Sen. Franken Assails Effort by New FCC Chair to Cut Off Broadband Help for Low-Income Families, Veterans, Seniors

Senator and Colleagues Say Move will Deprive Americans of Ability to Communicate, Look for Work, Complete Schoolwork, Access Vital information

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) assailed a decision by the new Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that could make it harder for low-income Americans to access affordable broadband internet services.

In a letter, Sen. Franken, along with several Senate colleagues, pressed Chairman Ajit Pai to reverse his decision to stop nine broadband providers from being part of the federal Lifeline program. For decades the program has helped millions of low-income families, military veterans, and elderly Americans afford basic phone service. In 2016, the program was modernized and began to offer support for broadband use in Minnesota and across the country.

Last week, Chairman Pai, who was elevated recently to the commission’s chairmanship by President Trump, informed nine broadband providers that they can no longer provide a $9.25-per-month subsidy to qualified customers. The decision could mean that some needy families will lose the broadband services they need to communicate, access health care information, search for jobs, or complete school assignments. Continue reading “Sen. Franken Assails Effort by New FCC Chair to Cut Off Broadband Help for Low-Income Families, Veterans, Seniors”

Politifact: Fact-checking Donald Trump’s address to Congress

The following article by Louis Jacobson and Amy Sherman was posted on the Politifact website February 28, 2017 and updated March 2, 2017:

President Donald Trump promised to revive the economy and strengthen the military in his first address to a joint session of Congress.

Beyond his soaring rhetoric were some exaggerations and misleading statements about the health of the Affordable Care Act, the cost of illegal immigration and the state of the economy.

Here’s our rundown of the president’s remarks, along with notes on their overall accuracy and additional points of context.

Obamacare premium increases

Trump zeroed in on repealing the Affordable Care Act, saying the federal health care law has been a “disaster” that has caused premiums to skyrocket. Continue reading “Politifact: Fact-checking Donald Trump’s address to Congress”

The Conway picture is only a small error in Trump’s swing-and-a-miss black college event

The following article by Philip Bump was posted on the Washington Post website February 28, 2017:

Kellyanne Conway checks her phone after taking a photo as President Trump and leaders of historically black universities and colleges pose in the Oval Office on Monday. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

It’s the photo that’s getting all the attention: Kellyanne Conway, senior adviser to President Trump, sitting with her feet up on a couch in the Oval Office on Monday, reviewing photos on her phone in comfort as a crowd of people join the president for a photo behind his desk.

Most people who see that won’t know who those people are or what they’re doing there. The story of the meeting for many will be that Conway is inappropriately at ease in the most important room in the country — a critique that was levied at President Barack Obama shortly after he took office in 2009 and held meetings without wearing a jacket.

But the administration’s flub on that meeting runs much deeper.

The people gathered around Trump’s desk are all representatives of historically black colleges and universities, HBCUs. They were at the White House for a “listening session,” in the formulation of the White House press office, there to share “expert insights on policy issues impacting their individual campuses.” A readout from the event suggests that they discussed “how to create a better partnership between the Trump Administration and HBCUs.” Continue reading “The Conway picture is only a small error in Trump’s swing-and-a-miss black college event”

4 Things You Need to Understand About Trump’s Speech

The following article by Jeremy Slevin, Harry Stein and Rebecca Vallas was posted on the Center for American Progress website March 1, 2017:

While he campaigned on a promise to help working families, President Donald Trump and his allies in Congress are now plotting to destroy many of the programs that enable families to maintain basic living standards and get ahead. Last night, President Trump proposed what he called “one of the largest increases in national defense spending in American history.” What he failed to mention is that he would also enact one of the largest cuts to domestic and international affairs programs in history. In fact, Trump would slash $54 billion in investments that help low-income and middle-class families—all while massively increasing the Pentagon budget and pursuing huge tax cuts for millionaires and big corporations.

While Trump was characteristically vague about how he would accomplish these goals, any cuts of this scale would lead to massive hardship for the very working class Americans Trump claims to represent. Continue reading “4 Things You Need to Understand About Trump’s Speech”

FBI once planned to pay former British spy who authored controversial Trump dossier

The following article by Tom Hamburger and Rosalind S. Helderman was posted on the Washington Post website February 28, 2017:

Reuters / BI

The former British spy who authored a controversial dossier on behalf of Donald Trump’s political opponents alleging ties between Trump and Russia reached an agreement with the FBI a few weeks before the election for the bureau to pay him to continue his work, according to several people familiar with the arrangement.

