Why is this news?

OK, let me explain this more clearly.

No, I do not think this story is news. Not at all. I think it's clickbait through and through. When 200 Congressmen and women support it, then I will believe it is news. When 15 people support it, I think it's a waste of everyone's time to be reporting on it like it's actual news.

 

Interesting. You've probably got a higher standard for what counts as news than most, but nothing wrong with that. But because I like poking, because this obviously has a certain bent on the spectrum and because whataboutism is just the rage these days, would I be right to assume a TV star and quirky billionaire questioning the legitimacy of a president's birthplace would also not be news. It's more fringy than 1 in seven senators backing something, and certainly more about oddity-level interest than anything anchored in reality.

A follow up might be updates on The Wall. That's trickier. Obviously the most powerful person in the world supports it, and perhaps that makes it news. But it also at this juncture seems far more imaginary than serious (does it have announced backing of 15 congresspeople?), and could certainly be considered unrealistic grandstanding.

 

what happened.

 

One of the five to ten highest profile politicians in the land introduces ambitious but probably unfeasible legislation.

 

If we've gotten to the point that healthcare legislation is clickbait, society is doing better than I thought.