Neil A. Carousso produces NewsNation original “Kurt’s Country” – a celebration of country music and a slice of Americana with host Kurt Bardella.
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GOP Healthcare Failure: What Do We Do as ObamaCare Collapses?
By Neil A. Carousso
When the American Health Care Act (AHCA) was pulled from the House vote on Friday, it signaled failure for a Republican Party that campaigned on “repeal and replace” of the Affordable Health Care Act for over seven years, but perhaps, it was for the best.
Premiums have risen by double digits in 31 states including a 116 percent increase in Arizona. One out of every three U.S. counties have just one insurer to choose from as a result of ObamaCare that was signed into law in March 2010 without one Republican vote. Six of 39 cancer drugs on the market in 2010 doubled or tripled in price by 2016, one quadrupled in price and another had an eightfold price increase.
On top of these statistics, millions of Americans were thrown off their insurance plans and lost their doctors despite what was promised by former President Barack Obama.
Seven years ago, the Congressional Budget Office projected 23 million Americans would be enrolled in ObamaCare Exchange enrollments in 2017. The reality is only 12.2 million people are enrolled on the ObamaCare Exchanges. The CBO predicted that 14 million fewer people would have health insurance by 2018 if the AHCA passed and 24 million fewer insured Americans by 2026 – a partial result of removing the ObamaCare mandate and penalty for not having health insurance. The AHCA was projected to reduce the federal deficit by $337 billion.
“We learned a lot about loyalty, we learned a lot about the vote-getting process, we learned a lot about some very arcane rules in obviously both the Senate and in the House.” – President Donald J. Trump in the Oval Office on Friday afternoon
Conservative Republicans like the House Freedom Caucus wanted a seat at the table to negotiate with other Republicans and President Donald J. Trump, the chief negotiator, in order to effectively bring costs down. President Trump met and spoke on the phone early and late at night with moderate and conservative Republicans in trying to negotiate the best plan for the American people. However, House Speaker Paul Ryan and the House leadership seemed stubborn during negotiations after not building consensus in their own Party before rolling out the AHCA.
President Trump on Friday said he’s “disappointed” that the AHCA had to be pulled from a House vote. “When they all become civilized and come together and try to workout a great health care bill for the people of this country, we’re open to it,” President Trump said on Friday shortly after the House removed the AHCA from a vote. “Everybody worked hard. I worked as a team player and would have loved to seen it pass…perhaps, the best thing that could have happened was exactly what happened today because we’ll end up with a truly great health care bill in the future after this mess known as ObamaCare explodes,” the Chief Executive added.
Key Components of the AHCA:
-First major reform of medicaid
-Repeal individual and employer mandate
-Defund Planned Parenthood
-Cuts ObamaCare taxes and if passed, would have made tax relief and reform easier to enact
What the Freedom Caucus Wanted in the AHCA:
-No one-size fits all mandate
-Essential health benefits such as maternity and mental health benefits removed (President Trump reportedly conceded)
-Remove pre-existing conditions, guaranteed issue and community rating
“The ACA chose to deal with [pre-existing conditions] by saying, ‘If you are an insurer, you must sell to anyone who walks through the door, regardless, and you’ll get paid as if the person were healthy.’ That’s a recipe for disaster,” said Dr. Robert Graboyes a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University on episode 36 of “The Neil A. Carousso Show Podcast.”
Dr. Graboyes explained that one piece of legislation will neither fix the health insurance cost problem nor the quality of health care. This reporter asked pointed questions of the health care policy expert: “What should be included in any new legislation as Republicans start over on health care?”
What is better policy: a clean repeal of ObamaCare or a simultaneous repeal and replacement and is that feasible? Listen to episode 36 of the daily podcast above for answers on how your health care may be affected and what the future holds for health care and health insurance.
It seems Speaker Ryan will revisit health care and draw up a new plan as President Trump begins to tackle tax reform next in his ambitious agenda.
