The Coup Media

The national press is trying to trap the Trump Administration on the Rob Porter situation. As Bill explained yesterday, it proves that there really is a coup going on, which is being led by the media. The White House has got to get a unit together so that they can appropriately respond to these allegations. Today, Christopher Wray testified in front of the Senate Intel Committee and said that the FBI vetted Porter, so what more is there? The White House decided to keep Porter on the staff which looks like it might have been a mistake, but we aren’t privy to the vetting process or what was found, so we shouldn’t be speculating on the situation.

Immigration Update, Solving the DACA Puzzle

President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that it's now or never when it comes to extending protections for young immigrants who have stayed in the country illegally. 

In an early-morning tweet, Trump said Congress must act now to provide legal protections to young "Dreamer" immigrants even as legislation faces an uncertain prospect in Congress. 

"Wouldn't it be great if we could finally, after so many years, solve the DACA puzzle," he wrote, adding: "This will be our last chance, there will never be another opportunity! March 5th." 

Trump was referring to a deadline he announced last year to end a program protecting young immigrants from deportation. 

Trump’s comments came the day after the Senate voted 97-1, Ted Cruz, R-Texas, provided the sole "no" vote to plunge into an open-ended immigration debate that's been promised by McConnell. 

President Donald Trump has proposed that he would grant citizenship to 1.8 million immigrants brought to the United States as children, in exchange for tough cutbacks on immigration and $25 billion for tighter border security, including the planned border wall.

Mexico Detains Hundreds of US-Bound Migrants

Mexican authorities detained more than 500 undocumented migrants over the weekend. Most of the migrants were coming from Central America trying to reach the United States. Many of the migrants were being trafficked by smugglers in unventilated trucks with no food or water. 

On Saturday, more than 200 migrants were found crammed into six "safe houses" used by criminal gangs in the state of Tamaulipas, which borders the United States. More than 100 of the migrants in that group were minors. Later in the day, 100 undocumented Guatemalans and Hondurans, including 41 minors, were found in two buses in the western state of Jalisco. Then, 53 Guatemalans, including 13 minors, were found in an unventilated truck in the violent eastern state of Veracruz.

On Sunday, authorities arrested a group of 228 Central American migrants and one Mexican in Tamaulipas, after receiving an anonymous tip-off. 

On Monday, 40 Hondurans were found in an overstuffed and unventilated truck in Veracruz, 43 Central Americans in Tamaulipas and 41 in the state of Tabasco. 

Last week, Mexico detained more than 300 Central American men, women and children being smuggled to the US without water or food.

Intelligence Leaders Testify About Global Threats in Senate Hearing

In Tuesday’s open Senate Intel Committee hearing, the Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, made headlines saying, "Frankly, the United States is under attack."

Coats sounded the alarm in his opening remarks during the hearing which was focused on worldwide threats. This is an annual event gathering intelligence chiefs on Capitol Hill to offer testimony on the greatest dangers to U.S. security. 

Coats said the threats to U.S. cybersecurity from abroad, from state and non-state entities using technology to target "virtually every major action that takes place" are one of his "greatest concerns and top priorities." 

FBI Director Christopher Wray, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, NSA Director Adm. Mike Rogers and other officials were also present at the hearing.

Russia, Coats said, is likely to continue to pursue cyber actions against the U.S. "using elections as opportunities to undermine democracy, sow discord and undermine our values." 

FBI Director Christopher Wray defended the bureau’s handling of a security clearance investigation into senior White House aide, Rob Porter who has been accused of spousal abuse. “The FBI process involves a fairly elaborate set of standards, protocols,” he said at a Congressional hearing. “I am quite confident that in this instance, the FBI followed established protocols.” 

Wray said the FBI submitted a partial report on the Porter clearance in March last year, and then a report on the completed investigation in July. Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah's statement last week that the background investigation of Rob Porter was still "ongoing."

In this year's global threats assessment, the officials also described the risk of conflict, especially with North Korea, as higher today than at any time since the end of the Cold War. So, too, is a rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia that is destabilizing the Middle East. The danger posed by weapons of mass destruction also is rising.

Susan Rice Sends Memo to Herself

On the morning of Donald Trump’s Inauguration, January 20, 2017, Susan Rice, who was Obama’s National Security advisor, sent an unusual email to herself. 

