Politico: Five Things Did This Week While You Weren't Looking

[erpowers]

1. DHS ends parole program for Central American children

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On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security immediately ended the parole component of that program; DHS canceled the approvals of 2,700 kids who had been conditionally approved for parole but had not received final signoff. The program was small—about 1,400 kids had been paroled and entered the United States—but had still angered immigration hawks who said it was too generous to the children.

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2. The end of an Obama health care payment experiment

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The Obama administration had begun testing the concept of bundled payments through a few different programs—with mandatory participation by hospitals that take Medicare money. The mandated participation always irked Tom Price, the former congressman and current secretary of Health and Human Services, and this week, he significantly scaled back those programs. Hospitals will no longer be required to participate in a bundled payment program for certain joint replacements in many markets. Two yet-to-launch bundled care programs—an expansion of the existing joint replacements program and a new program for heart attacks and cardiac surgeries—were canceled altogether.

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3. EPA’s regulatory rollback continues

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On Monday, in a court filing, Pruitt said EPA would conduct a rule-making to “potentially revise” a 2015 rule from the Obama administration that set limits on the dumping of toxic metals, like mercury, from coal-fired power plants. The news wasn’t a surprise, since Pruitt issued a rule earlier this spring delaying the compliance dates of the Obama-era rule. Then, on Thursday, EPA announced that it would review certain parts of the agency’s 2016 rule that set emissions standards on heavy trucks for model years 2021-27. It was seen as one of Obama’s last big pushes for cleaner air, as the Obama-era EPA attempted to lock down as many climate rules as possible, before a climate-skeptic administration took over.

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4. The end of “Operation Choke Point”

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This week, in a letter to the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, DOJ said it would end Operation Choke Point, which it called a “misguided initiative.” The move is a victory for Republicans and industries like payday lenders who felt targeted by the program.

http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/08/18/trump-policy-immigration-trade-coal-regulation-000500

[pat_k]

1. DT's maladministration is accomplishing precisely...

DT's maladministration is accomplishing precisely what the radical, reactionary right, has been dreaming about for decades.

He is leading a juggernaut. DT the man may appear to be melting down and drawing disapproval from all sides, but the DT juggernaut rolls on.

Whether his bizarre behavior is intended to disrupt and distract, or is simply the result of his psychopathic narcissism, we need to recognize the effect: misdirection.

His words are outrageous. They grab headlines -- rightfully so. But they also draw our attention away from the destruction being wrought by the people he's put in control of the levers of power within the executive branch (people who are at best incompetent, at worst the embodiment of evil).

The legislative branch is our voice; our will. The executive branch implements our will. The destruction of executive functions is the destruction of our power to make our will manifest. Even with the dysfunctional electoral system, we have been able to make our voices heard. DT has not been able to make legislative advances. But they are dismantling essential executive functions, and in so doing, they thwart our will and render us impotent to do anything about it. We need to focus on figuring out ways to stop or slow what they are doing. We can't do that if we are too distracted by the "Trump show."

[BigmanPigman]

2. Spot on! They are getting away with raping our country.

[Lyricalinklines]

3. Redistribution of national resources to private pockets.

[cynical_idealist]

4. msnbc

should dedicate one of each of their shows every week to discussing these issues instead of the trump show.

[uponit7771]

5. +1