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Confirmation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Veterans Affairs agency may be in jeopardy. 

The Washington Post reported late Monday that Senate lawmakers have postponed the confirmation hearing for Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson after top Republicans and Democrats raised concerns about his qualifications. 

Jackson was scheduled to testify before the Senate Committee for Veterans Affairs on Wednesday. 

Two sources told CNN that committee members have been informed of allegations of improper conduct at more than one stage in Jackson’s career. 

Jackson, who currently serves as Trump’s physician, is already facing scrutiny over his lack of experience managing an agency as large as the VA — the U.S. government’s second-largest agency.

Jackson gained a degree of fame unusual for White House physicians in 2017 when he took questions from the White House press corps on national television, discussing at length the president’s physical exam.

Trump, the oldest first-term president in American history, was plagued at the time by questions about his physical health, weight and mental stability. But Jackson gave the president top rating. “The president’s overall health is excellent,” Jackson declared at the time. 

Trump picked Jackson to replace David Shulkin, a holdover from the Obama era.
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Confirmation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Veterans Affairs agency may be in jeopardy. 

The Washington Post reported late Monday that Senate lawmakers have postponed the confirmation hearing for Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson after top Republicans and Democrats raised concerns about his qualifications. 

Jackson was scheduled to testify before the Senate Committee for Veterans Affairs on Wednesday. 

Two sources told CNN that committee members have been informed of allegations of improper conduct at more than one stage in Jackson’s career. 

Jackson, who currently serves as Trump’s physician, is already facing scrutiny over his lack of experience managing an agency as large as the VA — the U.S. government’s second-largest agency.

Jackson gained a degree of fame unusual for White House physicians in 2017 when he took questions from the White House press corps on national television, discussing at length the president’s physical exam.

Trump, the oldest first-term president in American history, was plagued at the time by questions about his physical health, weight and mental stability. But Jackson gave the president top rating. “The president’s overall health is excellent,” Jackson declared at the time. 

Trump picked Jackson to replace David Shulkin, a holdover from the Obama era.
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NASA’s new boss is already getting cheers from space.

Immediately after being sworn into office Monday by Vice President Mike Pence, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine took a call from the three U.S. astronauts at the International Space Station who offered “hearty congratulations.” The Oklahoma congressman became the 13th administrator of NASA, filling a position that had been vacant for more than a year.

“America loves what you guys are doing,” Bridenstine, a former naval aviator, told the astronauts. He promised to do his best “as we reach for new heights and reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind.”

This is the 60th anniversary year for NASA .

Bridenstine is the first elected official to lead NASA, something that had bogged down his nomination last year by President Donald Trump. The Senate approved his nomination last week by a narrow vote of 50-49. Monday’s swearing-in ceremony took place at NASA headquarters in Washington.

Pence noted that the space agency, under Bridenstine’s direction, will work to get astronauts back to the moon and then, with help from commercial space and international partners, on to Mars.

“NASA will lead the way,” said Pence, who heads the newly resurrected National Space Council.

Charles Bolden Jr., a former space shuttle commander and major general in the Marines, was NASA’s last official administrator. The space agency was led by Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot in the interim. Lightfoot retires from NASA at the end of this month.
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NASA’s new boss is already getting cheers from space.

Immediately after being sworn into office Monday by Vice President Mike Pence, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine took a call from the three U.S. astronauts at the International Space Station who offered “hearty congratulations.” The Oklahoma congressman became the 13th administrator of NASA, filling a position that had been vacant for more than a year.

“America loves what you guys are doing,” Bridenstine, a former naval aviator, told the astronauts. He promised to do his best “as we reach for new heights and reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind.”

This is the 60th anniversary year for NASA .

Bridenstine is the first elected official to lead NASA, something that had bogged down his nomination last year by President Donald Trump. The Senate approved his nomination last week by a narrow vote of 50-49. Monday’s swearing-in ceremony took place at NASA headquarters in Washington.

