12/21/2017

2A/GUNS/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Justice Department officials have indicated they do not believe the department can regulate the sale of gun bump stocks without congressional action, underscoring concern that an ongoing administrative review into that question is little more than an effort to slow-roll a politically divisive issue. The Justice Department announced this month that […]

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12/21/2017

TRUMP BUSINESS: “An Irish county council on Thursday [12-21-17] gave a golf resort owned by President Trump approval to build two sea walls, a reduced version of an earlier plan but one that still generated opposition from environmentalists. Trump International Golf Links, which owns the resort at Doonbeg, County Clare, intends to build a line […]

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12/21/2017

DHS/IMMIGRATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration is considering a plan to separate parents from their children when families are caught entering the country illegally, according to officials who have been briefed on the plans. The forceful move is meant to discourage border crossings, but immigrant groups have denounced it as draconian and inhumane. Under current […]

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12/21/2017

CRIME/DHS/IMMIGRATION/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “About one in five inmates in federal prison are foreign-born, and more than 90 percent of those are in the United States illegally, according to a report released on Thursday [12-21-17] by the Trump administration, which has sought to highlight the dangers it says unauthorized immigrants pose to public safety. Officials […]

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12/21/2017

TRUMP PEOPLE: “Rick Dearborn, one of President Donald Trump’s top aides, will step down early next year to pursue private-sector work, White House officials said, becoming the latest high-profile departure from the West Wing in recent weeks… A deputy chief of staff who oversaw the White House’s political operation, public outreach and legislative affairs, Mr. […]

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12/21/2017

JEFF SESSIONS/LEGAL: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Thursday [12-21-17] that he had revoked more than two dozen documents that interpreted and explained a wide range of federal laws, including guidelines on storing explosives and accommodating people with disabilities. The 25 rescinded documents cover more than 200 pages and date back as far as 1975. They […]

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12/21/2017

LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP BUSINESS: “A federal judge in Manhattan threw out a lawsuit that alleged President Donald Trump violates the U.S. Constitution when his businesses receive payments from foreign and state governments. A government watchdog group and business competitors of Mr. Trump who brought the lawsuit failed to show that the president’s alleged violations caused […]

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12/21/2017

HEALTHCARE/VA/VETS: “A system set up by the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2014 to pay private-sector health-care providers was plagued by delays and overpayments, hampering the multibillion-dollar effort to reduce appointment wait times, a federal watchdog office said Thursday [12-21-17]. Over a two-year period through 2016, the VA made approximately 224,000 payment errors resulting in […]

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12/21/2017

NATIONAL SECURITY/POLITICS: “A bipartisan pair of senators vowed Wednesday [12-20-17] to mount a filibuster of any long-term extension of a key surveillance law, complicating the efforts of congressional leaders to keep one of the most important spying tools in the government’s arsenal from expiring. Sens. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, and Ron Wyden, an Oregon […]

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12/21/2017

GOP/HOUSE OF REPS: “House Republican leaders, after scrambling for support to keep the government open Thursday [12-21-17] morning, have scheduled a vote late in the afternoon in a sign they are confident they will be able to pass a stopgap spending bill. While Republican aides acknowledge the vote will be tight, they have grown more […]

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12/21/2017

STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. State Department has told refugee agencies it will sharply pare back the number of offices across the country authorized to resettle people in 2018 as President Donald Trump cuts the number of refugees allowed into the United States. The announcement was made at a Dec. 1 meeting in Washington with […]

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12/21/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/ISRAEL/PALESTINE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Thursday for a resolution effectively rebuking U.S. President Donald Trump for recognizing the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and pledging to move the U.S. embassy there. The vote came despite threats by Mr. Trump and U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley that the U.S. […]

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12/21/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/MILITARY/RUSSIA/SYRIA: “The Pentagon has accused Russia of intentionally violating an agreement intended to prevent accidents in the skies over Syria, following a recent unsafe encounter between US F-22s and Russian Su-25 jets… The US military said last week that two US F-22 stealth fighters intercepted two Russian Su-25 attack jets after the Russian aircraft […]

