I know Trump doesn't care about how this will work, but how will this work?

Will there be discharges? Honorable?

Will it essentially be Don't Ask Don't Tell or will there be some other policy?

What about veteran's benefits?

Oh, I get why he/they would eventually do something like this.

But to launch it out of the blue TODAY is obviously an effort to create a distraction from both the Sessions boil-over and the health care debate.

He really is just about the most "impressive" asshole ever. Just a diseased human being.

And Russia. Let's never forget Russia.

Oh, and Happy "American Heroes Week" everyone!

+1

He is just a truly awful human being in any and every conceivable way a person is capable of being awful.

Yeah, but Obama was the spawn of Satan... but not because he was black, but because of... well, I'm sure there's reasons but I don't have to justify them.

President Truman signs an executive order, desegregating the military of the United States, this day in 1948. https://t.co/cS0eSDyiT2 pic.twitter.com/txY2RUvGaH

— NYT Archives (@NYTArchives) July 26, 2017

So you're saying he still has work to do to #MAGA. We can't get back to 1948 without a little effort.

CNN is reporting that the Pentagon "didn't know anything about" the transgender ban decision.

Heh..and now this...

NEW: Senate Armed Services Committee was not informed of Pres. Trump's announcement banning transgender people from military. - @AliABCNews

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) July 26, 2017

So basically he just tweeted out a new policy?

Pentagon statement on transgender rules changes: "We refer all questions about the President's statements to the White House"


:jester:

OK. This is apparently the full statement:

JUST IN: Pentagon on president's transgender policy tweets: “We refer all questions about the president's statements to the White House." pic.twitter.com/WrJ1Al8yfI

— NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) July 26, 2017

Now McCain's spokesperson is saying his vote for the bill wasn't really a vote in favor of the bill. But it also wasn't a vote in opposition of the bill.

Well, we know how Republicans hate binary choices...

I bet the Trump folks weren't counting on GOP Senators coming out in favor of transgender service members.

He wanted Sessions to fire the FBI director which Sessions does not have the legal authority to do. Can someone please bring a high school civics teacher into the White House to explain the basics?

Looks like "Partial Repeal" has failed. 6 Republicans voted against (it would have been really stupid to keep the ACA protection provisions and eliminate the mandates and subsidies - the premium hikes would have been ridiculously large). Collins, Murkowski, Heller, Alexander, Caputo, McCain (?!!), and Portman voted no.

I think there is a skinny repeal vote coming down the pike? (just eliminating the individual mandate and corporate mandate, I think)

It seems like the plan is to pass something minimal and then rewrite it in conference.

Not exactly a surprising list. Plenty of recognizable pseudocons there and at least a couple that should have been kicked out of the party ages ago.

All should be kicked to the curb and replaced by people with a brain, heart, and judgement.

LOL

I don't get into the "fake news" crap because it's usually an excuse by the right. But the lack of coverage regarding what's happening with Wasserman-Schultz by major papers is the reason why there is so much mistrust of the media.

Wasserman-Schultz - Google Search

Ok, but of what major relevance is that? IT staffer commits bank fraud and tries to leave the country. I am not a fan of W-S, but why is this big news or how does it have any bearing on her or the Dems?

It looks like it's much deeper than that. He had four relatives on the payroll at inflated salaries. Relatives that staffers said were rarely seen. They took in over $4 million in taxpayer money. He had access to e-mails and computers of numerous members of Congress.

As it relates to DWS, she kept him on the payroll till hours ago despite the fact he was under criminal investigation and had been banned from the Capital network computers. She had made threats to the Capital Police in an effort to impede their investigation. He obviously was more than just another IT staffer to her. You also have another member of Congress saying these charges are trumped up because he's Muslim.

Now that doesn't prove anything, but I guarantee if this was Paul Ryan in the position, you'd have a lot more coverage of it in the major papers. There'd be reporters trying to find out why this guy and his family were paid so much money over the years. Why this guy wasn't fired when he was put under investigation for fraud? What did this guy have access to and what did he do with that information?