Pence noted that the space agency, under Bridenstine’s direction, will work to get astronauts back to the moon and then, with help from commercial space and international partners, on to Mars.

“NASA will lead the way,” said Pence, who heads the newly resurrected National Space Council.

Charles Bolden Jr., a former space shuttle commander and major general in the Marines, was NASA’s last official administrator. The space agency was led by Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot in the interim. Lightfoot retires from NASA at the end of this month.
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Vice President Mike Pence has chosen retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, a top official with the National Security Council, to serve as his national security adviser.

Pence selected Kellogg, a national security aide to President Donald Trump, to fill the role after his top choice, Jon Lerner, withdrew his name from consideration.

Lerner, an adviser to U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, pulled out of a proposed dual role after Trump learned of his planned hiring. Lerner is a longtime Republican strategist and pollster who previously worked with the Club for Growth, which aired ads critical of Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Pence said in a statement that Kellogg “brings a wealth of experience in national security and foreign policy matters to this role and has already been an integral part of the President’s national security team.”

Kellogg has served as chief of staff at the National Security Council and is the latest NSC official to depart after the arrival of Trump national security adviser John Bolton. Also gone are spokesman Michael Anton, homeland security adviser Tom Bossert, and deputy national security advisers Ricky Waddell and Nadia Schadlow.

Kellogg served as acting national security adviser after Michael Flynn resigned in February 2017 as Trump’s first national security adviser. Flynn’s successor, H.R. McMaster, was recently replaced by Bolton.

Kellogg, who served in the U.S. Army for more than three decades, previously served as commander of the 82nd Airborne Division and as a top aide to Paul Bremer, who led the Coalition Provisional Authority during the reconstruction of Iraq.
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Vice President Mike Pence has chosen retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, a top official with the National Security Council, to serve as his national security adviser.

Pence selected Kellogg, a national security aide to President Donald Trump, to fill the role after his top choice, Jon Lerner, withdrew his name from consideration.

Lerner, an adviser to U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, pulled out of a proposed dual role after Trump learned of his planned hiring. Lerner is a longtime Republican strategist and pollster who previously worked with the Club for Growth, which aired ads critical of Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Pence said in a statement that Kellogg “brings a wealth of experience in national security and foreign policy matters to this role and has already been an integral part of the President’s national security team.”

Kellogg has served as chief of staff at the National Security Council and is the latest NSC official to depart after the arrival of Trump national security adviser John Bolton. Also gone are spokesman Michael Anton, homeland security adviser Tom Bossert, and deputy national security advisers Ricky Waddell and Nadia Schadlow.

Kellogg served as acting national security adviser after Michael Flynn resigned in February 2017 as Trump’s first national security adviser. Flynn’s successor, H.R. McMaster, was recently replaced by Bolton.

Kellogg, who served in the U.S. Army for more than three decades, previously served as commander of the 82nd Airborne Division and as a top aide to Paul Bremer, who led the Coalition Provisional Authority during the reconstruction of Iraq.
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Mitt Romney was forced into a Republican primary in his bid for U.S. Senate in Utah after losing a nomination battle Saturday at the state’s far-right-leaning GOP convention.

Romney remains the heavy favorite overall to replace long-serving Sen. Orrin Hatch in November and said he was ready to keep campaigning hard.

If he had won the party delegate vote at the convention, he would have bypassed a primary altogether. Instead, he was edged out by state lawmaker Mike Kennedy, who got 51 percent of the vote to Romney’s 49 percent.

GOP voters will decide between the two in a June 26 primary.

Romney secured his spot on the primary ballot by gathering 28,000 voter signatures but said Saturday that choice was partly to blame for his loss.

Romney, 71, went up against 11 other candidates at the convention, including one dressed as Abraham Lincoln, complete with vest and bow tie. Some candidates questioned Romney’s past criticism of President Donald Trump.

Romney pushed back against critics who said he’s an interloper in Utah politics by referring to his role in staging the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah.

“Some people I’ve spoken with have said this is a David vs. Goliath race, but they’re wrong,” Romney said in his speech. “I’m not Goliath. Washington, D.C., is Goliath.”

