Trump backs Sen. Paul's plan to fund infrastructure projects with suspended aid to Pakistan

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul says he plans to introduce a bill to fund domestic infrastructure projects using suspended foreign aid to Pakistan.  (Associated Press)

President Donald Trump on Friday evening issued support for U.S. Sen. Rand Paul's proposal to fund infrastructure projects in the U.S. with foreign aid halted from going to Pakistan.

"Good idea Rand!" came the president's response.

In a tweet Thursday, Rand, a Kentucky Republican, said he planned to introduce his proposal soon.
"My bill will take the money that would have gone to Pakistan and put it in an infrastructure fund to build roads and bridges here at home," the senator tweeted.
On Thursday, the U.S. announced plans to end up to $2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan. The reasoni: The U.S. State Department contended that Pakistan had failed to take "decisive action" against Taliban militants targeting U.S. personnel in neighboring Afghanistan.
The figure represents about $1 billion in planned military assistance, including $255 million that was placed on hold in August, and about $900 million in Coalition Support Funds inteded to reimburse Pakistan for counterterrorism operations.
Earlier in the week, President Trump contended that the U.S. had “foolishly” given Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid over the last 15 years and had gotten nothing in return but “lies & deceit.”
Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, accused Pakistan of playing a double game for years, at times working with the U.S. while harboring terrorists who attack American troops in Afghanistan.
“That game is not acceptable in this administration. We expect far more cooperation from Pakistan in the fight against terrorism,” she said.
But officials in Pakistan expressed disappointment with the U.S. plans, sayingthe suspension of aid would be detrimental to bilateral relations. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry asseted that the country had spent more than $120 billion of its own funds on the war on terror in recent years.
It contended that Pakistan's cooperation with the U.S. had helped "decimate" Al Qaeda and drive other militant groups away from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region.
"Arbitrary deadlines, unilateral pronouncements and shifting goalposts are counterproductive in addressing common threats," Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday.
The United States is currently holding up more than $200 million in foreign aid to Pakistan. A senior U.S. administration official emphasized the money could potentially still be available if Pakistan were to change course.
But Paul went a step further Thursday, arguing that Pakistan has been of little use in the war on terrorism, and proposed cutting off aid to Pakistan altogether.
“We’ve sent Pakistan $33 billion since 2002. What did we get for it? Well Pakistan didn’t even help us find Bin Laden, even though he was living in one of their cities for years. Then they jailed the informant who helped us to get Bin Laden. They’ve allowed suspected terrorists to operate in their country. Some say Pakistani intelligence agents actually aid and abet the terrorists. It’s wrong.”
Paul, who said he has been fighting to end aid to Pakistan for years, called Trump’s recent proposal to suspend aid “a breakthrough.”

Trump's corrupt media awards: Why some pundits are angling to win

It's an obvious stunt, a finger in the media's collective eye, and the president's fans will love it.

What's more, Donald Trump will get the press to cover it (which I guess I'm doing right now).

At a time when he's in open warfare with Steve Bannon, when he's under fire for telling Kim Jong-un that he has a bigger nuclear button, the former reality show star is going to turn the tables on an industry that honors good journalism with Pulitzers and Emmys.
As the president tweeted:
"I will be announcing THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 o'clock. Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in various categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned!"
But will the stories that are recognized be "fake" or just unfavorable to the White House? Does anyone doubt that such constant Trump targets as CNN and the New York Times will be among the "winners"?
Or that the recipients—except in cases where they've had to retract admittedly false stories—will wear an award as a badge of honor?
In fact, Stephen Colbert, the most anti-Trump of the anti-Trump late-night comics, is angling for a prize. He bought a Times Square billboard that says, in Oscars style, "For Your Consideration"—listing funny reasons why he should be honored. These include "Outstanding Achievement In Parroting George Soros' Talking Points" and "Least Breitbarty."
"Nothing gives you more credibility in the biz than Donald Trump calling you a liar," the "Late Show" host told his CBS viewers.
Trevor Noah's "Daily Show" also has a for-your-consideration graphic on its Twitter feed.
I don't think this wins the president a single vote or advances his agenda a single inch. It's more like that wrestling video in which Trump body-slams a guy with a CNN head--something that will excite his base, which already distrusts the press and loves the president’s media-bashing.
Trump thinks about his presidency as an hour-by-hour exercise in programming, which is clear from his Twitter feed and the way he drives the coverage to new topics—say, NFL protestors—when he wants to change the story line. Trump's media dishonesty awards will probably be a blip, but he'll undoubtedly enjoy every minute of coverage they generate.
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. 

GOP senators refer Trump dossier author for federal investigation

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, seen at left, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., recommended the DOJ and FBI investigate the author of the anti-Trump dossier.  (Reuters)

Two top Republican senators have formally recommended that the Justice Department and FBI investigate the author of the controversial anti-Trump “dossier,” in the first known criminal referral from Congress as part of lawmakers’ Russia probes.  

