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Police secure the Champs Elysees Avenue after a shooting incident in Paris, France, April 20, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

Police secure the Champs Elysees Avenue after a shooting incident in Paris, France, April 20, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for a gunman who shot and killed a policeman on Champs Elysees Avenue in Paris, France. Two others were wounded in what François Hollande said was a “cowardly killing” by man known to authorities and suspected of Islamic extremism.

Champs Elysees Avenue is the wide boulevard that leads away from the Arc de Triomphe and is typically crowded with Parisians and tourists during the evening. Now, it remains empty and heavily guarded by armed security forces and police.

Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins said the man had been identified, though they did not release his name and investigators were still assessing if he had accomplices. People’s Pundit Daily has learned that he was on the so-called “S List,” a thousands-strong list compiled by French law enforcement of persons suspected of radicalism.

A police arrest warrant issued earlier on Thursday claimed the man had come into France by train from Belgium on Thursday. It was unclear if that man was the attacker or linked to the shooting, but Belgium is known for specific community pockets of radicals.

“The sense of duty of our policemen tonight averted a massacre … they prevented a bloodbath on the Champs Elysees,” Interior Minister Matthias Fekl told reporters.

Officers searched the home of the dead attacker in a suburban town east of Paris, according to sources.

“A little after 9 PM a vehicle stopped alongside a police car which was parked. Immediately a man got out and fired on the police vehicle, mortally wounding a police officer,” Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said.

France has become a target for a rash of Islamic terror attacks committed by either Mideast refugees, Islamists posing as refugees or young men who grew up in France and Belgium after their parent immigrated to Europe. The nation has lived lived under a state of emergency since 2015 and Islamic terrorists have killed more than 230 people in the past two years, alone.

The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price with President Donald Trump at a meeting with health insurance company CEOs at the White House on February 27, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price with President Donald Trump at a meeting with health insurance company CEOs at the White House on February 27, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said Wednesday the Trump Administration will provide grants to all 50 states to combat opioid addiction. The funding, which is the first of two rounds to be allocated under the 21st Century Cures Act,

But it is part of a larger effort against opioid addiction the President promised to undertake while he was running for the White House. President Trump also recently appointed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who also made the opioid scourge a focus of his campaign, to lead a task force to explore ways to reduce drug addiction.

HHS will administer grants totaling $485 million to all 50 states and U.S. territories. They will be provided through the State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis Grants administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

“We cannot continue to lose our nation’s citizens to addiction,” Secretary Price wrote in a letter he sent to governors on Wednesday. “Through a sustained focus on people, patients, and partnerships, I am confident that together we can turn the tide on this public health crisis.”

The President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis is tasked with “studying the scope and effectiveness of the federal response to this crisis and providing recommendations to the President for improving it,” Secretary Price wrote, adding that “HHS is uniquely positioned to contribute in this important effort as a key agency providing critical resources for care and treatment.”

In 2015, roughly 33,000 Americans died as a result of opioids. Secretary Price said the Trump Administration will continue to partner with governors around the country to combat the evolving opioid crisis, while also ensuring federal funding only support “clinically sound, effective and efficient programs.”

“These grants aim to increase access to treatment, reduce unmet need, and reduce overdose related deaths,” he said. “I understand the urgency of this funding; however, I also want to ensure the resources and policies are properly aligned with and remain responsive to this evolving epidemic.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price

Jason-Chaffetz

House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah. (Photo: AP)

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, unexpectedly announced he will not seek reelection in 2018. In a statement on Facebook, he said after consulting with his family and “prayerful consideration, I have decided I will not be a candidate for any office in 2018.”

Rep. Chaffetz had been rumored to be weighing a possible run for Senate or governor after easily winning four easy re-elections in his heavily Republican congressional district. Half of the voters are registered Republicans in Utah’s 3rd Congressional District, which encompasses suburban Salt Lake City and the desert towns in southeastern Utah, including a heavily Mormon region.

He won 73% of the vote in November and President Donald J. Trump carried the district by a 24-percent margin.

[caption id="attachment_27209" align="aligncenter" width="740"] House Oversight and

House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., arrives at the White House, Thursday, March 23, 2017, in Washington. (Photo: AP)

House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., arrives at the White House, Thursday, March 23, 2017, in Washington. (Photo: AP)

People’s Pundit Daily has confirmed with multiple sources that an ObamaCare repeal bill backed by the House Freedom Caucus will be introduced in the Republican-controlled House next week. The new healthcare overall could be unveiled as early as Monday and a vote scheduled before the House goes to recess on May 29.

