Month: February 2017

Ahead of Trump speech, McConnell takes swipe at Beshear on Obamacare

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took a swipe Tuesday at former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, the Democrat chosen to deliver the party’s response to President Donald Trump’s speech tonight to Congress. Beshear, governor from 2007 to 2015, championed the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Kentucky, and he was tapped in part as a rebuttal to McConnell , a Kentucky Republican who’s one of the law’s biggest foes.

Conservatives rebel on health care, and GOP looks to Trump

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., followed by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of La., leaves a closed-door strategy session on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, to meet with reporters before President Donald Trump’s speech to the nation. A month into the new administration, the GOP is discovering the difficulties of making good on its promises on repealing Obama’s health care law, and other issues.

Trump looks to reset his presidency, again, with speech to Congress

Donald Trump will use his first prime-time address to Congress Tuesday to refocus his presidency on series of policy priorities, including the economy and health care, and away from the infighting and allegations of corruption that have plagued his young administration. In the speech whose theme is dubbed the “renewal of the American spirit,” Trump will tout his campaign promises and offer a vision for the country in a more optimistic tone than he did at his inaugural address , after weeks of taking credit, often without merit, for the surge in the stock market and creating jobs, his aides say.

Trump adviser links Dems to Jewish center bomb threats

A senior adviser to President Trump linked the latest wave of threats against Jewish community centers to Democrat in a Tuesday tweet. Anthony Scaramucci tweeted it is “not yet clear” who is responsible for the threats, noting that some Democrats reportedly incited violence during Trump rallies.

Photos of Kellyanne Conway kneeling on Oval Office couch spark debate

An online debate about decorum in the White House broke out Monday when photos showed Kellyanne Conway, an adviser to President Donald Trump, kneeling on an Oval Office couch with her shoes on . Conway is seen on her knees on the couch with her feet behind her in photos taken while the president was meeting with leaders of historically black colleges and universities.

Trump refocusing on protecting police as some in minority communities worry about repercussions

WASHINGTON a President Donald Trump and his Justice Department have signaled they will change the way they will interact with local law enforcement, raising concern among minorities that the pendulum will swing toward protecting police in sometimes strained police-community relations. Trump is expected to talk about the need to get tougher on crime as part of a broad-ranging address to Congress on Tuesday night, focusing on things such as fighting gang violence and confronting heroin epidemics.

Democrats in Congress use speech invites to rile Trump

President Trump speaks to a meeting of the National Governors Association on Feb. 27 at the White House. Some Democratic members of Congress from Virginia and Maryland are protesting the policy goals of President Trump and the Republican majority with the guests they plan to bring to his big speech Tuesday night.

Gun Bills Loaded For 2017 Legislative Session

Floridians with concealed-weapons licenses would be able to carry firearms into areas now deemed “gun-free” under an array of measures that will be championed by Republican lawmakers during the first legislative session since mass killings at an Orlando nightclub and a Fort Lauderdale airport. Proposals have been introduced to allow the more than 1.7 million people with concealed-carry licenses to bring guns to places such as college and university campuses, airport terminals and government meetings.

Judy Woodruff says VP Pence sees benefits of public media

PBS NewsHour anchor Judy Woodruff told public broadcasting executives Tuesday that at least one person in President Trump’s administration is “clearly aware of the many benefits” of public media. Woodruff said she “thought it was significant” that Vice President Mike Pence gave NewsHour his first interview after being nominated at the Republican National Convention, as well as his first interview after taking office.

Tenet CEO welcomes delays in Republican changes to Obamacare

The delays in Republican plans to overhaul Obamacare are helpful to hospital operator Tenet Healthcare Corp, the company’s chief executive officer said on Tuesday, as the timeline shifts further out for any changes to government healthcare payments. Trevor Fetter, CEO of Tenet Healthcare, speaks at the Reuters Health Summit in New York, May 7, 2013.

The Latest: Trump meets with states’ attorneys general

Trump met with approximately two dozen members of the National Association of Attorneys General, which is comprised of states’ top law enforcement officials. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a longtime Trump ally who served on his transition team, stood next to the president and thanked him for his kind words.

Paul Ryan: ‘We are hosed’ if we don’t tackle entitlements like Medicare

President Donald Trump ran on a vow to not cut benefits for Medicare, but House Speaker Paul Ryan said he thinks that is still an “open question.” “From all my conversations with the President, he says ‘I don’t want to change Medicare benefits for people in or near retirement,’ and we agree with that,” the Wisconsin Republican told reporters in his Capitol suite Tuesday morning.

US approves 3 types of genetically engineered potatoes

An eye implant that takes about 10 minutes to put in place is the newest in a list of surgical repairs for the blurry close-up vision that is a bane of middle age. Federal officials say three types of potatoes genetically engineered to resist the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine are safe for the environment and safe to eat.

Trump denies – major leak process’ at White House amid phone check reports

US President Donald Trump has denied there is a “major leak process” at the White House following reports that press secretary Sean Spicer targeted leaks from his own staff. In an interview with Fox News Channel’s Fox & Friends, Mr Trump responded to a Politico report that said Mr Spicer convened an “emergency meeting” after details of a planning meeting got out, and conducted a “phone check” to prove they had not been leaking information.

