2/24/2017

TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump painted his election victory as a ‘win for conservative values’ in a speech to activists Friday morning that mixed traditional Republican positions on taxes and regulation with the economic nationalism that propelled him into the White House. In a freewheeling address at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon […]

Read More… from 2/24/2017

2/24/2017

MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Journalists from The New York Times and two other news organizations were prohibited from attending a briefing by President Trump’s press secretary on Friday, a highly unusual breach of relations between the White House and its press corps. Reporters from The Times, CNN and Politico were not allowed to enter the West […]

Read More… from 2/24/2017

2/24/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/MEXICO/TRADE DEALS: “Mexico does not need financial aid from the United States, Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said on Friday, after President Donald Trump ordered a report on U.S. assistance to its southern neighbor over the last five years. Mexican officials gave a cool reception to U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and […]

Read More… from 2/24/2017

2/24/2017

NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump said on Thursday [2-23-17] he wants to ensure the U.S. nuclear arsenal is at the ‘top of the pack,’ saying the United States has fallen behind in its weapons capacity… In his first comments about the U.S. nuclear arsenal since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump was asked […]

Read More… from 2/24/2017

2/24/2017

FBI/INTELLIGENCE/LEAKS/NATIONAL SECURITY: “U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the FBI on Friday for failing to stop leaks of national security information to the media and directed the agency to find those who pass on classified information. Trump’s comments come amid media reports saying the FBI refused a White House request to knock down news stories saying […]

Read More… from 2/24/2017

2/24/2017

CABINET/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: ” ‘Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda’ Under this order, each agency must designate an official as its Regulatory Reform Officer (RRO), who will be responsible for reviewing current regulations and making recommendations to the agency head on how to modify them. The RRO must hone in on certain regulations, such as those […]

Read More… from 2/24/2017

2/24/2017

FAKE NEWS/MEDIA: “FAKE NEWS media knowingly doesn’t tell the truth. A great danger to our country. The failing @nytimes has become a joke. Likewise @CNN. Sad!”  – Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 24, 2017 10:09pm […]

Read More… from 2/24/2017

2/24/2017

FBI/INTELLIGENCE/LEAKS/NATIONAL SECURITY: “The FBI is totally unable to stop the national security ‘leakers’ that have permeated our government for a long time. They can’t even…find the leakers within the FBI itself. Classified information is being given to media that could have a devastating effect on U.S. FIND NOW”  – Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 24, 2017 07:31am to 07:36am […]

Read More… from 2/24/2017

2/24/2017

TRUMP FAMILY/IVANKA/JARED KUSHNER: “Many see Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner as a moderating influence in the current administration particularly on issues like climate change and LGBT rights. In early February, the New York Times reported, ‘The two most influential social liberals in President Trump’s inner circle — daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner — helped […]

Read More… from 2/24/2017

2/24/2017

CAMPAIGN/HILLARY: “President Donald Trump’s mere mention of Hillary Clinton’s now infamous ‘deplorables’ remark from the 2016 campaign sent the crowd at CPAC into a frenzy on Friday morning. Chants of ‘lock her up’ filled the auditorium at the Gaylord Convention Center after the president again defended his voters as ‘great Americans’ against Clinton who during […]

Read More… from 2/24/2017

2/23/2017

HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/JOHN BOEHNER: “Former House Speaker John Boehner threw cold water Thursday [2-23-17] on the prospect of congressional Republicans following through on their pledge to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. ‘They’ll fix Obamacare,’ the former Ohio congressman predicted at a conference hosted by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society in Orlando, Florida. ‘I […]

Read More… from 2/23/2017

2/23/2017

CABINET/EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “The confirmation of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education was a signal moment for the school choice movement. For the first time, the nation’s highest education official is someone fully committed to making school vouchers and other market-oriented policies the centerpiece of education reform. But even as school choice is poised to […]

