LABOR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/ALEXANDER ACOSTA: “When President Donald Trump took office, many in the financial industry were confident that a looming retirement-savings rule they had opposed for years would soon be dead. To their dismay, the core principle of the rule was implemented Friday [6-9-17]. The resilience of the so-called fiduciary rule is partly attributable […]
Category: A- Trump People
6/8/2017
POLITICS/TRUMP PEOPLE/TOM COTTON: “To be a Senate Republican in President Trump’s Washington is to moonlight as a sort of executive life coach, coaxing the commander in chief toward discipline and conservative policy in the face of 140-character headwinds. And perhaps no lawmaker is more committed to this difficult work than the chamber’s youngest member: Senator […]
6/8/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “The White House on Thursday [6-8-17] finally affirmed that President Donald Trump has confidence in his attorney general, two days after reporters first began asking whether he does. ‘Absolutely, the president has confidence in all of his Cabinet and if he didn’t they wouldn’t be here,’ White House deputy press secretary […]
6/7/2017
LABOR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/ALEXANDER ACOSTA: “The Labor Department began taking steps Wednesday [6-7-17] to roll back high-profile Obama administration policies, days ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned visit to the department to outline worker-training initiatives. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta told members of Congress Wednesday the department would begin rewriting overtime regulations within weeks, while also […]
6/7/2017
FBI/NOMINATIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/CHRIS WRAY: “President Donald Trump is tapping former Assistant Attorney General Chris Wray to serve as the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the president said in a tweet Wednesday [6-7-17] morning. Mr. Wray, a former senior Justice Department official who has since served as a white-collar defense lawyer, met […]
6/7/2017
ECONOMY/NOMINATIONS/TREASURY/TRUMP PEOPLE/DAVID MALPASS: “The Trump administration’s nominee to be Washington’s top financial diplomat, ex-Bear Stearns chief economist David Malpass, will advocate an America-first revision of the world’s economic architecture when senators review his nomination Wednesday [6-7-17]. Mr. Malpass, a former senior official in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, has long been critical of […]
6/6/2017
CABINET/DHS/INTELLIGENCE/LEGAL/TRUMP PEOPLE/JOHN KELLY: “At least one top Trump Cabinet official is bucking administration policy when it comes to oversight requests from Congress. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told senators on Tuesday during congressional testimony that his department will respond to any inquiry from members of Congress, no matter who sends the request. A May 1 […]
6/6/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “What exactly would a federal school voucher program look like, and would it fund schools that discriminate against students based on their gender, religion, race or sexual orientation? That question was a major flash point — once again — on Tuesday as senators in an appropriations subcommittee questioned U.S. Secretary of Education […]
6/6/2017
TRUMP PEOPLE/SEAN SPICER: “On Sunday night, the White House sent out its daily schedule — as it does every day. Except, one thing was different: Sarah Huckabee Sanders, rather than her ostensible boss, Sean Spicer, would be giving the daily press briefing on Monday [6-5-17]. The White House sought to play the substitution as a […]
6/6/2017
EPA/JOBS/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “The Environmental Protection Agency head said that the ‘coal sector’ added 7,000 jobs in May and ‘almost 50,000 jobs’ since the fourth quarter of last year. But the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an increase of just 400 coal mining jobs in May and 1,300 since December. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt made […]
6/6/2017
TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/NIKKI HALEY/UN: “The United States is expected to threaten to quit the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday, with Nikki Haley, the American Ambassador to the U.N., set to deliver an ultimatum. Haley, who will speak to council members in Geneva, is expected to say the U.S. will leave the council […]
6/6/2017
TRUMP PEOPLE/STEVE BANNON: “So much for the eclipse of the Steve Bannon wing of the Trump administration. Barely weeks ago, after President Donald Trump described his firebrand political guru in a Wall Street Journal interview as just ‘a guy who works for me,’ speculation was rife that Bannon was on his way out of the […]
6/6/2017
2016 ELECTION/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “President Donald Trump asked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson not to let the ongoing political saga back home stand in the way of improving ties with Moscow, the top US diplomat said Tuesday [6-6-17]. Tillerson wouldn’t comment on the ongoing US probes of Russian meddling in the 2016 election ‘because I […]
