Political Stories – Top stories
U.S. budget cuts would be widely felt across California — President Donald Trump’s budget would deliver a painful financial blow to California, with the potential to push a state that has struggled for years to keep its books balanced back into the kind of red ink that consumed it after the housing market collapse a decade ago. LA Times article
To make voters care about gerrymandering, cast it as a villain? – Grab a powerful political tool that few voters understand. Plan to fight in courts, statehouses and ballot boxes. Add an infusion of celebrity and more than a dash of cash. It’s a recipe some activists are trying as they work to export to other states California’s model for drawing political lines—a change that ultimately could shake up Congress and the domination Republicans now enjoy. CALmatters article
Donald Trump’s itchy Twitter finger just alienated one of his most important allies – If there is one man on Capitol Hill whom President Trump might want to stay in the good graces of, it’s Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.). Nunes is the head of the House Intelligence Committee, which is in charge of investigating Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential race — you know, the one Democrats think could prove collusion between the Trump campaign and a foreign power. And until this week, that was a good setup for Trump. Washington Post article
Valley politics
Congressman Jeff Denham set to appear at town hall in Turlock – Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, is expected to appear at a town hall meeting in Turlock next month. By that time, Congress may have sealed the fate of the Affordable Care Act or could be continuing with a national conversation about health care. Modesto Bee article
Assemblyman Mathis named legislator of the year — Assemblyman Devon Mathis was honored by the California State Commanders Veterans Council as the 2016 legislator of the year. Visalia Times-Delta article
Statewide politics/Ballot Measures
CA120: High diversity, but low turnout looms in 2018 – Any sound voter analysis tries to identify prior events that hopefully serve to predict future voter behavior. For this we examine several past elections, including the gubernatorial elections we mentioned in Part I, and other recent presidential primaries. Capitol Weekly article
John Van de Kamp, former California attorney general and LA district attorney, dies at 81 — John Van de Kamp, a towering political figure who became the top prosecutor in Los Angeles and then California before running for governor, died Tuesday at his home in Pasadena after a brief illness. He was 81. LA Times article
Immigration
Trump’s revised immigration ban is placed on hold by federal judge — Hours before it was to take effect, President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban was put on hold Wednesday by a federal judge in Hawaii after hearing arguments that the executive order discriminates on the basis of nationality. AP article; New York Times article; LA Times article
Trump vows to appeal ruling against revised travel ban, or maybe resurrect his first ban — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would fight “to the Supreme Court” a new judicial ruling blocking his revised immigration and travel ban – and then, adding confusion, suggested he might proceed in the courts with the more stringent ban he first signed. LA Times article
George Skelton: What does ‘sanctuary state’ actually mean? It’s time for lawmakers to figure it out – “Sanctuary” is a fighting word in the state Legislature — whatever “sanctuary” means. And that’s one of the hang-ups. There’s not even bipartisan agreement on what it means to be a “sanctuary city.” Skelton column in LA Times
U.S. halts visas for Afghans who aided American forces — Afghans who aided U.S. forces fighting the Taliban can no longer receive special visas for their service, at least until year’s end, said U.S. senators and advocates who are trying to pass legislation to restart the flow of newcomers. Sacramento Bee article
Other areas
Vulnerable California Republicans find themselves at center of healthcare bill persuasion efforts One of the congressmen featured in the ads — Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) — said earlier this week that Republicans can do better and he is “not prepared” to support the GOP healthcare plan yet. Some other Republicans in the ads, such as Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) and Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford) have either said they are still reviewing the bill, or haven’t made a public comment on it at all. LA Times article
To create affordable housing, lawmakers eye ending tax breaks for vacation homes – As the state grapples with nearly 6 million California households struggling to afford housing, legislators are turning to people like the Thompsons as a logical source of revenue—owners of a second home who deduct the interest they pay on it from their state income taxes. CALmatters article
