Rubio, McCain Rout Primary Challengers

Rubio, McCain Rout Primary Challengers-morningconsult: Arizona Sen. John McCain and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio easily shook off their Republican primary challengers on Tuesday, setting the fields in what are expected to be two of the top Senate battlegrounds this cycle.

Conservative groups gear up for spending fight when Congress returns next week

Conservative groups gear up for spending fight when Congress returns next week-washingtonpost: Conservative groups are pushing congressional Republicans to punt the completion of this year’s spending work into early 2017 when a new president and Congress could negotiate a final deal.

House Conservatives Plot Coup Against Speaker Paul Ryan

House Conservatives Plot Coup Against Speaker Paul Ryan-huffingtonpost: House Speaker Paul Ryan’s re-election to his leadership post in January is fast turning into a potential showdown between establishment Republicans and conservatives looking to weaken the speaker and win changes to House rules.

Murphy, Rubio, McCain Enter Tuesday's Primaries as Heavy Favorites

Murphy, Rubio, McCain Enter Tuesday's Primaries as Heavy Favorites-rollcall: Leaders in the Republican and Democratic parties are expected to get their way Tuesday in a trio of marquee Senate primaries, each of which features an establishment-backed candidate who — by nearly all indications — will defeat a longshot challenger.

What to Watch for in Arizona, Florida Primaries

What to Watch for in Arizona, Florida Primaries-morningconsult: Voters in Arizona and Florida will head to the polls on Tuesday to determine the general election candidates in some of the country’s top House races and to solidify two marquee Senate contests that will likely decide the fate of the chamber’s majority.

House Oversight Committee investigating drugmaker Mylan over EpiPen price hike

House Oversight Committee investigating drugmaker Mylan over EpiPen price hike-washingtonpost: The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has launched an investigation into drugmaker Mylan, which is facing increasing scrutiny for raising the price of the lifesaving EpiPen allergy injection.

Rank-and-file GOP fear lame-duck vote on pricey funding bill

Rank-and-file GOP fear lame-duck vote on pricey funding bill-thehill: Rank-and-file House Republicans are dreading voting on a huge spending deal in the lame-duck session — but they may have no choice.

California has urged President Obama and Congress to tax carbon pollution

California has urged President Obama and Congress to tax carbon pollution-guardian: Last week, the California state senate passed Assembly Joint Resolution 43, urging the federal government to pass a revenue-neutral carbon tax.

Florida Contests Could Tip the Congressional Balance

Florida Contests Could Tip the Congressional Balance-nytimes: Senator Marco Rubio went down the list of political enemies and rivals like a roll-call vote: President Obama. Hillary Clinton (“more Obama”). Both of his possible Democratic rivals, Representatives Patrick Murphy (“he has not had to struggle a single day in his life”) and Alan Grayson (“who frankly I don’t think is well”). And even Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, whom Mr. Rubio says he wants to prevent from becoming majority leader.

McConnell: Senate won't take up TPP this year

McConnell: Senate won't take up TPP this year-thehill: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) appeared to close the door Thursday on the Senate taking up the Obama administration's signature Asia-Pacific trade deal during what's left of the president's term.

House GOP braces for spending, IRS fights

House GOP braces for spending, IRS fights-thehill: House GOP leaders are preparing their members for fights over government funding and whether to impeach the IRS commissioner when Congress returns from its long summer recess.

Women poised to lead Democratic return to power in the Senate

Women poised to lead Democratic return to power in the Senate-theguardian: Five of the seven races where Democrats could take seats from the GOP are being run by women, from Tammy Duckworth in Illinois to Ann Kirkpatrick in Arizona.

Clinton Joins Outcry Against EpiPen Price Hike

Clinton Joins Outcry Against EpiPen Price Hike-morningconsult: Hillary Clinton called the massive increase in the price of EpiPens “outrageous” on Wednesday, joining a growing group of lawmakers and industry groups responding to the latest drug pricing scandal.

Hillary Clinton’s health care agenda is in danger as Obamacare struggles

Hillary Clinton’s health care agenda is in danger as Obamacare struggles-stat: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton wants to crack down on rising prescription drug costs. She has made it a pillar of her campaign, the stuff of TV ads and stump speeches. She also has ambitious plans for Alzheimer’s research and other medical science initiatives.

