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Report: White House to Unveil Healthcare Framework to Lower Costs

The Trump White House is expected to unveil a healthcare policy framework that would lower costs and extend expiring Obamacare subsidies, according to reports.

MS NOW and Politico reported that the healthcare policy framework would include a two-year extension of the expiring enhanced premium tax credits (EPTC), or enhanced Obamacare subsidies, which would otherwise expire at the end of the year. The proposal could be unveiled as early as Monday.

A White House declined to confirm the details of the alleged plan to Politico, stating, “Until President Trump makes an announcement himself, any reporting about the administration’s healthcare positions is mere speculation.”

The plan would lower limits on income eligibility for the credits and set minimum premium payments, according to the reports. The proposed eligibility cap would set the subsidies to 700 percent of the federal poverty line; Republicans have complained that, with the current Obamacare enhanced subsidy scheme, wealthy Americans would benefit from the subsidies in what was meant to be a temporary, coronavirus-era benefit.

The White House plan would also urge Congress to fund cost-sharing reduction (CSR) plans, which Republicans pushed for in the Big Beautiful Bill, but were nixed after Senate Democrats objected to its inclusion in Trump’s landmark legislation, believing it violated rules on budgetary reconciliation. (Read more from “Report: White House to Unveil Healthcare Framework to Lower Costs” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Trump Fires Back at ‘Lowlifes’ as GOP Faces Fallout From MTG’s Sudden Exit

President Donald Trump made a passionate post claiming that the Republican Party is “so UNITED” on Sunday night, amid internal divisions in the party over leadership, tariffs, and legislative priorities.

In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that the GOP has “never been so UNITED AS IT iS RIGHT NOW!”

“Other than Rand Paul, Rand Paul Jr.(Massie!), Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Brown, and a couple of other ‘lowlifes,’ and other than the fact that many want the Election threatening Filibuster TERMINATED (the Dems will do it in the first minute of their first chance!), and some don’t, there is great spirit and cohesion,” Trump’s post read.

The president also claimed that the Republican Party is “MUCH BIGGER” than it was before he launched his first presidential campaign in 2015.

“Many Millions More Members!” Trump wrote. “We now have the Strongest Border EVER, Biggest Tax Cuts, the Best Economy, Highest Stock Market in USA History, and sooo much more.” (Read more from “Trump Fires Back at ‘Lowlifes’ as GOP Faces Fallout From MTG’s Sudden Exit” HERE)

Trump’s “Lovefest” with Mamdani in the Oval Office: Another MAGA Split in the Making?

. . .Zohran Mamdani’s high-stakes White House meeting turned into a Freaky Friday lovefest – as President Trump lauded the socialist mayor-elect and predicted he’ll make New York City great again.

A sitting Trump, with Mamdani standing by his side behind the Resolute Desk, heaped praise on the democratic socialist, jovially touching his arm as he helped him dodge tough questions and unexpectedly predicted his mayoralty will be a success.

“I think he wants to make it greater than ever before,” Trump told reporters. “And if he can, we’ll be out there cheering. I’ll be cheering for him.”

The erstwhile foes’ gobsmackingly friendly joint appearance came after a 45-minute closed-door sit-down in the Oval Office, which they both touted as productive and focused on Mamdani’s core campaign issue of affordability.

“He’s different than your typical guy,” Trump said, adding Mamdani “has a chance to really do something great for New York.”

(Read more from “Mamdani, Trump’s Expected Slugfest Turns into a Lovefest as President Says Socialist Will Make NYC ‘Greater Than Ever Before’” HERE)

Trump Blasts ABC Reporter Over Questions on Saudi Business Ties and Khashoggi Killing

President Trump sharply rebuked ABC News on Tuesday and suggested the network should lose its broadcast license after Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce questioned him in the Oval Office about his family’s business connections with Saudi Arabia and the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Bruce pressed Trump during his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, asking whether the Trump family’s Saudi business ventures presented a conflict of interest. Trump immediately bristled, accusing ABC of being part of what he called a “hoax” and labeling the network “one of the perpetrators.”

“I think the license should be taken away from ABC because your news is so fake and is so wrong,” Trump said. “And we have a great commissioner, a chairman, who should look at that.”

Despite the heated exchange, Trump did answer the question, asserting that he was not involved in Trump Organization decisions and had stepped away from the company entirely while serving as president. He maintained that any business dealings undertaken by his family were legitimate and minimal in Saudi Arabia. “What my family does is fine,” Trump said. “They’ve done very little in Saudi Arabia, actually, though I’m sure they can do a lot.”

Bruce’s questions also touched on a more internationally sensitive issue: the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that the crown prince approved the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump dismissed the characterization and defended the Saudi leader while downplaying Khashoggi’s significance. “You’re mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial,” he said. “A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman.” Trump added that the crown prince “knew nothing about it” and suggested that raising the question in front of the Saudi leader was disrespectful. “You don’t have to embarrass our guest,” he said.

The ABC correspondent also asked Trump why he called on Congress to release the Jeffrey Epstein files rather than ordering their release himself. Trump again responded by calling Bruce “fake news” and criticizing her demeanor rather than the substance of the question. “It wasn’t the question that I mind,” Trump said. “It’s the way you ask these questions. I think you are a terrible reporter.”

