Hasta La Gadget!

Republicans across Washington have made an unmistakable effort to conduct the business of government in the dark, giving the American public less opportunity to understand and weigh in on crucial issues that could profoundly affect their lives.

On Monday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer took questions from reporters, but news organizations couldn’t broadcast video or audio from the meeting. Reporters were furious over the decision, and on Tuesday, the White House announced Spicer would hold an on-camera briefing.

The White House press office also seems to be saying less and less. During the first 100 days of the Trump administration, officials would meet with reporters about once every two days. But since then, they’ve held briefings once every three days, according to the Washington Post.

White House press briefings have also gotten noticeably shorter, shifting from over an hour to, in at least one case, less than 15 minutes, the Post noted. The White House press office has also banned reporters from some outlets from attending a gaggle.

Trump himself hasn’t given a full news conference since February, and his last sit-down televised interview was with Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro in the middle of May. Weeks earlier, Trump abruptly ended an interview with CBS News when he was pressed on camera about his claim that President Barack Obama illegally wiretapped him.

Before Trump took office, there were clear signs of the secrecy he would embrace in the White House. He broke with longstanding tradition and refused to release his tax returns as a presidential candidate. His campaign banned certain outlets ― including HuffPost ― from events. During the presidential transition, his press team struggled to keep the pool of reporters covering him apprised of Trump’s every move, and he left Trump Tower on several occasions even after his team said there would be no more movement for that day.

Secrecy from any White House is alarming. But it is especially notable for Trump, whose extensive career in real estate could expose him to numerous potential conflicts of interest.

When Attorney General Jeff Sessions testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee about the investigation into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, he refused to answer questions about whether he advised Trump to fire FBI Director James Comey. Sessions cited Trump’s right to invoke executive privilege to justify his refusal to answer questions, even though Trump hadn’t actually invoked the privilege.

In a departure from the Obama administration, the White House has also declined to release its visitor logs, blocking the public from seeing who is meeting with top government officials. The secrecy has even extended to the smallest details of the presidency, as the White House has declined to release Trump’s weekend golf partners and hasn’t even acknowledged the president is playing. While Trump golfed with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in February, reporters were stuck in a room with blacked-out windows.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the principal White House deputy press secretary, told the Washington Post she didn’t think the administration was being secretive and blamed Democrats for making it more difficult to communicate with the American public.

“I disagree, at least from a White House perspective, that things are happening in secrecy,” she said. “One thing to point to is the obstruction by Democrats. There are over 100 nominees for positions in the departments that haven’t been approved, and without a full staff it makes it harder for agencies to communicate and respond to everything they’ve received.”

The lack of transparency has also extended to the Capitol, where Republicans have been negotiating legislation to repeal Obamacare behind closed doors. The process is so secretive that several Republicans have openly admitted they haven’t even seen what’s in the bill. The secrecy comes after contentious negotiations over the legislation in the House and angry constituents confronting legislators at local town halls across the country.

Capitol Hill reporters were also told earlier this month they would no longer be able to film interviews with senators in the hallways on the capitol complex. After an uproar, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), the chair of the Rules Committee, said there would be no changes to press coverage at the capitol. 

Even Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who chaired the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform but is retiring from Congress, criticized the lack of transparency in an interview over the weekend. Chaffetz was a frequent and outspoken critic of the Obama administration, but things haven’t improved with Trump, he said.

“The reality is, sadly, I don’t see much difference between the Trump administration and the (Barack) Obama administration,” he told Sinclair Broadcast Group.

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Allure’s July issue is gorgeous and groundbreaking thanks to Halima Aden, the glossy’s first hijab-wearing cover star. 

The 19-year-old model catapulted to stardom after becoming the first Miss Minnesota contestant to compete in a hijab and burkini in November 2016. She looks stunning on the cover of Allure in a Nike hijab and a red, white and blue hoodie.

Best of all, the words “This Is American Beauty” are emblazoned on her photo. 

Allure’s Molly Young writes that Aden’s robust presence in the industry is not intended to be politically charged, and that “if there is symbolism to be read into her, it is in our work, not hers.” But there is a timeliness to using a Muslim model to portray American beauty during a period of travel bans, prejudice, and a rise in anti-Muslim hate crimes. 

Aden became Vogue’s first hijab-wearing model in June and walked the Yeezy show in February, and there’s no doubt she’s a trailblazer.

She also happens to look totally badass in florals. 