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As Seen on “The Neil A. Carousso Show:” Neil Sits Down with a Retired Immigration Agent about the Drug Epidemic’s “Nexus” to Illegal Immigration
Michael Cutler, retired senior special agent for the Immigration and Naturalization Service sat down with Neil A. Carousso for a wide-ranging interview, including insight to FBI Director James Comey’s declaration that Mexican drug cartels are responsible for the drug epidemic in the U.S. This is part of the exclusive interview that aired on The Neil A. Carousso Show on Sunday, March 5, 2017.
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Unity and Leadership: President Trump Delivers an Inspiring Message in a Joint Session of Congress and to the American People, Pleads for Unity between Parties
By Neil A. Carousso
An optimistic, powerful, motivating, inspiring, bold and post-partisan, unifying message to Americans by President Donald J. Trump.
It was a message based on reality, focused on winning economically and militarily in order to protect our freedom and American values.
President Trump delivers his first joint session of Congress address (Reuters) The most emotional and poignant moment was when President Trump ensured Navy SEAL Ryan Owens‘ widow, Carryn, that Owens died for a reason in his mission to protect Americans and advance liberty, despite some of the criticisms from those who believe the raid in Yemen was not appropriate. There was a long standing ovation, lasting over two minutes, for Mrs. Owens.
Chief Petty Officer William ‘Ryan’ Owens. (Courtesy: Capt. Jason Salata/Naval Special Warfare Command) President Trump reinforced his pledge to eradicate the “vile enemy” of the Islamic State and provide much-needed and long overdue support for our veterans.
The Chief Executive called for both sides to come together to pass immigration reform to protect our borders and our children from drugs and violent crime. Trump called for inner-city reform, including school choice, to give people chances to succeed. A guest of Mr. Trump’s, Denisha Merriweathe, was the first person in her family to graduate from high school and college after overcoming adversity of failing 3rd grade twice and other educational and economic disadvantages.
President Trump called for Congress to repeal and replace of the Affordable Healthcare Act that has shrunk the private healthcare industry, driving premiums and deductibles higher and cutting competition across the board. The ACA or ObamaCare has not worked for all Americans.
President Trump called for unity in supporting a non-ideological, common sense agenda that Americans voted for on November 8th.
“The time for small thinking is over. The time for trivial fights is behind us,” pleaded President Trump in his call for American unity.
Democratic politicians, meanwhile, have not represented flexibility in their demeanor to hearing a message of putting the United States interests first and supporting victims of preventable illegal immigrant crime with families of people killed by illegal aliens as guests of the President. Democrats even sat during calls for increased women entrepreneurship. It was clear that the Democrats were not willing to agree with any point, even nonpartisan or more ideologically left positions, that Mr. Trump has taken throughout the campaign and into his administration like paid family leave.
President Trump even called for a more comprehensive infrastructure plan than President Barack Obama proposed.
The President began his speech by discussing Black History Month, saying it reminds us of “work that still remains to be done.” Trump denounced all hate crimes including anti-Semitic actions.
The President reenforced his agenda, listed his early successes, and reminded Americans of his campaign promises with effective messaging, heart and true “American spirit.” It is evident that Mr. Trump is a man of action who truly wants to Make America Great Again for everyone from the coasts to Middle America to the inner-cities.
“Believe in yourselves. Believe in your future. And believe, once more, in America,” said President Trump.
Given that President Trump expressed a more conciliatory tone, an instant CNN/ORC poll found that 57 percent of people who tuned in reporting a “very positive reaction” to the Commander-In-Chief’s first address to Congress. “Nearly 7-in-10 who watched said the President’s proposed policies would move the country in the right direction and almost two-thirds said the president has the right priorities for the country. Overall, about 7-in-10 said the speech made them feel more optimistic about the direction of the country.”
