Trump expands opt-out for workplace birth control insurance

President Donald Trump is allowing more employers to opt out of providing no-cost birth control to women by claiming religious or moral objections, issuing new rules Friday that take another step in rolling back the Obama health care law. The new policy is a long-expected revision to federal rules that require most companies to cover birth control as preventive care for women, at no additional cost.

Trump administration expands exemptions on contraceptive mandate

The Trump administration Oct. 6 issued interim rules expanding the exemption to the contraceptive mandate for religious employers, such as the Little Sisters of the Poor, who object on moral grounds to covering contraceptive and abortion-inducing drugs and devices in their employee health insurance. The contraceptive mandate was put in place by the Department of Health and Human Services under the Affordable Care Act.

Ex-Obama officials begin health insurance sign-up campaign

Former Obama administration officials are undertaking a private campaign to encourage people to sign up for coverage next year under the Affordable Care Act. With the start of open enrollment on Nov. 1, the Trump administration has slashed the Obama health law's ad budget, as well as grants to outside organizations that are supposed to help people sign up.

15 Times Celebs Dressed As Other Celebs For Halloween: Jessica Alba As Slash & More

Still figuring out what you're going to be for Halloween? Never fear! These celebs disguised as other celebs for All Hallow's Eve will give you some ideas! Check them out! When it comes to picking out your Halloween costume, it's all about choosing something that gets people talking! And what's more inspiring your favorite celeb's distinctive look! Dressing up as a celebrity for the ghoulish holiday is a blast but it's not just average party-goers - other celebs do it too! Here's the members of the Hollywood elite who have cleverly dressed as a fellow celeb for Halloween and we're living for it! Check out all the A-listers insane costumes right here! What better way to comment on current events or poke fun at a recent scandal than to adopt it as your Halloween costume! Katy Perry , 32, and Orlando Bloom , 40, did just that when they took on Bill , 71, and Hillary Clinton , 69, in 2016! ... (more)

McMaster hints to Dems he’s not sold on Iran deal plan

H.R. McMaster, President Donald Trump's national security adviser, invited a small group of Democratic senators to the White House Wednesday to discuss the president's plans on the Iran deal, and lawmakers left with the impression that he was not sold on the idea that decertifying is the right way to go, according to two sources familiar with the meeting. The sources said the meeting was clearly intended for McMaster to get ideas from key Senate Democrats on how to avoid decertifying the Iran deal, which many in both parties think would destabilize relations with allies and make it harder to confront foes well beyond Iran.

Trump-tied lobbyists cash in on their connections, report says

A supporter of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump held a "Drain the Swamp" sign during a rally last year in Ohio. - The day after the presidential election, the Washington lobbying firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck touted its Republican team's "significant relationships a with those who will steer the incoming Trump administration."

Both Parties’ Extremists Working to Lose Next Election

Almost no one disagrees that our two major political parties, the oldest and third-oldest in the world, have become increasingly extreme and estranged over the past decade. It's a startling contrast with the state of political conflict in the dozen or so years after the fall of the Soviet empire.

White House seeks to move past Trump/Tillerson friction WASHINGTON…

The Trump administration sought Thursday to move past the brouhaha over Rex Tillerson's reported insult of his boss, making clear President Donald Trump alone sets the nation's agenda that his advisers must execute. A day after the duo's sometimes difficult relationship burst into public view, the president joined his top diplomat in disputing a report that Tillerson had considered abandoning Trump's Cabinet earlier this year.

Report: Trump-tied lobbyists cash in on their connections

The day after the presidential election, the Washington lobbying firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck touted its Republican team's "significant relationships with those who will steer the incoming Trump administration."

U.S. House committee approves Texan’s bill to put $10 billion toward border wall

WASHINGTON The House Homeland Security Committee voted to send a bill to the full U.S. House on Wednesday that aims to follow through on President Donald Trump's campaign promise of constructing a wall at the United States' southern border. The bill from U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul , an Austin Republican and the committee's chairman, included $10 billion toward building a wall.

Rexit: Tillerson hangs on to job, but for how long?

Trump has at times appeared to undercut Tillerson's message on some of America's most sensitive national security challenges, including Iran and North Korea The moment was as remarkable as it was unprecedented: a sitting US secretary of state took to the microphone to pledge his fealty to the president - despite his well-documented unhappiness in the job and the growing presumption in Washington that he is a short-timer. Rex Tillerson said Wednesday he would stay as long as US President Donald Trump wants him to , and Trump said he has "full confidence" in the former ExxonMobil chief executive.

Before he was president, Donald Trump tweeted this cartoon about electing a ‘moron’

Amid multiple reports of infighting among senior Trump administration cabinet officials, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday that his commitment to the President is still "strong." In 2014, while Barack Obama was president, Donald Trump tweeted a cartoon that showed one of the founding fathers of the United States saying, "I keep thinking we should include something in the Constitution in case the people elect a ****** moron."

Hillary Slams Trump’s Response to Puerto Rico: Was He Busy ‘Golfing’ and ‘Tweeting’?

During an appearance on The Tonight Show , Clinton excoriated President Donald Trump for his administration's slow response to Puerto Rico in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria. After telling host Jimmy Fallon that she was of course disappointed Trump was president at this time due to his temperament, Fallon asked her if she felt she could handle things differently.