Obamacare two steps closer to policy scrapheap

[Daily Maverick] FIRST THING with JOHN STUPART TGIF, 10 March 2017 “The childhood years are the best years of your life… Whoever coined that was an unmitigated f**kwit, a bullshit artist supreme. Life gets better the older you grow, until you grow too old of course.” Keri Hulme STORY OF THE DAY [The ANC vs The Stalwarts: The Great Betrayal & The Fight Back]( By RANJENI MUNUSAMY If you thought that the ANC could not stoop any lower, think again. After a series of meetings with their stalwarts and military veterans, the ANC has now spat in their faces. In a spectacular volte-face, some ANC leaders are denying they had agreed to a national consultative conference to confront the crisis in the party. Initially stunned by the betrayal, the stalwarts have now decided to fight back for the soul of the ANC. Those at the forefront of the struggle against apartheid are now remobilising to take on their own organisation. [US House approves Obamacare replacement]( Two congressional panels have given the green light to shelve Obamacare for a new policy, after hours of debate. But the House Energy and Commerce Committee took the cake, with 27 hours of continuous debate. It was passed eventually, and will now face intense Senate scrutiny, possibly as soon as April. [New Zealand levels with Proteas]( As of tea, the New Zealand test side had matched South Africa's first innings total of 304-8. New Zealand captain Kane Williamson's 16th Test century helped the home team come to equal terms with the Proteas, making for a very close match going into the weekend. [Korean president to face charges]( South Korean President Park Geun-Hye has been fired by the country's highest court. Park now holds the dubious honour of being the country's first female president and the first Korean president to be impeached. Elections must now be held within 60 days and Park appears to be facing criminal charges. [Short white men go bald faster -- study]( University of Bonn researchers have determined that short white men have a relatively higher chance of losing their hair: 63 genetic variations contribute to the hair loss, with shortness of stature being one of them. As if short man syndrome wasn't bad enough, science has found more to add to the pile. — PICTURE OF THE DAY BY EPA/MARCEL VAN HOORN Visitors attend the press preview of the TEFAF Maastricht art fair in Maastricht, the Netherlands, 9 March 2017. The TEFAF fair of art and antiques will be open to the public from 10 to 19 March. IN NUMBERS 2,000 The number of monkeys Morocco offered the coalition in support of the Iraq War. They were to detonate land mines. FACTS OF THE DAY Today is National Mario Day. This celebrates the video game character and not people named Mario. Kids in the United Kingdom spend less time outside than prison inmates. FEATURED ARTICLES [The ANC vs The Stalwarts: The Great Betrayal & The Fight Back]( [The ANC vs The Stalwarts: The Great Betrayal & The Fight Back]( BY Ranjeni Munusamy [SARS unravels SA clothing industry: Tax leakages, job losses blamed on illegal imports]( [SARS unravels SA clothing industry: Tax leakages, job losses blamed on illegal imports]( BY Marianne Thamm [TRAINSPOTTER: Landlocked — an interview with Julius Malema on Zuma, expropriation, and the pending revolution]( [TRAINSPOTTER: Landlocked — an interview with Julius Malema on Zuma, expropriation, and the pending revolution]( BY Richard Poplak [Exploiting the poorest of the poor: Allan Gray is feeling the NET1 heat]( [Exploiting the poorest of the poor: Allan Gray is feeling the NET1 heat]( BY Rebecca Davis [Op-Ed: There’s no conspiracy behind Zuma’s decision to replace three members of the JSC]( [Op-Ed: There’s no conspiracy behind Zuma’s decision to replace three members of the JSC]( BY John Jeffery [Street Talk: Power, strength & dignity, Part 2 (Video)]( [Street Talk: Power, strength & dignity, Part 2 (Video)]( BY Street Talk [Life Esidimeni: Intervention working, but much more needs to be done]( [Life Esidimeni: Intervention working, but much more needs to be done]( BY Greg Nicolson [Kenya’s very own ‘arms deal’ scandal]( [Kenya’s very own ‘arms deal’ scandal]( BY Njeri Kimani & Simon Allison [Corporate Collusion: The harsher penalties challenge]( [Corporate Collusion: The harsher penalties challenge]( BY Greg Nicolson [Theatre Review: Marat/Sade, a visceral and enduring collision of history, theatre and politics]( [Theatre Review: Marat/Sade, a visceral and enduring collision of history, theatre and politics]( BY Marianne Thamm [Open Letter to Minister Motsoaledi: Muzzling healthcare workers does little to address problems in the system]( [Open Letter to Minister Motsoaledi: Muzzling healthcare workers does little to address problems in the system]( BY Samantha Khan-Gillmore [Cricket: SA vs NZ – All eyes on Ross Taylor’s injury and other talking points]( [Cricket: SA vs NZ – All eyes on Ross Taylor’s injury and other talking points]( BY Antoinette Muller OPINIONISTAS [Social Grants crisis: You cannot eat airtime]( [Social Grants crisis: You cannot eat airtime]( A column by Magda Wierzycka [All around us, those in power flout the rule of law]( [All around us, those in power flout the rule of law]( A column by Judith February [The Other News Round-Up: This is my Spite House, Take Back my Life House]( [The Other News Round-Up: This is my Spite House, Take Back my Life House]( A column by Marelise van der Merwe [Get rich, get rich, get rich, at all cost Mzansi, get rich!]( [Get rich, get rich, get rich, at all cost Mzansi, get rich!]( A column by Oscar van Heerden — Weather BFN: min: 14° max: 26°, cloudy CPT: min: 15° max: 30°, sunny DBN: min: 18° max: 22°, rainy EL: min: 18° max: 24°, cloudy JHB: min: 11° max: 23°, cloudy KIM: min: 17° max: 28°, sunny NLP: min: 11° max: 22°, cloudy PMB: min: 9° max: 19°, cloudy PE: min: 17° max: 24°, cloudy PTA: min: 13° max: 25°, cloudy Financial Data Oil=$51.83 Gold=$1,203.92 Platinum=$936.95 R/$=13.30 R/€=14.08 R/£=16.18 $/€=1.05 JSE All Share=50,910.71 DJIA=20,858.11 FTSE 100=7,314.96 [FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND]( Copyright © 2017 Daily Maverick, All rights reserved. You are receiving this mail because you are awesome and on the Daily Maverick First Thing subscriber list. [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](