CYBERWAR/LEAKS/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A self-described ’email prankster’ in the UK fooled a number of White House officials into thinking he was other officials, including an episode where he convinced the White House official tasked with cyber security that he was Jared Kushner and received that official’s private email address unsolicited. ‘Tom, we are arranging a bit […]
Category: A- Trump People
8/1/2017
RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP FAMILY/DONALD JR: “Sen. Lindsey Graham said Tuesday [8-1-17] that a report that President Donald Trump personally dictated his son’s misleading statement regarding a meeting last summer with a Russian attorney ‘bothers me a lot,’ as do the president’s regular requests that the Senate do away with the legislative filibuster, a non-starter, according […]
7/31/2017
TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Trump said that there is no chaos in his administration as his new chief of staff reports to the White House for his first day on the job, but he continued to threaten Congress that he would cut lawmakers’ health insurance plans in a series of tweets on Monday morning. […]
7/30/2017
TRUMP PEOPLE/IVANKA/JARED KUSHNER: “By one measurement, last week was a good one for Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. President Donald Trump’s daughter and son-in-law had been double-teaming for weeks to persuade him to oust chief of staff Reince Priebus, pushing for a new chief who could ‘professionalize the West Wing,’ according to multiple White House […]
7/28/2017
TRUMP PEOPLE/JOHN KELLY/REINCE PRIEBUS: “Reince Priebus, the establishment Republican-turned-loyalist to President Trump who served as his White House chief of staff for the last six months, was pushed out on Friday in the latest convulsion in a chaos-wracked West Wing to which he had repeatedly failed to bring some semblance of order. Convinced that Mr. […]
7/28/2017
TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/JOHN KELLY: “I am pleased to inform you that I have just named General/Secretary John F Kelly as White House Chief of Staff. He is a Great American… and a Great Leader. John has also done a spectacular job at Homeland Security. He has been a true star of my Administration” -Donald […]
7/28/2017
TRUMP PEOPLE/ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI/REINCE PRIEBUS: “White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus may have little left of his job but his title. In the swirl of Shakespearean intrigue that surrounds Donald Trump’s White House, Priebus’ fortunes have long been a source of speculation, given his limited role, colorful band of rivals and the president’s public slights. […]
7/27/2017
NOMINATIONS/POLITICAL FIGURES/RELIGION/TRUMP PEOPLE/SAM BROWNBACK: “For more than six years, Gov. Sam Brownback has steered Kansas on a hard right turn on one issue after another: taxes, guns, abortion rights, Medicaid and welfare benefits. He will leave as an unpopular leader of a state in uncertain fiscal health, with more robust conservative policies and governed by […]
7/27/2017
LEAKS/TRUMP PEOPLE/ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI/REINCE PRIEBUS: “The internal rivalries of the White House spilled out into stark public view on Thursday [7-27-17] morning as President Trump’s new communications director called out his chief of staff on live television, suggesting that he may be a leaker — all over a leak that was not actually a leak. Anthony […]
7/27/2017
MEDIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “With little pomp or circumstance, Sarah Huckabee Sanders stepped up to the briefing room podium and got straight to business Friday [7-28-17], reading announcements about ‘Made in America Week’ and a new executive order on defense. Minutes later, newly minted communications director Anthony Scaramucci announced she was formally taking over as White House […]
7/27/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A top adviser on Middle East issues to U.S. President Donald Trump left the National Security Council on Thursday [7-27-17] as the White House grapples with internal divisions as well as major policy issues involving Syria, Iran and Iraq. The Weekly Standard magazine was first to report the departure of […]
7/26/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/GOP/JEFF SESSIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “For a week, some of President Trump’s top aides have tried to talk him down from his public campaign against Attorney General Jeff Sessions. It was exposing tensions within the administration, stirring consternation with the conservative base and setting off a revolt among Senate Republicans incensed over the treatment […]
7/26/2017
STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson flashed a grin Wednesday [7-27-17] and insisted that he is ‘not going anywhere,’ comments that came amid tussles with the White House over policy and staffing as well as questions about his future as the nation’s chief diplomat. Mr. Tillerson told reporters at the State Department on […]