Kennedy, a doctor and lawyer, framed himself as an underdog taking on the “Romney machine.” At one point, he pitched in to sweep up tiny paper American flags that had been shot from a confetti cannon hours before.

Delegate Matt Murdoch, 28, said he voted for Kennedy because he’s a family doctor serving many of his neighbors in Alpine, south of Salt Lake City.

Stay-at-home mother Michelle Cluff said she liked Romney’s experience and believes he is ready to get to work as a senator.

Romney was governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. While in office he signed legislation that greatly expanded access to health care through state-level subsidies and individual mandates to purchase insurance, much like Obamacare.

Romney asked for delegates’ votes after spending two months on the campaign trail visiting dairy farms, taking selfies with college students and making stump speeches in small towns.

After his failed 2012 presidential campaign, he moved to Utah, where he gained popularity after running as the first Mormon presidential nominee of a major political party.

He’s worked to keep the focus on state issues rather than his history of well-documented feuds with Trump.

The two men have shown signs of making peace, and Romney has accepted Trump’s endorsement for Senate. But Romney said Saturday he hasn’t decided whether he’ll endorse the president’s 2020 re-election bid.
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Mitt Romney was forced into a Republican primary in his bid for U.S. Senate in Utah after losing a nomination battle Saturday at the state’s far-right-leaning GOP convention.

Romney remains the heavy favorite overall to replace long-serving Sen. Orrin Hatch in November and said he was ready to keep campaigning hard.

If he had won the party delegate vote at the convention, he would have bypassed a primary altogether. Instead, he was edged out by state lawmaker Mike Kennedy, who got 51 percent of the vote to Romney’s 49 percent.

GOP voters will decide between the two in a June 26 primary.

Romney secured his spot on the primary ballot by gathering 28,000 voter signatures but said Saturday that choice was partly to blame for his loss.

Romney, 71, went up against 11 other candidates at the convention, including one dressed as Abraham Lincoln, complete with vest and bow tie. Some candidates questioned Romney’s past criticism of President Donald Trump.

Romney pushed back against critics who said he’s an interloper in Utah politics by referring to his role in staging the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah.

“Some people I’ve spoken with have said this is a David vs. Goliath race, but they’re wrong,” Romney said in his speech. “I’m not Goliath. Washington, D.C., is Goliath.”

Kennedy, a doctor and lawyer, framed himself as an underdog taking on the “Romney machine.” At one point, he pitched in to sweep up tiny paper American flags that had been shot from a confetti cannon hours before.

Delegate Matt Murdoch, 28, said he voted for Kennedy because he’s a family doctor serving many of his neighbors in Alpine, south of Salt Lake City.

Stay-at-home mother Michelle Cluff said she liked Romney’s experience and believes he is ready to get to work as a senator.

Romney was governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. While in office he signed legislation that greatly expanded access to health care through state-level subsidies and individual mandates to purchase insurance, much like Obamacare.

Romney asked for delegates’ votes after spending two months on the campaign trail visiting dairy farms, taking selfies with college students and making stump speeches in small towns.

After his failed 2012 presidential campaign, he moved to Utah, where he gained popularity after running as the first Mormon presidential nominee of a major political party.

He’s worked to keep the focus on state issues rather than his history of well-documented feuds with Trump.

The two men have shown signs of making peace, and Romney has accepted Trump’s endorsement for Senate. But Romney said Saturday he hasn’t decided whether he’ll endorse the president’s 2020 re-election bid.
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President Donald Trump said Saturday that he didn’t expect Michael Cohen, his longtime personal lawyer and fixer, to “flip” as the government investigates Cohen’s business dealings.

Trump, in a series of tweets fired off from Florida on the morning of former first lady Barbara Bush’s funeral, accused The New York Times and one of its reporters of “going out of their way to destroy Michael Cohen and his relationship with me in the hope that he will ‘flip’ ” — a term that can mean cooperating with the government in exchange for leniency.

