Jill Biden To Go Back To Her Teaching Roots For Prime
Mike Memoli
Whenever Joe Biden discusses his wifes work, hell inevitably say that teaching isnt what she does, its who she is. So, as Jill Biden considered where to deliver her prime-time speech in this unorthodox Democratic National Convention, there was an obvious answer: the classroom.
The former second lady and potential future first lady will deliver Tuesdays keynote address live from Brandywine High School in her hometown of Wilmington, a city where she taught English in the early 1990s. The choice is a signal of how the self-described reluctant political spouse has always forged her own professional path even as her husbands career has taken him just shy of the White House.
A lifelong educator with two masters degrees and a doctorate in education, Biden continued to teach at a community college in Northern Virginia while her husband served as vice president, a decision her staff initially thought was a nonstarter. She has said she hopes to continue teaching if they move to the White House next year.
How great would that be?” she asked in an interview with NBC News from the campaign trail last fall. “What would that say about teachers? Wouldn’t that lift up the profession and celebrate who they are? It would be my honor.
She gave 100% of her energy to the students, the student, Yvette Lewis, says.
Multiple States Hold Key Primaries As Coronavirus Pandemic Floyd Protests Continue
WASHINGTON On the day of George Floyd’s funeral in Houston and as coronavirus cases continue to rise, several states are holding primaries to determine which candidates will represent their parties come November.
Here are the races the NBC News political unit are paying closest attention to:
Georgia Senate: The top primary contest to watch is in Georgia, where several Democrats are running for the right to challenge Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., in the fall.
The favorite in this Democratic primary is 2017 congressional nominee, Jon Ossoff, and his top challengers are former Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson and businesswoman Sarah Riggs Amico. The Cook Political Report lists the race as Lean Republican for November.
If none of the candidates break 50 percent, the Top 2 will advance to an Aug. 11 runoff.
South Carolina Senate: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Democrat Jaime Harrison receive nominal primary opposition ahead of their expected November showdown in the Palmetto State. Harrison has raked in significant fundraising ahead of today’s contest.
Nevada 3rd District: Republicans will pick their nominee in Nevada to face Democratic Congresswoman Susie Lee, D-Nev., in the competitive Nevada district.
Nevada 4th District: Also in Nevada, incumbent Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford, who recently admitted to having an affair with a former Senate staffer, is receiving a primary challenge from multiple Democrats, as well as Republicans who are trying to reclaim the seat.
After Years Of Promising His Own Health Care Plan Trump Settles For Rebranding Rather Than Repealing Obamacare
President Trump capped his fruitless four-year journey to abolish and replace the Affordable Care Act by signing an executive order Thursday that aims to enshrine the laws most popular feature while pivoting away from a broader effort to overhaul the nations health insurance system.
The order declares it is the policy of the United States for people with preexisting health conditions to be protected, avoiding the thorny details of how to ensure such protections without either leaving the ACA, or Obamacare, in place or crafting new comprehensive legislation.
Trump announced the move during a trip to North Carolina, outlining his vision for revamping parts of the nations health care. During the speech, which came shortly before a campaign swing to Florida, Trump barely veiled the political nature of his intent.
The historic action Im taking today includes the first-ever executive order to affirm it is the official policy of the United States government to protect patients with preexisting conditions, Trump said, despite the fact such protections are already enshrined in law. Were making that official. Were putting it down in a stamp, because our opponents, the Democrats, like to constantly talk about it.
Health care, long a top issue for voters, has taken on fresh urgency with less than five weeks to go before the November election.
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The Blueprint Progressives Hope Will Move Democrats Beyond’ The Trump Era
Ali Vitali
WASHINGTON While the top issue to many Democratic voters is ousting President Donald Trump at the ballot box in November, key groups in the partys left flank are out with a new report Monday, presenting a long term vision for the progressive movement while also pressing the need to prioritize key issues.
We all agree the top priority is getting Trump out, Leah Hunt-Hendrix, a co-founder of the progressive group Way to Win, told NBC News. Trump was not just an aberration he was a symptom, so its imperative we use the next four years to address the roots of those problems.
The report from Way To Win, in tandem with Data For Progress and input from pollsters, activists, and staffers across politics, makes the case for the popularity of progressive policies like Medicare For All, while also calling for better donor structures and apparatuses to better fund progressive candidates. Its a reminder that while the Democratic party appears to have coalesced behind Biden to win in November, hell have intraparty policy battles to contend with if elected.
The purpose of this report is to say the work doesnt stop, Hunt-Hendrix added. Were all fighting for November and the work doesnt stop there…What Dems do when they’re in power is just as important as electing Democrats to power.
Massachusetts Senate Democratic Primary Heats Up One Month Out
Alex Domb
WASHINGTON With just over a month remaining before the Massachusetts Senate primary on Sept. 1, incumbent Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Joe Kennedy III are locked in a tight race with no clear frontrunner.