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., made the referral in a Jan. 4-dated letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray. The move ramps up congressional Republicans’ investigation of the salacious document and those involved in creating it, as Special Counsel Robert Mueller continues to probe Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion with Trump associates.

INSIDE THE TRUMP DOSSIER HANDOFF: MCCAIN'S 'GO-BETWEEN' SPEAKS OUT

'I don’t take lightly making a referral for criminal investigation.'

The dossier was authored by former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele, who was hired by opposition research firm Fusion GPS. In their brief letter, the GOP lawmakers cited potential violations for false statements “the Committee has reason to believe Mr. Steele made regarding his distribution of information contained in the dossier.”
They cited Steele's communications with “multiple U.S. news outlets.”
“I don’t take lightly making a referral for criminal investigation. But, as I would with any credible evidence of a crime unearthed in the course of our investigations, I feel obliged to pass that information along to the Justice Department for appropriate review,” Grassley said in a statement.
Their letter cited potential violations of a section of the criminal code pertaining to making false statements or concealing facts. A committee tweet said investigators had reviewed material that revealed "significant inconsistencies in statements provided to authorities."
In a written statement, Graham went a step further and said he believes a special counsel should review the matter, given "how Mr. Steele conducted himself in distributing information contained in the dossier and how many stop signs the DOJ ignored in its use of the dossier."
GRASSLEY PUSHES FUSION GPS FOUNDERS TO TESTIFY IN PUBLIC
The committee has been probing the dossier’s origin for months.
Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson met with the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee behind closed doors for 10 hours in August. At the time, a Fusion GPS lawyer said Simpson “cleared the record on many matters of interest.”

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was asked to consider an investigation of the Trump dossier author.  (AP)

But tensions flared this week when GPS founders Simpson and Peter Fritsch accused congressional Republicans in a New York Times op-ed of refusing to release testimony to the public, and leaking certain details to friendly outlets.
Grassley responded by saying an invitation for the research company to testify in public remains “on the table.”
The New York Times first reported on Grassley and Graham’s referral on Friday.
The Times reported that the senators claim Steele may have lied to federal authorities specifically about his contacts with reporters regarding the dossier contents. The Times said the referral is likely based on newly obtained reports of Steele's meetings with the FBI.
Democrats fired back at the senators’ move. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in a statement: “Sadly, the first major action taken by the Republican majority on the Judiciary Committee seems to be aimed at someone who reported wrongdoing, rather than committed it.”
The unverified dossier was first published by BuzzFeed News in January 2017.
Republicans have been investigating whether the dossier fueled the original Russia probe and helped justify surveillance on Trump associates. They were emboldened after the revelation that the project got funding from the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee.

Trump retweets 'Fire and Fury' parody cover, slams Wolff, Bannon

President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Friday evening to once again take shots at "Fire and Fury" author Michael Wolff -- and former White House strategist Steve Bannon.

Trump retweeted a parody cover of the book that the Republican Party had tweeted earlier Friday, and used it as a springboard for his latest criticisms -- calling Wolff “a total loser” and saying Bannon "cried when he got fired" and has been "dumped like a dog by almost everyone" since leaving the White House in August.

The GOP's parody cover retitles the book "Liar and Phony," and surrounds a photo of Wolff with blurbs from actual reviews of his much-criticized White House exposé.
"He gets basic details wrong," a New York Times writer says about Wolff.
"Real factual errors ... makes you wonder about the overall content," notes a CNN reporter.

Video

White House tries to stop publication of 'Fire and Fury'

Then there's the full content of Trump's tweet:
“Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad!”

Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad! https://t.co/mEeUhk5ZV9

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018

Tweets unleashed
In recent days Trump has unleashed a series of tweets attacking Wolff and the content of “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” which went on sale Friday.
Trump has also targeted Bannon, whose trash-talking of the president and his family have sparked the media frenzy surounding the book's release.
For example, the book quotes Bannon dismissing Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump: “She became a White House staffer and that’s when people suddenly realized she’s as dumb as a brick.”
The book's Friday release was moved up from its original Jan. 9 release date, in part because of the swirl of publicity and also because Trump's legal team has demanded that the publication and release be halted.
In addition, the date was pushed up “due to unprecedented demand,” a spokesman for publisher Henry Holt and Company told Fox News in an email.
Earlier Friday, Trump claimed the book was merely a distraction from the investigation into the Trump team's possible collusion with Russia turning out to be a “hoax.”
“Well, now that collusion with Russia is proving to be a total hoax and the only collusion is with Hillary Clinton and the FBI/Russia, the Fake News Media (Mainstream) and this phony new book are hitting out at every new front imaginable. They should try winning an election. Sad!” Trump tweeted Friday morning.

