist: As a deadline from Republican state attorneys general approached, President Donald Trump last week asked White House aides for a “way out” of his campaign pledge to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing two people familiar with the exchange. [Report: McConnell Would Give Trump Silent Treatment To Keep Him On Topic]( The Gist: As Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) relationship with President Donald Trump grew tense while the Senate struggled to pass a bill to repeal Obamacare, a frustrated McConnell would meet Trump’s mindless chatter on the phone with silence in an attempt to keep the President on topic, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday night. From The Reporter's Notebook --------------------------------------------------------------- President Donald Trump continues to see fallout from his failure to condemn white nationalists after a deadly attack in Charlottesville, [TPM's Caitlin MacNeal reports](. The Palm Beach Habilitation Center said Sunday it would no longer hold its annual luncheon at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, bringing the total number of nonprofits ditching the club over Trump’s Charlottesville response to 18. Agree Or Disagree? --------------------------------------------------------------- Josh Marshall: "In addition to the basic body language, Trump keeps saying things like 'have a good time!' to Hurricane Harvey victims stranded in a shelter. Or, ‘it’s going great' to people who’ve just lost everything. Or, 'look at this huge turnout' to people who … well, you get the idea. When it comes to acting human or compassionate, [it’s like the part of his brain governing that species of behavior has been removed](. It’s like watching a person who has profound social awkwardness in a meet and greet situation at a cocktail party. It’s painful. But again, with Trump it’s not social awkwardness. It’s a basic, seemingly fundamental inability not only to experience but even to fake the experience of empathy or human concern." Say What?! --------------------------------------------------------------- "Congress, get ready to do your job - DACA!" - President Donald Trump [indicating]( Tuesday morning that he expects Congress to come up with a legislative solution to his decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in six months. BUZZING: Today in the Hive --------------------------------------------------------------- From a TPM Prime member: "There was only one consistent thread in Trump's campaign, from start to finish....Racism and hatred of the Other. In just the past few weeks...his handling of the Charlottesville response, where it made it perfectly clear that he HATED being made to say bad things about white supremacists, and sure enough, came out saying they were good people; to his pardoning of Arpaio....its precisely that same thread. So of course, revoking DACA status is something he totally is on board with. They are all moves aimed precisely at that same portion of his base that his racist campaign rhetoric worked so well upon. He is shoring up their support ahead of really bad news on the Russian front." Related: [Sessions, Not Trump, Will Make DACA Announcement Tuesday Morning]( Have something to add? Become a [Prime]( member and join the discussion [here](. What We're Reading --------------------------------------------------------------- Yes, Google Uses Its Power To Quash Ideas It Doesn’t Like—I Know Because It Happened To Me ([Gizmodo]( Romney, Clinton And Others Counsel A Panicked Political Reporter On Fatherhood ([The Washington Post]( [unsubscribe from this list]( | [update subscription preferences]( | [view email in browser](