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12/21/2017

TREASURY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Mortgage-finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will retain some of their quarterly earnings as part of an agreement between the Trump administration and their regulator to allow the companies to build a small buffer against future operating losses. Under the agreement, announced Thursday [12-21-17] by the Treasury Department and the Federal […]

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12/21/2017

BUDGET/DEMS/GOP/HOLIDAYS/HOUSE OF REPS/TAXES: “House Democrats want a SHUTDOWN for the holidays in order to distract from the very popular, just passed, Tax Cuts. House Republicans, don’t let this happen. Pass the C.R. TODAY and keep our Government OPEN!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Dec. 21, 2017 09:52am […]

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12/21/2017

FAKE NEWS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Was @foxandfriends just named the most influential show in news? You deserve it – three great people! The many Fake News Hate Shows should study your formula for success!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Dec. 21, 2017 07:45am […]

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12/21/2017

DEFENSE/JAMES MATTIS/MILITARY: “Defense Secretary Jim Mattis left Washington Wednesday [12-20-17] on an unannounced trip to visit U.S. troops for the holidays, officials said. Mr. Mattis will visit American forces stationed at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Camp Lejeune, N.C.; Ft. Bragg, N.C.; and the Mayport naval base in Jacksonville, Fla., Defense officials […]

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12/21/2017

LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Wednesday commuted the sentence of an Iowa kosher meatpacking executive who had been sentenced to 27 years in prison for money laundering, marking the first time he’s used the presidential power. The decision to intervene on behalf of Sholom Rubashkin, who ran the Iowa headquarters of a family […]

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12/21/2017

DEMS/FAKE NEWS/MEDIA/TAXES: “The Massive Tax Cuts, which the Fake News Media is desperate to write badly about so as to please their Democrat bosses, will soon be kicking in and will speak for themselves. Companies are already making big payments to workers. Dems want to raise taxes, hate these big Cuts!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Dec. […]

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12/21/2017

BUDGET/CONSUMER PROTECTION/TREASURY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration’s move to put its budget chief in charge of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau exposed a divide between a White House faction and the Treasury Department over just what the role of the consumer watchdog should be. The installation of Mick Mulvaney, head of the Office of Management […]

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12/21/2017

GOP/POLITICAL FIGURES: “Sen. Thad Cochran, chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee, hasn’t presided over a hearing since early September. The Mississippi Republican has not given a speech on the Senate floor all year, and he’s introduced only two bills during that time, both of them minor. To the extent that Cochran weighs in on any […]

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12/21/2017

AMBASSADOR/NOMINATIONS/POPE FRANCIS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Callista Gingrich, wife of the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, on Friday [12-22-17] became U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, which is at odds with Washington over immigration, climate change and Jerusalem. Callista Gingrich, 51, an author, documentary filmmaker and former congressional aide, presented her credentials to Pope Francis […]

Read More… from 12/21/2017

12/20/2017

CRISIS/DRUGS/LEGAL/PHARMA: “Citing a spike in overdose deaths, growing demands for drug treatment and a strained budget, officials here in Summit County filed a lawsuit late Wednesday [12-20-17] against companies that make or distribute prescription opioids. On Monday, Smith County in Tennessee did the same. And on Tuesday, nine cities and counties in Michigan announced similar […]

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12/20/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/ISRAEL/MIKE PENCE/PALESTINE: “Vice President Mike Pence’s planned visit to the Middle East, the cradle of Christianity, ought to have had a particular poignancy in the days before Christmas… But then on Dec. 6, President Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, smashing seven decades of American policy and provoking violent protests. One by […]

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12/20/2017

IRAQ/NATIONAL SECURITY/SAUDI ARABIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Senior national security officials in the Trump administration are embracing a proposal to transfer to Saudi Arabia an American citizen being held in Iraq as a wartime detainee, according to officials familiar with internal deliberations. A meeting last week of the National Security Council’s ‘deputies committee’ — the No. 2 […]

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12/20/2017

INTERIOR/TRUMP EXEC ORDERS: “By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Findings. The United States is heavily reliant on imports of certain mineral commodities that are vital to the Nation’s security and economic prosperity. This […]

