OnPolitics Today: 'MTUNG' really doesn't roll off the tongue
Happy Monday, OP readers. It’s United Nationals General Assembly week, and we’re willing to be it’s going to be a doozy. Case in point: The president has already mentioned his nearby residential tower in front of every foreign leader and dignitary in the room (this is apparently a controversial thing among our readers, but we stand by reporting that he said it, for the record).
So, let’s get to it.
Make the United Nations Great
Please note that it’s not “great again,” because we guess it wasn’t great to begin with?
The president made this declaration on Monday during a special forum. It shouldn’t be a surprise, though, given that he has long been a critic of the United Nations. In his short speech, he said the body hasn’t met its full potential because of “bureaucracy and mismanagement.”Â
His speech kicks off four days of meetings and receptions at the U.N. He’ll speak again Tuesday morning, and we can likely expect to hear more of the same.
Repeal Obamacare, part infinity
Here we go again. Republican senators have until the end of September deadline to overhaul Obamacare — but it’s not clear whether they have the votes to pass legislation.
On the table is the Graham-Cassidy bill. The bill keeps much of the tax structure for Obamacare intact, but would give money back to states in the form of grants, allowing them to design their own health care systems.
Why end of September? Because of a budgetary procedure, Republicans can push through health care legislation with only 51 votes instead of 60. But that window ends on Sept. 30…and the Senate isn’t in town for the latter half of this week.
Godspeed, senators.
Spicey goes to the EmmysÂ
Well, that was unexpected. Sean Spicer made a surprise cameo, apparently at the suggestion of host Stephen Colbert, at the Emmys on Sunday night. Featured: A rolling podium a la Melissa McCarthy and jokes at his own expense about that whole making false claims about inauguration crowd sizes thing. On Monday, he told the New York Times that he “absolutely” regrets the battles he waged over inauguration crowds. But does that exonerate him from the six months that followed?Â
Elsewhere in politicsland
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Preet Bharara’s new podcast to take on justice issues, Trump. Nothing’s ‘off limits’
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Michael Flynn’s family sets up legal defense fund for Russia probes
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Trump says he will decide whether to kill Iran nuclear agreement ‘very soon’
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Poll: Virginia voters split on governor’s race between Ralph Northam, Ed Gillespie
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Trump’s Interior secretary wants to end logging, fishing bans on some national monuments
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