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, backs the new legislation and sources say he anticipates it will pass. While most of the blame for the failure of the American HealthCare Act (AHCA) fell on his conservative coalition, roughly two-thirds of the caucus did support the bill after numerous amendments were introduced.

But as the bill got more conservative, Republican moderates from the Tuesday Group and more competitive districts began to withdraw support, as well. The President asked House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to pull the vote and the White House has been negotiating with the House Freedom Caucus since.

It’s unclear how many moderates will support the latest version of the ObamaCare repeal bill, after they opposed a deal negotiated by Vice President Mike Pence that allowed states to seek regulation waivers. The Club for Growth, which endorses and supports HFC members, has launched a million dollar ad buy to pressure moderates to support the bill ahead of the announcement.

The first ad began running on April 11, featuring President Trump’s campaign promises and praising his efforts to keep that promise.

“The Trump Administration has worked tirelessly with Republicans in Congress to improve the health care bill so that it would actually lower premiums, but GOP moderates have worked to thwart those efforts,” said Club for Growth president David McIntosh. “It’s time for all Republicans to do what they promised voters and back legislation that fulfills President Trump’s pledge to end Obamacare and lower premiums.”

The Club’s second ad (seen below) “Our Chance” started to run on TV and digital platforms on April 13 targeting the districts of the following House members: Martha McSally (AZ-02), Adam Kinzinger (IL-16), Patrick McHenry (NC-10), Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11), Chris Collins (NY-27), Pat Tiberi (OH-12),Greg Walden (OR-02), Charlie Dent (PA-15), Timothy F. Murphy (PA-18) and Evan Jenkins (WV-03).

Earlier this week, Rep. Meadows hinted that an agreement was close. President Trump has repeatedly indicated that he wants to move on healthcare before taking on tax reform, a strategy that makes it easier for him and House Republicans to reconcile budget projections.

Sources also say that Rep. Meadows was split on whether tax reform would get done by August, but said there was a very high chance it would be tackled by October.

An ObamaCare repeal bill supported by the House Freedom

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, March 24, 2017. (Photo: AP)

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, March 24, 2017. (Photo: AP)

Fundamental tax reform such as a flat tax should accomplish three big goals.

The good news is that almost all Republicans believe in the first two goals and at least pay lip services to the third goal.

The bad news is that they nonetheless can’t be trusted with tax reform.

Here’s why. Major tax reform is based on the assumption that achieving the first two goals will lower tax revenue and achieving the third goal will generate tax revenue. A reform plan doesn’t have to be “revenue neutral,” of course, but politicians would be very reluctant to vote for a package that substantially reduced tax revenue. So serious proposals have revenue-raising provisions that are roughly similar in magnitude to the revenue-losing provisions.

Here’s the problem.   Notwithstanding lip service, Republicans are not willing to go after major tax loopholes like the healthcare exclusion. And that means that they are looking for other sources of revenue. In some cases, such as the proposal in the House plan to put debt and equity on a level playing field, they come up with decent ideas. In other cases, such as the border-adjustment tax, they come up with misguided ideas.

And some of them are even talking about very bad ideas, such as a value-added tax or carbon tax.

This is why it would be best to set aside tax reform and focus on a more limited agenda, such as a plan to lower the corporate tax rate. I discussed that idea a few weeks ago on Neil Cavuto’s show, and I echoed myself last week in another appearance on Fox Business.

[brid video=”134087″ player=”2077″ title=”Dan Mitchell Discussing Stalled GOP Domestic Policy Agenda”]

Lest you think I’m being overly paranoid about Republicans doing the wrong thing, here’s what’s being reported in the establishment press.

The Hill is reporting that the Trump Administration is still undecided on the BAT.

The most controversial aspect of the House’s plan is its reliance on border adjustability to tax imports and exempt exports. …the White House has yet to fully embrace it. …If the administration opts against the border-adjustment proposal, it would have to find another way to raise revenue to pay for lowering tax rates.

While I hope the White House ultimately rejects the BAT, that won’t necessarily be good news if the Administration signs on to another new source of revenue.

And that’s apparently under discussion.

The Washington Post last week reported that the White House was looking at other ideas, including a value-added tax and a carbon tax… Even if administration officials are simply batting around ideas, it seems clear that Trump’s team is open to a different approach.