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12/20/2017

DREAMERS/IMMIGRATION/SUPREME COURT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Supreme Court on Wednesday [12-20-17] issued what appeared to be a compromise ruling that laid out guidelines for lower courts as they wrestle with legal issues stemming from the Trump administration’s decision to wind down the immigration program providing quasi-legal status and work permits to so-called Dreamers. Less than two […]

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12/20/2017

DREAMERS/IMMIGRATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Bipartisan talks over legislation to legalize young undocumented immigrants are gaining steam, key senators said, but top Democrats who have pushed for quick action said any fix won’t happen by year’s end. The immigration debate is one of many matters involved in year-end talks over a bill to keep the government funded. […]

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12/20/2017

2016 ELECTION/RUSSIA/STEVEN MNUCHIN/TREASURY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Inspector General said late Wednesday [12-20-17] it won’t pursue a request to probe whether Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin should recuse himself from federal investigations into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Democratic lawmakers, public-interest groups and left-leaning nonprofits have questioned in recent […]

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12/20/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/RUSSIA/TREASURY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. on Wednesday [12-20-17] blacklisted Chechen leader and Kremlin ally Ramzan Kadyrov and four other Russians as part of the Trump administration’s first sanctions decision under the Magnitsky Act, a federal law targeting Russian human-rights abusers. The move stands to further strain Washington’s relations with Moscow, coming after Russians linked […]

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12/20/2017

LEGAL/LGBTQ/MILITARY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Pentagon for the first time has detailed the provisions it will use in admitting transgender recruits, issuing a memorandum that encompasses medical exams, room assignments and how the military will determine someone’s gender. The memorandum envisions a Jan. 1 start for the process of admitting transgender recruits, in line with court […]

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12/20/2017

GOP/TAXES: “Republicans’ tax overhaul will completely change the way employers figure out how to withhold income taxes from millions of Americans’ paychecks, potentially disrupting payroll departments as they figure out how to switch to the new system with little guidance and just days to spare. As of Jan. 1, the Republican plan dumps the entire […]

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12/20/2017

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT: “Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday [12-20-17] called for a review of the federal judiciary’s procedures for protecting court employees from misconduct, two days after a prominent federal judge resigned under a cloud of sexual abuse allegations by former law clerks. James Duff, director of the Administrative Office of the US Courts, said […]

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12/20/2017

POLITICAL FIGURES: “Sen. Al Franken (D., Minn.) will leave Congress on Jan. 2, a spokesman said, setting a formal departure date after announcing earlier this month that he would resign over allegations of sexual harassment. A former entertainer and political radio-show host, Mr. Franken was accused by several women of groping or forcibly kissing them […]

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12/20/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/ISRAEL/PALESTINE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “President Donald Trump on Wednesday [12-20-17] threatened to cut American aid to countries that back a United Nations resolution faulting the recent U.S. decision to declare Jerusalem Israel’s capital… The U.N. General Assembly will meet Thursday in an emergency session to vote on a measure the U.S. blocked earlier this week […]

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12/20/2017

EDUCATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration said Wednesday [12-20-17] it has resumed forgiving federal loans owed by former students of the defunct for-profit chain Corinthian Colleges Inc., ending a nearly yearlong delay. But in a policy shift, the Education Department said some former students would have only a portion of their debts expunged, instead of […]

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12/20/2017

DRUGS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Lawrence ‘Chip’ Muir, the acting chief of staff and general counsel for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, was suddenly dismissed from his job Tuesday [12-19-17] afternoon, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN. Muir’s termination comes as the future of the agency remains unclear despite President Donald Trump’s emphasis […]

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12/20/2017

BEN CARSON/CABINET/RELIGION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “In an unusual moment, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson led members of the Trump cabinet in prayer during a meeting on Tuesday [12-19-17], thanking God ‘for a President and for cabinet members who are courageous, who are willing to face the winds of controversy in order to provide […]

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12/20/2017

2016 ELECTION/CAMPAIGN/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP FAMILY/DONALD JR: “President Donald Trump’s eldest son suggested Tuesday that the investigation around his father’s campaign has been fueled by government higher-ups who have conspired to block the President’s agenda. ‘There is, and there are, people at the highest levels of government that don’t want to let America be America,’ Donald Trump […]

