The US economy added 235,000 nonfarm payrolls in February, many more than expected, and the unemployment rate dipped to 4.7%, a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed on Friday. Economists had forecast 200,000 nonfarm payrolls in February, according to a Bloomberg survey.
Category: Barack Obama
Pelosi says Trump’s wiretapping claims are false
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi says there’s no way that former President Barack Obama had Donald Trump wiretapped in the lead up to the election, and FBI Director James Comey should say so. A member of the House Intelligence Committee, Pelosi questioned whether Trump understands the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the law that allows the government to monitor the calls of foreign agents suspected of terrorism or espionage.
On Cue, Adoring Pro-Trump Outlets Fawn Over February Jobs Report
Right-wing media reacted with predictable enthusiasm to a better-than-expected February 2017 jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics , which they attributed to President Donald Trump’s unique leadership. In reality, the economy is currently enjoying a 77-month streak of job creation that began under President Barack Obama — whom the same outlets routinely blasted for leading a sluggish economic recovery.
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Sen. Tom Cotton , a leading GOP senator, is warning his friend House Speaker Paul Ryan to “take a pause” and slow down when it comes to healthcare reform. Cotton told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview when asked what he would say to Ryan were he speaking directly to the embattled Speaker: Take a pause, lower the stakes, we don’t need to meet arbitrary legislative deadlines.
Americans oppose bathroom laws limiting transgender rights: poll
The majority of respondents to a new U.S. poll opposed laws barring transgender people from using bathrooms consistent with their gender identities and indicated growing acceptance for gay rights, a nonpartisan research group said on Friday. Fifty-three percent of the Americans surveyed oppose laws requiring transgender people to use bathrooms that correspond to their sex at birth, according to the national poll by the Public Religion Research Institute.
Republicans Just Made Trump’s Reelection a Whole Lot Tougher
President Donald Trump has thrown his full weight behind the House Republicans’ plan to overturn Obamacare. But he might end up regretting that move in 2020.
A look at legal issues with Trump’s revised travel ban
Legal challenges against Trump’s revised trave… . Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin speaks at a news conference Thursday, March 9, 2107, in Honolulu.
New administration seeks resignations of 46 US attorneys
Attorney General Jeff Sessions is seeking the resignations of 46 U.S. attorneys who were holdovers from the Obama administration. Many of the federal prosecutors who were nominated by President Barack Obama have already left their positions, but the nearly four dozen who stayed on in the first weeks of the Trump administration have been asked to leave “in order to ensure a uniform transition,” Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said Friday.
AP Explains: What’s behind ouster of South Korean leader
In a historic rulin… . Protesters react after hearing the Constitutional Court’s verdict during a rally calling for impeachment of President Park Geun-hye near the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 10, 2017.
Trump vs. Trump: President’s credibility gap like Grand Canyon
The contradictions in both the president’s rhetoric and his approach to governing were there from the beginning of the speech. He started, somewhat oddly, by conflating the last day of Black History Month with the attacks on Jewish cemeteries and community centers across the country and saying that bigotry had no place in American life.
Australian report urges ban on foreign political donations2 min ago
An Australian parliamentary committee has recommended a ban on political donations from foreign companies and individuals. Unlike the United States and many other countries that ban foreign donations, Australian law has never distinguished between donors from Australia and overseas.
Sean Spicer, barred from Air Force One, avoids the cameras
He is the US president’s most prominent political spokesman but his high profile didn’t protect Sean Spicer from being temporarily banished from Air Force One. Spicer was among a group of Donald Trump’s senior aides who were banned from the presidential aircraft a week ago after Trump erupted in frustration at his staff during an Oval Office meeting.
Rex Tillerson recuses himself from Keystone pipeline decision
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has recused himself from TransCanada’s application for a presidential permit for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, the State Department says. President Donald Trump signed executive orders on Tuesday to advance the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Keystone Pipeline.
GOP leaders claim momentum as health bill clears hurdles
Republican leaders drove their long-promised legislation to dismantle Barack Obama’s health care law over its first big hurdles in the House on Thursday, claiming fresh momentum despite cries of protest from right, left and After grueling all-night sessions, the Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees both approved their portions of the bill along party-line votes. The legislation, strongly supported by President Donald Trump, would eliminate the unpopular tax penalties for the uninsured under the Affordable Care Act, replacing Obama’s law with a conservative blueprint likely to cover far fewer people but – Republicans hope – increase choice.
