May 2, 2017

WH reportedly nears religious liberty executive order

Axios

Charlie Neibergall / AP

The White House is working on an executive order that has "very, very strong" language on religious liberty, per Politico's Tim Alberta and Shane Goldmacher.

  • What's happening: The White House has invited conservatives to the White House on Thursday, and sources are telling Politico the original draft order, which leaked in early February, is nearly as tough as the first attempt.
  • What it does: Behaves like Indiana's RFRA, which allowed business to exempt themselves on religious grounds.
  • The winners: VP Pence and religious conservatives.
  • Cautionary: "Two senior administration officials confirmed the plan, though one cautioned that it hasn't yet been finalized, and noted that lawyers are currently reviewing and fine-tuning the draft language."
  • Foreshadowed: Leonard Leo told Axios' Jonathan Swan late last month that the White House wasn't backing off its promise to deliver wins for social conservatives.

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  5. Business updates: America's small business bailout is off to a bad start. The DOT is urging airlines to refund passengers due to canceled or rescheduled flights, but won't take action against airlines that provide vouchers or credits.
  6. Oil latest: The amount of gas American drivers are consuming dropped to levels not seen in more than 25 years, government data shows. Trump is calling on the Energy Department to find more places to store oil.
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