“Most people will flip if the Government lets them out of trouble,” even if “it means lying or making up stories,” Trump said, before adding: “Sorry, I don’t see Michael doing that despite the horrible Witch Hunt and the dishonest media!”

The FBI raided Cohen’s home, office and hotel room this month, looking for evidence of fraud amid a criminal investigation. That included records related to payments Cohen made in 2016 to adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, both of whom allege having had sexual encounters with Trump, people familiar with the raid have told The Associated Press.

Prosecutors have said they’re investigating Cohen’s personal business dealings but haven’t said what crime they believe he may have committed. Cohen’s lawyers have called the raid an assault on attorney-client privilege, and Trump has said it was “an attack on our country.”

In the tweets, sent shortly after he arrived at one of his Florida golf courses, Trump accused the newspaper of using “non-existent ‘sources’ ” in a Friday story about the relationship between Trump and Cohen, who has said he would “take a bullet” for his boss. The story quoted several people on the record.

Trump also lashed out personally at one of the story’s writers, calling reporter Maggie Haberman “third rate” and claiming he has “nothing to do with” her. Trump later deleted and reposted the tweets, correcting the spelling of Haberman’s name.

Haberman is widely seen as one of the most diligent reporters covering the president and is known to speak with him often. The Times responded on Twitter, saying it stood by the story and praising Haberman, who was part of the team that just won a Pulitzer Prize for its reporting on Trump.

The tweets came as the rest of the country was preparing for the funeral of Mrs. Bush. The president chose not to go to the Houston service, but first lady Melania Trump attended. Trump tweeted that he would watch from Florida.
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President Donald Trump said Saturday that he didn’t expect Michael Cohen, his longtime personal lawyer and fixer, to “flip” as the government investigates Cohen’s business dealings.

Trump, in a series of tweets fired off from Florida on the morning of former first lady Barbara Bush’s funeral, accused The New York Times and one of its reporters of “going out of their way to destroy Michael Cohen and his relationship with me in the hope that he will ‘flip’ ” — a term that can mean cooperating with the government in exchange for leniency.

“Most people will flip if the Government lets them out of trouble,” even if “it means lying or making up stories,” Trump said, before adding: “Sorry, I don’t see Michael doing that despite the horrible Witch Hunt and the dishonest media!”

The FBI raided Cohen’s home, office and hotel room this month, looking for evidence of fraud amid a criminal investigation. That included records related to payments Cohen made in 2016 to adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, both of whom allege having had sexual encounters with Trump, people familiar with the raid have told The Associated Press.

Prosecutors have said they’re investigating Cohen’s personal business dealings but haven’t said what crime they believe he may have committed. Cohen’s lawyers have called the raid an assault on attorney-client privilege, and Trump has said it was “an attack on our country.”

In the tweets, sent shortly after he arrived at one of his Florida golf courses, Trump accused the newspaper of using “non-existent ‘sources’ ” in a Friday story about the relationship between Trump and Cohen, who has said he would “take a bullet” for his boss. The story quoted several people on the record.

Trump also lashed out personally at one of the story’s writers, calling reporter Maggie Haberman “third rate” and claiming he has “nothing to do with” her. Trump later deleted and reposted the tweets, correcting the spelling of Haberman’s name.

Haberman is widely seen as one of the most diligent reporters covering the president and is known to speak with him often. The Times responded on Twitter, saying it stood by the story and praising Haberman, who was part of the team that just won a Pulitzer Prize for its reporting on Trump.