6/5/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/POLITICS/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Few Republicans were quicker to embrace President Trump’s campaign last year than Jeff Sessions, and his reward was one of the most prestigious jobs in America. But more than four months into his presidency, Mr. Trump has grown sour on Mr. Sessions, now his attorney general, blaming him for various troubles […]
6/5/2017
TRAVEL BAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “George Conway, the husband of White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway and one-time top contender of a key Justice Department job, took to Twitter Monday [6-5-17] to criticize President Donald Trump for his morning travel ban tweets. Trump tweeted several times on the proposed travel ban from six Muslim-majority countries, saying […]
6/5/2017
CABINET/HUD/TRUMP PEOPLE/BEN CARSON: “Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson is standing by his controversial comment that poverty is a ‘state of mind,’ but he says that ‘how a person thinks’ is only one component that contributes to being poor. ‘What I said is that it is a factor. A part of poverty can be […]
6/3/2017
CLIMATE CHANGE/EPA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “Despite announcing plans to pull out of the Paris climate accord, President Donald Trump’s language and that of his EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, seem at odds with the actions he proposes taking. ‘We will be environmentally friendly,’ the President reassured. The next day, Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency administrator stood […]
6/2/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “Since her confirmation as the education secretary, Betsy DeVos has been the Trump cabinet member liberals love to hate, denouncing her as an out-of-touch, evangelical billionaire without the desire or capacity to protect vulnerable poor, black, immigrant, gay or transgender students. But while Ms. DeVos has been reluctant to express sympathy for […]
6/2/2017
DOJ/TRUMP PEOPLE: “George Conway, the husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, said he is pulling himself out of consideration for a Justice Department job. CNN had been told previously President Donald Trump was expected to nominate Conway to run the Justice Department’s civil division, which handles legal challenges to major administration initiatives. ‘I am […]
6/1/2017
CLIMATE CHANGE/EPA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt on Thursday [6-1-17] would not say whether President Donald Trump still considers climate change a ‘hoax.’ When flatly asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper, ‘Does the President believe climate change is a hoax?’ the EPA administrator responded: ‘This is not about whether climate change […]
6/1/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/LEGAL/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Congressional investigators are examining whether Attorney General Jeff Sessions had an additional private meeting with Russia’s ambassador during the presidential campaign, according to Republican and Democratic Hill sources and intelligence officials briefed on the investigation. Investigators on the Hill are requesting additional information, including schedules from Sessions, a source with knowledge […]
5/31/2017
LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/CARTER PAGE: “So now it is reported that the Democrats, who have excoriated Carter Page about Russia, don’t want him to testify. He blows away their… case against him & now wants to clear his name by showing ‘the false or misleading testimony by James Comey, John Brennan…’ Witch Hunt!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May […]
5/31/2017
LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/CARTER PAGE: “U.S. President Donald Trump sought to insert himself into congressional investigations on Russia on Wednesday [5-31-17], urging lawmakers to hear from one of his former advisers, Carter Page, to counter testimony by directors of the FBI and CIA. Trump has been dismissive of probes by the FBI and several congressional panels into […]
5/30/2017
TRUMP PEOPLE/MIKE DUBKE: “Michael Dubke, the White House communications director, announced on Tuesday [5-30-17] that he is resigning, as President Trump weighs a broader shake-up of his staff in the face of multiple investigations. Mr. Dubke, a veteran Republican strategist who served three months in the role, said that he offered his resignation on May […]
5/30/2017
LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “Last fall, as retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn traveled the country stumping for Donald Trump, his business partner holed up in a small Washington hotel room with the former head of Turkish military intelligence to work on a special project. ‘General, hi. I’m Bijan Kian, welcome to Washington, D.C.,’ Mr. Kian, the […]
5/30/2017
