Some White House and Republican officials are exploring the idea of putting West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin in charge of the Energy Department, according to four people familiar with the discussions, a move that could boost President Donald Trumps stalled legislative agenda.

If Manchin were offered and accepted the position, that would allow West Virginias Governor Jim Justice -- a newly minted Republican -- to appoint a GOP successor and bring the party a vote closer in the Senate to being able to repeal Obamacare. The idea is in the early stages of consideration, and its unclear whether it has support within the administration, according to the people, who described the conversations under condition of anonymity.

A spokesman for Manchin declined to say whether the senator would take the Energy secretary job -- currently held by former Texas Governor Rick Perry -- if offered.

Senator Manchin has not had any recent conversations with the Administration about the Secretary of Energy position. He remains committed to serving the people of West Virginia, said Jonathan Kott.

Manchin, who faces a tough re-election battle in 2018, was considered for the post after Trump won election in November. His nomination fell through in part because Trump wouldnt assure him he could pick his own staff, according to two people familiar with the staff selections, who described them on condition of anonymity.

Perry was named Energy Secretary instead, and its unclear whether he would be open to taking another position in the administration. He has been among the candidates considered to replace John Kelly at the Department of Homeland Security, according to three people familiar with the deliberations. Kelly, who became White House chief of staff last week, and Trump havent yet decided who should succeed him as Homeland Security secretary.

Perry has not been a seamless fit with the Energy Department, where the two most recent secretaries had Ph.D.s in physics. Perry was an animal science major at Texas A&M, and he advocated abolishing the department during his own presidential bid. The Air Force veteran was initially under consideration to lead the Pentagon under Trump.

With an annual budget of about $30 billion, the Energy Departments work ranges from safeguarding nuclear weapons to the research into carbon-capture technology and maintaining the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Perry has expressed a deep interest in the nuclear security and intelligence aspects of the post, and has become a vocal advocate for the national laboratories and for U.S. energy exports.

The ultimate goal of such a Cabinet shift would be to jump-start Trumps agenda in Congress, particularly repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

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Yet to execute the idea and pass an Obamacare repeal, Republicans and the administration would have to pull off a highly choreographed series of events. Perry would have to agree to take another job, the Senate would have to confirm Manchin as Energy Secretary, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would then have to bring a repeal bill back up without losing any of the 49 Republican senators who voted for the so-called skinny repeal.

Some of those senators, however, like Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said they were only voting for the bill to bring it to negotiations with the House. Other Republicans, like Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, are working on a bipartisan fix.

Moreover, Manchin would face intense pressure from fellow Democrats not to leave the Senate and bear some personal responsibility for a repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

Manchin has said in interviews that he warned Trump personally that people in his state who gained insurance under the law dont know who gave it to them, but would surely know who took it away.

Earlier this month, Trump appeared at a political rally in Huntington, West Virginia, where Justice announced that he was changing parties from Democrat to Republican.

Manchin has sought to position himself as a political independent. In a recent interview with the Charleston Gazette-Mail that he wont commit to Democratic policy positions just to win re-election.

The bottom line is, if it doesnt help West Virginia, it doesnt make sense to me,Manchin told the newspaper. Just because theres an election doesnt mean I sign on or dont sign on,

See more here:
Manchin Emerges as Possible Pick for Energy Department - Bloomberg

It remains unclear how seriously any of those individuals are being considered.

Since Kelly took his position as President Donald Trump's right-hand man, he is expected to have an outsized role in the process of finding his replacement.

"I think he will have a great deal of say in who goes over to replace him because he has had this position," a source close to Kelly said. "He now has a very soft spot in his heart for the Department of Homeland Security," the source added, saying that it's "now his baby."

Kelly is especially concerned about his replacement continuing the trajectory he feels he got the department on, particularly on issues like morale of the workforce, the source said.

Multiple sources close to the White House and the administration expect the process will take some time, and that having acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke, who was confirmed this spring as the deputy secretary, reduces the pressure to speed things up.

"Elaine Duke is a steady hand at the wheel so you don't need to rush this process, because she's very, very steady," said a congressional aide. "She can run the ship well, so they can take their time."

Here's a look at some of the options being discussed.

Jeff Sessions

Given Trump's public berating of Sessions in recent weeks, there was speculation that the President could move Sessions to the opening at DHS to get him out of the Justice Department without firing him.

Doing so would eliminate what was a growing source of frustration for the President -- namely Sessions' recusal from the investigation into Russian election meddling and the special counsel at DOJ -- and puts an experienced hand atop an agency key to Trump's immigration and counter-terrorism agenda, all without firing a man who was defended aggressively by members of Congress and conservative organizations.