Well, now that collusion with Russia is proving to be a total hoax and the only collusion is with Hillary Clinton and the FBI/Russia, the Fake News Media (Mainstream) and this phony new book are hitting out at every new front imaginable. They should try winning an election. Sad!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018

In a tweet Thursday, the president attacked Wolff’s credibility, claiming he “authorized Zero access to White House (actually turned him down many times),” and that he “never spoke to him for book.”
Wolff fires back
However, Wolff fired back Friday morning during an interview with NBC’s “Today,” insisting that he did speak to the president, and “whether he realized it was an interview or not – it certainly was not off the record.”

Video

Is 'Fire and Fury' fact or fiction?

Wolff claimed he spoke to the president for several hours over the course of the 2016 presidential campaign and after he took office, adding that his “window into Donald Trump is pretty significant.”
The author said he stands by his work.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday dismissed the book as “tabloid gossip” that was laced with “false and fraudulent claims.”

Author Michael Wolff says he stands by the content of his White House book, "Fire and Fury."  (Associated Press)

Among some of the claims in the book, Wolff writes that candidate Trump told his wife Melania there was no way he would win the presidential election, and that the president and first lady spend relatively little time together.
Wolff wrote the book over 18 months, in which he claims to have spoken with more than 200 people. He said he had access to top officials inside the Trump administration, including the president, according to an interview Thursday with the Hollywood Reporter that details the backstory to the book's publishing.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel Cartoons

Breitbart should 'consider' ousting Bannon, Sanders says

Breitbart News “should look at and consider” severing ties with its executive chairman, Steve Bannon, over comments that Bannon reportedly made to "Fire and Fury" author Michael Wolff.

That was White House press secretary Sarah Huckee Sanders' response Thursday when asked about Bannon's controversial remarks on President Donald Trump and his family, which appear in the new book being released Friday.

“I certainly think it’s something they should look at and consider,” Sanders said about whether Breitbart should part ways with Bannon, a former White House political strategist.
The comments attributed to Bannon in “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” include his assessment that Donald Trump Jr.’s 2016 meeting with Russians in Trump Tower was “treasonous” and “unpatriotic.”
Bannon also reportedly said that any information received from the Russians on then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton should be “dump(ed) … down to Breitbart or something like that, or maybe some other more legitimate publication.”
After Bannon's comments went public, Trump slammed his former staffer Wednesday, saying Bannon had “lost his mind” since leaving his White House job in August.
Trump’s lawyers also issued a cease and desist letter, threatening Bannon with “imminent” legal action and saying his comments to Wolff were a violation of a nondisclosure agreement he had signed during the campaign.
Meanwhile, former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci slammed Bannon for attacking Trump Jr. -- and suggested Bannon should seek help from mental health professionals.
“Donald J. Trump Jr. is a very honest person, he’s an American patriot, and to call him treasonous, you got something wrong with you, pal,” Scaramucci said during a television interview on Thursday, according to the Washington Times. “You gotta get back to your therapist, OK? And get back on the air, and take it back.”
The growing pressure on Bannon reached its peak after Republican mega-donor Rebekah Mercer – who funds Breitbart – openly rebuked Bannon, saying the Mercer family does not “support his recent actions and statements.
"I support President Trump and the platform upon which he was elected," Mercer said in a statement provided to the Washington Post. "My family and I have not communicated with Steve Bannon in many months and have provided no financial support to his political agenda, nor do we support his recent actions and statements."
Mercer also reportedly called Trump on Thursday afternoon, reiterating privately her family’s continuing support for the administration, the Daily Beast reported.
Bannon, despite the condemnations, said Trump is a “great man” during a Breitbart radio appearance Wednesday.
“You know I support him day in and day out, whether going through the country giving the Trump miracle speech or on the show or on the website,” he said.

JFK's nephew says Emanuel has plan to force black people out of Chicago

In a war of words between heavyweight names in the national Democratic establishment, a Kennedy running for governor has slammed Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel for his alleged complicity in a gentrification plan that critics say is forcing African-Americans and other minorities out of the country’s third-largest city.

“I believe that black people are being pushed out of Chicago intentionally by a strategy that involves disinvestment in communities being implemented by the city administration,” said Chris Kennedy, who is running for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination ahead of a March 20 primary. “I believe Rahm Emanuel is the head of the city administration and therefore needs to be held responsible for those outcomes,” Kennedy said, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“This is involuntary. That we’re cutting off funding for schools, cutting off funding for police, allowing people to be forced to live in food deserts, closing hospitals, closing access to mental health facilities. What choice do people have but to move, to leave?” Kennedy was quoted as saying. “And I think that’s part of a strategic gentrification plan being implemented by the city of Chicago to push people of color out of the city. The city is becoming smaller, and as it becomes smaller, it’s become whiter.”

Chicago's Rahm Emanuel, left, was criticized by Chris Kennedy, who is running for the state's gubernatorial nomination.

Kennedy, the son of late U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, is hoping to appeal to African-American voters in a primary challenge against Chicago businessman J.B. Pritzker. The Kennedy name still carries resonance among older African-American voters in Chicago due to the role the Massachusetts political family played in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.

More on this...

