Senate GOP’s Zombie Bill Lives and Dies Again

The skinny: Yesterday, was a rollercoaster ride for the future of health care in the US Senate. In the afternoon, the GOP won the vote to debate their health care bill, but later that night the Senate voted to reject the repeal and replace measure in the first of many votes on amending the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. Things are looking very uncertain for the millions of Americans that depend on it for their coverage. The terms of the effort, which seems to live and die like a legislative zombie, moving forward are unclear. But a "skinny repeal" is apparently in the works.

This could be legislation that will repeal mandates for individuals and employers. According to the Daily Beast, the skinny repeal also ends the tax on medical device manufacturers while leaving Medicaid expansion intact, for now. For millions of Americans who are fans of the ACA, a skinny repeal may not be as bad as a full repeal, but it isn't much better either. The Congressional Budget Office predicts it would leave 15 million uninsured by 2026 than the projected 22 million of the full repeal. We here at VICE Impact want to hear your thoughts - please let us know what you think the future of health care should look like in the United States.

Sit for a cause: Hundreds of demonstrators from ADAPT, an activist organization for disability rights, have planned a sit-in at the lobby of one of the Senate office buildings in response to the GOP's impending repeal of the ACA. A spokesman from the group vowed that if the legislative body proceeded with the repeal that the sit-in would last indefinitely. According to Mic, there are at least 25 protesters who have been arrested since the protests began on Tuesday. The same organization made national news in June for another anti-health care repeal protest. Talk about getting out there and doing something.

Update on migrant tragedy: The fate of the migrants who were trafficked into the US in the back of trailer truck is uncertain. On Sunday, police in San Antonio, Texas were alerted to 30 people who were injured in the back of the trailer due to excessive heat. Eight more people died of heatstroke and a ninth person died while being treated at a hospital. Now, those that survived the deadly trip could still face deportation. According to a spokesperson from the US Immigration and Customs agency, who can stay and who will be forced to leave hasn't been figured out yet.

Old habits die hard: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the oldest civil rights organization in the country, and they held their annual National Convention over the weekend without a speaker from the White House. President Bush and Obama both attended the event while they were in office, but President Trump has snubbed the NAACP twice. During the 2016 campaign trail he refused an invitation, and now he continues to break the tradition of his predecessors. Trump did, however, make time in his schedule on Tuesday to speak with the Boy Scouts of America in a partisan rant.

Express yourself: A high school student from northern Virginia is using art to express themes of gender and sexual identity despite warnings from his school to tone it down. 18-year-old transgender teen Jasper Behrends defied his school administration and continued to make provocative art. Now his illustrations are being honored by the College Board, an educational nonprofit that oversees AP programs nationwide, produces the SAT and expands access to for university and college programs. Behrends tweeted about the controversy at his school and the accolades from College Board, and it's racked up more than 45,000 likes and nearly 14,000 retweets. At a time when trans students are silenced and many of their rights are being rescinded at the federal level, Behrends drawings are an act of bravery.

Love doesn't discriminate: A bridal boutique is under attack yet again for turning away a lesbian couple. W.W. Bridal Boutique located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, refused to sell to the customers because of the owners' opposition to same-sex marriage. In 2014 the boutique received a bad rap when co-owner Victoria Miller refused an appointment for a gay couple, claiming that providing the couple dresses would "break God's law".