The Tom Brady deflation scandal roiled Washington, a town with little patience for rich white men giving themselves unfair advantages. Mitt Romney says he’s “the kind of Republican who believes in climate change,” prompting a swift condemnation from Mitt Romney in 18 months. And Harry Reid might pursue a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the exercise equipment on which he injured himself. So much for him being a street justice kind of guy. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Thursday, January 22nd, 2015:
SOCIAL SECURITY FIGHT!!! Lanhee Chen, one of seven members of the independent Social Security Advisory Board, had a Wall Street Journal op-ed this week calling for reforms to the embattled Social Security Disability Insurance program. House Republicans have already set the stage for this debate, passing a rule that prevents the House from using Social Security retirement funds to prevent an automatic 19 percent cut to disability benefits next year. In light of the op-ed, staffers for Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), a harsh critic of the House GOP’s move, noted that at Chen’s confirmation hearing last year Brown had asked Chen, a fellow at the conservative Hoover institution, about writing things that wouldn’t help the board reach consensus on social insurance policy. “I think it’s crucially important that members of the board not engage in writings that would prejudice discussions or deliberations with respect to issues pending before the board,” Chen said. Hmmm….
Here is a supercut of Tom Brady saying the word “balls.” If you think we’re being immature just know that this was the only topic discussed in Washington today.
GOP IN DAMAGE CONTROL MODE – Laura Bassett: “House Republicans scrambled on Thursday to appease social conservatives after unexpectedly canceling a vote on a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act passed the House easily just two years ago. The bill was expected to sail through the GOP-controlled House on Thursday, the 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court’s landmark abortion-rights decision. But Republican leaders pulled the bill on the eve of the vote after some members of their caucus withdrew support because the rape exception in the bill is too narrow. The legislation requires women to have reported the rape to police in order to invoke the rape exception to the abortion restrictions. An identical bill in the Senate has not yet received a vote…Republicans assured anti-abortion activists that there would still be a vote on the 20-week ban after the legislation is altered to ensure the maximum number of votes. ‘That bill, I promise you, will be back on the floor very, very shortly,’ said Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), a strong anti-abortion voice in the House, told reporters Wednesday night.” [HuffPost]
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“Ball jokes, Billy. Ball jokes.”
@KagroX: An armed league is a polite league. Nobody would deflate balls in an armed NFL.
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