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2018年4月30日 星期一

News Alert: Impeachment looms large in White House midterm plans

 
 
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Impeachment looms large in White House midterm plans
President Trump wants to step up efforts to protect Republican control of the House in hopes of avoiding an impeachment debate and congressional investigations if Democrats seize the chamber, according to GOP sources.

“It is super important to the White House and really the whole White House is very focused on it,” said a source familiar with strategy talks about protecting the House majority.
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Overnight Defense: Netanyahu argues against Iran deal ahead of Trump deadline | Trump floats locations for Korea talks | Deadly day in Afghanistan

 
 
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Happy Monday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I'm Rebecca Kheel, and here's your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.

 

THE TOPLINE: There's just about two weeks to go before President Trump has to decide whether to continue waiving sanctions on Iran or essentially withdraw the United States from the nuclear deal.

And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made his case Monday for why Trump should withdraw.

In a dramatic presentation at Israel's Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu presented evidence of what he said was Iran lying about its desire to obtain nuclear weapons and then hiding that evidence to ensure it retains knowledge of how to build them.

"This is a terrible deal. It should never have been concluded, and in a few days time, President Trump will decide, will make his decision on what to do with the nuclear deal," Netanyahu said during a speech he delivered in English. "I'm sure he'll do the right thing. The right thing for the United States, the right thing for Israel and the right thing for the peace of the world."

 

The accusations: Netanyahu's presentation detailed what he said was a trove of 100,000 documents obtained by Israeli intelligence on Iran's nuclear program.

The documents, Netanyahu said, provide conclusive evidence that the goal of Iran's nuclear program was to obtain a weapon, contrary to statements from Iranian officials saying the nuclear program was peaceful.

"Iran lied. Big time," Netanyahu said.

The documents that Netanyahu displayed Monday detail "Project Amad" and included a supposed "mission statement" to "design, produce and test five warheads, each with 10 kiloton TNT yield for integration in a missile."

Iran lied further, Netanyahu said, when it did not tell the IAEA about the program in 2015, contrary to requirements of the nuclear deal.

After signing the nuclear deal in 2015, Iran "intensified its efforts" to hide the documents so that it could preserve its nuclear know-how, Netanyahu added.

 

Is this new?: Experts say no -- that the nuclear program Netanyahu detailed has been known and was the reason the deal was negotiated in the first place.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in 2011 that it had credible evidence showing Iran was doing nuclear weapons work under a structured program through 2003 and that work may have continued past that.

The IAEA then made a final judgment in 2015 as the nuclear deal was being adopted that reiterated its 2011 findings.

As such, supporters of the deal said Netanyahu's presentation only reinforced its necessity.

"There is no new information and the concern that Mr. Netanyahu emphasized that Iran retains residual technical knowledge that is useful in constructing a weapon is exactly the reason the [Iran deal] should be upheld -- to deny Iran the fissile material necessary to execute that knowledge," Thomas Countryman, a former Obama administration State Department official and current Diplomacy Works Advisory Council member, said in a statement.

 

Why it still matters: Netanyahu's speech appears to have been aimed at an audience of one -- Trump. And in that regard, the speech may have been a success.

Asked about the speech at his own press conference with the Nigerian president, Trump said that what Netanyahu had described was "just not an acceptable situation."

"I'm not telling you what I'm doing, but a lot of people think they know," Trump said of his decision on the Iran deal. "That doesn't mean I wouldn't negotiate a new agreement. We'll see what happens, but I think if anything what's happening today and what's happened over the last little while and what we've learned has really shown that I've been 100 percent right."

 
 
 
 

NORTH KOREA UPDATE: The flurry of diplomatic developments on the Korean peninsula picked up over the weekend and into Monday.

Among the developments was Trump confirming two sites under consideration for his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un: the demilitarization zone that separates the two Koreas and Singapore.

Here are some of the other North Korea headlines you may have missed:

 

Trump doesn't think Iran deal will affect Korea talks: Trump said Monday that pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal would not hurt upcoming talks with North Korea.

"I think it sends the right message," Trump said when asked if his approach to the deal with Tehran sends the wrong message to Pyongyang.

"You know, in seven years, that deal will have expired and Iran is free to go ahead and create nuclear weapons," he added. "Seven years is tomorrow. That's not acceptable."

Trump spoke during a press conference with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari at the White House.

 

North makes more promises to give up nukes, shut down testing facility: South Korean officials said over the weekend that North Korea agreed to give up its nuclear weapons if the United States agrees not to invade.

