{"articles":[{"id":339,"title":"Trump Threatens 'Fight' Against Freedom Caucus and More in Politics Today","html_content":"

by Causes | 3.30.17

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:

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1. Trump Threatens a 'Fight' Against the Freedom Caucus

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Donald Trump is escalating his attacks on hardline conservatives in Congress in for a fight that could deepen the rifts within the Republican Party that already threaten to hobble the president’s agenda.
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The Trump vs. Freedom Caucus fight is a reminder that anti-establishment sentiment alone doesn’t necessarily provide a foundation for agreement on ideological principles or a policy agenda. Trump ran on a populist message that Washington is broken, and Freedom Caucus conservatives rail against Washington power brokers, but that doesn’t mean the president and the Freedom Caucus see eye-to-eye on policy. What happens next may provide clues as to which strain of ideology has more support within the Republican Party.
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Read more at The Atlantic.

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2. Dem leaders give centrists space on Gorsuch

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Senate Democratic leaders are giving centrist colleagues space on Neil Gorsuch despite strong pressure from the liberal base to sink President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.
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Despite growing confidence among Democrats that they can block Gorsuch, a senior GOP aide counted 16 Democrats as undecided — giving Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) hope of reaching the 60-vote threshold.
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Read more at The Hill.

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3. Senate votes to kill rule that would help cities launch retirement plans

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The Senate voted Thursday to roll back an Obama-era rule that would make it easier for major cities to launch retirement plans. Senators narrowly approved a measure 50 to 49 that would scale back a Labor Department rule finalized last year that clears hurdles for large cities seeking to launch retirement plans for people who don’t have access to such plans through their jobs.
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The Senate needs to vote on a similar measure that could make it more difficult for states to create their own retirement plans. (While the rules affecting states and cities are similar, Congress needs to vote on each of the rules separately.)
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Read more at XFoor.

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4. E.P.A. Chief, Rejecting Agency’s Science, Chooses Not to Ban Insecticide

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Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, moved late on Wednesday to reject the scientific conclusion of the agency’s own chemical safety experts who under the Obama administration recommended that one of the nation’s most widely used insecticides be permanently banned at farms nationwide because of the harm it potentially causes children and farm workers.
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The ruling by Mr. Pruitt, in one of his first formal actions as the nation’s top environmental official, rejected a petition filed a decade ago by two environmental groups that had asked that the agency ban all uses of chlorpyrifos. The chemical was banned in 2000 for use in most household settings, but still today is used at about 40,000 farms on about 50 different types of crops, ranging from almonds to apples.
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Read more at The New York Times.

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5. Burr and Warner: In the spotlight, and arm in arm, on Russia probe

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For nearly 40 minutes Wednesday, Burr and Warner put on the sort of bipartisan display that used to be common on Capitol Hill, particularly in the oversight of the nation’s sprawling intelligence community.
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If successful, Burr and Warner will have beat the odds in this partisan era. That they even have a chance is based largely on a personal relationship that is now rare in today’s Senate.
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Read more at The Washington Post.

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Want to know more about the start of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s hearings on Russia? Read more at Countable.

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Have questions about politics? Let us know! Send us an email and you could see your answer in a future post.

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— Asha Sanaker

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(Photo Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Patrol / Public Domain)

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