Trump jokes on Twitter: Who can figure out 'covfefe'?
By LOUIS NELSON
President Donald Trump, who has set policy and feuded with enemies and sparked conspiracy all on his favorite social media platform, Twitter, tried something new Wednesday morning: he made a self-deprecating joke.
Trump’s comedic turn began in the early minutes of Wednesday morning, when he seemingly pecked out half of a thought before hitting send. “Despite the constant negative press covfefe,” the president wrote at 12:06 a.m.
And then, nothing. Trump left his followers hanging for hours, leaving the post online and unexplained as Twitter stewed with a handful of theories and an avalanche of jokes about what exactly the president was getting at. #Covfefe zoomed to the top of Twitter’s trending topics. Twitter itself created a “moment” for users to peruse the typo sensation that had consumed the platform overnight.
Finally, the president checked in on the hurricane he had created hours earlier, hitting send on another post just after 6 a.m.: “Who can figure out the true meaning of ‘covfefe’ ??? Enjoy!”
Minutes later, Trump's original tweet was deleted, his standard practice for posts with misspellings. Within a half hour, he had reverted to more well-worn ground, chiding Democrats for pursuing an investigation into potential ties between his campaign and the Russian government. He called the ongoing Russia probes a "witch hunt."
Peppered in among the thousands of replies, of course, were more covfefe jokes.
May 31, 2017
Russia-related questions....
Kushner tries to pretend everything’s normal
Trump’s son-in-law is back in the West Wing and continuing to lead meetings despite the rising tide of Russia-related questions.
By ANNIE KARNI
There has been no rallying the troops in the White House, and no open acknowledgment from President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, that he has transformed from behind-the-scenes West Wing power broker to its lead distracting story.
Kushner led three meetings in the West Wing on Tuesday — and never once acknowledged the stories about him that have dominated cable news since last week, when it was reported that during the campaign he discussed setting up a secret communications back channel to Moscow.
For the first five months of Trump’s administration, Kushner has managed to stay out of Trump's line of fire, even as every other top West Wing aide has taken a turn on the outs with the president. As Trump has sought input from outside advisers on whom he should keep and whom he should can, Kushner seems to operate as a faculty member with tenure in an otherwise insecure work environment.
With his wife, Ivanka Trump, according to multiple White House sources, Kushner emerged from the holiday weekend intent on dismissing his increased public scrutiny in connection with the FBI’s ongoing Russia probe as nothing more than a public relations problem that will blow over — and act like his special status in the White House has not changed.
On his first full day back after the holiday weekend, Kushner led a meeting on veterans affairs, a meeting with his Office of American Innovation and a planning meeting on a “Tech Day” at the White House next month, when he hopes to gather tech leaders in Washington to discuss modernizing government services. Kushner also conducted a series of follow-up phone calls about Trump’s just-concluded overseas trip, a White House official said.
Ivanka Trump, White House sources said, was also working out of her West Wing office on Tuesday, conducting business as usual — which includes a weekly communications meeting in her office. (Kushner and his wife, who both serve as official government employees, have chosen to run their own press shop as a separate entity from the Sean Spicer-led operation down the hall, relying on their own aides to handle queries from reporters.)
The New York Times reported Sunday that Kushner and Ivanka Trump were battened down at the Trump golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, as aides explained that Kushner has not been contacted by the FBI to discuss his role in allegedly trying to set up a back channel with the Russians. His attorney, Jamie Gorelick, reiterated her client’s interest in sharing with Congress any information he has about his meetings with Russian officials. But on Tuesday, they were back to work.
At Thrive Capital, the venture capital firm co-founded by Kushner’s younger brother, Josh, employees have sometimes, over the years, been greeted with motivational Post-It notes on their computer monitors, reminding them to keep their “heads down. Stay focused. Ignore the noise,” even when confronted with good news.
If Kushner wanted to communicate to concerned White House officials that the game plan was to tune out the noise and keep on working, he was far less explicit about it.
That left some unease in the White House about who, exactly, was in charge. Early Tuesday, after weeks of rumors about a shakeup in the White House press shop, communications director Michael Dubke made his resignation public. But staff members believe a bigger staff shakeup is looming — The Washington Post reported over the weekend that Trump associates were discussing shipping off chief of staff Reince Priebus to serve as ambassador to Greece.
In his first press briefing in over a week, press secretary Sean Spicer did not deny that Kushner had tried to set up a back channel with the Russians. “Mr. Kushner’s attorney has said that Mr. Kushner has volunteered to share with Congress what he knows about these meetings,” Spicer said. “And he will do the same if he’s contacted in or — and connected with any other inquiry.”
When asked point blank whether the White House disputed the back channel reports, Spicer said that the question, posed by The Washington Post’s Phil Rucker, “presupposed facts that have not been confirmed.”
On Tuesday, Trump retweeted a Fox News story that downplayed Kushner’s relationship with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and reported that a permanent back channel was never discussed. That was the extent to which Trump himself has moved to defend his son-in-law, who was responsible for planning Trump’s successful visits to Saudi Arabia and Israel last week.
But the juxtaposition between his biggest hurdle arriving on the heels of his first measurable success in the White House isn’t new to Kushner. In his former office at 666 Fifth Avenue, the headquarters of his family real estate company, Kushner kept a framed photograph of the first page of Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities,” according to a 2008 profile of Kushner published in the now-defunct Portfolio Magazine.
“But when you think of this, you think, ‘It’s the best of times, it’s the worst of times,’” he said in the rare interview, referring to the first line of the Victorian novel. “But I love how we bought this building literally right after my father came out of prison, probably five, six months after. And the thought that I had was, ‘It’s kind of like the juxtaposition of going from the worst of times to the best of times.’”
Trump’s son-in-law is back in the West Wing and continuing to lead meetings despite the rising tide of Russia-related questions.
By ANNIE KARNI
There has been no rallying the troops in the White House, and no open acknowledgment from President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, that he has transformed from behind-the-scenes West Wing power broker to its lead distracting story.
