5 things you need to know Thursday
House GOP's long-awaited health care vote
It's been a bumpy ride but the House appears ready to vote Thursday on the Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. After weeks of negotiations, House GOP leaders sweetened the pot for moderates with an $8 billion amendment to help patients with pre-existing conditions pay for higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs. They now believe they have the votes to pass the bill, but the high-stakes showdown could be a down-to-the-wire squeaker. With Democrats unified against the measure, GOP leaders can only lose about 22 Republicans and still pass the bill.
Congress holds second hearing on passenger-dragging incident
Congress gets to take another swing at the airline industry's customer services practices Thursday in the wake of the now-infamous passenger-dragging incident on April 9. A Senate Transportation subcommittee on aviationwill hold a hearing looking at what led to Chicago aviation police dragging passenger David Dao off a United Express flight to make room for crew members. At a House hearing Tuesday, lawmakers grilled airline executives for treating customers badly, such as denying them boarding due to overbooked flights.
Trump prepares to "make good" on religious freedom promise
President Trump looks set to fulfill a controversial campaign promise Thursday and sign a religious freedom executive order. The executive order is expected to be building on a 1993 law protecting religious freedom that restored a requirement for the government to prove a compelling interest for any law that violates someone’s religious belief. Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union and the Human Rights Campaign have already said that they plan to immediately file legal challenges against the order if it is as broad as a draft that leaked earlier this year. They are concerned Trump's actions will enable discrimination against gays and religious minorities, and allow many employers to deny birth control services in the health care plans they offer to workers.
Midwest braces for more flooding
Folks in the flooded Midwest will see more unwelcome wet weather Thursday, which is the last thing they need with rivers in states such as Missouri, Illinois and Arkansas at or near all-time record levels. Forecasters expect 2 inches of rain or more in parts of the same hard-hit areas by Thursday evening. Heavy rain last weekend resulted in a sudden rise in rivers. Missouri has seen the worst of it so far: Five people have died in flooding in Missouri, and several towns have sustained widespread damage.
#MayThe4th be with you: It's 'Star Wars' Day
While the Star Wars Celebration convention last month in Orlando was the destination for die-hard fans, "May the 4th" is a day for all lovers of the galaxy far, far away. (Why May 4, you ask? Why, it's right there in the date, a play on "May the Force be with you.") Here are six ways to celebrateStar Wars Day. You can also watch the trailer for the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi. If you've somehow never seen the movies, here are 13 very basic Star Wars things to know.
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