Bill began Thursday's studio-based No Spin News with the ongoing controversy over President Trump's calls of condolence to Gold Star families. 

"This is another very depressing situation," he groused, "because there is so much hatred involved.  President Trump called the widow of La David Johnson, who got in touch with Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, a Trump-hater.  She knew the call would be coming and listened in on a speaker phone.  About two seconds after the call was over, the Congresswoman was on CNN, so this has all the earmarks of a setup.  The worst part about this is the coverage on television, where people are acting like they know what President Trump said.  You have to extend the benefit of the doubt, even if you don't like Donald Trump." 

Bill put forth this solution for similar situations in the future:  "The Pentagon and the president should have a method that they use to contact all families of slain service people.  I think there should be a letter signed by the secretary of defense and the president.  Then, if the president chooses to supplement that with a phone call, that's up to him.  That's an act of compassion and an honor, but in this day and age you have to tape the call.  This is the world we live in." 

Turning to tax reform, Bill reported on a CNN poll that tried to sample voters' opinion on President Trump's tax overhaul proposal.  "What no one will tell you except me," he said, "is that Democrats were 31% of those polled, Republicans 24%.  So the poll is suspect from the start and it said that 52% of Americans oppose President Trump's tax plan.  I'm throwing this poll out because I don't think it's honest.  This kind of polling is deceptive!"  Despite the poll's questionable methodology, Bill concluded, "There is a lot of work to be done by the president and the Republican if they want the majority of Americans to support the tax plan." 

Meanwhile, another poll found that 70% of young adults around the globe would rather text than talk with another person face-to-face.  "Texting is so much easier than human interaction," Bill lamented, "but the downside is that you become a zombie.  Human feelings and how people are reacting to you used to be an important part of life, but they are on the wane.  We are losing compassion and feelings for others."

Political reporter Philip Wegmann of the Washington Examiner then joined the No Spin News to look ahead and predict which Democrats may run for the presidency in 2020.  "There are 1,111 days before the election," Wegmann began, "and there are dozens of Democrats who think they can beat Donald Trump.  But right now, there are no new faces, the front-runners are Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Elizabeth Warren." 

Bill predicted that New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo will run for the White House, and Wegmann concurred. "I think there is an opportunity for him to step in and move towards the center," Wegmann said.  "The people at the top of the party have lurched so far to the left and there is an opening for a Democrat who can come to the table with moderate views."  Wegmann also mentioned Senator Kamala Harris of California, saying she is "definitely the cool kid on the block right now."  As for New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, Wegman said, "He's an exciting candidate for people on the coasts, but he's a former mayor of Newark and that may not work in middle America."  Before signing off, Wegmann predicted that two Virginians – Governor Terry McAuliffe and Senator Tim Kaine – may also grab for the big brass ring. 

Premium Members almost unanimously complained about the situation involving Gold Star families and calls from the president.  One PM blasted Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, the Trump-hating Democrat:  "I believe the conversation with the Congresswoman in the car was a setup.  The White House told the family to expect the call and it is a bit too convenient that the Congresswoman happened to be there."   Bill agreed and reiterated that the White House and Pentagon need to find some workable solution to keep this kind of mess from happening again. 

Finally, Bill addressed a facetious question from a Premium Member who wondered whether it is acceptable to dress for Halloween wearing masks of Donald and Melania Trump.  "If you're going to dress up in a Melania mask," Bill joked, "the PC police will get you because you have to understand the culture and history of Slovenia, where Mrs. Trump is from." 

So brush up on Slovenia, not to be confused with Slovakia, and we'll see you next time.