7/25/2017
ENERGY/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/RICK PERRY/UKRAINE: “U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry optimistically discussed expanding American coal exports to Ukraine and other energy matters during a lengthy phone call this month with a Russian prankster who Perry thought was Ukraine’s prime minister. Perry actually was talking with comedians known in Russia for targeting celebrities and politicians with audacious stunts, […]
7/24/2017
EPA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, traveled to his home state, Oklahoma, 10 times over three months this year, largely at taxpayer expense, according to a report released Monday [7-24-17]. The findings from the Environmental Integrity Project, a nonprofit group founded by former E.P.A. officials, are drawn from Mr. […]
7/24/2017
TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/REINCE PRIEBUS: “Reince Priebus took the punishing job of President Donald Trump’s chief of staff with the idea that he would stick it out for at least one year. Six months in, with one of his top allies in the West Wing — press secretary Sean Spicer — on his way out, […]
7/21/2017
TRUMP PEOPLE/SEAN SPICER: “Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, resigned on Friday [7-21-17] morning, telling President Trump he vehemently disagreed with the appointment of New York financier Anthony Scaramucci as communications director. Mr. Trump offered Mr. Scaramucci the job at 10 a.m. The president requested that Mr. Spicer stay on, but Mr. Spicer told […]
7/21/2017
NOMINATIONS/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Financier Anthony Scaramucci, a top donor to President Donald Trump during the campaign, is expected to be named White House communications director on Friday [7-21-17], two White House officials said. Mr. Scaramucci, 53 years old, is the founder of hedge-fund investing firm SkyBridge Capital and a hedge-fund conference known as SALT. Known as […]
7/20/2017
ROBERT MUELLER/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Trump’s lawyers and aides are scouring the professional and political backgrounds of investigators hired by the special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, looking for conflicts of interest they could use to discredit the investigation — or even build a case to fire Mr. Mueller or get some members of […]
7/20/2017
TRUMP PEOPLE: “Departing The Pentagon after meetings with @VP Pence, Secretary James Mattis, and our great teams. #MAGA?? https://t.co/5d1MSzhjQS” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, July 20, 2017 12:27pm […]
7/20/2017
RUSSIA/TREASURY/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “The Treasury Department said Thursday [7-20-17] it is fining Exxon Mobil Corp. $2 million for violating sanctions related to Russia in 2014, when Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was CEO of the company. In May of that year, the presidents of Exxon Mobil’s U.S. subsidiaries ‘dealt in services of an individual whose […]
7/19/2017
2016 ELECTION/CYBERWAR/DHS/TRUMP PEOPLE/JOHN KELLY: “Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Wednesday [7-19-17] that states that aren’t asking Washington for help in protecting their election systems from hackers are ‘nuts.’ But while Kelly said he supported the Obama administration’s decision to designate U.S. election systems ‘critical infrastructure,’ given threats from Russia and other entities, he also […]
7/19/2017
INTELLIGENCE/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/PAUL MANAFORT/UKRAINE: “Financial records filed last year in the secretive tax haven of Cyprus, where Paul J. Manafort kept bank accounts during his years working in Ukraine and investing with a Russian oligarch, indicate that he had been in debt to pro-Russia interests by as much as $17 million before he joined Donald J. […]
7/19/2017
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The Trump administration on Wednesday [7-19-17] tapped a veteran trade official involved in the original North American Free Trade Agreement to lead new talks with Canada and Mexico on an overhaul of the agreement starting next month. John Melle, the current assistant U.S. trade representative for the Western Hemisphere, will […]
7/19/2017
2016 ELECTION/CAMPAIGN/RUSSIA/TRUMP FAMILY/DONALD JR/JARED KUSHNER/TRUMP PEOPLE/PAUL MANAFORT: “President Donald Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner and former campaign manager Paul Manafort have been asked to appear before U.S. Senate committees next week to answer questions about the campaign’s alleged connections to Russia, officials said on Wednesday [7-19-17]. The three men are the closest […]
7/18/2017
CLIMATE CHANGE/ENERGY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/RICK PERRY: “On his first official visit to this coal-seam state that voted overwhelmingly for Donald J. Trump, Energy Secretary Rick Perry praised the work of the scientists at a federal laboratory devoted to figuring out how to burn more coal with less pollution. ‘You and your predecessors have really worked […]
