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Post by auntym on Apr 25, 2017 13:27:23 GMT -6
Published on Apr 24, 2017
Trump's First 100 Days and a Possible Government Shutdown
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Seth takes a closer look at Donald Trump's first 100 days in office as he and Congress face an imminent government shutdown deadline.
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Post by swamprat on Apr 25, 2017 13:56:47 GMT -6
Sounds like the Donald may forego a wall to avoid a shutdown.
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Post by auntym on Apr 26, 2017 22:15:37 GMT -6
Trump Pushes Executive Orders and Tax Cuts: A Closer Look
Late Night with Seth Meyers
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Post by auntym on Apr 28, 2017 14:38:45 GMT -6
www.cnn.com/2017/04/28/politics/donald-trump-president-easier/index.html?sr=twCNN042817donald-trump-president-easier0830PMVODtopLink&linkId=37010238 Trump: 'I thought it would be easier'By Dan Berman, CNN / www.cnn.com/profiles/dan-bermanFri April 28, 2017 Story highlights
*Trump laments the complexity of the presidency; says he misses his old life *He's previously admitted he underestimated how complicated issues can be (CNN)President Donald Trump, reflecting on a first 100 days in office that has featured no major legislative wins and low approval ratings, said Thursday he thought the job would be easier. "I loved my previous life, I loved my previous life. I had so many things going," Trump said in an interview with Reuters. "I actually, this is more work than my previous life. I thought it would be easier." How does US President Trump describe himself?He later added, "I do miss my old life. This -- I like to work. But this is actually more work." Trump barks, but struggles to find his bite Trump also said he misses his pre-presidency freedom -- a sentiment often expressed by Oval Office occupants who find themselves in the security bubble of the White House. "And, while I had very little privacy, in my old life because, you know, I've been famous for a long time. I really -- this is much less privacy than I've seen before. This is, you know, something that's really amazing. At the same time, you're really into your own cocoon because there's such massive protection, that you really can't go anywhere." Tracking Trump's promises The President said he missed being able to take the wheel. 'Who knew?'Trump has admitted his surprise at the complexity of some of the issues in his in-tray during his brief time in office so far. In February, he noted with some exasperation the complexity of the nation's health care laws -- which he has vowed to reform as part of a bid to scrap Obamacare. "Now, I have to tell you, it's an unbelievably complex subject," he added. "Nobody knew health care could be so complicated." The admission was met with some mirth by opponents. Trump also marveled at the intricacies of the geopolitics of the Korean peninsula, a subject that China's President Xi Jinping was happy to tutor him on. "After listening for 10 minutes, I realized it's not so easy," Trump told the Wall Street Journal. "I felt pretty strongly that they had a tremendous power (over) North Korea ... But it's not what you would think." WATCH VIDEO: www.cnn.com/2017/04/28/politics/donald-trump-president-easier/index.html?sr=twCNN042817donald-trump-president-easier0830PMVODtopLink&linkId=37010238
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Post by auntym on May 6, 2017 13:18:26 GMT -6
www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/why-does-trump-embrace-foreign-dictators-w480709 Why Does Trump Embrace Foreign Dictators?The president's affinity for autocrats threatens America's standing in the world – and the health of our democracy back homeBy Robert Dreyfuss / www.rollingstone.com/contributor/robert-dreyfussMay 4, 2017 What is it about dictators, authoritarian presidents-for-life, and outright ruling thugs that appeals to Donald J. Trump?In his wildly contradictory roller-coaster-ride of a foreign policy, in which Trump swings erratically from this position to that one, there's one true constant: he's attracted to people in power who rule by decree. At home, he's learning fast that our pesky, democracy-riddled republican system makes it a lot harder to govern than, say, to build a golf course. Perhaps that's why he's found an affinity for a growing list of bosses overseas unfettered by a Congress that has, you know, "bureaucratic … rules" or a judiciary system filled with "so-called" judges. Consider the list of those who Trump has variously praised, expressed his admiration for, called to congratulate or invited to the White House: President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, and President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt, just for starters. Then, there's his thinly disguised support for Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Front in France, who could be elected as France's next president this Sunday. Of course, there's Trump's much-noted bromance with Russia's Vladimir Putin. And this week, noting with some sympathy that North Korea's Kim Jung Un took power at a "very young age," Trump called him "a pretty smart cookie" who he would be "honored" to meet. Start with Duterte. By all accounts, the Philippines leader is a monster. In a recent profile of Duterte, the New York Times led its story this way: "President Rodrigo Duterte relishes the image of killer-savior. He boasts of killing criminals with his own hand. On occasion, he calls for mass murder. Speaking of the drug addicts he says are destroying the Philippines, he said, 'I would be happy to slaughter them.'" Thousands, of Filipinos have been massacred in a wave of extrajudicial killings, part of a brutal "war on drugs" orchestrated by Duterte's government. During his presidential campaign last year, referring to the gang-rape of an Australian missionary whose throat was slashed by her assailants, Duterte, the former mayor of Davao City, commented: "I was angry because she was raped, that was one thing. But she was so beautiful, I think the mayor should have been first. What a waste!" There's more, but