But the White House has denied that option is under consideration.

"There are no conversations about any Cabinet members moving in any capacity, and the President has 100% confidence in all members of his Cabinet," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said when asked about the rumor on Monday.

Mike McCaul

The Texas congressman, who's also the chairman of the House homeland security committee, is considered a strong contender for the position given his experience and border-state ties. He also would likely face an easy road to confirmation among his peers in the upper chamber.

He also has had a good relationship with Kelly during his tenure, the aide said.

"How the administration has leapt from one chaotic episode to the next and seeing how Trump loyalists like Sessions and (New Jersey Gov. Chris) Christie have been treated by the President will likely cause pause," the well-placed source said.

And like during the initial process of selecting Trump's secretary of homeland security last November, McCaul faces fierce opposition from groups advocating for the restriction of immigration and hard-line enforcement of immigration laws.

NumbersUSA, which lobbies and mobilizes for strict immigration laws, put out a statement of opposition just at the suggestion of McCaul's name.

"Congressman McCaul's record in the House suggests that he doesn't have the inclination or experience to continue and improve on the great start that General Kelly has had in leading DHS to be a pro-worker institution," said NumbersUSA President Roy Beck. "His actions in recent years put him in the bottom third of Republican representatives in terms of immigration enforcement and policies that achieve Pres. Trump's priority of putting American workers first."

Elaine Duke

Duke's time serving as acting secretary could end up serving as an audition of sorts, with former DHS officials singing her praises as a longtime civil servant.

Duke has a nearly three-decade career in government, the last eight of which were spent at DHS. She has expertise in acquisition and management. Duke was confirmed as deputy secretary in April on an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 85 to 14.

James Norton, a former DHS official in President George W. Bush's administration who worked with Duke, said her experience with acquisition and reorganizing DHS' emergency management after Hurricane Katrina make her a strong candidate.

"One of the biggest struggles for DHS is acquisition and to have someone at the top that understands that process is good," Norton said. "From the standpoint of a new cybersecurity organization (being debated in Congress), which would be the biggest reorganization of DHS since Katrina reform, she's well suited to that."

Norton also noted that her acting stint makes her one of the highest ranked women in the Cabinet, especially in the national security space.

"I think it's an opportunity to perform on a big stage," he said. Another former DHS official calls her a "bureaucrat's bureaucrat" who "doesn't make waves" and is respected on both sides of the aisle.

Kris Kobach

The Kansas secretary of state has been a prominent advocate of aggressive immigration policies at the state level, having helped write Arizona's controversial immigration law -- and has long been supported by the immigration hawks for a role in the Trump administration.

But another person close to Kelly called Kobach a "non-starter," and he is not seen as confirmable in the Senate, according to the congressional source. Kobach does have a role in the administration, as co-chairman of Trump's commission on voting integrity, and that tenure alone has brought controversy and court challenges.

The White House did not rule out Kobach as a possibility, but asked on Tuesday about the suggestion, Sanders indicated it wasn't in the works.

"I'm not aware of any movements for him," Sanders said, adding the White House would share personnel announcements as they come up.

Tom Cotton

The Arkansas senator is a national security hawk, a war veteran and has authored a bill favored by immigration restriction groups to cut back on non-skills-based immigration to the US. The White House has been working with Cotton and his co-author on the bill for possible re-introduction.

Cotton does not have a long history of working on DHS-related issues outside of that, however.

Asked by CNN on Tuesday at the Capitol if he was being considered, Cotton ignored the question and did not offer any denial.

Thomas Homan

The acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has established himself as a favorite of Trump's, accompanying him on Air Force One last week to speak at an event on Long Island before law enforcement on the administration's anti-gang policy.

Trump praised Homan at that event, saying he has "done an incredible job."

"He's a tough guy. He's a tough cookie," Trump said. "Somebody said the other day, they saw him on television, and somebody -- they were interviewed after that -- they said, he looks very nasty, he looks very mean. I said, 'That's what I'm looking for.'"

Homan is a long-time law enforcement officer, having worked as a police officer, on the border and on the ground in immigration enforcement. A former DHS official who worked with Homan suggested that Trump likes their New York connection and that he has served on the front lines.

But there is also concern about whether Homan would be able to be confirmed in the Senate. Homan has served as the face of Trump's harshest immigration policies, saying undocumented immigrants "should be afraid" of law enforcement under this administration, which may be difficult for purple-state Republicans to get behind. Homan would also face tough questioning about the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program from Republicans like South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who support the program.