LEGAL/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL COHEN: “One of President Donald Trump’s personal attorneys, Michael Cohen, has received an ‘invitation to provide information and testimony’ that pertains to the Russia investigation to House and Senate intelligence committees, Cohen has confirmed. ‘I declined the invitation to participate, as the request was poorly phrased, overly broad and not capable of being […]
5/30/2017
INTELLIGENCE/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “Former national security adviser Michael Flynn will provide documents requested by the Senate intelligence committee — including an initial batch by June 6 — a person close to Flynn said Tuesday [5-30-17]. The source said that Flynn’s lawyers alerted the intelligence committee Tuesday that he would respond to the two subpoenas sent […]
5/30/2017
TRUMP PEOPLE/MIKE DUBKE: “Mike Dubke, President Donald Trump’s communications director, has resigned as Trump considers a larger personnel shakeup to confront the growing scandals weighing down his administration. The veteran GOP strategist privately announced his resignation in a meeting with the president on May 18, and Trump accepted immediately, Dubke said in an interview. He […]
5/28/2017
RELIGION/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “In an apparent break with a nearly two-decades long bipartisan tradition, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has declined to host an event commemorating the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, according to two administration officials familiar with the decision. The officials said Tillerson rejected a request by the State Department’s Office of Religion […]
5/25/2017
FBI/TRUMP PEOPLE/JOE LIEBERMAN: “Former U.S. Senator and Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman has withdrawn from consideration to be the next director of the FBI, citing the potential for an appearance of a conflict of interest, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday [5-25-17]. In a letter to President Donald Trump, Lieberman cited his work […]
5/25/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions failed to properly disclose his contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in a security clearance application, CNN reported on Wednesday [5-24-17] night. Sessions attributed the oversight to advice he received from an FBI employee who helped him fill out the form. The FBI employee told Sessions he […]
5/25/2017
CABINET/HUD/TRUMP PEOPLE/BEN CARSON: “Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said in an interview Wednesday [5-23-17] that having ‘the wrong mindset’ contributes to poverty. ‘I think poverty to a large extent is also a state of mind,’ the retired neurosurgeon said during an interview with SiriusXM Radio released on Wednesday evening. ‘You take somebody that […]
5/25/2017
POPE FRANCIS/TRUMP PEOPLE/SEAN SPICER: “The most visible moment for White House press secretary Sean Spicer on President Donald Trump’s first foreign trip this week was a moment of invisibility. Spicer fumed to colleagues after being excluded from the President’s meeting with Pope Francis, an administration official told CNN on Thursday [5-25-17]. He was eagerly anticipating […]
5/25/2017
LEGAL/POLITICS/TRUMP PEOPLE/GREG GIANFORTE: “Greg Gianforte, the Republican candidate in Montana’s special congressional election, has been charged with misdemeanor assault after he allegedly body slammed a reporter and broke his glasses on Wednesday [5-23-17] night. The altercation took place at Gianforte’s campaign headquarters in Bozeman, Montana, the night before the state’s special election. It sent political […]
5/24/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions failed to disclose meetings with Russian officials when he applied for security clearance because he was told not to do so by advisers and the F.B.I., a Justice Department spokesman said Wednesday. Mr. Sessions met with Sergey I. Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States, at […]
5/24/2017
2016 ELECTION/INTELLIGENCE/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “American spies collected information last summer revealing that senior Russian intelligence and political officials were discussing how to exert influence over Donald J. Trump through his advisers, according to three current and former American officials familiar with the intelligence. The conversations focused on Paul Manafort, the Trump campaign chairman at the time, […]
5/24/2017
BUDGET/TREASURY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/STEVE MNUCHIN: “Trump administration officials, testifying on Capitol Hill Wednesday [5-23-17] on their 10-year budget plans, pointed to a more pressing fiscal problem: They could run out of room to pay the government’s bills within the next few months. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin asked Congress to raise the debt limit—which risks shutting […]
5/24/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/LGBT/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “Education Secretary Betsy DeVos refused to say Wednesday [5-24-17] whether she would block private schools that discriminate against LGBT students from receiving federal dollars, explaining that she believes states should have the flexibility to design voucher programs and that parents should be able to choose schools that best fit their children’s needs. […]
