President Trump has been working on an alternative regulatory policy initiative to workaround the lack of congressional action on healthcare. Today President Trump unveils the MAGA healthcare initiative that allows HHS to permit groups of people to form “Health Associations” and seek competitive health insurance options across state lines.
One of the biggest benefits to allowing “Health Associations” is that the group policies will not be bound to the same ObamaCare insurance mandates and will likely be lower-cost insurance products. This isn’t a government mandate. It isn’t a subsidy. It isn’t a tax. Rather, it is the removal of government regulation and barriers to the best possible health care for millions of people.

.
EXPANDING ACCESS TO MORE AFFORDABLE OPTIONS: President Donald J. Trump is taking action to increase the healthcare choices for millions of Americans, potentially allowing some employers to join together across State lines to offer coverage.
• President Trump signed an Executive Order to reform the United States healthcare system to take the first steps to expand choices and alternatives to Obamacare plans and increase competition to bring down costs for consumers.
(more…)

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivers the White House Press Briefing for October 12th.  Approximate start time 1:30pm EST
The White House surprised everyone by having the press conference today conducted by President Trump’s Chief of Staff John Kelly.  Brilliant !!
Video Added:

(more…)

Prior to delivering a speech in Harrisburg Pennsylvania to outline the tax reform plan, President Trump sits down with Sean Hannity for an exclusive interview.  Topics included tax reform, the larger economic plan, North Korea, the Iran deal, the NFL anthem protests and the frequency of fake news:

(more…)

In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP

Sarah H Sanders Twitter @SHSanders45

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

There is a myriad of complexity within the Iran issue that extends beyond the substantive issue of whether or not President Trump should again certify compliance with the Iran Nuclear Deal.
For clarity, President Trump would not be ending the deal or ending the agreement.  The President is required (every 90 days) to certify if Iran is upholding the terms of the nuclear agreement.  The next certification is due on October 15th.  If President Trump does not, because he cannot, certify compliance – he notifies congress.  It’s up to congress to decide what to do from there.
Therefore President Trump would not be “tearing up” the agreement, nor would he be “ending the agreement”, he would simply be notifying congress of the compliance of Iran, or lack thereof, according to the monitoring agencies that report to the President.  That’s it.  Now to Senator Tom Cotton.  Watch:

.
Senator Cotton can be an ally for MAGA (see immigration), or he can be a concern for MAGA (see aggressive military intervention), depending on the issue.  It is also important to understand how lobbying efforts impact policy positions as they relate to military intervention.  There are interests in DC pushing us toward military conflict with Iran.
(more…)

As best can be determined the current narrative (subject to change) is that a security guard, Jesus “Jose” Campos, was dispatched to the 32nd floor due to an alarm from an emergency stairwell door being opened.  [Jose Campos is currently being guarded by a security firm and not available for media interviews].

Sometime after (or during) Campos assignment to check out the alarm, a maintenance worker named Stephen Schuck was sent to check out a fire exit door that would not open.  Presumably this is the same door Campos was assigned to investigate.
Maintenance worker Schuck could not open the door from the stairwell and needed to go back into another wing to come to the front of the exit door on the 32nd floor.
During this Schuck transit time Campos arrived on the 32nd floor and noted the hotel suite door partially open (didn’t knock) and encountered the shooter, Stephen Paddock, who shot Campos in the leg (upper left thigh) and fired multiple rounds through the door.

Maintenance worker Schuck arrives to find Security Guard Campos hiding in an alcove (“poking his head out”) who immediately warned Schuck to get away and then both come under a hail of gunfire.  See video interview:
(more…)

President Donald Trump has traveled to Harrisburg Pennsylvania to deliver a speech on the need for tax reform.  The speech will likely be broadcast on cable news and is anticipated to begin at approximately 5:30pm to 6:00pm EST.
UPDATE: Video Added

(more…)

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcome Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau back to the White House.
By all media accounts, especially those from Canada, the primary purpose of Trudeau’s visit is to firm up support for NAFTA.  Prior to the bilateral meeting between the two leaders, Trudeau was lobbying the congressional GOPe Ways and Means Committee to rebuke the America-First economic policies of President Trump.

[Transcript Here]

.
Isn’t it interesting how heads of foreign governments feel so comfortable coming to the U.S., engaging with Washington DC politicians and openly attempting to eliminate the national economic policy interests of a sitting U.S. President (and American workers)?
No, really… think about that.  If you ever needed to remind your family, friends and neighbors of how thoroughly our national economic sovereignty has been destroyed, simply put the reality of foreign leaders lobbying Washington DC to retain their global interests into the context of any conversation…. then ask them to think about it.
Name another country that would even fathom allowing such activity.
(more…)

We would not be surprised to find out this report is either accurate or slightly incorrect.  It is entirely possible that President Trump may also keep Elaine Duke as DHS head and appoint Kirstjen Neilsen as Duke’s deputy.  Obviously President Trump will keenly weigh former DHS head and current CoS John Kelly’s thoughts on both candidates.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is expected to nominate his chief of staff’s deputy, Kirstjen Nielsen, as his next secretary of Homeland Security.
That’s according to four people familiar with the decision, including two administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about a personnel decision before it was officially announced. While two of those people cautioned that the president could always change his mind before a formal announcement, the others said the decision was slated to be announced formally Thursday.

(more…)