Claiming momentum is on their side, California lawmakers try again to require more transparency on drug prices – California Democrats, labor unions, health insurers and consumer advocacy groups — along with newly joined backer Tom Steyer, the billionaire activist — are restarting their effort to shed more light on prescription drug prices after a similar measure sputtered last year. LA Times article
Could San Francisco’s universal health care model work for all of California? – Alice Chen sees a steady stream of patients here, at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center – a massive medical campus that serves as the backbone of the health care delivery system for the city’s undocumented population and its poorest residents. Sacramento Bee article
California’s gas prices could rise if the state’s cap and trade program is extended, legislative analyst says – As California lawmakers debate the future of the state’s battle against global warming, there’s one politically sensitive issue they’ll have to consider: gas prices. LA Times article
Sacramento Bee: Here’s what consumers would need to know to make health care truly market-based – If the Republicans pushing Trumpcare truly wanted a free market for health care, they stop letting doctors, hospitals and insurers hide the price. Sacramento Bee editorial
Joel Fox: Don’t tax teachers? – It seems those pushing a bill to eliminate state income taxes for teachers have a large strategic hurdle to clear. Teachers through their unions frequently campaign for more taxes. How would it look if teachers are campaigning for more taxes and they no longer have to pay income taxes? Bad optics, as they say in the PR biz. Fox in Fox & Hounds
Father of victim in deadly Oakland warehouse fire tells state lawmakers more affordable housing is needed — The father of an artist who was among the 36 people killed during a fire inside an Oakland warehouse told state lawmakers on Wednesday that California needs more affordable housing and safe performance venues in order to prevent similar tragedies. LA Times article
Nevada County GOP touts dress code, seating tips for LaMalfa Town Hall — As politicians face protests at town hall meetings nationwide, Republicans in Nevada County are trying to maximize support for Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Oroville at a scheduled gathering in Grass Valley on Saturday. Bob Hren, chairman of the Nevada County Republican Party sent out an email that gave tips on how to dress (“Conservatives are all being asked to wear attire that reflects a flag motif or the colors red, white, blue”) as well as how to get guaranteed seating in the event (“The best way to assure seating is to volunteer for the set-up”). Sacramento Bee article
Presidential Politics
Reps. Nunes, Schiff: No evidence on wiretap — The Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Intelligence Committee say they have seen no evidence supporting President Donald Trump’s claim that the Obama administration wiretapped him last year. GOP Rep. Devin Nunes and Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff say they’re still waiting for evidence from the Justice Department backing up that claim. Schiff says he and Nunes are willing to take steps to compel the department to comply with their request if it refuses by the March 20 deadline they’ve given the Justice Department. AP article; LA Times article; New York Times article
Trump speaks out on Obama wiretapping claims and says ‘interesting items’ are coming – President Donald Trump on Wednesday indicated that he had no solid evidence to support his declaration that former President Barack Obama ordered surveillance on his phones at Trump Tower in New York during last fall’s campaign. Washington Post article
Winners and losers in Trump’s first budget plan – Military spending would get the biggest boost in President Donald Trump’s proposed budget. Environmental programs, medical research, Amtrak and an array of international and cultural programs — from Africa to Appalachia — would take big hits, among the many parts of the government he’d put on a crash diet. AP article
Sacramento mayor defies ‘bully’ Trump in DC visit – Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, visiting Washington in hopes of winning support for a wide range of development plans, found himself defending his city’s immigrant residents against a Trump administration determined to enforce tougher policies. The mayor challenged a Trump official on the president’s rhetoric and touted the city’s sanctuary status to tech entrepreneurs as a reason for them to move to Sacramento. Sacramento Bee article
Trump moves to roll back pollution standards for cars, setting up conflict with California — Setting up a potential conflict with California officials over air pollution and climate change, President Donald Trump started the process Wednesday of rolling back rules designed to limit emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from automobiles. Sacramento Bee article; LA Times article
Trump’s budget envisions big cuts for health and human services – President Trump’s first budget blueprint envisions a major retrenchment for the Department of Health and Human Services, calling for a nearly 18% cut next year, or $15.1 billion, for programs that are subject to annual spending bills. LA Times article
