It’s Thursday.
Today marks Day 8 of President Biden’s first 100 Days in office.
For Day 8 he is planning to sign two Executive Actions regarding Obamacare aka the Affordable Care Act.
From the White House fact sheet:
Today’s actions include:
Strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. This Executive Order takes critical steps to reverse attacks on and strengthen Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, so they can continue to provide access to life-saving care for millions of Americans. Based on this Executive Order, it is expected that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will open HealthCare.gov for a “Special Enrollment Period,” from February 15, 2021 – May 15, 2021. This Special Enrollment Period will give Americans that need health care coverage during this global pandemic the opportunity to sign up.
WhiteHouse.gov. 01/28/2021.
The action will also direct agencies to re-examine:
- Policies that undermine protections for people with pre-existing conditions, including complications related to COVID-19;
- Demonstrations and waivers under Medicaid and the ACA that may reduce coverage or undermine the programs, including work requirements;
- Policies that undermine the Health Insurance Marketplace or other markets for health insurance;
- Policies that make it more difficult to enroll in Medicaid and the ACA; and
- Policies that reduce affordability of coverage or financial assistance, including for dependents.
He will also rescind the “global gag rule,” also known as the Mexico City Policy.
The Washington Post explains that the 1985 era “global gag rule,” is a policy that, “forbids international organizations that receive U.S. health aid from using their own funds or money from another source to provide abortion services or counseling”.
In December Bethany Van Kampen, a senior policy adviser at Ipas, an international org., that “focused on safe abortion and contraception access”, told reporters in a call the Mexico City Policy has become a political football. She added that Double Impeached Ass with his expansion of covering all global health aid versus just aid aimed at family planning applied to about $12 billion in U.S., aid.
The measure has become a “political football that is rescinded by Democrats and reinstated by Republicans,” said Bethany Van Kampen, a senior policy adviser at Ipas, an international organization focused on safe abortion and contraception access, during a call with reporters in December.
Trump broadened the funding restrictions to cover all global health aid, rather than just aid aimed at family planning. Under Trump’s expansion, the rule applied to about $12 billion in U.S. aid, said Van Kampen.
Washington Post. 01/28/2021.
The live feed to President Biden’s remarks prior to his signing of the Executive Actions will be provided at the end of the article.
In other Executive Order/Action News.
CBS News reported this morning, according to two people familiar with ongoing deliberations that President Biden has delayed for at least a few days a series of Executive Actions on immigration that were “anticipated as early as this week, including the reversal of Trump-era asylum policies and a plan to reunite migrant families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border”.
In a memo obtained by CBS News, the actions on immigration was expected to be issued Friday, but the memo did stress the timetable was subject to change.
The outline of the plan as seen by CBS News include; directives to ramp up refugee admissions, review limits on legal immigration, revoke some of the Trump administration’s restrictions on U.S. asylum and establish a task force to reunite families separated by border officials.
While the reason for the delay is unclear the article explains that the delay comes as President Biden’s Department of Homeland Security nominee, Alejandro Mayorkas, is in limbo awaiting his confirmation to the post, which is expected Monday.
His nominee to lead the Department of Health And Human Services, the agency that oversees the U.S., refugee agency, Xavier Becerra, is still awaiting his confirmation hearing.
Speaking of family separations…
On Wednesday CNN reported that First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will be involved with the task force aimed at reuniting children with their families after having been separated at our border, according to three people familiar with the planning.
Lawyers are still trying to track the parents of 611 children who were split from their families between 2017-2018. CNN notes that figure comes from the latest court filling. The policy of zero tolerance was rescinded on Tuesday by the Department of Justice.
First Lady Biden’s spokesman Michael LaRosa confirmed the First Ladies involvement with the task force once established saying that her Chief of Staff Julissa Reynoso, “will monitor the federal reunification effort given her background as a lawyer”.
Speaking of confirmation hearings, the highly anticipated, for me at least, confirmation hearing for President Biden’s pick to be the U.S. Attorney General, Merrick Garland, is still not scheduled according to this Todd Ruger tweet…
In Insurrection News.
On Wednesday according to a statement issued by the Department of Justice U.S., Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia three individuals associated with the Oath Keepers have been indicted in Federal Court for Conspiracy to Obstruct Congress.