The Washington Post put more effort into stories about Elizabeth Lauten who was just a staffer that made mean Facebook posts about the Obamas. Their stories on Awan (which only went up today despite him being in the news for months) leave out a lot of the details. They're also buried under the local public safety section and just grabbed the AP feed for the part about DWS firing him finally.

Paul Ryan is Speaker of the House, of course that would get more press.

Dana Rorhbacher is basically an agent of the Russians and one of his staff got kicked off the House Foreign Affairs, and that hasn't gotten much play either. Trump and healthcare are taking up all the oxygen and little else is getting covered. In a normal admin the DWS story would be a big deal, but as is it may not make the top ten scandals of an given day.

Lauten was a staffer for a no-name rep from Tennessee. She got much more coverage for a Facebook post that had no impact on taxpayer funds or national security.

Also Rohrabacher has gotten a ton of media attention.

The media landscape was a lot different in 2014.

There's a good fifty scandals not being covered the way they would be in a more normal world.

So I thought Trump was going to fight for us LGBTQ'ers?

Trump administration argues federal law doesn’t protect gay employees.

(thanks Cuervo for the post on this on Facebook)

Just when I felt a little sorry for Sessions...

I like their plan of hiring someone dumb, firing, them, then hiring someone even dumber.

https://thinkprogress.org/scaramucci...n-39c64badff56

You have to love the particular brand of freedom that comes with being an openly biased information source.

"The fish stinks from the head" may be the most accurate description of this administration. Good job, Ant-nee!

......next time on The Real World, DC........

In completely unsurprising news, "my generals" were evidently the generals in Trump's head.

Statement from @GenDunford @thejointstaff on POTUS transgender way ahead. What this does not include are any words of support for Trump ban pic.twitter.com/heMm38ZOgN

— Barbara Starr (@barbarastarrcnn) July 27, 2017

I wonder if Trump will manage to construe this as insubordination from the Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs.

So now the plan is to write a new repeal bill at lunch and pass it tonight, all while hoping it never becomes the law.

Honestly.

How did he not understand what the word "public" in public financial disclosure form meant?

An interesting behind the scenes look into what was happening behind the scenes leading up to Trump's transgender ban:

Inside Trump’s snap decision to ban transgender troops - POLITICO

Meh, I used to wake up around 4 AM and write 10 page papers for 9 AM classes in college. If I could get B-ish grades with the papers I gave to those idiots, these dummies could at least come up with a C- grade plan.

As we move closer to reports of Trump shooting an 18.

Scaramucci: Trump "sinks 3-foot putts."
White House transcript revises: "He sinks 30-foot putts."https://t.co/VN6zXFC0K1 pic.twitter.com/gKcyJi3qUq

— Mдтт Иegяiи �� (@MattNegrin) July 27, 2017

Saw this on my FB feed today:


So yeah - maybe Congress can call him up. I'm sure he'd oblige!

Didn't he win the US Women's Open and British Open in consecutive weeks? This is what we call orange-washing history.

Sen. Ben Sasse to Pres. Trump: "If you're thinking of making a recess appointment to push out the attorney general, forget about it." pic.twitter.com/pEy5AxgvsR

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) July 27, 2017

This is one intriguing dude. Don't want to drown the forum with politics (and make this its own thread), so I'll post this here. I'm fixing to read his book soon, he sounds like the real deal about 2/3 of the time to me.

I think timing is difficult for Sasse. If he runs in 2020 he'll have to deal with being the anti-Trump(or, I suppose, the anti-Pence). If the GOP wins he could run in 2024, but it's very hard for one party to win three terms in a row.

If the Dems win in 2020, Sasse will likely run in 2024, but as much as we don't like three terms, we do like two terms, so a GOP win would be an upset. That would leave a 2028 run, but each year as a senator is another page in votes that can be twisted in ads.