Carryn Owens, widow of Navy SEAL William Ryan Owens, reacts after being recognized by President Donald Trump during his address to a joint session of Congress in the Capitol’s House Chamber. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) 
President Trump looks up at Carryn Owens, widow of a Navy SEAL killed in last month’s raid in Yemen. (Getty Images) 
First Lady Melania Trump receives a standing ovation prior to her husband’s address to Congress. Behind the First Lady is Mr. Trump’s son-in-law and Senior Advisor to the President Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump. Next to Ivanka is widow of Navy SEAL Ryan Owens, Carryn Owens. Adjacent to the First Lady are Mr. Trump’s invited guests, family of victims of illegal immigrant crime and others. (AP Photo) 
President Trump (centered) with Vice President Mike Pence (back left) and House Speaker Paul Ryan (back right) applauding the 45th President. After a busy day of signing executive orders prior to the Congressional address, President Trump is expected to pass another order this week suspending immigrants and refugees from terror-riddled nations, as in the original executive order, with some reported changes, that is tied up in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The President is hoping for better messaging from his administration to gain support for the national security measure, following the Department of Homeland Security memos that were issued last week.
Featured Image Courtesy: Associated Press.
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President Trump Calls for an Increase in Military Spending in First Budget
By Neil A. Carousso
The White House announced Monday morning that President Donald J. Trump’s upcoming budget will ask for a $54 billion increase in the defense budget.
“This will be a public safety and national security budget,” said President Trump at the National Governors Association Meeting at the White House. “It will include a historic increase in defense spending to rebuild the depleted military of the United States of America at a time when we most need it.”
Currently, half of the U.S. Navy F-18 Hornets cannot take to the skies, and up to 75 percent of U.S. Marine Corps jets are grounded.
About half of United States Air Force B-1 bombers are out-of-service as it awaits spare parts. Many U.S. military jets have flown well past its expected lives. There is a shortage of spare parts and manufacturers do not make many of the military’s parts necessities.
On January 27, 2017, President Donald Trump, left, listens as Defense Secretary James Mattis, right, speaks at The Pentagon in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) President Trump has vowed to update the military’s dilapidated equipment, much to the appreciation of military brass who have been sounding the alarm under the Obama Administration and drafting expansion plans that would best serve the country’s defense needs.
The Commander-In-Chief has also promised to end the defense sequester, a provision of the Budget Control Act of 2011 that “imposes across-the-board spending cuts if Congress and The White House cannot agree on more targeted cuts aimed at reducing the budget deficit,” according to the U.S. Department of Defense. The DOD and military leaders said last March that “sequestration poses the biggest threat to readiness.”President Barack Obama proposed a $582.7 billion budget in February 2016. The defense budget is currently about $610 billion which is not nearly enough with depleted military equipment and rising daily threats of radical Islamic terrorism and other domestic terror threats, according to military personnel.
The new leadership at The Pentagon under President Trump’s DOD Secretary General James Mattis issued budget guidance earlier this month with three major points to accomplish: improving “warfighting readiness, to achieve program balance by addressing shortfalls, and to build ‘a larger, more capable, and more lethal joint force.'” The Commander-In-Chief has echoed President Ronald Reagan’s mantra of “peace through strength.”
Featured Image: Getty Images.
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Enforcing Immigration Laws: DHS Order to Prioritize Deportation of Criminal Illegal Aliens, End to “Catch-and-Release”
By Neil A. Carousso
Department of Homeland Security Secretary General John Kelly moved to implement President Donald J. Trump’s immigration policies, namely prioritizing criminal illegal immigrants, hiring more immigration officers, officially ending the “catch-and-release” policies, and beginning to execute the president’s plans to build a wall on U.S. southern border.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary General John Kelly (DHS.gov) “It is in the national interest of the United States to prevent criminals and criminal organizations from destabilizing border security,” wrote Kelly in one of two memos released by DHS on Tuesday.
The agencies “going back to our traditional roots” on enforcement said a Homeland Security official.
The key points in the DHS memo include:
-Prioritizing criminal illegal immigrants and others for deportation, including those convicted or charged with “any criminal offense,” or who have “abused” any public welfare program
-Expanding expedited removal provisions to aliens who have not been admitted or paroled into the U.S. This excludes unaccompanied minors, those who intend to apply for asylum or have a fear of persecution or torture in their home countries.
