GOP Senator: ObamaCare Repeal Must Pass ‘Jimmy Kimmel Test’ and More in Politics Today

It’s difficult to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in this country and to break through the clutter, so we’re here to make it easier. Here’s what we at Countable are reading today:

1.GOP senator: ObamaCare repeal must pass ‘Jimmy Kimmel test’

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said on Friday that a Senate plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare should pass the "Jimmy Kimmel test," after the comedian revealed his son was born with a heart defect.

"I ask, does it pass the Jimmy Kimmel test? Will a child born with congenital heart disease be able to get everything she or he would need in the first year of life? I want it to pass the Jimmy Kimmel test," Cassidy told CNN when asked if he could support a plan that included yearly or annual insurance caps.

He added that the "simple answer [is] I want to make sure folks get the care they need."

Read more at The Hill.

To understand the Jimmy Kimmel reference, read up at Countable.

2. Senate Asks Trump Associates for Records of Communication With Russians

The Senate Intelligence Committee, seeking to accelerate its broad investigation into Russian meddling in the presidential election, has asked a number of high-profile Trump campaign associates to hand over emails and other records of communications and dealings with Russian officials and businesspeople.

The requests, made in letters sent by the committee in the past 10 days, are a preliminary step and open the way to subpoenas for anyone who does not comply, said two officials with knowledge of the Senate investigation. They said Senator Richard M. Burr, a North Carolina Republican who is chairman of the committee, was prepared to compel the Trump associates to turn over their records.

Read more at the New York Times.

3. Analysis: Jobs Report Keeps Fed on Track for Likely June Rate Increase

Employers added a robust 211,000 jobs in April after boosting payrolls by just 79,000 in March. That kept the three-month average in payroll growth at 174,000 a month, within a fairly stable range over the past six months. The report appeared to back up Fed officials’ view in their policy statement Wednesday that recent softness in economic growth would prove "transitory."

In 2015 and 2016, the Fed scrapped its plans to raise interest rates more than once, but the employment report likely bolsters its plans to lift borrowing costs around three times in 2017. It already raised its benchmark short-term rate in March by a quarter-percentage point, to a range between 0.75% and 1%, and penciled in two more moves this year.

Read more at the Wall Street Journal.

4.Trump may have given up a big weapon in the war on drugs

On Friday, Politico's Dan Diamond reported that the White House will gut funding for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the executive branch agency coordinating efforts to fight the opioid epidemic that has swept through rural areas of America over the last few years.

Diamond reports that Trump's proposed 2018 budget would slash funding for the office by 95 percent, drastically cutting staff and eliminating a program that helps communities fight addiction at the local level.

Read more at the Washington Post.

5. Trump’s Army Secretary Pick Mark Green Withdraws Name From Consideration

After growing criticism from leading Democrats, civil rights advocates and even some members of his own party, President Trump's pick for Army Secretary, Mark Green, has withdrawn his name from consideration.

Green had previously offended both the LGBTQ community and Muslims with a number of comments and policy positions seen as offensive and discriminatory -- including comparing transgender people to ISIS militants.

Read more at NBC News.

— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: Disney via Flickr / Creative Commons)