The fight to repeal and replace Obamacare is rapidly becoming a battle between factions of oligarchs.

So who will win - the Koch brothers faction that hates the Republican healthcare plan?

Or the Trump-Mercer faction that supports it?

As it stands right now, the Republican plan to replace Obamacare still doesn't have enough support to make it through a House vote.

This is in large part thanks to opposition from the Koch brothers and their right-wing billionaire allies.

The House Freedom Caucus - AKA the Koch Caucus - says it has a 25 solid "no" votes against the bill - more than enough to prevent it from passing.

So on the one hand you have this awful bill pushed by the Mercer-backed Trump administration, and then on the other you have the House Freedom Caucus, which is essentially an arm of the Koch empire, demanding something more "conservative."

When David Koch ran for president in 1980, he called for the "abolition of Medicare and Medicaid." Is that the only thing that will please these people?

-Thom

(What do you think? Tell us here.)

Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 10:30pm... Do Gorsuch's Views on Women Disqualify Him? (check your local listings for stations or stream at RT or Free Speech TV, and catch past shows on Youtube)

Thursday's Daily Stack 

Article: "Are you effing kidding? Some Democrats considering a deal to confirm Gorsuch" by Laura Clawson.

Article: "Chuck Schumer: Democrats Will Filibuster Neil Gorsuch's Nomination" by Amanda Terkel, Jennifer Bendery.

Article: "Exxon Can't Find Up to a Year of Tillerson's 'Wayne Tracker' Emails" by Erik Larson and Joe Carroll.

Article: "Anthony Weiner" ("Carlos Danger").

Article: "Human-Size Squirrels Headed To Capitol Hill To Call Healthcare Bill 'Nuts'" by Rachel Sadon.

Tweet: "What a shock-among the wealthiest Americans who would benefit from tax cuts in the Republican "health care plan" is President Trump himself." by Bernie Sanders.

Article: "'Trump Troubadour,' who attended 45 Trump rallies to honor his late son, feels 'betrayed' because of health care" by Samantha Schmidt.

Article: "A new bill would allow employers to see your genetic information - unless you pay a fine" by Julia Belluz.

Bill: "H.R.1313 - Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act" by Rep. Foxx, Virginia [R-NC-5].

Book: "Sideswiped: Lessons Learned Courtesy of the Hit Men of Capitol Hill" by Robert Ney.

Article: "Nunes shows why he's incapable of running an investigation" by Jennifer Rubin.

Tweet: "Whoa. as flagged by the DCCC, Republicans are now fundraising on the false claim that Obama spied on Trump" by Sam Stein.

Article: "Texas Senate Passes Bill Allowing OBs To Keep Info From Pregnant Women" by Catherine Pearson.

Article: "Kochs pledge millions to GOPers in 2018 -- if they vote no on health care bill" by Theodore Schleifer.

Case: "Buckley v. Valeo", 1976

Article: "Jordan Cove LNG pipeline 'a never-ending nightmare'" by Stephen Quirke.

Article: "Trump Budget Director Takes Aim at "Wasteful" Social Security Program That Helps Disabled Americans" (Mick Mulvaney, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)) by Zaid Jilani.

Site/movie: The Coming War On China - John Pilger.

Hour Two: Why Should We Waste $608 Billion Per Year Propping Up Health Insurance Banksters?
- Neil McCabe, Breitbart News    

Article: "Marco Rubio Quietly Undermines Affordable Care Act" by Robert Pear.

Article: "Explaining 'Risk Corridors,' The Next Obamacare Issue" by Louise Radnofsky and Jennifer Corbett Dooren, Jan 22, 2014.

Book: "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations", Adam Smith, 1776.

Book: Theory of Moral Sentiments, Adam Smith, 1759.

 

Book: Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right by Jane Mayer

Article: "Number of the Beast" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Zaha Hadid Architects unveils 666 Fifth Avenue skyscraper for Kushner Companies" by Dan Howarth.

Article: "Treason" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Sedition" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan & Kevin McCarthy: Plot To Sabotage US Economy with Frank Luntz" by keepemhonest.

Article: "The Trump Kids' Spring Break Is Turning Aspen Into A Nightmare" by Emily Jane Fox.

Article: "Aspen-area officials send climate message to Trump children" by AP.

Article: "Full-page Trump ad angers Pitkin GOP chair" by M. John Fayhee.

Video: Gorsuch Nomination Hearing -- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse opening statement.

Article: "Whitehouse Remarks At Gorsuch Confirmation Hearing" by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse.

Article: "Obama To Announce Executive Action To 'Ban The Box'" by Marina Fang.

 

Talk Media News Segment:
- Victoria Jones 

Article: "House expected to vote on health care bill as early as today" by Bryan Renbaum.

Article: "Freedom Caucus says 'not enough votes' after getting White House 'final offer' on Obamacare replacement" by Jacob Pramuk.

Article: "No Deal on Health Care Bill" by Lindsey McPherson.

Article: "Hardline conservatives are demanding 'Trumpcare' repeal the most popular parts of Obamacare, and it might sink the bill" by Bob Bryan.

Article: "New Quinnipiac poll shows the Republican health bill is stunningly unpopular" by Matthew Yglesias.

Article: "Trump touted Nunes' claims before hearing evidence" by Justin Duckham.

Article: "The Devin Nunes/Trump/wiretapping controversy, explained" by Zack Beauchamp.

Article: "House Intel chairman: Trump's personal communications may have been collected" by Stephen Collinson, Tom LoBianco and Manu Raju.

Site: "Goats for the old Goat".

Article: "While Gorsuch was testifying, the Supreme Court unanimously said he was wrong" by Ian Millhiser.

Case: "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" (2010)

Article: "Anne Gorsuch Burford" by Wikipedia.

Article: "How Politicians Force Doctors to Lie to Women" by Tara Murtha.

Article: "Oklahoma Republican Says God Can Use Rape And Incest To 'Bring Beauty From Ashes'" by Ed Mazza.

Article: "Rape, incest and court fees at center of fiery debate over anti-abortion bill at Oklahoma Capitol" by Abby Broyles.

Article: "Millions of veterans could be ineligible to receive tax credits under Republican healthcare plan" by Philip Wegmann.

Article: "The Companies Donald Trump Owns" by Investopedia.

Article: "Roberts Rules for Protecting Corporations" by Moshe Z. Marvit.

Tweet: "What Nunez did is called "tipping off the perp"!" by Terry Halstead.

Article: "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"(Who watches the watchmen) by Wikipedia.

Video: "Cancer on the Presidency": John Dean explains the origins of the Watergate break-in, March 21, 1973.

Article: "Piņata" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Trump's first month of travel expenses cost taxpayers just less than what Obama spent in a year" by Aaron Rupar.

Article: "How to effectively fact-check Donald Trump" by Alexandra King.

Article: "Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan: AHCA Does Not Repeal Obamacare".

Friday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET 

 

I'll be talking to Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, author of Building the New American Economy: Smart, Fair, & Sustainable.

 

And, the best of the rest of the news along with your calls right here on...

 

The Thom Hartmann Program, Occupying The Media 3 hours a day 5 days a week" for "we the people"

 

And don't forget... Democracy is NOT a spectator sport... it begins with you...

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