By Thomas Kaplan
Washington - Sen. Mitch McConnell (click here) on Tuesday officially pulled the plug on the latest plan to repeal the health care law, telling senators they will not vote on the measure and effectively admitting defeat in the last-gasp drive to fulfill a core promise of President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers.
McConnell’s announcement came less than 24 hours after a pivotal Republican senator, Susan Collins of Maine, declared firm opposition to the repeal proposal, all but ensuring that Republican leaders would be short of the votes they needed.
Senate Republicans already tried once this year to approve repeal legislation, an exercise that ended in defeat when Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., gave a thumbs-down in July to kill that repeal proposal.
This time, McConnell, R-Ky., the majority leader, and his fellow Republicans were trying to make one more attempt at passing a bill, and a deadline was fast approaching: They have only until the end of this week to pass a repeal bill using special budget rules that shield it from a Democratic filibuster.... September 26, 2017By Jeff Eisenband Even as a broadcaster (click here)whose career has included some of the greatest games and the most powerful moments, Bob Costas says the protesting of NFL players and personnel this past Sunday was unique."A handful of people became hundreds of people," Costas says. "What centered around one issue, a valid issue -- calling attention to inequities in the justice system or law enforcement -- became about something bigger. It became about the whole tone and the culture wars in this country and the political divisiveness in this country, and I hope it's not confined to just one day and not confined to gestures, but leads to productive conversations."
Costas, who was born in 1952, can draw some similarities between the activists of his youth and the current voices of progress, but he notes that today's athletes are taking that to a new level....
..."When I was growing up, a lot of athletes -- Curt Flood, Arthur Ashe, Billie Jean King -- a very long list of athletes were outspoken and we may be entering an era, sparked by a confluence of events in which athletes find that voice again. People like LeBron James are finding increasingly sophisticated voices. It's one thing to be concerned about an issue. It's another thing to grasp that issue in a nuanced way and be able to carry it forward beyond gestures. I think we're seeing a number of people that are willing and able to do that."...
Senate Republicans already tried once this year to approve repeal legislation, an exercise that ended in defeat when Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., gave a thumbs-down in July to kill that repeal proposal.
This time, McConnell, R-Ky., the majority leader, and his fellow Republicans were trying to make one more attempt at passing a bill, and a deadline was fast approaching: They have only until the end of this week to pass a repeal bill using special budget rules that shield it from a Democratic filibuster.... September 26, 2017By Jeff Eisenband Even as a broadcaster (click here)whose career has included some of the greatest games and the most powerful moments, Bob Costas says the protesting of NFL players and personnel this past Sunday was unique."A handful of people became hundreds of people," Costas says. "What centered around one issue, a valid issue -- calling attention to inequities in the justice system or law enforcement -- became about something bigger. It became about the whole tone and the culture wars in this country and the political divisiveness in this country, and I hope it's not confined to just one day and not confined to gestures, but leads to productive conversations."
Costas, who was born in 1952, can draw some similarities between the activists of his youth and the current voices of progress, but he notes that today's athletes are taking that to a new level....
..."When I was growing up, a lot of athletes -- Curt Flood, Arthur Ashe, Billie Jean King -- a very long list of athletes were outspoken and we may be entering an era, sparked by a confluence of events in which athletes find that voice again. People like LeBron James are finding increasingly sophisticated voices. It's one thing to be concerned about an issue. It's another thing to grasp that issue in a nuanced way and be able to carry it forward beyond gestures. I think we're seeing a number of people that are willing and able to do that."...
