Anti-Trump robocalls featuring Obama's voice are not legitimate, spokesman says
5:02 PM, Mar 15, 2017
A spokesman for former President Barack Obama said Wednesday that the 44th president is not affiliated with a robocall campaign that features his voice and solicits donations to "help President Obama block all repeal efforts by Donald Trump." "These pre-recorded calls were not authorized by President Barack Obama, have no connection to the former president, and have been reported to appropriate law enforcement authorities," Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis, told CNN's KFile . "We will continue to m Read more
Trump allows review of auto regs by canceling Obama executive order
2:57 PM, Mar 15, 2017
President Trump told autoworkers in Michigan Wednesday that he will reopen a review of environmental regulations that many in the car industry consider burdensome and unnecessary. "We are going to restore the originally scheduled midterm review and we are going to ensure that any regulations we have protect and ensure your jobs [and] your factories," Trump said during an appearance at the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti Township. Earlier, he had a sit-down there with Transporation Sec Read more
Pruitt, Chao reverse 'costly' auto rules
2:49 PM, Mar 15, 2017
The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation took formal action Wednesday to reverse an Obama-era decision to move forward with some of the strictest regulations for cutting emissions and improving fuel efficiency in cars and light trucks. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao made the decision in a joint declaration just moments before President Trump was supposed to discuss the rollback at an event in Michigan. "These standards are co Read more
Obama back to playing golf
1:48 PM, Mar 15, 2017
Former President Barack Obama played golf on Wednesday in Hawaii. After arriving on Oahu on Monday, the 44th president traveled to Mid Pacific Country Club on Tuesday, according to a local report. Mark Sousa, director of golf at the country club, commented on how the security situation now is vastly different than when Obama visited as president. "We had about 34 golf carts that we gave to the Secret Service last year and the years before. This year they only took 5. There were no weapons seen Read more
Lindsey Graham threatens subpoena to get answers on Trump's spying allegation
8:30 AM, Mar 15, 2017
Sen. Lindsey Graham said the Senate Judiciary Committee would hold up President Trump's nominations and subpoena the administration if the FBI doesn't respond to his letter demanding evidence of Trump's claims that President Obama spied on Trump Tower. WATCH "Congress is going to flex its muscle here." @LindseyGrahamSC on what will happen if FBI doesn't comply w/ wiretapping inquiry request pic.twitter.com/gpiXeapSf0 — TODAY (@TODAYshow) March 15, 2017 "We'll issue a subpoena to get t Read more
Newt Gingrich believes in 'deep state', says he discussed it with Steve Bannon
5:25 PM, Mar 14, 2017
Newt Gingrich is a believer in the "deep state" conspiracy of a behind-the-scenes bureaucracy controlling American politics. "Of course, the deep state exists. There's a permanent state of massive bureaucracies that do whatever they want and set up deliberate leaks to attack the president," Newt Gingrich, former House speaker and Trump confidante, said, according to the Associated Press . "This is what the deep state does: They create a lie, spread a lie, fail to check the lie and then deny th Read more
Obama visits four states in four days
12:51 PM, Mar 14, 2017
Former President Barack Obama was spotted Monday in Hawaii, adding to what has been a busy several days for the 44th president. He went to Buzz's Lanikai on Honolulu, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser . Earlier in the day he visited tech leaders in San Jose, Calif. On Sunday, Obama was in Omaha, Neb., to have lunch with billionaire investor Warren Buffett and his wife Susie. When asked to comment about the purpose of the meeting, Susie Buffett told the Omaha World-Herald , "I'm not g Read more
In 2016, Obama's administration again set a very low bar on transparency
12:31 PM, Mar 14, 2017
The Obama administration set some new records last year resisting Freedom of Information requests, setting a low bar for President Trump to have a more transparent administration than his predecessor. The former administration set records for the amount it spent resisting such requests in court; the number of times it denied the existence of the documents being requested; the number of times it refused access to requested documents; and for conditioning the release on payment by the person requ Read more
The media slumbered under Obama
10:59 AM, Mar 14, 2017
I traveled to Chicago Monday to appear on a panel on "The Trump Presidency and the Media." I want to expand on one of the points I made. "Covering Donald Trump is harder than covering Barack Obama for a couple of reasons," I argued. Trump and his administration speak falsely and sloppily much more than previous presidents.When reporting and explaining the misdeeds of Trump, we now have a lot more competition from the rest of the media than we did when we were reporting on the misdeeds of Presi Read more
Rep. Speier says intel committee could subpoena admin officials over wiretap claims
9:37 AM, Mar 14, 2017
A Democratic congresswoman said the House Intelligence Committee could subpoena President Trump's administration for evidence of his claim that President Obama spied on him at Trump Tower during the election if no evidence is provided. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., said on CNN Tuesday that the committee has gone "down a rabbit hole" investigating Trump's tweets saying he "just found out" Obama had wiretaps at Trump Tower during the campaign. The administration was given a one-week extension to Read more
Media settle on 'Trumpcare' for GOP health plan
12:01 AM, Mar 14, 2017