Trump’s Budget Is Aspirational. Reality in Congress Will Change It.

Sources: White House proposes to cut EPA budget by quarter – The White House has proposed slashing EPA’s budget by about a quarter and eventually eliminating 1 in 5 of the agency’s workers, according to sources familiar with the budget proposal sent to EPA on Monday. Trump Will Have To Break The Law To Pass His Budget – The White House either hasn’t thought through what it’s going to take to put the just-announced Trump spending plans in place, or doesn’t really care.

Trump says Obama is helping to organize protests against his…

Trump says Obama is helping to organize protests against his presidency – President Trump speaks to a packed ballroom Feb. 24 during the CPAC conference in Oxon Hill, Md. – President Trump has been dismissing the protests against his presidency The day’s must-read political news and opinion pieces are scattered across hundreds of news outlets and blogs, too many for any one person to read.

Trump Says Obama Is Behind Protests

President Trump “has been dismissing the protests against his presidency and demonstrations at congressional town hall meetings across the country as concocted by his political enemies. But now he has an alleged culprit: Barack Obama,” the Washington Post reports.

The Latest: Trump suggests leaving many fed jobs unfilled

A presidential address to Congress is always part policy speech, part political thea… With his first address to Congress, President Donald Trump gets an opportunity to refocus his young administration on the economic issues that helped him get elected. With his first address to Congress, President Donald Trump gets an opportunity to refocus his young administration on the economic issues that helped him get elected.

South Korean prosecutors indict Samsung’s de facto chief

With his first address to Congress, President Donald Trump gets an opportunity to refocus his young administration on the economic issues that helped him get elected. With his first address to Congress, President Donald Trump gets an opportunity to refocus his young administration on the economic issues that helped him get elected.

Trump on Hook to Clarify Policies With Speech to Congress

Lawmakers, investors and the American public want President Donald Trump to provide some much-desired clarity on his policy agenda with his first address to Congress on Tuesday. Six weeks into his presidency, Trump is under increasing pressure to answer core questions about how he’ll deliver on his promises to bring fundamental change to U.S. health-care policy, the tax system, defense spending and immigration.

The Brief: Texas has an alarming maternal death rate. Now what?

Texas’ maternal mortality rates nearly doubled between 2010 and 2014 – but lawmakers have had few conversations around the issue since the legislative session began. Rise in Texas maternal deaths absent from legislative agenda The maternal death rate has been overshadowed by issues like child welfare, the so-called “bathroom bill” and sanctuary cities.

Around D.C., Sheila Jackson Lee’s image belies her persistence

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, speaks during the news conference at the Capitol with other members of the Heroin Task Force on combating heroin abuse on April 21, 2016. That’s at least the way her critics in the past have dismissed her annual ritual of setting up camp on the House floor hours ahead of the president’s State of the Union address to Congress, all to secure an aisle seat so that the president can’t avoid her as he walks by.

Trump budget has big surge for military but big cuts elsewhere

President Donald Trump is proposing a huge $54 billion surge in U.S. military spending for new aircraft, ships and fighters in his first federal budget while slashing big chunks from domestic programs and foreign aid to make the government “do more with less.” The Trump blueprint, due in more detail next month, would fulfill the Republican president’s campaign pledge to boost Pentagon spending while targeting the budgets of other federal agencies.

The stars are only present in darkness

“A democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities … is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” These were the last chilling words of Nelson Mandela’s three-hour speech before hundreds at his criminal trial proceeding in the Pretoria Supreme Court of South Africa on April 20, 1964.

Trump’s joint address guests include relatives of people killed by undocumented immigrants

The White House guest list includes Jessica Davis and Susan Oliver, widows of California police officers killed in the line of duty by a person living in the country illegally, and Jamiel Shaw Sr., whose son was shot by an undocumented immigrant. The guests highlight the president’s focus on crimes allegedly committed by immigrants in his push for tighter immigration controls.

A conversation about America: U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier holds well-attended town hall in Half Moon Bay

Children and seniors, Democrats and Republicans, union representatives in ball caps and women in knitted pink hats were among the broad swath of the community gathered on the coast Saturday, Feb. 25, to greet their congresswoman and air grievances with the federal government. U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, hosted a Saturday town hall in Half Moon Bay where more than 1,400 people lined gymnasium bleachers to ask questions, express fears about the newly elected president and encourage their congressional representative to continue work on issues important to the community.

5 things analysts and investors want to hear in Trump speech

Economists and investors will be looking for one thing above all from President Donald Trump’s speech to the nation Tuesday night: What will his promised tax cuts look like? Which Obama-era regulations will be reversed? Will he push for an infrastructure spending plan this year? Trump’s broad campaign promises to sharply cut taxes, reduce red tape and boost spending on infrastructure have helped lift the stock market to record highs. Yet without some further guidance on specific plans, investors might grow impatient.