Trump Taps Loyalist Richard Grenell as Acting Head of Intelligence

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, will become acting director of national intelligence, a move that puts a staunch Trump ally in charge of the nation’s 17 spy agencies, which the president has only tepidly embraced. “Rick has represented our Country exceedingly well and I look forward to working with him,” Trump tweeted. Grenell follows Joseph Maguire, who has been acting national intelligence director since Au...
Tags: News, Washington, Senate, Germany, Virginia, Uncategorized, United Nations, National Security, Warner, Donald Trump, National Security Agency, George W Bush, Brookings Institution, Senate Intelligence Committee, Trump, National Intelligence

Recognizing historic modern first-term commutation work by Prez Trump in a single day

Unsurprisingly, the pardons and commutations handed out by President Trump yesterday to high-profile individuals like Michael Milken, Rod Blagojevich, Bernie Kerik and Eddie DeBartolo have been dominating the news coverage of Trump's latest clemency work (basics noted here and here).  But I wanted to take a moment to note (and, in a sense, lament) that Prez Trump's granting of four commutations yesterday — to Tynice Nichole Hall, Crystal Munoz and Judith Negron along with Blagojevich — is quite ...
Tags: Law, US, Barack Obama, George W Bush, Trump, George Hw Bush, Alexander Hamilton, Oval Office, Prez Obama, Blagojevich, Douglas A Berman, Michael Milken, Prez Trump, Trump That, Eddie DeBartolo, Judith Negron

Here’s A Video Of Bloomberg Hailing Republicans As ‘The Wave Of The Future’

In a clip from 2003, the former NYC mayor assures the GOP elite that "we will make George W. Bush have a second term."
Tags: News, Bloomberg, Gop, George W Bush

From ‘Junk Bond King’ To Abramoff Pal, Trump’s Pardon List Dredges Swamp

Blago’s not the only one off the hook Tuesday. In addition to former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s commutation, President Donald Trump used his pardon power on several less-than-savory characters, including an infamous ‘80s investor known as the “junk bond king.” The king, Michael Milken, was convicted decades ago of securities fraud, and his allies have tried ever since to secure a presidential pardon. Milken was fined $600 million and spent 22 months in prison for what Bloomberg News call...
Tags: Transportation, New York, London, News, Obama, Navy, Scotland, White House, New York City, Fbi, Gop, New York Times, Treasury, General Services Administration, Fox News, Rupert Murdoch

Argument preview: Justices to consider availability of punitive damages under FSIA

Flag of Sudan In August 1998, truck bombs exploded outside the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, killing more than 200 people and leaving more than a thousand others injured. Next week the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in a lawsuit brought by the victims and their family members against Sudan, seeking to recover damages for that country’s support of al Qaeda, which carried out the bombings. A federal district court in Washington, D.C., awarded the plaintiffs billions of dollars, bu...
Tags: Featured, Merits Cases

Homeland Security waives contracting laws for border wall

By ELLIOT SPAGAT SAN DIEGO  — The Trump administration said Tuesday that it will waive federal contracting laws to speed construction of a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Department of Homeland Security said waiving procurement regulations will allow 177 miles (283 kilometers) of wall to be built more quickly in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The 10 waived laws include requirements for having open competition, justifying selections and receiving all bonding from a contractor befo...
Tags: Business, Texas, News, Congress, California, Mexico, Senate, Iraq, Immigration, Uncategorized, Department Of Defense, Sport, Afghanistan, Soccer, Hillary Clinton, House

Department of Homeland Security Waives Contracting Laws to Speed Border Wall Construction

(SAN DIEGO) — The Trump administration said Tuesday that it will waive federal contracting laws to speed construction of a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Department of Homeland Security said waiving procurement regulations will allow 177 miles (283 kilometers) of wall to be built more quickly in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The 10 waived laws include requirements for having open competition, justifying selections and receiving all bonding from a contractor before any work...
Tags: Politics, Texas, News, Congress, California, Mexico, Senate, Iraq, Immigration, Uncategorized, Department Of Defense, Afghanistan, Hillary Clinton, House, Arizona, San Diego

The Democratic Party is weak. Mike Bloomberg could break it.

