DAILY NEWS
Trumpcare: The Album, old socialists, Up With People!
Friday, June 16, 2017
TRUMPCARE
► From TPM — Study: Political uncertainty driving two-thirds of 2018 Obamacare premium increases — The bulk of the premium increases in the Affordable Care Act exchanges expected next year can be blamed on the political uncertainty driven by the Trump administration, a report by an actuarial firm found this week. Experts at Oliver Wyman estimated that two-thirds of the rate increases in the 2018 plan year will be due to the White House’s refusal to say whether it will continue paying out key Obamacare subsidies to insurers, as well as the ambiguity as to whether the law’s individual mandate will be enforced next year.
EDITOR’S NOTE — The Entire Staff of The Stand LOVES this photo. It’s like an album cover for Trumpcare. Brilliant!
THIS WASHINGTON
► In today’s (Everett) Herald — Lawmakers reach deal on paid family leave for all workers — Workers in Washington would enjoy the best paid family leave benefits in the nation under a tentative accord reached by Democratic and Republican lawmakers late Wednesday. “We’ve reached agreement on a framework,” Rep. June Robinson (D-Everett) said Thursday. “It will be the strongest policy in the country.” It’s not a done deal. Details must still be written into legislation and approved by the House and Senate. But legislators involved in the negotiations sounded confident Thursday the paid-leave program created a decade ago but never implemented will soon get off the ground. “I’m very pleased with the results of the negotiation,” said Sen. Joe Fain (R-Auburn). Wednesday’s agreement culminates years of efforts and a changing political dynamic.
► In today’s Seattle Times — Inslee pressures lawmakers as budget talks near the brink — again — In a repeat of 2013 and 2015, state lawmakers have pushed budget talks to the brink of a potential government shutdown. Gov. Jay Inslee has threatened to block any attempt to extend the June 30 deadline.
THAT WASHINGTON
EDITOR’S NOTE — Of course, Bernie also looks good by default…
► In today’s Washington Post — Trump lashes out at Russia probe; Pence hires a lawyer
► From The Hill — Trump disapproval hits 64 percent in AP poll
► From HuffPost — Hillary Clinton’s old campaign Twitter springs back to life to troll Trump
ALSO at The Stand — America for sale — CHEAP! (Needs work.)
NATIONAL
► In today’s Seattle Times — Amazon to buy Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in bid to become major grocer — Amazon.com is buying Whole Foods Market for $13.7 billion, its biggest acquisition ever and a huge move into the grocery space it’s been trying to crack for a decade.
T.G.I.F.
► Gather ’round, kids. Let the Entire Staff of The Stand tell you about the Super Bowl halftime shows we had back when America was great, before all the nipple slips and bird flips. A troupe called Up With People had that gig five times between 1976 and 1986. Created in the mid-1960s and funded by the likes of Halliburton, GM and Exxon, this Denver-based group set out to counter the hippie subculture of the time and inspire good morals among The Youth. Smile ‘Til It Hurts, a 2009 documentary about UWP, claimed that the group emphasized extreme right-wing politics and its rules were similar to those of a religious cult, including arranged marriages. We don’t know about that. But in today’s cynical and divided America, we could all use a little reminder of UWP’s powerful message: “Up! Up with people! You meet ’em wherever you go. Up! Up with People! They’re the best kind of folks we know.”
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.