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U.S. NEWS Thursday 26 OcTOber 2017

No GOP dam break: Senators rally behind Trump and his agenda

By ERICA WERNER threw accusations of com-
ALAN FRAM munism at a wide range
Associated Press of people. McCarthy’s ca-
WASHINGTON (AP) — There reer ended in disgrace, his
was no dam break of Re- downfall hastened when
publican rancor against an Army lawyer, Joseph
Donald Trump on Wednes- Welch, confronted him at
day, a day after a pair a hearing with the ques-
of the party’s prominent tion: “Have you no sense of
senators denounced their decency, Sir, at long last?”
president and invited col- “We face just such a time
leagues to join them. In- now. We have again for-
stead, most GOP lawmak- gotten who we are sup-
ers rallied around Trump posed to be,” Flake wrote.
and his agenda, with one “There is a sickness in our
all but saying “good rid- system — and it is conta-
dance” to Jeff Flake of gious.”
Arizona and Bob Corker of “Nine months of this ad-
Tennessee. ministration is enough for
“Maybe we do better by us to stop pretending that
having some of the peo- this is somehow normal,
ple who just don’t like him and that we are on the
leave, and replace them President Donald Trump greets a crowd of supporters after landing at Dallas Love Field airport, verge of some sort of pivot
with somebody else,” Sen. Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017, in Dallas. to governing, to stability.
Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Nine months is more than
told The Associated Press. fection at his appearance He likened the current mo- of the early 1950s when enough for us to say, loudly
“And I think that’s what’s at a Senate GOP lunch a ment to the red scare era Sen. Joseph McCarthy and clearly: Enough.”q
happening.” day earlier, Trump said: “I
Trump heartily agreed, called it a lovefest. It was
declaring that both men almost a lovefest. Maybe
were retiring because they it was a lovefest.” He’s said
couldn’t win re-election, repeatedly that he got
and “I think I’m probably multiple standing ovations.
helped greatly in Arizona But if the lunch — no out-
by what happened with siders allowed — displayed
Sen. Flake.” unity of sorts, the events
Inhofe went further than that preceded and fol-
most GOP lawmakers, but lowed it did the opposite.
he had plenty of com- First Corker and then Flake
pany in his refusal to echo blistered Trump with criti-
the criticisms of Flake and cism, accusing him of lead-
Corker. Trump himself pro- ing the nation into a moral
claimed he was leading a black hole. Both lawmakers
party unified in its pursuit of do plan to retire at the end
tax cut legislation. of next year, a semi-bomb-
“There is great unity in the shell Flake dropped Tues-
Republican Party,” he con- day, freeing them to speak
tended as he left the White without fear.
House for a hurricane brief- Flake kept it up Wednes-
ing and other events in Tex- day with an opinion piece
as. Claiming a show of af- in The Washington Post.

Study:

ACA silver plan premiums

up average of 34 percent

By RICARDO ZALDIVAR ing online can see the con-
Associated Press sequences ahead of the
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pre- Nov. 1 start of sign-up sea-
miums for the most popular son for 2018. The Avalere
“Obamacare” plans are analysis is for the 39 states
going up an average of 34 using HealthCare.gov.
percent, according to a Along with the increase
study Wednesday that con- for silver plans, premiums
firms predictions about the also are going up by dou-
impact of turmoil on con- ble digits for different lev-
sumers. Window-shopping els of coverage, including
on HealthCare.gov went bronze (18 percent), gold
live Wednesday, so across (16 percent), and platinum
the country consumers go- (24 percent).q