This is CNN: More fake news on Wikileaks, Trump, Jr.

By Americans for Limited Government

Washington, D.C. - December 11, 2017  (The Ponder News) -- Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in response to a sensational story from CNN creating misleading narrative that Donald Trump, Jr. retweeting a story about FBI FOIA document releases had something to do with “hacked” Wikileaks documents:

“It is inexcusable for CNN to continue to pretend to be a news agency, given they do not appear to understand the difference between a legally released Freedom of Information Act document made public by the FBI and hacking. It is clear that CNN continues to run an opposition hit campaign on the Trump administration. Any legitimate broadcaster would not accept a paid advertisement that made the contentions that CNN tries to foist on their audience. If CNN wants to be a 527 political operation, they should have to file like any other political campaign committee, and cease engaging in the sham of posing as a news organization.

“The facts appear to be that somebody sent Donald Trump, Jr. an email with documents that had already been posted on Wikileaks. Then, Trump, Jr. retweeted a news story about unrelated documents from the FBI legally obtained via the Freedom of Information Act. This led to the misleading headline, ‘Email shows effort to give Trump campaign WikiLeaks documents,’ implying the documents story Trump, Jr. posted were hacked. This is either a deliberate lie or CNN reporters are blithering idiots who should not be trusted with a computer. These were not even Wikileaks documents that Trump, Jr. posted per the story, they were FBI documents that were subject to the Freedom of Information Act. They were not hacked. This is CNN: More fake news, more bananas.”

Related:

FBI FOIA archive on Hillary Clinton

Wikileaks tweet linking to FOIA documents, Sept. 2, 2016

Donald Trump, Jr. tweet linking to a Gateway Pundit story about the FOIA release, Sept. 4, 2016

Leading Healthcare Organizations Applaud the Introduction of the ACO Improvement Act of 2017

By American Medical Group Association

Five leading health care organizations applaud the introduction of H.R. 4580, the “ACO Improvement Act of 2017” sponsored by Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Rep. Diane Black (R-TN).

The American Medical Association (AMA), AMGA, Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) and Premier agree this legislation provides sensible modifications to the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) to support the ability of accountable care organizations (ACOs) to achieve success by reducing unnecessary costs, improving quality and enhancing patient outcomes. The bill makes operational changes that will promote coordinated health care and encourage Medicare ACOs to succeed and remain a strong value-based healthcare initiative for the nation’s senior citizens.

H.R. 4580 includes:

1. Waivers for all ACO tracks on cost-sharing for certain primary care services, and waivers for existing rules on telemedicine and remote monitoring
Three-day prior hospitalization waiver for skilled nursing facility services and waiver of the homebound requirement for 2-sided tracks

2. ACO choice of method for assigning beneficiaries

3. Bonus payments for quality achievement and for quality improvement
Improved methodology to better account for changes in patient health status over time

Clif Gaus, NAACOS President and CEO, commented, “Signing this bill into law would strengthen ACOs in the Medicare Shared Savings Program and give physicians and clinicians more tools to provide better-coordinated care, resulting in improved quality standards and generating savings for the Medicare Trust Fund.”

“We applaud Reps. Black and Welch for their continued leadership to improve the Accountable Care Organization program,” said Jerry Penso, M.D., M.B.A., President and CEO of AMGA. “The ACO Improvement Act will significantly improve the viability of the federal ACO program, which is a critical delivery model in the transition to value.  This bill includes prospective assignment of Medicare beneficiaries, which allows AMGA members in the ACO program to provide better care and enhance patient engagement. AMGA looks forward to working with Congress and the Administration to ensure the success of the ACO program.”

In addition, Blair Childs, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at Premier noted, “ACOs face a number of uphill battles today from antiquated policies and other complex variables. It’s critical that the Medicare Shared Savings Program urgently evolves to ensure the long-term success of its participants and the program overall, particularly as more providers pursue downside risk models. This is important legislation that helps to address some of the significant impediments for providers participating in ACOs, and we look forward to working with our health system members and Congress to get this bill passed and signed into law.”

Anders Gilberg, Senior Vice President, MGMA Government Affairs stated, “ACOs remain the single biggest opportunity for medical group practices to transition into Medicare alternative payment models. These common-sense reforms would go a long way towards ensuring success of medical groups in the Medicare ACO program.”

