Tag: Trump Administration

Trump says his political base is ‘stronger than ever’ despite polling to the contrary

The following article by John Wagner was posted on the Washington Post website August 7, 2017:

President Trump likes to trumpet his “tremendous” support and strong base, but polls show that his approval rating is declining, even among key demographics that voted for him in 2016. (Video: Jenny Starrs/Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

President Trump declared Monday that his political base is “bigger & stronger than ever before” despite recent polling — which he branded “fake” — that shows a drop-off in support.

In a series of tweets from Bedminster, N.J., where Trump is on what aides describe as a 17-day “working vacation,” he ticked off a number of factors that he said have “driven the Trump base even closer together.” Among them: record stock-market numbers, strong jobs reports, his Supreme Court pick this year and a backlash against “the Fake News Russian collusion story.” Continue reading “Trump says his political base is ‘stronger than ever’ despite polling to the contrary”

Trump’s Cabinet Seeks Spiritual Guidance From Misogynist Minister

The following article by Evan Harper with the Trubune Content Agency’s Washington Bureau was posted on the National Memo website August 4, 2017:

WASHINGTON — News from the Christian Broadcasting Network that members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet are attending Bible study sessions together didn’t come as such a shock in Washington.

The shock was who is teaching them.

That teacher, Pastor Ralph Drollinger, is well known to some members in the California congressional delegation. He is the evangelical spiritual leader who once counseled a group of Sacramento lawmakers that female politicians with young children have no business serving in the Legislature. In fact, he called them sinners. Continue reading “Trump’s Cabinet Seeks Spiritual Guidance From Misogynist Minister”

Trump still has the bully pulpit, but is facing more challenges to his authority

The following article by Abby Phillip was posted on the Washington Post website August 4, 2017:

Six months into his chaotic tenure, President Trump faces mounting challenges to his authority and influence, a downward slide that his allies hope newly installed Chief of Staff John F. Kelly can help to halt.

In recent weeks, Congress has moved on a number of fronts to curtail the president’s authority. Lawmakers passed legislation limiting his ability to lift sanctions on Russia and the Republican-controlled Senate will not formally adjourn this month to prevent Trump from making any recess appointments, a tactic usually employed when the president is from the opposite party. Amid increasing concerns about Trump’s attitude toward the federal investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, a bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation this week aimed at preventing special counsel Robert S. Mueller III from being fired. Continue reading “Trump still has the bully pulpit, but is facing more challenges to his authority”

Fewer Immigrants Mean More Jobs? Not So, Economists Say

The following article by Binyamin Appelbaum was posted on the New York Times website August 3, 2017:

Farm workers removing weeds in a field in Stratford, Calif., in 2014. Economists say highly educated immigrants are good for the economy, but so are less skilled workers. Credit Matt Black for The New York Times

WASHINGTON — When the federal government banned the use of farmworkers from Mexico in 1964, California’s tomato growers did not enlist Americans to harvest the fragile crop. They replaced the lost workers with tomato-picking machines.

The Trump administration on Wednesday embraced a proposal to sharply reduce legal immigration, which it said would preserve jobs and lead to higher wages — the same argument advanced by the Kennedy and Johnson administrations half a century ago.

But economists say the tomato story and a host of related evidence show that there is no clear connection between less immigration and more jobs for Americans. Rather, the prevailing view among economists is that immigration increases economic growth, improving the lives of the immigrants and the lives of the people who are already here. Continue reading “Fewer Immigrants Mean More Jobs? Not So, Economists Say”

President Trump’s claim about immigrants ‘immediately’ collecting ‘welfare’

The following article by Michelle Ye Hee Lee was posted on the Washington Post website August 4, 2017:

“The RAISE Act prevents new migrants and new immigrants from collecting welfare … They’re not going to come in and just immediately go and collect welfare. That doesn’t happen under the RAISE Act. They can’t do that.”
—President Trump, news conference, Aug. 2, 2017

“We also believe that those seeking to immigrate into our country should be able to support themselves financially and should not be able to use welfare for themselves or the household for a period of at least five years.”
—Trump, speech in Youngstown, Ohio, July 25, 2017

As a part of the administration’s efforts to restrict legal and illegal immigration, President Trump endorsed a sweeping Senate bill that would slash legal immigration levels by half over a decade. The Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment (RAISE) Act would create a points system for employment-based green cards, so that people applying for visas would need to meet certain requirements. Continue reading “President Trump’s claim about immigrants ‘immediately’ collecting ‘welfare’”

