Beltway Insider: Trump Reverses Cuba; HealthCare On Floor; Brits Bowed; Grenfell Towers; Simon Cowell

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence continued to realign the United States position taking on two policies the former administration worked to secure for the American people: Healthcare and Cuban travel restriction.

According to Gallup, President Trump's job approval, over the past week, remainedconsistent at 38% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as President also remained consistent at 57%. 

Trump Imposes Travel Ban

President Trump announced this week his version of policy geared toward reestablishing ties with Cuba. The hardliner leader has dismantled the policy crafted by his predecessor and is now addressing the issue of political prisoners, arms sales to North Korea and banning travel to Cuba.

"Our new policy begins with strictly enforcing U.S. law.   We will not lift sanctions on the Cuban regime until all political prisoners are freed, freedoms of assembly and expression are respected, all political parties are legalized, and free and internationally supervised elections are scheduled," Trump said.  

Trump, in dealing with the island nation 90 miles south of Miami, made his hardline position clear. Any proposed monies from the military, security, intelligence will be restricted and all bans on tourism will be enforced.

The president has indicated he will continued to be the champion of the Cuban people. Until, the current regime steps forward with polices that align themselves with democratic freedoms, elections and the release of political prisoners and the commitment to cease abducting citizens and imprisoning them for speaking against the pollical powers.

"Our embassy remains open in the hope that our countries can forge a much stronger and better path. America believes that free, independent, and sovereign nations are the best vehicle for human happiness, for health, for education, for safety, for everything.  We all accept that all nations have the right to chart their own paths -- and I'm certainly a very big believer in that -- so we will respect Cuban sovereignty.  But we will never turn our backs on the Cuban people.  

President Donald Trump will make it clear that America is with you, that America stands with the persecuted, the oppressed, and the exploited in Cuba -- that this nation stands not with tyrants, but today, President Donald Trump will make it clear that the United States of America stands with the courageous men and women of Cuba who seek to reclaim their God-given rights to life and liberty," Vice President Pence said.

Trump Health Care Bill Unlikely to Pass

President Trump who made the attack on ObamaCare a signature promise of his campaign is faced once again with challenges within the GOP rank and file as the bill is heading to the floor for a vote this week.

"The President is very supportive of the draft Senate healthcare bill, which represents the next step in repealing and replacing Obamacare.  It's time to for all Republicans to unite and fulfill this promise that we've been talking about for over seven years, and that we would rescue them from the mess that they -- was created by imposing a risky healthcare experiment on our country several years ago," said Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary.

Analysts are predicting that the bill has a margin of win/loss of only two votes. Three senior members of his party including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, (R-KY) is questioning the bill as it stands the fact remains he is charged with gathering the necessary 52 Senators to pass President's Trump's Healthcare bill that would dismantled ObamaCare.

"The President and his entire team will be looking forward to working with all senators who are willing to come to the table to amend, finalize and pass the bill so that we can deliver a world-class healthcare system in place of the failing system that we have now," Spicer said.

Trump Leaves Palestinians To Kushner

Senior Advisor to the President Jared Kushner, Assistant to the President and Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt, and United States Consul General in Jerusalem Donald Blome met on behalf of the President with Israeli Prime Minster, Benjamin Netanyahu, and with President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority.

Beltway Insider: Trump/Pence Build Legal Teams; Congressman Shot; Grenfell Towers; Navy Destroyer Collision

President Trump is focused on achieving permanent and lasting peace in the region and sent the trio to convey his wishes, outline a plan, and step forward to enhance stability in the region.

Britons Bowed Under Terror, Tragedies, Aftermath

Ten days after the horrific Grenfell inferno shocked Londoners and the world with flames shooting into the night sky and unimaginable images of babies tossed to bystanders, residents jumping, attempts to secure rescue, all captured on cameras, and broadcast to media as residents brainwashed by the strict fire safety, were left with life and death choices.

Dying with their child or tossing babies to onlookers, deciding to jump or attempting escape by climbing down a makeshift bedsheet and blanket rope, these are the scenarios faced by Grenfell tower residents shortly after midnight June 14, 2017.

Most residents had no fire escape plan in place, those who escaped explained there were no sprinklers in the common areas, no common area alarms, and only one staircase. These apparent building violations essentially skirt the edge of legality.  The building was allegedly constructed to withstand fire, an assumption in building as no test case was completed to determine the authenticity of the claim.  

However according to Grenfell Tower Regeneration Newsletter dated July 2014, the fire policy was stay put and wait for rescue.

"Our longstanding 'stay put' policy stays in force until you are told otherwise. This means that (unless there is a fire in your flat or in the hallway outside your flat) you should stay inside your flat. This is because Grenfell was designed according to rigorous fire safety standards. Also, the new front doors for each flat can withstand a fire for up to 30 minutes, which gives plenty of time for the fire brigade to arrive," Kensington& Chelsea TMO/Rydon.

The stay put and wait policy was never one that sat well with residents who repeatedly petition the building management to address the fire safety issues. Residents warned the building management of fire safety issues, even as late as November 2016 indicating by letter, it will take a catastrophic fire to get them to address the fire safety issues.

