Trump reportedly puts possible Russia deal on hold, citing recent provocations

GOP attorneys general file suit against Trump administration

President Trump is reportedly telling advisers he might temporarily shelve a plan to pursue a deal with Russia on how to handle the Islamic State as well as other national security matters.
Administration officials and Western diplomats told the Associated Press on Saturday that Trump and his aides have ascribed the new thinking to Moscow’s recent provocations, including deploying a cruise-missile which violates a Cold War-era arms control treaty.
Trump has been pressured by members of his Cabinet, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and new national security adviser H.R. McMaster, and European allies to not give concessions to Russia.
In his first meeting with the National Security Council staff, McMaster described Russia – as well as China – as a country that wants to upend the current world order, an administration official told AP.
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European officials have tailored their rhetoric to appeal to Trump's business background, including emphasizing the risks of negotiating a bad deal, rather than more nuanced arguments to bolster their case about Moscow and Russia’s intentions, according to one Western diplomat.
Trump reportedly sent letter to Eastern European leaders, who worry Russia might set its sights on their borders next, underscoring his commitment to their security.
Your support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine is important for our shared goal of enhancing European and regional security," Trump wrote to the Estonian president in a letter dated Feb. 15 and obtained by The Associated Press.
Michael McFaul, who served as President Barack Obama's ambassador to Russia, said that while Trump has been open about wanting warmer relations with Russia, "he hasn't picked people to the best of my knowledge at senior levels that share that view."
Trump, who spoke favorable of Russian President Vladimir Putin during his campaign, is said to have shown interest in a broad deal with Russia that could address cooperating in fighting the Islamic State, nuclear arms control agreements and Russia’s provocations in Ukraine.
In recent days, however, the tone has been different. The administration has signaled that the oment for such a deal may not be right as long as the FBI investigates Trump’s campaign associates’ possible connections to Moscow and congressional committees step up their inquiries into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election.
A White House official said Russia’s violation of the Cold War-era treaty has taken a toll on Trump and has altered his view on relations with Russia. The official said that Trump believes the violation is making a diplomatic and security agreement with Russia “tougher and tougher to achieve.”
Trump has been trailed by questions about his possible ties to Russia for months. He's taken an unusually friendly posture toward Russia, praising Putin's leadership and, at times, appearing to echo Kremlin positions on Ukraine and other matters.
He's also repeatedly said that it would be better for the U.S. and Russia to have a stronger relationship, particularly in fighting terrorism.
Trump has insisted that he has no nefarious connections or financial ties to Russia. He's also said he's not aware of any contacts his campaign advisers had with Russia during the 2016 campaign, a period in which U.S. intelligence agencies assess Russia was interfering with the election to help Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Still, the suggestions of wrongdoing have followed Trump to the White House, in part because of his own team's missteps. Flynn was fired for misleading Vice President Pence and other top White House officials about the nature of his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, even as the FBI was interviewing Flynn about those contacts.

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South by Southwest faces firestorm of scrutiny over immigration clause in contract