The tweets came as the rest of the country was preparing for the funeral of Mrs. Bush. The president chose not to go to the Houston service, but first lady Melania Trump attended. Trump tweeted that he would watch from Florida.
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A nonprofit citizens group “United We Dream,” launched a new smartphone app that gives undocumented immigrants a virtual “panic button” if they are ever swept up in a raid or detained. The app provides legal advice and allows undocumented immigrants to notify their relatives quickly, when and if they fear that an interaction with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or local police, might lead to their arrest. Veronica Balderas Iglesias has more.
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A nonprofit citizens group “United We Dream,” launched a new smartphone app that gives undocumented immigrants a virtual “panic button” if they are ever swept up in a raid or detained. The app provides legal advice and allows undocumented immigrants to notify their relatives quickly, when and if they fear that an interaction with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or local police, might lead to their arrest. Veronica Balderas Iglesias has more.
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Students across the United States marked the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting by walking out of their classrooms. This protest against gun violence comes on the heels of a previous national school walkout and the March for Our Lives rallies. From Washington, VOA’s Jill Craig has more.
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Students across the United States marked the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting by walking out of their classrooms. This protest against gun violence comes on the heels of a previous national school walkout and the March for Our Lives rallies. From Washington, VOA’s Jill Craig has more.
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A internal CIA review in 2011 cleared U.S. President Donald Trump’s choice to head the agency, Gina Haspel, of wrongdoing in the destruction of videotapes depicting the harsh interrogation of an al Qaeda suspect, according to a memorandum that the CIA declassified and released on Friday.

The spy agency released the memo in response to demands by U.S. lawmakers for more details on Haspel’s career and as part of its effort to bolster her nomination. Haspel’s bid to be the first woman CIA director faces scrutiny on Capitol Hill due to her involvement in a discontinued interrogation program that many regarded as using torture.

“I have found no fault with the performance of Ms. Haspel,” Michael Morell, then the CIA’s deputy director, wrote in the December 2011 memo

“I have concluded that she acted appropriately in her role” as chief of staff to Jose Rodriguez, the head of CIA spy operations, Morell wrote.

At issue was a decision Rodriguez has said he made in November 2005 to destroy videotapes showing the waterboarding of CIA detainee Abu Zubaydeh who U.S. officials believed at the time — incorrectly — was a top-level al Qaeda operative.

Waterboarding is a form of simulated drowning. Zubaydeh’s role in al Qaeda was later found to have been overstated.

CIA officials have long said that Haspel drafted a cable from Rodriguez ordering agency officers in the field to destroy the tapes, and that she believed Rodriguez was going to clear it first with the agency’s director at the time, Porter Goss.

At the time the cable was sent, Haspel worked in CIA headquarters outside Washington, D.C. Published accounts have said she was chief in 2002 of a base in Thailand where detainees were interrogated but arrived there after Zubaydah’s waterboarding.

The memo appears to support the CIA version of events.

Haspel “drafted the cable on the direct orders of Mr. Rodriguez; she did not release that cable. It was not her decision to destroy the tapes; it was Mr. Rodriguez’s,” Morell wrote.

Rodriguez has said he ordered the tapes destroyed out of fear that, if leaked, they could put CIA officers at risk.

Haspel, who is now the agency’s No. 2 official, is due to appear at a May 9 hearing on her confirmation before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Haspel has the backing of the committee’s Republican chairman, Senator Richard Burr. At least two committee Democrats have expressed concern about her nomination.

Democratic Senator Ron Wyden said in a statement on Friday that he remained troubled by Haspel’s nomination and called on the Trump administration to release “much more information about this episode.”
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A internal CIA review in 2011 cleared U.S. President Donald Trump’s choice to head the agency, Gina Haspel, of wrongdoing in the destruction of videotapes depicting the harsh interrogation of an al Qaeda suspect, according to a memorandum that the CIA declassified and released on Friday.

The spy agency released the memo in response to demands by U.S. lawmakers for more details on Haspel’s career and as part of its effort to bolster her nomination. Haspel’s bid to be the first woman CIA director faces scrutiny on Capitol Hill due to her involvement in a discontinued interrogation program that many regarded as using torture.

“I have found no fault with the performance of Ms. Haspel,” Michael Morell, then the CIA’s deputy director, wrote in the December 2011 memo

“I have concluded that she acted appropriately in her role” as chief of staff to Jose Rodriguez, the head of CIA spy operations, Morell wrote.

