“The vote — 51 to 49 — was a party line one. (Tennessee GOP Sen. Bob Corker was the only rebel, voting ‘no’ due to his unhappiness with the $1 trillion the bill is predicted to add to the deficit.)”
“Democrats viewed the bill as a giveaway to big corporations and a tax increase on lots and lots of Americans. And because of the unpopularity of both the bill and Trump, they felt very little political pressure to get on board — or even feint at the idea that they might.”
“…The public doesn’t like [the bill] much. A majority (52%) in a Quinnipiac University poll conducted in the middle of November disapproved of the plan, while just 25% approved. More than six in 10 surveyed said that wealthy people would benefit most from the tax plan while less than one in five (16%) said it will reduce their taxes. Other polls on the tax legislation show similar results.”
“What Republicans passed in the wee hours of Saturday morning then was this: An unpopular bill that will add to the deficit and not pay for itself.”
“The US has signed a $12bn deal to supply dozens of F-15 jets to Qatar, despite recent high-profile claims by President Donald Trump alleging Qatar’s ‘high-level funding’ of terrorism,” The Guardian reports. “Trump has repeatedly […]
USA Today: “Defense Secretary Jim Mattis announced Thursday that he is stepping down, citing disagreements with President Donald Trump ranging from Syria to global alliances and sparking deep anxiety among lawmakers about national security. The […]
Republican President Donald Trump’s two most trusted whisperers, son-in-law Jared Kushner and chief strategist Steve Bannon, have agreed to “bury the hatchet” in their growing rivalry for their boss’s favor, according to The Washington Post. […]