Tag: Trump Administration

Swamp Things: More Than 50% of President Trump’s Nominees Have Ties to the Industries They’re Supposed to Regulate

The following article by Lachlan Markay and Sam Stein was posted on the Daily Beast website October 29, 2017:

The president has turned federal agencies over to the very CEOs, lobbyists, and lawyers whom they are supposed to regulate.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY LYNE LUCIEN/THE DAILY BEAST

In August 2016, energy consultant Steven Gardner gave a presentation to the trade group Professional Engineers in Mining (PDF). In it, he hammered the Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement for what he said was a highly flawed regulatory process behind the office’s Stream Protection Rule, a regulation designed to prevent water pollution near coal production sites. Gardner’s firm, ECSI LLC, had been retained by a coal industry trade group “to conduct a comprehensive critical review of the proposed rule,” which it opposed.

Gardner ended his August 2016 presentation with a slide asking, “What’s next?” that featured a photo of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Contrary to the slide’s projection, Donald Trump prevailed and ended up signing legislation rolling back the Stream Protection Rule. Continue reading “Swamp Things: More Than 50% of President Trump’s Nominees Have Ties to the Industries They’re Supposed to Regulate”

The First FBI Crime Report Issued Under Trump Is Missing A Ton Of Info

The following article by Clare Malone and Jeff Asher was posted on the FiveThirtyEight.com website October 27, 2017:

FIVETHIRTYEIGHT / GETTY IMAGES

Every year, the FBI releases a report that is considered the gold standard for tracking crime statistics in the United States: the Crime in the United Statesreport, a collection of crime statistics gathered from over 18,000 law-enforcement agencies in cities around the country. But according to an analysis by FiveThirtyEight, the 2016 Crime in the United States report — the first released under President Trump’s administration — contains close to 70 percent fewer data tables1 than the 2015 version did, a removal that could affect analysts’ understanding of crime trends in the country. The removal comes after consecutive years in which violent crime rosenationally, and it limits access to high-quality crime data that could help inform solutions. Continue reading “The First FBI Crime Report Issued Under Trump Is Missing A Ton Of Info”

Video: James Comey and the draft statement clearing Hillary Clinton

The following article by Meg Kelly and Glenn Kessler was posted on the Washington Post website October 30, 2017:

Here’s what we know about former FBI director James B. Comey’s decisions about how to end the Clinton email probe. (Meg Kelly/The Washington Post)

“Wow, FBI confirms report that James Comey drafted letter exonerating Crooked Hillary Clinton long before investigation was complete. Many people not interviewed, including Clinton herself. Comey stated under oath that he didn’t do this-obviously a fix? Where is Justice Dept?”
— President Trump, in tweets, Oct. 18, 2017

In a pair of tweets, President Trump essentially called for a Justice Department investigation of former FBI director James B. Comey, whom he fired in May. He suggested Comey misled Congress under oath about his decision-making on whether to charge former secretary of state Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server for official government communications. Continue reading “Video: James Comey and the draft statement clearing Hillary Clinton”

White House lawyer: Trump tweets not a reaction to Mueller probe

The following article by Brett Samuels was posted on the Hill website October 29, 2017:

Ty Cobb Credit: Hogan Lovells

White House lawyer Ty Cobb said Sunday the president’s tweets calling an inquiry into his ties with Russia a “witch hunt” and calling for an investigation into Hillary Clinton are not a reaction to special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing probe.

“His tweets today are not, as some have asked, a reaction to anything involving the special counsel with whom the White House continues to cooperate,” Cobb told NBC News.

Trump lashed out Sunday morning in a series of tweets, calling allegations that he colluded with Russia “phony.” He then called for Congress to “DO SOMETHING” about, among other things, Clinton’s ties to a dossier of unverified allegations about Trump.

Soon after, he suggested talk of the investigation into Russian interference in the election was timed intentionally to overshadow Republican efforts to push for tax reform. Continue reading “White House lawyer: Trump tweets not a reaction to Mueller probe”

Home builders group raises hammer, tries to smash GOP tax bill

The following article by Damian Paletta was posted on the Washington Post website October 29, 2017:

Credit: Matthew Hull via morguefile.com

The National Association of Home Builders knows how to demolish things, and on Saturday it decided to take on a new project — the House Republican tax bill.

That’s because one day before, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Tex.) informed NAHB that he would not be including a homeownership tax credit as part of the new tax legislation, which will be released on Wednesday.

NAHB’s chief executive, Jerry Howard, had spent months working on this new tax provision with Brady’s aides, but House leaders wouldn’t allow its inclusion, Howard was told. The next day, Howard and other NAHB officials gathered on a conference call and debated what to do. They agreed unanimously — kill the bill. Continue reading “Home builders group raises hammer, tries to smash GOP tax bill”

Poll: Trump approval rating drops to lowest of presidency

The following article by Alicia Cohn was posted on the Hill website October 29, 2017:

Credit Doug Mills/The New York Times

Just 38 percent of Americans approve of President Trump’s job performance, according to a new poll released Sunday.