Bruce’s questions, while pointed, were grounded in topics that have been publicly documented. The Trump Organization has had past business discussions and interests in Saudi Arabia, including hotel branding and development efforts before Trump took office, making the subject of potential conflicts of interest a legitimate area of inquiry.

Additionally, U.S. intelligence agencies have publicly concluded that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, and those findings have been acknowledged by multiple administrations.

On the Epstein matter, Trump’s call for Congress to release the files despite having the authority to release certain federal materials himself also raised a factual contradiction worth examining.

While Trump objected to Bruce’s tone and approach, the subjects she raised were based in evidence and public record. However, the president perceived both the line of questioning and its tone as intentionally combative and disrespectful.

Trump Says US to Work on Sudan Peace Deal at Request of Saudi Crown Prince

President Donald Trump vowed that the U.S. would work on securing peace in Sudan thanks to the urging of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Trump made the announcement while speaking to Saudi and U.S. officials at the Kennedy Center in Washington on Wednesday. The administration has been vocal about peace efforts in Sudan for months, but now Trump appears to be redoubling efforts.

“Working with the crown prince was amazing because he said, ‘Sir, you’re talking about a lot of wars, but there’s a place on Earth called Sudan, and it’s horrible what’s happening,'” Trump said, saying MBS explained the cultural history behind the conflict.

“Really amazing to hear,” Trump said, addressing the Saudi leader. “You know we’ve already started working on that, OK?

“We’re working on that. We started about 30 minutes after you explained to us the great importance of that. I view it differently now than I did just a day ago.”

Trump’s efforts come after Pope Leo XIV also called attention to the persecution of Christians in Sudan and elsewhere on Tuesday. (Read more from “Trump Says US to Work on Sudan Peace Deal at Request of Saudi Crown Prince” HERE)

Trump Says Saudi Arabia to Get F-35 Jets Under Arrangement Similar to Israel

By CNA. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (Nov 18) that the United States would sell advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, signalling that Riyadh would receive the same top-tier defence equipment long reserved for Israel.

“As far as I’m concerned, I think they are both at a level where they should get top-of-the-line F-35s,” Trump told reporters at the White House, calling Saudi Arabia and Israel “great allies”.

The comments came as Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for talks aimed at deepening defence cooperation and expanding a growing US–Saudi security partnership.

Trump said Washington and Riyadh had reached a “defence agreement”, though he offered no details. Saudi Arabia is seeking stronger security guarantees from the US amid heightened regional tensions and has been pushing for access to advanced military hardware.

The crown prince, making his first White House visit in more than seven years, said security cooperation was a core priority of the trip. He also announced that Saudi Arabia would increase its planned investments in the United States to nearly US$1 trillion, up from a US$600 billion pledge made during Trump’s visit to Riyadh in May. (Read more from “Trump Says Saudi Arabia to Get F-35 Jets Under Arrangement Similar to Israel” HERE)

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Israel’s ICC appeal is not about Karim Khan, but Trump – analysis

By The Jerusalem Post. Israel’s appeal to the International Criminal Court’s highest chamber to cancel the arrest warrants outstanding against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant on the basis of disqualifying ICC’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan has much more to do with US President Donald Trump than with Khan.

If the only questions were: “Can Israel get Khan disqualified, and can this lead to the arrest warrants being tossed?” the answer would surely be that the arrest warrants won’t be nixed, even if Khan is.

But there are broader issues at stake here, and, though unlikely, the ICC could choose to use disqualifying Khan as a way out from its nearly year-long conflict with the Trump administration.

Since Trump returned to power in January and gave the ICC a brief ultimatum to withdraw the arrest warrants against Israel, the US government has escalated sanctions against ICC officials, one move after another.

Cumulatively, the ICC has lost employees, funding, and general flexibility in operations due to its stance on maintaining the arrest warrants. (Read more from “Israel’s ICC appeal is not about Karim Khan, but Trump – analysis” HERE)

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Trump-Appointed Judge May Have Just Cost Republicans Nearly Half A Dozen House Seats

A three-judge federal panel ruled on Tuesday that Texas can’t use the GOP-drawn redistricting map designed to boost Republican chances in the 2026 midterm elections.

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the new map into law in August, which would add up to five additional House seats for the Republican Party in the midterms, The Texas Tribune reported. However, the 2-1 Tuesday ruling asserts the map was “racially gerrymandered.”

A judge appointed by President Donald Trump joined a judge appointed by former President Obama in the ruling. A judge appointed by former President Ronald Reagan dissented.

“The public perception of this case is that it’s about politics. To be sure, politics played a role in drawing the 2025 Map,” the ruling states. “But it was much more than just politics. Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map.”

Texas is anticipated to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to the Associated Press. (Read more from “Trump-Appointed Judge May Have Just Cost Republicans Nearly Half A Dozen House Seats” HERE)

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Trump Says H-1B Workers Needed Because Americans Don’t Know How to Make Microchips

President Donald Trump said Monday that H-1B migrant workers are essential for the U.S. because Americans currently lack the skills to produce microchips, a key industry he says is returning to the country after decades overseas.