Donald Trump budget slashes funds for EPA and State Department – President Trump’s budget blueprint for the coming fiscal year would slash the Environmental Protection Agency by 31 percent and cut State Department spending by a similar amount in a brash upending of the government’s priorities, according to congressional staff members familiar with the plan. New York Times article
California oil sees an ally in Trump, even if he can’t really help them – President Trump has vowed to bolster the country’s oil and gas industry by rolling back environmental regulations. But it may not make much of a difference for California oil. The industry’s success is tied to a broad mix of influences, some outside the scope of federal law. KQED report
Why all the alarm over Trump ties to Russia, millennials ask – Amid an avalanche of news raising alarm about Russian meddling in the U.S. election and ties between President Donald Trump’s administration and Moscow, many younger voters are questioning how big a threat the former Cold War foe really is. McClatchy Newspapers article
San Jose: Judge won’t throw out Trump supporters’ negligence suit over rally melee — A federal judge Wednesday denied San Jose’s request to dismiss a lawsuit brought on behalf of Donald Trump supporters who claim city officers steered them into an angry mob of protesters who attacked and injured them as they left a June campaign rally downtown. San Jose Mercury News article
California Government Today:
News Stories – Top Stories
$1.4 billion bond sale to benefit high-speed rail work in San Joaquin Valley — The state Treasurer’s Office is expected to sell about $1.4 billion in high-speed rail bonds next month – the first sale of Proposition 1A bonds for construction of California’s embattled bullet-train project in the San Joaquin Valley. Another $1 billion bond sale could come in the second half of the year, according to Gov. Jerry Brown’s preliminary budget for 2017-18. Fresno Bee article
Modesto council rejects plan for hiring, spending freeze – The Modesto City Council has rejected a plan from top city officials to implement its freeze on hiring, promotions and spending. The council approved the freeze Feb. 28 and directed City Manager Jim Holgersson to report back with a plan to carry it out. Council members declined to vote on the plan at their Tuesday meeting. Councilman Tony Madrigal made a motion to accept the plan, but the council could not vote because no other council member would second the motion. Modesto Bee article
Jobs and the Economy
Walmart officially pulls plug on Merced distribution center – The Walmart distribution center that has been in limbo for years in Merced officially is dead, the company announced Wednesday. Merced Sun-Star article
State workers: Raises and bonuses are coming, slowly – Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed a package of labor contracts that will give raises and bonuses to about half of the state’s workforce, but many employees might not see a difference in their paychecks until May at the earliest. Brown signed deals that his staff negotiated late last year and in January to resolve expired contracts for about 126,000 employees. Sacramento Bee article
Robert Price: Kotkin’s Economic Summit message: Spare us the social engineering and fix roads Talk about clashing perspectives on a glass of water. Listening to Joel Kotkin, one can imagine the glass half empty. The title of his keynote speech at Wednesday’s 17th Kern Economic Summit sure points in that direction: “Kern County: Last Redoubt of the California Dream?” The state, he seemed to suggest, is being run by a bunch of borderline incompetents who’ve overinvested fiscal and political capital in projects like “Jerry’s choo-choo” while allowing traditional infrastructure to crumble. Thank God for Kern County, California’s last bastion of sanity and common sense, he might have added. Price in Bakersfield Californian
Hanford council: Renovate the Bastille – The Hanford City Council has indicated it wants the Bastille to be renovated, but it hasn’t yet decided how to pay for it. The action, which was taken at last week’s regular council meeting, was a consensus that didn’t involve a formal vote. A formal vote will be required later to approve funding for renovation work. Hanford Sentinel article
Grudgingly, CalPERS cuts pensions for 200 workers of defunct LA agency — For the second time in four months, CalPERS on Wednesday voted to cut pensions for a group of public workers whose former employer quit contributing to the retirement fund without making arrangements to protect their benefits. Sacramento Bee article; Calpensions article
Joe Mathews: California’s poor kids live in some surprising places – A new report from the Public Policy Institute of California shows the Central Coast is California’s capital of child poverty. You may be surprised, believing that California poverty is a problem of the Central Valley and Inland Empire. But the geography of poverty has been flipped by coastal prosperity itself. Mathews in Sacramento Bee
