Senator Mitch McConnell has decided to bypass committee hearings on the Planned Parenthood defunding bill and bring the Rand Paul-sponsored legislation directly to the Senate floor for a vote. Fast-tracking the bill sidelines Ted Cruz and Mike Lee, who tried to attach a PP defunding bill to highway funding legislation.  McConnell scotched that effort because he needs all the Democratic votes he can muster to pass the highway legislation. Instead, the majority leader opted to make the defunding measure a standalone bill. The Hill: Republicans have renewed their opposition to Planned Parenthood after two videos were released earlier this month showing officials discussing the preservation of fetal tissue.    But McConnell added a hurdle to that effort on Friday, when he used a tactic known as "filling the tree" to block additional amendments from being offered to the highway bill.    Cruz, pointing to McConnell's maneuver,...(Read Full Post)