The Associated Press also tries to read the tea leaves and speculates whether the Trump Administration may try to cut or eliminate the Social Security payroll tax.

The administration’s first attempt to write legislation is in its early stages and the White House has kept much of it under wraps. But it has already sprouted the consideration of a series of unorthodox proposals including a drastic cut to the payroll tax, aimed at appealing to Democrats.

I’m not a big fan of fiddling with the payroll tax, and I definitely worry about making major changes.

Why? Because it’s quite likely politicians will replace it with a tax that is even worse.

This would require a new dedicated funding source for Social Security. The change, proposed by a GOP lobbyist with close ties to the Trump administration, would transform Brady’s plan on imports into something closer to a value-added tax by also eliminating the deduction of labor expenses. This would bring it in line with WTO rules and generate an additional $12 trillion over 10 years, according to budget estimates.

Last but not least, the New York Times has a story today on the latest machinations, and it appears that Republicans are no closer to a consensus today than they were the day Trump got inaugurated.

…it is becoming increasingly unlikely that there will be a simpler system, or even lower tax rates, this time next year. The Trump administration’s tax plan, promised in February, has yet to materialize; a House Republican plan has bogged down, taking as much fire from conservatives as liberals… Speaker Paul D. Ryan built a tax blueprint around a “border adjustment” tax… With no palpable support in the Senate, its prospects appear to be nearly dead. …The president’s own vision for a new tax system is muddled at best. In the past few months, he has called for taxing companies that move operations abroad, waffled on the border tax and, last week, called for a “reciprocal” tax that would match the import taxes other countries impose on the United States.

The report notes that Trump may have a personal reason to oppose one of the provisions of the House plan.

Perhaps the most consequential concern relates to a House Republican proposal to get rid of a rule that lets companies write off the interest they pay on loans — a move real estate developers and Mr. Trump vehemently oppose. Doing so would raise $1 trillion in revenue and reduce the appeal of one of Mr. Trump’s favorite business tools: debt.

From my perspective, the most encouraging part of the story is that the lack of consensus may lead Republicans to my position, which is simply to cut the corporate tax rate.

With little appetite for bipartisanship, many veterans of tax fights and lobbyists in Washington expect that Mr. Trump will ultimately embrace straight tax cuts, with some cleaning up of deductions, and call it a victory.

And I think that would be a victory as well, even though I ultimately want to junk the entire tax code and replace it with a flat tax.

P.S. In an ideal world, tax reform would be financed in large part with spending restraint. Sadly, Washington, DC, isn’t in the same galaxy as that ideal world.

P.P.S. To further explain why Republicans cannot be trusted, even if they mean well, recall that Rand Paul and Ted Cruz both included VATs in the tax plans they unveiled during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Can Republicans be trusted with tax reform?

Republican Karen Handel, left, Jon Ossof, center and Bob Gray, right, candidates for the jungle primary-like general special election for Georgia's 6th Congressional District.

Republican Karen Handel, left, Jon Ossof, center and Bob Gray, right, candidates for the jungle primary-like general special election for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District.

Democrat Jon Ossoff failed to get the needed 50% to avoid a runoff in the special election for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District. He will face Republican Karen Handel on June 20 in the typically Republican-leaning Atlanta suburb district that includes Fulton County, DeKalb County, and Cobb County.

Fulton County delayed reporting their precinct totals after a card caused a rare error with the servers. Election officials had to go through hundreds of them until they found the faulty card.

Turnout exceeded the median forecast by roughly about 30,000 votes, but was still much lower than typical cycles. Democrats had hoped President Donald J. Trump, who underperformed significantly in the district, would be a drag on the ticket in an off year. President Trump only edged out Hillary Clinton by less than two points in the district.

Mr. Price, stepped down earlier this year to join President Trump’s Cabinet, defeated his Democratic challenger in 2016 by nearly 30 points.

Tuesday night, Trump wrote: “Despite outside money, FAKE media support and eleven Republican candidates, Big ‘R’ win with runoff in Georgia. Glad to be of help!”

Democrats pulled out all the stops to put Ossoff over the 50-percent threshold to avoid a runoff, spending nearly $9 million in outside money and bringing in celebrities like Samuel L. Jackson and Alyssa Milano to get out the vote. But with more than 80% of precincts reporting, Ossof fell to 48.6% and is now projected by PPD to end up around 46.5%, slightly lower than the adjusted forecast.

