Latest on the Nunes Memo

The White House expects to inform Congress probably Friday that the president is "okay" with publishing the GOP House Intelligence Committee's memo. The president reviewed the four-page memo this week, after Republicans on the committee sent it to the White House. The committee voted on straight party lines Monday to publish the memo, a move strongly opposed by ranking Democrat Adam Schiff, as well as by FBI Director Christopher Wray and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. 

A senior Trump administration official told reporters Thursday, “We have had over the last couple days to look at it to make sure it doesn't give away too much in terms of classification. Right now, I think it will be that we tell the Congress, probably tomorrow, that the president is okay with it. I doubt there will be any redactions. Then it is in Congress' hands after that.”

Earlier today, John Roberts tweeted, “SCOOP - @FoxNews IS TOLD @realDonaldTrump WILL DECLASSIFY THE FISA MEMO AND TRANSMIT BACK TO HPSCI TOMORROW MORNING FOR RELEASE” 

Trump was upset Wednesday in the wake of the FBI's statement challenging the release of the controversial memo crafted by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, led by Chairman Devin Nunes, a Trump ally. The FBI’s statement was issued just hours after the President made clear he wanted the document public. 

In phone calls with friends in recent days, Trump has said that he believes the memo will reveal biases and abuses by the FBI and Justice Department that could back up his claims that the probe is a partisan exercise, CNN reported on Thursday. 

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, has accused his Republican counterpart, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), of altering a secret GOP memo after Republicans voted to release it, sending the modified version to the White House for review. 

Schiff said in a statement on Wednesday night that Rep. Nunes made “material changes” to the version of the memo that the committee sent to the White House. Schiff asserted that committee members were not immediately made aware of the modifications and had no opportunity to compare the original memo to the modified version until Wednesday evening. 

Schiff sent a letter to House intelligence committee chairman Devin Nunes late Wednesday that charged the document had been 'secretly altered' by Nunes after the vote.  Schiff called for Nunes to withdraw the memo from the White House and for the committee to hold a new vote next Monday. 

A representative for Rep. Devin Nunes, (R-Calif.) responded to the allegation, saying Schiff was “complaining about minor edits to the memo, including grammatical fixes and two edits requested by the FBI and by the minority themselves.”

The FBI on Wednesday took the unusual step of publicly warning against the memo's release, saying in its own statement: “As expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo's accuracy.”

Poll: Trump's Approval Rating at 42 Percent; Up 10 Points

President Donald Trump's approval rating has jumped 10 points in a month and now stands at 42 percent, while 50 percent disapprove of his job performance, according to a new Monmouth University Poll. 

Here is how the poll breaks down. 21 percent approve of the job Congress is doing, compared to 68 percent who disapprove.

45 percent of those polled would vote for the Republican candidate if congressional elections were held today, while 47 percent would support the Democratic candidate. 50 percent say they are optimistic about policies Trump will pursue in the next few years, while 45 percent say they are pessimistic.

Presidential Normalcy this Week

President Trump won’t be appearing on NBC Sunday for a pre-Super Bowl interview, breaking more than a decade of tradition that started with George W. Bush, CNN reports. NBC executives have continued to push for Trump to do the sit-down and have left often his invitation despite the initial denial.

Other than that, President Trump has had a relatively calm week. He hasn’t tweeted anything outrageous and during his State of the Union address, Trump acted very presidential.

Being black in America is a ‘disability,’ black law professor argues

Kimani Paul-Emile, an African American woman, currently serves as an associate professor of law for Fordham University. She also is an associate director of its law school’s Center on Race, Law and Justice.  

Paul-Emile recently released an article in Georgetown Law Review, which has been excerpted by Fordham Law News. In the article Kimani Paul-Emile argues that “African Americans should embrace the notion that being black in America is a disability as a new legal strategy toward enacting protections for the black community against unconscious bias, stereotyping and structural inequality.”   

Paul-Emile wrote in her article, that being recognized “legal disability to better combat inequalities and prejudice.” The professor says that if used correctly, claiming “blackness as a disability”, could be a wise courtroom plan. Using this “disability” as a remedial legal effort.  

Paul-Emile argues that being disabled does not carry the same negative connotation as it did in the past. She says, “Disability law does not force plaintiffs to show that the harm they have suffered was intentional, claiming that “discriminatory is almost always enough.”  

Paul-Emile claiming that the issue stems from “the limited opportunity African Americans face today due to unconscious bias and structural inequality. Blackness in the United States has an independent disabling effect distinct from the effects of socioeconomic status”  

The Americans with Disabilities Act defines “disability” as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual.” 

NFL Commissioner: League Could Consider Rule on Anthem Protests in Offseason

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday left open the possibility that the league could implement a rule in the offseason requiring players to stand for the national anthem. “I don’t know what we’ll consider in the offseason,” Goodell said at a press conference, according to CBS Boston. “We’re still trying to get through the Super Bowl.” 

Goodell said last year that the league believes that players should, in fact, stand for the anthem, but noted that there were no plans to force them to do so. 

The NFL reportedly considered a policy late last year keeping players in the locker rooms during the national anthem. Trump, however, blasted that proposal, saying it was “almost as bad as kneeling.” 

After Week 3 of the NFL season, Patriots owner Robert Kraft opened up about his philosophy on the protests happening around the league. Kraft detailed how he handled the situation in the Patriots locker room. Some Patriots players elected to take a knee during Week 3 immediately following President Donald Trump’s comments about the issue. 

“The greatest enemy in sport is division from within,” Robert Kraft told BBC in a sit-down interview. “I personally feel it’s very important to respect our flag and our anthem. After that gesture, the Patriots have since stood in a line and put their right hands over their heart with their left hands over the shoulder pad of their teammate. 

The NFL Game Operations Manual says players “should” stand for the National Anthem. “The National Anthem must be played prior to every NFL game, and all players must be on the sideline for the National Anthem. During the National Anthem, players on the field and bench area should stand at attention, face the flag, hold helmets in their left hand, and refrain from talking. The home team should ensure that the American flag is in good condition. It should be pointed out to players and coaches that we continue to be judged by the public in this area of respect for the flag and our country. Failure to be on the field by the start of the National Anthem may result in discipline, such as fines, suspensions, and/or the forfeiture of draft choice(s) for violations of the above, including first offenses.”

Mail Time!

• Glenn Beck has a great broadcast presentation! I appreciate your fair and balance coverage of the state of the union address. I always look forward to hearing you and Beck on Friday's...great chemistry.
• Hey Bill, I have to say this about your analysis of Trump's speech being too long. I was so in to his speech that I didn't realize it was 80 min long until it was over. Same can be said about reading Killing England, I did not realize it was over 300 pages until I finished.
  • Hi Bill,
I have been a BOR P.M. for several years with at least 5 "killing books" Lincoln, Reagan, Patton, Rising Sun & England. I am a sort of history buff believe they are the best written pieces of non-fiction I've had the pleasure to read so needless to say I am eagerly awaiting the next Installment.
  • I really love the Podcast and the website. Your presentation of the information is excellent and your spin on things is refreshing and honest. My real purpose in writing other than to say thank you is: Who writes Holly's lines? They make me laugh and laugh. Very enjoyable! She looks like a real character!

Word of the Day: Jejune