Homan has not been formally nominated for his position atop ICE and thus has not faced the Senate confirmation process.

One person close to Kelly said: "Trump loves the guy -- (but he) has some limitations as a manager."

James Loy

One of the people close to Kelly also suggested that Loy could be in the mix. Like Kelly, Loy is a veteran of the military, having served as commandant of the US Coast Guard.

Loy also was deputy secretary of DHS from 2003 to 2005 and was the administrator of the Transportation Security Administration before that.

He retired from government in 2005 and went into the private sector.

Loy did not respond to a request for comment as to whether he'd consider going back into government.

Rick Perry

The person close to Kelly also said Trump's energy secretary could be in the mix.

Perry was governor of Texas, a position that put him on the front lines of border security. In 2014, he deployed the Texas National Guard to the border to help with a surge of undocumented immigrants.

Asked about the possibility of a job switch for Perry, Shaylyn Hynes, a Department of Energy spokesperson, said, "While Secretary Perry is honored to be mentioned, he is happy where he is and very focused on carrying out the mission the President gave him when he was chosen lead the Department of Energy."

Rudy Giuliani

The former mayor of New York has been a perennial shortlist candidate for running the department going back to the Bush administration, but has never been formally nominated for the job. He gained nationwide prominence during the aftermath of the 9/11 attack and has built a career in the private sector around his expertise.

CNN's Ryan Nobles, Jim Acosta and Rene Marsh contributed to this report.

Originally posted here:
9 people who might be the next DHS secretary - CNN

Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly's move to take over as White House chief of staff leaves a Cabinet vacancy that must be filled "as quickly as possible," according to a key Senate Democrat.

"With the threats facing this nation, I urge the president to nominate a qualified secretary to replace General Kelly as quickly as possible," Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., the top Democrat on the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, said Friday evening.

Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, was one of the few members of Trump's Cabinet to receive a speedy confirmation. Others dragged on for months, in part because Democrats used procedural powers to slow-walk the nominations. Thus the decision to replace former chief of staff Reince Priebus with Kelly could lead to difficulties for Senate Republicans, who are already pressed for time to pass key planks of their legislative agenda before the end of the year.

Deputy DHS Secretary Elaine Duke will serve as acting secretary while a replacement is found.

McCaskill isn't the only senator with an eye on the nomination. Kelly's successor will move through confirmation hearings overseen by Republican Sen. Ron Johnson who, like Priebus, hails from Wisconsin.

"Reince Priebus is a good friend," Johnson, chairman of the Homeland Security panel, said Friday. "I thank him for his service and wish him the best of luck going forward. Secretary Kelly is an outstanding leader who has served his country honorably and I know he will do an excellent job at the White House. I look forward to working with the administration as they choose a new leader for the Department of Homeland Security."

Trump considered an array of contenders before tapping Kelly to lead DHS. The list of possibilities reportedly ranged from traditional Republicans such as Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, who leads the House Homeland Security Committee, to less conventional options such as Milwaukee County (Wis.) Sheriff David Clarke. Rudy Giuliani and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were also regarded as contenders for multiple Cabinet posts, though they didn't end up receiving jobs in the administration.

Kelly, as head of DHS, was responsible for broad aspects of Trump's immigration and border security policy. Nevertheless, his reputation and experience working with lawmakers during his time as a top commander in the military allowed him to enjoy a "love fest" of a confirmation hearing.

That goodwill didn't stop Democrats from challenging some of his policy decisions once he took office, however. As Trump searches for a successor, he may have to balance between finding a nominee who can be confirmed quickly, but also be trusted to implement his agenda and appeal to Trump's core base of voters.

Senate aides declined to speculate about how the confirmation process might unfold. "We don't have a nominee," a Senate Republican aide told the Washington Examiner.

Here is the original post:
Claire McCaskill wants DHS replacement 'as quickly as possible' - Washington Examiner

Marcus Hutchins, the British researcher who stopped the May WannaCry hack, has been arrested by the FBI in Las Vegas for allegedly playing a role in creating the "Kronos" malware that targeted bank accounts, per The Guardian. The WannaCry attack crippled healthcare operations in the UK and hit dozens of countries.

About Kronos: It spread between 2014 and 2015 through emails with malicious attachments, such as compromised Word documents, with the aim of getting banking credentials. New infections occurred through 2016.

