Tag Archives: James Mattis

LIVE VIDEO: White House Press Briefing

Starting at 2:30PM: White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was set to give an on-camera briefing to reporters on Thursday. Sanders’ session with journalists comes hours are Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC that the Trump administration has a “very detailed” tax reform plan ready. “The House and the Senate are now socializing the plan with their members,” Mnuchin …

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James Mattis Pushes Back On Trump’s “No More Talking” Tweet: We Are Never Out Of Diplomatic Solutions

Reuters reports: U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Wednesday that the United States was not out of diplomatic solutions with North Korea, just hours after President Donald Trump tweeted that “talking is not the answer.” When asked by reporters before a meeting with his South Korean counterpart at the Pentagon if the United States was out of diplomatic solutions …

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BREAKING: Mattis Freezes Transgender Policy, Allows Troops To Continue Serving Pending Pentagon Study

USA Today reports: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis late Tuesday announced that transgender troops will be allowed to continue serving in the military pending the results of a study by experts. The announcement follows an order from President Trump — first announced in a tweet — declaring that transgender service members can no longer serve in the military, effectively reversing an …

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Civil Rights Groups Sue Over Trump’s Trans Ban

Politico reports: A pair of advocacy groups said Monday they are going to court to overturn the Trump administration’s ban on transgender troops serving in the military, in the latest legal assault on the controversial directive. The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit on behalf of five transgender service members. The lawsuit, filed by the Maryland branch of the ACLU, …

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Pentagon May Allow Some Now Serving Trans Troops To Keep Their Jobs, White House Guidance To Come Soon

The Associated Press reports: The Pentagon expects to renew a ban on transgender individuals joining the military and to consider circumstances in which some currently serving transgender troops could remain in uniform, officials said Friday. The new approach would be based on formal guidance the Pentagon is expecting to receive soon from the White House. The guidance, as described by …

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James Mattis: Trump Is Considering Arming Ukraine

The New York Times reports: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis vowed on Thursday to help Ukraine stand up to Russian violations of its sovereignty and signaled that the Trump administration was considering providing defensive weapons to the Ukrainian military. President Barack Obama had resisted such a step, fearing it would be seen as a provocation by Russia. In the first visit …

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White House Sets Rules For Transgender Military Ban

The Wall Street Journal reports: The White House is expected to send guidance to the Pentagon in coming days on how to implement a new administration ban on transgender people in the military, issuing a policy that will allow Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to consider a service member’s ability to deploy in deciding whether to kick them out of the …

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Defense Secretary James Mattis Congratulates Sailors For Not Being “Pussies Sitting On The Sidelines”

The Washington Post reports: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met with sailors serving on the submarine USS Kentucky last week in his home state of Washington, praising them for their sacrifices and expressing concern that he has “grown remote from those of you who matter.” Then he noted the up-and-down nature of military life, told the sailors that they’ll miss being …

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Pentagon Echoes Trump In Warning To North Korea: Cease Actions Before You Cause Your Own Destruction

The Independent reports: US Secretary of Defence James Mattis has warned North Korea to “cease any consideration of actions that will lead to the end of the regime and destruction of its people”. Mr Mattis issued the stern warning one day after the Washington Post reported that North Korea had developed miniaturised nuclear warheads that could be capable of striking …

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REPORT: White House Counsel’s Office Delivers Their “Guidance” On Banning Transgender Troops To Pentagon

Karen Ocamb reports at the Washington Blade: President Donald Trump may be on a 17-day vacation but his White House has been scrambling to hand him a “win” by the time he returns. Trump’s tweets last week announcing a ban on transgender individuals serving openly in the U.S. military was turned into a “guidance” policy for implementation that passed muster …

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REPORT: Mattis “Appalled” By Trump’s Anti-Trans Edict

The Hill reports: Defense Secretary James Mattis was caught off-guard by President Trump’s announcement that he was banning transgender people from serving in the military, according to a New York Times report. Mattis, who was on vacation at the time of Trump’s decision, only had one day’s worth of notice before Trump tweeted his announcement of the policy, the paper …

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Pentagon Delays Transgender Enlistments For 6 Months

Reuters reports: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Friday approved a six-month delay in allowing transgender recruits to join the U.S. armed forces, a Pentagon spokeswoman said. Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement that Mattis accepted a recommendation to defer transgender applicants until Jan. 1. The Pentagon ended its ban on openly transgender people serving in the U.S. military …

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Pentagon To Seek Delay in Transgender Enlistments

The Associated Press reports: Military chiefs will seek a six-month delay before letting transgender people enlist in their services, officials said Friday. After meetings this week, the service leaders hammered out an agreement that rejected Army and Air Force requests for a two-year wait and reflected broader concerns that a longer delay would trigger criticism on Capitol Hill, officials familiar …

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Private Cell Phone Number Of Defense Secretary James Mattis Accidentally Leaked By Trump’s Bodyguard

And the hits just keep coming. From the Washington Post: We got a call Friday from a reader named Paul Redmond that The Post had accidentally published Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis’s private cell phone number. A story about President Trump’s bodyguard Keith Schiller, Redmond said, was accompanied by a photograph of the two of them walking on White House …

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Defense Secretary James Mattis Contradicts Trump: There Will Be No Military Collaboration With Russia

The Associated Press reports: The U.S. is not ready to collaborate militarily with Russia, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Thursday, appearing to close the door for now on any effort to work more closely with Moscow in the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria. His blunt rejection came after Russian President Vladimir Putin called for increased intelligence cooperation with …

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Full Senate Confirms Mattis As Defense Secretary

CBS News reports: The Senate on Friday confirmed retired Gen. James Mattis as President Trump’s secretary of defense in an overwhelming vote. Lawmakers voted 98-1 in favor of Mattis, with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, as the lone senator opposing him. Mattis was approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this week in a 26-1 vote. After Mr. Trump …

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Senate Panel Approves Mattis As Defense Secretary, Lone Vote Against Was Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

The Senate Armed Services Committee just voted 26-1 to approve retired USMC Gen. James Mattis as Defense Secretary. Mattis is the first Trump cabinet nominee to pass this initial hurdle and must now by confirmed by the full Senate, where he is expected to face little opposition. The lone committee vote against Mattis came from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), whom …

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Defense Nominee James Mattis Evades Questions On Whether LGBTs Should Be Allowed To Serve [VIDEO]

Josh Israel reports at Think Progress: At his confirmation hearing on Thursday, Retired General James Mattis — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be secretary of defense — refused to say whether he believes women and LGBT people should be able to serve in the military. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) noted during questioning that Mattis had previously said allowing women and men to serve together …

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Trump Nominates Retired Gen. James “I Love War And Killing” Mattis As Secretary Of Defense [VIDEO]

USA Today reports: President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has selected James Mattis, a legendary, tough-talking retired Marine Corps general who favors a robust military and criticized the Obama administration’s approach to war, to lead the Defense Department. Trump joked about the announcement at a rally Thursday night in Cincinnati. “We are going to appoint ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis as …

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