Trump visits Pearl Harbor ahead of first official tour of Asia

Before embarking on his first official visit to Asia, President Donald Trump flew to Hawaii on Friday, where he and first lady Melania Trump visited Pearl Harbor, the site where U.S. forces came under surprise attack from the Japanese in 1941.

The president and first lady also made a solemn visit to the USS Arizona Memorial, where they tossed flower petals into the water above the battleship’s sunken hull.

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President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump watch as a wreath is positioned at the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Nov. 3, 2017.  (Associated Press)

The memorial, which is accessible only by boat, straddles the wreckage of the battleship on which more than 1,000 Navy personnel lost their lives during the attack that drew the U.S. into World War II.

Trump did not speak publicly while at Pearl Harbor, but expressed anticipation earlier in the day, before a briefing with leaders of the U.S. Pacific Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the region.

"We are going to visit very shortly, Pearl Harbor, which I've read about, spoken about, heard about, studied, but I haven't seen. And that is going to be very exciting for me," he said.
A total of more than 2,300 sailors, soldiers and Marines died as a result of the attack, as did 68 civilians, according to the National Park Service.
During his visit in Hawaii, Trump was expected to meet with the U.S. Pacific Command to discuss the escalating threat from North Korea. He was also scheduled to meet with the governors of Alaska, Hawaii and Pacific U.S. territories, which are all relatively close targets if North Korea opts for a missile strike aganst the U.S.
Trump will head to Japan on Saturday, then make subsequent stops in South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines, where the looming crisis in North Korea will likely remain a key topic of discussion.
The president plans to attend the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) conference in Vietnam and the East Asian Summit in the Philippines, for which he recently tacked on an extra day to his trip.

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House GOP Unveils Details of its Tax Reform Bill

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, joined by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., right, holds a proposed “postcard tax filing form” as they unveil the GOP’s far-reaching tax overhaul, the first major revamp of the tax system in three decades, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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House Speaker Paul Ryan says the average American family will save more than $1,000 a year under the Republican’s tax reform bill.
During a news conference on Thursday to announce the details, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady said the bill will help create more jobs and bring trillions of dollars back to the U.S.  House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said every single American will be able to keep more of what they earn.
Rep. Ryan added, “The focus is directing that tax relief to the people in the middle and the people who are trying to get there and that is why we put our emphasis on that tax relief for those people who are in the middle, who are working paycheck to paycheck, striving to get ahead.” Ryan went on to say Republicans will fulfill their promise of passing this bill.
Pres. Trump praised the bill saying economic growth, more jobs, and higher wages are what Americans can expect from the tax plan, which includes an increase in the child tax credit and repealing the estate tax.
He met with House Republicans on Thursday afternoon and said he does not think it needs any changes and hopes it can be passed by Christmas.
However, the Ways and Means Committee is scheduled to mark up the bill on Monday.

Students at liberal Reed College stage occupation over 'whitewashed' curriculum

Just making themselves look bad.

Reed College protesters shut down a "Eurocentric" humanities lecture on Aug. 28, 2017.  (Facebook)

An anti-racism student group at one of America's most liberal colleges entered the 12th day of an administrative building occupation Friday.

The group at Reed College in Portland, Ore., called for the school to cut ties to Wells Fargo Bank over its relationship with privately run prisons and stop teaching what it called a “whitewashed” curriculum that is too focused on the ideas and accomplishments of white Europeans and their descendants.

The group, called Reedies Against Racism (RAR), has been camping out in college President John Kroger's office.
The students say that a mandatory humanities course dubbed “Hum 110” focuses overtly on European thought leaders, leading to "whitewashing" of the students' education. The course has long been a target of the school's left-leaning activists, who successfully shut down an Aug. 28 lecture on Ancient Greece.
“We believe that the first lesson that freshmen should learn about Hum 110 is that it perpetuates white supremacy — by centering ‘whiteness’ as the only required class at Reed,” reads a RAR declaration delivered to all new students, the Atlantic reported.
“The required freshman course should be reformed to represent the voices of people of color,” read the demands posted online. “Before this is accomplished, Hum 110 should be conscious of the power it gives to already privileged ideas and welcome critique of that use of power.”
The group also demands that Reed College cut ties with Wells Fargo Bank over its links to the private prison system.
A rotating team of up to 40 students has been camping inside the president’s office, with some reportedly sleeping there in tents, prompting the college to close down its finance office and transport sensitive documents to a new location, the Washington Times reported.

Reed College protesters.  (Facebook)

The college was forced to issue around two-dozen no-contact orders to the protesters over the harassment of school staff members.
”You have been identified as having participating in an incident on Thursday, October 26, 2017, that resulted in the reported harassment of a college staff member,” reads a letter issued by Mike Brody, vice president of student services, ordering students to cease such actions.
The letter also outlined possible consequences for the occupation of the building and harassment of staff, including “complete expulsion” from the college.
“We condemn this behavior,” Kroger wrote in an Oct. 27 email to the campus community, according to the Washington Times. “This conduct violates the principles of respectful dialogue upon which this community is based. Dissent is encouraged at Reed, but harassment is not.”
Despite talks between the faculty and protesters, it remained unclear when a solution would be found.
"We don't assume we are going to agree anytime soon," Brody told Fox 12. "But we need to find a way to disagree productively so that we can honor each other's positions and perspectives and try to find a path forward."