7/18/2017
STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “The State Department office charged with combating war crimes may become the latest casualty of Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson’s plans to restructure his department, former American officials said on Tuesday [7-18-17]. Human rights advocates seized on the proposal as another example of what they assert is the Trump administration’s indifference […]
7/18/2017
TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP FAMILY/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Following the biggest legislative debacle of President Donald Trump’s first six months in office, the White House on Tuesday [7-18-17] was some hands on deck. The president’s most senior aides appeared eager to move on from the health care loss, busying themselves with their own pet projects. Counselor Kellyanne Conway […]
7/18/2017
EPA/ETHICS/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “A Democratic member of the U.S. Senate committee that conducted confirmation hearings for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said in a letter Tuesday [7-18-17] that Oklahoma’s former attorney general presented ‘inconsistent and contradictory statements’ to the panel. Pruitt’s ‘misleading answers, evasiveness, and stonewalling’ had stymied the committee’s ability to provide oversight […]
7/18/2017
DEBT/EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “One of the nine companies that manages the federal government’s $1.2 trillion portfolio of education loans is fighting to stop the Education Department from handing the job to a single contractor. The Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, commonly known as MOHELA, filed a protest this month with the Government Accountability Office over […]
7/17/2017
STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson is moving ahead with plans to restructure his department, and has hired two consulting groups to assist with the process, according to a cable sent to embassies around the world. In the cable, Mr. Tillerson said he had hired Deloitte and Insigniam to help oversee the […]
7/17/2017
INTELLIGENCE/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/PAUL MANAFORT: “New York prosecutors have demanded records relating to up to $16 million in loans that a bank run by a former campaign adviser for President Donald Trump made to former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, according to a person familiar with the matter. The subpoena by the Manhattan district attorney’s office to the […]
7/17/2017
EXPORT-IMPORT BANK/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT GARRETT: “President Donald Trump is standing behind former Rep. Scott Garrett, his choice to head the Export-Import Bank, amid escalating pressure from business groups to pull the plug on the nomination. ‘Scott Garrett is imminently [sic] qualified to lead the Ex-Im Bank,’ White House spokeswoman Natalie Strom said in a statement to […]
7/17/2017
STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “Forty former U.S. diplomats and national security officials urged Secretary of State Rex Tillerson not to eliminate the State Department office that handles refugees in a letter seen by Reuters on Monday [7-17-17]. The letter argued that a Trump administration proposal to transfer the responsibilities of the Bureau of Population, Refugees and […]
7/12/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/LGBTQ/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Democrats and LGBT groups assailed Attorney General Jeff Sessions for an off-camera, closed-door speech Tuesday [7-11-17] to an organization designated as a ‘hate group’ by a prominent civil rights watchdog. As announced on his public schedule, Sessions addressed a crowd at the Alliance Defending Freedom’s Summit on Religious Liberty in Orange […]
7/12/2017
EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “The letters have come in to her office by the hundreds, heartfelt missives from college students, mostly men, who had been accused of rape or sexual assault. Some had lost scholarships. Some had been expelled. A mother stumbled upon her son trying to take his own life, recalled Candice E. Jackson, the […]
7/12/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/DRUGS/HEALTHCARE/LEGAL/OBAMACARE(ACA)/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions is poised to announce a major law enforcement action this week targeting health-care fraud, focusing on opioid treatment programs exploiting Obamacare insurance plans, according to two people familiar with the matter. In what is described as a nationwide sweep with hundreds of arrests being carried out across […]
7/11/2017