He's got a lot going for him, but his problems just illustrate how unlikely it is for any individual to win the WH. Somebody will, though, and he does have a lot going for him.

GOP senator: I’ll vote for this Obamacare repeal bill to become law if you promise me it won’t - Vox

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/34...bo-budget-cuts


"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts." - Albert Einstein

And the House might stick around over the weekend to quickly vote for it if it goes to them.

Lindsey Graham: "This place holder concept, the skinny bill, will destroy insurance markets and not even remotely replace Obamacare"

So now that he's got that out of the way it sounds like Graham is a yes.

Yeah that's a crazy wrinkle to this whole thing. Imagine explaining that as a Senator. I voted for it but I didn't want it to actually go through.

MJ Lee on Twitter: "Republican senators are openly warning that the House better not pass the Senate's skinny repeal bill."


If only there were some way for Senators to be able to prevent the House from passing the skinny repeal into law...

This is quite an interview. If the White House needs to create distractions, this guy is going to play the jester.

Anthony Scaramucci Called Me to Unload About White House Leakers, Reince Priebus, and Steve Bannon | The New Yorker

I call BS. Bannon doesn't look like he can touch his own toes.

Oxford comma.

The Senate looks like they'll pass a bill they wrote at lunch, but one they don't want to become law.

The House is gearing for fast track authority so that they could pass "something" in a day.

The President is excited to sign whatever comes to him.

This should all work out well.

They had seven years to come up with their version of healthcare, and they are going with one they wrote at lunch?

Am I the only one who vacillates between unending dread for our world and shit-tastical horrorscope my daughter will be stuck with, and the "holy shit this is fucking amazing, the President's spokesperson said his chief advisor sucks his own dick!"

Like I want to enjoy how fucking incompetent these shitbags are, but the I remember I can't do anything about it because I live in a backwoods state in a dumb country and I get depressed. I mean, I've gained 10 pounds since the election, and it's not muscle.

There are benefits to it. Much easier to make money in a room full of morons than if everyone was intelligent. Just enjoy the theater.

The absolute best ending to Scaramucci is a Bannon filed HR complaint for a hostile work environment.

To paraphrase the great American philosopher Mike Tyson, everyone has a version of healthcare til they get punched in the mouth.

I'm stealing this, but OMG, yes, in the Trump movie Ron Jeremy has to play Bannon.

Sounds like they may have the votes. Republicans will now own healthcare after this. Good luck.

The lunch paper napkin is back in style now.

Pass. https://t.co/U4rliFIyv4

— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) July 27, 2017

McCain voted no, killing the "skinny" repeal.

Classy brain cancer tweet coming in 3,2,1....

DOLA - has there ever been two branches of the same party desperately trying to screw each other over and blame each other for legislation they both wanted to pas but didn't want to get the blame for before?

Shut up Mitch. You and your cronies had seven years to put a plan together.

Flake and Heller had to put their vote on record too. That sort of fucks them for the next election. Maybe Capito too.

Yeah, Heller's been getting a lot of heat here. If his opposition in primary and/or general play it right, he's toast.

So great that John McCain is coming back to vote. Brave - American hero! Thank you John.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017

As I have said before, there are some things I don't like about Obamacare. But getting rid of it and replacing it with a worse system is not the way to go about getting rid of it.

I'm personally not sure half of Trump voters understand why they are against Obamacare, other than Trump telling them so.

The rest know they're against it because it's named after a black guy who is probably a muslim. When facts are irrelevant, so are details.

So, wait. When you are running for president, you shouldn't make fun of a Senator in your own party for his war service? I'm so confused.

Didn't stop my pow dad from voting for him. Couldn't believe that. He had some rationalization for why it didn't apply to him. Either way, Trump voters will look past anything to keep supporting him.

What's sad is that could actually be the reason he voted against something that was a horrible idea to begin with. Doing the right thing for the wrong reasons I guess, but still a sad state of affairs.