Pain at the pump: Average gas price in Fresno nears $3 — Fresno’s average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas now stands at $2.96, which is below the $3 statewide average. Even so, the Auto Club noted in its latest report that Fresno’s price is up 16 cents per gallon from a month ago and California’s average is well above where it has been over the past year. Fresno Bee article
Movie chain wins race to quench thirst for booze — At the suddenly hopping corner of Rosedale and Calloway in the northwest, there is a din of hammers and electric saws, but the noise will eventually give way to the inviting rattle of cocktail shakers and the booming bass of Hollywood blockbusters now that the city has granted a theater chain the right to sell alcohol, a first for Bakersfield. In winning approval from the Board of Zoning Adjustment on Tuesday, Dallas-based Studio Movie Grill is the first of three theater chains to secure the necessary permits to serve booze and food to guests. Bakersfield Californian article
New Trader Joe’s construction starts; more stores coming — The most talked about grocery store in town is on its way. Construction has started on the new north Fresno Trader Joe’s, where the existing Blackstone Avenue store will eventually move. The new store will likely open in late summer, probably in August, according to one of the shopping center’s owners. Fresno Bee article
Housing agency backs Steinberg’s plan to house homeless – A plan by Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg to steer affordable housing vouchers to homeless people won a partial endorsement this week from the local government agency that oversees federal housing money. Sacramento Bee article
New Aldi grocery store location may come to Bakersfield — Is Bakersfield getting a new Aldi grocery story? Possibly. We got a tip about a sign on the old Fresh and Easy building in the Bed, Bath and Beyond shopping center on Stockdale Highway. Bakersfield Californian article
Agriculture/Water/Drought
Can California repair damaged Delta reservoir within 45 days? – State officials said Wednesday that Californians reliant on water pumped out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta won’t face supply shortages, even as crews shut down a massive pumping station that serves much of Southern California for at least a month to make repairs to its intake reservoir. Sacramento Bee article
Ag commissioner: ACP is a death sentence to any citrus — Asian citrus psyllids are the size of an aphid you find on the rose bush, but the unassuming insect can be a death sentence for citrus trees. Adults psyllids are typically found eating stems and leaves. Psyllids carry a citrus greening disease known as Huanglongbing. If infected, the insect’s saliva will cause malformation of leaves and eventually the tree dies. Visalia Times-Delta article
Huerta fans will have to wait for movie screening — Her story is intrinsically linked to Kern County, but Bakersfield is getting no sneak peek of a new documentary about labor leader and social justice advocate Dolores Huerta. Huerta, who lives in Bakersfield, told The Californian recently that the film is making the festival rounds and should be released theatrically in September, presumably when Kern County will see it. Bakersfield Californian article
Criminal Justice/Prisons
Silva out on bail, vows to fight charges – Wearing a black sweatshirt, a weary smile and a day’s worth of gray-black stubble, former Mayor Anthony Silva walked out of the San Joaquin County Jail late Wednesday afternoon, two days after a judge reduced his bail from $1 million to $350,000. Stockton Record article; Sacramento Bee article
Fresno Bee: Brand’s public safety board is worthy of Fresno City Council support — We commend the mayor for his efforts to build a stronger bridge between the police department and the community it serves, and to keep all of us, including police officers, safer. Fresno Bee editorial
Stockton police reach out to clarify role, assure Latino community – More than a dozen Stockton Police Department staff members spent a morning at a southeast Stockton market sharing laughs, enjoying coffee and dispelling rumors about immigration. Police Chief Eric Jones and members of his department participated in Coffee with the Police from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday with a largely Hispanic community. Stockton Record article
These four public employees are accused with four others of stealing from the dead – The state Attorney General’s office has filed charges against eight people – four of them Fresno County employees – connected to thefts from dead people and their families. The focus of the investigation was the Fresno County Public Administrator’s Office, which was dismantled in 2015 and moved from the Fresno County Coroner’s jurisdiction to the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office. Fresno Bee article
Central Valley inmate death investigated as homicide – California corrections officials say they are investigating the death of an inmate at a Central Valley prison as a homicide. They said Wednesday that 29-year-old North Kern State Prison inmate Rosendo Sosa died Tuesday at an outside hospital. AP article; Bakersfield Californian article
