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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi speaks at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast on March 10, 2017.(Photo: Michael Bonfigli, The Christian Science Monitor)

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosisaid Friday that Democrats would be willing to compromise with Republicans on a revised health care law if the GOP reaches out to them.

Pelosi said Democrats will continue to fight Republican efforts to scrap the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. But, if Republicans can't get their own fractious caucus to agree on a replacement bill, Pelosi said Democrats would be willing to work with the GOP to improve the existing law.

"We would be able to swallow, I think, some things (that Republicans want), if that's the price to pay to get the rest of it," the California lawmakersaid at a newsmaker breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor.

Specifically, Pelosi said she would be willing to accept Republicans' plan to expand Health Savings Accounts, which are tax-exempt accounts that people can use to pay for medical expenses. The Republican health care bill, called the American Health Care Act, would increasethe amount of contributions that people can make to their accounts from $3,400 to $6,550for individuals and from $6,750 to $13,100 for families.

Pelosi said she doesn't like that ideabut would be willing to include it in a compromise bill if Republicans were willing to accept the expansion of Medicaid, which provides care for low-income families and disabled Americans. Obamacare expanded the number of people who were eligible for Medicaid. The Republican plan would phase out that expansion.

"Would they (Republicans) accept the expansion of Medicaid? That would be very important," Pelosi said.

Read more:

4 key ways the House Republicans' health care bill changes Obamacare

White House seems more eager than Speaker Paul Ryan to cut Obamacare deals

Republican leaders warn that changing health care bill would doom it in Senate

Still, the Democratic leader said she is skeptical that House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and other Republican leaders would ask for Democratic help, even if their bill fails to pass because of a lack of support within the GOP.

"I would hope that if it doesn't pass, they would make an overture," Pelosi said. "But they may not give up. They may say, 'OK, we didn't pass this, let's go back to the drawing board.' "

She said Republicans may be forced to do just that after they see how much their bill is going to cost and how many Americans could lose their health care coverage if it passes. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office is expected to come out with its estimate of those numbers on Monday.

Pelosi pointed to a prediction by Brookings Institution experts on Thursday that the CBO report will estimate that 15 million people will lose their health care coverage if the Republican bill is approved.

"They (Republicans) do not know what they're talking about (without seeing the CBO estimates)," she said.

The U.S. Secretary of Health Tom Price distinguished which health care plans will be changed by the proposed replacement for Obamacare during a news conference at the White House. USA TODAY NETWORK

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A closer look at the draft legislation House Republicans hope will replace the Affordable Care Act. USA TODAY NETWORK

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Donald Trump says a replacement for Obamacare will be offered with the confirmation of his health secretary. And he tells reporters that repealing and replacing President Barack Obama's health care law would be done "essentially simultaneously." (Jan. 11) AP

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Five Republican senators are offering a budget resolution amendment which would extend the deadline for a repeal of Obamacare. Buzz60

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Between November 1 and December 24 approximately 11.5 million people signed up for health plan coverage under President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act. USA TODAY

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House Speaker Paul Ryan says the GOP's budget bill defunding Obamacare could include language to block Planned Parenthood's federal funds. Video provided by Newsy Newslook

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The estimate from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget includes the repeal's effect on the economy. Video provided by Newsy Newslook

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The President-elect says the Republican party 'doesn't want to own' Obamacare. He says the repeal and replace transition will happen 'essentially simultaneously'.

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President-elect Donald Trump, who had repeatedly campaigned on a promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act, said Friday that he would consider keeping certain parts of the health care law after meeting with President Obama at the White House. Time

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Donald Trump told 'The Wall Street Journal' that he may retain certain parts of the Affordable Care Act, a shift in tone since he promised to repeal it during his campaign. USA TODAY NETWORK

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Over 100,000 people signed up for Obamacare plans the day after the presidential election. It's the largest number since open enrollment starts on November 1. USA TODAY NETWORK

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U.S. Health Secretary: Changes are about patients

Obamacare replacement bill unveiled by Republicans

Trump: Obamacare Plan is 'Repeal and Replace'