Kennedy and both progressives have few major policy disagreements. But Kennedy, the 39-year old grandson of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, is framing himself as a youthful, energetic alternative to his 74-year old rival. Markey and his backers tout the senators long record of advocacy, paint Kennedy as a progressive in name only, and accuse the Kennedy campaign of wasting resources on a safely blue seat as Democrats attempt to capture a Senate majority this fall.
Markey, who served in the House for more than 35 years before being elected to the Senate in 2013, appears to have the edge in the endorsement game so far. The incumbent has support from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. He has also won the backing of fellow Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and major environmental groups.
Kennedy vastly outspent Markey on advertising from April through June $1.8 million versus just $52,000. The challenger has also blitzed Massachusetts airwaves, spending about $2.8 million on ads to date compared to less than $700,000 spent by Markeys campaign and a super PAC backing him.
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Democratic Challengers Announce Big Fundraising Hauls As Party Looks To Take Back Senate
Carrie Dann and Ben Kamisar
WASHINGTON As Republicans nervously watch President Donald Trumps slide in the presidential polls, Democratic candidates for Senate are raking in record sums for their bids to unseat GOP incumbents and take back control of the upper chamber.
South Carolina Democratic Senate nominee Jaime Harrison is the latest to announce a monster haul as he seeks to oust Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the presidents staunchest allies. For the second-quarter fundraising period running from April to June, Harrison’s campaign says it raked in almost $14 million, nearly double his fundraising total from the previous quarter.
As of Tuesday morning, Graham had not released his fundraising total for the quarter, and had raised more than $26 million through June 20, according to his most current report with the Federal Election Commission.
Despite his fundraising prowess, though, Harrison still faces an uphill battle in a race in a state that voted for Trump by a 14-point margin in 2016.
Nrcc Will Back Colorado Candidate Who Has Expressed Support For Fringe Theory
Ben Kamisar
WASHINGTON The House Republican campaign arm, the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Wednesday it would back a Colorado candidate who toppled one of its incumbents but has faced criticism for comments supporting the fringe, QAnon conspiracy theory.
Lauren Boebert, a gun-rights activist and restaurant owner, defeated five-term Republican Rep. Scott Tipton in a defeat most didn’t see coming, and one that could significantly shift the contours of the general election in the district.
But Boebert made news earlier this spring after her decision to flout coronavirus regulations and operate her Shooters Grill despite local orders.
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Priorities Usa Electoral Projection Puts Biden Over 300 While Cautioning Election Still Volatile
Ben Kamisar and Mark Murray
WASHINGTON Priorities USA, the major Democratic super-PAC backing former Vice President Joe Biden, has the Democrat leading President Trump in its electoral college projection 305 votes to 204.
Florida is the only state on the map considered a toss-up in the analysis, which the group considers a state where the candidates have between 49.5 and 50.5 percent of the vote. The group’s analysis is culled in part from its recent battleground and national polling and is based on where the race stands today, not a projection for the November election.
Priorities current polling has Biden ahead in the crucial states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, as well as in Arizona and North Carolina. Recent public polls have shown Biden up in many battleground states as well.
But Priorities also points out that just a 3-point drop for Biden among both white working-class voters and minority voters would narrow the Democrats advantage over Trump to 259 to 248, with Trump winning Florida and North Carolina, and with Arizona and Pennsylvania moving to the toss-up category.
Before this recent surge by Biden, Priorities says the overall Trump-vs.-Biden race has been fairly close over the past year. This is the first time in the group’s projection Biden eclipsed the 300 electoral vote mark.
“Structurally, while weve seen improvements, this race continues to be close.”
Republican Senators Launching Ads Attacking Joe Biden
Ben Kamisar
WASHINGTON Two Republican senators have launched ads attacking former Vice President Joe Biden as the Democrat continues to lead President Trump in recent polls.
Arizona Republican Sen. Martha McSally has aired two ads in recent days evoking Biden as a foil, alongside likely Arizona Democratic nominee Mark Kelly.
And Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton has a new digital spot blasting Biden as “too confused to lead.”
The McSally spots aim to tie Biden to Kelly one argues the pair won’t be able to hold China accountable , while another says that Kelly will “help Joe Biden pass a new government-controlled health insurance system” .
McSally was down big in Fox News recent poll of the Senate race . And Biden led Trump by 4 points in that same poll of the state that Trump won by 3.5 points in 2016.
While that Biden lead is within the margin of error, there are signs that there could be trouble in Arizona at the top of the ticket, as Democratic groups are pushing into the once reliably Republican state.
Meanwhile, Cotton, who has no Democratic opponent in the fall, just released a new digital ad attacking China for “lies” that “spread the China virus across the world,” as well as Biden by rounding up a complication of his recent missteps to argue he’s “too confused to lead.”
The spot, first reported by Breitbart News, will run in Michigan and Iowa as part of an initial, five-figure buy.