Excluding candidates’ own campaign money, the special election saw only about one Georgia penny for every $10 in national cash, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of federal campaign finance disclosures. Ossoff raised more money than his Republican rivals combined, holding D.C. fundraisers hosted by the Democratic Party in Washington from the beginning.

About $4 out of every $5 dollars Ossoff’s own campaign raised was from big-dollar donors—or, those giving more than $200—which come from outside of Georgia. By comparison, just 23% of Handel’s big-dollar contributions—more than $200 per donor—came from out-of-state sources. She only raised $421,000 as of April 17.

Without a doubt, it is the most impressive performance for any Democratic candidate in the district, but a divided and contentious Republican field overall will finish with a majority share of the vote. The GOP, which slept on the race while Democrats cranked up efforts into high gear, are already beginning to express a willingness to unify behind Handel, the former state treasurer.

The latest data from the PPD Battleground State Likely Voter Metrics still point to a Republican advantage.

View Full Results

Democrat Jon Ossoff failed to get the

Republican Karen Handel, left, Jon Ossof, center and Bob Gray, right, candidates for the jungle primary-like general special election for Georgia's 6th Congressional District.

Republican Karen Handel, left, Jon Ossoff, center and Bob Gray, right, candidates for the jungle primary-like general special election for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District.

Eighteen candidates filed to run in the special election for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District: 11 Republicans, 5 Democrats and 2 independents. Polling showed Democrat Jon Ossoff ahead of a crowded field, while Republicans Karen Handel and Bob Gray are neck-and-neck.

Democrats are hoping Mr. Ossoff reaches 50% in the first round of voting because, if no one does (likely), the top two vote-earners will compete in a runoff regardless of party affiliation on June 20. The district includes Fulton County, DeKalb County, and Cobb County.

Refresh this page for the latest election results starting at 7:00 PM EST.

UPDATE: People’s Pundit Daily can project that Jon Ossoff will not reach the needed 50-percent threshold to avoid a runoff with Karen Handel.

Candidate Party Votes Pct.

Gray


Bob Gray
Republican
Rep.
0 0.0%

Handel


Karen Handel
Republican
Rep.
0 0.0%

Hill


Judson Hill
Republican
Rep.
0 0.0%

Ossoff


Jon Ossoff
Democrat
Dem.
0 0.0%

Moody


Dan Moody
Republican
Rep.
0 0.0%

Abroms


David Abroms
Republican
Rep.
0 0.0%

Bhuiyan


Mohammad Ali Bhuiyan
Republican
Rep.
0 0.0%

Edwards


Ragin Edwards
Democrat
Dem.
0 0.0%

Grawert


Keith Grawert
Republican
Rep.
0 0.0%

Keatley


Richard Keatley
Democrat
Dem.
0 0.0%

Kremer


Amy Kremer
Republican
Rep.
0 0.0%

Levell


Bruce Levell
Republican
Rep.
0 0.0%

Llop


William Llop
Republican
Rep.
0 0.0%

Quigg


Rebecca Quigg
Democrat
Dem.
0 0.0%

Slotin


Ron Slotin
Democrat
Dem.
0 0.0%

Wilson


Kurt Wilson
Republican
Rep.
0 0.0%

Hernandez


Alexander Hernandez
Independent
Ind.
0 0.0%

Pollard


Andre Pollard
Independent
Ind.
0 0.0%

Others


Others
0 0.0%

Live Election Results: Special election for Georgia

Steve Stephens, left, shot and killed a 78-year old man on Facebook Live Easter Sunday.

Steve Stephens, left, shot and killed a 78-year old man on Facebook Live Easter Sunday.

Steve Stephens, the “Facebook killer” who sparked a multi-state manhunt after he shot and killed an elderly Cleveland man on Facebook Live, killed himself Tuesday morning in Erie County as the police closed in on him.

Erie County, Pennsylvania is located roughly 100 miles northeast of Cleveland. Pennsylvania State Police confirmed his suicide and death on Facebook and Twitter.

Stephens, 37, was spotted by members of the state police who attempted a traffic stop, but “after a brief pursuit, Stephens shot and killed himself.” A $50,000 reward was offered for information of his whereabouts.

Pennsylvania State Police planned a briefing for Tuesday afternoon.

At a press conference earlier this morning, Cleveland police said they did not know where Stephens was. Authorities had issued a warrant for his arrest after he shot 74-year-old Robert Godwin Sr., a father-of-10 and great-grandfather on Easter. Mr. Godwin was collecting discarded aluminum cans when Stephens approached and fatally shot him in the street.

