'BradCast' 7/16/2018 (Guest: Politico's Alice Ollstein)
On today's 'BradCast':\xa0 On Monday, Trump Attorney General Bill Barr effectively erased decades of immigration law to bar virtually all asylum claims made on the U.S. southern border. The ACLU and other groups on Tuesday filed suit. On Monday night, the Trump Department of Health and Human Services enacted another radical new regulation, without notice, barring medical services providers that receive federal Title X funding from referring patients to other doctors for abortion services, which critics describe as a "gag rule" on physicians. Title X allocates $260 million each year to states for family planning services for low income women through providers like Planned Parenthood. Politico Congressional reporter ALICE OLLSTEIN explains the national impact of the sudden rule change that will likely force most reproductive health care clinics to close. Planned Parenthood is suing to block the regulation, but the new rule was issued effective immediately, resulting in "mass confusion and chaos" for states and medical care providers. Ollstein also reports on the very real threat that a lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act could result in the entire law being struck down as unconstitutional. Also today:\xa0 after what was reported as a "bitterly partisan brawl" on the House floor, House Democrats pass a non-binding resolution condemning President Trump for his racist tweets attacking four freshman congresswomen of color - Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley and Ilhan Omar, all American citizens. A "Who Said It?" test exposes Trump's comments about America are far more hateful than anything publicly uttered by the four congresswomen he attacked. Rep. Al Green (D-TX) files articles of impeachment against Trump. Plus Desi Doyen has our latest 'Green News Report', on the ongoing threat from Hurricane Barry and the weekend blackout in NYC that reveals (again) the fragility of our nation's vulnerable infrastructure...