After Dodging Latest Shutdown, Largest Federal Union Looks to Next Deadline

By American Federation of Government Employees

Washington, D.C. - December 11, 2017  (The Ponder News) -- Congress’s passage of a short-term budget extension yesterday keeps the federal government open until Dec. 22, preventing a government shutdown that would have furloughed more than 850,000 working people who serve the American public.

The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 700,000 workers in the federal government and the District of Columbia, hailed the move to keep the government open, but expressed concern about a potential shutdown happening in just a few weeks’ time.

“Thank you to everyone who worked tirelessly to keep the government open,” AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. said. “Failing to fund the government’s operations is beyond unacceptable; it is completely avoidable and a shameful waste of taxpayer dollars. Federal employees want to go to work. They believe in their mission and want to provide quality services to the American people. And now thanks to this budget agreement, they can.”

Had the government been forced to shut down, a large portion of the civilian workforce – around 850,000 employees – would have been furloughed, while the remainder would have been forced to come to work without pay. The impact on federal workers, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck, would have been severe; but the entire economy would have suffered as well. The 2013 shutdown took $24 billion out of the U.S. economy and reduced projected fourth-quarter GDP growth from 3 percent to 2.4 percent.

“Failing to fund the government’s operations has real-world implications for everyone in this country,” Cox said. “Federal employees ensure the safety and security of the public at home and abroad, research cures for deadly diseases, keep our air, water, and food safe for consumption, and process benefits for countless seniors, veterans, and disabled Americans every day. Wondering when or if they will get paid, and how they will pay their bills during a prolonged shutdown, is a distraction they don’t need. And quite frankly, it’s one we as a nation cannot afford.

“While we are pleased that the government will be open Monday, and that our members can continue to earn a paycheck, we are still concerned about a shutdown happening in the near future. We hope that Congress and the administration can come to a real deal soon, and stop kicking the can down the road.”

Factory Jobs Grow in November, But Will It Last?

By Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM)

Washington, D.C. - December 11, 2017  (The Ponder News) -- The manufacturing sector grew by 31,000 jobs in November, according to the latest employment data from the Labor Department. With 171,000 total factory jobs created so far this year, the economy is now on pace to add the most manufacturing jobs in a year since 2014, when 208,000 jobs were created. 

The job gains come after a disappointing month for the U.S. trade deficit, which hit $48.7 billion, its highest rate since January. Meanwhile, steel imports are up during the same time period.

Said Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) President Scott Paul:

A healthy boost in manufacturing jobs is something to cheer about.

Now imagine the possibilities if we had better public policies to support manufacturing: Reciprocal trade, investments in infrastructure, workforce development, and strong R&D.

I've made the case that automation and robots won't destroy all that many factory jobs, but bad policies will. I hope the million-plus manufacturing jobs added since 2010 make that case even more persuasive.

Why I love Donald Trump

By Shonda Ponder

I was not a Donald Trump fan. I didn't want to see him win the White House. As a Christian, I found him obnoxious and brazen. I didn't like his gambling business ventures, or the fact he was a rich man married to an ex-porno star The operative word here is "ex". Come on, we all have a past we are not proud of. If that were not so, WE would be running for President. Trump just had the courage to.

No, I didn't want to see Donald Trump elected at all.

But, he was.

And, because he was, I decided that I would do as I always do when a new president comes to office to represent my interests as an American. I was going to give him my full support, and watch him like a hawk -- and when he messed up, I was gonna grind him into the ground with everything I had -- web sites, op-eds, social media. I was gonna rip him to shreds when he messed up.

The people elected him because he wasn't a politician. I could get behind that. It was preferable to what we've had. But, with all his money, could he really pull off not being just another politician?

Then he did the unexpected: He started keeping his promises. He started hammering away at everything that we've lost over the last generation and replacing it with policies and practices that really do "Make America Great Again".

He pulled us out of the Paris Climate Agreement. He socked it to the United Nations. He stood up and proclaimed that the NFL should fire anyone who disrespects America by kneeling during the National Anthem. He stood alone...and he kept standing until millions decided to stand with him. Again. He's making deals right and left that benefit the American people, and he's making the American People proud to be American again.

When he went on that long trip to Asia, not once did he apologize for being American, or for anything we have stood for. Not once did he concede any ground in order to move an agenda along. Instead, he focused on how he could gain the support of the world around us in order to be able to be what God made us to be: Americans.

​He doesn't give up. He doesn't give in. He keeps going like the Energizer Bunny. And, when he makes a mistake, he owns it -- like the time when he endorsed Luther Strange over Roy Moore. When Roy Moore won, he realized that the American people want more of who he really is, and he went full force into giving it to them, in spite of what kind of waves were forming.

