President Trump's seventh week in office has been defined by two major events: unfounded (yet incredibly serious) accusations against the Obama administration, and the unveiling of the Republican healthcare plan. If approved, the latter will replace the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as "Obamacare." Trump has additionally signed a new executive order, which once again calls for the (temporary) prohibition of travelers from those six Muslim-majority countries targeted by the initial "Muslim Ban." The first version of the ban was signed with pomp and circumstance, whereas this revised version was signed in private. This executive order has, in addition, been re-designed to avoid creating the same chaos and resulting legal action that caused the first such order to be struck down in court.

On Saturday, President Trump asserted via Twitter that former President Obama was guilty of wiretapping his phones prior to the election in November, saying over the course of two tweets: "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! ... How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!" If this accusation were true, it would be one of the largest political bombshells in recent memory. However there is no evidence to back up Trump's tweet. The President's next tweet, within the hour, was a critique of Arnold Schwarzenegger's performance on The Apprentice.

© Obama White House / Flickr

The following day, Trump called for a congressional investigation into whether or not his phones had been compromised, which spurred a number of responses: FBI Director James Comey requested that the Justice Department dismiss the entire affair as ridiculous. Trump's critics declared that the accusation was an attempt by the President to distract his adversaries from the ongoing investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Press Secretary Sean Spicer then stated that the issue would no longer be spoken about. 

In other news, GOP lawmakers have revealed their proposed replacement for the Affordable Care Act. The Republican plan changes the law's subsidies for private insurance, cuts the Medicaid expansion that was seen under the Affordable Care Act, removes the requirement that people buy insurance and that large employers provide for it, and reduces federal support (which will allow the Affordable Care Act's tax increases on insurance and drug companies, the wealthy, and others to be cut). Adult children would still be able to remain on their parent's plan until the age of twenty-six. Pre-existing conditions would still be covered. However, in order to stop people from purchasing health insurance only when they have a need for it, the new healthcare bill proposes that insurers can raise premiums up to 30% for those individuals re-entering the market.

As House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady stated to Fox News, "It is Obamacare gone. There's nothing left there... We deliver on President Trump's promise to repeal and begin replacing." Democrats and a number of Republicans have already decried these changes-they fear that millions will lose coverage due to the rollback of Medicaid expansion. Despite its uncertain future, Trump has given his support to the legislation.