There’s never been a two week start to a new administration like this. We think it’s because Trump is used to having multiple deals going on at once so attacking varied issues is the norm for him. Add he starts at 7 AM and goes late into the night and the news cycle never ends.
The administration took action on Iran and sanctions were announced on 13 people and a dozen companies. The targets were agencies, companies, agents and associates involved in procuring ballistic missile technology for Iran. A key, it does not undercut the Obama nuclear deal.
Next move is Iran’s. Keep watching.
Pat Buchanan had a column yesterday on this and wrote:
“The problem with making a threat public – Iran is “on notice” – is that it makes it almost impossible for Iran, or Trump, to back away.
Tehran seems almost obliged to defy it, especially the demand that it cease testing conventional missiles for its own defense”.
Here are interesting outcomes of Harry Reid’s maneuvers and the recent senate stalling on cabinet nominees.
– When Reid changed filibuster rules three years ago to eliminate the 60-vote threshold, he made it simple once out of committee for Trump’s cabinet to be approved since Republicans control the senate with 52 members. Now you just need 50 with a sitting VP of the same party.
– You saw how they were holding up Jeff Sessions. Well he has been out of committee for days but Republicans have held off the senate vote. Why? They need his vote to approve a 50-50 vote on the education nominee. So if the committee had not played games with Sessions, who was sure to pass, he would in the AG slot and they could have stopped Betsy DeVos.
Nice job, that’s twice you shot yourself. Monday she gets confirmed, Tuesday he does.
Headline story in yesterdays WSJ.
Trump’s Bluntness Unsettles World Leaders.
What the media is failing to recognize is Trump is a negotiator and he will always take outlandish positions. It gives him room to maneuver.
NYTimes opinion page yesterday has this:
Wanted: One Republican With Integrity, to Defeat Betsy DeVos.
Really? I was looking for a few Democrats with integrity to say they will support Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court. Are you?
Did you see this?
Nordstrom drops Ivanka Trump-branded clothing and shoes.
The change followed a week long boycott campaign, organized by an anti-Trump group called “Grab Your Wallet.” The group demanded the department store giant cease doing business with the president or his family.
Good move. After all, Macy’s has done so well since they stopped selling Donald Trump clothes. And Brick and Mortar stores don’t need business.
Interesting jobs numbers Friday. Expected 175,000. Actual 227,000. So unemployment down, right? Wrong, it went up to 4.8 from 4.7%. Why? All of a sudden there are more people looking for jobs. When Obama was President the employment participation dropped and unemployment as well.
Big fight over reducing the impact of Dodd/Frank ahead. Business says it is inhibiting expansion and growth. Democrats say it is needed.
A loyal reader of this blog traveling overseas sent me this and asked if I had heard it. I hadn’t. The MSM missed it I guess.
Kuwait, a day after Trump’s travel ban, did the same for five countries.
“Citizens from five Muslim-majority countries will no longer be able to obtain Kuwaiti visas, after reports the Gulf state issued tight entry restrictions that mirrored US President Donald Trump’s Muslim ban”.
Here’s the story:
http://www.albawaba.com/editorchoice/kuwait-issues-its-own-trump-esque-visa-ban-five-muslim-majority-countries-932174