Updated: NBC News’ Bombshell Piece On Obamacare Disappears Then Reappears

UPDATE: 12:46pm EST – Kyle Becker at IJReview says that NBC has since purged the comments of the article since reposting it earlier today. He claims they did so after Drudge Report changed their link to the story.

UPDATE: 10:46am EST – The story featured on NBC now includes the content which was previously edited out or around.

UPDATE: 01:08am EST –  Excuses pour in…

UPDATE: 12:56am EST –  There are edits to the new version

UPDATE: 12:40am EST – Story is now back online but with a different URL

ORIGINAL STORY FOLLOWS –

NBC has purged the story exposing the Obama administration’s knowledge of millions of Americans losing their insurance plans from their NBC News Investigations website.

NBC News has offered no explanation of this event nor have they issued a retraction or an editorial correction to the story.  All we can do is speculate as to motive.

It is interesting to note, the latest story on the page for NBC News Investigations is now a story about the U.S. killing terrorists linked to the Westgate Mall Tragedy.

A Google Cache of the page exists here for those interested in reading the original story.

(SooperMexican is responsible for the image that highlights the changes. MSPaint is no competition for his Photoshop skills)

Via: Weasel Zippers

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Obama admin. knew millions could not keep their health insurance

President Obama repeatedly assured Americans that after the Affordable Care Act became law, people who liked their health insurance would be able to keep it. But millions of Americans are getting or are about to get cancellation letters for their health insurance under Obamacare, say experts, and the Obama administration has known that for at least three years.

Four sources deeply involved in the Affordable Care Act tell NBC NEWS that 50 to 75 percent of the 14 million consumers who buy their insurance individually can expect to receive a “cancellation” letter or the equivalent over the next year because their existing policies don’t meet the standards mandated by the new health care law. One expert predicts that number could reach as high as 80 percent. And all say that many of those forced to buy pricier new policies will experience “sticker shock.”

Via: USA Today

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David Gregory: Embarrassing ‘Caricature of Incompetence’ on Obamacare

There is practically no safe haven for the White House these days, thanks to the disastrous rollout of Obamacare that has led many on MSNBC to aim some friendly fire at the Obama administration. OnMorning Joe Friday, David Gregory brought up the “caricature of incompetence” in the White House over Obamacare and dared to ask if it shows that the health care law is simply too big for the White House to actually handle.

He asked, “Is Obamacare doomed if they can’t fix this fast?” Gregory argued that there is a “caricature of incompetence that could be associated with Obamacare for a long time because of such a bad start,” and Republicans may have undersold, in part, how bad Obamacare was going to be.

Gregory also said down the road, the White House may face this far more provocative question about the Affordable Care Act: “Is it too big, too complicated for the federal government to administer?”

Watch the video below, via MSNBC:

Via: Mediaite.com

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Food stamp benefits going down before the holidays

Millions of American families could face a sparse holiday table when food stamps benefits get reduced in November, and that could be just the start of deeper cuts to the program to feed poor families.

The modern-day food stamp plan, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is scheduled to scale back benefits for all recipients on Nov. 1 because a recession-era boost in benefits is expiring.

The cut comes as lawmakers also are considering billions of dollars of reductions to the overall SNAP program, which has grown substantially in recent years amid the weak economy and high unemployment.

The program is now serving more than 23 million households, or nearly 48 million people, according to the most recent government data through June. The USDA says the average monthly benefit is about $275 per household.

The exact reduction depends on the recipients’ situation, but a family of four with no other changes in circumstances will receive $36 less per month, according to the USDA. At today's average prices, that translates to four fewer whole chickens each month.

Stacy Dean, vice president for food assistance policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said that can be a major hit for a family that is already struggling with such low wages that they can’t afford food on their own.

Via: NBC News

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NBC Report: White House Taking Obamacare Website Offline Again For “Repairs,” Spanish Language Site Delayed…

NBC Report: White House Taking Obamacare Website Offline Again For “Repairs,” Spanish Language Site Delayed…

The third time by my count.

Via: Weasel Zippers

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Kick Them All Out! Distaste for DC Politicians at All-Time High

The public's displeasure with Washington politics reached a new high Friday with separate polls calling for all members of Congress to be fired and for a strong third party to challenge the 150-year-old dominance of Republicans and Democrats.

One survey also gave the lowest-ever favorability to the GOP, with more than twice as many people having a negative view as a positive.

The government shutdown and the continued failure of politicians to seek compromise was being blamed for the low opinion of the country's current leaders.

Urgent: Should GOP Stick to Its Guns on Obamacare? Vote Here. 

One poll, conducted for NBC News and the Wall Street Journal, showed that given the chance, 60 percent of Americans would vote out every single member of Congress — including their own representatives.

It is the highest-ever figure recorded since the pollsters asked the question. "We continue to use this number as a way to sort of understand how much revulsion there is. We now have a new high-water mark," said Peter Hart, one of those who conducted the poll.