Now he fully endorses Roy Moore, and the people love him even more for it.

Jobs are up. Stock Market is up. Unemployment is down. Business is good. Our allies feel better and respect us as a country more.

And, it's all because Donald Trump is not a politician.

No, he's one of us.

For the first time in American History...or, at least, in my lifetime, we have a President who is president because the People wanted someone they felt comfortable with; someone they wanted to feel was their "friend" in the White House. A man who was prone to make mistakes, but could lead us in spite of them by example, learning and growing as he did so.

That is why I love Donald Trump.

He's not just some untouchable politician. He's a man. A real red-blooded American man who loves America because America has made his American Dream come true, and he foresaw that it was increasingly becoming difficult for others to do the same, and the reasons why, and he was in the unique position to be able to do something about it. America is about opportunity -- and Donald Trump decided the time was right for him to take the opportunity to make America Great Again.

I did not support Donald Trump.

But, when he became president, he spoke the name of God in gratitude and heart-felt joy. He stood up for God by declaring that Christmas was going to be Merry because Christ was in the name. No more of this "Happy Holidays crap." We were going to wish people an un-apologetic Merry Christmas and mean it.

He has Bible studies in the White House.

No, he's not a perfect Christian, but it's obvious he is a member of Christ's Church. After all, if there were only perfect people who loved God, God would be lonely. God gave me grace in spite of my imperfections, so I now feel obligated to be graceful and accept that this obnoxious, brazen man who married a Porn star (who, by the way, has shown more grace in the White House than any First Lady I've seen in a long, long time) could lead us back to the blessings God promised to those who follow Him.

As if that wasn't enough, he befriended Israel, drew them close, and gave them the respect of recognition of Jerusalem as their capitol. And, being the man of action that he is, he didn't just say it -- he did it. Our embassy is now moving to Jerusalem.

If Donald Trump isn't genuine, then he's playing a spectacular role.

I can't think of anyone who, day after day, continues to meet the "Fake News" talking heads head on like a wild bull who sees red at every turn, without tiring.

I pray that he retains his strength and that his successes energize him more.

I did not support Donald Trump -- and now I regret that. But, like "The Donald", "The Ponder" knows when to admit she's wrong. She knows how to fix her mistakes and make it right -- and, she's thankful that she doesn't have to live with her mistake today.

Next election, I hope he runs again. I'll be the first in line to vote for him.

If I am alone in voting for him, I'll still vote for him. He is making America Great Again.

And, he's doing it in spite of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. He's making such mountains look like pebbles beneath his feet.

He's only a man -- one we can all relate to.

But...he's a BIG, BIG man.

He's MY President.

And, I fully support Donald Trump.

Read all of Shonda Ponder's Opinions and Articles at The Ponder News by clicking HERE

Maloney Introduces Legislation to Block FCC Rollback of Net Neutrality

Washington, D.C. - December 9, 2017  (The Ponder News) -- Days before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote on its proposed rollback of Net Neutrality rules, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY, 18th) introduced the Save Net Neutrality Act (H.R. 4585) to stop the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would result in a final rule eliminating the existing Net Neutrality policy.

“The FCC’s proposal to screw up your internet is just about the worst plan I’ve seen – the comment period was a mess and the rest of the proposal is full of holes,” said Rep. Maloney. “My bill would stop this rule from going into effect and keep the internet the way it is – affordable, open, and full of innovation.”

“People are lifting up their voices for Net Neutrality, and the message is loud and clear,” said Matt Wood, Policy Director, Free Press Action Fund. “The rules and the legal framework we have today at the FCC are working. We have called on Congress to stop Chairman Pai from taking those successful rules away. We don’t need legislators to fix Net Neutrality, we need them to fix the current rules in place. We thank Rep. Maloney for working to do that.”

The FCC offered an NPRM on May 18, 2017 which would rollback Net Neutrality rules established by the Commission in 2015. These rules classified Internet Service Providers (ISPs) as “common carriers” under Title II of the Federal Communications Act of 1934 and Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which subjected them to regulation as utilities. Net Neutrality protects the free and open internet by preventing these ISPs from blocking, speeding up or slowing down the transmission of content, or increasing costs to consumers by changing the pricing model that exists today.