From Justice.gov:
Jessica Marie Watkins, 38, and Donovan Ray Crowl, 50, both of Champaign County, Ohio; and Thomas Caldwell, 65, of Clarke County, Virginia, were indicted today in federal court in the District of Columbia on charges of conspiracy, obstructing an official proceeding, destruction of government property, and unlawful entry on restricted building or grounds, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 1512, 1361, and 1752. Watkins and Crowl were arrested on Jan. 18; Caldwell was arrested on Jan.19. All three individuals originally were charged by criminal complaint. The maximum penalty for Obstructing an Official Proceeding is a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
According to the indictment, the three defendants initiated their communications and coordination in November 2020 and continued through on or about Jan. 19, 2021, when Caldwell was arrested. The exchanges vary in topics from a call to action to logistics, including lodging options, coordinating calls to discuss the plan, and joining forces with other Oath Keeper chapters.
[December 31st, 2020 Caldwell posted]
THIS IS OUR CALL TO ACTION, FREINDS! SEE YOU ON THE 6TH IN WASHINGTON, D.C. ALONG WITH 2 MILLION OTHER LIKE-MINDED PATRIOTS.
[January 2nd, 2021 Caldwell posted]
It begins for real Jan 5 and 6 on Washington D.C. when we mobilize in the streets. Let them try to certify some crud on capitol hill with a million or more patriots in the streets. This kettle is set to boil…
[from the criminal complaint]
On Jan. 6, the three documented their participation and whereabouts in or around the U.S. Capitol on social media. Caldwell posted messages on Facebook such as, “We are surging forward. Doors breached[.]” and at 3:05 p.m. posted just, “Inside.” Watkins posted photos of herself, and with Crowl, on her Parler account and captioned a photo by stating, “Me before forcing entry into the Capitol Building. #stopthesteal2 #stormthecapitol #oathkeepers #ohiomilitia.” Subsequently, she posted a video of herself inside the Capitol captioned, “Yeah. We stormed the Capitol today. Teargassed, the whole, 9. Pushed our way into the Rotunda. Made it into the Senate even. The news is lying (even Fox) about the Historical Events we created today.”
justice.gov. 01/27/2021.
Not happy to contain themselves to Facebook and Parler, the FBI; obtained an audio recording of Zello communications between Watkins and other suspected Oath Keepers during the Capitol incursion on a channel called “Stop the Steal J6.” As alleged in the indictment, in one transmission Watkins stated, “We have a good group. We have about 30-40 of us. We are sticking together and sticking to the plan.” An unknown male responds, “We’ll see you soon, Jess. Airborne.” Following the U.S. Capitol incursion, Watkins and Crowl each interviewed with the media. During the interviews, both confirmed membership of the Oath Keepers.
In she’s a real piece of shit news.
With the new Congress comes new reporting, that shows Marjorie Taylor Greene is a complete cow, and honestly believes in the QAnon nonsense that Democrats eat babies or whatever. Yesterday, I stumbled on this hot take…
For those that don’t want to listen Greene at all, let alone from 2019 when this video was made, I’ll sum-up, the future Republican Congresswoman is breathlessly reporting that Omar and Tlaib were sworn-in using the Koran (Quran) instead of the Christian Bible which is the law….
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was asked about her concern over the unearthed now, versus before Georgia District 14 made her a sitting member of Congress, statements, such as; 9-11 was fake news, Sandy Hook was a false flag as was the Parkland shooting, and my favorite that Hillary and Huma video taped themselves murdering a child in a satanic ritual as seen by a now dead police officer after he viewed it on Anthony Weiner’s seized laptop.
Pelosi responded by saying her concern is where the hell is the Republican leadership on Crazy QChick’s insanity….yeah, wouldn’t we all like to know that???
When stumbling on Greene’s wrongest of wrong takes I found this which interjected some much needed humor to Greene’s cowness.
Someone swore in on a replica Captain America shield.
— Actually malicious, no actual malice (@apark2453) January 28, 2021
Not that I don't believe you, sir, but I need to see a photo or video of this.
— Fake Patriotic Idiots Are Ruining My Life™ (@ChrisFurguson) January 28, 2021
https://t.co/jKuWej8Z0u
— Actually malicious, no actual malice (@apark2453) January 28, 2021
And an article:https://t.co/jyqLqwpDeP
Live Feeds to President Biden’s O’care Executive Action remarks. [Expected at 1:30 p.m. D.C., time].
NBC News.
CBS News.
Yahoo Finance.
Live feeds for daily press briefing scheduled for 2:30 p.m. D.C., time.
The White House.
Yahoo Finance.
PBS NewsHour.
This is an Open Thread.
