Jordan Klepper channels Alex Jones in new comedy show

In his highly successful old show The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert adopted the persona of a right wing TV blowhard modeled on Bill O’Reilly. His departure to host a more traditional late night TV talk show has created a vacuum in that niche and now another Daily Show alum Jordan Klepper has moved to fill it, modeling himself on an even more extreme character like Alex Jones. He is going to face the challenge of being constantly compared to Colbert but Klepper has good comedy chops and should be able to withstand that scrutiny.
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The attempts to sabotage Obamacare

Now that the attempts to repeal Obamacare failed in the US Senate, a peevish Donald Trump vows to sabotage it by cutting off administration support for it, mainly by withdrawing the subsidies for the program that made it affordable. The problem for Trump is that some of the Byzantine features of Obamacare that are embedded in the law will tend to neutralize his efforts. For example, if the subsidies are cut, then the tax credits get increased, resulting in a net loss for the government. Kevin Drum tries to explain this trade-off and why cutting the subsidies may actually be a good thing.
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The Republican excuse machine in overdrive

Seth Meyers looks at how Republican leaders, White House officials, and Trump’s daughter and son-in-law are trying desperately to shield themselves from criticisms for Trump’s actions and comments without repudiating him or quitting. He ends by focusing on Steve Bannon’s role. This episode aired last night before the announcement today of Bannon’s ouster.

How hospitals and insurance companies rip you off

Adam Conover of Adam Ruins Everything explains why it is that health care costs per capita in the US are the highest in the world and so uneven. It is because of a bizarre pricing system (encoded in a book called the Chargemaster) that has been cooked up between medical care providers and the for-profit health insurance companies system that negatively impacts everyone but is most devastating on those who are the least capable of dealing with it – the uninsured.
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