The promise was apparently made during Kim's summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

"I know the Americans are inherently disposed against us, but when they talk with us, they will see that I am not the kind of person who would shoot nuclear weapons to the south, over the Pacific or at the United States," Kim said, as detailed by South Korean spokesman Yoon Young-chan.

The South Koreans also said Kim plans to shutter the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in May and disclose the process to experts and journalists from South Korea and the United States.

 

Trump for Nobel Peace Prize?: South Korean President Moon became the latest to suggest Trump might deserve a Nobel Peace Prize if peace on the Korean peninsula is achieved.

"President Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize. What we need is only peace," Moon told South Korean officials.

 

DEADLY DAY IN AFGHANISTAN: One U.S. service member was killed and another injured during a combat operation in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, the U.S. military said.

Several Afghan security forces were also killed or injured, according to a statement from U.S. Forces-Afghanistan.

"My thoughts and those of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan are with the families and friends of our fallen and wounded service members," Gen. John Nicholson, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said in a statement. "Their valiancy in battle, and that of the brave Afghan partners they fought alongside, will endure in our hearts and history."

The wounded U.S. service member is in stable condition and was taken to Bagram Airfield's hospital for treatment, according to the statement.

The identity of the service member who died is being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin is notified.

The statement does not specify where in eastern Afghanistan the operation was, nor what the goal was.

 

Other attacks: Monday was a particularly bloody day in Afghanistan, with a series of attacks in Kabul that killed dozens of people, including journalists and emergency workers who rushed to the scene after the first bombing. ISIS took responsibility for the attacks.

Separately, a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden van into a convoy of foreign forces near a mosque near Kandahar, killing 11 children. Eight Romanian soldiers who are part of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission were injured.

 

Context: The United States has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan on a dual mission of training, advising and assisting Afghan troops in their fight against the Taliban and conducting counterterrorism operations against groups such as ISIS and al Qaeda.

That's an increase of about 3,000 that Trump sent there after announcing his Afghanistan strategy last summer meant to reverse the tide of a deteriorating security situation.

Attacks like Monday's show the security situation in Afghanistan remains precarious.

 

ON TAP FOR TOMORROW

Army Secretary Mark Esper will speak about "Army Vision and Modernization Priorities at 10 a.m. at the Atlantic Council. https://bit.ly/2raOUg5

 

ICYMI:

-- The Hill: US shuts down ground operations command in Iraq

-- The Hill: Historic Korean summit sets high bar for Trump

-- The Hill: Trump: Didn't discuss 's---hole' comments with Nigerian president

-- The Hill: White House pushes back on reports of Jackson's ouster as Trump's physician

-- Military Times: Lawsuit calls acting VA Secretary Wilkie's appointment illegal, demands immediate removal

 
 

Please send tips and comments to Rebecca Kheel, rkheel@thehill.com, and Ellen Mitchell, emitchell@thehill.com.

Follow us on Twitter: @thehill@Rebecca_H_K@EllenMitchell23

 
 
 
 
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Overnight Health Care — Sponsored by PCMA — Advocates sue Maine governor for not expanding Medicaid | CDC chief gets pay cut | Groups alarmed by Trump shift on teen pregnancy programs

 
 
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Welcome to Overnight Health Care, sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association. It’s a recess Monday in Washington, where we highly encourage you to go outside. We insist: Read this newsletter outside. With Congress out of town, we'll first head to the states where Medicaid expansion is all the rage today.

 

Let's start in Maine.

A group instrumental in getting Medicaid expansion on the ballot — and approved — in Maine is taking Gov. Paul LePage (R) to court.

Maine Equal Justice Partners is seeking to compel LePage’s administration to begin implementing a Medicaid expansion program, filing a lawsuit in conjunction with other organizations and individuals. 

The group gathered outside Maine's state courthouse on Monday to announce their suit.

Key quote: “The governor has continued to drag his feet," Robyn Merrill, MEJP’s executive director, said at their press conference.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen with the legislature. They still have the opportunity to act on Medicaid expansion, but that hasn’t happened yet. And so with the goal of getting health care to people as soon as possible, we decided we couldn’t wait any longer.”

Context: Nearly 60 percent of state voters backed Medicaid expansion at the polls in November. LePage, though, is a staunch opponent of Medicaid expansion.

Case in point: The term-limited governor vetoed expanding the ObamaCare program five times while in office. He maintains that lawmakers can’t raise taxes or take money from the rainy day fund to implement the law, which nearly 60 percent of voters approved at the ballot box in November.

Interesting nugget: The state’s Democratic attorney general, Janet Mills, is a candidate in the governor’s race. Her office declined to comment.

The big picture: Other states are also looking to put Medicaid expansion on the ballot and will be watching the lawsuit closely.

Read more here.