Kennedy, who moved to Illinois after graduating college in 1986, is the head of the family investment firm, Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises, and is a member of the mutual fund board of trustees for Chicago-based Ariel Investments. While this is Kennedy’s first run at elected office, he worked on his uncle U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy's bid for the 1980 Democratic Party's nomination for president, and hosted a fundraiser for Barack Obama during his bid for the U.S. Senate in 2004.
The Obama Foundation did not respond to Fox News's request for comment.
Emanuel’s office responded to Kennedy’s criticism by associating him with two Republican politicians who have little support in the Democratic stronghold of Chicago: President Donald Trump and Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel takes questions from press.  (AP)

“It’s sad to see Chris Kennedy joining President Trump and Gov. Rauner in using cynical, politically motivated attacks about Chicago’s communities for his own personal gain,” Emanuel spokesman Matt McGrath said in a statement. “His divisive comments today are a direct assault on one of this city’s greatest strengths — our diversity.”
Emanuel, the one-time White House chief of staff to former President Barack Obama, came into office in 2011 amid high hopes. But his tenure as mayor has been plagued by a series of scandals, and a soaring homicide rate. While Emanuel’s approval rating has improved recently – hovering around 50 percent – he has become a frequent target of President Trump’s critiques of “inner city” crime.
The attacks from Trump are expected, but such harsh criticism by Kennedy was not expected. According to McGrath, Kennedy has “ignored work being done in neighborhoods across the city” to “improve the quality of life for everyone who calls Chicago home.”
In a statement to the Tribune, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Kennedy was out of touch with the city’s efforts to reduce violent crime.
“I’ve never heard from Chris Kennedy. I’ve never even met him. He’s never visited a police station or asked me or my team for any kind of briefing on what we are doing in Chicago to address the gang violence and ongoing infusion of illegal guns on our streets,” Johnson said. “I’m not a politician, but I do take issue with the hard work our men and women are doing to beat back this violence is used to score political points.”
Despite the Kennedy name, the candidate has struggled to raise campaign funds, and lacks the backing of the state’s Democratic establishment. Despite this, he has recently ramped up his criticisms of fellow Democrats besides Emanuel. He called for the ouster of Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, the county’s Democratic chairman, after an investigation found that his office’s assessments had so many errors and favored owners of expensive commercial properties.

DOJ deal gives Nunes access to 'all' documents, witnesses sought in Russia probe, letter says

House investigators will get access this week to “all remaining investigative documents” – in unredacted form – that they had sought as part of their Russia inquiry, under a deal between Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., according to a letter obtained by Fox News.

The letter, from Nunes to Rosenstein, summarizes an “agreement” reached on a phone call Wednesday evening and also says key FBI and Justice Department witnesses in the probe will be provided for interviews later this month.

"It is my hope that this agreement will provide the Committee with all outstanding documents and witnesses necessary to complete its investigations," Nunes wrote.

Devin Nunes is getting full access to Russia documents.

The agreement comes after the DOJ and FBI faced a Wednesday deadline to comply, under the threat of new subpoenas and even contempt citations. Under deadline pressure, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Rosenstein met Wednesday with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to discuss the demands from the intelligence committee.
Nunes’ letter outlines the terms of the deal reached, as he seeks information that could shed light on whether the controversial anti-Trump “dossier” was used to open the Russia probe and justify surveillance on Trump campaign officials.
Nunes wrote that the committee is “extremely concerned by indications that top U.S. Government officials who were investigating a presidential campaign relied on unverified information that was funded by the opposing political campaign and was based on Russian sources.”

The investigation is being led by special counsel Robert Mueller.  (AP, File)

This is a reference to the dossier’s funding from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign. Opposition research firm Fusion GPS hired former British spy Christopher Steele to compile the document, which contained salacious allegations about Trump.
The congressman originally issued subpoenas for related records on Aug. 24 that remain in effect, but the committee was stonewalled by the Justice Department and FBI for months.
Nunes said committee investigators and staff will now have access to all remaining documents during a review at the Justice Department on Friday.
According to the letter, committee investigators also will get access to eight key witnesses this month including FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page, who exchanged anti-Trump text messages during an affair and previously worked on the special counsel’s Russia probe; FBI general counsel James Baker, who was reassigned; FBI head of counterintelligence Bill Priestap, whom ex-FBI boss James Comey testified made the decision not to brief Congress about the Russia case during last year's election; and Bruce Ohr, a DOJ official reassigned after concealing meetings with figures involved in the dossier.
The witnesses are directly tied to allegations of political bias.
Nunes wrote that outstanding text messages between Strzok and Page will be delivered by Jan. 11.
The agreement could subject the DOJ and FBI to a level of scrutiny to which they are not accustomed.
"The FBI in particular is not used to having its inner discussions kind of brought to light, and I think that's of huge concern for probably people at the FBI," former Justice Department official Robert Driscoll said.