Kushner led three meetings in the West Wing on Tuesday — and never once acknowledged the stories about him that have dominated cable news since last week, when it was reported that during the campaign he discussed setting up a secret communications back channel to Moscow.
For the first five months of Trump’s administration, Kushner has managed to stay out of Trump's line of fire, even as every other top West Wing aide has taken a turn on the outs with the president. As Trump has sought input from outside advisers on whom he should keep and whom he should can, Kushner seems to operate as a faculty member with tenure in an otherwise insecure work environment.
With his wife, Ivanka Trump, according to multiple White House sources, Kushner emerged from the holiday weekend intent on dismissing his increased public scrutiny in connection with the FBI’s ongoing Russia probe as nothing more than a public relations problem that will blow over — and act like his special status in the White House has not changed.
On his first full day back after the holiday weekend, Kushner led a meeting on veterans affairs, a meeting with his Office of American Innovation and a planning meeting on a “Tech Day” at the White House next month, when he hopes to gather tech leaders in Washington to discuss modernizing government services. Kushner also conducted a series of follow-up phone calls about Trump’s just-concluded overseas trip, a White House official said.
Ivanka Trump, White House sources said, was also working out of her West Wing office on Tuesday, conducting business as usual — which includes a weekly communications meeting in her office. (Kushner and his wife, who both serve as official government employees, have chosen to run their own press shop as a separate entity from the Sean Spicer-led operation down the hall, relying on their own aides to handle queries from reporters.)
The New York Times reported Sunday that Kushner and Ivanka Trump were battened down at the Trump golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, as aides explained that Kushner has not been contacted by the FBI to discuss his role in allegedly trying to set up a back channel with the Russians. His attorney, Jamie Gorelick, reiterated her client’s interest in sharing with Congress any information he has about his meetings with Russian officials. But on Tuesday, they were back to work.
At Thrive Capital, the venture capital firm co-founded by Kushner’s younger brother, Josh, employees have sometimes, over the years, been greeted with motivational Post-It notes on their computer monitors, reminding them to keep their “heads down. Stay focused. Ignore the noise,” even when confronted with good news.
If Kushner wanted to communicate to concerned White House officials that the game plan was to tune out the noise and keep on working, he was far less explicit about it.
That left some unease in the White House about who, exactly, was in charge. Early Tuesday, after weeks of rumors about a shakeup in the White House press shop, communications director Michael Dubke made his resignation public. But staff members believe a bigger staff shakeup is looming — The Washington Post reported over the weekend that Trump associates were discussing shipping off chief of staff Reince Priebus to serve as ambassador to Greece.
In his first press briefing in over a week, press secretary Sean Spicer did not deny that Kushner had tried to set up a back channel with the Russians. “Mr. Kushner’s attorney has said that Mr. Kushner has volunteered to share with Congress what he knows about these meetings,” Spicer said. “And he will do the same if he’s contacted in or — and connected with any other inquiry.”
When asked point blank whether the White House disputed the back channel reports, Spicer said that the question, posed by The Washington Post’s Phil Rucker, “presupposed facts that have not been confirmed.”
On Tuesday, Trump retweeted a Fox News story that downplayed Kushner’s relationship with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and reported that a permanent back channel was never discussed. That was the extent to which Trump himself has moved to defend his son-in-law, who was responsible for planning Trump’s successful visits to Saudi Arabia and Israel last week.
But the juxtaposition between his biggest hurdle arriving on the heels of his first measurable success in the White House isn’t new to Kushner. In his former office at 666 Fifth Avenue, the headquarters of his family real estate company, Kushner kept a framed photograph of the first page of Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities,” according to a 2008 profile of Kushner published in the now-defunct Portfolio Magazine.
“But when you think of this, you think, ‘It’s the best of times, it’s the worst of times,’” he said in the rare interview, referring to the first line of the Victorian novel. “But I love how we bought this building literally right after my father came out of prison, probably five, six months after. And the thought that I had was, ‘It’s kind of like the juxtaposition of going from the worst of times to the best of times.’”
Paris climate deal
Trump expected to withdraw from Paris climate deal
The upcoming decision could be a victory for the nationalist wing of Trump’s White House.
By ANDREW RESTUCCIA and JOSH DAWSEY
President Donald Trump is planning to pull the United States out of the Paris climate change agreement, according to a White House official, in a move that is certain to infuriate America’s allies across the globe and could destabilize the 2015 accord.
The upcoming decision is a victory for hardliners such as senior White House adviser Stephen Bannon, who argued that the deal would hobble the U.S. economy and Trump’s energy agenda, and a defeat for moderates like Trump’s daughter Ivanka, who feared that withdrawing would damage U.S. relations abroad. Trump had promised during the campaign to “cancel” the nearly 200-nation agreement, the most comprehensive climate pact ever negotiated.
Administration officials cautioned that they are still sorting out the details of how exactly Trump will withdraw, and one noted that nothing is final until an announcement is made. Trump continued to stoke the suspense on Twitter, writing: "I will be announcing my decision on the Paris Accord over the next few days. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
But reaction from the international community was swift, without mentioning Trump by name. "Climate change is undeniable," the United Nations tweeted from its official account Wednesday morning, quoting from a speech by Secretary General António Guterres. "Climate action is unstoppable. Climate solutions provide opportunities that are unmatchable."
Axios first reported the news that Trump would withdraw.
World leaders repeatedly pressed Trump on the issue during his recent trip to Europe, as did Pope Francis, who gave the president his papal encyclical on climate change when they met in the Vatican. Others who supported staying included Trump’s secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, and major oil companies such as ExxonMobil and Shell.
But the vast campaign to persuade the U.S. to remain ultimately did not sway the president.
Trump’s move marks the second time in two decades that the United States has negotiated, signed but then spurned a major international climate pact following a change of party control in the White House. The previous occasion — the decision by George W. Bush to abandon the 1997 Kyoto accord negotiated by the Clinton administration — caused years of distrust of the U.S. in international climate circles.
