Senate confirms Goldman Sachs executive Mnuchin as Trumpa s treasury secretary

The Senate confirmed Steven Mnuchin as Treasury secretary in a vote Monday evening, adding the former Goldman Sachs executive to President Donald Trump's Cabinet. The 53-47 vote, which fell largely along party lines, makes Mnuchin the 10th of Trump's Cabinet nominees to be confirmed in three weeks.

Education Department removes webpage for federal disabilities act

The U.S. Department of Education has removed a webpage about a law for students with disabilities - one that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos did not seem to understand during a Senate confirmation hearing. The page for the Individuals with Disabilities Act disappeared without explanation right before DeVos' confirmation on Tuesday.

Trump discovers the limits of his power

The power of the presidency looks much grander from the perspective of the campaign trail than it does from the White House. Once a president is in office, he is confronted with the power of the other branches of government, Congress and the courts as well as the multitude of institutions and political actors, from reporters to grass-roots activists, who can cause problems for any administration.

Obama’s lethal deportation machine: Trump’s…

On Jan. 18, Barack Obama used his final press conference as president to pledge to the public that he will speak up if the administration of Donald Trump crosses a line, whether that's imposing "systematic discrimination" or silencing the press. "There's a difference between that normal functioning of politics and certain issues or certain moments where I think our core values may be at stake," Obama told journalists assembled in the White House briefing room.

Trump’s Conventional Foreign Policy

Things have not been dull since President Donald Trump took office almost three weeks ago, but something that has been little noticed is the increasing traditionalism of some parts of his foreign policy. Certainly, his order to suspend visas for citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries was explosive, but in point of fact, whether people from Yemen can come to the United States is not a central issue in U.S. foreign policy.

Trump’s Continuing War on His Own Credibility

Asked about Melissa McCarthy's portrayal of him on "Saturday Night Live," White House press secretary Sean Spicer had some advice for the actress: "Dial it back." May I suggest the president adopt that phrase as his administration motto? So far, Donald Trump has made it a practice to obliterate every known limit and pump up every grievance.

Trump State Department in cone of silence for lack of staff

U.S. allies and adversaries looking for clarity on President Donald Trump's foreign policy will have to wait a bit longer to get that guidance from Rex Tillerson's State Department. For the third consecutive week since Trump took office, State Department press briefings normally held every workday haven't been scheduled, no chief of staff has been named and many of the most senior posts at the department remain vacant.

Yemen withdraws permission for U.S. antiterror ground missions

Angry at the civilian casualties incurred last month in the first commando raid authorized by President Donald Trump, Yemen has withdrawn permission for the United States to run Special Operations ground missions against suspected terror groups in the country, according to American officials. Grisly photographs of children apparently killed in the crossfire of a 50-minute firefight during the raid caused outrage in Yemen.

Rand Paul urges Trump not to open State Department to neocons

In an op-ed published in the libertarian website Rare , Paul argues that Abrams would not promote the same foreign policy agenda that Trump described throughout his campaign and since taking office. "Elliott Abrams is a neoconservative too long in the tooth to change his spots, and the president should have no reason to trust that he would carry out a Trump agenda rather than a neocon agenda," Paul wrote.