The shooting, which was posted to Facebook on Sunday [WARNING GRAPHIC], was confirmed by police as legitimate and took place at 635 East 93rd Street. In the video, Stephens asks Mr. Godwin before shooting him if he knew a girl who appears to have been his girlfriend.

Steve Stephens, the “Facebook killer” who sparked

new-home-construction-housing-starts

(Photo: Reuters)

The Commerce Department said on Tuesday housing starts fell in the U.S. more than expected in March, but building permits indicate the market recovery remains intact. The construction of single-family homes in the Midwest recorded its biggest decline in three years, with overall housing starts falling 6.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.22 million units.

Single-family homebuilding, which account for the largest share of the residential housing market, fell 6.2% to an 821,000 unit pace last month, falling from a near 9-1/2-year high. In the Midwest, single-family starts tanked by 35%, the largest drop since January 2014 and the lowest level since August 2015.

Single-family starts in the Northeast were flat, while the South saw a 3.2% rise. The West also saw a decline of 5.5%.

Housing starts for February were revised up to a 1.30 million-unit pace from the previously reported 1.29 million-rate.

Still, building permits increased 3.6%, but were driven by a 13.8% gain in the multi-family segment.

Economists had forecast groundbreaking activity falling to a 1.25 million-unit pace last month. Homebuilding was up 9.2% compared to March 2016.

“March data are often difficult when seasonal factors, including heavy weather, are often at play,” Econoday said in reaction. “But the weakness in starts and strength in permits do point to a possible and favorable theme for the first-half economy in general: weakness in the first quarter followed by a sizable rebound in the second.”

The Commerce Department said Tuesday U.S. housing

President Donald J. Trump holds a meeting with manufacturing leaders on Thursday Feb. 23, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

President Donald J. Trump holds a meeting with manufacturing leaders on Thursday Feb. 23, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

President Donald J. Trump Tuesday will visit tool manufacturer Snap-on Inc. (NYSE:SNA) at their headquarters in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The visit, his first to Wisconsin since taking office, comes as the President prepares to sign an executive order entitled “Buy American, Hire American” as part of his American First agenda.

Manufacturing makes up a large share of the economy in The Badger State, representing roughly 16% of the state’s total labor market.

“Snap-on is a prime example of a company that builds American made tools with American workers, for U.S. taxpayers,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters during a briefing.

President Trump will be joined by several high-profile Republicans who call Wisconsin home, including Sen. Ron Johnson and Gov. Scott Walker. Kenosha, Wis., is also the hometown of Reince Priebus, the President’s chief of staff and former Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman.

The executive order will target abuses in the H1B visa program, which was a key centerpiece of the President’s campaign. Big tech companies oppose the order because they want to pay lower wages for skilled immigrant labor. These companies–to include Tata, Infosys and Cognizant–apply for a larger number of visas than they ultimately know they will get.

“But by putting extra tickets in the lottery raffle, if you will, and then they’ll get the lion’s share of visas,” Spicer said. “And you’ve seen some of these high-profile examples where you have career employees at a company who have been working there for 10, 20 years, and then they get laid off and they hire a contracting firm using H1B workers at much less pay.”

Further, H1B workers get the highest wage tier recognized by the Department of Labor in only 5% to 6% of the cases, despite there being four wage tiers. In 2015, only 5% of H1B workers were in the highest tier.

According to the Government Accountability Officer (GAO), the U.S. offered a greater percentage of its government procurement to foreign competition than the next five largest trade agreement partners combined–the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Norway and Canada. The order will look to curb that disproportionality.

Snap-on said President Trump’s visit will highlight “the essential nature of American manufacturing to our nation’s future.” Nick Pinchuk, the company’s chief executive officer, president and chair, had praised President Trump for meeting with business executives shortly after his inauguration.

“Our view is confidence is everything,” Pinchuk said, adding that U.S. workers need for training, and politicians need more respect for blue-collar workers. “The president, with his bully pulpit, can change it.”

President Trump was the first Republican to carry the state of Wisconsin since Ronald Reagan did in 1984, and the first to carry Michigan and Pennsylvania since George H.W. Bush in 1988. In 1992, Bill Clinton flipped the Rust Belt and, while some cycles have been close, no Republican had the working class message or platform to flip them back until now.

President Donald J. Trump will promote his

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