Hutchins' charges: The Department of Justice released the allegations about Hutchins' role in the Kronos hack, claiming he helped create, spread, and maintain the hack. Hutchins faces six counts of hacking-related charges. There is another, unnamed co-defendant, who allegedly tried selling the malware on AlphaBay, a darknet marketplace, which was shut down July 20 when the FBI and European authorities seized its servers.

Note: Ryan Kalember of Proofpoint said "This could very easily be the FBI mistaking legitimate research activity with being in control of Kronos infrastructure. Lots of researchers like to log in to crimeware tools and interfaces and play around."

Original post:
Trump's missing vote - Axios

Homeland Security Secretary John Kellys move to White House chief of staff is ushering in a cloud of uncertainty at the department that has led some of President Donald Trumps most controversial undertakings from its roundup of undocumented immigrants to his travel ban and proposed border wall.

It may also set the stage for a brutal confirmation fight if President Donald Trump tries to replace the retired Marine general with an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration instead of a seasoned bureaucrat or lawmaker.

Story Continued Below

A person close to Kelly said it's unclear who will replace him.

But several White House and former DHS officials proffered a slate of names of possible replacements for Kelly, with Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, emerging as a leading candidate.

Other potential picks include Thomas Homan, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who accompanied Trump on Air Force One on Friday, and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration who is helping to lead the president's controversial commission on alleged voter fraud.

Separately, department staffers have been talking about the possibility that the role might go to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, according to two sources with contacts at DHS, but a person close to the Trump administration said he's unlikely to get the job.

Which direction Trump takes could have a dramatic effect on soothing or stoking the uncertainty gripping his White House.

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"So much of Trump's agenda is tied to DHS," said one Republican lobbyist close to the White House. The consultant added: "Kelly was one of the best decisions he has made thus far. Considering how central DHS is to his agenda, he's got to make another great decision."

Homan got praise from one former DHS official, who called him a career tough guy who plays right to Trump's sweet spot. ICE is the agency leading Trumps street-level enforcement push, and Homan traveled with Trump on Friday to Long Island, N.Y., where the president spoke about the link between street gangs and illegal immigration.

Kobach, on the other hand, would ignite a firestorm among Democrats, who accuse him of carrying out an agenda of denying voting rights to minorities. Seth Stodder, who held assistant secretary roles at the Homeland Security Department from 2015 to this year, said a Kobach pick would be radioactive.

It would be one hell of a confirmation hearing, Stodder said, adding that he would probably oppose the nomination himself. I just cant imagine that happening.

Picking Sessions, meanwhile, would empower Trump to select a new attorney general who could exert more control over the Russia probe, perhaps an ally like Rudy Giuliani. But that option would likely set up a major clash with senators of both parties.

One source familiar with the process cautioned that it's "very early," and things could change in the coming hours and days.

For now, the department announced Friday, Kelly will remain in his DHS role through Monday. After that, Deputy Secretary Elaine Duke a Kelly confidante and well-respected leader will become acting secretary.

Duke, who previously worked as DHS undersecretary for management from 2008 to 2010, would be a capable choice in the eyes of some former DHS officials. Juliette Kayyem, a former assistant secretary for Homeland Security in the Obama administration, called her smart but not overly political, a good mix for the department. Still, shes skeptical Duke would get the nod.

[You] couldn't meet a nicer person who has nurtured and managed that department for three different presidents, Kayyem said. Trump doesn't want nice.

Blain Rethmeier, the sherpa who guided Kelly through his confirmation hearing, said that nobody is better or smarter on the policy than Duke, but that she isn't a known brand to the public.

Trump's choice for the next secretary will be crucial, and not only because of the agencys sprawling portfolio, which includes border security and visa processing along with airport security and disaster relief.

Kelly successfully piloted the presidents immigration crackdown under his watch: ICE has arrested roughly 75,000 undocumented residents to date. At the same time, reports of people trying to enter the U.S. illegally have fallen dramatically. Now Kelly's departure for the West Wing will leave a void as the department deals with the details of enforcing Trumps travel ban, his proposed border wall and terrorist threats against aviation.

Kelly is seen inside and outside the White House as a capable manager. Even some Democrats see him as the most palatable member of the Cabinet. But that is likely to change once he enters the White House, where he'll become a political target for the left.

McCaul, meanwhile, may have the easiest path toward being confirmed as Kellys replacement.

The Texas Republican competed for the secretary role in November. He introduced an immigration bill on Friday that would provide $10 billion for Trumps border wall, a pot of funds that would pay for a mix of wall, fence, technology and aerial surveillance over four years, while boosting Border Patrol by 5,000 agents the level Trump called for in a January executive order.