Read More… from 2/23/2017

2/23/2017

CRIME/GUNS: “Seven people shot and killed yesterday in Chicago. What is going on there – totally out of control. Chicago needs help!”  – Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 23, 2017  07:01pm […]

Read More… from 2/23/2017

2/23/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/MEXICO/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “In the White House, President Trump was telling American chief executives that the days of being treated unfairly by Mexico — on trade, on immigration, on crime — were over. ‘You see what’s happening at the border: All of a sudden for the first time, we’re getting gang members out,’ Mr. […]

Read More… from 2/23/2017

2/23/2017

FAKE NEWS/MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “William H. McRaven, a retired four-star admiral and former Navy SEAL, defended journalists this week, calling President Trump’s denunciation of the media as ‘the enemy of the American people’ the ‘greatest threat to democracy’ he’s seen in his lifetime. That’s coming from a man who’s seen major threats to democracy… McRaven […]

Read More… from 2/23/2017

2/23/2017

2016 ELECTION/LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse this week said he’s sure the Russia-related cloud hanging over President Donald Trump’s administration will not be clearing up any time soon. And Republicans, he said, are beginning to take the accusations much more seriously. The subcommittee will then evaluate the legality of what took place during […]

Read More… from 2/23/2017

2/23/2017

JOBS/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “At a meeting Thursday [2-23-17] with the country’s top manufacturing executives, President Trump made a puzzling statement about trade. ‘We don’t have any good deals. In fact, I am trying to find a country where we actually have a surplus — surplus of trade. Everything is a deficit,’ he said. ‘I […]

Read More… from 2/23/2017

2/23/2017

FAKE NEWS/FBI/INTELLIGENCE/MEDIA/RUSSIA: “The FBI rejected a recent White House request to publicly knock down media reports about communications between Donald Trump’s associates and Russians known to US intelligence during the 2016 presidential campaign, multiple US officials briefed on the matter tell CNN. White House officials had sought the help of the bureau and other agencies […]

Read More… from 2/23/2017

2/23/2017

LEGAL/POLITICS/PROTESTS: “Republican governors warned conservatives on Thursday that they need to keep up with the resurgent activism from liberals, amid a wave of protests in Washington and at lawmakers’ home-state town halls. Speaking to thousands of conservative activists who gathered here for the Conservative Political Action Conference, Republican leaders urged the audience to pressure their […]

Read More… from 2/23/2017

2/23/2017

JOBS/REGULATIONS/TAXES/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump called two dozen corporate executives to the White House on Thursday to advise the administration on taxes, regulation and infrastructure projects, as well as on ways to strengthen the U.S. workforce. Trump celebrated the expansion of U.S. manufacturing jobs that some companies have announced in the three months since his […]

Read More… from 2/23/2017

2/23/2017

TRUMP PEOPLE/KELLYANNE CONWAY: “President Trump’s senior adviser denied a CNN report claiming she was ‘sidelined’ for a week on Wednesday night, saying somebody is ‘trying to stir up trouble.’ The former Trump campaign manage turned pseudo-White House-spokeswoman found herself in hot water last week when she told MSNBC that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn […]

Read More… from 2/23/2017

2/23/2017

ATTORNEY GENERAL/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday withdrew an Obama-era Justice Department memo that set a goal of reducing and ultimately ending the Justice Department’s use of private prisons. In a one-page memo to the acting head of the Bureau of Prisons, Sessions wrote that the August 2016 memo by former Deputy […]

Read More… from 2/23/2017

2/23/2017

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION/LOBBYING: “A number of companies and interest groups have waged behind-the-scenes lobbying campaigns over who will chair the Federal Trade Commission, an appointment with far-reaching implications for the high-tech and telecommunications sectors. One effort is being made by companies that have clashed with online search giant Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc. They […]

Read More… from 2/23/2017

2/22/2017

TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/MISC: “Very much enjoyed my tour of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture…A great job done by amazing people!”  – Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 22, 2017 07:50am […]

