Category: Barack Obama

NATO troops deploy in Lithuania, underscoring commitment to defense

Netherlands’ soldiers attend a ceremony to welcome the German battalion being deployed to Lithuania as part of NATO deterrence measures against Russia in Rukla, Lithuania February 7, 2017. German soldiers attend a ceremony to welcome the German battalion being deployed to Lithuania as part of NATO deterrence measures against Russia in Rukla, Lithuania February 7, 2017.

Trump’s immigration ban facing uphill legal battle

From the moment a federal judge in Seattle blocked President Trump’s executive order temporarily banning immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries, Trump was facing an uphill legal battle. Trump’s immigration ban facing uphill legal battle From the moment a federal judge in Seattle blocked President Trump’s executive order temporarily banning immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries, Trump was facing an uphill legal battle.

Avoid going nuclear on Gorsuch

Yes, President Donald Trump ‘s nominee for the Supreme Court , Neil Gorsuch , will be sitting in a stolen seat if he is confirmed. Yet Senate Democrats must resist sinking to the depths Republican senators did in denying the seat to an eminently qualified Merrick Garland , President Barack Obama ‘s nominee to fill the seat of Justice Antonin Scalia , who died in Texas a year ago.

We’ll lose college students if Israel becomes a partisan cause

So even while a typical bit of punditry over the past few presidencies was to assert that Bill Clinton, or George W. Bush, or Barack Obama was “the most pro-Israel president in history,” Israel advocates nevertheless kept their heads and painstakingly maintained strong relationships on both sides of the aisle. Now some are eagerly making the same grandiose claim about President Donald Trump – that he will be the greatest friend Jerusalem has ever had.

Trump barred from U.K. Parliament over – racism and sexism’

President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May react to a question from a member of the media during their joint news conference in the East Room of the White House White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017. less President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May react to a question from a member of the media during their joint news conference in the East Room of the White House White House in Washington, … more President Donald Trump reaches out to shake hands with British Prime Minister Theresa May after a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017.

Trump remarks latest evidence of health law repeal slowdown

Republicans insisted Monday that they’re moving ahead on their effort to void the health care law, even as President Donald Trump ‘s latest remarks conceded that the effort could well stretch into next year. “Maybe it will take till sometime into next year, but we are certainly going to be in the process,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly that was broadcast Sunday.

The Latest: New Mexico senator sees risk in Obamacare repeal

U.S. Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico is highlighting the risks and uncertainties of efforts to overhaul the nation’s health care system by President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress. Udall told a joint session of the New Mexico state Legislature on Monday that a substantive repeal of the Affordable Care Act would confront a filibuster by Senate Democrats.

Clive McFarlane: Giving Obama credit – or blame Posted at

Is anyone stunned that after eight years of blaming all the ills of this country on President Barack Obama, the Republican Party, aka the President Trump administration, is now using Mr. Obama as a surrogate for its polices? Nobody is stunned at this turn of events, not from a party and an administration that governs from alternative facts.

Sen. Manchin Presses For Bipartisanship in Increasingly Bitter DC

With the political infighting becoming increasingly bitter, West Virginia’s Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said he is trying to forge a different path and do what is good for the country, emphasizing that “this toxic atmosphere is not for me.” In an interview with The Daily Caller , Manchin insisted that “Whoever my president is I want to do well,” saying that although “There are red states and there are blue states, hopefully we are all still red, white and blue.”

Michigan leads effort to shift workers away from pensions

A Chicago woman imprisoned in Indonesia for the 2014 killing of her mother says in videos posted on YouTube that she acted alone and her boyfriend at the time only helped her cover it up because she threatened him A Chicago woman imprisoned in Indonesia for the 2014 killing of her mother says in videos posted on YouTube that she acted alone and her boyfriend at the time only helped her cover it up because she threatened him The travel ban on refugees and citizens of seven countries has rattled many immigrant families, but its effects are perhaps most widespread among the Iranian-American community The travel ban on refugees and citizens of seven countries has rattled many immigrant families, but its effects are perhaps most widespread among the Iranian-American community Visa holders from seven majority-Muslim countries affected by President Donald Trump’s travel ban are hurrying to … (more)

Republican Congressman in California Escorted from Town Hall by Police After Protests

Hundreds of protesters in northern California booed and chanted, “Shame!” on Saturday as police escorted Rep. Tom McClintock out of what quickly became a heated town hall. The Republican congressman held the gathering at the Tower Theater in Roseville to defend his party’s agenda and President Trump’s policies, including the controversial executive order on immigration and refugees.

Letter: Eight years worth of Obama’s ‘accomplishments’

I was very pleased and somewhat surprised at the Jan. 29 public forum letter written by Larry Henkels , whose critical analysis of the lack of leadership exhibited by former President Barack Obama was actually printed in this newspaper. Surprised that this left-leaning, biased Tribune would actually print negative comments on the incompetence of the Obama presidency.

‘Frank admission’ over Trump

PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull has made a “frank admission” and declared he will “stand firm” against Donald Trump, according to Channel Nine. Mr Turnbull sat down with Nine Network’s Political Editor Laurie Oakes for a “wide-ranging” interview on 60 Minutes tonight; but after a week of news which described President Donald Trump’s disastrous phone call to Mr Turnbull as “the worst call ever “, it’s no surprise the interview focuses on our alliance with the US.

