Jose Garcia
Jose Garcia's JournalMexican official denies helping Trump write border wall speech
Source: The Hill
Mexico's top diplomat is denying a report that he helped President Trump draft a speech about U.S. relations with Mexico.
"I never thought I would use this phrase, but today I'm doing it: FAKE NEWS," Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Luis Videgaray tweeted on Thursday.
Videgaray was likely referred to a CBS News story on Thursday that claimed he met privately in the Oval Office with Trump and the president's special adviser Jared Kushner and helped draft a speech announcing Trump's border wall executive order.
A White House source also denied to CBS News that Videgaray played a role in drafting the speech, disputing Mexican officials' version of the events.
Read more: http://thehill.com/latino/318910-mexican-official-denies-helping-trump-write-border-wall-speech
Sen. Randolph Bracy considering primary challenge to Bill Nelson
State Sen. Randolph Bracy is exploring a run for the U.S. Senate, which would mean a match up in the Democratic primary against U.S. Sen Bill Nelson.
“I’m considering it,” Bracy said Thursday.
Nelson, 74, is the only Democrat in Florida elected to statewide office and is expected to run for another six-year term in 2018. Gov. Rick Scott is also rumored to be interested in the seat but demurs when asked.
Bracy, 39, was elected to the state Senate last year after serving four years in the Florida House. He currently serves as chairman of the Senate’s Criminal Justice Committee, hand-picked by Republican Senate President Joe Negron to carry out his agressive platform of juvenile justice reforms. Bracy is a consultant by trade, a former teacher and has been active in politics for years, mostly in his hometown of Orlando.
more: http://jacksonville.com/news/2017-02-09/us-sen-bill-nelson-could-face-primary-challenge-state-sen-randolph-bracy
Sixth New England Patriot announces he will skip White House visit
Source: The Hill
A sixth player from the New England Patriots has announced that he will be skipping the trip to President Trump’s White House in the traditional visit following the team's historic Super Bowl victory.
Defensive lineman Alan Branch joins five of his teammates who have said they would not make the trip to the White House.
Branch did not specifically mention Trump in his decision, but said in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio this week that he would stay home with his family instead.
“I’ve got four kids at home so I’m just going to hang out with the family and continue celebrating until the next season starts,” he said.
Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/318884-sixth-new-england-patriot-announces-he-will-skip-white-house
Conway apologized to Trump for promoting Ivanka brand: report
Source: The Hill
White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway apologized to President Trump for promoting Ivanka Trump’s clothing line during a TV interview, CNN reported Friday.
Trump reportedly reaffirmed his support for the senior aide, backing up Conway’s claim that the president was behind her “100 percent.” A source also told CNN that Trump “hated” the word “counseled” to describe how the White House handled Conway after her comments.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said during his daily briefing Thursday that Conway had been “counseled” in the wake of her remarks about Ivanka Trump’s brand. He didn’t not offer any details about the nature of the discussion or who spoke with Conway.
Conway tweeted early Friday that "POTUS supports me, and millions of Americans support him & his agenda."
Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/318886-kellyanne-conway-apologized-to-donald-trump-for-comments-promoting
Hundreds of thousands protest Trump in Iran
Source: The Hill
Hundreds of thousands of Iranian demonstrators gathered to protest President Trump in Tehran on Friday, while celebrating the anniversary of the nation's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
According to Reuters, Iran's state television reported that the crowed gathered to pledge their allegiance to the clerical establishment in opposition to Trump's administration stating that U.S. put Iran "on notice."
"America and Trump cannot do a damn thing. We are ready to sacrifice our lives for our leader [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei]," an Iranian man told state television, according to the news source.
According to the report, the crowd chanted "Death to America" while carrying effigies an banners of Trump.
Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/news/318887-hundreds-of-thousands-protest-trump-in-iran
Craig Fugate quietly leaves FEMA post
Source: Tampa Bay Times
WASHINGTON - Craig Fugate was never one to call attention to himself, so it's fitting that tenure as the nation's disaster response chief ended without fanfare.
