The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reported that 1,476 counties, over 45 percent of counties nationwide, will only have one health insurer on the Obamacare exchanges next year.

The CMS projected that more than 2.6 million Obamacare exchange participants could have only one health insurer in 2018.

The CMS stated that the Obamacare exchanges will no longer have any counties without any insurers. As of August 10, the CMS revealed that 17 counties would not have any insurers. Now, the number of counties with one health insurer has increased from 1,409 to 1,476 counties.

Breitbart News reported that Obamacare continues to experience a “death spiral.”

Prominent mainstream news publications, including the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, have repeated the Democrats’ talking points that President Donald Trump’s hesitancy on Obamacare subsidies has led to “policy uncertainty” that caused health insurers to hike rates.

The Investor’s Business Daily, however, believes that Medica and other health insurers want to abuse their dominance in Obamacare exchanges to raise premiums and blame Trump instead.

The Investor’s Business Daily editorial charged, “Not surprisingly, Medica has used its newfound monopoly status to push for increasingly higher rates, while trying to pin the blame on President Trump for the increases.”

Obamacare continues to implode as the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) plans to hold hearings with ranking member Patty Murray (D-WA) on ways to stabilize the Obamacare exchanges.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum continues to work with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-NC) on a comprehensive plan to repeal and replace Obamacare by block granting health care to the states.

President Donald Trump has recently criticized Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for the upper chamber’s inability to pass legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare. Trump also suggested that the Senate should also switch to a 51-vote majority to make it easier to pass necessary legislation such as repealing and replacing Obamacare, tax reform, and funding for the southern border wall.

The only problem I have with Mitch McConnell is that, after hearing Repeal & Replace for 7 years, he failed!That should NEVER have happened!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2017

If Senate Republicans don’t get rid of the Filibuster Rule and go to a 51% majority, few bills will be passed. 8 Dems control the Senate!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2017

Stockton University in Galloway, New Jersey, announced its decision this week to remove a bust of its namesake, Richard Stockton, from the campus library.

A bust of Richard Stockon, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was temporarily removed from the campus library at Stockton University last week after concerns were raised over Stockton’s slave owner past.

In a message to the campus community, Stockton Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Lori Vermeulen explained that the bust was removed so it could be transferred to an environment in which it can be supplemented with a plaque that explains its historical context.

Stockton University President Harvey Kesselman has asked the administration to establish a committee dedicated to exploring Richard Stockton’s life. The information gathered via the committee will be put towards a Richard Stockton exhibit on campus that will display the bust and other historical items from his life.

“We are hopeful that through the development of the Richard Stockton Exhibit we will demonstrate that difficult issues can be dealt with in a way that strengthens and unites us,” Kesselman said in a statement to the Stockton community.

Some students are questioning the removal of the bust, arguing that its presence was not a point of contention amongst the Stockton University community. “I really never heard anyone make a comment or complaint about Richard Stockton. I do know he was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and otherwise not much is known about him. But I think removing the bust is an overreaction,” argued Dylan Perry, a senior at Stockton.

Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) hopes to put an end to the FBI probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S presidential election and the possible ties between the Trump campaign staff and Moscow through an amendment he hopes to add to the spending bill Congress will craft in September to keep the federal government operating.

“Congress should use the upcoming appropriations bills to establish clear limits to the scope and duration of the special counsel investigation,” DeSantis wrote in op-ed published by Fox on Thursday.

The one-page amendment would stop funding the investigation 180 days after it becomes law and would restrict the investigation of any event that took place before June, 2015 — the date President Donald Trump announced he was throwing his hat into the ring.

In May, after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the investigation into the Russia debacle, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein tapped former FBI director Robert Mueller to head up the investigation.

“I determined that it is on the public interest for me to exercise my authority and appoint a special counsel to assume responsibility for this matter,” Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said in announcing his decision. “My decision is not a finding that crimes have been committed or that any prosecution is warranted.”

