Links to today’s show transcripts:
New GOP Healthcare Bill Still a Huge Tax Cut for the Rich, Gutting Women’s Care & Slashing Medicaid
A revised Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act would gut Medicaid, give massive tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans and defund Planned Parenthood, making it harder for women to access breast cancer screenings and basic reproductive services. The revised bill is largely similar to the previous Senate bill, including plans to slash more than $700 billion from Medicaid by 2026. The Congressional Budget Office is expected to complete its assessment of this latest bill by early next week. Republican Senate leaders are pushing for a vote by the end of next week.
Justice Neil Gorsuch Ends First SCOTUS Term Voting Consistently on Court’s “Most Conservative Side”
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch emerged as one of the court’s most conservative justices as his first term came to an end in June.
“Care in Chaos”: New Documentary Uncovers Rising Tide of Attacks on Abortion Clinics Under Trump
A new documentary by Rewire chronicles the rising tide of harassment and violence against abortion providers and clinics under the Trump administration. Called “Care in Chaos,” it features Calla Hales, director of A Preferred Women’s Health Center, one of the busiest abortion clinics in North Carolina. She faces a gauntlet of harassment, threats and physical violence just to do her job.
Rep. Keith Ellison on GOP Healthcare Plan, Bill Targeting Muslims & Philando Castile Settlement
As Senate Republicans unveil their latest healthcare bill, they face opposition within their own party as well as sustained grassroots resistance to their plans. Eleven interfaith leaders, including the North Carolina NAACP president, Reverend William Barber, were arrested Thursday outside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office in the latest series of demonstrations, Democratic Congressmember Keith Ellison, deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee and the first Muslim member of Congress, also discusses today’s vote on a controversial proposal by Arizona Republican Congressmember Trent Franks that calls for identifying “Islamic religious doctrines, concepts or schools of thought” that could be used by terrorist groups, and the $3 million settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit of Philando Castile.
Oscar-Nominated Actor James Cromwell Speaks Out Before Jail Time for Peaceful Anti-Fracking Protest
Oscar-nominated actor James Cromwell is reporting to jail at 4 p.m. today in upstate New York after he was sentenced to a week behind bars for taking part in a nonviolent protest against a natural gas-fired power plant. Cromwell says he’ll also launch a hunger strike. He was one of six activists arrested for blocking traffic at the sit-in outside the construction site of the 650-megawatt plant in Wawayanda, New York, in December of 2015. The activists say the plant would promote natural gas fracking in neighboring states and contribute to climate change.
James Cromwell is known for his roles in some 50 Hollywood films, including “Babe,” “The Artist,” “The Green Mile” and “L.A. Confidential,” as well as many television series, including “Six Feet Under.” Democracy Now! spoke to him Thursday along with one of his co-defendants, Pramilla Malick. She is the founder of Protect Orange County, a community organization leading the opposition of the fracked gas power plant. She ran in 2016 for the New York state Senate.