The Democratic effort to cast the new Republican healthcare bill as "Trumpcare" is working, as the name has quickly been picked up by the national media. The president promised everyone would be covered, but #Trumpcare would cause tens of millions to LOSE coverage as uninsured rates spike: pic.twitter.com/UQTQeF8vW7 — Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) March 13, 2017 The Democratic National Committee and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer began branding the legislation as "Trumpcare" last Read more
Scalise: 14M people will get off Obamacare 'given the choice'
10:40 PM, Mar 13, 2017
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise on Monday evening said the Congressional Budget Office's calculations of how many Americans would lose healthcare coverage has been misinterpreted by the media. "What CBO said is if given the option, which our bill - we actually give people freedom - you don't have to get on Obamacare. You can get off of Obamacare and what CBO is estimating is even with taxpayer subsidies, they think 14 million people just next year will get off of Obamacare if given the choice Read more
Senate Intel chair to DOJ: Don't need your answers on Trump wiretap charge
10:21 PM, Mar 13, 2017
Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr on Monday evening said his team has "talked to all the appropriate people" despite the Justice Department asking for additional time to comply with a House request for information about President Trump's wiretapping accusation. "I would say from our conversations, what we've gotten are sufficient answers," Burr, a Republican from North Carolina, told CNN on Monday. Burr stopped short of saying whether the intelligence supported Trump's tweet allegati Read more
5 takeaways from CBO report on House Republicans' Obamacare repeal and replacement
6:08 PM, Mar 13, 2017
The Congressional Budget Office on Monday dropped its highly-anticipated analysis of the House Republicans' healthcare plan , arming all sides with results that can back up their favorite talking points on healthcare. The CBO report , on the one hand, says that millions more people will be uninsured under the law, but it also says that the bill will reduce spending and deficits, as well as (eventually) premiums. Here are the key takeaways from the CBO: The bill spends less, taxes less, and Read more
Ex-Obama White House photographer Pete Souza shades Trump on Instagram with throwback cellphone photo
4:57 PM, Mar 13, 2017
The former official White House photographer under the Obama administration threw some serious shade at President Trump on Instagram Monday with an old photo of Barack Obama using a cellphone in office. The caption: "Glad he only tweeted out facts with his device." Glad he only tweeted out facts with his device. A post shared by Pete Souza (@petesouza) on Mar 13, 2017 at 1:05pm PDT Pete Souza has been using his Instagram account to subtly — and not-so-subtly — troll the Trump White H Read more
Trump says that like Obama, Obamacare's popularity rises on the way out
12:04 PM, Mar 13, 2017
President Trump on Monday compared the Affordable Care Act to his predecessor, saying the healthcare law's rising popularity is similar to the improved favorability ratings President Obama received after he left office. "It's a little bit like President Obama," Trump told a group of Americans who have been negatively impacted by the 2010 healthcare law. "When he left, people liked him. When he was here, people didn't like him so much." "That's the way it goes. It's human nature," the president Read more
Conway: 'I have no evidence' of Trump's spying allegations
9:39 AM, Mar 13, 2017
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Monday she has no evidence of President Trump's claim that President Obama ordered his phones to be tapped, but thanked Congress for deciding to investigate the claim. "I have no evidence, but that's why there's an investigation in Congress," she said on ABC Monday morning. She also said she wasn't trying to suggest she had any information about it when she told the Bergen Record over the weekend that the CIA has the ability to use a microwave oven t Read more
Mika Brzezinski: Kellyanne Conway 'doesn't believe in what she's saying'
8:57 AM, Mar 13, 2017
MSNBC "Morning Joe" host Mika Brzezinski on Monday accused White House counselor Kellyanne Conway of deliberately misleading the public during her media interviews. Brzezinski said that even during the presidential campaign, Conway would admit she was often uncomfortable speaking on behalf of then-candidate Donald Trump, and said today, she doesn't personally buy what Trump is saying. "[Conway] doesn't believe in what she's saying and the reason we won't have her on this show is because a lot Read more
In talks with Trump, conservatives make Ryan the scapegoat
03/14/17 12:01 AM
Conservatives ratchet up pressure to ditch Senate rules
03/14/17 12:01 AM
Trump asks public to help fix, cut government, sees billions in savings
03/13/17 04:33 PM
Schools want out of Michelle Obama's lunch rules, kids say 'Yuck'
03/13/17 10:00 AM
Democrat rips Trump: 'Liar,' 'serial liar,' 'lies all the time'
8:26 AM, Mar 13, 2017
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said Monday that President Trump has shown he's a liar in his short time in office, and that he shouldn't be able to get away with accusing former President Barack Obama of tapping his phones. "This is an administration that lies all the time," he said on CNN. He said it's "nonsense" that Congress should have to investigate Trump's claim until Trump provides some evidence that what he said is true. "The president who made an extraordinary claim, a vicious claim ag Read more
When the media didn't care about secret talks with Russia
12:11 AM, Mar 11, 2017
Until the press uncovers audio of President Trump promising the Russian government anything that comes even close to what former President Obama did, it's time to stop behaving like the White House is paying its staff in rubles. The only secret conversation between a White House official and a Kremlin operative that the public knows about and in which something absolutely questionable took place is the one from March 2012, when Obama told then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in the heat of t Read more