-Expanding the 287(g) program, which allows participating local officers to act as immigration agents – and had been rolled back under the Obama administration
-Starting the planning, design and construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall with mostly American materials being made to construct the wall
-Identifying and quantifying indirect and direct sources of aid to Mexico during each of the last five fiscal years
-“Hiring 10,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and officers”
-Hiring 5,000 Border Patrol agents
-Commissioning a comprehensive study of border security (air, land and maritime) to “identify vulnerabilities and provide recommendations to enhance border security.” The study will include the “availability of federal and state resources to develop and implement an effective border security strategy that will achieve complete operational control of the border.”
-Ending “catch-and-release” policies (ended in 2006 under President George W. Bush, but was continued under President Barack Obama) under which illegal immigrants subject to deportation potentially are allowed to “abscond” and fail to appear at removal hearings
-“Putting into place accountability measures to protect alien children from exploitation and prevent abuses of immigration laws. The smuggling or trafficking of alien children into the United States puts those children at grave risk of violence and sexual exploitation. CBP and ICE will ensure the proper enforcement of our immigration laws against those who facilitate such smuggling or trafficking.”
“DREAMers” in DACA and White House Intentions:
So-called DREAMers are not affected by the memos. DREAMers are defined in President Barack Obama’s June 2012 policy “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” (DACA) as undocumented immigrants to the United States who entered the country as minors. Children, under DACA, have been granted a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and eligibility.
Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions from the press on Tuesday (Reuters/Carlos Barria) “The message from this White House and from the DHS is those people who are in this country and pose a threat to our public safety or have committed a crime will be the first to go and we will aggressively be making sure that that occurs. That is what the priority is,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said at his Tuesday press briefing, making it clear that the DHS memos and President Trump policies are not of mass deportations.
“Everybody who is here illegally is subject to removal at any time,” Spicer said. “That is consistent with every country, not just ours. If you’re in this country in an illegal manner, then obviously there’s a provision that could ensure that you be removed.
Illegal Immigration Statistics:
In fiscal years 2010-2014, 121 aliens were released from custody and later charged with a homicide-related offense. In fiscal year 2015, 15,715 offenders were convicted of illegal reentry, accounting for 82 percent of immigration offenders sentenced. Under 300 jurisdictions in the United States, illegal immigrants are granted sanctuary in which cities and states disobey federal immigration law.
An overwhelming number of voters say local authorities should be required to comply with federal immigration law. A Harvard-Harris Poll survey provided exclusively to The Hill found that 80 percent of voters are against sanctuary cities.
A Pew Research Center report released earlier this month, reveals that an estimated 2.5 million immigrants in the country illegally live in the metropolitan areas of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago – all cities that have vowed to fight President Trump’s enforcement of immigration law.
A recent U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement operation removed criminal illegal immigrant fugitives in New York, arresting criminals with an array of sexual assault, rape, drugs, DUI, robbery, larceny and other criminal offenses including reentry upon final orders of removal and an MS-13 gang member.
In New York City, an illegal immigrant MS-13 gang member was allowed to be released under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s “sanctuary city” policy. There was a federal petition to hold him for deportation, according to officials. Estivan Rafael Marques Velasquez was set free from Rikers Island on February 16 after serving time for disorderly conduct. ICE officials requested last May that the gang member be turned over to immigration officials when he finished serving his sentence. An immigration judge ordered his removal in November 2015.
“This man is by his own admission a member of a violent street gang and he was released back into the community,” said Thomas Decker, field office director for the New York Immigration and Customs Enforcement unit. “Honoring a detainer request is not about politics, it is about keeping New York citizens safe.”
ICE sent in their own agents to find Velasquez the same day in Queens.