you get the idea. Yet last December, in a phone call, Trump praised Duterte for conducting his drug war "the right way." And on April 29, in another call, Trump stunned his own aides by extending an invitation to Duterte to visit the White House. Perhaps Trump's fondness for Duterte has something to do with the fact of the Trump Organization's Trump Tower at Century City outside Manila – whose advertising posters formerly featured huge photos of Ivanka Trump – or that the newly appointed Philippines trade representative to the United States is Jose E.B. Antonio, Trump's business partner in the Manila property. Meanwhile, in a couple of weeks Trump will host Turkey's Erdogan at the White House. Erdogan, a conservative Muslim fundamentalist, has led Turkey since becoming prime minister in 2003 and president in 2014, and he's moved that country increasingly toward one-man rule. Since an abortive coup d'état was suppressed last summer, Erdogan has carried out a massive, unending purge of up to 140,000 people, silencing the media and seizing newspapers, and shutting down 1,500 civil society groups. After Erdogan directed a stage-managed referendum last month giving him vast new power – during which his campaign compared opponents to supporters of ISIS – Trump called Erdogan on April 17 to congratulate him. Added the Times: "Mr. Trump and Mr. Erdogan are viewed as ideological bedfellows." On Egypt, Trump has found common cause with President Sisi, too. A no-nonsense military dictator, Sisi led a coup d'etat by Egypt's armed forces in 2014, toppling the elected Egyptian leader, Mohammad Morsi. Since then, Sisi has ruled by emergency decree, suspending civil liberties, sentencing hundreds of political prisoners to death, and accusing moderate opponents in the Muslim Brotherhood of being "terrorists." Despite all that, in early April Trump shook hands with Sisi at the White House and, ignoring human rights concerns, declared: "I just want to let everybody know that we are very much behind President Sisi; he has done a fantastic job in a very difficult situation." As the Times reported: "In that one moment, Mr. Trump underscored a fundamental shift in American foreign policy since he took office. While his predecessors considered authoritarians like Mr. Sisi to be distasteful and at times shied away from them, Mr. Trump signaled that he sees international relations through a transactional lens." The point, of course, isn't that the president of the United States should refrain from interacting with foreign leaders, no matter how distasteful, in the normal conduct of foreign policy. But Trump not only enthusiastically supports, defends, and praises such leaders but he refrains entirely from using his bully pulpit – and the considerable power of U.S. foreign aid, arms sales, and political support – to attempt to underscore the importance that Washington places, or ought to place, on human rights. To be sure, human rights is not the only focus of American foreign policy, and in some cases – such as China – the United States has little or no leverage over the policies of governments overseas. Still, Trump's near-total abandonment of human rights, and his refusal to challenge leaders such as Duterte, Erdogan, or Sisi on their overt abuses, undermines whatever is left of America's moral standing around the world. "We are watching in real time as the American human rights bully pulpit disintegrates into ash," said Senator Chris Murphy, the Connecticut Democrat. Though ignoring human rights issues has often marked U.S. policy abroad, to a greater or lesser degree, Trump has taken it to a new level, according to Human Rights Watch. A statement by Sarah Margon, the Washington director for HRW, put it this way: "He's been virtually silent on human rights abuses when meeting or speaking with some of the world's worst offenders – including leaders from Egypt, China, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Previous administrations have sometimes soft-pedaled their criticism of these governments, but none displayed the kind of determined indifference to human rights that Trump has channeled so far." CONTINUE READING: www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/why-does-trump-embrace-foreign-dictators-w480709
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Post by auntym on May 18, 2017 13:12:47 GMT -6
www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/05/18/the-white-houses-absolutely-brutal-night-in-6-headlines/?utm_term=.621a6755a18b The White House’s absolutely brutal night, in 6 headlinesBy Aaron Blake / www.washingtonpost.com/people/aaron-blake/?utm_term=.4015d89e0aa1 May 18, 2017 For any president, one of these headlines would be very bad news. For President Trump, they all came in a span of 12 hours: * “Justice Department to appoint special counsel to oversee probe of Russian meddling in 2016 election” * “House majority leader told colleagues last year: ‘I think Putin pays’ Trump” * “Flynn stopped military plan Turkey opposed — after being paid as its agent” * “Trump Team Knew Flynn Was Under Investigation Before He Came to White House” * “Israeli Source Seen as Key to Countering Islamic State Threat” * “Trump campaign had at least 18 undisclosed contacts with Russians — sources” It was a dizzying Wednesday night for political reporters and followers alike, with a bevy of new information being thrown at them on multiple fronts. And it continued into early Thursday morning with that last headline, from Reuters. Trump's opponents have often accused the media of allowing Trump to distract them with the insignificant, shiny objects that Trump dangles in front of them. At this point, the bigger problem may be that there are too many very real stories to keep up with. So here's a quick summary of why each of these stories is significant, and what it means going forward. CONTINUE READING: www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/05/18/the-white-houses-absolutely-brutal-night-in-6-headlines/?utm_term=.621a6755a18b
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Post by swamprat on May 18, 2017 17:22:55 GMT -6
Well, he's done for NOW!
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