Weekly Roundup: November 9–15

The Weekly Roundup by GWCD is a collaboration between members of the news & blog committee to compile three main headlines from the week. As one of the goals of the committee is to keep our GWCD community updated on current events, the Weekly Roundup is intended as an easy way for members to read up on the highlights from each week in addition to the articles published regularly by our members.

Obamacare on Life Support at Supreme Court

By Jack Castanoli

The conservative Roberts court heard a case on Tuesday regarding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act — more commonly known as Obamacare. The case against the ACA has been heard twice before, but with the addition of Amy Coney Barrett to the bench, the court now has a lopsided conservative majority.

Arguments against the ACA rest in its individual mandate — or the requirement for most Americans to receive healthcare or face a tax penalty. Republicans repeatedly have attempted to tie the individual mandate to the entire law — failing twice before — but now see an opportunity with a conservative majority on the bench.

However, conservative darling Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts signaled in oral arguments Tuesday that the individual mandate does not apply to the entire law itself — giving Obamacare the lifeline it needed. If Kavanaugh and Roberts side with the three remaining liberal justices on the court, it would give the bare minimum 5-4 majority to save the Obama Administration's token policy.

Health insurance for 22 million Americans in the midst of a pandemic is on the chopping block at the Supreme Court, and it might just be Brett Kavanaugh and John Roberts who stop the law from being gutted.

Thousands of Trump supporters and far-right groups attend ‘Million MAGA March’

By Abby Osborne

Thousands of Trump supporters attended the “Million MAGA March” in Washington D.C. Saturday to protest in support of unfounded claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Members of far-right groups, such as the Proud Boys, Alex Jones, and the Oath Keepers, a militia group, also joined supporters of the current president in this demonstration.

The protest took place at Freedom Plaza, located east of the White House, and eventually made its way towards the Supreme Court. Reports said the protestors were “identifiable by their lack of face-masks” and had paraphernalia displaying a wide range of claims like “stop the steal” (referring to unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in President-elect Joe Biden’s favor) and generally “rejected measures to contain the spread of coronavirus.”

Counter-protestors were also present, and eventually a large fight broke out with at least one person stabbed and the police wearing riot gear. Throughout the day, at least 20 people were arrested and two police officers were injured. It isn’t clear which side the individuals who were arrested were on.

During the night, when the fights between the two groups were at its peak, the current president tweeted out in support of the D.C. police and for them to “do [their] job” and to not “hold back.”

Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock Enter Runoffs for Senate Control

By Ty Brown

Incumbent Republican David Purdue’s share of the vote in Georgia’s regular senate election is below 50%. That triggers a second runoff election between him and Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff on January 5th. Georgia’s other senate seat, which is currently in the middle of a special election, will go to a similar runoff on the same day between appointed Republican Kelly Loeffler and Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock. Because the rest of the 2020 Senate map indicates 48 members of the Democratic caucus and 50 Republicans in the Senate from the rest of the country, control of the senate will be decided on January 5th in Georgia.

Read more about the Georgia Runoffs at gwdems.org/blog/GArunoffs.