Rice documented a meeting held with herself, former FBI Director James Comey, former Vice President Joe Biden, former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates and then-President Obama. 

Rice’s message to herself said, “President Obama began the conversation by stressing his continued commitment to ensuring that every aspect of this issue is handled by the Intelligence and law enforcement communities ‘by the book.’ The president stressed that he is not asking about, initiating or instructing anything from a law enforcement perspective. He reiterated that our law enforcement team needs to proceed as it normally would by the book.” 

The email also appears to reflect Obama’s guidance on sharing sensitive information with both the Russians and the incoming administration. 

Rice wrote that Obama said, "he wants to be sure that, as we engage with the incoming team, we are mindful to ascertain if there is any reason that we cannot share information fully as it relates to Russia." 

“The President asked Comey to inform him if anything changes in the next few weeks that should affect how we share classified information with the incoming team. Comey said he would.” 

Two Republican Senators, Senator Chuck Grassley and Senator Lindsey Graham, released the email on Monday. They said they uncovered it as part of their oversight of the FBI and the Department of Justice, and claimed it raises new questions.

The Senators responded to the findings of this email stating: “It strikes us as odd that, among your activities in the final moments on the final day of the Obama administration, you would feel the need to send yourself such an unusual email purporting to document a conversation involving President Obama and his interactions with the FBI regarding the Trump/Russia investigation,” they wrote in a letter to Rice. 

The senators asked Rice to answer the above questions about the email by Feb. 22nd.

How much deficit will the budget deal impose?

President Donald Trump unveiled a $4.4 trillion budget plan for 2019 on Monday that envisions steep cuts to America’s social safety net but mounting spending on the military, formally retreating from last year’s promises to balance the federal budget. 

If this budget plan is enacted as proposed, though no presidential budget ever is, the plan would establish an era of $1 trillion-plus yearly deficits. 

The $4 trillion-plus 2019 budget was originally designed to double down on last year’s proposals to slash foreign aid, the Environmental Protection Agency, home heating assistance and other nondefense programs funded by Congress each year. 

Last year, Trump’s budget predicted a $526 billion budget deficit for the 2019 fiscal year starting Oct. 1; instead, it’s set to exceed $1 trillion, doubling the projection, once the cost of the new spending pact and the tax cuts are added to Congressional Budget Office projections. 

Some highlights from Trump’s 2019 budget proposal are, a $1.5 trillion plan for the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, $716 billion in defense spending to add more troops, combat aircraft and start rebuilding the Navy fleet, $1.7 billion to both the Department of Education and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, $13 billion increase over two years for opioid prevention, treatment and long-term recovery, $23 billion for border security, $18 billion would go towards a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and $243 million for more detention beds for detained immigrants

Today’s Olympic Update:

Here is the latest Olympic medal count:

Norway has the most total medals up to this point with a total of 11. They have 3 gold, 5 silver, and 3 bronze medals. Norway holds the record for the most gold medals with 118 all time.

In second place today is the Netherlands with 10 medals. So far, they have 4 gold, 4 silver, and 2 bronze medals.

Coming in at third place overall is Canada also with 10 medals, consisting of 3 gold, 4 silver, and 3 bronze medals.

Germany is in fourth place with 9 medals. 5 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze medals.

And, in fifth place is the U.S. with 6 total medals, 3 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze.

Monday’s Olympic Headline:

17-year-old American Chloe Kim wins gold in snowboarding half pipe. Kim scored a 98.25 out of 100 points on her third half pipe run. Kim became the youngest female snowboarder to win gold. This gold medal win brings the U.S. all time Winter Olympic gold medal count to 99.

Mail Time!

• Bill, thank you for your amazing commentary tonight. The "coup by the media and by the left" observation you made is downright scary. I like your idea to have a dedicated unit with the best minds in place to handle this for the Trump Administration. Brilliant!! 

• Last night’s interview was outstanding about college indoctrination I have implored my husband and son to listen to it, so they can arm themselves with the truth. This is especially important for my 15-year-old son who is being pulled to the liberal side of life on a daily basis. Thanks for the podcast!


• Hi Bill, just ordered a Premium Membership gift certificate for my grandson a U.S. Marine stationed in Hawaii. Please give a shout out to Crpl. Derek Mol!

Word of the Day: Blatherskite