A majority — 58 percent — disapprove of Trump’s performance as president in the new NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll.

That rating is the lowest approval rating of any modern president at this point in his tenure, according to the pollsters. The same poll found former President George W. Bush had 88 percent approval at this point in his presidency, former President Barack Obama had 51 percent and former President Bill Clinton had 47 percent.

It’s also a slight drop, but within the poll’s margin of error, compared to September’s poll and the lowest rating yet of Trump’s presidency by the polling group at Public Opinion Strategies. Continue reading “Poll: Trump approval rating drops to lowest of presidency”

Puerto Rico moves to cancel contract with Whitefish Energy to repair electric grid

The following article by Stephen Mufson, Arelis R. Hernández and Aaron C. Davis was posted on the Washington Post website October 29, 2017:

Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló has called for the immediate cancellation of a $300 million contract with Montana-based Whitefish Energy Holdings, a tiny company based in the hometown of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. (Reuters)

Puerto Rico’s electric company moved Sunday to cancel a $300 million contract with a small Montana firm for repairs to the territory’s hurricane-ravaged electrical grid, saying controversy surrounding the agreement was distracting from the effort to restore power.

The contract with Whitefish Energy — a firm that had just two employees the day the storm hit — had drawn blistering criticism from members of Congress for days. And on Friday the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has a large role in determining government reimbursements, said it had “significant concerns” about how the contract was secured. Continue reading “Puerto Rico moves to cancel contract with Whitefish Energy to repair electric grid”

Trumps set to launch two real estate projects in India, despite conflict-of-interest concerns

The following article by Annie Gowen was posted on the Washington Post website October 28, 2017:

Donald Trump’s company is set to unveil a new luxury high-rise in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata. (Annie Gowen/The Washington Post)

KOLKATA, India — President Trump’s eldest son, Donald Jr., is expected to launch two residential projects in India for the Trump Organization in the coming weeks, continuing the family’s promotion of the Trump empire despite concerns over the president’s potential conflicts of interest with foreign governments.

The Trump Organization vowed early on there would be “no new foreign deals” during Trump’s tenure as president; these two projects in India were inked before his election.

But the high-profile launches demonstrate that the pledge comes with an asterisk — agreements made years ago can move forward or be revitalized, such as the Trumps’ 2007 deal to build a luxury beachfront resort in the Dominican Republic that may be revived, according to an Associated Press report.

The president did not divest his assets after he was elected and instead placed his business empire into a trust controlled by sons Don Jr. and Eric, who has traveled to Uruguay and accompanied Don Jr. to introduce a Trump-branded luxury golf course in Dubai and a hotel in Vancouver. Continue reading “Trumps set to launch two real estate projects in India, despite conflict-of-interest concerns”

Quiet Day at White House Leaves Pence a Nuclear Stage

The following article by John T. Bennett was posted on the RolL Call website October 27, 2017:

Vice President Mike Pence conducts a news conference after the Senate Policy luncheon in the Capitol in March. On Friday, he delivered a warning to North Korea after seeing U.S. nuclear weapons. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

From North Dakota, warnings for North Korea

White House officials on Friday seemed intent on bucking tradition by not making news. But 1,600 miles away, Vice President Mike Pence did so after getting a close-up look at the U.S. nuclear arsenal, warning it would be deployed in “overwhelming” fashion if North Korea strikes first.

“Now, more than ever, your commander in chief is depending on you to be ready,” Pence told personnel at nuclear-armed Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota.

In Washington, the White House was uncharacteristically still. A West Wing chimney filled the North Lawn area with the autumnal aroma of burning firewood. But there was no conflagration at the daily press briefing, as Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders provided few details about how much President Donald Trump wants Congress to provide to fight the opioid epidemic, which on Thursday he declared a “national health emergency.” Continue reading “Quiet Day at White House Leaves Pence a Nuclear Stage”

Education Department withdrawing nearly 600 policy documents it says are outdated

The following article by Valerie Strauss was posted on the Washington Post website October 27, 2017:

The Education Department under Secretary Betsy DeVos is withdrawing nearly 600 policy guidance documents it says are outdated. (Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock )

The Education Department said Friday it is withdrawing nearly 600 policy guidance documents it says are outdated, including 72 in special education previously announced and others in offices dealing with K-12 and higher education.

The move is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to reduce existing or planned regulations, many of them from the Obama administration. In education, Secretary Betsy DeVos has walked back policies and rules in higher education implemented by President Barack Obama to protect student borrowers trying to pay for college. She also withdrew guidance directing schools to allow transgender children to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity. And she gave schools leeway in following earlier guidance on how to investigate sexual assaults on campus, saying that the rights of the accused had been trampled by the Obama-era rule. Continue reading “Education Department withdrawing nearly 600 policy documents it says are outdated”