In every state, majorities oppose Trump’s proposed ban on transgender military service

The following article by Andrew R. Flores, Daniel C. Lewis, Patrick R. Miller, Donald P. Haider-Markel, Barry L. Tadlock and Jami K. Taylor was posted on the Washington Post website August 4, 2017:

U.S. Air Force personnel during a change-of-command ceremony May 31, 2017, at Eglin Air Force Base near Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (Devon Ravine/Northwest Florida Daily News/AP)

After President Trump recently proposed to ban transgender people from military service, pollsters quickly noted that a majority of Americans seemed to disagree with him.

Our own research has found the same. Since 2015, we’ve published several studies on public attitudes about transgender people and rights, and in an October 2015 survey, 42 percent opposed a policy not allowing transgender people to serve openly, while only 22 percent supported it. The remainder were neutral.

When we removed the neutral option in a June 2016 national survey that we fielded, the results were even less favorable to Trump: 33 percent of the public thinks that transgender people should not be allowed to serve openly and 67 percent think they should. Continue reading “In every state, majorities oppose Trump’s proposed ban on transgender military service”

Testing the CEO President

The following article by Andrew Soergel was posted on the U.S. News and World Report website August 4, 2017:

Credit:  Czarek Sokolowski/AP

Perhaps one of President Donald Trump’s most endearing qualities to his supporters – a trait he promoted throughout a contentious 2016 election campaign – is that he isn’t a lifelong politician.

He’s a businessman. A salesman. A brander. He was the patriarch of the Trump Organization real estate empire before trading his iconic Manhattan tower for a seat in the Oval Office. And he sold himself to the American people on the idea that he could better streamline the bloated Washington bureaucracy – draining the swamp and running the country with a business-like efficiency.

But after six months rife with high-level turnover, legislative hiccups and public feuds within Trump’s own team, questions have been raised as to how effectively the CEO in chief is guiding the ship. Continue reading “Testing the CEO President”

Russiagate: The Depth of Collusion

The following article by Max Bergmann was posted on the Center for American Progress website August 2, 2017:

Introduction and summary

President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 Summit, Friday, July 7, 2017.  Credit: AP/Evan Vucci

According to the U.S. intelligence community report released on January 6, 2017, Russia mounted an “unprecedented” intervention into our 2016 presidential election with the expressed intent “to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process” and to elect Donald Trump. Therefore, there were effectively two campaigns to elect Donald Trump in the 2016 cycle: the Trump campaign and the Russian campaign. At question is whether these campaigns acted entirely independently of each other or whether there was collusion—which, in this context, entails secretly working with the Russians to advance their campaign in a U.S. election. It is now clear there was collusion.

Continue reading “Russiagate: The Depth of Collusion”

Flynn files amended disclosure report showing additional payments

The following article by Tom Hamburger and Matea Gold was posted on the Washington Post website August 3, 2017:

Michael Flynn, who served briefly as President Trump’s national security adviser, filed an amended federal financial disclosure report late Thursday providing new details about his contracts with the Trump presidential transition, a company connected to an Iranian American businessman, and the parent company of a data science firm that worked for the Trump campaign.

In a letter accompanying his revised disclosure, Flynn noted that his initial disclosure reports were filed under rushed circumstances without the customary consultation and review provided by White House lawyers and the Office of Government Ethics. The letter said Flynn did not receive the attention afforded others because he was no longer a White House employee at the time.

Flynn resigned his post just 24 days after taking office amid reports that he misled Vice President Pence about the nature of his contacts after the election with the Russian ambassador to the United States. Continue reading “Flynn files amended disclosure report showing additional payments”

Special Counsel Mueller using grand jury in federal court in Washington as part of Russia investigation

The following article by Carol d. Leonnig, Sari Horwitz and Matt Zapotosky was posted on the Washington Post website August 3, 2017:

Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III began using a grand jury in federal court in Washington several weeks ago as part of his investigation of possible coordination between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign, according to two people familiar with the inquiry.

The development is a sign that investigators continue to aggressively gather evidence in the case, and that Mueller is taking full control of a probe that predated him. Continue reading “Special Counsel Mueller using grand jury in federal court in Washington as part of Russia investigation”