McCaul even published an op-ed on Fox News in December that pledge his support for Trumps signature project.

We are going to build the wall. Period, he wrote. In the process, I pledge to stand side-by-side with the Trump administration to throw out Obamas reckless immigration policies and start enforcing our nations laws.

He followed up Friday with another Fox op-ed that praised Trump's approach to foreign policy as "strong and decisive."

"The Trump White House relishes American exceptionalism and enjoys promoting Western values," McCaul wrote, citing examples such as his handling of ISIS. "It clearly understands that there is no such thing as leading from behind when it comes to tackling the most pressing international security issues."

Still, the congressman faced backlash from border hawks when his name was floated for the DHS role after the election. Activists in favor of lower immigration levels tweeted under the hashtag "#NeverMcCaul" and derided him as soft on the issue.

Daniel Lippman contributed to this report.

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Read the original:
Who will replace Kelly at Homeland Security? - Politico

The Sharif family, however, is unlikely to lose its grip on power for long.

The Supreme Court ruled last week that Nawaz Sharif had been dishonest to Parliament and to the judicial system and was no longer fit for office. He stepped down, quickly selecting his brother to replace him.

Speaking after the vote, Abbasi denied he was only a temporary prime minister. "They say, 'Oh he's only here for 45 days.' I say I may be here for 45 days or 45 hours, but I'm not here to keep the seat warm," he told reporters.

"I intend to work and get some important things done if the cabinet supports me in this."

The younger Sharif, who is currently serving as the chief minister of Punjab, can't take office immediately as he isn't yet a member of Parliament.

He's expected to run in -- and win, handily -- a September by-election for the former prime minister's seat in Punjab, in a district loyal to his brother's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party. The vote is similar to a special election in the United States.

Opposition leader Imran Khan, a cricketer-turned-politician, has criticized the nominations of Sharif and Abbasi, calling them both corrupt and called for cases of corruption against them to be reopened.

Shoo-in

So, while Shahbaz Sharif waits to be elected to Parliament, in steps Abbasi.

He needed a simple majority, and as the PML-N, which nominated him, holds 188 of the Parliament's 342 seats, he was expected to win easily.

Following his confirmation, Abbasi will now nominate a cabinet, to replace the one that was dissolved on Friday by the courts.

Analysts say Abbassi, a party loyalist, is unlikely to object to a short-lived stint in the top job, with this kind of horse-trading common in Pakistani politics.

"He'll step up to the plate. He's a politician's politician," said Ahsan Butt, an assistant professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government, GeorgeMason University in Virginia.

"(He's a) reliable character as far as the PML-N is concerned," added Butt.

Clean sweep

Just as Abbasi's elevation to the job was considered a foregone conclusion, so is the Punjab by-election.

It's a fairly safe PML-N seat so, barring any surprises, the younger Sharif is expected to coast to victory there.

"The PML-N is very strong in that region, they've controlled it even when they're not in control nationally," says Butt.

"It's a traditional party stronghold. One or two opposition parties will field candidates, but they'd be lambs to the slaughter."

Following the election, Parliament can confirm him as the new leader, with the US-educated Abbasi stepping aside.

As a sweetener, the short-term replacement could be offered another cabinet position, or his existing role -- until last week he was the minister of petroleum and natural resources.

He could even keep the portfolio during his brief tenure as Prime Minister, says Butt.

General elections, to be held next year, could then see the younger Sharif returned to power.

If he is re-elected and sees out a full term, he would be the first civilian prime minister in Pakistan ever to do so.

Dynasty diverted

Six months ago, the obvious successor to Nawaz Sharif, who had ruled the country since 2013, was his daughter, Maryam Sharif.

But her elevation to power looks to have been scuppered by the corruption scandal that brought down her father.

The leak sparked mass protests in Pakistan and calls from opposition political groups for a panel to investigate Sharif and his children over their alleged offshore accounts, eventually bringing him down.

And the ongoing investigation into Maryam, her husband Safdar Awan, and her brothers Hassan and Hussain, is likely to extend past the deadline for nominations for next April's general election. They have denied any wrongdoing.

Analysts say her uncle, who will likely already be Prime Minister by then, will stand and, given the ongoing popularity of the PML-N, win the vote.

The Sharif name has already proven to be remarkably resilient.

The recently-deposed Sharif has served as prime minister twice before. He saw his first term end prematurely amid allegations of corruption, and his second end in a military coup which saw him jailed, then exiled, before returning to perform yet another political comeback.