The Democratic Party is hanging by a thread.I obviously don't mean that a candidate who runs under the "Democratic" brand is doomed to fall short in his or her contest with President Trump later this year. Or that politicians who affix that label to themselves are bound to lose their House and Senate seats in November. Or that state houses are bound to flip to the Republicans when voters next go to the polls. For all I know "The Democrats" will have a banner year at the ballot box.Yet the De...
Tags: News, Minnesota, Senate, White House, Massachusetts, Milwaukee, New York City, America, Bloomberg, Joe Biden, Indiana, Gop, Hillary Clinton, House, Ted Cruz, Iowa

Mike Bloomberg is not the lesser of two evils

Like the vast majority of Americans, I have been effectively disenfranchised in the last few presidential elections. In 2011, I moved to Washington, D.C., which is so heavily Democratic that any vote for president is totally meaningless — in 2016, Hillary Clinton won with 93 percent of the vote. But last year, I moved to famously swingy Pennsylvania, and suddenly I'm a full citizen again. (I'm already lording it over my friends from California and New York.)As I have written on many occa...
Tags: New York, News, Supreme Court, Obama, California, Washington, France, Senate, Iraq, New York City, Elizabeth Warren, Bloomberg, Joe Biden, Iran, Atlantic, Pennsylvania

Federal judges association holding emergency meeting over DOJ interference in Stone case

The Federal Judges Association will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss concerns members have over President Trump and top Justice Department officials intervening in the case of longtime Trump friend and adviser Roger Stone.The association has more than 1,000 members, and says it supports a "fair, impartial, and independent judiciary." The group's president, U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe, told USA Today that members decided they "could not wait" until the organization's s...
Tags: News, Congress, Elizabeth Warren, Bloomberg, Fbi, Usa Today, Doj, George W Bush, Justice Department, Trump, Flynn, Roger Stone, Stone, Barr, U S District Judge, Cynthia Rufe

Trump will get Olympic update in LA, part of whirlwind western sweep

President Donald Trump will be briefed on preparations for the 2028 Olympics and raise millions for his reelection campaign as his three-day, four-state swing to Western states touches down in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Feb. 18. During this trip, the White House says Trump will stop in for top-dollar fund-raisers in Beverly Hills and Rancho Mirage, discuss Western water supply and delivery issues in Bakersfield and speak at a graduation ceremony for prisoners in Las Vegas. Trump will also host two ...
Tags: Business, Politics, News, Congress, Colorado, California, Washington, La, Senate, White House, Los Angeles, Barack Obama, Sport, Fox, Soccer, Gop

Oops: Trump Camp Posts Pic Of Giant Crowd Near Air Force 1 From Bush Era

On Sunday, Trump reelection campaign manager Brad Parscale posted, then deleted, a post with a photo purporting to show a giant crowd near President Donald Trump’s Air Force One at the Daytona 500 NASCAR Cup Series race. “[email protected] won the #Daytona500 before the race even started,” Parscale tweeted with the photo of the plane taking off at Daytona International Speedway (seen above). He deleted the post several hours later and replaced it with a new photo with the same caption after ...
Tags: News, Donald Trump, George W. Bush, Trump, Bush, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Trump Campaign, Brad Parscale, Cristina Cabrera, Parscale, Trump Camp Posts Pic Of Giant Crowd Near Air Force, Jonathan Ferrey

Trump's campaign manager deletes photo of Air Force One at Daytona 500 after users point out it was from 2004

The photo was taken of former President George W. Bush's departure from the Daytona 500 in 2004, Twitter users pointed out.         [Author: USA TODAY]
Tags: Usa, News, Usa Today, George W Bush, Trump, Daytona

"President Donald Trump's campaign manager deleted a tweet featuring a dramatic photo of Air Force One at the Daytona 500 after users pointed out that..."

