Category: Republican

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The assertion that Trump lost the popular vote because of alleged illegal voting appears to be part of a developing pattern for the new administration in which falsehoods overshadow outreach efforts. President Donald Trump holds the most powerful office in the world.

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Rep. Mick Mulvaney, President Donald Trump’s staunchly conservative choice to lead the White House budget office, is headed before a Senate panel whose members will probe for clues on the new administration’s plans… Rep. Mick Mulvaney, President Donald Trump’s staunchly conservative choice to lead the White House budget office, says Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid need significant changes to be preserved for future generations The assertion that Trump lost the popular vote because of alleged illegal voting appears to be part of a developing pattern for the new administration in which falsehoods overshadow outreach efforts.

Trump acts to advance Keystone XL, Dakota Access pipelines

President Donald Trump shows off his signature on an executive order about the Dakota Access pipeline, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. President Donald Trump shows off his signature on an executive order about the Dakota Access pipeline, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.

Trump to inherit $559B deficit, stable economy

WASHINGTON >> President Donald Trump has inherited a stable economy and a government that is on track to run a $559 billion budget deficit for the year, congressional analysts said Tuesday. The estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office say the economy will hold relatively steady, with economic growth rising slightly to 2.3 percent this year and unemployment averaging less than 5 percent for the duration of Trump’s term.

Trump budget pick Mulvaney faces Senate hearing

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., left, meets with Budget Director-nominee Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C. on Capitol Hill in Washington. Mulvaney, President Donald Trump’s staunchly conservative choice to lead the White House budget office, is headed before the Senate Budget Committee, where panel members will probe for clues on the new administration’s plans for tackling intractable budget deficits.

Senate panel approves Ben Carson for HUD job

Health and Human Services Secretary-designate, Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., left, arrives with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, center, and Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday before the start of his confirmation hearing before the committee. The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee has unanimously approved President Donald Trump’s nominee for housing secretary, Ben Carson.

Democrats won’t get a second hearing with Betsy DeVos, Trump’s education pick

Sen. Lamar Alexander rejected a Democrat’s request for a second hearing with Betsy DeVos on Monday, sparing Trump’s pick for secretary of education from what would surely be a contentious hearing. Alexander, the Republican chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, traded letters with Sen. Patty Murray, the ranking Democrat, who requested a second hearing for DeVos after all of her paperwork was approved by the Office of Government Ethics.

Senate Democrats to propose $1 trillion infrastructure plan

Senate Democrats say they plan to offer a proposal Tuesday to spend $1 trillion on transportation and other infrastructure projects over 10 years in an attempt to engage President Donald Trump on an issue where they hope to find common ground. Details of the plan provided to The Associated Press include $200 billion for a “vital infrastructure fund” to pay for projects of national significance.

Senate committee raises more red flags on Tom Price

Tom Price, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, can’t seem to shake off ethics questions. On the eve of Price’s second confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, Senate Finance Committee staff released a bipartisan memo to lawmakers disclosing several red flags that were raised in the course of reviewing the congressman’s tax returns and financial disclosure statements.

‘Get up. We’ve got to get out’: Storms kill 20 in the South

Bonnie Collier, right, and her two granddaughters, daughter and daughter-in-law pick through the wreckage of her mobile home trying to find clothes and family photos on Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, near Cecil, Ga. Bonnie Collier, right, and her two granddaughters, daughter and daughter-in-law pick through the wreckage of her mobile home trying to find clothes and family photos on Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, near Cecil, Ga.

Trump reverses abortion policy for aid to NGOs

President Donald Trump signed an executive action on Monday reinstating the so-called Mexico City Policy, which bars international non-governmental organizations that perform or promote abortions from receiving U.S. government funding. “The President, it’s no secret, has made it very clear that he’s a pro-life president,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters at his first daily briefing.

Pompeo sworn in as CIA chief amid opposition from surveillance critics

Mike Pompeo was sworn in late Monday by U.S. Vice President Michael Pence as the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency, amid protests from surveillance critics who worry about his conflicting views on a number of key issues. Critics of Pompeo, a Republican representative from Kansas, are concerned that he may weigh in with the government on a rollback of many privacy reforms, including restrictions on the collection of bulk telephone metadata from Americans by the National Security Agency under the USA Freedom Act.

US quietly sent $221M to Palestinians in Obama’s last hours

Officials said Monday that the Obama administration– in its waning hours– defied Republican opposition and quietly released $221 million to the Palestinian Authority that GOP members of Congress had been blocking. A State Department official and several congressional aides told The Associated Press that the outgoing administration formally notified Congress it would spend the money Friday morning.