5/24/2017
RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/PAUL MANAFORT: “Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign manager, turned over more than 300 pages of documents to the Senate intelligence committee related to its investigation of Russian election meddling, according to a source familiar with the Senate probe. The documents included drafts of speeches, calendars and notes from his time on the campaign, […]
5/22/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “Education Secretary Betsy DeVos promised Monday [5-22-17] evening that President Trump would propose ‘the most ambitious expansion of education choice in our nation’s history,’ but she offered no details about the administration’s plans. Speaking in Indianapolis before a friendly audience of school voucher proponents, she instead laid out a moral case to […]
5/23/2017
BUDGET/POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICK MULVANEY: “Finally some good news for President Trump: His new budget stands absolutely no chance of being enacted by Congress. Moving forward with the cuts outlined in the $4.1 trillion spending plan created by the budget director, Mick Mulvaney, formerly one of the most determined fiscal hawks in Congress, would no […]
5/23/2017
CABINET/DEFENSE/MILITARY/TRUMP PEOPLE/JAMES MATTIS: “Defense Secretary James Mattis was taken by surprise when the US Air Force dropped a Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, also known as the ‘Mother of All Bombs,’ on Islamic State targets in Afghanistan in April, according to a recent report in The New Yorker. The decision to use the largest nonnuclear […]
5/22/2017
ETHICS/LOBBYING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICK MULVANEY: “The Trump administration, in a significant escalation of its clash with the government’s top ethics watchdog, has moved to block an effort to disclose any ethics waivers granted to former lobbyists who have work in the White House or federal agencies. The latest conflict came in recent days when the […]
5/22/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/SANCTUARY CITIES/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday [5-22-17] clarified President Trump’s executive order on so-called sanctuary cities, narrowly defining such jurisdictions — and the money they could expect to receive from the federal government — in a way that appeared to fall far short of Mr. Trump’s previous threats to starve […]
5/22/2017
LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “Michael T. Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser, has rejected a subpoena from senators investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and instead invoked his right against self-incrimination, a person familiar with his decision said Monday [5-22-17]. Mr. Flynn had been ordered by the Senate Intelligence Committee to hand over emails […]
5/22/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP PEOPLE/NIKKI HALEY/UN: “President Donald Trump’s U.N. ambassador called Monday [5-22-17] for the U.N. and aid agencies to shift focus in how they support Syrians in need by boosting support for roads, schools and hospitals in neighboring countries that have been overwhelmed by millions of refugees. Speaking in Jordan, host to some 660,000 Syrian […]
5/22/2017
HSS/TRUMP PEOPLE/JOHN KELLY: “The Trump administration has decided to continue protecting Haitians living in the US since the 2010 earthquake from deportation for another six months after the expiration of the program became controversial. The decision, made by Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, was announced Monday [5-22-17] and will be followed up by an official […]
5/22/2017
LEGAL/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn won’t provide records to the Senate intelligence committee and will invoke his Fifth Amendment rights in response to a subpoena from the committee, according to a source close to Flynn. Flynn’s refusal to cooperate comes as he faces scrutiny in several inquiries, including […]
5/22/2017
TRUMP PEOPLE/REINCE PRIEBUS/STEVE BANNON: “White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and chief strategist Steven Bannon returned to Washington after President Donald Trump wrapped up his visit to Saudi Arabia, the first stop on his foreign trip. The decision for Priebus to return to the US was pre-planned, not spur-of-the-moment, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee […]
5/20/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/HSS/TRUMP PEOPLE/JOHN KELLY: “…[R]ecognizing the depth of Haiti’s misery and the complexity of the rebuilding effort, the United States government extended a seldom-used lifeline to Haitians in the United States — temporary protected status, or T.P.S. The program allows people, like Ms. Versannes, who were visiting or were living here illegally before the earthquake […]
5/19/2017
