The Morning Briefing: Shutdown, FAKE NEWS Awards, RUSSIA Latest and Much, Much More

Good Thursday morning.

Here is what’s on the President’s agenda today:

In the morning the President will meet with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
The President will then head to Arlington, Virginia, to meet with senior Pentagon officials.
In the afternoon, the President will head to Joint Base Andrews en route to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The President will arrive at H&K Electric and deliver remarks.
After the remarks the President will then return to Washington D.C. and the White House.

Must-read of the day: Hillary Clinton confidant was interviewed by FBI in connection to the salacious dossier

Now, why would the FBI interview Sidney Blumenthal? Did the FBI know that the dossier was paid for by the Clinton campaign and the DNC when they interviewed Blumenthal? Curious.

FAKE NEWS winners revealed!

The media is so deranged, the president has enough material to give these awards out on a daily basis. Last night the president revealed his FAKE NEWS awards just like Stalin did. On his list and a surprise to no one were The Washington Post, CNN, and The New York Times. The president offered 10 examples of FAKE NEWS. Tell me in the comments which was your favorite FAKE NEWS story.

The entries focused on stories where the media outlets had admitted errors and issued corrections, like those by ABC News’ Brian Ross, who was suspended and then reassigned for an erroneous report on Trump and former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Other entries included Time’s mistaken report about Martin Luther King Jr.’s bust being removed from the Oval Office and CNN’s incorrect reporting on when Donald Trump, Jr. had access to hacked WikiLeaks documents.

But it wasn’t all bad FAKE NEWS. The president also added: “Despite some very corrupt and dishonest media coverage, there are many great reporters I respect and lots of GOOD NEWS for the American people to be proud of!” Here’s PJ Media’s coverage of the story.

Will they or won’t they?

Will the government shut down tomorrow? Politico says the Republicans don’t have the votes to avoid a shutdown and that means shutting down the government will either be characterized as the most noble thing ever (the Democrats are heroes fighting for the DACA kids) or the Republican are monsters (people won’t get their critical healthcare and Social Security checks).e We’ll see which one the media picks but it could be both.

The Democrats are refusing to go along with the funding bill over immigration disagreements. Allegedly, Chief of Staff John Kelly told Democrats that some of Trump’s immigration views were “uninformed.” Meghan McCain sticks it to Senator Dicky Durbin for leaking the “sh!thole” immigration negotiations.

Dispatches from the RUSSIA investigation

The Washington Post’s David Ignatius reports that the FBI shared information about the RUSSIA probe with dossier author Christopher Steele.

Ignatius reports that Steele, a former MI6 agent, met with an old FBI contact in Rome around Oct. 1, 2016 to share findings from his investigation into Donald Trump’s and the Trump campaign’s associations with the Russian government.

“At this meeting, the FBI official asked Steele if he had ever heard of Papadopoulos,” reports Ignatius, who cited an official familiar with the meeting as his source.

According to Ignatius, Steele had not heard of Papadopoulos, a little-known energy consultant who joined the Trump campaign as a volunteer adviser in March 2016. He pleaded guilty in October to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian nationals while working on the campaign.

Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski clammed up before the House Intelligence Committee yesterday.

Lewandowski told lawmakers that he was not prepared to answer questions that related to anything after he left the Trump campaign in June 2016, according to multiple sources, but said he was willing to return at a later date.

Leaker Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) was not happy to hear this and threatened to subpoena Lewandowski. Not so fast. “Why? He said he would answer every question—just not today,” said Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.). “He said he’ll come back and he’ll do it in public.”

No chance for leaking public testimony, Schiff, sorry.

Jeff Flake has tantrum on Senate floor

I’ve had enough of this guy. Senator Jeff Flake (R-ONHISWAYOUT) delivered a self-serving speech criticizing President Trump yesterday. Here are his remarks if you missed it.

In his speech, Flake connected bloody dictator Joseph Stalin with President Trump. It seems the swampsters don’t like getting called out by the peresident. Our own Tyler O’Neil explains why that’s not really true:

This is a marked difference from Stalin, who as dictator of Soviet Russia censored newspapers, literature, pictures, and film, and whose “purges” directly caused the deaths of an estimated three million people. His policies also sparked a famine, however, leading to the deaths of 18-45 million.

President Trump’s tally? A big fat zero. Trump has not silenced any news outlet, and he has not killed any political foes. The president hasn’t censored books, videos, or television shows — even after the team behind the Hulu series “The Handmaid’s Tale” announced that they had joined the “Resistance” against him.

Silly stuff.

Despite positive physician report, media insist Trump sick, ailing

I certainly hope you watched the greatest press conference ever conducted in the history of the United States on Tuesday when the official presidential physician revealed the physical condition of the president. Aside from being a little chunky, Trump is in impressive shape. (Go KETO!) The newly minted medical expert media is still focused on the assessment, challenging Dr. Ronny Jackson’s findings despite being entirely unqualified to deliver a medical assessment of any kind.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, dispatched by the CNN for the press conference specifically to stir up some trouble, claims the president has heart disease. The New York Times asserts that “outside experts” say Trump has “serious heart concerns.” The real doctor told the media that Trump has “excellent” cardiac health. Way to go, media!

Historical picture of the day:

President Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan wipe tears during an emotional farewell with White House staffers in Washington, D.C., Jan. 18, 1989. President Reagan will leave office on Jan. 20, when President-elect George H.W. Bush will be inaugurated. They will return to California after eight years in the White House. (AP Photo/Barry Thumma)

Other morsels:

WATCH: Bob Dole receives Congressional Gold Medal

Trump administration to bar Haitians from seasonal work visas

Today show executive producer steps down to spend more time with his children

North Korea reportedly plans to hold a military event, one day before the Winter Olympics kick off in South Korea

Journalist imprisoned in Iran returning to Washington Post to cover foreign affairs

President Trump to address March for Life via satellite

Human Rights Watch says Trump era encourages world dictators

ICE To Execute Biggest Immigration Enforcement Op Of Trump’s Presidency

Northern California police refuse to cooperate in upcoming ICE raids: report

Army Vet Destroys Maxine Waters For Not Giving Him Her Unused State Of The Union Seat

Apple To Pay $38 Billion In Taxes On Overseas Cash, Invest Billions Into United States, And Give $2500 In Stock To Some Employees