The Administrative Procedure Act (APA) requires federal agencies to consider relevant comments as part of the NPRM by establishing a formal comment period and process for considering the opinions of people who would be affected by a new proposed rule. The FCC has come under intense scrutiny for its bungling of the comment process on this proposed rule. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has uncovered evidence that tens of thousands of New Yorkers may have had their identities used to file fake comments. Additionally, analysis by the Pew Research Center has found that only 3% of the comments received by the FCC definitively went through a verification process to ensure emailed comments came from legitimate accounts. This allowed many comments to be submitted using fake accounts. The analysis provides the example that over 7,500 comments came from the email address example@example.com.  

The Save Net Neutrality Act would simply prevent the FCC from relying on the NPRM process that will conclude with a final vote on December 14th. The bill refrains from making policy prescriptions, but instead invalidates the process that culminates in the creation of an enforceable rule authorized by the APA. Without the ability to rely on the rule, the FCC would have to start the NPRM process over from scratch. 

The bill has been endorsed by the Free Press Action Fund. 

Report: HUD Significantly Undercounts Homeless Population

Washington, D.C. - December 9, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- In response to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) release of its 2017 point-in-time (PIT) count of the homeless population in the United States, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (the Law Center) released a new report detailing problems with HUD’s methodology that result in a significant undercount of homeless Americans.

Though HUD reported nearly 554,000 homeless Americans on any given night—itself a number that is unacceptably large—the Law Center’s report suggests this number is actually a significant undercount. The report, Don’t Count on It: How the HUD Point-in-Time Count Underestimates the Homelessness Crisis in America, addresses flaws in HUD’s inconsistent methodology, which particularly misses unsheltered homeless people.

“Homelessness is a national crisis, and an accurate count of people experiencing it is essential to developing and adopting policies that can truly solve the problem,” said Maria Foscarinis, founder and executive director of the Law Center. “A visual street count does not and cannot capture the number of unsheltered homeless people living out of sight, nor does it capture people living in the many outdoor locations that are not even included in the count.”

The report determines that HUD’s current methodology not only omits significant numbers of homeless people, it also leads to inaccurate comparisons and trends analyses, since it is often inconsistent between locations and between years. The Law Center offers recommendations on how HUD and communities can improve their methodology. The report also provides suggestions for how to use the numbers reported under the current methodology.

The report is available here


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VA Reverses Plan to Cut Homeless Veteran Funding

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has reversed its decision not to fund homeless veterans. Secretary Shulkin stated:

"There will be absolutely no change in the funding to support our homeless programs.

We will not be shifting any homeless program money to the Choice program.

The President has increased VA homeless program funding by $66 million in his fiscal year 2018 budget.

Over the next six months, I will solicit input from our local VA leaders and external stakeholders on how best to target our funding to the geographical areas that need it most.

Based on that input we will come forward with proposals for fiscal year 2019 on how to improve the targeting of our homeless program funding."

Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County), a veteran, issued the following statement after the Department of Veterans Affairs reversed its decision to change the funding scheme for programs that benefit homeless veterans. This reversal comes after Rep. Lieu and 11 Members of Congress sent a letter to VA Secretary David Shulkin urging him to reconsider the decision, which would have jeopardized the VA’s ability to meet the needs of homeless veterans.

“I commend Secretary Shulkin for protecting funding to help homeless veterans. The Secretary’s commitment to soliciting input from local VA leaders and stakeholders is critical. We need to ensure that funding for crucial programs like joint HUD-VA housing initiatives maintain their special status in the Specific Purpose Fund. This status is crucial for veterans who need affordable, stable housing and access to the services and care.

There is still much work to be done – especially in Los Angeles, where the number of homeless veterans has increased. We need to be doing everything in our power to work towards ending homelessness among veterans."

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U.S. REPS. AND U.S. SENATOR REQUEST VA SECRETARY REPORT ON VETERAN HUNGER

Washington, D.C. - December 9, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Representative Al Lawson, along with five of his colleagues and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), wrote Secretary David Shulkin of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to request that the agency annually share information on the number of veterans who struggle with food insecurity. Beginning November 1, 2017, the VA started collecting information regarding food insecurity among veteran’s, agency-wide.

“We ask that you provide a report on the status of veteran food security and hunger screenings to relevant House and Senate oversight committees by November of 2018, along with recommendations about further actions that could be taken to assist veterans who are determined to be food insecure, including pilot programs to test the feasibility of SNAP enrollment and applications assistance by VA personnel,” the members wrote in their letter to Secretary David J. Shulkin. “It is imperative that Members of Congress are briefed by the Administration the progress of this screening tool as well as VA programs and personnel efforts to connect those in need to SNAP and other social services.”