One thing Aden does have to say about her hijab is that it allows her to spend less time worrying about her looks.

“I have much more to offer than my physical appearance, and a hijab protects me against ‘You’re too skinny,’ ‘You’re too thick,’ ‘Look at her hips,’ ‘Look at her thigh gap,’” she told Allure. “I don’t have to worry about that.” 

Head to Allure to read the entire interview. 

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For Architectural Digest, by Nick Mafi.

If the 2016 summer games in Rio de Janeiro were any indication of what to expect in 2020, city officials in Tokyo have their hands full preparing for the upcoming Olympic games. Some 500,000 foreigners traveled to Rio, purchasing the 7.5 million tickets. Accommodating this massive surge of attendees and providing transportation throughout the city proved no easy task. Preparing a city for the Olympic games often requires updating existing infrastructure, while also building completely new structures. In Brazil, $11.5 billion was spent on hosting the games, $7.1 billion of which was exclusively spent on the infrastructure of 37 venues. According to Bloomberg, in Tokyo, 45 new skyscrapers are in the process of being built in time for the Olympics, in addition to a new train station and stadium.

Renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has designed the Shinagawa New Station complex—the first new train station planned for Tokyo’s busy JR Yamanote line since 1971. Kuma’s design features a glass-and-steel roof that will resemble traditional Japanese origami. The sides of the station will also feature glass windows, with the goal of blurring the lines between the existing area and its newly created structure. Kuma and his team are also in charge of designing the National Stadium for the summer games, which will cost roughly $1.4 billion to complete.

Another of the major landmarks in the process of being completed for the Olympics is three massive towers in the Toranomon Hills area of Tokyo. One of the three structures is being designed by the international architecture firm OMA. The firm, which was founded by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Rem Koolhaas, is working on building a mixed-use high-rise that combines office spaces, hotels, and retail spaces, as well as a new subway station. The location of the OMA’s structure will connect commuters to other key parks of the city, including the planned Olympic village in Tokyo Bay to the Olympic Stadium. According to Shohei Shigematsu, a partner at OMA, “This axis of activity is designed to run through the base by incorporating an elevated park, extending vertically to wrap the tower; communicating the activity of the complex at an urban scale.”

When 2020 rolls around and the Olympic games commence, it’s anybody’s guess as to which country will take home the most medals. One thing that appears to be for certain, however, is that Toyko will be left with a skyline full of innovative new buildings.

More from Architectural Digest:

126 Stunning Celebrity Homes

Inside Jennifer Aniston’s Gorgeous Beverly Hills Home

Go Inside a $53 Million Private Jet

Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady’s Incredible L.A. Mansion

22 Incredible Indian Palaces (You Can Stay At)

Tour the World’s Most Luxurious Submarine Superyacht

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Senate Republicans apparently have decided the way to improve that “mean” House bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act is to make it even meaner, at least over the long run.

The chamber’s GOP leaders have sent their repeal legislation to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) for evaluation, with plans to hold a vote on the bill late next week. Although negotiations are ongoing, they have come up with a proposed compromise for one of the most complicated issues, Medicaid funding, according to reporting by Peter Sullivan of The Hill and Caitlin Owens of Axios ― and later confirmed to HuffPost by a health care strategist familiar with the proposal.

The details remain fuzzy, and may be in flux. In normal times, it would make sense wait until confirmation of those details or, better still, a chance to read the bill itself before drawing firm conclusions about what the proposal would do.

But Republicans are doing their best to keep legislative text a secret for as long as possible. On Monday night, as Democrats held a marathon debate to protest GOP tactics, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wouldn’t even promise 10 hours of public deliberation before holding a vote.

So it’s now or never when it comes to thinking through what this provision would do. And this provision would likely mean bigger cuts to Medicaid over time, although they would not hit as quickly as the cuts in the House version of repeal, which Senate Republicans have used as their template. 

Cutting Medicaid Is A Major Goal Of GOP Repeal Efforts

Medicaid has become an issue in this debate because the Affordable Care Act made extra funding available to states that expanded eligibility for their programs, so that anybody in households with income below or just above the federally defined poverty line can qualify. Many millions of people have gotten insurance as a result of that expansion, and initial research suggests that, predictably, they are more financially secure and have better access to health care as a result.