2016 ELECTION/CAMPAIGN/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The investigation into potential ties between Russia and President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign is now looking into a possible cover-up, according to McClatchy. Citing unnamed members of Congress who attended a briefing with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, McClatchy reported that a probe into a potential cover-up began after assertions by former […]
5/19/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “The Department of Education said Friday [5-19-17] that it will select one company to collect student debt payments on its behalf, rather than the nine contractors that currently handle the federal government’s $1.2 trillion portfolio of education loans. The decision, which would take effect once the existing contracts expire in 2019, reverses […]
5/19/2017
LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The law enforcement investigation into possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign has identified a current White House official as a significant person of interest, showing that the probe is reaching into the highest levels of government, according to people familiar with the matter. The senior White House adviser under […]
5/19/2017
CABINET/DEFENSE/TRUMP PEOPLE/JAMES MATTIS: “U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Friday [5-19-17] the U.S.-led coalition was now encircling Islamic State fighters in their strongholds in a tactical shift before starting a military campaign to destroy them. Also speaking at the Pentagon on Friday, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford, said […]
5/18/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/CRIME/DRUGS/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Louisiana has the nation’s highest incarceration rate. But this week, Gov. John Bel Edwards struck a deal to reduce sentences and the prison population, saving millions annually. If lawmakers approve the changes, Louisiana will be following more than 30 states, including Georgia, Texas and South Carolina, that have already limited sentences, […]
5/18/2017
2016 ELECTION/INTELLIGENCE/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The Justice Department appointed a special counsel Wednesday [5-17-17] to investigate possible coordination between President Trump’s associates and Russian officials — a clear signal to the White House that federal investigators will aggressively pursue the matter despite the president’s insistence that there was no ‘collusion’ with the Kremlin. Robert S. Mueller III, […]
5/18/2017
CABINET/TREASURY/TRUMP PEOPLE/STEVEN MNUCHIN: “U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday [5-18-17] pledged to treat ‘very seriously’ any business dealings President Donald Trump or his family might have with foreign companies flagged by officials as national security risks. Mnuchin did not say any such cases existed. A senior Democrat pressed Mnuchin, in an appearance before senators, […]
5/18/2017
LEGAL/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “Retired Gen. Michael Flynn will not cooperate with the Senate intelligence committee’s subpoena request for documents regarding the former national security adviser’s interactions with Russian officials. ‘Gen. Flynn’s lawyers said he would not honor the subpoena, and that’s not a surprise to the committee, but we’ll figure out on Gen. Flynn what […]
5/18/2017
BANKING/CABINET/TREASURY/TRUMP PEOPLE/STEVEN MNUCHIN: “In 2008, as the financial crisis swirled, the federal government rushed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship. The two giant mortgage-finance companies became wards of the state under a new regulator that would manage their affairs until they were healthy enough to stand on their own. Nearly nine years later, they’re […]
5/18/2017
BUDGET/POLITICS/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICK MULVANEY: “To advance a tax overhaul this year, congressional Republicans first must clear a tricky hurdle: They need to agree on a budget. In many years, budget resolutions are superfluous or impossible because the House and Senate are controlled by different parties. In fact, in eight of the past 15 years, Congress didn’t […]
5/18/2017
2016 ELECTION/CAMPAIGN/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “Michael Flynn and other advisers to Donald Trump’s campaign were in contact with Russian officials and others with Kremlin ties in at least 18 calls and emails during the last seven months of the 2016 presidential race, current and former U.S. officials familiar with the exchanges told Reuters. The previously undisclosed […]
5/18/2017
CABINET/TREASURY/TRUMP PEOPLE/STEVEN MNUCHIN: “Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will tell lawmakers Thursday [5-18-17] the administration’s goal of achieving sustainable economic growth of 3% or higher is reachable ‘if we make historic reforms to both taxes and regulation.’ In brief prepared testimony to be delivered to the Senate Banking Committee, Mr. Mnuchin also reiterated the Trump administration’s […]
5/18/2017
TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/SEAN SPICER: “President Donald Trump is considering scaling back White House press secretary Sean Spicer’s public role, according to several officials familiar with the president’s thinking, as Trump also weighs a broader shakeup of his communications shop in the wake of several scandals. The press secretary, who has turned into a household […]
5/17/2017
JAMES COMEY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “President Donald Trump loves to talk. To tweet. To be quoted. To sound off. To make news. Which makes the fact that he hasn’t tweeted in more than 20 hours — despite blockbuster reports that he asked then FBI Director James Comey to end the investigation into former national […]
5/17/2017
FBI/INTELLIGENCE/JAMES COMEY/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “After a New York Times report revealed that former FBI Director James Comey kept memos detailing the president’s attempt to derail the FBI’s Russia investigation, a former White House adviser for multiple presidents says Trump is ‘in impeachment territory.’ The Times report highlighted one particular note from a February meeting between […]
5/17/2017
JAMES COMEY/POLITICS/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “A growing chorus of congressional Republicans are calling for former FBI Director James Comey to testify before Congress about his interactions President Donald Trump — including whether Trump tried to obstruct the criminal probe into ex-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. And more Republicans appeared open to appointing a special prosecutor or […]
5/16/2017
FBI/JAMES COMEY/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “President Trump asked the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, to shut down the federal investigation into Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, in an Oval Office meeting in February, according to a memo Mr. Comey wrote shortly after the meeting. “I hope you can let this go,” […]
5/16/2017
FBI/JAMES COMEY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “Members of Congress from both parties escalated calls on Tuesday [5-16-17] for former F.B.I. director James B. Comey to appear before them after reports that President Trump had asked him to drop an investigation into Michael T. Flynn, the former national security adviser. Democrats were aggressive in seeking new […]
5/16/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/MCMASTER: “As a U.S. Army general, H.R. McMaster has faced down Iraqi tank divisions, Al Qaeda terrorists and Taliban insurgents. But as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, McMaster is navigating the strange environment of Washington politics and media, putting his truth-telling reputation on the line to defend Trump against claims he disclosed […]
5/16/2017
TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/MCMASTER: “National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster faced the press Tuesday afternoon in hopes of quieting the storm caused by a Washington Post report that the president had shared classified information with two top Russian officials during a visit to the Oval Office last week. He might have made things worse. Asked a […]
5/16/2017
TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/MCMASTER: “H.R. McMaster, national security adviser to President Donald Trump, declined to say Tuesday [whether the Western Wall is in Israel, furthering a controversy over the site ahead of Trump’s visit to the country next week. McMaster, speaking to reporters to preview Trump’s first foreign swing, said questions about the location of […]
5/15/2017
EPA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “Some of the most compelling evidence linking a widely used pesticide to developmental problems in children stems from what scientists call a ‘natural’ experiment. Though in this case, there was nothing natural about it. Chlorpyrifos (pronounced klor-PYE-ruh-fahs) had been used to control bugs in homes and fields for decades when researchers at […]
5/14/2017
CABINET/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson defended himself Sunday [5-14-17] from criticism leveled at him by Sen. John McCain. The Republican senator wrote in a New York Times op-ed earlier this month that Tillerson’s warning against ‘conditioning our foreign policy too heavily on values’ told oppressed people the world over that the US […]
5/15/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/CRIME/DRUGS/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “The attorney general on Friday [5-12-17] made an unfortunate announcement that will impact the lives of millions of Americans: he issued new instructions for prosecutors to charge suspects with the most serious provable offenses, ‘those that carry the most substantial guidelines sentence, including mandatory minimum sentences.’ Mandatory minimum sentences have unfairly […]
5/15/2017
TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/REINCE PRIEBUS: “White House chief of staff Reince Priebus issued a stern warning at a recent senior staff meeting: Quit trying to secretly slip stuff to President Donald Trump. Just days earlier, K.T. McFarland, the deputy national security adviser, had given Trump a printout of two Time magazine covers. One, supposedly from […]
