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President Trump will only accept a stopgap spending bill to reopen the government if it contains a “down payment” for his long-desired border wall, the White House said Thursday, shortly after the Senate rejected two separate funding bills. “The president would consider a CR only if it includes a down payment on the wall,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement to The Hill.

Full Title BREAKING NEWS: Reporters instructed to gather at the White House to hear from President Trump & Republican leaders regarding news on government shutdown - FNC Nothing more.

William Barr, President Trump's pick to serve as his next attorney general, said he would not fire special counsel Robert Mueller if President Trump ordered him to do so without good cause. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Conn.), who asked Barr about how he would respond, tied his question to Watergate scandal when the prosecutor investing Watergate resigned instead of following then-President Richard Nixon's order for him to fire the special counsel investigating the matter. "Most famously when directed by president Nixon to fire the special counsel, the prosecutor investigating watergate, Richard Nixon resigned, as we all know. If those directions were...

President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general will tell senators “it is vitally important” that special counsel Robert Mueller be allowed to complete his Russia investigation, and said he believes Congress and the public should learn the results, according to remarks prepared for his confirmation hearing. William Barr also insisted in testimony he’ll deliver Tuesday to the Senate Judiciary Committee that Trump never sought any promises, assurances or commitments before selecting him to be the country’s chief law enforcement officer. ... “I believe it is in the best interest of everyone — the President, Congress, and, most importantly, the American...

Shortened title. Full title: Trump's pick for new attorney general is 'best friends' with Robert Mueller who was a guest at his daughters' weddings - and their wives share a Bible study The incoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Wednesday that Attorney General nominee William Barr has confidence in special counsel Robert Mueller and will let him complete his Russia investigation. South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said after meeting with Barr, who led the Justice Department under President George H.W. Bush, that Barr has a 'high opinion' of Mueller. Barr was spending most of Wednesday on Capitol...

Attorney General hopeful Bill Barr WON'T fire Mueller and doesn't think he's on a 'witch hunt' says Lindsey Graham as he reveals they've been 'best friends' for 20 years and their wives share a Bible study and Mueller attended his daughters' weddings Sen. Lindsey Graham, a key Trump confidant, told reporters Barr has no plan to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller and doesn't think he's running a 'witch hunt' Barr and Mueller are 'best friends,' he said, noting that the two men have known each other for 20 years Their wives attend the same Bible study together, and Mueller has...

I hoped for a long time for him to do this address, but I thought, while okay, it could have been better in terms of detail. I was hoping for something longer and infused with stats. I'm afraid what we heard was general comments usually made. I would have had border patrol there if I could have & local sheriffs - have a couple step forward & give their experience at the border & the impact a wall has had in the places where it is and would have. I guess the format I'd have used is: ~Number of illegal...

Shortened title. Full title: Mueller and Bill Barr ‘Best Friends For 20 years’ – Wives Share a Bible Study – Mueller Attended the Weddings of Barr’s Daughters It just keeps getting better. Incoming Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) met with Trump’s nominee for Attorney General, Bill Barr on Wednesday. Graham took questions from reporters who were desperate to make sure Bill Barr wouldn’t impede on King Mueller’s inquisition if he were to be confirmed.

Didn't Trump Say That He Was Meeting With the Opposition Today to Hammer a Deal in 45 Minutes? Does anyone know what time that meeting starts??

WASHINGTON—President Trump isn’t expected to declare a national emergency at the southern border when he addresses the nation Tuesday night about his request for funding for his long-promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico boundary, according to a person who has reviewed drafts of the speech. The president’s speech didn’t include any declaration of a national emergency, according to the person. Instead, the speech seeks to explain the president’s rationale for why he viewed the situation at the border as a crisis. Mr. Trump has said he wouldn’t sign any bill ending the partial government shutdown, which is now in its third...