Since then, climate scientists say, the problem has grown only more dire, with precious few years left for nations to act if they want to avoid the droughts, floods, famines, mass migrations and worsening storms that a changing climate would bring.
Only two countries declined to join the Paris agreement: Syria and Nicaragua.
Republican leaders in Congress had warned other countries before the Paris talks not to trust Obama’s promises, noting that a future GOP president could undo any commitments he made. The Obama administration had insisted that the deal’s carbon-cutting targets be nonbinding, avoiding the politically disastrous Senate ratification fight that a binding treaty would require.
It will take years for the U.S. to formally withdraw from the Paris deal. But the U.S. is the world’s second-largest carbon polluter, and its decision to walk away threatens to weaken the resolve of major emitters such as China and India to keep their own pledges, even though both nations have pledged to remain in the agreement.
The move is certain to draw the ire of dozens of American allies who received assurances from the Obama administration that the United States was committed to the deal.
Wednesday's news comes on top of separate steps by Trump to weaken the major domestic planks of Obama’s climate agenda, including Environmental Protection Agency regulations requiring cuts in greenhouse gas pollution from power plants.
Trump's advisers were at odds over how the administration should approach Paris. Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, had pushed to stay in the deal, and Ivanka even brought Al Gore to Trump Tower to meet with her father in December. Gore spoke with Trump again this month in an effort to encourage the president to remain in the agreement.
Trump was also personally lobbied by world leaders at a recent G-7 summit in Italy, and foreign diplomats repeatedly made their case for remaining in the agreement during frequent calls with administration officials.
Others in the “remain” camp included Tillerson, who had praised the Paris deal when he was ExxonMobil’s CEO. During his confirmation hearing this year, he said the United States must keep "its seat at the table" for international climate talks.
But ultimately, Bannon and his allies in the White House won Trump over, arguing that the agreement wasn’t in the U.S. interest.
Even if the U.S. had stuck with the deal, scientists and climate activists have warned that the targets Obama and other leaders promised in Paris wouldn’t cut enough carbon pollution to prevent the worst effects of climate change. Instead, they said, the signing nations would have to steadily escalate their commitments in coming years.
The agreement calls on countries to aim to limit global warming to "well below" 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit from pre-industrial levels, and it said countries should "pursue efforts" to keep temperature increases to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit. Under a business as usual scenario, global temperatures could rise by between 4.7 degrees Fahrenheit and 8.6 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, according to the United Nations, an increase that would have catastrophic consequences.
The upcoming decision could be a victory for the nationalist wing of Trump’s White House.
By ANDREW RESTUCCIA and JOSH DAWSEY
President Donald Trump is planning to pull the United States out of the Paris climate change agreement, according to a White House official, in a move that is certain to infuriate America’s allies across the globe and could destabilize the 2015 accord.
The upcoming decision is a victory for hardliners such as senior White House adviser Stephen Bannon, who argued that the deal would hobble the U.S. economy and Trump’s energy agenda, and a defeat for moderates like Trump’s daughter Ivanka, who feared that withdrawing would damage U.S. relations abroad. Trump had promised during the campaign to “cancel” the nearly 200-nation agreement, the most comprehensive climate pact ever negotiated.
Administration officials cautioned that they are still sorting out the details of how exactly Trump will withdraw, and one noted that nothing is final until an announcement is made. Trump continued to stoke the suspense on Twitter, writing: "I will be announcing my decision on the Paris Accord over the next few days. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
But reaction from the international community was swift, without mentioning Trump by name. "Climate change is undeniable," the United Nations tweeted from its official account Wednesday morning, quoting from a speech by Secretary General António Guterres. "Climate action is unstoppable. Climate solutions provide opportunities that are unmatchable."
Axios first reported the news that Trump would withdraw.
World leaders repeatedly pressed Trump on the issue during his recent trip to Europe, as did Pope Francis, who gave the president his papal encyclical on climate change when they met in the Vatican. Others who supported staying included Trump’s secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, and major oil companies such as ExxonMobil and Shell.
But the vast campaign to persuade the U.S. to remain ultimately did not sway the president.
Trump’s move marks the second time in two decades that the United States has negotiated, signed but then spurned a major international climate pact following a change of party control in the White House. The previous occasion — the decision by George W. Bush to abandon the 1997 Kyoto accord negotiated by the Clinton administration — caused years of distrust of the U.S. in international climate circles.
Since then, climate scientists say, the problem has grown only more dire, with precious few years left for nations to act if they want to avoid the droughts, floods, famines, mass migrations and worsening storms that a changing climate would bring.
Only two countries declined to join the Paris agreement: Syria and Nicaragua.
Republican leaders in Congress had warned other countries before the Paris talks not to trust Obama’s promises, noting that a future GOP president could undo any commitments he made. The Obama administration had insisted that the deal’s carbon-cutting targets be nonbinding, avoiding the politically disastrous Senate ratification fight that a binding treaty would require.
It will take years for the U.S. to formally withdraw from the Paris deal. But the U.S. is the world’s second-largest carbon polluter, and its decision to walk away threatens to weaken the resolve of major emitters such as China and India to keep their own pledges, even though both nations have pledged to remain in the agreement.
The move is certain to draw the ire of dozens of American allies who received assurances from the Obama administration that the United States was committed to the deal.
Wednesday's news comes on top of separate steps by Trump to weaken the major domestic planks of Obama’s climate agenda, including Environmental Protection Agency regulations requiring cuts in greenhouse gas pollution from power plants.
Trump's advisers were at odds over how the administration should approach Paris. Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, had pushed to stay in the deal, and Ivanka even brought Al Gore to Trump Tower to meet with her father in December. Gore spoke with Trump again this month in an effort to encourage the president to remain in the agreement.
Trump was also personally lobbied by world leaders at a recent G-7 summit in Italy, and foreign diplomats repeatedly made their case for remaining in the agreement during frequent calls with administration officials.
