Tag Archives: White House

The New York Times reports: President Trump on Thursday will announce he is directing his Department of Health and Human Services to declare the opioid crisis a public health emergency, senior administration officials said, taking long-anticipated action to address a rapidly escalating epidemic of drug use in the United States. The move falls short of Mr. Trump’s sweeping promise to …

Talking Points Memo reports: White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday that she believed special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and other matters was “getting closer to conclusion.” She did not cite any new evidence to back up the claim, instead referring to vague “reporting” on “more details about why the President …

NBC News reports: The Donald Trump administration is spending $1.75 million on furniture for the executive office, according to government procurement records. That includes $17,000 for custom rugs, $7,000 for “furniture pedestals,” and $5,000 for wallpaper. There’s also $12,800 for a custom conference table from a company that made one for former President Richard Nixon in 1969 (“Nixon paid for …

Perhaps obviously, most of today’s questions will be about Bob Corker and now, Jeff Flake. The spat began when Corker offered a litany of criticisms directed toward Trump in morning television interviews. The two then battled over Twitter, with Corker saying Trump should stay out of the tax-overhaul effort on Capitol Hill and Trump accusing the Tennessee Republican of trying …

Via Mediaite: After Congresswoman Frederica Wilson said the White House is “full of white supremacists” on Friday, another Democrat weighed in this morning. CNN’s Dana Bash asked Senator Sherrod Brown about Wilson’s remarks and asked if he agrees. “I agree that Steve Bannon is a white supremacist and Stephen Miller seems to be,” he said, “and I know that studies …

Yet another big scoop from Axios: President Trump has promised to spend at least $430,000 of his own money to defray legal costs incurred by campaign associates and White House staff due to the Russia investigations, a White House official tells Axios. The Republican National Committee has paid roughly $430,000 to lawyers representing the president and his eldest son, Don …

The New York Times reports: Video of a 2015 speech delivered by Representative Frederica S. Wilson revealed Friday that John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff, misrepresented her remarks when he accused her of bragging about securing $20 million for a South Florida F.B.I. building and twisting President Barack Obama’s arm. Ms. Wilson, in an interview on Friday, …

The Daily Beast reports: The White House on Friday said that its chief of staff “absolutely” stands by his false comments about Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL), despite video evidence proving him wrong. While railing against Wilson’s criticism of President Trump’s call with a Gold Star widow, Kelly told media on Thursday that he recalled Wilson grandstanding during a somber FBI …

CBS News provides likely topics: Gold Star controversy: White House chief of staff John Kelly’s stirring statements in the White House press briefing room Thursday still has not put to rest the controversy over President Trump’s call to the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, and questions linger about how Johnson and four other troops died in Niger. The FBI …

CNN reports: White House chief of staff Gen. John Kelly on Thursday erroneously claimed that Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Florida, claimed credit for securing “$20 million” in federal funding to build a new FBI field office in Miami in 2015, according to a video of the event posted Friday by the Sun Sentinel. Wilson took credit in her speech at the …

CBS News lists today’s potential topics: Trump call to widow: President Trump called reports that he told the widow of a fallen solder that her husband “knew what he was getting into” false this morning. The soldier’s mother says Mr. Trump showed “disrespect” on the phone call. Trump NFL feud: The war between Mr. Trump and NFL players kneeling for …

An avalanche of fresh lies are incoming: Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is scheduled to provide press with the White House briefing on camera Wednesday. Questions may center around President Donald Trump attacking the NFL over protests, his pitch to reluctant Democrats regarding GOP tax reform and tweets targeting James Comey. Trump alleged early Wednesday morning that the former FBI …

Talking Points Memo reports: White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told TPM Monday that President Donald Trump was not criticizing his predecessor when he claimed that former President Barack Obama did not call grieving military families. Trump walked back the claim when a reporter asked him about it. At a press conference Monday, Trump claimed that “President Obama and …

Patch reports: White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will brief reporters Monday afternoon at 2 p.m. Eastern. Sanders will likely face questions about the president’s recent decisions on the Iran deal and health care. At a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day, Trump declared that Obamacare is “dead,” despite the fact that his administration is still tasked with enforcing …

From a lengthy New Yorker profile of Mike Pence: “Trump thinks Pence is great,” Bannon told me. But, according to a longtime associate, Trump also likes to “let Pence know who’s boss.” A staff member from Trump’s campaign recalls him mocking Pence’s religiosity. He said that, when people met with Trump after stopping by Pence’s office, Trump would ask them, …

The Hill reports: White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will answer questions from reporters on Thursday afternoon after President Trump signed an executive order on health care. Trump’s order seeks to expand the ability of small businesses and other groups to band together to buy health insurance through what are known as association health plans. It also lifts limits …

The Hill reports: President Trump did not imply he was smarter than Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, his top spokesperson said Tuesday, claiming his offer for both to take an IQ test was a joke. “The president certainly never implied that the secretary of State was not intelligent. He made a joke. Nothing more than that,” White House press secretary …

Patch reports: White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver a press briefing Tuesday afternoon at 1:45 Eastern. In recent days, President Trump has feuded with Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, who has said that the White House is “adult day care.” Multiple reports also suggest that he is still fuming about and NBC article last week that …

According to interviews with multiple insiders, whenever Trump comes up with another insane idea, staffers often distract him with other items until he forgets about his original plan. Politico reports: Trump would impulsively want to fire someone like attorney general Jeff Sessions, create a new wide–ranging policy with far–flung implications like increasing tariffs on Chinese steel imports or end a …

Bloomberg reports: President Donald Trump on Tuesday pledged to take executive action on health care, saying he would go around Congress to provide new insurance options for Americans. Trump didn’t provide additional detail on what executive action he would take and the White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that …