President Trump denounced former Defense Secretary James Mattis on Wednesday, saying at a cabinet meeting he "essentially" fired the former Marine Corps general from the top Pentagon post. "What's he done for me? How had he done in Afghanistan? Not too good," Trump said, according to a Bloomberg News journalist, who reported a quote relayed by a colleague in the room. "As you know, President Obama fired him, and essentially so did I," Trump said at the meeting, attended by Mattis' replacement, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan.

It will come as no surprise that the White House is in chaos, but what is shocking is that this fact is being confirmed by President Donald Trump’s outgoing Chief of Staff John Kelly. In an exit interview with the Los Angeles Times, Kelly admits that the White House is not quite the “well-oiled machine” that Trump loves to brag about. Two specific instances he cited as chaotic were the implementation of the travel ban and the “zero-tolerance” family separation policy at the Mexican border.

[snip] ...he presided over some of the Trump administration’s most controversial immigration and security policies. In the phone interview Friday, Kelly defended his rocky tenure, arguing that it is best measured by what the president did not do when Kelly was at his side. It was only after Kelly’s departure was confirmed Dec. 8, for example, that Trump abruptly announced the pullout of all U.S. troops from Syria and half the 14,000 troops from Afghanistan, two moves that Kelly had opposed. Kelly’s supporters say he stepped in to block or divert the president on dozens of matters large and small....

THE WEEK THAT WAS THE GOOD, THE BAD THE UGLY GOOD ~ POTUS STANDS UP for AmericaVERY GOOD ~ Disabled Vet Creates FUND THE WALL – GoFundMe pageBAD ~ Congress BETRAYS AmericaVERY GOOD ~ Leaving Syria FRUSTRATING ~ Kelly's abuse Eye Roll ~ King of the Universe Schumer UGLY ~ Fed Reserve sabbotaging EconomySad~ Left Choses again Illegals over Americans Below ~ Humor and the Week's Memes of noteMore at post number one Welcome all you Deplorables to this week's edition of the Dose! This is EVERYTHING TRUMP. Administration, family, frustrations, joys, winning! We welcome your research, your commentary,...

One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies. Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world. Instead, we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defense,...

President Trump said Thursday evening that Defense Secretary James Mattis will be retiring in February, in a shock announcement adding to the list of the president's outgoing Cabinet members after his second year in office. Mattis will step down "with distinction" after serving in his role for two years, the president said on Twitter. "During Jim’s tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment," Trump tweeted. "General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense...

General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years. During Jim’s tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting....

If you were elected president after decades of politicians doing nothing about the millions of illegals pouring into our country every year, committing crimes, dealing drugs, driving drunk, molesting children and killing Americans like Kate Steinle, and your central campaign promise -- repeated every day -- was to build a wall, wouldn't you have spent the entirety of your transition period working on getting it done? Wouldn't you have been building prototypes, developing relationships with key congressional allies and talking to military leaders about using the Seabees or the Army Corps of Engineers to build the wall? Wouldn't you skip...

Someone in the news media finally asked the White House an uncomfortable question — no, not Jim Acosta, whose only question is, “Are we fake news, Mr. President,” said with a daring stare — and it came from “Fox & Friends” of all places. On President Trump’s favorite program Wednesday, co-hosts Ainsley Earhardt, Brian Kilmeade, and Steve Doocy confronted White House adviser Kellyanne Conway with the depressing truth that Trump, employing his legendary cut-throat negotiating skills, had just embarrassed himself in trying to get what amounted to pennies in border wall funding. “[P]eople who voted for him and want the...

President Donald Trump appeared Tuesday to back off his demand for $5 billion to build a border wall, signaling for the first time that he might be open to a deal that would avoid a partial government shutdown. The White House set the tone when press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders indicated that Trump doesn’t want to shut down the government, though just last week he said he’d be “proud” to do so. The president would consider other options and the administration was looking at ways to find the money elsewhere, Sanders said. It was a turnaround after days of impasse....