Mar 8, 2017

House GOP huddles on Obamacare repeal struggles

David Nather

J. Scott Applewhite / AP

House Republicans met this morning to talk out their differences on the Obamacare repeal effort just before two committees take up the bill. House Speaker Paul Ryan told skeptical conservatives that if the replacement bill doesn't pass quickly, it will delay other conservative priorities, including tax reform, according to Rep. Tom Cole.

Another key message, according to Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Greg Walden: If Republicans don't pass Obamacare repeal and replacement in the budget "reconciliation" bill — which only requires 51 votes in the Senate — they would need 60 votes to pass anything else.

So far, though, conservatives are still digging in against it. Here's what Freedom Caucus member Dave Brat said as he headed into the meeting across the street from the Capitol: The bill needs "major changes" so it focuses more on bringing costs down for everyone, not just covering the uninsured.

We've paid way too much attention to coverage.

The bottom line: Cole, on whether it has the votes to pass the House: "Today? Probably not."

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Kim Hart, Margaret Harding McGill

Schools get creative to keep students connected

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

School districts are exploring ways to keep their homebound pupils connected to the classroom, even though many students don't have the internet service or devices they need to do assignments.

Why it matters: All teachers face the problem of "summer slide" — when students lose skills during summer breaks. This year will be doubly hard because students are losing between one and three additional months of in-classroom instruction due to coronavirus-driven closures.

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Jacob Knutson

U.S.-led coalition in Iraq withdraws from 3rd base this month

A soldier stands guard at the Qayyarah airbase in southern Mosul on March 26. Photo: Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The United States-led coalition in Iraq withdrew from K-1 Air Base in the northern part of the country on Sunday, AP reports.

Why it matters: It's the third site that coalition forces have left this month as the U.S. gathers troops in Baghdad and at Ain al-Asad Air Base.

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Axios

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 8 a.m. ET: 679,977 — Total deaths: 31,734 — Total recoveries: 145,625.
  2. U.S.: Leads the world in cases. Total confirmed cases as of 8 a.m. ET: 124,686 — Total deaths: 2,191 — Total recoveries: 2,612.
  3. Federal government latest: Trump announces new travel advisories for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, but rules out quarantine enforcement. Per CDC, those residents should "refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days," with the exception of critical infrastructure industry workers.
  4. State updates: Alaska issues a stay-at-home order — New York tries to nearly triple hospital capacity in less than a month and moved presidential primary to June 23. Some Midwestern swing voters who backed Trump's initial handling of the virus balk at call for U.S. to be "opened up" by Easter.
  5. World updates: In Spain, over 1,400 people were confirmed dead between Thursday to Saturday.
  6. 🚀 Space updates: OneWeb filed for bankruptcy amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
  7. What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk
  8. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

Subscribe to Mike Allen's Axios AM to follow our coronavirus coverage each morning from your inbox.

Keep ReadingArrowUpdated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy