Bill dedicated the bulk of Tuesday's No Spin News to the opioid/heroin crisis in America.  The impetus was President Trump's high-profile Tuesday meeting about the issue in New Jersey.  The gathering included, among others, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, Chief of Staff John Kelly, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Jared Kushner, Kellyanne Conway, and Melania Trump, who has taken a great interest in the issue. 

"These people are advising President Trump what to do," Bill said, "and some even want a state of emergency so it will be easier to get funding.  The reason this is happening is because there have officially been 35,000 opioid overdose deaths in the USA since 2015, and the real number is probably much more than that."  He also outlined the basic politics of the issue:  "The left basically says the war on drugs doesn't work so we should legalize not only marijuana, but hard drugs as well.  I was in Switzerland when legalization of heroin took place and it was a disaster.  Parents couldn't even walk with their kids because there were so many zombies.  Legalization is not a restraint, it's an encouragement." 

Bill elaborated on the opioid problem and possible solutions.  "It is a social/political dilemma and there is a lot of stuff involved.  Most of the heroin comes from Mexico, which is why we need a border wall.  The prescriptions drugs come from the pharmacies.  We've always had drug addiction and it's about instant gratification, an escape.  When I was at the Kennedy School of Government, I did a paper on how to solve the addiction problem and one of my models was Singapore, which has no heroin problem.  The government there has zero tolerance for drugs.  They will hang you if you traffic drugs and if you use drugs, you go to forced rehab for 22 months, which is a camp where you work.  So the government took the market away and the sellers were faced with death.  Obviously, we cannot do that here, but we have made intoxication attractive.  Think of all the celebrities who extol the virtues of getting high." 

Turning to crime and punishment, Bill asserted that anyone selling hard drugs deserves harsh punishment:  "Barack Obama said that selling hard drugs is a non-violent crime and my head almost blew up.  The unintended consequences of using hard drugs could be death and the pusher is selling you the poison.  The seller says he's not forcing anyone to do drugs, but if there were no degenerates selling poison we would not have a drug problem.  Every religion in the world classifies drug use and sales as sinful because it damages your body.  I say we should adopt the tough Singapore forced rehab program, but make it more holistic and humane.  I'd spend money on that, but it can't be a big joke like it is now." 

Getting off drugs, so to speak, Bill reported that a couple of new polls have Donald Trump's approval rating hovering in the mid 30s.  "I know most of you don't believe in polls," he said, "but that's probably where it is.  If the tax cut goes through it will jump ten points.  Any sane person acknowledges that the economy is perking along and that's what Trump will run on.  But if the tax cut doesn't go through, the stock market will go down by 5,000 points and there will be blood in the streets." 

In some very welcome news, Bill reported that more than a million fewer Americans are using food stamps since Donald Trump took office.  One possible reason is that states are going to impose work rules.  Also, the administration's crackdown on illegal immigration has discouraged illegals from using food stamps. 

When Premium Members wrote in with their opinions and questions, one email about the special counsel elicited this reaction from Bill:  "The Russian collusion story is about the election, the left wants to overturn the election of President Trump.  In order to do that, you would have to have in-stone facts that are backed up fifteen different ways." 

Another Premium Member asked Bill to rationalize the left's apparent fondness for illegal immigration.  "This is all about votes," he declared.  "My folks came here in the 1840s and as soon as they got off the boat the Democrats were signing them up.  The Democratic Party has always been the party of immigrants and they get an enormous amount of votes.  That's what it's all about!" 

Before signing off, Bill again teased tomorrow's very special edition of the No Spin News.  He reminded Premium Members that they'll be seeing him in a neatly pressed jacket and tie.  So check back Wednesday for a test run that may lead to a brand new look for the No Spin News.  Your feedback will be most welcome and extremely valuable.