STATE/SUDAN/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The Trump administration said Tuesday [7-11-7] it is delaying a decision on whether to lift sanctions on Sudan by three months. The administration faced a July 12 deadline to decide if sanctions relief initiated by the Obama administration in January would become permanent. ‘The United States will revoke the sanctions if the [Government […]
7/11/2017
CLIMATE CHANGE/EPA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is in the early stages of launching a debate about climate change that could air on television – challenging scientists to prove the widespread view that global warming is a serious threat, the head of the agency said. The move comes as the administration of President […]
7/11/2017
STATE/TERRORISM/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “The U.S. and Qatar signed an agreement in Doha Tuesday [7-11-17] to crack down on terrorist financing, part of efforts by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as he shuttles around the Persian Gulf to resolve a weekslong conflict between four Arab states and Qatar. Under the agreement, the two countries will step […]
7/10/2017
AFGHANISTAN/FOREIGN POLICY/MILITARY/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Trump’s advisers recruited two businessmen who profited from military contracting to devise alternatives to the Pentagon’s plan to send thousands of additional troops to Afghanistan, reflecting the Trump administration’s struggle to define its strategy for dealing with a war now 16 years old. Erik D. Prince, a founder of the private […]
7/10/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrives in the Persian Gulf region Monday [7-10-17] for a round of shuttle diplomacy aimed at resolving a conflict among U.S. allies that Washington fears will drag on for months. The former Exxon Mobil Corp. chief executive, who has close ties to many Arab officials in […]
7/10/2017
DRUGS/FDA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT GOTTLIEB: “Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is calling for his agency to institute rigorous new safety standards for how immediate-release opioids are prescribed, in an effort to curb the nation’s opioid crisis. Dr. Gottlieb, in a talk kicking off an FDA workshop of public-health officials on painkiller safety and abuse, said […]
7/10/2017
NATO/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/TURKEY/REX TILLERSON: “U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Monday [7-10-17] acknowledged severe strains in U.S.-Turkey relations, although he said he is hopeful of mending ties with the NATO ally and partner in the anti-Islamic State coalition. He also said he hoped that the U.S. and Turkey could replicate an agreement reached last week […]
7/9/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON/UKRAINE: “U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met Sunday [7-9-17] with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, a visit that telegraphs U.S. support to Kiev after President Donald Trump’s historic meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In an appearance with Mr. Poroshenko in Kiev, Mr. Tillerson said the Trump administration was looking for a […]
7/7/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/GUANTANAMO/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod J. Rosenstein, were scheduled to visit the American wartime prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, on Friday in a gesture of support for continuing to detain terrorism suspects without trial there and to prosecute some before a military commission. In a statement, Ian Prior, […]
7/6/2017
ENERGY/TRUMP PEOPLE/RICK PERRY: “After touring one of the few recently built coal-fired power plants in the U.S., Energy Secretary Rick Perry says they’re important for the country’s future. Perry says a stable baseload of electricity is important and this technology provides ‘the ability to deliver a secure, economical and environmentally good source of energy.’ He […]
7/6/2017
DEFENSE/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP PEOPLE/JAMES MATTIS: “The Trump administration said it would give diplomacy more time to resolve a gathering crisis over North Korea’s efforts to build a nuclear weapon that can reach U.S. shores. On Thursday [7-6-17], Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the U.S. wasn’t closer to war, in his first remarks since North Korea […]
7/6/2017
ECONOMY/ENERGY/TRUMP PEOPLE/RICK PERRY: “Speaking at a coal-fired power plant in Maidsville, W.Va., on Thursday [7-6-17], Energy Secretary Rick Perry made a strange argument about supply and demand, seeming to confuse the relationship between two of the essential forces in the economy. ‘Here’s a little economics lesson: supply and demand,’ Perry said, according to Taylor Kuykendall […]
7/6/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP PEOPLE/STEVE BANNON: “A former Breitbart writer and ally of Steve Bannon’s is leaving the White House after less than six months of serving as the deputy chief of staff for the National Security Council. NSC spokesman Michael Anton confirmed to CNN Thursday that Tera Dahl is exiting the group and will move on […]