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12/20/2017

GOP/TAXES: “I would like to congratulate @SenateMajLdr on having done a fantastic job both strategically & politically on the passing in the Senate of the MASSIVE TAX CUT & Reform Bill. I could have not asked for a better or more talented partner. Our team will go onto many more VICTORIES!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Dec. […]

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12/20/2017

TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP BUSINESS: “Partying with President Donald Trump on New Year’s Eve is getting more expensive. Ticket prices for the annual Dec. 31 bash at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in South Florida are going up to $600 for dues-paying members and $750 for their guests, according to members of the private Palm Beach club. Last […]

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12/20/2017

GOP/TAXES: “Congress stands on the verge of passing a $1.5 trillion tax cut and the largest structural overhaul of the tax system since 1986. The Senate passed the tax-overhaul bill, 51-48, around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday after it sailed through the House on a 227-203 vote on Tuesday. A last-minute glitch because of Senate rules forced […]

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12/20/2017

GOP/HOUSE OF REPS/TAXES: “The House, forced to vote a second time on the $1.5 trillion tax bill, moved swiftly to pass the final version on Wednesday [12-20-17], clearing the way for President Trump to sign into law the most sweeping tax overhaul in decades. House lawmakers approved the tax bill 224 to 201 on Wednesday, […]

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12/20/2017

DEMS/FAKE NEWS/JOBS: “The Tax Cuts are so large and so meaningful, and yet the Fake News is working overtime to follow the lead of their friends, the defeated Dems, and only demean. This is truly a case where the results will speak for themselves, starting very soon. Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Dec. 20, […]

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12/20/2017

TAXES/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump said he believed the financial markets have not fully absorbed the tax cut changes in legislation expected to be passed by Congress on Wednesday [12-20-17]. ‘They’re thinking that the market hasn’t fully digested what they’ve got here,’ he said, referring to his economic advisers. ‘I don’t think the […]

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12/20/2017

ISRAEL/PALESTINE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday [12-20-17] threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that vote in favor of a draft United Nations resolution calling for the United States to withdraw its decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital… The 193-member U.N. General Assembly will hold a rare emergency special session […]

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12/20/2017

TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP FAMILY/DONALD JR: “President Donald Trump’s son suggested Tuesday evening that ‘people at the highest levels of government’ are conspiring against the Trump administration, evidence, he said, of the president’s campaign claims about a ‘rigged’ system. ‘There is, and there are, people at the highest levels of government that don’t want to let […]

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12/20/2017

DREAMERS/GOP/IMMIGRATION/POLITICAL FIGURES: “Republican U.S. Senator Jeff Flake on Wednesday [12-20-17] said that a bipartisan immigration bill addressing the so-called Dreamers, young adults who were brought to the United States as children, would be debated on the Senate floor in January… Flake said in an emailed statement that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has promised to bring […]

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12/20/2017

TAXES/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The giant tax-cut bill heading toward the White House is going to make something President Donald Trump hates — the U.S. trade deficit — much worse, according to former President Barack Obama’s top trade negotiator… During the 2016 election and since taking office, Trump has repeatedly railed against U.S. trade deficits […]

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12/20/2017

GOP/IRS/TAXES/TREASURY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The most sweeping tax code overhaul in a generation will soon head to President Donald Trump’s desk — and Republicans are enjoying a victory dance. Now comes the real-world turmoil. America’s new tax system will go into effect in just 12 days, and payroll companies are bracing for confusion as they figure […]

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12/20/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/INTELLIGENCE/NORTH KOREA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “Presenting newly declassified intelligence reports, the U.S. has urged the United Nations Security Council to blacklist 10 ships it says have violated international sanctions against North Korea, American officials said. The American intelligence was provided in recent weeks to try to persuade a sanctions committee that reports to the […]

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12/20/2017

BUSINESS/GOP/TAXES/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP BUSINESS: “Wealthy business owners, such as President Donald Trump, stand to gain from a provision in the Republican tax bill that creates a valuable deduction for owners of pass-through businesses, Democrats and some tax experts say. The provision creates a 20-percent business income deduction, with some limits, for sole proprietors and owners […]

