Comment on The Latest: Voters discuss issues, Trump

Policy analysts and Democratic lawmakers raised alarm over the weekend at a leaked document indicating that House Republicans intend to pursue massive cuts to Medicaid, a program that provides sometimes lifesaving coverage to roughly 80 million people across the United States. Near the top of a list of "spending reform options" that House Republicans are considering to help finance additional tax cuts for the rich and large corporations are proposals that would strip Medicaid coverage from millions of Americans, including children, seniors, and people with disabilities. One of the changes listed in the leaked document, obtained by Politico last week, would convert Medicaid's funding structure to a "per-capita cap," under which the federal government would only provide states with a fixed amount of funding for each beneficiary rather than paying a percentage of states' overall Medicaid costs. The document, which reportedly comes from the House Budget Committee, suggests the reform would result in up to $918 billion in cuts over a 10-year period.read more

Guys, Madge has a thought (no, really!) — I think Sporkfoot has secured Louis Gohmert’s old role as the Stupidest Person In The House. Republished with permission from Mock Paper Scissors. read more

More needle exchange programs could soon be allowed in Denver after the City Council on Monday approved a new ordinance paving the way for them. Only three needle exchanges have been permitted to operate in the city under a 1997 law, but if the mayor gives his stamp of approval to the new policy, an unlimited number would be allowed in areas zoned for medical offices.

"The startup’s tagline, “Not owned by anybody,” is a pointed reference to billionaire Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos and other moguls who, in Rubin’s view, have “bent the knee” to President-elect Donald Trump." Quite. I imagine it's difficult for anyone to work in the mainstream media these days knowing more often than not you're part of the problem, whether you do good work or not. Source: Brian Stelter, CNN New York CNN — Veteran opinion columnist Jennifer Rubin is becoming the latest in a long list of Washington Post figures to leave the troubled institution. Rubin is partnering with former White House ethics czar Norm Eisen and launching something new: a startup publication called The Contrarian. The startup’s tagline, “Not owned by anybody,” is a pointed reference to billionaire Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos and other moguls who, in Rubin’s view, have “bent the knee” to President-elect Donald Trump. “Our goal is to combat, with every fiber of our being, the authoritarian threat that we face,” Rubin told CNN in an interview ahead of the publication’s introduction. Rubin also called out the Washington Post for recent failings, giving specific examples.read more

A little over a year ago, Donald Trump claimed he would be a “dictator”—but only for the first 24 hours of his presidency. Now, as his Jan. 20 inauguration approaches, the President-elect’s plans for his first day in office are becoming clearer. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Trump told Republican Senators that he is preparing around 100 executive orders for the first day of his presidency, designed to strike swiftly at the heart of the Biden Administration’s legislative agenda.

Punchbowl News: “Trump went all out trying to butter up House Republicans while he hosted them at his Florida club this weekend. It’s clear these meetings were less about substance and more about sweetening up the members who hold the keys to his agenda. They were given signed swag, dined on steak and lobster and eagerly posed for pictures with Trump and Elon Musk.” “We’re told Trump was in his element, and at one point, even cracked a joke about the assassination attempt on his life, saying something along the lines of: ‘It would be a ding on God if, after the million-to-one chance that bullet didn’t kill me, he didn’t let me win!'” “The flurry of meetings offers a preview of how hands-on Trump plans to be with Capitol Hill.