The price of loyalty to Donald Trump is high and rising

The following article by James Hohmann with Breanne Deppisch was posted on the Washington Post website February 17, 2017:

THE BIG IDEA: Donald Trump has an unending need to feel like he’s in total control of his surroundings. That helps explain why he’s felt so frustrated and lashed out so much over the past month. The president’s alpha male personality drives him to firmly assert himself whenever he can, whether in handshakes with foreign leaders or at lunch with friends.

It’s a little thing, but it’s telling: When Chris Christie came to the White House to discuss the opioid epidemic earlier this week, Trump made him order the meatloaf. Continue reading “The price of loyalty to Donald Trump is high and rising”

The biggest beneficiaries of the government safety net: working-class whites

The following article by Tracy Jan was posted on the Boston Globe website February 17, 2017:

Working-class white people are the biggest beneficiaries of federal poverty-reduction programs, even though black and Hispanic people have substantially higher rates of poverty, according to a study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank in Washington.

Government assistance and tax credits lifted 6.2 million working-class whites out of poverty in 2014, more than any other racial or ethnic demographic. Half of all working-age adults without college degrees lifted out of poverty by safety-net programs are white; nearly a quarter are black and a fifth are Hispanic. Continue reading “The biggest beneficiaries of the government safety net: working-class whites”

Trump family’s elaborate lifestyle is a ‘logistical nightmare’ — at taxpayer expense

The following article by Drew Harwell, Amy Britain and Jonathan O’Connell was posted on the Washington Post website February 16, 2017:

On Friday, President Trump and his entourage will jet for the third straight weekend to a working getaway at his oceanfront Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla.

On Saturday, Trump’s sons Eric and Don Jr., with their Secret Service details in tow, will be nearly 8,000 miles away in the United Arab Emirates, attending the grand opening of a Trump-brand golf resort in the “Beverly Hills of Dubai.” Continue reading “Trump family’s elaborate lifestyle is a ‘logistical nightmare’ — at taxpayer expense”

Susan Rice Calls Donald Trump’s Black Caucus Remarks ‘Offensive’

The following article by Alexander Smith was posted on the NBC News website February 17, 2017:

President Donald Trump’s exchange with a black journalist during Thursday’s whirlwind press conference has been branded “notably offensive” by former National Security Adviser Susan Rice.

Continue reading “Susan Rice Calls Donald Trump’s Black Caucus Remarks ‘Offensive’”

Trump’s pick to replace Michael Flynn as national security adviser turns down offer, people familiar with decision say

The following article by Jenna Johnson and Adam Entous was posted on the Washington Post website February 16, 2017:

Retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward has declined to serve as President Trump’s national security adviser. (Sgt. Shawn Coolman/U.S. Marines via Reuters)

Retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward has turned down President Trump’s offer to become his new national security adviser, according to two people with knowledge of the decision.

Harward would have replaced Michael Flynn, who announced his resignation late Monday amid allegations that he discussed U.S. sanctions with a Russian official before Trump took office and then misrepresented the content of that conversation to Vice President Pence and other administration officials. Continue reading “Trump’s pick to replace Michael Flynn as national security adviser turns down offer, people familiar with decision say”

Flynn in FBI interview denied discussing sanctions with Russian ambassador

The following article by Sari Horwitz and Adam Entous was posted on the Washington Post website February 16, 2017:

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn denied to FBI agents in an interview last month that he had discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with that country’s ambassador to the United States before President Trump took office, contradicting the contents of intercepted communications collected by intelligence agencies, current and former U.S. officials said. Continue reading “Flynn in FBI interview denied discussing sanctions with Russian ambassador”

Donald Trump delivers a series of raw and personal attacks on the media in a news conference for the ages

The following article by Chris Cillizza was posted on the Washington Post website February 16, 2017:

Donald Trump entered the East Room on Thursday reeling from a week filled with resignations, withdrawals and continued questions surrounding his campaign’s contacts with Russia.

What followed was an hour-long, full-throated attack on Trump’s favorite foil: the media. Continue reading “Donald Trump delivers a series of raw and personal attacks on the media in a news conference for the ages”

When governing beckons, Trump keeps campaigning

The following article by Karen Tumulty was posted on the Washington Post website February 16, 2017:

President Trump is stuck in a time warp.

As he seeks to steer his young administration through what is shaping up to be a test of his capacity to govern, he seems unable to put 2016 behind him. Continue reading “When governing beckons, Trump keeps campaigning”

Rising Earnings Inequality Is Taking a Mounting Toll on Social Security

The following article by Rachel West and Rebecca Vallas was posted on the Center for American Progress website February 16, 2017:

For more than 80 years, the Social Security system has been at the heart of economic security for millions of American workers and their families. Of the nearly 60 million Americans who receive Social Security today, roughly 3 in 5 seniors and 8 in 10 disabled workers rely on the program’s modest benefits for most of their family income. And with the United States facing an impending retirement crisis at the same time that most American workers have seen their wages stagnate and job stability decline, Social Security will become even more vital for families in the coming years. Continue reading “Rising Earnings Inequality Is Taking a Mounting Toll on Social Security”

Fact-checking President Trump’s February 16, 2017 Press Conference

Fact-checking President Trump’s press conference

Earlier this afternoon, President Trump held a free-wheeling press conference to defend his fledgling administration as competent and disciplined. 

“I turn on the T.V., open the newspapers and I see stories of chaos. Chaos,” Trump said from the East Room of the White House. “Yet it is the exact opposite. This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine, despite the fact that I can’t get my Cabinet approved.” Continue reading “Fact-checking President Trump’s February 16, 2017 Press Conference”