Trump-free Friday politics roundup: September 29

The ACA rides again, Jared Kushner is confused about emails, and women get to drive in this week’s politics roundup.

ACA repeal DOA yet again

First, a dose of politics truth: it’s likely that we’ll see attempts at ACA repeal again and again, or at least until Republicans lose their majority in Congress. However, assuming you’re a proponent of better healthcare access, there’s still reason to celebrate. The failure of the Cassidy-Graham bill means that the health care protections put in place by the ACA remain for now. A small but ultimately powerful contingent of Republican Senators dealt the final blows, including John McCain (R-Arizona), Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), and Susan Collins (R-Maine).

This is, frankly, a humiliating defeat for politicians who promised to repeal the now seven-year-old set of laws and regulations. Some worry that three different defeats of ACA repeal bills will hurt them in the 2018 elections. Others suggest that other routes may effectively beat down the ACA, such as decreasing government health care subsidies. This way of allowing the bill to fail (or engineering its failure, depending on your point of view) would introduce instability and fulfill dire Republican prophecies about Obamacare.

Despite the inertia, Congress must still reach an agreement on what exactly happens to Obamacare come Nov. 1. That’s when ACA enrollment begins and when insurances companies would really, really like to know what’s happening. Right now, the lack of answers has already led to anxiety amongst insurers. After all, it’s difficult to sign a government contract when the future of the health care market is unclear and you don’t even know if the government will step in with its subsidy payments.

Kushner and others used private email servers

We don’t know what Hillary Clinton is doing right now. However, it’s not hard to imagine her reading this news item and heading on down to the gym for a very cathartic workout session. Probably something with a punching bag, if we had to guess.

Jared Kushner’s use of a private email server was, according to sources, limited to fewer than 100 exchanges after the election. Politico reports that these exchanges were usually initiated by someone else and didn’t necessarily include White House business or classified information. So far, it’s unclear what security measures are in place for Kushner’s private server.

Information also indicates that at least six White House advisers have used private emails to discuss White House matters. These include former strategist Steve Bannon, former chief of staff Reince Priebus, and current adviser and presidential daughter, Ivanka Trump.

However, while this immediately frustrating given comparisons to the last-minute Clinton email scandal of the 2016 election, it’s not quite the same. Whether or not you feel like former FBI Director James Comey should have disclosed the investigation into Clinton’s private server, she and staff members were less than careful when they handled confidential information. If nothing else, it was a significant misstep for a Secretary of State handling sensitive international matters.

Still, this isn’t exactly a good look for Kushner and the presidential administration. Even if it isn’t the same as Clinton’s email woes, the whole thing smells strongly of hypocrisy. This lack of transparency especially awkward given numerous campaign claims to “drain the swamp”. Neither is it helpful that Kushner failed to disclose his private email use to the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Women can drive in Saudi Arabia

Yes, it’s 2017. Yes, Saudi leaders have only just now said that Saudi women can drive cars. It’s also true that Saudi women won the right to vote way back in the year… uh, 2015. And, yes, this change will only begin in June 2018.

Still, there’s something to celebrate in this long-awaited change. Many Saudi women have been arguing for the right to drive for years. This is, at least in part, a result of their hard work in the face of considerable opposition.

It’s also the result of some savvy political maneuvering. After all, many other countries viewed the driving ban in an unfavorable light. Neither did issues like, oh, not allowing women to vote until two years ago help Saudi Arabia’s image.

Women will be able to obtain driver’s licenses without the permission of a male guardian. This is despite the widespread guardianship laws in Saudi Arabia. Under these laws, women must often ask a male guardian for permission to work, travel, open a bank account and undergo some medical procedures. Though enforcement of these laws has grown lax, they’re still laws. Meanwhile, Saudi culture remains largely conservative and patriarchal.

That’s bad news for some international relations and participation in trade relationships. Moreover, Saudi leaders also expressed concern about the ban’s effect on their economy. Women were often unable to participate in the workforce. Otherwise, many had to spend a significant amount of their income on hired drivers.

Critics of female drivers have said that it could lead to the collapse of families and increased promiscuity. Some worry that male drivers will be confused by the spectacle of a woman behind a steering wheel. In 2013, one cleric even claimed that driving could somehow damage a woman’s ovaries.

Puerto Rico and other islands devastated by hurricanes

At this point, you have certainly heard of the hurricanes that have ripped through the Caribbean and southern United States. Hurricane Maria, the most recent one to wreak havoc, made landfall in Dominica as a Category 5 hurricane. It was the worst to strike Dominica in its recorded history. The storm even stranded Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit in his flooding home. Skerrit was rescued, though 27 Dominicans have died, with another 27 still missing.

The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico has recieved particular attention in the U.S. press. After almost a week, many Puerto Ricans are still without power. They are also facing dwindling supplies and, in some areas, impassable roads. San Juan mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz called the aftermath of the Hurricane Maria a “humanitarian crisis”. Governor Ricardo Rosselló told the Associated Press that Puerto Rico is experiencing a “humanitarian emergency”.

This is especially devastating given the island’s financial woes and lack of Congressional representation. Though Puerto Rico does has a representative in Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colon, she cannot vote in the House of Representatives and has little federal power.

What you can do

The U.S. government has made some moves to help Puerto Rico. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has promised help. Meanwhile, the president waived the Jones Act, a 1920 law that requires goods shipped within the United States must be transported on vessels generally built, owned and operated by Americans.

However, others have argued that the president is more interested in yelling at kneeling NFL players rather than helping American citizens in need of immediate aid. Meanwhile, promises of aid are not actual aid. At least Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Illinois) has headed to Puerto Rico with supplies.

So, want to do something? As in practically any other disaster, aid organizations most need cash. After all, if you’re an aid worker, it’s easier to spend money and directly buy what you need, rather than trying to organize a shipment of someone’s leftover canned goods. GoFundMe has created a centralized page of hurricane relief funds. Global Giving also has a Puerto Rico and Caribbean Hurricane Relief Fund. If you happen to live in the Miami area, the Miami Herald also has a list of locations accepting physical donations of nonperishable food, water, clothes, and diapers.

And, finally, your palate cleanser

Maybe now is a decent time to retreat into the world of Jane Austen. You might get to snuggle down into the literary equivalent of an oversize hoodie. Otherwise, you’ll get to work out some frustrations by reading about the life for early 19th-century British women. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t what we’d call “great”.

For some, that might mean re-reading Pride and Prejudice and indulging in a little fantasizing about marrying a rich English lord. Maybe you want to check out the role playing game set in Austen-land, called Ever, Jane.

Next: John Oliver on corporate consolidation

Or, perhaps you’ll want to delve into the strangely fascinating economics of Austen’s works. Maybe you’ll find her spot-on word choice extra compelling. Even if you’re sick to death of all the Austen love, there’s something for you. Check out a confession from an Austen-ambivalent professor and this (admittedly weird) op-ed from the Washington Post for your cranky anti-Austen leanings.