In another recent case, a 19-year-old murder suspect in Denver is in jail with another man for the killing of 32-year-old Tim Cruz on February 7. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a detainer on the murder suspect after being arrested by Denver police in October 2016 for car theft and other charges. ICE wanted to be notified of any pending release because he was suspected of being in the U.S. illegally from Mexico.
“Angel mom” Laura Wilkerson (Screen-grab/Fox News YouTube channel) “Somebody’s gonna be inconvenienced, said “angel mom” Laura Wilkerson on a Fox News Channel’s special immigration townhall on”First 100 Days,” hosted by Martha MacCallum on Tuesday night. “Y’know, without the immigration laws being enforced, this country has run amok. And any way that he does it, there’s gonna be an inconvenience to people. But for myself, if you’re not burying your child in the ground and turning around and walking away, it’s not an inconvenience you can’t deal with.”
Wilkerson’s son Joshua was murdered by an illegal immigrant, a “DREAMer,” in November 2010.
The 680 illegal immigrants detained in recent ICE sweeps represent just .07 percent of the 950,062 with deportation orders as of May 21, 2016, according to statistics provided to Congress. There are an estimated 3 million illegal immigrants with criminal records in addition to their illegal status. The Trump Administration is making the criminal illegal aliens a priority for swift removal in order to protect the United States from preventable crime.
The number of southwest border patrol agents are down nearly 1,600 from an all-time peak of 18,611 in the fiscal year of 2013.
The United States gave $175 million in aid to Mexico from 2014-2016 with 45 percent of the aid going to “democracy, human rights and governance” and 9 percent of Mexican aid towards “peace and security.” President Trump has promised to have Mexico pay for the border wall by using aid funds, reducing the trade deficit between the two countries or other diplomatic measures. The wall is addressed in the DHS memo.
Immigration and Refugee Suspension from Terror-Riddled Nations:
The Homeland Security memos come after President Trump’s January 27th executive order that suspended immigration for 90 days and refugees for 120 days from six terror nations – Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Iran, Yemen and Libya – and an indefinite suspension on immigration and refugees coming from war-torn Syria with the intent to build safe zones in Syria for victims. A national halt on the order was placed by U.S. District Judge James Robart a week later. Robart’s stay was upheld by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals with two judges appointed by Democrat presidents Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter. The courts have not ruled on the executive order’s Constitutionality.
President Trump speaks at a rally in Melbourne, FL on Saturday (Joe Raedle, Getty Images) President Trump has said as the Chief Executive, he has the authority to suspend immigration if he has reason to believe that the nation’s national security is in jeopardy.
8 U.S. Code § 1182 on “Inadmissible aliens” reads in part:
“Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate. Whenever the Attorney General finds that a commercial airline has failed to comply with regulations of the Attorney General relating to requirements of airlines for the detection of fraudulent documents used by passengers traveling to the United States (including the training of personnel in such detection), the Attorney General may suspend the entry of some or all aliens transported to the United States by such airline.” – Abridged 8 U.S. Code § 1182
The president is also granted authority by the U.S. Constitution to protect the country from “domestic violence.”
“The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the legislature, or of the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened) against domestic violence.” – Article IV, Section 4 of The Constitution of the United States of America
President Trump is expected to rescind his original immigration suspension executive order that is currently tied up in the courts and release a revised executive order later this week or next week that will suspend immigration and refugees from terror-riddled nations that do not communicate about travelers to the United States government. Communication about travelers between countries is customary so that nations can prepare for any potential terrorist threats. The new order is likely to have an exemption for green card holders and a revision of the indefinite nature of the Syrian immigration and refugee program suspensions.
The temporary immigration suspension is intended to provide the Chief Executive and his national security team, led by newly appointed National Security Director General H.R. McMaster and Defense Secretary General James Mattis, time to develop and implement a comprehensive and effective “extreme vetting” policy. President Trump signed a memorandum on January 28th that mandates that his top national security advisors develop a plan within 30-days, by Monday, February 27, to defeat ISIS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXejrrBipOY&t=25s
Featured Image Courtesy: CBS News
