Tag: Trump Administration

When Trump, Cabinet diverge on foreign policy

The following article by Annie Linskey was posted on the Boston Glob website February 26, 2017:

Trump listened as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis spoke last month at the Pentagon.

President Trump triggered deep concern when he discussed the merits of seizing Iraqi oil during a speech at the CIA just after taking office. But a few weeks later, on Presidents’ Day, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis was in Baghdad assuring the Iraqis that the United States doesn’t take oil — it pays for it.

The exact same day, on a different continent, Vice President Mike Pence was massaging another one of Trump’s ideas, trying to calm Europeans meeting in Brussels by saying the United States is committed to the NATO alliance.

It was just one head-snapping day in the massive mop-up operation that Trump administration officials at many levels find themselves toiling to accomplish. The goal is to soothe world leaders who are trying to unlock the puzzle of when to take Trump at his word and when to believe the often more conciliatory statements of his surrogates.

It’s a question that voters grappled with during last year’s campaign: Does one take him seriously or literally? Or both? And since his inauguration, the world is in the same unsettling position. Continue reading “When Trump, Cabinet diverge on foreign policy”

Pro-Trump megadonor is part owner of Breitbart News empire, CEO reveals

The following post by Elise Viebeck and Matea Gold was posted on the Washington Post website February 24, 2017:

Conservative donor Rebekah Mercer has directed her family’s resources into an array of groups on the right. (Photo courtesy of the Media Research Center/Photo courtesy of the Media Research Center)

Breitbart News Network, the far-right media outlet that heralded President Trump’s rise and was once led by his top White House strategist, is owned in part by a wealthy conservative family that poured millions into propelling Trump into office, the company’s chief executive acknowledged Friday.

The site’s financial backing from the Mercers further cements the family’s status as some of the most influential financiers of the Trump era. The news comes as Breitbart has enjoyed a higher profile within the White House press corps.

The Mercers’ investment in Breitbart has been previously reported by The Washington Post and other news outlets, but the family’s role as partial owners of the organization has never been officially confirmed. Larry Solov, Breitbart’s president and CEO, shared the company’s ownership information with a panel of congressional journalists as part of a process to get Capitol Hill press credentials for Breitbart reporters.

Solov said that he is also an owner of the company. The largest share is owned by Susannah ­Breitbart, the widow of site founder Andrew Breitbart, who died in 2012. Continue reading “Pro-Trump megadonor is part owner of Breitbart News empire, CEO reveals”

Trump administration sought to enlist intelligence officials, key lawmakers to counter Russia stories

The following article by Greg Miller and Adam Entous was posted on the Washington Post website February 24, 2017:

National Security reporter Greg Miller explains why the Trump administration is
enlisting the help of intelligence officials and Members of Congress to counter
Russia stories.(Jorge Ribas, Ashleigh Joplin/The Washington Post)
The Trump administration has enlisted senior members of the intelligence community and Congress in efforts to counter news stories about Trump associates’ ties to Russia, a politically charged issue that has been under investigation by the FBI as well as lawmakers now defending the White House.Acting at the behest of the White House, the officials made calls to news organizations last week in attempts to challenge stories about alleged contacts between members of President Trump’s campaign team and Russian intelligence operatives, U.S. officials said. Continue reading “Trump administration sought to enlist intelligence officials, key lawmakers to counter Russia stories”

In December, Spicer said barring media access is what a ‘dictatorship’ does. Today, he barred media access.

The following article by Philip Bump was posted on the Washington Post website February 24, 2017:

This post has been updated.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer barred reporters from several large media outlets from participating in a scheduled press briefing Friday. Two months ago, in a panel discussion, he insisted that open access for the media is “what makes a democracy a democracy versus a dictatorship.” Continue reading “In December, Spicer said barring media access is what a ‘dictatorship’ does. Today, he barred media access.”

Fact-checking Donald Trump at CPAC

The following article by Jon Greenberg, Angie Drobnic Holan and Miriam Valverde was posted on the PolitiFact website February 24, 2017:

President Donald Trump spoke to an enthusiastic crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference Friday, bashing the media, attacking Obamacare, and touting his campaign promises, especially on immigration.

Trump has a point about moving on immigration. Through a flurry of executive orders, Trump has cast a wide net for people who will become deportation priorities. He’s also authorized the construction of a border wall with Mexico. PolitiFact has rated some of his promises on immigration as In the Works. (Read a summary of action on Trump’s immigration promises.) Continue reading “Fact-checking Donald Trump at CPAC”

Trump is cooking the books of the American economy

The following article by Bryce Covert was posted on the ThinkProgress site February 21, 2017:

Rather than fix the problems the economy has, the administration is trying to get the numbers it wants.

President Trump arriving at the White House on Monday. CREDIT: AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

President Trump won the White House talking about the ills of the economy and how he would fix them. But to fix what’s broken, first you need to measure where things stand. So far, it appears that the Trump administration is manipulating official data to paint the picture it wants, rather than the way things actually are.

All presidents release their own economic growth forecasts as part of the budget process. That process is currently underway in the Trump administration, and the forecasts are expected to be released in the coming weeks.

Many presidents seek to make the numbers look as positive as possible. But according to sources who spoke with the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, the Trump administration is going much further. It told White House economic advisers to start with a GDP growth target of between 3 and 3.5 percent a year for the next decade and then backfill numbers in their models to make that prediction work. Continue reading “Trump is cooking the books of the American economy”

Priebus says 80 percent of Americans support Trump’s initiatives. Sure — if all Americans are Republicans.

The following article by Philip Bump was posted on the Washington Post website February 23, 2017:

Up until November, Reince Priebus was the head of the Republican Party, tasked with getting Republicans elected and representing the party’s interests publicly. He was good at that job, and with the election of a Republican president to join GOP control of Capitol Hill, he was ready for a new adventure. When President-elect Donald Trump reached out about serving as his chief of staff, Priebus agreed — and took on a new constituency, the American people at large.

He may be getting that new constituency confused with his old one, if a comment he made at the Conservative Political Action Conference is any guide. Continue reading “Priebus says 80 percent of Americans support Trump’s initiatives. Sure — if all Americans are Republicans.”

Parents of Minn. transgender children find some hope in reassurance from Dayton, school officials

The following article by Ricardo Lopez and Liz Sawyer was posted on the Star Tribune website February 23, 2017:

Gov. Mark Dayton and Minnesota school officials moved quickly Thursday to reassure transgender students and their families after President Donald Trump withdrew a federal directive meant to protect them in schools, giving some hope to parents like Alison Yocom who are worried for their children.

“We were scrambling and trying to figure out what to say to our kids,” said Yocom of Minneapolis, mother to George, a 13-year-old transgender boy. In contact with other parents through the support group Transforming Families, Yocom said some of their kids were afraid to go to school on Thursday.

“Kids’ lives are at stake,” Yocom said. Continue reading “Parents of Minn. transgender children find some hope in reassurance from Dayton, school officials”

CPAC Is Trying To Wash The “Alt-Right” Stench Off Breitbart

The following article by Matt Gertz was posted on the Media Matters website February 23, 2017:

The term “alt-right” is toxic. It should be. The loose confederation of neo-Nazis, white nationalists, and misogynists have spent the last year spreading fear, hatred, and conspiracy theories.

The problem for conservatives is that the movement is directly connected to the major right-wing news outlet Breitbart.com; its former executive chairman, Stephen Bannon; and Bannon’s new boss, President Donald Trump. Continue reading “CPAC Is Trying To Wash The “Alt-Right” Stench Off Breitbart”