Uproar over language in the contract for performers at the South by Southwest music festival in Texas will force the event’s organizers to review the documents for next year and future shows.
The outcry came after Told Slant, a New York City-based band, said they were pulling out of the Austin-based festival because of the language in the contract, which reportedly states that the festival can take action if international acts “adversely affect the viability” of their performance.  
If international performers break the rules, “South by Southwest (SXSW) will notify the appropriate U.S. immigration authorities of the above actions. International Artists entering the country through the Visa Waiver Program, B visa, or any non-work visa may not perform at any public or non-sanctioned SXSW Music Festival DAY OR NIGHT shows in Austin from March 13-10, 2017. Accepting and performing unofficial events may result in immediate deportation, revoked passport and denied entry by U.S. Customs Border Patrol at U.S. ports of entry.”
The band said they were not interested in aligning themselves with a place that interacts with immigration officials as a means of “controlling where art is shared and performed,” according to the Houston Chronicle.
"This festival uses an imperialist model and prioritizes centralizing and packaging culture over communities and people's safety. It's no secret that SXSW has played a huge role in the process (of) Austin's rapid gentrification. The whole festival exists to the detriment of working class people and people of color in Austin," the band said.
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Felix Walworth, a Told Slant band member, also urged other bands to boycott the show.
South by Southwest organizers responded to the uproar Thursday, saying the language in the contract has been set since 2013 and had only recently began receiving attention.
"In this political climate, especially as it relates to immigration, we recognize the heightened importance of standing together against injustice," organizers wrote in a statement on their website. "SXSW has never reported anyone to any immigration authorities, including Customs & Border Protection (CBP), the agency that deals with participating artists entering the United States ... The language in our Performance Agreement is intended to facilitate U.S. entry for international artists and to show CBP that SXSW takes visa issues seriously. This language has been part of the contracts since the summer of 2013, and we will be reviewing and amending it for 2018 and beyond."
Festival officials added that the langue was not aligned with President Trump’s policies on immigration and went as far as saying it was against the president’s travel ban.
"We have been coordinating with international acts coming to SXSW to try and mitigate issues at U.S. ports of entry, and will continue to build a coalition of attorneys to assist any who face problems upon arrival in the States," organizers said.
The music festival is still facing scrutiny despite its attempts to quell the firestorm.
Downtown Boys’ Victoria Ruiz and Joey L. De Francesco sent an open letter to the organization expressing its outrage. It was co-signed by Killer Mike, Ted Leo, Screaming Females, Kimya Dawson and Ceremony, according to Rolling Stone.
Downtown Boys, Evan Greer and Priests also accused South by Southwest of “playing into the xenophobia emanating from the White House.”
"Starting a brawl in a club is already illegal. If an artist were to do that, there is a clear way that the legal system and immigration officials would deal with it. There is no need for a contract clause like this to prevent that, and absolutely nothing requiring SXSW to narc on bands who are at risk for deportation,” the group said in a statement to the music magazine.
Still, South by Southwest maintains the language was meant to inform international acts that if they performed at another show other than the Austin music festival, they could be in violation of the law.

Keystone pipeline won't use US steel despite Trump pledge

The Keystone XL oil pipeline won't use American steel in its construction, despite what President Donald Trump says.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Friday that's due to language in a presidential directive Trump issued in January.
"The way that executive order is written, it’s specific to new pipelines or those that are being repaired, Sanders said. "And since this one is already currently under construction, the steel is already literally sitting there, it would be hard to go back. But I know that everything moving forward would fall under that executive order."
The directive applies to new pipelines or those under repair. Sanders said it would be hard to do an about-face on Keystone because it's already under construction and the steel has been acquired.
Trump said as recently as last week that Keystone and the Dakota Access pipeline must use American steel "or we're not building one."
Trump used his executive powers shortly after taking office to greenlight the two pipeline projects that had been blocked by President Barack Obama.
The Keystone pipeline would run from Canada to refineries in the Gulf Coast. The Dakota Access line would move North Dakota oil to Illinois, and that project is nearly complete.

Trump slams Pelosi, Schumer as Russia meeting pics emerge

President Trump got to work exacting revenge Friday on top Democratic lawmakers for demanding his attorney general's resignation over past meetings with Russia's ambassador -- after pictures emerged of the same lawmakers in similar meetings, exposing them to "hypocrisy" charges.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in particular, has egg on her face after she told Politico reporters that she had never met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
“Not with this ambassador, no,” she said.
But Politico unearthed a 2010 photo from a meeting of congressional lawmakers with then-Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev, at which both Pelosi and Kislyak were present.
Though a spokesman said she meant “she has never had a private one-on-one with him,” Republicans were quick to accuse her of misleading the public.
After earlier swiping at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Trump tweeted: "I hereby demand a second investigation, after Schumer, of Pelosi for her close ties to Russia, and lying about it." (Trump posted three versions of the same tweet, after earlier versions included a misspelling.)
“Nancy Pelosi’s hypocrisy and utter disregard for the truth has gummed up the Democratic Party’s faux outrage machine. She owes an explanation for why she knowingly misled the American public,” Jesse Hunt, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement.
Both Pelosi and Schumer had called for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign after it was revealed he met twice with Kislyak in 2016, despite telling lawmakers at his confirmation hearing he had no “communications” with Russian officials. Sessions has said he didn’t mislead Congress as he was answering in the context of discussions related to the Trump campaign.
Trump also pounced on Schumer Friday after a picture made the rounds online showing the New York senator chowing down on a donut with President Vladimir Putin in 2003.
The image had circulated as part of the conservative pushback against Democratic criticism of Sessions – with outlets noting that a number of Democratic lawmakers also had met with the ambassador in the past.

