Tag Archives: hiccup

Senate ‘vote-a-rama’ continues with potential new hiccup for Democrats on sweeping climate and health care bill

The amendment process, known on Capitol Hill as a “vote-a-rama,” started Saturday night shortly after 11:30 p.m. ET. A final vote on the bill will take place after the amendment votes end, the timing of which is not yet clear.

But senators are looking at making changes to the bill, just hours before the chamber is expected to pass it.

Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona are in discussions with Senate GOP Whip John Thune on the 15% corporate minimum tax. The two Democrats — who are pivotal in writing and passing the legislation — were seen by CNN going into Thune’s office on Sunday.

“We’re having conversations and continuing to work it,” said Thune.

The issue has been percolating since Saturday after Sinema discovered language in a draft of the bill showing how subsidiaries of companies owned by private equity firms could be hit by the 15% corporate minimum tax if their combined book income exceeds $1 billion, according to a Senate source familiar with the matter.

If Sinema succeeds in altering that provision, the bill would raise $35 billion less in revenue, potentially reducing the roughly $300 billion in deficit savings, which is a key priority for Manchin.

In a potential problem for Democrats, Sinema could back a Thune amendment to exempt those companies from the corporate minimum tax — and pay for the lost revenue by extending for a year a limitation on individuals’ state and local tax deductions through 2026.

If the Senate adopts Thune’s proposal, several Democrats in the House primarily from coastal districts, who have campaigned on repealing the limits on the SALT deduction, could object.

The bill — named the Inflation Reduction Act — would represent the largest climate investment in US history and make major changes to health policy by giving Medicare the power for the first time to negotiate the prices of certain prescription drugs and extending expiring health care subsidies for three years. The legislation would reduce the deficit, be paid for through new taxes — including a 15% minimum tax on large corporations and a 1% tax on stock buybacks — and boost the Internal Revenue Service’s ability to collect.

It would raise over $700 billion in government revenue over 10 years and spend over $430 billion to reduce carbon emissions and extend subsidies for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act and use the rest of the new revenue to reduce the deficit.

Senate Democrats only need a simple majority for final passage of the bill since they are using a process known as reconciliation, which allows them to avoid a Republican filibuster and corresponding 60-vote threshold.

In order to pass a bill through the reconciliation process, however, the package must comply with a strict set of budget rules. And Republicans are using the vote-a-rama to put Democrats on the spot and force politically tough votes.

Republicans were also successful in removing a key insulin provisions to cap the price of insulin to $35 per month on the private insurance market, which the Senate parliamentarian ruled was not compliant with the Senate’s reconciliation rules. The $35 insulin cap for Medicare beneficiaries remains in place.

After the Senate passes the bill, the House is expected to return to Washington on Friday to consider it.

This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Kristin Wilson contributed to this report.

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Novak Djokovic Overcomes Hiccup To Beat Holger Rune At US Open | ATP Tour

It was not a perfect start to his chase for the Grand Slam, but Novak Djokovic escaped unscathed on Tuesday evening and reached the second round of the US Open.

After a second-set hiccup, the World No. 1 beat #NextGenATP star Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-1 in two hours and 15 minutes in front of a raucous Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd. The Danish teen suffered from cramps in the final two sets.

“It’s tough to talk about [the] third and fourth sets because he barely moved. [From] my side, I started great. Played a really, really good first set. After that, I don’t know, I was 4-3 serving in the second set. Everything was working well, but then I just lost the first serve,” Djokovic said. “Credit to him for fighting. He had the crowd behind him. It was tough to play in my first match, even though I had tonnes of experience playing on this court, for him it was the first one.

“Still, you get nerves. You still are feeling a little bit rusty at the beginning. Obviously I’m pleased with the way I finished the match. Again, it was not a fair battle on the court with his unfortunate injury and cramping.”

Djokovic is now six match wins from becoming the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to claim all four major titles in one season. The three-time US Open champion will next face Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor.

Entering the match, 18-year-old Rune told ATPTour.com that, “I have a lot of belief in myself even though I’m up against the World No. 1.” The Danish teen showed it by playing courageously in the second set and taking a tense tie-break, during which he rallied the New York fans on his side.

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Rune On Playing Djokovic: ‘This Is Where I Want To Be’

But ultimately, he was unable to sustain his aggressive play long enough to trouble the top seed further. Rune was visited by the trainer on multiple occasions in the final two sets to receive treatment on his upper legs for apparent cramping. Djokovic took advantage by hitting 55 winners to just 30 unforced errors.

“Unfortunately, my fitness let me down. I started cramping already in the beginning of the third set. From there on, it was tough,” Rune said. “I knew if I [wanted] to win, I really had to fight for every point. With my body at this point, it was impossible.”

After match point the 20-time major winner, who can pass Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for most Slam titles with a trophy at the end of this fortnight, had a lengthy exchange with Rune at the net to give him encouragement.

“I just told him that he handled himself extremely well. He didn’t want to stop,” Djokovic said. “I thought he was going to stop [at] the end of the third. He just kept going with dignity, finished off the match. He deserved definitely my respect, the respect of a lot of people. He’s still very, very young, 18 years old. He’s got plenty of time ahead of him. I’m sure we’re going to see a lot of him in the future.”

Despite the defeat, Rune will never forget the match. The crowd even chanted “Rune!” in support of the teen.

“I never felt anything like this. It was [an] unbelievable feeling staying there. I tried to give the crowd something, fight for every point, be pumped and everything,” Rune said. “The crowd was unbelievable. I couldn’t have asked for more. I never tried anything like this. It was a pretty sick feeling.”

Djokovic’s next opponent, Griekspoor, battled past big-hitting German Jan-Lennard Struff 2-6, 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 after three hours and 38 minutes.

Did You Know?
Djokovic is now 16-0 in first-round matches at the US Open. The Serbian has not lost in the opening round at a major since the 2006 Australian Open, when he was No. 76 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

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Bolsonaro ‘fine’ after being taken to hospital following 10-day hiccup attack | Jair Bolsonaro

Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, undergoing hospital treatment for complications following a near-fatal 2018 stabbing, said on Saturday that he feels fine and cannot wait to get back to work.

The Vila Nova Star hospital where Bolsonaro has been since Wednesday said that is making satisfactory progress and may be discharged within days, while chief surgeon Antonio Macedo told journalists that he could be released on Sunday.

Bolsonaro was offered a diet of soups and purees on Saturday, and assuming he showed no negative reaction, he could be discharged in the next few days, according to the hospital statement.

Bolsonaro, 66, has been in the São Paulo hospital since Wednesday for treatment relating to an obstructed intestine following the 2018 knifing.

He was reportedly initially admitted to a military hospital in the capital, Brasília, after being struck down by an unremitting bout of the hiccups which had lasted for more than 10 days.

The state of Bolsonaro’s health had been the subject of media speculation after a succession of public appearances in which he visibly struggled to speak.

Before his admission to hospital, Bolsonaro said on social media that his hiccups problem had started after he underwent dental surgery on 3 June, and blamed it on drugs he had been prescribed.

In a live online event on Saturday to mark the opening of a Caixa Economica bank branch in the northern state of Ceará, Bolsonaro said he was feeling fine and itching to get back to work.

“I’m fine, thank God. The problem I had earlier this week was still due to the stab wound I received in 2018 … from time to time, it affects the gut,” Bolsonaro said in the live event, explaining that he will not undergo surgery.

“I can’t wait to get back to work, see friends, and really get Brazil moving,” he added.

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