The Obamacare replacement is dead. For now. Two Republican senators—Jerry Moran of Kansas and Mike Lee of Utah—announced last night they won't support the bill in its current form. That makes four GOP senators opposed to the bill, which is more than the Republicans can lose. Delicious.
So what's Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's next play? Apparently he's going to heed the shrieked Twitter advice of Donald Trump and simply push to repeal the law, with no replacement to fill the void. Politico sums up the stakes thusly: "Failure to pass an Obamacare repeal could upend the entire Republican agenda."
Well, snap: Seattle had to jettison its publicly financed bike share system last year, after the finances didn't pan out. Now it's got two new privately run companies launching. They operate a lot like Portland's Biketown system, but are much cheaper: Just $1 per half hour.
Also in Seattle: After revelations this weekend that Oregon investigators had found decades-old allegations Murray sexually abused a teenage boy were credible, he's facing all sorts of new pressure to resign. He says that's not happening.
This is interesting: Secretary of State Dennis Richardson wants to make it easier to land a measure on the ballot, by eliminating a time-tested delay tactic opponents frequently employ. Reactions are mixed.
If you, like me, are interested in just how expensive a new water treatment plant Portland probably doesn't need might be, there's a meeting today in which a citizen advisory group is going to figure out which idea it thinks is best. City Council will make the final call next month. Here's where I think this is headed.
ICYMI: Harvey's Comedy Club is done-zo. RIP, Harvey's. I never saw a show in you.
Today in "We Need a Better Mental Health Care System": A Vancouver man was allegedly lying in bed at his transitional living facility over the weekend when he decided to kill people. So he allegedly did.
On that subject: Accused MAX killer Jeremy Christian is due in court today, for what should be a short hearing.
You might have heard it's Made In America Week over at the White House. To celebrate, Donald Trump cheered companies like Chik-fil-A and this Beaverton-based manufacturer of gun scopes. Too bad all this pomp is just inspiring another round of questions about why Trump sources his products from overseas. And whoops! The White House doesn't have much of an answer.
Speaking of the Trump fiascos, everyone wants to know the identity of a mysterious eighth person who was in the room last year, when Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort met with a number of people who'd brought tidings of Russian assistance to the the Trump campaign. Trump's attorney says it was "a US citizen and said he was not employed by the Russian government," per CNN.
Annnnnd Walmart finally came out and started marketing products using racial slurs.
It's my Friday, y'all. And for the next week, I'll be traveling in a land where the weather isn't anywhere near this nice. Cherish it.