 
 
 
 
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Meanwhile in Idaho:  Idaho is one of the states poised to follow Maine’s lead by allowing a Medicaid expansion ballot measure in November. An activist group called Reclaim Idaho said it has collected the 56,192 signatures necessary to put the expansion question onto the ballot. County clerks will need to verify the signatures by June 30.

The initiative would expand Medicaid coverage for more than 60,000 Idahoans. Those people are currently in a state of limbo: they earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to qualify for subsidized insurance on the state’s exchange.

Maine was the first state to put Medicaid expansion to a vote. So far this year, Idaho and Utah have already collected enough signatures to put expansion on their respective ballots.

What’s different: In Idaho, lawmakers and the governor have the power to change or overturn a voter-passed initiative. It’s just like any other law.

What are the odds: If the initiative passes, at least one GOP gubernatorial candidate said he’d consider fighting it. Rep. Raul Labrador, currently a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said during a debate he wants people to know the true cost of Medicaid expansion. He hinted that the initiative wouldn’t even pass if people knew what they were voting for.

Read more here.

 

A bipartisan group of senators has a message to the Trump administration: Don’t place Medicaid work requirements on tribes.

The administration told tribal leaders in January in a letter that it was unable to require states to exempt American Indians and Alaska Natives from Medicaid work requirements because it is "constrained by statute." 

Such exemptions would be an illegal racial preference, the administration argues.

The senators, led by Tom Udall (D-N.M.), argue not exempting tribes would violate federal law and court decisions that state tribes are not a racial group but political communities. 

Read more here.

 
 
 
 

Moving on from Medicaid... Groups and state officials around the country working to stop teen pregnancy are alarmed.

The Trump administration's new guidelines for these groups have them worried they might have to scrap programs they have been working on for years.

The administration is shifting the focus of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPPP) more toward abstinence education, and groups will have to get onboard if they want to continue receiving financial support from the federal government 

For some grantees, these requirements could clash with laws in their states, and with the approaches they have decided are best suited to addressing teen pregnancy rates in their communities.

Other grantees, like Hennepin County in Minnesota, will have to look for other funding options outside the federal government to continue a program it says has reduced teen pregnancy rates by 66 percent since 2008.

Key quote: “Why would we change the use of such highly effective programs that work well, to go to something that is abstinence-based and that you can find plenty of research that it doesn’t work?” asked Kathleen Wick, program manager for Hennepin County’s teen pregnancy prevention program, called “Better Together Hennepin.”

Read more here.

 

Back in Washington...CDC director will get a pay cut. The Department of Health and Human Services on Monday confirmed that CDC Director Robert Redfield will have his $375,000 annual salary reduced. But the agency didn’t say what his new salary will be. A spokesperson for HHS said Redfield asked for a pay cut because he didn’t want to have his compensation “become a distraction.”

The backstory: Redfield’s request came just days after Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) publicly asked HHS to justify the salary. Redfield was earning more than twice as much as his predecessors because he was hired under a special program called Title 42, which was created to draw in health scientists with rare and critical skills to government work.

This could have been awkward: Redfield was also earning more than his boss, HHS Secretary Alex Azar. Azar’s salary is set by law.

Key quote from the letter: “It is difficult to understand why someone with limited public health experience, particularly in a leadership role, is being disproportionately compensated for his work as compared to other accomplished scientists and public health leaders in comparable roles within the federal government.”

Read more here.

 
 
 
 
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What we’re reading

Molina Healthcare says its 2018 profits in places where it still offers ObamaCare plans "exceeded expectations," according to a report from Forbes.

Megan McArdle in an op-ed for the Washington Post looks at the debate over whether new short-term health plans will undermine ObamaCare.

Bill Gates says he spoke to President Trump about developing a universal flu vaccine. Gates claimed Trump was "super interested" in an interview with Stat News.

 

State by state   

The wife of West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) lobbied federal lawmakers on issues for an opioid wholesaler, according to a report from the Charleston Gazette-Mail.

The Washington Post looks at cities that want to open supervised injection facilities. There's a catch though -- Such facilities are currently illegal in the U.S.

Transgender residents are suing over a Wisconsin Medicaid rule that denies them coverage for gender reassignment surgeries, reports the Associated Press.

 
 

Send tips and comments to Jessie Hellmann, jhellmann@thehill.com; Peter Sullivan, psullivan@thehill.com; Rachel Roubein, rroubein@thehill.com; and Nathaniel Weixel, nweixel@thehill.com.

Follow us on Twitter: @thehill@jessiehellmann@PeterSullivan4@rachel_roubein, and @NateWeixel.

 
 
 
 
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