Sam Sacks - page 4

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved of an overhaul of the US tax code, sending reforms that will overwhelmingly benefit corporations and the wealthy to President Trump’s desk for signature. It was the final congressional hurdle for a piece of legislation that is unpopular with the American people, and defies the GOP’s stated concerns about fiscal responsibility, by adding an additional $1.4 trillion of red ink to the national debt. “Nobody knows the answer to that question because that’s in the future,” Ryan said… Keep Reading

A watchdog report released Wednesday criticized the Pentagon for not taking enough precautions to deal with climate change-induced damage at military sites around the world. Although the Department of Defense has previously acknowledged that a warming planet poses a threat to its operations, it hasn’t done the legwork in evaluating those threats on a site-by-site basis, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). And when finally confronted on the damage climate change is already inflicting on sites around the world, the military is adopting a position… Keep Reading

The Supreme Court heard arguments on Tuesday in a case that could shield non-heterosexual Americans from discrimination in the marketplace. Justices listened to opening proceedings in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. At hand, is whether a baker in Colorado can be penalized for refusing to make a wedding cake for a same sex couple. Earlier this week, Justices showed an interest in pumping the brakes on civil rights. On Monday, the majority-conservative body declined to take up a case out of Houston that… Keep Reading

Senate Republicans’ $1.4 trillion tax bill was narrowly passed out of the Budget Committee in a party-line vote, clearing its final hurdle before what will likely be contentious consideration in the full upper chamber. As with its passage earlier this month out of the Senate Finance Committee, the legislation was approved by the budget panel on Tuesday in a 12-11 vote, without first holding a hearing on its impact. The committee’s ranking member, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) lashed out at the hastiness with which the bill… Keep Reading

Medical providers that offered suboptimal care and, sometimes, abuse to veterans were often never reported to agencies charged with overseeing their practices. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued an audit of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) on Monday, revealing procedural failures that allowed health care practitioners to continue seeing patients, despite being accused of serious wrongdoing. Concluding that veterans may be “at increased risk of receiving unsafe care,” the report calls into question the management of the nearly 40,000 doctors and nurses that staff Department of… Keep Reading