Politico: “The president has named just three deputy secretaries — at the Commerce Department, Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security. The delay in filling these deputy and other high-level political appointee positions could have far-reaching consequences, as deputies act as the chief operating officers at federal agencies. Experts say experienced No. 2s are essential to ensuring the smooth implementation of Trump’s policy proposals.”
Archives for February 2017
Trump Using Campaign Language In Diplomatic Calls
Associated Press: “In calls with European leaders, Trump is said to have described his plans for confronting the Islamic State group with the same hard-charging but vague rhetoric he used in the campaign, promising strong, but unspecified action.”
“Pressed privately by allies about how he plans to pursue a better relationship with Russia, Trump sticks with his public assertion that a better relationship with Moscow would be beneficial for the West. But he hasn’t said how he plans to get there.”
“Ambiguity was a hallmark of Trump’s campaign. He has said he believes the U.S. should not tip its hand on national security matters. But the fact that Trump is using vague language in private discussions has left both allies and officials in his administration uncertain whether he has policies in mind to back up his rhetoric.”
Pence Will Hit All Networks Except CNN
Huffington Post: “Vice President Mike Pence will hit the Sunday show circuit this weekend, with stops on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ ABC’s ‘This Week,’ CBS’s ‘Face the Nation,’ and ‘Fox News Sunday.’
“But CNN’s ‘State of the Union’ is noticeably missing from what would otherwise be a full Ginsberg, a term for when a newsmaker appears on all five major public affairs programs.”
Is Trump More Popular Than the Polls Suggest?
Politico: “The debate is a flashback to last fall’s election — in which Trump ran ahead of his poll numbers, particularly in the Upper Midwest states that propelled him to victory. And just like during the campaign season, there’s evidence suggesting that Americans may be less willing to admit they support the president and his actions if they are talking to another person on the phone, compared to polls completed with the anonymity of the internet or an automated phone interface.”
GOP Lawmakers Want to Hurt Charities Aiding Refugees
“Unable to block the federal government from sending refugees to Arizona, six Republican lawmakers want to penalize the charities that help them resettle here,” the Arizona Daily Sun reports.
Key takeaway: “The potentially more far-reaching part of her legislation would impose a fine on charities of $1,000 a day for each refugee it helps place in the state. And if a refugee is arrested, the charity would be financially liable for the cost of arrest, prosecution and incarceration of that person.”
White House-Cabinet Battle Brewing Over Trump Order
Josh Rogin: “White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon wanted to stop Kelly in his tracks. Bannon paid a personal and unscheduled visit to Kelly’s Department of Homeland Security office to deliver an order: Don’t issue the waiver…”
“The confrontation between Bannon and Kelly pitted a political operator against a military disciplinarian. Respectfully but firmly, the retired general and longtime Marine told Bannon that despite his high position in the White House and close relationship with Trump, the former Breitbart chief was not in Kelly’s chain of command, two administration officials said. If the president wanted Kelly to back off from issuing the waiver, Kelly would have to hear it from the president directly, he told Bannon.”
“Bannon left Kelly’s office without getting satisfaction. Trump didn’t call Kelly to tell him to hold off. Kelly issued the waiver late Saturday night, although it wasn’t officially announced until the following day.”
Trump Leaves Heads Spinning
Wall Street Journal: “How much of the first two weeks’ tumult was strategic and how much was a result of infighting, inexperience or simple disorganization is hard to pinpoint. This account—based on interviews with White House officials, lawmakers, federal officials, people close to the White House and others who have met with the president in his time in office—shows Mr. Trump has work to do before his White House is running at peak performance. It shows, too, that while he might try to impose more discipline among his staff, his own freewheeling style drives some of the turmoil.”
“Mr. Bannon and policy director Stephen Miller favor a rapid-fire series of executive orders and pronouncements that leaves opponents off-balance… Another White House wing that includes Mr. Priebus and Ms. Conway prefers to move more deliberately, seeing pitfalls in trying, as one aide put it, to squeeze ‘the first 100 days into the first 100 hours.'”
