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Patriots Fans Struggle with Trump Association
The Undefeated: “The road to a Super Bowl is never easy — not even for the New England Patriots. But even with Brady’s four-game suspension, losing fan favorite Gronk, and several key player injuries, the New England Patriots have returned. Yet what should be a joyous occasion for Patriots fans is muddied — especially for some Patriots fans of color — by the Patriots organization’s apparent relationship with President Donald Trump.”
Bill Maher explains why he’s rooting for the Atlanta Falcons:
Lawsuits Against Trump Administration Pile Up
Bloomberg: “Less than two weeks into the administration, lawsuits have been filed across the U.S. challenging the president from every angle, including a case over alleged conflicts of interest that violate the Constitution’s ’emoluments clause,’ multistate challenges to Trump’s immigration policies, and a complaint over the new president’s regulatory plans, including his attempt to quash a proposed regulation over disposal of metal dental fillings.”
“Many more challenges are expected, and both sides are hunkering down for a protracted war, one that promises to inflame already frayed relations between Republicans and Democrats, both in Washington and across the nation.”
Quote of the Day
“It is hard not to laugh, to see President Trump alongside these Wall Street guys. I have to say this Jake, and I don’t mean to be disrespectful, this guy is a fraud.”
— Sen. Bernie Sanders, in an interview on CNN.
McConnell Rebukes Trump’s Attack on Judge
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) “distanced himself from President Trump’s positions on Russia, voter fraud and the travel ban, while criticizing the president for attacking a federal judge,” Politico reports.
Said McConnell: “It is best not to single out judges. We all get disappointed from time to time. I think it is best to avoid criticizing them individually.”
Trump Is Very Weak and That Makes Him Dangerous
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A Rocky Start
This is just perfect.
The Senate Is Coming Apart
Politico: “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Total GOP control of Washington should mean that Trump gets everything he wants out of Capitol Hill.”
“But Senate Democrats — the last line of Democratic defense — are slow-walking the installation of Trump’s Cabinet to a historic degree, so much so that Republicans haven’t even started yet on Trump’s legislative agenda. Republicans will eventually win all these confirmation battles, but it will be time-consuming and ugly.”
Scarier Than Karl Rove
“Democrats spent years turning George W. Bush strategist Karl Rove into a bogeyman whose mere mention sent liberals’ blood boiling. Now, members of Congress are doing the same to top Trump hand Steve Bannon — but in much darker terms,” Politico reports.
“Increasingly, Democratic lawmakers are labeling the former Breitbart chief a ‘white supremacist’ who has no business at the highest echelons of American power.”
When the Jews Are Away
Britons See Trump as Threat to World Stability
A new Opinium/Observer poll finds that 64% of the British public believe Donald Trump is a threat to international stability and a clear majority believe he will be a bad president.
Court Rebuffs Request to Quickly Restore Travel Ban
“The Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to lift a ruling by a Seattle judge halting President Donald Trump’s travel ban executive order, but the appeals court turned down the Trump administration’s request for immediate permission to reinstate the controversial limits on travel to the U.S. by citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries,” Politico reports.
Quote of the Day
“The number one thing that’s going to determine whether we win or lose? If Trump’s at 35% we could take back the Senate. If Trump’s at 55%, we could lose the whole ball of wax. So part of my job is to make sure that we don’t let Trump get away with stuff.”
— Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), quoted by the Washington Post.
The Book Bannon Wants the White House to Read
“Over the past three months, Steve Bannon has been reading David Halberstam’s book, The Best and the Brightest. (A NYT reporter spotted him with the book in an airport in December.),” Axios reports.
“It’s a devastating account of self-regard, delusion, and the tragic series of miscalculations that led America into Vietnam. The book shaped Bannon’s thinking during the transition, and he recommended it to associates, including Jared Kushner and Anthony Scaramucci, as a warning against hubris.”
GOP Lawmakers Face Heated Questions on Obamacare
“Two Republican lawmakers representing reliably conservative districts on opposite ends of the country on Saturday faced down heated questions from Obamacare supporters who flooded town hall events demanding that Congress not dismantle a health care law that has provided insurance for millions of people,” Politico reports.
Exchange of the Day
President Trump gave an interview to Bill O’Reilly of Fox News in which he commented on Russian president Vladimir Putin:
TRUMP: “I do respect him, but I respect a lot of people. That doesn’t mean I’m going to get along with him.”
O’REILLY: “But, he is a killer.”
TRUMP: “There are a lot of killers. We’ve got a lot of killers. What do you think? Our country’s so innocent?”
The interview will air just before the Super Bowl.
Protestors Pledge to Follow Trump Everywhere
Washington Post: “Having sought to create unprecedented disruption in Washington, his critics will now seek to bring unprecedented disruption to his life as president — including demonstrations that follow him when he travels and protests that will dog his businesses even when he doesn’t.”
“Already this week, Trump — the most unpopular new president in modern times — canceled a trip to the Harley-Davidson factory in Milwaukee, where local groups had planned to protest his appearance; the White House said the protests were not the reason for the cancellation. And, around the business empire that Trump still owns, his critics treat each location as an avatar for the president.”
U.S. Stops Enforcing Immigration Order
“A day after a federal judge temporarily blocked the White House’s immigration order, the government on Saturday began opening the nation’s doors again to refugees and travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations even as President Trump unleashed a fusillade of criticism against the court ruling and the Justice Department moved to have it overturned,” the New York Times reports.
“On another day of chaotic developments over the week-old order, the State Department reversed its cancellation of visas for people from the seven affected countries and restarted efforts to admit refugees. Aid groups scrambled to take advantage of what they acknowledged might be a brief opportunity for refugees to enter the United States, and small numbers of travelers from the previously banned countries began their journeys, knowing that the judge’s ruling could be reversed at any time.”
“The developments led Mr. Trump to lash out throughout the day on Saturday, prompting criticism that he failed to respect the judicial branch and its power to exert a check on his authority.”