Others in the “remain” camp included Tillerson, who had praised the Paris deal when he was ExxonMobil’s CEO. During his confirmation hearing this year, he said the United States must keep "its seat at the table" for international climate talks.
But ultimately, Bannon and his allies in the White House won Trump over, arguing that the agreement wasn’t in the U.S. interest.
Even if the U.S. had stuck with the deal, scientists and climate activists have warned that the targets Obama and other leaders promised in Paris wouldn’t cut enough carbon pollution to prevent the worst effects of climate change. Instead, they said, the signing nations would have to steadily escalate their commitments in coming years.
The agreement calls on countries to aim to limit global warming to "well below" 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit from pre-industrial levels, and it said countries should "pursue efforts" to keep temperature increases to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit. Under a business as usual scenario, global temperatures could rise by between 4.7 degrees Fahrenheit and 8.6 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, according to the United Nations, an increase that would have catastrophic consequences.
Hissy Fit...
Trump blasts Dems after Fox airs story on Carter Page not testifying
By LOUIS NELSON
President Donald Trump chided Democrats Wednesday morning after Fox News broadcast a story reporting that Democrats revoked former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page’s invitation to testify before Congress about his potential ties to the Russian government.
Page, who advised the Trump campaign on foreign policy issues, is one of a handful of individuals with ties to the president who find themselves at the center of ongoing investigations examining the possibility of collusion between the Kremlin and the president’s election team.
Page has denied that he had any inappropriate contact with Russian officials and on Monday, wrote a letter to Congress complaining that he might not be allowed to testify to that effect.
“So now it is reported that the Democrats, who have excoriated Carter Page about Russia, don't want him to testify,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “He blows away their case against him & now wants to clear his name by showing ‘the false or misleading testimony by James Comey, John Brennan...’ Witch Hunt!”
The president’s post was seemingly a response to a brief segment on the Fox News morning show “Fox & Friends,” known to be a favorite of Trump’s, of which Page’s letter was the subject. The panel of hosts on the conservative-leaning program appeared incredulous that Democrats might not allow Page to testify.
By LOUIS NELSON
President Donald Trump chided Democrats Wednesday morning after Fox News broadcast a story reporting that Democrats revoked former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page’s invitation to testify before Congress about his potential ties to the Russian government.
Page, who advised the Trump campaign on foreign policy issues, is one of a handful of individuals with ties to the president who find themselves at the center of ongoing investigations examining the possibility of collusion between the Kremlin and the president’s election team.
Page has denied that he had any inappropriate contact with Russian officials and on Monday, wrote a letter to Congress complaining that he might not be allowed to testify to that effect.
“So now it is reported that the Democrats, who have excoriated Carter Page about Russia, don't want him to testify,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “He blows away their case against him & now wants to clear his name by showing ‘the false or misleading testimony by James Comey, John Brennan...’ Witch Hunt!”
The president’s post was seemingly a response to a brief segment on the Fox News morning show “Fox & Friends,” known to be a favorite of Trump’s, of which Page’s letter was the subject. The panel of hosts on the conservative-leaning program appeared incredulous that Democrats might not allow Page to testify.
May 30, 2017
Unbelievable...
Trump's relationship with Merkel 'fairly unbelievable,' Spicer says
By MADELINE CONWAY
President Donald Trump would describe his relationship with German Chancellor Angela Merkel as “fairly unbelievable,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Tuesday, after she made comments that were widely interpreted as criticizing the White House.
“I think the relationship that the president has had with Merkel he would describe as fairly unbelievable,” Spicer told reporters gathered for the first daily press briefing since Trump returned from his first trip overseas as president. “They get along very well. He has a lot respect for her.”
“They continue to grow the bond that they had during their talks in the G-7,” Spicer said, referring to a summit Trump attended with world leaders last week. “And he views not just Germany but the rest of Europe as an important American ally. During his conversations at NATO and at the G-7, the president reaffirmed the need to deepen and improve our transatlantic relationship.”
Merkel, whose worldview contrasts with Trump’s nationalism, made comments after the G-7 summit that were interpreted as casting doubt on the reliability of the U.S. as a partner to Europe under Trump’s leadership. She suggested that Europe needed to “really take our fate into our own hands” and said “the times in which we could rely fully on others — they are somewhat over.”
But on Tuesday, Spicer denied that the comments amounted to a slight of the White House. He said Germany wants to shoulder more responsibility on the world stage.
“That's great,” Spicer said. “That's what the president called for. He called for additional burden-sharing. The secretary general of NATO said that the president’s calls are what’s moving them in the right direction. The president is getting results, and more countries are stepping up their burden-sharing.”
“That is a good thing for them, it’s a good thing for NATO, and it’s a good thing for America,” Spicer said.
By MADELINE CONWAY
President Donald Trump would describe his relationship with German Chancellor Angela Merkel as “fairly unbelievable,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Tuesday, after she made comments that were widely interpreted as criticizing the White House.
“I think the relationship that the president has had with Merkel he would describe as fairly unbelievable,” Spicer told reporters gathered for the first daily press briefing since Trump returned from his first trip overseas as president. “They get along very well. He has a lot respect for her.”
“They continue to grow the bond that they had during their talks in the G-7,” Spicer said, referring to a summit Trump attended with world leaders last week. “And he views not just Germany but the rest of Europe as an important American ally. During his conversations at NATO and at the G-7, the president reaffirmed the need to deepen and improve our transatlantic relationship.”
Merkel, whose worldview contrasts with Trump’s nationalism, made comments after the G-7 summit that were interpreted as casting doubt on the reliability of the U.S. as a partner to Europe under Trump’s leadership. She suggested that Europe needed to “really take our fate into our own hands” and said “the times in which we could rely fully on others — they are somewhat over.”
But on Tuesday, Spicer denied that the comments amounted to a slight of the White House. He said Germany wants to shoulder more responsibility on the world stage.
