Report: Trump Berates Australian Leader Over Refugee Deal

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Thursday he had spoken candidly and frankly with U.S. President Donald Trump, but would not confirm a Washington Post report that Trump had berated him over a refugee swap deal and cut the call short. The Post report said Trump had described the call with the leader of Australia, one of the United States' staunchest allies, as "the worst so far."

Trump honors fallen Peoria soldier during visit

Chief Special Warfare Operator William “Ryan” Owens, a 36-year-old from Peoria, was the first known U.S. combat casualty since Trump took office less than 2 weeks ago. More than half a dozen militant suspects were also killed in the raid on an al-Qaida compound and three other U.S. service members were wounded.

A closer look at Steve Bannon’s reclusive role within Trump administration

It is a mark of Steve Bannon's extraordinary sway in the Trump White House that a man who has spoken so little in public over the past two weeks is getting so much credit - and blame - for what's going on. The conservative media executive's fingerprints are on virtually every significant move taken by President Donald Trump, from Trump's sweeping order to suspend the country's refugee program and block visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries to the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.

Trump admin retools program’s focus to ‘radical Islamic extremism’

The Trump administration is working to scrap a program to fight extremism in favor of one focusing on "radical Islamic extremism," a source familiar with deliberations in the White House said Wednesday. The Countering Violent Extremism program connects law enforcement officials with Muslim-American groups and was launched by President Barack Obama's administration.

Trump ‘Muslim-ban’ good news for Daesh-recruiters, experts claim

President Donald Trump's Muslim ban could backfire and increase the threat of extremist attacks in the United States, US experts said on Tuesday, despite the US president citing alleged terror concerns to cement the controversial order. Recent terror strikes both in the US and Europe were carried out by citizens of the target countries, or of nations not included in the ban which covers Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, the experts noted.

Trump adopts aggressive posture toward Iran

National security adviser General Michael Flynn delivers a statement daily briefing at the White House in Washington US, February 1, 2017. Photo: Reuters The White House put Iran "on notice" on Wednesday for test-firing a ballistic missile and said it was reviewing how to respond, taking an aggressive posture toward Tehran that could raise tensions in the region.

In call with Australian leader, Trump badgers and brags – Wed, 01 Feb 2017 PST

In this May 8, 2016, file photo, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia. Turnbull said Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017 that U.S. President Donald Trump had agreed during a weekend telephone conversation to keep an Obama administration promise to resettle an undisclosed number of mostly Muslim refugees held on the impoverished nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

German minister heads to Washington amid growing U.S. critiques

Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Wednesday announced plans to visit Washington and shore up ties with Germany's closest ally outside Europe, days after a key aide to U.S. President Donald Trump launched fresh attacks on Berlin's policies. Gabriel said he looked forward to a "good, open and friendly" dialogue with Rex Tillerson, confirmed as Trump's secretary of State on Wednesday by the U.S. Senate, and said Germany was seeking answers about the new U.S. administration's foreign policies, its relationship to the NATO alliance and other key issues.

Trump makes unannounced trip to honor fallen Navy SEAL

Assuming the somber duties of commander in chief, President Donald Trump made an unannounced trip Wednesday to honor the returning remains of a U.S. Navy SEAL killed in a weekend raid in Yemen. Chief Special Warfare Operator William "Ryan" Owens, a 36-year-old from Peoria, Illinois, was the first known U.S. combat casualty since Trump took office less than two weeks ago.

Beyonce, Tebow for prez? Invalid votes spiked in Florida

Beyonce, Tim Tebow or the Norse god Thor for prez? Those were some of Florida's more unusual picks for president this past election. And the number of Florida voters who didn't cast a vote for either Donald Trump , Hillary Clinton or any other valid contender spiked in 2016, apparently in protest over the ballot choices.

The Daily Briefing: David Pepper, Jane Timken differ on which party has more energy

"The amount of energy I am seeing is like nothing I've ever seen," said Democratic Chairman David Pepper, recounting what he sees as a rebound since the election of Donald Trump nearly three months ago. The Cincinnati attorney said he's getting interest from Democrats already wanting to run for Congress next year, and they are better qualified than many of the party's past candidates.

Trump makes unannounced trip to honour fallen Navy SEAL

Assuming the sombre duties of commander in chief, President Donald Trump made an unannounced trip Wednesday to honour the returning remains of a U.S. Navy SEAL killed in a weekend raid in Yemen. Chief Special Warfare Operator William "Ryan" Owens, a 36-year-old from Peoria, Illinois, was the first known U.S. combat casualty since Trump took office less than two weeks ago.

DeVos nomination at risk with two…

What previously appeared to be a near-certain chance of Betsy DeVos becoming President Donald Trump's education secretary took a hit Wednesday as two Republican U.S. senators said they would vote against her. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska delivered statements from the floor of the U.S. Senate saying they could not support DeVos' nomination, questioning both her experience and commitment to public schools.

NJ Assemblyman: Trump Preservation of LGBT Protections ‘No Cause for Celebration’

Following President Donald Trump's decision to preserve employment protections for LGBT federal workers and contractors originally put in place by an executive order from former president Barack Obama, one of New Jersey's gay lawmakers is calling the move a distraction from the widespread anti-gay sentiment among his cabinet and prospective appointees. General Assemblyman Tim Eustace said that Trump's executive order barring refugees, immigrants and green card holders from certain Muslim countries stands in stark contrast to his decision not to take away Obama's guarantee to LGBT federal employees that they will not be fired for their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Detractors Call Potus a P***y Outside Trump-Owned Golf Club

President Donald Trump signs three executive actions in the Oval Office on January 28, 2017 in Washington, D.C. The actions outline a reorganization of the National Security Council, implement a five year lobbying ban on administration officials and a lifetime ban on administration officials lobbying for a foreign country and calls on military leaders to present a report to the president in 30 days that outlines a strategy for defeating ISIS. But seriously, the oddest thing about this stor y is it seems the reporter stood by and watched as a woman wrote "pussy" in Spanish on a Trump-owned Southern California golf club while a man took a leak in some Trump bushes.