Trump Declares No New Sanctions on Russia
President Trump rejected the latest round of sanctions set to be imposed against Russia on Monday, a course change that underscored the schism between the president and his national security team. Administration officials said Monday it was unlikely Trump would approve any additional sanctions without another triggering event by Russia, describing the strategy as being in a holding pattern.
The president’s ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, had announced on Sunday’s “Face the Nation” that the administration would place sanctions on Russian companies found to be assisting Syria’s chemical weapons program.
Administration officials said the economic sanctions were under serious consideration, along with other measures that could be taken against Russia, but said Trump had not given final authorization to implement them. After Haley’s comments on CBS on Sunday, the Trump administration notified the Russian Embassy in Washington that the sanctions were not in fact coming, a Russian Foreign Ministry official said Monday.
In a Washington Post-ABC News poll, 71% of voters would support tougher U.S. sanctions against Russia, while 19% would not.
Voters were also asked “Do you think Trump should hold a summit meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the White House in order to try to improve U.S.-Russian relations?” 51% said Trump should hold a summit and 43% said Trump should NOT hold a summit.
James Comey brings up Bill’s Super Bowl Interview
In the unedited version of James Comey’s “20/20” interview George Stephanopoulos and Comey brought up Bill’s Super Bowl Interview with Donald Trump.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: So where did the conversation go?
JAMES COMEY: The president was talking about something that had happened during an airing of an interview he did with Bill O'Reilly on Fox—
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Oh the Super Bowl interview --
JAMES COMEY: Yeah. The Super Bowl pre-game show where-- and I hadn't asked any questions about this, but the president was just talking about it, he had given an answer to Bill O'Reilly that had been much criticized across the political spectrum when he had said, in response to a question, that he respected Vladimir Putin and said, "That doesn't mean I'm going to get along with him." And then O'Reilly responded, "But he's a killer." And the president responded, in substance, "But we're killers, too. You think our country's so innocent." I forget the exact words, but that's the gist of it. And that moral equivalence, between the people of our government and Putin's thugs, had generated a lot of controversy.
Connection Between Michael Cohen and Sean Hannity?
On Monday, April 16th, it was revealed that Fox News Host, Sean Hannity, is the third client of Michael Cohen.
Michael Cohen, President Trump's personal lawyer, appeared in court Monday about FBI raids last week of his office, home and hotel room. The hearing was held at a federal court in New York City.
Cohen’s lawyer argued that his legal team or a court-appointed attorney should be able to review the materials seized in the raids to determine whether certain documents are protected by attorney–client privilege.
In weighing the merits of the case, Judge Kimba Wood ordered Michael Cohen to provide information about his clients. He had already disclosed his work for Trump and GOP donor Elliott Broidy. Before releasing the name of the third client, Cohen’s lawyers tried to keep Sean Hannity’s identity a secret, explaining that the client didn’t want his name made public. “I’m trying to protect the privacy of that individual, your honor,” Cohen’s attorney, Stephen Ryan told Judge Wood.
Sean Hannity's connection to the case is the latest twist in a proceeding that has pitted Trump against his own Justice Department.
Midterm Election Madness
The biennial election for representatives from all 435 Congressional Districts will take place on November 6, 2018. Winners will be sworn in to serve in the 116th Congress in January, 2019. While some may be nervous that Democrats will take over Congress, the polls show that it will be a close match.
In a Washington Post-ABC News 43% of registered voters said that they would vote for a Republican, this number is up from 39% in January 2018.
Currently, the House of Representatives is currently made up of 237 Republicans, 193 Democrats and there are 5 vacancies. The Republican Party currently controls the U.S. House, where 218 seats are needed for control. The U.S. Senate has 51 Republicans and 49 Democrats (including two independents). There are 35 seats up in 2018, of which 26 are held by Democrats.
Premium Member Video Submission
Robert Smith, INDIANAPOLIS, IN: Hello BillOReilly.com Premium Members. I want to share with you my analysis of the midterm elections for the House of Representatives coming up in November. Let’s take a look at the projected party split based on the historical averages. According to Gallup when the President’s approval rating is below 50% the average midterm seat loss for his party is around 36 seats. Assuming the outcome follows this trend, the majority control of the House will flip to the democrat party. However, should the president's approval rating be above 50%, the average seat loss drops to 14, which would result in the Republicans maintaining control. In my opinion and analysis of the historical trends the key to success for retaining a Republican majority in the House rests solely on President Trump’s shoulders What say you Bill?
Word of the Day: Codswallop |