Poll: Rep. Bera in dead heat with GOP challenger

Poll: Rep. Bera in dead heat with GOP challenger-thehill: A new Repulican-commissioned poll indicates that Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) and his GOP challenger, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, are effectively tied in one of this year’s most competitive House races.

2016 Senate Election Forecast

2016 Senate Election Forecast-nytimes: The Upshot’s elections model suggests that the Democrats are slight favorites to win the Senate, based on the latest state and national polls.

Clinton Win Could Pressure GOP to Heal, Not Repeal, Obamacare

Clinton Win Could Pressure GOP to Heal, Not Repeal, Obamacare-bloomberg: Republicans in Congress have insisted the only way to fix Obamacare is to repeal it. But with Barack Obama about to leave the White House, several Republicans sound willing to tweak it rather than kill it.

Analysis: GOP Obamacare Replacement Plan Would Decrease Coverage, Lower Premiums

Analysis: GOP Obamacare Replacement Plan Would Decrease Coverage, Lower Premiums-morningconsult: The House GOP’s Obamacare replacement plan would decrease coverage over the next 10 years, but lower individual insurance premiums and decrease the federal deficit by $481 billion, according to an analysis publishing today by the Center for Health and Economy and provided in advance to Morning Consult.

How big a House wave? Watch these races …

How big a House wave? Watch these races …-washingtonpost: Following changes in the “generic ballot” poll question is one way to track the fight for the House, but an alternate way is to look at key races at various levels of competitiveness that should indicate whether a wave is developing and, if it is, how big it might be.

The Senator’s Daughter Who Raised Prices on Anti-Allergy EpiPen

The Senator’s Daughter Who Raised Prices on Anti-Allergy EpiPen-bloomberg: Members of Congress are in an unusual position as they demand an explanation for Mylan NV’s 400 percent price hike for the EpiPen and focus attention squarely on its CEO: Heather Bresch.

Senate Democrat Compares EpiPen Cost Increases to Scrutinized Drugmakers

Senate Democrat Compares EpiPen Cost Increases to Scrutinized Drugmakers-morningconsult: In a call for the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the increased price of EpiPen packs, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) compared the rising cost of the device to companies such as Turing and Valeant hiking up the prices of rare pharmaceuticals.

Congress has a lot to do in September

Congress has a lot to do in September-stjosephnewspress: Congress heads into the lightning round of legislating when it returns to the U.S. Capitol next month.  The U.S. House convenes Sept. 6 after a prolonged summer vacation and then has 17 legislative days before the pre-election recess in October.

Trump-Clinton race redraws battle for electoral college

Trump-Clinton race redraws battle for electoral college-thehill: This year’s extraordinary election campaign is redrawing the political map, leaving experts debating whether the shift is a one-off or a more permanent change.

Clinton's Agenda Will Rely on Help From the Middle

Clinton's Agenda Will Rely on Help From the Middle-rollcall: If elected, Democratic nominee could form moderate coalition in House.

Public option? Status quo? Collapse? What comes next for Obamacare.

Public option? Status quo? Collapse? What comes next for Obamacare.-vox: News about Obamacare has not been good this week. On Monday, the health insurance giant Aetna announced it would stop selling coverage in 11 state marketplaces. This follows UnitedHealth’s exit from Obamacare, as well as the exit of dozens of smaller health insurance plans.

Study: Major gains in coverage under ObamaCare in California

Study: Major gains in coverage under ObamaCare in California-thehill: Over 70 percent of Californians who were uninsured in 2013 now have coverage, according to a new study.

Would Clinton’s Health Plans Help Struggling Insurers on Exchanges?

Would Clinton’s Health Plans Help Struggling Insurers on Exchanges?-morningconsult: Hillary Clinton’s health care plan clearly intends to tackle affordability issues on Obamacare exchanges. Less clear is whether — or how — it deals with the increasingly prominent issue of insurer participation and financial viability in the marketplace.