Trump calls DNC primary-rigging 'illegal,' slams 'fake' dossier in Fox News interview

President Donald Trump gave a wide-ranging interview on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” Thursday, revealing his thoughts on this week’s terror attack in New York City and the campaign actions of the Democratic National Committee.

Trump responded to claims from former DNC chairwoman Donna Brazile alleging that the committee rigged last year’s Democratic presidential primary between Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders.

“It's illegal, number one, and it's really unfair to Bernie Sanders,” Trump said of the Vermont senator. “I’m not a Bernie Sanders fan, although I must say I got a lot of his votes when he was thrown out. Many of those people voted for me because of trade because I agreed with him on trade. … But that was, I thought that was terrible.”
Trump also responded to recent revelations that the DNC — along with the Clinton campaign — funded the now-infamous “opposition research” dossier released last January. The president called the findings “absolutely inconceivable.”
“That dossier, which is totally fake and made up it’s like a novel … is a disgrace and it should not have been allowed to be used and then I hear the kind of money they spent,” Trump said, referring to reports Democrats paid as much as $9 million on it. “I think it’s a disgrace that a thing like that can take place.”
TRUMP CALLS FOR 'DEATH PENALTY' FOR NYC TERRORIST IN WAKE OF HALLOWEEN ATTACK
After Tuesday’s terror attack in Lower Manhattan, allegedly carried out by a man from Uzbekistan — whom Trump called a "horrible animal" — who was granted a green card through the Diversity Visa Program, Trump called for Congress to end the lottery-based immigration program.
“The justice system has to go quicker and it has to be really stronger and fairer,” the president said, one day after he referred to the U.S. justice system as a “laughingstock” and a “joke.”
“It’s very sad when you look at a lottery system and you have people coming into the country through the form of a lottery,” Trump said. “The countries aren’t putting their finest in there, they’re not putting their best and their greatest and their finest in there.”
Trump added he’s “already instructed Congress” to bring the Diversity Visa Program to an end.
TRUMP'S TAX PLAN: THE MAJOR CHANGES
Jumping to Trump’s tax reform plan, the president said his proposed tax cuts are “the biggest cuts in the history of our country.”
“We have reform and we have simplification and honestly I’m surprised a little bit to hear what you’re saying because we’ve really gotten great reviews people are loving it,” Trump said when he was told he was getting criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.
He alluded to a Washington Post report that recently gave Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., “four Pinocchios” for “not telling the truth” about the tax plan, which Trump said is “really not for the rich, it’s for the middle class and it’s for jobs.”

11-minute Trump Twitter outage prompts company investigation

Twitter launched an internal investigation Thursday after a "customer support" employee, reportedly working his or her last day with the company, briefly deactivated the higly viewed account of President Donald Trump.

"We are conducting a full internal review," the company said in a statement about the approximately 11-minute outage.

It was unclear how a “customer support” worker had obtained clearance to deactivate such a high-profile account. The president has tweeted more than 36,000 times and has nearly 42 million Twitter followers.
When reports first surfaced about the outage, Twitter officials initially blamed “human error.”
Shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday, social media reports surfaced that Trump’s personal account, @realDonaldTrump, was unavailable, providing the error message that the user "does not exist." The account was restored by 7:03 p.m.
But about two hours later, the company said the deactivation "was done by a Twitter customer support employee who did this on the employee's last day."
The company has in the past suspended other accounts for violating its terms and conditions. The company has resisted calls from those opposed to the president to delete his account.
A spokesperson for the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump did not immediately address the outage after his account was reactivated. Instead, he tweeted about the GOP tax plan.
"Great Tax Cut rollout today. The lobbyists are storming Capital [sic] Hill, but the Republicans will hold strong and do what is right for America!"
The Washington Post pointed out that Trump credited social media for its role in getting him elected.
He told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo that, “You have to keep people interested.”

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Trump assails 'political correctness' in tweet on terror attacks

President Trump on Sunday responded to the London terror attack, suggesting political correctness and the London mayor’s soft response are contributing to strikes by radical Islamic terrorists.

Seven people were killed and dozens of others were injured in the two Saturday night attacks on and near the London Bridge. Police are investigating the incidents as terror attacks, but no terror group has yet to claim responsibility.

"We must stop being politically correct and get down to the business of security for our people. If we don't get smart it will only get worse,” Trump tweeted first.
The president has from the start of his successful 2016 presidential campaign argued that the key to stopping global terror strikes is to address radical Islamic teachings and being more vigilant about allowing people into the United States from mostly-Muslim countries that are hotbeds for terror training.
"At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is "no reason to be alarmed!” Trump also tweeted.
Trump also posted on Twitter about the attacks: “Do you notice we are not having a gun debate right now? That's because they used knives and a truck!”

NBC story on 'backlash' against 'American Muslims' stirs outrage

Less than 24 hours after a driver plowed into a crowd Tuesday on the streets of New York City, NBC News faced mockery and criticism for posting a story about American Muslims that critics said was unfounded.