As unions remain cozy with Trump, they remain wary of Republicans in Congress

After a scheduled meeting in Wisconsin was cancelled, President Trump met with executives from Harley-Davidson in Washington, D.C on Feb. 2. DETROIT – President Trump welcomed executives of Harley-Davidson to the White House this week, alongside union representatives, and spent much of a camera spray reminiscing about how union members spurned their leaders to vote for him. “Sometimes your top people didn’t support me, but the steelworkers supported me, right?” Trump said.

On foreign policy, Trump still speaking campaign language

In this Feb. 2, 2017, photo, President Donald Trump speaks during his meeting with House and Senate legislators in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. For all of the White House’s early bravado,Trump has taken office with few concrete plans for how to make good on his pledge to unravel President Barack Obama’s foreign policy and tackle some of the biggest national security challenges facing his administration.

Trump blocks Booker-backed rule to curb retirement financial adviser abuse

WASHINGTON — Rules designed to curb abuses by financial advisers handling retirement funds were put on hold by President Donald Trump even as he spent the campaign railing against Wall Street . Trump blocked new U.S. Labor Department requirements that such advisers recommend retirement investments that would be best for their clients, even if they carried smaller fees and generated less profits than other funds.

Refugee resettlement agencies brace for funding loss

Refugee resettlement organizations are bracing for significant funding cuts and possible layoffs over the coming months during President Donald Trump’s temporary refugee ban. The agencies receive a certain amount of federal dollars per refugee they help resettle, which means they would lose a key source of funding unless the Trump administration provides funds in the interim during the 120-day temporary halt to refugees entering the U.S. Catholic Charities USA says the executive order will cost the organization millions of dollars and put at risk about 700 jobs out of the 54,000 jobs at its agencies around the country, according to spokeswoman Patricia Cole.

The Threat from Within

It has been two weeks since he took over, imposing his dark vision upon this country. It has been two weeks since he declared war on religious minorities, our environment, our democracy.

Trump attacks restrictions on big banks, retirement advisers

President Donald Trump has launched his long-promised attack on banking rules that were rushed into law after the nation’s economic crisis, signing new orders after meeting with business and investment chiefs and pledging further action to free big banks from restrictions. Wall Street cheered him on, but Trump risks disillusioning his working-class voters.

Mixed Signals: Now, White House Says Israeli Settlement Building May Not Help Peace

The tone was more measured than previous pro-Israel announcements, but did not go so far as to condemn settlement activity. The Trump administration said on Thursday that Israel’s building of new settlements or expansion of existing ones in occupied territories may not be helpful in achieving peace with Palestinians, adopting a more measured tone than its previous pro-Israel announcements.

US hits Iran with sanctions

The Trump administration ordered sanctions against more than two dozen people and companies from the Persian Gulf to China on Friday in retaliation for Iran’s recent ballistic missile test, increasing pressure on Tehran without directly undercutting a landmark nuclear deal.

Obamacare sign-up period ends with a whimper, sees first decline

The number of Americans signing up for coverage through HealthCare.gov dropped by a half-million for 2017, as efforts by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to demolish the Affordable Care Act propelled the first enrollment decline in its history. The lower total, with 9.2 million consumers choosing health plans in ACA marketplaces through the enrollment deadline Tuesday, marks a striking turnabout from the trend as former President Barack Obama’s administration neared its end – when sign-ups for coverage under the law were running steadily ahead of a year ago.

Israeli settler group shrugs off White House criticism

Israeli settlers on Friday shrugged off White House criticism of settlement construction, convinced they have the sympathies of President Donald Trump. The Palestinians, still wary of Trump, warned that the settlers’ hard-line stance could spell the end to a two-state solution to the conflict.

Obama WH photographer throws more shade at Trump

Since we first posted this story, former President Barack Obama’s chief photographer, Pete Souza, the man who documented almost every impactful moment of the Obama presidency, continues to post images to his Instagram account, and its 738,000 followers, in response to President Donald Trump’s actions and policies. A silent, social media, shade-throwing protest told in visuals from the millions of images in Souza’s archive, the photos appear to be Souza’s expression of opposition to the recent moves of the Trump administration.

Trump loved to bully Obama about vacations, so of course he’s off to Florida

Not that continuity or facts matter anymore, but in an alternative universe in which those things were relevant, you’d think President Donald Trump would have held off taking a vacation for a little while after he got into office. Trump is set to spend the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where Politico reports he will hold several meetings and phone calls amid doing things one does at a resort.

Ex-Obama DOJ Attorney: ‘100% Comfortable’ With Gorsuch

A former Justice Department attorney under President Barack Obama backed the candidacy of Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court, saying in a new ad she is “100 percent comfortable with Judge Gorsuch.” The Judicial Crisis Network based the entire 30-second ad on Jane Nitze, who once clerked for Gorsuch before going to work in Obama’s administration.

Peter Morici: Businesses Await Trump Tax Cuts, Deregulation for Hiring to Explode

While the January jobs report was certainly a positive sign and a “good way” for Barack Obama to end his presidency, businesses are really looking for President Donald Trump to complete his campaign vow of fewer regulations and lower corporate taxes before U.S. hiring can truly flourish, Peter Morici, economist at the University of Maryland, predicts to Newsmax TV . “We’ve had several lean months and now we have a month that’s a little better.