The president does something awful, Spicer resigns, and the healthcare bill staggers off the Senate floor in this week’s politics roundup
Transgender people banned from entering military service
Do you ever get so angry, so completely and utterly full of rage, that you literally can’t see straight for a minute? Your heart beats faster, it’s harder to breathe, your mouth is full of the taste of bile and copper, and all you can think is: How could people have voted for this man? Is this how politics works now?
This man, of course, is the President of the United States. On Wednesday, he announced that transgender people can no longer serve in the U.S. military. This happened not through an official press release, nor a speech, and not even through a White House staff member. The president banned an entire class of people from the military via Twitter.
Transgender people, according to White House reasoning, simply cost too much money to allow them to serve in the military. Never mind that the military spends far more money on developing new technology, outfitting troops, or handing out Viagra to its personnel at a rate five times as costly as treatment for transgender soldiers. Also, apparently no one behind this ill-advised announcement considered the fact that transgender people in the military are, in terms of health care, relatively low-cost individuals.
The real reasons for the ban
This much is clear to anyone with a brain and whatever you have that’s equivalent to a soul: This is not a budget decision. This is transphobia. It’s exclusion. This is a flailing president trying to fund a border wall and scrambling for political support through the medium of hatred. This is cruelty both shocking and entirely expected.
Here are some quasi-silver linings: this move has made people deeply angry. It’s elicited rebukes from citizens, members of Congress, and soldiers themselves. Its implementation might also prove to be heinously complicated. The legal implications of a ban on transgender soldiers could spell serious trouble for the presidential administration.
Furthermore, in a profoundly un-shocking reveal, it appears that whoever came up with the ban only took a few minutes to think it through. Few people seem to have a good understanding of just how this ban will be implemented, or how it will affect soldiers currently on active duty.
Spicer resigns, Scaramucci brings the drama
Last Friday, former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer suddenly resigned. Even some senior White House officials were reportedly surprised by Spicer’s move. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, formerly the deputy Press Secretary, took over the main post.
The communications department of the White House is experiencing even more of a shakeup in the form of Anthony Scaramucci, its newest communications director. Supposedly, Spicer actually resigned his post not because of the daily confusion or impressions of him by Melissa McCarthy, but because of Scaramucci’s appointment. According to The New York Times, he felt that “Mr. Scaramucci’s hiring would add to the confusion and uncertainty already engulfing the White House.”
Wouldn’t you know it, Spicer was actually right. Scaramucci has been throwing down some serious drama in his first week. Where other appointees would move into the role with little to no drama, Scaramucci has been appearing on cable news, talking up his new role, and threatening to fire a staff member (who later resigned).
In case there's any ambiguity in his tweet I can confirm that Scaramucci wants the FBI to investigate Reince for leaking.
— Ryan Lizza (@RyanLizza) July 27, 2017
Scaramucci then—via Twitter, of course, it’s always going to be Twitter now, isn’t it?—appeared to accuse White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus of leaking information to the press. The offending tweet was deleted, but we all know that nothing ever really gets deleted in the time of screenshots.
In their previous careers, neither Priebus nor Scaramucci have lost much love between themselves. It’s now up to us to determine which of them is Regina George and which is Lindsay Lohan’s Cady Heron. We’re all so excited.
EU says Brexit talks may be delayed
The drawn-out divorce process of Britain from the European Union was set to begin in October. Now, however, the Brexit talks may be delayed even further. Michel Barnier, the lead Brexit negotiator from the EU, blamed lack of progress on key issues. Said issues include financial settlements, a bevy of citizens and immigration rights, and a renegotiation of the border between Ireland and the U.K.’s Northern Ireland.
The U.K., meanwhile, claimed that everything was fine and they were totally prepared to get down to business in October. Others, however, are concerned. Beyond admitting that it does owe some amount of money to the EU, Britain has not specified a particular amount. Nor, say many commentators, has it made substantial progress on any other issue.
Health care, health care, health care
If you say that three times, the specter of the latest health care bill appears in your mirror and lets you slowly die from a preventable disease. Either that, or Mitch McConnell keeps trying to pass something until he’s stopped by the inevitable heat death of the universe.
Senate Majority Leader McConnell kept trying to re-do the Senate version of the health care bill in order to let it pass. There was one version, then another, then a terrible “repeal and replace” effort that would have left the largest share yet of Americans without substantial access to health care.
Then McConnell and his associates attempted to vote on a “skinny repeal” that would do away with the individual mandate. Though Senators voted to debate the latest bill, it failed early Friday morning. The deciding vote was cast by Senator John McCain (R-Arizona), who is poised to begin treatment for an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Two other moderate Republicans, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), joined McCain and all Democratic Senators in voting “no.” The bill failed, 51-49.
What now? McConnell, who seemed embittered as he spoke after the vote, is unlikely to work on a bipartisan solution. The president, meanwhile, has threatened to let Obamacare “die” through neglect and decreased federal subsidies.
And, finally, your palate cleanser
The widely beloved novel, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Jia Tolentino’s New Yorker piece is one of many that focuses in on the now-classic book.
If you somehow haven’t read the 1967 novel by E.L. Konigsburg, take a day or two to do so. It follows Claudia Kincaid, a 12-year-old who decides to run away. She takes her younger brother, Jamie, because she needs a companion . Also he’s saved the most money out of all her available siblings. Claudia is delightfully mercenary.
Next: Trump-free Friday politics roundup: July 21
The duo blithely move into the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Thus, they kicked off a decades-long desire of mine (and yours, too, probably) to just start living in a museum.
Claudia and Jamie, however, have the advantage of making their attempt in the 1960s. This was apparently before anyone bothered to beef up museum security systems. The Met is probably already on the lookout for 20 to 30-something adults stowing away in the exhibits.