Republican Senators push to slow Obamacare repeal

11.5 million people signed up for Obamacare

Paul Ryan: GOP will defund Planned Parenthood and Obamacare

Repealing Obamacare: What it could cost and what it could save

Trump claims transition from Obamacare will be simultaneous

Donald Trump says hes willing to preserve parts of Obamacare

Trump suggests parts of Obamacare may stay

Trump election helps spur record Obamacare signups

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Pelosi says Democrats willing to deal on health care fixes if GOP reaches out - USA TODAY

Melanie Steinhardt comforting Becca Richman at the Jewish Mount Carmel Cemetery in Philadelphia, Feb. 26, 2017. (Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images)

(JTA) Seventy percent of American voters see anti-Semitism in the country as a very or somewhat serious problem, up from 49 percent a month ago, according to a new poll.

The responses differed by party identification, with an overwhelming majority of Democrats, 87 percent, seeing anti-Semitism as a very or somewhat serious problem, and slightly more than half of Republicans, 53 percent, seeing it as such, according to the poll released Thursday.

The survey was was conducted by Quinnipiac University atthe beginning of March.

Jewish institutions, including community centers and Anti-Defamation League offices, have been hit withmore than 100 bomb threats so far this year, all of them hoaxes. In the past three weeks, Jewish cemeteries were vandalized in Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Rochester, New York.

Respondents were split on President Donald Trumps response to the bomb threats and vandalism, with 37 percent approving and 38 percent disapproving. Most Republicans, 71 percent, approved of Trumps response, while most Democrats, 66 percent, disapproved.

The poll also found that 63 percent of American voters think hatred and prejudice has increased since Trumps election, while two percent say it has decreased and 32 percent say it has stayed the same.

Trump has come under fire for his delayed response to the incidents. Concerning the threats on Jewish establishments, Trump at first deflected questions and in one instance shouted downa reporter who asked him about it before calling them horrible.

Last month, the president noted the bomb threats and vandalism of cemeteries in his first address to a joint meeting of Congress.

Recent threats targeting Jewish community centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries, as well as last weeks shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms, Trump said.

The Kansas City incident occurred after a patron ejected from a bar after hurling racial epithets at two workers from India allegedly returned with a gun and killed one of the men and wounded another.

Read more:
Poll: 87 percent of Democrats, 53 percent of Republicans say anti-Semitism a 'serious' problem - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Weeks after President Donald Trumps administration rescinded anObama administration guidance protecting transgender students, a group of Democratic senators are demanding that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos explain how she plans to defend the rights of these children.

Several Democrats on the Senate Committee for Health, Education, Labor and Pensions sent DeVos a letter Friday asking for a briefing with her to better understand how she will enforce civil rights for all students. The letter headed by Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) also featured prominent Democratic co-signers like Sens. Al Franken (Minn.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.). Their message expressed outrage at the secretarys decision to rescind the guidance, and says the move has sent schools around the country into a tailspin of confusion. The letter also asks DeVos to respond to written questions over how she plans to enforce Title IX for all students by the end of March.

The letter comes after a whirlwind week for transgender students and their families. On Monday, the Supreme Court decided not to rule on the case of Gavin Grimm, a Virginia teen whose school does not allow him to use the bathroom that is consistent with his gender identity. The Supreme Court cited Trumps decision to revoke the guidance as a factor in its decision.

On Wednesday, a small group of LGBTQ organizations, families and students met with DeVos to inform her of the challenges and discrimination transgender children face in schools.

DeVos has not made her opinions on this issue clear. While she has publicly stood by the decision to revoke the Obama guidance, calling it an example of federal overreach, various reports say that she privately opposed the move. The letter from the senators addresses these rumors, saying that the suggestion that the Department jeopardized the health or well-being of any student because of political pressure is extremely alarming.

DeVos has repeatedly said that she still plans to make sure LGBTQ children are provided with a safe learning environment. In a statement released following the rescission, DeVos said the this is an issue best solved at the state and local level. She has also emphasized her commitment to fulfilling a federal mandate and moral obligation to protect all children. However, the letter from senators also call these statements misleading and deeply problematic considering the recent repeal.