Donald Trump’s trade talk is making the drug industry uneasy

Donald Trump’s trade talk is making the drug industry uneasy-stat: The drug industry is quietly troubled over Donald Trump’s tough talk on trade.

How To Lose The Senate In 82 Days

How To Lose The Senate In 82 Days-npr: Hillary Clinton's increasingly dominant lead in the presidential race is solidifying many Republicans' worst 2016 fears that Donald Trump will cost the party not only the White House but also control of the Senate.

Clinton Pushed From Left and Right on Health Care

Clinton Pushed From Left and Right on Health Care-wallstreetjournal: Aetna Inc. ’s decision to scale back participation in the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges is putting new pressure on Hillary Clinton over health care, a onetime signature issue that has taken a back seat in her presidential campaign.

At 20, is HIPAA hitting its stride, or is it over the hill?

At 20, is HIPAA hitting its stride, or is it over the hill?-modernhealthcare: NYU medical students are exposed to de-identified information so they can learn how to analyze data and come up with hypothetical treatments for patients before they hit hospital floors. They also generally follow two to three specific patients at any point during rotations, but they can't continue to monitor patients and see how their treatments play out over time.

Judge denies petition by supporters of California drug pricing ballot

Judge denies petition by supporters of California drug pricing ballot-stat: Supporters of a California ballot measure, which is designed to lower drug prices, lost a state court bid on Monday to alter the wording of a key analysis that may affect the outcome of the closely watched battle. And the decision comes amid intensifying jockeying over a measure that is seen as a litmus test for public discontent over prescription drug costs.

Trump hurts GOP, but probably not enough to flip House

Trump hurts GOP, but probably not enough to flip House-thehill: Democrats scrambling to tie House Republicans to Donald Trump's embattled campaign like what they see in freshman Rep. Cresent Hardy.

How House Republicans May Survive Donald Trump

How House Republicans May Survive Donald Trump-nytimes: No presidential candidate in modern history has behaved like Donald J. Trump. And that distinction, paradoxically, might be enough for Republicans in the House of Representatives to keep their majority in November.

California’s 2016 ballot: ‘Sex. Drugs. Guns. Death.’

California’s 2016 ballot: ‘Sex. Drugs. Guns. Death.’-thehill: California voters will be asked to decide a whopping 17 ballot initiatives this November, as corporations and interest groups turn to the direct democratic process to advance their causes.

Trump camp apparently soliciting foreign cash despite warnings

Trump camp apparently soliciting foreign cash despite warnings-thehill: Donald Trump’s campaign appears to be soliciting foreign donations despite multiple warnings and a criminal complaint filed with the Department of Justice.

Time running out for Trump

Time running out for Trump-thehill: Republican strategists say time is running out on Donald Trump.  Though there are more than 80 days to go before the election, GOP skeptics believe the party's nominee has little time left to straighten out his campaign in order to defeat Hillary Clinton for the presidency.

Liberals rally to sink Obama trade deal

Liberals rally to sink Obama trade deal-thehill: Liberals are amping up their opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on and off of Capitol Hill, amid escalating concerns that the package will get an 11th hour vote after the November elections.

RNC considers cutting cash to Trump

RNC considers cutting cash to Trump-politico: Publicly, Republican Party officials continue to stand by Donald Trump. Privately, at the highest levels, party leaders have started talking about cutting off support to Trump in October and redirecting cash to save endangered congressional majorities.

Once Skeptical of Executive Power, Obama Has Come to Embrace It

Once Skeptical of Executive Power, Obama Has Come to Embrace It-nytimes: Mr. Obama will leave the White House as one of the most prolific authors of major regulations in presidential history.

GOP donors, fearful of Trump-fueled electoral rout, direct big money down-ballot

GOP donors, fearful of Trump-fueled electoral rout, direct big money down-ballot-washingtonpost: Billionaire Paul Singer was an early and generous backer of Mitt Romney in the 2012 campaign, investing $1 million in a super PAC supporting the Republican presidential nominee more than a year before the election.

Medicare changes fiercely resisted

Medicare changes fiercely resisted-thehill: The Obama administration is hitting resistance from industry groups as it tries to change Medicare payments before leaving office.