“That's great,” Spicer said. “That's what the president called for. He called for additional burden-sharing. The secretary general of NATO said that the president’s calls are what’s moving them in the right direction. The president is getting results, and more countries are stepping up their burden-sharing.”
“That is a good thing for them, it’s a good thing for NATO, and it’s a good thing for America,” Spicer said.
Missile test
U.S. test takes down a ballistic missile over the Pacific
By JACQUELINE KLIMAS
The U.S. military successfully intercepted a mock ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean in a test of a missile-defense system aimed at protecting the U.S. from the sort of ballistic missiles being developed by North Korea, the Missile Defense Agency said Tuesday.
The mock ICBM-class target was fired from the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Test Site in the Marshall Islands. And an interceptor — launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base, about 22 miles north of Santa Barbara, Calif. — locked on the target and brought it down.
Sensors tracked the target over the Pacific before the California-based interceptor destroyed it "in a direct collision," the missile agency said in an announcement.
"This test demonstrates that we have a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat," said Vice Adm. Jim Syring, director of the Missile Defense Agency.
The test is the first of the ground-based, mid-course defense system against an ICBM-class target, Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters at the Pentagon ahead of the test.
The U.S. has a total of 36 of the interceptors like the one used Tuesday split between Vandenberg Air Force Base and Fort Greely in Alaska, according to a Missile Defense Agency fact sheet.
North Korea, which has repeatedly stated its intention to strike the U.S. mainland, has conducted an “unprecedented” number of tests and launches over the past year, Davis said. Most recently, it launched a Scud missile Sunday that landed in the Sea of Japan.
But Davis said Tuesday's test is not in direct response to the current tensions with North Korea.
“Obviously, North Korea is one of the reasons why we have this capability,” Davis said. “But North Korea is not the only reason why we have this capability and why we test this capability. Iran also continues to develop more sophisticated missiles and improve the range and accuracy of current missile systems.”
The interceptor tested Tuesday is just one element of a broader strategy to protect the country from incoming missiles.
“We improve and learn from each test, regardless of the outcome. That’s the reason we conduct them,” Davis said. “Our goal is to continue to be able to tell you with confidence that we have the ability to defend the homeland."
By JACQUELINE KLIMAS
The U.S. military successfully intercepted a mock ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean in a test of a missile-defense system aimed at protecting the U.S. from the sort of ballistic missiles being developed by North Korea, the Missile Defense Agency said Tuesday.
The mock ICBM-class target was fired from the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Test Site in the Marshall Islands. And an interceptor — launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base, about 22 miles north of Santa Barbara, Calif. — locked on the target and brought it down.
Sensors tracked the target over the Pacific before the California-based interceptor destroyed it "in a direct collision," the missile agency said in an announcement.
"This test demonstrates that we have a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat," said Vice Adm. Jim Syring, director of the Missile Defense Agency.
The test is the first of the ground-based, mid-course defense system against an ICBM-class target, Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters at the Pentagon ahead of the test.
The U.S. has a total of 36 of the interceptors like the one used Tuesday split between Vandenberg Air Force Base and Fort Greely in Alaska, according to a Missile Defense Agency fact sheet.
North Korea, which has repeatedly stated its intention to strike the U.S. mainland, has conducted an “unprecedented” number of tests and launches over the past year, Davis said. Most recently, it launched a Scud missile Sunday that landed in the Sea of Japan.
But Davis said Tuesday's test is not in direct response to the current tensions with North Korea.
“Obviously, North Korea is one of the reasons why we have this capability,” Davis said. “But North Korea is not the only reason why we have this capability and why we test this capability. Iran also continues to develop more sophisticated missiles and improve the range and accuracy of current missile systems.”
The interceptor tested Tuesday is just one element of a broader strategy to protect the country from incoming missiles.
“We improve and learn from each test, regardless of the outcome. That’s the reason we conduct them,” Davis said. “Our goal is to continue to be able to tell you with confidence that we have the ability to defend the homeland."
Middle finger
Spicer’s ‘middle finger’ to the press
The White House press secretary tangles with the press corps as he shows the strain of the job.
By MATTHEW NUSSBAUM , TARA PALMERI and JOSH DAWSEY
The hardest job in Washington is getting only harder.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer is once again expected to take on the additional role of communications director with the resignation of Michael Dubke, meaning he’ll juggle the two jobs most central to pushing the White House’s message — and most scrutinized by a president frustrated by a gush of negative media reports.
President Donald Trump is also now back from abroad and back on Twitter, making any coherent messaging strategy nearly impossible. The president has already appeared to complicate Senate efforts by calling for more health care spending, and he tore up his aides’ careful talking points on Jared Kushner’s Russia scandals by retweeting a Fox News article about the controversy. And that was just during his first two full days back in Washington.
The strain on the man who has to explain it all showed during a combative briefing on Tuesday, and during the foreign trip in which Spicer was largely sidelined.
The fact Spicer did the briefing at all was a bit of a surprise, given that Trump had already discussed pulling back Spicer’s public role once the team was back in Washington. White House principal deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who enjoys a good rapport with the press corps, is expected to command more of the daily briefings going forward.
Spicer did the briefing on Tuesday “to give the middle finger to you guys,” a Republican close to the White House said. "Spicer wanted to do it, and Trump was good with it. I'm not sure how often he'll do it from now on, but today was to give the middle finger to you guys."
"They have realized the communications value of those briefings is not good for them,” the person added.
Trump, who has frequently critiqued his press secretary, recently told Spicer that his answers to reporters' questions were too long and that he needed to be more succinct, two people familiar with the conversation said.
After the briefings, Trump has taken to occasionally dissecting Spicer's words on specific questions, pointing out mistakes and giving him tips on how to respond in the future, the people added.
Tuesday’s briefing was packed with bold adjectives, dodges and media attacks. Spicer described Trump’s foreign trip in a long opening statement as “incredible,” “historic,” and “unprecedented.” Trump’s relationship with German Chancellor Angela Merkel is “fairly unbelievable,” he said at one point.