A separate Gallup poll gave the same 60 percent number for those who believe the country needs a strong third party — again a record high. At the same time, a new low of 26 percent believe the two major parties adequately represent Americans.

"Given the inability of the Republican and Democratic parties to agree on the most basic of government functions — passing an annual budget to pay for federal programs — it is perhaps not surprising that the percentage of Americans who believe a third party is needed has never been higher," Gallup managing editor Jeffrey Jones said.

The belief was evenly split, with 52 percent of Republicans and 49 percent of Democrats saying a third party is needed, marking the first time a majority of either party's supporters have said this.

The results are consistent with Gallup's finding of more negative opinions of both parties since the shutdown began Oct. 1, including Americans' widespread dissatisfaction with the way the nation is being governed.

Via: Newsmax

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Obama Asked About Obamacare’s Tanking Approval Numbers: “Yes,” “Everybody Is Wrong”…

President Obama said Tuesday that Americans were wrong to doubt his signature healthcare reform law, saying concerns over rising costs or worsening health outcomes were not supported by the evidence.

In an interview with Telemundo on Tuesday, the president was asked if "everybody [was] wrong" after polling data indicated that a majority of Americans oppose the law and believe it will raise their healthcare costs.

"Yes," the president said with a chuckle. "They are."

The president said a "look at the facts" revealed that young adults were able to stay on their parents' health insurance longer and that seniors were getting "billions of dollars in discounts on their prescription drugs."

Asked about reports that insurance rates were rising in some areas, Obama argued the law was a net positive.

"What we've seen is the lowest increase in healthcare costs in 50 years over the last several years," Obama said. "So there is no evidence at all that this is somehow making healthcare more expensive. There's a lot of evidence that it's helping to make it cheaper."

A poll released Tuesday by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal found that just 31 percent of Americans believed ObamaCare was a good idea, while 44 percent thought it was not. Just three in 10 Americans say they understand how the legislation will affect them, and only 23 percent believe the law will have a positive effect on the country's overall healthcare system. 

Via: The Hill

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NBC’s Pete Williams Identifies Navy Yard Gunman As Aaron Alexis, 34, of Ft. Worth, TX

NBC News reporter Pete Williams identified one of the gunman who attacked the Washington Navy Yard on Monday morning as Aaron Alexis, 34, of Ft. Worth, Texas. Alexis was killed at the scene, but police have asked for Washington D.C. residents to remain on the lookout for two additional suspects. 

RELATED: CNN’s Barbara Starr: ‘We’re Talking About a Conspiracy to Attack the U.S. Military’

“There’s only one confirmed gunman and authorities say he’s 34-year-old Aaron Alexis of Fort Worth, Texas,” Williams reported. “That he had just recently begun working as a civilian contractor for the Navy.

Williams noted that reports indicate Aaron infiltrated the highly secure facility by using the identification of a current employee of the facility who has not yet been identified.

“What his motive was is a long way from determined,” Williams continued.

Watch the clip below via NBC:

Via: Mediaite.com

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Poll: President Obama nears all-time low

President Barack Obama’s approval numbers are approaching their lowest levels ever in a new poll.

Just 45 percent of those surveyed in the NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll said they approved of the job the president was doing, a drop of 3 points from June. Fifty percent said they disapproved.

That’s close to the lowest numbers registered for Obama in the poll, a 44 percent approval and 51 percent disapproval rating registered in November 2011.

(PHOTOS: Obama going gray)

The poll’s numbers reflect Americans’ assessment of how Obama is handling the economy: Forty-four percent said they approved and 51 percent said they disapproved.

Pollsters also pointed to a drop in support among African-Americans as a possible explanation for Obama’s falling numbers, as 78 percent approve of Obama’s work, a 10 point drop since June and 15 point drop since April.

Obama’s approval rating is the same as George W. Bush's was at this point in his second term, while Bill Clinton’s approval rating was significantly higher, at 56 percent, during this point in his second term, The Journal said.

Congress fared poorly in the poll as well, registering a new low approval number. Only 12 percent of those polled said they approved of the job Congress was doing; 83 percent disapproved. That’s tied for Congress’s lowest approval ever in the poll and the highest disapproval registered.

Via: Politico

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Biden to FL Voter: When Insurance Rates Go Down, 'You'll Vote For Me In 2016'

Biden 2016? The following exchange between Vice President Joe Biden and a GOP voter in Florida was reported by this tweet from NBC News' Carrie Dann:

 

Carrie Dann@CarrieNBCNews

Biden, chatting by phone with a GOP voter in FL, "After it's all over, when your insurance rates go down then you'll vote for me in 2016"

Via: Fox News

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TAGG TRUTHERISM: NBC, SALON LAY TRACK FOR OHIO VOTE CONSPIRACY THEORY

Yesterday, at the Big Journalism ObamaMedia live blog, I made note of a tweet fired off by MSNBC's Luke Russert, where he linked to a wild-eyed MSNBC story "raising questions" about Tagg Romney's connection to a Ohio voting machine company:

A financial interest held by Mitt Romney’s son in a voting machine company whose systems are being used in Ohio threatens public confidence in the election’s integrity, according to Jennifer Brunner, the state’s former top elections official.