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The mayor of the Mississippi city where a train hit a bus, killing four Texas tourists, is vowing to close some railroad crossings and make others safer. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s new deputy governor is scheduled to receive half of her pay out of an employee health care account that is more than $4 billion behind on its bills due to the state’s budget crisis.
Transgender families press education secretary on rights
A little girl in bronze defiantly facing Wall Street’s mammoth Charging Bull didn’t appear suddenly or spontaneously in Manhattan’s financial district in the middle of the night. Washington state’s attorney general is asking a federal judge to affirm that an order blocking President Donald Trump’s first travel ban will also apply to a revised travel ban.
The Latest: Source says Jags to spend big to improve defense
A little girl in bronze defiantly facing Wall Street’s mammoth Charging Bull didn’t appear suddenly or spontaneously in Manhattan’s financial district in the middle of the night. A little girl in bronze defiantly facing Wall Street’s mammoth Charging Bull didn’t appear suddenly or spontaneously in Manhattan’s financial district in the middle of the night.
The Latest: Source says Osweiler and picks to Browns
Republicans on a pivotal House committee are nearing an initial triumph in their effort to scuttle former President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. Republicans on a pivotal House committee are nearing an initial triumph in their effort to scuttle former President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.
6 days later, no more clarity from Trump on wiretapping claims
Six days after he accused his Oval Office predecessor of wiretapping him, President Donald Trump on Thursday again avoided questions about the charge, leaving his aides and allies still-struggling to explain his Saturday-morning broadside. Trump was initially scheduled to come before cameras twice in the Roosevelt Room Thursday.
Ex-Trump adviser Carter Page at center of Russia storm
In this Friday, July 8, 2016, file photo, Carter Page, then adviser to U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, speaks at the graduation ceremony for the New Economic School in Moscow, Russia. Page, once a little-known investment banker-turned-adviser in the outer circle of the improbable Trump campaign, is emerging as a central figure in the controversy surrounding campaign connections to Russia.
GOP-run committee backs Trump’s pick for US envoy to Israel
A Republican-led Senate committee on Thursday narrowly approved the nomination of the combative lawyer selected by President Donald Trump to be ambassador to Israel, setting aside concerns that David Friedman lacked the temperament for such a critical diplomatic post. Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted largely along party lines, 12-9, to recommend that the full Senate consider Friedman’s nomination.
Enslaving debt has soared to almost $20 trillion
Within 40 days our national debt is likely to be $20 trillion; four of which is from eight years of George W. Bush and 10 from eight years of Barack Obama – the two biggest spending presidents in U.S. history. Obama alone accumulated more debt than all previous presidents put together.
Jury selection begins in trial of gunman in barracks ambush
Jury selection is about to get underway Thursday, March 9, 2017, in the capita… . In this Friday, March 6, 2015 file photo, a sign marks the location of the barracks for the Pennsylvania State Police in Blooming Grove Township, Pa.
U.S. senators ask government for proof Obama wiretapped Trump
Two senior senators asked the FBI and Justice Department on Wednesday for any information they have on President Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated claim that his predecessor Barack Obama wiretapped him during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. In a letter to James Comey, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Acting Deputy Attorney General Dana Boente, Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse wrote: “We request that the Department of Justice provide us copies of any warrant applications and court orders related to wiretaps of President Trump, the Trump campaign, or Trump Tower.”
FBI Director Comey at cyber conference: a Youa re stuck with mea
FBI Director James Comey said on Wednesday he has no plans to step down any time soon, days after he reportedly pushed back against President Donald Trump’s allegations that the Obama administration had tapped his phones during the 2016 election. At a Boston College cyber security conference, Comey prefaced his speech by saying he would like to come back.
House panel OKs health bill, industry groups say ‘no’
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, left, listens to the committee’s ranking member, Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 8, 2017, as the committee began markup of the long-awaited plan by Republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. WASHINGTON>> House Republicans scored a pre-dawn triumph Thursday in their effort to scuttle former President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, but it masked deeper problems as hospitals, doctors and consumer groups mounted intensifying opposition to the GOP health care drive.