"... the shot was from President George W. Bush's visit to the NASCAR race in 2004, not from Trump's visit on Sunday."CNN reports. I'm going to use my old tag "the Air Force 1 photo op." The "the" is confusing here. The tag was created to cover what was easily recognized at the time as the Air Force 1 photo op. Do you remember it?Here's my one post on the subject, from May 9, 2009, linking to the CS Monitor article, "Aide resigns over Air Force One fiasco -- Biden not involved""Once news broke t...
Tags: Florida, Law, Obama, Cnn, United States, Air Force, Biden, Donald Trump, Nascar, George W Bush, Kennedy, Clinton, Trump, Daytona, Lower Manhattan, Maggie Haberman

President Trump Takes Warmup Lap at Daytona 500 in Limousine

(DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.) — President Donald Trump gave an election-year embrace to NASCAR and its fans Sunday when he became the second president ever to attend the Daytona 500. The presidential motorcade took to the track to join in a warm-up lap after he had told the crowd that the racers and their teams were competing “for pure American glory.” Following a recitation of the opening command, “Gentleman, start your engines,” Trump got into his black limousine for a ceremonial spin around Dayt...
Tags: News, Colorado, California, Washington, Uncategorized, Fox, Arizona, Beverly Hills, Republican, Donald Trump, Nascar, George W Bush, Auto Racing, Trump, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona

Trump campaign manager deletes Air Force One photo after realizing it's from 2004

President Donald Trump's campaign manager deleted a tweet featuring a dramatic photo of Air Force One at the Daytona 500 after users pointed out that the shot was from President George W. Bush's visit to the NASCAR race in 2004, not from Trump's visit on Sunday.
Tags: News, Stories, Donald Trump, George W Bush, Trump, Daytona

Trump campaign manager deletes dramatic Air Force One photo after people point out it's from 2004

The photo Brad Parscale tweeted to his 519,000 followers was from President George W. Bush's visit to the Daytona 500 in 2004.
Tags: Cnn, George W Bush, Trump, Daytona, Brad Parscale

President Trump delivers the command to start the Daytona 500 to loud cheers

Donald Trump became the second president to serve as grand marshall for the Daytona 500 after George W. Bush in the 2004 race.         [Author: USA TODAY]
Tags: Usa, News, Usa Today, Donald Trump, George W Bush, Trump, Daytona

President Trump Embraces NASCAR and Fans on Visit to Daytona 500

(DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.) — President Donald Trump gave an election-year embrace to NASCAR and its fans Sunday when he became the second President ever to attend the Daytona 500. Given the honor of commanding drivers to start their engines, Trump made a grand entrance before the start of the race. He gave thousands of fans a flyover of Air Force One and then rode onto the track in the presidential motorcade as the audience roared with delight. The motorcade took roughly a quarter lap before pul...
Tags: Florida, News, Colorado, White House, Uncategorized, Arizona, Republican, Donald Trump, Nascar, George W Bush, Trump, Daytona, DAYTONA BEACH Fla, Colorado Springs Colorado, Sen Cory Gardner, Washington Trump

Why Wasn’t Andrew McCabe Charged?

The Justice Department announced Friday that it is closing its investigation of Andrew McCabe, the FBI’s former deputy director, over his false statements to investigators probing an unauthorized leak that McCabe had orchestrated. McCabe was fired in March 2018, shortly after a blistering Justice Department inspector general (IG) report concluded that he repeatedly and blatantly lied — or, as the Bureau lexicon puts it, “lacked candor” — when questioned, including under oath.Why not indict McCab...
Tags: New York, News, Obama, Washington, White House, Russia, Reagan, Cnn, Fbi, Hillary Clinton, United States, Manhattan, House Intelligence Committee, District Of Columbia, Doj, George W Bush

Bush-Era Cabinet Member’s Daughter Charged With Fatally Stabbing Friend

The daughter of one the country’s highest-ranking former diplomats has been charged with fatally stabbing an acquaintance in the neck during a late-night argument.Sophia Negroponte allegedly killed Yousuf Rasmussen, 24, inside an apartment in Rockville, Maryland just before midnight Thursday, the Montgomery County Department of Police said.The 27-year-old is the daughter of former director of national intelligence John Negroponte, the Washington Post reported.Police said Negroponte and Rasmussen...
Tags: Post, News, Washington Post, Diana, Honduras, George W Bush, Bush, Sophia, Rockville Maryland, Rasmussen, John Negroponte, Negroponte, Sophia Negroponte, Yousuf Rasmussen, Montgomery County Department of Police, Diana Negroponte