Justice Department investigating Clinton Foundation over 'pay to play' allegations

Former presidential candidate goes 'Onward' with new anti-Trump resistance PAC, but 'Clinton Cash' author Peter Schweizer follows the money to find out what has become of The Clinton Foundation and delve into reports of insider trading in Congress #Tucker

The Justice Department has launched a new investigation into allegations the Clinton Foundation used "pay to play" politics while Hillary Clinton was U.S. secretary of state, Fox News has confirmed.

A source familiar with the investigation told Fox News late Thursday the investigation is being led by the U.S. Attorney’s office and the FBI in Little Rock, Ark.

Fox News also has learned investigators are looking into whether the Clinton Foundation violated tax law. Accusers of "pay to play" have claimed the foundation promised favors in exchange for donations or pledges of cash or gifts.
The Hill, which broke the story Thursday evening, added that FBI agents have taken the lead in the investigation and have interviewed at least one witness in the last month.
JUDICIAL WATCH: EMAILS SHOW CLINTON FOUNDATION 'PAY FOR PLAY' SCHEME
The witness said that agents inquired specifically about donations to Clinton entities and official government actions during Clinton's leadership of the State Department under President Obama, according to the Hill.
The Hill reported that law enforcement officials said there will be "additional activities" relating to the investigation in the coming weeks.
In a statement to Fox News, Clinton Foundation spokesman Craig Minassian suggested that the organization had done nothing improper.
“Time after time, the Clinton Foundation has been subjected to politically motivated allegations, and time after time these allegations have been proven false," Minassian said. "None of this has made us waver in our mission to help people."
Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill told Fox News that the investigation is an attempt by the Trump administration to distract the public.
"Let’s call this what it is: A sham," Merrill said. "This is a philanthropy that does life-changing work, which Republicans have tried to turn into a political football.  It  began with a long-debunked project spearheaded by Steve Bannon during the presidential campaign.  It continues with Jeff Sessions doing Trump’s bidding by heeding his calls to meddle with a department that is supposed to function independently. The goal is to distract from the indictments, guilty pleas, and accusations of treason from Trump’s own people at the expense of our justice system’s integrity. It’s disgraceful, and should be concerning to all Americans."
Late last year, Attorney General Jeff Sessions told prosecutors to evaluate “certain issues” raised by congressional Republicans cocerning alleged unlawful dealings related to the Clinton Foundation, leading to speculation about the potential appointment of another special counsel.
In September, the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch said that emails from Clinton aide Huma Abedin's account showed Clinton Foundation donors requesting and receiving favors from the State Department.
Federal investigators are also reviewing Clinton's use of a private email server when she was secretary of state, according to The Daily Beast.

Mitt Romney Cartoons

Forget 2012! Press embraces Mitt Romney for Trump detractor-in-chief

The press is developing a strange new respect for Mitt Romney.

You know, the guy who drew such derision and ridicule when he ran for president in 2012.

That guy was widely depicted as an out-of-touch plutocrat who had a house with a car elevator, babbled about binders full of women, and strapped his dog to the roof of the family car.
Ah, but as Romney gears up to run for the Senate in the wake of Orrin Hatch's retirement, many pundits have found something to love about the man:
He's a fierce critic of President Trump.
And that's why the press has been in a run-Mitt-run mode.
Romney is considered the heavy favorite in Utah now that Hatch, at 83, says he’s hanging it up. And there is media excitement at the prospect of having a nationally known Trump detractor in Washington.
CNN says it all in the lead: "The Republican opposition to President Donald Trump is poised to get a new champion: Mitt Romney."
Politico delights in "the fraught relationship between the Republican heavyweights — one that will now take center stage as Romney prepares a Senate bid."
Center stage! That didn't take long.
Now it's obviously true that Trump and Romney don't exactly think highly of each other. The president, who backed the former Massachusetts governor six years ago, later accused him of choking like a dog. And Romney ripped the president last year, despite the little dance they had when Trump was ostensibly considering him for secretary of State—which never seemed like a serious prospect.
"While laying the groundwork for a prospective bid," Politico says, "Romney has made little secret that he will be unafraid of taking on the president. The 2012 GOP nominee has informed a series of Republican Party donors, senators and power brokers in recent weeks that, while he isn't looking to pick a fight with Trump, he is more than willing to speak out against him. During the 2016 campaign, Romney derided Trump as a 'phony' and 'fraud' and implored the party to nominate someone else ...
"Romney is also guided by frustration with the president ... The president and his top advisers remain suspicious of Romney, who criticized Trump over the course of his first year in office."
The New York Times says "Romney’s potential ascent is particularly alarming to the White House because the former presidential candidate has an extensive political network and could use the Senate seat as a platform to again seek the nomination. Even if he were not to run again for president, a Senator Romney could prove a pivotal swing vote, impervious to the entreaties of a president he has scorned and able to rally other Trump skeptics in the chamber."
Now some of this may be wishful thinking. Liberal Washington Post blogger Greg Sargent says the expectation is "that Romney will vote for Trump’s policy agenda 99.9999 percent of the time." But since the president is "catastrophically unfit to serve," in his view, left-wingers "should hope that Romney does become at least a serious voice of opposition to Trump."
Obviously, a presidential candidate draws far tougher media scrutiny than someone running for one of 100 Senate seats. And candidate Romney made more than his share of mistakes. But most of the media back then were wedded to a portrait of Romney as a wealthy 1950s sitcom dad who liked firing poor people.
Now that he’s poised to take on Donald Trump rather than running against Barack Obama, Romney is getting a far warmer media reception.