5/14/2017
AMBASSADOR/POPE FRANCIS/TRUMP PEOPLE/CALLISTA GINGRICH: “Less than two weeks before a potentially tense and diplomatically delicate meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, President Trump has apparently settled on nominating Callista Gingrich, the wife of Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, as the United States ambassador to the Holy See, according to two people close to […]
5/14/2017
FBI/JAMES COMEY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump, who has reportedly been isolated and frustrated by the negative coverage engulfing his administration in recent days, may be considering a major reorganization of his White House staff, according to report from Mike Allen of the news website Axios on Sunday [5-14-17]. Trump is said to have […]
5/12/2017
LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/PAUL MANAFORT: “The Justice Department last month requested banking records of Paul Manafort as part of a widening of probes related to President Donald Trump’s former campaign associates and whether they colluded with Russia in interfering with the 2016 election, according to people familiar with the matter. In mid-April, federal investigators requested Mr. Manafort’s […]
5/12/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/CRIME/DRUGS/OBAMA/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered federal prosecutors late Thursday [5-11-2017] to pursue the toughest possible charges and sentences against crime suspects, reversing Obama administration efforts to ease penalties for some nonviolent drug violations. The dramatic shift in criminal justice policy, foreshadowed during recent weeks, is Mr. Sessions’s first major stamp on […]
5/11/2017
CABINET/CLIMATE CHANGE/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told representatives of Canada, Russia and other nations with Arctic territory that the U.S. needs time to develop its climate policy but is listening to other nations’ concerns. ‘We are appreciative that each of you has an important point of view, and you should know […]
5/11/2017
CABINET/DEFENSE/FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP PEOPLE/JAMES MATTIS/TURKEY: “U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis voiced strong support for Turkey’s fight against PKK militants after talks with Turkey’s prime minister on Thursday [5-11-17], as Ankara fumes over a U.S. decision to arm Kurdish fighters in Syria it equates to PKK allies. Mattis expressed optimism that Washington and Ankara would work through […]
5/10/2017
CABINET/DEFENSE/FOREIGN POLICY/NATO/TRUMP PEOPLE/JAMES MATTIS: “Defense Secretary Jim Mattis traveled to the eastern edge of the NATO alliance on Wednesday [5-10-17] to pledge American solidarity with the Baltic nations, but he stopped short of giving his hosts in Lithuania what they wanted: a commitment to base Patriot missile-defense systems in the region. With Russia adopting an […]
5/10/2017
CABINET/CLIMATE CHANGE/INTERIOR/TRUMP PEOPLE/RYAN ZINKE: “Four U.S. states have sued Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, the Interior Department and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to block new leases of public lands for coal mining, according to papers filed on Tuesday in Montana federal court. State prosecutors for California, New Mexico, New York and Washington are arguing […]
5/10/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/PROTESTS/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “A week after President Donald Trump suggested his administration might cut $25 million in capital funding to historically black colleges and universities, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told Bethune-Cookman University’s class of 2017 that she ‘is fully committed to your success’ — a line that was met by deafening boos from the students […]
5/10/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/STATE/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “President Donald Trump is set to meet with Russia’s foreign minister Wednesday [5-10-17] morning amid a political furor over Mr. Trump’s decision to fire the director of the FBI in the midst of an investigation into whether associates of Mr. Trump colluded with the Russian government to influence the […]
5/10/2017
FBI/INTELLIGENCE/JAMES COMEY/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “Federal prosecutors have issued grand jury subpoenas to associates of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn seeking business records, as part of the ongoing probe of Russian meddling in last year’s election, according to people familiar with the matter. CNN learned of the subpoenas hours before President Donald Trump […]
5/9/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/CRIME/DRUGS/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expected to soon toughen rules on prosecuting drug crimes, according to people familiar with internal deliberations, in what would be a major rollback of Obama-era policies that would put his first big stamp on a Justice Department he has criticized as soft on crime. Mr. Sessions […]
