Today in Trump: April 13, 2017
Today’s Latest News on Trump Administration
Schedule
The president is in Mar-a-Lago for the Easter weekend.
CIA director calls WikiLeaks Russia-aided “non-state hostile intelligence service”
CIA Director Mike Pompeo blasted WikiLeaks Thursday as a “hostile” intelligence service often aided by questionable actors like Russia.
Trump, Spicer won’t say if president specifically authorized “mother of all bombs”
President Trump didn’t say Thursday whether he specifically authorized the use of the “mother of all bombs” in Afghanistan hours earlier, simply remarking his White House has given the military “total authorization.”
George W. Bush on “poncho” incident, response to inauguration
Former President George W. Bush says he can’t remember if he said “that was some weird s***” after President Trump’s inauguration speech in January.
Russians laugh off idea that Putin interfered in U.S. election
What happens when you ask Russians about the Kremlin interfering in the U.S. presidential election? Dismissive finger flicks, eye rolls and laughter.
Trump reverses Obama-era rule on Planned Parenthood, abortion provider funding
President Trump signed legislation Thursday allowing states to withhold federal family planning funds from Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers.
Kitchen at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago had several health code violations, inspectors found
Restaurant inspectors recently found several health code violations in the kitchen at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, including undercooked meat and subpar hand-washing practices among employees.
VA hospital in Washington, D.C. criticized for unsanitary conditions, poor management
Subpar conditions at a Washington, D.C., VA medical center have prompted a scathing report from the agency’s inspector general and the dismissal of the hospital’s director.
Recent Trump Administration News:
NATO is “no longer obsolete,” President Trump declares
President Donald Trump said NATO is “no longer obsolete,” in a joint news conference Wednesday with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after their first face-to-face meeting at the White House.
“I said it was obsolete,” Mr. Trump said. “It’s no longer obsolete.”
Steve Bannon’s role in Trump’s inner circle in jeopardy, sources say
There’s been something of a Cold War inside the White House.
It appears President Trump is putting some distance between himself and his most controversial adviser, Steve Bannon.
Intel committees not expected to spend much time on “unmasking” docs: Source
Members of the Congressional committees who made trips to review the same documents Rep. Devin Nunes referenced concerning the “unmasking” of U.S. citizens aren’t expected to spend much time on that line of inquiry, according to a congressional source with knowledge of the investigation.
Commentary: Bannon vs. the Bloombergists
The populists are on the outs in Mar-a-Lago North, even if, as now, it seems like some peace agreement is holding between all the administration’s warring parties. Donald Trump promised to do a lot as soon as he got into office; instead, we’re closing in on 100 days without much to show.
U.S., China ramp up warnings against North Korea ahead of celebration
There are signs of close cooperation between the U.S. and China about the threat of North Korea.
FBI reportedly obtained court order to monitor Trump aide Carter Page
The FBI obtained a secret court order last summer to monitor the communications of Carter Page, an adviser to then-candidate Donald Trump, because the government had reason to believe Page was acting as a Russian agent, The Washington Post reported Tuesday
Tillerson in Moscow
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, while tensions between Russia and the U.S. remain high over Russia’s support for Syria, a week after the Assad regime carried out a chemical attack against civilians in northern Syria. The two are expected to hold a joint news conference.
The presidency and the press
Members of the Trump administration join the media for a Newseum forum on the First Amendment. Kellyanne Conway (9:20 a.m.) and Sean Spicer (10:55 a.m.) participate.