Senators are now pressing DeVos to explain how transgender students have been made safer through the revoking of Obamas guidance, as well as how the withdrawal of this guidance is compatible with her departments federal mandate and moral obligation to defend students. It also asks for her to elucidate how the decision to revoke this guidance was made and whether or not any transgender people were consulted in the process.

Further, the senators press her on how the Departments Office of Civil Rights will make sure transgender students rights are protected.

By revoking the transgender guidance, you have put the safety and well-being of transgender students at risk, the senators wrote in the letter.

After meeting with DeVos Wednesday, parents of transgender students told The Huffington Post that DeVos was attentive and respectful of their concerns. The secretary also said in a statement that she was grateful for the opportunity to speak directly with these families, students and community leaders, adding that she is committed to advocating for and fighting on behalf of all students.

Excerpt from:
Democrats Demand That DeVos Explain How She Is Going To Protect Trans Students - Huffington Post

Senator Jeff Flake from Arizona is one Republican whom Democrats would have to unseat in 2018 to gain a majority.

Donald Trump won the White House and Republicans hold majorities in the US House and Senate, but Democrats have held out hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

History suggests that by the time the midterm elections come along, the party not holding the White House will make significant gains. Just as Republicans took over Congress in 1994 and 2010 two years into a new presidents term, so too would Democrats take over Congress in 2018 and push back on Trumps agenda.

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That isnt likely to happen.

Democrats need a tremendous amount to go right politically next year for them to even have a shot at a majority in either house of Congress.

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Your afternoon shot of politics, sent straight from the desk of Joshua Miller.

Consider the Senate. It is possible that in the history of the country, a party has never been so close to a majority Democrats need to flip just three seats yet so far away from actually getting it.

Counting the two independents who caucus with Democrats, Republicans have a 52-to-48 advantage. In 2018, there are 34 seats up for reelection. Twenty-five of them are those who caucus with Democrats and just nine are Republicans. Among the 25 Democrats (and independents) up for reelection, 10 are running in states that Trump won last year.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report lists 15 of the 34 Senate contests as competitive. Democrats currently hold 13 of those 15 competitive seats.

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Just breaking even with things the way they are would be a huge accomplishment for Democrats, said Kyle Kondik, who analyzes Senate races at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

The path to a Democratic Senate majority would mean the following would have to happen:

All 13 Democratic incumbents running for reelection in competitive seats would have to win.

Both Republicans incumbents running for reelection in competitive seats (Arizonas Jeff Flake and Nevadas Dean Heller) would have to lose. Trump won Arizona by almost 15 percentage points.

Democrats would have to defeat a Republican incumbent from one of seven deeply Republican states. The best shot among this group is Ted Cruz in Texas.

Put another way: For Democrats to win the Senate, they have to go a perfect 16-0, which includes Democrats winning in North Dakota, Montana, Indiana, Missouri, and, yes, Texas.

Tom Lopach, who headed up the Senate Democrats campaign arm in 2016, said that while the map looks tough, when you look at the particular Democratic candidates, these are people who know their states backwards and forwards and who have run hard and smart races that they have won before.

This still isnt even addressing how Democrats could win in Texas. The last time a Democrat won a Senate contest there was in 1988.

Harvey Kronberg, who has edited a Texas political newsletters for nearly 30 years, said in 2018 a Democratic win is a long shot at best.

While Ted Cruz has faced a lot of criticism from Republicans for not endorsing Trump and among the local business community because he has been so focused on national politics, right now you have to assume he will win the Republican nomination and reelection, Kronberg said. Democrats remain disorganized, and the national party would have to spend a lot of money here. Even then, he said, it would be difficult.

Still Democrats can take solace on two points. First, even if Democrats dont have 50 seats, it is also unlikely that Republicans will have the 60 seats they need to overcome a filibuster. Second, as UVAs Kondik noted, Democrats might have a better shot at taking over the House, but fewer seats there are in play than have been in the past, according to analysts.

There are also two factors that could work in either partys favor. So far, no incumbents up for reelection have announced they will retire. Also 2018 could be a wave year, especially given that Trump has had historically low approval ratings so far.

I expect 2018 will be similar to 2006 in that voters will be frustrated with sloppy governing and Hurricane Katrina moments from Trump, which will help Democratic candidates, Lopach, the Democratic strategist, said.

