Michael Flynn, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, CVS and Aetna, and What Our Priorities Say About Our Care for Children

Michael Flynn has entered a guilty plea and is cooperating with the Mueller investigation, and the Senate took a big step toward tax cuts. With very few days left in the legislative year, we’re considering how our national priorities measure up to our professed love of children. 

Thanks to Crane & Canopy, Away, Zola, and ModCloth for sponsoring today's episode. Thanks as always to our patrons; if you would like to support Pantsuit Politics, please visit our Patreon page. We were thrilled to appear on KCRW's One Year Later with Jennifer Rubin this week and hope you'll check out that conversation along with our new podcast, The Nuanced Life. 

Michael Flynn entered a guilty plea to lying to the FBI. Legal experts seem to agree that this relatively minor offense must mean he has valuable information to offer to the Mueller investigation. They disagree about what, if anything, it means about criminal acts by other Trump transition team officials. 

The Senate passed a version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. We discuss the process and meaning of the vote. Meanwhile, the government still needs to be funded.  And, CVS and Aetna have announced plans to merge. 

In our main segment, we talk about how our national priorities square with our expressed love for children through the prism of three topics: the funding of the Children's Health Insurance Program, the childcare tax credit, and a Politico investigation into reporting disciplinary restraint and isolation of special needs students. 

We end, as always, with what's on our minds outside of politics. Beth is confronting her transition to self-employment. Sarah is all settled into her new house and enjoying some down time.