Former LA County sheriff guilty of obstructing FBI probe – Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca was convicted Wednesday of obstructing an FBI investigation into corrupt and violent guards who took bribes to smuggle contraband into the jails he ran and savagely beat inmates. AP article; LA Times article
Jeff Jardine: Bazar’s retirement as Public Defender is Stanislaus County’s loss – The first case Tim Bazar tried after becoming Stanislaus County’s Public Defender became the only case he tried here. Jardine column in Modesto Bee
Man who spent 30 years in prison for LA murder exonerated — A Los Angeles judge Wednesday ordered the release of a man who spent more than three decades in prison for murder after prosecutors conceded he did not get a fair trial. AP article
Education
CSU students fight proposed 5 percent tuition hike – California State University students are fighting a proposed 5 percent tuition increase for next fall which, if approved next week by the trustees, would be the first for CSU since 2011. San Francisco Chronicle article
Average cost of attending a UC campus rose about 4 percent last year, regents told – Amid rising public concern about college expenses, University of California regents were told Wednesday that the cost of attending UC campuses increased by about $1,100, or 4% last year. LA Times article
California’s new color-coded school rating system goes beyond test scores – The California School Dashboard, the state’s accountability system unveiled Wednesday, is shedding new light on central San Joaquin Valley schools – providing parents with a fuller look at districts’ achievement beyond standardized test scores. Fresno Bee article; EdSource article
True colors: School dashboards reveal needs, progress — Goodbye potatoes. Hello onions. The single school score from a mash-up of state test results is history. The new era of educational evaluation comes with colors and complexity – layers of information to peel back. A pilot version of the California School Dashboard Report rolled out Wednesday, giving a better rounded look at how schools are doing. Modesto Bee article
Merced College, city schools will protect undocumented students and their information – Merced County’s two largest educational institutions this week reaffirmed their commitment to educate all students, regardless of immigration status, and to protect student information. The Merced Community College District specifically addressed undocumented students and students in the U.S. under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The district also resolved that its campus police wouldn’t detain, question or arrest anyone solely based on immigration status. Merced Sun-Star article
Fresno State’s Student Cupboard campaign receives $32,000 pledge – Michael Treviño, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at California State University, San Francisco has pledged $32,000 in matching funds to Fresno State’s March Match Up campaign. The campaign, which supports Fresno State’s Student Cupboard, is a fundraiser to help student hunger issues. Fresno Bee article
Activists protest U.S. Border Patrol at Fresno State hiring fair — A small group of protesters were at Fresno State on Wednesday to protest the presence of the U.S. Border Patrol, which has a booth at “Recruit down the 99 and Beyond” career fair at the Save Mart Center. Fresno Resistance, a group made up of students, community groups and the public, stood outside the Save Mart Center chanting “no fear, no hate, no ICE at Fresno State.” Fresno Bee article
Sacramento Bee: City holds key to an obvious fix for Sacramento State graduation — Sacramento State is overbudget to hold commencement at Golden 1 Center. The city gets nine free civic events a year. Making the graduation one of them is a no-brainer. Sacramento Bee editorial
Charter schools success causes focus change — So while many charter schools offer students a more viable path to high school graduation, the low college success rate in many cases is forcing the schools themselves to rethink their offerings. “It’s time for us to pivot,” admitted Dan Katzir, Alliance’s CEO. Asked to rate the importance of raising the network’s college graduation rate, he said: “This is our work for the next 10 years.” Visalia Times-Delta article
Sick Sonoma third-grader told she had to finish testing, mom says — A third-grader with 102.3-degree fever and a confirmed case of influenza type A still had to go to Sonoma Elementary School to finish state testing, her mother says. Modesto Bee article
Energy/Environment
$3 million in penalties for petroleum companies’ environmental violations – A group of petroleum companies and an official at one of them have been ordered to pay $3 million in penalties after violating environmental protection laws and then failing to make the changes required by a 2011 settlement, the Alameda County district attorney’s office announced Wednesday. San Francisco Chronicle article
Roger Bales and Roland Winston: Why build pipelines to the past when we create a new future? – Bales, director of the Sierra Nevada Research Institute, and Winston, director of the UC Solar research institute, write, “The Dakota Access oil pipeline appears to be part of America’s future, regardless of protests and previous stop-orders. But it’s a pipeline to America’s past — a past in which fossil-fuel dependence was the only course.” Bales/Winston op-ed in Modesto Bee