Trump accuses Obama administration of wiretapping Trump Tower phones

Trump Tower is a 58-story, 664-foot-high mixed-use skyscraper located at 721–725 Fifth Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Wikipedia

Address: 725 5th Ave, New York, NY 10022

Height: 664′

Floors: 58

Opened: February 14, 1983

Owner: Donald Trump

Architecture firm: Swanke, Hayden & Connell

Architect: Der Scutt

President Trump made a startling claim Saturday that former President Barack Obama had Trump Tower phones tapped in the weeks before the November 2016 election.
In early Saturday morning tweets that began at 6:35 a.m., the president said the alleged wiretapping was “McCarthyism” and “Nixon/Watergate.”
“Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism,” Trump wrote.
“Is it legal for a sitting President to be ‘wire tapping’ a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!” he said in another tweet.
Trump also tweeted that a “good lawyer could make a great case of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!”
“How low has President Obama gone to tap (sic) my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergage. Bad (or sick) guy!” Trump tweeted.
Trump does not specify how he uncovered the Obama administration's alleged wiretapping; however, he could be referencing a Breitbart article posted Friday about a segment by radio host Mark Levin, who spoke about the alleged steps taken by the Obama administration to undermine the Trump campaign.
He made a reference to a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) request made by the former adminsitration in June 2016 to monitor communications involving Trump and several advisers. It was denied.
During his Saturday morning tweets, Trump also brought up the ongoing controversy surrounding Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his reported meetings with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in 2016.
He said the first meeting between the former Senator and Kislyak was arranged by the Obama administration.
Trump then said Kislayk also visited the White House 22 times during the Obama administration.
“Just out: The same Russian Ambassador that met Jess Sessions visited the Obama White House 22 times, and 4 times last year alone,” he wrote.
On Friday, Trump fought back against top Democratic lawmakers who are demanding his attorney general's resignation over past meetings with Russia's ambassador -- after pictures emerged of the same lawmakers in similar meetings, exposing them to "hypocrisy" charges.
Trump tweeted: "I hereby demand a second investigation, after Schumer, of Pelosi for her close ties to Russia, and lying about it.

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Oregon judge faces scrutiny for allegedly helping illegal immigrant escape ICE

An Oregon judge is being investigated after she allegedly helped an illegal immigrant elude ICE agents in January by guiding the man through a private entrance at the courthouse.
Multnomah County Judge Monica Heeranz was notified by court staff that ICE agents were waiting outside her courtroom to possibly apprehend Diddier Pacheco Salazar, a 22-year-old Mexican national attending a DUI hearing, U.S. Attorney Billy Willaims said.
Specific details about what happend inside the courtroom next is not clear. But Salazar reportedly somehow managed to leave the room using an employee exit.
"I prepped my client. I said, 'I don't know if they're going to pick you up outside or what, but here's how to prepare,'" John Schlosser, Salazar's court appointed lawyer, told a local paper. "After the court appearance, I went out in the hallway and sat. My client never came out. I can't say that I'm surprised he didn't come out, but I gave him his options, and assume he had to have been escorted out some other way."
Salazar was arrested two weeks after the incident.
ICE agents decided not to investigate Herranz, who is also on the board of directors of the Oregon Hispanic Bar Association, but Chief Judge Nan Waller is conducting an internal investigation.
Waller told Fox 12 Oregon she wants to figure out what happened before discussing the situation.
Williams calls Herranz’s alleged actions troubling.
“When you’re talking about the judicial system – whether it’s federal or by state – you have an expectation that people are going to abide by the law and not take steps based on their own motivations, their own politics – whatever the motivation was.”

Sessions: Meeting with Russian envoy 'hyped beyond reason'; criticism 'unfair'