At issue was a decision Rodriguez has said he made in November 2005 to destroy videotapes showing the waterboarding of CIA detainee Abu Zubaydeh who U.S. officials believed at the time — incorrectly — was a top-level al Qaeda operative.

Waterboarding is a form of simulated drowning. Zubaydeh’s role in al Qaeda was later found to have been overstated.

CIA officials have long said that Haspel drafted a cable from Rodriguez ordering agency officers in the field to destroy the tapes, and that she believed Rodriguez was going to clear it first with the agency’s director at the time, Porter Goss.

At the time the cable was sent, Haspel worked in CIA headquarters outside Washington, D.C. Published accounts have said she was chief in 2002 of a base in Thailand where detainees were interrogated but arrived there after Zubaydah’s waterboarding.

The memo appears to support the CIA version of events.

Haspel “drafted the cable on the direct orders of Mr. Rodriguez; she did not release that cable. It was not her decision to destroy the tapes; it was Mr. Rodriguez’s,” Morell wrote.

Rodriguez has said he ordered the tapes destroyed out of fear that, if leaked, they could put CIA officers at risk.

Haspel, who is now the agency’s No. 2 official, is due to appear at a May 9 hearing on her confirmation before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Haspel has the backing of the committee’s Republican chairman, Senator Richard Burr. At least two committee Democrats have expressed concern about her nomination.

Democratic Senator Ron Wyden said in a statement on Friday that he remained troubled by Haspel’s nomination and called on the Trump administration to release “much more information about this episode.”
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Students across the United States will march Friday to honor the memory of the victims of 1999’s Columbine shooting. Energized by the momentum for stricter gun control since February’s mass shooting at a Florida high school, young people have led the charge for change. Friday will mark the latest salvo in their nationwide calls for change. Arash Arabasadi and Jill Craig contributed to this report.
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South Korean President Moon Jae-in says he has encouraging news from Pyongyang about planned summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. U.S. lawmakers and experts are also weighing in on the flurry of diplomatic initiatives, as VOA Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from the State Department.
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It may seem like just another week at the Trump White House. Word of a potentially historic breakthrough on North Korea is forced to compete with a scathing assessment of the president by his former FBI director and court appearances by his personal lawyer and an adult film actress who claims she had an affair with the president. Is this the new normal? Or is it the political phenomenon of Donald Trump breaking the mold again? VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington.
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To some, it may seem like just another week at the Trump White House.

Word of a potentially historic breakthrough on North Korea is forced to compete with a scathing assessment of the president by his former FBI director. Add into the mix, court appearances earlier in the week by his personal lawyer and an adult film actress who claims she had an affair with the president. Who can blame those in Washington who ask: Is this the new normal? Or is it simply the political phenomenon of Donald Trump breaking the mold once again?

For most presidential administrations, the movement toward a summit with North Korea would be enough for a week of headlines.

“It will be a great day for them. It will be a great day for the world,” President Trump told reporters Wednesday on the possibility of a successful meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Trump spoke at a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the president’s Florida resort.

Bad for the country

Just minutes later, Trump made a quick pivot away from the North Korea situation to blasting the Russia probe that continues to cast a shadow over his administration.

“It is a bad thing for our country,” he said. “A very, very bad thing for our country. But there has been no collusion. They won’t find any collusion. It doesn’t exist.”

Throughout the week, the president has also been engaged in a war of words with James Comey, the man whose dismissal from the job of FBI director set in motion the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller to lead the Russia investigation.

Comey has held a series of interviews for his new book, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership.” Comey told the ABC News network he believes Trump is “morally unfit” to be president.

Mueller’s fate

And speaking to the USA Today newspaper, Comey mused about the possibility that the president could move to fire Mueller and the man he reports to, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

“That is a fundamental attack on the rule of law, so that is the most important thing. All of us should care about that,” Comey said. “Again, this is above politics, above party affiliation because it is all we are as a country.”

During his news conference on Wednesday, Trump was asked about the fate of Mueller and Rosenstein.

