Trump says Supreme Court ending Obamacare would be "a big WIN"
27 September 2020
President Trump on Sunday tweeted that the Supreme Court invalidating the Affordable Care Act "Would be a big WIN for the USA!"
Why it matters: Democrats have argued that confirming a Trump-appointed justice to the Supreme Court would put Obamacare, which protects pre-existing conditions, in jeopardy. Trump's Supreme Court Pick, Amy Coney Barrett, has signaled that she would rule to dismantle the law.
What he's saying: "Obamacare will be replaced with a MUCH better, and FAR cheaper, alternative if it is terminated in the Supreme Court. Would be a big WIN for the USA!"
- President Trump in Charlotte last Friday promised to replace Obamacare with plan offering "the highest standard of care anywhere in the world," but offered little in terms of policy specifics.
Reality check: President Trump has said that he is protecting pre-existing conditions, despite the fact that they are only at risk because of a Republican lawsuit (supported by the Trump administration) to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.
- The president last Friday signed an executive order stating it was U.S. policy to protect pre-existing conditions — which is already guaranteed under Obamacare.
- In a briefing call with reporters earlier that day, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar failed to explain how Trump's executive order would have any teeth if the Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutional.
- Axios' Caitlin Owens writes "the executive order is yet another example of Trump's political gaslighting on the subject."
What to watch: The Supreme Court is expected to hear the ACA case the week after the election.
Go deeper:
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.