7/6/2017
MILITARY/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP PEOPLE/MCMASTER: “A few days after President Donald Trump gave his Pentagon chief the unilateral authority last month to send thousands of American troops to Afghanistan at his own discretion, the White House sent classified guidance that effectively limits the number of forces. The memo, sent by national security adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster […]
7/6/2017
EDUCATION/LEGAL/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “A group of 19 state attorneys general are suing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos for delaying an overhaul of rules to erase the federal student debt of borrowers defrauded by colleges… The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court on Thursday [7-6-17], accuses the Education Department, which did not immediately respond to requests for […]
7/4/2017
STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “Thousands of State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development employees indicated in a survey they are worried about the future of their agencies, with some expressing particular concern about lack of support from the Trump administration and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. The findings are in a report for […]
7/1/2017
EPA/OBAMA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “In the four months since he took office as the Environmental Protection Agency’s administrator, Scott Pruitt has moved to undo, delay or otherwise block more than 30 environmental rules, a regulatory rollback larger in scope than any other over so short a time in the agency’s 47-year history, according to experts in […]
6/30/2017
DEFENSE/TRUMP PEOPLE/JAMES MATTIS: “A plan to allow transgender recruits to join the United States military beginning on Saturday [7-2-17] has been delayed for six months by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, a Pentagon spokeswoman said on Friday. The 11th-hour decision byMr. Mattis will allow service leaders to ‘review their accession plans and provide input’ as they […]
6/30/2017
EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “This month, the secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, announced plans to dismantle a set of Obama-era policies devised to protect students and taxpayers from predatory for-profit colleges. Yet data released in the final days of the previous administration shows that the existing rules have proved more effective at shutting down bad college […]
6/29/2017
STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged Thursday [6-29-17] that the process of staffing senior positions in his agency has progressed slower than he’d like, as the State Department and White House trade blame over the issue. Asked whether he was satisfied with the pace of staffing for these jobs, which include nearly […]
6/29/2017
COMMERCE/GERMANY/TRUMP PEOPLE/WILBUR ROSS: “Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross was cut off in the midst of his remarks to a Berlin economic conference hosted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party ahead of the G20 conference the country is hosting next week. The video feed showing Ross’ remarks on Tuesday [6-27-17] evening was killed after Ross doubly exceeded […]
6/28/2017
DEFENSE/SYRIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/JAMES MATTIS: “U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said on Wednesday [6-28-17] that the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad appeared so far to have heeded a warning this week from Washington not to carry out a chemical weapons attack. But Russia, the Syrian government’s main backer, said the U.S. assertions that Assad’s forces may […]
6/28/2017
CABINET/HHS/TRUMP PEOPLE/TOM PRICE: “Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price’s appointment to be a cabinet secretary inadvertently saved him a big stock market loss, while as many as five members of congress may not have been so lucky. When Dr. Price was appointed to run HHS, he said he would sell 461,238 shares in an […]
6/27/2017
LOBBYING/TRUMP PEOPLE/PAUL MANAFORT/UKRAINE: “President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort registered Tuesday [6-27-17]as an agent of a foreign government, acknowledging for the first time that a small part of his lobbying work for Ukraine’s former president was aimed at influencing U.S. policy makers and journalists. The Justice Department filing by Mr. Manafort, who for […]
6/27/2017
CHINA/FOREIGN POLICY/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “China is among the worst offenders for its failure to crack down on human trafficking within its borders, according to a strongly worded State Department report released Tuesday [6-27-17]. In its annual assessment of global efforts to end forms of modern slavery, the State Department dropped China to the lowest tier […]
6/27/2017