The NBC story suggested that Muslim Americans were fearing a potential “backlash” against their community because the suspect -- identified by authorities as Sayfullo Saipov, an immigrant from Uzbekistan -- shared their faith.

But critics posting on social media derided the network for focusing on an unsubstantiated idea rather than on those killed or injured in the attack.
“Maybe we should focus on those who were brutally murdered than a backlash you hope manifests,” NRA spokeswoman and author Dana Loesch wrote on Twitter.
Police say Sayfullo Saipov, 29 – an immigrant from Uzbekistan who was living in New Jersey after relocating from Florida -- mowed down people near the World Trade Center with a rented truck, leaving eight people dead and a dozen injured. He reportedly yelled “Allahu akbar” ("God is great") after he exited the vehicle and pledged allegiance to ISIS.
“In the wake of Tuesday's attack, some Muslim Americans and community leaders expressed concerns over how their religion would be perceived and whether Muslims would become targets of violence,” NBC wrote in an article titled, "Muslim Americans Again Brace for Backlash After New York Attack."
"My initial reaction was, obviously, concern and shock over what happened," Umer Ahmad, a Muslim-American physician from New Jersey, told the network. "My biggest concern is that he's readily identified as a Muslim and then that is extrapolated out to my own faith.”
But that opinion wasn't shared by others who read the article.
“Instead of the story being the barbaric murder of innocents, the media wants the story to be imagined backlash. Disgusting,” said Christopher Barron, president of Right Turn Strategies, a conservative consulting firm, and co-founder of GOProud, an organization for gay and lesbian conservatives.
Said one Twitter commenter: “NBC immediately rushes to accuse Americans of being Islamophobic bigots” after a terror attack that killed eight people.
Another Twitter use wrote:“NBC’s priority in reporting is about ‘backlash’ to Muslim Americans, not that eight people were killed.”
Saipov remained detained Wednesday after being apprehended following the attack. Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that the suspect was motivated “by hate and a twisted ideology,” as he possessed multiple gruesome ISIS-related videos and photos, including pictures of people being beheaded, Fox News reported.
He was charged with providing material support to a terror group and committing violence in Tuesday’s attack. President Donald Trump called for the death penalty Wednesday night amid reports that Saipov asked for an ISIS flag for his hospital room.
“NYC terrorist was happy as he asked to hang ISIS flag in his hospital room. He killed 8 people, badly injured 12. SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!,” the president tweeted.

Trump vs. Schumer: A troubling detour into politics after terror attack in New York

There may be an important immigration debate to be had in the wake of what was undoubtedly a terrorist attack that killed eight people in Manhattan.

It did not get off to a good start yesterday.

Instead, hours after an Uzbek citizen allegedly used a truck to murder and injure pedestrians, there was sniping between President Trump and Chuck Schumer.
I took heat from plenty of liberals for saying, after the Las Vegas massacre, that Hillary Clinton and some Democrats might have waited one day before slamming the GOP on gun control (not that we shouldn’t have a vigorous debate, as some said in distorting my comments).
Well, now I say the same thing on the other side. It was not helpful for President Trump to make this about New York’s senior senator hours after the city was dealing with the casualties.
The president tweeted yesterday: "The terrorist came into our country through what is called the 'Diversity Visa Lottery Program,' a Chuck Schumer beauty. I want merit based. We are fighting hard for Merit Based immigration, no more Democrat Lottery Systems. We must get MUCH tougher (and smarter)."
So the fact that Sayfullo Saipov is an Uber driver who came in legally under that program seven years ago becomes Schumer’s fault in the wake of the attack?
The Senate minority leader hit back in a statement: "President Trump, instead of politicizing and dividing America, which he always seems to do at times of national tragedy, should be focusing on the real solution — antiterrorism funding — which he proposed cutting in his most recent budget."
The merit-based program was passed in 1990 with bipartisan support and signed into law by George H.W. Bush. Schumer, then a House member, was one of numerous co-sponsors.
After the Las Vegas shooting, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that "today is a day for consoling of survivors and mourning those we lost," not debating gun control.
Again, there may be a strong case for ending or tightening the diversity program. I think we’re all tired of people shouting "Allahu Akbar," as Saipov is said to have done, during acts of mass violence.
On the other hand, it’s getting harder for law enforcement to detect people, as in Las Vegas and lower Manhattan, who have no previous criminal record.
The president also tweeted that "being politically correct is fine, but not for this!" The PC mentality can hinder anti-terrorism efforts, but it’s not clear to me how it applies to this particular case.
When he spoke to reporters yesterday, Trump said he would move immediately to get rid of the diversity program but did not mention Schumer. He did say this, which we can all agree with:
"All of America is praying and grieving for the families who lost their precious loved ones. Horrible Act. Our hearts break for them and we pledge to renew our resolve in their memory."
Howard Kurtz is a Fox News analyst and the host of "MediaBuzz" (Sundays 11 a.m.). He is the author of five books and is based in Washington. Follow him at @HowardKurtz. Click here for more information on Howard Kurtz.