Tag: Trump Administration

Vatican Worried About Trump Immigration Order

The following article by Philip Pullela of Reuters was posted on the National Memo website February 2, 2017:

The Vatican said on Wednesday it was worried about U.S. President Donald Trump’s moves on immigration, in the Holy See’s first comment since his executive order banning travel into the United States by citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries.

“Certainly there is worry because we are messengers of another culture, that of openness,” the Vatican’s deputy secretary of state, Archbishop Angelo Becciu, told an Italian Catholic television station in answer to a question about Trump’s order.

Becciu, who ranks third in the Vatican hierarchy, was asked about the executive order as well as Trump’s promise to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico. Continue reading “Vatican Worried About Trump Immigration Order”

‘Why let ’em in?’ Understanding Bannon’s worldview and the policies that follow.

The following article by Frances Stead Sellers and David A. Fahrenthold was posted on the Washington Post website January 31, 2017:

Stephen K. Bannon walks in before a listening session with cybersecurity experts in the Roosevelt Room in the White House on Tuesday. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

In November 2015, Stephen K. Bannon — then the executive chairman of Breitbart News — was hosting a satellite radio show. His guest was Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), who opposed President Obama’s plan to resettle some Syrian refugees in the United States.

“We need to put a stop on refugees until we can vet,” Zinke said.

Bannon cut him off. Continue reading “‘Why let ’em in?’ Understanding Bannon’s worldview and the policies that follow.”

Trump’s hard-line actions have an intellectual godfather: Jeff Sessions

The following article by Philip Rucker and Robert Costa was posted on the Washington Post website January 30, 2017:

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), President Trump’s nominee for attorney general, testifies at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Jan. 10. (Melina Mara/The Washington Pos1

In jagged black strokes, President Trump’s signature was scribbled onto a catalogue of executive orders over the past 10 days that translated the hard-line promises of his campaign into the policies of his government.

The directives bore Trump’s name, but another man’s fingerprints were also on nearly all of them: Jeff Sessions. Continue reading “Trump’s hard-line actions have an intellectual godfather: Jeff Sessions”

Mar-a-Lago: Such A Sweet Deal At Twice The Price

The following article by Carl Hiaasen was posted on the National Memo website January 30, 2017:

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks about the results of the Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois and Missouri primary elections during a news conference held at his Mar-A-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida March 15, 2016. REUTERS/Joe Skipper

Welcome future members!

We here at beautiful Mar-a-Lago appreciate your enthusiasm at the prospect of joining our luxurious club, located on the almost-private island of Palm Beach.

Since November, we’ve been swamped with so many applications that we’ve decided to increase our initiation fee by 100 percent. Contrary to numerous fake news reports, we’re not doing this to cash in on Mr. Trump’s being elected president. That would be greedy and low-class. Continue reading “Mar-a-Lago: Such A Sweet Deal At Twice The Price”

Trump sacking acting A.G. raises new questions about his respect for the rule of law

The following article by James Hohmann and Breanne Deppisch was posted on the Washington Post website January 31, 2017:

THE BIG IDEA: Back in 2015, when the idea of Donald Trump in the Oval Office seemed far-fetched, Jeff Sessions wanted to know whether Sally Yates was willing to stand up to the president.

“You have to watch out, because people will be asking you to do things you just need to say no about,” the Alabama senator told her during her confirmation hearing to become deputy attorney general. “Do you think the attorney general has the responsibility to say no to the president if he asks for something that’s improper? A lot of people have defended the [Loretta] Lynch nomination, for example, by saying: ‘Well, he appoints somebody who’s going to execute his views. What’s wrong with that?’ But if the views the president wants to execute are unlawful, should the attorney general or the deputy attorney general say no?” Continue reading “Trump sacking acting A.G. raises new questions about his respect for the rule of law”

Democrats escalate their attacks on Trump, while Republicans accuse him of leaving them in the dark

The following article by Ed O’Keefe, Sean Sullivan and Kelsey Snell was posted on the Washington Post website January 30, 2017:

Democrats on Monday all but abandoned their pledge to find common ground with President Trump after he banned some foreign nationals from entering the United States, while Republicans angrily accused him of not telling them ahead of time about the controversial order.

Seizing on growing public outcry over Trump’s executive order temporarily banning citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries and refugees from across the globe, Democrats on Capitol Hill launched what they said would be a protracted fight on several fronts. It will include public protests against the ban, delaying Cabinet confirmations and an attempt to reject Trump’s pick to serve on the Supreme Court, an announcement expected Tuesday. Continue reading “Democrats escalate their attacks on Trump, while Republicans accuse him of leaving them in the dark”

13 Facts that Set the Record Straight on DeVos

The following article by Stephanie Johnson and Coleton Whitaker was posted on the Center for American Progress website January 31, 2017:

AP/Carolyn Kaster
Secretary of education nominee Betsy DeVos testifies at her confirmation hearing in Washington on January 17, 2017.

Betsy DeVos, President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of education, sat before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on January 17, 2017, for her confirmation hearing. During that hearing, DeVos made a series of statements that avoided straightforward answers, conflicted with her record on various subjects, and expressed confusion about the basic issues affecting students in public schools across America. Spokespeople from President Trump’s transition team and others have similarly made statements about DeVos that diverge from what her record shows.

This column presents 13 facts that set the record straight. These facts debunk DeVos’ “alternative facts” with actual facts and evidence regarding her history as a career megadonor and political influencer. Continue reading “13 Facts that Set the Record Straight on DeVos”

Obama rejects comparison between Trump’s immigration policy and his own, encourages protests

The following article by Juliet Ellperin was posted on the Washington Post website January 30, 2017:

Then-President Barack Obama holds a year-end news conference in Washington, D.C., Dec. 16, 2016. SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Trump has said that his move to ban the entry of migrants from seven Muslim-majority countries into the United States, and to suspend temporarily the admission of refugees, was based in part on a decision in 2011 by then-President Obama to ban the admission of Iraqis to the country after evidence surfaced that two Iraqis seeking resettlement had been linked to terrorist activity in their homeland. The Obama and Trump administrations also identified the same seven countries as harboring terrorism threats. Continue reading “Obama rejects comparison between Trump’s immigration policy and his own, encourages protests”

GOP-led Congress starting to worry about its role in the Trump era

The following article by Lisa Mascaro was posted on the L.A> Times website January 30, 2017:

President Trump speaks as Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) listens at a Republican retreat on Thursday in Philadelphia. (Pool)

It’s what congressional Republicans had long dreamed about: a majority in both chambers to advance conservative policies and a president from the same party to sign them into law.

But the Trump White House isn’t turning out exactly the way they envisioned.

The GOP establishment is experiencing whiplash after a week of President Trump bulldozing through the norms of policy and protocol — dashing off executive orders without warning, escalating a diplomatic crisis with the country’s closest southern neighbor, triggering global confusion with a new refugee policy and generally hijacking party leaders’ agenda and replacing it with his own.  Continue reading “GOP-led Congress starting to worry about its role in the Trump era”