May 4, 2017 - Politics & Policy

GOP takes WH victory lap after House passes health care bill

AP

House Republicans gathered in the White House Rose Garden after they passed the American Health Care Act Thursday. President Trump kicked off the congratulatory speeches, saying he's "so confident" the bill will pass in the Senate.

  • Trump: "[For] only being a politician for a short period of time, how am I doing? Okay? I'm president. I'm president! Can you believe it?"
  • Pence: "Thanks to the leadership of Pres. Donald Trump, welcome to the beginning of the end of Obamacare..."
  • Paul Ryan: Ryan thanked Trump and Pence for "their personal involvement in working with our members."
  • Kevin McCarthy: The president told me, "Let's not make this partisan... Do what's right for the American country... I've only been through a few presidents, but I've never seen someone so hands on."

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"I stood up for that": Pope Francis voices support for same-sex civil unions

Pope Francis at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. Photo: Vatican Pool - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

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Why it matters: The pope’s remarks represent a break from the position of the Roman Catholic Church, which has long taught that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered" and contrary to natural law.

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Countries waiting to see if Trump wins before moving on Israel normalization

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Driving the news: President Trump wants Sudan's removal from the U.S. state sponsors of terrorism list to be accompanied by a pre-election announcement on Israel.

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Poll: 92% of battleground state voters are "extremely motivated to vote"

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91% of likely voters nationally say they are "extremely motivated to vote," including 92% in battleground states Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, according to a Change Research/CNBC Poll.

Why it matters: The 2020 election could see record-breaking levels of voter turnout. Voters last week cast ballots at nearly five times the rate they did at this point in the 2016 election, per the U.S. Elections Project. Over 39 million ballots have been cast in early voting states as of Wednesday.

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