He derided the press as “fake news,” excoriated the use of anonymous sources and defended the president’s dissemination of a story that relied on a single, unidentified source. At one point, he scolded Peter Baker, The New York Times chief White House correspondent, for shaking his head. And when he abruptly ended the briefing, he left the stage to angry shouts and continued questions from the assembled correspondents.
Spicer faced special difficulty answering questions about Kushner’s alleged effort to establish back-channel communications with Russian officials during the transition, and about Trump’s reaction.
"What your question assumes is a lot of facts that are not substantiated by anything but anonymous sources that are so far being leaked out," he said at one point. "You're asking if he approves of an action that is not a confirmed action.”
Spicer refused to deny the reports about Kushner’s actions but also said that back channels are “acceptable.” He declined to say if he personally thinks they are acceptable, and said he was only quoting other administration officials.
The frustration he showed at the lectern Tuesday is not new. On the recent trip abroad, he repeatedly showed the strain of the job.
At one point, he got drinks with a group of other staffers and reporters in Jerusalem, where he was adamant that the conversation steer clear of work.
"The most we’ve seen of Sean [Spicer] was at a rooftop bar in Jerusalem,” said one U.S. journalist on the trip. “But he refused to take work-related questions and said if you asked him a work-related question, then you had to take a shot.”
The comment was made in jest, according to people present, and no shots were taken.
No POLITICO employees were present at the gathering, which was off the record. Spicer declined to comment.
Spicer on Tuesday argued that Trump is “very pleased” with the work of his staff, pushing back against rumors about further changes beyond Dubke’s departure, which was reported Tuesday morning.
During the briefing, Spicer acknowledged what the president plainly believes.
“Ultimately, the best messenger is the president himself,” Spicer said. “He’s always proven that.”
The White House press secretary tangles with the press corps as he shows the strain of the job.
By MATTHEW NUSSBAUM , TARA PALMERI and JOSH DAWSEY
The hardest job in Washington is getting only harder.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer is once again expected to take on the additional role of communications director with the resignation of Michael Dubke, meaning he’ll juggle the two jobs most central to pushing the White House’s message — and most scrutinized by a president frustrated by a gush of negative media reports.
President Donald Trump is also now back from abroad and back on Twitter, making any coherent messaging strategy nearly impossible. The president has already appeared to complicate Senate efforts by calling for more health care spending, and he tore up his aides’ careful talking points on Jared Kushner’s Russia scandals by retweeting a Fox News article about the controversy. And that was just during his first two full days back in Washington.
The strain on the man who has to explain it all showed during a combative briefing on Tuesday, and during the foreign trip in which Spicer was largely sidelined.
The fact Spicer did the briefing at all was a bit of a surprise, given that Trump had already discussed pulling back Spicer’s public role once the team was back in Washington. White House principal deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who enjoys a good rapport with the press corps, is expected to command more of the daily briefings going forward.
Spicer did the briefing on Tuesday “to give the middle finger to you guys,” a Republican close to the White House said. "Spicer wanted to do it, and Trump was good with it. I'm not sure how often he'll do it from now on, but today was to give the middle finger to you guys."
"They have realized the communications value of those briefings is not good for them,” the person added.
Trump, who has frequently critiqued his press secretary, recently told Spicer that his answers to reporters' questions were too long and that he needed to be more succinct, two people familiar with the conversation said.
After the briefings, Trump has taken to occasionally dissecting Spicer's words on specific questions, pointing out mistakes and giving him tips on how to respond in the future, the people added.
Tuesday’s briefing was packed with bold adjectives, dodges and media attacks. Spicer described Trump’s foreign trip in a long opening statement as “incredible,” “historic,” and “unprecedented.” Trump’s relationship with German Chancellor Angela Merkel is “fairly unbelievable,” he said at one point.
He derided the press as “fake news,” excoriated the use of anonymous sources and defended the president’s dissemination of a story that relied on a single, unidentified source. At one point, he scolded Peter Baker, The New York Times chief White House correspondent, for shaking his head. And when he abruptly ended the briefing, he left the stage to angry shouts and continued questions from the assembled correspondents.
Spicer faced special difficulty answering questions about Kushner’s alleged effort to establish back-channel communications with Russian officials during the transition, and about Trump’s reaction.
"What your question assumes is a lot of facts that are not substantiated by anything but anonymous sources that are so far being leaked out," he said at one point. "You're asking if he approves of an action that is not a confirmed action.”
Spicer refused to deny the reports about Kushner’s actions but also said that back channels are “acceptable.” He declined to say if he personally thinks they are acceptable, and said he was only quoting other administration officials.
The frustration he showed at the lectern Tuesday is not new. On the recent trip abroad, he repeatedly showed the strain of the job.
At one point, he got drinks with a group of other staffers and reporters in Jerusalem, where he was adamant that the conversation steer clear of work.
"The most we’ve seen of Sean [Spicer] was at a rooftop bar in Jerusalem,” said one U.S. journalist on the trip. “But he refused to take work-related questions and said if you asked him a work-related question, then you had to take a shot.”
The comment was made in jest, according to people present, and no shots were taken.
No POLITICO employees were present at the gathering, which was off the record. Spicer declined to comment.
Spicer on Tuesday argued that Trump is “very pleased” with the work of his staff, pushing back against rumors about further changes beyond Dubke’s departure, which was reported Tuesday morning.
During the briefing, Spicer acknowledged what the president plainly believes.
“Ultimately, the best messenger is the president himself,” Spicer said. “He’s always proven that.”
Are your shitting me???
This White House statement on Trump's 'positive energy' reads like a parody
By Callum Borchers
White House spokeswoman Hope Hicks issued a statement about President Donald Trump on Monday that is so disconnected from reality that it reads like a parody - like something "Saturday Night Live" cooked up to mimic propaganda.
Here it is:
President Trump has a magnetic personality and exudes positive energy, which is infectious to those around him. He has an unparalleled ability to communicate with people, whether he is speaking to a room of three or an arena of 30,000. He has built great relationships throughout his life and treats everyone with respect. He is brilliant with a great sense of humor … and an amazing ability to make people feel special and aspire to be more than even they thought possible.