The agreement to compensate former MI6 agent Christopher Steele came as U.S. intelligence agencies reached a consensus that the Russians had interfered in the presidential election by orchestrating hacks of Democratic Party email accounts. Continue reading “FBI once planned to pay former British spy who authored controversial Trump dossier”

House Leader Hortman on the State Budget Surplus

The following statement was released by Leader Hortman February 28, 2017:

Today, MMB released the February Economic Forecast, revealing a projected $1.65 billion surplus.

House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman released the following statement:

“Minnesota’s economy is strong and stable, but we must take care to maintain and improve it. Some of our roads and bridges are crumbling. College costs are too high. Good paying jobs with good benefits are hard to find in too many of our communities. Continue reading “House Leader Hortman on the State Budget Surplus”

Wilbur Ross Comes to D.C. With an Unexamined History of Russian Connections

The following article by James S. Henry was posted on the DC Report website February 28, 2017:

Trump’s Choice for Commerce Secretary Holds a Top Post With a Mysterious, Russian-Controlled Cyprus Bank

INTRODUCTION

In the midst of the Trump Administration’s many other Russian entanglements,[1] it turns out that  Wilbur J. Ross, Jr., the billionaire American investor who is one of Donald Trump’s closest advisors on trade and economics, has direct financial ties to several leading oligarchs from Russia and the Former Soviet Union or FSU.

The U.S. Senate should thoroughly investigate these ties before it votes on Ross’ nomination to be Commerce Secretary when it returns from recess next week.

Central to this inquiry is the question of Ross’s  role as Vice Chair and a leading investor in the Bank of Cyprus, the largest bank in Cyprus, one of the key offshore havens for illicit Russian finance. Ross has been Vice Chairman of this bank and a  major investor in it since 2014. His fellow bank co-chair evidently was appointed by none other than Vladimir Putin.

The Bank of Cyprus is just one of more than 100 direct and indirect investments that Ross listed on his U.S. Office of Government Ethics financial disclosure form last month. [2] He recently promised to resign as Vice Chairman of the Bank and disinvest from it within the next 90 days if his nomination is approved.[3] Continue reading “Wilbur Ross Comes to D.C. With an Unexamined History of Russian Connections”

Betsy DeVos Accused Of ‘Whitewashing’ The History Of Black Colleges

The following article by Rebecca Klein was posted on the Huffington Post website February 28, 2017:

Her statement on the issue is offensive and inaccurate, scholars say.

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD – FEBRUARY 23: U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center February 23, 2017 in National Harbor, Maryland. Hosted by the American Conservative Union, CPAC is an annual gathering of right wing politicians, commentators and their supporters. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Many historically black colleges and universities were formed in response to systemic discrimination that kept African-American students out of white institutions, but Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos thinks they are a great example of “school choice.”

After meeting with leaders of these institutions at the White House on Monday, DeVos released a statement that some leading academics, politicians and rights groups are calling an inaccurate and offensive retelling of history. In her statement, DeVos praised HBCU’s for providing opportunity to black students during a time when “there were too many students in America who did not have equal access to education.”

“They saw that the system wasn’t working, that there was an absence of opportunity, so they took it upon themselves to provide the solution,” says the statement from DeVos, published Tuesday. “HBCUs are real pioneers when it comes to school choice. They are living proof that when more options are provided to students, they are afforded greater access and greater quality.”

Continue reading “Betsy DeVos Accused Of ‘Whitewashing’ The History Of Black Colleges”

The political time bomb at the heart of Republican Obamacare alternatives: Higher costs for more Americans

The following article by Noam N. Levey was posted on the L.A. Times website February 28, 2017:

Republicans came into office this year promising to rescue Americans from rising healthcare bills by repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.

But the party’s emerging healthcare proposals would shift even more costs to patients, feeding the very problem GOP politicians complained about under Obamacare.

And their solutions could hit not only Americans who have Obamacare health plans, but also tens of millions more who rely on employer coverage or on government health plans such as Medicaid and Medicare.

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and other congressional leaders, as well as new Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, favor bringing back slimmed-down health plans that were phased out under Obamacare. Such “catastrophic” plans typically offer fewer benefits and often require patients to pay much larger deductibles. Continue reading “The political time bomb at the heart of Republican Obamacare alternatives: Higher costs for more Americans”