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12/20/2017

HEALTHCARE/HOUSE OF REPS/OBAMACARE(ACA)/TAXES: “The United States Senate just passed the biggest in history Tax Cut and Reform Bill. Terrible Individual Mandate (ObamaCare)Repealed. Goes to the House tomorrow morning for final vote. If approved, there will be a News Conference at The White House at approximately 1:00 P.M.” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Dec. 20, 2017 01:09am […]

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12/20/2017

CORRUPTION/ECONOMY/FOREIGN POLICY/HUMAN RIGHTS/IMMIGRATION/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS: “I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, find that the prevalence and severity of human rights abuse and corruption that have their source, in whole or in substantial part, outside the United States, such as those committed or directed by persons listed in the Annex […]

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12/20/2017

ECONOMY/JOBS/MILITARY/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS: “By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Findings. The United States is heavily reliant on imports of certain mineral commodities that are vital to the Nation’s security and economic prosperity. […]

Read More… from 12/20/2017

12/19/2017

BUDGET/HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA): “With more and more states running out of money for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, parents took their case to Capitol Hill on Tuesday [12-19-17], pleading with Congress to provide money before their sons and daughters lose health care and coverage. But the program, known as CHIP, which insures nearly nine million children, took […]

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12/19/2017

EPA/LEGAL/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Environmental Protection Agency will indefinitely postpone bans on certain uses of three toxic chemicals found in consumer products, according to an update of the Trump administration’s regulatory plans. Critics said the reversal demonstrated the agency’s increasing reluctance to use enforcement powers granted to it last year by Congress under the […]

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12/19/2017

GOP/TAXES: “Republicans took a critical step toward notching their first significant legislative victory since assuming full political control, as the House and Senate voted along party lines on Tuesday [12-19-17] and into early Wednesday to pass the most sweeping rewrite of the tax code in decades. The $1.5 trillion tax bill, which is expected to […]

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12/19/2017

ABORTION/HHS/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Renewed Trump administration efforts to prevent undocumented teens in U.S. custody from obtaining abortions suffered setbacks this week, but the ongoing court battle shows no signs of subsiding. The Justice Department said Tuesday [12-19-17] that one teen in custody who is seeking an abortion was a 19-year-old adult, not a 17-year-old […]

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12/19/2017

TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump has broken with many of the norms set by his predecessors, but in few ways has this been clearer than his cheerleading about the roaring stock market… He has crowed about the stock market at least once a week for the past two months. In two Twitter messages early Tuesday […]

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12/19/2017

BUDGET/GOP/HOUSE OF REPS/NATIONAL DEBT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “House Republicans were expected to delay a Wednesday [12-20-17] vote on a stopgap spending bill, according to GOP aides, as a fight intensified over how to prevent a shutdown of the government before its funding expires at week’s end. Both Republicans and Democrats were divided over their strategy and […]

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12/19/2017

DREAMERS/IMMIGRATION/JOHN KELLY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Top senators and White House officials are laying the groundwork for a major immigration deal in January to resolve the fate of young undocumented immigrants whose legal protections were put in limbo by President Donald Trump. At a Tuesday [12-19-17] afternoon meeting with nearly a dozen senators deeply involved in immigration […]

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12/19/2017

ECONOMY/GOP/TAXES/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. economy is about to become the proving ground for GOP tax-cutting theories. President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are betting their tax overhaul will jolt the economy after a long but slow expansion. A sharp cut in the corporate-tax rate is meant to spur business investment and hiring. A rewrite […]

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12/19/2017

KEYSTONE/PIPELINES: “The Keystone XL pipeline could face more delays after Nebraska regulators denied a request by TransCanada Corp. to refile its application for the project. The Nebraska Public Service Commission said Tuesday [12-19-17] that TransCanada couldn’t amend its application to formally request an alternative route for the pipeline through the state. TransCanada had filed the […]

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12/19/2017

GOP/TAXES/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Congratulations to Paul Ryan, Kevin McCarthy, Kevin Brady, Steve Scalise, Cathy McMorris Rodgers and all great House Republicans who voted in favor of cutting your taxes!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Dec. 19, 2017 03:18pm […]

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12/19/2017

DRUGS/LABOR: “The number of U.S. deaths at work from unintentional drug and alcohol overdoses jumped more than 30% in 2016, according to new government data, showing that the nation’s struggle with a deadly opioid epidemic is migrating to the workplace. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries said Tuesday that 217 […]