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. 

Matt Lauer still sending notes to 'Today' producers, report says

Fired "Today" host Matt Lauer has been sending unsolicited feedback to show producers, despite being kicked to the curb more than a month ago. 

The New York Post reported late Wednesday that Lauer's notes include critiquing the music that was used to launch a segment on the long-running news program. 

The report added that Lauer's feedback has "not been warmly received by 'Today' staff."

Video

Ex-NBC staffer details secret affair with Matt Lauer

Lauer was dismissed in late November after a colleague accused him of what NBC described as "inappropriate sexual behavior" at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Reports in Variety and The New York Times detailed a sordid history of sexual harassment and assault allegations against the anchor, who had been a fixture on "Today" since the mid-1990s.
The allegations against Lauer led to criticism of NBC News executives, some of whom were accused of turning a blind eye to the sordid deeds of one of the network's highest-paid stars.
EX-NBC NEWS PRODUCTION ASSISTANT REVEALS SECRET RELATIONSHIP WITH MATT LAUER
Addie Collins Zinone, a former NBC production assistant who had a consensual relationship with Lauer in the summer of 2000, wrote in Variety that there was "no way [Lauer] could have gotten away with it without others above him making these situations go away — manipulating, strategizing, whatever it is they did to wield their power against the powerless."

Video

Matt Lauer still living with wife, no plans for a comeback

In a statement after his firing, Lauer said, "Repairing the damage [from the allegations] will take a lot of time and soul searching and I’m committed to beginning that effort. It is now my full-time job."
MATT LAUER STILL LIVING WITH WIFE IN HAMPTONS AS SOURCE REVEALS DISGRACED HOST JUST WANTS TO 'PLAY GOLF'
A source told the Post last month that Lauer "plans to disappear and play golf ... and stay in the Hamptons. He has no intention of mounting a Billy Bush-style comeback campaign. He is going to stick to his one statement and not address the allegations further."
On Tuesday, NBC named Hoda Kotb as co-anchor of the "Today' show's first two hours with Savannah Guthrie, the first all-female team to headline "Today" in the show's 65-year history.

House Intel committee to get long-sought documents from DOJ on Fusion GPS, Nunes says

The House and Justice Department reached a deal late Wednesday to provide records relevant to investigations of possible Trump 2016 campaign ties to Russia that could shed a light on whether the infamous Trump-Russia “dossier” was used to justify surveillance on Trump campaign officials and kick-start the FBI investigation.

The deal comes after FBI Director Christopher Wray and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein met with House Speaker Paul Ryan to talk about the demands by the Republican-led House Intelligence Committee to turn over documents related to the probe into the allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election campaign to prop-up the Republican candidate against Hillary Clinton, Reuters reported.

"After speaking to Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein this evening, I believe the House Intelligence Committee has reached an agreement with the Department of Justice that will provide the committee with access to all the documents and witnesses we have requested," House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes said in the statement. "The committee looks forward to receiving access to the documents over the coming days.”
Last month, Nunes reportedly threatened to vote to hold the DOJ and FBI in contempt of Congress if they did not turn over the sought materials.
The House intelligence committee reportedly issued subpoenas to Wray and Rosenstein in August – with a deadline to comply in September – requesting records related to the bureau’s relationship with former British spy Christopher Steele who produced the salacious yet unverified “dossier”.

WOW, @foxandfrlends “Dossier is bogus. Clinton Campaign, DNC funded Dossier. FBI CANNOT (after all of this time) VERIFY CLAIMS IN DOSSIER OF RUSSIA/TRUMP COLLUSION. FBI TAINTED.” And they used this Crooked Hillary pile of garbage as the basis for going after the Trump Campaign!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 26, 2017

The dossier has come under increased scrutiny after it was revealed that it received funding from the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, prompting Trump to accuse the FBI of using “this Crooked Hillary pile of garbage” dossier to go after his campaign.
The panel, led by Nunes, also sought to know to what extent the dossier was used to justify FISA warrants to surveil Trump campaign adviser Carter Page and to launch the FBI’s probe into Russian alleged interference in the 2016 election campaign.
Both agencies refused to comply with the issued subpoenas until now, according to Reuters, because the FBI was in the process of conducting their investigation, as supervised by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Trump lawyer threatens 'imminent' legal action against Steve Bannon, gives 24 hours to cease and desist

President Trump’s lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter Wednesday night and threatened ‘imminent’ legal action against former top strategist Steve Bannon, capping a whirlwind day marked by a no-holds-barred war of words between the two men.