The money is starting to roll in on California's 17 ballot propositions. A lot of it

The money is starting to roll in on California's 17 ballot propositions. A lot of it-latimes: Political professionals who run California ballot measure campaigns always worry about how to get the attention of voters. And it all starts with a lot of money.

Next president faces possible ObamaCare meltdown

Next president faces possible ObamaCare meltdown-thehill: The next president could be dealing with an ObamaCare insurer meltdown in their very first month.  The incoming administration will take office just as the latest ObamaCare enrollment tally comes in, delivering a potentially crucial verdict about the still-shaky healthcare marketplaces.

How a Clinton administration would reshape healthcare wars

How a Clinton administration would reshape healthcare wars-washingtonexaminer: The Republican quest to repeal and replace Obamacare would end if Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton becomes president next year. But not the debate over how to reduce Americans' hefty healthcare costs.

Look Who’s Coming to Congress: GOP Primary Winners

Look Who’s Coming to Congress: GOP Primary Winners-nationaljournal: While Wis­con­sin’s 1st Dis­trict is safe for Speak­er Paul Ry­an in the gen­er­al elec­tion, a primary vic­tory Tues­day wouldn’t have ne­ces­sar­ily guar­an­teed a trip to Con­gress for Ry­an’s chal­lenger, Paul Nehlen. But thanks to the Re­pub­lic­an lean of their dis­tricts, there are re­cent primary win­ners who already have their tick­et punched for Cap­it­ol Hill three months from Elec­tion Day.

Future of drug pricing: paying for benefits not per pill

Future of drug pricing: paying for benefits not per pill-reuters: In the United States, both parties are promising fresh action on drug prices whoever wins the White House. In Europe, economies are stalled, squeezing state health budgets. And in China and other Asian markets, governments are getting tougher with suppliers.

Beyond 'Obamacare': State initiatives refocus health debate

Beyond 'Obamacare': State initiatives refocus health debate-ap: Moving beyond "Obamacare," political activists are looking to state ballot questions to refocus the nation's long-running debate over government's role in health care.

Clinton Republicans are 2016 trend

Clinton Republicans are 2016 trend-thehill: Meet the Clinton Republicans.  Just as Reagan Democrats emerged three decades ago to catapult Ronald Reagan to the White House, a crop of unexpected cross-party supporters has surfaced during this election cycle.  And they are helping Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Five takeaways from Trump’s economic address

Five takeaways from Trump’s economic address-thehill: Donald Trump outlined his vision for the nation’s economy Monday in a speech to the Detroit Economic Club that also seemed designed to reassure Republicans after a difficult stretch for the GOP presidential nominee.

How Common Procedures Became 20 Percent Cheaper for Many Californians

How Common Procedures Became 20 Percent Cheaper for Many Californians-nytimes: At a time when health care spending seems only to go up, an initiative in California has slashed the prices of many common procedures.

Republicans warn Trump: Right the ship or lose Senate

Republicans warn Trump: Right the ship or lose Senate-cnn: Republican leaders are watching Donald Trump's campaign with growing alarm as they fear a landslide at the top of the ticket could wipe away their hard-fought congressional majority.

Trump Says He Would Temporarily Halt All New Federal Regulations

Trump Says He Would Temporarily Halt All New Federal Regulations-morningconsult: Republican nominee Donald Trump would impose a temporary ban on new federal agency regulations if he is elected president, part of an economic plan he unveiled Monday that aims to provide regulatory relief to small businesses.

Harry Reid's final fight

Harry Reid's final fight-thehill: Harry Reid is going out fighting. Now partially blinded by an exercising accident, the Nevada Democrat and former amateur boxer is showing no signs of slowing down in his final five months in office.

Could Trump loss spur ACA deal with Clinton?

Could Trump loss spur ACA deal with Clinton?-modernhealthcare: With Donald Trump's presidential campaign faltering, Republican health policy experts are gaming out Plan B for working with a Hillary Clinton administration to achieve conservative healthcare goals.