5/9/2017
FDA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT GOTTLIEB: “The U.S. Senate on Tuesday [5-9-17] voted 57-42, mostly along part lines, to confirm Scott Gottlieb as the new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Gottlieb, a veteran health-care investor and physician, is well known to many drug-industry executives. He worked for years as a consultant to companies including GlaxoSmithKline […]
5/9/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/PROTESTS/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “A leading civil rights group on Monday [5-8-17] called for the resignation of top leaders at a historically black university where Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is set to deliver the commencement address. The NAACP Florida State Conference is urging the university president and board chairman of Bethume-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida, […]
5/8/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/RUSSIA/SALLY YATES/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates told Congress on Monday [5-8-17] she had warned a top White House official that then-national security adviser Mike Flynn had misled the vice president and others about his conversations with a top Russian diplomat, and that it had put him at risk of blackmail. […]
5/8/2017
INTELLIGENCE/OBAMA/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “Then-President Barack Obama warned President-elect Donald Trump in November against hiring retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as his national security adviser, former Obama administration officials confirmed to CNN. Obama warned Trump about Flynn during their Oval Office meeting on November 10, days after Trump was elected president. Obama’s concerns, which […]
5/8/2017
EX-IM BANK/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT GARRETT: “Less than two years ago, Scott Garrett, then a Republican congressman from New Jersey, took to the floor of the House of Representatives and laced into his colleagues for resurrecting an institution that ’embodies the corruption of the free enterprise system.’ The institution he derided was the Export-Import Bank. He could […]
5/8/2017
CABINET/FOREIGN POLICY/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Washington on Wednesday [5-3-17] to discuss Ukraine, Syria and bilateral issues, the State Department announced Monday. ‘On Ukraine, the sides will discuss the need to stop the violence in eastern Ukraine and resolve the conflict through the […]
5/8/2017
CLIMATE CHANGE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Internal debates within the Trump administration are not uncommon. But an ongoing argument over the fate of the 2015 Paris climate accord has spilled into unusually public view as top advisers to the President near a decision on withdrawing from the landmark pact. In a string of heated West Wing […]
5/8/2017
BUDGET/TRUMP PEOPLE/REINCE PRIEBUS: “White House chief of staff Reince Priebus defended a draft proposal to slash funds for the White House office responsible for fighting the opioid epidemic on Sunday [5-7-17], saying a lot of what the office does duplicates other government programs. Cautioning that ‘nothing is final in this debate and discussion in regard […]
5/8/2017
OBAMA/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “General Flynn was given the highest security clearance by the Obama Administration – but the Fake News seldom likes talking about that.” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 8, 2017 06:57am […]
5/7/2017
CABINET/EPA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “The Environmental Protection Agency has dismissed at least five members of a major scientific review board, the latest signal of what critics call a campaign by the Trump administration to shrink the agency’s regulatory reach by reducing the role of academic research. A spokesman for the E.P.A. administrator, Scott Pruitt, said he […]
5/5/2017
PAUL RYAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/REINCE PRIEBUS: “The Republican health care overhaul might never become law, but it has already changed the life of one American: Reince Priebus, who knew it was his best and perhaps last hope of becoming an empowered White House chief of staff. President Trump placed much of the blame for his […]
5/5/2017
ARMY/MILITARY/TRUMP PEOPLE/MARK GREEN: “President Donald Trump’s choice for Army secretary announced Friday [5-5-17] that he is withdrawing his name from consideration. ‘It is with deep regret today I am withdrawing my nomination to be the Secretary of the Army,’ Mark Green said in a statement. On Tuesday, CNN reported that the nomination was in serious […]
5/5/2017
TRUMP PEOPLE/CARTER PAGE: “Carter Page brushed back the Senate intelligence committee in a letter Thursday [5-4-17], telling members that if they want details about his communications with Russians, they’ll need to ask former President Barack Obama. The former foreign policy adviser for Donald Trump’s campaign, who is being scrutinized by both congressional and FBI investigators, […]