Hicks composed the statement in response to a Washington Post report on Trump's habit of cutting down staffers with insults. The most jarring thing about her characterization of the president is not the inaccuracy; it's the sudden rejection of Trump's entire political brand.
To say that Trump "exudes positive energy" is to ignore the whole premise of his campaign. He would not need to "Make America Great Again" if America were currently great - and Trump made very clear that he believes it is not.
"When was the last time America was great?" NBC's Chuck Todd asked early in the campaign. "I would say that during the administration of Ronald Reagan, you felt proud to be an American," Trump replied. "You felt really proud. I don't think since then, to any great extent, people were proud."
At the GOP convention last summer, Trump declared that "it is finally time for a straightforward assessment of the state of our nation." His assessment was that the country is in "crisis" in virtually every way.
"Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it," Trump said.
The message clearly resonated with many voters; that's why Trump is president. But he didn't win by being positive. He won by claiming everything is a mess.
And what's this nonsense about making people "feel special"? Trump doesn't care about hurting people's feelings - and his supporters love him for it.
When Megyn Kelly listed a few of the many barbs Trump had directed at women over the years, during the first debate of the Republican primary, this was the billionaire's response: "I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct. I've been challenged by so many people, and I don't frankly have time for total political correctness. And to be honest with you, this country doesn't have time either."
The crowd of Republicans in Cleveland applauded Trump's answer.
Hicks's statement reflects a White House without a clear political identity or message - no surprise, given that communications director Mike Dubke just resigned. The statement seems purely reflexive. The media is saying one thing, so let's say the exact opposite.
That's not a viable strategy, and it's not what has worked for Trump in the past. A more Trump-like response would have been to spin his abrasiveness as a positive. The president and his staff are totally focused on Making America Great Again. They are not worried about their own feelings.
Instead, we got a statement that shows the White House press shop to be rudderless.
By Callum Borchers
White House spokeswoman Hope Hicks issued a statement about President Donald Trump on Monday that is so disconnected from reality that it reads like a parody - like something "Saturday Night Live" cooked up to mimic propaganda.
Here it is:
President Trump has a magnetic personality and exudes positive energy, which is infectious to those around him. He has an unparalleled ability to communicate with people, whether he is speaking to a room of three or an arena of 30,000. He has built great relationships throughout his life and treats everyone with respect. He is brilliant with a great sense of humor … and an amazing ability to make people feel special and aspire to be more than even they thought possible.
Hicks composed the statement in response to a Washington Post report on Trump's habit of cutting down staffers with insults. The most jarring thing about her characterization of the president is not the inaccuracy; it's the sudden rejection of Trump's entire political brand.
To say that Trump "exudes positive energy" is to ignore the whole premise of his campaign. He would not need to "Make America Great Again" if America were currently great - and Trump made very clear that he believes it is not.
"When was the last time America was great?" NBC's Chuck Todd asked early in the campaign. "I would say that during the administration of Ronald Reagan, you felt proud to be an American," Trump replied. "You felt really proud. I don't think since then, to any great extent, people were proud."
At the GOP convention last summer, Trump declared that "it is finally time for a straightforward assessment of the state of our nation." His assessment was that the country is in "crisis" in virtually every way.
"Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it," Trump said.
The message clearly resonated with many voters; that's why Trump is president. But he didn't win by being positive. He won by claiming everything is a mess.
And what's this nonsense about making people "feel special"? Trump doesn't care about hurting people's feelings - and his supporters love him for it.
When Megyn Kelly listed a few of the many barbs Trump had directed at women over the years, during the first debate of the Republican primary, this was the billionaire's response: "I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct. I've been challenged by so many people, and I don't frankly have time for total political correctness. And to be honest with you, this country doesn't have time either."
The crowd of Republicans in Cleveland applauded Trump's answer.
Hicks's statement reflects a White House without a clear political identity or message - no surprise, given that communications director Mike Dubke just resigned. The statement seems purely reflexive. The media is saying one thing, so let's say the exact opposite.
That's not a viable strategy, and it's not what has worked for Trump in the past. A more Trump-like response would have been to spin his abrasiveness as a positive. The president and his staff are totally focused on Making America Great Again. They are not worried about their own feelings.
Instead, we got a statement that shows the White House press shop to be rudderless.
Merkel showed what Trump means
How a single sentence from Angela Merkel showed what Trump means to the world
Analysis by Chris Cillizza
On Sunday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel uttered a single sentence that speaks to how fundamentally President Donald Trump has reshaped -- and will continue to reshape -- the world, and America's place in it.
"The times when we could completely rely on others are, to an extent, over," Merkel said at a beer hall(!) rally to support her campaign.
While Merkel made no mention of Trump specifically, she made clear that her realization had come "in the last few days" -- a time period which overlapped with a G7 meeting in which Trump blasted America's traditional European allies over NATO obligations and made clear that he was more than willing to go it alone on climate change and trade.
What Trump's words -- and Merkel's reaction -- reveal is something that sharp foreign policy minds have known since the start of Trump's campaign: His true potential for drastic change exists in the foreign policy sphere.
Trump's ubiquitous "Make America Great Again" slogan was interpreted by many of his followers as the idea that we would make America great again by slaying political correctness, by bringing back jobs, by keeping undocumented workers from entering our country, from showing the mainstream media who's boss. It was re-making our daily life right here in the good, old U-S-of-A that people were focused on.
But "Make America Great Again," from the inception of Trump's campaign, always had at least one foot in not only re-imagining America's role in the world community but in reshaping the world community entirely.
Go back and read Trump's announcement speech in June 2015. The first half of it is larded with talk of foreign policy -- all built around the idea that foreign countries are playing the US for the fool.
A few examples:
"When was the last time anybody saw us beating, let's say, China, in a trade deal? They kill us. I beat China all the time. All the time."