“It doesn’t look good for a presidential candidate’s son to be an investor in a voting machine company,” Brunner told MSNBC.com. “That has to do with public trust in the process.”

Today, NBC News itself jumped into the fever swamp:

Now, the integrity of electronic voting machines is back in the spotlight. Reports are circulating there are “dubious links” between the voting machines in some counties[Hamilton and William] in Ohio and Governor Romney.

The machines are supplied by Hart Intercivic, a national e-voting company. The Austin-based firm is partially owned by H.I.G Capital, an investment company that has business ties to Solamere Capital, Tagg Romney’s [Mitt’s oldest son] equity firm.

The suggestion is that the Romney link is at best a conflict of interest, with even the potential for bias, fraud or irregularity.

Naturally, NBC's political soul-mate, Salon, piled on to lay even more track with this nonsense:

Voting machine provider Hart Intercivic will be counting the votes in various counties in the crucial swing states of Ohio and Colorado and elsewhere throughout the country come Nov. 6 — even though it has extensive corporate ties to the Mitt Romney camp, and even though a study commissioned by the state of Ohio has labeled its voting system a “failure” when it comes to protecting the integrity of elections.

Via: Breitbart

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NY Times Caught Editing Story On Iran Nuclear Negotiations After White House Denial

The White House scrambled late Saturday to deny a New York Times report claiming Iran has agreed to meet directly with U.S. officials to discuss its nuclear program, sending New York Times editors rushing to quietly but substantially revise their initial reporting on a key foreign policy issue for the second time in as many months.

According to the Times, which anonymously quoted senior administration officials, Iran told diplomats it wanted to wait until after the November presidential election to put plans for the meeting in motion.

“It has the potential to help Mr. Obama make the case that he is nearing a diplomatic breakthrough in the decade-long effort by the world’s major powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions,” the Times report said.

Within hours, White House officials responded the report was mostly inaccurate.

“It’s not true that the United States and Iran have agreed to one-on-one talks or any meeting after the American elections,” National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement. ”[However, the White House has] said from the outset that we would be prepared to meet bilaterally.”

“The President has made clear that he will prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and we will do what we must to achieve that,” Vietor added. “It has always been our goal for sanctions to pressure Iran to come in line with its obligations. The onus is on the Iranians to do so, otherwise they will continue to face crippling sanctions and increased pressure.”

Meanwhile, a senior administration official told NBC News on background that back-channel talks with Iran were in progress, but confirmed that no definite agreement about a meeting had been reached. (RELATED OPINION: Obama, Iran in secret nuclear deal)

When the New York Times updated its story late Saturday to reflect Vietor’s statement, the paper made no mention of the update or any correction to the story, leaving readers with the impression that the White House’s denial had been in the story all along. In fact, the initial version of the story portrayed the development as a tentative victory for the Obama administration, which has recently been faced with foreign policy crises in the Middle East and Libya.

Via: Daily Caller

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Should there be early voting?

Early voting has begun in the 2012 election and some people, like our friend Matt Lewis, seem to think that’s a bad thing. Being opposed to extended voting opportunities is an idea which immediately sets off alarms for me, but it’s worth a moment to examine it as election day approaches.

Matt’s responding to an NBC News story which proclaims that nearly half the nation is already voting. Of course, that figure seems to include absentee ballots, which are not technically “early voting” since they won’t be recorded until election day. Also, there are plenty of people (especially our troops serving overseas) who have no other access to the ballot, so I would hope people aren’t protesting that.

But Matt is more focused on the places where the polls open days – if not weeks – in advance and in person voting is taking place. Follow the link for the full explanation of each, but here are the five points he’s making.

1. It doesn’t work
2. Voters are casting ballots before they have all the information
3. The cost — both to the taxpayer and the campaigns
4. Ballot integrity
5. Community

Item number one isn’t even worth a lengthy debate, in my opinion. The study in question relies on torturing the data with so many vague and glossy “variables” to arrive at a number – rather than just counting the number of votes cast – that it becomes a very murky soup. And the basic premise – that having more days with the ballots open somehow hinders voters – is counterintuitive on its face. They do make a point about it being “harder for the campaigns” to organize their get out the vote strategy, but that’s the problem of the campaigns, not the voters.

A part of me wants to sympathize with Matt on item number two, but this still comes down to a matter of personal responsibility. Something can always happen later. When do you get in on buying a new stock? On the first day or after it’s had time to ripen? Plus, these elections last so long now that you’ve doubtless got all the information you’re looking for prior to the final fifteen seconds before midnight on Monday. You pick when to vote and you live with your choice.

As to number four, ballot integrity, I have to scoff. Matt argues that most early voting is done by mail, “opening the door” to mischief of various sorts. Oregon and Washington vote exclusively by mail and somehow the specter of angry spouses throwing out votes has failed to materialize.

Via: Hot Air

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