Day 1296

[matt (Matt Kiser)]

1/ Negotiations over a new coronavirus relief package failed after the Trump administration rejected a Democratic offer to compromise on the $1 trillion Republican plan and their $3.4 trillion plan. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, however, called the offer a “non-starter.” Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said they would recommend that Trump move ahead with executive orders to suspend payroll taxes, extend eviction protections, boost unemployment benefits, and help student loan borrowers. Trump, meanwhile, tweeted that “Pelosi and Schumer only interested in Bailout Money for poorly run Democrat cities and states. Nothing to do with China Virus! Want one trillion dollars. No interest. We are going a different way!” (Bloomberg / Politico New York Times / The Hill / CNN / Washington Post)

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This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2020/08/07/day-1296/

[anon95374541]

Trump considering order on pre-existing condition protections, which already exist

Trump says he's considering order on pre-existing condition protections,...

President Trump announced on Friday he will pursue an executive order requiring insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions, something that is already law.

Why it matters: The Affordable Care Act already requires insurers to cover pre-existing conditions. The Trump administration is currently arguing in a case before the Supreme Court to strike down that very law — including its pre-existing condition protections.

The big picture: Even if this wasn’t already law, it’s unclear what authority the president has to unilaterally require insurers to cover pre-existing conditions.

What he’s saying: “Over the next two weeks I’ll be pursuing a major executive order requiring health insurance companies to cover all pre-existing conditions for all customers,” the president said.

• “That’s a big thing. I’ve always been very strongly in favor. We have to cover pre-existing conditions so we will be pursuing a major executive order requiring health insurance companies to cover all pre-existing conditions for all of its customers. This has never been done before.”

The bottom line: It has been done before — in the exact law Trump is trying to overturn.

[anon95374541]

Russia Continues Interfering in Election to Try to Help Trump, U.S. Intelligence Says

Russia Continues Interfering in Election to Try to Help Trump, U.S....

Much of what China is doing currently amounts to using its economic might to influence local politics, officials said. But that is hardly new. Beijing is also using a variety of means to push back on various Trump administration policies, including tariffs and bans on Chinese tech companies, but those efforts are not covert and it is unclear if they would have an effect on presidential politics.

Russia, but not China, is trying to “actively influence” the outcome of the 2020 election, said the American official briefed on the underlying intelligence.

“The fact that adversaries like China or Iran don’t like an American president’s policies is normal fare,” said Jeremy Bash, a former Obama administration official. “What’s abnormal, disturbing and dangerous is that an adversary like Russia is actively trying to get Trump re-elected.”