Category: Barack Obama

Amid firestorm, Trump appears to waver on Russia deal

In this March 2, 2017, photo, President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks to Navy and shipyard personnel aboard nuclear aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va. Facing a new wave of questions about his ties to Russia, Trump is telling advisers and allies that he may abandon, at least temporarily, his plan to pursue a deal with Moscow on the Islamic State group and other national security matters, according to administration officials and a Western diplomat.

Trump accuses Obama of tapping phone before election

President Donald Trump took to Twitter early Saturday morning to accuse Barack Obama of tapping his phone during the election process, calling it a “new low.” “Terrible! Just found out that that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory,” the president tweeted.

Amid firestorm, Trump appears to waver on Russia deal

Facing a new wave of questions about his ties to Russia, President Donald Trump is telling advisers and allies that he may shelve — at least temporarily — his plan to pursue a deal with Moscow on the Islamic State group and other national security matters, according to administration officials and Western diplomats. In conversations with diplomats and other officials, Trump and his aides have ascribed the new thinking to Moscow’s recent provocations.

Democrats say long-term success starts with 2018 governorsa races

For almost a decade now, governors’ offices have been a weak link for national Democrats, with Republicans racking up stunning and continuous wins in deep-blue bastions like Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey. Now, Democrats building a long-term strategy for retaking power in Congress and the states are counting on winning big in statehouse races over the next two years.

NAACP head: Sessions pledges to enforce civil rights laws

NAACP President Cornell William Brooks speaks outside the Justice Department in Washington, Friday, March 3, 2017, following a meeting with Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Brooks said he met with Sessions over concerns that recent policy changes “signal a threatening decline” in the Justice Department’s commitment to civil rights.

Amid firestorm, Trump appears to waiver on Russia deal

In this March 2, 2017, photo, President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks to Navy and shipyard personnel aboard nuclear aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va. Facing a new wave of questions about his ties to Russia, Trump is telling advisers and allies that he may abandon, at least temporarily, his plan to pursue a deal with Moscow on the Islamic State group and other national security matters, according to administration officials and a Western diplomat.

5 critical questions Trump needs to answer about the Russian ambassador’s covert trip to Trump Tower

Donald Trump has won the presidency after narrowly carrying a few states to put him above 270 electoral votes. But… At his Senate confirmation hearing, Attorney General Jeff Sessions lied under oath that he had never had contact with the… Despite promising to release his tax returns in a televised debate with Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump continues to show that… On the heels of the news that Attorney General Jeff Sessions twice met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak leading up to the election-and so did a number of other key advisers -the New York Times followed up with this huge development: that Mr. Kushner had met with Mr. Kislyak at Trump Tower in December.

‘He wanted more than gossip’: NYT reporter on Russian ambassador’s talks with Trump associates

A Friday New York Times profile of Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States, illuminates the longtime diplomat as not only socially savvy and eager to network, but also unwavering in his dedication to his home country and its president, Vladimir Putin . Peter Baker, the New York Times’ chief White House correspondent and co-author of the profile, joined Yahoo News Now on Friday to discuss Kislyak, who has been in the spotlight following revelations of his communications with various members of the Trump campaign and administration.

The scary guys around the president: Larry Wilson

Six weeks in, the fellow in the White House opted for a short break from manic phase, knowing that doing so would make him look suddenly normal, in a manner of speaking. So he read the speech to Congress as it was written for him, not repeating random words for emphasis at the end of a line more than a dozen or so times.

Chance the Rapper, Illinois governor discuss school funding

Grammy-winning artist Chance the Rapper has used a meeting with Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner to press for immediate funding for Chicago Public Schools Grammy-winning artist Chance the Rapper meets with reporters at the Thompson Center in Chicago after a meeting with Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner on Friday, March 3, 2017. CHICAGO – Grammy-winning artist Chance the Rapper used a Friday sit-down with Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner to press for immediate funding for cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools, but said he left “flustered” over “vague answers.”

WH defends Pence’s use of private email while governor

To continue reading up to 10 premium articles, you must register , or sign up and take advantage of this exclusive offer: Vice President Mike Pence pauses while speaking before administering the oath of office to Energy Secretary Rick Perry, left, Thursday, March 2, 2017, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. WASHINGTON – A White House spokeswoman said Friday that Vice President Mike Pence “did everything to the letter of the law” after public records revealed that he used a private email account to conduct public business as Indiana’s governor.