Health/Human Services
Covered CA says ACA replacement would raise premiums for some in Fresno County — A House Republican plan to replace health insurance subsidies available through the Affordable Care Act with tax credits based solely on age could make coverage unaffordable to older and lower- to middle-income Californians, according to Covered California, the state’s health insurance exchange. Fresno Bee article
As drug costs soar, people delay or skip cancer treatments — With new cancer drugs commonly priced at $100,000 a year or more, Krahne’s story is becoming increasingly common. Hundreds of thousands of cancer patients are delaying care, cutting their pills in half or skipping drug treatment entirely, a Kaiser Health News examination shows. Capital Public Radio report
Health of California’s college athletes would be focus of new state panel — Just as the NCAA kicks-off its popular March Madness college basketball tournament, a California lawmaker has pitched a new state panel to oversee the health and safety of college athletes across the Golden State. Capital Public Radio report
Transportation
California’s bullet train board badmouths the state’s Republican delegation – The state’s high-speed rail authority board verbally assaulted the state’s Republican House delegation Wednesday, blaming it for the delay of a grant that would have benefited California’s bullet train project. LA Times article
High-speed rail meets resistance – Farmers and residents living along Henry Miller Road voiced frustration and anger this week with the state’s high-speed rail project, which plans to cut through and bisect private property along the road. The California High Speed Rail Authority held an invitation-only meeting with about 70 affected property owners and family members Tuesday at the Los Banos Community Center. Los Banos Enterprise article
Fresno airport offering help to developmentally disabled flyers — For children and adults who are autistic or suffer from other developmental disabilities, what is supposed to be a pleasant trip by plane can end up being a difficult or downright traumatic experience for them and their families. But a new program being tested in May at Fresno Yosemite International Airport could makes such trips easier by offering developmentally disabled children and adults the opportunity to go through the process of preparing for an airline flight—including getting tickets, standing in lies, going through security screenings and even getting on a real plane—without actually taking a trip anywhere. The Business Journal article
American Airlines to offer free meals on flights between LA and New York — Airplane food is coming back. American Airlines will once again offer complimentary meals in its main cabin on select cross-country flights, including those between Los Angeles and New York. LA Times article
Other areas
New San Joaquin County courthouse on track, rumored delay unfounded – The San Joaquin County Courthouse is on schedule to open July 31, Superior Court Judge Robin Appel said Wednesday. Appel, chairwoman of the San Joaquin County Superior Court’s facilities committee, said recent rumors of a second delay are not true. Stockton Record article
Diabetic driver, mistaken for drunk, at heart of lawsuit against Bakersfield – Picture this: You’re a police officer, it’s 8 a.m. and you’ve just pulled over a suspected drunken driver. He ignores your request to shut off his engine and instead presses the accelerator. He behaves erratically. Says he just wants to go home. But his Ford Bronco is stuck in dirt and it’s going nowhere. You know you cannot let him drive off as he may be a danger to himself and others. Or this: You’re a 65-year-old man experiencing a diabetic medical crisis. You’re pulled over by Bakersfield police officers. But you’re disoriented, confused. Bakersfield Californian article
Hanford loses a titan – Sometimes, when somebody’s life ends, it seems like the end of an era. That’s what many felt when John O’Rourke, a longtime judge in Hanford and a tireless participant in the community, died last week at the age of 82. Hanford Sentinel article
Yahoo hackers got into Google, two Russian spies indicted: Justice Department — Federal authorities on Wednesday charged four men — including two members of a Russian intelligence agency that works with the FBI — in the 2014 hack of 500 million Yahoo accounts. San Jose Mercury News article
Valley Editorial Roundup
Fresno Bee – Fresno Mayor Lee Brand’s public safety board is worth of Fresno City Council’s support.
Modesto Bee – Royal Robbins changed the world of climbing, adding reverence for the rock; he chose to spend his adult life based in Modesto.
Sacramento Bee – Sacramento State is overbudget to hold commencement at Golden 1 Center. The city gets nine free civic events a year. Making the graduation one of them is a no-brainer; If the Republicans pushing Trumpcare truly wanted a free market for health care, they stop letting doctors, hospitals and insurers hide the price.