With McCain's help, health care debate lives on
With key vote, more health carework to be done
President Trump and Republicans scored a victory Tuesday when the Senate narrowly voted to begin debating a bill to repeal Obamacare. The procedural vote pushes the GOP closer toward dismantling the program, although details of a final bill still need to be hashed out. Trump set the stage for the mid-afternoon vote early Tuesday by tweeting, "Big Day for HealthCare. After 7 years of talking, we will soon see whether or not Republicans are willing to step up to the plate." Adding to the drama was Sen. John McCain's return to the Senate since being diagnosed with brain cancer and undergoing surgery. Now, Republicans still face a steep path to a full repeal with various options to be considered.
Trump continues pounding Sessions
President Trump doubled down on his criticism of Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday, a week after he said he never would have hired Sessions had he known he'd recuse himself from the Russia investigation. In an early morning tweet, Trump said Sessions has been "VERY weak" on investigating Hillary Clinton and intelligence leakers. Some lawmakers called it a not-so-subtle hint that Trump wants Sessions out. Meanwhile, GOP senators backed Sessions, including South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham, who called Trump's tweet, "highly inappropriate." The White House's new communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, offered his own solution to the leaks: "I'm going to fire everybody, that's how I'm going to do it."
RIP, Kyara. SeaWorld says goodbye to the last baby killer whale born at facility
The last killer whale born in captivity at a SeaWorld park died Monday after struggling with a serious infection. The health of 3-month-old Kyara, who was born in SeaWorld's San Antonio park, deteriorated over the past few days and could not be saved despite veterinarians best efforts, the park said. What happened? The Orlando-based company said Kyara likely had pneumonia, but officials can't confirm her cause of death until after a post-mortem is completed. Regardless, Kyara's death marks the end of a chapter. Kyara's mother Takara was already pregnant when SeaWorld announced the end of its orca breeding program in March 2016.
Close encounter draws Navy fire
A Navy patrol boat fired warning shots near an Iranian naval ship Tuesday, setting off an international blame game over which country made a misstep. The two vessels came within 150 yards of the other in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. said the Iranian ship was conducting "an unsafe and unprofessional interaction," and the warning shots halted the ship's "unsafe approach." But Iran's Revolutionary Guards said the U.S. ship was "unprofessional and provocative," calling the action an attempt to "instigate and frighten" the Iranian crew. The incident took place a week after the Trump administration certified to Congress that Iran is complying with a complex nuclear deal. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iran will retaliate against the sanctions.
They don’t just sell Thin Mints
Need coding advice? Talk to your local Girl Scouts. The Girl Scouts of the USA announced Tuesday the addition of 23 badges in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. Yes, Scouts know first aid — and now how to design a robot. (Maybe this is a good excuse to buy an extra box of cookies.) The move marks the largest programming rollout in nearly a decade, and comes a month after the organization added new badges in cybersecurity.
What else is happening this week? Bookmark our calendar.
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