“As we prepare to honor the men and women on Veteran’s Day who have served our country, it is crucial that we know how many of our nation’s veterans and their families are struggling to put food on the table,” Rep. Lawson noted. “These screenings will go a long way in helping Members of Congress and policymakers understand the severity of this problem and identify steps we can take to support our veterans.”

“Asking this screening question is an essential first step to better understand the scope of food insecurity among our nation’s veterans,” says Abby J. Leibman, president & CEO of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. “We urge the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement appropriate systems and processes to directly help food insecure veterans in applying for and enrolling in nutrition assistance programs like SNAP.”

Representative Lawson was joined by Members of Congress who have direct jurisdiction over veterans and hunger issues: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) of the Senate Agriculture and Armed Services committees, Reps. Lujan Grisham (NM) and James P. McGovern (MA) of the House Agriculture Committee, Seth Moulton (MA) of the House Armed Services Committee, Tim Ryan (OH) of the House Veteran Affairs Subcommittee on Appropriations, and Tim Walz (MN) of the House Agriculture and the Veterans’ Affairs Committees.

U.S. Reps. J. Luis Correa (CA), Peter A. DeFazio (OR), Julia Brownley (CA), Dwight Evans (PA), John Garamendi (CA), Denny Heck (WA), Tom O’Halleran (AZ), Jimmy Panetta (CA), Chellie Pingree (ME), Jacky Rosen (NV), and David Scott (GA) also signed the letter.

Read the full letter here.


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King Confronts FBI Director Over “Curiosities” of Clinton E-mail Investigation

Washington, D.C. - December 9, 2017  (The Ponder News) -- Congressman Steve King released the following video of his questioning of Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray during a Judiciary Committee oversight hearing. King used his time to question Director Wray over “curiosities” related to the manner in which the FBI, under the Obama-era leadership of admitted political leaker James Comey, handled the criminal case involving the mishandling of classified information by former Secretary of State and Democratic nominee for President, Hillary Clinton.

Among the “curiosities” cited by King are: the apparent failures of the FBI to take or preserve notes and/or transcripts, or to record audio or video during their questioning of Mrs. Clinton; the use of an “intent” standard that does not exist in the statute to justify Comey’s decision to let Mrs. Clinton escape prosecution; and Comey’s strange determination that “extreme carelessness”, a standard for which he admits he has evidence of Mrs. Clinton’s guilt, is somehow different than the synonymous “gross negligence” standard that appears in the statute.

Interestingly, in his responses to King, Director Wray admitted that it does not appear standard protocol was followed in the Clinton investigation, and that the statutory “gross negligence” standard is, as King contends, synonymous with a standard of “extreme carelessness.” As such, Mrs. Clinton met the standard for prosecution.

Full Video is available at this link.

Background:

18 USC 793 is the federal statute that governs the mishandling of classified information, and it is the applicable statute governing Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of classified emails on her private server. Before granting Clinton a “get of jail free card,” former FBI Director James Comey stated:

“Although there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case. Prosecutors necessarily weigh a number of factors before bringing charges. There are obvious considerations, like the strength of the evidence, especially regarding intent.”

As written, 18 USC 793 does not contain a specific “intent” requirement. The applicable standard provided for in statute is that the accused acted with “gross negligence,” a standard Hillary Clinton certainly met based on the existing public evidence, and a standard that appears to be synonymous with the “extreme carelessness” standard Comey has admitted he found prior to absolving Mrs. Clinton.

Claims of an “intent requirement” allowing the previous administration to avoid prosecuting Hillary Clinton criminally appear to be a political invention of former President Obama. After President Obama defended Clinton publically in October of 2015 and April of 2016 by specifically citing Clinton’s supposed “intent,” it appears the Obama-era FBI applied the non-existent standard promoted by the President to their consideration of the Clinton case.

18 USC 793 (f) reads as follows:

“18 USC 793 (f) Whoever, being entrusted with or having lawful possession or control of any document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blueprint, plan, map, model, instrument, appliance, note, or information, relating to the national defense, (1) through gross negligence permits the same to be removed from its proper place of custody or delivered to anyone in violation of his trust, or to be lost, stolen, abstracted, or destroyed, or (2) having knowledge that the same has been illegally removed from its proper place of custody or delivered to anyone in violation of its trust, or lost, or stolen, abstracted, or destroyed, and fails to make prompt report of such loss, theft, abstraction, or destruction to his superior officer—Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.”

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