Idiocracy

The Washington Examiner reports: President Trump said Thursday that he no longer talks to Steve Bannon, and accused reporters of exaggerating their relationship a day after his legal team sent a cease-and-desist letter to the former White House chief strategist over remarks he made about Trump’s son. “I don’t talk to him. That’s just a misnomer,” Trump told the press …

Patch.com reports: White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver a briefing for reporters Thursday afternoon at about 1:30 p.m. Eastern. She can expect to face questions about a new book on the administration that continues to dog President Trump, especially as former aide Steve Bannon has been quoted as saying a meeting held by campaign officials in Trump …

Via Breitbart: White House press secretary Sarah Sanders announced a ban on personal cellphones and devices in the West Wing, in an apparent attempt to block leaks from the White House. “[S]tarting next week the use of all personal devices for both guests and staff will no longer be allowed in the West Wing,” Sanders said in a statement to …

Politico reports: Republican Reps. Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan said Thursday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions should step aside “now,” citing the Justice Department’s handling of the investigation into President Donald Trump’s campaign ties to Russian operatives and intelligence leaks to media as key concerns with his performance. In a joint opinion piece published in the Washington Examiner, Meadows (R-N.C.) …

The Hill reports: President Trump is reportedly attempting to stop the publication of “Fire and Fury,” Michael Wolff’s explosive new book about his campaign and presidency. The Washington Post’s Carol Leonnig tweeted early Thursday morning that Trump’s attorneys have sent a cease-and-desist letter to Wolff and book publisher Henry Holt & Company, demanding that they do not publish the book, …

Michael Wolff, the author of Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, published a column in the Hollywood Reporter this morning in which he recounts the early days of the Trump administration. An excerpt: “You can’t make this shit up,” Sean Spicer, soon to be portrayed as the most hapless man in America, muttered to himself after his tortured …

The Washington Post reports: Late Wednesday, lawyers for Trump sent a cease-and-desist letter to Bannon, arguing he violated the employment agreement he signed with the Trump Organization in numerous ways and also likely defamed the president. They ordered that he stop communicating either confidential and or disparaging information, and preserve all records in preparation for “imminent” legal action. “You have …

Just in from the White House: Despite substantial evidence of voter fraud, many states have refused to proved the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity with basic information relevant to its inquiry. Rather than engage in endless legal battles at taxpayer expense, today I signed an executive order to dissolve the Commission, and have asked the Department of Homeland Security …

Mediaite reports: Like father, like son. Shortly after President Donald Trump released a scathing statement denouncing his former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, as “crazy,” Donald Trump Jr. lit the Breitbart chairman up on Twitter. As part of an excerpt from a soon-to-be-released book authored by USA Today’s Michael Wolff, Bannon ripped Don Jr., among others, over the infamous Trump Tower …

Newsweek reports: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner made a deal for the daughter of President Donald Trump to become the first female head of state, according to Michael Wolff’s new book “Fire and Fury.” The book, written by the Hollywood Reporter contributing editor and former White House strategist, is being labeled as a tell-all of his time inside the White …

CBS News breaks down the potential topics: Bannon backlash: In an upcoming book by Michael Wolff,”Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon reportedly calls Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with Russians “treasonous” and “unpatriotic,” according to the Guardian. President Trump responded to Bannon Wednesday afternoon, saying that when he was fired from the …

DELICIOUS. Just in from the White House: Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my Presidency. When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind. Steve was a staffer who worked for me after I had already won the nomination by defeating seventeen candidates, often described as the most talented field ever assembled …

Of course he did: President Trump reportedly asked for multiple televisions to be placed in his White House bedroom. Trump wanted two additional TVs in his bedroom to accompany the one that was already there, according to excerpts from Michael Wolff’s upcoming book, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.” Trump has frequently clashed with the media over how …

Axios reports: President Trump’s boast last night that he has a “bigger & more powerful” Nuclear Button (caps, Trump’s) than North Korea has some administration insiders worried that we could blunder into war. What they’re saying: “Every war in history was an accident,” said one administration insider. “You just don’t know what’s going to send him over the edge.” The …

The Guardian reports: Donald Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon has described the Trump Tower meeting between the president’s son and a group of Russians during the 2016 election campaign as “treasonous” and “unpatriotic”, according to an explosive new book seen by the Guardian. Bannon, speaking to author Michael Wolff, warned that the investigation into alleged collusion with the Kremlin …

Mediaite reports: Asked if the president has a bit of a transparency issue when it comes to his golf course visits and whether the White House has “some kind of issue about his” golfing, Sanders turned the question back around on the media. “I think it’s the press that has an issue with his time on the course,” Sanders stated. …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced support for anti-government protests in Iran in recent days, joining a bipartisan and international chorus in support of the peaceful demonstrators. Trump’s support for the Iranian demonstrators stands in stark contrast to his frequent criticism of Americans who protest his own government in the United States. He frequently called for violence against …

The Hill reports: White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will answer reporters’ questions on Tuesday afternoon for the first time in the new year. President Trump returned to Washington, D.C., on Monday evening after spending the holidays at his private beach club in Palm Breach, Fla.

“The ambitious agenda of President Trump that helped fuel his election over a year ago will continue. You saw how strong December was. I think in Washington the tradition is not to work very hard in August or December. This president has reversed that, and with the help of the Congress passed some very meaningful legislation late in the game.” …

The Independent reports: Donald Trump has suggested he has improved the safety of airplanes, saying he has “been very strict on Commercial aviation” since becoming US President. Dutch-based aviation consultancy To70 on Monday released its annual Civil Aviation Safety Review that reported only two fatal accidents, both involving small turbo-prop aircraft, with a total of 13 lives lost. No jets …