Attorney General Jeff Sessions told Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight" in an exclusive interview Thursday that conversations between him and the Russian ambassador to the U.S. had been "hyped beyond reason" by the media and criticism of them was "unfair."
"I don’t believe anybody that was in that meeting would have seen or believed I said one thing that was improper or unwise," Sessions told host Tucker Carlson. "It was really a sad thing to be attacked like that, but I think we’ve explained it and we intend to move forward."
Sessions spoke to Fox News hours after he recused himself from “any existing or future investigations” regarding the 2016 presidential campaign. Lawmakers from both parties had pressed Sessions to step away from an ongoing probe into Moscow meddling during last year's race for the White House.
Sessions has repeatedly denied meeting with Russian officials or operatives while a surrogate for then-candidate Donald Trump's campaign. He testified during his confirmation hearing in January that he had no “communications” with Russia during the campaign, an answer he later said was "honest and correct."
However, Sessions also said Thursday that he would submit a supplement to the record of his hearing that would cover his conversations with Russian envoy Sergey Kislyak
The attorney general told Carlson that he had intended to announce he was recusing himself from any investigation of the Trump campaign's connections with Russian figures even before the Washington Post revealed his meetings with Kislyak Wednesday night.
"I believe I should recuse myself," Sessions said, "because I was involved in the campaign to a degree [that] I think [it] would have been perceived that I wouldn’t be objective[ly] participating in an investigation that might involve the campaign."
Sessions added that his recusal was "not an admission of any wrongdoing" and said that he had acted "exactly correctly" in the matter.
In the interview, Sessions detailed his two encounters last year with Kislyak, one of which happened during the Republican Convention in Cleveland this past July.
"I spoke at the Republican convention at a conference with some 50 ambassadors," Sessions recalled. "After I spoke, I walked down from the podium and mingled with a number of people and we met at that occasion and had a chat, and I left shortly thereafter."
Sessions said the other, more involved discussion with Kislyak took place Sept. 8 in his office and was one of several meetings he took with foreign ambassadors as a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
"We talked about a number of issues. One of them was the Ukraine and we had a disagreement over that," the attorney general said. "The Ukrainian ambassador had been into my office for a meeting the day before, and so we had a little disagreement over the Ukrainian issue. So we had a number of discussions like that."
Sessions said the meeting with Kislyak in his office was witnessed by two of his senior staffers, whom he described as "non-political."
"I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with a United States senator meeting with an ambassador from Russia," he said. "I learned something perhaps in that meeting – I usually did – and so that’s what happened. Ambassadors were coming by to see me pretty often."
Several top Democrats, for whom the revelations of any Russia discussions only served to fuel long-running accusations that Trump-tied officials have sought to conceal past contacts with Moscow, have called for Sessions' resignation, including the leaders in both the House and Senate. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., went so far as to say Sessions had “lied” to Congress and committed perjury.
Many Republicans jumped to Sessions’ defense, saying Democrats were engaged in political theater and describing Sessions’ meetings as routine.
President Trump defended Sessions as an "honest man" in a statement released late Thursday.
"He did not say anything wrong," Trump said. "He could have stated his response more accurately, but it was clearly not intentional. This whole narrative is a way of saving face for Democrats losing an election that everyone thought they were supposed to win."

New Interior Secretary Zinke reverses last-minute Obama lead-ammunition ban

WASHINGTON –  On his first full day in office, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke issued an order Thursday reversing a last-minute action by the Obama administration to ban lead ammunition and fish tackle used on national wildlife refuges.
Gun-rights supporters condemned the earlier order — issued a day before Obama left office Jan. 20 — as nakedly political. The order was intended to protect birds from lead poisoning, the Obama administration said.
Zinke, a former Montana congressman and avid hunter, said the new order would increase hunting, fishing and recreation opportunities on lands managed by Fish and Wildlife Service.
Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, said Zinke's order "represents an important check on executive abuse and reverses what was a deliberate attack on Americans' fundamental rights and privileges" by the Obama administration.
The order reverses a decision by the Obama administration to phase out use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle on wildlife refuges by 2022.
Zinke, who rode to work on a horse Thursday as a sign of solidarity with U.S. Park Police, said the hunting order and another order directing agencies to identify areas where recreation and fishing can be expanded were intended to boost outdoor recreation in all its forms.
"Outdoor recreation is about both our heritage and our economy," he said in a statement. "Between hunting, fishing, motorized recreation, camping and more, the industry generates thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity."
Over the past eight years, hunting and recreation enthusiasts have seen trails closed and dramatic decreases in access to public lands across the board, Zinke said. "It worries me to think about hunting and fishing becoming activities for the land-owning elite. This package of secretarial orders will expand access for outdoor enthusiasts and also make sure the community's voice is heard."
Environmental groups slammed the new directive on lead ammunition, arguing that spent lead casings cause poisoning in 130 species of birds and other animals.
Switching to nontoxic ammunition should be "a no-brainer" to save the lives of thousands of birds and other wildlife and to "prevent hunters and their families from being exposed to toxic lead and protect our water," said Jonathan Evans, environmental health legal director at the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity.
Evans called it ironic that one of the first actions by Zinke — a self-described champion of hunters and anglers — "leads to poisoning of game and waterfowl eaten by those same hunting families."