Now it seems likely that his brother will keep the name relevant in Pakistan's power circles, and political analyst Butt says it would be foolish to rule out a comeback for Maryam at some point.

"I won't say (her political career is) dead in the water. In Pakistan politics, forever is a long time."

Originally posted here:
Pakistan chooses new leader, but Sharif family waits in wings - CNN

President Trump on Friday floated a potential Plan B to Senate Republicans who are struggling to break an intraparty logjam and pass a health care bill.

If Republican Senators are unable to pass what they are working on now, they should immediately REPEAL, and then REPLACE at a later date! he tweeted.

The idea mirrors one floated by Sen. Ben Sasse, Nebraska Republican, in a Friday letter to Mr. Trump.

It says if Senate Republicans cannot agree on an Obamacare replacement by July 10, when Congress returns from the Independence Day recess, they should revive a 2015 bill that used fast-track budget rules to gut the 2010 law without fear of a Democratic filibuster.

He said senators should then cancel the August recess and work six days a week on a reform package that can be passed by Labor Day.

You campaigned and won on the repeal of ObamaCare. So did every Republican senator. We should keep our word, Mr. Sasse told Mr. Trump.

Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, offered his support for the idea on Twitter, saying Lets keep our word to repeal then work on replacing right away.

Breaking the Republican repeal-and-replace effort into discrete parts would be a departure from the current strategy.

The House already passed a bill that attempts to gut the 2010 Affordable Care Act and replace as much of it as possible under the budget process.

Yet Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is still trying to mollify competing factions within his conference.

Moderates are leery of gutting Obamacares consumer protections for the sick and curtailing federal spending on Medicaid coverage for the poor, while conservatives have been pushing to kill off as much of President Obamas signature program as they can.

On the current path, it looks like Republicans will either fail to pass any meaningful bill at all, or will instead pass a bill that attempts to prop up much of the crumbling ObamaCare structures, Mr. Sasse said in his letter. We can and must do better than either of these both because the American people deserve better, and because we promised better.

Mr. Sasse had been in touch with the Trump administration, including Vice President Mike Pences team, for months on repeal-and-replace strategy.

The senator discussed his repeal, then replace strategy in an interview on the Fox & Friends television program early Friday, and Mr. Trump tweeted his support for the idea shortly thereafter.

Its unclear how much traction the repeal-then-replace idea will get.

Republican leaders initially planned to pursue a form of that strategy, delivering a quick strike at the law and then using a multi-year transition to usher in a replacement, yet key senators and Mr. Trump pushed for a simultaneous replacement.

Moderate Republicans whove already balked at a bill that preserves parts of Obamacare would likely be skittish about voting to gut Obamacare without knowing if their party can agree on a replacement.

A coalition of conservative groups blasted centrists for appearing to get cold feet on full repeal of Obamacare, saying they want to trim the hedges instead of ripping out the law root and branch.

And they applauded Mr. Trump and Mr. Sasse for prioritizing repeal ahead of the replacement effort, saying it would fulfill a Republican pledge that dates back to the tea party wave of 2010.

This would get repeal done and allow the Democrats and the Republicans to work together on improving our health care system, said Jim DeMint, a former U.S. senator and president of the Heritage Foundation who is now adviser at the Convention of States.

The 2015 repeal effort would have scrapped Obamacares mandate penalties on individuals and employers and then phased out its taxpayer-funded subsidies and expansion of Medicaid a couple years out, so no one would lose their coverage right away.

Conservatives want to replicate that effort, though the free-market Club for Growth said congressional Republicans should try to scrap all of Obamacares regulations on insurers, too, so lawmakers dont lock them in during the replacement phase.

All of it needs to go, said Andy Roth, a vice president of government affairs for the group.

The Senate parliamentarian could strike the deregulation push as outside the scope of the budget process, though Mr. Roth said Republicans need to test the waters instead of hiding behind an assumption of defeat to preserve aspects of Obamacare.

Jenny Beth Martin, president of the Tea Party Patriots, said at a minimum, Senate GOP leaders should adopt an idea being pushed by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas that would allow insurers who sell Obamacare-compliant plans to also offer noncompliant plans that would be cheaper for consumers.

Providing those options could win over the likes of Sen. Mike Lee, Utah Republican, and other conservatives.

Centrist holdouts, meanwhile, are focused on applying savings from the plan to soften the bill and satisfy their priorities, including $45

Senators were weighing a proposal that would keep Obamacares 3.8 percent investment tax on wealthier individuals, which could free up $172 billion elsewhere to head off rising premiums or help people in danger of losing coverage.