For Democrats to have big gains in 2018, it will take that kind of environment.

See the rest here:
For Democrats, 2018 won't be easy - The Boston Globe

Even as the Republican plan to reform the nation's health care system cleared more procedural hurdles in the House Thursday, congressional Democrats were revving up an aggressive public relations campaign against a bill that they say will benefit the wealthy and leave millions of people without adequate health coverage.

After all-night hearings, the Republican effort to repeal and replace much of the Affordable Health Care Act was passed out of two important House committees despite growing objections from different GOP factions. The legislation will now advance to the House budget committee.

Because they are in the minority, and unable to block this first phase of passing the Republican bill, public persuasion remains one of the few tools Democrats can use to impact the debate. Their strategy: To plant enough doubts and concerns among voters about the potential impact of the bill to help erode already shaky support for its ultimate passage.

Democrats are focusing largely on the economics of the bill. They say that the measure, which would cut $600 billion worth of taxes for the wealthy with a repeal of a 3 percent tax on those making more than $250,000 per year, doesn't fit with Trump's populist campaign rhetoric.

"This is a tax break for the rich, not a health care program," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

And they are targeting not only their Democratic base, who has been largely supportive of Obamacare, but also Trump voters who supported him in large part because of his promise to return economic vibrancy to middle class families.

"You know where some of the benefits will be lost? Largely in red areas," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, said. "It's a very sad transfer of wealth."

Related: Obamacare Creators Tell GOP We Told You So

And Democratic efforts are getting some assistance as disappointed Republicans continue to vocalize their opposition to the bill.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, came out strongly against the process and the content of the Republican measure Thursday morning. "The fact is that this bill, as it's written today, simply would not pass the Senate because it would not reduce prices for insurance and make care affordable and personalized," Cotton said.

He urged Republicans to slow down and start over.

But Republican leadership's efforts to sell the bill to fellow Republicans continue. In his weekly press conference, House Speaker Paul Ryan presented reporters with a power point presentation on the bill's contents and how it would work.

And he threw Republicans' campaign promises back at them.

"How many people running for congress and the senate say (the will repeal Obamacare)? How many times did candidate Donald trump say that?" Ryan said. "This is the closest we will ever get to repealing and replacing Obamacare. The time is here. The time is now. This is the moment."

Related: Republicans Struggle With 'Trumpcare' Label

With Obamacare more popular now in public opinion polls than any time in the program's history, Democrats see fertile ground for their warnings about the impact of a repeal.

Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos, who represents a district in Illinois that Trump won, will deliver the weekly Democratic address and she said it will be focused on people in her rural district who rely on Medicaid and Obamacare.

Districts like Bustos', which is full of Trump supporters, and swing districts won by Republican House members, are going to be a focus on Democrats' outreach.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democrats to the House, is targeting vulnerable Republicans during the health care debate, including Rep. Erik Paulson, R-Minn., who is a member of the Ways and Means Committee and voted for the bill to advance out of committee.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is also targeting Republicans up for re-election in 2018.

"The new Republican proposal jeopardizes everything from drug abuse prevention programs to lifesaving women's healthcare services. It raises the cost of care for older Americans and would kick millions off the insurance rolls," read a memo from the DSCC. "During the 2018 cycle there will be no rock that Republican Senate candidates can hide under to escape the GOP's dangerous attack on American families."

In an effort to put a human face on the issue, Democratic senators stood next to people with disabilities Thursday morning outside the U.S. Capitol in an emotional press conference full of concerns about the potential loss of coverage if Obamacare is repealed.

One of those in attendance, Bob Matha, said that his wife has a genetic disease and is worried about her health care future. "We don't want to go back to the high risk pools," Matha said. "They suck."

The Republican plan includes federally subsidized state-based high risk pools for people with expensive medical conditions.

"I'm terrified of what will happen if this bill passes," said Ola Ojewumi, a 26-year old woman who had a heart and kidney transplant at 12 and transplant related to cancer a decade later.

Read more here:
Democrats Rev Up Health Care Offensive as Bill Clears Committees - NBCNews.com