LEGAL/TRUMP PEOPLE/PAUL MANAFORT/UKRAINE: “Paul Manafort, who was forced out as President Trump’s campaign chairman last summer after five months of infighting and criticism about his business dealings with pro-Russian interests, disclosed Tuesday [6-27-17] that his consulting firm had received more than $17 million over two years from a Ukrainian political party with links to the […]
6/27/2017
FAKE NEWS/MEDIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Senate Republicans have walked away from their plans to vote on their health-care bill this week, and the Trump administration believes the Syrian regime is planning another chemical weapons attack against its own people. But at the first opportunity during Tuesday’s White House press briefing, deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders blasted […]
6/26/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “Students who received publicly funded vouchers in Indiana and Louisiana appeared to lose significant academic ground in the first two years after switching to private schools but then caught up to their public-school counterparts in subsequent years, according to two studies made public Monday [6-26-17]. The studies do not show that vouchers […]
6/26/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker sent a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Monday [6-26-17] saying he will block foreign military sales to members of the Gulf Cooperation Council until they can resolve their dispute with Qatar. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties […]
6/25/2017
STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “When Rex W. Tillerson, the former chief executive of Exxon Mobil, arrived in Washington five months ago to become the secretary of state, his boosters said he brought two valuable assets to a job that had usually gone to someone steeped in government and diplomacy: a long history managing a […]
6/23/2017
DEFENSE/TRUMP PEOPLE/JAMES MATTIS: “The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate armed services committee are asking Defense Secretary James Mattis to investigate accusations of torture at prisons in Yemen run by United Arab Emirates forces where US forces were also interrogating prisoners. Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Jack Reed of Rhode Island sent a […]
6/23/2017
2016 ELECTION/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/KELLYANNE CONWAY: “White House counselor Kellyanne Conway dismissed the idea that Russia influenced the 2016 presidential election after The Washington Post reported Friday [6-23-17] that Russian President Vladimir Putin was directly involved in a cyber campaign to affect the outcome. ‘I think it’s very important to show no nexus has been proven between […]
6/22/2017
CHINA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP PEOPLE: “U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Thursday [6-22-17] he would support taking action against U.S. automaker Ford’s (F.N) decision to move some production to China if the shift was because of ‘non-economic reasons.’ Lighthizer, who was appearing before a panel of U.S. senators, did not give details on the factors that […]
6/22/2017
CABINET/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump offered an explanation Wednesday [6-21-17] for why he has one of the wealthiest Cabinets in history. ‘I love all people — rich or poor — but in those particular positions, I just don’t want a poor person,’ he said at a rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. ‘Does that […]
6/21/2017
BUDGET/INTERIOR/TRUMP PEOPLE/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Tuesday [6-20-17] defended the $1.6 billion in funding cuts that President Trump has proposed for his department, telling a Senate hearing that ‘this is what a balanced budget looks like.’ But Democrats on the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources took issue with the $400 million that […]
6/21/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said this week she plans to appoint Arthur Wayne Johnson, the chief executive of a private student loan company, to run the federal government’s trillion-dollar financial aid operations. The announcement Tuesday [6-21-17] did not mention Johnson’s role as founder and chief executive of Reunion Student Loan Finance Corporation, […]
6/21/2017
DEFENSE/MILITARY/TRUMP PEOPLE/JAMES MATTIS: “Congress is considering placing new limits on the Trump administration’s war-making powers as the White House delegates key decisions on military action to the Pentagon. Democrats and some key Republicans say they’re alarmed that President Donald Trump has delegated the decision to set troop levels in Afghanistan to his defense secretary, James […]
6/21/2017
EPA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “U.S. Democratic lawmakers asked Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt on Wednesday [6-21-17] to disclose procedures to prevent billionaire Carl Icahn from influencing U.S. biofuels policy for personal gain. The letter is the latest in a string of missives from Democrats concerned about Icahn’s dual role as a special adviser to President […]