Read More… from 2/22/2017

2/22/2017

POLITICS: “One thing I will say about Rep. Keith Ellison, in his fight to lead the DNC, is that he was the one who predicted early that I would win!”  – Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 22, 2017 07:20am […]

Read More… from 2/22/2017

2/22/2017

CABINET/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP PEOPLE/MCMASTER: “Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, President Trump’s new national security adviser, is considering a reorganization of the White House foreign policy team that would give him control of Homeland Security and guarantee full access to the military and intelligence agencies. Just days after arriving at the White House, Mr. McMaster is weighing […]

Read More… from 2/22/2017

2/22/2017

TRUMP PEOPLE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s former campaign staffers claim they cracked the code for tamping down his most inflammatory tweets, and they say the current West Wing staff would do well to take note. The key to keeping Trump’s Twitter habit under control, according to six former campaign officials, is to ensure that […]

Read More… from 2/22/2017

2/22/2017

TRUMP PEOPLE/KELLYANNE CONWAY: “Kellyanne Conway, once the most visible spokesperson for the Trump White House, has been sidelined from television appearances for making statements that were at odds with the administration’s official stance, White House sources told CNNMoney on Wednesday [2-22-17]. Conway has not given a television interview since early last week. On that Monday […]

Read More… from 2/22/2017

2/22/2017

CABINET/EPA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “During his tenure as attorney general of Oklahoma, Scott Pruitt, now the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, closely coordinated with major oil and gas producers, electric utilities and political groups with ties to the libertarian billionaire brothers Charles G. and David H. Koch to roll back environmental regulations, according to over 6,000 pages […]

Read More… from 2/22/2017

2/22/2017

ANTI-SEMITISM/RACISM/TRUMP FAMILY/IVANKA TRUMP: “On Monday [2-20-17] evening, as word spread of yet more anti-Semitic behavior around the nation, it wasn’t President Donald Trump who was the first to speak out against the threats to regional Jewish Community Centers — it was his daughter, Ivanka Trump. Like her dad, however, she used Twitter to remind her […]

Read More… from 2/22/2017

2/22/2017

CABINET/TREASURY/TRUMP PEOPLE/STEVEN MNUCHIN: “Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, in an exclusive interview with The Wall Street Journal, said the strong U.S. dollar is a reflection of confidence in the U.S. economy and its performance compared with the rest of the world and was a ‘good thing’ in the long run. The comments, made in his first […]

Read More… from 2/22/2017

2/22/2017

HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/NATIONAL DEBT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump previewed a budget plan Wednesday [2-22-17] he said would be focused intently on slashing spending in a bid to reduce the national debt. It’s one of three major legislative proposals the White House is preparing ahead of Trump’s address to lawmakers next week, his first speech to a […]

Read More… from 2/22/2017

2/22/2017

LGBTQ/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration on Wednesday [2-22-17] night withdrew Obama-era protections for transgender students in public schools that let them use bathrooms and facilities corresponding with their gender identity. The announcement is a significant victory for opponents of the Obama administration’s guidelines who believe the federal government never should have gotten involved in […]

Read More… from 2/22/2017

2/22/2017

ECONOMY/FEDERAL RESERVE: “The next interest rate increase could be closer than it appears. That’s after documents released Wednesday [2-22-17] show that Federal Reserve officials spent their meeting three weeks ago consumed with the changes brought on by a new administration in the White House — concluding with a strong indication that another hike could be […]

Read More… from 2/22/2017

2/21/2017

POLITICS/PROTESTS: “The so-called angry crowds in home districts of some Republicans are actually, in numerous cases, planned out by liberal activists. Sad!”  – Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 21, 2017 06:23pm […]

Read More… from 2/21/2017

2/21/2017

NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP PEOPLE/SEAN SPICER: “White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Tuesday that if President Donald Trump’s newly appointed national security adviser wanted to remove chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council’s principals committee, the president would ‘take that under serious consideration.’ ‘The president has made clear to him he’s got full authority […]