“They have been saying I’m going to be getting rid of them for the last three months, four months, five months, and they are still here,” said Trump. “So we want to get the investigation over with, done with, put it behind us.”

Others with the president’s ear are urging him to take action, according to Associated Press White House correspondent Jonathan Lemire.

“There is, though, a team of outside advisers, sort of Trump’s informal kitchen cabinet,” he said. “A number of those people have suggested to him, ‘Hey, you need to be tougher, Mueller is imperiling your presidency and you should fire him.'”

Some Democrats and a few Republicans are pushing congressional leaders to pass legislation that would protect Mueller and Rosenstein. But House Speaker Paul Ryan sees no need for it at present.

“We do not believe that he should be fired. We do not believe that he will be fired and we therefore don’t think that that is necessary,” Ryan told reporters this week.

Stormy weather

Adding to the turmoil this week was the Monday media circus outside a federal court in Manhattan where Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, made an appearance along with adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Cohen was the target of FBI raids recently on his office, home and hotel and is under scrutiny for a payment to Daniels.

Daniels claims she had a brief affair with Trump back in 2006, which he has denied, and that Cohen facilitated a payment intended to silence her about the affair.

The ongoing Russia probe combined with Cohen’s legal troubles suggests more uncertainty ahead for the Trump White House.

“We are coming to some sort of a head,” said American University political expert Chris Edelson. “I mean, certainly this Cohen news is a really big deal and maybe we will find out more about that in the not too distant future. But it is hard to say with certainty what does that mean? Does that mean weeks or months? I don’t know for sure.”

Recent polls suggest Trump has bolstered his support among Republicans, now in the 80 percent approval or better range in several recent surveys. The president’s overall average approval rating has inched up in recent weeks from about 39 percent to 41 percent.

But some recent polls, including Gallup and NBC News/Wall Street Journal, show his approval slipping back to under 40 percent, still historically low for a first-term president.
…

To some, it may seem like just another week at the Trump White House.

Word of a potentially historic breakthrough on North Korea is forced to compete with a scathing assessment of the president by his former FBI director. Add into the mix, court appearances earlier in the week by his personal lawyer and an adult film actress who claims she had an affair with the president. Who can blame those in Washington who ask: Is this the new normal? Or is it simply the political phenomenon of Donald Trump breaking the mold once again?

For most presidential administrations, the movement toward a summit with North Korea would be enough for a week of headlines.

“It will be a great day for them. It will be a great day for the world,” President Trump told reporters Wednesday on the possibility of a successful meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Trump spoke at a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the president’s Florida resort.

Bad for the country

Just minutes later, Trump made a quick pivot away from the North Korea situation to blasting the Russia probe that continues to cast a shadow over his administration.

“It is a bad thing for our country,” he said. “A very, very bad thing for our country. But there has been no collusion. They won’t find any collusion. It doesn’t exist.”

Throughout the week, the president has also been engaged in a war of words with James Comey, the man whose dismissal from the job of FBI director set in motion the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller to lead the Russia investigation.

Comey has held a series of interviews for his new book, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership.” Comey told the ABC News network he believes Trump is “morally unfit” to be president.

Mueller’s fate

And speaking to the USA Today newspaper, Comey mused about the possibility that the president could move to fire Mueller and the man he reports to, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

“That is a fundamental attack on the rule of law, so that is the most important thing. All of us should care about that,” Comey said. “Again, this is above politics, above party affiliation because it is all we are as a country.”

During his news conference on Wednesday, Trump was asked about the fate of Mueller and Rosenstein.

“They have been saying I’m going to be getting rid of them for the last three months, four months, five months, and they are still here,” said Trump. “So we want to get the investigation over with, done with, put it behind us.”

Others with the president’s ear are urging him to take action, according to Associated Press White House correspondent Jonathan Lemire.

“There is, though, a team of outside advisers, sort of Trump’s informal kitchen cabinet,” he said. “A number of those people have suggested to him, ‘Hey, you need to be tougher, Mueller is imperiling your presidency and you should fire him.'”

Some Democrats and a few Republicans are pushing congressional leaders to pass legislation that would protect Mueller and Rosenstein. But House Speaker Paul Ryan sees no need for it at present.

“We do not believe that he should be fired. We do not believe that he will be fired and we therefore don’t think that that is necessary,” Ryan told reporters this week.

Stormy weather

Adding to the turmoil this week was the Monday media circus outside a federal court in Manhattan where Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, made an appearance along with adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Cohen was the target of FBI raids recently on his office, home and hotel and is under scrutiny for a payment to Daniels.

Daniels claims she had a brief affair with Trump back in 2006, which he has denied, and that Cohen facilitated a payment intended to silence her about the affair.

The ongoing Russia probe combined with Cohen’s legal troubles suggests more uncertainty ahead for the Trump White House.

“We are coming to some sort of a head,” said American University political expert Chris Edelson. “I mean, certainly this Cohen news is a really big deal and maybe we will find out more about that in the not too distant future. But it is hard to say with certainty what does that mean? Does that mean weeks or months? I don’t know for sure.”

Recent polls suggest Trump has bolstered his support among Republicans, now in the 80 percent approval or better range in several recent surveys. The president’s overall average approval rating has inched up in recent weeks from about 39 percent to 41 percent.

But some recent polls, including Gallup and NBC News/Wall Street Journal, show his approval slipping back to under 40 percent, still historically low for a first-term president.
…

The confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency will begin next month.

The current deputy CIA director Gina Haspel will testify before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence starting on May 9, the committee announced Thursday.

If confirmed, Haspel would replace Mike Pompeo, who was nominated be Secretary of State after Trump fired Rex Tillerson.

Haspel is the first woman tapped to head the CIA.

Michael Bowman contributed to this report.
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The confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency will begin next month.

The current deputy CIA director Gina Haspel will testify before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence starting on May 9, the committee announced Thursday.

If confirmed, Haspel would replace Mike Pompeo, who was nominated be Secretary of State after Trump fired Rex Tillerson.

Haspel is the first woman tapped to head the CIA.

Michael Bowman contributed to this report.
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California reached an agreement with the federal government that the state’s National Guard troops will deploy to the border to focus on fighting transnational gangs as well as drug and gun smugglers, Gov. Jerry Brown said. The announcement comes after a week of uncertainty in which President Donald Trump bashed the governor’s insistence that troops avoid immigration-related work.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen wrote on Twitter that final details were being worked out “but we are looking forward to the support.”

Brown said Wednesday he secured federal funding for terms similar to those outlined in last week’s proposed contract: The Guard cannot handle custody duties for anyone accused of immigration violations, build border barriers or have anything to do with immigration enforcement.

Federal officials refused to sign the proposal because they said it was outside established protocol for the Guard.

Brown’s office said Wednesday that the previous contract was unnecessary after he secured federal funding for his goals. Brown spokesman Evan Westrup said the exact cost hasn’t been determined.

Some troops may be deployed this month and are expected to stay until at least Sept. 30, Brown said. They will be assigned to all parts of the state, not just the border.

Brown elicited rare and effusive praise from Trump last week when he pledged 400 troops, which helped put the president above the lower end of his threshold of marshaling 2,000 to 4,000 troops for his border mission.

Federal officials said Monday that Brown refused to commit California Guard troops to some initial jobs that were similar to assignments in the three other border states, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, all governed by Republicans. Trump bashed Brown’s position two days in a row, even as the governor said a deal was near.

“There’s been a little bit of back and forth, as you always get with bureaucrats but I think we can find common understanding here,” Brown said Tuesday in Washington. “There’s enough problems at the border and the interface between our countries that California will have plenty to do, and we’re willing to do it.”

Nielsen, appearing alongside Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey to thank him for contributing 440 troops, said Wednesday there were 1,000 troops deployed on the border mission and that number is growing. She said they were performing aerial surveillance and vehicle repairs.
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