Commerce investigating Obama climate study after whistleblower revelation
6:22 PM, Mar 10, 2017
The Commerce Department is investigating claims by one of its former scientists that an Obama administration climate change study was rushed out using "unverified" data. Republican lawmakers are waiting for an update on the federal probe, which was initiated a month ago. But a Commerce Department spokesman declined to comment on any of its specifics. "They will be holding a third-party investigation into the process related to this study," said a senior GOP aide on the House Science, Space and Read more
Obamas spotted lunching with U2 frontman Bono
5:55 PM, Mar 10, 2017
Former President Barack Obama, along with wife Michelle, reportedly had lunch with U2 lead singer at Upland in New York City on Friday. A source told celebrity news site People that as the group walked out, "the whole restaurant stood up and applauded and cheered for them. Barack Obama waved at everyone upon leaving." Video posted to social media shows Obama stopping to chat with people and shaking hands as applause and cheers filled the room. Former President Obama greeted with cheers as Read more
Jeff Sessions asks Obama's holdover US attorneys to resign
3:29 PM, Mar 10, 2017
Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Friday asked the remaining 46 U.S. attorneys appointed by President Obama to resign. According to the Justice Department, those resignations will "ensure a uniform transition." "Until the new U.S. attorneys are confirmed, the dedicated career prosecutions in our U.S. Attorney's Offices will continue the great work of the department in investigating, prosecuting, and deterring the most violent offenders," said spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores in a statement Frida Read more
Republican Rep. Mike Kelly floats conspiracy that Obama is running a 'shadow government' to undermine Trump
2:39 PM, Mar 10, 2017
Republican Rep. Mike Kelly was caught on video floating a conspiracy that former President Barack Obama is working to undermine his successor's administration. A YouTube video shows the Pennsylvania lawmaker expressing his suspicion about the fact that after leaving the White House the Obama family moved into the Kalorama neighborhood in Washington, D.C., to "to run a shadow government." "I think we ought to pitch in to let him go someplace else, because he is there for one purpose and for one Read more
Rep. Adam Schiff: Still no proof of wiretapping after meeting with FBI director
11:36 AM, Mar 10, 2017
The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said Friday he has not seen any proof to support President Trump's assertion that President Obama illegally wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign, even after a classified meeting with FBI Director James Comey. "I haven't seen any evidence whatsoever to substantiate that," Ranking Member Adam Schiff, D-Calif., told CNN. The Democratic lawmaker also criticized White House press secretary Sean Spicer's refusal to talk about his boss's Read more
Obama officials cry foul over Trump comments on jobs report
11:33 AM, Mar 10, 2017
Former Obama administration officials are calling a foul on the Trump administration for commenting on the February jobs report Friday before they were supposed to. President Trump and White House press secretary Sean Spicer weighed in on Friday's strong jobs report on Twitter in the minutes after it was released, breaking a Reagan-era rule that executive branch officials are not supposed to comment on the report within the first hour it is released. Chris Lu, Obama's former Cabinet secretar Read more
Twitter blamed for blowing up White House, press relations
10:30 AM, Mar 10, 2017
Twitter did it. The website of 140-character shouts and screams this week took some of the blame for the troubled relations between the White House and the presidential press corps. Once a more laid back relationship, President Obama's spokesman and a former CNN White House correspondent said that Twitter has turned every journalist into a wire reporter, and snarky ones too. "When I started at the White House, the White House didn't have a tweet feed," said Josh Earnest at a Harvard Unive Read more
DC bar owners sue Trump Hotel for stealing their customers
8:25 PM, Mar 09, 2017
A wine bar in Washington, D.C., on Thursday announced a lawsuit against President Trump's International Hotel because the 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW property has stolen business from locals. Cork Wine Bar owners Khalid Pitts and Diane Gross, who both previously worked for liberal lawmakers or groups, filed an unfair competition lawsuit alleging Trump and his hotel put local businesses at a disadvantage because foreign dignitaries, lobbyists and government officials would rather do business in Read more
New York Times downplays 'wiretapped data' in online story of Trump investigation
1:30 PM, Mar 09, 2017
The New York Times print story that said "wiretapped data" was being used to investigate President Trump's associates is being presented differently online, with a headline that downplays the idea that any information came from a wiretap. The difference was noted on Twitter as possible evidence that the Times quietly changed the headline to undercut Trump, after the story has been used by the Trump administration as evidence that President Obama ordered Trump's phone lines to be tapped during t Read more
Pelosi blames Obamacare failures on GOP 'misrepresentation'
11:51 AM, Mar 09, 2017
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday blamed Republicans for painting a negative picture of Obamacare, which she said led to a muddled implementation of the law. Health insurance enrollments, Pelosi said, suffered, because "people were deterred by the negative misrepresentations Republicans put out about it." The California Democrat also said Republican governors blocked Medicaid expansion in many states. "Many more people would be insured if the states had expanded Medicaid," she sai Read more