The letter is a response to sharply critical comments that Bannon reportedly made to journalist Michael Wolff about Trump’s campaign and leadership.

Charles Harder, Trump’s attorney, charges in the letter that Bannon violated a non-disclosure agreement signed during the campaign by disclosing confidential information, speaking to the media about the campaign and disparaging members of the Trump family.
Additionally, Harder suggests that Bannon told lies that defamed and slandered Trump.
FLEISCHER: TRUMP STATEMENT LIKE A '2x4 TO THE HEAD' OF BANNON
 “You have breached the Agreement by, among other things, communicating with author Michael Wolff about Mr. Trump, his family members, and the Company (the Trump campaign), disclosing Confidential Information to Mr. Wolff, and making disparaging statements and in some cases outright defamatory statements to Mr. Wolff about Mr. Trump, his family members, and the Company,” Trump attorney Charles Harder wrote to Bannon.
In a statement Wednesday night, Harder wrote that Bannon’s actions give rise to “numerous legal claims including defamation by libel and slander, and breach of his written confidentiality and non-disparagement agreement with our clients. Legal action is imminent.”
Harder requests in the letter that Bannon cease publishing defamatory or confidential information and immediately begin preserving relevant documents, a standard demand typically made before the commencement of legal action.
"Please confirm in writing within twenty-four (24) hours of the transmission of this letter that the foregoing demands will be, and are being, fully complied with," the letter states.
Bannon told Wolff in an interview that senior Trump officials’ meeting with Russians in Trump Tower in 2016 was “treasonous” and “unpatriotic,” multiple outlets reported.
“[T]hey’re going to crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV,” Bannon added, according to accounts of the interview.
And in excerpts from Wolff’s upcoming book, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” also published Wednesday, Bannon is quoted maligning the Trump campaign’s organization and divulging other details of his time in the White House.
Trump fired back in an official White House statement later in the day.
“Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my presidency,” the statement said. “When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind.”
“Steve had very little to do with our historic victory, which was delivered by the forgotten men and women of this country,” Trump added. “Yet Steve had everything to do with the loss of a Senate seat in Alabama held for more than thirty years by Republicans. Steve doesn’t represent my base—he’s only in it for himself.”
Bannon appeared on Sirius XM’s Patriot Channel’s “Breitbart News Tonight” late Wednesday and called Trump a “great man.” When asked by a caller about Trump’s comments about him on Twitter, Bannon appeared to shake off Trump’s remarks.
“You know I support him day in and day out, whether going through the country giving the Trump miracle speech or on the show or on the website,” he said.

New York Times Fake News Cartoons

It's a new year: Trump takes whack at New York Times' new publisher

No sooner did the new publisher of the New York Times promise his readers to uphold the principles of independent journalism yesterday than President Trump took a giant whack at the paper.

Welcome to 2018, which is shaping up much the same as 2017 when it comes to the president and the press.

A.G. Sulzberger, who just took over the job from his father, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., said in a full-page letter:
"Misinformation is rising and trust in the media is declining as technology platforms elevate clickbait, rumor and propaganda over real journalism, and politicians jockey for advantage by inflaming suspicion of the press."
Well, he’s right about the declining trust part. And it’s not hard to figure out which "inflaming" politician he had in mind.
That person quickly got on Twitter and said: "Get impartial journalists of a much higher standard, lose all of your phony and non-existent 'sources,' and treat the President of the United States FAIRLY, so that the next time I (and the people) win, you won't have to write an apology to your readers for a job poorly done!"
(Actually, Sulzberger Jr. had written a public letter after the 2016 election asking: "Did Donald Trump’s sheer unconventionality lead us and other news outlets to underestimate his support among American voters?" There was no apology.)
Just last week, President Trump told the same newspaper that he has an ace in the hole for 2020: the press.
Now this might seem a tad counterintuitive, since he has been lambasting the news business for more than two years as a bastion of bias, a fortress of fake news. And much of the media have responded with aggressive coverage that every study has found to be predominantly negative.
If there's any entity out there that is not exactly disposed to give this president the benefit of the doubt, it’s the fourth estate.
Yet Trump believes that, when it comes to the bottom line, the media need him.
This is not based on unnamed sources, whose very existence is often challenged by the president, but from the newsmaker-in-chief himself.
As Trump told Times reporter Michael Schmidt:
"Another reason that I'm going to win another four years, is because newspapers, television, all forms of media will tank if I'm not there because without me, their ratings are going down the tubes ...
"So they basically have to let me win. And eventually, probably six months before the election, they'll be loving me because they're saying, 'Please, please, don't lose Donald Trump.' O.K."
Well, let’s just say I’m skeptical about the "have to let me win" part. But I’ve been saying for a long time that Trump, as a political phenomenon, has been a gold mine for the media business.
Fox News was the highest-rated cable network in 2017, for the second straight year. But MSNBC and CNN also had record-breaking years. The Times is not so failing, enjoying a mammoth surge of digital subscriptions.
In fact, there are very few media outlets that haven’t benefited from Trump’s nonstop newsmaking. Those openly opposed to Trump are marketing themselves to the resistance, those openly backing Trump appeal to his loyal supporters (who don’t trust the MSM), and those that are trying to position themselves in the middle benefit from a hyped-up atmosphere in which everyone is debating politics, from the coffee shop to Twitter and Facebook.
That’s the great irony of this new era: the media, targeted and taunted by Trump, are also riding the financial wave he’s created.
And the president, in turn, feeds off the constant media attention to drive his agenda.
As a businessman, it's not surprising that Trump believes the press will want to keep the cash registers ringing after 2020. He thinks in terms of monetizing assets. He once threatened to pull out of a CNN debate, noting the soaring advertising rates, unless its president Jeff Zucker donated the profits to veterans' causes.
But most journalists don't think like corporate suits. The notion that they would go easy on Trump in the next campaign to avoid killing the golden goose strikes me as far-fetched (though they have a responsibility to be equally tough on the Democratic candidate). In fact, I could imagine many pundits taking a victory lap if they felt they had contributed to sending the president back to Trump Tower.
Donald Trump undoubtedly knows this. I suspect he's trolling the media, having a little fun at their expense. But he's also right that the constant combat has been ringing their cash registers.
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. 