Russia says US infighting on Sessions hampers mending ties

As the drama over Attorney General Jeff Sessions plays out in Washington, the Kremlin is watching with a mixture of frustration and regret how the uproar is blocking progress on pressing issues on the U.S.-Russian agenda. Despite the dashed hopes for a quick thaw, however, Moscow is voicing its readiness to wait as long as it takes.

Pence used a private email account to conduct state business

Vice President Mike Pence used a private email account to conduct public business as Indiana’s governor, according to public records obtained by the Indianapolis Star. The newspaper reported Thursday that emails provided through a public records request show that Pence communicated with advisers through his personal AOL account on homeland security matters and security at the governor’s residence during his four years as governor.

Russian FM calls Sessions uproar a replay of McCarthyism

Matryoshkas, traditional Russian wooden dolls, including a doll of U.S. President Donald Trump, top, are displayed for sale in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 2, 2017. Trump has repeatedly said that he aims to improve relations with Russia, but Moscow appears frustrated by the lack of visible progress as well as by support from Trump Administration officials for continuing sanctions imposed on Russia for its interference in Ukraine.

Penguin Random House to publish two books by the Obamas

PanARMENIAN.Net – Penguin Random House has landed a deal to publish two forthcoming books by former U.S. President Barack Obama and the former first lady, Michelle Obama, with one volume to be written by each, the publishing company said on Tuesday, February 28, according to Reuters. Terms of the agreement, in which Penguin Random House acquired worldwide publication rights for the two books, were not disclosed.

Trump declares its time to join forces to fix US problems

Washington – Heralding a “new chapter of American greatness,” President Donald Trump stood before Congress for the first time on Tuesday night and issued a broad call for overhauling the nation’s health care system, significantly boosting military spending and plunging $1 trillion into upgrading crumbling infrastructure. Trump’s address came at a pivotal moment for a new president elected on pledges to swiftly shake up Washington and follow through on the failed promises of career politicians.

Can Alberta maintain its carbon pricing with a Trump administration?

On January 24, President Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing TransCanada to reapply for a permit to build Keystone XL By approving Keystone XL, President Donald Trump may have salvaged the $2.9-billion writedown TransCanada Corp. took after former President Barack Obama rejected the company’s application in 2015, but that doesn’t mean he fixed the system. The method by which pipelines are reviewed and regulated remains dysfunctional, subject to the same forces of environmental obstructionism and political whim that led to Keystone’s rejection in the first place, to the same forces that led Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reject Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline.

Celebrate revolt of state attorneys general

Among the many unintended legacies of Barack Obama, one has gone largely unnoticed: the emergence of a novel form of resistance to executive overreach, a check-and-balance improvised in reaction to his various presidential power grabs. It’s the revolt of the state attorneys general, banding together to sue and curb the executive.

Mike Pence

Vice President Mike Pence used a private email account to conduct public business as Indiana’s governor, according to public records obtained by the Indianapolis Star. The newspaper reported Thursday that emails provided through a public records request show that Pence communicated with advisers through his personal AOL account on homeland security matters and security at the governor’s residence during his four years as governor.

Editorial: Immigrants needed

Chances are you didn’t suffer terribly from the recent Day Without Immigrants, a nationwide strike meant to demonstrate the economic impact of foreign-born workers. Energized by President Donald Trump’s promise to deport millions who live here without permission, immigrants took the day off to march and rally.

White House plans to delegate power over anti-terror raids

White House considers delegating more authority to the Pentagon for anti-terrorist raids to eliminate the hand-wringing approval process under Obama Donald Trump is set to delegate the power to launch anti-terror raids, similar to one which cost the life of a Navy SEAL in Yemen, according to insiders. White House sources claim Trump wants to speed up the process for launching time-sensitive missions, which US generals feel stalled during Barack Obama’s presidency.

Nielsen: Nearly 48 million watch Trump’s address to nation

President Donald Trump’s first major address to the Congress and the nation was seen by an estimated 47.4 million people. The Nielsen company said Wednesday that Trump’s audience couldn’t quite match the first such speech by predecessor Barack Obama, who drew an audience of 52.4 million in 2009.

War Machine trailer shows Brad Pitt as grey-haired US general

Brad Pitt sports grey hair and a military swagger as US General Stanley McChrystal in the first trailer for new satire War Machine. Brad stars in the provocative new film as the four-star general when he was the commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, before he was brought down by a journalist’s expose in which he mocked civilian government officials, including then-vice president Joe Biden, and indirectly expressed disappointment in Barack Obama.

