Another Obamacare Repeal and Replace Dies: Today's News for July 26th

Fox News:

Senate blocks proposal to repeal and replace ObamaCare

The Senate has blocked a wide-ranging proposal by Republicans to repeal much of former President Barack Obama’s health care law and replace it with a more restrictive plan.

Senators voted 57-43 late Tuesday to reject the plan in the first vote on an amendment to the bill. Those voting “no” included nine defecting Republicans.

The Hill reported that the nine Republicans included GOP Sens. Susan Collins, Bob Corker, Tom Cotton, Lindsey Graham, Dean Heller, Mike Lee, Jerry Moran, Lisa Murkowski and Rand Paul.

The list includes both moderates and conservatives. The vote underscored problems Republicans will have in winning enough votes to recast Obama’s statute.

Especially surprising is the Senator John McCain voted for the bill, while Senator Lindsey Graham voted against it. Those two are usually in lockstep.

On the bright side:

Washington Examiner:

Rand Paul says GOP will vote on Obamacare 'repeal and delay'

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Tuesday that Republicans will be pursuing the "repeal and delay" strategy on Obamacare once they vote Tuesday to debate a House-passed healthcare bill.

If that is the plan, I will vote to proceed to have this vote. I also now believe we will be able to defeat the new spending and bailouts.

— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) July 25, 2017

If the GOP cannot pass this bill, they will have some serious explaining to do to their constituents.

In other news...

CNN:

Woman slapped Minneapolis police car before she was shot, report says

In an interview with investigators last week, one of the two Minneapolis police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Justine Ruszczyk said he was startled by a "loud sound" near the squad car.

Immediately after that loud sound, Ruszczyk approached the driver's side window of the car and was fatally shot by Officer Mohamed Noor, according to investigators.

A recently revealed search warrant may explain the source of that startling sound: a slap.

A woman presumed to be Ruszczyk was killed after she slapped the back of the police car, according to a search warrant obtained from Hennepin County District Court by Minneapolis Public Radio and the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension used the warrant to search the area where the shooting happened, Minneapolis Public Radio said.

"Upon police arrival, a female 'slaps' the back of the patrol squad," the search warrant states, according to Minneapolis Public Radio. "After that, it is unknown to BCA agents what exactly happened, but the female became deceased in the alley."

While this doesn't justify the shooting, it certainly explains it a little better.

Finally in today's news from across the pond...

The Guardian:

Britain to ban sale of all diesel and petrol cars and vans from 2040

Britain is to ban all new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040 amid fears that rising levels of nitrogen oxide pose a major risk to public health.

The commitment, which follows a similar pledge in France, is part of the government’s much-anticipated clean air plan, which has been at the heart of a protracted high court legal battle.

The government warned that the move, which will also take in hybrid vehicles, was needed because of the unnecessary and avoidable impact that poor air quality was having on people’s health. Ministers believe it poses the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK, costing up to £2.7bn in lost productivity in one recent year.

Clean air, sure. Whatever floats your boat. So the never-ending war on Islam, which controls a lot of the world's oil, had nothing to do with this decision?