Read More… from 2/21/2017

2/21/2017

BUSINESS/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP BUSINESS: “Donald J. Trump has cast himself as the anti-globalist president. But Donald Trump, the businessman, is a different story. During the campaign, Mr. Trump’s organization continued to file dozens of new trademarks, in China, Canada, Mexico, the European Union and Indonesia, and one of his companies applied for trademark protection in the […]

Read More… from 2/21/2017

2/21/2017

TRAVEL BAN/TRUMP PEOPLE/SEAN SPICER: “White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Tuesday contradicted a Justice Department court filing on President Donald Trump’s plans to rescind his executive order on visas and refugees, saying the original ban wouldn’t be revoked as another one is issued. At a White House press briefing, Mr. Spicer said the president […]

Read More… from 2/21/2017

2/21/2017

CABINET/TREASURY/TRUMP PEOPLE/STEVEN MNUCHIN: “U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin urged the International Monetary Fund [IMF] to use its surveillance powers to police the exchange-rate policies of its members, part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to challenge some of America’s biggest trading partners. Mr. Mnuchin told IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde in a telephone conversation on […]

Read More… from 2/21/2017

2/21/2017

IMMIGRATION/MEXICO: “Almost everybody living in the U.S. illegally is now subject to deportation, and more undocumented arrivals at the southern border will be jailed or sent back to Mexico to await a hearing rather than released into the U.S., under memos issued Tuesday [2-21-17] by the Department of Homeland Security… Under former President Barack Obama’s […]

Read More… from 2/21/2017

2/21/2017

CABINET/DEFENSE/TRUMP PEOPLE/JAMES MATTIS: “Defense Secretary Jim Mattis appears to be at odds with President Donald Trump on Russia and other key issues, setting up potential discord but also helping to nudge the White House toward more conventional policy stances. In recent days, other top administration officials have aired foreign-policy views that don’t align perfectly with […]

Read More… from 2/21/2017

2/21/2017

RACISM/TRUMP FAMILY/IVANKA: “First family member Ivanka Trump and others were quick to respond to a heightened level of threats against American Jewish community centers on Monday — calling for action and ‘religious tolerance.’ Jewish centers in states such as Alabama, Ohio, Illinois, Florida, New Mexico and Tennessee reportedly phoned-in threats on Monday, and federal authorities […]

Read More… from 2/21/2017

2/21/2017

ANTI-SEMITISM/RACISM/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump’s remarks on anti-Semitism Tuesday would be unremarkable if they had come weeks ago. But Trump has struggled when asked about the topic in the past, criticizing reporters, changing the subject and generally avoiding the routine denunciation of prejudice most Presidents would give. On Tuesday, that changed when Trump said that […]

Read More… from 2/21/2017

2/20/2017

FAKE NEWS/MEDIA: “Give the public a break – The FAKE NEWS media is trying to say that large scale immigration in Sweden is working out just beautifully. NOT!”  – Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 20, 2017 09:15am […]

Read More… from 2/20/2017

2/20/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/PROTESTS/UK: “British lawmakers on Monday debated a call to block President Donald Trump from a state visit, putting Prime Minister Theresa May in an uncomfortable position as she seeks to strengthen ties with the new U.S. administration. The nonbinding debate came in response to a petition signed by 1.8 million people calling for Mr. […]

Read More… from 2/20/2017

2/20/2017

BUSINESS/TRUMP BUSINESS: “Donald Trump has a vast online portfolio of domain names — digital addresses that foreshadowed his political career, business projects and accusations of unethical behavior. Before he reached the White House, Trump’s company had laid claim to at least 3,643 website domains, according to internet records gathered by CNNMoney. The buying spree continued […]

Read More… from 2/20/2017

2/20/2017

CYBERWAR/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “For months, President Trump and his aides have insisted that they had no contact with Russian officials during the presidential campaign, a denial Mr. Trump repeated last week. ‘I have nothing to do with Russia,’ he told reporters on Thursday. ‘To the best of my knowledge, no person that I deal with […]