Obama's health secretary wants to make patients healthier by transforming how doctors and hospitals get paid

Obama's health secretary wants to make patients healthier by transforming how doctors and hospitals get paid -latimes: As President Obama closes in on his final months in office, few parts of his legacy loom larger than the Affordable Care Act, the landmark healthcare overhaul he signed in 2010 that helped extend health coverage to more than 20 million previously uninsured Americans.

Clinton leads Trump by 15 points nationwide: poll

Clinton leads Trump by 15 points nationwide: poll-thehill: Hillary Clinton has soared to a 15-point lead over Donald Trump in the race for the presidency, according to a new poll.

Senate GOP on edge over Trump’s falling polls

Senate GOP on edge over Trump’s falling polls-thehill: New polls showing Hillary Clinton opening up big leads over Donald Trump in two key battlegrounds has sparked alarm among Republicans who worry he will sink their Senate majority.

August’s Wild World of Primaries

August’s Wild World of Primaries-nationaljournal: As Don­ald Trump con­tin­ues to spir­al his pres­id­en­tial cam­paign in­to un­charted and self-de­struct­ing wa­ters, con­gres­sion­al primary sea­son re­turned with a bang Tues­day as an­oth­er in­cum­bent failed to be re­nom­in­ated. It was just the start of what could be an un­usu­ally newsy Au­gust in con­gres­sion­al polit­ics.

In a Hard-Edged Campaign Year, Senate Races Take a Centrist Tone

In a Hard-Edged Campaign Year, Senate Races Take a Centrist Tone-wallstreetjournal: While the presidential race has become bitterly divisive, the hard-fought contest for control of the U.S. Senate is unfolding with candidates stressing moderation, bipartisanship and compromise.

Drug lobby plans counterattack on prices

Drug lobby plans counterattack on prices-politico: It is just one part of a larger effort by the K Street powerhouse to seize control of the public narrative over drug prices.

Despite Dysfunction, Little Hope for Budget Reform

Despite Dysfunction, Little Hope for Budget Reform-nationaljournal: Almost 240 lawmakers are backing a switch to a two-year spending cycle, but some key players are opposed to the idea.

Top GOP wonks try to predict Trump's healthcare moves

Top GOP wonks try to predict Trump's healthcare moves-washingtonexaminer: What would a President Trump do with the U.S. healthcare system? If the Republican presidential nominee were almost anyone else, it would be much easier to predict how things would go in January, most health experts agree.

Koch Brothers Network Urges Long-Term Spending Bill

Koch Brothers Network Urges Long-Term Spending Bill-morningconsult: Freedom Partners, a group with close ties to the Koch brothers, is trying to rally congressional Republicans behind a plan that would postpone this year’s appropriations process until at least the spring of 2017, after the next president takes office, as part of an effort to reduce government spending.

Left turns to ballot measures to enact political change

Left turns to ballot measures to enact political change-thehill: Republicans control a record number of state legislative chambers across the country, effectively sidelining any hopes progressives have of advancing an agenda.

Biotechs say that controversy over pricing is a bigger risk each year

Biotechs say that controversy over pricing is a bigger risk each year-stat: The clamor over prescription drug pricing is weighing more heavily on biotech managements.

Congress Set to Get a Little More Diverse After Tuesday

Congress Set to Get a Little More Diverse After Tuesday-rollcall: Whoever replaces Rep. Jim McDermott  in the House of Representatives will help make the chamber more diverse.  

Wearables, apps won't face FDA scrutiny

Wearables, apps won't face FDA scrutiny-fiercehealthcare: General wellness apps and devices won’t face tough FDA scrutiny, as long as they only promote general wellness and present a low risk to the safety of those who use them.

Long-Term Care Is An Immediate Problem — For The Government

Long-Term Care Is An Immediate Problem — For The Government-kaiserhealthnews: Experts estimate that about half of all people turning 65 today will need daily help as they age, either at home or in nursing homes. Such long-term care will cost an average of about $91,000 for men and double that for women, because they live longer.

Trade deal's supporters counterattack

Trade deal's supporters counterattack-politico: Advocates remain steadfastly optimistic, insisting the agreement still has a shot at approval despite being opposed by both major-party presidential candidates.