Republicans want to roll back that expansion, as part of their effort to wipe away as much of “Obamacare” as they can. But the GOP effort wouldn’t stop there. Republicans also want to realize their long-held dream of ending Medicaid as an entitlement ― in other words, ending the federal government’s open-ended agreement to fund the program at whatever it takes to cover the people who qualify for it, no matter how much their care costs and no matter how many become eligible.

Instead, Republicans reportedly would give states a choice ― accepting a “block grant” that allots them fixed sums of money each year or moving to a system of “per capita caps” that would allot fixed sums per person, but at a predetermined inflation rate that would likely grow more slowly than the actual cost of care. Either way, the scheme would likely reduce Medicaid funding over the long term.

The appeal of these proposals, to Republicans, is that they would mean smaller government and less federal spending. Not coincidentally, it would also mean an opportunity to cut taxes for the wealthiest echelon of Americans who now pay more in order to finance the Affordable Care Act’s expansions of health insurance.

But both propositions ― rolling back the expansion and cutting Medicaid funds going forward ― would lead to cutbacks in who or what the program covers. And that’s made it controversial even among some Republican lawmakers. It’s a big reason the CBO reported that the House bill deprive more than 20 million people of health insurance.

Among the GOP senators expressing the most concern about their party’s bill are those from states that expanded their Medicaid programs (not all did). These state are particularly dependent on Medicaid money, both to prop up local health care institutions and, in some cases, to provide a critical tool for fighting opioid addiction. These lawmakers include the one political analysts rank as the most vulnerable Republican senator in the 2018 elections ― Dean Heller of Nevada ― as well as Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rob Portman from Ohio.

It Sounds Like Smaller Cuts At First, Bigger Cuts Later

It appears the GOP leadership has changed the bill in response to those senators, although the ultimate effect would be to introduce cuts more slowly while imposing larger ones over time.

Specifically, the proposal sent to the CBO would phase out the Medicare expansion more slowly than House bill. And initially, it would allow states to secure larger federal contributions to Medicaid than the House plan.

The combined effects of these changes would delay the impact of the Medicaid cuts, postponing the date at which people actually lose their insurance or services. But the cuts would still take place ― and, more importantly, they would accelerate. The federal contribution to state Medicaid programs would fall more quickly starting in 2025, most likely creating an ever larger gap between what states need to maintain their programs and what the federal government provided. 

It’s impossible to be sure without final text and thorough analysis, the kind that ― thanks to McConnell’s rush ― is unlikely to happen until right before the Senate vote, if it happens at all. But the probable outcome of setting a higher starting point for the spending levels and a lower growth rate would be smaller cuts in the beginning, bigger cuts afterwards, a quick appraisal from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said Monday.

“We don’t quite know how this would work but … it’s almost certain that any benefit for states would be more than swamped by the application of the lower [inflation] growth rate starting in 2025,” Edwin Park, the center’s vice president for health policy, told HuffPost. 

Republicans have frequently said that rolling back the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid would strengthen the program’s ability to pursue its historic mission of helping poor children, pregnant women, the elderly and the disabled. But the long-term cuts to the program would jeopardize coverage for precisely those groups and, were something like this reported proposal to become law, the effects would be even harsher.

Forcing Republicans to explain how they reconcile that apparent contradiction would be a worthy enterprise, if only there were time to do it.

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Summer is almost officially here, which means it’s time to grab that swimsuit, hit the beach and break out the tunes. 

Nearly every year there are a few contenders for the one song that will define the summer. Cue Rihanna’s “Umbrella” from 2005 or Carly Rae Jepsen’s 2012 hit “Call Me Maybe.” The jury is still out about whether 2016 had a definitive song of the summer, so we’re hoping one single rises to the top for 2017. 

The good news? Several possibilities have already surfaced this year ― with some more likely to reach the summer-song status than others. In other words, yes, the race is on. And nestled in between the popular singles are musical gems that aren’t overplayed, but deserve to be heard. 

The team over at HuffPost Entertainment rounded up both in this handy guide ― all for your listening pleasure. By no means is this a comprehensive list.

Behold, the tracks we have on repeat right now … Maybe one of these will represent summer 2017, or perhaps will simply become your summer jam.  

“Cut to the Feeling” – Carly Rae Jepsen 

Shut it down. Contest over. Carly Slay Jepsen (the preferred spelling) came back in a big way this summer to save pop music from Ed Sheeran. Is it one of the 250 songs she wrote for her iconic album “Emotion”? Yes. Was it released to promote some animated film about ballerinas we’ll never see? Absolutely. But “Cut to the Feeling” is the kind of song that makes you strut down the sidewalk like you’re in competing in an “America’s Next Top Model” finale. With a chorus that demands to be belted and *shock* an actual build, this undeniable bop will have you asking why all your faves have been doing it wrong.