Grenfell Towers, a blacked charred still standing cement block, a reminder on the North Kensington skyline of failed building planning and more horrifically the human loss when untested building construction is shortchanged based on expectation.

The units of the 24-floor tower, each built essentially to self-contain a fire, so should a fire break out in unit A, fire crew should contain it in Unit A with no need for residents to evacuate. As this seemed to be a method that has worked in the past, the addition or recent refurbishing of the Tower, with an exterior beatification cladding, which according to officials was meant to insulate the building.

Cladding, which is used in the United States as well, is known to have the potential to cause fire. A shield for extreme weather, rain screens and the like, will run down in between the cladding and the building and in the case of fire, smoke travels up like a chimney.

What Happened

With Police considering manslaughter charges, the investigation, which is fluid, has become closer to a determination as arson ruled out and the initial cause of the first predicate fire stemmed from a Hot Point fridge-freezer.

Death Toll Expected To Rise as Massive Inferno Engulfs Famed London Apartment Building

Deputy Superintendent Fiona McCormack said documents and materials had been seized from a number of organisations but no one had been questioned yet as it was too early in the investigation. We will identify and investigate any criminal offence and, of course, given the deaths of so many people, we are considering manslaughter, as well as criminal offences and breaches of legislation and regulations," she said," as reported in The Guardian

What's Next

For the thirty families displaced and receiving assistance the Kensington and Chelsea counsel, whom is acting as a first responder or liaison with the families, and all other organizations, had be unable to work with the Holiday Inn Express Kensington who had provided emergency accommodation for the past ten days.

Court evicted families received more notice than the Grenfell families who were told they need to vacate as quickly as possible ad as close to 4:00pm {Friday} as the hotel simply couldn't extend the accommodation as their reservations took precedence.

A continued investigation into the cladding used on other buildings in the same area have found 27 buildings failed the fire safety tests. While residents may not be in imminent danger the possibility of potential danger is heightened and lawmakers may seek eviction orders to remove the residents while the old cladding is removed.

The number of dead now stands at 79. Ten days into the identification process, no others have been reported missing. The community has come together, in what one media reporter, described as a spontaneous outpouring of kindness. Soon the items, all self-donated, were filling trucks and feeding and clothing families. And soon the Westway Sports Centre in White City was Ground Zero.

For the survivors who have lost everything, every document, identification, home, in some cases family members, everything one possessed, no matter the position the Grenfell families held before the tragedy, now, After Tragedy, they are in need. In need equates to "being down" which means that personal feelings or concerns or even simple courtesies which one would expect, simple courtesy, seems to evaporate.

As we have all become more aware of fire safety and the need to make an alternative plan simply to ensure that Every person has intense security alarms on their homes, bars on the windows, sensors, motion detectors, and very few have a fire evacuation plan in place. Very few people have a Rescue life net, an apartment size airbag which inflates on impact allowing trapped residents to jump.

The more intense the spotlight, the more media sifting through the ashes, the less likely the situation, will be buried in the ashes of the building.

Simon Cowell And Artists For Grenfell

Artists for Grenfell, led by mega producer Simon Cowell, pulled together in three days a who's who of musicians all of whom agreed without hesitation to lend their voices to a single release that would help the fundraising efforts for those displaced by the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Having listened to the Bridge Over Troubled Water by Artists for Grenfell, the emotion is genuine and palpable. Mr. Cowell who pulled together the artist and as he said, when he saw he figured he "could write a check" and then decided he wanted to something more tangible, something lasting.

As the story goes, Mr. Cowell, reached out to labels and within an hour they replied and the it began to take shape. Interviews outside the recording studio have had The Who's Roger Daltrey, explaining his connection to the neighborhood, the tragedy so fresh, the anguish was obvious in his interviews. Others like Pete Townsend, spoke of the four families he knew, one on the tenth floor at the time it wasn't known if the families were safe.

The song, Bridge over Troubled Water, written 47 years ago by the recording duo, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, was chosen by Simon Cowell.

After the song was released and the video was blasted to the four corners of the world, hearing this rendition, was everything Mr. Cowell stated in an impromptu interview outside the school where the 300 locals who signed on to assist were practicing.

"It beautiful, just beautiful. It gave me chills," he said. He added the artists gave of themselves, and that is so evident in the delivery. The lyrics, melody written 47 years ago, sung today, in North Kensington, west London, unites a people, and shows a community your neighbors, those you see and those whom you never met, are united in this tragedy with you.

For Londoners and the people of Manchester feeling the times and matching hate and hurt note for note with love and strength, we stand with you today, knowing, believing, and hoping, that no matter how dark it appears it will break. The dawn will come.  

Even as the Mr. Trump's White House has chosen to alienate the British Government, with the recent release of sensitive terror information; the people of the United States, artist, musicians, citizens remain faithful to our British friends and with heart of humanity we stand with you.

To donate to the London Community Foundation: https://artistsforgrenfell.com/

For more information on President Donald Trump: www.whitehouse.gov

Sources: Whitehouse.gov, Wikipedia.com, 

Haute Tease