Obama’s Snowflakes
As President Trump focuses on jobs, Barack Obama’s oddness as a President is thrown into relief. How little we heard about jobs during Obama’s two terms — not even jobs in the inner city.
Obama Used the Presidency, so should Trump
The front page of the Washington Post on Wednesday showed a charming picture of a gaggle of school kids on a White House tour excited by a surprise appearance by President Trump. The Post is overtly hostile to Trump, but editors find it hard to resist good photos of happy, bright-eyed children.
Iran under increasing isolation
With each passing day Iran is experiencing further international and regional isolation, with a growing number of countries voicing concerns about Tehran’s policies. Barack Obama leaving office signaled the beginning of the end of a “golden era” for Iran, and a major shift in the balance of power and political tones.
Sam Bee: Trump Wiretapping Claim Is Nuts
Samantha Bee is back, just in time for International Women’s Day. And she wasn’t ready to forget that unexpectedly “presidential” speech Trump made last week.
Vice president touts choice in Obamacare replacement bill
Vice President Mike Pence says a bill put forth by congressional Republicans earlier this week is “the beginning of the end of Obamacare.” “When you think about the burden that Obamacare has placed on American families and American businesses since it was signed into law in 2010, this represents a historic opportunity for President Trump, our administration and the Congress to keep a promise to the American people,” the vice president said Wednesday as he spoke live with WOOD-TV political reporter Rick Albin from Washington, D.C. Pence said the plan would “lower the cost of health insurance by giving the American people more choices, including buying health insurance across state lines.”
EPA head stacks agency with climate change skeptics
Days after the Senate confirmed him as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt appeared at the Conservative Political Action Conference and was asked about addressing a group that probably wanted to eliminate his agency. “I think it’s justified,” he responded, to cheers.
10 Things to Know for Thursday
House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. speaks during a news conference at the Republican National Committee Headquarters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 8, 2017, as the GOP works on its long-awaited plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
Source: Jon Huntsman offered job of ambassador to Russia – Wed, 08 Mar 2017 PST
President Donald Trump has offered former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman the position as U.S. ambassador to Russia, a high-profile and sensitive post amid investigations into the contacts between Russian officials and the Trump campaign. Trump made the offer to Huntsman earlier this week, according to a White House official not authorized to discuss the move publicly until it is announced.
Trump news today: What you need to know on March 8
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with pharmaceutical industry representatives at the White House in Washington, U.S. on January 31, 2017. U.S. President Donald Trump meets with pharmaceutical industry representatives at the White House in Washington, U.S. on January 31, 2017.
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The Latest on the health care debate as Congress begins work on a GOP-drafted overhaul : In the day’s first vote on Republican health care legislation, GOP lawmakers controlling the House Ways and Means Committee have blocked a Democratic attempt to delay the panel’s work for a week. Texas Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett said there’s been little time to understand what’s in the legislation.
Women go on strike in US to show their economic clout
Organizers of the January Women’s March are calling for women to take the day off and enco… . FILE – In this Jan. 21, 2017 file photo, Gloria Steinem, center right, greets protesters at the barricades before speaking at the Women’s March on Washington during the first full day of Donald Trump’s presidency, in Wa… The mother of a slain Pennsylvania state police trooper says she is seeking a measure of justice for her son when his alleged killer stands trial.
FBI Director Comey at cyber conference: ‘You’re stuck with me’
FBI Director James Comey listens as he is thanked for speaking at the Boston Conference on Cyber Security at Boston College in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., March 8, 2017. FBI Director James Comey said on Wednesday he has no plans to step down any time soon, days after he reportedly pushed back against President Donald Trump’s allegations that the Obama administration had tapped his phones during the 2016 election.
The Wall Street Journal: Obama furious over Trump tweets accusing him …
The rapport between Barack Obama and Donald Trump is unraveling, with the president convinced that Mr. Obama is undermining his nascent administration and the former president furious over Trump tweets accusing him of illegal wiretapping, people close to the two men said. The budding feud between two men who share the unique bond of membership in the commander-in-chiefs’ club is a fresh distraction in a Trump presidency that has been struggling to enact its agenda.
UN chief: Funding, support needed for AU troops in Somalia
Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin says it’s important for Congress to act quickly to extend a program aimed at widening veterans’ access to private-sector health care. Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin says it’s important for Congress to act quickly to extend a program aimed at widening veterans’ access to private-sector health care.