ACA repealers get the people's wrath: Since GOP Congress members aggressively pushed for the repeal of the ACA, their constituents have turned out in droves to give their elected officials a piece of their mind. On Wednesday, Congressman Tom MacArthur from New Jersey was raked over the coals by critics in his swing district. MacArthur shares responsibility with Mark Meadows (NC-R), for the Trumpcare amendment which legalized bias on pre-existing conditions. Before the ACA banned discrimination based on medical history, insurance companies could use a patient's prior sexual assault to the deny them coverage in the future. Two high-school seniors asked MacArthur whether or not his amendment defined rape as a pre-existing condition, which he refused to answer. The town hall was interspersed with boos and jeers as the Congressman did his best to evade pointed questions. If you're looking to get your voice heard or see democracy in action, you can find out about town halls happening near you.The health cost of alternative facts: The Somali community in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota is being ravaged by the measles in the largest outbreak in decades. They have fallen victim to the widespread myths of anti-vaxxers who allege that vaccines cause autism, which has been disproven on more than one occasion. The largest Somali population in the U.S. is in the Twin Cities and they have been targeted by members inside and outside of their community, spreading misinformation that confuses people on what is fiction versus what is fact. One positive since the measles outbreak is that more Somali-immigrant children are getting vaccinated than ever before. The numbers rose from 30 does per week to 500, which may just turn the tide on this avoidable epidemic.Yet again, Texas disappoints us: Texas made a cannonball-sized splash when Governor Greg Abbott declared war on sanctuary cities and by extension both undocumented immigrants and police. Now, the state's House of Representatives has passed a bill that is homophobic af. The bill would allow federally funded foster care and adoption agencies to deny placing children into families based on religious grounds. If the state Senate approves the bill and it becomes a law, then LGBTQ families, atheist families and anyone that doesn't resemble the cast of Leave it to Beaver can be openly discriminated against. Texas, we're all going to need you to do better.Where there's smoke there's fire: The FDA is yelling fire in the hole as they detonate the businesses of vaping entrepreneurs with regulations. The FDA thinks that flavors like bubble gum and cotton candy have the potential to seduce a younger audience into an unhealthy habit and have imposed stringent guidelines on manufacturing, sales, packaging and advertising for e-cigarette products. Although health experts say that vaping is less dangerous than smoking, the jury is still out on whether or not they're completely safe. Still, the government's mandates could break the industry and vape bros everywhere are holding their breath for good news.This kid is our queer-o: Heroes take all shapes and sizes and Byshop Elliott, an openly gay 18-year-old who is suing his school for the right to form a Gay-Straight Alliance, has definitely earned that title. Elliot, with the help of the New York Civil Liberties Union, is fighting back against the administration that he says created a homophobic atmosphere, which obviously makes for a shitty learning environment. It takes a lot of courage for anyone to do something like this, especially a kid—respect.The roof, the roof, the roof is on solar: Tesla, the car company spearheading the third industrial revolution of clean energy automobiles, is now branching out to home improvement. The company is accepting orders for its Solar Energy roof tiling system, which are solar panels that look like roofing tiles. They're calling this venture Project Sunroof— aptly named. It's estimated to generate $38,100 in energy over 30 years, which means huge savings for green friendly homeowners at a low cost of $42 per square-foot. Can you say raise the roof?
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