Bernie Sanders calls Pres. Trump a racist before New York event
NEW YORK — Sen.
President Trump to skip 'boring' White House press dinner for 3rd year in a row
WASHINGTON — No, thanks.
President Trump offers congratulations to Brian Hagedorn in race for WI Supreme Court
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump offered congratulations in the form of a tweet to Judge Brian Hagedorn for the results in the spring election earlier this week.
President Trump drops border shutdown threat and proposes auto tariffs
WASHINGTON — Abandoning his threat to immediately seal the southern border, President Donald Trump warned instead that he'd slap tariffs on cars coming to the U.S. from Mexico unless the Mexicans do more to stop the flow of migrants and drugs to the U.S.In his latest backtrack in recent days, President Trump told reporters Thursday he would try the "less drastic measure" before resorting to his standing border-closure threat."Mexico understands that we're going to close the border or I'm going to tariff the cars.
AP sources: President Trump considers adding 'immigration czar'
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is considering bringing on a "border" or "immigration czar" to coordinate the president's immigration policies across various federal agencies, according to three people familiar with the discussions.President Donald Trump is weighing two potential candidates for the post: Former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli — two far-right conservatives with strong views on immigration, according to the people, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the conversations publicly.The discussion comes as President Trump is threatening to close the southern border as soon as this week if Mexico does not completely halt illegal immigration to the U.S.White House press aides, Kobach and Cuccinelli did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.
Pres. Trump's battle with 'Obamacare' moves to the courts
WASHINGTON — After losing in Congress, President Donald Trump is counting on the courts to kill off "Obamacare." But some cases are going against him, and time is not on his side as he tries to score a big win for his re-election campaign.Two federal judges in Washington, D.C., this past week blocked parts of Pres.
President Trump threatens to shut Mexico border - 'not kidding around'
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Threatening drastic action against Mexico, President Donald Trump declared Friday he is likely to shut down America's southern border next week unless Mexican authorities immediately halt all illegal immigration.
President Trump issues new permit for stalled Keystone XL pipeline
WASHINGTON — In an apparent bid to kick-start the long-stalled Keystone XL oil pipeline, President Donald Trump on Friday issued a new presidential permit for the project — two years after he first approved it and more than a decade after it was first proposed.President Trump said the permit issued Friday replaces one granted in March 2017.
Redacted Mueller report expected to be released by mid-April
WASHINGTON -- Congress should expect to receive a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the Russia investigation by mid-April, Attorney General William Barr said Friday.In a letter to the chairmen of the House and Senate judiciary committees, Barr said he shares a desire for Congress and the public to be able to read Mueller's findings, which are included in the nearly 400-page report Mueller submitted last week.Barr said he does not plan to share the report with the White House before making it public.
President Trump's small-business health insurance plan struck down
WASHINGTON — A federal judge is striking down the Trump administration's highly touted small-business health insurance plan, calling it an "end run" around consumer protections.The ruling Thursday by U.S. District Judge John Bates in Washington, D.C., is the second setback in a week for the administration's health care initiatives.
Judge sets April sentencing in Russian secret agent case
WASHINGTON — A Russian gun-rights activist will be sentenced next month after admitting she was a secret agent for the Kremlin who tried to infiltrate conservative U.S. political groups as President Donald Trump rose to power.Maria Butina appeared briefly Thursday in federal court in Washington and U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan set Butina's sentencing for April 26.Butina, who wore a green jail uniform with her hair pulled back in a long ponytail, did not speak during the court hearing.In December, she pleaded guilty to a single charge of conspiracy to act as an unregistered foreign agent and agreed to cooperate with investigators as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors.Butina admitted that she and former Russian lawmaker Alexander Torshin used their contacts in the National Rifle Association to pursue back channels to American conservatives during the 2016 campaign, when President Trump, a Republican, defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton.The charges against Butina were brought by federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., and her case is unrelated to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.Mueller concluded his investigation and turned over his report to Attorney General William Barr last week.
President Trump says FBI, DOJ to review Jussie Smollett case
CHICAGO — President Donald Trump tweeted Thursday that the FBI and Department of Justice will review the "outrageous" case of "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett in Chicago, calling it an "embarrassment" to the country.Prosecutors offered little explanation and infuriated Chicago's police chief and mayor this week when they dropped 16 felony counts against Smollett related to making a false police report, yet they still insist the actor faked a racist, anti-gay attack on himself in January.President Trump tweeted: "FBI & DOJ to review the outrageous Jussie Smollett case in Chicago.
President Trump's border emergency survives as House veto override fails
WASHINGTON — The Democratic-led House failed Tuesday, March 26 to override President Donald Trump's first veto, salvaging his effort to steer billions of extra dollars to erecting border barriers and delivering a victory to the White House in a constitutional and political clash that's raged for months.Lawmakers voted 248-181 to overturn President Trump's veto, but that fell 38 votes shy of the required two-thirds margin.
Michael Avenatti charged with trying to extort millions from Nike
NEW YORK — Michael Avenatti, the pugnacious attorney best known for representing porn actress Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against President Donald Trump, was arrested Monday on charges that included trying to shake down Nike for as much as $25 million by threatening the company with bad publicity.Avenatti, who was also accused of embezzling a client's money to pay his own expenses, was charged with extortion and bank and wire fraud in separate cases in New York and California.
President Trump formally recognizes Israeli control of Golan Heights
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Monday recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, reversing more than a half-century of U.S. policy.Standing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Trump made formal a move he announced in a tweet last week.
DOJ: Pres. Trump's campaign did not coordinate with Russia in 2016
WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department declared Sunday, March 24 that special counsel Robert Mueller's long investigation did not find evidence that President Donald Trump's campaign "conspired or coordinated" with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election, setting off celebrations of vindication by President Trump and his supporters.
Pres. Trump on Mueller report: 'It's a shame our country had to go through this'
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Breaking his silence on the special counsel investigation, President Donald Trump celebrated a summary of the findings Sunday, March 24, claiming it "was a complete and total exoneration," even though the report did not reach a definitive answer on whether he obstructed justice.President Trump spoke to reporters before boarding Air Force One in Palm Beach. "There was no collusion with Russia.
Democrats press for full release of Mueller's report
WASHINGTON — Democrats are pressing for full disclosure of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the Russia investigation and vowing to use subpoena powers and other legal means if necessary to get it.Attorney General William Barr was expected to release his first summary of Mueller's findings on Sunday, people familiar with the process said, on what lawmakers anticipated could be a day of reckoning in the two-year probe into President Donald Trump and Russian efforts to elect him.
AG William Barr weighs how much of Trump-Russia report to release
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr has scoured special counsel Robert Mueller's confidential report on the Russia investigation with his advisers, deciding how much Congress and the American public will get to see about the two-year probe into President Donald Trump and Moscow's efforts to elect him.Barr was on pace to release his first summary of Mueller's findings on Sunday, people familiar with the process said.The attorney general's decision on what to finally disclose seems almost certain to set off a fight with congressional Democrats, who want access to all of Mueller's findings — and supporting evidence — on whether Trump's 2016 campaign coordinated with Russia to sway the election and whether the president later sought to obstruct the investigation.Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller and oversaw much of his work, analyzed the report on Saturday, laboring to condense it into a summary letter of main conclusions.