By Peter Sullivan @ TheHill.com, Sept. 18

A last-ditch effort by Senate Republicans to repeal and replace ObamaCare is gaining steam, suggesting lawmakers could face another vote on ending the former president’s signature law later this month.

Supporters do not have the 50 votes necessary to pass the bill yet, but pressure is growing on Republicans to back the measure, which could replace much of ObamaCare with block grants for states.

In a crucial boost for its chances on Monday, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) offered his support [....]

By Peter Baker and Kenneth P. Vogel @ NYTimes.com, Sept. 17

The debate, which led to an angry confrontation between two members of the legal team, could shape the course of the special counsel’s investigation.

"I worry that we might not be able to recover from this because all our greatest cities are on the oceans and water's edges, historically for commerce, transportation. And as storms kick in, as water levels rise, they are the first to go," he said. "And we don't have a civilization with the capacity to pick up a city and move it inland 20 miles. That's -- this is happening faster than our ability to respond. That could have huge economic consequences."

By Andrew Gumbel in Long Beach, CA, for TheGuardian.com, 15 Sept. 09.17 EDT

Retired Lt Col Hal Kempfer and his group, Knowledge and Intelligence Program Professionals, see Long Beach as a prime target for an attack from North Korea

Hal Kempfer, a noted international security expert, is getting a roomful of California public health officials and emergency responders to think about the unthinkable – a nuclear bomb exploding at the port of Long Beach, about four miles away [....]

By Aaron Blake @ WashingtonPost.com, Sept. 14, 4:52 pm

President Trump just pivoted back to being President Trump.

Donald Trump met with Republican Senator Tim Scott yesterday to discuss how Trump approaches issues of race. Scott expressed dismay at how Trump reacted to the violence in Charlottesville. Scott felt that "both sides do it" was not the message that was sent by the disturbance. The Senator wanted Trump to forcefully condemn white supremacists and Nazis. Unfortunately, the caption accompanying the White House photo of of the two men  identified Scott as "Tom" Scott. For comedians and cynics, "Tom" connects to "Uncle Tom" of "Uncle Tom's Cabin". While the character in the book was heroic, unwilling to reveal the location of escaped slaves, in common usage the word "Tom" is associated with a black man who is willing to cater to the wishes of a racist white master.