Speaking to reporters following a Nov. 10 interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Trump emphasized that while the U.S. once led the world in chip manufacturing, much of the industry was lost to Taiwan due to poor policy decisions.

“For instance, if you’re going to be making chips — we don’t make chips too much here anymore, but we are going to be in a period of a year, we’re going to have a big portion of the chip market,” Trump said. “But we have to train our people how to make chips, because we didn’t get — we used to do it, and then foolishly, we lost that business to Taiwan, very, very foolishly… But it’s all coming back.”

Trump criticized the CHIPS Act, which he argued gave billions of dollars to foreign countries rather than bolstering domestic production. “Chip makers are all coming back, and I think within a very short period of time, we’re going to have maybe even the majority of the chip making in the world right in the United States, where it should have been all along,” he said.

Despite asserting that the industry is returning, Trump stressed the need for H-1B visa workers to fill the gap, saying Americans currently do not possess the required expertise. “But because we had people that didn’t believe in tariffs — if they believed in them, they didn’t know how to use them — we would have had nobody leaving our country right now, and instead, you have almost 100% of the chips made in Taiwan. It’s so disgraceful. The good news is it’s all coming back,” he added.

The president’s comments on H-1B visas have drawn criticism from some in his political base. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a rival for the 2024 Republican nomination, seized on the remarks to call for legislative action. “Republicans have a majority in Congress and could legislate elimination of H1B (and any programs designed to import cheap foreign labor). Deeds, not words, are what matter,” DeSantis wrote in a Nov. 13 response to a tweet criticizing Congress for not moving faster on H-1B reform.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

GOP Lawmaker Hits Back After Donald Trump Appears To Knock His Marriage

By USA Today. Rep. Thomas Massie hit back at President Donald Trump this week, accusing the president of “trying to be a bully” after he appeared to criticize the Kentucky Republican’s recent marriage.

Trump on Friday, Nov. 14 shared a post on Truth Social asking if Massie got “married already,” saying “His wife will soon find out that she’s stuck with a LOSER!” Massie married Carolyn Moffa, a former congressional staffer for Sen. Rand Paul, last month. Massie’s late wife, Rhonda Massie, died in June 2024. They were married for over 30 years.

Massie and Trump have most recently been at odds because the Kentucky lawmaker and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California, introduced legislation that would force the Justice Department to release a full version of the government’s files on accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The Trump administration has fought against the move. . .

But when asked about Trump’s comments during an interview on ABC’s “This Week” on Nov. 16, Massie joked that his wife said “we should have invited Donald Trump. He’s mad that he didn’t get an invitation.”

“We’re taking it with a grain of salt,” Massie said. “He’s being a bully, or trying to be a bully.” (Read more from “GOP Lawmaker Hits Back After Donald Trump Appears To Knock His Marriage” HERE)

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‘Full on crash out’ as Trump pal implies dissenting GOP lawmaker ‘killed his wife’: report

By Raw Story. MAGA influencer Laura Loomer is under fire Sunday after calling the death of Rhonda Massie – the wife of Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) – a “mystery” and “bizarre,” with one independent journalist alleging Loomer to be “implying Massie killed his wife.”

In a social media post Saturday, Loomer posed what she called a “serious question” regarding the passing of Massie’s wife.

“How did Massie’s wife die? Is there a police report? Is there an autopsy report?” Loomer wrote in a social media post on X. “Why is this such a mystery? I’d like to know. I find it to be bizarre and I always have. Now there’s a much younger woman in the picture.”

Massie’s wife died last year due to “respiratory complications of chronic autoimmune myopathy,” according to coroner Amy Cox, and Massie has since remarried. Loomer has frequently targeted Massie for his efforts to release files on Jeffrey Epstein in direct opposition to President Donald Trump, whom she remains a strong ally to.

Independent journalist and documentary filmmaker James Li, however, tore into Loomer for what he described as her having a “full on crash out.”

(Read more from “‘Full on crash out’ as Trump pal implies dissenting GOP lawmaker ‘killed his wife’: report” HERE)

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Trump Reveals When ‘Moderate Income’ Americans Can Expect To Get $2K Tariff Checks

President Trump vowed to issue tariff dividends sometime before the 2026 midterms during an Oval Office event touting his administration’s work bringing the FIFA World Cup to the US.

“We’re gonna be issuing dividends later on, somewhere prior to — the middle of next year, a little bit later than that,” he said, noting it would include “Thousands of dollars, for individuals of moderate income.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent previously revealed that the proposed $2,000 tariff dividend checks for American citizens would be awarded, but noted that the idea was only “in discussion.” . . .

The remittance would require approval from Congress, where even the president’s own Republican allies have expressed skepticism and encouraged Trump to focus on decreasing the federal budget deficit instead.

“It’ll never pass. We have a $37 trillion debt,” Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio told reporters in July, according to Business Insider. (Read more from “Trump Reveals When ‘Moderate Income’ Americans Can Expect To Get $2K Tariff Checks” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr