U.S. lawmakers are about to get a glimpse into the world view of the man tapped by President Donald Trump to shape U.S. foreign policy. Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, will be on Capitol Hill Thursday for confirmation hearings. Pompeo’s attitudes on perceived global threats posed by North Korea, Iran and Russia are certain to topics of discussion, as VOA’s Robert Raffaele explains.
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A decision by U.S. President Donald Trump not to renew sanctions relief for Iran on May 12 would not necessarily mean the United States had withdrawn from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday.

It was not immediately clear what Mnuchin meant by his comment, but it appeared to signal the Trump administration believes the agreement will not necessarily collapse if Trump chooses not to extend U.S. sanctions relief to Iran.

The crux of the 2015 agreement between Iran and six major powers — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States — was that Iran would restrict its nuclear program in return for relief from sanctions that have crippled its economy.

On January 12, Trump delivered an ultimatum to Britain, France and Germany, saying they must agree to “fix the terrible flaws of the Iran nuclear deal” or he would refuse to extend the U.S. sanctions relief on Iran that it calls for.

U.S. sanctions will resume unless Trump issues new “waivers” to suspend them May 12, although it is not clear how quickly they would go into effect.

Negotiations underway

European officials saw Trump’s January 12 comments as a threat to kill the deal. They have since been in negotiations with the Trump administration to see if there is a way to salvage it.

Speaking at a congressional hearing, Mnuchin said the Trump administration was in talks with allies and would “not do anything abruptly.”

“If the president decides not to sign that (waiver), it doesn’t mean we’re necessarily pulling out of the deal. What it means is that the primary and secondary sanctions will go back in place,” he told the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee.

The political directors of Britain, France and Germany met Brian Hook, the State Department’s director of policy planning, in Washington on Wednesday to discuss the future of the pact, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, two sources familiar with the matter said.

It is not immediately clear how Iran might respond to a Trump decision not to renew the sanctions waivers, but Tehran would be within its rights to argue the United States violated its commitments to ease sanctions even as Iran, as verified by international inspectors, had kept its nuclear commitments.

U.S. nuclear experts say if Trump does not waive the sanctions in May, it effectively kills the nuclear deal.

European diplomats have said that even if U.S. allies decide to remain in the agreement, Western companies would withdraw from Iran because of the threat of U.S. sanctions.

‘All about lifting the sanctions’

Democratic Representative David Price pressed Mnuchin on the issue, saying: “Are you saying that failing to waive the sanctions would not constitute pulling out of the deal? The deal is all about lifting the sanctions.”

Mnuchin did not answer the question directly.

The secretary declined to speculate on what Trump might do, repeatedly emphasizing he could not discuss the issue publicly.

Trump has voiced frustration at having to waive the sanctions again, believing his predecessor, Democratic President Barack Obama, negotiated a bad deal for the United States in agreeing to the accord.

Iran says its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes. It has said it will stick to the accord as long as the other signatories respect it but will “shred” the deal if Washington pulls out.
…

A decision by U.S. President Donald Trump not to renew sanctions relief for Iran on May 12 would not necessarily mean the United States had withdrawn from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday.

It was not immediately clear what Mnuchin meant by his comment, but it appeared to signal the Trump administration believes the agreement will not necessarily collapse if Trump chooses not to extend U.S. sanctions relief to Iran.

The crux of the 2015 agreement between Iran and six major powers — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States — was that Iran would restrict its nuclear program in return for relief from sanctions that have crippled its economy.

On January 12, Trump delivered an ultimatum to Britain, France and Germany, saying they must agree to “fix the terrible flaws of the Iran nuclear deal” or he would refuse to extend the U.S. sanctions relief on Iran that it calls for.

U.S. sanctions will resume unless Trump issues new “waivers” to suspend them May 12, although it is not clear how quickly they would go into effect.

Negotiations underway

European officials saw Trump’s January 12 comments as a threat to kill the deal. They have since been in negotiations with the Trump administration to see if there is a way to salvage it.

Speaking at a congressional hearing, Mnuchin said the Trump administration was in talks with allies and would “not do anything abruptly.”

“If the president decides not to sign that (waiver), it doesn’t mean we’re necessarily pulling out of the deal. What it means is that the primary and secondary sanctions will go back in place,” he told the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee.

The political directors of Britain, France and Germany met Brian Hook, the State Department’s director of policy planning, in Washington on Wednesday to discuss the future of the pact, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, two sources familiar with the matter said.

It is not immediately clear how Iran might respond to a Trump decision not to renew the sanctions waivers, but Tehran would be within its rights to argue the United States violated its commitments to ease sanctions even as Iran, as verified by international inspectors, had kept its nuclear commitments.

U.S. nuclear experts say if Trump does not waive the sanctions in May, it effectively kills the nuclear deal.

European diplomats have said that even if U.S. allies decide to remain in the agreement, Western companies would withdraw from Iran because of the threat of U.S. sanctions.

‘All about lifting the sanctions’

Democratic Representative David Price pressed Mnuchin on the issue, saying: “Are you saying that failing to waive the sanctions would not constitute pulling out of the deal? The deal is all about lifting the sanctions.”

Mnuchin did not answer the question directly.

The secretary declined to speculate on what Trump might do, repeatedly emphasizing he could not discuss the issue publicly.

Trump has voiced frustration at having to waive the sanctions again, believing his predecessor, Democratic President Barack Obama, negotiated a bad deal for the United States in agreeing to the accord.

Iran says its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes. It has said it will stick to the accord as long as the other signatories respect it but will “shred” the deal if Washington pulls out.
…

U.S. media reports say House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan will not run for re-election this November.

Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin, has been House speaker since 2015.

He has served in the House since 1999.
…

U.S. media reports say House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan will not run for re-election this November.

Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin, has been House speaker since 2015.

He has served in the House since 1999.
…

As thousands of National Guard troops deploy to the Mexico border, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions plans to bring his firm stance on immigration enforcement to New Mexico where a group of Southwest border sheriffs are meeting Wednesday.

Sessions will speak in Las Cruces at the Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition Annual Spring Meeting with the Southwestern Border Sheriff’s Coalition, which is made up of 31 sheriff’s departments from Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. 

Their counties are located within 25 miles (40 kilometers) of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Immigrant rights activists promised to protest Sessions’ visit on Wednesday, as they rejected his past characterization of the border region during a 2017 visit to El Paso, Texas, as “ground zero” in the Trump administration’s fight against cartels, and human traffickers. 

“He treated our home like a war zone, referring to it as ‘ground zero,”’ said Fernando Garcia, executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights in El Paso. “He was wrong then, and he is wrong now.” 

El Paso is some 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Las Cruces.

Sessions’ trip to Las Cruces, a city about an hour north of the border, comes as construction begins nearby on 20-miles (32-kilometers) of steel fencing that officials say is a part of President Donald Trump’s promised wall. 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have described the new, heightened barrier as a structure that will be harder to get over, under and through than the old post and rail barriers that has lined the stretch of the border’s El Paso sector. 

Sessions has issued an order directing federal prosecutors to put more emphasis on charging people with illegal entry, citing a “crisis” on the border. 

A 37 percent increase in illegal border crossings in March brought more than 50,000 immigrants into the United States, which was triple the number of reported illegal border crossings in the same period last year. It was still far lower, however, than the surges during the last years of the Obama administration and prior decades. 

The attorney general’s “zero-tolerance” for border-crossing prosecutions calls for taking action against people who are caught illegally entering the United States for the first time. In the past, such offenses have been treated as misdemeanors. 

He also recently set quotas for immigration judges to reduce enormous court backlogs, saying they must complete 700 cases a year to earn a satisfactory grade. The quotas take effect Oct. 1. 
…

As thousands of National Guard troops deploy to the Mexico border, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions plans to bring his firm stance on immigration enforcement to New Mexico where a group of Southwest border sheriffs are meeting Wednesday.

Sessions will speak in Las Cruces at the Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition Annual Spring Meeting with the Southwestern Border Sheriff’s Coalition, which is made up of 31 sheriff’s departments from Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. 

Their counties are located within 25 miles (40 kilometers) of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Immigrant rights activists promised to protest Sessions’ visit on Wednesday, as they rejected his past characterization of the border region during a 2017 visit to El Paso, Texas, as “ground zero” in the Trump administration’s fight against cartels, and human traffickers. 

“He treated our home like a war zone, referring to it as ‘ground zero,”’ said Fernando Garcia, executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights in El Paso. “He was wrong then, and he is wrong now.” 

El Paso is some 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Las Cruces.

Sessions’ trip to Las Cruces, a city about an hour north of the border, comes as construction begins nearby on 20-miles (32-kilometers) of steel fencing that officials say is a part of President Donald Trump’s promised wall. 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have described the new, heightened barrier as a structure that will be harder to get over, under and through than the old post and rail barriers that has lined the stretch of the border’s El Paso sector. 

Sessions has issued an order directing federal prosecutors to put more emphasis on charging people with illegal entry, citing a “crisis” on the border. 

A 37 percent increase in illegal border crossings in March brought more than 50,000 immigrants into the United States, which was triple the number of reported illegal border crossings in the same period last year. It was still far lower, however, than the surges during the last years of the Obama administration and prior decades. 

The attorney general’s “zero-tolerance” for border-crossing prosecutions calls for taking action against people who are caught illegally entering the United States for the first time. In the past, such offenses have been treated as misdemeanors. 

He also recently set quotas for immigration judges to reduce enormous court backlogs, saying they must complete 700 cases a year to earn a satisfactory grade. The quotas take effect Oct. 1. 
…

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified on Capitol Hill for the first time Tuesday, answering lawmakers’ concerns about the social media giant’s failure to protect the private information of as many 87 million users worldwide from Trump-affiliated political firm Cambridge Analytica. VOA’s Congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson has more from a key day in the internet privacy debate on Capitol Hill.
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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified on Capitol Hill for the first time Tuesday, answering lawmakers’ concerns about the social media giant’s failure to protect the private information of as many 87 million users worldwide from Trump-affiliated political firm Cambridge Analytica. VOA’s Congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson has more from a key day in the internet privacy debate on Capitol Hill.
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Tom Bossert, U.S. President Donald Trump’s top Homeland Security adviser, abruptly resigned Tuesday, the latest in a long line of senior officials to leave the Trump administration.

No reason was given for his resignation, but it came a day after staunch conservative John Bolton took over as Trump’s third national security adviser in the 15 months of his presidency. Both Bloomberg News and CNN reported that Bossert was quitting at Bolton’s request.

The 43-year-old Bossert had served in Trump’s White House since his inauguration, a key adviser to the president on cybersecurity, who also was a prominent official in handling the government’s response last year to devastating hurricanes in Texas, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Bossert appeared often on television news talk shows to represent the Trump administration’s view on terrorism threats. But he was passed over to become national security adviser in favor of Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, when Trump dismissed H.R. McMaster.

“The president is grateful for Tom’s commitment to the safety and security of our great country.” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said. “Tom led the White House’s efforts to protect the homeland from terrorist threats, strengthen our cyber defenses, and respond to an unprecedented series of natural disasters. President Trump thanks him for his patriotic service and wishes him well.”

Since the start of the year, Trump has ousted his secretary of state, changed national security advisers, dismissed his veterans affairs secretary, named a new CIA director and watched as other key White House advisers departed, including his top lawyer handling Trump’s response to the ongoing criminal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
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Tom Bossert, U.S. President Donald Trump’s top Homeland Security adviser, abruptly resigned Tuesday, the latest in a long line of senior officials to leave the Trump administration.

No reason was given for his resignation, but it came a day after staunch conservative John Bolton took over as Trump’s third national security adviser in the 15 months of his presidency. Both Bloomberg News and CNN reported that Bossert was quitting at Bolton’s request.

The 43-year-old Bossert had served in Trump’s White House since his inauguration, a key adviser to the president on cybersecurity, who also was a prominent official in handling the government’s response last year to devastating hurricanes in Texas, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Bossert appeared often on television news talk shows to represent the Trump administration’s view on terrorism threats. But he was passed over to become national security adviser in favor of Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, when Trump dismissed H.R. McMaster.

“The president is grateful for Tom’s commitment to the safety and security of our great country.” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said. “Tom led the White House’s efforts to protect the homeland from terrorist threats, strengthen our cyber defenses, and respond to an unprecedented series of natural disasters. President Trump thanks him for his patriotic service and wishes him well.”

Since the start of the year, Trump has ousted his secretary of state, changed national security advisers, dismissed his veterans affairs secretary, named a new CIA director and watched as other key White House advisers departed, including his top lawyer handling Trump’s response to the ongoing criminal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
…

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker says he is donating money to another Tennessee Republican’s campaign to succeed him.

News outlets report Corker tweeted his support Monday for U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn after the Tennessee Republican Party ended the primary over the weekend. Seven Senate candidates and one gubernatorial candidate were removed from the August ballot for lacking voting credentials to justify running as Republicans.

Blackburn thanked Corker in a statement and said her campaign will continue talks with people across Tennessee about getting the Senate to pass President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Corker announced last year that he was retiring and wouldn’t seek a third term.

The other senator from Tennessee, Republican Lamar Alexander, endorsed Blackburn last week. She is expected to run against former governor and former Nashville mayor Democrat Phil Bredesen in the November election.

This story was written by the Associated Press.
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U.S. Sen. Bob Corker says he is donating money to another Tennessee Republican’s campaign to succeed him.

News outlets report Corker tweeted his support Monday for U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn after the Tennessee Republican Party ended the primary over the weekend. Seven Senate candidates and one gubernatorial candidate were removed from the August ballot for lacking voting credentials to justify running as Republicans.

Blackburn thanked Corker in a statement and said her campaign will continue talks with people across Tennessee about getting the Senate to pass President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Corker announced last year that he was retiring and wouldn’t seek a third term.

The other senator from Tennessee, Republican Lamar Alexander, endorsed Blackburn last week. She is expected to run against former governor and former Nashville mayor Democrat Phil Bredesen in the November election.

This story was written by the Associated Press.
…

U.S.President Donald Trump is still not letting on whether he intends to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, who appears to have angered the president after getting the court’s permission to search the office of Trump’s personal attorney. VOA’s Michael Brown reports.
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U.S.President Donald Trump is still not letting on whether he intends to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, who appears to have angered the president after getting the court’s permission to search the office of Trump’s personal attorney. VOA’s Michael Brown reports.
…

The U.S. military is bracing for a possible strike in Syria. Preparations for a high-risk North Korea summit are barreling forward. The White House staff is on edge, unsure who will be fired next, and when. And the national security team is holding its breath to see whether their new leader will be a shock to the system.

Enter John Bolton, the pugnacious former U.N. ambassador who took over Monday as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser — the third person to hold the job in barely 14 months. Trump’s selection of Bolton last month set off a guessing game in Washington as to just how much of an imprint his take-no-prisoners approach to foreign policy will have on Trump’s team, already beleaguered and exhausted after a tumultuous first year.

If Bolton had any first-day jitters, he had little time to indulge them. A daunting to-do list has awaited him, punctuated over the weekend by a suspected chemical weapons attack by Syria’s government that led Trump to start exploring potential military retaliation.

Although Bolton didn’t formally start until Monday, he was spotted entering the White House over the weekend, carrying an umbrella as he strolled down the driveway toward the West Wing on a rainy Saturday.

And on Monday, he appeared at his first Cabinet meeting, where Trump talked up his forthcoming meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, chided China for taking advantage of the United States and condemned the “atrocious” chemical attack in Syria. Bolton didn’t speak, but was seated prominently behind Trump as reporters were briefly allowed into the meeting.

“I think he’s going to be a fantastic representative of our team,” Trump said later in the day. He pointed out the fact that Bolton was starting in the midst of an urgent situation with Syria, adding: “Interesting day.”

Inevitably, Bolton’s past statements in public jobs and as a Fox News commentator follow him into the job. At the White House press briefing Monday, spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked about a comment Bolton made in 2013 on Fox and Friends — he said he would have opposed an authorization to use force in Syria.

“The point of view that matters most here at the White House, as you well know, is the president’s,” Sanders replied.

Next to go?

Apprehension outside the White House about Bolton’s influence has been matched by hand-wringing in the West Wing about whose fortunes will rise and fall as the new national security adviser takes charge.

In Trump’s reality-show-infused White House, it’s become a truism that when a powerful aide departs — like the chief of staff, national security adviser or a Cabinet secretary — others who were considered aligned with that aide are often the next to go. There have been many such shake-ups, even in just the past few weeks. And Bolton, in his former jobs at the U.N. and at the State Department, developed a reputation as someone who doesn’t suffer fools quietly.

Even before Bolton started, rumors were circulating about potential exits on the national security team. The night before Bolton started, the White House said National Security Council spokesman Michael Anton would be departing, a high-profile public face of national security team. The White House said Trump thanked Anton for his service, but his departure marked another moment of upheaval in an administration marked by months of in-fighting and high-level departures.

Although it’s unclear whether Bolton will “clean house,” two U.S officials and two outside advisers to the administration said that the White House has been considering a significant staff shake-up in the part of the NSC that handles the Middle East. That comes as Trump prepares for a key decision next month on whether to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, the 2015 accord that Bolton has long derided.

Traffic cop

In the weeks since being named to the post, Bolton has quietly sought to calm concerns that he would push a more militaristic, hawkish approach on the president, considering his previously expressed support for pre-emptive military action against North Korea and regime change in Iran.

Although he stayed out of the public eye, showing deference to outgoing national security adviser H.R. McMaster, Bolton privately told some foreign embassies and influential foreign policy experts that he planned to approach the job more like a traffic cop, guiding a decision-making process in which the president can hear competing views, said individuals familiar with those conversations who weren’t authorized to discuss them and requested anonymity.

Frank Gaffney, a longtime Bolton associate and former Reagan administration official who runs the far-right think tank Center for Security Policy, said Bolton views his role as “to help the president get his program implemented.” Bolton has been “preparing his whole life to be in this job,” Gaffney said.

Yet in his 2007 book Surrender is Not an Option, Bolton reflected on his decision to take a job at the U.S. Agency for International Development after President Ronald Reagan was inaugurated rather than work at the White House, out of concern his own voice would not be heard.

“Being on the White House staff was fun,” Bolton wrote. “But I wanted ‘line’ responsibility — to manage something and to change it, not simply to be ‘staff,’ even at the White House.”

Bolton’s start comes after the tortured exit for McMaster, Trump’s second national security adviser, a three-star general who never developed a strong personal bond with the president. While the White House said McMaster’s exit had been under discussion for some time and stressed it was not due to any one incident, it came after months of speculation about his future in the administration.
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Senator Tammy Duckworth has given birth to a baby girl, making her the first U.S. senator to give birth while in office.

The Illinois Democrat announced she delivered her second daughter, Maile Pearl Bowlsbey, on Monday. Her office says Duckworth is recovering well and asked for privacy.

Duckworth, a 50-year-old veteran who lost her legs in the Iraq War, is one of only 10 lawmakers who have given birth while in Congress. Her first daughter, Abigail, was born in 2014.

Duckworth says Maile’s middle name is in honor of Duckworth’s husband’s great aunt, Pearl Bowlsbey Johnson, who was an Army officer and nurse in World War II.

She says she’s grateful to friends and family and “our wonderful medical teams for everything they’ve done to help us in our decades-long journey to complete our family.”
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Senator Tammy Duckworth has given birth to a baby girl, making her the first U.S. senator to give birth while in office.

The Illinois Democrat announced she delivered her second daughter, Maile Pearl Bowlsbey, on Monday. Her office says Duckworth is recovering well and asked for privacy.

Duckworth, a 50-year-old veteran who lost her legs in the Iraq War, is one of only 10 lawmakers who have given birth while in Congress. Her first daughter, Abigail, was born in 2014.

Duckworth says Maile’s middle name is in honor of Duckworth’s husband’s great aunt, Pearl Bowlsbey Johnson, who was an Army officer and nurse in World War II.

She says she’s grateful to friends and family and “our wonderful medical teams for everything they’ve done to help us in our decades-long journey to complete our family.”
…

President Donald Trump seems to be relying more on his gut political instincts in recent weeks.  Whether it is sending U.S. troops to the border with Mexico or imposing tariffs on Chinese goods, Trump seems to be harkening back to his roots as a presidential candidate in 2016, eager to wear the badge of a political disrupter, much as he promised on the campaign trail.

Emblematic of this shift in style, Trump literally tossed away his prepared script during a recent discussion on tax reform in West Virginia, where he continues to enjoy high approval ratings.

“You know, this was going to be my remarks. It would have taken about two minutes. But the hell with it! That would have been a little boring, a little boring,” Trump told the crowd.

Cheered by his base

The audience seemed to delight in Trump’s decision to go off script, and it stands out as a symbolic moment that seems to frame the Trump presidency. After sifting through a long list of advisers, Trump seems more eager to return to his roots as a freewheeling candidate eager to please his hardcore base of supporters.

Trump’s decision to go after China on trade is a classic example of his desire to follow through on a campaign promise popular with much of his base.

“For many years, no president wanted to go against China economically, and we are going to do it,” Trump told the crowd in West Virginia.

Trump kept up his barrage Monday on Twitter, referring to “stupid trade” with China.

​Worried about retaliation

But as China responds with trade actions of its own, some American farmers are getting nervous about where all of this might lead.

“We are looking forward to more profits this year than last year because of the tax cut. Hopefully, we don’t have to give it all away due to the tariffs,” said Iowa hog farmer Jeff Rehder.

Whether it is expressing a desire for U.S. troops to be pulled out of Syria or using them to beef up the Mexican border to stop illegal immigration, Trump appears to be listening more to his gut political instincts.

“It signifies to me that Donald Trump believes that he can run the whole shebang [administration] and that he can do it from Twitter,” said University of Virginia analyst Larry Sabato via Skype. “And that includes whether it is declaring new policy or arranging for the firing of a secretary of state or any number of other things.”

Echoes of the campaign

Others see the latest shift as a natural evolution of the man who made bold promises on the campaign trail, especially his vow to be a political disrupter.

“He was a strong outsider, so I think you could argue he had to find his way. Look, I think the president is always going to be this way to some extent,” said John Fortier of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington.

Trump prefers to visit friendly states with lots of supporters, such as West Virginia, where his disruptive nature continues to play well. “He doesn’t seem tremendously interested in broadening his base for the most part,” said Michael Barone of the American Enterprise Institute. “He seems interested in pursuing policies, in rough form at least, that he advocated.”

Democrats plan a reckoning

But opposition Democrats have a different take on Trump’s reliance on his gut political instincts.

Ken Gude of the Center for American Progress said the president’s actions are helping to motivate Democrats, and that could lead to a political reckoning for Trump and his fellow Republicans in the congressional midterm elections in November.

“It seems as if Donald Trump is energizing Democrats like we haven’t seen in a very long time. And as a result of that, they are turning out in much, much higher numbers up and down the federal, state and local level.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan insists Republicans can limit the damage in November by emphasizing the Trump tax cuts. “We need to execute, we need to get our message and we need to make sure that our candidates are not massively outraised and outspent on TV,” Ryan said.

Like many Republicans, Ryan will be keeping a close eye on Trump’s public approval rating as the months tick down to the midterms. Trump’s approval has increased slightly in recent days in several polls, but his average approval is still around 41 percent, and that usually is a precursor to significant congressional losses for the party holding the White House during a midterm election.
…

President Donald Trump seems to be relying more on his gut political instincts in recent weeks.  Whether it is sending U.S. troops to the border with Mexico or imposing tariffs on Chinese goods, Trump seems to be harkening back to his roots as a presidential candidate in 2016, eager to wear the badge of a political disrupter, much as he promised on the campaign trail.

Emblematic of this shift in style, Trump literally tossed away his prepared script during a recent discussion on tax reform in West Virginia, where he continues to enjoy high approval ratings.

“You know, this was going to be my remarks. It would have taken about two minutes. But the hell with it! That would have been a little boring, a little boring,” Trump told the crowd.

Cheered by his base

The audience seemed to delight in Trump’s decision to go off script, and it stands out as a symbolic moment that seems to frame the Trump presidency. After sifting through a long list of advisers, Trump seems more eager to return to his roots as a freewheeling candidate eager to please his hardcore base of supporters.

Trump’s decision to go after China on trade is a classic example of his desire to follow through on a campaign promise popular with much of his base.

“For many years, no president wanted to go against China economically, and we are going to do it,” Trump told the crowd in West Virginia.

Trump kept up his barrage Monday on Twitter, referring to “stupid trade” with China.

​Worried about retaliation

But as China responds with trade actions of its own, some American farmers are getting nervous about where all of this might lead.

“We are looking forward to more profits this year than last year because of the tax cut. Hopefully, we don’t have to give it all away due to the tariffs,” said Iowa hog farmer Jeff Rehder.

Whether it is expressing a desire for U.S. troops to be pulled out of Syria or using them to beef up the Mexican border to stop illegal immigration, Trump appears to be listening more to his gut political instincts.

“It signifies to me that Donald Trump believes that he can run the whole shebang [administration] and that he can do it from Twitter,” said University of Virginia analyst Larry Sabato via Skype. “And that includes whether it is declaring new policy or arranging for the firing of a secretary of state or any number of other things.”

Echoes of the campaign

Others see the latest shift as a natural evolution of the man who made bold promises on the campaign trail, especially his vow to be a political disrupter.

“He was a strong outsider, so I think you could argue he had to find his way. Look, I think the president is always going to be this way to some extent,” said John Fortier of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington.

Trump prefers to visit friendly states with lots of supporters, such as West Virginia, where his disruptive nature continues to play well. “He doesn’t seem tremendously interested in broadening his base for the most part,” said Michael Barone of the American Enterprise Institute. “He seems interested in pursuing policies, in rough form at least, that he advocated.”

Democrats plan a reckoning

But opposition Democrats have a different take on Trump’s reliance on his gut political instincts.

Ken Gude of the Center for American Progress said the president’s actions are helping to motivate Democrats, and that could lead to a political reckoning for Trump and his fellow Republicans in the congressional midterm elections in November.

“It seems as if Donald Trump is energizing Democrats like we haven’t seen in a very long time. And as a result of that, they are turning out in much, much higher numbers up and down the federal, state and local level.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan insists Republicans can limit the damage in November by emphasizing the Trump tax cuts. “We need to execute, we need to get our message and we need to make sure that our candidates are not massively outraised and outspent on TV,” Ryan said.

Like many Republicans, Ryan will be keeping a close eye on Trump’s public approval rating as the months tick down to the midterms. Trump’s approval has increased slightly in recent days in several polls, but his average approval is still around 41 percent, and that usually is a precursor to significant congressional losses for the party holding the White House during a midterm election.
…

Another key member of the Trump White House is leaving his job as the shakeup of his national security team continues.

National Security Council spokesman Michael Anton, one of Trump’s earliest supporters during his run for the presidency, said Sunday he is stepping down to become an author and college lecturer.

“I will be forever grateful to President Trump for the opportunity to serve my country and implement his agenda,” Anton said.

A White House official said the president telephoned Anton to thank him for his service and said he will be missed.

Anton was one of the fiercest defenders of Trump’s “America First” foreign policy and was frequently seen on television engaging in verbal sparring with journalists, and even with fellow conservatives who raised questions about the president’s motives. 

Anton’s departure comes a day before the controversial former U.N. ambassador John Bolton takes over from H.R. McMaster as Trump’s National Security Advisor.
…

Another key member of the Trump White House is leaving his job as the shakeup of his national security team continues.

National Security Council spokesman Michael Anton, one of Trump’s earliest supporters during his run for the presidency, said Sunday he is stepping down to become an author and college lecturer.

“I will be forever grateful to President Trump for the opportunity to serve my country and implement his agenda,” Anton said.

A White House official said the president telephoned Anton to thank him for his service and said he will be missed.

Anton was one of the fiercest defenders of Trump’s “America First” foreign policy and was frequently seen on television engaging in verbal sparring with journalists, and even with fellow conservatives who raised questions about the president’s motives. 

Anton’s departure comes a day before the controversial former U.N. ambassador John Bolton takes over from H.R. McMaster as Trump’s National Security Advisor.
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Outrage, compassion, a desire for justice: these are some of the motivations of 10 women honored by the U.S. State Department this year with the International Women of Courage Award. Mike O’Sullivan spoke with several recipients at a recent stop in Los Angeles.
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Outrage, compassion, a desire for justice: these are some of the motivations of 10 women honored by the U.S. State Department this year with the International Women of Courage Award. Mike O’Sullivan spoke with several recipients at a recent stop in Los Angeles.
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