In his commentary, DeSantis took aim at the Rosenstein’s decision and Mueller’s wide-ranging probe.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein defended against criticism of his handling of the amorphous ‘Russia investigation’ by saying that the Department of Justice ‘doesn’t engage in fishing expeditions,’” DeSantis wrote. “Yet, his clumsy management of this matter is the reason why many Americans are concerned that the investigation lacks focus and will veer into unrelated matters, thereby extending the probe far into the future and hampering the ability of the Trump administration to attend to the people’s business.

Rosenstein’s order appointing Robert Mueller to serve as special counsel failed to enumerate a crime to be investigated; instead, the order cited then-FBI Director James Comey’s March testimony identifying the existence of a counterintelligence investigation focusing on Russia, not a criminal investigation targeting members of the Trump administration,” DeSantis wrote. “The order was defective because DOJ regulations make the existence of a criminal investigation a condition precedent to the appointment of a special counsel.

Moreover, the order was so vague that it places little in the way of substantive limits on the scope or duration of the investigation,” De Santis wrote. “The Rosenstein order is effectively an invitation to conduct a fishing expedition.

DeSantis said the media is really the only party interested in promoting the idea that Trump and his campaign “colluded” with the Russians and that the investigation should have an end date.

The notion that the Trump campaign illegally ‘colluded’ with Russian government agents has always seemed to be more a matter of wishful thinking by the media than something based on hard evidence,” DeSantis wrote. “Imposing a deadline will force the special counsel to put up or shut up: if evidence of criminal activity has not surfaced after what will be nearly two years of investigation (including the pre-special counsel investigation conducted by the FBI), then this investigatory cloud hovering over the Trump administration should be removed.

DeSantis had harsh words for what he called Washington’s “ruling class,” which he said would like to see Trump’s presidency undone. He also criticized the team Mueller has assembled.

“For his part, President Trump is reviled by the Washington ruling class and the appointment of a special counsel is a way for the ‘Swamp’ to seek his presidency’s destruction — through investigative paralysis at least, with no evidence of wrongdoing uncovered.  The inexplicable decision of Special Counsel Mueller to stock his office with Democratic partisans has underscored concerns along these lines,” DeSantis wrote.

DeSantis concluded that when Congress is deciding on what gets funding in next month’s spending bill, it should not “fund fishing expeditions.”

DeSantis is vice chairman of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

House Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) leadership could be in jeopardy, but not from his colleagues in the 115th Congress.

The challenge could come from Republicans elected in the 2018 mid-term election, in this case House candidates from Minnesota.

This news came from a state fair in Minnesota where a journalist asked five Republicans a simple question: “Do you plan to vote against Paul D. Ryan continuing his speakership?”

“Republicans seeking to flip House seats next year declined to support the speaker of the House, offering instead criticisms of Paul D. Ryan’s leadership,” the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

“I think he’s going in the wrong direction,” said state Rep. Tim Miller. “We’ve got to have leadership that ensures we do the will of the people.’

“I would prefer someone else,” said commercial pilot Dave Hughes.

“We’ll see who runs for speaker,” businessman and candidate Jim Hagedorn said. “Until then, you have to be very cautious about what you do. A lot can happen in a year and a half,”

“When I’m in Congress, I’ll let you know, because people can change their views, change their ways,” said St. Louis County Commissioner Pete Stauber, who later said he would back Ryan if he runs again.

Asked about the video of the fairground discussion, National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Jesse Hunt said that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s unpopularity helped Republicans win 2017’s four competitive special elections.

A Ryan-allied super PAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund, also plowed millions of dollars into three of those races, according to the Post.

Hunt defended Ryan when asked about his future speakership.

“Speaker Ryan has been instrumental in the passage of key House legislative items and the successful election of four new Republican members in 2017,” Hunt said. “We’re thankful for his leadership.”

A Huffington Post poll, though, shows Ryan’s unfavorable rating at 49.3 percent, with only 29.9 percent having a favorable opinion of the Speaker —- in keeping with a downward trend since President Donald Trump was elected.

Rep. Tim Walz’s (D-Minn.) decision to run for governor in 2018 opened up his House seat, which Hagedorn is hoping to fill.

“The other candidates on the stage in Minnesota are fighting to face Democratic incumbents in the 7th and 8th districts, which Trump won by 30.8 and 15.6 points,” the Post reported.

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