6/21/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP FAMILY/JARED KUSHNER: “Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, arrived in Israel on Wednesday [6-21-17] for meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a spokeswoman for the US Embassy told CNN. Kushner’s first stop was a private condolence visit to the family of Hadas Malka, the […]
6/20/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “The United States is ‘mystified’ over the continued blockade of Qatar by its Gulf neighbors, a top State Department spokeswoman said Tuesday [6-20-17], calling once again for a de-escalation of the diplomatic crisis. ‘Now that it’s been over two weeks since the embargo started, we are mystified that the Gulf States […]
6/20/2017
CABINET/NATIONAL DEBT/TREASURY/TRUMP PEOPLE/STEVE MNUCHIN: “Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday [6-20-17] he isn’t concerned about U.S. tax receipts coming in lower than expected in recent months. If the trend continues, it could shorten the amount of time the government has before it runs out of cash to pay its bills unless Congress raises the federal […]
6/19/2017
CLIMATE CHANGE/ENERGY/TRUMP PEOPLE/RICK PERRY: “Energy Secretary Rick Perry on Monday [6-19-17] denied that man-made carbon dioxide emissions are the primary cause of climate change. Asked in an interview on CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box’ whether he believed that carbon dioxide was ‘the primary control knob for the temperature of the Earth and for climate,’ Perry said that […]
6/16/2017
IMMIGRATION/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcer doubled down Friday [6-16-17] on recent comments that undocumented immigrants ‘should be afraid’ under the Trump administration. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Thomas Homan said in an interview that he has ‘zero regrets’ about his remarks before Congress this week, expanding on them. ‘It needed to be […]
6/16/2017
LEGAL/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Members of President Trump’s transition team were ordered on Thursday [6-15-17] to preserve documents and other materials related to the investigation of Russian interference in the presidential election, according to a memo obtained by The New York Times. The memo, from the transition team’s general counsel’s office, is the latest indication that […]
6/16/2017
2016 ELECTION/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump’s longtime attorney and adviser Michael Cohen has hired a lawyer to represent him in the investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, Cohen told CNN on Friday [6-16-17]. Cohen, who serves as Trump’s personal attorney, hired Stephen Ryan, a partner at the DC-based law firm McDermott, Will and […]
6/16/2017
DHS/DREAMERS/IMMIGRATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/JOHN KELLY: “The Trump administration late Thursday [6-15-17] announced that it has formally reversed part of President Obama’s immigration actions from 2014. The Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA, program would have deferred deportations for the undocumented parents of U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents who […]
6/15/2017
ENERGY/TRUMP PEOPLE/RICK PERRY: “The Energy Department is closing an office that works with other countries to develop clean energy technology, another sign of the Trump administration’s retreat on climate-related activities after its withdrawal from the Paris agreement this month. The 11 staff members of the Office of International Climate and Technology were told this month […]
6/15/2017
HUD/TRUMP PEOPLE: “She’s arranged tournaments at Trump golf courses, served as the liaison to the Trump family during his presidential campaign, and even arranged Eric Trump’s wedding. Now President Trump has appointed longtime loyalist Lynne Patton — who has zero housing experience and claims a law degree the school says she never earned — to […]
6/15/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/IMMIGRATION/MIKE PENCE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “Leaders from two Central American nations on Thursday [6-15-17] asked Vice President Mike Pence to ensure that their citizens could remain in the United States as part of a work program that temporarily authorizes their residency. Neither the vice president nor Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, who was also […]
6/14/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “The Trump administration is delaying new rules that would erase the federal loan debt of student borrowers cheated by for-profit colleges. The announcement by the Education Department on Wednesday came just weeks before the rules, finalized during the Obama administration, were to take effect on July 1. The new rules stood to […]
6/14/2017