– Cole Delbyck 

“I’m the One” – DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper, Lil Wayne 

There are a few rules that the annual Song of Summer needs to follow without exception:

1. It must be incredibly well-known. The Song of Summer is never the best song of the season, but it is the best of the most famous songs of the season.
2. It must be predominantly basic, with a little something on the side for the music nerds.
3. It must be written in a major key ― ideally the key of C or G ― and make people smile.
4. It must be playable at an outdoor BBQ, while passable on the dance floor at night.
5. It must include a bass line that bounces to and fro, allowing for easy dancing.
6. Moms need to like it, and they need to make it known they like it after a couple drinks too.  
7. It must be intergenerational, including both members of the new guard and members of the old guard.
8. It must be created by its makers to be the Song of Summer. There are no accidents in the music industry. There are only cynical money grabs.
9. And by the final day of Summer, the entire world must never want to hear it again.

Thus, the song of the summer is “I’m The One,” by DJ Khaled and featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper and Lil Wayne. And it’s not close.

– Maxwell Strachan

“Humble” – Kendrick Lamar 

I heard a small child yelling along to this song late into the night as I waited for a bus that seemed like it would never come. “Be humble!” this young person screamed in an adorable high pitch. “Sit down!” (Of course absent from this kid’s sing-along was the interspersed and repeated “Hol’ up, bitch” between those lines.)

Songs of summer need to be extremely ubiquitous, danceable and fun for the whole family. “Humble” is very much those first two things, but only questionably the third. Given Kendrick Lamar’s immense rapping ability, it’s also beyond unlikely that the wedding dance floors this summer are going to be able to keep up with Lamar to shout along in joyous unison.

So in this increasingly fractured culture where any large consensus is increasingly hard to achieve with each successive year (2016 didn’t have a definitive song of summer), I’d argue that “Be humble!” / “Sit down!” will at least be the “musical lyric of the summer.” Besides, of course, simply being a great part of a great song on a great album.

– Todd Van Luling

“Bad Liar” – Selena Gomez

The song of the summer must invite endless listenability at increasing volumes. A swishy chorus (not to be confused with “Swish Swish,” heaven forbid) helps, too. With that in mind, I give you “Bad Liar,” a sleek jive that borrows the bass line from Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer.” Opening with gentle claps that blossom into twinkling cascades of sensuality, the production value remains cool and understated. Many pop stars are in the running for the year’s crown, but none of the others turn “serpentine” into a verb or craft a rhyme using the words “actuality” and “reality.” Selena is our summer-anthem queen.

– Matt Jacobs

“Despacito” – Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber

The last time a track sung mostly in Spanish topped the pop charts was more than 20 years ago ―in 1996 with Los Del Rio’s “Macarena.” That changed this year with the release of Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” featuring Justin Bieber. The reggaeton beat is undeniably catchy. And it doesn’t hurt that the video is downright fun, making us excited about summer romance and a memorable night out. This song will likely top many songs of the summer lists — with good reason. It’s already a massive global hit, and it’s on track to define summer 2017.

– Lauren Moraski

“Slow Hands” – Niall Horan

This groovy track from former One Direction member Niall Horan doesn’t exactly conjure images of bopping in jean shorts at a sticky-hot BBQ like all good songs of the summer should. Still, it is a delightfully edgy and seductive pop track that will get stuck in your head and make you shout “SLOW! HANDS!” at unsuspecting passersby as you perspire on public transit and contemplate exactly what Horan means when he says “sweat dripping down our dirty laundry.”

– Jill Capewell 

 “Holding On” – The War on Drugs

If you haven’t listened to their album “Lost in the Dream” over and over again since 2014, then you’re missing out on the magic that is The War on Drugs. The rock, Americana vibe this indie group gives off is mysterious, addicting and passionate. Their new single, “Holding On,” has those same qualities, and is sure to be a tune you’ll play on repeat while sipping an ice cold beer in your yard or on the beach.

– Leigh Blickley 

“Shape of You” – Ed Sheeran

“Shape of You” is the type of song that hooks you right from the beginning. As soon as that marimba beat starts, it’s hard to tune it out. It’s a little bit sexier for Sheeran ― it was written with Rihanna in mind, after all ― and it’s definitely not as deep or romantic as “Thinking Out Loud,” but it sure is catchy and it’s probably not going anywhere for the next few months.