US judge orders release of detained Iraqis waiting deportation over criminal convictions

U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith, Obama appointed

 

A U.S. District Judge in Detroit snubbed the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants on Tuesday, ordering the federal government to either release or grant bond hearings to Iraqi immigrants waiting to be deported due to criminal records.

U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith said in the ruling that the Iraqis held in custody for six months or longer must either be granted a bond hearing or be released within 30 days, Reuters reported.

“Our legal tradition rejects warehousing human beings while their legal rights are being determined,” wrote the judge in the ruling.
Roughly 1,400 Iraqi immigrants, including hundreds already in custody, are facing deportations back to their native country due to criminal convictions. Until recently Iraq refused to take them back, but an apparent deal between the Iraqi and U.S. governments in March allowed the government to proceed with the crackdown.
The move against Iraqi immigrants with criminal convictions was part of a larger move by the Trump administration to enforce existing immigration laws and ensure other countries - which previously ignored U.S. calls to take their citizens back – comply with the orders.
But last year, Goldsmith halted the deportations of the Iraqis, claiming they, many of whom are Christians, would be subjected to dangers in the country over their religion.
“Each petitioner faces the risk of torture or death on the basis of residence in America and publicized criminal records. Many will also face persecution as a result of a particular religious affiliation,” the judge said.
He also said that the U.S. government does not have a “written agreement” with Iraq regarding the cooperation and it remains unclear if the country wishes to take back its nationals, according to Reuters.

Sen. Orrin Hatch announces he will not run for re-election in 2018

The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, at a House-Senate conference meeting last month. He will not seek re-election in 2018, he announced.  (Reuters/Joshua Roberts)

Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, the longest-serving GOP senator, announced Tuesday that he would not seek re-election in 2018 – opening up a possible pathway to the political resurrection of 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

Hatch, 83, who first took his seat in 1977, had been debating whether to run again, and President Trump had publicly beseeched him not to retire.

In a video statement released Tuesday, however, Hatch said that he would vacate his seat at the end of his term.
"I was an amateur boxer in my youth, and I brought that fighting spirit with me to Washington,” Hatch said. “But every good fighter knows when to hang up the gloves. And for me, that time is soon approaching.”
Romney, a former governor of Massachussets and a vocal critic of the president, is widely reported to be considering running for Hatch’s seat. In a statement, Romney said Hatch had "represented the interests of Utah with distinction and honor."
The move is a blow for Trump, who pushed Hatch to stay on in a visit to Utah in December.
“We hope you will continue to serve your state and your country in the Senate for a very long time to come,” Trump said.
Hatch has been a strong supporter of the president’s agenda, and as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee was a key player in getting the tax reform bill passed in December.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at the daily press briefing on Tuesday that Trump was "very sad" to see Hatch leave.
“The president certainly has the greatest and deepest amount of respect for Senator Hatch and his over four decades of experience in the Senate,” Sanders said. “He is particularly thankful for the senator's leadership and massive effort that he played and the role that he played in getting the tax cut and reform package passed.”
Trump later took to Twitter to congratulate Hatch "on an absolutely incredible career."
"He has been a tremendous supporter, and I will never forget the (beyond kind) statements he has made about me as President. He is my friend and he will be greatly missed in the U.S. Senate!" the president said.
In his statement, Hatch noted that he had authored more bills that became law than any living member of Congress. He also hailed the passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act as one of his proudest legislative achievements.
“I'm deeply grateful for the privilege you've given me to serve as your senator these last four decades,” he said in the statement. “I may be leaving the Senate, but the next chapter in my public service is just beginning.”