Category: Donald Trump

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Trump aide under fire for kneeling on White House sofa

Conway appears on the couch with her shoes on as Trump poses for a photo with leaders of historically black colleges and universities. US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser Kellyanne Conway has come under fire after a picture of her casually kneeling on a couch in the Oval Office was widely shared on social media.

Divided Republicans await guidance from Trump

Flailing and divided, congressional Republicans are hoping for clarity from President Donald Trump on key issues like health care when he delivers his first speech to a joint meeting of Congress. It comes as Republicans are discovering, a month into Trump’s administration, how difficult it will be to make good on their many promises now that they control Washington in full.

Could Pres Trump’s Deportations Drive Up Ag Wages?

COULD PRES TRUMP’S DEPORTATIONS DRIVE UP AG WAGES? Feb. 28, 2017 Bloomberg reports: Across America’s orchards and crop fields, a shrinking supply of migrants has already driven pay up faster than in the broader workforce. President Donald Trump’s immigration policy may turbocharge that trend.

President Donald Trump denounces anti-Semitism in newly forceful…

President Donald Trump on Tuesday condemned recent threats against Jewish community centers in the U.S. as “painful reminders” of lingering prejudice and evil, his first full-throated comments on the rise of anti-Semitic venom after pressure for him to speak out forcefully. With his somewhat delayed denunciation, Trump sought to reset his relationship with American Jews, which has been strained by a recent White House statement on the Holocaust, comments by some of his supporters and his own fractious exchange with a reporter for an Orthodox Jewish publication.

President’s first joint Congressional talk tonight

With Vice President Mike Pence stuck in the middle, President Donald Trump shakes hands with House Speaker Paul Ryan on Jan. 26. Trump will speak to Congress at 8 p.m. today. President Donald Trump is addressing a joint session of Congress at 8 p.m. today and the usual outlets will be on hand live until 9:30.

Trump: Obama Behind Protests, Leaks

President Donald Trump told Fox News on Monday he believes the leaks coming out of the government are holdovers from President Barack Obama’s administration. In a preview of an interview set to air in full on “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday morning, Trump told Fox’s Brian Kilmeade not only does he believe Obama is behind the protests at the town halls of Republican House and Senate members in recent days, he also has his people leaking information to the press.

Gizzi: Will Trump, Pope Meet in May?

Barely a year after Donald Trump and Pope Francis exchanged some strong words over the issue of illegal immigration, there is a question whether the two will meet when President Trump is in Rome for the G-7 summit in May. Newsmax posed that question to White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Monday, reminding him how the U.S. president, when in Rome, has always had an audience with the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church going back to 1959 . “That’s a great question,” replied Spicer, himself a Roman Catholic.

Why Liberals and Conservatives Think So Differently

During the last presidential campaign, a major and striking difference between candidates Secretary Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump was their view of present-day America. President Trump drew a virtually apocalyptic picture of our times, invoking economic collapse, rampant carnage, and the country’s very demise.

Activist to address immigration, health after Trump speech

An activist who will deliver a Democratic response in Spanish to President Donald Trump’s first speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday plans to address his administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants and the need for affordable health care. The remarks from Astrid Silva, a so-called Dreamer who was brought into the country illegally as a child, will come as Trump’s efforts have spread anxiety among immigrants and led many to fear arrest.

HBCUs, advocates looking for help from Trump on funding

President Donald Trump shakes hands as he meets with leaders of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 27, 2017. President Donald Trump shakes hands as he meets with leaders of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 27, 2017.

Continue reading Under Trump, government takes new position in Texas voter ID lawsuit

The Department of Justice under President Donald Trump will support Texas officials’ claim that the state’s voter identification law did not specifically target minority voters, retreating from the federal government’s previous stance that state lawmakers intentionally discriminated when crafting the law. The law’s opponents were notified of the switch one day before the question of discriminatory intent is set to be argued in federal court, according to officials at the Campaign Legal Center.

Trump urges insurers to work together to “save Americans from Obamacare”

President Donald Trump met with major health insurers Monday morning, in the midst of intensifying public pressure to preserve the law and political divisions over how to best dismantle and replace former President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement, the Affordable Care Act. The meeting included leaders from Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana, UnitedHealth Group, Aetna, Anthem, Kaiser Permanente and the industry lobbying group, America’s Health Insurance Plans.

Trump seeks ‘historic’ defence build-up, IS offensive

President Donald Trump is seeking what he called a “historic” increase in military spending of more than 9%, a huge rise even as the United States has wound down major wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and remains the world’s strongest military power. Also Monday, a Pentagon-led preliminary plan to defeat Islamic State was delivered to the White House and US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis briefed senior administration officials.

George W. Bush on press and presidency: a Power can be very addictive, and it can be corrosivea

Former President George W. Bush said Monday “we all need answers” on the extent of contact between President Donald Trump’s team and the Russian government, and didn’t rule out the idea that a special prosecutor could be necessary to lead an investigation. The Republican also defended the media’s role in keeping world leaders in check, noting that “power can be addictive,” and warned against immigration policies that could alienate Muslims.

Devin Nunes: ‘No Evidence’ So Far Trump Campaign Spoke With Russians

The House Intelligence Committee has “not seen any evidence of anyone from President Donald Trump’s campaign, or any other one, communicating with the Russian government, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes insisted in a press conference Monday morning, but he is concerned about “major leaks” that have come from the White House. “Right after the leak of the transcript that President Trump had with the Australian ambassador, I mean, with the Australian prime minister, I was in contact with the Australian ambassador,” the California Republican told reporters.

U.S. justices weigh immigrant’s bid to avoid deportation over sex conviction

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday considered a Mexican immigrant’s claim that he should not be deported for having consensual sex with his under-age girlfriend, with several justices indicating sympathy for his plight. The case involving Juan Esquivel-Quintana, a lawful permanent U.S. resident who came to the country at age 12, was argued before the eight justices as President Donald Trump’s administration plans to ramp up deportations and broaden the categories of immigrants targeted.

Hollywood mobilizes against Trump

But the call to action in this town is hitting a new level during the early days of President Donald Trump’s administration. The entertainment industry’s general antipathy toward Trump was on full display Sunday at the Oscars, where references to the President’s controversial actions during his first month in office were center stage.

With Trump at helm, US takes seat at UN rights council

The US claimed its seat Monday on the Human Rights Council under the new presidency of Donald Trump, whose election has provoked deep concern over the body’s future. Over its 11-year history, the council has come in for criticism, including allegations that it has, at times, been co-opted by rights abusers who push resolutions attacking their geopolitical rivals, with genuine rights issues marginalised.

Why Trumpa s Presidency Isna t the Worst Thing Ever

I remember the ease with which my friend said the words: ‘I don’t see the point in voting’. To her, the system seemed eternally rigged in favour of two parties, rich sponsors and people older and wiser than us, and the futility of this meant scribbling an ‘x’ onto a piece of paper had no meaning.