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12/19/2017

HOUSE OF REPS/LEGAL: “The House of Representatives disclosed Tuesday [12-19-17] that it paid more than $300,000 to settle discrimination and harassment claims against members’ offices during a five-year period, including $115,000 in three claims related to sexual harassment. The data, comprising fiscal years 2008 through 2012, were released as Congress is grappling with claims of […]

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12/19/2017

GOP/TAXES: “Middle-income households will get $61 billion in tax cuts in 2019 under the Republican tax plan poised for passage this week, according to an analysis released late Monday [12-18-17] by Congress’s Joint Committee on Taxation. That amounts to 23% of the tax cuts that go directly to individuals. By 2027, however, these households would […]

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12/19/2017

FAKE NEWS/MEDIA/NOMINATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Responding to a Washington Post story, President Donald Trump on Tuesday [12-19-17] denied he considered rescinding the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch… Trump often cries ‘fake news’ when he sees reports he doesn’t like. He has tweeted the term — oftentimes in all-caps — nearly 140 times since becoming […]

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12/19/2017

LEGAL/POLITICAL FIGURES/POLITICS: “The secretive office that processes workplace misconduct complaints on Capitol Hill has declined Sen. Tim Kaine’s request for data on sexual harassment claims filed in the upper chamber — data that Kaine had said he would make public. The Virginia Democrat sought details Dec. 6 on the taxpayer-funded settlements that the Hill’s Office […]

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12/19/2017

FAKE NEWS/MEDIA/NOMINATIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A story in the @washingtonpost that I was close to ‘rescinding’ the nomination of Justice Gorsuch prior to confirmation is FAKE NEWS. I never even wavered and am very proud of him and the job he is doing as a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The unnamed sources don’t exist!” […]

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12/19/2017

MIKE PENCE/TAXES: “U.S. Vice President Mike Pence will preside over the Senate’s vote on sweeping tax legislation, his office confirmed on Tuesday [12-19-17]. ‘The @VP will preside over the historic vote,’ Alyssa Farah, a spokeswoman for Pence, said on Twitter. Republicans may need Pence’s vote in favor of the legislation to break a tie.” -Reuters […]

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12/19/2017

BANKING/EX-IM BANK/NOMINATIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. Senate Banking Committee rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the U.S. Export-Import Bank, but approved four other board nominees, enough to restore the trade bank’s full lending powers upon their confirmation by the full Senate. The committee voted 13-10 against Scott Garrett as EXIM president. Garrett is […]

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12/19/2017

ISRAEL/PALESTINE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “The 193-member United Nations General Assembly will hold a rare emergency special session on Thursday [12-21-17] at the request of Arab and Muslim states on U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Palestinian U.N. envoy Riyad Mansour said the General Assembly would vote on a draft resolution calling […]

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12/19/2017

BUDGET/DEFENSE/HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA): “The U.S. Congress is struggling through another contentious week as infighting over defense spending, healthcare and other matters complicates the drive to pass a temporary spending bill by midnight on Friday [12-22-17] to avert a partial government shutdown. In a week when President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans in Congress are hoping to […]

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12/19/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A Russian government spokesman said Tuesday [12-19-17] that the national security strategy unveiled by the White House a day earlier showed ‘an imperialist character.’ ‘A quick read of the parts of the strategy that mention our country one way or another … [shows] an imperialist character,’ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov […]

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12/19/2017

DOW/JOBS/TAXES: “Stocks and the economy have a long way to go after the Tax Cut Bill is totally understood and appreciated in scope and size. Immediate expensing will have a big impact. Biggest Tax Cuts and Reform EVER passed. Enjoy, and create many beautiful JOBS!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Dec. 19, 2017 06:23am […]

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12/19/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/REX TILLERSON/STATE: “Three months into his tenure as secretary of state, Rex Tillerson alarmed veteran diplomats with remarks that sounded like a potential shift in American foreign policy: The U.S., he said, should be careful not to let values like human rights create ‘obstacles’ to the pursuit of its interests. The comment, at a […]

