“TRUMP DECLARES THE OPIOID CRISIS A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY”

- Jenna Johnson and John Wagner, The Washington Post

Jenna Johnson and John Wagner of The Washington Post report that President Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency during an opioid-focused event on Thursday afternoon. This will allow the federal government to “waive some regulations, give states more flexibility in how they use federal funds and expand the use of telemedicine treatment,” Johnson and Wagner write. The President signed a presidential memorandum that directs Acting Secretary of Health and Human Services Eric Hargan “to declare a nationwide public health emergency and direct all federal agencies to use any emergency authorities that they have to reduce the number of opioid overdose deaths.” Johnson and Wagner conclude that officials plan to roll out more initiatives to address the crisis in the coming days and weeks, and the White House is working with Congress to find additional funding for this crisis.
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The Christian Post’s Samuel Smith writes on Vice President Pence’s promise to Middle Eastern Christian leaders that the United States will begin providing help to “rebuild their ancient communities” following the order President Trump gave to the U.S. State Department to enable U.S. aid funding to go “directly to faith-based organizations actively supporting Christians and other religious minorities displaced by the Islamic state.”

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In economic news, the Washington Examiner reports that data from the Labor Department on Thursday showed that “the total number of workers receiving unemployment benefits again fell to the lowest level in nearly 44 years in mid-October,” a sign that “job creation is strong.”

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Regarding the phony Trump dossier, the Wall Street Journal editorial board writes on the hidden joint financial actions of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign that make it appear “Democrats paid for Russians to compile wild allegations,” about President Trump, as well as the credibility of the investigation as a whole.

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At the Associated Press, Erica Werner and Alan Fram write on the unity within the Republican Party after a pair of prominent senators denounced President Trump and invited their colleagues to join them. Instead, “most GOP lawmakers rallied around Trump and his agenda,” and “voiced unqualified support,” for the President, Werner and Fram report.