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Jul 5, 2017

07/05/2017: Let’s dig into the Senate health care bill

It’s not exactly beach reading, but it’s not the Fourth of July anymore either. Congress is back from recess next week and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has his sights on reworking and then passing his party’s health care bill. Here’s the thing though: reading the bill’s 142 pages is really tough unless you’re an expert. So we called one. Then: President Trump tweeted Monday that gas prices are the lowest they’ve been in a decade and he’d like to see them go lower. Because facts matter: they’re low, but not that low, and the full picture of what “cheap gas” means is a lot more complicated. Plus, for many people it’s easier than ever to get by in this economy without carrying any currency. So what’s the future of cash look like?

Legislation is “like an old Roman city,” says Nicholas Bagley, a law professor at the University of Michigan. The original is on the bottom and amendments are layered on top. To understand legislation, you have to know how it's changed, he says. Above, House Speaker Paul Ryan speaks to the media in March.
Legislation is “like an old Roman city,” says Nicholas Bagley, a law professor at the University of Michigan. The original is on the bottom and amendments are layered on top. To understand legislation, you have to know how it's changed, he says. Above, House Speaker Paul Ryan speaks to the media in March.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images

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It’s not exactly beach reading, but it’s not the Fourth of July anymore either. Congress is back from recess next week and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has his sights on reworking and then passing his party’s health care bill. Here’s the thing though: reading the bill’s 142 pages is really tough unless you’re an expert. So we called one. Then: President Trump tweeted Monday that gas prices are the lowest they’ve been in a decade and he’d like to see them go lower. Because facts matter: they’re low, but not that low, and the full picture of what “cheap gas” means is a lot more complicated. Plus, for many people it’s easier than ever to get by in this economy without carrying any currency. So what’s the future of cash look like?