Nikki Haley Easily Confirmed as UN Ambassador

The Senate voted Tuesday to confirm Nikki Haley as ambassador to the United Nations, making her the fourth member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet to be approved even as Republicans and Democrats battle angrily over the pace of confirmations. Republicans are upset at what they complain is a deliberate effort by Democrats to slow walk approval of Trump’s top government executives and argue the GOP was much more cooperative when President Barack Obama got seven Cabinet members confirmed on the day he was sworn in back in 2009.

Lakelands & beyond

A man died after his vehicle struck a tree around midnight on Dixie Drive in Greenwood County. According to Greenwood County Coroner Sonny Cox, 24 year old Marcus Anthony Harris of 288 Haddon Road, Donalds SC was pronounced dead at the scene as a result of his injuries.

Trump picks PIO to head communications body

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has picked Ajit Vardaraj Pai, an outspoken opponent of new net neutrality, to head the crucial Federal Communications Commission , making him the fourth Indian-American in the administration at the senior level. “I am deeply grateful to the President of the United States for designating me the 34th cairman of the Federal Communications Commission,” Pai said in a statement.

President Trump’s first days in office: Highlights

As US President Donald Trump begins his four-year term in the White House, here’s a look at the key meetings he chaired, decisions he took and promises he made since taking the oath of office on January 20: The US Senate confirmed Trump appointee Mike Pompeo as the director of CIA. Trump’s choice for secretary of state, former Exxon Mobil Corp Chairman Rex Tillerson, narrowly won the Senate committee approval is expected to be confirmed by the full Senate.

Schock prosecutor pursues Mautino

The same prosecutor who has handled the case against former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock also was involved in two grand jury subpeonas involving former state Rep. Frank Mautino. Since last spring, federal authorities have been investigating Mautino, D-Spring Valley, over his spending of campaign money on gas, repairs and bank payments.

Pompeo confirmed as CIA chief

JANUARY 12: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for the director of the CIA, Rep.Mike Pompeo attends his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee on January 12, 2017 in Washington, DC. Mr. Pompeo is a former Army officer who graduated first in his class from West Point.

Vice President Mike Pence, right, swears in CIA Director Mike Pompeo, …

Mike Pompeo was sworn in Monday night as director of the CIA at a crucial time for U.S. national security as intelligence – traditionally a nonpartisan issue – has been thrust into the political arena. “You are stepping up to lead the finest intelligence-gathering operation the world has ever seen,” Vice President Mike Pence said during the nighttime swearing-in ceremony.

Trumpa s First 100 Days: Delivering on campaign promises

President Trump spent much of his first Monday in office delivering on campaign promises: he withdrew the United States from a major trade agreement, ordered a hiring freeze for most federal agencies, and blocked foreign aid for organizations that perform or discuss abortion. President Trump hosts a reception for House and Senate leaders including, from left, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, House Speaker Paul Ryan and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

Trump wrongly blames fraud for loss of popular vote

President Donald Trump, center, hosts a reception for House and Senate leaders in the the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 23, 2017. Some of the participants are, from left, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-NyY., House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif.

White House opens door to military cooperation with Moscow, but it would be illegal

The White House indicated Monday that President Trump would be open to military cooperation with Russia to fight Islamic State , a move that would be a big policy change for the U.S. government, and one that would run afoul of current law. “I think if there’s a way that we can combat ISIS with any country, whether it’s Russia or anyone else, and we have a shared national interest in that, sure, we’ll take it,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters, using an acronym for the militant group.

Trump pulls out of major trade accord

Charting a new American course abroad, President Trump withdrew the United States from the sweeping Trans-Pacific Partnership on Monday, using one of his first actions in office to reject a centerpiece of Barack Obama ‘s attempts to counter China and deepen U.S. ties in Asia. For Trump, the move was a fulfillment of a central campaign promise.

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The panel voted along party lines, 11-10, to recommend Rex Tillerson’s nomination to the full Senate, where the former chief executive of Exxon Mobil is almost certain to be confirmed by the Republican-led chamber. Sen. Bob Corker, the committee’s Republican chairman, says he has “no doubt” Tillerson is well-qualified, citing his leadership of the energy giant.

If Trump ends America’s world leadership, who will step up?

President Donald Trump’s pursuit of an “America first” foreign policy is raising questions about who, if anyone, will fill the void if the U.S. relinquishes its traditional global leadership role. China and Russia are among the aspirants for greater economic and military influence, while an ambivalent Germany could emerge as the West’s moral compass.