Give the folks in Houston our after-the-fact prayers

Because giving them our before-the-fact prayers worked so well! #NationalDayOfPrayer


https://twitter.com/BettyBowers/status/903680226152108033

White House retreats from government shutdown threat: Washington Post

Source: REUTERS/WAPO

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House has signaled to congressional Republican leaders that it has pulled back from U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to shut down the government if a border wall with Mexico is not funded, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing a senior Republican congressional aide.

Trump promised to build a wall with Mexico on the campaign trail. He also threatened recently to shut down the government if Congress did not provide funding for the wall.

But shortly after Trump made those comments, White House officials quietly notified Congress that the $1.6 billion would not need to be in a stopgap funding bill meant to fund government operations from October until sometime in early December, a senior GOP congressional aide said, according to the Post.

However, Trump still wants wall funding to be included in the December budget bill, the Post said.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-wall-shutdown/white-house-retreats-from-government-shutdown-threat-washington-post-idUSKCN1BC5KL?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=Social

Senate map gerrymandered for senators house

Michael Dell Pledges $36 Million to Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund

Billionaire Michael Dell, chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies, and his wife Susan promised on Friday to give $36 million to assist in the efforts of rebuilding the city he grew up in. The massive gift is part of an even bigger project called the Rebuild Texas Fund that is being kicked off by their Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. Through the foundation, the couple will immediately donate $18 million to establish the fund and will then work with the public to hopefully raise millions more over the Labor Day weekend. For every two dollars given over the next four days via a text-to-donate campaign, the foundation will match it with an additional dollar.

“This is our home,” Dell said in a statement. “And we know that it will take all of us working together, over the long term, to rebuild our Texas communities.”

The goal of the Rebuild Texas Fund, which was announced by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, is to raise $100 million to accelerate the long-term recovery and rebuilding of communities affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Janet Mountain, executive director of the Austin, TX - based Michael & Susan Dell Foundation said that Texas holds a special place in the couple’s hearts and the fact that both Michael and Susan are Texas natives affected their response to the disaster. "This kind of devastation is personal, especially if you have Texas roots" Mountain told FORBES. Mountain stated that the foundation wanted to kick off the fund with a sizable immediate donation so that the people impacted by the hurricane know that there is someone behind them. The foundation has also set up a page for donations. "We believe we can get there ($100 million) and even higher," Mountain said.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/igorbosilkovski/2017/09/01/texas-billionaire-michael-dell-launches-100-million-hurricane-harvey-relief-fund/#557e0d1380b9

Mueller Has Early Draft of Trump Letter Giving Reasons for Firing Comey

WASHINGTON — The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, has obtained a letter that President Trump and a top political aide drafted in the days before Mr. Trump fired the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, which explains the president’s rationale for why he planned to dismiss the director.

The May letter had been met with opposition from Donald F. McGahn II, the White House counsel, who believed that some of its contents were problematic, according to interviews with a dozen administration officials and others briefed on the matter.

Mr. McGahn successfully blocked the president from sending Mr. Comey the letter, which Mr. Trump had composed with Stephen Miller, one of the president’s top political advisers. A different letter, written by the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, and focused on Mr. Comey’s handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server, was ultimately sent to the F.B.I. director on the day he was fired.

The contents of the original letter appears to provide the clearest rationale that Mr. Trump had for firing Mr. Comey. It is unclear how much of Mr. Trump’s rationale focuses on the Russia investigation, although Mr. Trump told aides at the time he was angry that Mr. Comey refused to publicly say that Mr. Trump himself was not under investigation. Mr. Comey later said in testimony to Congress that the president was not under investigation.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/01/us/politics/trump-comey-firing-letter.html?_r=0