"When do we beat Mexico at the border? They're laughing at us, at our stupidity."
"The US has become a dumping ground for everybody else's problems."
Then there is this simple fact: It is far easier for an empowered chief executive to have major influence over American foreign policy than over domestic policy.
Virtually everything a president can do on the domestic policy front is circumscribed by the Congress. Trump's struggles to quickly pass health care reform or secure funding for his much-promised border wall are just two examples of how difficult it is to affect full-scale change in the domestic sphere.
While presidents don't have entirely free rein when it comes to foreign affairs, their powers are significantly heightened. Trump has already pulled the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He's approved the Keystone pipeline. And now, in the last week, Trump had made clear he meant it when he said that he was not willing to commit to the Paris climate accords. (The Trump administration is expected to make a final decision on the climate deal later this week.)
That series of moves -- all within Trump's first 150 days as president -- represent the real possibility that America's engagement with its European allies, and its status as the financial pillar that stands up many of the world's democracies, all of which have been realities since the days following World War II, may be fundamentally changing.
"Merkel saying Europe cannot rely on others & needs to take matters into its own hands is a watershed-& what US has sought to avoid since WW2," Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, tweeted Sunday.
To be clear: Trump is far from the first president to make Europe nervous. In the not-too-distant past, Europe was clearly spooked by what they believed was the "cowboy" approach to foreign policy of then-President George W. Bush. That view was largely based in Bush's approach to the Iraq War and the "coalition of the willing" that notably didn't include Germany and France. (Both supported the first Gulf war.)
But, even amid that criticism, Bush never sought to undo or undermine the basic tenets of NATO or the G7. He was a believer, in the broadest sense, for the necessary strategic alliance between the United States and Europe. Was he at one end of that spectrum -- particularly in his early days as president? Yes. But, the point is he was on the spectrum.
Trump's comments and decisions over his first 100-plus days in office raise real questions as to whether he is on that same spectrum. On the campaign trail, he promised a fundamental reshaping -- both domestically and in foreign policy -- of how America is perceived. He appears to be making good on that promise in ways many people never imagined.
As Trump acts, the rest of the world necessarily reacts. And both the US actions and how they impact what other leaders and other countries do could well have lasting influence on America in the world that stretch well beyond the four or eight years Trump will be president.
Analysis by Chris Cillizza
On Sunday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel uttered a single sentence that speaks to how fundamentally President Donald Trump has reshaped -- and will continue to reshape -- the world, and America's place in it.
"The times when we could completely rely on others are, to an extent, over," Merkel said at a beer hall(!) rally to support her campaign.
While Merkel made no mention of Trump specifically, she made clear that her realization had come "in the last few days" -- a time period which overlapped with a G7 meeting in which Trump blasted America's traditional European allies over NATO obligations and made clear that he was more than willing to go it alone on climate change and trade.
What Trump's words -- and Merkel's reaction -- reveal is something that sharp foreign policy minds have known since the start of Trump's campaign: His true potential for drastic change exists in the foreign policy sphere.
Trump's ubiquitous "Make America Great Again" slogan was interpreted by many of his followers as the idea that we would make America great again by slaying political correctness, by bringing back jobs, by keeping undocumented workers from entering our country, from showing the mainstream media who's boss. It was re-making our daily life right here in the good, old U-S-of-A that people were focused on.
But "Make America Great Again," from the inception of Trump's campaign, always had at least one foot in not only re-imagining America's role in the world community but in reshaping the world community entirely.
Go back and read Trump's announcement speech in June 2015. The first half of it is larded with talk of foreign policy -- all built around the idea that foreign countries are playing the US for the fool.
A few examples:
"When was the last time anybody saw us beating, let's say, China, in a trade deal? They kill us. I beat China all the time. All the time."
"When do we beat Mexico at the border? They're laughing at us, at our stupidity."
"The US has become a dumping ground for everybody else's problems."
Then there is this simple fact: It is far easier for an empowered chief executive to have major influence over American foreign policy than over domestic policy.
Virtually everything a president can do on the domestic policy front is circumscribed by the Congress. Trump's struggles to quickly pass health care reform or secure funding for his much-promised border wall are just two examples of how difficult it is to affect full-scale change in the domestic sphere.
While presidents don't have entirely free rein when it comes to foreign affairs, their powers are significantly heightened. Trump has already pulled the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He's approved the Keystone pipeline. And now, in the last week, Trump had made clear he meant it when he said that he was not willing to commit to the Paris climate accords. (The Trump administration is expected to make a final decision on the climate deal later this week.)
That series of moves -- all within Trump's first 150 days as president -- represent the real possibility that America's engagement with its European allies, and its status as the financial pillar that stands up many of the world's democracies, all of which have been realities since the days following World War II, may be fundamentally changing.
"Merkel saying Europe cannot rely on others & needs to take matters into its own hands is a watershed-& what US has sought to avoid since WW2," Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, tweeted Sunday.
To be clear: Trump is far from the first president to make Europe nervous. In the not-too-distant past, Europe was clearly spooked by what they believed was the "cowboy" approach to foreign policy of then-President George W. Bush. That view was largely based in Bush's approach to the Iraq War and the "coalition of the willing" that notably didn't include Germany and France. (Both supported the first Gulf war.)
But, even amid that criticism, Bush never sought to undo or undermine the basic tenets of NATO or the G7. He was a believer, in the broadest sense, for the necessary strategic alliance between the United States and Europe. Was he at one end of that spectrum -- particularly in his early days as president? Yes. But, the point is he was on the spectrum.
Trump's comments and decisions over his first 100-plus days in office raise real questions as to whether he is on that same spectrum. On the campaign trail, he promised a fundamental reshaping -- both domestically and in foreign policy -- of how America is perceived. He appears to be making good on that promise in ways many people never imagined.
As Trump acts, the rest of the world necessarily reacts. And both the US actions and how they impact what other leaders and other countries do could well have lasting influence on America in the world that stretch well beyond the four or eight years Trump will be president.
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