– Julia Brucculieri

“Most Girls” – Hailee Steinfeld

I think everyone was a little nervous, upon hearing the name of this single, that it would be another addition to the all-too-familiar narrative of women tearing down other women. “Au contraire,” says Hailee Steinfeld (but not literally), blessing us plebes with a thoroughly danceable track about feeling “good in your own skin.” Whether you’re rocking out in tiny dresses or sweatpants, Ms. Steinfeld salutes you.

– Jill Capewell 

 “Passionfruit” – Drake

Admittedly, Drake won’t be the song of the summer contender most likely to inspire top-of-your-lungs sing-alongs; his newest single, “Passionfruit” (with Zoë Kravitz chiming in on the vocals!) is more laid back than that. It’s quintessential Drake: a super-sincere breakup anthem that’ll get stuck in your head for days. Paramore thought it was catchy, anyway; the group performed a cover that takes it up a notch, but doesn’t manner to capture the expressive, beachy vibes of the original, which made it to No. 8 on Billboard Hot 100.

–  Maddie Crum 

“Human” – Rag ‘n’ Bone Man

OK, so this isn’t necessarily your typical song of the summer, but it’s a great track nonetheless. Released in 2016, “Human” has only recently made its way onto the U.S. charts. It has a solid hook with a raw sound ― backed by excellent production ― and topped off with Rag ‘n’ Bone Man’s powerful voice. “Human” is a song that’s here to stay, and it comes without any major bells and whistles. And that’s refreshing. We’re only human after all, right?

– Lauren Moraski

“Stay” – Alessia Cara + Zedd

There are a few reasons this track is a strong contender for Song of the Summer. First, it features Alessia Cara, who’s been on the rise since her anti-party anthem “Here” was released in 2015. Second, it was produced by Zedd, who’s pretty much everywhere these days, churning out bops like “I Want You to Know” and “Starving.” Finally, it’s got that EDM-infused sound that appeals to the masses (but, thankfully, isn’t by The Chainsmokers) and it’s catchy as hell. During a recent trip, I also heard it on the radio about a hundred times in the span of three days. If that doesn’t scream Song of Summer, I don’t know what does.

– Julia Brucculieri

“Malibu” – Miley Cyrus

Gather ‘round and let’s talk about Miley Cyrus’ latest reinvention for a hot sec, if only because my personal summer anthem, Carly Rae Jepsen’s iconic “Cut to the Feeling,” has already been covered here. Since we last truly heard from Cyrus, with 2013’s “Bangerz” album that produced “Wrecking Ball,” she has become the human iteration of a grassy church picnic day in July. In other words, something we might call “pleasant, if slightly unsettling.” Or, as The New Yorker characterized it, “creepy.” In any case, Cyrus’ new safe-for-work schtick, an apparent product of her impending marriage to one of the Hemsworth clan, has produced a bouncy little tune, “Malibu,” in which the singer comes off like a more gravelly Bethany Cosentino circa 2010. Fittingly, for Song of the Summer consideration, it is about the beach. And California. A beach in California, even. In her breezily simple lyrics, Cyrus admires the sky, the water and the fish, observing the heat and graciously sparing us deeper thoughts about “what I can’t understand.” If you turn on the radio this summer, you will hear “Malibu” within the hour, but it’s not so bad.

– Sara Boboltz   

“Don’t Take the Money” – Bleachers

Jack Antonoff, who’s been behind some of your fave pop jams from “1989” and the more recent “Melodrama,” recently put forth his own full-length. The pretty OK sophomore effort “Gone Now” doesn’t quite hit all the high notes, nor can it successfully soundtrack a pool party on its own — but Antonoff’s lead single, “Don’t Take the Money,” surely can bolster a party playlist in the summer months. Co-written with Lorde, the song is peppy as all get out, and will make you feel like the hot season might never end while pumping it through your earbuds.

– Jill Capewell

“Feels” – Calvin Harris, ft. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry & Big Sean

This new Calvin Harris song sure does scream summer. It has a beachy and summery vibe that makes you just want to sit back and chill by the pool ― and maybe bop around a bit, too. On top of that, “Feels” features an all-star lineup. This single may be a late contender, but seeing as how summer is only now upon us, perhaps the timing is just right. Does it give you all the feels? 

– Lauren Moraski

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