But idea has run into opposition from conservatives, who want to repeal as many of Obamacares taxes and regulations as possible.

The Congressional Budget Office also released an updated analysis of Republicans bill on Thursday that said Medicaid spending would drop by 35 percent over 20 years compared to its baseline budget.

Democrats said the figures prove the GOP plan would force states to shoulder more health care costs or slash benefits beyond the 10-year budget window thats typically used to vet legislation.

David Sherfinski contributed to this report.

Read this article:
Trump floats repeal, then quickly replace, idea on health care - Washington Times

The Conservative deal with the Democratic Unionist Party means that Theresa May has a majority in the House of Commons for its critical votes on the Queens Speech. Today MPs will vote on Labours alternative programme for government. Unless the DUP has a last-minute change of heart, it will be defeated. And then tomorrow MPs will vote to endorse the Governments watered-down, DUP-approved programme.

The immediate threat to Theresa Mays position has receded,but the question keeps coming up: what would happen if, having secured the Governments future, she just quit?

What if she just said, Im off for a walk in the Welsh hills; someone else can get us out of this mess after all.

The usual procedure is well known. The Prime Minister would announce her intention to stand down as soon as a successor is elected to replace her. That is what David Cameron did the day after the referendum a year ago.

Theresa May's Government at risk of collapse within two years, warns Lord Heseltine

We are familiar, too, with the rules for an involuntary departure. Fifteen per cent of Conservative MPs, currently 48, would have to write to Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, which represents Tory backbenchers, to ask for a vote of confidence in the leader. If that vote among all Tory MPs is carried, an election is then held, in which the leader may not stand. The device has been used in opposition, against Iain Duncan Smith in 2003, but not while the party has been in government. Even so, the rules are well known, and they assume that the Prime Minister would continue in office until a successor has been elected.

But what would happen if she resigned now, or this weekend, with immediate effect?

It may not be likely, but it is an interesting question. It is similar to that which has troubled the most senior civil servants (and constitutional historians such as Lord Norton) from time to time: What if the Prime Minister dies?

There are no fixed rules. Robin Butler, the former Cabinet Secretary, told the House of Lords a while ago: I think that this question is too difficult and that it would have to be solved pragmatically in the circumstances in which it arose.

He explained he had thought about it:I remember being concerned about this after the Brighton bomb. If the Prime Minister were assassinated, what would happen in the interim? I tried to suggest some procedures but at that point the cabinet was not really inclined to take them seriously.

A prime minister hasnt died in office since Lord Palmerston in 1865. He was succeeded, in the days when leaders would emerge from private conclaves of great men, by Lord Russell, his Foreign Secretary, who had been Prime Minister before.

However, Lord Butler explained what he thought would have happened if Margaret Thatcher had been killed in 1984: I am quite sure that thecabinet would have had a discussion and the Queen would have sent for a member of the cabinet someone whom the cabinet had agreed on to hold the position in the interim while the election procedures were gone through.

Curiously, the Labour Party wrote into its rules what would happen under a Labour government. Prompted by the death of John Smith as leader of the opposition in 1994, chapter 4, clause II, 2, E, i now reads: When the party is in government and the party leader is prime minister and the party leader, for whatever reason, becomes permanently unavailable, the cabinet shall, in consultation with the NEC, appoint one of its members to serve as party leader until a ballot under these rules can be carried out.

It would seem that there is a consensus, then. If Theresa May should become, in the delicate words of the Labour Rule Book, permanently unavailable, the Cabinet would meet and agree to recommend to the Queen that she invite one of their number to form a government. That Cabinet meeting would be chaired by Damian Green who, as First Secretary of State, would be the highest-ranking minister in the Prime Ministers absence.

Just as the Labour rules specify that the Cabinet would consult the partys National Executive Committee, no doubt Green would consult Brady, as chairman of the 1922 Committee, which represents backbench Conservative MPs, and Rob Semple, the chairman of the Conservative Party Board, representing the party in the country. But the decision would be taken by the 22 full members of the Cabinet.

Despite some of the hopes of Labour supporters, there is no prospect that Jeremy Corbyn would become prime minister as long as the DUP agreement holds.

The constitutional theory is that the leader of the Conservatives, with the support of the DUP, could expect to command a majority in the House of Commons and so is the person who should be invited by the Queen to form a government. It is a question for the Conservative Party who its interim leader would be, pending the election of a permanent replacement. And the Cabinet is the highest body that happens to combine the parliamentary Conservative Party and the Government.

