By Miriam Raftery

July 25, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – By a slim one-vote margin, Republicans in the Senate voted to open debate on repealing and replacing Obamacare. Senator John McCain flew back from Arizona after brain cancer surgery to vote in favor, with Vice President Mike Pence casting the tie-breaking vote to open debate. But then the bill to gut healthcare for millions of Americans, while granting tax breaks to the wealthy, failed passage.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Kremlin

July 24, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – In a stinging rebuke of President Donald Trump’s cozy relationship with Russia, The House and Senate have agreed on a bill to impose new sanctions on Russia over its efforts to meddle in the U.S. election and Russian aggression in the Ukraine.  The bill also prohibits Trump from easing those sanctions without Congressional approval.  The Republican-controlled Congress is said to have mustered a veto-proof majority in both Houses for the bill.

By Miriam Raftery

July 21, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – Recently, Glenn Jensen joined us on the East County Magazine Show on KNSJ to talk about his candidacy against Rep. Duncan Hunter in the 50^th Congressional District.  A Democrat who calls himself a “recovering Republican”, he’s a lifelong resident of the district,  a graduate of Helix High School who raised his family in East County, helped save homes in the Cedar Fire, and works in information technology sales.  You can hear his full interview

Jensen says he’s running to “set this country back on track” with integrity and a progressive but fiscally responsible agenda.  He’s also concerned about the criminal F.B.I. and Justice Department investigations against Hunter. 

“It’s obvious to me he’s been enriching himself …but has not introduced any legislation to benefit his district,” says Jensen, who calls Hunter's lavish spending of campaign funds on personal uses "pretty damn close to embezzlement." Those expenses included a family vacations to Europe, jewelry, dental bills and airfare for the Hunter family's pet rabbit.  (Hunter has denied wrongdoing, but did borrow money to repay $62,000 to his campaign. Hunter has since spent nearly all of his recent campaign contributions on his legal defense.)

By Miriam Raftery

July 20, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain tumor, after having a large blood clot behind his eye removed on Friday.

Glioblastoma is the same type of cancer that claimed the life of Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy.  The average life span after diagnosis is only 14 months, with the cancer nearly always returning, but some have survived for five years or more.

According to a CBS report,  McCain is undergoing gene sequencing to see if there could be a potential for gene therapy.  He will likely also undergo chemotherapy and radiation.

East County News Service

July 17, 2017 (Santee) – In a 5-0 unanimous vote, the Santee City Council has authorized Mayor John Minto to send an official letter from the council to San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore requesting a change in Gore’s internal policy regarding the issuance of concealed weapon permits. Specifically, the council is asking Sheriff Gore to accept self-defense or personal protection to fulfill California’s requirement of “good cause.” 

By Miriam Raftery

July 15, 2017 (San Diego) – The San Diego County Board of Supervisors meets Tuesday and Wednesday, July 18 and 19.   The agendas include funding for numerous public safety projects, affordable housing construction, and more.

By Miriam Raftery

July 13, 2017  (Lemon Grove) – A judge has denied  a permanent restraining order sought against Lemon Grove Councilman David Arambula by a local lawyer for whom he once worked as a paralegal. The restraining order request was denied with prejudice, meaning that it cannot be refilled.  The judge found no evidentiary basis for a civil harassment order.  View the judge’s Minute Order.

East County News Service

July 12, 2017 (Sacramento) -- California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is calling on the U.S. House of Representatives to oppose legislation that would force California to accept water quality standards that are over 22 years old and give up all enforcement of its own higher state standards. The so-called Gaining Responsibility on Water Act (H.R. 23) would forbid only California from regulating the waters within its own borders.

By Joe Gandelman, Editor-In-Chief , The Moderate Voice, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo: Creative Commons by Gage Skidmore

July 10, 2017 (Washington D.C.) -- Yet another journalistic bombshell from the New York Times: the paper reports that Donald Trump, Jr. was informed in advance of his meeting with a Russian lawyer that she had negative info about Hillary Clinton — and that the info came from the Russian government.

East County News Service

July 10, 2017 (San Diego) – The Building Homes and Jobs Act, a measure to increase affordable housing in California, has passed the state Senate by a vote of 27 to 12.

The measure authored by San Diego Democratic Senator Toni Atkins would create a permanent source of funding for affordable housing though a fee on certain types of real estate documents, excluding sales of residential and commercial property.

Source: National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP)

Photo: Donald Trump, by Gage Skidmore

July 4, 2017 (San Diego) -- The National Association of Rail Passengers denounced the budget outline released by the Trump Administration, which slashes investment in transportation infrastructure. These cuts to Amtrak, transit, and commuter rail programs, and even air service to rural towns, would not only cost construction and manufacturing jobs, but place a disproportionate amount of pain on rural and working class communities.

East County News Service

July 2, 2017 (San Diego) -- Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Vista), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives approved the bipartisan resolution he co-led condemning the recent murder, torture and detention of gay men by the Chechen government.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Vigil following 2015 San Bernardino shooting

June 30, 2017 (Sacramento) – U.S. District judge Roger Benitez with California’s Southern District Court has granted a preliminary injunction sought by the National Rifle Association, temporarily blocking part of Proposition 63 that required Californians to dispose of large-capacity ammunition magazines by Saturday or face fines and potentially, jail time.

House approves legislation to cut red tape, help veterans qualify for jobs in commercial trucking

East County News Service

June 28, 2017 (San Diego) – The House of Representatives has approved bipartisan legislation to ease veterans’ transition into civilian employment opportunities by streamlining the process for trained service members to obtain commercial drivers’ licenses (CDL). The move comes as the commercial trucking industry faces a shortage of roughly 48,000 drivers, according to data from the American Trucking Associations. This legislation would allow veterans, many of which are already trained to operate heavy military vehicles, to help fill this gap.

By Miriam Raftery

June 26, 2017 (San Diego) – State Senator Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) has introduced Senate Bill 507 to help protect the Tijuana River Valley in the wake of repeated severe sewage spills from Mexico, including a spill in February that dumped an estimated 28 to 100 million gallons of raw sewage into the valley.