Trump sends mixed messages on immigration

President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to soften his tough stance on immigration, suggesting that he’s open to reforms that would allow millions of undocumented immigrants to stay in the U.S. – only hours later to revert to his hardline rhetoric in a speech to Congress, discussing crimes undocumented immigrants have committed on U.S. soil and making no mention of such sweeping immigration reform. “The time is right for an immigration bill as long as there is compromise on both sides,” said before his televised speech to Congress during a private meeting with TV news anchors at the White House, , saying Trump supports a plan that would grant legal status to undocumented immigrants already in the U.S. without making them citizens.

Together divided

Building “A” at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds was overflowing with concerned constituents Feb. 21 as Representative Tom McClintock faced a large crowd. McClintock generated a similar turnout in Sonora the following night with the Union Democrat reporting Sonora High School’s 569-seat auditorium was filled to capacity with another several hundred left outside.

Ap Fact Check: Trump takes credit he hasna t earned

President Donald Trump boasted Tuesday night about corporate job expansion and military cost-savings that actually took root under his predecessor and gave a one-sided account of the costs and benefits to the economy from immigration – ignoring the upside. TRUMP: “According to the National Academy of Sciences, our current immigration system costs America’s taxpayers many billions of dollars a year.”

Ap Fact Check: Trump claims credit for jobs that predate him

TRUMP: “Since my election, Ford, Fiat-Chrysler, General Motors, Sprint, Softbank, Lockheed, Intel, Walmart and many others have announced that they will invest billions of dollars in the United States and will create tens of thousands of new American jobs.” THE FACTS: Many of the announcements reflect corporate decisions that predate Trump’s presidential election, making it unlikely that his administration is the sole or even the primary reason for the expected hiring.

Barack Obama, Michelle Obama sign bumper book deal18 min ago

New York, Mar 1 : Barack and Michelle Obama have signed a deal to publish their memoirs with New York-based Penguin Random House, in a coveted contract reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars. America’s first African American president is already the author of two memoirs and a children’s book.

Trump sounds optimistic tone, hails ‘new chapter of American greatness’ in speech

Heralding a “new chapter of American greatness,” President Donald Trump stood before Congress for the first time Tuesday night and issued a broad call for overhauling the nation’s health care system , significantly boosting military spending and plunging $1 trillion into upgrading crumbling infrastructure. Trump’s address came at a pivotal moment for a new president elected on pledges to swiftly shake up Washington and follow through on the failed promises of career politicians.

Here We Go Again: Politifact Rates Trump’s Obvious Truths About…

On Saturday, President Donald Trump tweeted that “The media has not reported that the National Debt in my first month went down by $12 billion vs a $200 billion increase in Obama first mo.” Demonstrating that “fact checking” by the partisan press is a sick joke which has instead turned into a vehicle to make cheap political points, Politifact rated Trump’s utterly true statement “Mostly False.”

Jon Stewart ‘Hijacks’ CBS’s ‘Late Show,’ Rips Donald Trump

Jon Stewart, former host of The Daily Show on the Comedy Central cable television channel, returned to the TV spotlight by “hijacking” Monday night’s edition of The Late Show on CBS, which is hosted by Stewart protege Stephen Colbert. While he spent most of the segment claiming Donald Trump uses the phrase “Believe me” when the Republican president is lying, Stewart also reminded everyone of his own hatred for the CNN, then turned his fire on the media.

Obamacare plans’ drug spending rose faster than other plans in 2016: Express Scripts

Spending on prescription drugs for health plans created under the Affordable Care Act increased last year at a rate more than three times that of other commercial plans and most government-run plans managed by Express Scripts Holding Co. Express Scripts, the largest manager of prescription drug plans for U.S. employers, on Tuesday said year-over-year spending per person for individual insurance plans sold on the Obamacare exchanges where it manages the pharmacy benefit rose 14 percent in 2016, driven by higher drug prices and utilization.

Administration Source: Trump Envisions Bill Allowing Many Immigrants to Stay in US

President Donald Trump wants to pass an immigration reform bill that could grant legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants living in the US, a senior administration official said Tuesday. The President is eager to pass a compromise immigration bill in his first term that would stop short of granting a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, but would allow undocumented immigrants who aren’t serious or violent criminals to live, work and pay taxes in the US without fear of deportation, the senior official told reporters Tuesday at the White House.