Read More… from 2/20/2017

2/20/2017

TRUMP PEOPLE/REINCE PRIEBUS: “White House chief of staff Reince Priebus said Sunday there was no collusion between anyone involved in President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russian officials. Priebus, in an interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace, also offered the closest thing to an official timeline for former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s firing, who […]

Read More… from 2/20/2017

2/19/2017

DONALD ON DONALD/MEDIA: “My statement as to what’s happening in Sweden was in reference to a story that was broadcast on @FoxNews concerning immigrants & Sweden.”  – Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 19, 2017 04:57pm […]

Read More… from 2/19/2017

2/19/2017

HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA): “For seven years, few issues have animated conservative voters as much as the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. But with President Barack Obama out of office, the debate over ‘Obamacare’ is becoming less about ‘Obama’ and more about ‘care’ — greatly complicating the issue for Republican lawmakers. Polling indicates that more Republicans want […]

Read More… from 2/19/2017

2/19/2017

CABINET/ETHICS/TRUMP FAMILY/JARED KUSHNER: “The Trump administration has struggled with ethics vetting for Cabinet nominees and faced criticism for the president’s decision to remain invested in his business empire. When Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, prepared to enter the White House, however, the administration sought to do it by the book. That is the picture […]

Read More… from 2/19/2017

2/19/2017

CABINET/NATIONAL SECURITY/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “President Donald Trump’s personal counsel, Michael Cohen, hand-delivered a ‘peace’ plan for Russia and Ukraine to former national security adviser Michael Flynn before Flynn was asked to resign, the New York Times reported on Sunday. The plan involved lifting sanctions on Russia in return for Moscow withdrawing its support for pro-Russia […]

Read More… from 2/19/2017

2/19/2017

INTELLIGENCE/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A senior National Security Council staffer has been fired over his criticism of President Donald Trump’s administration. According to the Associated Press, ‘current and former administration officials’ said Western Hemisphere division chief Craig Deare was terminated following remarks he made Thursday at a private talk at the Wilson Center, a D.C.-based […]

Read More… from 2/19/2017

2/19/2017

MIKE PENCE: “U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday conveyed a message to jittery partners that the Trump administration will ‘hold Russia accountable’ and maintain steadfast support for NATO, a military alliance the American commander in chief once dismissed as ‘obsolete.’ In his overseas debut as vice president, Pence told the audience at the Munich […]

Read More… from 2/19/2017

2/18/2017

FAKE NEWS/MEDIA: “Don’t believe the main stream (fake news) media.The White House is running VERY WELL. I inherited a MESS and am in the process of fixing it.”  – Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 18, 2017 08:31am […]

Read More… from 2/18/2017

2/17/2017

FAKE NEWS/MEDIA: “The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!”  – Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 17, 2017 04:48pm […]

Read More… from 2/17/2017

2/17/2017

FAKE NEWS/MEDIA: “The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @CNN, @NBCNews and many more) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American people. SICK!”  – Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 17, 2017 04:48pm […]

Read More… from 2/17/2017

2/17/2017

FAKE NEWS/MEDIA: “Thank you for all of the nice statements on the Press Conference yesterday. Rush Limbaugh said one of greatest ever. Fake media not happy!”  – Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 17, 2017 06:43am […]

Read More… from 2/17/2017

2/17/2017

ECONOMY/JOBS: “Going to Charleston, South Carolina, in order to spend time with Boeing and talk jobs! Look forward to it.”  – Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 17, 2017 06:38am […]

Read More… from 2/17/2017

2/17/2017

HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA): “Despite the long delays by the Democrats in finally approving Dr. Tom Price, the repeal and replacement of ObamaCare is moving fast!”  – Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 17, 2017 05:13am […]

