Good Thursday Morning.
Here’s what’s on the President’s agenda today:
- In the morning, President Donald J. Trump will receive his daily intelligence briefing.
- The President will then meet with National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster. (This meeting should be fun.)
- Later in the morning, the President will participate in a Department of Veterans Affairs Telehealth Event.
- In the evening, the President will depart the White House for Joint Base Andrews, en route to Huntington, West Virginia. The President will then participate in a Make America Great Again Rally.
- Later in the evening, the President will depart Huntington, West Virginia, for Washington, D.C., en route to the White House.
Stephen Miller smartsplains
Yesterday’s White House press conference was exciting! Stephen Miller, break-out Trump administration star, explained to the elite media about things like the law of supply and demand and that those who apply to become a U.S. citizen must pass an English language test. Jim Acosta also learned that “The Wall” has nothing to do with green cards.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders described the Miller/Acosta exchange as Miller putting “him [Acosta] in his place.” SHS was skeptical CNN would show the entire exchange. “But my guess is, it’s not the version where Stephen Miller puts him in his place,” she said on FNC’s Hannity.
Miller also dished out some studies for NYT’s Glenn Thrush, better known as a Clinton campaign “hack.” Miller also floated a possible policy of replacing journalists with an influx of low-skilled immigrant labor.
“Maybe it’s time we had compassion, Glenn, for American workers. President Trump has met with American workers who have been replaced by foreign workers and ask them how this has affected their lives,” Miller said.
“If you look at the premise, Glenn, of bringing in low-skilled labor, it’s based on the idea that there’s a labor shortage for lower-skilled jobs. There isn’t,” he said. “The number of people living in the United States in the working ages who aren’t working today is at a record high.”
General Kelly to Sessions: You’re Safe
According to a report, new Chief of Staff General John Kelly called Attorney General Jeff Sessions and told him his job is safe.
Citing two people familiar with the conversation who did not want to be identified, The Associated Press reported that Kelly called Sessions on Saturday, stressing the White House remained “supportive” and wanted the former Republican U.S. senator to “continue his job.”
Kelly, who was sworn in Monday to replace embattled White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, said Trump was still “annoyed” with Sessions over his decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation, Reuters reported. Citing an unnamed senior U.S. official, there had been a “kind of a thaw” in Trump’s attitude against Sessions, according to Reuters.
President Trump has been public about his frustration that Sessions had recused himself from the RUSSIA investigation. Trump told the New York Times that he would not have nominated Session for the AG job if he had known Sessions would recuse himself. Hopefully, Kelly’s latest action will put to rest speculation that Sessions is on his way out.
Iran: Sanctioning us violates the nuclear “deal”
Yesterday, President Trump grudgingly signed a bill of sanctions against Iran (and RUSSIA and North Korea) and Iran has some thoughts about that.
Iran is reiterating its allegation that the new U.S, sanctions on Tehran signed by President Donald Trump the previous day constitute a “breach” of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
Iranian state TV website on Thursday quoted deputy foreign minister and senior nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi as saying that the “deal is breached.”
He warned that Iran will come up with a “smart” reaction to the sanctions not get itself “entangled in U.S. policies”
And there is a list of 16 measures Iran will take against the U.S. as a result but we don’t know what’s on the list. One detail coming out of Iran is that they will “improve” the Iranian military.
Picture of the day
One of the newly born cheetah quintuplets is licked by its mother Savannah at their enclosure at the zoo in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017. The five cubs, three male and two female, were born on May 15, 2017. Scientists say every cheetah cub is critical to saving the species, which is threatened with extinction in the wild. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Other morsels:
Researchers say that rising greenhouse gas levels could make your food less nutritious
US Air Force test-launches missile
Officer helps 4-year-old girl monster-proof her home
University moves 9/11 flag display to avoid triggering students
Chick-fil-A patrons trash restaurant after heated exchange with staff
Former head of DC veterans hospital fired after investigation
Senators say Mattis, Tillerson open to updating president’s war powers
White House women meet with military spouses
Needy Illinois schools face anxiety over looming state aid cutoff
And that’s all I’ve got, now go beat back the angry mob!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member