I know. It seems counterintuitive, doesn't it.

well who would have guessed it'd be McCain who would be the deciding vote on this-guess in the end he was a maverick. Guess words/tweets matter after all Trump. Wonder what he said in that last minute phone call with him?

Hope the Republicans and Democrats listen to McCain's speech about why he voted no and learn from it. Probably not though. Hope too that this signals the end of McConnell's time in leadership.

Amen.

Right, 7 years and the best idea they had was something cobbled together over lunch. Of all the Senators I have seen speak, he was the only one that stood up their pointing fingers like a petulant child.

Imma be cynical for a moment here, but I think McCain's speech was more after-the-fact justification.

I suspect what went down was more like this:

McCain returned to the Senate not for health care, but for the National Defense Authorization Act.

The quid pro quo McConnell was offering McCain in exchange for his vote on repeal was an agreement to take up the NDAA immediately after the health vote so he could shepherd that through passage before he had to leave again for treatment.

Rand Paul had some issues with the NDAA, was assured by McCain's office that those would be addressed via regular order, but that wasn't enough - he objected to the fast-tracking of the NDAA, which prevents the Senate from taking it up in time for McCain to do anything about it.

So McCain voted against repeal as a middle finger to Rand Paul.

I might be more inclined to take the Senator's words at face value if he hadn't said "I'm against this bill," then voted both to open discussion and then also voted for passage of the bill to which he objected (remember, the Senate tried three separate repeal tacks - straight repeal, repeal-and-replace-later, and "skinny" repeal).

Given that, I'm much more inclined to view McCain's skinny repeal vote as a revenge vote.

I actually think his yes vote on the first bill (BCRA) was with the knowledge it was going to fail and then he could go back and said he DID vote against Obamacare, but the other bills to take it away and not have a replacement would have caused chaos and he didn't think that was ok. I don't actually believe it was revenge vote at all.

He's 80 years old and has a brain tumor. He won't face re-election until 2024.

I don't think he's looking far enough ahead to worry about positioning on whether he voted to repeal or not.

Do you think McCain doesn't think he won't make it to 2024? His ego isn't going to conceive otherwise.

McCain probably wont make it to 2018, you think he gives a shit about reelection?

I'm betting that he thinks he's going to 'beat this'. If he didn't think he was going to last he'd probably resign his seat.

I'm not much of a math guy, but with six year terms*, I sense a problem here.





* - Unless there was a tweet throwing out that part of the Constitution, too

You're right. I really shouldn't attempt math before noon.

2022. I stand by my larger point, however.

Mitch has got to be one of the greatest opposition leaders in the history of the Senate, but he's been terrible in the majority. Not only did he lose, but his process didn't put any pressure on Joe Manchin. Given Manchin's personal politics, his states, demos, and his imminent reelection campaign, it's amazing that he never felt the slightest need to waver from his consistent opposition.

McCain could also have been giving a middle finger to Trump. If Pence is President does he vote the same way?

3 Chief of Staffs in less than 3 years of being President: Part of the reason why @BarackObama can't manage to pass his agenda.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2012

Twitter is better than snopes sometimes :)

Yep :lol:

He got Kiffined? https://t.co/8FA9OQjUWf

— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) July 28, 2017

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump









I would like to thank Reince Priebus for his service and dedication to his country. We accomplished a lot together and I am proud of him! I am pleased to inform you that I have just named General/Secretary John F Kelly as White House Chief of Staff. He is a Great American....

It's the White House edition of the Monty Python Upper Class Twit of the Year.

So how many top officials have been fired/quit now Donald? Yep everything working smoothly.

Ryan-Priebus ally to me: next phase of Trump presidency will be warfare against GOP Congress

— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) July 28, 2017

Ryan-Priebus ally tells me Trump is moving toward "an independent WH" untethered from the Republican Party

— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) July 28, 2017

If I am being honest, I thought this was going to be the plan all along.

What's he going to do when he figures out there aren't enough Dems to pass anything either?

He's a "businessman". It's going to all be executive orders and a war with North Korea.