Read More… from 2/17/2017

2/17/2017

CABINET/EPA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “The Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency, an agency Republicans desperately want to rein in after what they charge was eight years of dangerous activism under the Obama administration that hurt businesses, jobs and the economy. Pruitt maybe just the person to do it. As Oklahoma attorney general […]

Read More… from 2/17/2017

2/17/2017

CHINA/TRUMP BUSINESS: “The Chinese government has granted President Trump and his business something they had been seeking for more than a decade: trademark protection for the use of the Trump name in the construction industry. Trump fought unsuccessfully in Chinese courts for years to try to gain control of the trademark, but his fortunes changed […]

Read More… from 2/17/2017

2/16/2017

HILLARY CLINTON/NUCLEAR/RUSSIA: “And by the way, it would be great if we could get along with Russia, just so you understand that. That tomorrow you’ll say: ‘Donald Trump wants to get along with Russia. This is terrible.’ It’s not terrible. It’s good. We had Hillary Clinton try and do a reset. We had Hillary Clinton […]

Read More… from 2/16/2017

2/16/2017

MEDIA: “The press has become so dishonest that if we don’t talk about it, we are doing a tremendous disservice to the American people. Tremendous disservice. We have to talk about it. We have to find out what’s going on because the press, honestly, is out of control. The level of dishonesty is out of […]

Read More… from 2/16/2017

2/16/2017

INTELLIGENCE/LEAKS/MEDIA: “Leaking, and even illegal classified leaking, has been a big problem in Washington for years. Failing @nytimes (and others) must apologize!”  – Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 16, 2017 06:58am […]

Read More… from 2/16/2017

2/16/2017

ECONOMY/TAXES: “Stock market hits new high with longest winning streak in decades. Great level of confidence and optimism – even before tax plan rollout!”  – Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 16, 2017 06:34am […]

Read More… from 2/16/2017

2/16/2017

CRIME/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump frequently depicts a nation suffering from a bloody crime wave—at times citing incorrect data or unverifiable accounts—raising the prospect of increased prosecutions and tougher penalties. That message is splitting the law-enforcement community and would contradict a growing consensus in his own party around policies aimed at reducing prison populations. […]

Read More… from 2/16/2017

2/16/2017

IMMIGRATION/NATIONAL SECURITY/POLITICS: “A meeting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement intended to mollify lawmakers who are concerned one week after a round-up of nearly 700 undocumented immigrants had the opposite effect Thursday, as organizers expelled rank-and-file members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus… According to a fact sheet from ICE given out at the meeting and provided […]

Read More… from 2/16/2017

2/16/2017

FAKE NEWS/MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump held a press conference on Thursday [2-16-17] that was rather combative toward the media. He repeatedly called out the press for covering what he called ‘fake news.’ Shortly after the press conference, FOX News anchor Shepard Smith hit back hard. ‘It’s crazy what we’re watching every day, it’s absolutely […]

Read More… from 2/16/2017

2/16/2017

TRUMP PEOPLE/NIKKI HALEY/UN: “The US ambassador to the United Nations has insisted that Washington ‘absolutely’ supported a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestine conflict, 24 hours after Donald Trump dropped US commitment to the policy. The conflicting messages coming out of the new US administration reflected policy chaos in a week when the national security adviser […]

Read More… from 2/16/2017

2/16/2017

OBAMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump signed a measure Thursday [2-16-17] that rolls back a last-minute Obama administration rule aimed at stopping the coal mining industry from dumping waste into nearby waterways. It is the first of what is expected to be many environmental regulation rollbacks sent to his desk by Congress. Both the House […]

Read More… from 2/16/2017

2/16/2017

IMMIGRATION/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRAVEL BAN: “Immigrant advocates and local law enforcers expressed fears on Thursday [2-16-17] that the arrest of an undocumented woman at a Texas courthouse as she sought protection from domestic violence would discourage others from asking for help. Officials in El Paso, Texas, said that the detention of the woman moments after Immigration and […]