So who would they choose? I think that would depend on how and why May had become permanently unavailable, and what had happened in the days and hours before the Cabinet met. But the obvious candidates would be Boris Johnson, David Davis, Amber Rudd and Philip Hammond. At the moment Johnson doesnt seem likely, while Rudd and Hammond might be considered too strong Remainers. Whoever is chosen would have a big advantage in the leadership election, because they would be fighting it as a new prime minister. There is no precedent for a temporary prime minister in the British constitution. The Cabinet would, therefore, probably be deciding who would lead the Conservatives into the next general election.

At the moment, my best guess is that it would be the working-class boy brought up on a council estate by his single mother, ex-SAS soldier David Davis.

More:
What would happen if Theresa May resigned? - The Independent

LIVINGSTON Co, Ky -

A commitment to repair aged bridges assures drivers in a local county they'll get a new bridge.

One driver I spoke with who is ready for a replacement for the U.S. 60 Cumberland River Bridge in Smithland, Kentucky said: "I try to get across it as quick as I can. It's kind of a narrow bridge. It's a little nerve-racking."

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says the bridge is in good condition, but the state wants to replace it before problems start.

A spokesperson says the bridge is critical in the area, becauseit connects the north side of Livingston County to the south side.

This week, KYTC announced that the six-year highway plan starting in fiscal year 2018 will set aside more than $200 million for aging bridges. This ensures a project to replace the Smithland bridge on track.

To get to and from her office in the University of Kentucky Agriculture Extension Office just outside of Smithland, Dominique Wood travels across this bridge each day.

"That's our only place for lunch is in Smithland, so we always have to go across to go into town," Wood said.

The trip makes her nervous.

"The cement is crumbling along the sides, and a couple of guardrails are bent or crumbling at the top," she said.

KYTC spokesman Keith Todd saidat almost 90 years old, the bridge is in good condition. He says the bridge will be at the end of its lifespan at some point in the next 20 years or so, so KYTC wants to build a new bridge before the existing one develops problems.

The transportation cabinet is trying to stay on track with a project to replace the bridge in the next two years or so.

One problem drivers say they have with the bridge is that it's just too narrow. Todd says the new bridge will meet today's standards, so it will be about twice the width and have a new shoulder.

Design work for the new $40 million projectis underway. Federal funds will pay for 80 percentof the project. A $205 million commitment just announced for the upcoming state highway plan will help the state pay for its portion of the cost.

"I think it needs to get done," Wood said.

Drivers like Wood are ready to see work begin.

On top of design work, the state is also starting to buyright of ways and prepare for work with utility companies. Todd expects work to begin in the next two years. The current bridge will remain open until the new bridge is complete.

Read more from the original source:
US 60 Cumberland River Bridge on track to be replaced in next 2 years - WPSD Local 6

June 30, 2017 (Mainichi Japan)

Calls urging Defense Minister Tomomi Inada to be replaced in a Cabinet reshuffle over her recent gaffe are intensifying even within the ruling coalition.

Despite demands from opposition parties, Prime Minister Abe will not immediately dismiss Inada, but is likely to carefully look into whether to replace her when he reshuffles his Cabinet.

Inada came under fire for suggesting in a June 27 campaign speech for a ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidate in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, that the Self-Defense Forces back the candidate.

"I would like to ask for your support on behalf of the Defense Ministry and the Self-Defense Forces, as the defense minister, and on behalf of the Liberal Democratic Party," she said. She retracted her remark later in the day.

In a meeting of an LDP intraparty faction he leads, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida expressed concern that Inada's gaffe has adversely affected the party's chance of winning the metropolitan assembly election.

"Rather than debate on policy issues in Tokyo, individual legislators' words and deeds have worsened the party's image and adversely affected the election," he said.

The prime minister is considering reshuffling his Cabinet simultaneously with the change in party executives as their terms expire in September.

A senior official of the ruling coalition called for replacing Inada. "Inada should be replaced at the time of the next Cabinet reshuffle," the official said.

An LDP member who previously served as a Cabinet minister raised questions about the prime minister's decision to retain Inada for now. "She should've been forced to step down earlier," he said.

A close aide to Prime Minister Abe pointed to the possibility that the prime minister will have no choice but to replace Inada. "The prime minister doesn't think Inada needs to step down immediately, but you never know how he will respond in the future," the aide said.

Prime Minister Abe is expected to decide how to address the situation, including when to reshuffle his Cabinet, after the July 2 metropolitan assembly election.

See the article here:
Calls for Inada's replacement rise within ruling coalition after gaffe - The Mainichi