Meanwhile, Congress Keeps Hacking Away at Our Rights

Just don’t get sick. Congressional Republicans finally unveiled their alternative to Obamacare. It’s a doozy, drastically cutting benefits while rolling back the modest taxes on the wealthy that pay for the current system. The Republican base also gets another hefty tax giveaway with the doubling of the money that can be squirreled away indefinitely in health saving accounts. The plan endorsed by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will likely result in millions of Americans losing the health coverage they have today, notes the Huffington Post. Michael Hiltzik at the L.A. Times has a good analysis, showing how the bill targets women’s healthcare.

Watch out. The House of Representatives is continuing to pass bills that would jeopardize worker safety, the environment and consumer protections, according to the Economic Policy Institute. The SCRUB Act, sponsored by Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., would set up a commission to help scrap regulations.

No climate change here. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is looking to move Newtok Village in Alaska which is sliding into the Ninglick River as temperatures rise with climate change. The federal notice about studying a move of the village doesn’t mention climate change. Two of the last three Iditarod races, the famous sled dog races, have been altered or canceled because of snow conditions.

Lights out. The Government Accountability Office looked at how prepared the U.S. is to prevent or recover from an attack on the nation’s electric system. The government watchdog found that three agencies had a total of 27 efforts to try to keep the electric grid safe from threats such as national disasters or terrorist attacks and that these efforts were fragmented and, at times, overlapping. Power outages can disrupt communications, police responses and medical help. Ukraine has accused Russia of repeatedly sabotaging its grid to try to destabilize the country.

Investigation needed. CNN reports that about two-thirds of Americans think a special prosecutor should investigate contacts between Russian and Trump campaign, according to new CNN/ORC poll.