Ex-Diplomat’s Daughter Charged With First-Degree Murder in Fatal Stabbing

(ROCKVILLE, Md.) — A woman arrested on suspicion of fatally stabbing an acquaintance during an argument in a Maryland home has been identified by news reports as a daughter of a former U.S. ambassador. Sophia Negroponte, 27, has been charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Yousuf Rasmussen, 24, of Bethesda, at a residence in Rockville late Thursday, according to Montgomery County police. Negroponte is the daughter of John Negroponte and one of five children that he and his...
Tags: Post, News, Maryland, Washington Post, Mexico, Uncategorized, Philippines, United Nations, Honduras, Baltimore, George W Bush, Bethesda, Montgomery County, Rasmussen, Rockville, John Negroponte

William Barr: how the attorney general became Trump's enabler-in-chief

Barr’s brazen intervention in the case of the president’s crony Roger Stone is the latest grave disappointment to those who thought he might rein in his boss’s excessesLawyers who have filled political appointee positions in the Trump administration have been pursued by doubts about their qualifications or caliber.In 2018, a justice department staffer was made acting attorney general, the department’s top job.Last week, the president installed a young friend of his aide Stephen Miller atop a pyr...
Tags: New York, London, News, Washington, White House, Russia, New York City, US, Reagan, Joe Biden, Fbi, Hillary Clinton, Washington Dc, New York Times, Italy, Bill Clinton

Sam Donaldson: Bloomberg can defeat Trump

For 52 years, I was a reporter in Washington, covering every president from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush. I did my best to report on both Democratic and Republican administrations honestly and fairly.
Tags: News, Washington, Bloomberg, Stories, John F Kennedy, George W Bush, Trump, Sam Donaldson

DOJ drops leak case vs. McCabe, judge said White House involvement like a 'banana republic'

The judge, a George W. Bush appointee, said "the fact that you got somebody at the top basically trying to dictate whether somebody should be prosecuted" was like a "banana republic."
Tags: News, White House, Doj, George W Bush, McCabe

Well, impeachment didn't work – how else can Congress keep President Trump in check?

Donald Trump’s removal of impeachment witness Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman from the White House and intervention in his friend Roger Stone’s sentencing have prompted concern that the president’s acquittal in his recent impeachment trial may embolden him to further expand executive power while avoiding accountability.But the conclusion of the trial in the Senate should by no means end congressional oversight of the executive branch. As a legal scholar and political scientist, I know that a healthy,...
Tags: News, Congress, Senate, White House, Iraq, Reagan, Iran, Rome, Fbi, House, Department Of Justice, Donald Trump, George W Bush, Department Of Education, Trump, Nixon

Secret Annexes, Backroom Deals: Can Zalmay Khalilzad Deliver Afghan Peace for Trump?

The best hope for an end to the 18-year war in Afghanistan may lie in a sumptuous conference room in Doha’s Diplomatic Club in Qatar. But there may be only one person who knows whether a paper peace deal negotiated there will translate into actual peace on the ground in the long-suffering country 1,000 miles to the northwest: U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad. For more than a year, Khalilzad has worked to end America’s fight with the Taliban, using the club and nearby five-star hotels as a ki...
Tags: Hollywood, News, California, Washington, Uncategorized, America, Qatar, Afghanistan, Taliban, Nato, Diplomacy, Bonn, Kabul, Al Qaeda, Ashraf Ghani, University Of Chicago

10 of the most bizarre elections in American history

The 2000 election between Al Gore and George W. Bush is perhaps the craziest, most controversial election in U.S. history. Here's a look at 10 others.
Tags: Cnn, George W Bush, Al Gore

Jenna Bush Hager reflects on dad George W. Bush's buzzed about friendship with Ellen DeGeneres

Jenna Bush Hager is supportive of her dad's friendship with Ellen DeGeneres and says people can still be friends despite differing beliefs.          [Author: USA TODAY]
Tags: Usa, Religion, Usa Today, George W Bush, Ellen Degeneres, Jenna Bush Hager