RUSSIA/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday [6-14-17] that the U.S. would support efforts by Russia and Ukraine to resolve a yearslong conflict outside of an internationally backed agreement signed by both countries, the implementation of which has long been a U.S. condition for lifting sanctions against Moscow. The comments by Mr. […]
6/13/2017
CUBA/FOREIGN POLICY/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “The Trump administration likely will scale back policy changes it believes have benefited the Cuban government while preserving some of the increased commercial activity that has begun after former President Barack Obama moved to normalize U.S.-Cuban ties, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday [6-13-17]. President Donald Trump is expected to […]
6/13/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/DEMS/JAMES COMEY/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions infuriated Democratic senators Tuesday [6-13-17] by repeatedly thwarting their efforts to shed light on the firing of James Comey, as he blasted secret innuendo and leaks over his own conduct. In a fiery Senate intelligence committee hearing, Sessions raised his voice in indignation as he rejected […]
6/13/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said Tuesday [6-13-17] that criticism of her position on discrimination in schools is ‘hurtful’ and ‘couldn’t be further from the truth.’ ‘I think discrimination in any form is wrong and I have said before and I’ll say again, the department is committed to ensuring that every child has […]
6/13/2017
BUDGET/CABINET/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will defend the Trump administration’s proposal to cut almost one third of the State Department budget in the face of tough questioning from lawmakers on Tuesday and Wednesday [6-14-17]. Mr. Tillerson’s congressional appearances, beginning Tuesday morning before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will be the first time he […]
6/12/2017
CABINET/INTERIOR/TRUMP PEOPLE/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Monday proposed significantly scaling back the borders of a national monument in southeastern Utah, in a legally unprecedented move that opponents say violates a century-old law signed by President Theodore Roosevelt. Bears Ears National Monument is a 1.3-million-acre conservation area that was designated by President Barack Obama […]
6/12/2017
STEVE MNUCHIN/TREASURY/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Monday [6-12-17] that the U.S. government can be funded through ‘the beginning of September’ and urged lawmakers to raise the federal borrowing limit before they leave for their summer recess. He reiterated remarks he made last week that if Congress doesn’t raise the federal borrowing limit before […]
6/12/2017
EPA/FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “The Trump administration’s top environment official left a meeting with international counterparts early, boarding a plane home to tell President Donald Trump the US position was ‘received well.’ ‘I actually arrived back this morning at 1 o’clock from Italy, the G7 focused on the environment,’ Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt […]
6/12/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions will testify at a public hearing of the Senate intelligence committee Tuesday [6-13-17] afternoon, the committee said in a statement. This will be the first time Sessions has testified in Congress since he recused himself from the Justice Department’s probe into Russian meddling in last year’s election […]
6/12/2017
CABINET/INTERIOR/TRUMP PEOPLE/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke informed President Donald Trump on Monday [6-12-17] that he was delaying his decision on the controversial Bears Ears National Monument, putting off the final decision until later in 2017. In a memo to the President, Zinke says he has produced at ’45-day interim report’ on the national monument […]
6/11/2017
DRUGS/HHS/PHARMA/TRUMP PEOPLE/TOM PRICE: “Five years ago, Vivitrol was a treatment for opioid addiction that was struggling to find a market. Now, its sales and profile are rising fast, thanks to its manufacturers’ shrewd use of political connections, and despite scant science to prove the drug’s efficacy. Last month, the health and human services secretary, Tom […]
6/11/2017
LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Marc E. Kasowitz, a New York civil litigator who represented President Trump for 15 years in business and boasts of being called the toughest lawyer on Wall Street, has suddenly become the field marshal for a White House under siege. He is a personal lawyer for the president, not a government […]
6/9/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/JAMES COMEY/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Former FBI Director James Comey told senators in a closed hearing Thursday afternoon that Attorney General Jeff Sessions may have had a third interaction with Russia’s ambassador to the US, according to people familiar with the briefing. Comey explained that the possibility there could have been another encounter was not […]