On August 28, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump Administration would lift a two-year ban on the transfer of surplus military equipment from the Pentagon to police departments across the United States. In an address to the Fraternal Order of Police in Nashville, the attorney general said that the President’s Executive Order would make it easier for police officers to protect themselves and their communities. “We will not put superficial concerns over public safety,” he said, calling the equipment — which includes grenade launchers, armored vehicles, and bayonets — “lifesaving gear.” The program — known as 1033, after…

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee scheduled four days of hearings on shoring up the country’s health care system. Titled “Stabilizing Premiums and Helping Individuals in the Individual Insurance Market for 2018,” the hearings were held on September 6, 7, 12. The committee heard testimony testimony from State insurance commissioners, governors, health care experts, and insurance companies. The hearings marked the first time that Democratic and Republican senators have met together to look for ways to stabilize the health care system under Obamacare. The top Republican and the top Democrat on the committee each issued statements affirming their intention…