Fugate resgined as FEMA administrator just before President Trump took office, a routine move for political appoinees. The acting head is Robert Fenton.
"I'm a Gator," Fugate told the Tampa Bay Times in 2011. "As soon as the president says I am done, I will be on the way back home as fast as I can get in my vehicle and crank the ignition."
Fugate ran the Florida Emergency Management Division from 2001 to 2009, a time known for a series of punishing hurricanes. President Obama appointed him in 2009 and by all accounts, Fugate ran FEMA well, even as Gov. Rick Scott sometimes complained about a lack of federal funds.
Read more: http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/craig-fugate-quietly-leaves-fema-post/2312688
Hensarling looks to place consumer agency under Trump's control
Source: The Hill
House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) is preparing a major overhaul to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that would place it squarely under President Trump’s authority, according to a memo.
Hensarling is overhauling his broad legislation to rework the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, putting place changes that would significantly curtail the CFPB’s powers and make it answer directly to the president.
According to a staff memo outlining changes to his legislation, Hensarling plans to replace prior calls to establish a bipartisan commission at the top of the CFPB. Instead, he wants to stick with the single director currently in place, but put that person directly under the president’s authority.
Republicans have called since the agency’s inception in 2010 for a bipartisan commission at its helm, but Hensarling now is pushing a change that would effectively allow Trump to dictate the direction of the CFPB for as long as he is in office.
Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/finance/318758-hensarling-looks-to-place-consumer-agency-under-trumps-control
Barney Frank: Here's how to not waste your time pressuring lawmakers
After 32 years in the House of Representatives, here is my advice on how people opposed to President Donald Trump’s assault on our basic values — a majority of those who voted last November — can best influence members of Congress. Done the right way, communications from citizens can have a significant impact on legislators, even when they claim to be immune to “pressure.” (“Pressure,” in legislative jargon, is the expression of views with which legislators disagree, as opposed to “public opinion” — the term used for sentiments that reinforce their own.)
The key to doing it right is being clear about the goal, which is to persuade the Senator or Representative receiving the communication that how he or she votes on the issue in question will affect how the sender will vote the next time the legislator is on the ballot.
This means the following:
more: https://mic.com/articles/167878/barney-frank-heres-how-to-not-waste-your-time-pressuring-lawmakers#.DabRQ7nnQ
Top US commander says he's short 'few thousand' troops in Afghanistan
Source: The Hill
The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said Thursday that he is short “a few thousand” troops in the mission to train, advise and assist Afghan forces.
“I have adequate resources in my counterterrorism mission,” Gen. John Nicholson told the Senate Armed Service Committee. “In my train, advise and assist mission, however, we have a shortfall of a few thousand. This is in the NATO train, advise and assist mission, so it can come from America or its allies.”
Nicholson’s testimony before the committee is the first since President Trump’s inauguration, providing the first insight into how the new commander in chief might handle a war that received little attention on the campaign trail.
Right now, there are about 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan on a dual mission of training, advising and assisting Afghan forces in their fight against the Taliban and conducting counterterrorism missions against groups such as al Qaeda. About 7,000 are dedicated to the NATO mission.
Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/defense/318673-top-us-commander-says-hes-short-few-thousand-troops-in-afghanistan
Labor unions press Trump to drop Puzder nomination
Source: The Hill
President Trump should withdraw Andrew Puzder’s nomination to lead the Labor Department, the AFL-CIO said Thursday in a letter obtained by The Hill.
The AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest labor organization, raised concerns about Puzder hiring a housekeeper who was an illegal immigrant — an issue that has also generated criticism of the Trump nominee from the right.
The letter was signed by 128 left-leaning organizations, including the AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Communications Workers of America, United Steelworkers (USW), Fight for $15, Good Jobs Nation, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
“The undersigned call on the Trump administration to withdraw the nomination of Mr. Puzder at once, and find a suitable nominee who shows proper respect for working people and our nation’s employment laws,” the letter reads.
Read more: http://thehill.com/regulation/labor/318672-trump-under-pressure-to-drop-puzder-nomination
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