Politico: “What looks like chaos is at least in part a strategy to remind voters that they’re getting what they asked for — a real shakeup in Washington.”
Trump Nominee for Army Secretary Drops Out
“Vincent Viola, a billionaire Wall Street trader and President Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Army, abruptly withdrew his name for the post on Friday night after concluding it would be too difficult to untangle himself from his business ties,” the New York Times reports.
Records Show Trump Remains Tied to His Company
New York Times: “While the president says he has walked away from the day-to-day operations of his business, two people close to him are the named trustees and have broad legal authority over his assets: his eldest son, Donald Jr., and Allen H. Weisselberg, the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer. Mr. Trump, who will receive reports on any profit, or loss, on his company as a whole, can revoke their authority at any time.”
“What’s more, the purpose of the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust is to hold assets for the ‘exclusive benefit’ of the president. This trust remains under Mr. Trump’s Social Security number, at least as far as federal taxes are concerned.”
“While the trust structure, outlined in documents made public through a Freedom of Information Act request by ProPublica, may give the president the appearance of distance from his business, it drew sharp criticism from experts in government ethics.”
Dueling Rulings on Immigration Ban Add to Chaos
“Rival court decisions on opposite sides of the country created deep confusion over President Trump’s immigration order on Friday, with a federal judge in Boston issuing a decision defending the measure and another in Seattle blocking it nationwide,” the New York Times reports.
“The Seattle ruling was the most far-reaching to date, temporarily reopening the door to visa holders from seven predominantly Muslim countries.”
“The decisions added to widespread disagreement over how the policy was being carried out, flummoxing immigration lawyers, government officials and travelers a full week after its signing.”
Eric Trump’s Trip Cost Taxpayers $100K
“When the president-elect’s son, Eric Trump, jetted to Uruguay in early January for a Trump Organization promotional trip, U.S. taxpayers were left footing a bill of nearly $100,000 in hotel rooms for Secret Service and embassy staff,” the Washington Post reports.
“The Uruguayan trip shows how the government is unavoidably entangled with the Trump company as a result of the president’s refusal to divest his ownership stake. In this case, government agencies are forced to pay to support business operations that ultimately help to enrich the president himself.”
Magazine Cover of the Year
Trump Has Highest Disapproval of Any New President
A new CNN/ORC poll finds that 53% of Americans disapprove of the way the president is handling his job, “marking the highest disapproval for a new elected president since polls began tracking those results.”
“Overall, 44% approve of the way he’s handling the job, seven points below the previous low-point of 51%.”
Quote of the Day
“I will walk barefoot to any congressional district you want to send me to.”
— Khizr Khan, quoted by the Washington Post, in a speech to House Democrats.
Trump Says Politics Is Bigger Than the Super Bowl
President Donald Trump started off yet another White House meeting referencing television ratings, declaring that “politics has become a much bigger subject than the Super Bowl,” Politico reports.
Said Trump: “One of the things that I heard this morning … watching the news was that — amazingly, it’s never happened before — that politics has become a much bigger subject than the Super Bowl. This is usually Super Bowl territory, and now they’re saying that the politics is more interesting to people.”
McCain Says Mexico Won’t Pay for Border Wall
Sen. John McCain said that Mexico paying for President Donald Trump’s oft-promised border wall is “not a viable option,” Politico reports.
“McCain also voiced broader skepticism of the proposal, which critics — both conservative and liberal — have argued would be extraordinarily expensive but do little to solve problems along the border.”
The Power of Gerrymandering
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GOP Votes to Expand Gun Access for Mentally Impaired
“The House of Representatives approved its first effort of the new Congress to roll back gun regulations, voting to overturn a rule that would bar gun ownership by some who have been deemed mentally impaired by the Social Security Administration,” USA Today reports.
“The House voted 235-180 largely along party lines Thursday to repeal an Obama-era rule requiring the Social Security Administration to send records of some beneficiaries to the federal firearms background check system after they’ve been deemed mentally incapable of managing their financial affairs.”
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