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Less Than Three Months From Election Day Five States Hold Competitive Primaries Tuesday
Ben Kamisar and Carrie Dann
WASHINGTON With less than three months left until Election Day, five states Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington are holding down-ballot primaries Tuesday.
Here are the contests the NBC News political unit has its eyes on:
Kansas Senate: One of the most pivotal primaries left on the calendar, some Republicans fear that if polarizing candidate Kris Kobach wins the GOP primary, they risk losing this open seat in November to Barbara Bollier, the likely Democratic nominee who is a state senator and former Republican. Kobach recently lost the gubernatorial race in 2018 to Democrat Laura Kelly and a group tied to Democrats is spending big in the race in the hopes of boosting him. If Bollier is victorious in the fall, she’d be the first Democrat to represent Kansas in the Senate since the 1930s.
Kansas 2nd District: Many Republicans have sounded the alarm on Republican Rep. Steve Watkins for months, actively encouraging the primary playing out Tuesday. Watkins was charged with voter fraud last month, but calls the charge politically motivated. He has a serious primary challenger in state Treasurer Jake LaTurner who scuttled his Senate bid to run for this seat after the former governor urged him to primary Watkins, well before the charges were filed.
Liz Brown-Kaiser contributed.
Trump Outlines Healthcare Plan Ensures Coverage For Pre
Sept. 24 â President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a series of executive orders to ensure medical protections for people with pre-existing conditions, prevent surprise medical bills and guarantee price transparency.
Trump signed the orders during a trip to North Carolina as he âlaid out his visionâ for a healthcare system he called the America First Healthcare Plan, which he said would focus on providing increased choice, lower costs and improved care.
âWe will ensure the highest standard of care anywhere in the world: cutting-edge treatments, state-of-the-art medicine, groundbreaking cures and true health security for you and your loved ones,â he said.
During a call with reporters ahead of the announcement, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said one of the executive orders would to âprovide protections to ensure that Americans with pre-existing conditions regardless of whether the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional and its protections for pre-existing conditions invalidated.â
He also said the order would direct HHS to work with Congress to pass legislation to protect patients against surprise medical bills and to investigate executive and regulatory actions that can ensure such protections if legislation is not passed by Jan. 1.
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Protests Put Spotlight On Women Of Color As Potential Biden Running Mate
Liz Brown-Kaiser and Melissa Holzberg
WASHINGTON Pressure is mounting on apparent Democratic nominee Joe Biden to pick a woman of color as his running mate, as protests continue to erupt following the killing of George Floyd.
Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, Bidens longtime friend and early endorser, said on Tuesday picking a person of color would speak to this moment in a powerful and effective way. Others are echoing the sentiment.
Heres how some of Bidens possible vice presidential contenders responded to this weeks events:
Sen. Kamala Harris: Harris has been highly visible and vocal in recent days as protests persist in D.C. The California senator joined protests against police brutality in the district, and less than one week after fellow veep contender, Florida Rep. Val Demings, wrote an attention-grabbing op-ed about the need for police reform, Harris released her own, writing in Cosmopolitan, “in times like this, silence is complicity.
Harris was also busy on Capitol Hill Thursday, making an emotional speech on the Senate floor about the urgency to pass anti-lynching legislation she helped craft. Harris is one of just three sitting black senators.
Harris has steadily risen to be a top choice for Biden and her latest actions could boost her prospects.
Rep. Val Demings: Demings appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres show on Friday and said that being considered to be the first black woman vice president is an honor.
Biden Campaign Releases Two New Ads Focused On The Black Community
WASHINGTON The Biden campaign released two new digital ads focused on the Black community as a part of their $15 million, five-week ad buy in battleground states. The campaign started to run these digital ads on Juneteenth as well as radio and print advertisements as part of their mid-six figure investment in Black media in Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona and North Carolina.
The one-minute ad titled Always recounts how Bidens career has been shaped by wanting to stand up and act against injustices. It briefly touts his early career fighting for the Black community by combating housing discrimination to being chosen former President Obamas vice president.
In a memo obtained by NBC News last week, the campaigns director of paid media explained the ad would re-introduce voters to the former vice president at a time when the Trump campaign is trying to discredit his civil and voting rights record. Notably the ad does not mention Biden signing the 1994 crime bill.
The second one-minute digital ad stresses whats at stake in this election, particularly in light of the civil unrest following the killing of George Floyd. The ad shows images of hurt protestors and armed officers as well as President Trump’s now infamous walk to St. John’s cathedral after police aggressively dispersed peaceful protestors.
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Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act
The first part of the comprehensive health care reform law enacted on March 23, 2010.
The law was amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act on March 30, 2010. The name â
The comprehensive health care reform law enacted in March 2010 .
The law provides numerous rights and protections that make health coverage more fair and easy to understand, along with subsidies to make it more affordable.
The law also expands the Medicaid program to cover more people with low incomes.
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