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12/19/2017

2016 ELECTION/INTELLIGENCE/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA: “Members of Congress have not made life easy for the leaders of the Justice Department this month, and FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is next in line for some special attention on Tuesday [12-19-17]. McCabe is set to testify behind closed doors before the House Intelligence Committee as part of its […]

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12/19/2017

GOP/TAXES: “The Republican-controlled U.S. Congress will begin voting on Tuesday on the biggest overhaul of the U.S. tax system in more than 30 years, with little standing in the way of the party’s first major legislative triumph under President Donald Trump. The House of Representatives, which introduced initial tax legislation barely six weeks ago on […]

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12/18/2017

CHINA/FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP POSITION CHANGES: “President Trump presented a blueprint for the country’s national security on Monday [12-18-17] that warns of a treacherous world in which the United States faces rising threats from an emboldened Russia and China, as well as from what it calls rogue governments, like North Korea and Iran. To […]

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12/18/2017

ABORTION/HHS/IMMIGRATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Two undocumented immigrants in United States custody must be allowed to have abortions, a federal judge ruled on Monday [12-18-17], objecting to a Trump administration policy. The immigrants, both 17, entered the United States illegally and are being held in government-run shelters. Under a policy announced in March by the Department of […]

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12/18/2017

CYBERWAR/DHS/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration formally accused North Korea on Monday [12-18-17] night of creating the WannaCry cyberattack that briefly paralyzed the British health system and placed ransomware on computers in dozens of countries around the world. President Trump’s homeland security adviser, Thomas P. Bossert, wrote in an op-ed published in The Wall […]

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12/18/2017

CRISIS/PUERTO RICO: “Facing mounting evidence that Puerto Rico has vastly undercounted the number of people who died because of Hurricane Maria, Gov. Ricardo A. Rosselló ordered on Monday [12-18-17] that every death on the island since the calamitous storm be reviewed…. The governor acknowledged on Monday that the death toll ‘may be higher than the […]

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12/18/2017

BUDGET/CRISIS/GOP: “House Republicans on Monday [12-18-17] night unveiled legislation that would authorize $81 billion in disaster aid for victims of recent storms, a move that quickly drew backlash from conservatives about its impact on the federal deficit. House Republicans from Texas and Florida praised the aid package, nearly double the $44 billion the White House […]

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12/18/2017

TAXES/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “As the world watches, we are days away from passing HISTORIC TAX CUTS for American families and businesses. It will be the BIGGEST TAX CUT and TAX REFORM in the HISTORY of our country! https://t.co/EvcAkjuf8w” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Dec. 18, 2017 03:40pm […]

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12/18/2017

DONALDISM/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Together, our task is to strengthen our families, to build up our communities, to serve our citizens, and to celebrate AMERICAN GREATNESS as a shining example to the world…. https://t.co/ds6tZlgJpA” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Dec. 18, 2017 07:54pm […]

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12/18/2017

TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The White House ‘We the People’ petition site — where citizens lobbied for issues such as LGBT rights and the ‘construction of a Death Star’ — was temporarily shut down Monday [12-18-17]. The Trump administration said the platform, created during the Obama administration, will return in late January as a new site. […]

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12/18/2017

NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “With the strategy that I announced today, we are declaring that AMERICA is in the game and AMERICA is DETERMINED to WIN! OUR FOUR PILLARS OF NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY: https://t.co/B3POaMVID8” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Dec. 18, 2017 06:49pm […]

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12/18/2017

CYBERWAR/DHS/LEGAL/RUSSIA: “Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab filed suit against the U.S. government on Monday [12-18-17], demanding that the Department of Homeland Security rescind a ban on Kaspersky software in U.S. government computers. Kaspersky’s complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, alleges that DHS deprived the cybersecurity firm’s due process rights under the Constitution by […]

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12/18/2017

ECONOMY/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Declaring that ‘economic security is national security,’ President Donald Trump aimed to reframe a national debate over his domestic economic and trade policies by thrusting them into a national-security context… The president on Monday also focused on a more-traditional definition of national security, including China and Russia in a list […]

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12/18/2017

DOW: “70 Record Closes for the Dow so far this year! We have NEVER had 70 Dow Records in a one year period. Wow!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Dec. 18, 2017 05:25pm […]

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