Read More… from 2/16/2017

2/16/2017

MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump bristled at a reporter’s question on Thursday about how he would combat an ‘uptick in anti-Semitism’ across the country, calling it ‘very insulting’ and insisting that he is ‘the least anti-Semitic person that you’ve ever seen in your entire life.’ Jake Turx, who is Jewish, prefaced his question by […]

Read More… from 2/16/2017

2/16/2017

MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Thursday asked April Ryan, an African-American reporter and longtime White House correspondent, if she would arrange for him a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus.”  – “Gregory Krieg and Ashley Killough, Trump asks African-American reporter to set up meeting with black lawmakers,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, Feb. 16, 2017 […]

Read More… from 2/16/2017

2/16/2017

CABINET/INTELLIGENCE/NATIONAL SECURITY/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICHAEL FLYNN: “The FBI is not expected to pursue any charges against former national security adviser Michael Flynn regarding a phone call with Russia’s ambassador, barring new information that changes what they know, law enforcement officials told CNN Thursday [2-16-17]. Flynn was fired by President Donald Trump earlier this week after it was […]

Read More… from 2/16/2017

2/16/2017

FAKE NEWS/MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “In a wild, combative press conference Thursday [2-16-17], President Donald Trump tried to erase doubts about his early days in the White House by returning to what got him there: being Donald Trump. Blunt and unscripted, the president lambasted the media as dishonest and unfair, blamed Democrats for the ‘mess’ he […]

Read More… from 2/16/2017

2/16/2017

CABINET/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump defended as highly effective his tenure so far in the White House, which has been marked by legal fights, West Wing power struggles, confrontations with U.S. allies, the withdrawal of one of his cabinet nominees, and the firing of his national security adviser after he misled the vice president […]

Read More… from 2/16/2017

2/16/2017

INTELLIGENCE/NATIONAL SECURITY/POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. intelligence officials have withheld sensitive intelligence from President Donald Trump because they are concerned it could be leaked or compromised, according to current and former officials familiar with the matter. The officials’ decision to keep information from Mr. Trump underscores the deep mistrust that has developed between the intelligence community […]

Read More… from 2/16/2017

2/16/2017

SUPREME COURT/TRUMP PEOPLE/NEIL GORSUCH: “The Senate hearing on Judge Neil M. Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court will begin on March 20, the Judiciary Committee said on Thursday, setting the stage for one of the most contested judicial confirmations in a generation… Despite the judge’s strong legal credentials, some Democrats are likely to oppose him, […]

Read More… from 2/16/2017

2/16/2017

BUDGET/CABINET/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICK MULVANEY: “A divided Senate confirmed Representative Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina to be President Trump’s budget director on Thursday, installing in his cabinet a fiscal hawk who will play a central role in the administration’s plans to reshape the federal government. Mr. Mulvaney was confirmed to lead the White House Office of Management […]

Read More… from 2/16/2017

2/16/2017

CABINET/LABOR/TRUMP PEOPLE/ALEXANDER ACOSTA: “President Trump moved quickly on Thursday [2-16-17] to replace his first choice for labor secretary, choosing R. Alexander Acosta, a Florida law school dean and former assistant attorney general for civil rights. Mr. Acosta would be the only Hispanic in Mr. Trump’s cabinet… In Mr. Acosta, Mr. Trump chose a nominee with […]

Read More… from 2/16/2017

2/15/2017

2016 ELECTION/ANTI-SEMITISM/RACISM: [Reporter: “Mr. President, since your election campaign and even after your victory, we’ve seen a sharp rise in anti-Semitic incidents across the United States. And I wonder what you say to those among the Jewish community in the States, and in Israel, and maybe around the world who believe and feel that your […]

Read More… from 2/15/2017

2/15/2017

FOREIGN POLICY: “Venezuela should allow Leopoldo Lopez, a political prisoner & husband of @liliantintori (just met w/ @marcorubio) out of prison immediately.”  – Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 15, 2017 06:59pm […]

Read More… from 2/15/2017